SMOKE by Darcy Woods
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I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from the publisher in order to write this review.
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.
THE DUKE UNDONE by Joanna Lowell
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When Lucy stumbles upon an unconscious, drunken, and very naked man, she can’t believe her luck! Though she and the other female artists at the Royal Academy are circulating a petition to be allowed to participate in life drawing sessions, she has not yet had the opportunity to sketch a male nude. Putting modesty and Victorian propriety aside, she memorizes the features and anatomy of the gorgeous specimen–the front of him, anyway–and hurries off to paint. The resulting work is her masterpiece and the first artwork she’s been able to sell. Unfortunately, her unwitting model gets a glimpse of the picture, and even more unfortunately, he turns out to be a duke. Despite the realization that the duke is as attracted to her as she is to him, Lucy wants nothing more than to distance herself from this drunken and very possibly dangerous man and focus on her art career. But when a disingenuous politician arranges to evict her whole block from their homes, Lucy decides to blackmail the duke into helping her win over the Board of Works. It will be fine, as long as she avoids romantic entanglement. How hard can that be?
I love, love, loved this Victorian romance. Could not put it down. It has everything I look for in a steamy historical romance: an interesting and historically grounded conflict, a fierce heroine and principled if flawed hero, and so, so much sexual tension. Highly recommend to fans of Sherry Thomas and Courtney Milan!
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!
ZARA HOSSAIN IS HERE by Sabina Khan
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Zara may be the only Muslim at her Corpus Christi high school, but for the most part, her life is good. She has two best friends who get her, an awesome social justice club where she gets to make a real difference in her community, the absolute coolest teacher and mentor (who’s queer like her!), and loving parents who accept and support her for who she is. She’s almost done with her applications to all the Ivy League colleges, and her dad’s green card application is just a few months from being accepted.
In fact, life would be pretty great if it weren’t for Tyler.
Zara deals with microaggressions all the time, but football start Tyler takes the racism and xenophobia to a new level. And when his bullying turns violent, all of the good things in Zara’s life are suddenly threatened, including her family’s green card. Faced with the prospect of returning to Pakistan–where she could never be openly bisexual–Zara frantically searches for a way for her family to stay in Texas. Because America is where you come for a better life, right?
Zara finds no easy answers in this nuanced novel about racism, homophobia, and the gut-wrenching flaws in America’s immigration and justice systems. But despite the hard-hitting subject matter and complete lack of sugar-coating, Zara’s indomitable voice and the love and idealism that bind her to her support community keep the novel enjoyable and hopeful even in the darkest moments. An honest and rousing call for change through a character’s frustrating, heartbreaking struggle to be treated as human–highly recommend!
ALL YOU KNEAD IS LOVE by Tanya Guerrero
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Alba’s mother has finally given up on her. Why it was now–not the first time she got detention, or the time she cut off all her hair–Alba doesn’t know. Maybe her father insisted. He gave up on Alba a long time ago, and her mother wouldn’t dare contradict him.
But whatever the reason, Alba’s mother puts her on a plane to Barcelona, to live with the grandmother she barely knows in a country where she doesn’t even speak the language. She expects to hate it, but when she arrives, she discovers that her grandmother is compassionate and loving–a complete difference from her cold and distant mother. And when she meets her mom’s former best friend, a baker, Alba discovers two things: first, baking bread is a great way to soothe her anxiety; and second, her mom might have been a completely different person before her dad came along. As Alba settles into her new life in Barcelona, she finally begins to come to terms with her father’s abuse and to rebuild the broken relationship with her mother.
Spousal abuse is a heavy, heartbreaking, and (unfortunately) necessary topic for children’s collections–for the many children who have witnessed such abuses and every child who needs to build empathy for people with those experiences. For her middle grade readers, Guerrero softens the potentially disturbing subject matter by removing Alba–and soon her mother–from the environment where the abuse occurred, limiting the scenes of abuse to memories and devoting the entire action of the plot to healing, rebuilding relationships, and forging a new life in a safe community. Highly recommend for older middle grade readers who enjoy character-driven realistic fiction in rich settings and don’t mind some heavier themes.
THE BURNING GIRLS by C.J. Tudor
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Perhaps it’s best that the bishop is reassigning Jack. After all, she doesn’t enjoy being “the vicar with blood on her hands.” Maybe in getting away from Nottingham, she and her teenage daughter, Flo, can escape the scandal, escape the memories of little Ruby–and Jack’s husband–and start anew.
But Chapel Croft, Sussex, might be just a bit too far from the life she and Flo know. The isolated country parish isn’t enthusiastic about a female vicar. And Jack soon learns that Chapel Croft has scandals of its own. From the legends of the two young girls burned to death in the sixteenth century (and allegedly still haunting the chapel) to the disappearance of two teenage girls in the ’90s to the suicide of Jack’s predecessor, the village has a dark past. It isn’t long before Jack and Flo get sucked into the mysteries–all of which seem to point back to the Church itself.
I literally read this book in one sitting. The e-reader did not leave my hands until I got to the end. It’s dark and layered–full of twists to keep you guessing and underlying questions about the nature of evil, spirituality, and free will. Whether you are a fan of psychological thrillers, suspense-heavy mysteries, or Kingian horror, this is one you’ll definitely want to check out!
