By: Roshani Chokshi
Release Date: May 3, 2016
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Audience: Teens - Grades 9 & Up
*DAZZLING DEBUT!*
Maya is cursed. With a horoscope that promises a marriage of Death and Destruction, she has earned only the scorn and fear of her father's kingdom. Content to follow more scholarly pursuits, her whole world is torn apart when her father, the Raja, arranges a wedding of political convenience to quell outside rebellions. Soon Maya becomes the queen of Akaran and wife of Amar. Neither roles are what she expected: As Akaran's queen, she finds her voice and power. As Amar's wife, she finds something else entirely: Compassion. Protection. Desire... But Akaran has its own secrets -- thousands of locked doors, gardens of glass, and a tree that bears memories instead of fruit. Soon, Maya suspects her life is in danger. Yet who, besides her husband, can she trust? With the fate of the human and Otherworldly realms hanging in the balance, Maya must unravel an ancient mystery that spans reincarnated lives to save those she loves the most. . .including herself.
Plain and simple – I loved this book. I loved everything about this book and I can honestly say I don’t think there has been a more perfect book. Everything about this story is lovely, the storytelling is lush and vivid, the characters are smart and compelling, there are twists and turns that you simply do not see coming, and the romance, the romance is so utterly romantic that every reader should get their smelling salts ready because they are sure to swoon hard. Additionally, the weaving of Indian folklore and mythology into the story is not only utterly fascinating but so finely done that it never overwhelms an already original story but enhances it. With so many things happening and so many elements necessary to the story, it is easy to see how it could be overdone. But Choksi does such an exceptional job of creating balance that everything is, literally, just right. I could go on and on and on about this book but I think this is a book that needs to be discovered and, simply put, read. I cannot wait to share this amazing story with my teen readers, my friends, my family, strangers at the grocery store, basically everyone because it is truly a perfect novel. I also cannot wait to see what this author has in store for us in the future.
By: Nick Lake
Release Date: May 3, 2016
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's Books
Audience: Teens - Grades 9 & Up
*AUTHOR WE LOVE!*
Cassie is writing a letter to the boy whose heart she broke. She’s trying to explain why. Why she pushed him away. Why her father got so angry when he saw them together. Why she disappears some nights. Why she won’t let herself remember what happened that long-ago night on the boardwalk. Why she fell apart so completely. Desperate for his forgiveness, she’s telling the whole story of the summer she nearly lost herself. She’s hoping he’ll understand as well as she now does how love—love for your family, love for that person who makes your heart beat faster, and love for yourself—can save you after all.
This book, my goodness this book. It is equal parts inspiring and infuriating and that is do large in part to the very, VERY open ending. At the same time, Lake’s lyrical writing, the style of storytelling and Cassie herself allowed me to understand that this book isn’t about tying up loose ends, it’s about self-discovery, it’s about watching a girl come to terms with a very haunted life, it’s about overcoming our own demons. Lake accomplished this on so many levels, and I love how he has, essentially, given us a love letter, one that forces its main character into honesty and as a reader, I feel that’s exactly what I got. In that same respect it never felt like Cassie was just trying to justify her actions to the unnamed love interest, but rather taking her moment to better understand herself through this process. It felt almost cathartic, but not in a way that was clichéd or contrived, but rather quite lovely. I also loved the bits of humor and asides, these made Cassie human to me, made me care about what happened and happens to her. I know that the ending will frustrate some who are adamant about closure, but I think if readers go in understanding that while they may not get the questions answered that they want, this book isn’t about that, but rather about a girl working to better understand herself and finally believe that she deserves something good in her life, that she deserves love. That’s the ending that I got, and I appreciate that ending so much more as I sit back and really consider this book. It does take some time to get there, but to me, it was totally worth it and I think if readers go in and give this book the time it deserves, they’ll find it’s worth it too.
