New Young Adult Book Releases 2016: Science Fiction and Fantasy

I love to find new young adult sci-fi and fantasy books to read! This is a list of exciting new teen books that are coming out in 2016 that I cannot wait to read! This list is organized by release date and links to Barnes & Noble, so you can easily pre-order these new YA books now.

The Year of Lightning (The Time Shift Trilogy Book 1) by Ryan Dalton (Science Fiction, release date: January 12, 2016)
15-year-old twins Malcolm and Valentine Gilbert moved to a new town. Inside a house across the street, there is a secret machine with the power to pierce time. Meanwhile, lightning storms are breaking out all over town, and there is a mysterious connection to the house.

The Rule of Three: Will to Survive by Eric Walters (Science Fiction, Dystopian, release date: January 19, 2016)
Will to Survive is the thrilling conclusion in the YA trilogy The Rule of Three.

The Ward by Jordana Frankel (Science Fiction, Dystopian, release date: January 19, 2016)
In the future of New York City, a flood has wiped out Manhattan, leaving entire neighborhoods underwater. With the rivers polluted, an outbreak of a deadly disease known as the Blight has emerged. The government leads a secret mission to search for the cure with the help of sixteen year old Ren.

The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie (Fantasy, Science Fiction, release date: February 8, 2016)
Cassandra Leung is a Reckoner trainer-in-training. She trains sea monsters. The pirate queen Santa Elena kidnaps her and forces Cas to train her monster.

Calamity (The Reckoners Book 3) by Brandon Sanderson (Fantasy, Science Fiction, release date: February 16, 2016)
After Regalia turned Prof into an enemy, David must face the most powerful High Epic there is to get his friend back in this thrilling series.

Firstlife by Gena Showalter (Fantasy, Science Fiction, Dystopian, release date: February 23, 2016)
Tenley Lockwood is a seventeen-year-old girl who has spent the last year locked inside the Prynne Asylum because she won’t let her parents choose where she will live after she dies. There, firstlife is just practice. After you die is the real thing.

Burning Glass by Kathryn Purdie (Fantasy, release date: March 1, 2016)
Sonya has the gift to feel what everyone around her feels, both physically and emotionally. After a mistake wipes out everyone else with the same ability, she is sent to serve under the king’s rule.

Future Shock by Elizabeth Briggs (Science Fiction, release date: April 1, 2016)
Elena Martinez has an eidetic memory that has been kept a secret until now. Aether Corporation sends her on a top secret mission to the future. However, once she looks at her own fate, she only has 24 hours to get back home.­

Consider by Kristy Acevedo (Science fiction, Dystopian, release date: April 19, 2016)
Holograms suddenly appear in the sky, saying that they are from the future, and warn everyone that a comet is going to destroy Earth. They offer the choice to step into a portal to safety.

The Last Star (The Fifth Wave Book 3) by Rick Yancey (Science Fiction, Fantasy, Dystopian, release date: May 24, 2016)
The Last Star is the third and final book in the award winning trilogy, The Fifth Wave. The movie of The Fifth Wave comes out in theaters on January 22, 2016.

The Fever Code (Maze Runner Series Book 5) by James Dashner (Dystopian, Science Fiction, release date: September 27, 2016)
In the fifth book in the popular Maze Runner Series, this book reveals everything about how Thomas and the WICKED built the maze. 


I am most excited to read Consider and The Ward. Which YA new release are you excited to read? Do you have any others to add?

  

Lost Boy by Tim Green

Lost Boy is a middle grade realistic fiction book with a touch of mystery. On Ryder’s way home from baseball practice, he and his mom are arguing about visiting a friend. After Ryder accidentally pushes his mom into the street, she is hit by a truck and has only weeks to live. In order for Ryder's mom to survive, they would need $200,000 to give her an important heart surgery. With the help of his neighbor Mr. Starr and a firefighter, he goes on a quest to find his father, the only hope for finding the money to pay for the surgery. The problem is that Ryder knows nothing about his father whatsoever, and only has a baseball and a letter.

There was not enough of a plot or action for me to get into it. I also did not like how dramatic the events were, and also how undramatic Ryder was. He blamed himself for the accident, but as a character he was isolated, and didn't really connect with me. He just struck me as another character in another book, nothing really special. For me, being able to connect with a character is important when a character is injured or has an internal conflict.

Another thing is that it was really predictable. I easily guessed who the father was and what was going to happen. I did like, however, that at the end there was an epilogue that was a couple months later.

I do not recommend that you read this book.

