From the looks of things, 2019 will be full of amazing new reads. But, let’s be honest. We’re almost equally as excited about all the pretty covers we get to decorate our shelves with too!

That being said, here are a few of our favorite covers from the last couple of years and upcoming 2019 releases celebrating a wonderfully diverse cast of characters!

The Storyteller by Traci Chee

The Storyteller is the finale of The Reader Trilogy, a stunningly written fantasy full of swashbuckling pirates, merciless assassins, and an odd rectangular object that young Sefia will come to realize is a book in a world without the written world.

Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson

After the suspicious deaths of three classmates, Mila Flores, a teen witch, investigates and accidentally ends up bringing them back to life to form a hilariously unlikely–and unwilling–vigilante girl gang. Paperback coming May 14th, 2019!

Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay

Patron Saints of Nothing explores the darker side of contemporary with a hard-hitting glimpse into the war on drugs in the Philippines and the often overlooked casualties that follow. After the sudden death of his cousin, 17-year-old Jay Reguero struggles with grief, guilt, and his own identity as he risks everything to uncover the truth of what really happened. Coming June 18th, 2019!

Night Music by Jenn Marie Thorne

A romantic comedy that sweeps you up with breezy writing and canny social commentary, set behind the scenes of the classical music world during one hot, anything-can-happen, New York City summer. Coming March 19th, 2019!

The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee

From the critically-acclaimed author and founding member of We Need Diverse Books comes a powerful novel about identity, betrayal, and the meaning of family. By day, seventeen-year-old Jo Kuan works as a lady’s maid for the cruel Caroline Payne, the daughter of one of the wealthiest men in Atlanta. But by night, Jo moonlights as the pseudonymous author of a newspaper advice column for “the genteel Southern lady”, using the power of the pen to address some of society’s ills, but is not prepared for the backlash that follows when her column challenges fixed ideas about race and gender. Coming August 18th, 2019!

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free. Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.

Akata Warrior by Nnedi Okorafor

Nnedi Okorafor’s YA fantasy is a modern classic, and its Nigerian setting and story steeped in African lore is everything you need after leaving Wakanda. Akata Witch blends mythology, fantasy, history, and magic into a compelling tale that will keep readers spellbound.

Flame in the Mist by Renée Ahdieh 

After narrowly escaping a bloody ambush by a gang of bandits known as the Black Clan, Mariko must give up her dreams of being an alchemist and inventor, and go undercover to infiltrate the Black Clan. Part spy, part inventor, and totally. kick. ass.

The Wrath & the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh

In Khorasan, every dawn brings a fresh horror to a different family. Their land is ruled by a killer, Caliph, who takes a new bride each night only to execute her at sunrise. When sixteen-year-old Shahrzad volunteers to marry the Caliph, she has only vengeance in mind. That is, until she realizes that not everything is as it seems.

Let’s Go Swimming on Doomsday Natalie C. Anderson

When Abdi’s family is kidnapped, he’s forced to do the unthinkable, become a child soldier with the ruthless jihadi group Al Shabaab. In order to save the lives of those he loves, and earn their freedom, Abdi agrees to be embedded as a spy within the militia’s ranks and to send dispatches on their plans to the Americans. If Abdi’s duplicity is discovered, he will be killed. Coming January 15th!

Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton 

Amani is a gifted gunslinger with perfect aim, but she can’t shoot her way out of Dustwalk, the back-country town where she’s destined to wind up wed or dead. Then she meets Jin, a rakish foreigner, and sees him as the perfect escape route. But though she’s spent years dreaming of leaving Dustwalk, she never imagined she’d gallop away on mythical horse—or that it would take a foreign fugitive to show her the heart of the desert she thought she knew.

Curious about what’s coming your way this year? Checkout these 15 2019 MUST reads!