Oasis – Katya De Becerra

The oasis saved them. But who will save them from the oasis?

Alif had exciting summer plans: working on her father’s archaeological dig site in the desert with four close friends . . . and a very cute research assistant. Then the sandstorm hit.

With their camp wiped away, Alif and the others find themselves lost on the sands, seemingly doomed . . . until they find the oasis. It has everything they need: food, water, shade—and mysterious ruins that hide a deadly secret. As reality begins to shift around them, they question what’s real and what’s a mirage.

The answers turn Alif and her friends against one another, and they begin to wonder if they’ve truly been saved. And while it was easy to walk into the oasis, it may be impossible to leave . .

I am super excited for this book and even more excited to share with you Katya’s mood board for her book!

I am excited to introduce OASIS, my sophomore young adult novel. A departure from my debut, What the Woods Keep, Oasis is an adventure narrative with elements of horror and science fiction. It’s set partially in Dubai and partially in my adopted hometown of Melbourne.

Readers can add Oasis on Gooodreads and preorder it from their favorite bookstore (major retailers are listed here). All pre-orders made via Good Choice Reading until December 24th 2019 will come signed, personalized and with an exclusive art-print as gift.

Katya de Becerra is the author of genre-bending novels What The Woods Keep and Oasis. She was born in Russia, studied in California and now lives in Melbourne. She earned a PhD in Anthropology from the University of Melbourne and now works as a university lecturer and a researcher. Katya mentors new writing talent as part of 1st5pages workshop. She’s also a co-founder and co-host of a popular SpecLitChat on Twitter.

THE SOUND OF STARS – Alechia Dow

THE SOUND OF STARS follows a teenage rebel librarian, a music-loving alien, and their unlikely friendship on a perilous road trip to save humanity.  

5 facts about THE SOUND OF STARS 

Here are 5 facts about The Sound of Stars. 

1. My MC is Janelle “Ellie” Baker. She’s an anxious, plus-sized black girl (like me) who loans out her precious books––even though it’s illegal––after the aliens take over, eeeeek! 

2. My second MC, M0Rr1S, is a cinnamon roll alien boy who loves David Bowie, Prince, and Queen. And although he initially connects with Ellie over their shared love of art, he finds that she reminds him of music in the very best of ways.

3. There are lyrics throughout the story by a band called the Starry-Eyed. Their music is classified as dream pop, and they are absolutely funny, wild, and I think you all will love them.

4. There are A LOT of book and music references, and I will definitely give a special prize to whomever names them all after release. I mention characters from popular books but not the titles, soooooo it’ll be a challenge for some of you! 

5. BEYONCÉ dance moves. That’s all. End of fact. 

Goodread links/ pre order links

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42185079-the-sound-of-stars

Book Depository: https://www.bookdepository.com/The-Sound-of-Stars-Alechia-Dow/9781335911551

Amazon: https://www.amazon.de/Sound-Stars-Alechia-Dow/dp/1335911553/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3HWPJDB9VISXE&keywords=alechia+dow&qid=1564480749&s=gateway&sprefix=Alechia+Dow%2Caps%2C147&sr=8-1

Target: https://www.target.com/p/the-sound-of-stars-by-alechia-dow-hardcover/-/A-76944352

Indigo: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/the-sound-of-stars/9781335911551-item.html?ikwid=Alechia+dow&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=0

A 2020 debut book or books that Alechia would recommend

I LOVED HENNA WARS by Adida Jaigirdar, GLITCH KINGDOM by Sheena Boekweg, GODDESS IN THE MACHINE by Lora Beth Johnson, THE LUCKY ONES by Liz Lawson is a heart-wrecker, and I’m excited to read REBELWING by Andrea Tang, ACE OF SPADES by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, and THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS by Chloe Gong. I could really go on here, I want to read every book coming out in 2020 + 2021. There are so many great books and I beg all of you to check them out!

THE WITCHES OF WILLOW COVE – Josh Roberts

It’s not easy being a teenage witch. Seventh grader Abby Shepherd is just getting the hang of it when weird stuff starts happening all around her hometown of Willow Cove. Green slime bubbling to life in science class. Giant snakes slithering around the middle school gym. Her best friend suddenly keeping secrets and telling lies.

