Description: Everyone in my family has killed someone. Some of us, the high achievers, have killed more than once. I'm not trying to be dramatic, but it is the truth. Some of us are good, others are bad, and some just unfortunate. I'm Ernest Cunningham. Call me Ern or Ernie. I wish I'd killed whoever decided our family reunion should be at a ski resort, but it's a little more complicated than that. Have I killed someone? Yes. I have. Who was it? Let's get started.

Description: Things are heating up for Lila Macapagal. Not in her love life, which she insists on keeping nonexistent despite the attention of two very eligible bachelors. Or her professional life, since she can't bring herself to open her new cafe after the unpleasantness that occurred a few months ago at her aunt's Filipino restaurant, Tita Rosie's Kitchen. No, things are heating up quite literally, since summer, her least favorite season, has just started.
  To add to her feelings of sticky unease, Lila's little town of Shady Palms has resurrected the Miss Teen Shady Palms Beauty Pageant, which she won many years ago--a fact that serves as a wedge between Lila and her cousin slash rival, Bernadette. But when the head judge of the pageant is murdered and Bernadette becomes the main suspect, the two must put aside their differences and solve the case--because it looks like one of them might be next.

Description: Since Gran died a few months ago, Molly has been navigating life's complexities all by herself. No matter--she throws herself with gusto into her work as a hotel maid. Her unique character, along with her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette, make her an ideal fit for the job. She delights in donning her crisp uniform each morning, stocking her cart with miniature soaps and bottles, and returning guest rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel to a state of perfection.
     But Molly's orderly life is upended the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself dead in his bed. Before she knows what's happening, Molly's unusual demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. She quickly finds herself caught in a web of deception, one she has no idea how to untangle. Fortunately for Molly, friends she never knew she had unite with her in a search for clues to what really happened to Mr. Black--but will they be able to find the real killer before it's too late?

Description: Every week, Tracy Beaumont writes letters to Innocence X, asking the organization to help her father, an innocent Black man on death row. After seven years, Tracy is running out of time—her dad has only 267 days left. Then the unthinkable happens. The police arrive in the night, and Tracy’s older brother, Jamal, goes from being a bright, promising track star to a “thug” on the run, accused of killing a white girl. Determined to save her brother, Tracy investigates what really happened between Jamal and Angela down at the Pike. But will Tracy and her family survive the uncovering of the skeletons of their Texas town’s racist history that still haunt the present?

Description: London, 1888. As colorful and unfettered as the butterflies she collects, Victorian adventuress Veronica Speedwell can’t resist the allure of an exotic mystery—particularly one involving her enigmatic colleague, Stoker.

His former expedition partner has vanished from an archaeological dig with a priceless diadem unearthed from the newly discovered tomb of an Egyptian princess. This disappearance is just the latest in a string of unfortunate events that have plagued the controversial expedition, and rumors abound that the curse of the vengeful princess has been unleashed as the shadowy figure of Anubis himself stalks the streets of London.

But the perils of an ancient curse are not the only challenges Veronica must face as sordid details and malevolent enemies emerge from Stoker’s past. Caught in a tangle of conspiracies and threats—and thrust into the public eye by an enterprising new foe—Veronica must separate facts from fantasy to unravel a web of duplicity that threatens to cost Stoker everything.

Description: Zoe Washington isn’t sure what to write. What does a girl say to the father she’s never met, hadn’t heard from until his letter arrived on her twelfth birthday, and who’s been in prison for a terrible crime? A crime he says he never committed.
  Could Marcus really be innocent? Zoe is determined to uncover the truth. Even if it means hiding his letters and her investigation from the rest of her family. Everyone else thinks Zoe’s worrying about doing a good job at her bakery internship and proving to her parents that she’s worthy of auditioning for Food Network’s Kids Bake Challenge. But with bakery confections on one part of her mind, and Marcus’s conviction weighing heavily on the other, this is one recipe Zoe doesn’t know how to balance. The only thing she knows to be true: Everyone lies.

Description: London, 1887. At the Curiosity Club, a ladies-only establishment for daring and intrepid women, Victorian adventuress Veronica Speedwell meets the mysterious Lady Sundridge, who begs her to take on an impossible task--saving society art patron Miles Ramsforth from execution. Ramsforth, accused of the brutal murder of his mistress, Artemisia, will face the hangman's noose in a week's time if the real killer is not found.
But Lady Sundridge is not all that she seems, and unmasking her true identity is only the first of many secrets Veronica must uncover. Together with her natural-historian colleague, Stoker, Veronica races against time to find the true murderer. From a Bohemian artists' colony to a royal palace to a subterranean grotto with a decadent history, the investigation proves to be a very perilous undertaking indeed.

