The Precious Dreadful, by Steven Parlato ~ 3.5 Stars

Tags

Abusive Relationships, Dysfunctional Families, Mystery, Paranormal, Substance Abuse, Suspense, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon Pulse for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now 

352 Pages

Synopsis: Teddi Adler is just trying to figure out her life. 

When she joins SUMMERTEENS, a library writing group, she’s only looking to keep herself busy, not go digging around in her subconscious. But as she writes, disturbing memories of her childhood friend Corey bubble to the surface, and Teddi begins to question everything: her friendship with her BFF Willa, how much her mom really knows, and even her own memories. Teddi feels she’s losing her group on reality—-as evidenced by that mysterious ghost-girl who emerges from the park pool one night, the one who won’t leave Teddi alone. To top it all off, she finds herself juggling two guys with potential, a quirky boy named Joy and her handsome barista crush Aidan, who has some issues of his own. 

As the summer unfolds, Teddi is determined to get to the bottom of everything—-her feelings, the mysterious ghost-girl, and the memories of Corey that refuse to be ignored.

I have to give The Precious Dreadful kudos for being so highly original. It also had many other good qualities. I liked Teddi and completely emphasized with her desperate attempts to solve a mystery going back to her childhood. I also loved her BFF Willa who loyally stuck by her even when Teddi turned on her. I wasn’t fond of the romance between Teddi and Aidan however. Their relationship was verbally/emotionally abusive from the beginning, and even though Teddi would stand up for herself, she’d still go back to him. I don’t have an issue with abusive relationships in YA fiction as long as there’s a lesson imparted. But that’s not the case here. Aidan is never called out on his unacceptable behavior and that spoiled what otherwise would have been a 4-5 star read for me. At the end of the book something happens that I surmise was supposed to make the reader feel more sympathetic toward him, but it just didn’t work for me.

The plot itself is quite eerie and kept me guessing through much of the book. The more I read, the bigger feeling of dread swept over me as I wondered what poor Teddi was going to uncover in the end. I started this about mid-afternoon and couldn’t stop reading until I finished around 11:00 at night.

Except for the romance, I really enjoyed The Precious Dreadful and it’s intriguing mystery. I loved Steven Parlato’s writing style and the way the story flowed so smoothly. I also thought he did a fairly convincing job portraying a 15-going-on-16-year-old girl. The story has just a touch of the paranormal and is compelling and will keep readers wondering. Despite my issues with the romance, I think this would still make a worthy book discussion choice as readers could debate over what Teddi should have done in response to Aidan’s behavior. 

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The Diminished (Untitled Duology #1), by Kaitlyn Sage Patterson ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Fantasy, LGBT, Romance, Suspense, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Teen for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

384 Pages

Synopsis: In the Alskad Empire, nearly all are born with a twin, two halves to form one whole…yet some face the world alone.

The singleborn.

A rare few are singleborn in each generation, and therefore given the right to rule by the gods and goddesses. Bo Trousillion is one of those few, born into the royal line and destined to rule. Though he has been chosen to succeed his great-aunt, Queen Runa, as the leader of the Alskad Empire, Bo has never felt equal to the grand future before him.

The diminished.

When one twin dies, the other usually follows, unable to face the world without their other half. Those who survive are considered diminished, doomed to succumb to the violent grief that inevitably destroys everyone whose twin has died. Such is the fate of Vi Abernathy, whose twin sister died in infancy. Raised by the anchorites of the temple after her family cast her off, Vi has spent her whole life scheming for a way to escape and live out what’s left of her life in peace.

As their sixteenth birthday approaches, Bo and Vi face very different futures—-one a life of luxury as the heir to the throne, the other years of backbreaking work as a temple servant. But a long-held secret and the fate of the empire are destined to bring them together in a way they never could have imagined.

The Diminished is a fabulous beginning to an as of yet, untitled duology. The chapters alternate between the two main characters, both who I found equally fascinating. I loved the way Bo being gay was depicted so matter of factly. There is no bigotry in this world regarding sexual identity. It’s an accepted part of society. Neither is there any racism. Unfortunately there is bigotry toward the “diminished”, those who have lost a twin. So, not only do they go through the heartbreak of losing their other half, but then they’re treated with abject cruelty. This is most detailed in Vi’s chapters and it can be tough reading at times. While it seems as though Bo and Vi have nothing in common, as the story continues their lives converge in the most interesting ways. 

