New Young Adult books for August 2023
by Sophie Green
Looking for some new YA titles to read this August? Take a look at our top picks, from a harrowing fight for the crown to a cursed maiden trying to save her sister.
Find more recommendations for young adults
Never a Hero, by Vanessa Len
Sequel to Only a Monster.
Despite the odds, Joan achieved the impossible. She reset the timeline, saved her family - and destroyed the hero, Nick. But her success has come at a terrible cost.
She alone remembers what happened. Now, Aaron, her hard-won friend - and maybe more - is an enemy, trying to kill her. And Nick, the boy she loved, is a stranger who doesn't even know her name. Only Joan remembers that there is a ruthless and dangerous enemy still out there.
When a deadly attack forces Joan back into the monster world as a fugitive, she finds herself on the run with Nick - as Aaron closes in. As the danger rises - and Nick gets perilously closer to discovering the truth of what Joan did - Joan discovers a secret of her own. One that threatens everyone she loves.
Torn between love and family and monstrous choices, Joan must find a way to re-gather her old allies to face down the deadliest of enemies, and to save the timeline itself.
The Beauty Trials, by Dhonielle Clayton
With the dangerous, erratic Princess Sophia imprisoned, Queen Charlotte decides to invoke the ancient tradition of The Beauty Trials - a series of harrowing tests meant to find the one true ruler of Orleans. Edel, who has always aspired to be more than just a Belle, decides to enter and, after promising to bind her arcana to keep from having an unnatural advantage, joins a few dozen other hopefuls intent on becoming the next Queen of Orleans.
But the trials are far worse than any of them bargained for. As the women are put through dangerous tasks meant to test their strength, confidence, composure, and bravery, many perish, and Edel is mysteriously attacked by one of the other competitors - forcing her to use her powers just to survive. Will her subterfuge cost her the crown, or is there a larger conspiracy at play?
I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast is Me, by Jamison Shea
Despite being constantly overlooked in the elite and cut-throat world of the Parisian ballet, Laure will do anything to prove that a Black girl can take centre stage. To level the playing field, Laure ventures deep into the depths of the Catacombs and strikes a deal with a pulsating river of blood. The primordial power Laure gains promises influence and adoration, everything she's dreamed of and worked toward. With retribution on her mind, she leaves a trail of broken bodies on her climb to stardom. But even as undeniable as she is, Laure is not the only monster around. And her vicious desires make her a perfect target for slaughter.
Borrow I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast is Me →
Her Radiant Curse, by Elizabeth Lim
Channi was not born a monster. But when her own father offers her in sacrifice to the Demon Witch, she is forever changed. Cursed with a serpent's face, Channi is the exact opposite of her beautiful sister, Vanna - the only person in the village who looks at Channi and doesn't see a monster. The only person she loves and trusts. Now seventeen, Vanna is to be married off in a vulgar contest that will enrich the coffers of the village leaders. Only Channi, who's had to rely on her strength and cunning all these years, can defend her sister against the cruelest of the suitors. But in doing so, she becomes the target of his wrath - launching a grisly battle royale, a quest over land and sea, a romance between sworn enemies, and a choice that will strain Channi's heart to its breaking point.
The Brothers Hawthorne, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Drawn into twisted games on opposite sides of the globe, Grayson and Jameson - with the help of their brothers and the girl who inherited their grandfather's fortune and stole their hearts - must dig deep to decide who they want to be and what each of them will sacrifice to win.