The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

 

By: V.E. Schwab

Location: FIC SCH

Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, Historical Fiction

“Books, she has found, are a way to live a thousand lives--or to find strength in a very long one.”

France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever-and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.

Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.

But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore, and he remembers her name

"Addie is immortal and has been since the early 1700s, thanks to a deal with the devil, so to speak. But she has also been rendered entirely impossible to remember. So she lives her life—throughout 18th-century France, 19th-century Venice and London and New York City today—remembered by no one and yearning for company. Until, of course, she finds it. Come for the beautiful world-building, stay for the assertion that certain geniuses of past centuries made their own deals with the devil." Taylor

The Prison Healer

 By: Lynette Noni

Location: FIC NON

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Magic

From bestselling Australian author Lynette Noni comes a dark, thrilling YA fantasy perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Sabaa Tahir.

Here at Zalindov, the only person you can trust is yourself.

Seventeen-year-old Kiva Meridan has spent the last ten years fighting for survival in the notorious death prison, Zalindov, working as the prison healer.

When the Rebel Queen is captured, Kiva is charged with keeping the terminally ill woman alive long enough for her to undergo the Trial by Ordeal: a series of elemental challenges against the torments of air, fire, water and earth, assigned to only the most dangerous of criminals.

Then a coded message from Kiva’s family arrives, containing a single order: Don’t let her die. We are coming. Aware that the Trials will kill the sickly queen, Kiva risks her own life to volunteer in her place. If she succeeds, both she and the queen will be granted their freedom.

But no one has ever survived.

With an incurable plague sweeping Zalindov, a mysterious new inmate fighting for Kiva's heart, and a prison rebellion brewing, Kiva can't escape the terrible feeling that her trials have only just begun. 

"I loved the world building and elemental magic in this book along with the friendships between our main character and side characters. This book is so cleverly crafted and the further I got the more intricate the plot got making me need to keep reading and reading.

This is an amazing book for all fantasy lovers and the plot twists in this book made me audibly gasp in shock and the ending... I need the second book IMMEDIATELY. Perfect for fans of Sarah J Maas, Leigh Bardugo and Kester Grant." -Jodie

Riot Baby

 By: Tochi Onyebuchi

Location: FIC ONY

Genre: Fantasy. Sci Fi, Fiction

Stirring, poignant & powerful!

All we can do is the work. I recognize it’s not enough to preach free love. We have to combat free hate as well. 

"Riot Baby bursts at the seams of story with so much fire, passion and power that in the end it turns what we call a narrative into something different altogether."—Marlon James

Rooted in foundational loss and the hope that can live in anger, Riot Baby is both a global dystopian narrative an intimate family story with quietly devastating things to say about love, fury, and the black American experience.

Ella and Kev are brother and sister, both gifted with extraordinary power. Their childhoods are defined and destroyed by structural racism and brutality. Their futures might alter the world. When Kev is incarcerated for the crime of being a young black man in America, Ella—through visits both mundane and supernatural—tries to show him the way to a revolution that could burn it all down.

Review by Jenna- Goodreads

Riot Baby, though short, is powerful. It is a book that punches you in the gut with each of its 174 pages. 

It is the story of siblings Ella and Kev and how structural racism defines their lives, beginning in childhood. Kev is the Riot Baby, born during the LA riots of 1992, Ella the sister with mysterious powers. Their childhood is fraught with danger, and violence is an everyday affair. Somehow they survive into adulthood, when Kev is unjustly arrested and incarcerated, as so many young black men are in America.

The story fluctuates between Kev's experiences and Ella's. Ella too is incarcerated, trapped in the justifiable anger that consumes her. All her life she's had visions, and through them witnesses countless acts of police brutality against Black people. She also witnesses their oppression countless times in her everyday life.

My only problem with this book is that at times it moved around too much and many times it wasn't immediately clear if the scenario was actually happening or was a vision. Reality would become jumbled. Were we in the past, present, or future?

In passionate and at times poetic prose, Riot Baby reminds us of the many injustices and atrocities Black people face every day in America, a country that is steeped in structural and cultural racism. It is not a book to read if you want to cover your eyes, comfort yourself, and insist we live in post-racial times. 

The book ultimately leaves us with a glimmer of hope that things can get better and eventually will. It points out however, that change cannot happen if people remain silent. Riot Baby, though fiction, is a call to action on the part of everyone who cares.