The world building is rich in detail and I loved how the Alskad Empire shares societal issues that mirror those found in the real world. Between that and the characters, I was completely enthralled throughout the entire story. I’m looking forward to seeing where the next book takes things. I highly recommend The Diminished for older teens and adults who are looking for a fantasy that’s unique and exciting.

Neanderthal Opens the Door to the Universe, by Preston Norton ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Bullying, Child Abuse, Contemporary Fiction, Drug Abuse, High School, Homophobia, Humor, Religious Fanaticism, Suicide, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: June 5th, 2018

400 Pages

Synopsis: Cliff Hubbard is a huge loser. Literally. His nickname at Happy Valley High School is Neanderthal because he’s so enormous—-6’6” and 250 pounds to be exact. He has no one at school and life at his trailer park home has gone from bad to worse since his older brother’s suicide.

There’s no one Cliff hates more than the nauseatingly cool quarterback, Aaron Zimmerman. Then Aaron returns to school after a near-death experience with a bizarre claim: while he was unconscious he saw God, who gave him a list of things to do to make Happy Valley High suck less. And God said there’s only one person who can help: Neanderthal.

To his own surprise, Cliff says he’s in. As he and Aaron make their way through the List, which involves a vindictive English teacher, a mysterious computer hacker, a decidedly unchristian cult of Jesus Teens, the local drug dealers, and the meanest bully at HVHS—-Cliff feels like he’s part of something for the first time since losing his brother. But fixing a broken school isn’t as simple as it seems, and just when Cliff thinks they’ve completed the List, he realizes their mission hits closer to home than he ever imagined.

Neanderthal Opens the Door To The Universe is one of those books that took me by surprise in regards to how much I liked it. While some of the dialogue is a little awkward and it’s intentionally filled with high school cliches, because of the well-rounded and relatable characters, interesting plot, and positive message, it has a certain charm to it that I think will appeal to a wide audience. The story tackles many social issues: suicide, drug abuse, religious fanaticism, homophobia, bullying, and child abuse. But it never devolves into an annoying after school special/soap opera. This is partly due to the dry humor that pervades the story, but also because the darker themes are balanced by the inspiring responses from the teenage characters.

In the end, Neanderthal Opens the Door to the Universe is quite uplifting and it’s a story I won’t forget anytime soon. Because of the colorful language involved and dark topics, I wouldn’t recommend this for older teens. I think it’s a wonderful choice for high school classrooms, forthcoming summer reading lists, and book discussion groups.

Ace of Shades (The Shadow Game #1), by Amanda Foody ~ 3.0 Stars

Tags

Fantasy, LGBT, Suspense, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Teen for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: April 10th, 2018

Synopsis:

Welcome to the City of Sin, where casino families reign, gangs infest the streets…and secrets hide in every corner.

Enne Salt was raised as a proper young lady, and no lady would willingly visit New Reynes, the so-called City of Sin. But when her mother goes missing, Enne must leave her finishing school—-and her reputation—-behind to follow her mother’s trail to the city where no one survives uncorrupted.

Frightened and alone, her only lead is a name: Levi Glaisyer. Unfortunately, Levi is not the gentleman she expected—-he’s a street lord and a con man. Levi is also only one payment away from cleaning up a rapidly unraveling investment scam, so he doesn’t have time to investigate a woman leading a dangerous double life. Enne’s offer of compensation, however, could be the solution to all his problems.

Their search for clues leads them through glamorous casinos, illicit cabarets and into the clutches of a ruthless mafia donna. As Enne unearths an impossible secret about her past, Levi’s enemies catch up to them, ensnaring him in a vicious execution game where the players always lose. To save him, Enne, will have to surrender herself to the city…

And she’ll need to play.

Ace of Shades has been a much buzzed about books or months and while I didn’t think it quite lived up to the hype, there were aspects of it that I did enjoy.