Title: Lost Boy
Author: Tim Green
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 304 pages
Series: No
Rating: 2 Stars
Goodreads

The Rule of Three by Eric Walters

The Rule of Three is the first book in this incredible dystopian young adult trilogy. It was just a usual day in Eden Mills for Adam Daley until the power went out. At first, it was just thought of as a standard thing that would resolve itself. However, it soon became clear that the problem was much more severe. Everything relying on computers was useless, including cars, airplanes, phones, appliances, and water filtration. Fear starts to get the best of people, and they start to turn on each other in violence, and desperation creates chaos as resources start to run out.

Luckily, Adam's neighbor, Herb, is a retired government spy who was stationed in foreign countries. He has seen first hand these types of things, and knows exactly what could happen, and knows how to survive and plan ahead. Adam's mother is the police captain, and with the two of them working together, there is a great chance for survival.

There are no words good enough to describe how amazing this book was! What I really liked was that even though it is dystopian, it seemed a little more realistic, seeing that the communities did not completely fall apart, and there was still some order. I found The Rule of Three easier to believe. Even though there is this huge problem, the community of Eden Mills really came together, which you do not see in a dystopian novel, or really any type of book. 

Every second of this book kept me hooked. The plot kept going and going, reaching new conflicts and solutions. In a modern day world with so much technology, it was amazing to see how they survived without technology. It is just like going back in time when there were no computers, and things needed to be done by hand. It really made me think about what would happen if that happened here. The only thing I didn't like was how suddenly it ended, but that just only makes me want to read the next book even more!


I cannot wait to read the next book in this series, Fight for Power!


Title: The Rule of Three
Author: Eric Walters
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Pages: 405 pages
Series: Yes, Book 1
Rating: 5 Stars
Goodreads

Renegade (Elemental Trilogy Book 3) by Antony John

Renegade is the thrilling conclusion to the dystopian trilogy, Elemental. After Thom realizes that his mother is still alive, Thom is determined to return home to Roanoke. However, the island is still under pirate control, and a mysterious boy appears in possession of controlling the rats that give the Plague. Thom struggles with the fact that he can take over people's elements, and now his friends are scared of him. But if he wants to save their home, Thom must summon the full extent of his power.

What I did not realize until now is that Roanoke Island is actually a real place! I would never have guessed that, and it made me like the series even more. I also liked Thom's internal conflict. He can take over his friend's elements whenever he wants, and it scares his friends, and him as well. Whenever he touches someone, he hurts them or their element which prevents him from having the relationship with Rose that he wants.

However, I did not like all the secrecy. Its like, oh, by the way, the stuff we have told you since you were born was wrong! Geez. I think it was a little extreme. It was the adults that were lying all the time which confused me, and annoyed me. It still wrapped up the series really well, and there was an ending that showed what happens later. There was still some wiggle room for another book, but only enough to think about it.

I think that you will find this science fiction fantasy trilogy an interesting read for teens!

See my reviews of the other books in this series:

• Elemental by Antony John

• Firebrand (Elemental Trilogy #2) by Antony John

Title: Renegade (Elemental Trilogy #3)
Author: Antony John
Publisher: Dial Books
Pages: 304 pages
Series: Yes, Book 3
Rating: 4 Stars
Goodreads

Firebug by Lish McBride

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Firebug is the first book in this young adult fantasy series. Ava is a firebug, which means she can start fires with her mind. Filled in a world with many, many other magical beings, firebugs are rare and powerful, which makes them desirable. The mafia agency Coterie has had her in a contract since birth. Ava's mother died from orders from Venus, who is now her boss.

When Venus asks Ava to hurt someone she loves, she snaps, this being the last straw. Everyone knows you can't say no to them and get away with it, at least, not with Venus. Ava and her friends run away, knowing that one mistake could result in death.

The story moves really fast. It appears to take place over the span of about a week, which made me doubt a little bit how much could happen in that timeline. I loved how black and white it was. All the characters were either good or bad, and all the characters thought that of each other. There was a huge lesson about that.

However, I did not like the setting. There was really no explanation for where you were most of the time, and that was really confusing. There was not much background information, and it was hard to picture what was going on most of the time with all the commotion of running away.

The second book, Pyromantic, is supposed to be coming out in March 2016. I will read the second to see how it is. I sort of recommend this book.

Title: Firebug (Firebug #1)
Author: Lish McBride
Publisher:  Henry Holt and Co
Pages: 368 pages
Series: Yes, Book 1
Rating: 3 Stars
Goodreads