If you love a contemporary, check out Jenn Bennett’s Serious Moonlight, Joseph Moldover’s Every Moment After, and If I’m Being Honest, which is Mean Girls meets The Taming of the Shrew. Fantasy more your speed? Jessica Leake’s Through The White Wood sees Katya able to freeze anything she touches, Swati Teerdhala’s The Tiger At Midnight draws from ancient Indian history and Hindu mythology, while in Kate Watson’s Lovestruck, Kali is a cupid-in-training and the daughter of Eros.

Read on to discover our picks and tell us in the comments below if you will be reading any!

Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett
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After an awkward first encounter, Birdie and Daniel are forced to work together in a Seattle hotel where a famous author leads a mysterious and secluded life in this romantic contemporary novel from the author of Alex, Approximately.

Through The White Wood by Jessica Leake
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Katya’s power to freeze anything she touches has made her an outcast in her isolated village. And when she loses control of her ability, accidentally killing several villagers, she is banished to the palace of the terrifying Prince Sasha in Kiev. At the castle, though, she is surprised to find that Sasha is just like her—with his own strange talent, the ability to summon fire. Instead of punishment, Sasha offers Katya friendship, and the chance to embrace her power rather than fear it.

We Are Blood and Thunder by Kesia Lupo
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In a sealed-off city, it begins with a hunt. A young woman, Lena, running for her life, convicted of being a mage and sentenced to death. Her only way to survive is to trust those she has been brought up to fear – those with magic.

The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman
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On the edge of town a beast haunts the woods, trapped in the Gray, its bonds loosening… Uprooted from the city, Violet Saunders doesn’t have much hope of fitting in at her new school in Four Paths, a town almost buried in the woodlands of rural New York. The fact that she’s descended from one of the town’s founders doesn’t help much, either. When she meets Justin, May, Isaac, and Harper, all children of founder families, and sees the otherworldly destruction they can wreak, she starts to wonder if the townsfolk are right to be afraid.

The Raven’s Tale by Cat Winters
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Seventeen-year-old Edgar Poe counts down the days until he can escape his foster family—the wealthy Allans of Richmond, Virginia. He hungers for his upcoming life as a student at a prestigious new university, almost as much as he longs to marry his beloved Elmira Royster. However, on the brink of his departure, all his plans go awry when a macabre muse steps out of the shadows with one request: “Let them see me!”

Every Moment After by Joseph Moldover
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Best friends Matt and Cole grapple with their changing relationships during the summer after high school in this impactful, evocative story about growing up and moving on from a traumatic past.

The Tiger At Midnight by Swati Teerdhala
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Drawing inspiration from ancient Indian history and Hindu mythology, the first book in Swati Teerdhala’s debut fantasy trilogy captivates with electric romance, stunning action, and the fierce bonds that hold people together—and that drive them apart.

White Rose by Kip Wilson
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A gorgeous and timely novel based on the incredible story of Sophie Scholl, a young German college student who challenged the Nazi regime during World War II as part of The White Rose, a non-violent resistance group.

You’d Be Mine by Erin Hahn
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Annie Mathers is America’s sweetheart and heir to a country music legacy full of all the things her Gran warned her about. Superstar Clay Coolidge is most definitely going to end up one of those things. But unfortunately for Clay, if he can’t convince Annie to join his summer tour, his music label is going to drop him. That’s what happens when your bad boy image turns into bad boy reality. Annie has been avoiding the spotlight after her parents’ tragic death, except on her skyrocketing YouTube channel. Clay’s label wants to land Annie, and Clay has to make it happen.

How To Make Friends With The Dark by Kathleen Glasgow
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From the New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces comes a novel about love and loss and learning how to continue when it feels like you’re surrounded by darkness that Karen M. McManus, the New York Times bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying, calls “rare and powerful.”

Lovestruck by Kate Watson
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Sixteen-year-old cupid-in-training Kali is in an Olympus-sized mountain of trouble. Rule number one in arrow-toting matchmaking: don’t stick yourself. But accidents happen, and Kali instantly falls hard for her indie rock, bass-playing target, Benicio. The God of Love is going to kill her. Even if he is her dad.

If I’m Being Honest by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka
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In this Mean Girls meets The Taming of the Shrew novel, high school senior Cameron Bright’s reputation can be summed up in one word: bitch. It’s no surprise she’s queen bee at her private L.A. high school—she’s beautiful, talented, and notorious for her cutting and brutal honesty. So when she puts her foot in her mouth in front of her crush, Andrew, she fears she may have lost him for good.

