Hush (Hush #1), by Dylan Farrow ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Diversity, Dystopian?, Fantasy, Suspense, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: October 6th, 2020

384 Pages

Synopsis: How do you speak up in a world where propaganda is a twisted form of magic?

In the land of Montane, language is literal magic to the select few who possess the gift of Telling. This power is reserved for the Bards, and, as everyone knows, the Bards have almost always been men.

Seventeen-year-old Shae has lived her entire life in awe of the Bards—and afraid of the Blot, a deadly disease spread by ink, which took the life of her younger brother, five years ago. Ever since, Shae fears she’s cursed. But when tragedy strikes again and her mother is found murdered with a golden dagger—a weapon used only by the Bards—Shae is forced to act.

With a heart set on justice Shae journeys to High House in search of answers. But when the kind, fatherly Cathal, the High Lord of Montane, makes Shae an undeniable offer to stay and train as a Bard, Shae can’t refuse.

Through this twisty tale, Shae endures backbreaking training from a ruthless female Bard, tentative and highly forbidden feelings for a male Bard with a dark past, and a castle filled with dangerous illusions bent on keeping its  secrets buried.

But sometimes the truth is closer than we think. We just have to learn to listen.

A stunning and timely debut from activist Dylan Farrow, HUSH is a powerful feminist fantasy full of surprising insights, that casts a ray of light into the shadows of a society based on silencing and lies.

But that’s the thing about words. Once you’ve read them, there’s no going back.

~ Dylan Farrow, Hush ~

I was so excited when I learned that Dylan Farrow was coming out with a YA feminist fantasy. And when I read the premise for Hush and saw the exquisite cover, my excitement only grew. After finishing this last night, I can honestly say that while it’s a little rough around the edges, Farrow’s debut is an entertaining and thoughtful read.

There is so much I loved about this.  Shae is a likable, unreliable character (my favorite kind), who is passionate and impulsive, and embarks upon a fascinating journey of self-discovery in this first book in a planned series. The secondary cast is a mixed bag with some being wonderfully drawn like the servant Imogen, but others such as Shae’s best friend Fiona, needing a little more fleshing out. I liked Shae’s love interest, Mads, but I felt the chemistry between them a little lacking.

The world building is gorgeously visual and detailed, although there are times the volume of descriptive language overwhelmed the story and made it a bit disjointed. Aster, Montane, and High House are all brought vividly to life. The story itself is a mix of slow and fast moments, but for the most part I remained thoroughly engrossed.

I think if Hush was a stand-alone, I’d probably be giving it only 3 1/2 stars, but it holds so much promise, and I can see this developing into a truly epic series. Farrow’s longtime activist roots are definitely on display here, but what’s so impressive is how original, insightful, and creative this is. Honestly, I will be shocked if this isn’t optioned by Hollywood. The sequel isn’t coming out until 2021, but there’s no doubt in my mind that I’ll be reading it.

 

 

 

 

Prelude For Lost Souls (Prelude For Lost Souls #1), by Helene Dunbar ~ 3.5 Stars

Tags

LGBTQ, Mystery, Romance, Supernatural, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: August 4th, 2020

384 Pages

Synopsis: For readers of Nova Ren Suma, Maggie Steifvater, and Maureen Johnson comes a spellbinding tale of choosing your own path, the families we create for ourselves, and facing the ghosts of our pasts.

In the town of St. Hilaire, most make their living by talking to the dead. In the summer the town gates open to tourists seeking answers while all activity is controlled by The Guild, a sinister ruling body that sees everything.

Dec Hampton has lived there his entire life, but ever since his parents died, he’s been done with it. He knows he has to leave before anyone has a chance to stop him.

His best friend Russ won’t be surprised when Dec leaves—but he will be heartbroken. Russ is a good medium, maybe even a great one. He’s made sacrifices for his gift and will do whatever he can to gain entry to The Guild, even embracing dark forces and contacting the most elusive ghost in town.

