110 PUBLISHERS WEEKLY FEBRUARY 2, 2026
A House of Vipers Emma Jackson. Delacorte, $19.99 (400p) ISBN 979-8-2170-2698-2 A boarding school student winds up in over his head after he unearths new information about his missing sibling in this pulse-pounding mys- tery by Jackson ( Careful What You Witch For , for adults). High school junior Sutter Heyward is anxious to return to Meddlehart Academy, an isolated institution in the Colorado mountains. Though administrators, authorities, and Sutter’s classmates have moved on from his older brother Lawson’s disappearance more than a year prior to the book’s start, Sutter is certain that Lawson is alive. With help from loyal peers, including a lifelong best friend, a crush, and a romantic rival, Sutter searches for clues to his sibling’s whereabouts. Upon learning that Lawson went missing while investigating their school’s rumored buried treasure—one that members of a secret student society called the Order of the Vipers have also been searching for—Sutter believes he’s uncovered the key to finding his brother. But things take a dangerous turn as Sutter delves further into the society’s sinister history. Though some aspects of the dark academia plotting and atmosphere feel overly familiar, expertly rendered character dynamics, a believably suspenseful love triangle, and a focus on the bracing impact of trust and friendship sets this YA debut apart. Ages 12–up. Agent: Rachel Beck, Liza Dawson Assoc. (Apr.) Sweet Clarity Rhiannon Richardson. Simon & Schuster, $19.99 (368p) ISBN 978-1-6659-1238-9 A queer teen must decide how far she’s willing to go to live her truth in this tender sapphic romance from Richardson ( The Meet-Cute Project ). When 18-year-old Clarity arrives at Christian Camp Refuge as a counselor, she’s expecting a quiet summer mind- ing the younger campers. During her first night there, she encounters class- mate and fellow counselor Hannah. Though they rarely interact at school, Clarity suddenly senses a spark
and anyone who questions him/ is questioning God”), Kestrel channels the ferocity of her namesake, a bird of prey, to face her fears. Accessible text portrays the protagonist’s shift from frightened nervousness to steadfast self-confidence, resulting in a deeply introspective offering. An author’s note concludes. The Sinclairs are white. Ages 10–up. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel, Goderich, & Bourret. (May) Gods & Comics Kat Cho, illus. by Robin Har. Penguin/ Paulsen, $20.99 (384p) ISBN 978-0-593-40681-6 ★ ❘ A Korean American high schooler moonlighting as a webtoon artist finds her meticulously planned future upended when her fictional creations inexplicably come to life in this epic fantasy adventure Grace dreams of pursuing a career in medicine, her panic attacks— exacerbated by her doctor father’s high expectations—make her goals feel impossible to attain. Following her grandmother’s death, Grace starts a webcomic based on the Korean myths Halmeoni used to tell her. Under a pseudonym, Grace creates Sun God , a fantasy romance series about Haemosu, a powerful deity cursed to attend mortal high school. When Haemosu one day materializes from the comic, he requests Grace’s help in returning him to his celestial homeworld. As fantasy and reality intertwine, Grace contends with real feelings for her fictional protagonist as well as the arrival of Haemosu’s sworn enemy, and his plot to destroy humankind. Cho seamlessly weaves elements of historical Korean myth by Cho ( Wish upon a K-Star ). Though 17-year-old Floridian into contemporary settings and action-packed sequences. Human issues of racial microaggressions, grief, and anxiety take center stage amid godly conflicts, making for a fresh and richly layered K-drama-esque romantasy. Final art not seen by PW . Ages 12–up. Author’s agent: Beth Phelan, Gallt & Zacker Literary. (Apr.)
between them that makes her feel “more tethered to my own life than I’d felt in a long time.” The girls keep their developing romantic relation- ship secret from their peers, but when they’re found out, Clarity struggles to deal with the resulting alienation from her coworkers. Resolving to avoid a similar fallout at home, Clarity breaks up with Hannah and hides her revelation about her sexual identity from her family. But after Clarity and Hannah are made copresidents of their school’s festival committee, Clarity must confront their past relationship. “Then” and “Now” chapters deftly alternate between vulnerable moments throughout the teens’ romance and their strained present-day dynamic. The love interests’ joyful interactions— instigated primarily by patient and gentle Hannah—buoy Clarity’s charged attempts at grappling with her shifting identity and perception of her religious faith. Clarity is Black; Hannah cues as white. Ages 12–up. Agent: John Cusick, Folio Jr. (Apr.) The Forgotten Lore (Ellen Poe #1) Diana Peterfreund. Running Press, $19.99 hardcover (304p); $12.99 paper ISBN 979-8-89414-330-9; ISBN 979-8-89414-168-8 In this intriguing ghost novel by Peterfreund ( In the Ballroom with the Candlestick ), an alleged descendant of Edgar Allan Poe seeks to uncover more about her lineage. Though 16-year-old Ellen Poe Reynolds’s family claims to be ancestors of the poet, it’s not something that she likes to advertise. Following a move into her family’s failing Poe-themed B&B, Raven’s Rest, Ellen has been plagued by nightmares, which her aunt claims are visions of various Poe tales. At school, Ellen keeps her head down— until the arrival of new student Gus, who’s been haunting her dreams as a ghost. Things get even creepier when she discovers a mysterious coded journal tucked into her backpack and realizes that she’s being trailed by a vision of Poe himself. Suspecting that the journal contains the original works by Poe, the teen—aided by Gus as well as cryptic quips from
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