These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

The first book in this YA duology, set in 1920’s alternate universe Shanghai, China, These Violent Delights opens to our main narrator, Julliette Cai. The young heiress to one of the most feared and prominent gangs in Shanghai, the Scarlet Gang, has the weight of her half of the city bearing down on her shoulders. The other half belongs to the White Flowers, whose heir is Juliette’s former flame and first betrayal, Roma Montagov.

Through the blood feud that both families have shared for generations, nothing hits harder than idea of the gang’s control withering, thanks to the Europeans and Communists flooding Shanghai. Juliette has just finally returned from the states after four years and she is pissed. She is ready to defend what is hers, no matter the cost or the lives she may need to take to find the answers and to protect her people. However, she is not alone, with Roma focused on protecting what he was so close to losing all those years ago, continuing to hide the truth of the murder of Juliette’s nanny, and keeping his younger sister, Alisa, out of the fire that this life brings them.

However, no matter their complicated past, Juliette and Roma must work together to find out how to stop a madness sweeping over Shanghai, where civilians, gangsters, communists, and everyone alike are ripping out their own throats. Determined to find the truth, Juliette and Roma work together, hiding from their families, to track down the monster hiding in the shadows that is causing so many people to go mad.

While I personally am not a huge fan of reimagined Romeo and Juliet tales, this one captivated my attention. Instead of taking the original story seriously, which was known by now as Shakespeare satire mocking the drama and frivolity of adolescent love, Gong reworks the concept into a serious, viable account of a long term love/hate relationship between Juliette Cai and Roma Montagova. Both have their family name to consider and both will lose everything should they disobey the wishes of their fathers. The monster terrorizing the inhabitants of Shanghai brings purpose to their union, erasing the expected triviality that comes with a Romeo and Juliet rewrite.

I highly recommend this title, and I hope to get back to you with a review of the second book, Our Violent Ends, soon. I can barely wait to know where our lovely Juliette and Roma end up: Suicide? Or gang war? To be continued…

(Amanda Sanson, Circulation)

One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus

Imagine the film Breakfast Club meets Agatha Christie, and that’s what you get with One of Us is Lying. This book opens up with five teens brought together in detention, thanks to these strange cell phones found in their bags. The teens all come from different cliques: brainy Bronwyn, criminal Nate, beauty queen Addy, athletic Cooper, and outcast Simon. However, all of these seemingly innocent teens have secrets, and Simon is the one to exploit that. Unfortunately, before Simon can release the juicy details of those secrets to the rest of the student body, he winds up dead in that detention session and the other four are assumed responsible for it.

Those secrets eventually make their way out into the world, helping Bronwyn, Nate, Addy, and Cooper finally shed the masks that they put on daily in order to fit the expectations set forth by the school, family, and society. An unpredictable budding romance starts between two of the suspects, while the other two work to cast off the relationships that are causing them more harm than good. All four students build a bond of resilience, supporting each other and working to solve the question that is on everyone’s minds: who killed Simon? Luckily, their determination and resolve help these teens find the culprit and rectify the wrongs done. Once they figure it out, all the cards are on the table and the killer loses everything they tried so hard to achieve.

What I really enjoyed about this YA book is that, while there were romances involved, the author continued to focus on the murder, and how these changing dynamics in the school played such a large part of the motive for murder. It did adhere to some tropes, like the controlling boyfriend and the need for perfection as a teen, but the shifting from those stereotypes, allowing the teens to sink more into their skin, was beautiful to see. It was almost a relief for the reader, as well as the teens, to let their worst fears come to light, allowing them to be who they are instead of who they needed to be for others. The only downside is that it took a murder for this to happen; but hey, if teenage melodrama isn’t excessive, then what is?

I look forward to the second book, One of Us is Next. I’ll let you know if it follows our sweet characters or if a new mystery surrounds Bayview High School. To be continued…

(Amanda Sanson, Circulation)

The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline

In a dystopian future Canada, climate change is a vicious reality, and much of the landscape is poisoned. As a side affect, most people no longer have the ability to dream, except for the First Nations peoples, who are now the subject of interest. Government officials called the Recruiters are ever on the lookout for the Indigenous, and the ones caught and taken to the schools, a network of labs located throughout the country, are not seen again.

As a teenager, Frenchie has had to grow up too quickly. Both of his parents have disappeared, and early on, he loses his beloved older brother to the Recruiters. Frenchie’s only option is to head north, to an area where he might meet up with others like him, and avoid the government goons as best as he can.

Frenchie finds a close kinship in a small group led by Miigwans, a man held in high regard by Frenchie’s father. Together, the group forges ahead to areas that global warming has ravaged, and other places where life flourishes. Their homes are transient camps preferably set up far away from government attention, although the Recruiters and their allies prove to be difficult to shake. Trust is a hard thing to develop, and this small band encounters both friend and foe.

Along the way, Frenchie learns that family and loyalty go beyond blood relationships, and finds his first love.

The Marrow Thieves is a tale of a terrifying future where a society that has lost its humanity is predisposed to hunting down those who still have a capacity to dream, in a vain attempt to salvage that lost, very human trait. The book is both an observation on what might be in terms of environmental issues, and a cautionary tale of how we have exploited the Indigenous peoples of North America, and continue to do so.