Things only begin to make sense when a stranger named Miss Winters reveals that Abby isn’t the only young witch in town and that Willow Cove is home to a secret past that connects them all. Miss Winters, herself a witch, even offers to teach Abby and the others everything she knows about witchcraft.

But as Abby learns more about Miss Winters past, she begins to suspect her new mentor is keeping secrets of her own. Can Abby trust her, or does Miss Winters have something wicked planned for the young witches of Willow Cove?

Now doesn’t that sound good? Well here’s a few more facts from Josh about THE WITCHES OF WILLOW COVE:

1. I wrote the first few pages of THE WITCHES OF WILLOW COVE right before my son was born in 2007. Then I set the manuscript aside for a very long time. When the book comes out in 2020, my son, my main characters, and my manuscript will all be the same age—thirteen years old.

 

2. THE WITCHES OF WILLOW COVE is a dual POV, upper-middle grade novel. Both of the main characters, Abby and Robby, have just turned thirteen as the book begins. I chose this age because I wanted to explore the time in our lives when we’re not quite grown up yet, but also not quite kids anymore—when the choices we make start to define the kind of person we’re going to become. For a long time, it felt like upper-MG books were few and far between, but now they’re finally having their moment in the market, and I’m happy to be part of that trend.

 

3. THE WITCHES OF WILLOW COVE is set in a fictional New England town with a secret connection to the Salem Witch Trials, very much like the one I grew up in.

 

4. I got the idea for THE WITCHES OF WILLOW COVE while serving jury duty in Salem district court. During a delay in the case, the judge explained that the 1692 Salem witch trials actually occurred in what’s now Danvers, Massachusetts. The idea that much of the witch history we associate with Salem belongs to another town became one of the driving elements of my story.

 

5. THE WITCHES OF WILLOW COVE is a standalone novel, but is planned as the first book in a trilogy. In book two, which I’m writing now, the characters will be a year older—fourteen—and by the end of the third book they will all be fifteen.

Goodread links/ pre-order links:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46364180-the-witches-of-willow-cove

Pre-order on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07ZWPFRHJ/

Release date: May 26, 2020

A 2020 debut book or books that Josh would recommend.

There are so many great middle-grade debuts coming in 2020. I’m not sure I can narrow it down to an acceptable number. Some of my most anticipated are MY LIFE AS A POTATO by Arianne Costner, FINALLY, SOMETHING MYSTERIOUS by Doug Cornett, EVA EVERGREEN, SEMI-MAGICAL WITCH by Julie Abe, THAT’S WHAT FRIENDS DO by Cathleen Barnhart, KIKI MACADOO AND THE GRAVEYARD BALLERINAS by Colette Sewall, THE ELEPHANT’S GIRL by Celesta Rimington, FROM THE DESK OF ZOE WASHINGTON by Janae Marks, THE DARE SISTERS by Jessica Rinker, EFRÉN DIVIDED by Ernesto Cisneros, and IN THE RED by Christopher Swiedler. But even after listing these 10, I’ve left off some that I’m really looking forward to!

Ink in the Blood – Kim Smejkal

Ink in the Blood is a lush, dark YA fantasy debut that weaves together tattoo magic, faith, and eccentric theater in a world where lies are currency and ink is a weapon, perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Kendare Blake.

Celia Sand and her best friend, Anya Burtoni, are inklings for the esteemed religion of Profeta. Using magic, they tattoo followers with beautiful images that represent the Divine’s will and guide the actions of the recipients. It’s considered a noble calling, but ten years into their servitude Celia and Anya know the truth: Profeta is built on lies, the tattooed orders strip away freedom, and the revered temple is actually a brutal, torturous prison.

Their opportunity to escape arrives with the Rabble Mob, a traveling theater troupe. Using their inkling abilities for performance instead of propaganda, Celia and Anya are content for the first time . . . until they realize who followed them. The Divine they never believed in is very real, very angry, and determined to use Celia, Anya, and the Rabble Mob’s now-infamous stage to spread her deceitful influence even further.

