The Ladies of ACP may be soaking up some much-needed vacation time, but great YA books wait for no one! Here’s a look at what hits shelves this week. Please leave a comment on this post to let us know what books you’re itching to read. When we return in early August, we’ll run a surprise post featuring winners of all the books we’ve received from the publishers during our absence.

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

• From Goodreads: The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children. If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company. And there are no strangers in the town of Near.These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life. But when an actual stranger—a boy who seems to fade like smoke—appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true. The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. Still, he insists on helping Lexi search for them. Something tells her she can trust him. As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi’s need to know—about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.

How long did you work on this book?

I first wrote THE NEAR WITCH in about two months, as a second semester senior at university also working on my thesis (an interdisciplinary look at Campbell’s archetypes through a color wheel model). So I basically abandoned the notion of sleep, and dedicated two hours each night in my local coffee shop to writing. But while the drafting was fast, and the sale happened fairly smoothly (especially considering it sold in summer), I spent nearly 10 months editing it!

How was your journey to publication? Long, short, how many rejections?
The first book I wrote landed me an agent, but didn’t sell. After being on submission for nearly 8 months, I started playing with THE NEAR WITCH. Once it was done, it got delayed a few months due to some business matters, but once it did go out, it sold in about 2 months, and to my dream editor! Abby had just come over from Scholastic, and her hands-on, perfectionist approach suits me perfectly. My schedules have been on the long side, NW having nearly two YEARS from sale to shelf.

What advice would you most like to pass along to other writers?
“Don’t rush” is probably what I SHOULD say, but that’s the advice that was given to me, and it was probably the least useful thing anyone said. Because when you’re just starting, everything feels urgent, and nothing anyone ELSE says will make it feel less so. So what I will say is this: keep moving. You should always have another project, should always be ready to transfer some love and affection. Don’t rush, of course, don’t abandon a book after a few rejections, but sometimes we get hindered by our love for our projects, and it’s important to know that there will be others.

What has surprised you most about becoming a published author?
The community. I could never have imagine such a wonderful, supportive, enthusiastic group of people. They make the good days brighter, but they also make the bad days so much better. This community is magic. I’m so lucky to be a part of it.

The Lying Game #2: Never Have I Ever by Sara Shepard

• From Amazon: My perfect life was a lie. Now I’d do anything to uncover the truth. Not long ago, I had everything a girl could wish for: amazing friends, an adorable boyfriend, a loving family. But none of them know that I’m gone—that I’m dead. To solve my murder, my long-lost twin sister, Emma, has taken my place. She sleeps in my room, wears my clothes, and calls my parents Mom and Dad. And my killer is watching her every move. I remember little from my life, just flashes and flickers, so all I can do is follow along as Emma tries to solve the mystery of my disappearance. But the deeper she digs, the more suspects she uncovers. It turns out my friends and I played a lot of games—games that ruined people’s lives. Anyone could want revenge . . . anyone could want me—and now Emma—dead.

Circle of Fire (Prophecy of the Sisters, Book 3) by Michelle Zink

• From Goodreads: With time dwindling but her will to end the Prophecy stronger than ever, Lia sets out on a journey to find the remaining keys, locate the missing pages of the Prophecy, and convince her sister Alice to help–or risk her life trying. Lia has her beloved Dimitri by her side, but Alice has James, the man who once loved her sister–and maybe still does. James doesn’t know the truth about either sister, or the prophecy that divides them. And Alice intends to keep it that way.

Always a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

• From Goodreads: Since the gripping conclusion of Once A Witch, Tamsin Greene has been haunted by her grandmother’s prophecy that she will soon be forced to make a crucial decision—one so terrible that it could harm her family forever. When she discovers that her enemy, Alistair Knight, went back in time to Victorian-era New York in order to destroy her family, Tamsin is forced to follow him into the past. Stranded all alone in the nineteenth century, Tamsin soon finds herself disguised as a lady’s maid in the terrifying mansion of the evil Knight family, avoiding the watchful eye of the vicious matron, La Spider, and fending off the advances of Liam Knight. As time runs out, both families square off in a thrilling display of magic. And to her horror, Tamsin finally understands the nature of her fateful choice.

