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| Gravity by Sarah DemingWhat it’s about: Jewish Dominican boxer Gravity Delgado knows that no matter what else happens -- fighting with her coach, flirting with a teammate, dealing with her abusive mom -- she needs to stay focused on two things: making the Olympic team and protecting her brother, Ty.
Read it for: sweaty, pulse-pounding bouts and a fierce main character who pulls no punches.
About the author: A Golden Gloves champion herself, author Sarah Deming writes about boxing from real-life experience. |
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Harley & Ivy Meet Betty & Veronica
by Paul Dini
What happens: Hiram Lodge wants to invest in the future by building a university with free tuition for Riverdale's residents. His site is a protected swamp on the outskirts of town and once news of the plan reaches Gotham City, a certain eco-warrior is determined to prevent Lodge's dream from becoming reality.
Read it for: The team-up of two of comicdom's best-known duos, bringing the ladies of Gotham and Riverdale together for the first time!
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| Winterwood by Shea ErnshawFeaturing: Nora Walker, who’s descended from a long line of forest witches; Oliver Huntsman, who’s rescued by Nora after he inexplicably survives a winter storm; and the ancient, ominous woods that surround their Pacific Northwest town.
What happens: Though Nora is drawn to Oliver, she begins to suspect that he knows something about the local boys who’ve gone missing.
Reviewers say: “a delectably immersive, eerie experience” (Kirkus Reviews). |
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| A River of Royal Blood by Amanda JoyWhat it is: an enthralling, intricately plotted, East African-inspired fantasy about two sisters forced into rivalry for their country’s throne.
What happens: Outcast for her unstable magick, Princess Eva becomes tangled in a web of political unrest while she prepares to face her sister Isa in a traditional -- and deadly -- battle for the right to rule.
For fans of: Tomi Adeyemi’s popular, West African-inspired Legacy of Orisha series (which continues this month in Children of Virtue and Vengeance). |
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The Arrival of Someday
by Jen Malone
What happens: After the liver disease she was born with flares up unexpectedly, roller derby star Amelia, eighteen, must come to terms with the brevity of life while hoping for an organ transplant.
Also by Jen Malone: Changes in Latitudes
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| I Hope You Get This Message by Farah Naz RishiThe premise: As an alien jury deliberates Earth’s fate, humanity grapples with what might be its last week of existence.
The characters: Adeem, who longs to bring his estranged sister home; Jesse, who cashes in on doomsday through a scam; and Cate, who searches for the father she’s never known.
Try this next: For further bittersweet, hopeful stories about teens living out their final days, try Alexandra Coutts’ Tumble & Fall or Lisa Schroeder’s All We Have is Now. |
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| The Light at the Bottom of the World by London ShahWelcome to: the year 2099, when London is completely underwater.
What happens: Desperate to discover where the corrupt government has imprisoned her father, submersible racer Leyla journeys through hazardous, unknown waters, accompanied only by a cagey, unwanted companion.
Series alert: This intriguing and richly detailed post-apocalyptic journey is the 1st in a duology. |
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The Edge of Over There
by Shawn Smucker
What happens: Before the Tree of Life, everything in Abra Miller's life had been predictable. Four years later, 16-year-old Abra's long-delayed quest to find the next manifestation of the Tree of Life is renewed, and Abra enters The Edge of Over There.
Sequel to: The Day the Angels Fell
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| Picture Us in the Light by Kelly Loy GilbertStarring: high school senior and second-generation immigrant Danny Cheng, whose excitement about his art-school scholarship dims as his parents begin acting strangely and his tight-knit friend group implodes.
Why you might like it: If you enjoy character-driven reads, you'll be drawn to snarky, sympathetic Danny and his attempts to deal with grief, guilt, identity, family secrets, and love (romantic and otherwise). |
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| The Memory of Light by Francisco X. StorkWhat it’s about: Vicky Cruz can’t pretend to be okay anymore. Following a suicide attempt, she lands in a hospital psych ward where she meets Mona, E.M., and Gabriel, who all have different backgrounds and diagnoses, and who all offer the support Vicky needs to face the hard work of living.
Try this next: Readers who relish this intense, emotional exploration of mental illness may also want to try Benjamin Alire Sáenz's Last Night I Sang to the Monster. |
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| The Light Between Worlds by Laura E. WeymouthStarring: siblings Evelyn, Philippa, and Jamie, who are transported from World War II London to the magical Woodlands, where they have years of adventures before they’re returned to London as if they’d never been gone.
What happens: Philippa and Jamie move on, but heartbroken Evelyn won’t stop searching for a way back to the Woodlands.
Try this next: If you’re fascinated by the poignant aftermath of travel between worlds, you might also want to try Seanan McGuire’s Every Heart a Doorway. |
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