Author: Kelly Jensen

Speaking of queer horror, this one promises to be an unapologetic romp.

Kat Fields is a college freshman with a podcast that explores paranormal happenings in Texas. When she gets an email urging her to go investigate mystery lights in Estrella Roja, that’s what she decides she’ll do on her spring break.

Marisol “Mari” Castillo is heading to Estrella Roja, too, but she’s going for her abuela’s funeral. Mari doesn’t know anyone in town, and her family has no other ties to it. So a chance meeting with Kat at a local diner convinces her to help Kat with her show.

Together, they find each other unraveling secrets not only about the town’s mysteries but about one another.

This story follows Clementine Chang, who moves from Earth to Mars and lands an amazing job with Artificial Intelligence pioneer Dr. Marcella Lin. During her first day of work, she meets Dr. Lin’s assistant, a humanoid AI named Kye. Quickly, Clem and Kye begin to work together, and there’s chemistry building between them. This does not make Dr. Lin happy, as Kye is asserting more and more independence, and Clem herself is confused since these feelings are changing how she thinks about AI altogether. If Kye can feel feelings, Clem wonders why he can’t control his own actions. 

So what does Clem do in this situation? What led her to Mars might be what helps her allow Kye to break free from his role as AI. 

Wendy does some of my favorite art, so I’m excited to immerse myself in this.

I am kind of bummed this is getting a mid/late August release because it’s so good and should be in a more prime spot in the publisher catalog. Alas, if you like true crime and you liked The 57 Bus, you’ll want to snap this up ASAP.

What does justice mean and how do we decide who has served it and when it has done what it is meant to do? Albany High School has a reputation for being a great place for kids to attend school. But in 2017, a boy at the school created a private Instagram account filled with racist memes he created. When word gets out about the account, he and the followers find themselves being punished by the school — but how does one determine what the appropriate punishment is for the creator vs. those who followed and did not interact vs. those who followed and interacted? And where and how did the creator decide this was an okay thing to do? 

This book asks more questions than it answers, but this is purposeful. We get to know ALL of the players here, including the Black girls who found themselves at the center of many of these racist memes. Can any punishment be enough to make them feel safe or as if justice has been served? As victims, how do they determine what is a “normal” amount of anger or grief or fear and when it seems like it might be too much? Can simply seeing one of those associated with the account trigger a trauma response? 

A timely and thought-provoking read that begs you to keep looking closer and closer before making any decisions.

Now for a totally different type of YA nonfiction hitting shelves this week. Azad and Simpson have put together a stellar lineup of authors all sharing their experiences being writers.

For budding writers or those who are deep into the craft, this guide is a peeling back of the curtain and it is especially potent as every creator here is a creator of color. Their experiences are as unique as they are as individuals while also pointing toward how the industry itself can be difficult for people of the global majority. What does it really mean to be a writer? What does the writing process look like? How do I get started and what do I do once I have a work I am happy with? These are just some of the questions at the core of the anthology.

The contributors include Julie C. Dao, Chloe Gong, Joan He, Kosoko Jackson, Adiba Jaigirdar, Darcie Little Badger, Yamile Saied Mendez, Axie Oh, Laura Pohl, Cindy Pon, Karuna Riazi, Gail D. Villanueva, Julian Winters, and Kat Zhang.

Part of the “Remixed Classics” series, Lee’s contribution to these reimagined classics is a fresh exploration of Treasure Island. The story, set in 1826 in the South China Sea, follows Xiang and Anh, two girls determined to unlock a legendary treasure on the water. Bonus: this is a queer retelling packed with adventure — something that YA doesn’t quite have enough of today.

Prince Tal grew up sheltered away, keeping his forbidden magic hidden, and now, he’s finally on the long-awaited tour of his family’s kingdom. Two days into the coming-of-age tour, though, he finds his first adventure: there’s a prisoner on a burning and abandoned vessel.

