Welcome to Issue #91!
The trees are whispering…
Friends, welcome to another exciting week of The Pond Book News! Every Sunday, The Quiet Pond brings you a fresh issue of book news to catch you up on the week’s lineup of diverse book releases, cover reveals, book news, and sometimes more! Now, onwards to the brilliant books!
Recent Book Releases [June 20th – July 3rd]
Blackout by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, Nicola Yoon
Six critically acclaimed, bestselling, and award-winning authors bring the glowing warmth and electricity of Black teen love to this interlinked novel of charming, hilarious, and heartwarming stories that shine a bright light through the dark.
A summer heatwave blankets New York City in darkness. But as the city is thrown into confusion, a different kind of electricity sparks…
A first meeting.
Long-time friends.
Bitter exes.
And maybe the beginning of something new.
When the lights go out, people reveal hidden truths. Love blossoms, friendship transforms, and new possibilities take flight.
Beloved authors—Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon—celebrate the beauty of six couples and the unforgettable magic that can be found on a sweltering starry night in the city.
Released on June 22nd. Add this book to Goodreads!
Darling by K. Ancrum
On Wendy Darling’s first night in Chicago, a boy called Peter appears at her window. He’s dizzying, captivating, beautiful—so she agrees to join him for a night on the town.
Wendy thinks they’re heading to a party, but instead they’re soon running in the city’s underground. She makes friends—a punk girl named Tinkerbelle and the lost boys Peter watches over. And she makes enemies—the terrifying Detective Hook, and maybe Peter himself, as his sinister secrets start coming to light. Can Wendy find the courage to survive this night—and make sure everyone else does, too?
Released on June 22nd. Add this book to Goodreads!
Rising Like a Storm by Tanaz Bhathena
With King Lohar dead and a usurper queen in power, Gul and Cavas face a new tyrannical government that is bent on killing them both. Their roles in King Lohar’s death have not gone unnoticed, and the new queen is out for blood. What she doesn’t know is that Gul and Cavas have a connection that runs deeper than romance, and together, they just might have the strength and magic to end her for good.
Then a grave mistake ends with Cavas taken prisoner by the government. Gul must train an army of warriors alone. With alliances shifting and the thirst for vengeance growing, the fate of Ambar seems ever more uncertain. It will take every ounce of strength, love, and sacrifice for Gul and Cavas to reach their final goal―and build a more just world than they’ve ever known.
Released on June 22nd. Add this book to Goodreads!
The All-Consuming World by Cassandra Khaw
A diverse team of broken, diminished former criminals get back together to solve the mystery of their last, disastrous mission and to rescue a missing and much-changed comrade… but they’re not the only ones in pursuit of the secret at the heart of the planet Dimmuborgir. The highly-evolved AI of the universe have their own agenda and will do whatever it takes to keep humans from ever controlling the universe again. This band of dangerous women, half-clone and half-machine, must battle their own traumas and a universe of sapient ageships who want them dead, in order to settle their affairs once and for all.
Released on June 22nd. Add this book to Goodreads!
Jukebox by Nidhi Chanani
A mysterious jukebox, old vinyl records, and cryptic notes on music history, are Shaheen’s only clues to her father’s abrupt disappearance. She looks to her cousin, Tannaz, who seems just as perplexed, before they both turn to the jukebox which starts… glowing?
Suddenly, the girls are pulled from their era and transported to another time! Keyed to the music on the record, the jukebox sends them through decade after decade of music history, from political marches, to landmark concerts. But can they find Shaheen’s dad before the music stops?
Released on June 22nd. Add this book to Goodreads!
This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron
A Briseis has a gift: she can grow plants from tiny seeds to rich blooms with a single touch.
When Briseis’s aunt dies and wills her a dilapidated estate in rural New York, Bri and her parents decide to leave Brooklyn behind for the summer. Hopefully there, surrounded by plants and flowers, Bri will finally learn to control her gift. But their new home is sinister in ways they could never have imagined–it comes with a specific set of instructions, an old-school apothecary, and a walled garden filled with the deadliest botanicals in the world that can only be entered by those who share Bri’s unique family lineage.
When strangers begin to arrive on their doorstep, asking for tinctures and elixirs, Bri learns she has a surprising talent for creating them. One of the visitors is Marie, a mysterious young woman who Bri befriends, only to find that Marie is keeping dark secrets about the history of the estate and its surrounding community. There is more to Bri’s sudden inheritance than she could have imagined, and she is determined to uncover it . . . until a nefarious group comes after her in search of a rare and dangerous immortality elixir. Up against a centuries-old curse and the deadliest plant on earth, Bri must harness her gift to protect herself and her family.
Releases on June 29th. Add this book to Goodreads!
Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta
We went past praying to deities and started to build them instead…
The shadow of Godolia’s tyrannical rule is spreading, aided by their giant mechanized weapons known as Windups. War and oppression are everyday constants for the people of the Badlands, who live under the thumb of their cruel Godolia overlords.
