The Window; Amelia Brunskill

The Window by Amelia Brunskill
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

How well do you know your sibling? And if that sibling is your twin, shouldn't you know her even better than non-twin siblings? That's popular wisdom, right? Well, not so fast - apparently Jess doesn't know Anna as well as a twin is supposed to know her twin.

Of course, that's pretty par for any YA book about twins (or even adult books for that matter). And how Anna ultimately ended up falling from her bedroom window? Not all that surprising, or different. Still, despite that predictability, there are some really nice moments and when Jess realizes how others see her (which isn't how she thinks they see her and leads to something of a change) it's a great thing for teens to read. Because, really, isn't that true of all of us? We don't know or see how others perceive us and our actions and affect. If teens can recognize that, and do some self-reflection, that's great. Another good thing was the depiction of grief and how we all deal with it differently, despite the literature saying "here's how to grieve a loss".

ARC provided by publisher.

The Beauty That Remains, Ashley Woodfolk

The Beauty That Remains by Ashley Woodfolk
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Odd to read this just after The Window: both books include twin girls who have been "untwinned" (yes, it's a thing) and run track. Instead of one person grieving, here we have four, all bound together by their loss of someone somehow involved with the band Unraveling Lovely. They're a diverse group in just about any and all ways you can think of "diverse" and the author does a great job of making that feel natural, not an example of diversity because it's "in" or "cool". So yay for that!

But... the multiple POVs, the relatively stereotypical plots and subplots and character arcs? If only they'd felt as natural as the characters themselves.

ARC provided by publisher.

S.T.A.G.S. M.A. Bennett

S.T.A.G.S. by M.A. Bennett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Any story set in a British boarding school automatically grabs my interest, and has done since my childhood reading Enid Blyton and Elinor M. Brent-Dyer. So points for that, to start. And this one, in one of those old (centuries old) schools with incredibly outdated uniforms and traditions, coupled with a fish-out-of-water student's experiences? Ok, let's go!

That's all the good stuff: the descriptions of the school, the students, the traditions, the Heritage That Is England stuff. The plot, and the characters, however, don't quite live up to that. They're predictable and oh so stereotypical, right down to the "plot twist" at the end. Sigh.

ARC provided by publisher.

Prettyboymustdie; Kimberly Reid

#Prettyboy Must Die by Kimberly Reid
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ok, really 3.5 stars. This is one of the better "boy agent" books (think: Boy Nobody, etc.) because it's not too implausible. Really!

So, why only 3.5 stars? I wanted more of Bunker (can we get a backstory, please??) and, well, Katie annoyed me. Yes, she's a strong female (possibly older than we think) but there was something so flat and implausible about her that got me. And yes, I know that the idea of a 16-year-old expert computer hacker who speaks six languages and has mad fighting skills isn't the most plausible idea out there. Still... Katie annoyed me.

ARC provided by publisher.

In Her Skin; Kim Savage

In Her Skin by Kim Savage
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I've read similar stories before, and the best part of this was the Boston setting.

ARC provided by publisher.

I Stop Somewhere; T. E. Carter

I Stop Somewhere by T.E. Carter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Difficult read, more than The Lovely Bones (to which it's being compared). The casual brutality of what happens to Ellie and the lack of anyone except her father caring are equally difficult to read and process. In this day and age of #metoo, that fewer girls come forward will disturb readers - but this was clearly written before any of that started. Who knows what would happen now?

ARC provided by publisher.

When I Am Through With You; Stephanie Kuehn

When I Am Through with You by Stephanie Kuehn
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A little too heavy-handed on the menace part, and the characters are far too one-dimensional but the mystery of how and why Ben kills Rose will keep teens reading.

ARC provided by publisher.

Wild Beauty; Anna-Marie McLemore

Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Magical realism mystery of sorts: the question of who (what?) the Nomeolvides women/girls are is never quite answered, but the impact of their lives on the estate of La Pradera is clear. Then Fel appears, disrupting their lives (and love of Bay) in ways they can't begin to imagine. While elements of the story felt very familiar, the way in which they're woven together is definitely fresh and different. The fact that the ending is a little open-ended is also nice, rather than explicitly tied in a nice bow for readers.