The prince is responsible for keeping an eye on Athlen, the prisoner they’ve pulled aboard. It doesn’t hurt that he’s easy on the eyes. But when Athlen dives overboard, Prince Tal suddenly feels responsible. Athlen might die at sea.

So Tal is, of course, surprised to run into Athlen when he is back on land. Maybe they’re meant to be together in some capacity. It’s fate, right?

Wrong. Tal’s been taken prisoner by pirates who are determined to find out what his rumored secret powers are in order to take down the kingdom.

Selly’s been ditched by her father at the port of Kirkpool, but she’s not going to stay put this winter. Instead, she’s going to follow her dad…and that seems to be a thing she is capable of, until a handsome prince hops aboard her ship and takes over. He needs to arrive on the Isle of the Gods unseen to perform a ritual. Selly is not happy about this, and she refuses to give in to this prince’s demands, even though he is extremely easy on the eyes.

It seems like it won’t be a terrible cruise, except for their bickering. But then it turns very dangerous, very quickly, and both the prince and Selly need to use their skills to fend off a couple of gods who are awakening from a deep slumber.

This is the first in a new series.

This story follows an orphan-turned-pirate who falls in love with Lady Evelyn Hasegawa, a high-born imperial daughter, aboard the Dove. The problem, besides their differing classes? Evelyn is being sent to the Floating Islands in an arranged marriage…at least, she was until the ship’s captain decides to take all of the wealthy passengers captive.

If you love magic, the high seas, and characters who refuse to live by the rules of their social class, this one’s for you.

Let’s take a leap into some nonfiction. This YA nonfiction title offers an array of real lady pirates throughout history. There are 16 different lady pirates showcased, highlighting the realities of their lives on the high seas. Get to know historical pirates from Alfhild to Cheng I Sao, Grace O’Malley, and more.

Nax doesn’t make good choices, even if he is a great pilot. That history of poor decisions? It gets him kicked out of his elite space academy in a day. But before he even gets out of the school, though, it is attacked by space terrorists. Only Nax and three other troublemakers survive the attack, becoming both the only witnesses and the only potential criminals.

So now the four of them are on the run. They’re engaging in hijinks left and right to save their name and spread the truth — but will it work, or are they forever doomed to be to blame?

This one is a romp full of heists gone wrong and underdogs becoming potential heroes.

Crown Princess Rhiannon Ta’an — Rhee for short — is the only heir left to her family dynasty. She’s going to secure that throne however necessary and, in the process, avenge her family name.

Aly started life as a war refugee; now, he’s the star of a drone-reality TV show and being accused of killing Rhee.

Now Rhee and Aly are sitting between a war of the worlds and have to do everything to save themselves and the galaxy.

This is the first in a duology.

This book actually inspired the space opera roundup since it was published earlier this month — so if it sounds familiar, that’s because it just might be!

Zaira Citlali is the reborn god Indigo and is supposed to die. Why? Because Indigo’s song managed to create the universe AND encourage people to connect with one another in order to banish Ozvios, who is the god of destruction. Zaira has failed to really step into her power as Indigo reborn, and now the Ilori Emperor is set to sacrifice her in Ozvios’s honor.

The only way out is for Zaira to find Wesley, the prophet meant to destroy Ozvios and his supporting empire.

Wesley doesn’t want to be the chosen one. He’s working as a smuggler, helping transport people across the universe for cash. Now he’s taking a celebrity to a place called Earth. So when he and Zaira cross paths…he’s not exactly thrilled to be pulled into a massive intergalactic war. The thing is, now he is, and he, Zaira, and the celebrity are going to fight and work to make their way to Earth to unleash the biggest powers.

Cass is from a minor moon, and she is an expert thief. She’s looking forward to the emperor’s ball since she knows she’ll be able to pickpocket a fortune (helpful for her, but also for her sick father and fellow thieves back home).

To pull off the scheme, she needs to get a ride to planet Ouris, sneak into the imperial palace station, and then do her job.

She gets the first done. But the second? Once she’s arrived at the station, she learns that the emperor has been found dead. No one is innocent, and Cass is the perfect scapegoat for the murder.

