Off Book: SURRENDER YOUR SONS by Adam Sass

Summary from author's site:

SURRENDER YOUR SONS is a YA mystery set on an island—like LOST but very, very queer. A gay teen named Connor finds his summer vacation interrupted by a group of masked men who abduct him and deliver him to a conversion therapy camp on a desolate Pacific island. Connor’s religious zealot family arranged this for him, but he has no intention of staying. 

Connor then teams up with the other kidnapped LGBTQ+ teens to uncover the camp’s dark secrets and take the whole place down.

Review:

I have been hearing about this book for so long, and then I read it and it was beyond anything I had imagined. Yes, it's like LOST or LORD OF THE FLIES but queer, but it's anything but derivative. This book takes so many literary conventions and busts them apart, then crafts them into something utterly new. I loved the daring nonlinear unraveling of the timeline and mystery, which goes so much deeper than expected. I loved how unflinchingly the book examines the messy reality of queer life, and all the places the queer community builds family and strength for themselves. This isn't a book written for someone who wants a smoothed-over image of queer experiences, you can tell this comes deeply from a real OwnVoices perspective. It's for the young people who need to hear that voice, their voice, and see both the struggles more inescapable than an isolated island and triumphs possible. The presentation of queerness was so good (including a model of how to handle pronouns for trans characters through a character's POV). Connor is a voice that's going to stick in my head for a long time. The story is a wild adventure, but by the end I was a crying mess, holding my breath as I turned the final pages.

Off Book: WENCH by Maxine Kaplan

Summary from author's site:

Tanya has worked at her tavern since she was able to see over the bar. She broke up her first fight at 11. By the time she was a teenager she knew everything about the place, and she could run it with her eyes closed. She’d never let anyone—whether it be a drunkard or a captain of the queen’s guard—take advantage of her. But when her guardian dies, she might lose it all: the bar, her home, her purpose in life. So she heads out on a quest to petition the queen to keep the tavern in her name—dodging unscrupulous guards, a band of thieves, and a powerful, enchanted feather that seems drawn to her. Fast-paced, magical, and unapologetically feminist, Wench is epic fantasy like you’ve never seen it before.

Review:

WENCH was a fun romp with admirably strong female characters--strong in all different ways! The world building will greatly appeal to the Minecraft/gaming crowd. As the magic system was explored and developed into more intricate systems, I kept thinking of all my students who would would be totally entranced by this story. It's a little episodic--the main focus throughout sits squarely on the stout, capable shoulders of the title wench, Tanya, as she goes in search of the one thing she wants and ends up exploring farther out into the world and into herself than she planned. The larger cast of characters are fun, especially Jana. The body positive rep/exploration (for female and male characters) is another plus.

Off Book: LITTLE CREEPING THINGS by Chelsea Ichaso

I'm SO excited to share my review of LITTLE CREEPING THINGS, a book I've been looking forward to reading since I first read the pitch, and which comes out June 2nd.

Blurb from Barnes & Noble:

As a child, Cassidy Pratt accidentally started a fire that killed her neighbor. At least, that's what she's been told. She can't remember anything from that day. She's pretty sure she didn't mean to do it. She's a victim too. But her town's bullies, particularly the cruel and beautiful Melody Davenport, have never let her live it down. In Melody's eyes, Cassidy is a murderer and always will be.

When Cassidy overhears what sounded like an abduction and Melody goes missing, Cassidy knows she should go to the cops, but... She recently joked about how much she'd like to get rid of Melody. She even planned out the perfect way to do it. It's up to Cassidy to figure out what really happened, because if she comes forward without a suspect, she knows people will point fingers at her. Again. And she can't let that happen.

But the truth behind Melody's disappearance will set the whole town ablaze.

My Review:

I found this thriller to be compulsively readable, which is what I'm always looking for when I pick up a thriller. It also totally did that (rare) thing where it had me questioning and suspecting EVERYONE. It reminded me of TWO CAN KEEP A SECRET in that way. The tension was deliciously taut as I could see the mystery going in any number of ways, and also couldn't quite figure out how it would unravel, until it did, in its very satisfying conclusion. There was a fair amount of relationship drama woven into the mystery, too, so teens who are looking for that will be happy. The characters are likable and well-drawn, the voice strong and engaging. Overall, this was a compelling and satisfying read--with an unsettling edge.