Eris Shindanai is a Gearbreaker, a brash young rebel who specializes in taking down Windups from the inside. When one of her missions goes awry and she finds herself in a Godolia prison, Eris meets Sona Steelcrest, a cybernetically enhanced Windup pilot. At first Eris sees Sona as her mortal enemy, but Sona has a secret: She has intentionally infiltrated the Windup program to destroy Godolia from within.
As the clock ticks down to their deadliest mission yet, a direct attack to end Godolia’s reign once and for all, Eris and Sona grow closer—as comrades, friends, and perhaps something more…
Releases on June 29th. Add this book to Goodreads!
A War of Swallowed Stars by Sangu Mandanna
A prince without his kingdom.
A kingdom without its princess.
The destruction of the stars themselves.
War is destroying the galaxy. Esmae has vanished without a trace. A terrifying, ravenous beast is devouring the stars one by one. Titania is offered a gift that may well be a curse. Alexi, the exiled prince, is asked to pay a heavy price for his mistakes. And far, far away, on a dark, mysterious planet, a sleeping god stirs awake.
War or family.
Pride or peace.
As the end of the world draws ever closer, Esmae and Alexi must decide how far they’ll go to win—and who they’ll sacrifice along the way.
Releases on June 29th. Add this book to Goodreads!
The Chariot at Dusk by Swati Teerdhala
A queen at last. An empty palace. A kingdom to save.
Esha is reeling from Kunal’s betrayal, but she has a kingdom to rule from behind a thin smokescreen—pretending to be Princess Reha while she sends her most trusted soldiers to collect Reha and Kunal by any means necessary. Traitors, after all, must be punished.
But the Yavar are attacking from every front—tracking down Kunal and Reha in the remote mountains, kidnapping Harun—in search of legendary artifacts that will give them the power to break the precarious janma bond and release the destructive magic back into the lands.
Now that the race is on to find the missing artifacts, Esha must put aside her rage and work with Kunal again—but can she find the strength to forgive him, or will the Viper have her revenge at any cost?
Releases on June 29th. Add this book to Goodreads!
Eat Your Heart Out by Kelly deVos
In the next few hours, one of three things will happen.
1–We’ll be rescued (unlikely)
2–We’ll freeze to death (maybe)
3–We’ll be eaten by thin and athletic zombies (odds: excellent)
Vivian Ellenshaw is fat, but she knows she doesn’t need to lose weight, so she’s none too happy to find herself forced into a weight-loss camp’s van with her ex-best friend, Allie, a meathead jock who can barely drive, and the camp owner’s snobby son. And when they arrive at Camp Featherlite at the start of the worst blizzard in the history of Flagstaff, Arizona, it’s clear that something isn’t right.
Vee barely has a chance to meet the other members of her pod, all who seem as unhappy to be at Featherlite as she does, when a camper goes missing down by the lake. Then she spots something horrifying outside in the snow. Something…that isn’t human. Plus, the camp’s supposed “miracle cure” for obesity just seems fishy, and Vee and her fellow campers know they don’t need to be cured. Of anything.
Even worse, it’s not long before Camp Featherlite’s luxurious bungalows are totally overrun with zombies. What starts out as a mission to unravel the camp’s secrets turns into a desperate fight for survival–and not all of the Featherlite campers will make it out alive.
Releases on June 29th. Add this book to Goodreads!
Generation Misfits by Akemi Dawn Bowman
Millie is attending a real school for the first time, and she dreams of finally having friends and a little bit of freedom. She finds her chance when she joins an imitation band of her favorite J-Pop group, where she’s thrilled to meet a group of misfits who quickly become a tightknit group of friends that are like family.
But Millie soon realizes that one of them is dealing with problems bigger than what notes to hit when it comes time for their performance. Can Millie help her friend, even when their problem feels too big to say out loud?
Releases on June 29th. Add this book to Goodreads!
The Return of the Sorceress by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Yalxi, the deposed Supreme Mistress of the Guild of Sorcerers, is on a desperate mission. Her lover and confidant seized her throne and stole the precious diamond heart, the jewel that is the engine of her power. Yalxi sets out to regain her magic and find a weapon capable of destroying the usurper. But this will mean turning to unlikely allies and opening herself up to unpleasant memories that have been suppressed for many years. For Yalxi is no great hero, but a cunning sorceress who once forged her path in blood – and must reckon with the consequences.
Set in a fantastical land where jewels and blood provide symbiotic magical powers to their wearers, The Return of the Sorceress evokes the energy of classic sword and sorcery, while building a thoroughly fresh and exciting adventure ripe for our era.
Releases on June 30th. Add this book to Goodreads!
Book News
Cover Reveal: The Not-So-Uniform Life of Holly Mei by Christina Matula
Illustration: Yao Xiao | Design: Erin Craig | Add this book to Goodreads!
Cover Reveal: Isla to Island by Alexis Castellanos
Illustration: Alexis Castellanos (author) | Design: Karyn S. Lee | Add this book to Goodreads!
Cover Reveal: Golden Girl by Reem Faruqi
Illustration: Anoosha Syed | Design: Molly Fehr | Add this book to Goodreads!
