Book Bytes is a monthly feature I created to share news in the world of YA!
Each month’s posts can contain anything from new cover/title reveals, book-to-movie news, even the latest book deals!!
I’ve now split up the news into categories, to make it easier to jump to whichever book news you’d like to read about!
If there’s any book news I missed or any you want to discuss, definitely leave a comment!
*With so many book deals in May, I decided to mention ones I’m personally really looking forward to/want to feature, but will link each release report for you to check out all the book deals!*
Adaptation News
1. Gentleman’s Guide To Vice & Virtue Optioned For TV
Announced May 4 by Variety, Greg Berlanti picked up the rights to Mackenzie Lee’s Gentleman’s Guide To Vice And Virtue, for Warner Bros. TV.
2.Looking For Alaska Picked Up As A Limited Series From Hulu
As of May 9, Deadline announced that John Green’s novel Looking For Alaska was picked up by Hulu and “is finalizing a deal for an eight-episode limited series from Paramount Television and Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage’s Fake Empire…”
3.The Hate U Give Movie Release Date
Announced May 23 by Angie Thomas through her twitter, she shared that The Hate U Give movie will be releasing: October 19 of this year!
Epic Reads also has a blog post where they summarize all the movie info regarding The Hate U Give Movie Here!
4.The Sun Is Also A Star Cast Update + Release Date
As of May 31, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Charles Melton (known for his role Riverdale) will play the role of Daniel from Yoon’s novel, The Sun Is Also A Star.
The article also mentioned that there is a set release date for The Sun Is Also A Star film, which will be May 17, 2019!
Book Deals
1.Meteor by Anna-Marie McLemore + Tehlor Kay Mejia
Set to be released in 2020, authors Anna-Marie McLemore and Tehlor Kay Mejia announced they would be co-writing Meteor, published by HarperCollins. The novel follows “two friends, one made of stardust and one fighting to save her family’s diner, take on their small town’s 50th annual pageant and talent competition in the hopes that they can change their town’s destiny, and their own” (Announced May 1).
2.Descendants Series by Tracy Deonn Walker
With the first novel of this YA Contemporary Fantasy series set to be released in Summer 2020 by Simon Pulse, its “pitched as a modern-day King Arthur retelling with Southern Black Girl Magic, the book follows a teenage girl who infiltrates a secret society of powerful magic wielders to find out the truth behind her mother’s untimely death” (Announced May 1).
3.Deathless by Namina Forna
Set for a Spring 2020 release date with Delacorte, Deathless is the first book in a YA Fantasy trilogy that is “about a West African-inspired blood ceremony that reveals whether or not females are “pure” enough to be members of the village, and an army of ostracized girls with extraordinary gifts training to kill” (Announced May 1).
4.Today, Tonight, Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Set to be released in 2020 with Simon Pulse, author of You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone, has an upcoming YA Contemporary Romance which follows “two rival overachievers who realize they may actually love each other over the course of 24 hours on the last day of senior year” (Announced May 1).
5. Alliance by Jennieke Cohen
Set to be released in Fall of 2019 with HarperCollins, Alliance is a YA Historical Fiction “set in Georgian London’s high society. The book’s heroine, a contemporary of Jane Austen, uses Austen’s novels as a guide to navigate a treacherous season in which she must find a husband or lose her family estate to her sister’s villainous husband” (Announced May 1).
More Book Deals from May 1
6. As We Go Forth by Austin Siegemund-Broka + Emily Wibberley
Set to be released through Puffin in Spring 2020, As We Go Forth is “a contemporary romance told in alternating perspectives; it features Juniper and Fitz, two high school seniors with vastly different views about the future, who meet unexpectedly on their respective college tours ” (Announced May 7).
7.Finale by Stephanie Garber
Through Garber’s twitter, she announced there would be a third book to her Caraval Series, titled Finale!
While there is no set release date, it scheduled for a 2019 release (Announced May 8).
8.Truly Madly Royally by Debbie Rigaud
Set to be released in 2019 with Scholastic, Truly Madly Royally is a YA Rom-Com in which “16-year-old Zora meets a boy named Owen, who turns out to be a prince and invites Zora to be his guest at his big brother’s royal wedding” (Announced May 14).
9.Untitled YA Fantasy Deals by Laura Brooke Robson
Set to be released in Spring of 2020 with Penguin/Dawson, Robson’s first standalone is “an apocalyptic fantasy told in alternating POVs about the leader of a band of female elite royal aerialists, whose plan for survival depends on marrying the prince—until she meets the alluring new recruit who secretly plans to kill him” With the second novel set to be released in 2021 (Announced May 14).
