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Category: Young Adult

Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

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Where Sleeping Girls Lie is Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé’s second novel, after her debut Ace of Spades. I have pretty much gravitated away from YA novels, but I decided to give Àbíké-Íyímídé’s second novel a chance because I liked Ace of Spades and I appreciate that her YA fiction is grounded in realism. Unfortunately, I was not as engrossed by Where Sleeping Girls Lie as I was by Ace of Spades. I feel as though this novel is lacking something, and after pondering over it, I have concluded that it is because the characters are somewhat bland.

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Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley

Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley

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Warrior Girl Unearthed is a sequel of sorts to Boulley’s debut novel, Firekeeper’s Daughter. Perhaps not quite as good as Firekeeper’s Daughter, nonetheless I still enjoyed reading Warrior Girl Unearthed and wish there had been more novel to read. I appreciate the opportunity to revisit the Ojibwe community on Sugar Island, Michigan, and the characters from the first novel. I hope Boulley writes more novels about them.

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She is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran

She is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran

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I decided to give She is a Haunting a try because it sounded like it might be spooky, and because it has been compared to Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, which is a novel that I liked (except for the bizarre turn it takes towards the end). But I saw some reviews that also linked it to Wilder Girls by Rory Power, and I did not like Wilder Girls. So, I went against my instinct and read She is a Haunting, and of course I ended up let down.

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Chain of Thorns by Cassandra Clare

Chain of Thorns by Cassandra Clare

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Chain of Thorns is the fifteenth Shadowhunters novel by Cassandra Clare and the final novel of The Last Hours series, and I think it is time for me to say farewell to the Shadowhunters while I still have fond memories of them. I have reviewed all the previous Shadowhunters novels here, and my comments on the series from that review still stand. But my biggest complaint about Chain of Thorns is how bloody thick the book is (it is the second longest Shadowhunters novel at 778 pages). It is cumbersome to hold, and cumbersome to read. I cannot believe I am writing this, but there are too many main characters and too many subplots. And the problem with the subplots is that they are all very similar. There is just too much relationship drama in The Last Hours series, and I am too old for this shit now.

WARNING: There be spoilers ahead if you have not read the first two The Last Hours novels.

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Greywaren by Maggie Stiefvater

Greywaren by Maggie Stiefvater

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Greywaren is the third and final volume of The Dreamer Trilogy. I love Maggie Stiefvater’s novels, I enjoyed the first two books of The Dreamer Trilogy, but unfortunately, I found Greywaren to be an underwhelming conclusion. SPOILER ALERT: do not read further if you plan on reading The Dreamer Trilogy. Even though Greywaren is the weakest link, I still think the trilogy as a whole is worth reading if you enjoy YA novels.

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Belladonna by Adalyn Grace

Belladonna by Adalyn Grace

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I hesitated a little before buying this YA novel, but Belladonna had me at “gothic”, so I could not resist. Unfortunately, Belladonna spends little time on the gothic and focuses most of its energy on the protagonist lusting after two different male characters. Seriously, this is one of the horniest characters I have read about in awhile. I found this novel to be a waste of time, and I definitely will not be reading the sequel(s).

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Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children Series by Ransom Riggs

Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children Series by Ransom Riggs

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Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children is a YA series consisting of six novels based on an intriguing concept: a fantasy story designed around vintage photographs. Ransom Riggs uses 19th and early 20th century photographs that he collected to bring his characters to life and to create evocative settings. The first three novels in the series, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Hollow City and Library of Souls, were quite fascinating to read. The photographs that appear throughout the novels are eerie and some are just downright creepy; they compliment the story very well.

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The Arc of a Scythe Trilogy by Neal Shusterman

The Arc of a Scythe Trilogy by Neal Shusterman

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The Arc of a Scythe Trilogy consists of Scythe, Thunderhead, and The Toll. I read Scythe about two years ago and think it is an excellent YA novel. I finally got around to reading Thunderhead and The Toll this past week. This trilogy is easy to read and compelling, full of important themes that YA readers should be reading about, and that some adult readers could probably use a reminder of. Each novel is quite well written, although the second novel, Thunderhead, might be the weakest link. Still, I highly recommend this trilogy.

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