Today is the day to talk August 2021 YA Releases. And more specifically my Top 5 Reads. In this post I’ll be sharing my Top 5 books of August.

A Closer Look: August 2021 YA Releases

It’s National Immunization Awareness month!

Now, more than ever, do we all need to be aware of staying up to date with our vaccinations to keep our community, family, and ourselves safe.

Take a moment and contact your doctor or local medical care facility now to find out what vaccinations you or a family member needs to stay protected from infectious diseases. This is the first step to find out more about vaccinations that you need to keep yourself safe.

And more specifically if you are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.

We all can do our part to keep everyone safe.

CDC Vaccine Information and Updates ⬇️

CDC Vaccines for Children & Teens

Let’s dive into the new August 2021 YA Releases that you should definitely add to your TBR’s.

Mystery & Thriller

A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee

Felicity Morrow is back at Dalloway School.

Witchcraft is woven into Dalloway’s history. The school doesn’t talk about it, but the students do. In secret rooms and shadowy corners, girls convene. And before her girlfriend died, Felicity was drawn to the dark. She’s determined to leave that behind her now; all Felicity wants is to focus on her senior thesis and graduate. But it’s hard when Dalloway’s occult history is everywhere. And when the new girl won’t let her forget.

It’s Ellis Haley’s first year at Dalloway, and she’s already amassed a loyal following. A prodigy novelist at seventeen, Ellis is a so-called “method writer.” She’s eccentric and brilliant, and Felicity can’t shake the pull she feels to her. So when Ellis asks Felicity for help researching the Dalloway Five for her second book, Felicity can’t say no. Given her history with the arcane, Felicity is the perfect resource.

Fantasy

Redemptor by Jordan Ifueko

For the first time, an Empress Redemptor sits on Aritsar’s throne. To appease the sinister spirits of the dead, Tarisai must now anoint a council of her own, coming into her full power as a Raybearer. She must then descend into the Underworld, a sacrifice to end all future atrocities.

Tarisai is determined to survive. Or at least, that’s what she tells her increasingly distant circle of friends. Months into her shaky reign as empress, child spirits haunt her, demanding that she pay for past sins of the empire.

With the lives of her loved ones on the line, assassination attempts from unknown quarters, and a handsome new stranger she can’t quite trust . . . Tarisai fears the pressure may consume her. But in this finale to the Raybearer duology, Tarisai must learn whether to die for justice . . . or to live for it.

Science Fiction

Devil in the Device by Lora Beth Johnson

Zhade’s power might be going to his head.

He’s still getting used to wearing Maret’s face, but he can’t deny that the influence it affords him has its perks. But when the magic of Eerensed starts to turn deadly, Zhade must master the Crown if he’s going to save his people, and Tsurina’s destructive plans for Eerensed aren’t going to make that easy. Worse, he’s starting to see her point.

Meanwhile, Andra is in hiding.

Assumed dead by the people of Eerensed, she must stay underground if she’s going to live long enough to build the rocket that will finally save the colonists from this dying planet. But when Andra hears voices urging her to destroy everything, she starts to dig deeper into her subconcious. What she finds leads her to question whether she’s destined to be a savior after all.

Graphic Novel

Cheer Up: Love and Pompoms by Crystal Frasier

Annie is a smart, antisocial lesbian starting her senior year of high school who’s under pressure to join the cheerleader squad to make friends and round out her college applications.

Her former friend BeeBee is a people-pleaser—a trans girl who must keep her parents happy with her grades and social life to keep their support of her transition. Through the rigors of squad training and amped up social pressures.

The two girls rekindle a friendship they thought they’d lost and discover there may be other, sweeter feelings springing up between them.

LGBTQ Romance

Fresh by Margot Wood

Some students enter their freshman year of college knowing exactly what they want to do with their lives. Elliot McHugh is not one of those people.

But picking a major is the last thing on Elliot’s mind when she’s too busy experiencing all that college has to offer—from dancing all night at off-campus parties, to testing her RA Rose’s patience, to making new friends, to having the best sex one can have on a twin-sized dorm room bed. But she may not be ready for the fallout when reality hits.

When the sex she’s having isn’t that great. When finals creep up and smack her right in the face. Or when her roommate’s boyfriend turns out to be the biggest a-hole. Elliot may make epic mistakes, but if she’s honest with herself, she may just find the person she wants to be. And maybe even fall in love in the process…

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Backlist Recommendation

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia

In the real world, Eliza Mirk is shy, weird, and friendless. Online, she’s LadyConstellation, the anonymous creator of the wildly popular webcomic Monstrous Sea. Eliza can’t imagine enjoying the real world as much as she loves the online one, and she has no desire to try.

Then Wallace Warland, Monstrous Sea’s biggest fanfiction writer, transfers to her school. Wallace thinks Eliza is just another fan, and as he draws her out of her shell, she begins to wonder if a life offline might be worthwhile.

But when Eliza’s secret is accidentally shared with the world, everything she’s built—her story, her relationship with Wallace, and even her sanity—begins to fall apart.

Is your backlist finally shrinking? If you’re like me, Beat the Backlist Challenge is the perfect way to keep track of ticking off books from our backlist.

Sheaf & Ink

Search no further for a Backlist Recommendation for the month of August. As I post books I’m eyeing to read and purchase this month, I still have a goal of reading books from my backlist. I actually read (and listened to the audiobook) of last months rec. And friends Sadie is an incredible book. Check out my review for reasons why you should read it!

Book Review by Sheaf & Ink: Sadie Click Here >>

Yes, I know I’m a mood reader… but if I want to check off those titles that have been on my shelves for well…

You know what I mean, then I’ll be joining you this month on my backlist recommendation of Francesca Zappia’s Eliza and Her Monsters.

See any August 2021 YA releases you can’t wait to read?

Sheaf & Ink

Share any August 2021 YA releases you’re looking forward to in the comments.

We love hearing from you.

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August 2021 YA releases on my Bookshop site. Click the link in the caption above to pre-order or order your copy ⬆️