Review: If you are looking for an entertaining, well written historical mystery with large dashes of humor and a promise of romance then I would highly suggest picking up Deanna Raybourn's Veronica Speedwell series. There are currently five books out in this series and while you can read them independently you will miss out on character backstories and development.
  In this second installment, Veronica is sought out by Princess Louise to help exonerate Louise’s friend who is about to be hanged for the murder of his mistress, but Louise knows he is innocent. She tasks Veronica and her working partner cohort/roommate/potential love interest?, Stoker, to identify the real culprit. Though Veronica has unpopular feelings towards royalty, her intrigue and desire for adventures propel her to take the case. The investigation leads them from London’s competitive art community to a covert paradise for sexual deviants. Although this mystery includes classic suspicious characters and unexpected twists, Veronica’s modern attitude and disregard of Victorian social mores along with her humorous banter with Stoker are the biggest draw to this series. It is highly entertaining in seeing Veronica and Stoker assess their mystery just as they were working on their own fields of interest, for Veronica that would be studying butterflies and for Stoker taxidermy. With each book we peal more layers to the Veronica and Stoker's backstories. Another exciting installment in Raybourn’s promising historical-mystery series. I think this series will get better and better with each new book and I can't wait to read them.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is strong sexual content in the book, which includes sexual humor and imagery, scenes of an opium dens, and some language. Recommended for older teens and adults. 

If you like this book try: A Trecherous Curse by Deanna Raybourn (Veronica Speedwell #3), Merriweather and Royston mysteries by Vivian Conroy

Description: Galaxy “Alex” Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. By age twenty, in fact, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she’s thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world’s most elite universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her?
  Still searching for answers to this herself, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. These eight windowless “tombs” are well-known to be haunts of the future rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street and Hollywood’s biggest players. But their occult activities are revealed to be more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive.

Review: Ninth House is a dark fantasy/murder mystery that takes place in Yale University's secret societies. Galaxy "Alex" Stern is our main character who has recently woke up in the hospital after an overdose to learn two things: that she was the only survivor of an unsolved bloody multiple homicide and that because of her ability to see ghosts, she was being offered a spot in Yale's freshmen class, provided she join Lethe, the clandestine group that monitors the school's eight secret societies. At Yale, each secret society or house specializes in a discipline of the occult, from necromancy to divination, and the members of Lethe are responsible for making sure their activities don't harm anyone, inside or outside of the societies.
  Ninth House is very different from Bardugo's YA novels. The world building is quite solid, however, fantasy takes a back seat to the murder mystery which surprised me. The pace is very slow for the first 200 pages or so as we try to wrap our heads around the secret societies and learn about Alex through flashbacks. The narrative is initially told from two perspectives: Alex in the present at Yale and from Darlington, Alex's mentor until he abruptly goes missing.
  It took me a while to warm up to Alex. She is constantly numbing herself either through drugs or alcohol and she is very cagey, abrasive, all of which are defensive mechanisms. Though she seems to flounder in her day to day routines and is exhausted by trying to act "normal", she seems to find her footing when trying to solve a girl's murder, which no one seems to care. Bardugo efficiently demonstrates female rage as well as the power of privilege and class through out the story.  Readers can tell she is greatly influenced by the #MeToo movement.
  I would have liked a bit more explanation regarding the ghosts and Alex's connections to them, which I was most interested in the book. The book's uneven pacing and a lot of information to keep track of took me out of the story multiple times, but I am still interested to see where this series goes. Had I expected less fantasy and more of a murder mystery, I may have liked this book a lot more than I did.

Rating: 3 stars

Words of Caution: There is strong language, drug use, overdosing, gore, self-harm, rape, sexual assault, talk of suicide, physical abuse, sex, and forced eating of human waste. Recommended for adults and mature teens only. 

If you like this book try: Broken Girls by Simone St. James

Description: Jay Reguero plans to spend the last semester of his senior year playing video games before heading to the University of Michigan in the fall. But when he discovers that his Filipino cousin Jun was murdered as part of President Duterte's war on drugs, and no one in the family wants to talk about what happened, Jay travels to the Philippines to find out the real story. Hoping to uncover more about Jun and the events that led to his death, Jay is forced to reckon with the many sides of his cousin before he can face the whole horrible truth -- and the part he played in it.

Review: After finding out about his cousin Jun’s violent death, Jay Reguero travels from America to the Philippines to uncover the truth behind the mysterious death. Jay does not have much of a connection to the Philippines, the place of his birth, and has recently discovered that the nation has changed in the face of a sweeping drug war initiated by President Rodrigo Duterte, a war that Jun’s father, Tito Maning, enthusiastically endorses. Jay digs into the circumstances of Jun’s death, which is much more complicated than what he had anticipated.
   I really enjoyed The Patron Saints of Nothing which deftly weaves a mystery/suspense elements regarding Jun's death and a coming of age story that taps into the deep, nuanced, and complicated yet realistic family drama between family members who stayed in Philippines and that of Jay's father who decided to raise his children in America. Ribay perfectly captures the feelings of those who straddle two different cultures. He faces microaggressions at school and while attempting to try to convey his feelings to his American friends. Yet he also feels like an outsider in the Philippines because he does not speak the language though he looks Filipino.
  This book is a window for me in terms of learning about the current the current-day war on drugs ravaging Filipino society, characterized by extrajudicial vigilante killings endorsed by the highest levels of government, which unfortunately I do not hear too much about in the news. The author also touches upon the Filipino history of colonization, occupation, and revolution, but I needed a bit more to fully wrap my head around. After reading this book I can definitely see why it was nominated for the National Book Award for Young Adults.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is language and discussion of drug abuse, sex trafficking, and violence initiated by the government and police. Recommended for Grades 10 and up.