New Reynes aka the City of Sin, is a magical version of Las Vegas. Underneath its glitzy exterior lies a far more dark and gritty world filled with violence and danger. The main character, Enne, is an interesting character, but she transforms too quickly from a prim and proper ballerina who makes some incredibly stupid mistakes, to a lethal assassin. And Levi, as a young bisexual man of color and leader of a gang, should have been so much more interesting than he was. It took most of the book for me to get a sense of who he is and what his motivations are. I did wind up really liking him towards the end though. The secondary characters definitely need more development as well if they’re to progress from mere silhouettes in the background.

The world building left me with mixed feelings. There were some parts I liked such as the lethal Game of Shadows, and the history of the families, but there was quite a bit of info dumping and for the first half of the book I found it very slow going. 

Despite my issues with Ace of Shades, I do think it has potential. The pace picked up considerably in the second half of the book and the ending was exciting enough that I’ll definitely be trying the sequel. There are plenty of readers who love this so if you’re a fan of YA fantasy and like plenty of political intrigue I’d recommend giving this a try.

Never Apart, by Romily Bernard ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Fantasy, Romance, Science Fiction, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Teen for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: October 3rd, 2017

400 Pages

Synopsis: How many times would you die for love? 

What if you had to relive the same day over and over?

And what if at the end, your boyfriend is killed…

And you have to watch. Every time.

You don’t know why you’re stuck in this nightmare.

But you do know that these are the rules you now live by:

Wake up.

Run.

Die.

Repeat.

Now, the only way to escape this loop is to attempt something dangerous. Something completely unexpected. This time…you’re not going to run.

Never Apart is a YA thriller/science fiction/fantasy that checks off all the right boxes. The characters are well-developed and relatable, the romance sweet and heartfelt, and the storyline compelling.

The story is told by Grace, who I loved, and alternates between the present and the past. The only reason why I’m not giving this a perfect 5 stars is because I did find the present chapters faster paced. There are plenty of surprises and I can honestly say I didn’t see the last one coming. 

Never Apart is the first book I’ve read by Romily Bernard, but I love her writing style so it certainly won’t be my last. I cannot recommend this highly enough.

 

Zenith (The Androma Saga #1), by Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings ~ 1.0 Stars

Tags

PTSD, Rape, Science Fiction, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Teen for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

534 Pages

Synopsis: Most know Androma Racella as the Bloody Baroness, a powerful mercenary whose reign of terror stretches across the Mirabel Galaxy. To those aboard her glass starship, Marauder, however, she’s just Andi, their friend and fearless leader.

But when a routine mission goes awry, the Marauder’s all-girl crew is tested as they find themselves in a treacherous situation and at the mercy of a sadistic bounty hunter from Andi’s past.

Meanwhile, across the galaxy, a ruthless ruler waits in the shadows of the planet Xen Ptera, biding her time to exact revenge for the destruction of her people. The pieces of her deadly plan are about to fall into place, unleashing a plot that will tear Mirabel in two.

Andi and her crew embark on a dangerous, soul-testing journey that could restore order to their ship or just as easily start a war that will devour worlds. As the Marauder hurtles toward the unknown, and Mirabel hangs in the balance, the only certainty is that in a galaxy run on lies and illusion, no one can be trusted.

From it’s gorgeous cover to the science fiction premise starring an all girl crew, I really thought I was going to love Zenith, but for me it turned out to be a bloody mess. 

First, a trigger warning and a spoiler. There’s a female character who for some reason that’s never fully explained, has the power to compel people. And in one scene, she compels a male character into having sex with her. It’s technically not aggressive, nor is it explicitly described, but to me that’s rape, pure and simple and I feel like it would have been remiss of me not to bring it up. There’s also a lot of violence, so this is definitely meant for older teens.

As for the rest of the story it has way too many characters and POVs (six) that sound too much alike leaving me utterly frustrated. The worst one of all is Andi who simultaneously looks forward to killing people because of the sense of power it gives her, yet wrings her hands and bemoans her actions, until the next time that is. The other characters are for the most part no better, and many of their actions made no sense and bordered on being ludicrous.