This Poison Heart

 By: Kalynn Byaron

Location: FIC BAY

Genre: Fantasy, Retell of Greek Mythology, LGBGT

Briseis has a gift: she can grow plants from tiny seeds to rich blooms with a single touch.

When Briseis's aunt dies and wills her a dilapidated estate in rural New York, Bri and her parents decide to leave Brooklyn behind for the summer. Hopefully there, surrounded by plants and flowers, Bri will finally learn to control her gift. But their new home is sinister in ways they could never have imagined--it comes with a specific set of instructions, an old-school apothecary, and a walled garden filled with the deadliest botanicals in the world that can only be entered by those who share Bri's unique family lineage.

When strangers begin to arrive on their doorstep, asking for tinctures and elixirs, Bri learns she has a surprising talent for creating them. One of the visitors is Marie, a mysterious young woman who Bri befriends, only to find that Marie is keeping dark secrets about the history of the estate and its surrounding community. There is more to Bri's sudden inheritance than she could have imagined, and she is determined to uncover it . . . until a nefarious group comes after her in search of a rare and dangerous immortality elixir. Up against a centuries-old curse and the deadliest plant on earth, Bri must harness her gift to protect herself and her family.

From the bestselling author of Cinderella Is Dead comes another inspiring and deeply compelling story about a young woman with the power to conquer the dark forces descending around her.

Sky without Stars

 By: Jessica Bordy and Joanne Rendell

Loction: FIC BRO

Genre: Sci Fi- a Re-telling of  Le Mis!!!

"A s a huge, huge Les Misérables fan, this book was such a relief compared to the other retellings I've read. Sky Without Stars takes the plot of Les Mis and hurls it into space."

A thief. An officer. A guardian.
Three strangers, one shared destiny.

When the Last Days came, the planet of Laterre promised hope. A new life for a wealthy French family and their descendants. But five hundred years later, it’s now a place where an extravagant elite class reigns supreme; where the clouds hide the stars and the poor starve in the streets; where a rebel group, long thought dead, is resurfacing.

Whispers of revolution have begun—a revolution that hinges on three unlikely heroes…

Chatine is a street-savvy thief who will do anything to escape the brutal Regime, including spy on Marcellus, the grandson of the most powerful man on the planet.

Marcellus is an officer—and the son of an infamous traitor. In training to take command of the military, Marcellus begins to doubt the government he’s vowed to serve when his father dies and leaves behind a cryptic message that only one person can read: a girl named Alouette.

Alouette is living in an underground refuge, where she guards and protects the last surviving library on the planet. But a shocking murder will bring Alouette to the surface for the first time in twelve years… and plunge Laterre into chaos.

All three have a role to play in a dangerous game of revolution—and together they will shape the future of a planet.

REVIEW BY ANDY:

What a fascinating retelling of Les Miserables!

Sky Without Stars revolves around three different teenagers on the planet of Laterre. The nobility are lavishing in their excess, while the poor are starving for work and from hunger. But revolution is coming and the resistance will not be stopped this time.

Chatine is a thief who dresses as a small and scrawny boy called Tao. She'll do anything it takes to escape from Laterre, even if that means spying on an officer of the law. Marcellus is an officer and the son of a traitor. He is part of the nobility and his grandfather is an esteemed general, feared by many. Alouette has been raised in the secret depths of the library. It's the last library in existence and only she and the Sisters know how to read/write the lost word.

It took me way too long to realize this was a Les Mis retelling, but once I did I was blown away! This is definitely a saga like the original. It was slow moving but sweeping in its beauty. I listened to this while hiking and it made for such an imaginative escape. I was sucked in by the world of Laterre and the intricate political movings. It took me a while to connect with the characters, and I don't know who I'd pick as a favorite. I loved how they all became interconnected and I can't wait to see what will happen with them.

It was really hard for me to root for Chatine at times. While I knew she was only looking out for her own interest, seeing her so willing to sell out the resistance made me grit my teeth at times. I was so here for Marcellus's journey to self-realization. The boy is a bit pig headed, but I loved seeing him realize the lengths his grandfather would go to for power. Alouette was a strange character at first. Her naivete from being kept in the library was annoying, but I loved her curiosity and spark for life.

