Mia Hargrett
Staff Reporter
21 December 2020
While the long-awaited end of 2020 is something that we can all look forward to, here are some hot new books coming out in 2021 that should be equally exciting. In no particular order, the books are as follows:
- The Lost Village by: Camilla Stein
Release Date: March 23, 2021
For those who enjoy a good thriller/horror novel, The Lost Village by Camilla Stein is the right book for you! Fellow horror authors Alma Katsu and Ragnar Jonasson said it was, “Relentlessly creepy,” and “Impossible to stop reading.” A quick overview provided by Barnes and Noble reads: “Documentary filmmaker Alice Lindstedt has been obsessed with the vanishing residents of the old mining town, dubbed “The Lost Village,” since she was a little girl. In 1959, her grandmother’s entire family disappeared in this mysterious tragedy, and ever since, the unanswered questions surrounding the only two people who were left—a woman stoned to death in the town center and an abandoned newborn—have plagued her. She’s gathered a small crew of friends in the remote village to make a film about what really happened.
But there will be no turning back.
They’re looking for the truth…
But what if it finds them first?”
- Concrete Rose by: Angie Thomas
Release date: January 12, 2021
When Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give came out in 2017, it instantly became a modern classic and one of the most important books to read. In January of 2021, Thomas releases the prequel we never knew we needed: Concrete Rose. An overview provided by Barnes & Noble reads: “If there’s one thing seventeen-year-old Maverick Carter knows, it’s that a real man takes care of his family. As the son of a former gang legend, Mav does that the only way he knows how: dealing for the King Lords. With this money he can help his mom, who works two jobs while his dad’s in prison.
Life’s not perfect, but with a fly girlfriend and a cousin who always has his back, Mav’s got everything under control.
Until, that is, Maverick finds out he’s a father.
Loyalty, revenge, and responsibility threaten to tear Mav apart, especially after the brutal murder of a loved one. He’ll have to figure out for himself what it really means to be a man.”
- A Court of Silver Flames by: Sarah J. Mass
Release Date: February 16, 2021
Calling all fantasy fans! Sarah J. Mass returns with the long awaited addition to her Court of Thorns and Roses series. This book continues the series with the journey of the main character’s (Feyre) sister, Nesta. HuffPost said it was full of “suspense, romance, intrigue and action.” Here is a quick overview of what the book is about, provided by Barnes And Noble: “Nesta Archeron has always been prickly-proud, swift to anger, and slow to forgive. And ever since being forced into the Cauldron and becoming High Fae against her will, she’s struggled to find a place for herself within the strange, deadly world she inhabits. Worse, she can’t seem to move past the horrors of the war with Hybern and all she lost in it.
Meanwhile, the treacherous human queens who returned to the Continent during the last war have forged a dangerous new alliance, threatening the fragile peace that has settled over the realms. And the key to halting them might very well rely on Cassian and Nesta facing their haunting pasts.
However intriguing this is, I would recommend reading the first three installations before this one.
- The Gilded Ones by: Namina Forma
Release Date: February 9, 2021
For fans of Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone, you won’t be disappointed with this thrilling fantasy novel about female outcasts turned warriors, and the sisterhood that bonds them together. Stehpanie Garber, #1 New York Times Bestselling author, hails it as “an enthralling debut. The Gilded Ones redefines sisterhood and is sure to leave readers both inspired and ultimately hopeful.” A quick overview from Barnes and Noble reads: “Sixteen-year-old Deka lives in fear and anticipation of the blood ceremony that will determine whether she will become a member of her village. Already different from everyone else because of her unnatural intuition, Deka prays for red blood so she can finally feel like she belongs. But on the day of the ceremony, her blood runs gold, the color of impurity–and Deka knows she will face a consequence worse than death.
Then a mysterious woman comes to her with a choice: stay in the village and submit to her fate, or leave to fight for the emperor in an army of girls just like her. They are called alaki–near-immortals with rare gifts. And they are the only ones who can stop the empire’s greatest threat.”
