Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder

A book review by Madeline Soucie

A year ago Brooklyn's boyfriend, Lucas, died and now their friend, Gabe, has just killed himself a year later by overdosing. Brooklyn can't sleep because every time she closes her eyes, Gabe is there haunting her for reasons she doesn't know. She wonders why she sees him and Lucas.

         

Nico was Lucas's brother. He's not coping well so he just runs and runs wishing he could outrun all the pain. Then Lucas starts sending him messages he doesn't understand to help Brooklyn.

         

As the hauntings continue, Nico and Brooklyn learn that the only way to stop them and make things better is to open up and help each other.

Find it in APL TEEN Fiction YA FIC Schroeder, L.

Far, Far Away by Tom McNeal

A book review by Madeline Soucie

This is a story about a boy, a girl, and a ghost. The ghost is someone everyone has heard of at on point or another, but in his afterlife he becomes the protector of the boy.

         

Jeremy Johnson Johnson is quiet and shy and very studious. From time to time he hears voices. One voice in particular is that of his ghost.

         

Ginger is a wild girl always looking for an adventure and getting into trouble along the way. She and Jeremy become friends when she includes him in her next adventure of breaking and entering.

         

As this story unfolds and the trio carry out plans together, they will come upon an adventure they never expected and realize that far, far away can be so much closer than they expected.

Find it in APL TEEN Fiction YA FIC McNeal, T.

In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters

 A book review by Madeline Soucie

             

The year is 1918. World War One is raging in Europe and the Spanish Flu is killing by storm. Mary Shelly Black (yes, named after the author of Frankenstein) has just moved to San Diego to live with her aunt.

      

It is here that she will be enveloped by the craze of spiritualism - something she doesn't believe in despite the amount of people that flock to get their pictures taken with dead loved ones.

      

Of course that could very well change for Mary Shelly. After all, anything is possible.

      

This historical fiction tells a tale of love, loss, and the fight to live during World War One and the Spanish Flu and the craze of spiritualism that kept hopes and spirits up in desperate times in a story you won't want to put down.

Find it in APL TEEN Fiction YA FIC Winters, C.

The Summoning by Kelly Armstrong

A book review by Madeline Soucie

               

Chloe sees dead people... plain and simple. She learned this the hard way at school and now she's locked up at Lyle House, a home for troubled teens. But Chloe soon learns there is more to Lyle House and its residents than meets the eye.

Is Chloe the only one or are there others? And more importantly can Chloe uncover the secrets of Lyle House or will they get the best of her?

     

The Summoning is the first book in the "Darkest Powers" trilogy and combines different elements of the supernatural scene in a new take. If you like modern supernatural stories try this one out and you may -- like me -- end up rereading it from time to time when you just need a good book to read.

Find it in APL TEEN Fiction YA FIC Armstrong, K.

Chime By Franny Billingsley

A book review by Maddie Soucie

Briony believes she is a witch, something she hasn't told anyone despite how much she wants to. She believes that she used her powers to ruin her sister's mind and to kill her mother. But if she tells anyone this she will be hanged, and she wants to live.

Then Eldric arrives.  Eldric who has golden hair and lion's eyes. Eldric doesn't believe anything dark or bad about Briony despite what she says. He is, though, curious about the deep secrets which she refuses to tell him. He also cares deeply for her and makes her want to cry and spill her guts -- if witches could cry that is. Briony wonders about the Old Ones and half-secrets and clues Rose leaves, hoping others will figure them out.

A story of love and secrets and witchcraft, Chime will have you turning page after page.

Find it in APL TEEN Fiction YA FIC Billingsley, F.

Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock

A book review by  Madeline Soucie

                                

Mac and Amy were best friends until Amy was killed by a werewolf. She was one of multiple attacks in Hemlock. Now Amy haunts Mac in her dreams and the Trackers -- a group that hunts werewolves -- has come to town to find the white werewolf that killed Amy and the others.

        

Lupine Syndrome has spread and become an infectious disease in the last decade. Efforts to fight it aren't going well, despite the fact that the disease is hard to hide, especially the bloodlust.