But when the train of Annie Krylova, the piano prodigy whose music has been Dec’s main source of solace, breaks down outside of town, it sets of an unexpected chain of events. And in St. Hilaire there are no such thing as coincidences.

I was so excited when I saw the gorgeous cover and read the premise of Prelude For Lost Souls. And you know what? It wasn’t bad. However, I wasn’t blown away by it like I thought I would be.

This is a unique, and quite imaginative plot driven story, which I really appreciated. I swear it’s getting more and more difficult to find a book out there that doesn’t contain at least some elements that remind you of a previous one. Rest assured, that’s definitely not the case here. For those of you familiar with Lily Dale, the real hamlet made up of mediums and spiritualists in south western New York, it served as the author’s inspiration. St. Hilaire however is quite a bit darker and has some strong fascist overtones. There is definitely something underhanded going on in terms of The Guild, and there’s not a lot revealed in this first book, so I’m looking forward to what comes next.

The weakest part of the book lies in its characters. Anna and Dec both have what should have been fascinating backstories, but they and the dialogue between them come across as rather flat, which makes it difficult to connect with them. The saving grace though is Dec’s best friend Russ, who also gets his own chapters. I absolutely LOVED him! All the emotions and passion I was looking for in Dec and Anna poured out of Russ’s pages.

The middle of the book slows down a bit before picking up toward the end, which perfectly sets things up for the sequel. All in all, while not perfect, Prelude For Lost Souls, has me hooked, and I’m eagerly looking forward to revisiting St. Hilaire and its secrets.

 

The Loop, by Jeremy Robert Johnson ~ 5.0 Stars

Tags

Bullying, Diversity, Horror, Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery/Saga Press for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: September 29th, 2020

320 Pages

Synopsis: Stranger Things meets World War Z in this heart-racing conspiracy thriller as a lonely young woman teams up with a group of fellow outcasts to survive the night in a town overcome by a science experiment gone wrong.

Turner Falls is a small tourist town, nestled in the hills of western Oregon, the kind of town you escape to for vacation. When an inexplicable outbreak rapidly develops, this idyllic town becomes the epicenter of an epidemic of violence as the teenage children of several executives from the local biotech firm become ill and aggressively murderous. Suddenly the town is on edge, and Lucy and her friends must do everything it takes just to fight through the night.

The Loop isn’t simply a Stranger Things/World War Z knockoff. No. Jeremy Robert Johnson has taken the whole teen misfits and zombie tropes, and spun it into something completely unique. This upcoming sci-fi/horror throws in: biological warfare, government overreach, conspiracies, social stigmas, greed and hubris, depraved indifference, aliens… You name it, it’s in here. But instead of devolving into a mess like many stories with a multitude of ingredients, Johnson skillfully blends everything into a compelling narrative that will immediately draw you in from the very first page.

Lucy is at turns vulnerable, yet badass, and readers will root for her. While her backstory is tragic, she refuses to let it define her. Bucket and Brewer as her sidekicks, provide a bit of intermittent comic relief which is needed because the events that unfold mainly over one night are utterly brutal and difficult to read at times.

While the first 25% of the book is spent more on setting up the characters and their backgrounds, by no means is it boring. Thanks to the interesting personalities and snappy dialogue, this serves as a chance to connect with them before all hell breaks loose. The pace quickly kicks into a non-stop, pulse-pounding, frenetic sequence of events that makes it nearly impossible to put this down. I devoured this in just over two hours! The ending is no happily-ever-after, but it’s the only rational outcome.

The Loop is not going to be for everyone. It’s filled with graphic violence and a few scenes had me wincing. And not all the questions raised are answered. Rather, the author leaves a few things up to the reader’s imagination. Because of the savagely gory nature of this tale, I would not recommend this to anyone under the age of sixteen. Otherwise, if you’re a fan of hardcore sci-fi horror, like Stephen King’s The Cell, and things like the Alien movies don’t faze you, I HIGHLY recommend The Loop. Just don’t expect to be able to sleep immediately after you finish!