CAN’T TAKE THAT AWAY by Steven Salvatore
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In their heart, Carey is a diva. Their mom must have had a glimpse of their future when they named them after Mariah Carey. Of course that glimpse of Carey’s destiny didn’t clue her in that her child was genderqueer. Fortunately, ever since Carey came out last year, their mom has been a fierce advocate who continues to try to understand and educate herself about Carey’s identity and experiences.
Unfortunately, a lot of people aren’t as awesome as Carey’s mom. Their best friend Joey has been distant. Their classmate Max tortures them with microaggressions during class (and more overt bullying everywhere else). Even teachers and administrators discriminate against them.
So when the hot guy who is for some (incredible!) reason interested in dating Carey encourages them to audition for Elphaba in the school musical, Carey has a choice to make. Will they find the courage to fight the hateful people–and their own self-doubt–and live their dream? Can a small group of activist students overcome the powerful forces determined to silence them?
Carey’s diva-dreams play into a plot that is at times larger-than-life, including a deus ex machina defeat of a villain. In contrast, some passages early in the novel read as informational–explaining Carey’s gender identity, how they* came to understand their identity, and related terminology. This slows the narrative but may be helpful to less-informed readers or any reader who is exploring their gender and might resonate with the part of Carey’s story that happened before the book begins.
The strength of the novel, though, is its depiction of Carey’s mental health journey. The effect of misgendering, bullying, and microaggressions on Carey is raw, realistic, and heartbreaking. Since they already know who they are at the novel’s start, Carey’s emotional journey is not toward self-knowledge, but toward self-acceptance–toward realizing how much they have internalized and believed the lies of a hateful society that tell them they are “broken” or without value. Importantly, Carey seeks (and receives) help from a professional therapist as well as his family and friends.
Therefore, CAN’T TAKE THAT AWAY has a hard-hitting and multi-faceted value for YA collections. It allows genderqueer teens to see themselves reflected in literature; it allows communities to see a path to allyship and the genuine damage caused by people who fail to take a strong stance against discrimination; and it gives teens with depression, anxiety, or PTSD a positive example of how to seek mental healthcare and the difference it can make in their lives. And ultimately (thanks to Carey’s awesome community and diva-dreams) we also get an uplifting, triumphant conclusion!
*Note: In this recommendation, I have used the pronouns they/them/their when referring to Carey because they use those pronouns most often in the book. But Carey also uses she/her/hers and he/him/his depending on how much feminine or masculine energy Carey feels on a given day.
THE MANY MYSTERIES OF THE FINKEL FAMILY by Sarah Kapit
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Lara started FIASCCO (that’s Finkel Investigation Agency Solving Consequential Crimes Only) because she wanted something that was her thing. Everyone else in the family is good at something–or more than one thing in the case of her infuriatingly perfect cousin Aviva–and Lara just wants something that’s hers and hers alone. Why can’t her younger sister Caroline understand that?
But Caroline doesn’t understand. Why won’t Lara let her help with FIASCCO–especially considering that when they’re at school and Caroline desperately wants to be left alone, Lara won’t stop hovering? It’s Caroline’s first year of middle school–and her first year of attending school without an aide. She doesn’t need one; with her tablet, she can communicate just fine. She knows Lara is trying to help–and that since her sister has autism too she can predict some of the challenges Caroline might face–but how is she supposed to make friends when Lara keeps scaring them off?
When a blossoming friendship drags Caroline far out of her comfort zone, however, she might need her sister’s help after all. And when Lara’s detecting leads her to discover their dad has been fired, she realizes that some crimes are too “consequential” to be solved alone.
Though the premise may snag some mystery readers, at its heart, this novel is contemporary realistic fiction; rather than solving suspenseful mysteries, the girls “detecting” leads them to learn more about each other–and themselves. THE MANY MYSTERIES… is sweet, funny, and impactful, with family and friendship predicaments that will be immediately accessible to any 4-6th grade reader.
Both protagonists have autism, and the book features other neurodiverse characters, as well. All of the characters have realistic and well-developed personalities, giving readers in the Autistic community a chance to see their experiences reflected and normalized–and giving neurotypical readers the chance to “get to know” a diverse group of kids with autism and see a story unfold through their perspectives.
An excellent read and a must-buy for your MG fiction collection!
THE PRINCESS SPY: THE TRUE STORY OF ALINE GRIFFITH, COUNTESS OF ROMANONES by Larry Loftis
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Though Aline Griffith’s contributions to the war effort in 1940s Europe were entirely clandestine, her life after leaving the OSS was anything but. She married into Spanish nobility, attended parties with stars like Audrey Hepburn, and published a series of sensational memoirs about her time as a spy.
But how much of Aline’s memoirs was sensationalism, and how much (if any) was truth? Larry Loftis set out to answer these questions and in THE PRINCESS SPY, brings the real Aline Griffith to light. Though there were fewer murders and death-defying feats than her memoirs suggest, Aline’s impressive fieldwork, her involvement in a lesser-known theater of the war, and her courtship with various bullfighters and noblemen make her a fascinating figure by any measure.
Though Aline’s story anchors the narrative, Loftis includes deep-dives into the overall work of the OSS in Spain, especially where it involves her recruiter, Frank T. Ryan, and colleague Edmundo Lassalle. For this reason, I would recommend THE PRINCESS SPY not only to biography readers but also to any WWII or military history enthusiast who enjoys narrative non-fiction.
Susan the Librarian 