To protect their new family from the wrath of a malicious deity and the zealots who work in her name, Celia and Anya must unmask the biggest lie of all—Profeta itself.

INK IN THE BLOOD combines tattoo magic, religion, and theater. It was originally pitched as Grisha at the Moulin Rouge and I still love that summary!

– The Rabble Mob’s performances are loosely based on the commedia dell’arte, an early form of professional theater that originated in Italy. Masks! Costumes! Improv! Debauchery! All that fun stuff.

– The world-building in INK includes tenors: a visible, variable aura everyone has that reflects their gender identity. Orientation, identity, and expression are along continuums and there is no binary, but to use familiar terms, the novel features nonbinary and trans characters, and on-page m/m, f/f, and bi rep.

– INK has a tension-filled romance, but at its heart, this is Celia and Anya’s story. Their fierce loyalty and love for each other was one of my favorite parts to write, and I hope their friendship resonates with readers.

Goodreads and Preorder Links:

Indiebound: http://bit.ly/INKIndieBound 

Barnes and Noble: bit.ly/INKBarnesAndNoble

Amazon http://bit.ly/INKAmazon 

Books-a-million http://bit.ly/INKBooksaMillion

Powell’s: http://bit.ly/INKPowells

Chapters Indigo: http://bit.ly/INKChapters 

Target: http://bit.ly/INKTarget

Goodreads (shortened): http://bit.ly/InkInTheBlood

Kim’s anticipated Future Debut Releases:

 

There are so many 2020 debuts that I’m excited for! Here are just a few:

Ghost Wood Song by Erica Waters

Glitch Kindom by Sheena Boekweg

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

Queen of Coin and Whispers by Helen Corcoran

Goddess in the Machine by Lora Beth Johnson

Fragile Remedy by Maria Ingrande Mora

All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace

If You Only Knew- Prerna Pickett

Corey wants a new start after being released from jail, but his gang makes that impossible. Tessa wants to forget that she got away from a crime and rides her motorcycle to help ease the guilt. Corey’s gang forces him to destroy the car of the prosecutor who put him away, who happens to be Tessa’s father. When Corey decides to confess to the crime, Tessa sees a way to redeem herself and convinces her dad not to turn him into the police, but fix the mess he created instead like community service. Things get complicated when the two of them start falling for each other. And when their dangerous pasts start catching up with them, they have to decide if they’re willing to finally face their demons in order to have a future together.

 

Doesn’t this just sound amazing?! Here some more interesting facts about IYOK:

*My MC Tessa rides a motorcycle and used to drag race

*My other MC Corey is a street artist

*Corey is half Indian and there’s definitely a cooking scene involving Indian food

*Tessa is an animal lover and has a faithful dog named Jiminy and also works at a vet’s office

You can add If You Only Knew on Goodreads: If You Only Knew

Swoon Reads Author Page (this will also take you to Prerna of my pre-order links!): https://swoonreads.com/m/chase-the-night-2/

 2020 Debuts Everyone Should Read:

In YA: Hood by Jenny Elder-Moke, The Lucky Ones by Liz Lawson, A Heavy Dose of Allison Tandy by Jeff Bishop, Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland, Everything I Thought I Knew by Shannon Takaoka, A Golden Fury by Samantha Cohoe, Lost in the Neverwoods by Aiden Thomas, Not Another Love Song by Olivia Wildstein, The Ballad of Amy Miles by Kristy Dallas Alley, The Bright and the Pale by Jess Rubinkowski

In MG: Mary Underwater by Shannon Doleski, Making Friends with the Sea by Tanya Guerrero, From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks, The South Haven Mysteries by Lorien Lawrence, Ace of Spades by Faridah Abike- Iyimide

I wish I could pick all the debuts! I think we have an amazing group and I can’t wait to read everyone’s books!

PEPPER’S RULES FOR SECRET SLEUTHING – Briana McDonald

Summary

Twelve-year-old Pepper Blouse obsessively follows the Detective Rule Book left by her late cop mom. She solves mysteries to keep her memory alive, even at the cost of her friendships. But Pepper doubts her sleuthing skills for the first time when she sets out to solve her Great Aunt’s murder – and the mystery of her budding crush on a female classmate.   

