Thank you to our 2018-2019 TRC members! You're all shining stars.
Do you want to join the Teen Readers Council? We have open spots for the 2019-2020 school year. You too could read and review new teen novels before they're released!
All you need to do is download and fill out an application and then email or snail-mail it back to us by August 25th, 2019 at 11:59pm. (See the application for where to email or snail-mail.) You can also get hard copies of the application at Children's Book World.
Check out the application HERE!
Not sure what we mean when we ask for a YA review on the application? Take a look at these TRC reviews for some great examples:
Camille's Review of The Red Scrolls of Magic
Maddie's Review of Lovely War
Tyler's Review of White Rose
Adin's Review of Sky Without Stars
Wicked Fox
by Kat Cho
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons/Penguin
Publication Date: June 25, 2019
Written in a fresh voice, WICKED FOX by Kat Cho is a book unlike many others in the urban fantasy genre. By combining the lushness of ancient Korean mythology with the innovation of modern Seoul, Cho spins a tale of both romance and action through Miyoung’s and Jihoon’s stories.
Miyoung would be just like any other girl… except she is a gumiho, a nine-tailed fox who must devour the energy of men in order to survive. Taking Seoul as her hunting grounds, she survives by tracking down the worst men she can find to kill every full moon. This sets her apart from other characters because even though she can be considered a “bad person” for doing this, she specifically kills vile men she knows deserve death, and relishes in it. A quality like this sets her up to be the antihero of the story, something which not many recent urban fantasy books have. Yet Cho makes readers question this judgment through Miyoung’s actions that set her far apart from the typical YA antihero.
One full moon while feeding, Miyoung finds Jihoon being attacked by a goblin in the forest. Deciding to save him from a certain death, she exposes herself to him and loses her fox bead in the process. By saving him, she breaks every rule she knows, but does it regardless. Now with her fox bead missing, the very thing that holds her gumiho soul, Miyoung must team up with Jihoon before a generation-old feud is reignited. This will interest readers because Miyoung didn’t save Jihoon and risk her life out of love, like most other fantasy characters. Without spoiling why, I found this to be a fresh aspect to the urban fantasy genre, especially since Jihoon doesn’t start the book in the most favorable way. Characterized from the start as a cocky and idiotic school boy, he is not at all what readers would typically root for. And yet, Cho is able to build both him and Miyoung up into something more than the stereotypes that people often have about characters like them.
Cho continues with the tradition of fighting urban fantasy stereotypes until the end of the book. Reestablishing what it means to be an urban fantasy writer, she gives readers a story of two people who were never meant for greatness. Though Miyoung’s stakes do sound similar to many other characters' as she must choose between her immortal life and Jihoon’s, her story is much more than just that. If you are looking for a diverse modern-day urban fantasy that puts a spin on typical YA elements, WICKED FOX is the book for you.
I Love You So Mochi
by Sarah Kuhn
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Publication Date: May 28, 2019
Kimi Nakamura loves fashion and designing bold, beautiful outfits. But her mom has worked hard to be an successful painter and expects Kimi to follow in her footsteps as a “Great Asian American Artist.” After they have an explosive, emotional confrontation, Kimi gets a letter from her mother’s estranged parents inviting her to visit them in Kyoto and seizes the opportunity to escape for spring break. She is dazzled by Japan’s attractions, which include Akira, a part-time mochi mascot who dreams of being a doctor. By getting to know her grandparents, Kimi learns more about her mother and herself, and sees they are more alike than she thought.
I LOVE YOU SO MOCHI by Sarah Kuhn is full of personality. Kimi’s fun and creativity really come through in Kuhn’s writing, and her vivid descriptions of Japan made me want to hop on the next plane there! Kimi’s romance with Akira is adorable. I think it is a little fast-moving, but it can be forgiven considering Kimi’s limited time in Japan. The relationships in the book are well-written, especially those of Kimi, her mom, and her grandparents. I LOVE YOU SO MOCHI is an introspective yet sweet book about love for your family, your crush, and your passion.
