I'd also like to remind everyone that whatever materials teens read ARE teen reads. Yes, YA fiction and nonfiction (in all formats and genres) are written with teens in mind, but teenagers who read picture books, magazines, comics, adult fiction, e-books, poetry, newspapers, audiobooks....are still teen readers, and caring adults serve teenagers best by encouraging all sorts of reading!
Isle of Blood and Stone by Makiia LucierMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
In this first book of a new series, Lucier establishes the fantasy world of St. John del Mar with simple, yet thoughtful detail. The story begins in the past, on the day two child princes disappeared along with the mapmaker and explorer Lord Antoni, and continues in the present, where Antoni's son, Elias, has moved on from that day, now living with his mother, stepfather, and young siblings. The discovery of new maps rumored to have been drawn by Lord Antoni draws Elias into an adventure he is hesitant to undertake - and one that could change the future of St. John del Mar forever. Dynamic secondary characters, a lush world, and several connected mysteries add to the enjoyment of reading this story - and now I'm waiting for Book 2 to be released!
Ink, Iron, and Glass by Gwendolyn ClareMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Elsa's entire world was created by her mother - written into existence on the pages of a worldbook - and it is in danger of disappearing. Elsa's mother, a brilliant scriptologist, has been kidnapped, and it is up to Elsa to rescue her and save their world. Elsa has also practiced scriptology, and uses her talent to enter new worlds, chasing her mother's kidnappers and escaping assassins. She is joined by other pazzerellones, those with talents in mechanics, alchemy, and scriptology, as they work together to save their lives and their worlds from those who want control of the worldbooks. While the literal world-building of this book took time to wrap my brain around, it's a fascinating concept and I'm interested to see where this steampunk series goes. Elsa is easy to root for, and a supporting cast of characters keeps the action moving along nicely.
The Forgotten Book by Mechthild GläserMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reading The Forgotten Book is like reading Pride and Prejudice, but set at German Hogwarts. Largely a Pride and Prejudice retelling, though with more fantasy elements, The Forgotten Book swept me up in its romance and in the mystery of a book that makes the things written in it come true. An old boarding school with hidden secrets set in the countryside is a perfect setting for this story, and I loved exploring its passageways and imagining what it would be like to hang out it the library. Austen isn't always my cup of tea, but I like what Gläser did with this story. Despite mostly knowing what direction storylines were headed in, I still enjoyed the journey.
ANIMUS by Antoine RevoyMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
A haunted playground in Kyoto, Japan seems to hold the key to the mystery of missing schoolchildren. Sayuri and Hisao, themselves children, follow the clues they discover to find their missing classmates and to hopefully return "Toothless," the boy haunting the playground, back to where he belongs. Echoing the atmosphere of the story, Revoy’s illustrations are haunting and fantastical, and I was stunned by the ending. (This is one I am forcing my husband to read just so we can talk about it!)
The Forest Queen by Betsy CornwellMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
“Steal from the rich, give to the poor” gets a fresh take in this gender-swapped retelling of the classic Robin Hood tale. Sylvie, sixteen and lady of Loughsley Abbey, begins to question her family’s treatment of the people of Loughsley – especially now that her brother, John, is the unforgiving sheriff. With her childhood friend, Bird, she runs away and lives in hiding in the nearby woods. Slowly, others from Loughsley join them in their new community, including a young woman named Little Jane, the midwife Mae Tuck, and others who feared otherwise being jailed for their inability to pay egregious taxes. Sylvie must eventually confront her brother, along with her own complicity in the evils done by her family, and she comes to realize that the changes required for economic justice mean she must take “radical action” and put herself in potential danger for the greater good.
Sylvie and her mission to redistribute wealth among the people of Loughsley are easy to root for, but the additional focus on gender roles, womanhood, and the idea of community as family are what set this retelling apart. Strong secondary characters help to challenge Sylvie and force her to take a strong stand against a system that she would otherwise benefit from, and parallels can be drawn from the injustices in the story to those of today’s world. As Little Jane, who becomes a dear friend to Sylvie says, “If someone doesn’t care whether you live or die, then living itself is rebellion” (p 241). This thoughtful narrative of what can happen when the privileged few horde wealth while the majority struggles to make do with less and less shows the power in a united band of concerned citizens.
As You Wish by Chelsea SedotiMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book explores what would happen if everyone in a small desert town received one wish on their 18th birthday - one wish that came true. It's one of the most interesting books I've read in 2018, and one that stayed with me several days after finishing. While there is a lot to unpack, and plenty of action does happen, it's also a very meditative book. Our protagonist, Eldon, spends a lot of time wondering what to wish for (he is 17 for most of the book's timeline, and is about to turn 18), and he also does a lot of asking others (adults) about their wishes - do they regret them? What did they truly wish for? Who were they both before and after their wishing? These were the questions I had as well, so enjoyed all the conversations, the flashbacks to others' wish days, and the deep exploration of what it truly means to make a wish.
There's not a ton to say about this one, because UGLIES fans are going to want to check it out for sure, but I will say that I had some lovely nostalgia AND new excitement while reading Impostors. There are callbacks to the UGLIES series, and the tech will be familiar to fans, but we get all new characters, new drama, and a new time period/location. It's a story within the UGLIES world, but those who haven't read Tally's story should be okay jumping in fresh here. Basically...give a shot if you're into dystopic sci-fi.
Empress of All Seasons by Emiko JeanMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
One of a handful of my favorite books of 2018 - this was one that I literally did not read/put off reading because I was so in love with the world and the story and I didn't want it to end. This read like a more developed Hunger Games, but set in feudal Japan (aka, not Battle Royale). I went back and forth on my feelings towards the three main characters - Mari, Taro, and Akira - sometimes understanding their motivations, other times thinking they were being big jerks...so basically, they are nuanced, complex characters. I want so many more stories set in the world of Honoku, and while this was written as a standalone, there were a few openings to new stories.
Extras: Indigenous sci-fi, sci-fi fairy tale retellings, gamer sci-fi, or view all my reviews.
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