If you like this book try: Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson

Description: Tuesday Mooney is a loner. She keeps to herself, begrudgingly socializes, and spends much of her time watching old Twin Peaks and X-Files DVDs. But when Vincent Pryce, Boston’s most eccentric billionaire, dies—leaving behind an epic treasure hunt through the city, with clues inspired by his hero, Edgar Allan Poe—Tuesday’s adventure finally begins.
   Puzzle-loving Tuesday searches for clue after clue, joined by a ragtag crew: a wisecracking friend, an adoring teen neighbor, and a handsome, cagey young heir. The hunt tests their mettle, and with other teams from around the city also vying for the promised prize—a share of Pryce’s immense wealth—they must move quickly. Pryce’s clues can't be cracked with sharp wit alone; the searchers must summon the courage to face painful ghosts from their pasts (some more vivid than others) and discover their most guarded desires and dreams.

Review: When the death of Vincent Pryce, one of Boston's most wealthy and eccentric man drops dead at a fundraiser, he leaves behind an epic treasure hunt through the city with clues inspired by his hero, Edgar Allen Poe. Groups of mystery solvers come together in hopes of finding the big prize and splitting the riches amongst each other. One those is our heroine, Tuesday Mooney, best prospect researcher on Boston General Hospital's fundraising team, a "bizarro know-it-all tall girl" with the aura of a grown-up Wednesday Addams. Despite her reputation as a formidable, reclusive goth vibes, Tuesday embraces her introverted lifestyle. She actually does have friends, but she keeps them at  arm’s length. Her friends include her current best friend Dex Howard, a gay, karaoke-obsessed financier who is perpetually unlucky in love; Tuesday's neighbor Dorry Bones, a motherless Somerville teen who looks up to Tuesday as her role model; and Abby Hobbes, a Ouija board–wielding classmate who disappeared during Tuesday's teenage years and whose ghost haunts Tuesday incessantly. The Pryce treasure hunt is exactly what Tuesday is looking for in order to break out of her banal life and if she can exercise her detective muscles, solve the puzzle, and win a big cash prize-even better. The hunt is not what it seems as she comes into contact with the Arches who do not have a friendly relationship with Pryce and her partnership (or propective relationship) with the strange but charming tycoon Nathaniel Arches sink or buoy her chances of success?
  I absolutely loved Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts. It is a genre-bending, highly entertaining, and enthralling mystery that dips into the supernatural but without losing sight to real life problems. All of the characters are dealing with issues of their own ranging from loss to self-acceptance to struggles with intimacy. While there is an over-arching Pryce mystery, there are also mysteries within the Arches family and the disappearance of Abby Hobbes, Tuesday's best friend. I loved following Tuesday and her pals as they ran all around Boston uncovering clues about Poe to solve the crime. There were also plenty of 80s and 90s references that I relished in the book that gave the story character and did not make it feel so dated. I also liked the slow burn of possible romance between Archie and Tuesday. Racculia's writing is funny, poignant, charming, and romantic all at once. Almost all of the mysteries are nicely wrapped up and kept me turning the pages and on my toes. I really hope we get to see these characters again in a new book.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Words of Caution: There is strong language and sexual situations are mentioned. Recommended for Grades 10 and up.

If you like this book try: Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan, Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore by Matthew Sullivan

Description: Before the days of going toe-to-toe with the Avengers, a younger Loki is desperate to prove himself heroic and capable, while it seems everyone around him suspects him of inevitable villainy and depravity except for Amora. Asgard's resident sorceress-in-training feels like a kindred spirit-someone who values magic and knowledge, who might even see the best in him.
   But when Loki and Amora cause the destruction of one of Asgard's most prized possessions, Amora is banished to Earth, where her powers will slowly and excruciatingly fade to nothing. Without the only person who ever looked at his magic as a gift instead of a threat, Loki slips further into anguish and the shadow of his universally adored brother, Thor.
   When Asgardian magic is detected in relation to a string of mysterious murders on Earth, Odin sends Loki to investigate. As he descends upon nineteenth-century London, Loki embarks on a journey that leads him to more than just a murder suspect, putting him on a path to discover the source of his power-and who he's meant to be.

