What an exciting list I have for you this month! You will find adventure, fairytales, twists, romance, and more in these fantasy and sci-fi new young adult reads!
Check out the June 2023 titles (organized by release date):
June 1st
by S. R. Breaker
Reading is an excellent escape from reality. But what if... you couldn't escape from your escape?
Astrid loves to read. Astrid made a wish. Now Astrid's stuck in a book.
Cue the evil kelpie. The Armageddon. The feral troll army.
The fantasy realm of fiction is everything Astrid ever hoped for.
Except it's probably going to take her life.
Astrid needs non-fictional guts, determination, and sheer will to survive before she can return to the real world.
But will she even want to?
June 6th
by Maria Vermisoglou
Guarded for generations, Dahlia’s spinning wheel stood untouched in its glass case…
Plagued by visions and voices in her head, Ivy trains as a witch’s apprentice, shielded from the sleeping curse.
When her friends persuade her to visit Chillbury, she follows, hoping to uncover the origins of the infamous curse.
In her quest for answers, she unwittingly causes her best friend to fall under the grasp of the sleeping curse.
If she listens to the voices in her head, she’ll break the curse. If she doesn’t, everyone could suffer the consequences of her denial.
Will Ivy accept her destiny and break the curse, or will she be trapped in the haunted mansion?
by Kristi McManus
It all started with a curse.
When magical mermaid Sereia saves her little sister and overshadows brother and the sea’s rightful heir, Triton, the position of next ruler of the sea is in question. Determined to keep his throne, Triton curses Sereia, transforming her into a human and stripping her of magic. Banishing her from their underwater kingdom, he gives her a final warning: if you should ever return, you will become a monster.
Left for dead, Sereia washes up on the shores of Atlantis, where she is discovered by a kind merchant with a tragic past. Patient and charming, he helps her build a life on land; she realizes everything she was taught about humans may have been wrong. But legends are powerful forces, and mermaids are burned alive for their magic by humans who fear their power. Sereia is forced to keep her true identity a secret, even as her feelings for her savior deepen.
Channeling her skill with a blade, she finds a place within the ranks of the Atlantean army, finally giving her the chance to become the respected warrior she always desired. During her training, however, she discovers the legend that a trident of equal power to her father’s exists and is within her grasp in Atlantis. With a way back to the sea in her grasp, she wavers between the pull of revenge and the possibility of love on land, all under the hateful eye of a vengeful enemy within the army’s ranks. But when the fate of a friend is in the balance, she must make the hardest decision of all: be burned at the stake as a witch, or turn into a monster should she return to the sea.
by Jenny Elder Moke
Aralyn has lost everything—the coveted glass slipper, the prince's hand in marriage, and her only chance to save her mother and sister from destitution. Now she spends her days sweeping the cinders and washing dresses as her stepsister, Ellarose, once did, plotting her revenge against the girl who robbed her of her future. But when Ellarose, now the princess, comes to beg her help in saving the kingdom from ruin, Aralyn seizes the opportunity to get everything she's ever wanted.
She discovers a prophecy, an ancient blade from the original fairy godfather of the kingdom of Novador that could restore the kingdom to its former prosperity. She's determined to find the missing pieces of the blade and use its power for her own gain, even if it means dragging her bumbling fairy godmother and an annoying lady knight along with her.
But as Aralyn has to put her trust in others to survive the challenges of retrieving each lost piece of the blade, she begins to question everything her mother has taught her about survival and success. Maybe the prince was never the key to her future, and maybe she'll have to fight to find her own happily-ever-after.
by David Bowles, Guadalupe García McCall In modern-day Mexico, Sitlali is all alone after the death of her beloved abuela. Targeted by a dangerous gang member, she flees to the United States to find her father. The night before her journey, she finds an ancient conch shell on the beach and takes it with her as a memento of home. In 1521, Calizto is trapped in the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan, which is besieged by Spanish invaders. He has fought valiantly, but hope for his people is running out. Desperate to escape, he takes up his mother's sacred conch and sounds a plea to the gods. The conch holds magic neither Sitlali nor Calizto understand, magic that allows them to communicate across centuries—and find comfort in each other as they fight to survive. With each conversation, they fall deeper in love, and as the moon waxes, they become more present to each other. But as danger threatens at every turn, will they ever find a way to truly be together?
by Alyson Noël
The second I stepped through the doors of Gray Wolf Academy, my world disintegrated. Here, time is malleable. It can be manipulated, shifted. Changed. And for those of us who Trip—or travel through time—the possibilities are infinite and perilous. Now my life is caught in the secrets of everyone around me. Arthur, the eccentric billionaire who rules this school. Killian, who could be the only honest person here…or the biggest liar. And Braxton, magnetic, gorgeous, and unfathomable. The only thing I trust about him is our electric connection. Whether we’re Tripping through Renaissance Italy or thieving from a ball in Regency England, my life’s become a web of lies and strange truths. And beneath the surface is an elaborate puzzle, filled with cryptic symbols and priceless treasures scattered across history—all somehow connected to my strange ability to see through time. But Arthur has a dangerously ambitious agenda. And if what my dad taught me is true, I’m not just a threat to everyone at Gray Wolf. …I’m a threat to time itself.
