YA Fiction
WHEN ALL THE GIRLS ARE SLEEPING by Emily Arsenault
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It’s almost a full year after Taylor died when the video comes to Hayley’s inbox. Hayley assumes it’s The Video, the one Taylor took of Jocelyn and Charlie making out and subsequently posted to social media, causing Jocelyn to change schools. But when she clicks the file, it’s something very different: Taylor in her room at the boarding school, eyes wide in terror as whispers come out of the darkness around her.
Hayley never fully accepted the official explanation of Taylor’s death (marijuana-induced suicide) but the video makes her wonder if one of the many people she hurt was targeting her. Or… Hayley never believed the stories of the ghost that supposedly haunts the senior dorm each winter, but there are some things in the video that are difficult to explain. As she digs deeper into the history of the school and its ghost, patterns begin to emerge, leading Hayley to the alarming conclusion that not only might the ghost be real, but another senior girl might be this winter’s target.
I read this book in one day–could not wait to find out what happened! There were so many red herrings that complicated the mystery, plus the horror-like ghost story atmosphere added a lot of suspense. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. Highly recommend to YA mystery and psychological thriller fans!
FAKING REALITY by Sara Fujimura
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Dakota knew it would be a horrible idea to tell Leo she was in love with him. So then why did she do it? And in the walk-in fridge of his family’s Japanese restaurant–could she get any more ridiculous? Fortunately, the cameras that usually follow her family around for their HGTV reality show aren’t allowed in the Matsuda’s restaurant. The last thing she needs is another public humiliation like last year’s Homecoming.
But Leo’s rejection is just the start of Dakota’s problems. The reality show is in its last season, and the producer wants to give America’s DIY Princess a televised Sweet Sixteen bash. The catch: she’ll need to audition actors to play her date. Could this be the opportunity Dakota needs to get over Leo before their summer trip to Japan? Or will it be yet another humiliating disaster?
I loved the voice and cast of this adorable YA romance. Dakota is a quarter Japanese and Fujimura incorporates Japanese culture and language seamlessly throughout the narrative. I also appreciated the “reality diva” twist: that Dakota stars in an HGTV show where she gets to renovate houses and other building projects. You don’t expect a “TV princess” to show up in steel-toed work boots, and it is awesome. The gradual build of the romance was actually less engaging for me than Dakota’s personal growth, wrestling with issues of privacy and agency and the pros/cons of being a ratings success. Highly recommend to fans of fun, hopeful, but thought-provoking YA contemporary fiction!
HURRICANE SUMMER by Asha Bromfield
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Tilla doesn’t want to spend the summer in Jamaica. She’s not nervous about hurricanes, like her mother. The source of Tilla’s anxiety is her father who she hasn’t seen in over a year–and who she hasn’t forgiven for abandoning her family.
But when Tilla and her little sister arrive in the Jamaican countryside, she finds even more cause to worry. Her father is out of town for weeks and her aunts, uncles, and cousins do their best to make her feel unwelcome. It seems like everything about her is wrong on the island: her poor command of Patois, her “mod” Afro, the clothes she wears, the fact that she has had the opportunity to go to school–all of it brands her as a rich foreigner. The only bright spot is her friendship with her cousin Andre, who also faces discrimination from the family since his skin is darker than everyone else’s. As Tilla struggles to fit in and to find some sort of relationship with her father, the casual bullying of her extended family takes a dark turn, leading Tilla to question her identity and self-worth.
HURRICANE SUMMER explores some of the same themes as THE POET X (family, religion, the sexualization of girls) but in a heavier, more dramatic way. There is a disclaimer at the beginning of the novel warning of sexual violence, and I appreciated the heads up as the story turned darker. That said, while this novel is not brimming with hope, Tilla’s strength and her refusal to break under the bullying–or to let the bullies break Andre–kept me going through, and I’m still thinking about the issues it raised days later. Also, the immersive world-building of summer on the island is thrilling. For readers who enjoy darker contemporary YA, especially about dysfunctional families, this is one that you’ll want to grab!
