Lena has grown up terrified of touch--because any human contact with her skin means a horrible, gruesome death for that person. She was cursed by a wiLena has grown up terrified of touch--because any human contact with her skin means a horrible, gruesome death for that person. She was cursed by a witch before she was born, and her father has done everything he could to keep her safe. Everything except tell her the truth. Lena's need to find her truths bring her on a journey she never imagined through a magical world she never knew existed. After being lied to and shielded for so long, it's nearly impossible to know who to trust, and who will betray her.
This is, primarily, a Sleeping Beauty retelling, but it's important to note which version. This is not the Princess Aurora, sanitized Disney version. This is closer to the Charles Perrault version, or the Grimm Briar Rose version, with the darkly haunting visuals of Trina Schartt Hyman's illustrations. Consistent rules for magic and other worldbuilding details add to the experience. Highly recommend....more
Marin and Kaia are reunited, but there's still so much to be done--freeing the dragons and rescuing Sev, but also renegotiating their relationship givMarin and Kaia are reunited, but there's still so much to be done--freeing the dragons and rescuing Sev, but also renegotiating their relationship given all that's happened to each of them....more
The screw of the Scholomance has turned further, grinding El and her friends down to the bottom floor with the rest of the seniors. This is the year tThe screw of the Scholomance has turned further, grinding El and her friends down to the bottom floor with the rest of the seniors. This is the year they should be preparing to the run the graduation gauntlet, hoping to be just a little bit faster, stronger, better than their classmates so they can be among the few who make it out alive. But El has a different idea: what if the Scholomance could somehow be beaten, and everyone could get out? Not just the senior class, but the juniors, sophomores, and even freshmen? El never meant to become a revolutionary, much less the leader of the revolution, but that's the role she's been thrust into, and if the school is going to stop her, she's going to go down swinging....more
Read for a book group, though I'd been meaning to read it for literally years, and I'm glad I finally did.
Jane's beloved aunt has recently died, and JRead for a book group, though I'd been meaning to read it for literally years, and I'm glad I finally did.
Jane's beloved aunt has recently died, and Jane is at loose ends. So when a casual friend invites her to their estate, Jane goes, and it's here that Jane's story fractures. In a moment of chaos, Jane makes a decision to follow someone, and who she follows determines the next part of her story. The multiverse sends her far from home and very close to her starting point, exploring and exploding everything she's known and believed.
The story splits into five vignettes, some grounded (more or less) in reality and others pretty far-flung, and one notable instance of body horror.
Much of this is about Jane's self-discovery and self-acceptance. No one story is the "real" ending. No one Jane is the "real" Jane. And that's okay....more
A layover on a less-desirable planet turns into a prolonged visit for several travelers, each hoping for a swift passage through the wormhole. UnfortuA layover on a less-desirable planet turns into a prolonged visit for several travelers, each hoping for a swift passage through the wormhole. Unfortunately, the explosion doesn't care what plans anyone has, and has grounded all ships. The Aeluon on her way to a secret rendezvous with her long-time lover. Speaker, the Akarak trader eager to return to her sister hovering in their ship above the planet. The Quelin Roveg, who is hoping to make an appointment that will allow him to return to his home and reunite with his son. And Ouloo and Tupo, the Laru mother and son determined to be good hosts and help the stranded travellers. Some form unlikely bonds, while other pairings are far more strained, but they manage to work together when it matters....more
It's been a few years since Ivy, Cal, and Mateo hung out regularly, so their impromptu cut day together surprised everyone--especially since there's aIt's been a few years since Ivy, Cal, and Mateo hung out regularly, so their impromptu cut day together surprised everyone--especially since there's another student out, and he's found dead by mid-morning. But they saw him go into a building and saw him dead a few minutes later, and each of them had a reason to privately celebrate that.
As usual for McManus, there are a number of twists, turns, and red herrings leading to a conclusion that you couldn't predict but is obvious in retrospect....more
Has a bit of a techno-thriller feel, like William Gibson's Pattern Recognition, only with the added element of everyone immediately forgetting about HHas a bit of a techno-thriller feel, like William Gibson's Pattern Recognition, only with the added element of everyone immediately forgetting about Hope when they don't see her....more
ARC via Netgalley, but a paper copy in my house now and I'll be buying a copy for my school library in September. This comic is self-referential and dARC via Netgalley, but a paper copy in my house now and I'll be buying a copy for my school library in September. This comic is self-referential and demented and absolutely hilarious. You can't go wrong....more
In The Martian, my biggest complaint was that Mark Watney could do anything, and this narrator is more of the same. He's on his spaceship, coming out In The Martian, my biggest complaint was that Mark Watney could do anything, and this narrator is more of the same. He's on his spaceship, coming out of a coma after a lengthy trip into far space, when he discovers the rest of his crew is dead. As his memories slowly return, the enormity of his task comes into focus: finding and neutralizing tiny organisms that are literally eating the sun.