Sorry For Your Loss
by Jessie Ann Foley
Publisher: Harperteen
Publication Date: June 4, 2019
SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS is a poignant and endearing story about grief, family, and expression. Pup Flanagan is one of eight siblings, so he’s used to being ignored. When Patrick, his older brother, dies, Pup is left to grieve while his family tries, in their own ways, to forget their pain. Lost and flunking his photography class, he throws himself into capturing the painful and miraculous things in his life through the lens of the camera.
Foley masterfully tackles the bond between loss and creation. The reader follows Pup as he forges new relationships and watches others fall apart, all the while trying to find beauty in the dissolution and idiosyncrasies in his life. Pup’s connection with his siblings is a driving force of the plot. His family acts as a barrier, safety net, catalyst, and home for Pup as he attempts to survive high school and protect his only other brother, Luke, from himself. Despite family craziness, Pup is grounded in his photography and a sweet classmate who invites him into her own life. As Pup collects artifacts of his life through his photography, we see him learn how to navigate life and come to terms with Patrick’s passing while dealing with Luke’s self-destruction. The final pages reveal Pup’s portfolio, an expression of what he holds dear and how he sees and loves the people in his life. Art provides Pup the painful revelation and the catharsis he needs. This book was very touching and insightful. The ending, especially, was very moving and profound (it might have even drawn tears). I highly recommend this book to those looking for a wonderful realistic fiction book with a focus on grief and art.
The Hound of Rowan
by Henry H. Neff
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: September 25, 2007
I’d highly recommend the HOUND OF ROWAN, the first in Henry H. Neff’s Tapestry series. The book follows Max McDaniels as magic suddenly invades his life, forcing him to go to Rowan Academy, where he and those like him learn to use their powers. However, don’t let the standard plot structure fool you, as even with my own nostalgia about the book notwithstanding, Neff intricately creates a one-of-a-kind world, unlike anything I’ve ever read. By weaving together myths and legends from all over the world with little bits of technology, Neff is sure to entertain any reader that picks up THE HOUND OF ROWAN.
Leah on the Offbeat
by Becky Albertalli
Publisher: Balzer & Bray / Harperteen
Publication Date: April 24, 2018
LEAH ON THE OFFBEAT by Becky Albertalli, a sequel to her bestselling book SIMON VS. THE HOMOSAPIENS AGENDA, follows Simon’s best friend Leah Burke through her senior year of high school as she navigates friendship, love, and life. Unlike her friends, Leah doesn’t come from a wealthy family, and lives only with her 35-year-old mother. She’s bisexual, though she’s only told her mom, and loves to draw, though she’s afraid to show people her art. Relationships begin to strain and tensions are high as Leah and her friends prepare for prom and college in their last semester of high school, especially as she becomes closer with one of them and realizes their feelings for each other are stronger than Leah knew.
This was a book I really enjoyed reading. There were so many lines that made me laugh out loud, along with some sweet moments. Leah’s inner (and often outer) voice is sarcastic, cynical, and very explicit. Although she could be uncomfortably blunt sometimes, I found her comments were usually funny and relatable. I liked that the teenagers actually spoke like teenagers, something that I haven’t found very often in the world of YA. There were some parts and plotlines that bothered me a bit, because they felt awkward and out of character. However, Albertalli’s writing fits the story’s tone so well, it keeps the reader moving and involved. This book doesn’t have one clear arc. Instead, it weaves through Leah’s experiences, in a very real way. Life doesn’t have a clear plot, and this book reflects that. It really captures the feeling of knowing that one stage of your life is ending, and everyone is going in different directions. For anyone looking for a coming-of-age book with queer romance and plenty of snark, LEAH ON THE OFFBEAT is for you.
Girls of July
by Alex Flinn
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: June 4, 2019
In the month of July, four girls sharing a cabin in the Adirondack mountains go from strangers to close friends. There’s Meredith, a hardworking student who may be a little stressed out; Britta, a talkative drama queen who came to get away from it all; Kate, a socialite hiding away from her family’s scandal; and Spider, an aspiring filmmaker with chronic pain who feels isolated from other teens. When Spider and her grandmother rent out rooms in their summer home to Meredith, Britta, and Kate, there’s plenty of tension between the different personalities. Over their month together, the girls learn not to judge others by their first impression and become good friends.
