New Book Releases for October 2018
October 2018 is an absolutely massive month for book releases. There is something for everyone. Here is my list of top releases for October 2018. Click on covers for more information and reviews.
Children’s Fiction
Journey of the Pale Bear – Susan Fletcher – Margaret K. McEldery Books – Published 2 October 2018
The polar bear is a royal bear, a gift from the King of Norway to the King of England. The first time Arthur encounters the bear, he is shoved in her cage as payback for stealing food. Restless and deadly, the bear terrifies him. Yet, strangely, she doesn’t harm him—though she has attacked anyone else who comes near. That makes Arthur valuable to the doctor in charge of getting the bear safely to London. So Arthur, who has run away from home, finds himself taking care of a polar bear on a ship to England.
Children’s Fiction: Animals, Adventure.
Ogre Enchanted – Gail Carson Levine – HarperCollins – Published 16 October 2018
Evie, though only fifteen, is a gifted healer. Her passions are herbs, healing tonics and devoted attention to her patients. In Wormy, Evie has a dear friend and willing subject upon whom she tests all her new cures and tonics. But when Wormy proposes, Evie is quick to turn him down – she has no intention of marrying young. Unfortunately the fairy Lucinda hears Evie’s refusal and transforms Evie into a hideous, very smelly and eternally hungry ogre as punishment. Evie has just 62 days to accept another proposal or she will remain an ogre forever.
Children’s Fiction: Fantasy.
Young Adult Fiction
The Last Wish of Sasha Cade – Cheyanne Young – Kids Can Press – Published 2 October 2018
Raquel knew this day was coming, but the death of her best friend Sasha still hits her hard. In the midst of her grief she receives a surprise letter from Sasha outlining a series of adventures that will unfold over the next few weeks – a scavenger hunt of memories and fond moments. But Sasha has one other big secret that she shares with Raquel – a boy with whom she shared a special connection. As Elijah and Raquel complete Sasha’s adventures, they become close, brought together through shared grief. But a future together would mean revealing Sasha’s secret.
Young adult fiction: Contemporary.
The Perfect Candidate – Peter Stone – Simon Pulse – Published 2 October 2018
When recent high school graduate Cameron Carter lands an internship with Congressman Billy Beck in Washington, DC, he thinks it is his ticket out of small town captivity. When he lacks connections and Beltway polish he makes up in smarts, and he soon finds a friend and mentor in fellow staffer Ariel Lancaster. That is, until she winds up dead.
Young adult fiction: Mystery thriller.
The Geography of Lost Things – Jessica Brody – Simon Pulse – Published 2 October 2018
Ali has just days until the bank will reclaim her family home and she and her mother must find somewhere else to live. Years of paying the debts of her flaky father, of learning that his promises can’t be trusted and knowing he will never come home have made Ali angry for everything she has lost. So, when a knock on the door reveals her father has left her his most prized possession – a 1968 Firebird convertible – Ali is quick to list it for sale, hoping the money can save her home. The only problem is the buyer is miles away and she can’t drive stick. Her ex-boyfriend Nico can, though, and when he wiggles his way into her road trip Ali is sure it’s going to be a disaster. What will a car, miles of road, too many secrets, lies and broken dreams to count and a possibility of a redo bring?
Young adult fiction: Contemporary.
Words We Don’t Say – K.J. Reilly – Disney-Hyperion – Published 2 October 2018
Joel Higgins has 901 unsent text messages saved on his phone. Ever since the thing that happened, there are certain people he hasn’t been able to talk to in person. Sure, he shows up at school, does his mandatory volunteer hours at the soup kitchen, and spends pretty much every moment thinking about Eli, the most amazing girl in the world. But that doesn’t mean he’s keeping it together, or even that he has any friends.
So instead of hanging out with people in real life, he drafts text messages. But he never presses send.
Young adult fiction – Contemporary.
Shadow of the Fox – Julie Kagawa – HarperTeen – Published 2 October 2018
Raised by monks in the isolated Silent Winds temple, Yumeko has trained all her life to hide her yokai nature. Half kitsune, half human, her skill with illusion is matched only by her penchant for mischief. Until the day her home is burned to the ground, her adoptive family is brutally slain and she is forced to flee for her life with the temple’s greatest treasure—one part of the ancient scroll.