More Book Deals From May 14
10. Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angeles
Set to be released in 2020 with Wednesday Books, Angeles’s YA Fantasy debut is “Pitched as The Phantom Of The Opera meets Moulin Rouge…The story follows Hellfire House’s star showgirl who, haunted by a dark past, must enter a magician’s competition in order to secure her freedom from the handsome, enigmatic keeper of the club, even as mysterious accidents seem to plague her every move” (Announced May 17).
11.The Wire Crown by Sheena Boekweg
Set to be released in 2020 with Feiwel & Friends, The Wire Crown follows “The daughter of an executioner and the traitorous prince she can’t kill reluctantly join forces to dethrone a paranoid queen after discovering they are trapped in a fantasy video game where one wrong move means game over in that world—and death in the real one” (Announced May 17).
12. All Of Us With Wings by Michelle Ruiz Keil
Set to be released in Summer 2019 with Soho Press, All Of Us With Wings is a “fantasy imbued with elements of Aztec mythology”; it follows “a teenage governess living with her young ward Pallas’s glamorous rockstar family in San Francisco ” (Announced May 21).
13.Goddess In The Machine by Lora Beth Johnson
Set to be released in Summer 2020 through Razorbill, Goddess In The Machine is about a girl and when she “wakes from a cryogenic sleep on a planet she doesn’t recognize, she must team up with the mysterious soldier who woke her to navigate a future world where technology is considered magic and its practitioners revered as Deities” (Announced May 30).
Cover Reveals + Title Reveals
1.King Of Fools by Amanda Foody
As of May 3 Amanda Foody announced on her twitter, the title to the sequel of her most recent novel, Ace Of Shades!
The sequel is titled: King Of Fools
According to Foody’s twitter post, King Of Fools will be released in Spring of 2019!
2.In An Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire
On May 3, The Mary Sue revealed the cover to the 4th book in Seanan McGuire’s Wayward Children Series.
The cover reveal also included a sneak peek into some of the artwork.
In An Absent Dream is set to be released January 8, 2019!
3.The Brilliant Death by Amy Rose Capetta
As of May 9, Bustle revealed the cover of Amy Rose Capetta’s Historical Fantasy debut novel The Brilliant Death!
There was also an excerpt alongside the cover reveal!
The Brilliant Death is pitched as a mafia, queer fantasy romance and is set to be released October 30, 2018!
“For Teodora DiSangro, a mafia don’s daughter, family is fate.
All her life, Teodora has hidden the fact that she secretly turns her family’s enemies into music boxes, mirrors, and other decorative objects. After all, everyone in Vinalia knows that stregas—wielders of magic—are figures out of fairytales. Nobody believes they’re real.
Then the Capo, the land’s new ruler, sends poisoned letters to the heads of the Five Families that have long controlled Vinalia. Four lie dead and Teo’s beloved father is gravely ill. To save him, Teo must travel to the capital as a DiSangro son—not merely disguised as a boy, but transformed into one.
Enter Cielo, a strega who can switch back and forth between male and female as effortlessly as turning a page in a book. Teo and Cielo journey together to the capital, and Teo struggles to master her powers and to keep her growing feelings for Cielo locked in her heart. As she falls in love with witty, irascible Cielo, Teo realizes how much of life she’s missed by hiding her true nature. But she can’t forget her mission, and the closer they get to the palace, the more sinister secrets they uncover about what’s really going on in their beloved country—and the more determined Teo becomes to save her family at any cost.”
4.Upon A Burning Throne by Ashok K. Banker
On May 7, John Joseph Adams (editor) revealed the cover to Ashok K. Banker’s debut Fantasy novel Upon A Burning Throne.
Upon A Burning Throne is the first of a series, set to be released May 7, 2019!
“The Burning Throne of the Krushan Empire consumes and turns to ashes any who is found unworthy to rule, while endowing the rightful king with immense power.
Two princes are born in Hastinaga, capitol of the Krushan Empire. They pass the Burning Throne’s Test of Fire, but one is born blind, the other an albino, and the people fear they might not be up to the task of ruling the empire. The two princes—Shvate and Adri—are driven by their determination to quell the doubts of the people and prove that they are capable of reigning. They are put to the test when a powerful demonlord with designs on the Krushan Empire sows dissent among the empire’s allies, and Shvate and Adri must lead the Krushan forces into battle to protect Hastinaga… and to prove that they are worthy of sitting upon the Burning Throne.”
