In the city of Theumas, Nhika is seen not as a healer, but as a monster who kills for pleasure. And in her city those monsters are traded for gold. When Nhika is caught, she’s forced to heal the last witness to a murder. As Nhika dives into the investigation, all signs point to Ven Kochin, an alluring, entitled physician’s aide. Upon discovering Kochin is not who he claims to be, Nhika is faced with the evil lurking in the city’s center. But a terrible choice awaits her: become the monster the city fears, or jeopardize the future of her kind. Vanessa Le’s THE LAST BLOODCARVER is narrated by VyVy Nguyen.
Few musical artists have skyrocketed to the fame that Taylor Swift currently enjoys, and love her, hate her, or leave her — no one can deny the mark she’s left on pop culture. Considering her first audiences and biggest fans are teenage girls, and given her knack for using a single song to tell a compelling story, it’s unsurprising to me that so many of her lyrics have made their way into the book world as titles. (You can’t copyright a book title, so snatches of lyrics are fair game!) And with the release of The Tortured Poets Department upon us, I can’t help but feel as though Taylor herself would approve of these books.
Now, I can’t say with any definite certainty that the authors titled their books this way because of Taylor Swift…but it does seem likely!
Just Say Yes by Goldy Moldavsky
Jimena is 17, and her 18th birthday is fast approaching when she learns that she is undocumented. Faced with an uncertain future due to her citizen status and unwilling to leave the only home she can remember, she comes up with the perfect plan: marry for a green card. But when her best friend Vitaly tells her he can’t help her in that department, Jimena faces having to date to get married…but how to convince someone to just “say yes” when they’re so young? How can this title not make anyone think of “Love Story”? (It’s a love story, baby just say yes!)
This is Me Trying by Racquel Marie
Bryce, Beatriz, and Santiago were the closest of friends until Santiago ghosted Bryce and Beatriz, who became a couple. But not long after Bryce’s death by suicide, Santiago comes crashing back into Beatriz’s life, but she wants nothing to do with the former friend who left without a word. But they can’t avoid that the universe seems to keep bringing them together, and they’ll have to open up to each other if they can heal. If you’ve ever listened to “This Is Me Trying” from the folklore album, you can see that the vibes of this book match the song perfectly.
Never Ever Getting Back Together by Sophie Gonzales
One thing Skye and Maya have in common: They both dated Jordy, who is now world-famous thanks to the real-live prince his sister married. Now he’s capitalizing on the fame and asks them to be a part of a new reality series that brings together all of Jordy’s exes. Maya wants revenge. Skye wants a second chance. What neither of them count on is falling for each other. Obviously, this title is taken from “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” from Red.
I Wish You Would by Eva Des Lauriers
Natalia and Evan are reuniting for the first time since the disastrous junior prom where they nearly ruined their friendship, and it’s for Senior Sunrise — a tradition at their school to kick off senior year. Everyone in the class writes a letter about their hopes and dreams for the year, and Natalia pours her heart out. But when she tries to take back her letter, multiple letters get scattered on the beach, and once out there, those secret letters could be exposed at any time. The title is also the name of a song from Taylor’s album 1989.
Which other YA books have you come across that you think may have been inspired by Taylor Swift’s lyrics?