The Problim Children; Natalie Lloyd

The Problim Children by Natalie Lloyd
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Really cute use of the "Monday's child" poem! Each child was different enough, albeit in a rather stereotypical manner (Mona was particularly one-dimensional), not that target readers will mind. The mysteries of the bones, the Great Feud, who exactly is living next door, what caused the explosion and what happened to Grandfather Problim (among others) are all left just out of our reach, while others are resolved in the book. However, the abruptness of the ending? A little too "Series of Unfortunate Events"-esque. Perfect for those readers, ditto "Mysterious Benedict Society" lovers.

ARC provided by publisher.

Zenith; Lindsay Cummings

Zenith by Lindsay Cummings
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

DNF. Too derivative, too many POVs, and after 30% on my eARC I just couldn't care about anyone. Better world building and fewer (or more sensible) switches between characters would have helped. Maybe.

ARC provided by publisher.

Beasts Made of Night; Tochi Onyebuchi

Beasts Made of Night by Tochi Onyebuchi
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Really hope this is a one-off! The world Onyebuchi creates is both comfortable (corrupt royals/rich population surrounded by poor people trying to eke out a living plus mysterious origins of religion and a taboo on finding history) and different (the African overtones), a combination that works so well you want more of the world without this being a forced trilogy. Having said that, the downside is that the main characters are nothing more than stock stereotypes - with a few exceptions (Omar, who gets few paragraphs) there's nothing for readers to grab onto in terms of caring about their future or where they may go in the next chapter.

A Line in the Dark; Malinda Lo

A Line in the Dark by Malinda Lo
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Oddly predictable. I'd expected more from Lo, plus the cover is completely misleading. There's also the problem of lapses in plot (that thing that happens offstage that cracks the case), something that mystery writers often do but here just is annoying when dealing with the death at the center of the book.

That Inevitable Victorian Thing; E.K. Johnson

That Inevitable Victorian Thing by E.K. Johnston
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Liked the idea, but it felt a bit cluttered by trying to do too much with the idea of diversity and alternative Canadian/Victorian Era history. As a result, the writing and world building beyond that diversity isn't as strong as it could have been. I know that won't be a popular opinion, but it's mine.

Everless; Sara Holland

Everless by Sara Holland
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

That there's a clear indication that this will be part of an un-as-yet-titled series (trilogy? more?) is a little disheartening. I'm so tired of the non-standalone books. Ok, I get it as a publishing necessity but as a buyer and reader? So tired. And that ends that rant.

Sempera's reliance on blood to extend lives or as currency is unusual, to say the least. The near-feudal world will feel comfortable to readers, as will the mysterious reasons why Jules' father has hidden them away from the Gerling family (and Jules' eventual relationships with the two Gerling sons). So what makes this different? The world building is a bit more detailed, a bit more original and a bit more real-feeling than is usual. And that made me want to read more, to explore more, particularly as Jules begins to come into her own.

ARC provided by publisher.

Ink, Iron, and Glass; Gwendolyn Clare

Ink, Iron, and Glass by Gwendolyn Clare
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Oh, if only "ink" weren't in the title: the creation of a world by writing it can only draw comparison to Funke's Inkheart. And this doesn't deserve that comparison because it's not close to being the same thing. But then, there are bits of Narnia (the World Between the Worlds) and other novels inside.

The world that Clare has created here is a great mix of European steampunk and what might be called pre-industrial, with call outs to writers and events that teens may (I hope) be interested in seeking more information about. Example? Garibaldi's unification of Italy. Which was an interesting choice of focal point, IMVHO, because Italy and that history is not a common setting for us (France and Amsterdam also play fleeting roles).

How this plays out, and what happens in the "real" world that Elsa comes from (although I suspect a love triangle in the next book, which... really hoping not) I can't wait to read.

ARC provided by publisher.

Image and Imagination; C.S. Lewis

Image and Imagination: Essays and Reviews by C.S. Lewis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Honestly, for real Lewis fans only. Many of these are reviews of books (Lewis' reviews, not reviews of his books) that only make sense if you know the book, while others are essays on topics that appealed to him and probably won't be of interest to the general reader.

Having said that, if you, like me, are a Lewis fan, this is a great addition to your bookshelf. His voice ad his writing are as clear as ever and sorely missed.