(William Hicks, Information Services)

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

Thirteen year old Paul Robeson is traveling in a small bush plane to spend the summer with his father in the oil fields of northern Canada, when the pilot suffers a heart attack in mid-flight.  The plane crashes into a lake deep in a forested area, and Paul is the most vulnerable he’ll ever be in his entire life.

Paul is dazed, hurt, and bruised from his abrupt landing, and more than scared of his surroundings.  He is fortunate in that it’s summer, with its temperate weather, but the mosquitoes are relentless during the dusk and early mornings.  And although the woods he is in are teeming with possibilities, Paul does not yet know his options for food and water.

After eating himself sick on certain berries (which are edible within reason), Paul begins to parse out his options for sustenance in the wild.  He learns the real value of the hatchet that his mother gave him right before his flight.  Paul has by luck held on to it and this valuable tool becomes his gateway to staying alive in the wilderness.  With the hatchet, Paul learns how to build a rudimentary shelter, how to get a fire going (it becomes a necessary obsession) and the process for creating tools.

Without the crutches of modern day conveniences, Paul gains a resourcefulness beyond his imagination.  Instead of daily expecting a rescue, he sets up routines, learns the lay of his environment, and keeps his strength up.  Paul also has a few harrowing run-ins with other denizens of the forest, and a nasty storm tests even his best new skills.  Through all these hardships, Paul learns how to work with nature and stare down his own personal demons – the aftermath of his parent’s divorce, the specter of the downed plane sticking up in the middle of the lake, etc.

Will Paul make it out of the woods before winter time, or is he destined to grow up a grizzled hermit?  Read it and see.

I read young adult/youth fiction once in a very great while, and always like books about people roughing it and/or surviving out in the wilds.  At the suggestion of a co-worker, I tried this book, and enjoyed it very much.  I’d heard of Gary Paulsen years ago and never read anything by him.  I’m glad I read Hatchet, and wished that this one had been available when I was a teenager.  Still, we had books such as My Side of the Mountain, and I’d recommend it as well.

Hatchet is (thankfully) available in ebook format as well.

(William Hicks, Information Services)

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

I had to read (or rather listen to the audiobook of) The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon when I saw previews of the upcoming movie at the theater.  I just had to find out for myself what the young adult novel was all about when I realized that the lead male character is Korean.  Korean American, of course, and debonair at that, although I personally had the most difficult time believing the actor was either Korean or a teen.  But the book was more than convincing, as I understood a little of his experience as a Korean American myself.

Daniel Bae is on his way to a prestigious college interview when he runs into Natasha, a Jamaican immigrant who is about to be deported that very day.  They meet and, of course, fall in love, but Natasha, who is all science and rationale, is the harder of the two to fall in love.  Daniel, on top of being a candidate for Yale, is a romantic aspiring poet and pursues Natasha to no end.

The romance is cute and funny enough to make it a worthwhile teen read for me, but what really made the book worthwhile was identifying with living in two cultures, particularly the Korean American one.  Although I grew up somewhat different in that I was never pushed for straight A’s and excellence, I did have expectations that were put on me.  And I feel these pressures simply by being Korean or Asian, not because any person has put it on me specifically.  I felt the need to excel academically, to play a musical instrument like a virtuoso, and so on, at least superficially.  But really I am more like Daniel.  Just as he loves writing poetry, I had my stint pursuing photography (and failed spectacularly).

I sadly did not identify with Natasha as much.  She seemed rather dry, straight, and analytical to me at times, even though I didn’t think that was her true nature.  I have never had the experience of being undocumented and deported.  Maybe I was lucky to have a relative who sponsored our family to come to the U.S. and I was doubly lucky that my parents took the citizenship exam and got it, became naturalized under them, and never, ever had to take such an exam myself.  It was a privilege to go college and be able to get loans to pay for it, although I do curse their presence from time to time.  And I do feel exceptional having a U.S. Passport and having traveled to many different countries previously.  Natasha was not able to experience these things and probably never will.

The Sun Is Also A Star is for anyone wanting an entertaining and romantic teen story.  This book is also for anyone who wants to contemplate on immigration and race relations.

(Stella Oh, Benjamin Branch)

Love & Luck by Jenna Evans Welch

If you read the story about Lina and her exploration through Florence, Italy in Jenna Evans Welch’s previous book, Love & Gelato, then I am happy to announce that the story continues!  In Love & Luck, the reader gets to meet in more detail Addie, Lina’s bestest friend. 

Welch starts up where she left off in the previous book.  Addie, after losing her bestest friend to another country, has to survive the worst experience to ever happen to a young girl in the modern age – she trusted a boy and he broke her heart.  The worst part about it?  It was the teammate of her oldest friend, her brother Ian.  Crushed, she escapes under the guise of her Aunt’s fourth or fifth wedding, to Ireland, dreading the start of school after the summer is over.  The only ray of light she has is to be reunited with her best friend in Italy for a few days.

