Defy the Nightby Brigid Kemmerer is a YA fantasy novel that has a lot of political intrigue with a side of romance. Tessa is a young woman who is appalled by the sickness spreading throughout her kingdom and works with her friend Wes to help distribute a healing elixir. Wes, however, has a secret identity that would make it so Tessa would never want to see him again.
To Kill a Mockingbirdby Harper Lee is one of the most predominant classics of our time, centering on topics such as racism and prejudice, among other heavy topics. Atticus Finch, a white lawyer, is defending the falsely accused black Tom Robinson, in the 1930s. It is also important to note that this story is taking place in Alabama, where racism and prejudice is especially prominent. Segregation was still a very big issue, and tensions ran high between different members of the community.
King of Sloth is a forced-proximity romance that follows Xavier Castillo, a billionaire-heir, and Sloane Kensington, his publicist. Xavier and Sloane have a relationship of constant bantering and picking fun at one another. Sloane is very annoyed by Xavier all the time. However, the two also find themselves drawn to one another, even though Sloane’s whole thing is being cold-hearted and not being vulnerable because she is scared of getting hurt.
A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer is a modern fantasy retelling of Beauty and the Beast. It follows Harper, who lives in Washington D.C., and how she gets sucked into the fantastical world of Emberfall, where Prince Rhen resides. Prince Rhen turns into a beast every night, and unconsciously and unwillingly hurts his own people. If he can get a girl to fall in love with him, then the curse will be broken.
King of Greed by Ana Huang is a second-chance romance that follows Alessandra Davenport and her husband whom she divorces early on in the novel, Dominic Davenport. Dominic is a powerful businessman and has all the money and materialistic items in the world. However, in his quest for more, Alessandra ends up feeling unprioritized and even unloved. When she finally deals him the papers and leaves to find herself again, Dominic realizes just how much he messed up.
A Court of Mist and Fury is the second installment in the ACOTAR series by Sarah J Maas. It is one of the best books I have ever read and is my favorite in the entire series. The adventures the characters experience are so intriguing and forces you to keep turning the page. The plot twists are exciting, and you don’t even see them coming. The dialogue is also well written and fun.
Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is an extremely well written novel in the genre of realistic fiction that follows the life of a girl named Kambili and the struggles she has with her family. This novel is the epitome of a “coming of age” story that masterfully shapes the adolescent struggles for identity and social acceptance but in a setting that pushes these themes to the nth degree.
Just Mercy by Brian Stevenson is a novel that perfectly encapsulates the jarring stories resulting from the failures of the criminal justice system. The memoir centers around the story of Walter McMillian–a wrongly convicted black man who was placed on death row–and the negative effect the racism that permeated the justice system at that time had in Walter’s case.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is, without a doubt, one of the greatest novels ever written and certainly one of the cornerstones of the American literary repertoire. The book is written in the first person limited from the point of view of a Nick Carraway who is a friend of a friend to Mr. Gatsby at the novel's opening. The story follows Nick through his exploits in the East coast near and in New York as Gatsby’s desires begin to take center stage in Nick’s, and many of Nick’s friends’, lives.
Jane Eyrewritten by Charlotte Brontë is a classic masterpiece that pushes the bounds of realistic fiction. In it, the reader is invited inside of Miss Eyre’s mind as they are shown the struggles of a neglected child who, despite being undervalued her entire life, rises from her station to the doorstep of a Mr. Rochester where she is put face to face with the possibility of a real home for the first time. The trials that come with Jane Eyre’s youth and her journey to Mr.
