Shadow and Bone is a fantasy YA novel by Leigh Bardugo. The book centers around the main protagonist, Alina, as she discovers who she is and who she can trust. During her childhood, she lived in an orphanage with her best friend, Mal. As she’s tasked to cross the Fold with her group, she discovers something about herself that could potentially change the entire fate of the kingdom, for better or worse.
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah is an autobiography that sheds light on the systematic issues within South Africa. The book centers around Trevor’s childhood and the way he was raised. The story ranges from going to church, his relationship with his mom, and even finding a sweetheart for a dance. Additionally, Born a Crime brings attention to heavy issues such as apartheid and domestic abuse.
Everyone wants to be Daisy Jones. She has it all — talent, beauty, charisma. Meanwhile, Billy Dunne’s band, The Six, are so close to fame — they just need something extraordinary to push them across the threshold. That something extraordinary, a producer realizes, is Daisy Jones. Nobody knows what it is, but when they’re all together, they make magic. Their first album, Aurora, rocks the country, propelling them to the top of the music scene. But behind the curtain, nothing is as it seems.
Even If We Break is a book about a group of friends who are drifting apart that decide to go back to their old roots of roleplaying. But then weird things start to happen that leave some of them farther apart or closer together.
Crooked Kingdom is #2 of the Six of Crows duology. It’s about an impossible heist completed by six unlikely friends that become family. The goal of the heist is to become incredibly rich, but the goal gets side-tracked as their story progresses.
The Things They Carried is a work of fiction; however, it was based on actual events from the author, Tim O’Brien’s time in Vietnam. In a collection of short stories about soldiers in the Vietnam War, O’Brien tells a story that reveals Vietnam’s effects. The best thing about this novel is the author’s writing style; he writes like he’s sharing memories. There are time jumps and events that take place out of order to convey this unique type of storytelling.
The Darkest Star by Jennifer L. Armentrout is a fast-paced sci-fi novel with a lot of mystery. One night, Evie Dasher is trapped at a Luxen club during a government raid. There, she meets Luc, the arrogant teenage club owner. As Evie gets caught up in Luc’s world, her whole world turns upside down. This book was fantastic! I really liked Evie as a character; she felt relatable. The mystery of Evie’s past and its relation to the present was the best part of the story, but the tension between Luc and Evie was very entertaining.
Rules For Being a Girl is about a girl in high school named Marin who is a steady rule-follower with big dreams. Marin has a teacher named Mr. Beckett that admires her rule-following and creates an unprofessional relationship with her that leads to Marin being assaulted.
The Twin by Natasha Preston is about two separated twins who recently lost their mother and were reunited to stay with their dad. The main character the reader follows is Ivy. We see her attempt to continue her normal life while living with her twin and the death of their mother. While living with her twin, Ivy notices some weird behavior.
This book is the first in a fiction mystery series of four. It follows Stevi, a curious girl who loves solving mysteries, who gets accepted to one of the most prestigious schools, to solve the school’s mystery. This was a fast read for me and I would rate it a 4 out of 5. I had so much fun following Stevi through her trying to solve the mysteries, and I loved the relationship dynamics between her the other characters, specifically her best friend. There's also a fair bit of humor I enjoyed with some of the things a character would say or do.
