The New David Espinoza by Fred Aceves

 

David Espinoza is tired of getting pushed around and bullied. Despite the fact that he has a tight group of friends and a smart, beautiful girlfriend, he is tormented by boys in school who delight in harassing him, verbally and physically.  When a video of him getting slapped goes viral, David has had enough. He vows to reinvent himself physically over summer vacation.  While he initially intends to change his physique with food and weight lifting, he's sucked into the seemingly miraculous allure of anabolic steroids.  

As David's summer unfolds, his focus narrows to one thing: his muscular gain.  It seems that there is no cost too high: he spends all the money he makes, he alienates his friends and, uncharacteristically, he begins to treat his girlfriend terribly.

Aceves shows how insidiously destructive steroids can be in this powerful exploration of male body dysmorphia.  David's story is painful to read - he does a phenomenal job of imploding his own life, but the book ends on a relatively hopeful, yet realistic, note. The author's end note adds depth to the story. This is another exceptional North Star Book Award nomination.

Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lin

The publisher's blurb for this book advertises it as "perfect for fans of Shadow and Bone," so I went into it expecting a dark, Bardugo-esque fantasy. Initially I was disappointed because that is not at all what Six Crimson Cranes is.  Once I reframed the story in my mind, though, I came to eagerly anticipate the twists and turns of this fairy tale fantasy.  It actually reminded me a bit of Grace Lin's beautiful Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and Starry River of the Sky, albeit darker and for a more mature audience.

Shiori, the princess of Kiata, has Forbidden magic which she manages to keep hidden until the morning of her dreaded betrothal. Her magic reveal leads to tragic consequences, as her (evil?) stepmother banishes her and turns her brothers into cranes, promising to kill one brother for every word that Shiori speaks. 

Shiori sets off to reverse the curse and save not just her brothers, but her kingdom as well.  Along the way she befriends a dragon, turns a paper crane into her best friend and discovers that all is not as it seems. 

Readers who appreciate fairy tales, magic, curses and magic cranes will love this one.

Luck of the Titanic by Stacey Lee

 

The story of the Titanic is one that we all know, but Stacey Lee gives us a new perspective on that fated voyage with Luck of the Titanic.

Valora Luck dreams of escaping London and becoming a circus performer with her brother in New York City. Although she has a ticket for the Titanic, she's turned away at the gate because she's Chinese and the US has recently passed the Chinese Exclusion Act. Thus begins her ruse - she drapes herself in a mourning veil and sneaks aboard as a widowed English aristocrat. Once onboard, she must deftly navigate her two identities - her real one, as a Chinese-British acrobat desperate to convince her brother to join her once they get to New York- and her fake identity as an imperious upperclass London socialite.  The deep striations in society are highlighted by the differences between the third class and first class experiences on the ship; Valora is charismatic and is able to move between the two worlds with relative ease, but she knows that she (and her new Chinese friends) are constantly on the brink of being found out.

And then, of course, tragedy strikes. We all know how the story ends, but I was surprised by how this story ended. Historical fiction fans will enjoy this one. 

What I Carry by Jennifer Longo

 First: the cover. This is a gorgeous cover! I'm long past the whole "don't judge a book by its cover" concept - a beautiful cover draws me in and makes me want to read the words beneath it. Sometimes it's disappointing, but in the case of What I Carry, the cover does the story justice.

Muir has been in foster care for most of her life and she's gotten old enough so that she's about to age out. She's got just one more year and one more placement, with Francine (who has been a foster parent for years and is also in her last year as such) on an island off the west coast of Washington. Muir has spent her entire life avoiding connection and attachment and she's sooooo close to aging out relatively unscathed.  But, of course, the last placement presents her with challenges; she tentatively trusts Francine, she makes a real friend, she falls in love with a dog. All that should be good news, but it's terrifying for Muir.

What I appreciated about this book is that Muir has clearly lived through some Stuff, but her experience in the foster care system hasn't crushed her and she is so wonderfully honest (with herself and others) and terrified as she carefully sets down some tiny roots. 

This one has all the feels and is perfect for when you want an emotionally cathartic read.

Be Not Far From Me by Mindy McGinnis

Mindy McGinnis doesn't pull any punches and I love it. This is a brutal survival story - kind of a grown up Hatchet - and McGinnis explores both the harsh physical realities and the psychological torment of being lost in the woods. 