As far as the plot goes, nothing, absolutely nothing happens until the last 40 pages or so. This made it tortuous to read and to be honest I would have given up before the halfway mark, except that I was sent this by the publisher and felt obligated to try to finish it. Adding to all this is lazy, derivative, uninspired world building in which I could easily pick out scenes that were eerily reminiscent of ones like for instance, the Mos Eisley cantina in Star Wars.

I could keep going, but I’m stopping now because I’m getting steamed up again just thinking about it. I think you all know by now that I hate slamming a book like this. These two authors no doubt spent a lot of time creating this. In my humble opinion though, Zenith had no business being published in its current form. The only reason I can think of that could explain why it was pushed through, is because Sasha Alsberg is a celebrity Booktuber. The co-author, Lindsay Cummings is a fairly well established YA author and I’ve read a few of her books and enjoyed them, so I’m not sure what happened here. I’m absolutely floored that the editor gave their stamp of approval to this. I’m giving Zenith 1 star for the admittedly cool concept and pretty cover. Otherwise, I’m sorry. I simply cannot bring myself to recommend this to anyone. Needless to say I won’t be picking up the sequel.

The Price Guide to the Occult, by Leslye Walton ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Child Abuse, Contemporary Fictio, LGBT, Self-harm, Supernatural, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Candlewick for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: March 13th, 2018

288 Pages

Synopsis: The Blackburn women are cursed. Ever since the extraordinary witch Rona Blackburn landed on Anathema Island centuries ago and was shunned by the eight “original” settlers, Blackburn witches have been doomed to carry out a brief whirlwind affair with a descendant of the Original Eight. The vengeful curse, however, had unintended side effects: it diluted the Blackburns’ supernatural powers. That’s perfectly all right with seventeen-year-old Nor Blackburn. All she wants is a quiet, unremarkable life—-her powers are blissfully unexceptional, her love life pretty much nonexistent. Nor hopes the curse has played itself out through enough generations that she’ll finally be spared the drama. But when a mysterious book comes out promising to cast any spell for the right price, Nor senses a dark storm headed straight for Anathema—-and straight for her.

I loved Leslye Walton’s glorious debut, The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender, so I’ve been looking forward to The Price Guide to the Occult for the last year. While I didn’t think it was quite as magical, I think it’s a solid sophomore book.

What I loved about the previous book was the author’s exquisite and lush style of writing and storytelling and that’s definitely on display here. The protagonist, Nor, is someone many readers will relate to with her mix of vulnerability and steely determination. A word of warning, though it’s handled with care and sensitivity, self-harm is part of her story, so this could be a trigger for some. It’s an understandable outcome to a trauma in her past, and it’s written very realistically.

Some of the secondary characters aren’t quite as well-rounded. I loved Nor’s gruff yet loving grandmother, and her quirky best friend Savvy. The others, though, I just got to know enough, to want more, especially Nor’s sweet love interest.

The setting of the rainy Pacific Northwest is the perfect backdrop in terms of atmosphere, and the mythology behind Nor’s family as well as the plot is well written, albeit a little slow at times. To be honest, I wasn’t thrilled with the ending and found it a little vague, but after reading the epilogue, I’m hopeful there may be a sequel.

Despite a few issues, I thoroughly enjoyed The Price Guide to the Occult and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that there will be a second book.

 

Project Pandora (Assassin Fall #1) by Aden Polydoros ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller, YA Fiction

Tbanks to NetGalley and Entangled Teen for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

372 Pages

Synopsis: Tyler Bennett trusts no one. Just another foster kid bounced from home to home, he’s learned that lesson the hard way. But when strange things start happening—waking up with bloody knuckles and no memory of the night before or the burner phone he can’t let out of his sight—Tyler starts to wonder if he can even trust himself.

Even stranger, the girl he’s falling for has a burner phone just like his. Finding out what’s happening only leads to more questions…questions that could get them both killed. It’s not like someone’s kidnapping teens lost in the system and brainwashing them to be assassins or anything, right? And what happens to rogue assets who defy control?

