About Soul of a Gentleman Witch: To win back his soul from the Devil, a cynical witch must decide if his own freedom is worth delivering a selfless boy to damnation.

I’ve always been fascinated by witches. I remember watching the movie Witches starring Anjelica Huston (adapted from the Roald Dahl novel), when I was very young and it scared the bejeezus out of me. But I couldn’t help but be drawn to the idea of people gifted with magical powers. Jadis the White Witch in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, and the Sanderson Sisters from Hocus Pocus, continued to fuel my interest before I started reading regularly. Once I read L.J. Smith’s The Secret Circle, I was fully onboard, leading me on a path that would later point me toward Hayao Miyazaki and the wonderful witches populating his films Kiki’s Delivery Service and Howl’s Moving Castle, and L. Frank Baum’s Oz books.

My latest novel Soul of a Gentleman Witch has been influenced by witches throughout pop culture, but drawing pretty significantly from those last few examples, with a dash of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. I wanted to create the ultimate witch book, with a black cat familiar, flying on broomsticks, using potions with eye of newt – everything that makes witches so delightfully witchy. And then make it queer. To this day, I still love delving into everything witches, so I wanted to share a few recent YA witch novels that I loved.

The Devouring Gray by C.L. Herman

This title reminds me so much of those books I grew up reading. It’s very The Secret Circle, with our protagonist discovering that she is a descendant of one of four founding families with magical abilities meant to protect their town from a monster in the “Gray.” I love how the discovery of powers plays out, when the protagonist understands why she has been kept away from her hometown for so long. As she becomes drawn deeper into the mysteries surrounding the town, and becomes friends with some of the odd residents, she realizes just how dangerous it was to return.

Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker

This book is just epic. Two warring powerful families use magic against one another as they fight for justice and dominance in New Orleans. While trying to understand the curse placed upon their mother, twins Clem and Cris discover a plot that led to the murder of their grandmother, leading to her disgrace. To get retribution, they must tear down old allies in their quest to bring the truth to light, meanwhile realizing that not everyone around them is who they pretend to be.

Fraternity by Andy Mientus

The Craft is a cult classic movie, for very good reasons, and this very much has those vibes. A new student at an elite boarding school joins a secret society of queer students, where he learns firsthand just how dangerous using magic can be. As a seductive tome corrupts them with its promises of protection and power, they unwittingly release an ancient, malevolent force that they must work together to thwart before it consumes them all.

Verity Vox and the Curse of Foxfire by Don Martin

This one has more cozy fantasy vibes than the others on this list. It would sit comfortably on a shelf next to Kiki’s Delivery Service. Verity Vox is a witch-in-training who struggles to break a curse put upon a struggling Appalachian town. It’s very whimsical and charming, and reading this is almost like wrapping yourself in a warm blanket, as Verity attempts to earn the trust of the townsfolk she’s meant to help, while putting a foul, slick-tongued beast to rest for good.

The Diviners by Libba Bray

Taking place in Jazz Age New York, this novel features a group of teenagers, each with different paranormal powers, as they work together to solve a series of occult-based murders around the city. This book actually gets pretty scary, with this sense of dread threaded throughout. These characters are some of the most fully-developed I’ve ever read, and I loved experiencing their journey through this book and its three follow-ups.

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Heat Wave by T.J. Klune
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Nick, Seth, Gibby, and Jazz are back in action bringing justice, protection, and disaster energy to the people of Nova City. An unexpected hero returns to Nova City and crash lands into Nick’s home, upturning his life, his family, and his understanding of what it means to be a hero in the explosive finale of the thrilling and hilarious Extraordinaries trilogy.

Youngblood by Sasha Laurens
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For fans of Vampire Diaries and dark academia, two queer teen bloodsuckers at an elite vampire-only boarding school must go up against all of Vampirdom when they uncover a frightening conspiracy on campus.

The Comedienne’s Guide to Pride by Hayli Thomson
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The Comedienne’s Guide to Pride is a queer coming of age story with biting humor about a young lesbian striving to win a spot on SNL. Taylor Parker isn’t out yet, but she’s keeping an even bigger secret: she entered a sketch contest where the grand prize is an internship at SNL.

The Witchery by S. Isabelle
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Haelsford, Florida, is a hellmouth. Or at least, that’s what Logan, a new witch struggling to control her powers, thinks when she arrives at Mesmortes Coven Academy. She is immediately taken under the wing of the infamous Red Three: Iris, a deathwitch, who wants nothing more than to break the town’s curse; Thalia, the talented greenwitch, on the run from her religious family and a past that still haunts her; and Jailah, one of the most extraordinary witches at the academy whose thirst for power may lead her down a dark path.

