Godkiller by Hannah Kaner
Godkiller has an interesting world and explores topics like when needing validation becomes wanting total power. There’s great disability, mental health, and LGBTQIA+ rep, plus court intrigue. What’s not to like?
Publisher: HarperCollins
Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson
This one started a little slowly, for me. There are 3 layers of mystery, across two time lines, and I just had a difficult time caring about any of the characters for the first third or so of the book. However, when the modern-timeline MC started (awkwardly) trying to befriend other characters, and then when the third mystery kicked in, I was invested. It definitely put me in mind of Real Genius, setting-wise, with a cast of gifted, neurodivergent teenagers getting up to hijinks. This time, on the secluded wooded mountain retreat of a dead eccentric billionaire who loved games […]
This Darkness Mine by Mindy McGinnis
This Darkness Mine is a disturbing rabbit hole that captivated me, first for the similarities between high school me and the MC, and then for the MC’s psychopathic behavior.
Blackfish City by Sam J. Miller
Blackfish City is an imaginative dystopian with astute social commentary and plenty of intrigue. And although our tech isn’t there yet, it’s easy to see this actually happening in the near future.
Forest Mage by Robin Hobb
This second installment in Robin Hobb’s epic militaristic fantasy Soldier Son trilogy had a few pacing issues but marked the MC finally growing up.
The Last Namsara by Kristen Ciccarelli
Characters: 9, though she’s prickly and good at avoidance, it was hard not to sympathize with Asha. Though Torwin was bordering on impossibly heroic, and Jarek and Dax felt underdeveloped, Asha felt realistic enough to carry the plot- from her blindsides and prejudice to her frustration and self-serving machinations. Atmosphere: 9, there were a couple of scenes I had difficulty picturing, but the overall setting and culture in which the story takes place were highly engaging and nicely interwoven with the plot. Set in North Africa-ish, with a contested religion and revisionist history being used to justify atrocities, I was […]
Fierce Like a Firestorm by Lana Popović
Characters: 6, it’s not fair to compare the sequel to the first book, but I was much more invested in the characters in book 1 because they were so very fleshed out. That said, a lot of the story revolves around Malina in this book, and there’s huge character growth for a number of characters, in a way that didn’t undermine or excuse past bad behavior. Atmosphere: 6, the language in both books is evocative, bordering on florid. But either I stopped noticing it after the first quarter of the book, or it wasn’t used as much. Certainly the tension […]
Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan
Characters: 5, up until page 300 or so, I liked them and felt like I knew them. And then they were all either ignored or undermined. Atmosphere: 7, an interesting concept! I love the folklore inclusion and the concept of an immortal realm just as divisive and perilous as the mortal realm. Elemental magic, an absolute-power monarchy, fantastical creatures…the scene was well-painted. Writing: 5, a bit florid- I assumed that was part of the Asian cultural aesthetic focus, but when we started having adjectives used incorrectly, it really turned me off. Plot: 4, way too much of it. I wasn’t […]
Wicked Like a Wildfire by Lana Popović
I started reading this, having totally forgotten the premise and thus having zero expectations. Which I should apparently do more often, because I found it an enjoyable read. The strength of this story is definitely in the complex dynamic between the MC, Iris, and her mother. Contentious mother/daughter relationships are so common and yet not a lot of YA stories delve into them. This one, of course, has a contemporary fantasy backdrop but the dynamic is explored from Iris’ pained point of view, balanced with her sister Malina’s sympathy. So a lot of the character development was wrapped around that […]
The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
What a fun historical fiction adventure this story was! Henry is a great protagonist- very flawed, but also sympathetic, and who can’t related to being madly in love with their (not interested) best friend? Beyond the romance, this has a lot of action/adventure, intrigue, and fun. The Georgian period during which it takes place was a bawdy, dangerous time with a lot of political and social upheaval, so this (nicely) didn’t feel anachronistic at all. I really enjoyed it, and it helped pull me through some rough nights and life slumps the week and a half or so that it […]