GIRLS OF JULY is a very character-driven book. Each girl has her own character development, for example, Meredith learning there’s more to life than perfect grades and it isn’t the end of the world to be imperfect. Accompanying the main four is a cast of side characters, with their own development and stories. They get some focus, but in a way that reflects the main characters’ development rather than distracting from it. There are some parts that feel a little tropey, such as the bonding-through-telling-deep-personal-stories-over-the-campfire, but they fit with the story and aren’t too cheesy. The girls have their individual plotlines with points of intersection that keep the book interesting without over the top drama. I wouldn’t call it groundbreaking, but it is an interesting and thoroughly enjoyable story.
Exit West
by Mohsin Hamid
Publisher: Riverhead Books
Publication Date: March 7, 2017
I have never read another book quite like Mohsin Hamid’s novel EXIT WEST. In a magical realism style, Hamid skillfully paints the picture of a country in the midst of a brutal civil war and the plight of two refugees to escape their country. The novel centers around Nadia and Saeed, two people who could not be more different. Nadia is wild and unrestrained, riding a motorcycle and smoking pot on her balcony. Saeed is gentle and kind. As the unlikely duo begin a whirlwind relationship, refugees across the world discover “doors” that, when walked through, transport them to a different place in the world. A beautifully clever metaphor for the struggles of refugees, these doors start to become international news and some “nicer” countries begin to place guards in front of them to prevent people from entering their country. As Saeed and Nadia’s story intersects that of the magical doors, all is to be revealed and much is to be learned. EXIT WEST is a wonderfully original book that will stick in the minds of any reader for weeks after.
Let Me Hear a Rhyme
by Tiffany D. Jackson
Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books/HarperCollins
Publication Date: May 21, 2019
LET ME HEAR A RHYME is about the death of teenage rapper, Steph. His sister and two friends decide to keep his legacy alive and try get him a record deal. It is told from three different perspectives: Jazz, Quadir, and Jarrell. I really enjoyed this book. As a big fan of rap and the culture, I appreciated it greatly. The slang was well used and relevant with teens today. The author did a great job of describing the situation that they live in. The character relationships were well thought out and the plot came together nicely. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I think you would too. It's really relevant in today's society.
Missing, Presumed Dead
by Emma Berquist
Publisher: Greenwillow/HarperCollins
Publication Date: May 21, 2019
MISSING, PRESUMED DEAD is a thrilling murder mystery about high school dropout, Alexandra “Lexi” Ivanovich, who teams up with a recently killed ghost, Jane Morris. Jane was murdered at the bar Lexi works at, but doesn’t remember who killed her and why. What Lexi is surprised by, however, is that Jane is not the only stabbing victim who went missing in the last month: Urie, Lexi’s boss, worries that they have a serial killer on their hands, who’s using their bar club as a slaughtering ground.
However, Lexi’s abilities branch far beyond just seeing ghosts: she can also see how and when people die just at a touch. Overwhelmed with the guilt that she had seen Jane’s death before it actually happened and couldn’t stop it, Lexi tries to help Jane find her killer before he harms anyone else. What follows is an exciting mystery/ghost story with a hefty dose of honesty, humor, and romance.
I actually really enjoyed this book. It was extremely creative and the story flowed so well, I wasn’t even paying attention to how far along in the book I was. Berquist does an especially great job with the characters, as they were not only complex in their own ways, but very likable and fun to read about! I highly recommend this book to mystery, romance, and horror fans alike. (A slight gore warning, but nothing too severe.)
