Amanda Foody and C. L. Herman’s All of Us Villains manages to be dark and bloody, but also tender and hopeful. It feels a bit like Hunger Games, but instead of fighting against mechanisms of a corrupt government, these kids are fighting against twisted family ties and traditions (and each other). Here, you also get magic, spells, and relics, which is always a little more fun than a gritty dystopia.
We Are the Brennans, by Tracey Lange, is a modern Irish-American family drama that is at times tender and other times fierce as it examines how secrets, shame, loss, and loyalty affect those we love the most.
Shiner, by Amy Jo Burns, is written in a lovely, lyrical style that reads like magical realism at many points. But gritty topics circling gender roles, poverty, loyalty, and faith root this book – set on an isolated Appalachian mountain – in the very real world.
Defy the Night, by Brigid Kemmerer, was earnest and achy in all the right ways for me, especially since it didn’t devolve into melodrama; Kemmerer kept the balance just right. There are lies and complexities, but the reader is trusted to understand how and why they happen.
Fredrick Backman’s Anxious People is every bit as good as people say it is. Though I confess, it took me three different readings to get past page 30, and I can understand how this might not be everyone’s cup of tea.
BOOK:30 