By Shahna Hopper
Looking for new books to read? Try out these YA novels based on your zodiac sign.
Books To Read If You're Born Between...
Aries: March 21 - April 19
We Are the Wildcats by Siobhan Vivian
Standalone/Contemporary/Field Hockey
Pub Date: March 31st 2020
Aries is the first sign in the zodiac line-up, and you sure do show it with your confidence and optimistic personality. As a fire sign, you are honest, impulsive, and know what you want. Like the girls from the West Essex High field hockey team in We Are The Wildcats, you are determined to have the best year ever.
Over the course of 24 hours, join the girls as they manage initiation, high school drama, secrets, and a coach who seems determined to push the girls to their limits. Sometimes a team is more than a team; they’re a family. The Wildcats would do anything for each other.
Taurus: April 20 - May 20
You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron
Standalone/Horror/Summer Camp
Pub Date: June 20th 2023
Hey Taurus! How do you feel about escape rooms, cheesy horror movies, and summer camp? Well, if you ask Charity from You're Not Suppose To Die Tonight, you may get mixed reviews. As an Earth sign, you are reliable, practical, and maybe a little bit possessive.
Charity Curtis takes her job very seriously and wants everything to be just right, to the point of obsessive perfection. So, when she finally gets a chance to direct the camp for Survive the Night, she has planned everything down to the last detail. It should be the best night ever. With all her friends on board, what could go wrong?
Gemini: May 21 - June 21
Kismat Connection by Ananya Devarajan
Standalone/Romance/Family Curse
Pub Date: June 13th 2023
Geminis are gentle, kind, curious, and maybe a bit indecisive. Like Madhuri, from Kismat Connection, you have a hard time making decisions, but that’s okay because everything always seems to work itself out. Have some faith!
Curl up with Madhuri and Arjun as they traverse their final year of high school and all the choices that need to be made. Will they let fate decide the future? Or push for the future they really want? You’ll love the cozy, funny, and maybe a little stressful relationship between the best friends.
Cancer: June 22 - July 22
Slay by Brittney Morris
Standalone/Contemporary/ Video Games
Pub Date: September 24th 2019
Our fourth sign is Cancer. You’re a badass full of tenacity, imagination, and passionate emotion. You're loyal, a little bit moody, and a little bit pessimistic. You and Kiera from Slay would be great friends, I’m sure.
While in college, Kiera designed a video game specifically as a safe space for black gamers, and it’s her pride and joy. None of her friends know she’s the creator of the super-popular multiplayer game SLAY. This has been great so far, but as her relationships start to struggle and the real-life murder of a player occurs, Kiera is suddenly to blame for everything.
Leo: July 23 - August 22
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
Duology/Sci-Fi/Mech Suits
Pub Date: September 21st 2021
Leo, we know you’re creative, passionate, and stubborn, just like Zetian in Iron Widow. You're two peas in a pod, or maybe three? Iron Widow is the first in a two-part series set in China during a great battle between mecha aliens and giant robots.
Zetian is out for revenge and tracks down the pilot who killed her sister during a mission. Her anger leads her to success, and she survives her first mission and becomes a powerful and feared soldier, the Iron Widow.
Join Zetian as she maneuvers her way through politics and maybe a relationship or two. She uses her new-found strength to fight the misogynistic world view that puts women in such dangerous and deadly situations for male gain. You could say Zetian is the definition of feminine rage!
Virgo: August 23 - September 22
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
Trilogy/Mystery/Secrets
Pub Date: May 2nd 2019
Virgo, Virgo, Virgo. You need to take a break, my friend. Your brain is always working, analyzing and criticizing everything. You and Pip from A Good Girl's Guide to Murder need to sit back, relax, and solve a murder together.
For her senior project, Pip has made it her mission to solve the five-year-old murder of a local girl named Andie. She believes there is more to the story and spends months analyzing and obsessing over the case, to the point of endangering herself and others.
With help from her friends and the brother of the man convicted of Andie’s murder, Pip is sent down dead-end trails, told lies, and threatened on more than one occasion. It’s going to take a lot of hard work and focus to figure out who her real friends are and who wants her dead.
Libra: September 23 - October 23
The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas
Duology/Contemporary/Social Justice
Pub Date: February 28th 2017
Lucky number seven is Libra. Gracious, diplomatic, and a believer in doing the right thing. You can be a bit indecisive, and you’re a pro at holding grudges. Starr Carter, from The Hate U Give, is the girl for you.
