Author: Kelly Jensen

A queer coming-of-age set in 1930s Chicago? Count me in.

Joe comes to Chicago in 1934 in order to make enough money to save the family farm. He’s been set up at a hotel job, and he decides to take part in a con coordinated by his cousin in order to make a lot of money really fast. As he’s in on the scheme, Joe befriends two guys who expose him to things he’s never seen: a rich queer life in the city.

But Joe soon finds himself in big trouble. Between the con and being caught up in danger with the cops and gangsters, he knows he’s gotta get out of town. Leaving, though, means deciding who he truly wants to be.

Mar, a nonbinary transmasc Latinx pirate, can manipulate fire and ice. Unfortunately, as magical as that power is, they’re not strong enough to reverse a bargain made by their father. El Diablo is out for revenge, hoping to collect Mar’s father’s soul and the rest of those on the ship.

By miracle, there’s hope. But not for long: now El Diablo wants to make a bargain with Mar.

Set in the war-ravaged countryside of Russia, this is a fresh take on Anastasia. Anna is running for her life, having barely escaped the murders that rocked the rest of her family. A Red commander is after her, though, and Anna believes if she can just find the Tsarist army, she can get to safety — but it comes with convincing a peasant to take her across communist territory.

That peasant is Evgenia, who is not happy about her lot in life. Her brother, a Red soldier, is in desperate need of a doctor, and she sells a wagon ride across the communist countryside to Anna to raise the funds.

The girls, from opposing sides, learn on this trip how much they have in common, as well as what it means to survive.

We can always used more stories of Black girls in sports, and this one about a Black ballerina is super compelling. I only wish the cover were a little more YA and less middle grade! Or maybe clearer that the main character uses a wheelchair, since the wheel around the skirt is a confusing?

Anyway!

Genie used to be a leading student at her New York dance studio, but an accident left her in a wheelchair. She “used to be,” and she wants to be left alone to pick up the pieces of the future that’s been destroyed.

Then she meets Kyle. Kyle, who is himself a former gymnast and whose future career ended because of a traumatic brain injury. With Kyle’s help and the help of her best friend, maybe Genie can forge a new creative future…and admit the truth about what happened to her.

This one deals with some heavier topics, too, including parental substance abuse and an ex-boyfriend who may hold a secret himself.

It’s senior year and with graduation on the horizon, Leila is especially crushed when her long-time boyfriend Dev breaks up with her. Has it all been a big waste? Maybe…or maybe this is a big chance.

The school hosts an annual Last Chance Dance. Students submit a list of three crushes to the committee and if there is a match, those students get paired up and can decide whether or not to attend the big shebang together. So when Leila gets matched with all three of her crushes, including her semi-enemy from chemistry class, she’ll have to decide who is her perfect fit for the dance…and maybe more.

There’s a very interesting microtrend with YA book covers and that’s sunflowers. And, as the case is with this book, those sunflowers aren’t exactly, err, sunny.

Bishop is a town known for three things: terrible windstorms, sunflower fields, and women who go missing. So when three women disappear one night, three daughters are left without mothers, without answers, and alone with no one but each other and their grief.

At the memorial for all of their mothers, the wind is at it. Now, secrets have come to the surface and all three of the girls who are now motherless must confront their own truths…and the truth of the eerie town which might be desperate for their blood, too.

I’m getting a little bit of the vibes from Robin Wasserman’s utterly creepy The Waking Dark with this one.

Ri Fernández’s strict grandmother did not allow her to learn Spanish growing up, despite the fact she’s Mexican American. Ri has been angry at her grandmother for years, as she’s been cut off from ever getting to know who she is and where she came from.

So when Ri discovers a letter from her birth mother, she decides she’s going to seek her out. But the visit is anything but the empowering and meaningful one she anticipated. Her mother is not at all what Ri hoped and, as it turns out, being of mixed heritage is a lot more complicated than she could have ever imagined…but maybe that is indeed what she should embrace.

This one is pitched as I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter meets Color Me In and I’m itching to read it.

Aaliyah’s a rockstar cross country runner, and though her home life has never been outstanding, she knows that focusing on her gift for sport and her good friends will help her eke out the end of high school.

It seems to work, until an elder in her church outs her without permission.

Now, senior year, she’s bound and determined to get her life — all of it, including her romantic one — back in order. But can she? How can she learn to trust anyone?

This is a coming-of-age, realistic YA about a queer Black girl wrestling with who she is, who she wants to be, and how she can build a life wholly for herself. Pass this on to readers who love quiet YA.

Going the complete opposite direction of quiet YA is this book, pitched as being inspired by Moulin Rouge and set on an island that is inspired by Prohibition-era New York City.

Luxe is part of her family’s show on the island of Charmant. It’s one of magic and splendor, but with prohibition, the money is getting much tighter and the show’s income dwindling. But the son of on of the island’s wealthiest families makes her family an offer: pose as his girlfriend to help secure mayorhood for his father. She’s in.

Jamison is an orphan and he’s come to Charmant to unravel the secrets of his family’s past. But as he delves in, he starts to discover something which not only hurts him but puts the island itself in danger.

So when Luxe and Jamison accidentally meet…and sparks accidentally fly…things for both of them and their futures are about to get much more complicated.

Jamal Lawson is an aspiring journalist, and he decides to head to Baltimore to cover the news of a rally being held to protest the murder of a Black man by police. Once he arrives, though, the city implements the Dome — it’s a way of locking those inside the city within its limits and those outside the city cannot enter. This is Baltimore’s new safety measure. But stuck inside, alone, in a place that is not his own, Jamal does not know what to do. It’ll take teaming up with two others, Catherine and Marco, to get through the days-long lockdown measures. There is untold unrest, and the trio know they need to stand up to the police chief to help take down the Dome and work to build justice for all within the city.