SIX CRIMSON CRANES by Elizabeth Lim
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Princess Shiori does not want to get married. Even if her betrothed turns out to be as kind and wonderful as her father claims, she will still resent him for taking her away from her home–from her beloved father and stepmother and her six fun, loving, infuriating brothers. And what if her future husband discovered her secret–the magic she tries to keep hidden?
When a near-drowning experience brings her in contact with a dragon, Shiori finally begins to experiment with using her magic with the dragon as her guide. But when she discovers that her stepmother has been hiding magic of her own, Shiori panics. She tries to warn her brothers, but her stepmother catches her, placing all seven siblings under a dreadful curse. The brothers turn to cranes, and Shiori must tame her voice because for each sound she utters, one of her brothers will die. As Shiori travels the countryside in search of a way to break the curse, she realizes she will need help–from her brothers, from her dragon friend, and from the one person she had sworn to hate: her betrothed.
A brief summary cannot do justice to the complexity and beauty of this novel. The number of folktales Lim twists into this story could have been overwhelming, but every one serves the character development and relationship growth which drive the narrative. In addition to uniquely Asian folklore (such as the dragons), Lim incorporates the Asian variants of stories that are also common in the Western canon (e.g., the Chinese fish-girl “Cinderella” Ye Xian and the use of cranes in her reinterpretation of Andersen’s Wild Swans). The world she builds through this interwoven folklore is exquisite. For any reader who enjoys reimagined fairytales, this is a must-read!
INSTRUCTIONS FOR DANCING by Nicola Yoon
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Evie used to love romance novels. But that was before she caught her dad cheating on her mom. As she brings a box of her once-beloved books to the library to donate, she’s stopped by an old woman who offers her a weather-beaten copy of a ballroom dance manual in exchange. And on the way home, Evie is horrified to discover that the woman gave her something else, too: the ability to see the future.
Not just any future. Whenever she sees a couple kiss, she gets a vision of the heartbreak that awaits at the end of their relationship. Desperate to cure herself, she goes to the ballroom dance studio listed in the back of the old book. But instead of finding the woman who cursed her, she meets X, an aspiring rock star who basically checks every box on the stereotypical perfect hero of a romance novel list. As Evie and X become dance partners, then friends, Evie wrestles with the question: is love worth a future broken heart?
A truly exceptional, must-read YA romance! There are too many strengths to list, so I’ll stick with a few of my favorites:
First, these characters breathe. All of them are so alive, so real, so packed with genuine human emotions and motivations. No secondary character is neglected.
Second, this is a romance about heartbreak and loss (don’t worry, there’s an HFN) but it also made me laugh out loud. As with the characters, the plot and prose are packed with the full range of human emotion.
Third, there is a chapter where the narrator summarizes a bunch of romance novel tropes, and it is amazing.
And finally, this sentence: “Sometimes I think love is the reason language was invented.”
FIERCE AS THE WIND by Tara Wilson Redd
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Miho was heartbroken when her boyfriend broke up with her, but she assured him she understood. He’d gotten drunk, he’d gotten his ex pregnant, and he had to take responsibility. What other option was there?
Of course that was before she went on the ex’s Instagram and realized that he’d been dating her all along. The ex wasn’t the Other Woman; Miho was.
As she’s on the beach burning all of the gifts he gave her, she sees a banner advertising the Ironman triathalon, a Hawaii tradition, and it feels like a sign. She’s never been much of a runner, but she can swim, and she can bike. 140 miles sounds like a lot, but Miho is determined. With her friends as her support team, Miho starts training for the race, hoping that by proving she can do this one, impossible thing, she’ll find a way to believe in her future.
The core of this book is community. Every scene with Miho’s friends is bursting with love and laughter. And this community gives the reader–and Miho, though she doesn’t realize it at first–a hopeful support to lean against as she works through some very dark feelings of worthlessness springing from the actions of her ex and the casual racism and classism she encounters everywhere. It’s impossible not to root for Miho as she builds her self-esteem along with building her physical and mental endurance for the triathalon. Recommended for fans of YA contemporary fiction.