Off Book: A BLADE SO BLACK

Summary (via Amazon):

"The first time the Nightmares came, it nearly cost Alice her life. Now she's trained to battle monstrous creatures in the dark dream realm known as Wonderland with magic weapons and hardcore fighting skills. Yet even warriors have a curfew.

Life in real-world Atlanta isn't always so simple, as Alice juggles an overprotective mom, a high-maintenance best friend, and a slipping GPA. Keeping the Nightmares at bay is turning into a full-time job. But when Alice's handsome and mysterious mentor is poisoned, she has to find the antidote by venturing deeper into Wonderland than she’s ever gone before. And she'll need to use everything she's learned in both worlds to keep from losing her head . . . literally.

Debut author L.L. McKinney delivers an action-packed twist on an old classic, full of romance and otherworldly intrigue."

Review:

This is an engaging reimagining of the Alice story, chock-full of fun (and, yes, heartbreaking) elements. There are several wonderful characters to meet, and McKinney smartly introduces the greatly appealing Hatta right from the start, who pulls both Alice and the reader into the adventure of the book. I have soft spots for the book's version of the Dormouse and Alice's friend, whose costume choice for a birthday party, handled subtly by McKinney, KILLED ME. (I don't want to give anything more away, but THE SWEETNESS. IT BREAKS ME.) But in Wonderland, the fierce female characters we meet (and the love stories among them!!! Yes, f/f rep!) take this to the next level. Add in a strong, highly-relatable voice, the Buffy-style issues Alice deals with with her mom and friends, and the final twist, and this is an exciting debut lovers of all things Wonderland will enjoy. Moreover, the connections McKinney makes between the threats in Wonderland and very real threats in our world add a layer of meaning to this book that will make it all the more important to get into the hands of teen readers. And as someone who enjoyed Alice as a child and Buffy as a teen, I can only imagine what this story will mean to young Black readers today. It's an unbirthday present for everyone (unless your birthday is September 25th, then sorry!).

Off Book: SADIE by Courtney Summers

SUMMARY: (from CourtneySummers.ca)
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 meager clues to find him. When West McCray―a radio personality working on a segment about 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. Poised to be the next book you won't be able to stop talking about, Courtney Summers has written the breakout book of her career. Sadie will keep you riveted until the last page.

REVIEW:
I was so excited when I spotted the woman in the red hoodie at YALLWEST. I took a picture with her and therefore earned an ARC from Wednesday Books. (They ran out of copies at the booth and instead mailed me one right away, which was above and beyond!)

Kiersten White (who will always talk up others' books at events, one reason she's amazing) mentioned at the YALLWEST "Thrillers" panel that SADIE is so brilliant. I was looking forward to reading, but also dreading it a little. I'd heard how devastating Summers could be. But she always makes it more than worth it.

The structure of this book is innovative, and impressively pulled off. The podcast is presented as a script, in mostly alternating chapters with regular prose from Sadie's point of view. The format highlights themes of knowing, exploring how people understand and impact each other, and don't, from those they hear about in the news to their closest family. The writing completely drew me in, even as the reality it described was hard to look at. Summers so wholly realizes the world of Sadie, primarily poor Midwestern communities, and never sounds like someone looking in this world from the outside--or looking down at it. The book unflinchingly addresses the truth of girls' lives, but manages to never diminish them into something simply lurid or sensational. The humanity of Sadie and the other girls is a force.

The title character is someone the world ignores but who has a galaxy of love and hate and desire and repression inside her. Sadie says, "I'm dangerous," and that line resonates as you get to know her better and better. I don't even really know how to talk about this book, because Sadie feels so real. I made myself savor the book, holding off on finishing so I could have something to read at the park with my kids, but I still finished in a couple days and her voice just keeps living on inside my head.

This book will hurt, but also remind you of the power of women, which despite all the ways men and the world try to destroy it, is still out there, somewhere, hopefully.

Off Book: CROSSTALK

SUMMARY: (from Penguin Random House)
In the not-too-distant future, a simple outpatient procedure to increase empathy between romantic partners has become all the rage. And Briddey Flannigan is delighted when her boyfriend, Trent, suggests undergoing the operation prior to a marriage proposal—to enjoy better emotional connection and a perfect relationship with complete communication and understanding. But things don’t quite work out as planned, and Briddey finds herself connected to someone else entirely—in a way far beyond what she signed up for.

