I can barely believe it, but another month has passed. And that means it’s time to take a look at the new books that will drop in stores next month. Science-fiction, stories set on the high seas and the Silk Road, and books that are part of popular series: these are the May 2019 releases I’m most excited about!
Aurora Rising – Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
We begin this list with some science fiction. The year is 2380 and the graduating cadets of Aurora Academy are being assigned their first missions. Tyler Jones, the star pupil, is ready to recruit the squad of his dreams… but ends up with the misfits and dregs nobody else wanted. That alone would be enough trouble, but it gets worse. Tyler just rescued a girl from cryo-sleep and she could be the catalyst that starts an epic, all-out war. It’s written by the same duo that brought us the immensely popular Illuminae series (which is still on my TBR list). Out on May 7th!
We Hunt the Flame – Hafsah Faizal
Zafira is the Hunter, disguising herself as a man when she braves the cursed forest of the Arz to feed her people. Nasir is the Prince of Death, an assassin serving his father, the king. Both are legends in the kingdom of Arawiya, but neither wants to be. Now that war is brewing, Zafira sets out on a quest to uncover an artifact that could stop the Arz. Nasir is sent by the king to retrieve the artifact and kill the Hunter. This world is inspired by ancient Arabia and I can’t wait to read this one! Out on May 14th!
Dark Shores – Danielle L. Jensen
The Maarin are the only ones who possess the knowledge to cross the Endless Seas. But they have one mandate: East must never meet West. Teriana, the heir to the Maarin Triumvirate breaks this mandate to help her closest friend escape an unwanted betrothal. Meanwhile, Marcus, commander of the legion that helped conquer the East, does everything he can to protect his secret. When Teriana’s crew is captured by a senator, who also threatens to reveal Marcus’ secret, they are forced into an unlikely alliance. Adventures on the high seas, blackmail and something that sounds like the set-up for enemies-to-lovers? Yes please! Out on May 7th!
The Candle and the Flame – Nafiza Azad
Fatima lives in the city of Noor, along the Silk Road. The city bears the scars of its recent past, when the Shayateen djinn slaughtered everyone – except Fatima and two other humans. Nowadays, Noor is protected by the Ifrit djinn. But when one of them dies, Fatima is changed in ways she cannot fathom and she is drawn into the intrigues of the maharajah and his sister, the affairs of the djinn, and the dangers of a magical battlefield. This sounds so good, and apparently it’s strongly feminist as well?! I need this! Out on May 14th!
Nocturna – Maya Motayne
Finn is a talented faceshifter, and she hasn’t seen her own face in years. Which is how she likes it. But when she’s caught by a powerful mobster, she’s forced into an impossible mission: steal a legendary treasure from the royal palace, or lose her magic forever. Prince Alfehr (or Alfie) is first in line for the throne after the murder of his older brother. But his doubts and grief lead him to dabbling in forbidden magic to try and bring his brother back. When Finn and Alfie’s fates collide, they accidentally unlock a terrible power. Together, they must vanquish what they have unleashed, to save the fate of the kingdom. This book is set in a Latinx-inspired world and I can’t wait to read it! Out on May 7th!
Finale – Stephanie Garber
Finale is – as you might guess from the title – the final book in a series. And not just any series, but the hugely popular Caraval trilogy. I enjoyed the first book, but wasn’t too fond of the flowery prose and the overload of twists. Which is why I haven’t gotten around to reading Legendary, the second book. Therefore, I also refuse to read the official summary of Finale (gotta avoid those spoilers!). But this might just be the most hyped book of the month, so I can’t *not* mention it, right? And maybe I should use this occasion to pick up Legendary and binge the series… Anyway, Finale is out on May 7th!
Kingsbane – Claire Legrand
This is the sequel to Furyborn, which I read last year. I won’t talk about Kingsbane’s story here, because it would spoil the first book in the series. Furyborn had its issues (which I talked about in my review), but the angels and the Blood and Sun Queens are interesting and I want to know more about them. Out on May 21st!
Broken Throne – Victoria Aveyard
And we conclude this list with Broken Throne, book 4.5 in the Red Queen series. Again, I enjoyed but didn’t love the first book in the series and haven’t gotten around to reading the rest yet. I’ve heard the series gets better though, so I might still pick them up. Anyway, back to Broken Throne! This isn’t a regular novel, but a companion to the series, meaning it comes with three brand-new novellas, two previously published novellas, maps, flags, bonus scenes and so on. So if you love this series, you’ll adore Broken Throne. Out on May 7th!