Facts: 

– PEPPER’S RULES FOR SECRET SLEUTHING is an #ownvoices MG adventure pitched as an LGBTQ+ Nancy Drew
– Pepper has to solve her Great Aunt’s murder…while under the guardianship of her #1 suspect!
– Pepper is figuring out her sexuality, and her best friend Jacob is transgender, but the novel isn’t an “issue book.” It’s about brave queer kids saving the day and solving a murder!
– My favorite mysteries are those jam-packed with thrills and high-stakes, so Pepper and Jacob face new, deadly, and escalating obstacles at every turn. 

Add PEPPER’S RULES FOR SECRET SLEUTHING on Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42734607-pepper-s-rules-for-secret-sleuthing

2020 debuts I’m excited for:
ANA ON THE EDGE and THE DERBY DAREDEVILS are two #ownvoices MGs I’m super excited for in 2020! 

SMASH IT – Francina Simone

SMASH IT is a rom-com about a Black girl who is tired of letting her insecurities get the best of her. The story starts when she actually shows up to a Halloween party in khaki shorts—it’s and the last straw. She makes a list called The Fuck It list. She kicks it off by joining the school musical going on dates and making new friends—but there are also a lot of missteps; saying fuck it also means following her heart. But what happens when her heart is interested in three different guys for three different reasons? What is she supposed to do when two of them are her best friends? In the words of Olivia, “Fuck it. What’s the worst that can happen?” 

A Lot Apparently.

First and foremost YES FOR THE BLACK GIRL MAGIC! and secondly why is 2020 not here yet! Here are some awesome facts from the author about the book:

I might be bias but I think SMASH IT is hilarious. I love a romance, anguish, and sadness, but I like it all wrapped up in a laugh—after all what is the point of massively embarrassing yourself by blurting out a huge secret in front of your whole class if you can’t laugh about it—at some point. 

SMASH IT is an Othello retelling. I love villains so of course my first retelling would be about the craziest sociopath (Iago) of all time—but deep down it’s really a story about perspective and how we’re our own worst enemy. Iago, after all sounds just like Ego. Also, I can’t do anything the way people expect it so I twisted Shakespeare’s tragedy into a comedy (which means no one gets smothered with a pillow at the end).

I think one of the biggest faux pas of YA contemporary is it doesn’t really talk about sex. Not in real ways. We’ve come a long way as a genre, but SMASH IT really goes there. Sometimes we need to see how friends talk about sex and that doing it isn’t a precious moment a girl gives to a boy (the stereotype). It’s one she gives to herself. 

Goodread links/ pre order links

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44648676-smash-it?from_search=true

A 2020 debut book or books that Francina would recommend:

I have to be honest! I’m not up on the debuts of 2020! I usually wait until BEA (Book Expo America) to find out what’s coming out that year! But, I am excited for a up and coming authors like Laura Steven’s with Love Hypothesis!

 

THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS – Chloe Gong

These Violent Delights is what I’ve been wanting to read since I finished Catherine’s Doyle Blood for Blood trilogy. For those looking for a awesome book by an awesome human this is it. 

Summary: A monster has awakened in 1920s Shanghai, killing off citizens and stirring trouble between two feuding gangs. The rival heirs, Roma Montagov and Juliette Cai, must work together before the monster destroys all they hold dear, even while the Chinese Civil War breaks out around them.

 

4 facts about THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS

> In THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS, the protagonist is heir to the Scarlet Gang, which is based off the very real “Green Gang” that ruled Shanghai during the 1920s. I took some liberties with the details, such as how the Green Gang used to have gang bosses controlling different regions of Shanghai, while the Scarlet Gang is headed only by one man, Juliette’s father, but other than that, I tried to stick close to its source of inspiration!

 

> As an English major, I wasn’t just trying to tell a cool story (though I certainly hope it is a cool story!) but I was also intent on inserting little details that someone might analyse in English class, without being boring, of course ;). I considered why Shakespeare didn’t originally give Lord/Lady Capulet or Lord/Lady Montague first names (hit me up if y’all want my theory, I could talk for hours), and so I didn’t give Lord/Lady Cai or Lord Montagov/Lady Montagova first names either. (This became a pain when I realised that Roma, who is Russian, now can’t have an on-page patronymic. Forgive me – I was trying to be a cool English major.)