Star-Crossed – Pintip Dunn – Entangled: Teen – Published 2 October 2018
In a world where nutrition can be transferred via a pill, and society is split into Eaters and Non-Eaters, seventeen-year-old Princess Vela has a grave dilemma. Her father, the king, is dying, and only a transplant of organs from a healthy Non-Eater boy will save him.
Vela is tasked with choosing a boy fit to die for the king, which is impossible enough. But then Carr, the boy she’s loved all her life, emerges as the best candidate in the Bittersweet Trials. And he’s determined to win, because by doing so, he can save the life of his Non-Eater sister.
Young adult fiction: Science-fiction.
The Healer – Donna Freitas – HarperTeen – Published 9 October 2018
Marlena is a Healer. Some say she is touched by God, others say she is a saint. For years, her mother has decided how she will live and what she will do. But as Marlena begins to stretch her wings, she must decide if being a healer defines her or if she can heal on her own terms.
Young adult fiction: Contemporary.
What If It’s Us – Becy Albertalli + Adam Silvera – HarperTeen – Published 9 October 2018
Arthur is in New York for the summer. Ben lives in New York year round. Arthur is working as an intern at his mother’s law firm. Ben is hoping to pass summer school so he doesn’t have to repeat his Junior year. Arthur has never been on a date let alone had a boyfriend. Ben is reeling from his first breakup. When Arthur and Ben meet, they both feel something, but they leave without exchanging names or numbers. So begins a search across New York to find each other again. But when they do meet again, will they be able to start a relationship?
Young adult fiction: Contemporary.
Phantom Wheel – Tracy Deebs – Little Brown – Published 16 October 2018
Believing they have been recruited by the CIA, six teen hackers arrive in LA for a hacking aptitude test with the promise of a college scholarship and a job with the CIA after graduation. But one of the teens, Owen, walks out, refusing to participate. The other five decide to stay and complete the tests. When they finish, they leave feeling equally accomplished and unnerved.
Then silence-until they receive a text from Owen: You’ve been played. He’s uncovered evidence that the hackers created “Phantom Wheel,” the most devastating virus ever made.
When Rose first met Charles, he was trapped in the form of a white bear. To rescue him, Rose traveled to the land that lay east of the sun and west of the moon to defeat the evil Troll Queen. Now Rose has found her happily-ever-after with Charles—until a sudden storm destroys his ship and he is presumed dead. But Rose doesn’t believe the shipwreck was an act of nature, nor does she believe Charles is truly dead. Something much more sinister is at work. With mysterious and unstoppable forces threatening the lives of the people she loves, Rose must once again set off on a perilous journey. And this time, the fate of the entire world is at stake.
That Night – Amy Giles – HarperTeen – Published 23 October 2018
Everything changed that night. Families. The way people looked at and treated you. You. A year ago Jess lost her brother in a shooting that shattered her world. Now her mother hardly gets out of bed and Jess needs to find a job to pay the bills. Lucas took up boxing after his brother sacrificed himself to save Lucas. But the boxing sometimes can’t control his panic attacks that seem to be increasing in frequency or the consuming guilt. Lucas and Jess are now tied together by tragedy, but when they start working together they find that shared memories might make for a wonderful friendship and even romance.
Young adult fiction: Contemporary.
One Giant Leap – Heather Kaczynski – HarperTeen – Published 23 October 2018
Cassie and the rest of the crew have found themselves in the middle of a conflict between two alien civilizations hell-bent on destroying each other . . . and anyone else who gets in their way. What was supposed to be a reconnaissance mission soon becomes a fight for their lives. But Cassie knows that it isn’t enough to simply survive. The war is coming to Earth, and only she has the information that can possibly stop the devastation it will bring. With humanity’s fate in the balance, Cassie must decide who she can trust and who she is willing to sacrifice in order to complete her mission.
Young adult fiction: Science-fiction
This Cruel Design – Emily Suvada – Simon Pulse – Published 30 October 2018
Cat might have found a vaccine for the deadly Hydra plague, but the journey has revealed secrets that shattered her world and has left her reeling, no longer truly knowing who she is or what her purpose should be. Camping in the woods with Cole and Leoben, Cat is hoping for a chance to regroup and decide on her next move, but time is running out if she is going to prevent Lachlan from reprogramming humanity. She also needs to learn how to control her new panel and deal with the memory glitches that threaten to reveal more secrets.