Ashley is more at home in the forest than anywhere else, but during a night of camping and partying in the Rockies, she witnesses her boyfriend with another girl. In a fury, she busts out, running into the dark night. A fall in a ravine stops her and puts her life at risk.  From there, she takes a deep dive into a dark internal place, while at the same time trying to physically endure the harsh realities of being severely injured in the middle of nowhere.

There's gore, there's dark humor, there's true introspection. Ashley is a badass (and I mean that in the complete sense of the word - she's extremely capable, but also willing to acknowledge her own terror). Be Not Far From Me is a page turner in the running for the North Star YA Award this year... I think it's a serious contender!

 

They Went Left by Monica Hesse

 

I have read many, many, many books set during World War II. It's rare, though, to find one set just after the war ended; They Went Left captures the chaos and complete disintegration of society that was left in the wake of World War II. 

For three years, Zofia managed to survive in the Gross-Rosen concentration camp.  She knows that her parents are dead, so when the camp is liberated in 1945, her only thought is of reuniting with her younger brother, Abek. With the help of a Russian soldier, she makes her way back to the only house she and her family ever knew. In a jarring scene, she finds that everything is the same, but completely different. Her brother, though, is not there, so she sets off on foot to find him.

Zofia is something of an unreliable narrator, but Hesse's descriptive writing gently reveals the truth of the heartbreaking realities that Zofia and other displaced persons experienced.  Although this is a painful read, it is not without hope. They Went Left provides today's readers with a look at a unique time in history and for me, it was interesting to experience Zofia's uncertainty and fear as a reader in the midst of a pandemic. Historical fiction readers will find much to appreciate in this North Star YA Award nominee. 

These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

 
I was intrigued by the idea of this retelling/re-imagining of Romeo and Juliet but I was unprepared for the dark and vibrant world-building, the rich cultural immersion and the intense gore of These Violent Delights.  

Set in 1926 Shanghai amidst the violent blood feud between the Scarlet Gang and the White Flowers, the story centers on the two young leaders of those gangs: Juliette Cai and Roma Montagov.  The parallels to Shakespeare are directly drawn, but also altered and twisted to fit the glamour and violence of a Shanghai under the siege and sway of a horrific monster and an army of (terrifying) insects that burrow into human skin and cause people to tear out their own throats.  The images in my mind associated with said insects are truly nightmarish.  

Gong has created a fascinating, disturbing, beautiful story that certainly harkens back to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, but also is, in Gong's words "my mission as an English major to take a classic that we so dearly love and revamp it: in a new culture, with queer rep, and as a brutal takedown of colonialism—without losing its core themes about love, and hate, and loyalty." 

I highly recommend this complex and dark tale for readers who want to fully immerse themselves into another world, complete with passion, horror, mystery and romance.  These Violent Delights is available via Sora. 

You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson

It would be easy to write off You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson as romantic fluff (and there's nothing wrong with romantic fluff), but there's more than initially meets the eye to this new book by debut author Johnson.  

Liz Lighty lives with her grandparents and brother and is one of the few Black students at her rural Indiana high school.  She has friends and a solid social life, but she lost her mom to sickle cell disease and her family is struggling financially.  She's a talented musician and dreams of going to college on a music scholarship, but when that plan falls through her friends convince her to run for prom queen because the winner receives a hefty scholarship.  Black, queer, and not at all interested in what the popular kids think of her, Liz is an unlikely prom queen candidate.  

Funny, but pointed in its critique of the status quo, You Should See Me in a Crown is a great choice when you're looking for a breezy read with a little bite.  You can access it via Sora and CloudLibrary.

Happy reading!

Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez

 

Camila Hassan is used to living in the shadow of her fútbol star brother, Pablo.  But she has a big secret: she too is a fútbol star, known as La Furia on the field. 

Set in Rosario, Argentina, this is the story of Camila's careful navigation of her dreams and desires, and the expectations that are so heavily placed on her. In her patriarchal society and family, respectable young women are not athletes.  When her fútbol team qualifies for an important South American tournament, though, Camila's secret becomes much harder to keep.  Facing pressure from her boyfriend (another fútbol star, who has left the barrio to play soccer professionally in Italy), her teammates (who depend upon her on the field) and her family, Camila is forced to make choices that will impact not just her, but her community as a whole. 

I loved the mix of on the field adrenaline with the character-driven story of one young woman meeting and defying narrow expectations.  It's also a great romance!

This book is available via Sora and CloudLibrary.  Happy reading!