The Snowman; Jo Nesbo

The Snowman by Jo Nesbø
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Read this because the movie was coming out but now that I've done so, perhaps I don't need to see it on the screen. Hole remains one of the more compelling leads: so very contradictory in nature (is he a drunk? an addict? compassionate? decent? all of the above or none? does it matter?). And while usually it doesn't matter whether you read this series in or out of order - note, I haven't been - I can see where understanding the relationship with Oleg and Rakel would help with the "outside" mystery of his life.

As mysteries go, this isn't bad. A couple of times there were red herrings, and once I found an annoying clue that only Hole sees, not the reader, so there's no way to solve this on your own. Beyond that, far less gruesome than the next book will be, with some nice tinges of local color that really set the books in their place (as opposed to a generic Scandinavian setting, a la Lackburg).

Mad World; Lori Majewski

Mad World: An Oral History of New Wave Artists and Songs That Defined the 1980s by Lori Majewski
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Very different from the last book entitled Mad World I read!

This is, as other reviewers have mentioned, very much a "bathroom" book - one that you can dip into and out of easily. The caveat is, of course, that you have to have either been a fan of the 1980s New Wave or curious about it, and that may be a limited audience. A music loving friend of mine claims that no one does care, these days, and several groups (Thompson Twins) are so irrelevant to today's scene, blah blah blah... Maybe. I confess to having skimmed many entries and quarreled with others because my favorite song by a group was overlooked or only glancingly mentioned. If you're a fan of the music or any of the groups, this is a interesting backwards glance into the era with just enough gossip to be spicy (the playlists I could have lived without).

Winterhouse; Ben Guterson

Winterhouse by Ben Guterson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Cute and fun for puzzle lovers. Sometimes the setting was confusing - how big could that hotel really be? But readers won't care, they'll just want to visit. The Big Mystery is actually a few mysteries and their solutions aren't always telegraphed, which is always a good thing. That this is the first in a series may also be a good thing... I'll have to wait and read.

ARC provided by publisher.

The Care and Feeding of a Pet Black Hole; Michelle Cuevas

The Care and Feeding of a Pet Black Hole by Michelle Cuevas
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Cute, but so woefully wrong scientifically that it's difficult to recommend. I got the analogy and that this wasn't a real black hole but still!

Not Now, Not Ever; Lily Anderson

Not Now, Not Ever by Lily Anderson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Another book about super smart teens at some super smart place that just misses by focusing more on the relationships and less on the super smart part. If only there'd been more about the SF nerdiness and less about the family, the budding romance, etc.. The blurb promises genius nerds and instead, it's normal teens. Sigh.

ARC provided by publisher.

Dr. Edith Vane and the Hares of Crawley Hall; Suzette Mayr

Dr. Edith Vane and the Hares of Crawley Hall by Suzette Mayr
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

So unsure about the author's intent: is this about academia and the infighting/tension over tenure and publication? is this about racial and socio-economic tensions in academia? is this about a woman in over her head and going mad? all three? more? When the book clicked it was wonderful, but there were also times I just shook my head and wondered where the editor was.

The Midnight Dance; Nikki Katz

The Midnight Dance by Nikki Katz
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Definitely creepy and far less about ballet than the cover promises. The biggest problem is that the suspense parts are a little muddy or perhaps poorly plotted, certainly far less so that the life at the school and the confusion Penny has about who she is and what's happening to her. It also would have been nice had more of the characters been fully fleshed out, but overall that matters less than the mystery of the Gran Teatro.

ARC provided by publisher.

Jane, Unlimited; Kristin Cashore

Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

DNF: The first half was wonderful, but then... WTH happened? I skimmed on, hoping it was a dream sequence but no such luck. The incredibly abrupt change in tone and plot just did not make sense.

The Hollow Girl; Hillary Monahan

The Hollow Girl by Hillary Monahan
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Sigh. Such a struggle to read: the revenge part was ok (if you like this type of story) but the part about the Roma was so stereotypical it was difficult to read. In this day and age, more could have been said and more delicately.

ARC provided by publisher.

Jek/Hyde; Amy Ross

Jek/Hyde by Amy Ross
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm not sure readers even need to know the source material for this book because that might ruin the suspense over What Will Happen. As it is, Jek's chemistry experiments (designer, barely legal drugs, of course) will intrigue them, as will who Hyde is and why his relationship with, or hold over, Jek is so strong. The false notes that I noticed - the school's administration's laissez-faire attitude towards students, the town's structure - will probably not occur to teens, and my bigger quibble about Lulu's somewhat dispassionate account does get answered at the end (no spoilers!).

ARC provided by publisher.

We Now Return to Regular Life; Martin Wilson

We Now Return to Regular Life by Martin Wilson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

There was something a little off about the ending here and I can't quite put my finger on it. Josh's side of the story was paler than Beth's, and while I understood his conflicted feelings they just didn't move me as much (and what Sam thought/knew was very unclear). Beth, on the other hand, had reactions that felt very real to me: her confusion about who to be friends with now, could she go back to that moment before Sam returned? That we see this through their eyes, not those of Sam or any adult, was a choice that blurs some of the impact but does so in a way that may feel realer to readers because while few people will be in Sam's position it is plausible that they might know people who have been.

Warcross; Marie Lu

Warcross by Marie Lu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Reminds me of last year's Arena with a younger cast and more of a mystery. The questions about who can and who cannot be trusted and what motivates the various players and hackers are well presented; the worldbuilding, on the other hand, is weaker than is usual in a Lu book (hence the four, not five, stars). At times it felt like Warcross was something like Capture the Flag in a virtual environment, but then there were other elements that weren't completely explained but hurried through. On the other hand, the worldwide fascination with the game and the obsession with gathering points and "leveling up" feels very real in a world where getting "likes" and "follows" is important. How the series progresses will be interesting.

The Apprentice Witch; James Nicol

The Apprentice Witch by James Nicol
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Charming story about a world in which magic and non-human creatures exist (that moon hare? so cute!) but loses points because Our Heroine and the supporting characters are one note. We got it, Arianwyn is a klutz and something of a disappointment. While she does grow some in confidence during the book, every now and then it reads as though she was getting away from the author's first idea so let's bring back Clumsy Arianwyn. Everyone else was decidedly stuck as whomever they were when we first met them. The world-building was a little odd: is this closer to our world (telephones!) or an older, more medieval version? Having said all this, middle grade readers probably won't have these qualms and I can see this being a hit.

ARC provided by publisher.

Amina's Voice; Hena Khan

Amina's Voice by Hena Khan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Oh so predictable. But because this "stars" a Pakistani-Muslim-American (with a Korean immigrant BFF) it's a good addition to the collection as older, less circulated books about girls and friendship and overcoming fears are removed.

Telling Tales; Ann Cleeves

Telling Tales: A Vera Stanhope Mystery by Ann Cleeves
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It's weird reading this just days after watching the TV adaptation: the difference between Cleeves' Vera (suffering excema, grossly overweight) and Blethyn's (with a "bit o'lippy" and some decent clothes she'd be attactive) is highlighted. Also, the differences between the print and the tv treatments, where settings several characters are either added or missing.

Still... Here we have Vera technically out of her element, asked in to revisit a case rather than investigate a new one because as someone out of the area she can be impartial. Only later in the book does Joe show up (and her thoughts about him? interesting...) to lend a hand. Early Vera is an interesting mix of self-aware and bull-in-china-shop and I quite like her.

This is Book Two in the series, and in a few weeks the new book (Eight, I think) is coming out. Now that will be great to compare.

Blindspot; Mahzarin R. Banaji

Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People by Mahzarin R. Banaji
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Slight, and very repetitive. Also, it's great that we get a long discussion about our blind spots (or, as the author calls them, mindbugs) but there's little to nothing about how to correct for them.

The Hazel Wood; Melissa Albert

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Why do Alice and Ella keep moving around? Unexpectedly leaving homes and cities in the middle of the night, sometimes because something has happened. Something weird. Then Ella's reclusive author-of-tales-of-the-weird mother dies, and perhaps everything will be alright. And it is... for a few months. It appears as though Althea (Ella's mother and Alice's grandmother) and her stories may be behind it all... That search for answers is really well done.

The questions of what a Story is, how they get transmitted and how they live in the world aren't new. This exploration of some of the answers is certainly creative and doesn't give us cute Disney stories but more gruesome Gimm-like ones (a huge plus!!). If only the world building had been a bit stronger, this could have been a solid five star. As it is, it's a shade over four but a highly recommended read for those who love their stories a bit on the dark side.

