The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton

This is the story of Ava Lavender, a girl born with wings.  But to truly understand Ava and her sorrows, we must understand those of her mother and grandmother.  Three stories in one book, giving the reader insight to Ava's past, which in turn brings insight to her future.

Although this tale feel convoluted at times, the weaving together of three stories works well for this book.  As I was absorbed further into the stories of Emilienne and Vivane, I would be surprised at the first person narration tangents that would pop up.  Momentarily caught up in the sorrows of her relatives, I had forgotten that this was the story of Ava, the girl with wings and a heavy history.

The imagery is incredible.  Never mind that I know perfectly well that one cannot foretell the future by which way the wind is blowing, or that it's unlikely that a person can be born with wings- I was sucked in from the very first page and rarely wanted to put this book down. 

Ava Lavender's sorrows are indeed strange and beautiful, giving the reader a fantastic tale of misguided love, heart-wrenching loss, and a pure hope that Ava can overcome the complicated history of her family and find freedom in accepting herself. 

Moirai by Ruth Silver

The story of Olivia and Joshua continues with this action-packed sequel.

Silver does a great job of pulling the reader into the story once again.  There is suspense and turmoil from the first page, making this book hard to put down.  And although it isn't long, there is quite a bit of detail to process. 

My favorite part is the incorporation of the story of the Moirai, or the Fates.  The question of whether different choices lead to different outcomes or if we are fated for the same thing regardless of our decisions arises several times throughout the book.  Is Olivia's fate truly to be the medical miracle everyone wants her to be?  Or is it just a projection on her by those who want a symbol for the reason that they fight? 

The dialog rings true and the reader can really feel the emotion of Olivia, who narrates this tale.  The way Silver writes is strong, well-paced, and full of energy.

There are a few new characters introduced, and some brought back from Aberrant, who mesh well with the rest of the characters.  Tension is felt with some; trust is kindled with others. 

I am looking forward to the next installment!

Freak of Nature by Julia Crane

 Kaitlyn never imagined she'd still be alive after she donated her body to science upon the event of her death, which is what most of us would think. She finds herself unable to remember anything before the past few months, and she's subjected to training, tests, and endless time alone.  She can't help but feel that she's missing something, that she's experiencing emotions that should have been eradicated when her body was fused with a supercomputer.

Although this story can be a bit dull in places (it's tedious to be the subject of scientific studies, and sometimes to read about them), it does make you stop and think what you would do in the same position.  Kaitlyn has to use her enhanced brain and physical skills to determine if she's still human enough not to think of herself as a monster.

This is a thought-provoking story of what happens after you check the box on your license that marks you as a donor after death.

Dream Girl by S. J. Lomas

This is a richly imagined fantasy novel for teens.  The dual narration gives the reader answers to questions that arise when reading a first-person point of view, and also gives insight to each protagonist. 

The characters leave a bit to be desired, I think.  They're a bit too flat, though they are written well.  The dialog is stilted and formal at times, too.  Given those issues, though, I did like this story. 
Christine and Gabriel give the reader two sides of a story that makes a couple of turns that the reader can't see coming.  I will definitely be watching out for a sequel. 

Ten Tiny Breaths by K.A. Tucker

Kacey is just trying to make a life for herself and her sister.  She takes any job she can find, protects her sister at all cost, and never takes anything for her own.  Until she meets Trent.  He understands her like no one ever has before.  He gives her hope that she can return to the person she used to be, before her entire life shattered.

This is a powerful novel of love and loss.  The characters are so well developed they seem to jump off the page.  I laughed aloud in several places, and was in danger of crying in others.
I'm looking forward to the sequel, starring Kacey's sister, Livvie. 

The Vigilante Poets of Selwyn Academy by Kate Hattemer

A look into the lives of those forced into reality television, this book will have you laughing, cringing, and tapping frantically on your dictionary app. 

Ethan is a great narrator, giving the reader a no-holds-barred look into a teenage artist's life.  He presents his friendships, crushes, confusion, and rebellion with an honesty that will keep you rooting for his success throughout the entire story. 

This is a good one for guys and girls alike, even though the protagonist voice is male.  We've all been in situations where we realize that our friends might not be the people we thought they were, and our relationships might have different meanings to each of us.  Would you sacrifice everything for your friends?  Would they do the same for you?  Ethan, Elizabeth, and Jackson all have a chance to find out for sure.