But he's not alone out there. There's another scientist, another ship. Another being whose crew died on the journey. The two can't exist in the same atmosphere, but they manage to communicate and collaborate.
There's almost nothing this team can't do, which eliminates some of the tension, but the book still speeds along, its focus more on the buddy-movie relationship than the looming apocalypse....more
Blah blah, magical boarding school, "we've seen this premise before!", sure, fine. BUT.
El could be one of the most powerful dark wizards ever. She hasBlah blah, magical boarding school, "we've seen this premise before!", sure, fine. BUT.
El could be one of the most powerful dark wizards ever. She has the power, and a knack for destruction. People recoil from her due to the vibe she gives off, however unintentionally. By the time she arrives at the Scholomance at age 14, she's been an outcast her whole life. This kind of anger at the world should make her all the more willing to embrace her innate malevolence. But El was raised by her single mom, one of the most gifted magical healers in the world, and her moral fiber doesn't so much as twist. In spite of being ostracized by her peers and bullied by the school itself, El remains committed to being a decent person, resolutely independent--which is why it's so confusing when Orion Lake keeps popping up to vanquish any hint of danger.
There's not a ton of plot in this series--yes, they're trying to keep the school from destroying them all, but the book is largely a richly-built world and the characters who inhabit it. Sure, there's the development and cultivation of magical skills and spells, but when is that not a metaphor for the growth into adulthood and finding the humanity within each of us?...more
Lucas lives and breaths video games. His parents aren't thrilled with that. But when he and his friends hear about an upcoming tournament for their faLucas lives and breaths video games. His parents aren't thrilled with that. But when he and his friends hear about an upcoming tournament for their favorite game, his parents relent a little. Only a little, though--Lucas still needs to commit to some volunteer work and balance his time. His volunteer job is visiting an elderly man (Isaac) and helping him with small tasks, like cleaning litterboxes and washing dishes. Isaac has had a fascinating life, and while he and Lucas don't have a lot of shared interests, they form a tight bond. Meanwhile, the Smashtown Frenzy tournament is drawing closer, and his team is fracturing.
A great, action-packed read for gamers, but also for readers who like to see more character growth and change. Lucas has a real character arc, changing for the better and growing up a lot. His friends are a little light on their own development--not Central Casting, but not as richly developed as Lucas or Isaac.
This will be in my middle school collection in the fall. (Assuming schools have reopened by then, sigh.) ...more
3.5. I enjoyed this, but it felt like revisiting other books I've read--Vivian Vande Velde had a couple, Heir Apparant and the other one whose title e3.5. I enjoyed this, but it felt like revisiting other books I've read--Vivian Vande Velde had a couple, Heir Apparant and the other one whose title escapes me, along other books set in a VR landscape. The entire world has gone to crap, so much so that humanity loaded a bunch of teens into a spaceship and aimed them toward other planets. Along the journey they're all plugged into a VR simulation, but the ship is breaking down and only our plucky heroine can save everyone, pull them all out of the virtual world. We're entering the next wave of dystopias and post-apocalypses, but we're still such in the old patterns. At least there was no love triangle this time....more
Becca went missing a year ago. The police say she ran off with her boyfriend, but her sister knows the truth: Becca found the road and somehow got stuBecca went missing a year ago. The police say she ran off with her boyfriend, but her sister knows the truth: Becca found the road and somehow got stuck on it. A year later, when The Road is due to show itself again, it's time got her friends to go after her. Some will come back. Some will be remembered.
Some of this is told through straight narrative (the narrator's written statement for the investigators), but we also have descriptions of photos and videos and text conversations to read through for background or supplemental detail.
Adrian Montague--the only child of Parliamentarian Henri Montague--is struggling still after his mother's death nearly a year ago. So when a box of hiAdrian Montague--the only child of Parliamentarian Henri Montague--is struggling still after his mother's death nearly a year ago. So when a box of his mother's things is returned and Adrian finds her broken spyglass, he is determined to find out what it was about it that captivated her. His early research brings him to a London shipping company, where he uncovers his first family secret: his eldest sibling. Together Monty and Adrian chase the secrets of the spyglass across the globe, finding answers--and more questions--in each port.
"The plausibility of a worry never stopped me from asking it to dance," Adrian says early on, and that is one of the major ides in the book--Adrian's anxiety and OCD nearly leap off the page, but at the time of the book, neither of those things is recognized as the disorders they are. It's a fascinating lens for the character, watching his every decision be filtered through his anxiety and fear. It casts a shadow on the spyglass's origin--does The Flying Dutchman really exist? Is Adrian actually seeing it?--but the story is more about the relationships and characters....more
