LAST GATE OF THE EMPEROR by Kwame Mbalia and Prince Joel Makonnen
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Yared has his whole day planned out: sail through school right until the last possible moment, then dodge the truancy robots and make his escape to crush the competition in one of the highly secretive VR battles he always dominates. But when the system forces him to log in with his real name for the first time, a shadowy group of warriors swoops in to capture him, with help of a gigantic and terrifying beast that Yared can’t believe exists. The beast and the warriors–those were things out of Uncle Moti’s stories, nothing more than legends. But when Yared returns home to find the warriors trashing his house, he realizes two things. First, Uncle Moti’s stories of the mythical kingdoms locked in an eternal battle were all real. And second, for some unfathomable reason, Yared seems to be caught up in the middle of it. If he has any hope of rescuing Uncle Moti, Yared will need to recall all of his uncle’s bizarre lessons and trust the last person he ever though he’d have to rely on: his VR rival, the Ibis.
This book kept me laughing. It’s fast-paced and imaginative with a great protagonist who is a delight to root for. I’d recommend it to middle grade readers who enjoy SFF and humor, and it will especially appeal to Black Panther 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!
KINGDOM OF SECRETS by Christyne Morrell
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Until she met Abi, Prismena was a rule-follower. Mostly. Sure, she collected junk to make her little inventions, and that was technically illegal, but it wasn’t hurting anybody! She certainly wasn’t involved in a rebellion against King Michael, the self-proclaimed savior of her kingdom.
But when resourceful street urchin Abi blackmails Prismena to smuggle a package onto her father’s hot air balloon, leading to her father’s arrest, Prismena suddenly has to choose between abandoning her father in prison or joining the rebellious orphans her father expressly forbade her from associating with. Though she tries to tell herself that it isn’t her fight and isn’t her problem, as her involvement with the rebels deepens, Prismena starts to realize that the safety of the children and the fate of two kingdoms might come to rest squarely on her shoulders.
A delightful middle grade debut featuring young engineers! Prismena and Abi have distinct and wonderful voices that make you cheer for them throughout their struggles (at one point I literally cheered aloud when Prismena did something particularly awesome). The social commentary is light-handed and thoroughly integrated into the plot, and as in all good MG fiction, the children are the moral compass and the agents of change. The world felt grounded in our own, while the hot air balloons added a whimsical quality to this magic-free fantasy. Highly recommend to middle grade readers, teachers, and book clubs!
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!
A LADY’S FORMULA FOR LOVE by Elizabeth Everett
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Violet can’t risk getting involved in a scandal. Though she retained the title of viscountess after her husband died, her “unladylike” experimentation in chemistry has left her as an object of ridicule. If it were only her own social standing at stake, she wouldn’t worry. But the social club for lady scientists depends on her good name for its survival. So when an anonymous enemy starts threatening her with violence, Violet reluctantly agrees to having a bodyguard.
Arthur has followed a strict rule throughout his career of service to the Queen: never get emotionally involved with someone he is protecting. He only broke the rule once, and it cost a man his life. But the more time he spends with the brilliant and compassionate scientist, the more difficult it becomes to maintain his distance. The mutual attraction is undeniable, and after the first slip, it becomes increasingly difficult to stay away from Violet’s bed. But he makes himself clear: they are only indulging their physical desires. They can never become emotionally involved. For a scientist and an assassin, that shouldn’t be too difficult, right?
A fun start to a new series about eccentric female scientists in the Victorian era. Lust at first sight, a bodyguard/client relationship, and a heroine with self-esteem issues may turn off readers who dislike those tropes, but I LOVED the book–especially the mutual respect of the relationship, the suspense, and the fact that the woman was the brains of the operation. Highly recommend to fans of The Brother’s Sinister, HIS AT NIGHT, and other Victorian romances about women breaking out of their “station.”
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.
THE WISTERIA SOCIETY OF LADY SCOUNDRELS by India Holton
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When Cecilia learns that Lady Armitage has hired a pirate to assassinate her, she is pleased. Her late mother would be terribly proud that she finally merited an assassin. In fact, she is shaping up to be a fine pirate herself. She knows how to fly a house, how to pick a lock and a pocket, how to fight with knife, gun, or sword–in short, everything a lady needs to be a successful member of the Wisteria Society of Victorian pirates.
But as it turns out, her assassin isn’t as keen on killing her as Lady Armitage expected. In fact, Ned, as he insists she call him, warns Cecilia of a plot by her murderous father to kidnap her. Though Cecilia doesn’t trust Ned, when the rest of the Wisteria Society is shanghaied, she has no choice but to ally herself with him in order to effect a rescue. But while Cecilia may be well-versed in the art and science of piracy, she is in no way prepared for the feelings she begins to have toward Ned, and even less prepared for the feelings he seems to have toward her.
I’m pretty sure this book was written to delight me. I started laughing at the “Table of Significant Characters” and never stopped. But in addition to humor, it also checked all my boxes on what I want from a historical romance: a hero and heroine who I actually like, both independently and as a couple; a meaningful project not directly related to romance on which they can collaborate; and of course a healthy dose of swoon-worthy sexy-times. Still, as you can probably guess from the house-flying pirates, this won’t appeal to all historical romance readers. I would describe it as Sherry Thomas meets Gail Carriger. If that doesn’t help, read chapter one, and you will know if it’s for you. (And if this book is for you, we should definitely be friends. Because like I said, delighted…)
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!
Susan the Librarian 