- One Last Stop by: Casey McQuiston
Release Date: June 1, 2021
In 2019 Casey McQuiston came out with her hilariously written and unforgettable romance novel Red, White, and Royal Blue. She aims to wow us again with her latest and upcoming novel: One Last Stop. A quick overview provided by Barnes and Noble reads: “Cynical twenty-three-year old August doesn’t believe in much. She doesn’t believe in psychics, or easily forged friendships, or finding the kind of love they make movies about. And she certainly doesn’t believe her ragtag band of new roommates, her night shifts at a 24-hour pancake diner, or her daily subway commute full of electrical outages are going to change that.
But then, there’s Jane. Beautiful, impossible Jane.
All hard edges with a soft smile and swoopy hair and saving August’s day when she needed it most. The person August looks forward to seeing on the train every day. The one who makes her forget about the cities she lived in that never seemed to fit, and her fear of what happens when she finally graduates, and even her cold-case obsessed mother who won’t quite let her go. And when August realizes her subway crush is impossible in more ways than one—namely, displaced in time from the 1970s—she thinks maybe it’s time to start believing.”
- Bride of the Sea by: Eman Quotah
Release Date: January 26, 2021
Enman Quotah’s Bride of the Sea is a captivating debut about culture and immigration, and loss and healing. An overview from Barnes and Noble reads: “During a snowy Cleveland February, newlywed university students Muneer and Saeedah are expecting their first child, and he is harboring a secret: the word divorce is whispering in his ear. Soon, their marriage will end, and Muneer will return to Saudi Arabia, while Saeedah remains in Cleveland with their daughter, Hanadi. Consumed by a growing fear of losing her daughter, Saeedah disappears with the little girl, leaving Muneer to desperately search for his daughter for years. The repercussions of the abduction ripple outward, not only changing the lives of Hanadi and her parents, but also their interwoven family and friends—those who must choose sides and hide their own deeply guarded secrets.
And when Hanadi comes of age, she finds herself at the center of this conflict, torn between the world she grew up in and a family across the ocean. How can she exist between parents, between countries?”
- The Four Winds by: Kristin Hannah
Release Date: February 2, 2021
In 2015 Kristin Hannah came out with a spellbinding historical fiction about two sisters’ experiences in war torn France during WWII called The Nightingale. Hannah plans to deliver another captivating historical fiction, this time set during the Great Depression. An overview provided by Barnes and Noble reads: “Texas, 1934. Millions are out of work and a drought has broken the Great Plains. Farmers are fighting to keep their land and their livelihoods. The crops are failing, the water is drying up, and dust threatens to bury them all.
In this uncertain and dangerous time, Elsa Martinelli—like so many of her neighbors—must make an agonizing choice: fight for the land she loves or go west, to California, in search of a better life.”
- One of the Good Ones by: Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite
Release Date: January 5, 2021
This sister writing duo is set to deliver a powerful novel exploring the impacts of prejudice and what it truly means to be an ally. “They have created quite the masterpiece,” said NPR. An overview from Barnes and Noble reads: “When teen social activist and history buff Kezi Smith is killed under mysterious circumstances after attending a social justice rally, her devastated sister Happi and their family are left reeling in the aftermath. As Kezi becomes another immortalized victim in the fight against police brutality, Happi begins to question the idealized way her sister is remembered. Perfect. Angelic.
One of the good ones.
Even as the phrase rings wrong in her mind—why are only certain people deemed worthy to be missed?—Happi and her sister Genny embark on a journey to honor Kezi in their own way, using an heirloom copy of The Negro Motorist Green Book as their guide. But there’s a twist to Kezi’s story that no one could’ve ever expected—one that will change everything all over again.”
- Firekeeper’s Daughter by: Angeline Boulley
Release Date: March 16, 2021
For readers who are fans of Angie Thomas, you will love this book! In the Firekeeper’s Daughter, a Native teen must root out the corruption and deadly secrets in her community. A quick overview from Barnes and Noble reads: “Eighteen-year-old Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. She dreams of a fresh start at college, but when family tragedy strikes, Daunis puts her future on hold to look after her fragile mother. The only bright spot is meeting Jamie, the charming new recruit on her brother Levi’s hockey team.
