In a world being endangered by scrabs (human killing creatures), Clara is ready to do anything to get away from her abusive father, so she decides to join a scrab fighting army. The privately funded army has recruits across the globe. Clara goes to Paris and London with her team. She trains, battles scrabs and builds relationships. One of her relationships turns out toxic while others feel like she belongs to a good family. Dynamics between characters and the world-building create a mix of intrigue, danger and suspense. The ending is a bit of a cliffhanger so I’m struggling to wait for the second book of this duology. 5 stars for a dangerous adventure ride!
A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
Surprise ending!
A Curse so Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer is one of the best fairy tale retellings that I have read.
The writing demanded my attention from the first chapter and each chapter ends in a bit of a cliffhanger! I had to force myself to stop reading to go to bed. Harper is kidnapped but for reasons that are different from what she ever expected. She’s been kidnapped from Washington D.C. to help break a prince’s curse. Prince Rhen and his top guard, Grey, are the only two that know about the curse and the secret that Rhen is horrified about. Lilith cursed Rhen years ago and he’s turned into a violent monster every season since. Once he changes, he has no memory or control, and because of that he’s ending up killing the royal family, his family. Harper doesn’t like Rhen at first but she understands him better the more she gets to know him. Grey is an intimidating guard but a kind and caring soul. Each season, Rhen becomes a different creature but he’s always violent and ruthless. Harper helps Rhen and his kingdom by pretending to be a princess. A cruel ruler threatens to take over the kingdom and Harper and Rhen tell her that the princess’s father is sending reinforcements to stop her. Rhen, Harper and Grey continue to work together and become closer. This story is full of action, loyalty and bravery and ends in an intense surprise, 5 stars!
You Were Here by Cori McCarthy
You Were Here by Cori McCarthy
On the fifth anniversary of her brother’s death, his graduation night, Jaycee is spending her own graduation night trying to lose herself in the memories that she’s been holding tightly to. She’s revisiting the places he enjoyed but she feels him slipping away. She reluctantly lets people tag along as friends on the adventures and each of them experiences something eye-opening that shoves them into adulthood. I love this book and even though I just finished it, I want to read it again. The circumstances that start the story, the character development and growth, the uniquely different characters and the setting work together to build a wonderful book, 5 stars!
Run, Hide, Fight Back by April Henry
Run, Hide, Fight Back by April Henry.
A shooting occurs in a mall on an otherwise normal day. We learn a little about each of the characters highlighted in the chapters, gaining insight into their lives, as they try to hide from the shooters. The whole concept of this story has become all too real and we gain insight into all sides as we read dispatch messages, interactions between police and shooters, and as the crime unfolds. The book is a fairly quick read and when the true reason for the shooting is revealed, greed prevails. Interesting and thought provoking, 4 stars!
Malice by Pintip Dunn
I enjoyed this book more than any other Pintip Dunn book (that I have read). The concept is unique and the character growth and depth is profound.
Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Teen for the opportunity to read and review Malice by Pintip Dunn!
Alice begins to hear a voice that’s telling her what to do. She soon realizes that the voice belongs to her future self, and is warning present time Alice, about a future virus that is going to destroy the world. Future Alice wants her to kill the virus maker. As the story unfolds, I kept thinking that I had figured out who the virus maker was, but I just kept getting hit with one surprise after another! The story concept is interesting and I especially like the mystery surrounding the virus maker. Bandit is intriguing but I want to know more about Zeke. Alice goes through a whirlwind of back and forth time travel, possible futures and the shocks and surprises that are thrown at her. This is the absolute best Pintip Dunn book I’ve read! 4 stars!
Black Canary Ignite by Meg Cabot and Illustrated by Cara McGee
Action, adventure and awesome illustrations!
Thanks to DC Comics and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Black Canary Ignite by Meg Cabot, illustrated by Cara McGee. This seven chapter graphic novel tells the story of Detective Lance’s daughter, Dinah. Dinah’s mother is the Black Canary and she helped fight crime before Dinah was born. Dinah has inherited her mother’s Canary Cry, a supersonic voice. Dinah tries to control her power but it’s not easy. Fun origin story full of action, adventure and colorful illustrations, 5 stars!