Review: Loki: Where Mischief Lies is a compelling origin story for Marvel's lovable villain Loki. This book can be read without having any knowledge of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Loki has always been the outcast and has always lived in the shadow of his picture-perfect Norse hero of a brother Thor. After their father, Odin, sees a vision of Loki leading an army of the dead against Asgard, he grows suspicious of his second son’s magical abilities. Loki is now struggling to come to terms of his destiny. Is he always destined to be the villain? Does he have any power to change his destiny? Years later, seeking to prove himself worthy of Odin's respect, a real candidate for the throne, and to prove the prophecy wrong, Loki is sent to Earth to aid a London-based secret organization investigating a series of unusual magical deaths.
  To any Asgardian being sent to Earth is like a banishment because Earth is backwards, has no magic, and it means human contact. Loki's disdain for Earth provides lots of humor while also allowing him to see his identity in a different lens. Loki grows from his disgust of Earth to curiosity and perhaps kinship in those who live on the outskirts of society such as the ex-convict Theo Bell who left lame because of his sexuality. Although Loki uses he/him/his pronouns, he says he exists as both man and woman and that Asgardians do not have strict gender and sexuality norms. There is a flicker of interest between Theo and Loki, but that is pushed to the side as Loki must make a series of choices that will determine his future. While the mystery is a bit underwhelming, I was more enchanted with the characters. Lee embraces Loki's antihero antics that makes him three dimensional and vulnerable. You can not help but love Loki while also being wary of what he will do next. I am thrilled this is the first of a series of books that will feature Loki as I definitely wanted more after I finished this book. A great choice for readers who enjoy superhero stories but also books that feature Norse mythology.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is some minor language and disturbing images. Recommended for Grades 7 and up.

If you like this book try: Loki: Agent of Asgard series by Al Ewing, Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series by Rick Riordan

Description: After burying her spinster aunt, Veronica Speedwell embarks on a world tour hunting for butterflies, but when Veronica thwarts her own abduction with the help of a German baron who has ties to her past, she goes with him to his friend Stoker's home, a reclusive natural historian, until the baron is found dead and Veronica and Stoker must go on the run from an elusive assailant.

Review: I have been meaning to read Deanna Raybourn's historical mystery series for quite some time. After reading trusted reviewer's great reviews of her Veronica Speedwell series, I thought I would try it. A Curious Beginning did not disappoint and it seems to be a great Victorian mystery series. Determined to live an independent life, Veronica Speedwell is anything but a proper Victorian lady. Veronica is an incredibly witty, snarky, scientist who is happily to turn her back on "civil" society in order to pursue her own desires. So when her home is attacked during her aunt's funeral, a rollicking adventure ensues. After rescuing Veronica from her attacker, Baron von Stauffenbach whisks her to London, depositing her in the care of the enigmatic Mr. Stoker, a brooding, surly hero with a mysterious past who also loves natural history. Before the Baron can return to tell Veronica what he knows of her mother, he's found dead, and the police like Stoker for a suspect. Stoker and Veronica partner up to find the real culprit and they ping-pong throughout London and its outskirts as they dodge villains with murky motives and hulking henchmen. Soon, they realize that Stauffer's death may be connected to the mystery of Veronica's birth parents.
  I enjoyed reading A Curious Beginning. I liked that the mystery is shrouded in Veronica's origins. When the mystery seem to stall, I didn't feel bored as I loved getting to know Veronica and trying to figure out Stoker. Their banter made me laugh out loud several times and it was absolute pleasure to read. Not mention that their sexual tension crackled on the page. It did not take me long to ship these two characters together. The author does a good job in resolving the overall mystery, but there are still things that we don't know about in particular about Stoker's past, I can't wait to learn more about. I look forward seeing what other situations Veronica and Stoker find themselves into in the upcoming books in this series.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is some strong language, sexual references and innuendos in the book. Recommended to older teens and adults who enjoy historical mysteries.

If you like this book try: A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn (Veronica Speedwell #2), Lady Grey series by Deanna Raybourn, Lady Emily series by Tasha Alexander

Description: Like his fellow lunarnauts—otherwise known as Moonies—living on Moon Base Alpha, twelve-year-old Dashiell Gibson is famous the world over for being one of the first humans to live on the moon. And he’s bored out of his mind. Kids aren’t allowed on the lunar surface, meaning they’re trapped inside the tiny moon base with next to nothing to occupy their time—and the only other kid Dash’s age spends all his time hooked into virtual reality games.

Then Moon Base Alpha’s top scientist turns up dead. Dash senses there’s foul play afoot, but no one believes him. Everyone agrees Dr. Holtz went onto the lunar surface without his helmet properly affixed, simple as that. But Dr. Holtz was on the verge of an important new discovery, Dash finds out, and it’s a secret that could change everything for the Moonies—a secret someone just might kill to keep.

Review: It's 2041, and biracial Dash Gibson lives with his family in Moon Base Alpha, the first lunar outpost. Life is mostly dull and monotonous, contrary to the program's advertisements until Ronald Holtz, beloved base physician, dies under suspicious circumstances. Some believe Holtz did not wear his space suit correctly before exiting the spaceship, but Dash believes something more sinister is afoot. Despite warnings from the base's strict commander, Dash continues to investigate the incident as a possible murder despite a threatning warning to do so. The plot is a fun Agatha Christie murder mystery set in space with a  plot from Scooby Doo. The story is fun, fast paced with lots of bathroom humor and space facts that will keep young readers entertained. There are multiple suspects, each with a seemingly plausible motive-the scientist who accuses Dr. Holtz of stealing his brilliant idea; the shoddy psychiatrist whom Holtz tried to keep off of the mission; even Lars Sjoberg, the hapless and arrogant billionaire space tourist. The mystery is solved in the end and the chance encounter of aliens leaves plenty to explore in the next few books of this series.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is some bathroom humor. Recommended for Grades 4 and up.