 

The Sullivan Sisters, by Kathryn Ormsbee ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Diversity, Dysfunctional Families, LGBTQ, Mystery, Substance Abuse, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: May 26th, 2020

384 Pages

Synopsis: Time changes things.

That painful fact of life couldn’t be truer for the Sullivan sisters. Once, they used to be close, sharing secrets inside homemade blanket castles. Now, life inside the Sullivan house means closed doors and secrets left untold.

Fourteen-year-old Murphy, an aspiring magician, is shocked by the death of Siegfried, her pet turtle. Seventeen-year-old Claire, is bound for better things than her Oregonian hometown—until she receives a crushing rejection from her dream college. And eighteen-year-old Eileen is nursing a growing addiction in the wake of life-altering news.

Then, days before Christmas, a letter arrives, informing the sisters of a dead uncle and an inheritance they knew nothing about. The news forces them to band together in the face of a sinister family mystery…and, possibly, murder.

Coming from a dysfunctional family, I love reading about other’s family woes, and The Sullivan Sisters is a well written combination of one such family and a mystery that will bring them together, or tear them apart.

Each sister’s narrative helps bring them to life and instill a certain amount of sympathy for what each of them has gone through. I do have to say that I thought the story itself was slightly predictable and could have used some more twists and action, but I kept reading because I connected with the sisters.

Overall, I quite enjoyed The Sullivan Sisters. Kathryn Ormsbee, did a wonderful job capturing the voices of each sister, and while I wasn’t surprised by the outcome at the end, it was still an interesting journey getting there. This is the first book I’ve read by the author, but I’ll definitely be looking for future books by her.

 

TRUEL1F3 (Lifelike #3), Jay Kristoff ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Dystopian Fiction, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Books for Young Children for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: June 30th, 2020

480 Pages

Synopsis: From the bestselling co-author of The Illuminae Files, comes the thrilling finale in the LIFEL1K3 trilogy—hailed by Marie Lu as “a breathless, action-packed exploration of what humanity really means.”

Best friends have become enemies. Lovers have become strangers. And deciding whose side you’re on could be the difference between life and death. For Eve and Lemon, discovering the truth about themselves—and each other—was too much for their friendship to take. But with the country on the brink of a new world war—this time between the BioMaas swarm at CityHive and Daedalus’s at Megopolis, loyalties will be pushed to the brink, unlikely alliances will form and with them, betrayals. But the threat doesn’t stop there because the lifelikes are determined to access the program that will set every robot free, a task requiring both Eve and Ana, the girl she was created to replace. In the end, violent clashes and heartbreaking choices reveal the true heroes…and they may not be who you think they are.

Without a doubt, Jay Kristoff is one of the most talented YA authors out there, and with TRUEL1F3, he brings his epic LIFEL1K3 trilogy to a spectacular conclusion!

Beginning with a brief and helpful recap of what happened in the two previous books, the action kicks into high gear immediately and despite this being almost 500 pages long, I raced through it in two sittings. Kristoff is known for writing flawed, emotionally tormented characters, and the cast in this trilogy are no different. While Lemon turned out to be my favorite, I found them all to be pretty much unforgettable. My only nitpick is with Eve. After discovering that she’s been lied to her entire life, beginning in the second book she embraced villainy whole heartedly. At the end of LIFEL1K3, she suddenly turns back to the light and all is forgiven. Um. No. Call me vengeful, but when someone turns evil and their actions cause the deaths of innocence, I want to see justice. This is one of the main things that drove me absolutely NUTS about Anakin Skywalker’s backstory in the Star Wars movies. He kills millions of people, including an entire academy of children, and he’s forgiven and goes to Jedi heaven because he saves his son’s life? I don’t think so! Sorry for that digression, but it’s a little like that here. I understand Eve’s anger and feelings of betrayal, but that doesn’t excuse her actions. Yet at the end, apparently everything is hunky dory because she does the right thing and saves Lemon’s life. Argh!