        

Mac decides that in order to stop her nightmares about Amy she has to find her killer. A highly dangerous task, Mac will recruit her friends Jason and Kyle and will stop at nothing to find the werewolf who did this.

Find it in APL TEEN Fiction YA FIC Peacock, K.

The Young Elites by Marie Lu

A book review by Madeline Soucie

If you have read Marie Lu's Legend series or are reading it, try this book next. The Young Elites is a good book that looks like the beginning of a series that could go in multiple directions if you know what I mean.

     

Adelina Amouteru survived the blood fever that swept through her land a decade ago, killing many people, but like so many children, she was left with a unusual markings. Her black hair turned silver and she lost an eye. Her father believes she is no good and wants her gone. Some children who survived the fever are rumored to have mysterious powers and call themselves the Young Elite.

     

Teren works for the King as part of the Inquisition Axis hunting down the Young Elites and will stop at nothing until he sees them all put to death.

     

Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society, a group of Young Elites who look for others like them and try to save them before the Inquisition Axis gets them, which is how he finds Adelina. Adelina, whose powers are unlike any he has ever seen before, could be the group's demise if they aren't careful.

Find it in APL TEEN New Books YA FIC Lu, M.

Far From You by Lisa Schroeder

A book review by Madeline Soucie

Alice's mother died and her father has since remarried and has a new baby. Alice doesn't like her stepmother or that her father is creating his perfect family without her. Trapped in her life she can't wait to move out and get away from her family. The only people that keep her sane are her best friend and her boyfriend, and of course her music.

When Alice gets stuck in the car in a snowstorm with no way out and no help, she will not only learn the true meaning of lonely, but will learn that hope isn't that far away; that she has an angel watching out for her.

     

Far From You is a quick, but really good book that may tug on your heart-strings a bit. It's a lot of loss and hope and new beginnings.

Find it in APL TEEN Fiction YA FIC Schroeder, L.

Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

A book review by Madeline Soucie



Amy Gump is a normal girl living in Kansas. She goes to school where she tries to stay out of trouble and then goes home to take care of her mother and dreams of getting out of this town. Little does she know how soon her dream will come true...

Just like Dorothy, Amy is swept away in her house by a tornado and left in Oz, only it's not the Oz she heard about in the story. Oz is dead, the magic sucked out of most parts, and there are no happy munchkins. What happened you ask? Dorothy happened.

Yes, Dorothy. After she left Oz, Dorothy came back and took over. She became power hungry and wanted more. Now Amy must train with the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked to kill Dorothy.

This is not your average story; this is not the Wizard of Oz you grew up with. This is war.


Find it in APL TEEN New Books YA FIC Paige, D.

This Wicked Game by Michelle Zink

A book review by Madeline Soucie


Claire Kincaid's family lives in New Orleans and is part of a secret society of
voodoo practitioners. Her family is one part of the International Guild of High Priests and Priestesses and runs one of the underground voodoo supply stores. 

Though Claire doesn't believe in any of this, she goes along with it for her parents' sake until she can escape to college and put this all behind her.  
That is, until a mysterious order is put in at Claire's parents' store for a black market item that raises everyone's alarms. Claire soon finds out that she doesn't know everything that's going on in the voodoo world, and if she wants to know, she'll have to find out for herself. So Claire teams up with her boyfriend Xander and the other firstborns and discover an enemy that just might kill them all.



Find it in APL TEEN New Books YA FIC Zink, M.

Glass Houses by Rachel Caine

A book review by Madeline Soucie

Claire is super smart. As in the girl who graduated high school and is starting college at sixteen. She could have gone to schools like MIT or Caltech, that type of thing. Instead she is attending Texas Prairie University, a small school in a small town that everyone either transfers out of or disappears from. She didn't want to go here, but her parents were against her going far away at such a young age. 

From the beginning Claire had it rough, but it only got worse when she accidentally got on the wrong side of the mean queen bee of school.  Now Claire is looking for a place to live off campus and finds the Glass House and its tenants Shane, Eve, and Michael. Though they are hesitant to take her in, after seeing how she is attacked at school, they let her in and her world soon turns upsidedown.

