Find Him Where You Left Him Dead by Kristen Simmons

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Japanese mythology in a YA horror tale!

17yo Madeline is swimming laps in the empty pool when she sees a boy that shouldn’t be there. The boy looks like an emaciated Ian, her friend who died four years ago. Emerson lives for video gaming and when she sees a sickly Ian trying to get to her, she panics. Dax takes a break from playing his guitar at the coffee shop and while he’s in the bathroom, a ghost creeps out of the toilet and beckons him to gather The Foxtail Five. As Owen acts on stage, he sees Ian, so he runs after him and realizes that it’s not Ian. It’s actually a demon. The four friends meet up and learn they have to defeat seven challenges presented by Japanese Shinigami and receive a stone for each one before they can reach Ian and save him from the demonic spirits.

Likes/dislikes: I like the concept of the characters going on a quest to save their friend from the Japanese underworld. The book didn’t keep my interest like I thought it would. The creepiness made the story more fun.
Mature Content: PG for kissing.
Language: R for 32 swears and 5 f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody death.
Ethnicity: Madeline is Black. Ian and Emerson are white. Dax has brown skin. Owen is Japanese American.

The Only Girl in Town by Ally Condie

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Everyone has disappeared!

18yo July finds herself alone in her hometown of Lithia. She’s a member of the track team and has a good relationship with her boyfriend Sam. When she finds herself without any other people around, she’s grateful for her cat Yolo that seems to be the only other being left. As the story alternates between once and the present now, July shares her conversations with her therapist and her experiences with her friends and family. July also sees clues and hints of someone else besides her and Yolo still present in Lithia and as she searches for that person, she gains insight into herself and her situation.

Likes/dislikes: The mysterious concept of the book is interesting. Mental health and loneliness are approached and explored in an unusual but relatable way. I feel for July and her struggles.
Language: PG for 6 swears and no f-words.
Mature Content: PG for kissing.
Violence: PG for bullying and peer pressure.
Ethnicity: Alex is Indian, falls to white.

Silence and Shadow by Erin Beaty

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Engrossing mystery!
17yo Catrin and Simon flee Collis and travel to the Selanae academy in Londunium to help Catrin learn how to use her moonlight magic. They befriend Martin, a law enforcement officer, when they help capture a violent man trying to harm Catrin. As they get to know each other better, Martin seeks Simon’s and Catrin’s help with a serial killer who has been evading law enforcement for four years. The mystery surrounding the murders is unusual. The group gets deeply entangled and in over their heads.

Likes/dislikes: Simon and Catrin are amazing characters. The murder mystery is unique and interesting. Characters are well developed and the world building is strong.
Mature Content: PG-13 for implied sex.
Language: PG-13 for 30 swears, no f-words.
Violence: R for bloody deaths.
Ethnicity: falls to white

The Last Girls Standing by Jennifer Dugan

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Chilling twist!
Two survivors of a murder spree, 18yo Sloan and 18yo Cherry were the only ones left alive after a group of masked killers arrived in the summer camp where they worked and ended everyone’s lives except those of the two young women. Sloan leans heavily on Cherry to keep her afloat but when possible secrets come to light, Sloan feels the need to find the truth about the reasons behind the murders on her own. She reaches out to the sister of the lead killer, the only other person alive after the murders. She reaches out to the imprisoned killer himself too. What Sloan discovers is beyond her comprehension.

Likes/dislikes: I like the complexity of the cult guilty of the crimes and their backstory. The story has a good twist. I enjoyed the author’s writing in portraying feelings of betrayal and manipulation by others.
Language: R for 97 swears and 71 f-words.
Mature content: PG-13 for implied sex and underage drinking.
Violence: R for bloody deaths.
Ethnicity: Rahul is Indian. Beckett , Kevin, Sloan, Dahlia and Anise are white. Cherry has peach skin. Hannah is Korean American. Shane and Ronnie are Black. Connor has brown skin.

What Happened on Hicks Road by Hannah Jayne

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Creepy read!

A group of friends drives to Hicks Road one dark night for some spooky fun. When 17yo Lennox sees a blonde girl dart in front of her car and she feels the thump of a hit, she stops the car to look for the girl. Her friends reassure her that it must have been a deer and that they didn’t see anything. Lennox is worried that she’s becoming schizophrenic like her mother and starting to hallucinate. Being new in town, Lennox doesn’t know her friends well at all and when they tell her over and over that she didn’t hit a person, she believes them.

Likes/dislikes: I like how the author created the uncertainty of whether or not the main character is reliable. The setting is wonderfully spooky. The unstable family life of the main character is an interesting part of the story.
Mature Content: PG-13 for implied drug use; kissing.
Language: R for 27 swears and 2 f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for hit and run.
Ethnicity: Allison has tanned skin. Falls to white.

Invisible Son by Kim Johnson

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Accused of a crime he didn’t commit!

