I come bearing gifts of great reading! Here’s a comprehensive guide to young adult speculative fiction (science fiction, fantasy, horror) being published in November 2019. Up first is a short list of the books I highly recommend, followed by a long list of basically every book being published.
Get your library cards and indie bookstore pre-orders ready, y’all.
Recommended Reads
A Constellation of Roses by Miranda Asebedo (November 5)
YA Fantasy, HarperTeen
“Ever since her troubled mother abandoned her, Trix McCabe has preferred to stay on the move.
But when she lands with her long-lost relatives, she finds out that the McCabe women have talents like her own that defy explanation: pies that cure all ills, palm-reading that never misses the mark, knowledge of secrets that have never been told.
Before long, Trix feels like she might finally have found somewhere she belongs. But when her past comes back to haunt her, she’ll have to decide whether to take a chance on this new life…or keep running from the one she’s always known.”
Girls of Storm and Shadow by Natasha Ngan (November 5)
Girls of Storm and Shadow #2 – YA Fantasy, Jimmy Patterson Books
“Lei, the naive country girl who became a royal courtesan, is now known as the Moonchosen, the commoner who managed to do what no one else could. But slaying the cruel Demon King wasn’t the end of the plan—it’s just the beginning. Now Lei and her warrior love Wren must travel the kingdom to gain support from the far-flung rebel clans. The journey is made even more treacherous thanks to a heavy bounty on Lei’s head, as well as insidious doubts that threaten to tear Lei and Wren apart from within.
Meanwhile, an evil plot to eliminate the rebel uprising is taking shape, fueled by dark magic and vengeance. Will Lei succeed in her quest to overthrow the monarchy and protect her love for Wren, or will she fall victim to the sinister magic that seeks to destroy her?”
Song of the Crimson Flower by Julie C. Dao (November 5)
YA Fantasy, Philomel Books
“Will love break the spell? After cruelly rejecting Bao, the poor physician’s apprentice who loves her, Lan, a wealthy nobleman’s daughter, regrets her actions. So when she finds Bao’s prized flute floating in his boat near her house, she takes it into her care, not knowing that his soul has been trapped inside it by an evil witch, who cursed Bao, telling him that only love will set him free. Though Bao now despises her, Lan vows to make amends and help break the spell.
Together, the two travel across the continent, finding themselves in the presence of greatness in the forms of the Great Forest’s Empress Jade and Commander Wei. They journey with Wei, getting tangled in the webs of war, blood magic, and romance along the way. Will Lan and Bao begin to break the spell that’s been placed upon them? Or will they be doomed to live out their lives with black magic running through their veins?
In this fantastical tale of darkness and love, some magical bonds are stronger than blood.”
The Toll by Neal Shusterman (November 5)
Arc of a Scythe #3 – YA Science Fiction, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
“Citra and Rowan have disappeared. Endura is gone. It seems like nothing stands between Scythe Goddard and absolute dominion over the world scythedom. With the silence of the Thunderhead and the reverberations of the Great Resonance still shaking the earth to its core, the question remains: Is there anyone left who can stop him?
The answer lies in the Tone, the Toll, and the Thunder.”
All YA Spec Fic
Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater (November 5)
The Dreamer Trilogy #1 – YA Fantasy, Scholastic Press
“Ronan Lynch is a dreamer…Jordan Hennessy is a thief…Carmen Farooq-Lane is a hunter.”
Find Me Their Bones by Sara Wolf (November 5)
Bring Me Their Bones #2 – YA Fantasy, Entangled Teen
“Winning over a bloodthirsty valkerax? Hard. Winning back her friends before war breaks out? A little harder. But a Heartless winning back Prince Lucien’s heart? The hardest thing she’s ever done.”
The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White (November 5)
Camelot Rising #1 – YA Fantasy, Delacorte
“Deadly jousts, duplicitous knights, and forbidden romances are nothing compared to the greatest threat of all: the girl with the long black hair, riding on horseback through the dark woods toward Arthur. Because when your whole existence is a lie, how can you trust even yourself?”
