Read to meet your next read? Teen Breathe has teamed up with writer, book blogger, and avid reader Emily Waller to bring you our latest book recommendations.
LEAGUE OF LIARS BY ASTRID SCHOLTE (RECOMMENDED FOR AGES 14+)
In the wake of their mother’s death, Cayder and Leta Broduck seek to understand more about edem – powerful extradimensional magic that is highly feared and heavily regulated. Cayder wastes no time studying the law, determined to one day prosecute edem abusers. But when Cayder secures a position as a public defence apprentice and is tasked with defending a trio of teenage criminals, he quickly becomes entangled in the teen’s stories, and realises restoring justice might not be as clear-cut as it once seemed. A dark fantasy thriller swarming with danger, suspense, and magic.
SKIN OF THE SEA BY NATASHA BOWEN (RECOMMENDED FOR AGES 14+)
Simidele is a Mami Wata – a mermaid tasked with gathering the souls of enslaved people who die at sea and granting them safe passage home. When a boy named Kola is thrown overboard, Simi saves his life – an offence that defies the gods. To remedy her actions, Simi must journey to land to face the Supreme Creator. But as she embarks on her quest, Simi soon realises the dangers that abound. What are those strange new creatures? Who can she trust? And does Kola know more than he should? An enthralling debut that explores courage, resilience, and West-African mythology.
BEYOND THE END OF THE WORLD BY AMIE KAUFMAN AND MEAGAN SPOONER (RECOMMENDED FOR AGES 12+)
Niamh, alongside her enemy, Inshara, have been sent to the cloudlands – the world above where Niamh has no memory of her past, only a niggling certainty she has left something important behind. Meanwhile, in the world below, North is determined to stave off enemies and outwit traitors to journey back to his sky home and join the ones he loves. But as Niamh and North unite, their allegiances, loyalty, and skills are tested in the fight to protect their worlds. An electric, treacherous, and utterly immersive genre-blurring fantasy fraught with thrills and wonder.
ONLY A MONSTER BY VANESSA LEN (RECOMMENDED FOR AGES 13+)
16-year-old Joan Chang-Hunt got more than she bargained for during a summer like no other. While staying in London, Joan unexpectedly learns of her late mother’s monster lineage. To make matters worse, Nick, the cutie at work, turns out to be a monster slayer. After forming an unlikely alliance with Aaron Oliver, heir to a monster family who despises Joan’s, the pair flee from the world they know to the 1990s. But it soon becomes clear that the past is no kinder to monsters than the present. A captivating urban fantasy that explores themes spanning identity, romance, and morality.