Full of humor, wit, and guerilla poetry (not to mention awesome vocab words with which to impress your friends), this is a must-read.

Sisterland by Curtis Sittenfeld

I am once again slightly disappointed by Sittenfeld's storytelling.  She weaves an intricately layered plot, taking the reader back and forth between the past and present for Kate Tucker. Sittenfeld has again created excellent characters, and done a wonderful job of illustrating the relationships among them, in all their variations of friendship, romance, and sibling rivalry.

 The story falls flat for me, though.  There is a huge amount of buildup surrouding the prediction of a catastrophic earthquake made by Violet, Kate's sister.  There is a crazy level of explanation of how Kate used and then discarded her own psychic senses.  Yes, Kate suffers through a personal earthquake, but it's one of her own making.  There is such intensity leading up to it that I felt let down by Kate's irrational choices. 

When the earthquake finally does happen, it's almost an afterthought. 
Kate doesn't really have to deal with the consequences of her choices, either.  Realistically, I know that things happen the way they did in the book.  I didn't get the feeling that Kate took the opportunity to really grow from her experience.  She didn't even delve into how she'd deal with it if any of her kids showed signs of having inherited her senses. 


 I found the ending to be tedious, thus making the rest of it almost pointless. I won't be reading this again, let alone purchasing it for my own collection.  I do, however, know others who will like it and will pass the title on to them.  

The Hanging Judge by Michael Ponsor

This is an intense story from the first page.  There is everything in this book: murder, suspense, romance, and a deep look into the United States justice system.  I do have a couple of issues with the story, however. 

The inclusion of the story of the unfair trial and execution of two men in 1806 interrupts the flow, overall.  It was interesting, especially the quotes from surviving documentation, but I think it would have worked better for me if it were left until the conclusion of the book.

At times, this was also a pretty deep story through which to wade.  I read the author's note at the beginning and I understand he's a judge, but there was a lot of detail.  It made it a little more difficult for me to get through the book at times. 

Those things aside, this is an excellent book.  The writing is good, the dialogue is realistic, the characters are developed well.  There were plot changes I didn't expect, the narrators couldn't always be trusted to tell the reader what was really going on, and it was steeped in a cloud of uncertainty that had me wondering what would happen until the very last minute.

Sekret (Sekret #1) by Lindsay Smith

Yulia doesn't know how she came by her gift, she only knows she can use it to her advantage when selling goods on the black market in the USSR.  She's a fantastic protagonist, telling us of her troubles and how she tries to fix them. 

This is a colorful cast of characters, ranging from a wanna-be dictator with rage issues, to the hot Russian boy with the ability to see places remotely and a dream to play professional hockey, to the girl who can see all the possible futures and help or hinder everyone, to the man who has a power so strong he could control the entire world seemingly without effort.

Sekret poses an interesting idea based in historical fact- if the psychics consulted, recruited, and used as spies during the Cold War really had the abilities to read minds, remote locations, and tell the future.  Not to mention what side they would choose when the time came.  It also gives the reader an opportunity to see that in times of duress, there might not be anyone you can truly trust- even yourself. 

Sekret is captivating from beginning to end, leaving this reader wanting to know more. 

Searching for Someday by Jennifer Probst

This is a romance with a twist.  Kate is the cofounder of a matchmaking firm who can't seem to find love for herself.  Not because she isn't trying, though.  She just can't escape her gift of knowing who the right match is for someone- and it never seems to be her.  When she meets Slade Montgomery, she knows she's met her match.  The dialogue is well-written, the banter is witty, the characters are relatable and likable. 

My only issue with this novel is the epilogue.  Yes, it was cute to include the point of view of Kate's dog. Given that there are no other instances of this in the whole book, though, to me it was awkward and unnecessary.

Full of self-doubt, angst, and childhood issues, this is a fun, quirky novel that will leave you hoping that there's another installment in the Love Spell family. 

The Priest by Monica La Porta

I was deeply intrigued when I started this book.  It has everything I could want in a story: a ruling class, a mistreated slave, a high-born girl who is only looking for love, and hope for those brave enough to rebel against society in order to make their lives happier.  I was also disappointed in this book.

There is huge potential here.  Set in a future dystopian society where women rule everything, the only sanctioned marriages are between women, and men who are only good as slave labor, La Porta has given us a window into something spectacular.  However, the characters fall flat, there's almost no development in the plot, and the narration and conversations are formal and stilted. 