If you like this book try: Spaced Out by Stuart Gibbs (Moon Base Alpha #2), Masterminds series by Gordon Korman

Description: Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children
No Solicitations
No Visitors
No Quests

Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere... else.But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children.Nancy tumbled once, but now she's back. The things she's experienced... they change a person. The children under Miss West's care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world.But Nancy's arrival marks a change at the Home. There's a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it's up to Nancy and her new-found schoolmates to get to the heart of things.No matter the cost.

Review: Every Heart a Doorway is a whimsical and imaginative entry into the Wayward Children series that asks if fantasy realms are real, then what happens once you leave them and re-enter the real world. Nancy is one of those children who found a magic door, but to prove that she’s worthy of staying forever in the Underworld, she is sent back—where her parents desperately enroll her in Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children. The Home is an unusual cross between a boarding school and an asylum. Nancy finds that she is not alone in being labeled a "freak" and scared by her parents. She meets a prince with a mistaken identity, twins who’ve hung out with mad scientists and vampires, and many others girls like her who have wandered through other worlds only to find themselves inevitably stranded. All of the students are trying to find the portal back to their realms despite being repeatedly told that most doors open only once.
  In addition to adjusting to her new surroundings, Nancy discovers her roommate is brutally murdered and others have been attacked too. With the help of friends she begins an investigation. Though the book is very short, less than 200 pages, it manages to completely capture your attention and imagination right from the first sentence and does not let go. It is best to read the book with an open mind and allow yourself to go down the rabbit holes with the characters. Though the book does answer the murder mystery and wraps up Nancy's journey, it leaves many more questions. I'm definitely ready to go on this crazy journey and discover the different fantasy realms.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There are some disturbing images

If you like this book try: The Light Between Worlds by Laura E. Weymouth, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children series by Ransom Riggs, The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

Description: Sadie hasn't had an easy life. Growing up on her own, she's been raising her sister Mattie in an isolated small town, trying her best to provide a normal life and keep their heads above water. But when Mattie is found dead, Sadie's entire world crumbles. After a somewhat botched police investigation, Sadie is determined to bring her sister's killer to justice and hits the road following a few meagre clues to find him.
  When West McCray—a radio personality working on a segment about small, forgotten towns in America—overhears Sadie's story at a local gas station, he becomes obsessed with finding the missing girl. He starts his own podcast as he tracks Sadie's journey, trying to figure out what happened, hoping to find her before it's too late.

Review: Sadie is a powerful, gut wrenching, thriller that will elicit strong emotions from you as you read it. The book has a very simple plot, Sadie Hunter is going to kill the man who murdered her 13-year-old sister, Mattie, but its execution sets it apart from other thrillers. The story alternates between Sadie's first-person point of view as she makes her way across Colorado in search of Keith, who sexually abused her when he dated her mother and who she believes murdered Mattie, and the transcript of a serialized podcast called The Girls by a well established journalist West McCray who is both drawn and repelled by Sadie's and Maddie's story. His interviews with her family and those who crossed her path provide an outsider's perspective to Sadie's actions and interior monologue and always remains painstakingly close to Sadie's present story. The podcast makes the story come alive and expands on book's themes of revenge, ineffective policing, poverty, and addiction and its impact on parenting. 
  Sadie is a precocious survivor. Her mother, Claire, is a drug-addicted, single mother. When Mattie was born Sadie became a de facto parent at the age of 6. Though both sisters had different fathers, Sadie was determined to never let Mattie feel unloved. Her baby sister’s love filled a hole in Sadie’s fiercely protective heart and quickly became her world. Claire favored Mattie, who remained attached to her long after Claire disappeared from their grim, trailer-park home in rural Colorado. Sadie believes that Mattie’s determination to find Claire led to her brutal murder. Without Mattie Sadie has lost her anchor, but her drive for justice, revenge, and hope of preventing other girls like Mattie from abuse and murder propels her into action.
  Sadie is an extraordinary female heroine that I have not seen in a long time in YA thrillers. She is smart, observant, tough, and at times heartrendingly vulnerable. Sadie exempts no one, not even herself, from her unsparing judgment. It broke my heart several times when Sadie immediately questioned a person's kindness, though she was almost always right, but it made me feel incredibly uneasy.
  The book set me on edge and I had to put it aside a few times because of its intensity, but I did feel compelled to find out what happened next. Summers does a fantastic job in not reveling in shocking the reader with graphic and gratuitous detail of the abuse that Sadie encountered, but just the right amount that we can connect the dots. I am still unsure of how I feel about the open ending, perhaps it is selfish of me for wanting a glimmer of hope for Sadie but she really deserves one.
  Sadie is a very timely book especially at a time where female survivors of sexual assault and abuse are being silenced and doubted. This will make an excellent book club discussion and the format lends itself to also be a fantastic audiobook if done well. Unforgettable and one of the best thrillers I have read in a very long time.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Words of Caution: There is strong language, allusions to sexual abuse and attempted rape, pedophilia, drug abuse, and parental neglect. Recommended for Grades 9 and up.