This wasn't as sci-fi as I was used to. I was expecting tons of space journeys and super advanced technology. That's not really the case for Laterre. While set on another planet, the vast majority of the citizens don't seem to have much technology and they pray for the chance that the lottery will select them to ascend to the nobility. By the end, I really enjoyed the differences and came to love this futuristic French Revolution.

Instructions for Dancing

 By: Nicola Yoon

Location: FIC YOO

Genre: Romance, Fantasy Dance

“Happiness is tricky. Sometimes you have to fight for it. Sometimes, though—the best times—it sneaks up behind you, wraps an arm around your waist and pulls you close.” 

Evie is disillusioned about love ever since her dad left her mum for another woman - she's even throwing out her beloved romance novel collection.

When she's given a copy of a book called Instructions for Dancing, and follows a note inside to a dilapidated dance studio, she discovers she has a strange and unwelcome gift. When a couple kisses in front of her, she can see their whole relationship play out - from the moment they first catch each other's eye to the last bitter moments of their break-up.

For Evie, it confirms everything she thinks she knows about love - that it doesn't last.

But at the dance studio she meets X - tall, dreadlocked, fascinating - and they start to learn to dance, together. Can X help break the spell that Evie is under? Can he change Evie's mind about love?

"Ohhhh my poor, broken heart! It hurts like hell! Don’t get fooled by this beautiful, vivid, inspirational cover promises you sweet, soft, entertaining YA romcom!
It’s heart wrenching, extremely emotional, magical, though provoking story shakes you to the core!
True love, epic dance moves, kindred hearts, quirky best friends, a girl’s magical ability to see the kissing couple’s heartbreaks !" Nulifer- Goodreads

Brasswitch and BOT

 By: Gareth Ward

Location: FIC WAR

Genre: Steampunk

Drawn into a world of prejudice, deceit and danger, Wrench must master her powers, knowing they offer her only hope for survival . . . if they don’t destroy the world first.

Screams surge along York’s narrow Victorian streets as a run-away crackle-tram races toward disaster. Fearing an accident like the one that killed her parents, Brasswitch Wrench is forced to reveal her powers – a decision that will change her life forever. Recruited to the sinister department of Regulators who hunt down others like her, Wrench teams up with their maverick mechanical leader, Bot as they are tasked with halting the rise of the aberration threat. Until today, being called Brasswitch would have got you killed. Now, it might save your life.

"We loved this fast placed super fun steam punk ride. My kids couldn't get enough of brasswitch, Bot, Olivia and Plum. Wow so many twists and turns that we did not see coming!! Loved watching brasswitches journey of self discover with her magic and brasswitch skills!! Can't wait for the journey to continue!" Madeline

SAS RED NOTICE

 By: Andy McNab

Location: FICMCN

Genre: SAS- Thriller

Deep beneath the English Channel, a small army of vicious terrorists has seized control of the Eurostar to Paris, taken 400 hostages at gunpoint - and declared war on a government that has more than its own fair share of secrets to keep.

One man stands in their way. An off-duty SAS soldier is hiding somewhere inside the train. Alone and injured, he's the only chance the passengers and crew have of getting out alive. Meet Andy McNab's explosive new creation, Sergeant Tom Buckingham, as he unleashes a whirlwind of intrigue and retribution in his attempt to stop the terrorists and save everyone on board - including Delphine, the beautiful woman he loves.

Hurtling us at breakneck speed between the Regiment's crack assault teams, Whitehall's corridors of power and the heart of the Eurotunnel action, RED NOTICE is McNab at his devastatingly authentic, pulse pounding best.

Andy McNab joined the infantry in 1976 as a boy soldier. In 1984 he was badged as a member of 22 SAS Regiment. He served in B Squadron 22 SAS for ten years and worked on both covert and overt special operations worldwide, including anti-terrorist and anti-drug operations in the Middle and Far East, South and Central America and Northern Ireland.

Trained as a specialist in counter terrorism, prime target elimination, demolitions, weapons and tactics, covert surveillance and information gathering in hostile environments, and VIP protection, McNab worked on cooperative operations with police forces, prison services, anti-drug forces and western backed guerrilla movements as well as on conventional special operations. In Northern Ireland he spent two years working as an undercover operator with 14th Intelligence Group, going on to become an instructor.

McNab also worked as an instructor on the SAS selection and training team and instructed foreign special forces in counter terrorism, hostage rescue and survival training.