I Wish You All the Best
by Mason Deaver
Publisher: Push/Scholastic
Publication Date: May 14, 2019
I WISH YOU ALL THE BEST is a charmingly honest romance that focuses on the conflicts of family struggles, self-acceptance, and love. The story follows 18-year-old Ben DeBacker, who is kicked out of their home after coming out to their parents as non-binary. Finding their life flipped upside down in less than an hour, Ben struggles to not only reconnect with their estranged older sister Hannah, but deal with newfound anxiety caused by their parent’s rejection. However, one thing that makes it all a bit easier is Ben’s outgoing friend, Nathan Allan. As the two grow closer at Ben’s new school, their feelings do as well, and Ben’s new life gives way to an opportunity for acceptance, paintings, and a first love.
This book was an emotional rollercoaster, one that kept me wrapped in the story right from the start. Though I have never had experience with being kicked out by my parents or being non-binary, I really empathized with Ben’s character, and was rooting for them to find their voice and find happiness in not only others, but themself as well. This book truly was written from the heart, and I cannot recommend it enough!
How It Feels to Float
by Helena Fox
Publisher: Dial Books/Penguin
Publication Date: May 7, 2019
Get ready to feel all the feelings in Helena Fox’s emotional debut novel, HOW IT FEELS TO FLOAT. Biz is an outsider at school in every sense of the word. She has to deal with confusion about her sexuality, the process of losing her best friend to a boy, cruel rumors, and above all, getting over the death of her dad. It doesn’t make it easier that she frequently imagines her dad coming back to talk to her. Later on, after a breakdown, Biz starts to take a photography class. It is here where she discovers that the pictures she takes literally talk to her. This inspires Biz to start on a road trip where she hopes to find memories of her dad in the places he has lived.
I loved this novel from the first chapter. Biz is a perfect example of a flawed protagonist, and her mental health issues are presented beautifully. I felt like I was in the story right along with Biz which led to me rooting for her heavily the entire time, feeling the highs and lows with her. The friendships that Biz makes and breaks throughout, along with her relationship to her mom, brought me closer to her. Biz’s grief, pain, and happiness felt so real and at the end of the novel, I felt like she was someone I knew in real life. HOW IT FEELS TO FLOAT is a stunning debut by an author with a lot of promise and I highly recommend it.
Her Royal Highness
by Rachel Hawkins
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons/Penguin
Publication Date: May 7, 2019
Reading HER ROYAL HIGHNESS is like being offered a glass of water on a really hot day; you didn’t know you wanted it, but it hits the spot. Refreshing, light, sweet, simple, goes down quick, and leaves you wanting more. Our endearing protagonist, Millie, leaves Texas for her senior year of high school in Scotland when she finds that her kind-of girlfriend has gotten back together with an ex-boyfriend. Mille finds herself a bit overwhelmed by the extravagance of Gregorstoun, an exclusive boarding school where the elite of Scotland reside. After meeting her snide, arrogant, bratty roommate, Millie discovers that she is the Princess of Scotland. Numerous run-ins with the princess, Flora, bring Millie into bar fights, close to expulsion, and stranded in the wilderness, yet still Millie is drawn in by the short-tempered princess. Millie develops a crush and tries her best to ignore it, scared of the side effects of dating royalty. We can probably guess what actually ends up happening. At times, the pressure of constant scrutiny from tabloids and royal family members seems too much for Millie. Was their relationship doomed from the start?
I’d characterize Her Royal Highness as a fun spring/summer read. It reads as one would expect, but that doesn’t make it any less enjoyable. If you're looking for a sweet love story in Scotland then you’d love this book.
Hope and Other Punchlines
by Julie Buxbaum
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: May 7, 2019
Julie Buxbaum’s newest novel, HOPE AND OTHER PUNCHLINES, tells the tale of resilient Abbi Goldstein. Abbi is fifteen years old and is desperately trying to get out of the shadow of the “Baby Hope” photo, taken of her on her first birthday, September 11th, as the Twin Towers collapsed in the background. The photograph, invented by the author, became very famous and was seen as a portrait of hope in times of despair. In an attempt to shake off this legacy that has become too much to bear, Abbi decides to be a summer camp counselor where she hopes no one will recognize her. Alas, her summer might not go the way she wanted. Medical concerns, family trouble, blackmail, turbulent friendships, and a boy all stand between her and her perfect summer of anonymity.