If you like this book try: Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis, Such a Pretty Girl by Laura Wiess, All the Rage by Courtney Summers

Description: Bombay, 1921: Perveen Mistry, the daughter of a respected Zoroastrian family, has just joined her father's law firm, becoming one of the first female lawyers in India. Armed with a legal education from Oxford, Perveen also has a tragic personal history that makes her especially devoted to championing and protecting women's rights.
  Mistry Law is handling the will of Mr. Omar Farid, a wealthy Muslim mill owner who has left three widows behind. But as Perveen goes through the papers, she notices something strange: all three have signed over their inheritance to a charity. What will they live on if they forefeit what their husband left them? Perveen is suspicious.
  The Farid widows live in purdah: strict seclusion, never leaving the women's quarters or speaking to any men. Are they being taken advantage of by an unscrupulous guardian? Perveen tries to investigate and realizes her instincts about the will were correct when tensions escalate to murder. It's her responsibility to figure out what really happened on Malabar Hill, and to ensure that nobody is in further danger.

Review: The Widows of Malabar Hill is the first installment of a new mystery series, set in Bombay in the 1920s. The book does a good job in establishing the diversity of colonial India particularly in class and religion. Perveen is a member of the Parsi community. She is extremely intelligent and is faced with constant obstacles for going against traditions, customs, and social mores of a being a professional woman. Perveen also belongs to an elite social class and is able to study law abroad at Oxford University. Though she is forbidden to become a lawyer because she is a woman, she still joins her father's law firm as a paralegal. I found the concept of studying law to be problematic considering there are many laws that are used in the book from Shariah, the Islamic law, the law of Paris, and the British law. So which law do you use to fight the case?   The mystery itself was okay though it took some time and patience to get it started. It allowed the reader to compare and contrast the various laws at play when it comes to marriage and family law. 
  There are two aspects of the book that did bother me. The first is the inclusion of religious slurs such as Mohammedian that are mentioned in the book. The term is offensive and inaccurate. I don't know why it was included in the book since the characters are educated enough to know that it is a wrong word to use. The second thing that also bothered me is the disjointed flashbacks that take place in 1917 that interrupt the flow of the present time. The transition between the two timelines are choppy at best and though it does provide backstory to Perveen's character, it comes across as a second story line in the book. After a while it becomes redundant and loses the book's focus. I really think the flashbacks could have been shorten and used more effectively and I hope this will be fixed in the later books. Due to the time period and the setting of the novel, I'm curious to see where this series will go.


Rating: 3 stars

Words of Caution: There is some religious slurs towards Muslims and Islam, a scene of physical assault and fade to black sex scenes. Recommended for adults.


If you like this book try: Rei Shimura mysteries by Sujata Massey

Description: Three years ago, when her older sister, Anna, was murdered and the killer walked free, Alex uncaged the language she knows best—the language of violence. While her own crime goes unpunished, Alex knows she can’t be trusted among other people. Not with Jack, the star athlete who wants to really know her but still feels guilty over the role he played the night Anna’s body was discovered. And not with Peekay, the preacher’s kid with a defiant streak who befriends Alex while they volunteer at an animal shelter. Not anyone. As their senior year unfolds, Alex’s darker nature breaks out, setting these three teens on a collision course that will change their lives forever.

