Today in this final installment I'm going to be sharing with you the top ten UKYA 2015 releases that I'm the most looking forward to. Being a UK based book blogger I really like to support authors from the UK - we have some very talented writers over here and we come second to none when it comes to diversity. These are just a handful of the gems that I'm looking forward to reading. In no particular order here are the books!
Series: First book in a new series
Coming February 24th 2015
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Synopsis
Seventeen-year-old Twylla lives in the castle. But although she’s engaged to the prince, Twylla isn’t exactly a member of the court.
She’s the executioner.
As the Goddess embodied, Twylla instantly kills anyone she touches. Each month she’s taken to the prison and forced to lay her hands on those accused of treason. No one will ever love a girl with murder in her veins. Even the prince, whose royal blood supposedly makes him immune to Twylla’s fatal touch, avoids her company.
But then a new guard arrives, a boy whose easy smile belies his deadly swordsmanship. And unlike the others, he’s able to look past Twylla’s executioner robes and see the girl, not the Goddess. Yet Twylla’s been promised to the prince, and knows what happens to people who cross the queen.
However, a treasonous secret is the least of Twylla’s problems. The queen has a plan to destroy her enemies, a plan that requires a stomach-churning, unthinkable sacrifice. Will Twylla do what it takes to protect her kingdom? Or will she abandon her duty in favor of a doomed love?
Why I Want to Read it – I only had to read the first three sentences of this synopsis before it went on my must read list! As my best friend put it this sounds like Shatter Me set in a Fantasy world. I'm so lucky to own a proof copy of this and I can't wait to get to it next month!
Series: None
Coming February 26th 2015
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Synopsis
Toby's life was perfectly normal... until it was unravelled by something as simple as a blood test.
Taken from his family, Toby now lives in the Death House: an out-of-time existence far from the modern world, where he, and the others who live there, are studied by Matron and her team of nurses. They're looking for any sign of sickness. Any sign of their wards changing. Any sign that it's time to take them to the sanatorium.
No one returns from the sanatorium.
Withdrawn from his house-mates and living in his memories of the past, Toby spends his days fighting his fear. But then a new arrival in the house shatters the fragile peace, and everything changes.
Because everybody dies. It's how you choose to live that counts.
Why I Want to Read it – This book sounds so unusual. I think it has real crossover appeal for both adults and teens. I read so much that I love discovering something a little bit different to read every now and again as a palate cleanser between books.
Am I Normal Yet? by Holly Bourne
Series: None
Coming unknown time in 2015
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Synopsis
Am I Normal Yet? is about a girl called Evie who is recovering from obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). After losing three years of her life to the disorder, she has come off her anti-depressants and is about to start at a new college. Along the way she goes on a bad date and makes two new friends, Amber and Lottie.
Why I Want to Read it – Not only am I a massive fan of Holly's previous two books - I genuinely think that she's one of the biggest UKYA talents at the minute - but this is about OCD an illness very close to my heart. I've followed Holly's progress writing this for some time and I got to talk to her a little bit about it at YALC. I feel like I've had this book on my radar for ages and I'm so excited that it's getting closer to publication! I can't wait for a full synopsis and cover.
Series: None
Coming January 29th 2015
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Synopsis
Japanese teenager, Sora, is diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). Lonely and isolated, Sora turns to the ancient wisdom of the samurai for guidance and comfort. But he also finds hope in the present; through the internet he finds friends that see him, not just his illness. This is a story of friendship and acceptance, and testing strength in an uncertain future.
Why I Want to Read it – Everybody who has read this already on my Goodreads has given it a 5 star rating which is very exciting to see! I'm always on the look out for diverse YA and I've never read anything about ALS before. I think I'm really going to enjoy this one although I'm not sure if enjoy is quite the right word!
Series: Book two in the Half Bad Trilogy
Coming March 25th 2015
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Why I Want to Read it – I haven't included the synopsis for this one because I don't want to spoil anybody who hasn't read Half Bad yet - if you haven't you really must! It's one of my favourite books of 2014! I'm so excited for this next installment in Nathan's story and I'm obsessed with this cover. I can't wait to see the finished look when it's released!
