April showers bring May flowers…but, let’s be real, all we care about here are books! This magical list of fantasy and sci-fi new young adult reads will help you cozy up and escape reality as it (maybe) showers outside.
Check out the April 2023 titles (organized by release date):
April 4th
by Alexandra Bracken
Born without a trace of magic, Tamsin Lark is no match for the sorceresses and Hollowers who populate the magical underground of Boston. But when the only parent she’s ever known disappears without so much as a goodbye, she has no choice but to join in their cutthroat pursuit of enchanted relics to keep herself—and her brother, Cabell—alive.
Ten years later, rumors are swirling that her guardian found a powerful ring from Arthurian legend just before he vanished. A run-in with her rival Emrys ignites Tamsin’s hope that the ring could free Cabell from a curse that threatens both of them. But they aren’t the only ones who covet the ring.
As word spreads, greedy Hollowers start circling, and many would kill to have it for themselves. While Emrys is the last person Tamsin would choose to partner with, she needs all the help she can get to edge out her competitors in the race for the ring. Together, they dive headfirst into a vipers’ nest of dark magic, exposing a deadly secret with the power to awaken ghosts of the past and shatter her last hope of saving her brother. . . .
by Angelini Josephine
A fate avoided...
After successfully using a clever bit of trickery to avoid all-out war with the gods and defeat Zeus, Helen sets out to enjoy her final year of high school with Lucas and her friends.
A debt owed...
But happily ever after eludes her. Zeus has found a way to strike back at Helen from inside the prison she devised for him. Growing weaker with every one of Zeus’ attacks, Helen scrambles to complete the three tasks she owes to the Titans, hurling through time on Cronus’ bidding.
A promise broken...
But Helen’s odyssey proves to be more challenging than she could have imagined, because Lucas has mysteriously started pulling away from her, burdened by a secret that threatens to tear them apart.
by Terry J. Benton-Walker
GODS MEDDLE AND MAGIC WILL BETRAY YOU, BUT THIS TIME JUSTICE WILL REIGN.
Thirty years ago, a young woman was murdered, a family was lynched, and New Orleans saw the greatest magical massacre in its history. In the days that followed, a throne was stolen from a queen.
On the anniversary of these brutal events, Clement and Cristina Trudeau—the sixteen-year-old twin heirs to the powerful, magical, dethroned family—are mourning their father and caring for their sick mother. Until, by chance, they discover their mother isn’t sick—she’s cursed. Cursed by someone on the very magic council their family used to rule. Someone who will come for them next.
Cristina, once a talented and dedicated practitioner of Generational magic, has given up magic for good. An ancient spell is what killed their father and she was the one who cast it. For Clement, magic is his lifeline. A distraction from his anger and pain. Even better than the random guys he hooks up with.
Cristina and Clement used to be each other’s most trusted confidant and friend, now they barely speak. But if they have any hope of discovering who is coming after their family, they’ll have to find a way to trust each other and their family's magic, all while solving the decades-old murder that sparked the still-rising tensions between the city’s magical and non-magical communities. And if they don't succeed, New Orleans may see another massacre. Or worse.
by Rebecca Ross
When two young rival journalists find love through a magical connection, they must face the depths of hell, in a war among gods, to seal their fate forever. After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again. But eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow just wants to hold her family together. Her mother is suffering from addiction and her brother is missing from the front lines. Her best bet is to win the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette. To combat her worries, Iris writes letters to her brother and slips them beneath her wardrobe door, where they vanish—into the hands of Roman Kitt, her cold and handsome rival at the paper. When he anonymously writes Iris back, the two of them forge a connection that will follow Iris all the way to the front lines of battle: for her brother, the fate of mankind, and love.
by F.T. Lukens Edison Rooker isn’t sure what to expect when he enters the office of Antonia Hex, the powerful sorceress who runs a call center for magical emergencies. He doesn’t have much experience with hexes or curses. Heck, he doesn’t even have magic. But he does have a plan—to regain the access to the magical world he lost when his grandmother passed. Antonia is…intimidating, but she gives him a job and a new name—Rook—both of which he’s happy to accept. Now all Rook has to do is keep his Spell Binder, an illegal magical detection device, hidden from the Magical Consortium. And contend with Sun, the grumpy and annoyingly cute apprentice to Antonia’s rival colleague, Fable. But dealing with competition isn’t so bad; as Sun seems to pop up more and more, Rook minds less and less. But when the Consortium gets wind of Rook’s Spell Binder, they come for Antonia. All alone, Rook runs to the only other magical person he knows: Sun. Except Fable has also been attacked, and now Rook and Sun have no choice but to work together to get their mentors back…or face losing their magic forever.
by Elizabeth Lim
What if the Blue Fairy wasn't supposed to help Pinocchio?
"Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight . . . " So begins the wish that changes everything—for Geppetto, for the Blue Fairy, and for a little puppet named Pinocchio. The Blue Fairy isn't supposed to grant wishes in the small village of Pariva, but something about this one awakens some long-buried flicker within. Perhaps it's the hope she senses beneath the old man's loneliness. Or maybe it's the fact that long ago, before she was the Blue Fairy, she was a young woman named Chiara from this very village, one with a simple wish: to help others find happiness.
Her sister, Ilaria, always teased her for this, for Ilaria had big dreams to leave their sleepy village and become a world-renowned opera singer. The two were close, despite their differences. While Ilaria would have given anything to have a fairy grant her wish, Chiara didn't believe in the lore for which their village was famous. Forty years later, Chiara, now the Blue Fairy, defies the rules of magic to help an old friend. But she's discovered by the Scarlet Fairy, formerly Ilaria, who, amid a decades-long grudge, holds the transgression against her sister. They decide to settle things through a good old-fashioned bet, with Pinocchio and Geppetto's fate hanging in the balance.
