Private Label by Kelly Yang

 

“Serene dreams of making couture dresses even more stunning than her mom’s, but for now she’s an intern at her mom’s fashion label. When her mom receives a sudden diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, all that changes. Serene has to take over her mother’s business overnight, dealing with ruthless investors who do not think a seventeen-year-old can run a fashion empire, while trying to figure out what happened with her dad in Beijing. He left before she was born, and Serene wants to find him, even if it means going against her mom’s one request—never look back.

Lian Chen moved from China to Serene’s mostly white Southern California beach town a year ago. He doesn’t fit in at school, where kids mispronounce his name. His parents don’t care about what he wants to do—comedy—and push him toward going to MIT engineering early. Lian thinks there’s nothing to stick around for, until one day, he starts Chinese Club after school . . . and Serene walks in.

Worlds apart in the high school hierarchy, Serene and Lian soon find refuge in each other, falling in love as they navigate life-changing storms.” - taken from Goodreads.

This was a quick read about two Chinese American teenagers who are on opposite ends of the high school hierarchy that soon find themselves being there for one another when Serene desires to learn more about her heritage as they help one another navigate what it means to be themselves in a world where they are seen as different.

Visit Kelly Yang’s website.

The Darkening by Sunya Mara (The Darkening book 1)

 

“Vesper Vale is the daughter of revolutionaries. Failed revolutionaries. When her mother was caught by the queen's soldiers, they gave her a choice: death by the hangman's axe, or death by the Storm that surrounds the city and curses anyone it touches. She chose the Storm. And when the queen's soldiers--led by a paranoid prince--catch up to Vesper's father after twelve years on the run, Vesper will do whatever it takes to save him from sharing that fate.

Even arm herself with her father's book of dangerous experimental magic.

Even infiltrate the prince's elite squad of soldier-sorcerers.

Even cheat her way into his cold heart.

But when Vesper learns that there's more to the story of her mother's death, she'll have to make a choice if she wants to save her city: trust the devious prince with her family's secrets, or follow her mother's footsteps into the Storm.” - taken from Goodreads.

This was a compelling story about a city under siege by a vast storm. Home to beasts, those who survive touching the storm are cursed. The child of failed revolutionaries, Vesper is determined to save her father after he is captured by Prince Dalca. Dalco is the last in a long line of royals who attempt to keep the city safe and believes Vesper’s father is the key to his salvation. The two work together to find a way to save their city, but at what cost?

The conclusion, The Lightstruck, will be out August 29, 2023

One Of Us is Back by Karen M. McManus (One Of Us is Lying book 3)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first two books in the series, One Of Us is Lying and One Of Us is Next, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

Please visit the Recaptains blog if you need a refresher of the first two books.

“Ever since Simon died in detention, life hasn't been easy for the Bayview Crew. First the Bayview Four had to prove they weren't killers. Then a new generation had to outwit a vengeful copycat. Now, it's beginning again.

At first the mysterious billboard seems like a bad joke: Time for a new game, Bayview. But when a member of the crew disappears, it's clear this 'game' just got serious - and no one understands the rules.

Everyone's a target. And now that someone unexpected has returned to Bayview, things are starting to get deadly.

Simon was right about secrets - they all come out in the end.

The thing is, Simon was right about secrets-they all come out, eventually. And Bayview has a lot it's still hiding.” - taken from Goodreads.

OK Bayview, Simon is back. This final book in the trilogy ties up all of the loose ends from the previous two books. Fans of the series will not be disappointed as all of our favorite characters make a return and a new mystery is solved. 

Visit Karen M. McManus’ website.

The Night in Question by Kathleen Glasgow & Liz Lawson (The Agathas book 2)

 

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book in the series, The Agatha’s, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

“Alice Ogilvie and Iris Adams became the talk of Castle Cove when they cracked the biggest case of the fall: the death of Brooke Donovan. Together, the Agathas put Brooke's killer away for good, and since then things around town have been almost back to normal. Quiet, even.