Mauricio's child-like glee at experiencing anything new, such as the outside world, quickly  becomes tedious with the same terms and descriptions used again and again.  And again and again.  And again and again.  (Get where I'm going with this?)  His encounters with Rosie also become repetitive and seem to go nowhere.  While they eventually share a "date" and she tells Mauricio a bit of her childhood, there is no basis for a love connection, making this story more awkward.

I read the author's note, telling us that Rosie and Mauricio were characters that came to life during the writing of another novel that was almost finished.  To me, this made more sense as to why it fell short of my expectations.

A Death-Struck Year by Makiia Lucier

Cleo Berry jumps straight from the pages and into the hearts and imaginations of the reader.  Adrift in a sea of uncertainty of what to do with her life, Cleo decides to do something to help those who are most at risk of contracting Spanish influenza- something as small as handing out fliers on how to care for the ill, along with masks to prevent more from becoming ill.  Cleo's compassion for those who need help is astounding.  Even though she's appalled by the illness, the unclean conditions of those who most need help, and the terrifying knowledge that no one is safe, Cleo returns to the temporary hospital day after day to help in any way she can.  She doesn't know what she wants to do with the rest of her life, but she knows that if she doesn't help, even more people will lose their lives to this awful disease.


The characters in this story came to life in my mind.  Cleo is a protagonist with whom many can relate.  Her details and first-person narration served as a wonderful aid to the imagination.  I could really picture Jack as my brother and Lucy as my sister-in-law.   I could imagine going out for lunch and a play with Kate.  I could imagine being in love with Edmund, who is so sure of himself and completely selfless, even though he'd been through so much already.  Although each character has a history that is sad in many ways, there is never a moment that feels contrived in this novel. 


This is a stunning story of pain, suffering, death, and the triumph of spirit that preserves us all throughout the worst moments of our lives. 

Preservation (Preservation #1) by Rachael Wade

As a reader who enjoys the romance genre, Preservation didn't let me down.  This is a great story of two people who never seem to get it right who finally get as close to perfect as you can. 

Kate is a great narrator, letting the reader in on her thoughts, her reasoning, and the way she buries her emotions until she can hide from them.  She never fails to acknowledge the tenuous situations in which she finds herself, such as her male friends having crushes on her, and finds a way to pull herself through while maintaining her sense of self-preservation.

Ryan is the perfect opposite of Kate.  Rather than shut out his every feeling until he convinces himself he no longer has them, he takes them over, manipulating them until he is in control of them. 
Both have made mistakes, both have given everything before and been badly burned, both of them know how to avoid the same situations.  Neither of them can ignore their feelings any longer- they have to let their emotions control them or risk losing them altogether.

Kate's narration is bookended by stories from Ryan's point of view.  This gives the reader awesome insight to what the other protagonist is really thinking, and provides a different perspective on some of the same scenes from the book. 

I can't speak for everyone, of course, but I think this has the makings of a great romance series. 

Aberrant by Ruth Silver

Told in chillingly realistic detail, this is Children of Men for the YA set. 

Olivia moved me as a narrator.  She knows what she wants, and she knows what society is demanding of her.  Rather than buck the system and cause an uproar, she does what would scare me most- she dives into the unknown of marriage to someone whom the government has chosen for her. 
Her life is sent further into upheaval on her wedding day, and when she is forced to leave her home and what little family she has left for good, she forges ahead, even though she has no idea what will come next for her.  Alone and making her own decisions for the first time in her eighteen years, Olivia must figure out the right way to live her life , finally realizing that everything she has been taught has been greatly modified to favor those in charge.

Olivia changes immensely through the course of this story.  From blindly accepting to forcefully demanding answers, she took me on an emotional journey.  One in which I had to stop and think about what I would do if I found myself in the same situation. 

Caught between those who would kill her for her unique quality and those who would exploit it for their own gains, Olivia has only begun her fight for her own life- and the future of mankind.  Aberrant is the thought-provoking, danger-filled beginning to what I expect to be a fantastic series. 

Unaccompanied Minor by Hollis Gillespie

An absolutely riveting story of April Manning, who lives her life flying from Atlanta to Los Angeles to accommodate her divorced mother and stepfather. April is being interrogated by several members of law enforcement regarding her part in the bombing of an airplane. 

