The May Queen Murders by Sarah Jude

 "Since the dogs began going missing, wandering the fields after dusk was frowned upon. Even before then, we had stayed away from the woods. There were stories."

 

Rituals, secrets and superstitions. Rowan's Glen is full of them. And sixteen-year-old Ivy Templeton knows them all, from the whispered stories of the murderous Birch Markle, who supposedly still haunts the woods, to knowing how to protect against the evil eye with a bit of red thread. Her cousin, beautiful and free-spirited Heather, on the other hand, scoffs at all the old ways. But she has secrets of her own, things she won't even tell Ivy. Then, on May Day, Heather goes missing. Ivy feels guilty for not doing something more to keep Heather safe; she's also determined to find out what really happened to Heather, though she fears that it was Birch Markle, and that he will be coming for her next.

"The worst predators of all were humans."

Have you ever read a novel where the main character freezes up when she needs to run, even when someone's tugging at her hand? Or who's a bit too passive when she needs to speak up and be more proactive? Or whose mind is always drifting off? Ivy does all of those things. Fortunately, not all of the time. I liked her, but I also found her frustrating. But then, this YA mystery was an uneven read all around. It has several good moments of suspense, Ivy's friend Rook is very likable, and I loved the atmospheric setting and all the Ozark superstitions; but the mystery itself got muddied and overly complicated at the end. And there were too many characters with big secrets that I felt were revealed all at once. So despite the intriguing premise, this one wasn't as compelling or as good as it could have been. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either. 

Happy Reading!

Supernatural suspense...

Rules For Vanishing by Kate Alice Marshall

From the blurb:  "Sara's sister disappeared one year ago--and only Sara knows where she is. Becca went to find the ghost of Lucy Gallows and is trapped on her road. ... When Sara and her skeptical friends meet in the forest to search for Becca, the mysterious road unfurls before them. All they have to do is walk down it. But the path to Lucy has its own rules. Every mistake summons new horrors. Vengeful spirits and broken, angry creatures are waiting for them to slip, and no on is guaranteed safe passage. The only certainty is this:  the road has a toll and it will be paid. "

My thoughts:  A small town legend. A missing girl. A haunted road. Eerie atmosphere. Nightmarish creatures. And documentary-style storytelling. What's not to like? This compelling story is a dark and suspenseful puzzle. And that road Sara and her friends are traveling? It's a waking nightmare. I've never read anything by Kate Alice Marshall before, but I really liked her lyrical prose and the way she chose to tell this story. This book doesn't unfold in a traditional linear way; instead, this narrative is a collection of interview clips, cell phone videos, and personal narratives pieced together in a way that builds the mystery and suspense layer by layer. And I really liked it. For me, this YA novel was fun and entertaining. And I can't wait to see what Marshall writes next. 

Happy Reading!

A bookish adventure...

It's 1814. Napolean has just been exiled to Elba and 16-year-old Georgiana Fitzwilliam is facing her own exile to Stranje House. Which really isn't fair. She didn't mean to burn down her father's stables; she was only trying to formulate some invisible ink when things got a little bit out of hand. And now, for her crime of having a scientific and curious mind, she's being sent away to Emma Stranje's School for Unusual Girls. But Stranje House is much more than a reform/finishing school for unmarriageable young ladies. And Georgie is about to embark on her most exciting adventure yet.

"One thing I knew for certain. My life would never be the same. Maybe that wasn't such a bad thing. I glimpsed something, something shimmering with possibilities. Maybe, just maybe, Stranje House would be a way out of the tight-lidded box into which I'd been born."

There's A LOT to like about Kathleen Baldwin's A School for Unusual Girls. It's entertaining, and unexpected, and full of humor and romance. All the girls at Stranje House are exceptional in very unconventional ways:  from picking locks, to training rats, to making Holmesian deductions, to dissembling with a curtsy and a smile. I liked all five girls, especially Georgie and Tess. And I enjoyed all the secrets and spies, too. Stranje House is the place to be if you're looking for some fun and adventure. I can't wait to read the next installment in this YA series.

Happy Reading!

  

(P.S. Happy PI Day!) 

Gilded

5 things you need to know about Jae Hwa Lee:

She's Korean-American.

She's 16.

She has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do.

She's an expert archer with a Korean horn bow.

And the Korean demigod, Haemosu, wants her for his bride.

