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.

Death at Morning House by Maureen Johnson
Grades 9 and up
Library Catalog

“Marlowe Wexler is an accidental arsonist. After an exploding candle ruins her first date with the girl of her dreams—and a family friend's cabin—Marlowe wants nothing more than to get away. She snatches at the opportunity to take a summer job as a tour guide on Ralston Island, one of the Thousand Islands (of salad dressing fame) and home of the infamous Morning House, where, in the 1930s, two of the Ralston children tragically and mysteriously died. As Marlowe gets to know her fellow teen colleagues—stoner Van, rich kid Tom, serious and put-together Liani, peacemaker April, and sarcastic Goth Riki—it becomes apparent that they and Morning House, with its marbled hallways and extravagant living quarters, hold many secrets. When Dr. Benson, a historian writing about the Ralston family and overseer of the tours, goes missing, Marlowe and company are thrust into solving an uneasy whodunit. If they're the only ones on the island, who can Marlowe trust?” –School Library Journal

Such Charming Liars by Karen M. McManus
Grades 9 and up
Library Catalog

“Kat and Liam haven't seen each other for 12 years, not since their parents' disastrous 48-hour marriage in Las Vegas. Since then, 16-year-old Kat's life has been anything but normal. After Vegas, Kat's mom, Jamie, started working for a criminal mastermind named Gem. When Gem takes Kat along on a heist without permission, Jamie knows it's time to get out. They just have to do one more job—steal a ruby-laden necklace at a billionaire's birthday party. Liam, on the other hand, has lived a relatively normal life after the ‘Vegas incident.' But six months before the story begins, his mom dies and he is stuck with his con-man father, Luke. Looking to score big, Luke starts wooing an heiress, who also happens to be the owner of the ruby necklace. When the four characters cross paths on the side of the road heading toward the birthday party, things get a lot more complicated—and deadly. ” –School Library Journal

Sleep Like Death by Kalynn Bayron
Grades 8 and up
Library Catalog

“A bewitching rendition of “Snow White” with bold Black women at its heart. Sixteen-year-old Princess Eve, who’s called ‘the Queen’s fury' by the people of Queen’s Bridge, was born with magic into a destiny that’s filled with foreboding. She’s been groomed to fulfill her true purpose: to slay the Knight—'a myth made real. A monster'—who haunts and terrorizes the queendom. The Knight becomes Eve’s obsession; while she trains to harness her powers to one day kill the Knight, she collects stories about him and studies them for clues. This enigmatic figure offers wishes to desperate people at a perilous cost, twisting even the most carefully crafted desires to his advantage…. Eve and Mekhi, the son of landowner Sir Gregory who has his own reasons for loathing the Knight, attempt to track the monster down. But a shocking revelation leads to Eve’s going into hiding and the Knight’s resurgence. Eve must decide whether to emerge from the shadows and risk everything to end his hold over Queen’s Bridge once and for all. ” –Kirkus Reviews

Time and Time Again by Chatham Greenfield
Grades 9 and up
Library Catalog

“Phoebe Mendel has long been stuck in a time loop where she's forced to live out the same mind-numbing day over and over again. When Phoebe gets side-swiped by a car driven by her estranged friend Jess (they/them), the monotony is finally broken. Suddenly, Jess and Phoebe find themselves trapped in time together. While Phoebe feels imprisoned within her predicament, Jess sees the loop as a possibility for adventure. As they try to fill their days with exciting and meaningful experiences, long-buried romantic feelings surface.” –School Library Journal

Prince of the Palisades by Julian Winters
Grades 9 and up
Library Catalog

“After a disastrous public fiasco, a disgruntled African prince unexpectedly finds love, friendship, and himself. Viral video ranting about his country’s popular prime minister? Check. Public breakup with said prime minister’s son? Check. Ultimate betrayal by his best friend? Check. Despite his best efforts, 17-year-old Jadon, troublemaking prince of the beautiful island kingdom of Îles de la Réverie, feels like he keeps checking all the wrong boxes. Banished to Los Angeles to spend a semester at an elite private school, Jadon is desperate to rehabilitate his image, but he struggles to connect with his new classmates and continues to say and do unprincely things. All his efforts feel pointless until he meets pink-haired classmate Reiss Hayes, an aspiring filmmaker, one of the few other Black students, and someone around whom Jadon finally feels like himself. Reiss tempts Jadon to do the one thing he said he wouldn’t: date.” –Kirkus Reviews

Sync by Ellen Hopkins
Grades 9 and up
Library Catalog

“Twins Storm and Lake, 17, have been tossed from one foster home to the next since facing abuse from and abandonment by their parents and grandmother. They have been each other's constant, taking care of each other and tuned into each other's feelings—in sync. In a stroke of cruelty, they are currently separated and desperate for opportunities to communicate. Readers meet Storm while he is living in a kind home, his girlfriend Jaidyn nearby. He and Lake lived happily with a foster family long ago, but the years since have been cruel to him. Life is looking up, though. Like Storm, Lake is in love. She is in an uncomfortable living situation with ultra-religious foster parents, but she also has a girlfriend: Parker, the other teen in the home. Storm and Lake's stories are told through undelivered letters the two write to each other.” –School Library Journal

Sequels:

The Darkness Within Us by Tricia Levenseller
Grades 9 and up
Library Catalog

“The underestimated sister of a soon-to-be queen has her own tale to tell in this companion novel to Levenseller’s The Shadows Between Us (2020). Nineteen-year-old Chrysantha and her younger sister, Alessandra, who’s the fiancee of the Shadow King, don’t have the best relationship. Chrysantha has always been jealous of how easily Alessandra achieves success, while Alessandra thinks Chrysantha is a fool. For her part, Chrysantha uses this reputation as a facade and a means to an end while she patiently awaits the demise of her lewd—and wealthy—husband, the Duke of Pholios. With Chrysantha’s assistance, the 64-year-old duke dies, allowing his widow to drop the charade and focus on being independent and spending money according to her own whims and desires. That is, until distractingly handsome 18-year-old Eryx Demos arrives, claiming to be her late husband’s heir who’s ready to take control of the estate.” –Kirkus Reviews

The first book in the series, The Shadows Between Us, can be found here.

The Maid and the Crocodile by Jordan Ifueko
Grades 10 and up
Library Catalog

“After seventeen-year-old Small Sade ages out of her orphanage, her primary goal is to discover a home where she truly belongs. However, her physical appearance, marked by vitiligo and a maimed foot from a childhood accident that requires her to use a cane, sets her apart in a fantasy world that, like many societies, looks upon difference cruelly. But Sade possesses a unique gift — the ability to perceive and cleanse malevolent spiritual energies. That gift leads her to unexpected encounters, including one with the enigmatic Crocodile God, who is afflicted by a seemingly unbreakable curse.” –Horn Book

The first book in the series, Raybearer, can be found here.