Will the sisters find a way back to one another? Or is this, like many matters of the heart, a gamble that comes with strings?
April 11th
by Rena Barron
A king with a score to settle.
A demon sowing rebellion.
A girl who holds the power of the gods.
Arrah has sacrificed almost everything in her battle against the Demon King. Now, forced to give up the gift of magic she’d sought for so long, she must decipher the legacy of her past life as the orisha Dimma—and weave an uneasy alliance between her beloved Rudjek, the Demon King, and the remaining orishas, hoping to restore peace to all of their worlds. But as Arrah’s half-demon sister resumes her quest for destruction, peace may require the ultimate sacrifice.…
April 13th
by Laura Greenwood
Banished from the sea and without a kingdom to call her own, Cordelia's only chance of inheriting is to win the Bellpoint Castle competition and become their heir.
And, with the help of her friends, she might stand a chance. But the one thing she hadn't considered was her heart, and when she starts to get close to her best friend's brother, there's no doubt that's on the line.
With the competition drawing to a close, and her prophecy rearing its ugly head, does Cordelia have time to work out matters of her heart?
April 18th
by Lili Wilkinson Maude is the daughter of witches. She spent her childhood running wild with her best friend, Odette, weaving stories of girls who slayed dragons and saved princes. Then Maude grew up and lost her magic—and her best friend. These days, magic is toothless, reduced to glamour patches and psychic energy drinks found in supermarkets and shopping malls. Odette has always hungered for forbidden, dangerous magic, and two weeks ago she went searching for it. Now she’s missing, and everyone says she’s dead. Everyone except Maude. Storytelling has always been Maude’s gift, so she knows all about girls who get lost in the woods. She’s sure she can find Odette inside the ruins of Sicklehurst, an abandoned power plant built over an ancient magical forest—a place nobody else seems to remember is there. The danger is, no one knows what remains inside Sicklehurst, either. And every good story is sure to have a monster.
April 20th
by various authors
Double the name and double the magic, mystery, and mayhem
Once upon a time, a fairy tale name generator issued a challenge to a group of authors. Volume Two of these quirky stories brings double trouble.
In this clean YA anthology, spy on thieves discovering their princely identities, accompany villains seeking redemption along with accident-prone geese, and rejoice in the reunion of siblings separated at birth. Side with twins split between good and evil, giggle over mistaken identities, and discover the secrets of royal doppelgängers. When fates are intertwined by a namesake, mayhem and mischief are sure to follow.
Venture into this collection of adventurous stories by award-winning and up-and-coming authors and see if what happens once . . . happens twice!
Pssst…some characters from Once Upon A Name might make a comeback, but the two sets and all stories in them can be read as standalones.
by C.J. Milacci
(Available on Kickstarter)
A treacherous journey. A devious enemy. The hunt for the fugitives has begun.
April 24th
by Marie-Hélène Lebeault Join Twila and Valiant as they set out to uncover a mysterious treasure hidden within their school's walls. As they work together to solve puzzles and riddles, they begin to see each other in a new light and develop a deep understanding and appreciation for one another. This heartwarming tale will have you rooting for this unlikely duo as they learn to trust their fated bond and discover a love worth fighting for. Don't miss out on this unforgettable adventure, friendship, and romance story. A Summer of Discovery is the first Fantasy Romance Novella in the Defenders of the Realm series. This novella is best read after book 1, The Quest for the Emerald Rattleback
April 26th
by Clarissa Gosling
The forest stirs.
The wild hunt rides.
Zoe must make a stand.
With her trusted steed by her side, Zoe leaves the human realm for a life with Florian in Faery. But the gate takes her to the world tree instead. The tree's guardian sets her on the right path, but warns her of a growing threat to the fae realm.
When she arrives in the Sunlight Court, things do not go as planned. Distrusted by the Sunlight fae, Zoe doesn't fit their expectations of a princess. As for Florian, he’s still determined to have her as his queen after his upcoming coronation, but she chafes at what that would mean for her. Now Zoe is questioning her own heart and wonders where she belongs.
The five Faery Courts seem to be at peace, but tensions bubble beneath the surface. Deep in the forest unease is brewing. The wild hunt rampages closer to the courts. Whispers of worse threaten a dire future for faery. After the previous Conclave of the Yews, the other queens distrust Zoe and ignore her pleas for help. She must gather her allies, old and new, to protect the realm despite them.
April 28th
by Joy Lewis
She would sooner steal his riches than open her heart to him. But when he hires her for a high-risk job, they must pretend to be what they’re not before they’re killed.
Anova’s no saint. Better to be a living thief than an honest corpse. But when her debts catch up to her, a dangerous fae bargain is the only way to keep her freedom.
Despite her hatred of his folk for killing her mother, she agrees to become the assassin for the young and mysterious fae lord, Leander. The catch? She must pose as his human lover.
She’s smarter than to fall for the arrogant fae using her for his profit. Yet Leander is more than she ever thought he could be. Underneath his cold facade, demons from his past plague him.
When the assassination triggers a blood curse, her hand is forced. She can allow Leander to sacrifice himself to end a reign of fae tyrants. Or she’ll die in his place.
Will it be her life? Or her heart?
April 30th
by Christine Marshall
What if Sleeping Beauty had to save the prince from a cursed sleep? Can she wake her true love, face her fears, and survive?
A Sleeping Beauty retelling full of twists.
This article was written by Allison Rose.
Allison Rose writes YA fantasy featuring magic and otherworldly beings. Her current series feature a truly unique world of Faerie. Click the covers below to check them out.
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