It is almost more than she can handle—especially when the stress of managing her all-too-eager-to-communicate-at-all-times family is already burdening her brain. But that’s only the beginning. As things go from bad to worse, she begins to see the dark side of too much information, and to realize that love—and communication—are far more complicated than she ever imagined.

REVIEW:
I know I'm a couple years behind, but I really enjoyed this book. When I discovered Willis as a young teacher, I couldn't put her books down and learned to save them for breaks. Willis' books will either delight or destroy you, and I was waiting to savor this one because I knew it would delight me. A week when I had a bad cold seemed the perfect chance to lose myself in her latest romantic comedy.

This book features one of my favorite book covers of all time and a hero who so closely resembles my husband, right down to the name, I was a little spooked. So I may be biased about enjoying this book! But it delivers all the classic overwhelming zaniness of modern life Willis is so adept at, features a satisfying romantic duo, and brings the experience of telepathy to life in vivid detail. If you loved BELLWETHER, TSNOTD, or Willis' lighter short stories, you'll enjoy CROSSTALK.

Off Book: GRIM LOVELIES

SUMMARY: (from Goodreads)
Seventeen-year-old Anouk envies the human world, where people known as Pretties lavish themselves in fast cars, high fashion, and have the freedom to fall in love. But Anouk can never have those things, because she is not really human. Enchanted from animal to human girl and forbidden to venture beyond her familiar Parisian prison, Anouk is a Beastie: destined for a life surrounded by dust bunnies and cinders serving Mada Vittora, the evil witch who spelled her into existence. That is, until one day she finds her mistress murdered in a pool of blood—and Anouk is accused of the crime.

Now, the world she always dreamed of is rife with danger. Pursued through Paris by the underground magical society known as the Haute, Anouk and her fellow Beasties only have three days to find the real killer before the spell keeping them human fades away. If they fail, they will lose the only lives they’ve ever known…but if they succeed, they could be more powerful than anyone ever bargained for.

From New York Times bestselling author Megan Shepherd, Grim Lovelies is an epic and glittering YA fantasy. Prepare to be spellbound by the world of Grim Lovelies, where secrets have been long buried, friends can become enemies, and everything—especially humanity—comes at a price.

REVIEW:
I picked up an ARC of GRIM LOVELIES with a friend at YALLWEST. We'd been eating lunch and chatting with our writing group, and a huge long line had grown on a path nearby. My friend decided she wanted to try to get a copy, as the drop was just about to happen, and we lucked out. We did NOT manage to get a macaron--those ran out just before we reached the front of the line--but did get some nice GRIM LOVELIES swag (lip balm) and some fizzy apple cider in fancy gold cups. 

We had a feeling right away that we had scored a special book. The cover was stunning, and the blurb on the back was enticing. But when I dove into the book a couple days after the festival, I found myself completely swept up by the writing. Megan Shepherd has said the story was somewhat inspired by the idea of the animals turned into a coachman and horses for Cinderella, and there are nice little hints of that in the story, but her book manages to be something completely original while drawing upon and remixing the power of fairy tales.

The stakes are through the roof nearly right away, and the book fully explores the duality of its characters and setting--balancing the magical, less modern world with contemporary Paris and France, following the "Beasties" who struggle to maintain their human forms, and observing the fine yet important line between loving and using someone. Respecting and empowering oneself while navigating relationships among friends and the greater world will appeal to teen readers. 

There were several specific elements I really enjoyed. The goblins which ended up playing an important part were fun and I loved how their fashion sense played into the human world. I want a teacup on a chain like a pocket watch! The found family ended up being highly satisfying, each character offering fun personality. What I was impressed by was how no one character fell into a stereotype--it took time for each to develop. And the main character had a most satisfying arc. Anouk starts out so young and unworldly, and watching her develop and begin to get a taste of her power was wonderful. While the ending of this first book of a duology was dark, as Shepherd is known for, I didn't find it frustrating. I was swept up in the stunning conclusion that is, like the gargoyle Anouk comes across early on in the book, beautiful and ugly all at once.