 

> I went to almost all of the places described in THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS for research while writing! I was drawn toward setting a story in Shanghai in the first place because I’m always there during my breaks so it was easy for me to drop into the places from the 20s that are still open today to take notes for description.

 

> The entirety of THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS was written to two albums on repeat: Halsey’s “hopeless fountain kingdom” and the soundtrack to Baz Lurhmann’s 2013 “The Great Gatsby”.

 

> I own so many different copies of Romeo and Juliet. So many. It’s become a problem.

 

Goodreads links/ pre order links

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44084752-these-violent-delights

 

2020 debut novels that Chloe Gong would recommend

ACE OF SPADES by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

THE SILENCE OF BONES by June Hur

Keep My Heart in San Francisco – Amelia Diane Coombs

Caroline “Chuck” Wilson teams up with her former best friend and possible love interest to hustle bowlers for the money to save her family legacy—an ancient San Francisco bowling alley—in this YA contemporary that features an Own Voices exploration of mental health.

I absolutely love the sound of this and would probably sell anything and everything to read this book so can the 23rd June 2020 hurry up before I end up with nothing!

If like me you want to hear some more facts about this book then here’s 4 facts from Amelia about Keep My Heart in San Francisco:
1. Chuck and Beckett’s close friendship (and the dissolution of their friendship) plays a huge, central role in the book, but in earlier drafts, they weren’t even friends! Revision is magic.
2. Unlike Chuck, I’m an awful bowler and can’t throw a strike to save my life.
3. While action bowling and hustling aren’t as common current day, they were quite popular in the 1960s. I stumbled onto the concept when I found a 2012 NYT article that regaled the dangerous form of high-stakes betting.
4. Chuck’s cat, Jean-Paul Gaultier, is named after the French fashion designer.

If you love the sound of this book as much as me, then add the book on Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43276212-keep-my-heart-in-san-francisco

Amelia’s rec’s for her fellow 2020 debuts: THROWAWAY GIRLS by Andrea Contos is a twisty and beautifully written thriller you should add to your TBR immediately! Some of my contemporary YA standbys are: anything by Jenn Bennett, Katie Henry’s witty HERETIC’S ANONYMOUS and her newest release, LET’S CALL IT A DOOMSDAY, and any of Rachel Lynn Solomon’s heart-wrenching novels.

Quantum Weirdness of the Almost Kiss – Amy Noelle Parks

Quantum Weirdness of the Almost Kiss has:

• A mathy, anxious main character
  
• A best friends-to-lovers romance inspired by Anne Shirley & Gilbert Blythe
  
• A romantically charged game of Risk
  
• A STEM boarding school
  
• Dual POV

If that sounds right up your street then check out the summary below

Evie Beckham has never been interested in dating. Her love of mathematics and her frequent battles with anxiety have kept her plenty busy. (And besides, she’s always found the idea of kissing to be a little bit icky). But lately, Evie’s feeling braver. Maybe brave enough to enter a prestigious physics competition and say yes to the new guy flirting with her.  Caleb Covic knows Evie isn’t ready for romance but assumes that when she is, she will choose him. Because he is her best friend, and he loves her, and he has almost kissed her 14 times. So Caleb is horrified when he is forced to witness Evie’s meet cute with a floppy-haired, mathematically gifted transfer student. Because Caleb knows the girl never falls for the funny best friend when there’s a mysterious stranger around, he decides to use an online forum to capture Evie’s interest. Now, he’s got Evie wondering if it’s possible to fall in love with a boy she’s never met. 

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43590053-the-quantum-weirdness-of-the-almost-kiss

Amy’s recommended books:

First, I love romances so I’m looking forward to American Betiya by Anuradha Rajurkar and By the Book: A Novel of Prose and Cons by Amanda Sellet.

I also love girls in STEM, so I can’t wait for What Happens Next by Claire Swinarski and Mary Underwater by Shannon Doleski.