To start, the town is run by vampires. Secondly, there is more to her new

roommates than meets the eye. Lastly, Claire just signed on to a ride with no end without even realizing it.

Glass Houses is the first book in the Morganville Vampire series. The books are

short and quick, but really good, especially if you like vampire/supernatural stories. This series takes a new turn on the vampire legend.

Find it in APL TEEN Fiction YA FIC Caine, R.

Otherbound by Corinne Duyvis

A book review by Madeline Soucie


Amara is a servant forced to protect a princess while on the run to save their lives. Her purpose is simple -- do whatever it takes to keep the princess safe, even at the cost of her own life. To add to her stress, Amara is always being watched by a boy from another world. 

In comes Nolan. As long as he can remember, Nolan has been getting flashes of a girl from another world. "Hallucinations" or "seizures" everyone says -- if only they knew. Nolan tries hard to cover up his flashes and makes it seem like he's okay, but he hasn't had much luck.

That is, until one day when he learns to control them.  Then Amara is alerted to her mental visitor, and the two of them have to figure out their connection -- and fast. Their lives depend on it.

Corrine Duyvis takes a new spin on dystopian fiction, combining two unlikely worlds.


Find it in APL TEEN New Books YA FIC Duyvis, C.

Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon

 A book review by Madeline Soucie

Nick Gautier is a street smart and tough kid trying to survive high school at the private school his mom insisted he attend. Then Nick is almost killed by his friends and saved by a mysterious warrior who brings Nick into a world he never knew existed. One where many of his fellow students aren't who they seem to be and others are being turned into zombies. Now Nick must stop whoever is behind the zombies while trying not to get grounded by his mother.

Series: Chronicles of Nick, book 1

Find it in APL TEEN Fiction YA FIC Kenyon, S.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

A book review by Madeline Soucie               

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is told in both words and pictures, making the story more realistic.

After his grandfather dies, Jacob is left wondering about his grandfather's last words and starts looking into his old stories. What Jacob finds leads him to an island -- more specifically an old abandoned orphanage hoping to find answers.

As Jacob explores Miss Peregrine's abandoned home it becomes clear that not only were his grandfather's stories true, but so were the children in them. He also learns that the children were all kept there for a reason. They might have been more than just peculiar -- they might have been dangerous -- and still alive.

   

Read this interesting book to learn more about Miss Peregrine and her peculiar children.

Find it in APL TEEN Fiction YA FIC Riggs, R.

The Eternity Cure by Julia Kagawa

A book review by Madeline Soucie

This is the second book in the Blood of Eden series, the first being The Immortal Rules.

Allison Sekemoto was turned into a vampire as a last resort to dying. Now her life is threatened again as a new strain of the Red Lung -- a disease that almost wiped out the human race once before -- has been released.

    

Allison must also hunt down the psychotic vampire Sarren who is torturing her sire in hopes of finding a cure for the virus before time runs out. But while looking for Kanin, Allie runs into some trouble and people she didn't expect to see.

    

In the Eternity Cure all the rules Allison learned in the first book are enforced like she never knew they could be and she learns just how blood calls to blood.

Find it in APL TEEN New Books YA FIC Kagawa, J.

The Enchanter Heir by Cinda Williams Chima

A book review by Madeline Soucie                      

The Enchanter Heir is the fourth book in the Heir chronicles series. In this book the reader is introduced to Jonah Kinlock and Emma Greenwood. Both are survivors of the Thorn Hill Massacre -- the brutal killing of a peaceful Weir (magically gifted) community.

Jonah grew up in the magical world and works/lives in a home for survivors of the Thorn Hill Massacre. Like many of the survivors, Jonah wasn't left unscratched -- he was cursed with the ability to kill anyone or anything he touches.

    

Emma grew up in the normal, but musical world of Memphis, Tennessee with her grandfather making guitars for a living. Growing up in Memphis, music is what Emma knows until she finds her grandfather dying, clutching a note telling her to run. Run Emma does -- into Jonah's life. The two meet unexpectedly and under unusual circumstances.

    

As wizards are being killed off, Jonah and Emma must work together to find out the truth about Thorn Hill and who's behind the murders.