17yo Andre returns to his home in Portland, Oregon feeling angry, confused and disgruntled after serving two months in a juvenile detention center for something he didn’t do. He also has to adjust to pandemic life because everything seems to have changed. Andre was framed for robberies when someone placed a backpack of stolen items in his locker and that’s the evidence that sent him away. He has an idea of who did it and he wants to know the truth. When his friend Eric goes missing, the danger builds and secrets are revealed as Andre tries to find his friend and get justice.

Likes/dislikes: The chapter titles are fun since they’re named after songs. The history of our country’s turmoil during the pandemic is represented well. I enjoyed the book and read it straight through. The story reminds me a bit of The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, because of the harsh reality brought to life, but with less swearing.
Language: R for 45 swears and 4 f-words.
Mature Content: PG-13 for underage smoking and the mention of underage drinking.
Violence: PG-13 for mention of attempted murder suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning.
Ethnicity: Ethnicity is predominantly white with the Black main characters of Andre, Sierra and Eric. Luis is Mexican American.

Royal Blood by Aimee Carter

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Royalty, mystery and scandal in the beginning of this YA series!

17yo Evangeline (Evan) is the illegitimate American daughter of the British king and has been kept out of the public eye her entire life so Britain royals don’t suffer from a scandal. She has bounced around to several boarding schools since her mom was diagnosed with fragile mental health and her grandmother (her only other relative) passed away. When Evan gets in trouble, a British royal advisor swoops in to whisk her away to the Windsor Castle in London for her protection but the royal family is irate that she’s in London, let alone the palace. Evan tries to see the situation from their perspective and even though she’s kind and not to blame for her father’s actions, her stepmother and half sister are cruel to her. She just wants to make it to her eighteenth birthday so she can be on her own and get away from the disdain. As much as Evan tries to blend in and please the royal family, things spiral when a death occurs.

Likes/dislikes: The storyline is interesting. I enjoyed the intense parts. Great characters. Great quote from Queen Victoria.
Mature content: PG for kissing.
Violence: PG-13 for attempted sexual assault.
Language: R for 50 swears and no f-words.
Ethnicity: Predominantly white. Gia has dark skin. Louis is Black.

House of Roots and Ruin by Erin A. Craig

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Sequel to House of Salt and Sorrows!

Verity is tired of staying home at the Highmoor estate and when she receives an invitation to paint portraits for a family in Bloem, she’s absolutely thrilled. Her older sister and caregiver adamantly denies Verity any hope of leaving. This suffocates Verity and when she asks Camille why she’s denying her any hope of freedom and adventure, Camille confides that Verity talks to ghosts everywhere they go, no one else can see them and this makes her and the family look crazy. Verity denies this accusation until proven wrong when told her nanny has been dead for twelve years and Verity had no idea because she talks to her and receives help from her every day. When Verity sneaks away in the night, she feels truly alone for the first time in her life and what awaits her is beyond anything she can imagine.

Likes/dislikes: I love the author’s writing style. The character development was fun to read. I enjoyed the mystery surrounding the family in Bloem.
Language: PG-13 for 12 swears, no f-words.
Mature content: PG-13 for a passionate kiss and implied sex.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody death.
Ethnicity: The ethnicity is mixed with copper skin; red hair, white skin and freckles; golden brown skin; chestnut skin and a white older man.

Foxglove by Adalyn Grace

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Wonderful sequel to Belladonna!

Fate kills Lord Wakefield then nonchalantly blames Elijah Hawthorne in a room full of witnesses who watched Elijah give the Lord a drink that’s later found to be laced with cyanide. Fate reveals that he’s Death’s brother and has never forgiven Death for taking his one true love and now he wants revenge. Signa and Death are trying to help prove Elijah’s innocence by finding the true killer. The situation grows much more complicated and truths are revealed that surprise everyone. Signa begins to doubt who she really is when memories surface from a past life and she’s unsure of her fate.

Likes/dislikes: I love the world building with the wonderful descriptions and the prose. I enjoyed Blythe’s spunk. Signa’s strength and kindness is an inspiration.
Mature Content: R for descriptive sex.
Language: PG-13 for 27 swears and no f-words.
Violence: PG for death by poison.
Ethnicity: Signa is white. Death is fair skinned. Fate has bronze skin. Blythe is white. Everett has brown skin.

The Chateau by Jaclyn Goldis

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Intense mystery with fictional Holocaust ties!
Deception and suspicion fill this mystery. Friends are invited to the place where they gathered as young adults, years ago, The Chateau. Darcy is now 42 and her grandmother owns the Chateau and has invited Darcy and her friends for a gathering. I can’t say much without spoilers, but I enjoyed reading The Chateau and seeing the mystery unravel. I like how the history of each character intertwines within the story to make intense personal connections. I appreciate how the author tied the history of the Holocaust into the past, present and future. I enjoyed the artistic ties and the interesting information, fact and fiction, about Vincent Van Gogh.

Language: R for 78 swears and 41 f-words.
Mature content: implied sex and affair
Violence: fatal stabbing, two non fatal shootings
Ethnicity: Olive skin, caramel skin, white.