1) "Shadow and Bone" by Leigh Bardugo
In a Russian-inflected fantasy world, an orphan comes into immense power and, with it, danger.
When the Grisha came to test inseparable friends Alina and Malyen, neither showed any aptitude for the Small Science. Years later, they are in the army, Alina in the cartographer corps and Mal a tracker. They are escorting the Darkling, the most powerful Grisha in the land, across the terrifying Shadow Fold that divides Ravka’s heart from its coast. An attack by the terrifying volcra brings forth a power Alina never knew she had: She is a Sun Summoner. The charismatic, quartz-eyed Darkling takes her to the palace to learn the art of the Etherealki, and Mal is left behind. Bardugo allows the details of Grisha magic to unfold with limited exposition, using Alina's ignorance for readers' benefit. While Alina's training borrows familiar tropes (outlander combat teacher, wizened-crone magic instructor, friends and enemies among her peers), readers will nevertheless cheer her progress. But the worldbuilding is continually undercut by clunky colloquialisms; such phrases as "Well, that's completely creepy" and "It's okay" yank readers out of this carefully constructed, mostly preindustrial world.
Readers may also be troubled by the sexualization of power found in its pages.The plotting is powerful enough to carry most readers past flaws and into the next book in the series. (Fantasy. 13 & up)
Book One of Three: Siege and Storm; Ruin and Rising
2) "The Space Between Us" by Thrity Unrigar
Set in contemporary Bombay, Umrigar’s second novel (Bombay Time, 2001) is an affecting portrait of a woman and her maid, whose lives, despite class disparity, are equally heartbreaking.
Though Bhima has worked for the Dubash family for decades and is coyly referred to as “one of the family,” she nonetheless is forbidden from sitting on the furniture and must use her own utensils while eating. For years, Sera blamed these humiliating boundaries on her husband Feroz, but now that he’s dead and she’s lady of the house, the two women still share afternoon tea and sympathy with Sera perched on a chair and Bhima squatting before her. Bhima is grateful for Sera, for the steady employment, for what she deems friendship and, mostly, for the patronage Sera shows Bhima’s granddaughter Maya. Orphaned as a child when her parents died of AIDS, Bhima raised Maya and Sera saw to her education. Now in college, Maya’s future is like a miracle to the illiterate Bhima—her degree will take them out of the oppressive Bombay slums, guaranteeing Maya a life away from servitude. But in a cruel mirror of Sera’s happiness—her only child Dinaz is expecting her first baby—Bhima finds that Maya is pregnant, has quit school and won’t name the child’s father. As the situation builds to a crisis point, both women reflect on the sorrows of their lives. While Bhima was born into a life of poverty and insurmountable obstacles, Sera’s privileged upbringing didn’t save her from a husband who beat her and a mother-in-law who tormented her. And while Bhima’s marriage begins blissfully, an industrial accident leaves her husband maimed and an alcoholic. He finally deserts her, but not before he bankrupts the family and kidnaps their son. Though Bhima and Sera believe they are mutually devoted, soon decades of confidences are thrown up against the far older rules of the class game.
A subtle, elegant analysis of class and power. Umrigar transcends the specifics of two Bombay women and creates a novel that quietly roars against tyranny.
3) "Hourglass" by Myra McEntire
Troubled teen Emerson Cole returns to her Southern hometown and old “haunts” in this genre-blending story.
Despite her cushy new life with her older brother Thomas and his wife Dru, Em can’t overcome her dark past; she started seeing ghosts at 13, shortly before her parents’ tragic accident. Caught talking to seemingly empty space too often, Em is verbally and physically defensive, unable to completely confide in Thomas, Dru or her best friend Lily. When Thomas hires handsome college-aged Michael Weaver (a consultant from the mysterious Hourglass institute) to help Em with her “hallucinations,” predictably tempestuous romance and unexpected adventure ensue. After meeting an X-Men–esque group of former Hourglass students—and the dangerous but sexy Kaleb Ballard, Michael’s rival for her affections—Em learns that she’s not crazy but gifted, and that she might be able to change the past as well as see it. Em is an entertainingly cheeky narrator and appealingly resilient heroine; when she meets Michael’s friends, she wryly comments, “Team Freak. Wonder if we could get jerseys.” First-time author McEntire deftly juggles plot, characters and dialogue; her portrait of grief is particularly poignant.
The ambitious combination of paranormal romance and sci-fi action leads to some pacing problems but also makes for a refreshing read. (Fiction. 12 & up)
4) "Prophecy" by Ellen Oh
In a magical ancient Korea, a demon-slaying princess defends her family and her kingdom.
Kira may be the king's own niece and Hansong's lone female warrior, but that doesn't make her popular. Her yellow eyes and demon-hunting abilities make the citizenry fear her; her male clothing and fighting skills make the nobility loathe her. At least in her role as bodyguard to the heir, her young cousin Taejo, she has a purpose in the court. Hopefully that purpose will be enough to convince her parents not to marry her off to the attractive but vicious nephew of the king's advisor, Lord Shin. Despite all her suspicions, which are aided by prophetic visions, Kira doesn't foresee treachery soon enough. Lord Shin lets Yamato soldiers into the castle—many of whom are possessed by demons only Kira can see. She flees with Taejo, and thus begins a prophecy-driven quest to take back their kingdom from the Yamato and avenge their lost. Muddling through on equal parts martial arts and stubbornness, Kira finds new allies and gains desperately needed magical skills.
