The Silenced by Diana Rodriguez Wallach

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I could not put this book down!

Hazel feels like a loner in her school. She’s placed with Becca and her popular friends for a group homework assignment. They decide to research the local condemned school for troubled teens that closed about thirty years ago when it caught on fire; the school is supposedly haunted. Becca, Amber and Simon play a prank on Hazel and then she falls off a roof and breaks her arm. Before she fell, she heard whispers and followed them out onto the roof. Once Hazel is home, she feels different and notices that she’s acting strangely and doesn’t like the same colors or foods that she did before the visit to the school. She also feels angry all the time. Hazel decides to investigate the history of the school and what she finds shakes her to the core.

Likes/dislikes: I was pulled right into the story and didn’t want to put it down. I love the character development and Hazel’s, Quint’s, and Deidre’s stories. Hazel’s life is hopeful, Quint deals with abuse from his family and Deidre’s life is tragic. I appreciate the content warnings the author put in the front of the book. I enjoyed the added supernatural elements tremendously. The author provides her research notes about the real schools for troubled teens that she based this story on.
Mature content: PG for kissing.
Language: R for 40 swears, no f-words.
Violence: R for physical and emotional abuse by parent and at the school for troubled teens. Death
Ethnicity: Hazel is from Puerto Rican and Polish descent, Becca and Quint are white. Amber is half Thai and half white. Simon is half Jewish and half Afro Latino. Varying ethnicities were at the school for troubled teens.

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.

When We Were Monsters by Jennifer Niven

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Pure manipulation!

Seven teens are chosen for the opportunity to be taught writing by the famous author Meredith Graffam. They arrive at Moss, not having a clue of what to expect. Meredith Graffam seems to be excited to bestow her knowledge on these young minds. She also seems a bit eccentric. As the term goes on, Meredith expects crazier and more dangerous acts of daredevil behavior from her students and she kicks out the ones she doesn’t want, one at a time, until four are left. Only one student will be chosen at the end of the competition. The four can help each other survive or sacrifice each other to win.

Likes/dislikes: The story contains some profound statements from Arlo, the teenage boy main character. Wonderful writing advice given to the students by the teacher is dropped throughout the story. I was pulled into the mystery and suspense and I was rooting for the students the whole time.

Mature content: PG-13 on-page, vaguely detailed sex and teen drinking
Language: R for 92 swears and 54 f-words
Violence: PG-13 death and bloody violence
Ethnicity: mixed

The Party by Natasha Preston

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Who’s next?

A group of teens plan a weekend adventure at the family castle of twins, Allegra and Fergus. They keep it a secret from their parents because it’s meant to be a party with no chaperones. Protestors want the development to stop in the area and seem to have vandalized the castle but not all of the graffiti seems to be about the development. The teens are excited to have a weekend without supervision. When one of them gets hurt, they try to blow it off. When more violent things happen, they can’t ignore the fact that they’re in danger and they wish they had help to save them from the party.

Likes/dislikes: The author did a good job of creating an ominous setting in the castle. I enjoyed the twists and the mystery. The last sentence of the book is a great ending!
Mature content: PG-13 for kissing and teen drinking
Language: R for 155 swears, 6 f-words.
Violence: R for bloody deaths.
Ethnicity: mixed

Lovely Dark and Deep by Elisa A. Bonnin

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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.

Steel & Spellfire by Laura Weymouth

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Magic, murder and mystery!

Pandora’s childhood was taken from her by a patron that warped her powers into an extremely and extraordinary strength that made her dangerous. Her patron always kept their identity secret and Pandora is determined to discover who the person is who changed her power. Meanwhile, someone with similar powers to Pandora’s is murdering young women the same age as her. Once Pandora arrives at court, she meets a guard named Beacon and immediately feels a connection with him. Pandora is determined to solve the mystery of the murderer and her patron but she will struggle to do it alone and Beacon will struggle with loyalty and doing the right thing.

Likes/dislikes: I enjoyed the prose. Beacon fell for Pandora a bit too quickly. Pandora’s friend Winifred is charming and fun. The rivalry between Pandora and Imogen entertains and surprises.
Mature content: PG for kissing.
Language: PG for 13 swears, no f-words.
Violence: PG for bloody gunshot wound
Ethnicity: Falls to white.

Soulmatch by Rebecca Danzenbaker

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Uniquely fun and twisty!

