Looking to get lost in a new book this summer? Be sure to add these upcoming summer 2020 YA fantasy books to your TBR list!
While some of this year’s early book releases have been pushed back to the fall, some summer 2020 YA fantasy books are still scheduled to be released.
I’ve compiled a list of my most anticipated summer 2020 YA fantasy book releases, some of which recently moved publication dates due to COVD-19.
With so many amazing book releases on the horizon, it’s easy to overlook release date changes, so be sure to double check your own most anticipated books to see if they’ve been pushed back or not!
For instance, one of my absolute, most anticipated books is Return of the Thief by Megan Whalen Turner, which was supposed to come out in March of 2019 and was pushed back to August 2020, but now seems to be coming out in October 2020.
Publishers don’t always announce when books releases are pushed back, so even these dates may be incorrect. All the same, it’s important that we all try to keep up-to-date in releases so that our favorite authors, along with debut authors, don’t fall through the cracks with their newest releases!
The 10 most anticipated summer 2020 YA fantasy books
‘Forged in Fire and Stars’ by Andrea Robertson
May 3, 2020
The first book in a new YA fantasy series, Forged in Fire and Stars seems to be the perfect fit for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Sabaa Tahir. When a lost prince and princess whisk young Ara off in the middle of the night in order to help them retake the throne, Ara has to come to terms with her family’s past and legacy, along with deciding where her heart truly lies.
Add Forged in Fire and Stars on Goodreads here.
‘The Archer at Dawn’ by Swati Teerdhala
May 26, 2020
Star-crossed enemies-to-lovers, non-toxic masculinity, and female assassins who know how to get the job done, made The Tiger at Midnight one of my most recommended books this year. Debut author Swati Teerdhala captured my attention with her ability to weave a beautiful tale of revolution and wavering emotions between the two main characters as they play a deadly game of cat and mouse.
With such a stunningly addicting debut, I can’t wait to find out what happens to both Esha and Kunal in The Archer at Dawn.
Read an excerpt from The Archer at Dawn here.
Add The Archer at Dawn on Goodreads here.
‘The Damned’ by Renée Adhieh
June 2, 2020
I’m 100% here for the return of vampires in YA fantasy, so it’s no surprise that Renée Ahdieh’s The Beautiful series makes this list. The atmosphere, tone, and buildup in The Beautiful brings a dark, dangerous feel back to vampires that I’d so missed. High stakes with paranormal creatures is important, and with the plot twist at the end of The Beautiful, I can’t wait to read what happens next in the sequel, The Damned, when it comes to Celine Rousseau and Sébastien Saint Germain.
Add The Damned on Goodreads here.
‘The Kinder Poison’ by Natalie Mae
June 16, 2020
Human sacrifice, feuding heirs, and a race across an inhabitable desert fill the pages of The Kinder Poison. For fans of Victoria Aveyard and Holly Black, The Kinder Poison is a nonstop fantasy adventure that follows Zahru, a Whisperer with the powers to talk to animals, who merely wanted to enjoy a night of revelry. Instead, she finds herself as a human sacrifice in the race for the crown.
Add The Kinder Poison on Goodreads here.
‘Girl, Serpent, Thorn’ by Melissa Bashardoust
July 7, 2020
Morally grey heroines are one of my favorite tropes. Not all characters need to be perfect and lawfully good. Girl, Serpent, Thorn gives us a princess with a curse, where her touch is poisonous, and on her journey to learn more about her curse, she meets a demon with answers, and she has to decide what side of good or evil she falls on, or if there is such thing as being somewhere in the middle when you’re cursed.
Add Girl, Serpent, Thorn on Goodreads here.
‘The Faithless Hawk’ by Margaret Owen
July 28, 2020
With amazing world-building and a well-thought out system of magic focused on birthright and deep lore, The Merciful Crow brought a sense of urgency and agency in a world where there was seemingly no hope of change. The main character, Fie, is a force of nature that, as a reader, I couldn’t help but root for as she takes on a mantle she never wanted and ends up helping someone she should by all rights loathe.
Read an excerpt from The Faithless Hawk here.
Add The Faithless Hawk on Goodreads here.
‘Prelude for Lost Souls’ by Helene Dunbar
August 1, 2020
Prelude for Lost Souls reads like a combination of The Raven Boys and A Thousand Perfect Notes, with a subtle and sweet love triangle and LGBT+ representation.
In a small town, where everyone is a spiritualist and the summer is a tourist trap for those seeking the eerie, where everyone has to join The Guild once they’ve graduated high school, Dec wants nothing more than to get out while Russ wants more power. They meet Annie, a piano prodigy, and try to help her using their spiritualist powers.
Add Prelude for Lost Souls on Goodreads here.
‘Wayward Witch’ by Zoraida Cordóva
August 1, 2020
The third installment of the Brooklyn Brujas series, Wayward Witch, follows Rose and her father as they are pulled into Adas, a fairy realm under the Caribbean Sea. After finding out that her father’s supposed memory loss had been a lie, it’s up to her to not only get them back home safely, but to figure out how to save both Adas and her father as she realizes the scope of his sacrifice and the breath of her new found powers.
Add Wayward Witch on Goodreads here.
‘Vicious Spirits’ by Kat Cho
August 18, 2020
The mesmerizing debut Wicked Fox is a modern YA fantasy that takes place in Korea and follows a young girl with a secret, leaving her isolated among her peers at her new school. Reminiscent of a K-Drama in all the best ways, the Guminho series brings Korean mythology of the nine-tailed fox and high school drama together in an unforgettable story, which continues with the release of Vicious Spirits.
In the aftermath of the events in Wicked Fox, Miyoung and Jihoon must pick up the pieces of their shattered lives with the help of both their friends and enemies, all while trying to balance life as high schoolers.
Add Vicious Spirits on Goodreads here.
‘As the Shadow Rises’ by Katy Rose Pool
September 1, 2020
One of my favorite books of 2019, There Will Come a Darkness, set up character dynamics and arcs full of secrets, lies, and betrayals that kept me on the edge of my seat in Katy Rose Pool’s enrapturing debut.
With a full cast and multiple points of view, As the Shadow Rises makes the list of most anticipated summer 2020 YA fantasy releases because the characters stand out like beacons as darkness threatens to take over the world and the lives of the five main characters are intertwined by prophecy.
Add As the Shadow Rises on Goodreads here.
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