But if Alice and Iris know anything, it's that sometimes quiet is just the calm before the storm. The truth is, Brooke's disappearance wasn't the first mystery to rock Castle Cove, and it won't be the last. So when their school dance at the infamous Levy Castle—the site of film starlet Mona Moody's unsolved death back in the 1940s—is interrupted by a violent assault, Iris and Alice pull out their murder boards and get back to work.

To understand the present, sometimes you need to look into the past. And if the Agathas want a chance at solving their new case, that's exactly where they'll need to start digging. Only, what they uncover might very well kill them.” - taken from Goodreads.

4 months have passed  severe weather alert flooding and possible mud slides  mud slide has blocked Levy Castle access   fight between Helen Park &  Rebecca Kennedy (injured)

Picking up four months after the first book, Alice and Iris soon find themselves trying to solve not one mystery, but two. After a disastrous dance at Levy Castle, the Agathas are soon back on the case. Delving deeper into the personal lives of our Agathas, these two spitfires still come up on top and once again solve the case.

Visit Kathleen Glasgow’s website.

Visit Liz Lawson’s website.

Not Here to be Liked by Michelle Quach

 

“Eliza Quan is the perfect candidate for editor in chief of her school paper. That is, until ex-jock Len DiMartile decides on a whim to run against her. Suddenly her vast qualifications mean squat because inexperienced Len—who is tall, handsome, and male—just seems more like a leader.

When Eliza’s frustration spills out in a viral essay, she finds herself inspiring a feminist movement she never meant to start, caught between those who believe she’s a gender equality champion and others who think she’s simply crying misogyny.

Amid this growing tension, the school asks Eliza and Len to work side by side to demonstrate civility. But as they get to know one another, Eliza feels increasingly trapped by a horrifying realization—she just might be falling for the face of the patriarchy himself.” - taken from Goodreads.

 A quick read where Eliza is dumbfounded not to be elected as the next editor of the school newspaper despite her qualifications. When her private tirade against losing out is published in the newspaper, Eliza decides to fight against what she sees as a misogynist society at her school.  Drawing on the support of the female population, it's not too long before she finds herself at a crossroads when she develops feelings for Len, the boy who beat her out as editor. Will Eliza still be able to lead the fight as a feminist and she finds herself falling for the enemy?

Visit Michelle Quach’s website.

The Liar’s Crown & The Stolen Throne by Abigail Owen (Dominions books 1 & 2)

 

“Everything about my life is a lie. As a hidden twin princess, born second, I have only one purpose—to sacrifice my life for my sister if death comes for her. I’ve been living under the guise of a poor, obscure girl of no standing, slipping into the palace and into the role of the true princess when danger is present.

Now the queen is dead and the ageless King Eidolon has sent my sister a gift—an eerily familiar gift—and a proposal to wed. I don’t trust him, so I do what I was born to do and secretly take her place on the eve of the coronation. Which is why, when a figure made of shadow kidnaps the new queen, he gets me by mistake.

As I try to escape, all the lies start to unravel. And not just my lies. The Shadowraith who took me has secrets of his own. He struggles to contain the shadows he wields—other faces, identities that threaten my very life.

Winter is at the walls. Darkness is looming. And the only way to save my sister and our dominion is to kill Eidolon…and the Shadowraith who has stolen my heart.” - taken from Goodreads.

The Dominions trilogy tells the story of Meren who has been raised in secret and trained to be the body double of her twin sister Tabra, the queen of Aryd. Kidnapped while posing as her sister, Meren keeps her true identity a secret while trying to get back to Tabra before it is too late. As she grows closer to her mysterious kidnapper, she discovers that not all as it seems.

I adored this book and immediately picked up the second installment. With another cliffhanger ending, fans will be eagerly awaiting the ending.

The trilogy concludes with The Shadows Rule All, due out on April 2, 2024.

Visit Abigail Owen’s website.

Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley

“Perry Firekeeper-Birch was ready for her Summer of Slack but instead, after a fender bender that was entirely not her fault, she’s stuck working to pay back her Auntie Daunis for repairs to the Jeep.

Thankfully she has the other outcasts of the summer program, Team Misfit Toys, and even her twin sister Pauline. Together they ace obstacle courses, plan vigils for missing women in the community, and make sure summer doesn’t feel so lost after all.

But when she attends a meeting at a local university, Perry learns about the “Warrior Girl”, an ancestor whose bones and knife are stored in the museum archives, and everything changes. Perry has to return Warrior Girl to her tribe. Determined to help, she learns all she can about NAGPRA, the federal law that allows tribes to request the return of ancestral remains and sacred items. The university has been using legal loopholes to hold onto Warrior Girl and twelve other Anishinaabe ancestors’ remains, and Perry and the Misfits won’t let it go on any longer.

Using all of their skills and resources, the Misfits realize a heist is the only way to bring back the stolen artifacts and remains for good. But there is more to this repatriation than meets the eye as more women disappear and Pauline’s perfectionism takes a turn for the worse. As secrets and mysteries unfurl, Perry and the Misfits must fight to find a way to make things right – for the ancestors and for their community.” - taken from Goodreads.

This book takes place ten years after the events in Firekeepers Daughter in 2014. The main character is Daunis' younger cousin, Perry as she deals with the continuing atrocities over Native American remains and sacred items. Great read but not as hard-hitting as Firekeepers. Daunis and several characters from the previous book play integral roles in this one 

Visit Angeline Boulley’s website.

Salt and Sugar by Rebecca Carvalho

 

“The grandchildren of two rival Brazilian bakeries fall in love despite their families’ feud.

Trust neither thin-bottomed frying pans nor Molinas.

Lari Ramires has always known this to be true. In Olinda, Brazil, her family’s bakery, Salt, has been at war with the Molinas’ bakery across the street, Sugar, for generations. But Lari’s world turns upside down when her beloved grandmother passes away. On top of that, a big supermarket chain has moved to town, forcing many of the small businesses to close.

Determined to protect her home, Lari does the unthinkable—she works together with Pedro Molina to save both of their bakeries. Lari realizes she might not know Pedro as well as she thought—and she maybe even likes what she learns—but the question remains: Can a Ramires and a Molina truly trust one another?” - taken from Goodreads.

This book is another Romeo and Juliet retelling that involves rival bakeries in Brazil. A good read that can be frustrating at times between the pacing and the location. 

Visit Rebecca Carvalho’s website.

Threads That Bind by Kika Hatzopoulou

 

“Descendants of the Fates are always born in threes: one to weave, one to draw, and one to cut the threads that connect people to the things they love and to life itself. The Ora sisters are no exception. Io, the youngest, uses her Fate-born abilities as a private investigator in the half-sunken city of Alante.

But her latest job leads her to a horrific discovery: somebody is abducting women, maiming their life-threads, and setting the resulting wraiths loose in the city to kill. To find the culprit, she must work alongside Edei Rhuna, the right hand of the infamous Mob Queen—and the boy with whom she shares a rare fate-thread linking them as soul mates before they’ve even met.

But the investigation turns personal when Io's estranged oldest sister turns up on the arm of her best suspect. Amid unveiled secrets from her past and her growing feelings for Edei, Io must follow clues through the city’s darkest corners and unearth a conspiracy that involves some of the city’s most powerful players—before destruction comes to her own doorstep.” - taken from Goodreads.

This was a great start to a new series. Full of mystery and Greek mythology retelling, this story brings a new concept to the world of young adult literature. Io is a private investigator whose latest case brings her into close proximity to her fate bound love. Forced to work together to solve the mystery, the closer the two become. Soon, Io is forced to make some difficult decisions.

Readers will be eagerly awaiting the next book.

Visit Kika Hatzopoulou’s website.

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross (Letters of Enchanment book 1)

 

“After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again. But eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow just wants to hold her family together. Her mother is suffering from addiction and her brother is missing from the front lines. Her best bet is to win the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette.

