HMH Teen Series to Start in August!
The summer is NOT almost over, no matter what the calendar says. There’s still time to marathon a bunch of books, and we have a few series we think you must start before the summer departs. You’re welcome!
1. The His Fair Assassins trilogy (soon to be quintuplet!) by Robin LaFevers
This trilogy can be summed up in one simple sentence: assassin nuns in medieval France. Oh, and Death is their master. These books are basically like The Young Elites meets Arya Stark’s time with The Faceless Men (if you’re a Game of Thrones fan like we are.) They’re dark, steeped with rich and bloody history of medieval warfare, packed with court intrigue and action, and so, so, romantic. (Seriously, the swoons here will remind you of how you felt with Alina and the Darkling. You know, if you’re into that sort of thing.)
You meet Ismae in Grave Mercy, who joins the convent of Saint Mortain to escape an arranged marriage; Sybella, the most gifted of all the assassins, who has a terrible secret, in Dark Triumph; and in Mortal Heart, Annith discovers her power comes with a great cost, and will alter their destinies forever.
If you haven’t checked out this series yet, this summer is the perfect time to try, because Robin Lafevers is gifting us with TWO MORE BOOKS in this series!
2. The Undertow Trilogy by Michael Buckley
The title to this series makes it obvious where these books are begging to be read: at the beach! And you’ll need the sunshine, too, because this story is dark with lots of shadowy characters to contend with. Part sci-fi, part dystopian, this trilogy explores what would happen if aliens showed up on Earth—but they didn’t come from the sky?
Lyric Walker watches as the Alpha, ocean warriors, ascend from their watery depths on to Coney Island. Factions immediately break out as the government tries to separate the humans from the Alpha…except that Lyric has met their crown prince, Fathom, and wants to be with him. We won’t spoil what happens in Raging Sea, or Heart of the Storm, but we will say that athor E Lockhart said of this series "Allegorical and romantic, [Undertow] reads like an action movie with especially awesome CGI." There’s your summer blockbuster!
3. Jessica’s Guide to Dating On the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey
If you wish Vampires would come back into YA, don’t stress: they’ve been here all along. This duology is an oldie but a goody about Jessica Parkwood, a regular girl trying to get a life during her senior year of high school. But her plan changes when she meets Lucius Vladescu, who tells her not only is she actually a long-lost vampire princess, he’s her one true love. (Dreamy, right?) The Princess Diaries with a paranormal twist, Jessica can’t resist the allure of her new vampire life—and when someone threatens it, she’ll do anything to stop them. If part of you still wants to live out your fantasy of becoming a vampire princess, there’s no time like the present to discover Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side, and the sequel, Jessica Rules the Dark Side.
4. Palace of Spies by Sarah Zettel
Court intrigue, gilded palaces, betrothals, secret entrances, corsets and crowns and thrones, oh my! We love a good royal YA, and this series is one you may not have read yet but totally should. When a sixteen year-old girl is coaxed into posing as a lady in waiting during King George I’s reign, she thinks she’s made it big. But then she discovers that the girl she’s pretending to be might have been killed…and she could be next! The next two books, Dangerous Deceptions and Assassin’s Masque follow Peggy throughout her time in England, as she survives royal scandals, murder attempts, and heartbreak. Fans of The Winner’s Curse trilogy will love these books!
If you take your sunshine with a bit of doom and gloom, check out Croak by Gina Damico! This series is a darkly humorous take on a rebellious teenage girl forced to spend a summer on her Uncle Mort’s farm. But her bad summer is about to become a bit more fun: that is, if finding out the real family business is Grim Reaping, and she’s next in line for the job. The series gets even more twisted when Lex finds out that she can damn the souls she reaps, which scares even the toughest of dead-soul collectors. If you love Neal Schusterman’s Scythe, Zac Brewer’s books, and a little humor alongside your darkness, this is the one for you.
So, are you up to the challenge of reading all these books before the summer is over? We hope so! Let us know which ones are your favorite, and any other series starters we should add to our TBR.
