September YA Book Releases: What to Read Based on Your Astrological Sign
The first day of the new semester is always an adventure, and this month, characters in beloved series and literary debuts undertake epic journeys. There are pirates, spies, and a lot of witches. (Halloween is next month, but hey, go with it.) September’s new releases transport us from our classrooms to the fantastical streets of Leigh Bardugo’s Ketterdam, claustrophobic towns in the Midwest, and the high seas. But before we know it, we’ll be knee-deep in math homework, so we might only have time to read one or two books this month.
How to choose? We took the liberty of selecting 12 breathtaking books and matching them to the astrological signs that correspond best to their plots. Check out these brilliant September YA and literary releases!
1/14Aquarius: Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas
Release date: September 6th
In the fifth installment of the Throne of Glass series, assassin-turned-queen Aelin Galathynius must embark on a quest to save her country from an impending war.
2/14Gemini: The Hawkweed Prophecy by Irena Brignull
Release date: September 6th
This debut from screenwriter Irena Brignull follows two teens switched at birth (perfect for the twin sign). Poppy’s a witch, Ember—who was raised by witches — is not, and when they finally meet, the friends become embroiled in an ages-old prophecy and a messy love triangle.
3/14Libra: The Graces by Laure Eve
Release date: September 6th
This US debut from UK author Laure Eve follows River, a newcomer to a small British town where everyone is obsessed with the Grace siblings, three glamorous teens rumored to practice black magic. As River grows closer to the family, they invite her into their coven, and she falls for Fenrin, the eldest brother. With an unreliable narrator, this book that could be easily described as “Twilight with witches” takes on a whole new dimension.
4/14Aries: The Wonder by Emma Donoghue
Release date: September 8th
From the author of Room (which inspired the Oscar-winning film of the same name) comes an equally moving novel about a nurse investigating the case of an 11-year-old Irish girl who refuses to eat, claiming she’s living off “manna” from heaven.
5/14Capricorn: The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron
Release date: September 13th
In a city where everyone’s memory is mysteriously wiped on a night of anarchy every 12 years, Nadia is the only person who remembers her life since the day she was born. When she falls for Gray, the son of the local glassblower, Nadia must find a way to preserve his memory of her, and figure out why the Forgetting exists before it happens again.
6/14Taurus: Phantom Limbs by Paula Garner
Release date: September 13th
Childhood friends Meg Brandt and Otis Mason reconnect when Meg returns to town. Since she left, Otis has been training for the Olympics with his friend and swim coach, Dara, an amputee who starts to feel threatened by Meg’s return. All three characters unpack their troubled pasts and try to move forward in this gut-wrenching coming-of-age.
7/14Sagittarius: The Reader by Traci Chee
Release date: September 13th
After her father is murdered and her aunt is abducted, Sefia is left alone in a world where reading is forbidden. She undertakes an intrepid journey with a group of pirates to rescue her aunt, and in the process, learns to unlock the secrets of a rectangular object she soon learns is a book. Adventuring Sagittariuses are sure to enjoy.
8/14Virgo: Pasadena by Sherri L. Smith
Release date: September 13th
This Los Angeles-sunlit noir opens with a death. Jude’s best friend Maggie is found floating in her swimming pool, and while everyone around her calls it a suicide, Jude just knows her friend was killed. After all, the medical examiner found drugs in her system. As Jude tries to track down the murderer, she explores her own dark past in this moody work of literary YA.
9/14Pisces: A Shadow Bright and Burning by Jessica Cluess
Release date: September 20th
After being invited to join Queen Victoria’s all-male cohort of sorcerers, Henrietta must embrace her status as the only sorceress in England and possibly the “chosen one.” In an effort to subvert the YA trope, it turns out that Henrietta is in fact not the chosen one, and upon that disappointing realization, must navigate a handful of potential (magical) suitors and figure out who she wants to be.
10/14Leo: Stealing Snow by Danielle Paige
Release date: September 20th
Like a princess locked in a tower, Snow has grown up in a mental institution in upstate New York, and once she escapes, she finds herself in a faraway land called Algid, where she discovers that she is the long-lost heiress to the throne. And did we mention that her bloodthirsty father is out to get her? It’s a retelling of “The Snow Queen” by the author of Dorothy Must Die, so it’s perfect for a Leo, the queen of the zodiac.
11/14Taurus: The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis
Release date: September 20th
In a smart examination of small-town life, rape culture, and revenge, The Female of the Species follows Alex, a teen whose sister Anna was raped and murdered two years before the story begins. Having avenged Anna’s death without tipping off the cops, Alex has become a loner at school — that is, until senior year, when she finds herself drawn to golden boy Jack and fellow animal shelter volunteer Peekay.
12/14Scorpio: Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
Related: September 27th
In the sequel to Six of Crows, criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker and his ragtag band of sharpshooters, spies, and runaways have just pulled of their biggest heist yet. Now they’re on the run from the princes of Ketterdam, and working to rescue their friend Inej. Set in a reimagined Amsterdam and featuring a diverse cast of characters dealing with issues such as ADHD and dyslexia, Leigh Bardugo’s latest project is about friendship, which Scorpios know a thing or two about.
13/14Bonus: The Lesser Bohemians by Eimear McBride
Release date: September 20th
In this stunning literary coming-of-age, an 18-year-old actress arrives in London to start drama school and falls for a much older actor. From the author of A Girl Is a Half-Formed Thing, which was widely regarded as one of the best books of 2013.
