Best New YA Books: February 2017
Let’s be honest here: for many people, 2017 hasn’t gotten off to a stellar start. But thankfully, February’s got some incredible literature to escape into if you’re looking for a temporary reprieve in the name of self-care. Keeping up the streak of hits from January (like Jenny Valentine’s Fire Color One), the month of love will see the publication of must-read titles from Chris Colfer’s hilarious and touching new road-trip tale Stranger than Fanfiction to Angie Thomas’ highly-anticipated novel The Hate That U Give, which was inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement.
Even if the book you choose doesn’t match your sign, you’re bound to fall head over heels for the new read. Since there’s so much to love pouring onto bookshelves in the next few weeks, let us play Cupid and help you find your perfect match with the assistance of your Zodiac sign.
1/13Aries: Fire Color One by Jenny Valentine
Forgive us for fudging the release date a bit, but those under the fire sign Aries should pick up Jenny Valentine’s new Carnegie-Medal-nominated novel Fire Color One. It tells the story of 16-year-old Iris, a pyromaniac whose mother drags her away from London. It’s out in the English countryside that she meets a father that she’s never known and, ostensibly, this new life with him is meant to do her some good. But it’s not long after meeting her dad and discovering that he’s not the man she’d always imagined him to be, that she finds herself caught in a scheme to scam him. See, her self-obsessed mom wants to get her hands on her dying father’s fortune – whether Iris likes it or not.
2/13Taurus: The Valiant by Lesley Livingston
Taurus are stubborn fighters for what they believe in and desire, so they’ll find an easy kinship with the legendary fighter of this novel. Fallon is the daughter of a Celtic warrior named Sorcha, who was killed by the forces of Julius Caesar. On the eve of her 17th birthday, when she’ll finally be able to join her father’s war band alongside her sister, she is captured by Caesar’s forces. Enrolled in an elite academy for female gladiators, Fallon finds herself in the arena fighting for her life and identity. Can she make her father proud, despite her surroundings?
3/13Gemini: Stranger Than Fanfiction by Chris Colfer
Sociable and energetic Geminis are going to dig the heck out of Chris Colfer’s new road trip novel. It’s about Cash Carter, who is a huge celebrity and the star of TV’s latest hit Wiz Kids. When four of his fans invite him on a cross-country road trip (mostly as a joke) he unexpectedly takes them up on their offer. Chased by paparazzi and hounded by fans, the devoted followers learn more about their idol then they could have imagined – and he is transformed by their friendship.
4/13Cancer: Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
If you’re a Cancer who isn’t already a Gaiman fan, prepare to become one. The prolific writer is a master of modern mythology and his latest release is no different. This is a reimagining of classic Norse folklore – think Odin, Thor, Loki and family. Gaiman’s witty voice brings life and depth to stories of transformation, family rivalry, cultural transformations, and some old-fashioned partying.
5/13Leo: King’s Cage by Victoria Aveyard
Every sign on the zodiac can find something to love in the Red Queen series, but this installment in particular is calling out to devoted and hot-tempered Leos. Our hero Mare Barrow is a powerless prisoner without her lightning, and her regrets are swirling around in her mind. Her once love and now betrayer Maven Calore is now a king attempting to maintain his power while her gang of newbloods and Reds continue to organize and train to fight back. Can Cal, the exiled prince Mare feels a connection with, free her to return to the fight?
6/13Virgo: Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller
Virgos can be over-thinkers, so they’re best off with a book that will give their minds a lot to chew. Ingrid and Gil Coleman have two daughters, Fora and Nan. Many years back Ingrid went missing from a Doset beach, leaving Gil to raise the girls alone. Flash-forward to today, and Gil believes he’s recently seen Ingrid in the window of a bookstore, an idea Flora chalks up to his senility. But it isn’t until she discovers the letters her mother left her father, hidden amongst his thousands of books, that she begins to discover the truth about their ill-fated marriage.
7/13Libra: My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella
There is no sign with a freer spirit or a more expensive palette than the Libra. To that end, may we recommend Sophie Kinsella’s new novel? Katie Brenner feels completely out of control. She’s forced to watch her boss, Demeter Farlowe, live the life she longs for herself. Demeter has a perfect family, perfect home, perfect life and all Katie’s left with is an Instagram account packed with perfectly posed lies. Then, when Demeter fires Katie, she’s left without even the vestiges of the life she didn’t even want anyway. She moves back to her family farm, ready to start anew, when who should turn up but Demeter – and her “perfect” life has started coming apart too.
8/13Scorpio: We Are Okay by Nina LaCour
Intense Scorpios will find themselves absorbed in the drama of We Are Okay. Grief-stricken Marin hasn’t spoken to anyone from her old life in California – not a word. She’s tried to outrun the tragedy and pain of her old life by starting a new one at college in New York – that is, until her old best friend Mabel plans a visit, bringing all the loneliness and disaster with her.
9/13Sagittarius: Everything Beautiful is Not Ruined by Danielle Younge-Ullman
For Sagittarians, this month is all about Everything Beautiful is Not Ruined by Danielle Younge-Ullman. As free spirits themselves, they should really enjoy digging into the adventures of Ingrid, a young girl who dreams of one day being a performer. Her mother, who was long ago once an opera star herself, seriously does not approve of this notion. So they strike a deal: if Ingrid can spend one summer doing an extreme wilderness experience, her mother will decide she has what it takes to pursue the theater. But can Ingrid make it through the months slowly being stripped of everything she holds dear?
10/13Capricorn: Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones
Purposeful and ambitious Capricorns will fall headfirst into the story of Liesl, an 18-year-old haunted by childhood fairytales of the terrifying Goblin King. So consumed was she by these stories, that even her musical compositions were reflections of them. Now running her family’s inn, she has all but abandoned her musical ambitions and childhood fantasies – that is, until the Goblin King kidnaps her sister away to the Underground.
11/13Aquarius: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Aquarius is a sign defined by going its own way and formulating new ideas, so Angie Thomas’ highly-anticipated novel about the Black Lives Matter movement should be an excellent pairing. Starr is 16 and pulled between two worlds at odds: The poor neighborhood she grew up in and the privileged, rich high school in the suburbs that she attends along with a mostly white student body. When she’s the only witness to the murder of her best friend Khalil by a police officer, her two worlds collide. Amandla Stenberg is set to star in the movie adaptation of the book; read it now before you see it on the big screen.
12/13Pisces: Beautiful Broken Girls by Kim Savage
Reserved and intimate Pisces should get acquainted with Mira and Francesca Cillo, two beautiful, over-protected, and mysterious girls who drowned in the local quarry lake. To the boys of their neighborhood, they always seemed distant and unknowable, yet Ben touched Mira’s heart. In a letter that arrives after her death, Mira sends Ben on a journey to the places they spent time together in order to discover a mystical secret nobody had anticipated.