Cover Reveal: An Arrow to the Moon by Emily X. R. Pan
Illustration: Sasha Illingworth | Design: David Curtis | Add this book to Goodreads!
Cover Reveal: Blood Scion by Deborah F. Savoy
Illustration: Taj Francis | Design: Corina Lupp | Add this book to Goodreads!
Cover Reveal: The Chandler Legacies by Abdi Nazemian
Illustration: Natalie Shaw | Design: Corina Lupp | Add this book to Goodreads!
Cover Reveal: Nothing Burns as Bright as You by Ashley Woodfolk
Illustration: Hadil Mohammed | Design: Whitney Leader-Picone | Add this book to Goodreads!
Cover Reveal: Only a Monster by Vanessa Len
Illustration: Eevien Tan | Design: Jessie Gang | Add this book to Goodreads!
Cover Reveal: This is Why They Hate Us by Aaron H. Aceves
Illustration: Goñi Montes | Design: Laurent Linn | Add this book to Goodreads!
Cover Reveal: Ramón and Julieta by Alana Quintana Albertson
Illustration: TBA | Design: TBA | Add this book to Goodreads!
Cover Reveal: Lulu and Milagro’s Search for Clarity by Angela Velez
Illustration: Iliana Galvez | Design: Corina Lupp | Add this book to Goodreads!
Cover Reveal: The Iron Sword by Julie Kagawa
Illustration: TBA | Design: TBA | Add this book to Goodreads!
Cover Reveal: From Dust, a Flame by Rebecca Podos
Illustration: Lisa Sheehan | Design: Sarah Kaufman | Add this book to Goodreads!
Cover Reveal: All That’s Left in the World by Erik J. Brown
Illustration: Na Yeon Kim | Design: Chris Kwon | Add this book to Goodreads!
Cover Reveal: The Legend of Brightblade by Ethan M. Aldridge
Illustration: Ethan M. Aldridge (author) | Design: Molly Fehr | AD: Erin Fitzsimmons | Add this book to Goodreads!
Cover Reveal: Forward March by Skye Quinlan
Illustration: Alex Cabal | Design: Laura Benton | Add this book to Goodreads!
Cover Reveal: Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel
Design: Lisa Marie Pompilio | Add this book to Goodreads!
Cover Reveal: The Bone Shard Emperor by Andrea Stewart
Design: TBA | Add this book to Goodreads!
Cover Reveal: Chef’s Kiss by Jarett Melendez, Danica Brine, Hank Jones, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Illustration: Danica Brine, Hank Jones, Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou | Design: Sarah Rockwell | Add this book to Goodreads!
Book Announcement: Legendary moms, Shinto goddesses and demon chaos in Misa Sugura’s debut middle grade fantasy series!
Book Announcement: Olivia Abtahi’s middle grade space opera about planets plunged into darkness and demon kings
Book Announcement: A queer middle grade fantasy series by Terry J. Benton-Walker about evil gods and the apocalypse
Book Announcement: Jinn kings, magic rings, and family in Deeba Zargarpur’s upcoming middle grade fantasy series
Book Announcement: A hybrid retelling of The Secret Garden centering a rebellious South Asian adoptee by Karuna Riazi
Book Announcement: Journalism and justice meet in Marieke Nijkamp and Sylvia Bi’s forthcoming middle grade graphic novel inspired by Renaissance Italy
Book Announcement: A middle grade fantasy series about a mysterious ring, Jewish mythology, and queer identity by Aden Polydoros
Book Announcement: A middle grade fantasy by Esme Symes-Smith about gender norms, knighthood, and nonbinary heroes
Book Announcement: Adam and Zayneb’s love story continues in the highly anticipated sequel to Love from A to Z by S. K. Ali!
Book Announcement: Aamna Qureshi’s upcoming YA contemporary about teen runaways, faith, and religious guilt
Book Announcement: A forthcoming queer YA rivals-to-lovers romance about soccer and coming of age by Racquel Marie
Book Announcement: Yoon Ha Lee is writing a YA sci-fi trilogy about rebel teen pilots and empires with terrible secrets
Book Announcement: Naomi Kanakia’s forthcoming YA contemporary about trans Indian girls, elite schools, and discrimination
Book Announcement: An ambitious bi teen navigates school politics and unmasking a serial predator in Miel Moreland’s upcoming YA novel
Book Announcement: A nonbinary teen joins a league of villains in Kennedy Tarrell’s upcoming YA fantasy graphic novel
Book Announcement: Lesbian punks deal with grief and crushes in Kelsey Wroten’s forthcoming YA graphic novel
Book Announcement: Christmas shenanigans are afoot in Delia Cai’s forthcoming debut romcom about interracial relationships and family tensions
Book Announcement: Emily Tesh’s debut novel-length queer space opera about war and found family
The Quiet Pond 
So happy to see the Pond News back! You guys have basically just doubled the number of tabs I have open on my computer right now because there are so many good books!
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Wow, I usually find a lot of incredible-sounding new books from these posts, but I have so many tabs open, I can no longer see the titles!
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