April is a whip-smart fast-talker who is trying to expose her stepfather and his girlfriend of gross misrepresentation and borderline child abuse.  She is completely relatable as a narrator and protagonist.  She keeps up with current technology and communication, she is sarcastic, she knows how to be aware of her surroundings and use everything she can to her advantage.  Or at least go down trying. 

This is a unique format for a story.  Rather than read in just one medium, such as email communications, the reader is given transcripts, emails, interviews.  The reader can easily put herself in April's shoes, trying as hard as she can to prove she's right to people who don't want to listen just because of her status as an unaccompanied minor on WorldAir flights. 

Even if you might guess what's coming next, this story will still throw you for a loop in several places.  It's definitely worth reading more than once!

First Kiss by Cindy M Hogan

Brought to us by author Cindy Hogan of the Watched series, this is an illuminating short story.  It addresses first dates, first loves, first kisses, and expectations of a teenaged girl.  


Brooklyn has a policy of not dating until she's 16, and has promised herself that she'll remain a VL, or virgin lips, until she finds someone who is truly special to her.  Even though many will say this is unrealistic in terms of modern teenage girls, I found Brooklyn to be refreshing.  She's smart, she knows what she wants, and she's not afraid of waiting until she finds it.  Yes, she's a Mormon living in Utah, and yes, she's got dreams of her ideal first kiss. But she's not unrealistic.


Brooklyn is a change of pace for current YA fiction.  She refuses to give in to peer pressure when it matters most.  She doesn't want to find the loopholes in her own rules in order to make herself feel better about the decisions she makes.  And she presents teens girls today with the idea that not only do you not have to have sex just because everyone else seems to be, but you don't have to do anything that with which you find yourself uncomfortable. 


The writing is also good.  Cindy Hogan gives us a female protagonist who isn't afraid to speak her mind or maintain her own conscience without sacrificing a genuine voice.  I look forward to the next installment of the virgin lips chronicles. 

The Commodore's Daughter by Jami Brazil

This is a decent story of a girl who shucks the trappings of society and makes her own way in the world after being stranded in a foreign land.

 I had some big issues with this book, however.  The first-person narration doesn't always flow well, making it awkward to read in several places.  Although progressive for her time and friends with Susan B. Anthony, Jenny isn't very convincing as being from the 1850s.  She's far too modern in her manner of speech.  She even says, "like" in a current fashion in a few places.  As in, "I didn't want to do it, but, like, I had to."  While not a direct quote, it does give some idea what I mean.

Another issue I had was that, in the author biography, Ms. Brazil's love of research is cited.  I cannot say I've done the amount of research I know it takes to write a historical fiction novel, but it doesn't appear that much, if any, was done on manner of speech. 

 If one can get past these literary obstacles, the story is good.  But I had to fight my way around the issues to get to the heart of that story.

Stirring Up Trouble by Juli Alexander

Zoe is a teenage witch with a few problems.  She's in love with her best friend's boyfriend.  She can't use self-serving magic, even if it would make life a lot easier.  And she really needs to find a substitute for toad slime, because it's expensive and really, really gross.  Zoe presents us with a smart, sometimes sassy, heroine who wants to make everyone happy.  It's hard to make sure she gets her own happy ending, though.  Full of humor, this is a story that will leave a reader feeling satisfied with the outcome and wondering what zany adventure Zoe has coming next. 


I didn't know until I had finished this that it is the second book featuring Zoe as a narrator.  I found myself wishing for more explanation of Zoe's magical world, and how it interacts with the realities of being a modern teen.  I'll definitely get my hands on the first book, and I eagerly await the third. 

Palace of Spies by Sarah Zettel

This is a fantastic story of intrigue, adventure, and love.  The imagery is exquisite, the writing is spot on, and the characters are so dynamic as to jump off the page.  This is perfect for a young woman who longs to know of court life in a time of uncertainty, and what it truly was to be a woman in a man's world. 

Margaret Fitzroy is a character with whom I can identify.  She is strong.  She is creative.  She doesn't know whose side is really the right one.  She takes matters into her own hands, making sure that she not only completes the assignment she's been given, but that she finds the truth at almost any cost. 

If I were a woman in the time of the Jacobite resistance, I can only hope that I would have been one as daring and resourceful as Peggy.