THESE FEATHERED FLAMES by Alexandra Overy
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Izaveta and Asya have always known their destiny. As twin princesses, Izaveta will succeed their mother as queen and Asya will become the Firebird, keeper of the magic of the firestone, tasked with exacting a blood-price from anyone who misuses magic. But when their mother is murdered, Asya and Izaveta are swept into their new roles much sooner than they expected, and if they have any hope of achieving justice, they will have to put aside their long-instilled mistrust of one another and uncover the darkest secrets of their imperiled queendom
A lot to love in this lush high fantasy, including an F/F enemies-to-lovers romance! Slavic folklore runs deep in the world-building and the consequences of magic are both weighty and believable. Recommend to high fantasy fans who don’t mind some bloodshed in their books!
SMOKE by Darcy Woods
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Honor’s dad has suffered from flashbacks since he returned from Iraq before she was born, but lately they seem to be getting worse. When she discovers a letter in his dresser announcing a change to his benefits–and a loss of money they count on to make ends meet–Honor is horrified to imagine losing the house. Or worse, losing the greenhouse business that’s their livelihood. Honor doesn’t want to burden her older brother, who already takes it upon himself to protect her from bullies, so she comes up with a plan on her own. If she could set up her own grow-room, she could sell marijuana, just until she earns enough money to pay off the family’s debt. But breaking into the drug business has its dangers, and when she begins to suspect that her bullies aren’t behind all of the mysterious harassments she’s been facing, Honor has to decide what she’s willing to sacrifice–and who she wants to be.
So refreshing to find a book “about” PTSD that isn’t soul-crushing! The depiction of Honor’s dad’s mental illness is gritty and real–as is the anxiety Honor experiences as a result–but what this book is really about is the lengths to which a person will go to help the people they love. So despite the heavy thematic material, the suspense and thriller elements, and the nebulous shades of morality, hope and love are consistent threads. For all her questionable choices, Honor’s deep, emotional motivations compel readers to cheer for her–even at the moments where we’re watching her destroy a relationship. This book is excellent. The drug trade might preclude it from many classrooms and book clubs, but there is a lot of meat for discussion here. I highly recommend it to fans of YA contemporary and character-driven thrillers.
HOUSE OF HOLLOW by Krystal Sutherland
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After they disappeared ten years ago, Iris Hollow and her sisters were never the same. It wasn’t just their eyes (now black) or their hair (now white). There were things they couldn’t remember, and things they wanted to forget–strange nightmares that sometimes came when they were awake. Her eldest sister, Grey, seemed especially different, now possessing strange abilities to influence other people. The change was enough to drive their father mad, to drive away their friends, and to cause strangers to stalk them.
But as much as Iris has tried to distance herself from her hazy past, when Grey disappears, she knows she can run from the truth no longer. With rotting flesh and carrion flowers to lead her forward, Iris searches for Grey–and the terrifying reality of what happened to all three Hollow sisters a decade ago.
Part fantasy, part horror, HOUSE OF HOLLOW will lead readers into a grounded nightmare in the space between life and death. The shining thread through the whole narrative is the theme of family–of love, loyalty, and belonging–that exists on two sides of a coin: life-giving and deadly, good and evil. Great pick for a YA book club and any older teen who loves dark fantasy. Highly recommend!
THE FOREST OF STOLEN GIRLS by June Hur
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Hwani hasn’t returned to the island of Jeju in years—not since the Forest Incident, when she and her sister were found near the body of a murdered young woman, an incident which Hwani cannot remember.
But Hwani’s father never forgot. The woman’s murder was the one case Detective Min never solved, and the continued disappearance of young girls from the forest caused him to return to Jeju over the past five years. Until the day he disappeared. Disguised as a boy and clutching her father’s journal, Hwani returns to the village of her birth, determined to find her father and solve the mystery of the stolen girls. But when the mystery brings her to the door of her estranged sister, Hwani discovers that the forest isn’t the only source of secrets, and she begins to wonder if finding the truth of her past will be worth the cost.
Set in 15th century Korea, this historical mystery is suspenseful, atmospheric, and thought-provoking. It gripped me from start to end. Though it is YA, adult historical fiction readers will find lots to love here, too. My favorite book of the year so far, and a must-read for YA mystery or historical fiction fans!
Susan the Librarian 