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.
Anatomy: A Love Story, by Dana Schwartz, was really enjoyable! I will say the big “reveals” were easy to piece together early in the book, which diminished a lot of the suspense for me. Still, getting there was fun.
Although Jennifer Mathieu’s Moxie is a little over-stuffed with feminist issues, the book’s mission is accomplished with a good dose of humor and heart.
I loved Jennifer Donnelly’s Poisoned for many of the same reasons I enjoyed her book Stepsister – it’s a heartfelt, feminist retelling of a classic fairytale, with a strong female lead and enjoyable, fleshed-out side characters.
Fact: I had a terrible time getting through A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik. Reading it felt like being dropped into the middle of a conversation that’s in a language I don’t know. Disorienting is the only word I can think of to describe the feel and pace of this book. And yet…there are some great thematic pay-offs: coming-of-age, embrace-your-power, find-your-friends kind of stuff. And the last line? Perfection!
BOOK:30 