Death Sentence: Escape from Furnace 3 by Alexander Gordon Smith

• From Goodreads: Alex’s second attempt to break out of Furnace Penetentiary has failed. This time his punishment will be much worse than before. Because in the hidden, bloodstained laboratories beneath the prison, he will be made into a monster. As the warden pumps something evil into his veins—a sinisterly dark nectar—Alex becomes what he most fears . . . a superhuman minion of Furnace. How can he escape when the darkness is inside him? How can he lead the way to freedom if he is lost to himself?

Dark Souls: A Novel by Paula Morris

• From Goodreads: Welcome to York, England. Mist lingers in the streets. Narrow buildings cast long shadows. This is the most haunted city in the world. . . . Miranda Tennant arrives in York with a terrible, tragic secret. She is eager to lose herself amid the quaint cobblestones, hoping she won’t run into the countless ghosts who supposedly roam the city. . . . Then she meets Nick, an intense, dark-eyed boy who knows all of York’s hidden places and histories. Miranda wonders if Nick is falling for her, but she is distracted by another boy — one even more handsome and mysterious than Nick. He lives in the house across from Miranda and seems desperate to send her some sort of message. Could this boy be one of York’s haunted souls? Soon, Miranda realizes that something dangerous — and deadly — is being planned. And she may have to face the darkest part of herself in order to unravel the mystery — and find redemption.

Dark Parties by Sarah Grant

• From Goodreads: Sixteen-year-old Neva has been trapped since birth. She was born and raised under the Protectosphere, in an isolated nation ruled by fear, lies, and xenophobia. A shield “protects” them from the outside world, but also locks the citizens inside. But there’s nothing left on the outside, ever since the world collapsed from violent warfare. Or so the government says… Neva and her best friend Sanna believe the government is lying and stage a “dark party” to recruit members for their underground rebellion. But as Neva begins to uncover the truth, she realizes she must question everything she’s ever known, including the people she loves the most.

Populazzi by Elise Allen

• From Goodreads: Cara has never been one ofthosegirls: confident, self-possessed, and always ready with the perfect thing to say. A girl at the very top of the popularity tower. One of the Populazzi. Now, junior year could change everything. Cara’s moving to a new school, and her best friend urges her to seize the moment—with the help of the Ladder. Its rungs are relationships, and if Cara transforms into the perfect girlfriend for guys ever-higher on the tower, she’ll reach the ultimate goal: Supreme Populazzi. The Ladder seems like a lighthearted social experiment, a straight climb up, but it quickly becomes gnarled and twisted. And when everything goes wrong, only the most audacious act Cara can think of has a chance of setting things even a little bit right.

Eternal (Immortal) by Gillian Shields

• From Goodreads: This third book about the Mystic Sisterhood at Wyldcliffe Abbey School for Young Ladies is another romantic thriller with paranormal elements and deep mystery. This time our heroine is Sarah Fitzalan, the dependable, faithful friend to Evie and Helen, her sisters in the Mystic Way. But this term Sarah finds that their friendship is tested to the limits. Evie is turning her back on the Mystic Way after the sisterhood laid her beloved Sebastian’s soul to rest; Helen is distracted; and a new girl, wild child Velvet Romaine, seems set on stirring up more trouble at Wyldcliffe. Sarah struggles to keep the sisterhood together as the threat of attack from the dark coven looms. All Sarah has to keep her going is her connection with her earth powers and a promise she cannot break. Must she sacrifice herself for the sake of her friends and sisters? Will her sisters join her, or will help come from unexpected sources, like her Romany ancestors, and a love she’d only just dared hope for?

Misfit by Jon Skovron

• From Goodreads: Jael Thompson has never really fit in. She’s changed schools too many times to count. The only family she’s ever known is her father, a bitter ex-priest who never lets her date and insists she attend the strictest Catholic school in Seattle. And her mother—well, she was a five thousand year old demon. That doesn’t exactly help. But on her sixteenth birthday, her father gives her a present that brings about some unexpected changes. Some of the changes, like strange and wonderful powers and the cute skater boy with a knack for science, are awesome. But others, like the homicidal demon seeking revenge on her family? Not so much.