Yet even as Daunis falls for Jamie, she senses the dashing hockey star is hiding something. Everything comes to light when Daunis witnesses a shocking murder, thrusting her into an FBI investigation of a lethal new drug.
Now, as the deceptions—and deaths—keep growing, Daunis must learn what it means to be a strong Anishinaabe kwe (Ojibwe woman) and how far she’ll go for her community, even if it tears apart the only world she’s ever known.”
- Every Last Fear by: Alex Finlay
Release Date: March 2, 2021
One of next year’s most anticipated psychological thrillers is a page turner that will be hard to forget! Barnes and Noble provides an overview that reads: “After a late night of partying, NYU student Matt Pine returns to his dorm room to devastating news: nearly his entire family—his mom, his dad, his little brother and sister—have been found dead from an apparent gas leak while vacationing in Mexico. The local police claim it was an accident, but the FBI and State Department seem far less certain—and they won’t tell Matt why.
The tragedy makes headlines everywhere because this isn’t the first time the Pine family has been thrust into the media spotlight. Matt’s older brother, Danny—currently serving a life sentence for the murder of his teenage girlfriend Charlotte—was the subject of a viral true crime documentary suggesting that Danny was wrongfully convicted.
When Matt returns to his small hometown to bury his parents and siblings, he’s faced with a hostile community that was villainized by the documentary, a frenzied media, and memories he’d hoped to leave behind forever. Now, as the deaths in Mexico appear increasingly suspicious and connected to Danny’s case, Matt must unearth the truth behind the crime that sent his brother to prison—putting his own life in peril—and forcing him to confront his every last fear.”
- You Love Me by: Caroline Kepnes
Release Date: April 6, 2021
For those who loved the hit Netflix series You, comes a new thriller that delves into the divergent mind of the “uniquely antisocial,” Joe Goldberg. An overview provided by Barnes and Noble reads: “Joe is done with the cities. He’s done with the muck and the posers, done with Love. Now, he’s saying hello to nature, to simple pleasures on a cozy island in the Pacific Northwest. For the first time in a long time, he can just breathe.
He gets a job at the local library—he does know a thing or two about books—and that’s where he meets her: Mary Kay DiMarco. Librarian. Joe won’t meddle, he will not obsess. He’ll win her the old-fashioned way . . . by providing a shoulder to cry on, a helping hand. Over time, they’ll both heal their wounds and begin their happily ever after in this sleepy town.
The trouble is . . . Mary Kay already has a life. She’s a mother. She’s a friend. She’s . . . busy.
True love can only triumph if both people are willing to make room for the real thing. Joe cleared his decks. He’s ready. And hopefully, with his encouragement and undying support, Mary Kay will do the right thing and make room for him.”
- The Project by: Courtney Summers
Release Date: February 2, 2021
This action-packed thriller from award winning author Courtney Summers is about a young journalist’s perilous adventure to save her sister from a cult. An overview from Barnes and Noble reads: “‘The Unity Project saved my life.’
Lo Denham is used to being on her own. After her parents died, Lo’s sister, Bea, joined The Unity Project, leaving Lo in the care of their great aunt. Thanks to its extensive charitable work and community outreach, The Unity Project has won the hearts and minds of most in the Upstate New York region, but Lo knows there’s more to the group than meets the eye. She’s spent the last six years of her life trying—and failing—to prove it.
But as Lo delves deeper into The Project, the lives of its members, and spends more time with Lev Warren, the mysterious charismatic leader, it upends everything she thought she knew about her sister, herself, cults, and the world around her—to the point she can no longer tell what’s real or true. Lo never thought she could afford to believe in Lev Warren…but now she doesn’t know if she can afford not to.
Welcome to The Unity Project.”
Well we’ve certainly got some thrilling novels to expect in the New Year! There’s something here for every reader, those who enjoy fantasy, historical fiction, thrillers, and those who just enjoy a good ol’ literary fiction. Happy reading!
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