1. “Witches Steeped in Gold” by Ciannon Smart
Ciannon Smart’s Young Adult fantasy debut sounds like quite a ride! Witches Steeped in Gold is a Jamaican-inspired fantasy novel about two witches, Iraya and Jazmyne. Even though they’re sworn enemies, with Iraya being imprisoned and Jazmyne the Queen’s daughter, they decide to strike up an alliance. The Goodreads description for the book says that it’s “deadly, fierce, [and] magnetically addictive!” Could there be a more compelling description?
Release date: April 20th, 2021 by HarperTeen | Goodreads
2.”The Nature of Witches” by Rachel Griffin
Clara, the star of Rachel Griffith’s debut novel, comes from a long line of witches possessing seasonal magic. Witches can control the magic in the season that they’re born, but Clara just so happens to be an Everwitch. This means she has the rare ability to control the climate of all seasons, and when the climate starts failing, she is the one that needs to fix it.
Release date: June 1st, 2021 by Sourcebooks Fire | Goodreads
3. “Cool for the Summer” by Dahlia Adler
Cool for the Summer follows Lara, who has had one crush for all of high school: the hot football player, Chase Harding. Except . . . Lara keeps remembering the summer she spent with Jasmine. And then Jasmine walks through the doors of Lara’s high school.
Release date: May 11th, 2021 from Wednesday Books | Goodreads
4. “Counting Down with You” by Tashie Bhuiyan
Karina Ahmed’s parents are abroad in Bangladesh for the next four weeks, and she’s already counting down the days until their return. Karina is tutoring Ace Clyde, “the school’s resident bad boy,” who lets it slip that the two of them are dating. But they’re not. Karina agrees to go along with the fake dating plan after Ace “brings her coffee in the mornings, promises to buy her a dozen books (a week!).”
Release date: May 4th, 2021 by Inkyard Press | Goodreads