The House Saphir by Marissa Meyer

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Is Armand capable of murder?

Mallory is a tour guide for the haunted House Saphir, the home of Bastien Le Bleu, a man who murdered several of his wives over a century ago. She’s also a con artist, along with her sister Anais, and together they run their family shop of fake magical treasures. During one of her tours, a young man named Armand, claiming to be a descendant of Le Bleu, asks for Mallory’s help in ridding his family mansion of Le Bleu’s evil ghost. Mallory and Anais are barely scraping by, so she happily takes Armand up on his generous offer to pay her for her assistance, thinking it will be easy money. Mallory soon learns that she’s in over her head and she’s put herself and Anais in danger.

Likes/dislikes: The charming banter between Mallory and Armand is a lot of fun. The spooky setting is a perfect backdrop for the storyline. I enjoyed the mystery and the main characters, Mallory, Armand and Anais.
Mature content: PG for kissing.
Language: PG for 7 swears, no f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody violence and bloody death.
Ethnicity: Mixed and the main characters fall to white.

Lovely Dark and Deep by Elisa A. Bonnin

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Spooky and mysterious!

Faith feels at home at Ellery West. She grew up in the Philippines and moved to the island school of magic for her high school years. She loves the school and the island until she ventures into the forest with Sydney but walks out alone after something takes Sydney’s life. Immediately, Faith is pushed into the group of exiled students who are on the verge of losing their magic if they make another misstep. Her new group of friends, known as the Red Stripes, band together and take care of each other. They also want to help Faith find out what took Sydney’s life and put a stop to the continued deaths. They discover a deep, dark secret that, when exposed, will change everything.

Likes/dislikes: I love how the Red Stripes care about each other and how they help each other. I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery behind the story. This book has several interesting characters.
Mature content: PG mention of drugs
Language: R for 28 swears, 5 f-words.
Violence: PG for deaths.
Ethnicity: mixed.

The House No One Sees by Adina King

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Emotionally cleansing!

Penny relives her childhood when her mother calls her. She leaves her friends without telling them where she’s going. When Penny arrives at her mother’s place and finds her overdosed, she’s thrown back to when her mother was a good parent, before her accident and the opioid addiction that followed. Penny remembers the teasing from classmates when she didn’t have clean clothes or a decent lunch from home. She remembers being taken from her mother and living with her loving grandparents and seeing them giving her mother a chance to do better. Penny’s mother didn’t kick the addiction; it took over her life and Penny’s. Penny learned that she has a light inside that has helped her throughout her life and she meets a kind teen boy and makes good friends. She’s finally seen.

Likes/dislikes: Emotionally cleansing. Hotlines for help of many kinds at the end of the book. Words of affirmation, hope and encouragement.
Mature content: PG for mother using drugs.
Language: R for 53 swears, 21 f-words.
Violence: PG for death by drug overdose.
Ethnicity: White and brown skin mentioned.

The Darkness Within Us by Tricia Levenseller

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Who will back down first?

Chrysantha is a beast. She and her sister Alessandra are in constant competition and their father expects both of them to keep him out of bankruptcy by marrying someone rich. While Alessandra married the Shadow King, Chrysantha married an elderly Duke but she ends him within two months after their marriage. Since the Duke has no heirs, she inherits everything and thoroughly enjoys redecorating the manor and revamping her wardrobe. She also gives the servants raises and shows them appreciation for their hard work. Eryx arrives, claiming he’s the Duke’s grandson and turns life in the manor upside down. Eryx has a secret and Chrysantha isn’t going to let him get away with ruining her plans without finding out what he’s hiding.

Likes/dislikes: The contradictions of Chrysantha’s character and actions are entertaining. Eryx is an interesting character and I enjoyed the unknown that went along with his secret. I liked Chrysantha’s feistiness.
Mature content: PG-13 for kissing and off page sex.
Language: R for 62 swears and 0 F-words.
Violence: R for bloody deaths.
Ethnicity: Pale ivory, peach, dark beige, ebony skinned, deep obsidian skin tone, golden skin are all mentioned.

Flawless Girls by Anna-Marie McLemore 

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Magical imagery!

17yo Isla and her 19yo older sister Renata are sent to the well known Alarie House finishing school by their grandmother, who insists that the school’s reputation will set them up for life. Isla leaves after a day but Renata stays and when she returns home, Isla notices how different she is acting and it frightens her. Renata runs away, so Isla decides she’s going back to Alarie House to find her. When Isla arrives at the finishing school, everyone raves about Renata to her but she’s nowhere to be found. What Isla does find is haunting.