To combat her worries, Iris writes letters to her brother and slips them beneath her wardrobe door, where they vanish―into the hands of Roman Kitt, her cold and handsome rival at the paper. When he anonymously writes Iris back, the two of them forge a connection that will follow Iris all the way to the front lines of battle: for her brother, the fate of mankind, and love.” - taken from Goodreads.

Iris and Roman are both competing for a columnist position for the Gazette. Iris's life turns upside down when her mother dies and she hasn't heard from her brother in months since he joined the war effort. The only bright spot in her life is the letters she types on her grandmother's typewriter, slips under her wardrobe, and receives a response from an anonymous person. That person turns out to be Roman, who knows he is corresponding with Iris. 

My favorite book of the year so far!

Book two, Ruthless Rivals, is expected December 26, 2023

Visit Rebecca Ross’ website.

Silver in the Bone by Alexandra Bracken (Silver in the Bone book 1)

 

“Tamsin Lark didn’t ask to be a Hollower. As a mortal with no magical talent, she was never meant to break into ancient crypts, or compete with sorceresses and Cunningfolk for the treasures inside. But after her thieving foster father disappeared without so much as a goodbye, it was the only way to keep herself—and her brother, Cabell—alive.

Ten years later, rumors are swirling that her guardian vanished with a powerful ring from Arthurian legend. A run-in with her rival Emrys ignites Tamsin’s hope that the ring could free Cabell from a curse that threatens both of them. But they aren’t the only ones who covet the ring.

As word spreads, greedy Hollowers start circling, and many would kill to have it for themselves. While Emrys is the last person Tamsin would choose to partner with, she needs all the help she can get to edge out her competitors in the race for the ring. Together, they dive headfirst into a vipers’ nest of dark magic, exposing a deadly secret with the power to awaken ghosts of the past and shatter her last hope of saving her brother. . . .” - taken from Goodreads.

This book wasn't what I expected going in. A horrific fantasy that sounds a new twist on the legend of King Arthur and Avalon, readers will soon be drawn into Tamsin's story. Living in a magical world without magic of her own, she is determined to find a way to break her brother's curse.  On the hunt for a special relic that could break Cabell's curse, the two end up in Avalon with a partner they never dreamed of, Emrys Dye. Upon their arrival, Avalon isn't what they expected. It's a land of devastation where finding what they are looking for becomes near impossible. 

With an incredible cliffhanger ending, readers will be eagerly waiting to see how the story concludes. 

Book two is not yet titled 

Visit Alexandra Bracken’s website.

Cursed Crowns by Catherine Doyle & Katherine Webber (Twin Crowns book 2)

 

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book in the series, Twin Crowns, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

“Twin queens Wren and Rose have claimed their crowns . . . but not everyone is happy about witches sitting on Eana's throne.

Cool-headed Rose sets off on a Royal Tour to win over the doubters, but soon finds herself drawn to the Sunless Kingdom. Here secrets are revealed about those closest to her, and Rose finds her loyalties divided.

Meanwhile rebellious Wren steals away to the icy north to rescue their beloved grandmother, Banba. But when she accepts King Alarik's deadly magical bargain in exchange for Banba's freedom, the spell has unexpected - and far-reaching - consequences . . .

As an ancient curse begins to arise from the darkness, the sisters must come together and unite the crown. Their lives - and the future of Eana - depend on it.

Break the ice to free the curse,

Kill one twin to save another . . .” - taken from Goodreads.

This book definitely doesn't suffer from second book syndrome. Even though Wren and Rose go their separate ways for most of the book, the story doesn't slow down. Rose goes on tour with Shen to find support for their reign. Wren goes to rescue their grandmother from Alarik. Both girls find more than they ever bargained for before coming back together. After a few shocking twists and a bombshell of a cliffhanger, readers will be anxiously waiting the conclusion. 

Book three is not yet titled. 

Visit Catherine Doyle’s website.

Visit Katherine Webber’s website.