In a race against the clock, they’ll have to uncover the truth behind Project Pandora and take it down—before they’re reactivated. Good thing the program spent millions training them to kick ass…

Project Pandora is the exciting and promising beginning to the Assassin Fall series, and I easily breezed through it in two sittings. It took me a few chapters to acclimate myself because not only are there several characters, when they’re under the influence of the sinister society who has brainwashed them, they’re known by Greek code names. But this is a fairly minor complaint, because from the first page, I was immediately sucked in. What I appreciated most of all is that all the action took nothing away from the characters themselves. The ending is a cliffhanger so I’m definitely looking forward to the sequel, Project Prometheus which is due out sometime this year. 

 

Shatter (Glitter #2), by Aprilynne Pike ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Dystopian Fiction, Suspense, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Books for Young Readers for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

384 Pages

Synopsis: Danica planned to use beauty, blackmail, and a glittering drug to control her own fate. Her escape from the twisted world of  the Palace of Versailles was perfectly orchestrated and paid for. Or so she thought.

Betrayed by the man who had promised her freedom, Dani is now married to the murderous King. It’s a terrifying position to be in…and yet it’s oddly intoxicating. Power may be an even stronger drug than Glitter—-a drug Dani can’t resist, in the form of secrets, manipulation, and sabotage.

In her new position at the head of the court, Dani must ask herself who she really is. Can she use her newfound power to secure her real love, Saber’s freedom and a chance at a life together outside the palace? Or is being Queen to addictive?

I was a little iffy about trying Shatter after reading it’s predecessor, Glitter, but I’m glad I did, because I found this so much more enjoyable. Although I loved the world building and setting, I gave the first book a paltry 1.5 stars mainly because I absolutely loathed Dani who I felt had absolutely no redeeming qualities whatsoever. What a difference a book makes. Dani is still dealing Glitter but she now sees the moral repercussions of what she is doing. Unfortunately, she’s trapped, as if she stops, her true love Saber will be killed by Reginald, the man supplying the drugs. And to make things worse, she’s forced to marry Justin, the loathsome King of the Palace of Versailles, and along with her small group of friends discovers a horrific plot afoot. 

Dani matures so much in this sequel, although that also means she’s forced to become as ruthless and calculating as Justin at times, for the greater good. I was shocked and thrilled to see this new side of her. She also shows her vulnerability when in order to cope she keeps her stays under her dresses as painfully tight as possible to give her a sense of control. 

Thankfully she has the ever loyal Saber at her side to help her. But this also brings me to why this didn’t get a full 5 stars. In both books, Saber served as a voice of reason to Dani, even if she didn’t always listen to him. By now I expected their relationship to go up to the next level. Yes, they do become a couple, but there’s very little romance, and what there is, it’s more told, rather than shown. Despite a couple of touching scenes, I just never found their love completely believable.

Overall though, I was impressed with how much an improvement Shatter was over Glitter. Because of the way the book ends, I’m not sure if there’s to be a third, but I’m rather hoping there is. 

Genesis (Project Nemesis #2), by Brendan Reichs ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Science Fiction, Thriller, YA Fiction

Thanks to Edelweiss and G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. 

Release Date: Available Now

512 Pages

Synopsis: Noah Livingston knows he is destined to survive.

The 64 members of Fire Lake’s sophomore class are trapped in a place where morals have no meaning, and zero rules apply. But Noah’s deaths have trained him—-hardened him—-to lead the strongest into the future…whatever that may be. And at any cost. 

Min Wilder knows that survival alone isn’t enough.

Trapped in a violent world where brute force passes for leadership, it’s tempting to lay back and let everyone else fight it out. But Min’s instincts rebel against allowing others to decide who lives and who dies. She’s ready to fight for what she believes in. And against whomever might stand in her way.

I don’t always find a sequel that’s even better than the first book in a series, but that’s what happened here. Genesis picks up exactly where Nemesis left off, and even though I read the previous book over a year ago, I had no problem jumping right back in. Adapting to this new cruel and brutal world they’ve been thrust into, it was mesmerizing watching how the various characters continued to evolve and cope, especially Min and Noah. The world-building and story is intense and I was on the edge of my seat from the first chapter. The book is over 500 pages, but I finished it in two days because I just couldn’t put it down. The ending was exciting, although almost a little too neat, but it perfectly wraps things up for the next book, which I’m eagerly anticipating.