However, things go wrong when Ian decides he isn’t going with Addie to Italy and is staying in Ireland.  In hopes of changing his mind, Addie tags along, ultimately missing her flight and losing that glimmer of Lina.  With no other choice, she ends up tagging along with Ian and his new, unexpected friend, Rowan.  During the trip, she finds a guidebook to help mend her broken heart, and goes off on an unexpected adventure through Ireland.  Along the way, she mends her relationship with Ian, discovering that there is more to him than the all-star footballer player everyone else sees, and discovering herself outside of her broken heart. 

(Amanda Sanson, Central Library)

Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen

Someone Like You deviates from many of Sarah Dessen’s works.  She typically focuses on adolescent romances and coming of age stories.

In Someone Like You, the coming of age portion leaves the romance in the shadows.  The book concerns the friendship of Halley and Scarlett, two best friends – better yet, soul sisters.  Scarlett moved into Halley’s neighborhood when they were still young and they have never left each other alone since.

Scarlett, bold and beautiful, has a summer romance with Michael Sherwood, a wild boy with mystery.  However, Michael meets an untimely death, leaving Scarlett hurt and with a surprise.  Halley, shy and beautiful, while battling with breaking away from her mother’s overbearing ways, has to help Scarlett get through the most challenging events a sixteen-year-old girl should face.  In addition, Halley falls for Macon Faulkner, a boy with a reputation.  She tries to keep up with his bad boy ways until he asks for something she may never be ready to give him.

This endearing tale focuses on the strengths of both girls individually, making choices that will make or break them. I highly recommend Someone Like You for anyone trying to find their voice and personal niche in today’s society.

(Amanda Sanson, Central Library)

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Rainbow Rowell astounds readers with her novel Eleanor & Park.  The writing style pulls the reader into a sense of familiarity.  Rowell opens the story up by letting the reader know tragedy strikes, almost as if letting the reader prepare for the winding road ahead without giving too much away.  She also creates a world where it is difficult to feel any malice, even towards the antagonists of the story.  In a subtle way, she shares little pieces of every character’s life in the story to submerge the reader into an entirely new world.  Rowell exposes the real world to the readers without scaring them, and in Eleanor & Park, she has created a wonderful book that helps understand differences.

Eleanor & Park concerns the lives of two outcast teenagers. Eleanor is an outcast in her own home, trying to find solace in the books and music she saved from her past.  She returns after a year of banishment by her stepfather, only to feel solace in the bus seat she shares with Park.  Park, a boy who grew up in the same neighborhood, never feels any excitement or passion for anything outside of his comics and Walkman.  Initially, he views Eleanor just as everyone else on the bus and school does – with disdain.  However, as time passes, their bus rides become intimate.  Eleanor opens up to him and he finds a fire in himself for her that he has never known before.  The story progresses through the heat of young love, abuse, and eventually, freedom for both Eleanor and Park in their own ways.

This book would be great for adolescents and adults alike.  I highly recommend Eleanor & Park because almost anyone who reads it can relate to some part of it in their own way.

(Amanda Sanson, Central Library)

Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch

If you have ever had the urge to see Florence, Italy, but don’t have the time or resources to go, then read Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch. This young adult novel lets readers see the city through the eyes of a sixteen year old girl named Carolina (pronounced ‘Caro-leena’) Emerson.  The novel starts out a bit melancholy due to the loss of Lina’s mother, the famous photographer Hadley Emerson.  However, as a last request, Lina’s mother persuades Lina to leave her best friend, Addie, and her life in Seattle, to go live in Florence, Italy with the mysterious Howard Mercer. 

Lina stays with Howard in a unique home, where she meets Lorenzo “Ren” Farrara, Thomas Heath, and a few others who attend the international school she will also go to if she decides to stay.  These fun-loving natives introduce her to the city’s famous and not famous sights, such as the Duomo, and mansions galore.  The Duomo is a large cathedral that took 150 years to build and has a large dome on its top that tourists are free to climb and see.  All are explored by Lina in her hunt to discover the truth about her mother while dealing with a love triangle between her new close friend and the Italian adonis look-alike that she first fell for. 

This book captivates from beginning to end, and exposes the reader to new places without so much as leaving the bedroom.  It also provides insight to the mind of a sixteen year old trying to balance a new life, a social life, and maintaining her old life all in one.

(Amanda Sanson, Central Library)

 

Made You Up by Francesca Zappia

“My first-ever friend was a hallucination: a sparkling entry on my new resume as a crazy person.”

Alex was diagnosed with schizophrenia when she was only seven years old, after an incident at the grocery store involving a boy and some lobsters. Ever since then, Alex is unsure of what is real and what is only happening in her imagination. She takes pictures to make sure what she sees is there, often times realizing it was all made up. When she is forced to transfer schools, she meets a boy from her past, but is he made up too?

Made You Up is about mental illness but does not solely focus on it. Alex has friends, has after school activities and even has a part-time job. The story is quirky and weird, and with an unreliable narrator, I could never tell what was real or made up, just like Alex.   This book was very enjoyable and unique – highly recommended to all fans of YA contemporary.

Made You Up is available through the NC Digital Library as an Ebook.

(Michelle Colbert, McGirt-Horton Branch Library)