This book was a very quick read for me. The dual perspectives of Abbi and fellow camp counselor Noah keep things moving and provide alternate outlooks on the same events. Buxbaum does a wonderful job of bringing the characters to life in a very realistic way, and I found myself truly caring about what happened to them. All together, HOPE AND OTHER PUNCH LINES is a poignant and meaningful novel about moving on, accepting your legacy, and the importance of hope. While this was not my favorite book, there is a lot to like about it.
Brief Chronicle of Another Stupid Heartbreak
by Adi Alsaid
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Publication Date: April 30, 2019
BRIEF CHRONICLE OF ANOTHER STUPID HEARTBREAK tells the tale of Lu, a teen writer who is struggling with writer's block after being dumped by her senior boyfriend. When she finds a couple she may be able to write about, it makes her question the meaning of her own relationships and what might be worth saving. This book was very cute, and it was exciting to be on Lu’s journey alongside her.
Life Sucks
by Michael I. Bennett and Sarah Bennett
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Publication Date: April 9, 2019
LIFE SUCKS is not a story, but more of a (slightly comedic) guide to life. It goes into detail on many common problems one may have in their life, from home to family to friends and more. This book gives advice on how to deal with many issues, understanding these issues, and how what you need to do might differ from what you think you need to do. But my favorite section of this book is “What your parents say to try to help," “...and why it isn’t helpful at all." These sections are fairly self explanatory.
As someone who felt his life sucked for the past year, I highly recommend this book to anyone who feels like their life sucks or is struggling with any of the mentioned topics. However, I would recommend this book even more to the parents of kids who are struggling.
Eleanor & Park
by Rainbow Rowell
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Publication Date: February 26, 2013
Love stories are the hardest stories to write. The pitfalls are common, deadly, and all too easy for authors to stumble into: clichés, unrealistic dialogues, two-dimensional characters. Rainbow Rowell’s ELEANOR AND PARK is a love story of the highest order, and not just because she avoids the pitfalls. She succeeds because she draws characters so realistic that by the end you not only understand why they love each other—you love them too.
Eleanor is poor, heavyset, from a broken family, and “weird”—the kind of girl who was destined to be unpopular from the moment she stepped into the bus on her first day of tenth grade. Park is half-Korean, half-white, and at war with himself. It’s no surprise to any reader that they rescue each other; what’s by turns sweet, beautiful, and tragic is how they do it. The book is not about what happens to them, it’s about them.
What I like most about ELEANOR AND PARK is that it’s no fairytale. It’s about 16-year-olds with adult problems. It’s gritty and at times vulgar. It’s real.
The Meaning of Birds
by Jaye Robin Brown
Publisher: Harperteen
Publication Date: April 16, 2019
From the moment they met, Jess and Vivi were inseparable. Vivi helped Jess with her anger and taught her to channel it into art. Jess’s whole future was planned with Vivi. But in their senior year of high school, that all fell apart when Vivi suddenly died. Jess is lost in her grief and anger and falls into self-destructive patterns. She can’t turn to art, because it reminds her of Vivi. All that comes out is anger and pain. Luckily, Jess meets a mentor who helps her find a new outlet for her emotions. THE MEANING OF BIRDS tells Jess’s story in the present peppered with flashbacks to her past with Vivi in an emotional journey of grief and healing.
Jess has anger issues and doesn’t always make smart choices, which is exacerbated by losing her girlfriend. This is nicely juxtaposed with scenes of how Vivi helped her with those flaws, which helps the reader empathize with Jess’s loss. Their relationship was really cute and sweet, although Vivi’s character seems a little flat to me. I like Jess’s stylish and fierce best friend Cheyanne, but it bothered me how Jess doesn’t always respect her disinterest in dating. After Jess pushes Cheyanne away in anger, Jess starts to hang out with their mutual friend Levi more. He’s nice and helps her with some issues, but his character annoys me. I don’t like how Jess knowingly leads him on, but after Vivi’s death, she makes some really stupid mistakes. Overall, I did enjoy reading this. I like Brown’s writing style and the pacing of the book. THE MEANING OF BIRDS is a sad but lovely story about grief, love, and ultimately, healing.
