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.

Possible Happiness by David Ebenbach
Grades 9 and up
Library Catalog

“Sixteen-year-old Jacob was discovered to exist when he was in eleventh grade. Before that, he led a kind of background, two-dimensional life, up until the day he told a joke in history class and suddenly people saw him and knew his name and two dimensions became three. And, mirabile dictu, he suddenly had a social life as a member of a tight-knit group with seven of his peers. Together, they call themselves the Pack…. As his moods become more vivid and recurring, he begins to alienate Tammy and the Pack. When they have a party without him, he explodes; Tammy sardonically says, ‘The truth is that he’s . . . broken.' But is he? Ebenbach has written a beautiful coming-of-age novel with a highly empathic, multidimensional character who comes alive on the page.” –Booklist Reviews

Ida, in Love and in Trouble by Veronica Chambers
Grades 7 and up
Library Catalog

“This novel opens with the main character, a Black woman, in an opera house, sitting where she is legally required to because of her race. When the lights dim, she moves forward, knowing she will have a better view and has little worry of being caught. This carefully crafted opening scene allows readers to know who Ida B. Wells is. It sets the stage for the rest of the novel; Ida is a woman who seeks to enjoy life while pushing the boundaries of what was allowed for members of her race and gender in the 1880s. Readers see her as both a young woman trying to find love and happiness and as a political advocate for persons of color and women. Chambers gives readers a glimpse into what these goals cost Ida, as well as the gifts it granted her.” –School Library Journal

Libertad by Bessie Flores Zaldívar
Grades 9 and up
Library Catalog

“A queer coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of the 2017 Honduran presidential election. Named Libertad because she was born on September 15, Honduran Independence Day, high school senior Libi Morazán loves her country. But the right-wing party has ruled since the 2009 U.S.-backed coup, and as a girl who likes girls, she knows she can never fully be herself here. Now, Juan Orlando Hernández is standing for reelection despite the constitutional law prohibiting it, causing protests to erupt in the capital city of Tegucigalpa, where Libi and her family live. When the military police shoot and kill students on her brother Maynor’s university campus, everything changes for both siblings. Libi creates a secret Instagram account, @InsurreccionPoeticaHN, to share her political poems, and Maynor joins the student front.” –Kirkus Reviews

Medici Heist by Caitlin Schneiderhan
Grades 8 and up
Library Catalog

“A young con artist enlists the help of Michelangelo to rob a corrupt pope in Schneiderhan’s riveting debut heist tale. In 1517 Florence, where the Medicis reign with a golden fist, Rosa Cellini has been conning soldiers out of coins since she was a child. Now 17, Rosa concocts a plan to steal 10,000 gold florins from Pope Leo X and the Medicis, a seemingly impossible feat. She recruits the best thieves in Italy—tinkerer Sarra, sleight-of-hand prodigy and master of disguise Giacomo, prize fighter Khalid, and Agata, an alchemist and rumored witch—as well as famed painter Michelangelo and his magnetic assistant Dominic. But the Medici guard have eyes everywhere, and the band of misfits must put aside their fraught past to pull off the heist of the century.” –Publisher's Weekly

The Temptation of Magic by Megan Scott
Grades 9 and up
Library Catalog

“Nicole, secretly a magical being called an Empyreal, moves through life fearing her magic's lack of control. She will become a hunter of evil creatures, but she doesn’t know when. Kyan is an Empyreal as well, but he has been hunting evil creatures for centuries, magically transforming into the most deadly enemy of his prey. He works for a shady institution called the Wake and his newest assignment takes him to the college where Nicole is busy with her dissertation on ancient art. When they cross paths the first time, his orders are to keep Nicole away from a supernatural art collection. Nicole recognizes Kyan as a fellow Empyreal—one sent by the Wake. As they cooperate to catch a Specter, they find that even at conflicting purposes, their magic will pull them together.” –Booklist Reviews

Sequels:

Murder on a Summer Break by Kate Weston
Grades 8 and up
Library Catalog

“In the sweltering heat of summer, a festival becomes a site of some spontaneous fun . . . and murder. Weston’s entertaining follow-up to Murder on a School Night (2023) reunites teen detectives Kerry and Annie for a mystery in a world where social media rules. The duo (though more so Annie) have a passion for reels and posts and a drive to become internet-famous, but when they attend a festival for influencers where a series of murders occurs, they have to balance showing off their cool outfits of the day with investigating the crimes.” –Kirkus Reviews

The first book in the series, Murder on a School Night, can be found here.

The Bane of Asgard by Cinda Williams Chima
Grades 9 and up
Library Catalog

“As the two sides prepare for an apocalyptic battle, Eiric, Reginn, and Liv find allies and enemies in unexpected places and draw on new strengths as they seek to prevent the destruction of the last of the Nine Worlds.” –Publisher

The first book in the series, Children of Ragnarok, can be found here.

Celestial Monsters by Aiden Thomas
Grades 7 and up
Library Catalog

“New York Times-bestselling author Aiden Thomas returns to the beloved world of The Sunbearer Trials in Celestial Monsters, a heart-stopping duology finale, in which three young semidioses travel through a dark monster-infested world, facing down chaotic Obsidian gods, in a quest to save their friends and return the sun to the sky.” –Publisher

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