Hero by Michael Grant (November 5)
Monster #3, Gone #9 – YA Science Fiction, Katherine Tegen
“As the Rockborn Gang try to defeat their latest villain, they will find themselves on morally gray grounds and have to make tough decisions if they want to save the world.”
Refraction by Naomi Hughes (November 5)
YA Science Fiction, Page Street Kids
“Despite the danger, the demand rises, and 17-year-old Marty Callahan becomes a distributor in an illegal mirror trade—until he’s caught by the mayor’s son, whose slate is far from clean. Both of them are exiled for their crimes to one of the many abandoned cities overrun by fog. But they soon realize their thoughts influence their surroundings and their deepest fears begin to manifest. ”
Shadowscent by P.M. Freestone (November 5)
Shadowscent #1 – YA Fantasy, Scholastic
“Rakel and Ash have nothing in common until smoke draws them to a field of the Empire’s rarest flower. Nisai’s been poisoned, flames devour the priceless blooms, and the pair have “suspect” clinging to them like a bad stench. Their futures depend on them working together to decipher clues, defy dangers and defeat their own demons in a race to source an antidote . . . before the imperial army hunts them down.”
Sisters of Shadow and Light by Sara B. Larson (November 5)
Sisters of Shadow and Light #1 – YA Fantasy, Tor Teen
“Zuhra and Inara have grown up in the Citadel of the Paladins, an abandoned fortress where legendary, magical warriors once lived before disappearing from the world—including their Paladin father the night Inara was born…For fifteen years they have lived, trapped in the citadel, with little contact from the outside world…until the day a stranger passes through the hedge, and everything changes.”
Songs from the Deep by Kelly Powell (November 5)
YA Fantasy, Margaret K. McElderry
“Certain that someone has framed the boy’s death as a siren attack, Moira convinces her childhood friend, the lighthouse keeper Jude Osric, to help her find the real killer, rekindling their friendship in the process. With townspeople itching to hunt the sirens down, and their own secrets threatening to unravel their fragile new alliance, Moira and Jude must race against time to stop the killer before it’s too late—for humans and sirens alike.”
Supernova by Marissa Meyer (November 5)
Renegades #3 – YA Superheroes, Feiwel & Friends
“Nova and Adrian [are] struggling to keep their secret identities concealed while the battle rages on between their alter egos, their allies, and their greatest fears come to life. Secrets, lies, and betrayals are revealed as anarchy once again threatens to reclaim Gatlon City.”
Tears of Frost by Bree Barton (November 5)
Heart of Thorns #2 – YA Fantasy, Katherine Tegen
“As Mia, Pilar, and Quin forge dangerous new alliances, they are bewitched by the snow kingdom’s promise of freedom…but nothing is as it seems under the kingdom’s glimmering ice.”
A Thousand Fires by Shannon Price (November 5)
YA Retelling, Tor Teen
“Valerie Simons knows the Wars are dangerous—her little brother was killed by the Boars two years ago. But nothing will sway Valerie from joining the elite and beautiful Herons with her boyfriend Matthew to avenge her brother. But when Jax, the volatile and beyond charismatic leader of the Stags, promises her revenge, Valerie is torn between old love and new loyalty.”
Winterwood by Shea Ernshaw (November 5)
YA Fantasy, Simon Pulse
“And it’s not too long after that Nora realizes she has no choice but to unearth the truth behind how the boy she has come to care so deeply about survived his time in the forest, and what led him there in the first place. What Nora doesn’t know, though, is that Oliver has secrets of his own—secrets he’ll do anything to keep buried, because as it turns out, he wasn’t the only one to have gone missing on that fateful night all those weeks ago.”
Coral by Sara Ella (November 12)
YA Fantasy, Thomas Nelson
“When their worlds collide, all three will do whatever it takes to survive, and Coral might even catch a prince in the process. But what–and who–must they leave behind for life to finally begin?”