The Thousandth Floor
by Katharine McGee
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: August 30, 2016
THE THOUSANDTH FLOOR is the breathtaking tale of five teenagers living in the dazzling thousand-floor tower of 2118 Manhattan. In this tower of futuristic technology where everything you dream of is within reach, everyone has something they want, and everyone has something to lose. Take Leda Cole for example, the high floor girl whose flawless exterior hides a deadly addiction, or Eris Dodd-Radson, a beautiful it-girl whose life is ripped apart when a betrayal tears her family apart. And what about Rylin Myers, whose new job as a high-floor maid fills her life with a romance that she never imagined, or Watt Bakradi, the tech genius whose simple task to spy for an upper floor girl turns out to be anything but. Above all sits Avery Fuller on the thousandth floor, a girl designed to be perfect and to have it all… except the one thing she can’t have.
Though some might say that the opening of this was slow, it definitely did not feel like that the whole way through. McGee’s writing felt electric as she took the plot into newer places with each chapter. I loved this about her writing because you never know what would happen next. Another thing that McGee did was overlap her individual characters' storylines. While this sort of thing doesn’t always work out, McGee found a way to make it work perfectly. An example of this is when one character goes to VR laser tag and at the same time meets another character. This might seem like something that happens frequently in books but in reality, the author is putting in two different character perspectives from different chapters. And as she does this, she is creating more room for surprises and plot twists as characters who might seem unconnected actually are, forming a web of interactions throughout the book. This leads me to another aspect of the book, the characters.
Though each character seemed to stem from a particular stereotype, each grew over the course of the book. Eris, for example, who started out as just your basic rich girl without a care in the world, actually transforms into a character who some might sympathize with during her fall from grace. Though McGee did seem to be not the best at creating deep side characters in this first book, I can tell that these side characters will turn out to be better developed in the second or third books.
Lastly, I really enjoyed the setting of this book. The idea of all of Manhattan in one giant glittering tower is one that really intrigued me and made me want to keep reading. I was constantly wondering how people lived in the monstrosity of a giant tower like that, so I was constantly interested in every mention the author made of it. I loved the technologies the author filled the tower with, especially all the futuristic restaurants and places to visit inside the tower. This novel was a great example of world building at its finest, because McGee did not at all rely on previous ideas such as fairies or superheroes, but instead came out with an original setting for a dystopian novel without a complete government meltdown or radioactive monsters. She also made sure to ground this tower to reality by mentioning things such as the SAT or Model United Nations, something that made me feel like I can relate more to the book.
Overall, I would recommend this book to fans of GOSSIP GIRL or ONE OF US IS LYING because of its intricate web of lives and ulterior motives fueled by hidden secrets that each character has.
Through the White Wood
by Jessica Leake
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: April 9, 2019
THROUGH THE WHITE WOOD takes place in a world similar to our own recent past with a few key differences: superpowers and occasional magic. When Katya’s powers intensify beyond her control, she is outcast by her village and turned over to the Prince, who has an evil reputation. Katya befriends others with powers, and they help her try to gain control over her own. I really enjoyed this book. As one who loves reading about people with superpowers, the plot was not too shocking and was a bit predictable, but it was still a really enjoyable story.
The Red Scrolls of Magic
by Cassandra Clare and Wesley Chu
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Publication Date: April 9, 2019
Set between the events of CITY OF GLASS and CITY OF FALLEN ANGELS, THE RED SCROLLS OF MAGIC follows the warlock Magnus Bane and his Shadowhunter boyfriend Alec Lightwood through their trip across Europe. Finally together despite the odds, all Magnus wants is to treat Alec to the vacation he deserves. But when rumors begin to circulate that Magnus founded the demon-worshipping cult the Crimson Hand, Magnus and Alec must leave their vacation behind to track down the cult before they can cause any damage. As demons follow their every step and deadly secrets are revealed, both Magnus and Alec must find a way to dismantle the cult before they destroy the world—and their relationship—for good.
