This Month in Teen Books: January 2023

Reading recommendations for teens
January 11, 2023
The highly anticipated sequel to Tahereh Mafi’s This Woven Kingdom is now available for holds in the library catalog.
 
These Infinite Threads by Tahereh Mafi
With the heat of a kiss, the walls between Alizeh, the long-lost heir to an ancient Jinn kingdom, and Kamran, the crown prince of the Ardunian empire, have crumbled. And so have both of their lives.
 
Alizeh, the heir to the Jinn throne, is destined to free her people from the half-lives they’ve been forced to live under human rule. When Kamran, the heir to the human throne, falls in love with her, he’s forced to question everything he’s been taught about Jinn.
 
Kamran’s grandfather lays dead at the hand of Cyrus, ruler of the neighboring kingdom of Tulan. Cyrus has stolen Alizeh away to his homeland and plans to marry her there, giving her everything she needs to become the Jinn queen—and when she assumes the throne he will have fulfilled his own bargain with the devil.
 
Alizeh wants nothing to do with Cyrus’s deal or the devil. But without a way to escape Tulan, and with the fulfillment of her own destiny tantalizingly close, she’ll have to decide whether she can set aside her emotions to become the queen her people need.
 
Kamran, meanwhile, is picking up the pieces in Ardunia. Facing betrayal at every turn, all he knows is that he must go to Tulan to avenge his grandfather. He can only hope that Alizeh will be waiting for him there—and that she hasn’t yet become the queen of Tulan.
 
What’s New This Month
Also on the way is another in-demand sequel: Chain of Thorns by Cassandra Clare, the latest in her The Last Hours series. Alongside that are a debut Arabian-inspired YA fantasy, and new titles from authors like France Hardinge, Amber McBride, Nick Brooks, Ann Liang, Emma Lord, Kekla Magoon, and more.  
Trending for Teens
The success of Netflix’s delightfully morbid series Wednesday has ensured a second season, and the library has a list of suggested books to read while you wait for it to premiere.  
What We’re Reading
Here are some quotes from library staff about the books in the newest list of recommended picks:
 
Pet by Akwaeke Emezi: “This book deals with heavy themes but also radical acceptance and transformative justice.”
 
So This is Ever After by F.T. Lukens: “Funny and sweet, with plenty of in-jokes for Dungeons & Dragons nerds and fantasy genre-philes.”  
For more lists of recommended reads from the book world and beyond: