Review: Underwater

Author: Marisa Reichardt
Series: Standalone
Released: January 12th 2016
Publisher: Macmillan
Length: 288 pages
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: Amazon

Morgan didn’t mean to do anything wrong that day. Actually, she meant to do something right. But her kind act inadvertently played a role in a deadly tragedy. In order to move on, Morgan must learn to forgive—first someone who did something that might be unforgivable, and then herself.

But Morgan can’t move on. She can’t even move beyond the front door of the apartment she shares with her mother and little brother. Morgan feels like she’s underwater, unable to surface. Unable to see her friends. Unable to go to school. 

When it seems Morgan can’t hold her breath any longer, a new boy moves in next door. Evan reminds her of the salty ocean air and the rush she used to get from swimming. He might be just what she needs to help her reconnect with the world outside.

Underwater, Marisa Reichardt’s wonderful debut, is a book about the debilitating depths of fear and the stunning power of courageous hope. It begs to be read in one sitting and commands to be felt deeply. Underwater is a story about Morgan, a 16-year-old girl suffering from agoraphobia after a traumatic event. Morgan hasn’t left the house in months – she attends school online, has her own little rituals while her family is away and she meets her pro bono therapist in her own living room. Even the thought of going outside makes her panic until the right motivation comes along.

Review: Shutter

Title: Shutter
Author: Courtney Alameda
Series: Standalone
Released: February 3rd 2015
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Length: 384 pages
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: Amazon

Micheline Helsing is a tetrachromat—a girl who sees the auras of the undead in a prismatic spectrum. As one of the last descendants of the Van Helsing lineage, she has trained since childhood to destroy monsters both corporeal and spiritual: the corporeal undead go down by the bullet, the spiritual undead by the lens. With an analog SLR camera as her best weapon, Micheline exorcises ghosts by capturing their spiritual energy on film. She's aided by her crew: Oliver, a techno-whiz and the boy who developed her camera's technology; Jude, who can predict death; and Ryder, the boy Micheline has known and loved forever.

When a routine ghost hunt goes awry, Micheline and the boys are infected with a curse known as a soulchain. As the ghostly chains spread through their bodies, Micheline learns that if she doesn't exorcise her entity in seven days or less, she and her friends will die. Now pursued as a renegade agent by her monster-hunting father, Leonard Helsing, she must track and destroy an entity more powerful than anything she's faced before . . . or die trying.

I remember starting Shutter with a certain amount of skepticism, cynical soul that I am. In my own defense, good YA horrors are few and far between – mostly they’re just creepy enough to justify the label and not a bit more. But Courtney Alameda proved me wrong in no time at all. By page 30, I was gripping my poor Kindle tightly, disgusted, terrified and oddly thrilled all at the same time. In all honesty, I haven’t read a YA horror so scary and exciting since The Waking Dark by Robin Wasserman.

Review: Alex As Well

Author: Alyssa Brugman
Series: Standalone
Released: January 20th 2015
Publisher: Henry Holt & Co.
Length: 224 pages
Source: Publisher for review
Buy:Amazon

Alex is ready for things to change, in a big way. Everyone seems to think she’s a boy, but for Alex the whole boy/girl thing isn’t as simple as either/or, and when she decides girl is closer to the truth, no one knows how to react, least of all her parents. Undeterred, Alex begins to create a new identity for herself: ditching one school, enrolling in another, and throwing out most of her clothes. But the other Alex—the boy Alex—has a lot to say about that.　Heartbreaking and droll in equal measures, Alex As Well is a brilliantly told story of exploring gender and sexuality, navigating friendships, and finding a place to belong.

In this day and age, very few topics are more important than intersex and/or transgender children. The world is changing right now and diverse books will certainly help us reach a positive outcome. Aside from being a beautiful book, Alex as Well is also a step in the right direction. I can’t remember any other recent YA books about intersex teens, and we can’t deny the necessity.

The Twelve Nightmares Before Christmas with Courtney Alameda: Nightmare Seven + Giveaway

Hello, nocturnal readers!

Today I am beyond proud to welcome the wonderful Courtney Alameda to The Library! Courtney's debut novel, Shutter (coming from Feiwel & Friends in early February 2015) scared the living daylights out of me, but at the same time, the depth of characterization and her marvelous worldbuilding absolutely thrilled me.

Courtney's far more eloquent than I am, so I'll leave you in her very capable hands.

Review: Trial by Fire

Author: Josephine Angelini
Series: Worldwaker Trilogy, #1
Released: September 2nd 2014
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Lenght: 384 pages
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: Amazon

This world is trying to kill Lily Proctor. Her life-threatening allergies keep her from enjoying experiences that others in her hometown of Salem take for granted, which is why she is determined to enjoy her first high school party with her best friend and longtime crush, Tristan. But after a humiliating incident in front of half her graduating class, Lily wishes she could just disappear.

Suddenly, Lily is in a different Salem—one overrun with horrifying creatures and ruled by powerful women called Crucibles. Strongest and cruelest of them all is Lillian . . . Lily's other self in this alternate universe.

What makes Lily weak at home is what makes her extraordinary in New Salem. In this confusing world, Lily is torn between responsibilities she can't hope to shoulder alone and a love she never expected.

Although it has a firm connection to our world, Trial by Fire could very well be considered a fantasy novel. Our heroine, Lily, crosses into a different world at the very beginning, and while designed to mirror our own, this new world is different enough in everything including social structure to be considered a fantasy setting.