April 30, 2015

REVIEW: The Secrets We Keep by Trisha Leaver

JiaC ReviewsContemporary / family relationships / grief / Macmillan / twins / Young-AdultComments Off on REVIEW: The Secrets We Keep by Trisha Leaver

Dear Ms. Leaver, I just can’t seem to get enough of stories about twin sisters. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s a bulletproof kink, but if someone says their book is about twins, I’m probably going to give it a try. Your novel, The Secrets We Keep, ... more >

April 28, 2015

REVIEW: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

JiaB- ReviewsFantasy / Penguin Random House / Young-Adult2 Comments

Dear Ms. Tahir, It’s been a while since I’ve seen a book with this much buzz and advanced publicity. There have been lots of comparisons already. Hunger Games and Game of Thrones pop up a lot. I do find comparisons useful — I sometimes use them in my own reviews ... more >

March 24, 2015

REVIEW: The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma

JiaC ReviewsAlgonquin / female friendship / ghosts / Magical Realism / murder / Young-AdultComments Off on REVIEW: The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma

Dear Ms. Suma, Your debut novel, Imaginary Girls, served as my first exposure to your work. It featured secrets and sisters, both things I love. The Walls Around Us follows a similar vein. It’s a story of friends and the awful truth that binds them. Vee and Ori have been ... more >

March 10, 2015

REVIEW: Death Marked by Leah Cypess

JiaB- Reviewsassassins / Fantasy / Harper-Teen / mages / Young-Adult4 Comments

Dear Ms. Cypess, Last year, I read your novel, Death Sworn, which took some well-known fantasy tropes — assassins, mages, secret alliances, and a protagonist on a suicide mission — and put an interesting, young adult spin on them. The ending left me wanting more, particularly since it set up ... more >

March 6, 2015

REVIEW: My Best Everything by Sarah Tomp

JayneB- Reviewsalcoholism / class-difference / college/university / criminal / Young-AdultComments Off on REVIEW: My Best Everything by Sarah Tomp

An Appalachian summer walks the line between toxic and intoxicating in this debut novel about first loves, broken hearts, and moonshine. Luisa “Lulu” Mendez has just finished her final year of high school in a small Virginia town, determined to move on and leave her job at the local junkyard ... more >

February 26, 2015

REVIEW: The Third Twin by CJ Omololu

JiaC+ Reviewsadoption / California / Delacorte Press / first person present tense / sisters / thriller / twins / Young-Adult1 Comments

Dear Ms. Omololu, Let me know if this sounds familiar. We have a pair of twins. They switch places and occasionally assume each other’s identity. Eventually, they’re found out. Your novel, The Third Twin, takes this to an extreme I didn’t know existed. Lexi and Ava don’t assume each other’s ... more >