Unhinged by A. G. Howard

Unhinged by A. G. Howard

Unhinged

by A. G. Howard

Alyssa Gardner has been down the rabbit hole and faced the bandersnatch. She saved the life of Jeb, the guy she loves, and escaped the machinations of the disturbingly seductive Morpheus and the vindictive Queen Red. Now all she has to do is graduate high school and make it through prom so she can attend the prestigious art school in London she’s always dreamed of.

That would be easier without her mother, freshly released from an asylum, acting overly protective and suspicious. And it would be much simpler if the mysterious Morpheus didn’t show up for school one day to tempt her with another dangerous quest in the dark, challenging Wonderland—where she (partly) belongs.

As prom and graduation creep closer, Alyssa juggles Morpheus’s unsettling presence in her real world with trying to tell Jeb the truth about a past he’s forgotten. Glimpses of Wonderland start to bleed through her art and into her world in very disturbing ways, and Morpheus warns that Queen Red won’t be far behind.

If Alyssa stays in the human realm, she could endanger Jeb, her parents, and everyone she loves. But if she steps through the rabbit hole again, she’ll face a deadly battle that could cost more than just her head.

book 2 in the Splintered series

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Bekka rated it ★★★ and said, “Thanks to Netgalley.com and ABRAMS for early access to this title. 3 1/2 stars—I had more trouble getting into this one than I did the last one. It really took me until halfway through the book before I started to really enjoy the story. I think the editing could have been better—there was far too much teen-agnsty type stuff in that first half that felt a little forced. I did enjoy the love triangle, and enjoyed seeing these great characters again. The last half was quite good, and the plot is getting really dramatic! I like the events with Alyssa’s mother and father as well. And, of course, the cover is gorgeous! I’m looking forward to the next one!”

Miranda rated it ★★★★★ and said, “Thanks to Netgalley.com and ABRAMS for early access to this title. This is an awesome continuation of the series. A perfect balance of family trust issues and a great use of love triangle relationships, all blended together with the strange magic that is Wonderland. And the cover is amazing! A must-read for fans of book one. Can’t wait for book three!”

The Young Elites by Marie Lu

The Young Elites by Marie Lu

The Young Elites

by Marie Lu

“I am tired of being used, hurt, and cast aside.”

Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina’s black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family’s good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever’s survivors are rumored to possess more than just scars—they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites.

Teren Santoro works for the king. As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Young Elites to be dangerous and vengeful, but it’s Teren who may possess the darkest secret of all.

Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society. This secret sect of Young Elites seeks out others like them before the Inquisition Axis can. But when the Daggers find Adelina, they discover someone with powers like they’ve never seen.

Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the lives of these three will collide in unexpected ways, as each fights a very different and personal battle. But of one thing they are all certain: Adelina has abilities that shouldn’t belong in this world. A vengeful blackness in her heart. And a desire to destroy all who dare to cross her.

“It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt.”

book 1 in the Young Elites series

#7 in YALSA’s Teens’ Top Ten 2015

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Miranda rated it ★★★★ and said, “Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for access to this title. I loved Marie Lu’s Legend series, and I was excited to see her move to something new. For the most part I enjoyed everything about this one. It was a great dystopian read, and I know there is still a big following for this. It was a little darker and harsher than most though as the MC struggles with her self-worth and value as a person. She has a lot of self-loathing and is dealing with it, along with dealing with her hatred for others and how they treat her. This would have been more of a solid 3 star rating for me, but the epilogue was a great addition and has me wanting the next book NOW.”

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

Heir of Fire

by Sarah J. Maas

She was the heir of ash and fire, and she would bow to no one. Celaena Sardothien has survived deadly contests and shattering heartbreak—but at an unspeakable cost. Now she must travel to a new land to confront her darkest truth…a truth about her heritage that could change her life—and her future—forever. Meanwhile, brutal and monstrous forces are gathering on the horizon, intent on enslaving her world. To defeat them, Celaena must find the strength to not only fight her inner demons but to battle the evil that is about to be unleashed. The king’s assassin takes on an even greater destiny and burns brighter than ever before in this follow-up to the New York Times bestselling Crown of Midnight.

book 3 of the Throne of Glass series

#5 in YALSA’s Teens’ Top Ten 2015

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Miranda rated it ★★★★ and said, “This book had a bit of a different feel to it than the others. I know there have been multiple story lines before, but this one felt like it could almost be 3 separate books as the story lines were so independent of each other. I especially enjoyed the story of Manon and the witches, and I could have read an entire book about her without having to go back to the other threads. Her parts were just too short for me. I found myself becoming just a little bored with Chaol and his story, although it picked up towards the end and brought it back together with the other piece.  A great continuation to the story, but there better be more as they still haven’t defeated the King and tied up all the loose ends. How many love interests can one girl have? And where are the witches coming into play here? I need to have that all wrapped up to be perfectly happy with this.”

Bekka rated it ★★★ and said, “3 1/2 stars—Again, I really enjoyed the plot and the characters, but this book was about twice as long as it needed to be! Each book is getting longer and longer, and more and more drawn out, and there needs to be some serious editing. This story could have been told in 300 pages at the most! Anyway, a great read if you’ve been reading the others, but gird up your loins for a long haul.

Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson

Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson

Since You've Been Gone

by Morgan Matson

It was Sloane who yanked Emily out of her shell and made life 100% interesting. But right before what should have been the most epic summer, Sloane just…disappears. All she leaves behind is a to-do list.

On it, thirteen Sloane-inspired tasks that Emily would normally never try. But what if they could bring her best friend back?

Apple picking at night? Okay, easy enough.

Dance until dawn? Sure. Why not?

Kiss a stranger? Um…

Emily now has this unexpected summer, and the help of Frank Porter (totally unexpected), to check things off Sloane’s list. Who knows what she’ll find?

Go skinny-dipping? Wait…what?

#9 in YALSA’s Teens’ Top Ten 2015

My Life with the Walter Boys by Ali Novak

My Life with the Walter Boys by Ali Novak

My Life with the Walter Boys

by Ali Novak

My Life with the Walter Boys centers on the prim, proper, and always perfect Jackie Howard. When her world is turned upside down by tragedy, Jackie must learn to cut loose and be part of a family again.

Jackie does not like surprises. Chaos is the enemy! The best way to get her successful, busy parents to notice her is to be perfect. The perfect look, the perfect grades-the perfect daughter. And then…

Surprise #1: Jackie’s family dies in a freak car accident.

Surprise #2: Jackie has to move cross-country to live with the Walters—her new guardians.

Surprise #3: The Walters have twelve sons. (Well, eleven, but Parker acts like a boy anyway)

Now Jackie must trade in her Type A personality and New York City apartment for a Colorado ranch and all the wild Walter boys who come with it. Jackie is surrounded by the enemy-loud, dirty, annoying boys who have no concept of personal space. Okay, several of the oldest guys are flat-out gorgeous. But still annoying. She’s not stuck-up or boring-no matter what they say. But proving it is another matter. How can she fit in and move on when she needs to keep her parents’ memory alive by living up to the promise of perfect?

#4 in YALSA’s Teens’ Top Ten 2015

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Rebekah rated it ★★★★★ and said, “This wasn’t the most impressive book I’ve ever read. At times, it felt downright mediocre. But there was just something about it, and 15 minutes after I finished I felt the overwhelming desire to immediately read it again.”

The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski

The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski

The Winner's Curse

by Marie Rutkoski

Winning what you want may cost you everything you love…

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions.

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin.

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

book 1 in the Winner’s Trilogy

Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott

Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott

Fire & Flood

by Victoria Scott

Time is slipping away…

Tella Holloway is losing it. Her brother is sick, and when a dozen doctors can’t determine what’s wrong, her parents decide to move to Montana for the fresh air. She’s lost her friends, her parents are driving her crazy, her brother is dying—and she’s helpless to change anything.

Until she receives mysterious instructions on how to become a Contender in the Brimstone Bleed. It’s an epic race across jungle, desert, ocean, and mountain that could win her the prize she desperately desires: the Cure for her brother’s illness. But all the Contenders are after the Cure for people they love, and there’s no guarantee that Tella (or any of them) will survive the race.

The jungle is terrifying, the clock is ticking, and Tella knows she can’t trust the allies she makes. And one big question emerges: Why have so many fallen sick in the first place?

book 1 in the Fire & Flood series

I Become Shadow by Joe Shine

I Become Shadow by Joe Shine

I Become Shadow

by Joe Shine

Ren Sharpe was abducted at fourteen and chosen by the mysterious F.A.T.E. Center to become a Shadow: the fearless and unstoppable guardian of a future leader. Everything she held dear—her family, her home, her former life—is gone forever.

Ren survives four years of training, torture, and misery, in large part thanks to Junie, a fellow F.A.T.E. abductee who started out as lost and confused as she did. She wouldn’t admit it was possible to find love in a prison beyond imagining, but what she feels for Junie may just be the closest thing to it.

At eighteen they part ways when Ren receives her assignment: find and protect college science student Gareth Young, or die trying. Life following a college nerd is uneventful, until an attack on Gareth forces Ren to track down the only person she can trust. When she and Junie discover that the F.A.T.E. itself might be behind the attacks, even certain knowledge of the future may not be enough to save their kidnappers from the killing machines they created.

#2 in YALSA’s Teens’ Top Ten 2015

Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith

Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith

Grasshopper Jungle

by Andrew Smith

Sixteen-year-old Austin Szerba interweaves the story of his Polish legacy with the story of how he and his best friend , Robby, brought about the end of humanity and the rise of an army of unstoppable, six-foot tall praying mantises in small-town Iowa.

To make matters worse, Austin’s hormones are totally oblivious; they don’t care that the world is in utter chaos: Austin is in love with his girlfriend, Shann, but remains confused about his sexual orientation. He’s stewing in a self-professed constant state of maximum horniness, directed at both Robby and Shann. Ultimately, it’s up to Austin to save the world and propagate the species in this sci-fright journey of survival, sex, and the complex realities of the human condition.

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