Queen of Hearts by Martha Brooks

• From Goodreads: On the prairies of Canada during World War II, a girl and her two young siblings begin a war of their own. Stricken with tuberculosis, they are admitted to a nearby sanatorium. Teenager Marie Claire is headstrong, angry, and full of stubborn pride. In a new strange land of TB exiles she must “chase the cure,” seek privacy where there is none, and witness the slow wasting decline of others. But in this moving novel about fighting a way back to normal life, it is the thing that sets back Marie Claire the most—the demise of her little brother—that also connects her with the person who will be instrumental in helping her recover.

Want to Go Private? by Sarah Darer Littman

• From Goodreads: Abby and Luke chat online. They’ve never met. But they are going to. Soon.Abby is starting high school—it should be exciting, so why doesn’t she care? Everyone tells her to “make an effort,” but why can’t she just be herself? Abby quickly feels like she’s losing a grip on her once-happy life. The only thing she cares about anymore is talking to Luke, a guy she met online, who understands. It feels dangerous and yet good to chat with Luke—he is her secret, and she’s his. Then Luke asks her to meet him, and she does. But Luke isn’t who he says he is. When Abby goes missing, everyone is left to put together the pieces. If they don’t, they’ll never see Abby again.

Cleopatra’s Moon by Vicky Alvear Schecter

• From Goodreads: Selene has grown up in a palace on the Nile with her parents, Cleopatra & Mark Antony—the most brilliant, powerful rulers on earth. But the jealous Roman Emperor Octavianus wants Egypt for himself, & when war finally comes, Selene faces the loss of all she’s ever loved. Forced to build a new life in Octavianus’s household in Rome, she finds herself torn between two young men and two possible destinies—until she reaches out to claim her own.

Across the Great Barrier (Frontier Magic) by Patrica C. Wrede

• From Goodreads: Eff is an unlucky thirteenth child – her twin brother, Lan, is a powerful seventh son of a seventh son. And yet, Eff is the one who saved the day for the settlements west of the Great Barrier. Her unique ways of doing magic and seeing the world, and her fascination with the magical creatures and land in the Great Plains push Eff to work toward joining an expedition heading west. But things are changing on the frontier. There are new professors of magic for Eff and Lan to learn to work with. There’s tension between William and his father. And there are new threats on the frontier and at home. To help, Eff must travel beyond the Barrier, and come to terms with her magical abilities—and those of her brother, to stop the newest threat encroaching on the settlers.

Edda by Conor Kostick

• From Goodreads: Everyone in the virtual universe of Edda is made of pixels-except Penelope. While her body is kept alive in a hospital bed, her avatar runs free, able to go anywhere and do anything, including create deadly weapons for Edda’s ruler, her guardian, Lord Scanthax. When Scanthax decides he wants to invade another virtual world, Erik/Cindella from Epic and Ghost from Saga become part of the story-and soon the virtual universes are alive with fighting, alight with bombs, and brought together by three teenagers who want peace and understanding. This is the third and final book in Conor Kostick’s trilogy.

Island’s End by Padma Venkatraman

• From Goodreads: From the acclaimed author of Climbing the Stairs comes a fascinating story set on a remote island untouched by time. Uido is ecstatic about becoming her tribe’s spiritual leader, but her new position brings her older brother’s jealousy and her best friend’s mistrust. And looming above these troubles are the recent visits of strangers from the mainland who have little regard for nature or the spirits, and tempt the tribe members with gifts, making them curious about modern life. When Uido’s little brother falls deathly ill, she must cross the ocean and seek their help. Having now seen so many new things, will Uido have the strength to believe in herself and the old ways? And will her people trust her to lead them to safety when a catastrophic tsunami threatens? Uido must overcome everyone’s doubts, including her own, if she is to keep her people safe and preserve the spirituality that has defined them.

The Implosion of Aggie Winchester by Lara Zielin

• From Goodreads: Sixteen-year-old Aggie Winchester couldn’t care less about who’s elected prom queen–even if it’s her pregnant Goth-girl best friend, Sylvia Ness. Aggie’s got bigger things to worry about, like whether or not her ex-boyfriend wants to get back together and whether her mom will survive cancer. But like it or not, Aggie soon finds herself in the middle of an unfolding prom scandal, largely because her mom, who is the school’s principal, is rumored to have burned prom ballots so Sylvia won’t be elected queen. Aggie’s own investigation makes her wonder if the election could be dirty on both sides.

Happy reading!
The Ladies of ACP