Hey YA Readers: Let’s get series-ous!
“What’s Up in YA?” is sponsored by the late spring and summer picks of the Class of 2k19 books, 20 authors, 20 MG and YA novels debuting in 2019.
WE RULE THE NIGHT: “The richly textured world, filled with disparate people who want to win the war, is background to a powerful story.” – Kirkus starred review
THE BEST LIES: Told in alternating timelines, Thelma and Louise meets Gone Girl in this twisted psychological thriller about the dark side of obsessive friendship.
ALL OUR BROKEN PIECES: “Crichton is a master at manipulating her reader’s emotions […] sharply written and deeply moving.” -Tamara Ireland Stone
THE GRIEF KEEPER: The Grief Keeper is a tender tale that explores the heartbreak and consequences of when both love and human beings are branded illegal.
Next Monday, over on Book Riot, I’ve got a mega list of completed YA book series that should be on your to-read, if you haven’t already marathoned them. What I didn’t include on the list were series coming to a close this year, so it seemed only right to do a small round-up of those titles here.
I struggle with series books because I need to read the series cover-to-cover. So I’ll get my hands on the first book, then I’ll be sad to have to wait for years to get the final one before starting. I am not patient and it’s too easy for me to forget key parts of a story while waiting for so long.
But completed series? Sign me up. Here are a handful coming to their conclusions in 2019. I’ve included the Goodreads descriptions for the first book, mostly because I’ve not read any of these said for above-stated reasons and to avoid potential end-of-series spoilers in using final book descriptions. I’ve included the title and publication date of the final book in clickable links.
“The Bone Witch” series by Rin Chupeco, ending with The Shadowglass which is available now.
When Tea accidentally resurrects her brother from the dead, she learns she is different from the other witches in her family. Her gift for necromancy means that she’s a bone witch, a title that makes her feared and ostracized by her community. But Tea finds solace and guidance with an older, wiser bone witch, who takes Tea and her brother to another land for training.
In her new home, Tea puts all her energy into becoming an asha-one who can wield elemental magic. But dark forces are approaching quickly, and in the face of danger, Tea will have to overcome her obstacles…and make a powerful choice.
“The Black Angel Chronicles” by Kristen Orlando, ending with You Won’t See Me Coming, available now.
Seventeen-year-old Reagan Elizabeth Hillis is used to changing identities overnight, lying to every friend she’s ever had, and pushing away anyone who gets too close. Trained in mortal combat and weaponry her entire life, Reagan is expected to follow in her parents’ footsteps and join the ranks of the most powerful top-secret agency in the world, the Black Angels. Falling in love with the boy next door was never part of the plan. Now Reagan must decide: Will she use her incredible talents and lead the dangerous life she was born into, or throw it all away to follow her heart and embrace the normal life she’s always wanted? And does she even have a choice?
“Alex & Eliza” by Melissa de la Cruz, ending with All for One, publishing April 16.
Their romance shaped a nation. The rest was history.
1777. Albany, New York.
As battle cries of the American Revolution echo in the distance, servants flutter about preparing for one of New York society’s biggest events: the Schuylers’ grand ball. Descended from two of the oldest and most distinguished bloodlines in New York, the Schuylers are proud to be one of their fledgling country’s founding families, and even prouder still of their three daughters—Angelica, with her razor-sharp wit; Peggy, with her dazzling looks; and Eliza, whose beauty and charm rival that of both her sisters, though she’d rather be aiding the colonists’ cause than dressing up for some silly ball.
Still, she can barely contain her excitement when she hears of the arrival of one Alexander Hamilton, a mysterious, rakish young colonel and General George Washington’s right-hand man. Though Alex has arrived as the bearer of bad news for the Schuylers, he can’t believe his luck—as an orphan, and a bastard one at that—to be in such esteemed company. And when Alex and Eliza meet that fateful night, so begins an epic love story that would forever change the course of American history.
“Three Dark Crowns” by Kendare Blake, ending with Five Dark Fates on September 3.
When kingdom come, there will be one.
In every generation on the island of Fennbirn, a set of triplets is born—three queens, all equal heirs to the crown and each possessor of a coveted magic. Mirabella is a fierce elemental, able to spark hungry flames or vicious storms at the snap of her fingers. Katharine is a poisoner, one who can ingest the deadliest poisons without so much as a stomachache. Arsinoe, a naturalist, is said to have the ability to bloom the reddest rose and control the fiercest of lions.
But becoming the Queen Crowned isn’t solely a matter of royal birth. Each sister has to fight for it. And it’s not just a game of win or lose…it’s life or death. The night the sisters turn sixteen, the battle begins.
The last queen standing gets the crown.
“Royal Bastards” by Andrew Shvarts, ending with War of the Bastards on June 4.
Being a bastard blows. Tilla would know. Her father, Lord Kent of the Western Province, loved her as a child, but cast her aside as soon as he had trueborn children.
At sixteen, Tilla spends her days exploring long-forgotten tunnels beneath the castle with her stablehand half brother, Jax, and her nights drinking with the servants, passing out on Jax’s floor while her castle bedroom collects dust. Tilla secretly longs to sit by her father’s side, resplendent in a sparkling gown, enjoying feasts with the rest of the family. Instead, she sits with the other bastards, like Miles of House Hampstedt, an awkward scholar who’s been in love with Tilla since they were children.
Then, at a feast honoring the visiting princess Lyriana, the royal shocks everyone by choosing to sit at the Bastards’ Table. Before she knows it, Tilla is leading the sheltered princess on a late-night escapade. Along with Jax, Miles, and fellow bastard Zell, a Zitochi warrior from the north, they stumble upon a crime they were never meant to witness.
Rebellion is brewing in the west, and a brutal coup leaves Lyriana’s uncle, the Royal Archmagus, dead—with Lyriana next on the list. The group flees for their lives, relentlessly pursued by murderous mercenaries; their own parents have put a price on their heads to prevent the king and his powerful Royal Mages from discovering their treachery.
The bastards band together, realizing they alone have the power to prevent a civil war that will tear their kingdom apart—if they can warn the king in time. And if they can survive the journey
Happy reading, y’all! Thanks for hanging and we’ll see you again later this week for some YA news.
PS: If you haven’t already, check out our brand new podcast all about kid lit!
— Kelly Jensen, @veronikellymars on Instagram and editor of (Don’t) Call Me Crazy and Here We Are.