I’m only taking a half point off my rating for that, because the rest of the book is just brilliant! My anger at Eve aside, I’ve grown quite fond of this motley crew of characters and I’m reluctant to say goodbye. I can’t wait to see what Kristoff will come out with next though. One word of caution: these books are extremely dark, and there are several bloody and gruesome scenes, some involving torture, so this may not be for everyone. If your interest is piqued though, I highly recommend this exciting science fiction trilogy with its unique storyline and colorful quirky characters.

 

 

Give a Boy a Gun: 20th Anniversary Edition, by Todd Strasser ~ 3.5 Stars

Tags

Bullying, Mental Health, School Shootings, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon Schuster Books for Young Children for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: May 12th, 2020

176 Pages

Synopsis: In this 20th anniversary edition of Todd Strasser’s gut-wrenching and critically acclaimed Give a Boy a Gun, two boys bring guns to school in search of revenge against their classmates.

For as long as they can remember, Brendan and Gary have been mercilessly teased and harassed by the jocks that rule Middletown High. But not anymore. Stealing a small arsenal of guns from a neighbor, they take their classmates hostage at a school dance. In the panic of this desperate situation, it soon becomes clear that only one thing matters to Brendan and Gary: revenge.

This special 20th anniversary edition includes updated back matter and statistics on school shootings—a topic that is now more relevant than ever.

Give a Boy a Gun was written twenty years ago, yet tragically retains all of its relevance today. The first book about a school shooting written in the aftermath of the Columbine mass shooting on April 20, 1999, it shares a few similarities to the events that unfolded there, although Todd Strasser actually began researching the subject earlier.

The novel is in epistolary format and the majority of it is told through transcribed interviews with parents, teachers, and students that Gary’s stepsister Denise compiles three years after Brendan’s and Gary’s attack on their tormentors and the adults who failed to protect them. Through the eyes of several characters, the reader sees what precipitates their violent rampage, as well as the bloody night of revenge itself. Included are the two 10th graders’ suicide notes which added an additional chilling and disturbing layer.

There are a few things that prevents this from being a perfect read. First, while seeing the viewpoints of so many characters in a book thats under 200 pages long, is informative, it doesn’t allow you to really connect with anyone. The characters are also extremely stereotypical, with the football players being the one-dimensional bullies. I also would have somehow liked to have delved more deeply into the psyches of Brendan and Gary, but there just wasn’t time. What I found the most interesting were the various teachers’ attitudes toward the bullying going on right in front of them. The football coach who tacitly encourages it, the teacher who sees it as typical “boys will be boys,” and another who sees it as a problem but doesn’t know what to do to end it. And finally, I read the Kindle version of this which shares updated gun violence examples and statistics all the way up to 2019. While these are enlightening, inserting them at intervals throughout the story, rather than at the end is jarring and disruptive.

If You Give a Boy a Gun is a flawed yet earnest and well-meaning look at gun violence in America, as well as the social and psychological effects of daily bullying on vulnerable teens. It’s raw, unflinching, and brutally graphic, so I’d recommend this for ages 15+. I believe it’s a worthy addition to any discussion regarding this ongoing problem.

Little Creeping Things, by Chelsea Ichaso~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Contemporary Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: June 2nd, 2020

352 Pages

Synopsis: When she was a child, Cassidy Pratt accidentally started a fire that killed her neighbor. She’s pretty sure she didn’t mean to do it, and she’d give anything to forget that awful day. But her town’s bullies, particularly the cruel and beautiful Melody Davenport, have never let her live it down. In Melody’s eyes, Cassidy is a murderer and always will be.

Then Melody goes missing, and Cassidy thinks she may have information about what happened. She knows she should go to the cops, but she recently joked about how much she’d like to get rid of Melody. She even planned the perfect way to do it. And then she gets a chilling text from an unknown number: “I’m so glad we’re in this together.“

Now it’s up to Cassidy to figure out what’s really going on before the truth behind Melody’s disappearance sets the whole town ablaze.

The disturbing cover and title are what first attracted me to this debut by Chelsea Ichaso, and I’m happy to say the story was an enjoyable mystery that I easily breezed through.