The Suffering by Rin Chupeco
The Suffering by Rin Chupeco is the sequel to Girl From the Well. Tark and Okiku work together as a vigilante team ridding the world of murderers. They have to enter the Japanese forest that’s known for people committing suicide within its borders. Kagura is missing, so Callie, Tark and Okiku venture into the forest to find her and the American ghost hunting TV crew she went with. They were searching for a village that supposedly exists but no one has discovered it. The search party discovers horrific rituals and sacrifices that the village leader tricked the citizens into believing were helpful to the village, but the leader was sacrificing young women for personal power and to open Hell’s gates. Callie and Tark get split up and Tark encounters terrible, vengeful, angry spirits, members of the missing TV crew and eventually he finds Kagura. Together, Okiku, Tark and Kagura fight the spirit of the evil leader and try to appease the tortured spirits. Danger, suspense and creepiness made me want to read nonstop, 5 stars for this haunted sequel!
Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett
Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett addresses several difficult topics with boldness and knowledge. Simone was born HIV positive and she lives with her loving, adoptive parents, Dave and Paul, who she calls Dad and Pops. Simone recently moved to the school she’s now attending, after being tormented and shunned at her previous school when her best friend told everyone that Simone has HIV. She wants a fresh start and her junior year is going well, at first. She’s been assigned as the high school musical director for the school production of “Rent” because Broadway is one of her passions and her teacher believes she has what it takes to follow her dreams and make a career out of directing. Simone meets this amazing guy, Miles, and they form a healthy relationship and she shares her secret with him. Miles handles it kindly and with empathy and treats Simone the same as before. Someone starts leaving threatening notes for Simone, warning her to break up with Miles or else. Everything escalates after that and blow up. Simone finds out who her true friends are and she has to decide whether to hold her head up high and persevere or run away from the same problem all over again.
Be aware that Full Disclosure freely talks about sexual issues and questions, so not for sexually squeamish readers.
Impressive and bold young adult debut!
The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman
Cliffhanger ending!
Thanks to NetGalley and Disney Hyperion for the opportunity to read and review The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman.
A mix of characters is introduced in the first few chapters. They all have something in common; they’re all descended from the main four families that have resided in Four Paths for decades. These families have protected the town from the Beast that resides in the mysterious and frightening Gray. Hawthorne, Carlisle, Saunders and Sullivan are the four head families. Violet Saunders has recently moved to Four Paths with her mother, Juniper. It’s just the two of them since Violet’s sister and father have both passed away. Justin and May Hawthorne are the children of the sheriff of Four Paths, their mother Augusta. Violet and Juniper live with Darla, Juniper’s sister. Harper Carlisle lost a hand earlier and she keeps training to still be strong and helpful; she has four siblings. Isaac Sullivan is part of the fourth founding family but the rest of his family is gone, in one way or another. Secrecy seems to be the rule between families and hiding truths from the Four Paths citizens is how the heads of the families claim to keep the town safe. Secrets are painfully revealed and trust is broken. The teenagers’ lives and relationships all intertwine and complicate matters because the teens don’t want the secrecy. They want honesty and openness. The teens also get thrown into violence and deception by the Powers that run the town. They each have to decide who they will be loyal to and what they will do with their own powers and futures. The story ends with a bit of a cliffhanger and I’m expecting the sequel to shine more light on Isaac’s mysterious family. 4 stars for a supernatural story that has much more to tell!
Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys
The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys is a novel masterpiece!
Poverty and suppression hidden under sunshine and kindness describes the picture painted of Spain as the rest of the world sees the land and its people. The story tells itself with alternating points of view and the author’s writing draws the reader into the characters’ lives, so I was pulled quickly into caring for them. Ana lives with her siblings and each of them works as many jobs as possible since their parents are no longer with them. Daniel traveled to Spain from Texas with his parents, his mother of Spanish descent and oil-rich father. Daniel meets Ana at the hotel where she works as a maid. Daniel loves photography and Ana helps him as much as she dares. Daniel starts noticing that Ana keeps her distance like she’s afraid. Another revelation occurs when Ana’s brother Rafe and his coworker realize that the baby coffins being sent to the cemetery for them to bury are actually empty. More injustice is revealed as we learn that Ana’s parents were killed because they wanted to start a school and their ideas went against the beliefs of the leader of Spain, Francisco Franco. The snippets taken from primary sources bring this story to a deeper level and helped me to understand how the rest of the world perceived Spain during this time frame.
The characters and their lives all connect in one way or another and those relationships show how truly complicated and complex Spain’s history is. My heart goes out to the people who suffered in silence for decades and for those still affected by the repercussions. Ruta Sepetys amazes me with every book she writes. Her dedication stands above and beyond what is required because she pours her heart and soul into the stories she creates. I’m grateful that she shares them with the world because, with each book, I gain more knowledge of cultures and history across the globe.
Fountains of Silence, a true work of art! 5 stars!
