Posted on by Maureen

These Vicious Masks by Tarun Shanker & Kelly Zekas

51mbtye2ydlI received a copy of this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I have always loved books set in 19th century England, so I was very excited to read These Vicious Masks. This young adult novel is a collaboration between debut authors Tarun Shanker and Kelly Zekas.

Evelyn Wyndham is a bright and lively young woman. One evening, she attends a party at a neighboring estate with her family. On the way, they see something quite extraordinary, and then at the party, they are introduced to their host’s brooding nephew Sebastian. The next morning, Evelyn’s sister Rose is missing from her bedroom. It appears that she left in a hurry, and perhaps under duress. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Rebel Mechanics by Shanna Swendson

517s2u8g0ilI first found out about Rebel Mechanics on Goodreads, and I made a request through the library network. It was available in a digital edition, which was just great- three cheers for instant gratification!

Rebel Mechanics is a YA novel written by Shanna Swendson. This is a work of historical fiction, and takes place in an alternate New York City in 1888. In this world, America did not win the Revolutionary War, and is still a British colony. The aristocracy -magisters- use magic, which is forbidden to everyone else. The working classes are developing illegal mechanical devices to overthrow the colonial government.   Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Of Better Blood by Susan Moger

51kh9wdtaylI received a copy of this book from Albert Whitman & Company/Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoy reading young adult historical fiction, so I was very excited about the opportunity to read Of Better Blood. Author Susan Moger has written several educational books and teaching materials, but this is her first novel.

Rowan Collier comes from a “good” family. She lives with her father and older sister in relative affluence, but that all changes when she contracts polio at the age of 11.   Five years later, Rowan has regained the strength in her paralyzed leg, and she can walk with a cane. She never returned home after her diagnosis, and has spent all that time living in various hospitals. When the story begins, she is spending the summer in the most humiliating way: playing the role of the “crippled” daughter in a traveling production about Fitter Families sponsored by a eugenics council. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs

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I bought the Kindle edition of Library of Souls on release day back in September, but I had a backlog of books to review. I had the opportunity to purchase the Audible edition at a discount because I already owned the Kindle edition. I didn’t have anything to listen to in the car/house, so Library of Souls moved to the top of the queue.

Library of Souls is the third novel in Ransom Riggs’ Mrs. Peregrine’s Peculiar Children series. The books do need to be read in order, so if you have not read the first two books, please be aware that this review might contain spoilers for the first two books. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

A Madness So Discreet by Mindy McGinnis

41leocejialI found A Madness So Discreet on Goodreads, and then made a request for it through the library network. This young adult novel was written by Mindy McGinnis.

Grace Mae is a pregnant teenager. Perhaps if her story took place a century later, the plot may have been cute and quirky. But at the end of the 19th century, getting pregnant as a well-bred girl from a good home earns Grace a place in an asylum outside of Boston. It is a terrible place, where inmates are routinely abused. Grace is rescued by a doctor, and brought to another asylum in Ohio. This second asylum is an ethical treatment center, where patients are treated with dignity. Dr. Thornhollow thinks that Grace’s intuition is unparalleled, and thinks that she would make an excellent assistant. Thornhollow is a pioneer in the field of phrenology, and serves as a police consultant on murder cases. When Grace and Thornhill realize that there might be a serial killer in their midst, they become obsessed with catching him and bringing him to justice. Read more

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Sanctuary Bay by Laura J. Burns and Melinda Metz

51jvrffsf3lI received a copy of this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Sanctuary Bay is a YA novel by Laura J. Burns and Melinda Metz. I love boarding school stories, so I was excited about the opportunity to read Sanctuary Bay.

Sarah Merson is a teen in the foster care system in Ohio, but she receives a scholarship to the prestigious Sanctuary Bay Academy. She goes from a nomadic life of rotating foster homes to a lush boarding school on an island of the coast of Maine. It seems like a dream come true, even if she never applied for the scholarship in the first place. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

A School for Brides by Patrice Kindl

51b3fhhz6vlA couple of years ago, I read Keeping the Castle by Patrice Kindl. I loved everything about this YA regency story, so when I saw that there was a sequel, I was excited to read it. I borrowed A School for Brides from the library, and just finished reading it yesterday.

This is not a true sequel because the protagonists from Keeping the Castle are relegated to minor roles, but we return to the village of Lesser Hoo in Yorkshire. The premise is that the unmarried stepsister from Keeping the Castle has opened a school for girls. Ostensibly, these young women are to be instructed in deportment and introduced into eligible young men, but there’s one problem: Lesser Hoo is in the middle of nowhere, and there are no eligible young men. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin

51lktqmvkxlI found Wolf by Wolf on the new release shelf in the young adult section of my town library It had not been on my radar, and I am not familiar with author Ryan Graudin, but as soon as I read the description, I knew that it was a book that I wanted to read.

Wolf by Wolf takes place in an alternate 1956. In this world, the Axis powers won World War II and now controls all of the land from Berlin to Tokyo. Every year, they hold a grueling motorcycle race between those two dazzling capital cities. Last year, a girl named Adele Wolfe entered the race by posing as her twin brother Felix. She won the race, revealed herself as a girl, and then danced with Adolf Hitler at the Victor’s Ball. Read more

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This is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp

41iu42b0bynlI received a copy of this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I have always enjoyed young adult books. Even though I am past the target audience, I still enjoy browsing at the bookstore or checking out the new release shelf at the library. As soon as I read the summary of This is Where It Ends, I knew that I wanted to read it.

This is Where It Ends is the debut novel of author Marieke Nijkamp. It is the story of a school shooting at Opportunity High School in Opportunity, Alabama. The entire story takes place in less than an hour, methodically broken up into chunks of a few minutes at a time. There are four different narrators, each of whom has a connection to Tyler, the lone shooter. Claire dated Tyler briefly the year before. Autumn is Tyler’s sister. Sylv is Autumn’s girlfriend. Tomas is Sylv’s brother. Some of these narrators are in the auditorium when the shooting begins, and some are not. Each of these characters has experienced setbacks, even devastating losses. These incidents have affected them profoundly, and shaped their personalities and their hopes and dreams for the future. But none of that matters when Tyler storms into the high school auditorium and starts shooting. All that they can do is hope and pray that they will survive the onslaught, as Tyler exacts his revenge methodically and without any remorse. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Firsts by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn

81zio183rclI received a copy of this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I am many years beyond the target demographic, but I am a big fan of YA literature. Maybe it’s the engaging writing style, or maybe it’s the melodramatic plots. Maybe it’s both. I can remember giggling over Judy Blume’s Forever as a teen. Granted, it was already outdated when I first read it in the mid-1990s: going to Planned Parenthood for a diaphragm… but this is the book that started my fascination with the genre.

There have been many young adult novels since Forever that have tackled the delicate balance between sex and love and teenagers, and Laurie Elizabeth Flynn’s Firsts offers a new perspective on the genre. Read more