Series: Book one in The Fire Sermon series
Coming February 23rd 2015
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Synopsis
When Zach and I were born our parents must have counted and recounted: limbs, fingers, toes. We were perfect. They would have been disbelieving: nobody dodged the split between Alpha and Omega.
Nobody.
They were born together and they will die together.
One strong Alpha twin and one mutated Omega; the only thing they share is the moment of their death.
The Omegas live in segregation, cast out by their families as soon as their mutation becomes clear. Forced to live apart, they are ruthlessly oppressed by their Alpha counterparts.
The Alphas are the elite. Once their weaker twin has been cast aside, they're free to live in privilege and safety, their Omega twin far from their thoughts.
Cass and Zach are both perfect on the outside: no missing limbs, no visible Omega mutation. But Cass has a secret: one that Zach will stop at nothing to expose.
The potential to change the world lies in both their hands. One will have to defeat the other to see their vision of the future come to pass, but if they're not careful both will die in the struggle for power.
Why I Want to Read it – I think that this is the first 2015 proof that dropped through my letterbox and I'm so excited to read it! The publishers had such an exciting publicity campaign for this book for us book reviews and it's one that is creating a lot of hype already. I think this is going to be one of the big releases of 2015 and is a book that you definitely want on your radar.
The Lost and the Found by Cat Clarke
Series: None
Coming May 7th 2015
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Synopsis
The Lost and the Found, publishing in spring 2015, is a taut psychological thriller, and marks a new direction for Clarke. It is about a girl whose young sister was abducted and returns to the family as a teenager.
Why I Want to Read it – Cat Clarke is one of my favourite authors so despite the very brief synopsis that's been released at this time I know that I want to read it. Her books are always fused with tension and emotion and by the sounds of it we can expect the same from The Lost and the Found. The idea of an abducted child returning as a teenager sounds like such a powerful topic and I can't wait to see how Cat Clarke tackles it.
Series: None
Coming May 14th 2015
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Synopsis
Ashleigh Walker is in love. You know the feeling - that intense, heart-racing, all-consuming emotion that can only come with first love. It's enough to stop her worrying about bad grades at college. Enough to distract her from her parents' marriage troubles. There's just one thing bothering her . . .
Shouldn't it be her boyfriend, Dylan, who makes her feel this way - not Miss Murray, her English teacher?
Why I Want to Read it – This is another book where I read the synopsis and immediately knew it was a book that I had to read. This sounds like a really intense and diverse book dealing with a lot of subjects. I've read a lot of books about coming out and a lot of books about student/teacher relationships but never a book that deals with both at once and I'm very much looking forward to reading this fresh take on both subjects.
Series: Sequel to The Rain
Coming 26th February 2015
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Why I Want to Read it – Again, this is a sequel so I haven't included a synopsis here. I absolutely loved The Rain it's definitely one of my favourite UKYA releases of 2014. It's so different to any other Dystopian book that I've read and I can't wait for more of Ruby's hilarious and terrifying adventures.
Series: None
Coming January 1st 2015
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Synopsis
Two boys. Two secrets.
David Piper has always been an outsider. His parents think he’s gay. The school bully thinks he’s a freak. Only his two best friends know the real truth – David wants to be a girl.
On the first day at his new school Leo Denton has one goal – to be invisible. Attracting the attention of the most beautiful girl in year eleven is definitely not part of that plan.
When Leo stands up for David in a fight, an unlikely friendship forms. But things are about to get messy. Because at Eden Park School secrets have a funny habit of not staying secret for long…
Why I Want to Read it – I found out about this one a few months ago when I was asked to help reveal the cover on Twitter and I've been itching to read it ever since. As you can probably tell from this list I'm a fan of diverse books and so of course The Art of Being Normal was going to be on my list. This is another book that I love the cover for and I'm so excited to finally read it in the new year.
I hope you have enjoyed this little mini series of mine and that I've managed to add some books to your wishlist for next year!
Which UKYA book are you most anticipating reading in 2015?