    

This is a great new installment in the Heir Chronicles and a great summer read. The first three books are in order: The Warrior Heir, The Wizard Heir, and The Dragon Heir.

Find it in: APL Teen New Books YA FIC Chima, C.

The Lost Code by Kevin Emerson

A book review by Madeline Soucie

It is years into the future and the ozone layer that protects humans from the sun is slowly breaking down. Domes have been built to help block radiation, though they are few and fewer live in them -- mainly those who are privileged enough. No one can go out without protective lotion to help battle the awful effects of the radiation.

This was all caused by an ancient civilization who used their technology for what they thought was good and nearly destroyed the earth and its human population. They sacrificed three to stop their mistakes and save humanity. Those three left a legacy behind so that if someone ever found the technology to destroy the earth and its population again, three would be chosen to save the world. The time is quickly coming. Owen is one of the three, though he doesn't know it yet. Owen who seems least capable for the job, must unlock the code in his genes to unravel the hidden history.

Kevin Emerson writes a different and new spin on an ancient myth everybody knows and weaves it into a dystopian futuristic society that isn't what it says it is.    

Find it in APL TEEN Fiction YA FIC Emerson, K.

Ghost Hawk by Susan Cooper

A book review by Madeline Soucie


Little Hawk is a young Native American boy living in his tribe in Massachusetts in the 1600s during the time that the first settlers came over to America. His tribe has not really had any problems with the white colonists nor have they had much interaction with them. Little Hawk hears stories though, and wonders about the white men sometimes. Mostly he focuses on his tribe and the fact that he will soon have to venture on a three month journey into the wild with nothing but his tomahawk and knife in the dead of winter. This journey is something all boys must go on as it is the journey into manhood.
Little Hawk does not realize how big of a deal the white men will be in his life or how it will be changed by them. 

Read Ghost Hawk to find out what happens to Little Hawk on his journey and about the white men encroaching on his land. It is a good historical fiction book about what happened to the Natives when the colonists first came to America.

Find it in APL TEEN New Books YA FIC Cooper, S.

I Am Number Four by Piticus Lore

A book review by Kat Seevers

My favorite thing about this book was John. This novel was particularly good at creating a male that was both authentic and likable. Through his perspective we got to see how earth compared to his home planet. I liked that he didn't back down to bullying but was also sweet and devoted to Sarah. The combination of a sense of responsibility and his willingness to be a kid really made his character pop. 

I Am Number Four is stuffed with originality from the different type of legacies, the way the charms work, how the deaths are burned into their legs to the evil races hunting down the Numbers. This was definitely a page turner for me!

This is the first book in the Lorien Legacies.

Find it in APL Teen Fiction YA FIC Lore, P.

Poison Princess by Kresley Cole

A book review by Madeline Soucie



Poison Princess is the first book in The Arcana Chronicles. 







Evangeline or "Evie" as her friends call her, is a normal girl living in Louisiana. Her mother owns one of the oldest houses and farms in the state, she has a great boyfriend, is a cheerleader, and one of the most popular girls in school. What is she hiding?

The previous year, Evie starting having nightmares and seeing apocalypse scenes so her mother sent her to a corrective facility over the summer. Only one problem -- getting help didn't help because Evie isn't crazy, she's having visions of the end of the world -- the Flash -- something her grandmother warned her about. Evie's mother put her grandmother away eight years
ago and told Evie her grandmother was crazy. 

The only one that knows her secrets is a Cajun transfer and trouble maker Jackson Daniels.  Evie is part of a group of teenagers who each represent a different card in a tarot deck and are part of an ancient game. Not everyone knows who they are though, something very dangerous.

The Flash kills almost everyone, and those who survive find food and resources extremely scarce and water almost extinct. Evie and Jack find themselves running for their lives for food and from their enemies. While on the run, Evie is trying to find the source of her visions and her grandmother in hopes that either one will explain her powers and why they have them. The only problems -- whether or not Evie will survive and whether or not she'll learn about her powers the hard way, and of course what she'll do with Jack.


Find it in APL TEEN New Books YA FIC Cole, K.