New Releases

New Releases

Posted onAuthorAudrey
Collage of the covers In the Shallows, The Worst Ronin, and Liar's Test. All are described in more detail in the post.

We have three books on our radar this week! Which ones have caught your eye?

Illustrated cover of The Worst Ronin. An adult woman holds a naginata upright and off the ground while she looks back over her shoulder at a younger and much shorter girl. The woman is wearing what looks like a tunic-length tan shirt with a blue belt around her waist, loose green pants, and black knee-height boots. The side of her head is shaved, and she looks exasperated as the girl tries to take a selfie of them together. The girl looks like she's wearing purple hakama with a pink kosode, and she hair a pair of swords at her waist. Her dark hair is pulled into a long, high ponytail. They are surrounded by fog, and there is a pair of glowing eyes in the fog, as well as a clawed green hand reaching out to grab them.The Worst Ronin written by Maggie Tokuda-Hall and illustrated by Faith Schaffer
HarperAlley

Being a samurai isn’t easy. Sixteen-year-old Chihiro Ito knows that more than anyone. Her father is renowned among the samurai, but the only thing Chihiro is known for is spending way too much time on her phone obsessing over Tatsuo Nakano, Chihiro’s idol and the first woman to be accepted into Kesi Academy, a prestigious samurai school.

So, when Chihiro’s father is conscripted for service and the opportunity arises to work with Tatsuo in his stead, Chihiro jumps at the chance to prove that she’s worthy of a spot at Kesi Academy and the samurai title. Their mission: kill the yamauba demon terrorizing a village. With a legendary samurai like Tatsuo by her side, Chihiro is convinced victory is inevitable. But Tatsuo isn’t at all like the hero Chihiro imagined. Foulmouthed, quick tempered, and a terrible drunk, Tatsuo completely turned her back on the samurai way and is now a ronin working for hire as a means of escaping the grief that haunts her. Forced to work together, the two are thrust on a treacherous journey filled with epic battles and twisted conspiracies as they must put aside their differences to save the village and face the demons of the past.

Illustrated cover for Liar's Test. A teenage girl is slightly turned to the side, but she is looking at the viewer straight on. She's only visible from the shoulders up, and she appears to be wearing a dark green or maybe black v-necked sleeveless shirt. She has medium brown skin and curly black hair that looks like it might have started to escape a more put-up style. She is dappled in shadow, and there is a spray of small blue flowers and their leaves and stems across her chest and up into her hair, just behind one ear.Liar’s Test by Ambelin Kwaymullina
Knopf Books for Young Readers

Bell Silverleaf is a liar.

It’s how she’s survived. It’s how all Treesingers have survived, after they were invaded by the Risen and their gods. But now—thanks to some political maneuvering—Bell is in the Queen’s Test. She’s one of seven girls competing in deadly challenges to determine who rules for the next twenty-five years. If Bell wins, she’ll use the power to help her people and get her revenge on the Risen.

But Bell doesn’t know how much she’s been lied to. She’s part of a conspiracy stretching back generations, and she’s facing much bigger dangers than the Queen’s Test. She’s up against the gods themselves.

Getting hold of that crown might just be the least of her problems.

Aboriginal writer Ambelin Kwaymullina has created a fast-paced, twisty narrative and an unforgettable heroine inspired by the strength and power of Aboriginal women.

Illustrated cover for In the Shallows. Two teenage girls lounge on the beach together on a partially cloudy night. One girl has medium, brown skin and shoulder-ish wavy brown hair and maybe a purple t-shirt. She's leaning forward, just barely on the cover, with her head resting atop the other girl's head. The other girl is leaning back against her shoulder. She has a lighter complexion and looks as if she could be of Asian descent. She has similar color hair, but hers is in a bob, and she's wearing what might be a white sleeveless shirt. The moon shines brightly overhead. In the Shallows by Tanya Byrne
Godwin Books

Mara’s ex, Nico, is the girl of her dreams: beautiful, wild and unpredictable. She’s Mara’s everything, even though Mara’s never sure that she’s Nico’s anything. Then Nico goes missing …

New Year’s Day: A girl is rescued from the sea. She knows she is called Nico, but other than that, she has no memory of why she was in the sea or what came before.

When destiny reunites them, is this Mara and Nico’s second chance? Can their relationship make it out of the shallows? And what will happen when they discover the truth behind Nico’s accident? Because one day, Nico will remember everything.