One of the best parts of my job is ordering new books for the Edge–reading the reviews, seeing what popular authors come up with next, or finding out about an upcoming sequel to an old favorite. Read on to find out about some of the new YA fiction titles coming to our shelves this month.

Salt the Water by Candice Iloh
Grades 9 and up
Library Catalog

“A Bronx teen is compelled to explore a free, expressive life by any means necessary. In this novel in verse, Cerulean Gene, a nonbinary Black high school senior, is frustrated with school, especially with their inexperienced, highly problematic teacher. For Cerulean, Mr. Schlauss’ apathy as an educator is a microcosm reflecting an inadequate educational system. Cerulean finds relief from repeated run-ins with their white teacher in a tightknit friend group that includes their partner, Zaria, and friends Irvin and Jai. The self-proclaimed ‘Bronx babies' save their money in hopes of funding a summer in California ‘to create some other kind of world / somewhere / that’d allow all of us to be ourselves.'” –Kirkus Reviews

Bittersweet in the Hollow by Kate Pearsall
Grades 9 and up
Library Catalog

“The James women are special; some people in Bittersweet Hollow, WV, even call them witches. The talent of Linden, the third of four sisters, is feeling and tasting people's emotions and the ability to influence people's feelings. The previous summer, she disappeared on Solstice when she and classmates gathered in the woods to call up the Moth-Winged Man, a local folk legend in their parts. She was found suffering from amnesia. A year later, Linden discovers her friend Dahlia's body in the woods and is determined to find her killer.” –School Library Journal

Plan A by Deb Caletti
Grades 9 and up
Library Catalog

“Caletti (The Epic Story of Every Living Thing, 2022) dives into the evergreen zeitgeist of reproductive rights through Ivy’s story in Plan A. After teen Texas resident Ivy finds herself pregnant by unexpected means, she heads out on a cross-country road trip with her boyfriend, Lorenzo. While she has her mother’s support, Ivy knows not everyone will be happy with her choice, like Lorenzo’s father. But as she travels, she increasingly learns that it is her choice and she is far from alone in the long history of people seeking abortions.” –Booklist

Beholder by Ryan LaSala
Grades 9 and up
Library Catalog

“A teen with a dark past uses his unique talent to investigate a series of grim murders in New York City. Athanasios Bakirtzis has avoided mirrors his whole life. He blames it on his paternal grandmother Yiayia’s superstitions, but the truth is much more unusual: Through mirrors, he can scry into the past as if rewinding through camera footage. After witnessing a brutal accident at a party, Athan is sought out by a winsome stranger named Dominik Rupasinghe, who convinces him to help investigate a string of murders that he believes are all connected to the party.” –Kirkus Reviews

And Don’t Look Back by Rebecca Barrow
Grades 9 and up
Library Catalog

“Harlow and her mom have been on the run for as long as Harlow can remember. Harlow's mom won't tell her what they are running from, and Harlow stopped asking long ago. She's gotten used to the routine of upending her life and changing her identity at the drop of a hat. After all, it's all she's ever known. Then one night, tragedy strikes, and Harlow suddenly finds herself able to choose her own path. Finding it hard, both psychologically and logistically, to keep running from something she doesn't know, she heads back to her mom's hometown to find some answers.” –School Library Journal

Curious Tides by Pascale Lacelle
Grades 9 and up
Library Catalog

“In a world where everyone has a magical ability based on the moon’s phase on their day of birth, magical education is reserved for those with exceptional talent. Students at Aldryn College for Lunar Magics pursue the advanced study of magic. Emory Ainsleif is a Healer, an ability associated with House New Moon. Last spring, she followed her best friend, Romie Brysden, and seven others into the Dovermere Caves. In the deepest cave, known as the Belly of the Beast, Emory unwittingly took part in a ritual that left a peculiar mark on her wrist and left the other students dead. Back at Aldryn for the new school year, Emory begins to develop magical abilities that go beyond healing—and that she’s unable to control.” –Kirkus Reviews

Night of the Witch by Sara Raasch and Beth Revis
Grades 9 and up
Library Catalog

“The destinies of a witch and a witch hunter become entangled against the backdrop of 16th-century witch trials. It’s 1591 in Trier, part of the Holy Roman Empire, and the increasingly brutal persecution of witches has led to the destruction of Fritzi’s coven and the murders of her family members. The only other survivor is her cousin Liesel, a younger witch with a unique power who is taken by the hunters’ kommandant as part of a perverse plan. Determined to rescue Liesel, Fritzi follows a path that collides with that of Otto, an up-and-coming captain of the hexenjägers, or witch hunters. Otto has a secret: He is working from the inside to bring down an institution he despises for very personal reasons.” –Kirkus Reviews