Young adult fiction: Science-fiction
Looking for more titles? Check out
When We Caught Fire by Anna Godbersen
Damsel by Elana K. Arnold
What They Don’t Know by Nicole Maggi
Hearts Unbroken by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Christian Fiction
Hidden Peril – Irene Hannon – Code of Honor #2 – Revell – Published 2 October 2018
As teenagers, Kristin Dane and her two best friends took a vow to make the world a better place. Twenty years later, she’s fulfilling that pledge through her fair trade shop that features products from around the world. All is well until, one by one, people connected to the shop begin dying.
Detective Luke Carter, new to the St. Louis PD, wants to know why. Before he can answer that question, however, the FBI weighs in and Kristin suddenly finds herself in the middle of international intrigue–and in the sights of the ruthless mastermind behind an ingenious and deadly, scheme
Christian fiction: Suspense.
The Reluctant Warrior – Mary Connealy – High Sierra Sweethearts #2 – Bethany House – Published 2 October 2018
Cameron Scott, now retired from the Union army, only wishes to retrieve his daughter and nephew and take them to his new home – a parcel of land marked to become a thriving ranch. But the children are terrified of him and instead cling to the woman who has cared for them in the past months. When a determined killer once again trains his sights on the small group huddled together in the wild winter, Cam must extend his time with the annoying Gwen Harkness. Yet the threat of danger and the chance to get to know and love his children give him an opportunity to learn more about Gwen, and Cam finds she just might be the answer to his troubles.
Young adult fiction: Historical.
As a first-year law associate, Sydney Batson knows she will be updating her resume by New Year’s if she loses her current court case. So when her grandmother gets inexplicably ill while she’s in court, Sydney arranges for a cab to get her to the clinic.
The last thing cab driver Finn Parrish wants is to be saddled with a wheelchair-bound old lady with dementia. But because Miss Callie reminds him of his own mother, whom he failed miserably in her last days, he can’t say no when she keeps calling him for rides. Once a successful gourmet chef, Finn’s biggest concern now is making his rent, but half the time Callie doesn’t remember to pay him. And as she starts to feel better, she leads him on wild goose chases to find a Christmas date for her granddaughter.
Police Chief Tess O’Rourke thought she’d taken care of her small town’s drug problem last year. But now Rogue’s Hollow residents are up in arms over a contentious vote on legalizing the sale of marijuana within city limits. And when an eighteen-year-old is found dead of a possible overdose, Tess wonders if the local pot farms might be involved and begins to fear that a new, deadlier drug supply chain has cropped up. As tempers flare and emotions boil over, Tess faces the possibility of losing the town’s support.
Christian fiction – Suspense.
On a day when a negotiation ends badly, the last thing hostage negotiator April Ramos wants to have happen is a baby thrust into her arms. The day only worsens when a man claiming to be the baby’s father takes April hostage at gunpoint. Jason Snyder is determined to prove his innocence of his best friend’s murder. Taking FBI Special Agent April Ramos hostage is the only way Jason knows how to rescue his daughter and make someone believe his innocence. April isn’t sure what to believe, but as she gets to know Jason and his family a little better and they start digging into the case together, she is resolved to uncover the truth.
Delayed Justice – Cara C. Putman – Thomas Nelson – Published 16 October 2018
Reaching Her Heart – Kimberly Rae Jordan – Three Strand Press – Published 26 October 2018
He had been the love of Shayna Caron’s life. But then he was taken from her. Alone, her focus is completely on raising their son and trying to be both mother and father to him. She is determined to keep Timothy from living the life she had at his age.
Timothy’s fascination with Tristan Callaghan’s latest project brings the pair into his world, and for the first time, Tristan finds himself wanting them to stay there—in a place where he’s only ever allowed members of his family. Though he knows the story of Shayna and Timothy’s loss, he hopes that maybe there is room in their hearts and lives for another love. But can he risk his own heart before knowing for sure?
Christian Fiction: Contempoary.
Things Left Unsaid – Courtney Walsh – Waterfall Press – Published 30 October 2018
I’m most excited for The Healer and Shadow of the Fox. I’m currently reading Star Crossed and it is incredible and I just started it.
The Healer is a great read! I’m looking forward to The Shadow of the Fox, too, but my favourite has the be This Cruel Design. It’s amazing. Enjoy your October reading!
Isn’t that a sequel? I never read the first one.
Yes, it is the second book in the trilogy. I highly, highly recommend book one This Mortal Coil if you like clever science-fiction.
I will have to check it out!
Hope you enjoy it.