Think The Hate U Give meets a thriller-like pace with a dystopian setting.

This Ethiopian-inspired debut novel is a fantasy reimagining of Jane Eyre, following Andromeda, a debtera. Debteras are exorcists who cleanse the homes of Evil Eyes, and Andromeda has been hired by Magnus Rochester for a job. But…it’s not like any job she’s done before and chances are she herself may not survive what is happening in his household. And yet, Andromeda also knows she can’t leave Magnus to deal with his curse on his own, either.

So this one is for fans of sports and fantasy that is inspired by West Africa. How do those two things come together? Easily.

Dirt used to be involved in Bowing, the Isle’s elite all-female fighting sport. She’s aged out at 16, but she’s now working to coach her younger sisters; once her birthday approaches, she’ll have to leave them behind and fulfill whatever the prophecy has for her.

Her sisters look promising for the upcoming tournament. Not only is a win important for morale, but it’ll help recruit new people for the team. But a rival attacks, and now, Dirt needs to step in and step up, despite not being in shape for competition. She knows, though, she can’t let the team down. A loss would mean the end.

Maybe….this is the prophecy ahead of her.

You want dark fantasy with a big mystery? Say no more!

In Ombrazia, rule is held by saints and their disciples. It’s not a good rule for citizens, who live under terrifying levels of power if not favored by those in charge.

Rossana Lacertosa’s father was murdered by the government’s military and she is seeking revenge. She’ll join the rebellion. She knows this means she’ll also face Damian, the boy who broke her heart…even though his loyalty to the saints in charge is waning.

Adding to the challenge is the murderer on the loose. Those in charge are ignoring it, but Rossana knows she can’t, and neither can Damian. The only answer to take down the government and save people from an unchecked killer is for them to team up.  

If you’re a Jane Austen fan, this will be right up your alley. If you’re not, you’re still going to be into this.

Readers tend to think they are Lizzie Bennet, from Pride and Prejudice. The truth is, more bookish nerds are like Mary Bennet. So when Marnie Barnes wakes up to the reality that she’s trying too hard to keep up with her older sister, Marnie realizes she needs to reinvent herself to be just that: herself.

She recruits the help of her roommate and begins an adventure in finding out exactly who she is. This book features a meet-cute in an animal shelter, a big family, and a character who realizes the best thing to be isn’t a character in a classic novel. It’s best to be herself.

This one is pitched as being for fans of When Dimple Met Rishi and Emergency Contact.

Xia is lonely but is able to find solace through Wiser, an artificial intelligence app, as well as an online friend known only as ObjectPermanence. She decides to enroll in the Foundry, an incubator for app development and quickly strikes up a connection with Mast, who also happens to be doing work with AI. When Xia finds herself at the center of controversy AND runs into Mitzy Erst, the founder behind Foundry and her idol, things look less boring and lonely for her.

Things take yet another turn when ObjectPermanence tells Xia he’s at Foundry, too. Who is the mysterious person behind the name and how does Xia choose which person might be a good match for her?

If you want a frothy, delicious historical novel featuring an all-Black cast at the beginning of the 1900s in Chicago, do not look further. This book DELIVERS and then some.

Inspired by the very real Black entrepreneur CR Patterson, this book imagines what it would be like to be the daughters of a successful businessman at the time, and in addition to the two sisters’ voices, we get to know another daughter of wealth, as well as the assistant of the Davenport daughters. All of the girls have dreams and passions which fall outside of what is expected of them, and all four seem to be falling for people who are outside of their appropriate circles, too. So what happens when they seek to get what they want, rather than what’s expected of them?

This is the first in a proposed series but you can read it entirely as a stand alone…and know there might be more to come from these compelling and engaging characters.

This is the second of two powerhouse mysteries/thrillers by and about Black people hitting shelves today (the other is the one mentioned above, The Black Queen). If you want a book marrying The Hate U Give with One of Us Is Lying, dive in.

The Principal Moore Method is the standard by which the boys at Urban Promise Prep School are to subscribe. There are strict rules, meant to help turn boys into men and help boys of color to escape the fate of so many others in their communities.

J.B., Ramón, and Trey follow these rules, but when Principle Moore turns up dead, they are the prime suspects to the police. Now the three of them need to work together to clear their names and unearth the real killer.

The first book in a romantic fantasy series, this will scratch the itch of readers looking for a monster/hero romance AND an antihero lead. Joan learned recently that she and her family are monsters. It’s been a secret, but it is no longer, and their powers are dangerous.

Complicating things more is the fact Joan’s crush happens to be a legendary monster slayer. So how does she own her identity and let herself feel what she does for someone who is skilled at taking down those like her?

This is a story packed with secrets, monsters who thrive beside humans, and hidden shadow worlds.

Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda meets science fiction? That sounds fabulous.

Dylan is spending his boring winter at his boring job at the Dairy Queen, not expecting to have any excitement. Then he meets Jordan, whose body temperature is 110 degrees. As Dylan spends more time with Jordan he begins to pick up some of Jordan’s symptoms, too — he’s even coughing fire. Jordan begs Dylan to keep his symptoms secret, and he does, until he finds himself pulling away from friends and loved ones more and more. Dylan begs Jordan for answers, and he learns that Jordan is a one-of-a-kind, out-of-this-world crush. But will their romance survive this heat? Can it?

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