Fans of Kristin Cashore's Graceling (2008) will be drawn to the despised warrior princess; fans of Cindy Pon's Silver Phoenix (2009) will love the setting. (Fantasy. 13-16)
5) "Shatter Me" by Tahereh Mafi
A dystopic thriller joins the crowded shelves but doesn't distinguish itself.
Juliette was torn from her home and thrown into an asylum by The Reestablishment, a militaristic regime in control since an environmental catastrophe left society in ruins. Juliette’s journal holds her tortured thoughts in an attempt to repress memories of the horrific act that landed her in a cell. Mysteriously, Juliette’s touch kills. After months of isolation, her captors suddenly give her a cellmate—Adam, a drop-dead gorgeous guy. Adam, it turns out, is immune to her deadly touch. Unfortunately, he’s a soldier under orders from Warner, a power-hungry 19-year-old. But Adam belongs to a resistance movement; he helps Juliette escape to their stronghold, where she finds that she’s not the only one with superhuman abilities. The ending falls flat as the plot devolves into comic-book territory. Fast-paced action scenes convey imminent danger vividly, but there’s little sense of a broader world here. Overreliance on metaphor to express Juliette’s jaw-dropping surprise wears thin: “My mouth is sitting on my kneecaps. My eyebrows are dangling from the ceiling.” For all of her independence and superpowers, Juliette never moves beyond her role as a pawn in someone else’s schemes.
Part cautionary tale, part juicy love story, this will appeal to action and adventure fans who aren't yet sick of the genre. (Science fiction. 12 & up)
Book One of Three: Unravel Me; Ignite Me
This attempt at a teen paranormal-thriller/romance novel is about as satisfying to fans of the genre as a cup of weak herbal tea would be to a thirsty vampire.
Who hasn’t wanted to change places with someone else…someone prettier, smarter, more popular? Tessa can. She’s a Variant, born with a special skill, trained by a special—and very secret—branch of the FBI. Her ability to absorb the DNA of anyone she touches allows her to take on the identity of popular, small-town Madison, the latest victim of a serial killer. Tessa takes her form, and the news of her “survival” is leaked to the press. Using a cover story of amnesia, Tessa assumes Madison’s life. This includes loving parents, an attractive brother, a close best friend, an ex-boyfriend and all the normal activities of high school—something Tessa’s never known and always wanted. It’s not long before Tessa feels more like Madison than herself. But the killer isn’t about to leave her alone, and it’s beginning to look as if this predator may be a Variant, too. There are many undeveloped plotlines that never resolve satisfactorily, and characterization is straight from central casting. Tessa’s first-person narration does little to distinguish itself from the many others of its ilk, beyond a refreshing return to the past tense.
Readers will probably recall the X-Men universe and wish these characters were as well-drawn.(Paranormal thriller. 12 & up)
6) "Impostor" by Susanne Winnacker
This attempt at a teen paranormal-thriller/romance novel is about as satisfying to fans of the genre as a cup of weak herbal tea would be to a thirsty vampire.
Who hasn’t wanted to change places with someone else…someone prettier, smarter, more popular? Tessa can. She’s a Variant, born with a special skill, trained by a special—and very secret—branch of the FBI. Her ability to absorb the DNA of anyone she touches allows her to take on the identity of popular, small-town Madison, the latest victim of a serial killer. Tessa takes her form, and the news of her “survival” is leaked to the press. Using a cover story of amnesia, Tessa assumes Madison’s life. This includes loving parents, an attractive brother, a close best friend, an ex-boyfriend and all the normal activities of high school—something Tessa’s never known and always wanted. It’s not long before Tessa feels more like Madison than herself. But the killer isn’t about to leave her alone, and it’s beginning to look as if this predator may be a Variant, too. There are many undeveloped plotlines that never resolve satisfactorily, and characterization is straight from central casting. Tessa’s first-person narration does little to distinguish itself from the many others of its ilk, beyond a refreshing return to the past tense.
Readers will probably recall the X-Men universe and wish these characters were as well-drawn.(Paranormal thriller. 12 & up)
Book One of Two: Defector
7) "Dark Star" by Bethany Frenette
A superhero’s daughter learns the truth about an ancient evil.
Audrey Whitticomb is the daughter of Morning Star, a superhero who watches over Minneapolis. While Audrey’s mother has heroic physical prowess, Audrey’s talents lie in what her grandmother called her Knowing, so she’s never contemplated fighting crime herself. But when high school girls start going missing and turning up dead, Audrey’s mother’s sudden overprotectiveness clues her into a larger picture. Morning Star doesn’t fight crime at all, but rather hateful entities from the Beneath, the place where the Old Race who gave super-powered humans like the Whitticombs—called Kin—their abilities, originated. Why the whole city knows her as a superhero when she doesn’t actually fight crime, but supernatural creatures that generally ignore normal humans is never addressed. A Kin connection to the murders and the secrecy of Morning Star and her teleporting, college-aged sidekick Leon force Audrey to investigate for herself, using her psychic abilities. Of course, this means danger and destiny. While the prose is generally prolix, a blink-and-miss-it climax follows some nifty plot twists. The main storyline is left unresolved for sequels.
Decidedly more urban fantasy than comic book, Frenette’s debut features a variety of characters and should please readers looking for paranormal without so much romance. (Urban fantasy. 12-16)
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