Will you be reading any of these April YA releases? Tell us in the comments below!

The post April Book Releases: YA appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

This story… It was so good. It built up suspense, tension, and fear. It was one of the darker fantasies that I’ve had the pleasure of reading in a while, and it was amazing. The imagery is so vivid that it draws you into the world of Eirinn and the battle against the Northmen. This story will tease all of your senses, and it’s got quite a bit of action going on. Ciara and Leif are facing quite the onslaught of enemies, includinig their own people, the creatures lurking in the woods, and the even greater threat that might destroy them all. I feel that the character development is strong for Ciara in this story, and potentially a little less so for Leif, but that’s potentially because he’s “older” and understands a little more. It was also enjoyable that the focus was on the story, and the romance was a little more on the sidelines.

Jessica Leake also did an excellent job weaving the Celtic and Norse mythologies, especially the addition of the Morrigan and Odin in the story. It gives both Leif and Ciara added depth and insight into their cultures, and a bridge for them to be able to work together. More than that, we also get to see how Christianity has affected the pagan gods. Going from almighty beings, to essentially beginning to fade from the human realm was an interesting area of story that I enjoyed. Especially how the Gods are forced to take more of their animal forms and aren’t able to materialise in other ways for humans. It was also very interesting to see how the Gods were tied to their lands. It gave the mythology more depth and firmly entrenched cultural beliefs from a more historical standpoint.

Something that was really wonderful about this story is Leake’s ability to show the reader how someone could be both feared and needed at the same time, especially in Ciara’s case. It’s amazing to see a character that’s ostracised, but revered for her power, and it’s even more riveting for the reader to see the relationships between Ciara and her family. What her power has done to her romantic relationships, and how her power affects the relationships between her family members. Overcoming and accepting differences is something that was very satisfying to watch in Ciara’s character.

With that said, be prepared for a lot of violence in this novel. It’s very bloody, which might be off-putting for some. There’s also triggers for rape and assault, which could make this a difficult read for some. Leake’s descriptions are a little more on the vivid side, which is amazing when she’s setting a scene or a mood, but that can be difficult for those who might have issues reading scenes that are a little on the hard-core side. It’s also a little slow at the beginning, which might make readers hesitate, or not want to continue, but give this book a chance. Once you’re in to the second chapter, things start taking off, and become intense.

Now, I said that the romance was a sideline part of the story, but I felt like it could have used a little more development. I also felt like Ciara’s relationship and interactions with the Morrigan could have been a little more developed as well…or rather, I guess I would have liked to see even more of her. The scenes featuring the Morrigan are arguably some of the best, giving the readers a glimpse into the mysticism of the land of Eirinn. Except, these scenes feel very spread out, although there is the idea that the Morrigan is always watching. The same can be said of Odin toward the end of the story. The Morrigan and Odin are key players in the story, so a little more background would have been good for the reader, although how to accomplish that without making the book even longer is an unreasonable complaint from a reader who ultimately left the story feeling satisfied at the end.

With an excellent dose of mythology and historical fiction, this story deserves an 8/10. It’s a great read for those who are looking for stand-alone fantasy novels, as well as those looking to expand add some more Celtic and Norse mythology features into their collection.

You can find Beyond A Darkened Shore on Book Depository, Amazon, and other book retailers! We always recommend you check out your local bookstore first!

Will you be checking out Beyond A Darkened Shore? Or have you already read it? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

The ancient land of Éirinn is mired in war. Ciara, Princess of Mide, has never known a time when Éirinn’s kingdoms were not battling for power, or Northmen were not plundering their shores.

The people of Mide have thankfully always been safe because of Ciara’s unearthly ability to control her enemies’ minds and actions. But lately, a mysterious crow has been appearing to Ciara, whispering warnings of an even darker threat. Although her clansmen dismiss her visions as pagan nonsense, Ciara fears this coming evil will destroy not just Éirinn, but the entire world.

Then the crow leads Ciara to Leif, a young Northman leader. Leif should be Ciara’s enemy, but when Ciara discovers that he, too, shares her prophetic visions, she knows he’s something more. Leif is mounting an impressive army, and with Ciara’s strength in battle the two might have a chance to save their world.

With evil rising around them, they’ll do what it takes to defend the land they love…even if it means making the greatest sacrifice of all.

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