A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

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Beautiful prose!

18yo Effy loves literature and desperately wants to attend the literature college but has settled for the architectural college where she’s the only female student. Her advisor has taken advantage of her and holds it over her head and now she’s shunned by the other students. She applies for the chance to draw plans for her favorite author’s new home, partly to escape the stigma surrounding her at school and mostly to get the opportunity to meet the late author’s family and see his home where he wrote her favorite works. She’s surprised but thrilled when she’s chosen. When Effy arrives at the manor, she’s shocked at its dilapidated state and the darkness that seems to surround it. She meets Preston, a literature student writing his thesis on the same author, and Ianto, the enigmatic son who runs the manor and wants Effy to quickly draw the blueprints for the updated manor. The mysterious surroundings pull Effy and Preston into dangerous territory and they have to fight for everything they believe in if they’re going to survive.

Likes/dislikes: An absolutely perfect example of magic realism. Effy is a strong character struggling with the lack of rights for women. Preston is a gentleman through and through.
Mature Content: PG-13 for sex with minimal detail
Language: PG-13 for 14 swears and no f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for sexual harrasment and bullying by classmates.
Ethnicity: Ethnicity is predominantly white. Preston has fawn-colored skin.

Where He Can’t Find You by Darcy Coates

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Worthy of a YA horror movie!

Abby and her high school group of friends are on top of missing or dead persons in their small town of Doubtful. They stick together and help keep each other safe from the serial killer that lurks around their homes. The group has established rules based on a century of missing people and killings. The town residents have learned to always lock their doors and windows, to never be outside at night and to always have someone with them. When Abby’s sister Hope is pulled from her bedroom window one night, Abby and her friends must use everything they’ve learned to stay alive as they search for Hope and discover the terrifying truth.

Likes/dislikes: The book is definitely material worthy of a young adult horror movie. I liked the narrative of secondary characters. I grew to care about the two main characters and appreciated their loyalty.
Language: PG-13 for 10 swears and no f-words.
Mature content: G
Violence: R for bloody deaths.
Ethnicity: falls to white.

The Scarlet Veil by Shelby Mahurin

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Enthralling YA mystery fantasy!
Huntress Celie finds a woman dead as she’s leaving the cemetery after visiting her sister’s memorial spot. She learns that more bodies have been found and she’s being kept in the dark for her protection. She goes out on her own to investigate when she gets kidnapped and pulled into vampire life on the Isle of Requiem. Celie discovers that things aren’t always as they seem. All that she has grown up to believe is turned upside down and she has to learn to rely on the help of others.

Likes/dislikes: I like the complexity of the characters. I like the character variety and character development. I enjoyed the mystery surrounding the whole story.
Mature Content: PG-13 for passionate kissing and implied sex.
Language: R for 84 swears (mostly God), and 7 f-words.
Violence: R for bloody deaths.
Ethnicity: predominantly white with amber, tawny and bronze skin characters mentioned.

A Voice Upstairs by Laura E. Weymouth

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A spooky mystery!

Wil and Ed have been best friends for as long as they can remember. They enjoy spending time together more than with anyone else and their feelings are growing stronger towards each other. Wil is known for her close connection with death and being able to see when someone will be dying soon. When mysterious and suspicious deaths happen at Ed’s manor, he asks Wil to help. The two soon discover that they are in way over their heads.

Likes/dislikes: The prose is beautiful. Wil and Ed are wonderful characters and I grew to love them both. The mystery surrounding them pulled me into the story and created intense suspense. The hauntings added a creepy vibe that gave another dimension to the story.
Language: PG-13 for 19 swears, no f-words.
Mature Content: PG for passionate kissing.
Violence: PG-13 for deaths and bullying.
Ethnicity: falls to white. Ebony skinned maid and a terra cotta skinned laborer.

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.

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

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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.