Looking for even more new books? Here are all YA releases for May 2019!
May 2
- A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder – Holly Jackson
May 7
- With the Fire on High – Elizabeth Acevedo
- Nexus – Sasha Alsberg & Lindsay Cummings
- Broken Throne – Victoria Aveyard
- Lovely and the Lost – Jennifer Lynn Barnes
- Kings, Queens and In-Betweens – Tanya Boteju
- Romanov – Nadine Brandes
- Castle of Lies – Kiersi Burkhart
- Hope and Other Punchlines – Julie Buxbaum
- All Our Broken Pieces – L.D. Crichton
- Ember Days – Alexandra Duncan
- How It Feels to Float – Helena Fox
- Finale – Stephanie Garber
- Somewhere Only We Know – Maurene Goo
- Her Royal Highness – Rachel Hawkins
- Everything Grows – Aimee Herman
- Dark Shores – Danielle L. Jensen
- Tinfoil Crowns – Erin Jones
- Aurora Rising – Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
- Ask Me Anything – Molly E. Lee
- Chosen – Taran Matharu
- Stay Beautiful – Perry T. Matlin
- Queen of the Sea – Dylan Meconis
- This Is Not a Love Scene – S.C. Megale
- Untethered – Emily McKay
- Nocturna – Maya Motayne
- Under the Moon: A Catwoman Tale – Lauren Myracle
- Again, But Better – Christine Riccio
- Keep This to Yourself – Tom Ryan
- The Rule of Many – Ashley Saunders & Leslie Saunders
- Kissing Ezra Holtz (And Other Things I Did for Science) – Brianna R. Shrum
- Deposing Nathan – Zack Smedley
- Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me – Mariko Tamaki
- Goodbye Summer – Sarah Van Name
- Last Things – Jacqueline West
May 14
- The Candle and the Flame – Nafiza Azad
- Trans Mission: My Quest to a Beard – Alex Bertie
- Last Bus to Everland – Sophie Cameron
- The Lost Coast – Amy Rose Capetta
- I Wish You All the Best – Mason Deaver
- Stepsister – Jennifer Donnelly
- We Hunt the Flame – Hafsah Faizal
- Testimony from Your Perfect Girl – Kaui Hart Hemmings
- We Contain Multitudes – Sarah Henstra
- Happy Messy Scary Love – Leah Konen
- The things She’s Seen – Ambelin Kwaymullina & Ezekiel Kwaymullina
- Red, White & Royal Blue – Casey McQuiston (New Adult!!!)
- There’s Something About Sweetie – Sandhya Menon
- Don’t Date Rosa Santos – Nina Moreno
- Tomb of Ancients – Madeleine Roux
May 21
- Girl Gone Viral – Arvin Ahmadi
- Practically Ever After – Isabel Bandeira
- Hold My Hand – Michael Barakiva
- Happily and Madly – Alexis Bass
- Missing, Presumed Dead – Emma Berquist
- Pursuit of Miss Heartbreak Hotel – Moe Bonneau
- Symptoms of a Heartbreak – Sona Charaipotra
- The Missing Season – Gillian French
- Amelia Westlake Was Never Here – Erin Gough
- Brave Face – Shaun David Hutchinson
- Let Me Hear A Rhyme – Tiffany D. Jackson
- No Place Like Here – Christina June
- We Are the Perfect Girl – Ariel Kaplan
- Kingsbane – Claire Legrand
- The Exalted – Kaitlyn Sage Patterson
- Birthday – Meredith Russo
- The Boy Next Story – Tiffany Schmidt
- The Bone Charmer – Breeana Shields
- Bright Burning Stars – A.K. Small
- Going Off-Script – Jen Wilde
May 28
- The Voice in My Head – Dana L. Davis
- A Shifting of Stars – Kathy Kimbray
- DEV1AT3 – Jay Kristoff
- I Love You So Mochi – Sarah Kuhn
- Fake It Till You Break It – Jenn P. Nguyen
- The Wise and the Wicked – Rebecca Podos
- The Kingdom – Jess Rothenberg
- The Path Keeper – N.J. Simmonds
- These Witches Don’t Burn – Isabel Sterling
- Switchback – Danika Stone
And those are all the YA releases for May 2019! Which ones have you set your eyes on? Let me know in the comments below!