When she witnesses the death of her best friend at the hands of a cop, her whole world is flipped upside down. Racism breeds hate, and Starr finds herself trying to defend her friend after her death to the masses while also trying to find her place in a world not built for her.
Starr has a strong sense of justice and finds herself at the center of a nationally broadcast protest. Now it is up to her what happens next. Does she give in to intimidation and stay quiet, or does she speak up and risk hurting her community?
Scorpio: October 24 - November 21
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
Standalone/Fantasy/Horses
Pub Date: October 18th 2011
This one may seem a bit on the nose, but Scorpio, this is the one for you. Like Puck, you are resourceful, passionate, and brave. So when she and her brothers are about to lose their home and everything they own, she has to make a tough choice—to compete in The Scorpio Races. They need the prize money desperately, but girls don’t race.
Puck is the first girl to tame a capall uisce (water horse) and enter the race of a lifetime. But while Puck is on the verge of homelessness, Sean is also in dire need of the winnings. Together, they need to figure out how to solve both of their problems. Everything they know and love is on the line, and they are willing to risk it all to save themselves and the ones they love.
Sagittarius: November 22 - December 21
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
Standalone/Contemporary/ Slam Poetry
Pub Date: March 6th 2018
Slow down, Sagittarius; take a break. You’re always so impatient. We know you don’t like to follow the rules and you want to do your own thing. Xiomara Batista, from The Poet X, also has a deep-rooted need for change. She has always been told what to do and what not to do. But when her body starts to change, she feels lost within herself. Anger takes hold, and she needs a way to channel it.
Through poetry, she expresses her frustrations, her feelings, and her passions, all written down in a beat-up notebook. Xiomara’s poetry was always kept secret until she was invited to join her school's Slam Poetry Club. This may be her chance at finally being heard.
Capricorn: December 22 - January 19
Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon
Standalone/Romance/Magical Realism
Pub Date: June 3rd 2021
Number ten! Hey Capricorn. I know it’s hard to forgive when you feel you’ve been wronged, but you always seem to know what is best for you. You’re responsible, disciplined, and willing to learn. So follow in Evie’s footsteps (or, should I say, dance steps) and try something new like she does in Instructions for Dancing.
Evie is cursed with visions. She is able to see every aspect of a couple's relationship, from the beginning to the inevitable end. This has made Evie untrusting and not willing to fall in love. Until she meets X by accident at a dance studio, While their relationship grows as dance partners, Evie’s walls start to break, letting him in one dance at a time. Maybe she is ready to give love a chance.
Aquarius: January 20 - February 18
Bonesmith by Nicki Pau Preto
Duology/Fantasy/Ghosts
Pub Date: July 25th 2023
Aquarius! It’s okay to let people in; you don’t have to do everything on your own. You are fiercely independent, but you have to stop running from your emotions.
In Bonesmith, Wren has been dying to stand out and get the approval of her father and grandmother. But when she fails her final test to finally become a Valkyr, she is banished by the two people she was trying to make proud.
Wren’s punishment leads her to save a prince, fall into a hole with a man who wants her dead, and discover family secrets that were meant to stay lost. Stubborn and a bit headstrong, Wren will have you falling in love with ghost hunting and just dying to know what will happen next.
Pisces: February 19 - March 20
A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin
Duology/Fantasy/Tea
Pub Date: March 22nd 2022
Last but certainly not least, sweet Pisces, with your compassionate and artistic nature, you’re just like Ning from A Magic Steeped in Poison. After the accidental death of her mother (it may or may not have been Ning’s fault), she is in desperate need to prevent the death of her sister.
The Imperial City is having a competition to find the greatest shunning-shi in the kingdom. Ning enters in hopes of being dubbed a master of the ancient and magical art of tea-making. The grand prize: a favor from the princess. This is her last chance to save her sister. Ning has to learn quickly how to navigate court politics by backstabbing contestants, and she has to stop getting distracted by the handsome Kang.
Shahna is a lifelong book lover with a personal library of over 2000 books. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Language and Literature from Queen’s University. She is a mood reader with a soft spot for thrillers. Shahna is a huge advocate of audiobooks. Find her on socials (@shahnareads).
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