Posts from the Young Adult department.
The Raven and the Reindeer by T. Kingfisher Adventure Fantasy Retelling of the Snow Queen Romance * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) In her author’s note, T. Kingfisher says this has its roots Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen,” but it’s much more palatable. “Hans Christian Andersen was a weird dude…His idea of a happy ending is that everybody died attended by angels (or if you are very fortunate, in church with your feet … Read more
Toto by AJ Hackwith Fantasy Retelling * * * Stars (Pretty good) The Wizard of Oz from Toto’s point of view (with nods to current culture trends). This is a breezy read in some ways – just touching upon a lot of plot points that receive more attention in L. Frank Baum’s books/the movie. But the characters offer up a lot of surprises – the Scarecrow wasn’t always thus and is a magic practitioner in … Read more
I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons by Peter S. Beagle Dragons Fantasy Funny Romance * * * * Stars (Great!) Princess Cerise is Exhausted from interviewing a never-ending succession of princes (all vying for her hand) until she meets Prince Reginald in the forest one day and finds herself completely smitten. She rushes home to put the castle in order before his arrival and entreats her father to bring in the dragon exterminator, as their accommodations … Read more
Pony Confidential by Christina Lynch Mystery * * * Stars (Pretty good) Penny loved her pony more than anything else, but she is separated from him at the age of 12 when a murder causes her family to move across the country and she’s forced to sell him. The pony is super salty about his treatment afterwards and vows to find Penny and get revenge. But in the telling of the story of Penny’s ultimate … Read more
How to Draw a Secret by Cindy Chang Graphic Novel Realistic Fiction * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) Based on Cindy Chang’s experiences growing up, “How to Draw a Secret” follows the story of a single-parent Chinese/Taiwanese family living in California. Cindy is the youngest in her family and has two older, college-age sisters. Their mom has been their sole caretaker since their baba moved back to Taiwan “for work.” Actually, Cindy isn’t sure … Read more
A Whisper in the Walls sequel to A Door in the Dark by Scott Reintgen Fantasy * * * * Stars (Great!) Ren is bent on avenging her father’s death – murdered by the powerful Brood family. To that end she has infiltrated their ranks by way of the youngest Brood son, Theo, with whom she is now magically bonded. The Brood family just wants Ren out of the way, however, and Landwin Brood, the head … Read more
Dungeon Crawler Carl Dungeon Crawler Carl #1 by Matt Dinniman Adventure Fantasy Science Fiction * * * * Stars (Great!) Earth has been repossessed by aliens for its minerals, and anyone who was inside some kind of structure when the aliens showed up is immediately crushed out of existence. Any remaining humans have been invited to participate in a dungeon crawling game for their survival and the rest of the universe’s entertainment, as their progress … Read more
To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose Fantasy * * * * Stars (Great!) Anequs, a fifteen-year-old indigenous girl, discovers a dragon’s egg on her people’s island, and brings it back to her village – as tradition dictates – where everyone gathers to dance and sing and tell stories to welcome the dragon within. When the egg hatches, the hatchling, Kasaqua, chooses Anequs to be her Nampeshiweisit (her person). Anequs’ brother who has lived … Read more
Focused by Alyson Gerber Realistic Fiction * * * Stars (Pretty good) Clea is finding it hard to focus and she’s falling behind in school and having problems at home, too. Her folks take her to see a specialist who diagnoses her with ADHD. While Clea isn’t thrilled with the assessment, she also starts seeing the benefits of getting treatment/help. She starts taking medication to help her concentrate, learns strategies to help her cope, and … Read more
Tell Me What Really Happened by Chelsea Sedoti Mystery Suspense Thriller * * * Stars (Pretty good) Maylee Hayes goes missing on a camping trip, and the police are trying to determine what happened to her by interviewing her friends who were there – Petra, Nolan, Abigail, and John. Each chapter is voiced by a different character in response to the questions they’ve been asked. Petra is Maylee’s BFF and she’s convinced that Maylee is … Read more