5.The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi
Revealed on May 7 via Entertainment Weekly, was the cover (including an excerpt) for Roshani Chokshi’s upcoming fantasy novel, The Gilded Wolves!
According to EW, The Gilded Wolves “kicks off an alternately glamorous and dangerous adventure, set in Paris near the end of the 19th century, with the world on the cusp of industry and power, and ancient secrets starting to get dredged up. The book centers on treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier, Séverin Montagnet-Alarie, who keeps tabs on secrets better than anyone. When an all-powerful society seeks him out for help, Séverin is offered a treasure that he never imagined: his true inheritance. To find the ancient artifact the Order seeks, Séverin enlists a band of experts to use their wits and knowledge to hunt the artifact through the dark and glittering heart of Paris.”
The Gilded Wolves is set to be released January 15, 2019!
6.Children Of Blood And Bone #2 by Tomi Adeyemi Title Reveal
On May 11, the title for the sequel to Tomi Adeyemi’s debut novel, Children Of Blood And Bone was announced!
The sequel is titled:
Children Of Virtue And Vengeance
Children Of Virtue And Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi is set to be released March 5, 2019!
7.Wildcard by Marie Lu
On May 14, the sequel/finale to Marie Lu’s Warcross duology, Wildcard had its cover reveal + excerpt via Entertainment Weekly!
Wildcard by Marie Lu is set to be released September 18, 2018!
8. Archenemies by Marissa Meyer
Entertainment Weekly as of May 18, revealed the cover + a Q&A with Marissa Meyer for the upcoming sequel to The Renegades, which is titled Archenemies!
Additionally, Meyer also revealed that Renegades will be a trilogy!
Archenemies by Marissa Meyer is set to be released November 6, 2018!
9.The Speaker by Traci Chee
On May 21, Bustle revealed the cover to Traci Chee’s finale to her Reader Trilogy, titled The Speaker!
The Speaker by Traci Chee is set to be released November 13, 2018!
10. To All The Boys Movie Tie-In Cover
With the Netflix release of To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before movie coming August 17, 2018, Jenny Han revealed on twitter, the cover to the movie tie-in edition of To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before!
11.The Tesla Legacy by K.K. Perez
As of May 21, Hypable revealed the cover to K.K. Perez’s 2019 sci-fi novel, The Tesla Legacy!
The Tesla Legacy is set to be released March 12, 2019!
“The Tesla Legacy follows a precocious young scientist named Lucy Phelps whose fateful encounter in the Tesla Suite of the New Yorker Hotel unlocks her dormant electrical powers. As Lucy struggles to understand her new abilities through scientific experimentation, she is thrust into a centuries old battle between rival alchemical societies.
One side wants her help and the other wants her dead, but both believe she is the next step in human evolution. Unfortunately, carriers of the genetic mutation—including Nikola Tesla—have a greatly reduced life expectancy. Even if Lucy can outrun her enemies, she can’t outrun herself.”
12.The Girl King by Mimi Yu
On May 23, the Happy Every After blog revealed the cover + excerpt to Mimi Yu’s Fantasy debut, The Girl King!
The Girl King is set to be released in January 8, 2019!
“Two sisters become unwitting rivals in a war to claim the title of Emperor in this richly imagined, Asian-inspired fantasy for fans of Renée Ahdieh and Sabaa Tahir.
Sisters Lu and Min have always known their places as the princesses of the Empire of the First Flame: the eldest, assertive Lu, will be named her father’s heir and become the dynasty’s first female ruler, while timid Min will lead a quiet life in Lu’s shadow. Then their father names their male cousin Set the heir instead, throwing both girls’ lives into chaos.
Determined to reclaim her birthright, Lu is forced to flee, leaving Min to face the volatile court alone. Lu crosses paths with Nokhai, the lone, unlikely survivor of the decimated Ashina, nomadic wolf shapeshifters. Nok never learned to shift–and he has no trust for the Empire that killed his family–but working with the princess might be the key to unlocking his true power.
As Lu and Nok form a tenuous alliance, Min’s own hidden power awakens–a forbidden, deadly magic that could secure Set’s reign . . . or allow her to claim the throne herself. But there can only be one Emperor, and the sisters’ greatest enemy could very well turn out to be each other.”
13.The Last 8 by Laura M. Pohl
As of May 28, Barnes & Noble Teen Blog revealed the cover + excerpt to Laura Pohl’s 2019 Sci-Fi debut The Last 8!
