These Violent Delights is the first novel in Chloe Gong's historical fiction series of the same name. Set in 1926 Shanghai, a blood feud between two rival gangs tears the city apart until they lose control. When a contagious sickness runs rampant through Shanghai and turns the population mad, the teenage heirs of the two gangs must work together to save their city. Gong's retelling of Romeo and Juliet is unique and well-done.
Our Violent Ends, by Chloe Gong, is the sequel to These Violent Delights and a continuation of the retelling of Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare. After Juliet’s supposed betrayal, Roma is on a spree of vengeance while Juliet tries to maintain her role as heir within the Scarlet Gang. But as both Gangs face blackmails that threaten to release more monsters, a collaboration of the heirs is proposed and the two back where they started.
Before We Disappear is about Jack and Wilhelm, two magician’s assistants who meet in unfortunate circumstances. One magician is full of stolen tricks and the other is of full of tricks using stolen magic. They want away from the lives they live but they feel indebted to their respective magicians. Stuck between choices and rapidly running out of time the two work together to navigate this sticky situation.
Five Feet Apart, by Rachael Lippincott, is a Romance Fiction book. Stella is a sixteen-year-old girl who has CF. She is stuck in the hospital when her friends are on their trip. At the hospital she meets Will, who is completely different. Will has B.Cepacia. He does not care about his medications. Is meeting Will bad for Stella?
When You and I Collide is a crossover story of historical fiction and hints of science fiction, which I thought was something that set this book apart from other World War Two Books. Winnie, the main character, is a high school girl who has strange abilities to see the alternate reality of situations every day. Her father, Dr. Schulde, is researching these “splinters” in reality for his government job, which endangers the lives of Winnie and his assistant, Scott. What Dr.
American Royals is teen romance set in a reimagined America - one where there is a monarchy descended from Washington instead of a democracy. The story switches between several girls: Beatrice, the serious and restrained future ruler and first-ever queen; Samantha, the wild party-girl princess; Nina, Samantha’s best friend who’s fallen for her twin brother; and Daphne, a conniving social climber who wants to be a princess as well - and who sees Samantha’s twin, Jeff, as her best route.
Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, by Becky Albertalli, is a realistic fiction novel. The book is about Simon Spier, a sophomore in high school, who is gay but not out. He hasn't told anyone except Blue, his secret pen pal. Neither Simon nor Blue know each other's real identities and correspond through emails. However, Simon forgets to log out of his email account on a school computer and his secret is threatened.
Heartstopper (Volume 1), by Alice Oseman, is a young adult, LGBTQ+ graphic novel. It is the story of two boys, Nick and Charlie, who meet at school and become friends. Soon, Charlie starts to fall for Nick despite thinking that he would never get what he wants. However, Nick is questioning things about himself that he had previously been sure about.
The Ruby Circle is the sixth and final book in Richelle Mead’s Bloodlines series. After Sydney and Adrian’s romance is revealed, they are trapped in the moroi Royal Court as they endure wrath from the Alchemists and the moroi. One of Sydney’s old enemies has kidnapped Jill; Sydney, Eddie, and Jackie Terwilliger must get her back. While Sydney’s looking for Jill, Adrian discovers a secret about spirit that could change everything.
The Fiery Heart is the fourth novel in the Bloodlines series by Richelle Mead. This novel was good, but it wasn’t anything special. Sydney struggles to balance her life between her Moroi friends, her magic, and her sister. As Sydney dives deeper into the world of magic, she must be cautious with the threat of Alchemist reeducation on the horizon. I didn’t love Sydney or Zoe; I found them too harsh and quick to jump to conclusions.