In the Event of Love by Courtney Kae
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Offering a steamy, queer spin on the feel-good tropes of a Hallmark movie, this sweet, funny #OwnVoices rom-com is perfect for fans of Casey McQuiston and Alexandria Bellefleur!

Husband Material by Alexis Hall
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In Boyfriend Material, Luc and Oliver met, pretended to fall in love, fell in love for real, dealt with heartbreak and disappointment and family and friends…and somehow figured out a way to make it work. Now it seems like everyone around them is getting married, and Luc’s feeling the social pressure to propose. But it’ll take more than four weddings, a funeral, and a bowl full of special curry to get these two from I don’t know what I’m doing to I do.

The Feeling of Falling in Love by Mason Deaver
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From the bestselling author of I Wish You All the Best, comes a new kind of love story, about the bad decisions we sometimes make… and the people who help get us back on the right path.

This Is Why They Hate Us by Aaron H. Aceves
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This fun, irreverent summer romp is Netflix’s Never Have I Ever meets What If It’s Us about a high school senior determined to get over his unrequited feelings for his best friend by getting under someone else.

Aces Wild by Amanda DeWitt
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Six of Crows goes to Las Vegas in debut author Amanda DeWitt’s suspenseful casino heist, starring an entire crew of asexual teens.

Self-Made Boys: A Great Gatsby Remix by Anna Marie McLemore
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Three teens chase their own version of the American Dream during the Roaring 20s in this YA remix of The Great Gatsby. 

The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas
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Welcome to The Sunbearer Trials, where teen semidioses compete in a series of challenges with the highest of stakes, in this electric new Mexican-inspired fantasy from Aiden Thomas, the New York Times bestselling author of Cemetery Boys.

Fraternity by Andy Mientus
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A queer, dark academia YA story about a mysterious boarding school, a brotherhood that must stay in the shadows, and an ancient evil that could tear it all apart. 

Destination Unknown by Bill Konigsberg
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From Stonewall Award winner Bill Konigsberg, a remarkable, funny, sexy, heartbreaking story of two teen boys finding each other in New York City at the height of the AIDS epidemic.

Hazel Hill is Gonna Win This One by Maggie Horne
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A funny, feminist, and queer contemporary middle grade debut that follows twelve-year-old loner Hazel Hill, who, after one of her classmates is harassed online, devises a plan to catch the school’s golden boy in the act.

Lavender House by Lev AC Rosen
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A delicious story from a new voice in suspense, Lev AC Rosen’s Lavender House is Knives Out with a queer historical twist.

The First To Die at The End by Adam Silvera
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In this prequel to They Both Die at the End, #1 New York Times bestselling author Adam Silvera tells the story of new star-crossed lovers facing down Death-Cast’s first day. It’s the night before Death-Cast goes live, and there’s one question on everyone’s mind: Can Death-Cast actually predict when someone will die, or is it just an elaborate hoax?

You’re a Mean One, Matthew Prince by Timothy Janovsky
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An “effervescent” (Rachel Lynn Solomon) Christmas LGBTQIA+ New Adult RomCom, perfect for fans of Schitt’s Creek and Red White & Royal Blue.

This Is Our Place by Vitor Martins
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Three teens — in three different decades — navigate life, love, and family in Vitor Martins’ heartfelt new novel that spans generations. Perfect for fans of Tales from the City and Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda.

The Ones We Burn by Rebecca Mix
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Love and duty collide in this richly imagined, atmospheric young adult debut about a witch whose dark powers put her at the center of a brewing war between the only family she’s ever known and the enemy who makes her question everything.

We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds
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Family secrets, a swoon-worthy romance, and a slow-burn mystery collide in We Deserve Monuments, a YA debut from Jas Hammonds that explores how racial violence can ripple down through generations.

Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail by Ashley Herring Blake
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An interior designer who is never without the perfect plan learns to renovate her love life without one in this new romantic comedy by Ashley Herring Blake, author of Delilah Green Doesn’t Care.

Never Ever Getting Back Together by Sophie Gonzales
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A girl enters a reality dating competition to get revenge on her cheating, royal-adjacent ex-boyfriend, and ends up falling for another girl on the show—in fact, the girl he cheated on her with.

Wicked Little Things by Justin Arnold
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Silver in the Mist by Emily Victoria
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Eight years ago, everything changed for Devlin: Her country was attacked. Her father was killed. And her mother became the Whisperer of Aris, the head of the spies, retreating into her position away from everyone… even her daughter.

A Million to One by Adiba Jaigirdar
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Adiba Jaigirdar, author of one of Time‘s Best YA books of all time, gives Titanic an Ocean’s 8 makeover in this nail-biting heist set onboard the infamous ship.

Do you have any other recommendations? Tell us in the comments below!

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