Sivon loves her twin sister best friends, Vivi and Corah, who have helped her prepare to attend the institute to learn about her soul through the kirling process. Now it’s Sivon’s turn to attend the kirling and she arrives at the institute full of anxiety. When her soul identity is revealed after her kirling, Sivon has a new world of possibilities opened up to her. Vivi and Corah are there to support her every step of the way. Her mom has always told Sivon she’s hard to read and Sivon discovers why, as she learns more about herself and her shocking experiences from her past lives.

Likes/dislikes: The more I read this book, the more I wanted to read. Unique story! More complex than I thought it would be when I picked up the book.
Mature content: PG-13 for passionate kissing.
Language: R for 123 swears, 40 f-words.
Violence: PG for gunshot wound and fighting.
Ethnicity: Sivon has bronze skin two shades lighter than her mother’s terracotta skin.
Janus, the prime minister’s nephew, has bronze skin. Twins and Sivon’s best friends, Vivi and Corah, have russet-toned skin. Windrose, the counselor, has warm brown skin. Peach skin and ebony skin are also mentioned.

The Executioners Three by Susan Dennard

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Excellent spooky read!

Theo swerves to miss raccoons crossing the road. He stops to make sure the raccoons are fine but he is shaken by what he discovers. Freddie is logical and strives to find facts in all situations and when a dead man is found, she knows there’s an easy explanation and that the curse hanging over her community for centuries isn’t real. Theo and Freddie cross paths when Freddie calls the police after she hears screams and unknowingly alerts the police to a rival school teen party in the woods. She instantly becomes her school’s hero and hated by the rivals. Weird events keep happening that can’t be explained away and Theo and Freddie get completely wrapped up in the danger and the curse!

Likes/dislikes: An ominous poem at the beginning of the book lends to the creepy setting. Humor, charm, cleverness, strong friendship and the spooky vibe made this book fun to read and it’s a perfect YA book for getting into the Halloween spirit. I love the chemistry between Freddie and Theo. They’re from rival schools and have a rollercoaster relationship.
Mature content: PG-13 for fervent kissing, mention of teens smoking and drinking.
Language: R for 78 swears, (mostly hell and god) and 7 f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody deaths.
Ethnicity: predominantly white with side characters having different shades of brown skin and a Black girl.

A Spell to Wake the Dead by Nicole Lesperance

Posted on by lynndellwatson

A fun, spooky YA read!

Mazzy and Nora love to learn about harmless spells, especially living in New England. Their idea of spells being fun changes when they find a dead body with missing hands after casting a simple spell and Nora starts to feel the spirit taking over her mind. Nora starts changing and gets more and more interested in and pulled into the dark side of magic which seems to involve the body they found. More bodies are discovered with missing hands and Polaroid pictures of the victims when they’re alive are being left for Nora and Mazzy in random places. The friends want to solve the mystery and help the police but they’re being threatened and pulled into danger.

Likes/dislikes: I like how the author sets up for the supernatural setting of the book. Tough issues are brought up with some of the side characters and I like how the characters help each other deal with them. The underlying cause of the magic, the Egyptian cult, added an extra element of creepiness to the story.
Language: R for 56 swears and 5 f-words.
Mature content: PG-13 for kissing, vaping and drinking mentioned.
Violence: PG-13 for gunshot, dead bodies found with missing hands.
Ethnicity: falls to white.

The Meadowbrook Murders by Jessica Goodman

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Will the killer be found?

At the Meadowbrook Boarding School, Amy is enjoying the senior week before the underclasses arrive on campus. She’s looking forward to spending time with her best friend Sarah and her boyfriend Joseph, who attends school in town. After a party the night before, Amy wakes up and knocks on Sarah’s door. When there’s no answer, Amy opens up the door to find Sarah and her boyfriend Ryan dead in a bloody bed. The school is shocked to the core and every student is terrified that they’re going to be the next victim. Amy is moved to room with Liz, the school newspaper journalist, who has high ambitions for reporting the news, on and off campus. Will the killer be found? Will the killer be stopped?

Likes/dislikes: I like how the characters each found a true friend when they didn’t expect to at all. It just shows that you never know where you’ll find a friend. Liz meets her journalistic hero and she learns quite a lot from her. Great character development.
Mature content: PG-13 for implied sex and underage drinking.
Language: R for 66 swears and 19 f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody death.
Ethnicity: Jewish, Black, White are all mentioned.