By: Lily Anderson
Release Date: May 17, 2016
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Audience: Teens - Grades 9 & Up
*DAZZLING DEBUT!*
Trixie Watson has two very important goals for senior year: to finally save enough to buy the set of Doctor Who figurines at the local comic books store, and to place third in her class and knock Ben West--and his horrendous new mustache that he spent all summer growing--down to number four. The war is Trixie's for the winning, until her best friend starts dating Ben's best friend and the two are unceremoniously dumped together and told to play nice. Finding common ground is odious and tooth-pullingly-painful, but Trixie and Ben's cautious truce slowly transforms into a fandom-based tentative friendship. When Trixie's best friend gets expelled for cheating and Trixie cries foul play, however, they have to choose who to believe and which side they're on--and they might not pick the same side
This book is ridiculously adorable and not what I was expecting at all. I’m always a little wary when I approach YA romances because sometimes they have the tendency to air on the side of melodramatic (don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against a little melodrama, but sometimes the angst is simply too much). This book, however, was surprisingly refreshing. It was fun and funny and ridiculously adorable. Was Trixie a bit annoying at times? Sure, but I loved that she’s a comic book/pop culture aficionado who attends genius school and she always owns who she is. I can respect that. Additionally, Trixie’s loyalty to her best friend was absolutely lovely and I’m always a huge fan of books that support strong female friendships. In terms of the romance itself – it was just right. The war and banter between Ben and Trixie was wildly entertaining and I loved the method the author used to bring them together. Rather than a conventional approach to unrequited love, Anderson’s method was clever and an excellent way to make this story stand out from the usual YA romance. It was impossible to not fall a little in love with Ben and Trixie as we got to watch them stumble through all those awkwardly sweet (and geeky) romantic moments. I also enjoyed the fact that while the romance played a large part in the book, it wasn’t the novel’s sole purpose. Rather than playing second fiddle to the romance, the cheating scandal mystery was also well developed and added a compelling element to the novel, creating a well-rounded story and one that allowed the author to seamlessly weave themes of friendship, loyalty, and integrity into the mix.
By: Matthew Quick
Release Date: May 31, 2016
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Audience: Teens - Grades 10 & Up
*AUTHOR WE LOVE!*
Nanette O'Hare is an unassuming teen who has played the role of dutiful daughter, hardworking student, and star athlete for as long as she can remember. But when a beloved teacher gives her his worn copy of The Bugglegum Reaper--a mysterious, out-of-print cult classic--the rebel within Nanette awakens. As she befriends the reclusive author, falls in love with a young troubled poet, and attempts to insert her true self into the world with wild abandon, Nanette learns the hard way that rebellion sometimes comes at a high price.
I love Matthew Quick. I love his quirky style of writing that never feels isolating. I love his characters and their ability to feel both completely real and unreal at the same time. I love that he is not afraid to talk about the hard stuff in a manner that is frank and honest. I love that he gives us twists that are surprising but necessary. I love that he helps remind all of us that we are human, and humans aren’t perfect. I love that he reminds us that life isn’t always black or white and that the gray is essential. I love how he eloquently captures growing up. I love that in the end, we are our choices. In other words, Matthew Quick has done it again.
By: Lisa Williamson
Release Date: May 31, 2016
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Audience: Teens - Grades 9 & Up
*DAZZLING DEBUT!*
Two boys. Two secrets.
David Piper has always been an outsider. His parents think he’s gay. The school bully thinks he’s a freak. Only his two best friends know the real truth – David wants to be a girl. On the first day at his new school Leo Denton has one goal – to be invisible. Attracting the attention of the most beautiful girl in year eleven is definitely not part of that plan. When Leo stands up for David in a fight, an unlikely friendship forms. But things are about to get messy. Because at Eden Park School secrets have a funny habit of not staying secret for long…
First and foremost I have to say that I am beyond thrilled at the number of books that are being released about transgender teens. There are so many real teens dealing with exactly these feelings and it is wonderful how well YA authors have been creating characters that are so well conceived and relatable. Lisa Williamson’s debut, certainly falls into this group. Both Leo and David are extraordinary characters and their struggle is one that I think all teens will be able to relate to. Additionally, they are so much more than the transgender label they have been given. They crush on the cute boy/girl, they have good days and bad days, they fight with their parents and siblings, they have ridiculously charming personalities, they struggle with certain subjects in school, they laugh, they cry, they are human beings – and I think Williamson does an exceptional job of reminding readers of all of these things. I am beyond honored to have had the opportunity to read this book. It is an incredibly important story not only for the reasons listed above, but also because it gives readers all sides of the story.