The teen angst and romantic drama are the weakest part of the story, and whenever I hit one of these passages I found myself itching to get back to the main storyline. Thankfully these aren’t numerous enough to become a major distraction.

Cassidy is the quintessential unreliable narrator, and her backstory kept me guessing as did her present day motivations and questionable intentions. By the halfway point of the story I had narrowed my suspects down to two individuals, and ultimately one of them turned out to be the villain. My major complaint about the big reveal is that there’s not enough information regarding the why of it all. I’m one of those who don’t ascribe to the notion of someone just being evil. I want to know everything that went into shaping the person they become, and in this case I was left slightly unsatisfied. That said, I think most readers will be just fine with this.

While elements of Little Creeping Things aren’t the most original, and there are some moments of predictability, these are not enough to spoil what is overall an intriguing and well-woven mystery. I unhesitatingly recommend this to readers who are looking for a compelling YA mystery that’s a quick read.

 

 

 

Hunting November (Killing November #2), Adriana Mather ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Adventure, Contemporary Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Secret Societies, Thriller, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Books for Young Readers for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: May 5th, 2020

368 Pages

Synopsis: Surviving a few weeks at the world’s most lethal boarding school was one thing. But now comes the real test: Can November Adley find her missing father before her enemies find her? Subterfuge is the name of the game in this thrilling sequel to Killing November, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of How to Hang a Witch.

After surviving a crash course in espionage at the mysterious Academy Absconditi, November only has one purpose: finding her missing father. Along with fellow student (and heartthrob) Ash, November follows the clues that her father left, embarking on the deadliest treasure hunt of her life. The first clue is in her hometown, where old friends beckon and unexpected enemies lurk around every corner. The second clue is in Europe, where revelations about her family history will plunge her into an international web of deception, lies, and intrigue. The third clue is deep in enemy territory surrounded by skilled assassins and master strategists, and where everyone wants her and her father dead. Can one girl with limited training infiltrate a centuries-old organization that is powerful enough to topple empires? November only knows she’ll do whatever it takes to save her father…or die trying.

Hunting November picks up exactly where Killing November left off, and while it moved away from the sinister boarding school for assassins-to-be, it lost none of the thrills and chills that made the previous book so much fun.

Having left the insular world of the Academy Absconditi, November and Ash hopscotch across Europe, desperately trying to find her father before the mysterious and sinister assassin known only as the Ferryman, does. Aided only by the cryptic clues left for her by her father, November is taken for a trip down memory lane as each clue is tied to a specific childhood memory. This was one my favorite parts of the book as you got to see November and her father’s close bond as it developed through the years. It was emotional and very touching. The scenes from the past were so beautifully woven in by Mather that they added this lovely undercurrent to the story. While this is contemporary fiction, the way the Strategia interact with each other and do business plays out like it was in the distant past. Their weapons of choice are knives, poison, and blow darts, and because of this and the settings which seem almost like old world Europe, I spent half my time reminding myself this wasn’t the 1800s.

The only reason why I’m not giving this a perfect 5 star rating is because I thought the ending was a little rushed, especially in terms of the Strategia families and their connections. I believe this is going to only be a duology, which is a shame because there’s a lot more to explore here. Overall though, I HIGHLY recommend both Killing November and Hunting November to anyone who loves spy/secret society novels with plenty of excitement and adventure!

 

You’re Next, by Kylie Schachte ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Contemporary Fiction, LGBTQ, Mental Health, Mystery, Suspense, Violence, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Jimmy Patterson for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: June 23rd, 2020

480 Pages

Synopsis: Flora Calhoun has a reputation for sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong. After stumbling across a classmate’s body years ago, the trauma of that discovery and the police’s failure to find the killer has haunted her ever since. One night she gets a midnight text from Ava McQueen, the beautiful girl who had ignited Flora’s heart last summer, then never spoke to her again.