Cass now has to team up with the gorgeous rebel also at the station to clear her name. Together, they might unravel a secret that does even more than that….and you can guess there might be some feelings that happen, too.

Let’s kick things off with a graphic novel. Both the text and art are by Suggs.

Christine’s biracial, and they are spending their summer in Mexico to reconnect with that side of the family. The first week they’re there, they’ll be solo, then their mother will join.

It’s an unforgettable summer of reconnecting with their family, with fumbling and practicing Spanish, with wrestling their gender and sexuality in light of religious beliefs, and more. It’s both full of heart and full of challenge, and it is the kind of story so many biracial readers are going to connect with immediately.

There’s a powerful storyline here, too, about the realities of documentation and how growing up, Christine did not understand why their aunt was unable to visit Mexico like they could.

This is an indie press book, which I don’t cover a lot here because traditionally published books are enough in quantity in and of themselves to keep up with. That said, this book looks like it’ll check a lot of boxes for a lot of readers.

Thrash is 16 and isn’t into make-up or clothes, and she doesn’t hate her body, even though she’s fat (that’s something her mom would do). But when Thrash accidentally breaks a mirror and learns she has magic within her, now she’ll be subject to one of three gifts of magic…as decided by her mom. Her mom is convinced the gift of glamour is what Thrash needs.

So when Thrash catches the attention of the popular witches at school, they invite her on a road trip to New Salem University. They’ll go to steal their own gifts since they weren’t bestowed with what they wanted.

Along the way, Thrash will be hiding from her mother, and she and her new friends will discover the true meaning behind their gifts.

Let me intro this one by stating Summer is not a season here. She’s the main character.

Summer will turn 18 in a few weeks. Until then, she’ll be surviving by alternating stays at friends’ homes, using the bus pass to get around, and otherwise keeping quiet. Her parents went on the run after they were accused of committing a crime, so she has to keep herself together.

But then a social worker gets involved and now, Summer is being placed with a cousin of hers. She knows little of Olu, except that she was a famous singer and is young herself. Summer is nervous, as is Olu, but this might be the time and relationship both of them need to find themselves again.

Lydia and her sister agree to a summer without boys. They’re spending it with their aunt and her partner in Los Angeles, about 40 miles from their suburban home, as their parents are going on a cruise. Penny will be spending the summer working on her business acumen while Lydia is taking a job as a barista at her aunt’s cafe. The sisters hope to spend the time getting to know themselves and each other even better, without the distraction of boys.

But…Lydia begins to fall for Fran, a girl who has been described as one who leaves a trail of broken hearts behind her. Lydia can’t help herself though, and between time with her new friends group and her job, she sneaks in time with Fran. While Fran doesn’t want a commitment, she, too, finds herself wanting to get a little more serious with Lydia. The problem? This might be going behind Penny’s back and breaking their rules for the summer. Technically, Fran is a girl, not a boy. But technically, it’s still a relationship and putting a wedge between Penny and Lydia.

Andrea spent most of last summer laid up following surgeries for her cerebral palsy. This year will be different. She’s got a list of things to do, and she’s eager to have the kinds of friends who are as game as her.

The problem is her best friend Hailee. Andrea has had a crush on her, and she knows if Hailee knew that, things would change. So Andrea’s bucket list not only includes fun items like a Lizzo concert and paintball and thrifting. It also includes finding a way to fall out of love with Hailee.

The #SummerSisters — Daniella, Carly, Penny, and Lainie — work on a bucket list together every summer when they’re all on vacation at the Jersey Shore. Carly comes up with the list, and it includes both serious and big things, as well as fun and small things.

This year, though, is different. Carly died last winter and the three girls find themselves lost and unsure how to celebrate this summer without her. Besides, they’ve all got a lot going on between Daniella’s acceptance to a music academy, Lainie’s family is moving, and Penny has a new boyfriend.

But when the girls discover one last summer bucket list in Carly’s old purse, they’re going to take it on in her honor. Will it keep them together though?