The Last 8 is set to be released March 5, 2019!
A high-stakes survival story about eight teenagers who outlive an alien attack!
Clover Martinez has always been a survivor, which is the only reason she isn’t among the dead when aliens invade and destroy Earth as she knows it.
When Clover hears an inexplicable radio message, she’s shocked to learn there are other survivors—and that they’re all at the former Area 51. When she arrives, she’s greeted by a band of misfits who call themselves The Last Teenagers on Earth.
Only they aren’t the ragtag group of heroes Clover was expecting. The group seems more interested in hiding than fighting back, and Clover starts to wonder if she was better off alone. But then she finds a hidden spaceship, and she doesn’t know what to believe…or who to trust.
14.Crown Of Feathers by Nicki Pau Preto
On May 29, Paste Magazine revealed the cover to Crown Of Feathers a fantasy debut where, “warriors ride phoenixes”
Crown Of Feathers is set to be released in 2019!
“I had a sister, once…
In a world ruled by fierce warrior queens, a grand empire was built upon the backs of Phoenix Riders—legendary heroes who soared through the sky on wings of fire—until a war between two sisters ripped it all apart.
I promised her the throne would not come between us.
Sixteen years later, Veronyka is a war orphan who dreams of becoming a Phoenix Rider from the stories of old. After a shocking betrayal from her controlling sister, Veronyka strikes out alone to find the Riders—even if that means disguising herself as a boy to join their ranks.
But it is a fact of life that one must kill or be killed. Rule or be ruled.
Just as Veronyka finally feels like she belongs, her sister turns up and reveals a tangled web of lies between them that will change everything. And meanwhile, the new empire has learned of the Riders’ return and intends to destroy them once and for all.
Sometimes the title of queen is given. Sometimes it must be taken.”
15.Girls With Sharp Sticks by Suzanne Young
As of May 30, Hypable revealed the cover to Young’s upcoming novel, Girls With Sharp Sticks.
According to Hypable, “Innovations Academy is an all-girls boarding school that promises to create young women fit for the highest echelons of society. They are groomed to be graceful and obedient. They know no arrogance or defiance. Until Mena unlocks a dangerous secret.
When Mena and her friends uncover the truth about their existence, Innovations Academy will find out just how big of a problem they have on their hands. With plenty of drama, twists, and romance, Girls with Sharp Sticks promises to be a page-turner.”
Girls With Sharp Sticks by Suzanne Young is set to be released April 2019!
16.Brief Chronicle Of Another Stupid Heartbreak by Adi Alsaid
On May 30, Pub Crawl revealed the cover to Alsaid’s upcoming contemporary, Brief Chronicle Of Another Stupid Heartbreak!
The cover reveal also included a giveaway pack of Alsaid’s previous books and a copy of Brief Chronicle!
Brief Chronicle Of Another Stupid Heartbreak by Adi Alsaid is set to be released April 30, 2019!
“Has heartbreak broken her for good?
Dumped by her boyfriend the summer after senior year, teen love and relationship columnist Lu Charles has hit a wall with her writing. The words just won’t come to her like they used to and if she doesn’t come up with a topic for her column, she’ll lose her gig at hip online magazine Misnomer, and the college scholarship that goes along with it.
Her best friend Pete think she should write through her own pain, but when Lu overhears another couple planning a pre-college break up just like hers, she becomes convinced that they’re the answer to cracking her writer’s block. And when she meets them—super-practical Iris and cute, sweet Cal—and discovers they’re postponing their breakup until the end of the summer, she has to know more.
Have Cal and Iris prolonged their own misery by staying together, knowing the end is in sight? Or does the secret to figuring out all this love business—and getting over it—lie with them? One thing is certain—if Lu can’t make a breakthrough before summer is over, she can kiss her future goodbye.
From the acclaimed author of Let’s Get Lost and North of Happy comes a touching exploration of love, relationships, and the pain of breaking up.”
17.Dealing In Dreams by Lilliam Rivera
Teen Vogue, as of May 31, revealed the cover + excerpt to Lilliam Rivera’s 2019 novel Dealing In Dreams , set in the near future!
Dealing In Dreams by Lilliam Rivera is set to be released March 5, 2019!