Likes/dislikes: I enjoyed the analogy between jewels and people where flaws make us better and more beautiful. The author handled gender situations with tact and compassion and from personal experience. I liked Isla’s determination and intelligence.
Mature content: PG-13
Language: PG for 6 swears, no f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody stabbing.
Ethnicity: mixed with Latina main characters.

A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur

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“It is imperative to confront history because it repeats itself when ignored.” -June Hur

A young woman in 1504 Korea, 17yo Iseul, and her older sister are orphaned by soldiers who killed their parents on orders from the king. They live with their grandmother until 1506 when the king collects the eldest for one of his own concubines. Iseul will do anything to save her sister but she has to learn patience and observation skills to do it wisely and as safely as possible. An investigator for the soldiers is helping her gain these skills, even though it will mark him as a traitor. Iseul unexpectedly meets Prince Daehyun and eventually they help each other as the Prince plans a coup to take down the tyrant king. Full of intrigue and determination!

Likes/dislikes: I appreciate the research the author took the time to do for this book about a dark part of Korean history. Magnificent character development and world building. I fell in love with Iseul and the prince.
Mature content: PG for kissing.
Language: R for 31 swears and 1 f-word.
Violence: R for repeated bloody deaths.
Ethnicity: Korean

With a Little Luck by Marissa Meyer

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Cute read!

16yo Jude is shy and doesn’t have much self confidence. He’s had a crush on Maya since middle school but is afraid to ask her out. He’s afraid until he finds a lucky charm that gives him successes and confidence. When he finally gets to take Maya on a date everything seems fine until he loses the lucky charm. The luck changes not just for him but for his family too.

Likes/dislikes: I enjoyed the humor. The story is sweet. It’s a fun read that inspires the reader to work towards their dreams.
Mature Content: G for kissing
Language: R for 40 swears and no f-words
Violence: G
Ethnicity: The ethnicity includes white, Asian, Mexican American, and Korean American.

Dream to Me by Megan Paasch

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Unique plot!

17yo Eva has moved to Madrona with her older sister Rhonda after their father died from a gunshot wound. Their father’s Aunt Miriam left Eva the Sylvan family house in her will and now that’s the place they head to get a new start. The minute the two sisters arrive in town, they’re met with rude comments and glares from some of the townspeople when they’re recognized as a relative of Miriam and part of the Sylvan family. The next day, the gas attendant that told them to leave is found in a coma and soon more people fall into comas and Eva is accused of causing it. She has no idea what’s going on and when Rhonda falls into a coma, Eva does everything she can to discover her family’s secrets and wake everyone from their comatose state.

Likes/dislikes: I enjoyed the unique plot. The mystery became more interesting as the story progressed. The creepiness and the uncertainty were interesting.
Language: R for 90 swears and 11 f-words.
Mature Content: G for kissing.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody assault and death.
Ethnicity: Bethany is Vietnamese. Falls to white.

We Are All So Good At Smiling by Amber McBride

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Metaphorically beautiful verse!

Metaphorically beautiful verse!
Two depressed teens, Whimsy and Faerry, meet at a mental hospital and then become neighbors and attend high school together. They’re both suffering from depression and memory loss from when they were young children. They’re not sure what they’re not remembering but it’s bothering both of them to the point of despair. They become friends that want to help each other and understand each other’s problems. They need each other to process the trauma they’ve been through and to help the lost information resurface.

Likes/dislikes: The writing is metaphorical and beautiful. I was intrigued by the mystery surrounding the story. I like Whimsy and Faerry, the two main characters.
Language: G for no swears and no f-bombs.
Mature Content: PG for suicidal thoughts (nondescriptive) and clinical depression.
Violence: PG for talk of cutting, undescribed.
Ethnicity: The two main characters are black and they attend a predominantly white school.

The Forest of Stolen Girls by June Hur

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Love the historical aspects of this story!

A young woman disguises herself as a man to look for her missing father. She visits the sister she hasn’t seen in five years and there’s still much animosity between them. The sisters have a history in the forest. When they were younger, they were lost and then found unconscious in the midst of a crime scene. Now the sisters work together to find out what’s happened to their father after he went searching for thirteen missing girls in the forest. The mystery surrounding the missing girls and their father twists and turns until the sordid truth is unraveled. Based on the forced sacrifices of young women of Korea around the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, the historical aspects are the most fascinating parts of the story and the danger builds suspense. 3.5 stars!