I can’t think of a single thing that I did not like about this book. Starting with the obvious, this book was a welcome return to one of The Mortal Instruments’ power couples, Magnus and Alec. After the original series ended, many readers assumed that CITY OF HEAVENLY FIRE would be the last we saw of the two of them together, but this book proves that wrong. Giving each of the boys their own point of view, the authors make sure to not only continue with what the original story has created, but to also reestablish their relationship and character traits in a way that doesn’t jolt readers who haven’t picked up the series for a while. One of the main ways the authors did this was by providing enough details to keep readers unconfused while recharacterizing both Magnus and Alec through various quirks in their internal dialogue, and by having them do/say certain things. I really appreciated this as I myself haven’t read any of the The Mortal Instruments books in a while and was afraid that I would be confused. But through the authors’ recharacterization and description, they avoided any confusion that a reader could possibly have.
THE RED SCROLLS OF MAGIC also marked the return of one of my favorite things about Clare’s writing: her plot. Paced not too fast and not too slow, I loved how Clare and Chu included just the right amount of fun and seriousness to make this book shine. What I mean by this is that books often contain a multitude of jokes to keep with the lightheadedness of some of their characters. But what often happens with this is the author can get too heavy-handed with the jokes and the book can lose its seriousness. I’ve seen this happen many times, and yet never has this happened in any of Clare’s work. Though she does have a lovable cast of always joking characters, the most obvious in this book being Magnus Bane, she still masterfully creates an atmosphere of tense joking throughout the book. Readers will be impressed with how she manages to maintain this through her serious plot to keep readers both invested in the action and mystery of the book, but not bored from lack of fun.
Overall, THE RED SCROLLS OF MAGIC is a book that no Shadowhunter Chronicles fan should miss out on. THE RED SCROLLS OF MAGIC will keep fans both old and new entertained for hours on end.
White Rose
by Kip Wilson
Publisher: Versify
Publication Date: April 2, 2019
Author Kip Wilson has created a beautiful portrait of resistance in the face of grave danger with WHITE ROSE. Written in verse, this novel is a brilliant retelling of the boldness displayed by a young group of German students who put their lives on the line in order to fight for what they believed in. Told from the point of view of Sophie Scholl, the only known girl in the White Rose Nazi resistance group, the novel explores the concept of freedom and what the consequences of passivity are.
If you couldn’t already tell, I loved this book. While I am typically wary of books that are not in prose form, I could not have been more pleased with the way WHITE ROSE was written. The poetry and negative space lend themselves so well to the telling of this story that, at times, I forgot I was reading poetry at all. Not only is WHITE ROSE a heartbreaking true story, the message it conveys also feels eerily modern. Sophie is constantly preaching the importance of standing out in the face of injustice. I was both deeply moved and deeply disturbed by this novel, and sincerely encourage any reader to give it a chance. After all, you might just finish it feeling inspired to spark change - much like Sophie Scholl.
The Devouring Gray
by Christine Lynn Herman
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Publication Date: April 2, 2019
While I was initially unsure due to the ridiculous name and the fairly standard cover of the book, THE DEVOURING GRAY by Christine Lynn Herman has impressed me beyond belief. Set in “Four Paths, New York,” the book follows three people from each of the town’s four founding families as they deal with “the Gray” 一a dimension that not only gives the founders their power but also imprisons a terrible monster一 and with a web of secrets and lies that will affect both their families and the entire town. Almost every aspect of the book is superb; the characters, with the exception being the terrifying presence of "the Beast" 一 the unseen creature trapped in the Gray一 all feel human, flawed yet unforgettable. The book's small town setting feels fully fleshed out, and in combination with the plot and the excellent writing, leaves you hungry for more. The writing does this the best of all, however, and the book never once left me bored. On the whole, I can’t recommend THE DEVOURING GRAY enough, and I’m eager to see not only a sequel, but also what Christine Lynn Herman writes after this amazing debut.