“We’re introduced to sixteen-year-old Nalah, who leads the fiercest crew in Mega City. But she envisions a life beyond brutal battles, partying in the metropolis’s hottest clubs, and maintaining curfew for the city-dwellers. Nalah dreams of getting off the streets and making a home in the elite Mega Towers, an exclusive residence that has top-tier resources including a school and health center. The teen receives the opportunity to prove her loyalty to Mega City’s founder: she must cross the border and find a mysterious group called the Ashé Ryders. But as she embarks on her journey, Nalah begins to question what she must do to get what she wants. And is a home just where you live? Or who you choose to protect?
Misc. Book News + Publisher News
1.King Of Scars by Leigh Bardugo Six Of Crows POV Reveal
As of May 5, Fierce Reads announced through twitter & 2018’s Yallwest Grisha Meet-Up that a Six Of Crows character would be returning w/ their POV in Bardugo’s upcoming 2019 novel:
King Of Scars
The POV will be: Nina Zenik
King Of Scars is set to be released January 29, 2018!
2. IReadYA Reveals Spring 2019 Cover Reveals
As of May 24, I Read YA revealed the covers for their upcoming spring 2019 YA Book Releases!
All the covers can be seen on their twitter!
Tours
1.Monday’s Not Coming Tour
Announced on Tiffany D. Jackson’s instagram May 9, she will be going on tour for her upcoming novel, Monday’s Not Coming!
“Monday Charles is missing, and only Claudia seems to notice. Claudia and Monday have always been inseparable—more sisters than friends. So when Monday doesn’t turn up for the first day of school, Claudia’s worried. When she doesn’t show for the second day, or second week, Claudia knows that something is wrong. Monday wouldn’t just leave her to endure tests and bullies alone. Not after last year’s rumors and not with her grades on the line. Now Claudia needs her best—and only—friend more than ever. But Monday’s mother refuses to give Claudia a straight answer, and Monday’s sister April is even less help.
As Claudia digs deeper into her friend’s disappearance, she discovers that no one seems to remember the last time they saw Monday. How can a teenage girl just vanish without anyone noticing that she’s gone?”
Monday’s Not Coming was released May 22, 2018!
The full tour schedule can be viewed on Jackson’s Instagram Here!
2. A Reaper At The Gates Tour
Announced May 17, Sabaa Tahir will be going on tour for the 3rd book in her Ember In The Ashes quartet, A Reaper At The Gates!
“Beyond the Empire and within it, the threat of war looms ever larger.
The Blood Shrike, Helene Aquilla, is assailed on all sides. Emperor Marcus, haunted by his past, grows increasingly unstable, while the Commandant capitalizes on his madness to bolster her own power. As Helene searches for a way to hold back the approaching darkness, her sister’s life and the lives of all those in the Empire hang in the balance.
Far to the east, Laia of Serra knows the fate of the world lies not in the machinations of the Martial court, but in stopping the Nightbringer. But while hunting for a way to bring him down, Laia faces unexpected threats from those she hoped would aid her, and is drawn into a battle she never thought she’d have to fight.
And in the land between the living and the dead, Elias Veturius has given up his freedom to serve as Soul Catcher. But in doing so, he has vowed himself to an ancient power that will stop at nothing to ensure Elias’s devotion–even at the cost of his humanity.”
A Reaper At The Gates is set to be released June 12, 2018!
The full tour schedule can be viewed Here!
And that’s the YA Book News for May! 😄✨📚
Thoughts on May’s 2018 YA Book News? + Do you have a favorite piece of YA Book News from the month? 📚💻📰✨
There’s been a lot of books I’ve made made plans to read over summer and now that I’m officially on summer break, I’m hoping to read as much of these as I can this month!
1.Neverworld Wake by Marisha Pessl
1.Bruja Born by Zoraida Córdova (Labyrinth Lost #2)
2.Mariam Sharma Hits The Road by Sheba Karim
3.A Reaper At The Gates by Sabaa Tahir (An Ember In The Ashes #3)
4.Not The Girls Your Looking For by Aminah Mae Safi
5. A Thousand Beginnings And Endings edited by Ellen Oh & Elsie Chapman
6.The Game Of Hope by Sandra Gulland
1. Out Of Left Field by Kris Hui Lee
2. The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo
3. Not If I Save You First by Ally Carter
4. Driving By Starlight by Anat Deracine
5. Caraval by Stephanie Garber
6. Legendary by Stephanie Garber (Caraval #2)
1.Legendary Ladies: 50 Goddesses To Empower And Inspire You by Ann Shen
2.Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi
3.Aru Shah And The End Of Time by Roshani Chokshi (Pandava Quartet #1)
Aru Shah And The End Of Time by Roshani Chokshi (Pandava Quartet #1)