Review: Mindy McGinnis's The Female of the Species has been on my reading pile since it's release in 2015. It sat on my pile for almost two years now, not because my interest in it has waned but rather I needed to be in the right head space to read it and appreciate it. This is a book that many people will be uncomfortable reading and for a good reason. It is an unflinching, brutal, and thought provoking look at rape culture, its insidiousness, and repercussions. After reading this book I had several emotions swirling in me such as heartache and anger, but most importantly I wanted to discuss it with someone.
  McGinnis transports the reader to a cage-like, small, impoverish town in Ohio where everyone knows everyone and people have rarely left. Teens seeking to escape their provincial lives turn to drinking, drugs, and sex. The book is told in three distinct voices of teens who struggle with sexual violence, both together and individually. Alex, Jack, and Peekay are three high school seniors looking ahead to life beyond high school. Alex is known as the girl whose sister Anna was raped and murdered. Jack is the golden boy who is blessed with looks, brains, and athleticism. Peekay, (real name Claire) a nicknamed dubbed by her classmates because she is the preacher's daughter, is the everygirl though she strays from her religious upbringing but still believes in the goodness of others. All three teens are haunted by the memory of Anna's murder and their outlook on life change as their relationships with each other shift.
  Alex is a fantastically complex character and the book's foundation. She does not fit neatly into any boxes and her ambiguous morality makes her compelling and flawed. When Anna's murderer walked free because of 'contaminated' evidence, she took the law into her own hands. She stalked and killed her sister's murderer and skillfully evaded any legal repercussions. Alex has become a vigilante (serial killer?) and protector of girls who have been victims of sexual abuse and unwanted sexual advances. So, is Alex a hero? An anti-hero? A villain? I don't know and I keep going in circles in my head, but I really loved her. Her voice is mature and she is keenly aware of her own actions and surroundings. It is very easy for McGinnis to isolate her protagonist to an isolated, cold-hearted killer, but she does humanize her by developing a friendship with Peekay and a romance with Jack.
  Unlike Alex, Peekay is a forgettable, ordinary girl for the most part. It is through her eyes that we see how girls illicit violence, with words instead of fists, upon one another or on themselves, whether it is through slut-shaming others and measuring themselves in sexual currency- where having a male openly and lasciviously gaze at your body is equivalent to self confidence. Peekay finally becomes a more three dimensional character when she comes in contact with Alex who helps her change her outlook, but she still keeps silent when she becomes a victim of attempted sexual assault due to shame. Her friendship with Alex brings the much needed light into this dark suspenseful story.
  Similarly to Peekay, Jack is probably the weakest character out of the three. Through his voice, we are given the male perspective where girls are constantly sexualized and objectified. Overall he is a good guy who tends to make his decisions with the lower half of his anatomy and struggles to make the right decisions. I didn't buy into his romantic relationship with Alex. It still struck me that he wanted Alex because she was an exotic and unattainable object. Like Peekay, he too begins to look closely at his actions and how he speaks as he becomes closer to Alex.
  The Female of the Species is not a perfect book. I had unanswered questions and had to suspend my disbelief on the absence of police officials for majority of the book. The book, however, does ask the reader to look closely to the behaviors that our society has normalized and quietly accepted. Some readers might feel that the topics of sexual abuse and assault are heavy handed in the book, but I disagree. It is treated with sensitivity but also portrayed with the necessary weight and power. This book should make your stomach churn, should make you angry, and should make you want to change our society. It is timely, important, and would make a terrific book discussion with mature teens. Despite my discomfort in reading it, I am glad that I did.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is strong language throughout the book. Brief strong violence including attempted sexual assault, murder, and animal cruelty are mentioned in the book. Strong sexual content and underage drinking and drug usage are also mentioned thorough out the book. Recommended for mature teens only.

If you like this book try: All the Rage by Courtney Stevens, What Girls are Made Of by Elana K. Arnold

Description: An ode to Put the Damn Guns Down, this is National Book Award finalist and New York Times bestseller Jason Reynolds’s fiercely stunning novel that takes place in sixty potent seconds—the time it takes a kid to decide whether or not he’s going to murder the guy who killed his brother.

Review:  Jason Reynolds' latest YA book is a fast but powerful read. It reminded me of a cross between the equally moving John Singleton's movie, Boyz in the Hood, and the Christmas Carol. An odd combination that really works in this book. Unlike Reynolds past novels, Long Way Down is a novel in free verse, a format that perfectly captures the one minute and seven seconds snapshot of Will Holloman, the protagonist, taking an elevator.
 The story is set off by a chain reaction caused by a gunshot and the death of Will's brother Shawn who was killed while going on an errand for his mother. Will relays the Rules on how he is suppose to react to the murder: don't cry, don't snitch, and always get revenge. Will then proceeds to take Shawn's gun to kill his brother's killer and enters an elevator, but is he ready to take the next step and commit murder? As Will descends the seven floors of his building he is met with seven people at each floor who all are from his past and have been killed by the same cycle of violence that Will’s about to enter. He’s properly freaked out, but as the seconds tick by and floors count down, each new occupant adds new complexity to what seemed like a simple situation and pushes Will to examine his plans for that gun.
 Reynolds’ uses his words carefully and meticulously knowing that he has a limited time and space to tell his story and they also echo like gunshots and their impact is loud and visceral. In a short amout of pages his able to give us individual stories of the people in the elevator and gives us reasons as to what lead to their demise, their own personal choices or their surroundings that lead them to poverty, gang life, or simply injustice. The format and the fast pacing will work well with reluctant readers and there is a lot to discuss regarding themes and novel structure for advance readers too. The book ends on an open ended question, but I hope that Will makes the right choice. Long Way Down is a timely and personal look at the gun violence that is plaguing our lives today.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: Drug dealing, gun and gang violence are mentioned in the book. Recommended for Grades 7 and up.

