Teen Scene
August 2025

Recent Releases
A girl walks into the forest
by Madeleine Roux

The beautiful Valla travels through dangerous Gottyar Wood to get to Count Leonid's castle, but her face is torn to shreds en route and the Count is unhappy, in a female-forward narrative that borrows from horror, fairy tales and folklore
Wake the wild creatures
by Nova Ren Suma

"Sixteen-year-old Talia delves into her memories of the hidden feminist commune she grew up in and plots her way back to it after her mother is arrested for murder"
Meet me on Love Street
by Farah Heron

Seventeen-year-old Sana, a hopeless romantic, teams up with the cynical Miles to plan a festival to save her gentrifying neighborhood on Love Street, all while trying to prove that love can conquer even the toughest of hearts
If We Survive This
by Racquel Marie

Six months into a zombie apocalypse, Flora hears her father over the radio. En route to him with her injured brother Cain, they encounter Crisanta. She's Flora's crush and Cain's ex, further complicating everything. This gruesome novel pairs classic zombie horror with thoughtful representation of Flora's obsessive compulsive disorder.
After We Burned
by Marieke Nijkamp

On the night Eden and her girlfriend Payton planned to run away from their abusive families, their high school burned to the ground with Eden trapped inside. Now, Payton and her classmates strive to protect the secrets that may emerge during the investigation. Read-alikes: Kacen Callender's We Are Villains; Megan Davidhizar's Silent Sister.
 
Dark Academia
Sinister scholars, secret societies, deadly conspiracies...no matter the storyline, you can count on dark academia for plenty of twists, as well as unsettling, ominous vibes.
 
Curious Tides
by Pascale Lacelle

Emory and her best friend Baz unravel the secrets behind the strange ritual at Aldryn College for Lunar Magics that left seven students dead -- including Baz’s sister -- and imbued Emory with powerful magic. This fast-paced dark academia mystery opens a duology. Read-alikes: Kayla Cottingham’s My Dearest Darkest; Kate Alice Marshall’s The Narrow.
A Study in Drowning
by Ava Reid

Effy Sayre has won the opportunity to redesign the home of late author Emrys Myrddin. At the crumbling estate, Effy meets literature scholar Preston, and the longer they stay, the more they wonder if the evil Fairy King Myrddin wrote about isn't actually fictional. Read-alikes: A.B. Poranek's Where the Dark Stands Still; Anna Bright's The Hedgewitch of Foxhall.
Tender Beasts
by Liselle Sambury

Sunny Behre, a student at the posh Toronto private school bearing her family’s name, embraces her role as the golden child. But her loyalty is put to the test when clearing her brother’s name in a murder case means uncovering family secrets. Read-alikes: Kosoko Jackson’s The Forest Demands Its Due; Jumata Emill’s The Black Queen.
The Witch Haven
by Sasha Peyton Smith

New York City, 1911: 17-year-old Frances is suspected of murdering her brother. Being whisked away to Haxahaven Sanitarium not only saves her from being arrested, but allows her to hone magical talents that could help solve the crime. This dramatic, suspenseful dark fantasy incorporates themes of justice and sisterhood.
 
The Invocations
by Krystal Sutherland

Zara and Jude need magic to solve their problems, so they seek out Emer, a witch bent on revenge and dedicated to women in need. As Emer's former clients start dying mysteriously, the trio fights back to find the killer and fix their lives. Read-alikes: Georgia Bowers' Mark of the Wicked; Kate J. Armstrong's Nightbirds.
 
Don't see what you're looking for in our catalog? You can always make a purchase suggestion, or check our Interlibrary Loan system!
Phillipsburg Free Public Library
200 Broubalow Way
Phillipsburg, New Jersey 08865
908-454-3712
http://www.pburglib.org/