June 13th
Something Close to Magic
by Emma Mills It’s not all sugar and spice at Basil’s Bakery, where seventeen-year-old Aurelie is an overworked, underappreciated apprentice. Still, the job offers stability, which no-nonsense Aurelie values highly, so she keeps her head down and doesn’t dare to dream big—until a stranger walks in and hands her a set of Seeking stones. In a country where Seeking was old-fashioned even before magic went out of style, it’s a rare skill, but Aurelie has it. The stranger, who turns out to be a remarkably bothersome bounty hunter named Iliana, asks for Aurelie’s help rescuing someone from the dangerous Underwood—which sounds suspiciously like an adventure. When the someone turns out to be Prince Hapless, the charming-but-aptly-named prince, Aurelie’s careful life is upended. Suddenly, she finds herself on a quest filled with magic portals, a troll older than many trees (and a few rocks), and dangerous palace intrigue. Even more dangerous are the feelings she’s starting to have for Hapless. The more time Aurelie spends with him, the less she can stand the thought of going back to her solitary but dependable life at the bakery. Must she choose between losing her apprenticeship—or her heart?
June 26th
by Marie-Hélène Lebeault
Looking for a thrilling summer read filled with magic, destiny, and the struggle to find oneself in a world of expectations? Look no further than Kaia and Nolen, two 16-year-olds destined to be together as a witch/dragon fated mates.
As they navigate the high society of Kaia's world and the unfamiliar territory of Nolen's family, they struggle to come to terms with the unspoken rules and societal expectations placed upon them. Will Nolen ever open up to Kaia and show her the love she craves? Will Kaia be able to give Nolen the space he needs while still fulfilling her role as his dragon guardian?
by Erica Hollis Most dragontongues don’t live long enough to learn from their mistakes. Lotte Meer is luckier than most, surviving long enough to communicate with the fierce, sullen, and temperamental dragons who are not above enjoying a human as a light snack. And she has the scars to prove it. Now a massive, foul-tempered dragon has taken over the town of Morwassen's Pass, taking the citizens hostage. As long as they bring him their gold and treasure, he won’t reduce their city to a smoking heap of ash and death. Only, the treasure is running out and Lotte—with the help of sharp-tongued, unbelievably cute Maryse Basvaan—is their last and only hope. But this dragon is more cunning—and more cruel—than any other. Not only is he holding Lotte’s estranged mom captive, but he has a taste for betrayal…and somehow he’s stricken some kind of secret deal with the girl who’s already gone and stolen Lotte’s heart. Lotte won’t fail. She can’t. Because if she does…everyone dies.
June 27th
by Gabi Burton
Saoirse Sorkova survives on lies. As a soldier-in-training at the most prestigious barracks in the kingdom, she lies about being a siren to avoid execution. At night, working as an assassin for a dangerous group of mercenaries, Saoirse lies about her true identity. And to her family, Saoirse tells the biggest lie of all: that she can control her siren powers and doesn't struggle constantly against an impulse to kill.
As the top trainee in her class, Saoirse would be headed for a bright future if it weren't for the need to keep her secrets out of the spotlight. But when a mysterious blackmailer threatens her sister, Saoirse takes a dangerous job that will help her investigate: she becomes personal bodyguard to the crown prince.
Saoirse should hate Prince Hayes. After all, his father is the one who enforces the kingdom's brutal creature segregation laws. But when Hayes turns out to be kind, thoughtful, and charming, Saoirse finds herself increasingly drawn to him-especially when they're forced to work together to stop a deadly killer who's plaguing the city. There's only one problem: Saoirse is that deadly killer.
June 30th
by Kyrie Wang
In a country torn by war, can a young peasant woman change the fate of England?
1075 A.D., nine years after the Norman Conquest.
Eighteen-year-old healer Aliwyn lives in solitude after a series of medical failures leave her alienated from her village. With the rebellion against William the Conqueror rumbling on the horizon, she finds solace in the tranquility of her home.
But when her beloved arrives with the orphaned daughter of a Norman knight, Aliwyn is plunged into the bloody conflict she’s done her best to avoid. One daring escape from enemy arrows entangles her with the revolt's charismatic young leader, Tobias, and Aliwyn finds herself swept into a dangerous world of rival factions and secret alliances. Faced with mercenaries and renegade knights, she must make difficult choices about treating those she despises.
After she uncovers the fiery secret underpinning the rebellion, Aliwyn is determined to take fate into her own hands and save England from sweeping destruction. Can she find the courage to fight for what she believes? And can she resist the magnetic charms of the man she has vowed to defeat?
by Sharlene Healy
The meras proved they’ll stop at nothing to take over the world. It seemed as if everywhere I turned, destruction followed them.
Max urged me to believe in a group of meras fighting on our side, but how could I trust the monsters who have taken so much from me?
When I finally got my family out of Bunker 3, could I trust these meras with my family? More importantly, could I trust them with my life? With the sky falling all around us, one thing is for certain. Our world will never be the same.
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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