New queer young adult fiction
Although it's officially pride month, we like to celebrate queer literature all year round! So here's a round-up of our favourite new LGBTQIA+ young adult books, plus some to keep an eye out for later in the year! There's stories about pirates, Korean folklore, fairytale retellings, contemporary romances and plenty of romantasy.
Readers be warned, you're going to want to read them all!
A collection of pirate stories, need I say more?
Avast! edited by Alison Evans and Michael Earp
Get ready to set sail with a crew of rebels and misfits in this thrilling anthology of pirate tales. From CD burners to space pirates with an otherworldly crew, these stories blur the lines between criminal and separatist, playful and heartfelt, and showcase a range of unique characters and found families. Featuring seven long-form pieces of writing, including a graphic novella and a verse novella, this collection has been edited by and features trans and non-binary writers, ensuring a fresh and diverse perspective on the pirate genre. Come aboard and discover a world of queer pirates, grey morals and homebrewed ale. The anthology includes pieces by Michael Earp, Alison Evans, Madison Godfrey, Maddison Stoff, Alexander Te Pohe, Mia Nie and Vika Mana.
Powerful women, dark magic, bad ass attitudes
The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland
Zara Jones won't accept her murdered sister is gone forever and will do whatever it takes to claw her sister back from the grave – even trading in the occult. Jude Wolf may be the daughter of a billionaire, but she is also undeniably cursed. Jude's desperate to find someone to undo the damage she's done to herself. Enter Emer Byrne, an orphaned witch with a dark past and a deadly power, a.k.a. the solution to both Zara's and Jude's problems.
Though Emer lives a hardscrabble life, she gives away her most valuable asset – her invocations – to women in desperate situations who are willing to sacrifice a piece of their soul in exchange for a scrap of power. Zara and Jude are willing, but they first have to find Emer.
Dark fantasy, horror and found family with added 90's vintage vibes
Now, Conjurers by Freddie Koelsch
November 1999, North Dana, Massachusetts. The body of Bastion Attia – high school quarterback, secret witch, and Nesbit Nuñez’s even-more-secret boyfriend – is discovered at the edge of Stepwood Cemetery.
As Nesbit and his coven of queer misfits investigate Bastion’s death they discover local folktales of Mr. Nous, a terrifying wish-granting creature, one whose gifts come at a terrible price. The coven must do battle against an age-old evil before it strikes again . . .
A spinechilling debut about queer found family and a love that outlasts death.
Mistaken idenitity and a summer of drama in the thrilling follow-up to The Girls I've Been
The Girl in Question by Tess Sharpe
Nora O'Malley has survived senior year. School's over, and her life isn't, but her murderous stepdad Raymond is on the loose.
Determined to enjoy summer before her (possibly) imminent demise, Nora plans a backpacking trip with Iris and Wes, and apparently Wes's girlfriend. Amanda's nice, so it's not a huge issue, until she gets mistaken for Nora and kidnapped . . .
Now Raymond has a hostage, Nora has no leverage and they're deep in the woods.
The three friends need to work together to make it out alive. But someone is lying. Someone is keeping secrets. And someone has to die.
European summer, a cruise ship romance and friendship that never dies
Wrong Answers Only by Tobias Madden
Marco should be at university, studying biomedicine. Instead, he’s been sent to live on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean with his estranged uncle, all because of a ‘blip’ everyone else is convinced was a panic attack. (Which it most definitely was not.) And even though Marco’s trip is supposed to provide answers – about himself, about his family – all he finds on board the Ocean Melody are more and more questions.
But then his best friend CeCe proposes a new plan: for someone who has always done the right thing, in every possible way, it’s time for Marco to get a few things wrong. And hooking up with a hot dancer from the ship is only the beginning . . .
Ever dreamed of your fictional crush coming to life?
The Perfect Guy Doesn't Exist by Sophie Gonzales
While her parents are away for the week, sixteen-year-old Ivy Winslow plans on binge-watching her favourite TV show and hanging out with her best friend, Henry. But things quickly go downhill on the very first morning, when Ivy wakes up to find Weston, the gorgeous lead character of her favourite show, in her bedroom. And, oh yeah, he thinks that she's his soulmate.
Mack, Ivy's best-friend-turned-enemy who lives next door, gets involved to figure out why Weston is here and how to get rid of him. As Ivy and Mack grow closer again, old feelings resurface and they finally face the fallout of their broken friendship, and question if they've both secretly always wanted something more . . .
Korean folklore, sapphic romance, curse-breaking, all in a graphic novel
The Fox Maidens by Robin Ha
Kai has trained all her life in her father’s martial arts school. Though she is looked down upon for being a girl, she proves her courage when assassins launch a ruthless attack on her family. Yet Kai is the inheritor of a dark secret: each month she is transformed into a fox demon, and must hunt and kill a man so she can return to her life as a young woman. As the deaths mount and the townspeople start to voice their suspicions, Kai desperately searches for a way out.
Meanwhile, there is a mysterious girl who shares a secret bond with Kai, and whose love may be the key to breaking her curse . . .
First crushes and high school anxiety in a full-colour graphic novel!
Cross My heart and Never Lie by Nora Dasnes
Tuva is starting seventh grade, and her checklist of goals includes: writing a diary, getting a cool look, building the best fort in the woods with her BFFs, and sharing EVERYTHING with her best friends. But when she starts school, nothing is how she hoped it would be. Seventh grade has split her friends into rival factions: Team Linnea and the girls who fall in love and Team Bao and the girls who are still playing. Linnea has a boyfriend, Bao hates everything related to feelings. Worst of all, Tuva is expected to choose a side!
Then Mariam shows up and suddenly things begin to make a little more sense. But with all her friends fighting, this is one part of growing up that Tuva isn't quite sure how to share . . .
Little Red Riding Hood on a pirate ship, with a touch of enemies to lovers
A Sea of Wolves by Sarah Street
Publishing on 25 June
A fifty-year-old treaty between pirates and the city of Bray lies in tatters, so Mersey sets out to free her city – and herself – from the clutches of the Heartless King. But when her reckless plan fails, she finds herself captured by the world's most notorious pirate crew.
As Mersey battles between fighting for Bray's safety and falling into the arms of the ship's cold-blooded first mate, Golde, she's soon caught up in the beginnings of a war; one she knows will have disastrous consequences for the people she loves, but just might be the thing to set her free.
A queer, horror-obsessed girls camp and a murder mystery!
Dead Girls Walking by Sami Ellis
Publishing on 30 June
Temple Baker knows that evil runs in her blood. Her father is the North Point Killer, an infamous serial killer known for how he marked each of his victims with a brand. He was convicted for murdering 20 people and was the talk of countless true crime blogs for years. Some say he was possessed by a demon. Some say that they never found all his victims. Some say that even though he's now behind bars, people are still dying in the woods.
Despite everything though, Temple never believed that her dad killed her mom. But when he confesses to that crime while on death row, she has no choice but to return to his old hunting grounds to try see if she can find a body and prove it.
Baking, an epic quest and friendship packaged into a cozy graphic novel
The Baker and the Bard by Fern Haught
Publishing on 30 July
Juniper and Hadley spend their days apprenticing at a bakery and performing at the local inn. But when a stranger makes an unusual order at the bakery, the friends set out on a journey to forage the magical mushrooms needed to make the requested pastries.
Along the way, Juniper and Hadley stumble across a mystery too compelling to ignore. What started as a simple errand soon turns into a thrilling quest to save some furry new friends – and their caretaker, a fey named Thistle – who are in danger of losing their home.