Just in time to witness Ava’s death from a gunshot wound, Flora is set on a path of rage and vengeance for all the dead girls whose killer is never found. Her tunnel-visioned sleuthing leads to valuable clues about a shocking conspiracy involving her school and beyond, but earns her sinister threats from the murderer. She has a choice—to give up the hunt for answers, or keep digging and risk her loved ones’ lives. Either way, Flora will regret the consequences. Who’s next on the killer’s list?

If you pick up You’re Next, be prepared to leave a healthy dose of scepticism at the door. It’s a combination of Veronica Mars, Nancy Drew and Riverdale, and while it’s a little rough at times, overall it’s a fun read.

The beginning is a little awkward because of the previous murder. The way it’s written kind of leaves the impression that there was another book, but there’s not. At the same time though, it gives you more insight into Flora’s troubled mind. She’s never gotten over that trauma and the combination of that, this new murder of her ex-girlfriend, and her tumultuous relationship with her absentee mother makes her careen out of control. I loved her relationship with her grandfather who has become parent to both Flora and her younger sister Olive, but I was also frustrated at times because I felt he gave her far too much latitude in regards to her detective work. I also found it unbelievable that psychological counseling was never even considered.

I loved Flora’s relationship with the enigmatic Valentine and found myself rooting for these two emotionally scarred human beings. While their romance is rocky in the beginning due to miscommunication and lack of trust, it slowly evolves during the story into something more meaningful.

The two other characters I loved the most were Olive and Flora’s best friend, Cass. They’re both supportive yet unafraid to call Flora out when she says or does something unacceptable. While she tends to take them for granted, toward the end of the book she realizes how much she depends upon them.

At almost 500 pages long, this probably could have had about 50-75 pages edited out, but it still manages to move along at a surprisingly fast pace thanks to the almost continuous action. The ending is a whopper and I’m assuming there will be a sequel. If not, I’m taking a point off my rating!

You’re Next is an enjoyable read that I think fans of YA authors like Karen McManus and Jennifer Lynn Barnes will enjoy. It provided a nice distraction from current events and I’ll be on the look out for the next book.

 

I Killed Zoe Spanos, by Kit Frick ~ 3.0 Stars

Tags

Contemporary Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: June 2nd, 2020

384 Pages

Synopsis: What happened to Zoe, won’t stay buried…

When Anna Cicconi arrives to the small Hamptons village of Herron Mills for a summer nanny gig, she has high hopes for a fresh start. What she finds instead is a community on edge after the disappearance of Zoe Spanos, a local girl who has been missing since New Year’s Eve. Anna bears an eerie resemblance to Zoe and her mere presence in town stirs up still-raw feelings about the unsolved case. As Anna delves deeper into the mystery, stepping further and further into Zoe’s life, she becomes increasingly convinced that she and Zoe are connected—and that she knows what happened to her.

Two months later, Zoe’s body is found in a nearby lake, and Anna is charged with manslaughter. But Anna’s confession is riddled with holes, and Martina Green, teen host of the Missing Zoe podcast, isn’t satisfied. Did Anna really kill Zoe? And if not, can Martina’s podcast uncover the truth?

Inspired by Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, Kit Frick weaves a thrilling story of psychological suspense that twists and turns until the final page.

As soon as I read that I Killed Zoe Spanos was based on Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, I knew I had to request it, and although I didn’t find it a perfect read, there were parts I found quite clever and entertaining.

I liked the spine-tingling plot and the creative insertion of podcast transcripts, but in addition to Anna (who I liked), there were too many characters and I had to work to keep track of all of them. Maybe this wouldn’t have been such an annoyance ordinarily, but given my distracted state of mind lately, this definitely took some enjoyment away. My biggest issue though was with the ending. Yikes! Too many things, some completely thrown in seemingly out of left field, made this a rushed, messy, and somewhat confusing finale.

Overall, I think I Killed Zoe Spanos is creative and original, but doesn’t quite live up to its potential. That said, I do think this is a tale that many teens will like. It’s an intriguing mystery with an unreliable narrator, and that mixed with the podcast and soap-opera drama, makes this a fun, if not memorable read.