Harper-Teen

REVIEW:  Mind Games by Kiersten White

REVIEW: Mind Games by Kiersten White

Dear Ms. White, Despite hearing good things about your Paranormalcy trilogy, I haven’t had the chance to pick them up yet. My paranormal weariness usually results in my passing over books in favor of something fresh and new (to me). But when I heard that you were writing a thriller about sisters, I was intrigued.(…)

REVIEW:  Prophecy by Ellen Oh

REVIEW: Prophecy by Ellen Oh

Dear Ellen Oh: I’m on an endless quest to find traditional fantasies featuring worldbuilding not based on Western culture. This desire is not without its pitfalls, of course. Sometimes it’s led me horribly awry. But I keep trying because I’m hopeful (and stubborn). My first exposure to your writing was through the Diverse Energies anthology.(…)

REVIEW:  The Dead Girls Detective Agency by Suzy Cox

REVIEW: The Dead Girls Detective Agency by Suzy Cox

Dear Ms. Cox, The title of your novel caught my eye right away. It’s catchy and I admit the idea of an afterlife detective agency was interesting. The reality, however, was a bit more cute than I think I was expecting. Charlotte is just your average NYC private high school student. She was just minding(…)

REVIEW:  What’s Left of Me by Kat Zhang

REVIEW: What’s Left of Me by Kat Zhang

Dear Ms. Zhang, When I first saw the premise for your debut YA novel, I was intrigued. Everyone is born with two souls but one gains dominance until finally, the other vanishes in childhood? Interesting yet twisted – my kind of thing. It was enough to make me look past the dystopian setting that’s become(…)

REVIEW:  Defiance by C.J. Redwine

REVIEW: Defiance by C.J. Redwine

Dear Ms. Redwine, There’s been an influx of female-led traditional fantasy in the YA genre. If you had told me last year that this was going to become a thing, I would have been ecstatic. I’ve been getting bored with the urban fantasy and paranormal subgenres, and traditional fantasy is my weak spot. But let’s(…)

REVIEW:  Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard

REVIEW: Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard

Dear Ms. Dennard, It seems like steampunk books are all the rage these days. I admit I’ve yet to find a steampunk YA that I can really get behind but I keep hoping. And if there’s one thing that steampunk novels can’t seem to do without, it’s zombies. I’m pretty ambivalent when it comes to(…)

REVIEW: Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Dear Ms. Marr: This story probably has one of the best opening scenes I’ve read. Keenan, the Summer King, has wooed countless of girls throughout the centuries, hoping that each is the one who will return Summer to the faeries. The Winter Queen, Keenan’s mother, has been slowly overtaking fairyland and the cold power of(…)