ARC provided by publisher.

They Both Die at the End; Adam Silvera

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ok, I confess: I like Death. I'm not saying I have a death-wish, but the idea of DEATH (in the Pratchettverse) and books about him (her? it?) as a character or plot twist (ok, reading Sunshine and Love Story as a young teen may have had something to do with that) is one of my jams. And books like Denton Little's Death Date or the "Dead is..." series play into that. So of course I wanted to read this!

The premise is akin to the Denton Little premise: you get a phone call that says, essentially, today's your last day. An entire industry has sprung up around it, complete with an app that pairs you with a Last Friend and a Make-a-Moment amusement park. We have Mateo and Rufus, from different worlds, using the app and spending their last day together, bonding a Last Friends. In a very odd way, this doesn't feel fake! Maybe the timeline is accelerated, but they do feel as though had they'd met elsewhere, they would still have connected and become friends. But the constant switching of POVs was annoying (please, publishers: make authors stop!!). So only four stars.

ARC provided by publisher.

As You Wish; Chelsea Sedoti

As You Wish by Chelsea Sedoti
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

What makes the caves in Madison special? The wishing. The bigger question is why do the caves grant wishes? Of course, that's never fully explored. What does get explored is the tried-and-true cliche "be careful what you wish for" and how those wishes can really, years later, haunt you. Eldon's deep fear that he will wish incorrectly leads him to ask a variety of his townspeople about their wishes and their experiences in an effort to figure out his wish is done sensitively. However, the side plot about his sister detracts from that at important moments. His wish does tie in with what we know of him and who he's become; that we never really learn how it affects everyone else (beyond the short term) is a little disappointing but understandable.

ARC provided by publisher.

Nothing; Annie Barrows

Nothing by Annie Barrows
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is what teenage girls sound like: the BFF code/jokes, the levels of like/love/angst, etc.. Pitch perfect. And yes, this is (like Seinfeld infamously was) about "nothing", the "nothing" that goes into our daily lives particularly when we're teen girls in high school. What stopped this from being a five-star was the odd decision to alternate chapters between first and third person. No idea why that was thought to be a good idea (perhaps, better differentiate between Charlotte and Franklin?) but it does get distracting.

ARC provided by publisher.

I Hate Everyone But You; Gaby Dunn

I Hate Everyone But You by Gaby Dunn
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Formatting as both texts and emails was innovative a few years ago. Now? Not so much. And the plot, such as it is, is not quite YA, not quite "new adult" but tries to be a little bit of both. Two BFFs, one on each coast, talking about their first year in college (plus sororities, boys, drugs, classes, etc. - in other words, normal life) really did read as being in a real voice but, as is real life, rather boring. That might appeal to teens, but I suspect they'd want something a little more to keep reading.

ARC provided by publisher.

The Empress; S.J. Kincaid

The Empress by S.J. Kincaid
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Despite a decent attempt at "previously..." the mythology, history and plot really require having read Book 1. Readers coming into this series here will be totally lost.

ARC provided by publisher.

Moxie; Jennifer Mathieu

Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

i feel so old: the Riot Grrll thing feels like it happened yesterday, but it was 20 years ago. 20. And I was in my 30s, so a little old to embrace the "new" message of female empowerment. Still...

While the message here is great, that you can change things that are blatantly wrong and unfair by bringing them out into the light, the story is incredibly predictable. This may not matter to teen readers, particularly those who may decide to use some of the tactics and methods that Viv uses, but it bothered me that there was nothing surprising here. It's like Sarah Dessen went to feminism school.

ARC provided by publisher.

Flame in the Mist; Renee Ahdieh

Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The setting, feudal Japan, is evocatively described and made this reader want more. Unfortunately, the plot was weaker than the setting. The revenge theme was muddy, there's something that might be magic but might just be poison, and some of the action scenes felt a bit poorly planned. It was great that our heroine wasn't some superheroine but prone to rashness and making mistakes; the love story was less persuasive. There's a sequel, if not more, which may have been the problem - watering things down to stretch into more than one volume isn't always a good idea.

My Future Ex-Girlfriend; Jake Gerhardt

My Future Ex-Girlfriend by Jake Gerhardt
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I suspect many male middle grade readers will find themselves here, as either Duke, Sam or Chollie. They may even learn something about relationships. Not a bad thing!

Felix Yz; Lisa Bunder

Felix Yz by Lisa Bunker
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A kind of odd mixture: there's a lot going on, but perhaps a bit too much. The major plot surrounds Felix, who at age three was somehow fused with an alien being during a scientific accident. This has led to physical issues not to mention the emotional and psychological ones of having another being inside his brain. And, in 30 days (the book is a countdown) there will be a Procedure to - they hope - separate the two. Then there's the Felix-and-Hector friendship, or possibly more. And Hector being mixed-race. And Felix's Granby, a gender-fluid grandparent who spends half the week as Vern, half as Vera (and one day naked) using the pronoun "vo". And Mom's soon-to-be former boyfriend and possible new girlfriend.

I love that the diversity isn't a preachy one. And that Felix is relatively normal, given the whole embedded alien thing. But, is it too much? I wonder if the alien part of the story, which is fascinating enough to hold our interest, isn't overshadowed by the gender-fluidity all the other stuff. Or how much stronger each side would have been had they been given their own story.

You May Already Be a Winner; Ann Dee Ellis

You May Already Be a Winner by Ann Dee Ellis
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Predictable story about a young girl coping with a broken family (Dad gone, Mom unable to cope).

Monsterland; James Crowley

Monsterland by James Crowley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

We're definitely not in Kansas here! This quest adventure is a great twin to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz except with monsters (Franklin Prometheus! Dwight!). The sense of fun with the genre is evident and this is a great addition to the October scary/haunted/monster story display.

All the Crooked Saints; Maggie Steifvater

All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

With so much attention today on diverse voices and different experiences, this could be a great addition to a collection; having said that, there will probably be some uproar over cultural appropriation and writing outside your experience. Neither of which should matter, as the culture being appropriated is essentially made-up/heavily fictionalized and the experience is magical realism within that culture so... just read, ok?

The writing is, as is all of Steifvater's work, both lush and precise. There are gorgeous images (the desert! the pilgrims!) and yet they're never overly written. As much as I appreciated the writing, at times I found some of the repetition annoying (but that's me, not all readers) and the plot a bit predictable. Overall, I can't wait to share this with readers.

ARC provided by publisher.

The Girl in Between; Sarah Carroll

The Girl in Between by Sarah Carroll
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Homeless teens are a rarity in YA lit, which makes this story so important and yet it's presented almost as an adventure thus lessening any impact it may have had on readers. It's clear that Ma has problems, and that our unnamed main character is scared (and hungry) but beyond that? Perhaps this was better in outline than fleshed out.

A Map for Wrecked Girls; Jessica Taylor

A Map for Wrecked Girls by Jessica Taylor
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

So predictable, both in plot and in structure (intercut "how we got here" sections). Yawn. Redeeming factor? Not too many lessons learned.

All Rights Reserved; Gregory Scott Katsoulis

All Rights Reserved by Gregory Scott Katsoulis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The idea that your words - all words - and gestures are subject to copyright and royalty payments is a bit horrific but somehow makes sense given today's litigious society. So fast forward to an unspecified somewhat dystopian future and voila, the Word$ series. I know people today frequently don't know what is a trademark (eg, Xerox or Kleenex) vs the generic (eg, photocopy or tissue), and as we sue over perceived slights and infringements things could move in this direction; that families have to pay for ancestral "illegalities"is equally interesting, given the millions who used Napster and other such sites.

So far, so good. But... the dome. The plucky girl who decides, suddenly, not to be Branded or make her Last Day speech. The sparking of a resistance movement. It all sounds just a little too familiar. Still, the ideas are thought provoking enough to make this a recommended read.

ARC provided by publisher.

Super Max and the Mystery of Thornwood's Revenge; Susan Vaught

Super Max and the Mystery of Thornwood's Revenge by Susan Vaught
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The ending was a little rushed, so a loss of points. Beyond that, Max's wheelchair is such an important part of her life and a character in the book on its own. That's a very refreshing thing and a great addition to our diversity collections! Can't wait for the next episode.

A Babysitter's Guide to Monster Hunting; Joe Ballarini

A Babysitter's Guide to Monster Hunting by Joe Ballarini
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Very Buffy. With maybe a little Susan Sto Helit from Hogfather. In other words, highly enjoyable.

ARC provided by publisher.