YA Friday: July 2018 Monthly Wrap-Up

YA book covers with a blue circle and white text that reads Monthly Wrap-Up

July 2018

This month was full of new and epic stories about women and girls fighting for what they believe and want. Whether it's two sisters facing a fated separation, or a girl who wants to cross off everything on her bucket list before a life-changing surgery, or a girl determined to figure out the mysterious deaths plaguing her town and family, there is something for everyone. It's a good thing it's still summertime so there are plenty of long days to hangout by the pool, or if you're like me, hide in the air conditioning and devour these new books one by one.

The Darkest Legacy book coverThe Darkest Legacy by Alexandra Bracken

Five years after the destruction of the so-called rehabilitation camps that imprisoned her and countless other Psi kids, seventeen-year-old Suzume "Zu" Kimura has assumed the role of spokesperson for the interim government, fighting for the rights of Psi kids against a growing tide of misinformation and prejudice. But when she is accused of committing a horrifying act, she is forced to go on the run once more in order to stay alive.


Sea With book cover

Sea Witch by Sarah Henning

Ever since her best friend, Anna, drowned, Evie has been an outcast in her small fishing town. A freak. A curse. A witch. A girl with an uncanny resemblance to Anna appears offshore and, though the girl denies it, Evie is convinced that her best friend actually survived. That her own magic wasn’t so powerless after all. And, as the two girls catch the eyes—and hearts—of two charming princes, Evie believes that she might finally have a chance at her own happily ever after. But her new friend has secrets of her own. She can’t stay in Havnestad, or on two legs, unless Evie finds a way to help her. Now Evie will do anything to save her friend’s humanity, along with her prince’s heart—harnessing the power of her magic, her ocean, and her love until she discovers, too late, the truth of her bargain.


Grace and Fury book coverGrace and Fury by Tracy Banghart

In an alternate world where women have no rights, two sisters face very different fates after an attempt to win the favor of the heir to the throne--one in the palace, the other on a volcanic prison island.


The Cheerleaders book cover

The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas

First there was the car accident—two girls gone after hitting a tree on a rainy night. Not long after, the murders happened. Monica’s sister was the last cheerleader to die. After her suicide, Sunnybrook High disbanded the cheer squad. That was five years ago. Now the faculty and students at Sunnybrook High want to remember the lost cheerleaders. But for Monica, it’s not that easy. She just wants to forget. Only, Monica’s world is starting to unravel. There are the letters in her stepdad’s desk, an unearthed, years-old cell phone, a strange new friend at school. . . . Whatever happened five years ago isn’t over. Some people in town know more than they’re saying. And somehow Monica is at the center of it all.


Things Jolie Needs to Do Before She Bites It book cover

Things Jolie Needs to Do Before She Bites It by Kerry Winfrey

Anticipating surgery for a lifelong dental condition that has caused pain and unpopularity, Jolie is alarmed by a worst-case-scenario reality show and decides she wants to live life to the fullest just in case the surgery does not go as expected.


Scream All Night book cover

Scream All Night by Derek Milman

The traumatized son of a B-movie filmmaker reluctantly agrees to return home to the iconic family castle that was the setting for the horror films that haunted his childhood, discovering upon his arrival that the studio is failing and has landed under his control.


Further Reading

Heart of Thorns book coverBright We Burn book coverThe Supervillain and Me book coverContagion book coverEndless Water, Starless Sky book coverThe Unfortunates book cover