Crown of Oblivion by Julie Eshbaugh (November 12)
YA Fantasy, HarperTeen
“In Lanoria, Outsiders, who don’t have magic, are inferior to Enchanteds, who do. That’s just a fact for Astrid, an Outsider who is indentured to pay off her family’s debts. She serves as the surrogate for the princess—if Renya steps out of line, Astrid is the one who bears the punishment for it.”
Dark Star Calling by Julia Keller (November 12)
Dark Intercept #3 – YA Science Fiction, Tor Teen
“Humanity’s fate rests in the hands of Violet Crowley, a headstrong rebel and former detective turned hopelessly mediocre politician; Shura Lu, scientific genius and magnificently gifted artist; Kendall Mayhew, New Earth’s Chief of Police; Tin Man Tolliver, Kendall’s top deputy; and Steven J. Reznik, aka “Rez,” NESA Director and Chief Technologist.”
Dead Moon Rising by Caitlin Sangster (November 12)
Last Star Burning #3 – YA Science Fiction, Simon Pulse
“There’s only one thing strong enough to unite people who have been fighting for years, and Sev holds the key to it inside her mind. If she can’t reach the cure in time, there may not be anyone left to save.”
The Sky Weaver by Kristen Ciccarelli (November 12)
Iskari #3 – YA Fantasy, HarperTeen
“Now Safire and Eris—sworn enemies—find themselves on a common mission: to find Asha, the last Namsara. From the port city of Darmoor to the fabled faraway Star Isles, their search and their stories become woven ever more tightly together as they discover that the uncertain fate they’re hurtling toward just may be a shared one. In this world—and the next.”
Catfishing on CatNet by Naomi Kritzer (November 19)
YA Science Fiction, Tor Teen
“Because her mom is always on the move, Steph hasn’t lived anyplace longer than six months. Her only constant is an online community called CatNet—a social media site where users upload cat pictures—a place she knows she is welcome. What Steph doesn’t know is that the admin of the site, CheshireCat, is a sentient A.I.”
The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black (November 19)
The Folk of the Air #3 – YA Fantasy, Little, Brown
“Power is much easier to acquire than it is to hold onto. Jude learned this lesson when she released her control over the wicked king, Cardan, in exchange for immeasurable power.”
Eight Will Fall by Sarah Harian (November 26)
YA Fantasy, Henry Holt & Co.
“In a world where magic is illegal, eight criminals led by rebellious Larkin are sent on a mission to rid their realm of an ancient evil lurking beneath the surface. Descending into a world full of unspeakable horrors, Larkin and her crew must use their forbidden magic to survive.”
Starsight by Brandon Sanderson (November 26)
Skyward #2 – YA Science Fiction, Gollancz
“But Spensa also discovered a few other things about herself–and she’ll travel to the end of the galaxy to save humankind if she needs to.”
The Thousand Steps by Helen Brain (November 26)
Fiery Spiral #1 – YA Science Fiction, Catalyst
“On the brink of execution, 16 year old Ebba den Eeden is unexpectedly elevated from the bunker deep in South Africa’s Table Mountain where she has lived all her life, believing–as do all the other teenagers who toil daily to make their food and power the bunker–that the world “Above” is uninhabitable due to a nuclear holocaust. Instead, she is heiress to a massive fortune–one that everyone wants to control.”
The Wickerlight by Mary Watson (November 26)
The Wren Hunt #2 – YA Fantasy, Bloomsbury
“Zara believes somebody must know what happened, and she throws herself headfirst into an investigation. But retracing her sister’s footsteps takes her to David, a member of an ancient magical faction called the judges. The judges are in the midst of an ancient feud with another faction called the augurs, and Zara quickly finds herself embroiled in a dangerous, twisted game. And if she isn’t careful on the path she’s treading, she could end up with the same fate as Laila.”
Punk-Ass Book Jockey 