Gothic history, queer rivalry, and fantasy quests headline a new wave of YA releases for August 26

A fresh cluster of young adult books is hitting shelves this week, marking the start of the late-summer surge in fall YA releases. The list spans hardcover and paperback editions and includes Gothic historical fiction, a cut-throat academic rivalry, a supernatural detective story, and multiple fantasy adventures.

The timing fits a familiar publishing pattern: August is moving toward Labor Day, the unofficial close of summer in the United States, and the new-release calendar is beginning to quicken. While the season has already brought a steady stream of books, the coming weeks are expected to bring even more titles each week, with this week’s selection offering an early look at that momentum.

Among the most anticipated hardcover YA debuts is But I Hate Him by Page Powars, a queer academic-rivalry story centered on Rory, heir to a hugely successful tutoring company. Rory is obsessed with maintaining a flawless image as the smartest and most polished version of himself, but Luca Melendez repeatedly outshines him without trying. After a public humiliation, Rory tries to repair his reputation by earning a place at BRAIN, the country’s most elite academic camp, only to discover Luca is there too.

Another hardcover release, City of Slaughter by Aden Polydoros, continues a supernatural and historical thread introduced through the character of Alter, whose possession by a dybbuk has ended with the World’s Fair. With that restless spirit gone, Alter and his best friend Frankie set up a detective agency, using their different strengths to investigate trouble in their community. Their first major case involves missing children and the suspicion that a demon-like sheyd may still be involved, while Frankie must also confront the past that continues to shape his choices.

Jessica Spotswood’s The Harrow Home for Wayward Girls adds Gothic historical fiction to the week’s lineup. The novel is set around the Harrow Home, an estate where pregnant young women were hidden away, and where the sounds of the girls once lingered in the halls that Grace grew up hearing. In 1947, when the property is sold to a wealthy hotelier, Grace expects the new owner’s daughters to be spoiled and unlikeable, but she instead finds herself drawn to Rose. As the two girls grow closer, they begin uncovering the secrets and cruelty tied to the home’s history and to Grace’s father, Mr. Harrow.

Rae Carson’s standalone fantasy Monster, Monarch, Maiden offers a quest story with romance at its center. Bria begins as a girl helping her parents run an inn with her sisters, living what seems like a safe and ordinary life. That changes when raiders destroy everything she knows and carry her into a dangerous journey alongside the mysterious Titus, who is bound to a quest he did not choose. As Bria travels with him, she starts to realize that the Gift she considered nearly useless may be the key to altering the course of events.

This week’s paperback and series releases broaden the list further. Gaslit by Megan Davidhizar follows Ella, whose plans to spend time with friends are upended when she is pulled into babysitting and arrives at a house that already smells like gas. The situation turns deadly, and the aftermath is even more dangerous when the investigation suggests the incident was not an accident and that whoever is responsible may still be coming after her.

Nikita Gill’s Hekate brings Greek mythology into the release schedule as the first book in an upcoming series. The novel follows the godling Hekate after she is taken to the Underworld when her parents are defeated in the war between the Titans and the Olympian gods. Raised by Styx and Hades, she grows up desperate to understand her purpose and her place in the world, even as she develops the powers of witchcraft and necromancy and comes to realize how feared she is. When a new immortal war erupts, she sees a chance to help bring the fighting to an end.