If you like this book try: Monster by Walter Dean Myers, When I was the greatest by Jason Reynolds, How It Went Down by Kekla Magoon

Description: Two decades have passed since an inferno swept through Elmbridge High, claiming the lives of three teenagers and causing one student, Carly Johnson, to disappear. The main suspect: Kaitlyn, "the girl of nowhere."
    Kaitlyn's diary, discovered in the ruins of Elmbridge High, reveals the thoughts of a disturbed mind. Its charred pages tell a sinister version of events that took place that tragic night and the girl of nowhere is caught in the center of it all. But many claim Kaitlyn doesn't exist, and in a way, she doesn't - because she is the alter ego of Carly Johnson.
 Carly gets the day. Kaitlyn has the night. It's during the night that a mystery surrounding the Dead House unravels and a dark, twisted magic ruins the lives of each student that dares touch it.

Review: The Dead House is a dark, twisty read where the reader is not always sure what is happening. Told in multiple formats ranging from a collection of diary entries, video footage, medical transcripts, and emails makes this book a fast read. At the center of the story is determining the mental health of Kaitlyn Johnson, who allegedly caused the deaths of several teens in a boarding school fire. 
  Kaitlyn is a complicated and complex character, who is not easy to warm up to or to understand as she is always in shut down mode. Things takes an interesting turn when she claims that she houses two souls in her body. By day, the body is inhabited by sweet, shy Carly, while destructive Kaitlyn controls the body at night. The "sisters" have somehow developed a friendship and communicate through journey entries to each other, keeping their two identities secret from all but their immediate family. When their parents die in a car accident, Kaitlyn/Carly are committed to a psychiatric hospital and diagnosed with dissociation identity disorder. Integration therapy upsets Kaitlyn, who feels it is designed to eliminate her personality entirely. 
  I liked the mystery surrounding Kaitlyn/Carly and their voices were easy to tell apart. I was never quite sure if I believed the "sisters", but the book becomes too convoluted and tries really hard to be clever when it mixes fantastical elements such as black magic into the story, which leads Carly to disappear. Kaitlyn's efforts to locate Carly are hindered by the menacing voice Kaitlyn hears and her nightmares of a haunted mansion. So now we have to determine if Kaitlyn is a reliable narrator, mentally ill, and if the magic actually exists. Of course students die violently and somewhere between all of these plot points Kaitlyn falls in love. I started to lose interest in the last half because there is too much melodrama. The book does end in unclear and unsatisfying ending. After I finished the book, I still didn't understand what happened. Overall, a great premise that tries to do too much.


Rating: 3 stars

Words of Caution: The book contains strong language, underage drinking and drug use, disturbing images, and allusions to sex. Recommended for Grades 10 and up.

If you like this book try: The Creeping by Alexandra Sirowy and Daughters Unto Devils by Amy Lukavics,

Description: In the late 1800s, the city of Austin, Texas was on the cusp of emerging from an isolated western outpost into a truly cosmopolitan metropolis. But beginning in December 1884, Austin was terrorized by someone equally as vicious and, in some ways, far more diabolical than London's infamous Jack the Ripper. For almost exactly one year, the Midnight Assassin crisscrossed the entire city, striking on moonlit nights, using axes, knives, and long steel rods to rip apart women from every race and class.
   At the time the concept of a serial killer was unthinkable, but the murders continued, the killer became more brazen, and the citizens' panic reached a fever pitch. Before it was all over, at least a dozen men would be arrested in connection with the murders, and the crimes would expose what a newspaper described as "the most extensive and profound scandal ever known in Austin." And yes, when Jack the Ripper began his attacks in 1888, London police investigators did wonder if the killer from Austin had crossed the ocean to terrorize their own city.

Review: From time to time I like to dip into true crime stories although there are times when I will have difficulty sleeping after finishing them. The premise of The Midnight Assassin pulled me in quickly and it reminded me much of Erik Larson's blockbuster title The Devil in the White City which is soon to be a movie. The United States had its first serial killer in the 1880s in Austin, Texas which predates the Jack the Ripper killings in 1888 in London.
  There is a lot of unknown information about the Midnight Assassin which heightens the suspense, hysteria, and paranoia surrounding the perpetrator. Sometimes terrorizing without resorting to violence and sometimes brutally murdering the women with an ax, the culprit was never found. The women that were first attacked where the help of predominate wealthy families and so the authorities sought and tried black men, but all were able to provide their alibis and prove their innocence. Next the murderer went after notable socialites, but nothing but their family's dirty secrets were revealed. Suddenly the attacks stopped as just they abruptly started, and the city eventually got over their fears and moved on. Since the killings happened so close to those of the Ripper's many thought the killer moved to London, targeting prostitutes.
  The author does well in theorizing what may happened and subtly introduces it in such a way that it seems almost obvious that the killer has been pinpointed, but ultimately, there is no real resolution, which will annoy some readers but it kept me glued to the pages. It is amazing to see how far we have come with forensics and detecting techniques today and how frustrating it is for those of the era to not have it or even think of it. Clearly the killer had the advantage. Even with hindsight being 20/20 there is not a whole of lot evidence unearthed and the identity of the Midnight Assassin remains unknown.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is strong violence and the bodies of the victim are described in graphic details. Recommended for mature teens and adults only.

If you like this book try: The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson, The Killers of the Flower  Moon by David Grann