Gilded, by Christina Farley, is a fun YA magical adventure. After Jae's mother dies of cancer, her father decides to move back to Seoul, Korea. There, he enrolls Jae at the International School where she meets a boy named Marc who makes her feel awkward and tongue-tied every time they talk, and whose smile makes her blush a bright fiery red. Jae has one other problem, a much more serious one. She's the oldest daughter in her family and a direct descendant of Princess Yuhwa, the very first girl stolen away by Haemosu generations ago. And now Haemosu has come for Jae. Somehow Jae must find a way to fight him off, free the souls of her dead ancestors, and break their family curse forever. All while keeping up with her schoolwork. Luckily, she has her grandfather's help. The Blue Dragon's magical bow. And Marc.

I think what I enjoyed most about this novel is how Farley is able to mix together modern-day life in Seoul with so many ancient Korean folktales and myths; it makes for a fascinating setting. But I also liked Jae. She's impulsive and makes some dumb mistakes, but she's also a spunky 16-year-old girl dealing with some pretty fantastic stuff. And her hesitant relationship with Marc made me smile. After all, it's hard enough being a teenage girl without also having to deal with destiny and a bunch of mythological monsters come to life. I probably won't read the sequel, but I did enjoy Gilded.

Happy Reading!

A quick read:

Dead River by Cyn Balog is part mystery, part ghost story, and part fairy tale. When Kiandra Levesque was seven, her mother walked into the Delaware River and drowned.  That's when Ki started hearing the river's voice whispering to her and seeing visions of the dead. Fearing that she might share her mother's fate, Ki's father packs them up and moves to Wayview, Maine, far away from any water.

Now Ki is a high school senior, and instead of going to prom, she and her boyfriend, Justin, are going white water rafting on the Dead River. She's sure everything will be fine. But once she's near the river, the voices and the visions return. Along with a handsome ghost named Jack, who wants something from her, and another ghost named Trey, who claims he's there to protect her. And when they both tell her that her mother is Mistress of the Waters and is just on the other side of the river, she doesn't know what or who to believe.

This is a very readable, if slightly superficial Ya novel. I liked the fairy tale aspect of Ki becoming Mistress of the Waters like her mother, but I kept wishing that particular part of the story had been a little more well-developed. I had questions about their respective roles and responsibilities that never quite got answered. And the way everything got wrapped up at the end, especially with the ghosts, felt just a little too convenient. But it's still a fun read. And a quick one, too. I just wish it was a book with a little more depth.

Happy Reading!

3 YA novels for readers of ANY age...

Amber House by Kelly Moore, Tucker Reed and Larkin Reed
First Line:  I was almost sixteen the first time my grandmother died.
My thoughts: Echoes of the past haunt Amber House like ghosts, and soon-to-be-sixteen Sarah Parsons is the only one in this time who can see them. Although sometimes it seems as if the past can see her, too. And if she can interact with the past, can she change it? And what will that do to her own future?
There are so many things that I love about this book: the secret doorways and tunnels of Amber House; Sarah's relationship with her younger autistic brother, Sam; and Jackson, the neighbor boy, who had visions of Sarah long before he ever met her. Sarah herself, smart and stubborn, is refreshingly real and easy to root for. Amber House is never dull. In fact, it is so well-written that even though I prefer stand-alone novels, I actually can't wait for its sequel, Neverwas, to come out.

School Spirits by Rachel Hawkins
First Line:  Killing a vampire is actually a lot easier than you'd think.
My thoughts:  At last, a teen book where the girl doesn't fall in love with the vampire.  What a refreshing change! This book is kind of a cross between Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Supernatural--only instead of the Winchester brothers, you have the Brannick women: Isolde and her mother, Aislinn. And the only thing that scares 16-year-old Izzy? Attending high school for the very first time.  (Ghosts and vampires are so much easier to deal with than teen-age boys!) So many things about this book made me laugh. It's definitely a fun (and fast) read. Izzy Brannick is such a great character; I hope Hawkins writes many more books about her and her otherworldly adventures.

Invisibility by Andrea Cremer and David Levithan
First Line: I was born invisible.
My thoughts: I love the premise of this book: cursed by his own grandfather before he was born, Stephen has never been visible to another human being. Not even himself. He lives an invisible life, never interacting or connecting with anyone. But that all changes when Elizabeth moves in down the hall. Because Elizabeth can see him. And maybe she can break his curse. It's the bond that develops between Stephen and Elizabeth that I liked most about this book. What I didn't love is how the chapters alternate between Stephen's and Elizabeth's points of view. (And does every YA novel have to be written in first person?) Despite this, Invisibility gets points for creativity and is definitely a novel worth checking out.