Hail Mary

 By: Andy Weir

Loction: FIC WEI

Genre: Sci Fi

A lone astronaut must save the earth from disaster in this incredible new science-based thriller from the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Martian.

A lone astronaut.
An impossible mission.
An ally he never imagined.

Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission - and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish.

Except that right now, he doesn't know that. He can't even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.

All he knows is that he's been asleep for a very, very long time. And he's just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.

His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it's up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery-and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.

And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he's got to do it all alone.

Or does he?

An irresistible interstellar adventure as only Andy Weir could imagine it, Project Hail Mary is a tale of discovery, speculation, and survival to rival The Martian -- while taking us to places it never dreamed of going.

"Thoroughly imaginative, scientifically sound, and emotionally stirring, Project Hail Mary slayed me and is destined to become one of my all-time favorite books!

Ryland Grace wakes up in a spaceship light years from Earth. The problem is he doesn't remember who he is or what he's supposed to do. But whatever it is, it must be important, or he wouldn't have been sent on this mission with two other astronauts. Unfortunately, neither of them survived the journey, so he is all alone. And he is Earth's last hope for survival.

One thing that completely amazed me was how believable and plausible the science is in here. There's nothing worse than reading a science fiction book and realizing that the science part is all sham. Not here, folks. Not only is the premise intriguing and ingenious, but the whole thing actually makes sense. And it's easy to grasp and digest, divided into small bits that any layman can understand.

For me, science fiction falls into two categories: the Twilight Zone kind where kooky things are going on and explanations are a bit handwavy; or things are happening based on real science and there are actual explanations for everything. And this book falls solidly in the second, which is my favorite kind.

Science aside, this story is so much more. It is about hope and finding connections in the most unexpected of places. It's overcoming fear and adversity. It's digging deep within yourself, rising to the challenge, and becoming all that you are capable of.

I'm not sure how Andy Weir came up with the idea for this book, though I can't help but wonder at its sheer audacity. It was compelling from the first page, and it just got better and better. It was utterly unputdownable.

When I'm reading a book, I'm always looking for that special rare experience where the book touches me and I walk away irrevocably changed. This book made me laugh, think, hope, and marvel. It doesn't get any better than this.- Yun- Goodreads

The Blacktongue Thief

 By: Christopher Buehlman

Location: FIC BUE

Genre: Fantasy 

"BEST FANTASY MY HUBBY HAS READ IN YEARS"

Kinch Na Shannack owes the Takers Guild a small fortune for his education as a thief, which includes (but is not limited to) lock-picking, knife-fighting, wall-scaling, fall-breaking, lie-weaving, trap-making, plus a few small magics. His debt has driven him to lie in wait by the old forest road, planning to rob the next traveler that crosses his path.

But today, Kinch Na Shannack has picked the wrong mark.

Galva is a knight, a survivor of the brutal goblin wars, and handmaiden of the goddess of death. She is searching for her queen, missing since a distant northern city fell to giants.

Unsuccessful in his robbery and lucky to escape with his life, Kinch now finds his fate entangled with Galva's. Common enemies and uncommon dangers force thief and knight on an epic journey where goblins hunger for human flesh, krakens hunt in dark waters, and honor is a luxury few can afford.

Hood

 By: Jenny Elder Moke

Location: FIC MOK

Genre: Retellings, Fantasy, Historical Fiction

You have the blood of kings and rebels within you, love. Let it rise to meet the call.
Isabelle of Kirklees has only ever known a quiet life inside the sheltered walls of the convent, where she lives with her mother, Marien. But after she is arrested by royal soldiers for defending innocent villagers, Isabelle becomes the target of the Wolf, the ruthless right hand of the corrupt King John. To keep her daughter safe, Marien helps Isabelle escape and sends her on a mission to find the only person who can save them now: the infamous outlaw Robin Hood. Who also happens to be Isabelle's father.

Isabelle races to stay out of the Wolf’s clutches and find the father she’s never known, thrusting her into a world of thieves and mercenaries, roguish young outlaws, new enemies with old grudges, and a king who wants her entire family dead. As she fights for her rightful place among the Merry Men in a desperate bid to stop the Wolf's merciless plans, can Isabelle find the strength to defy the crown and save the lives of everyone she holds dear?


In Hood, author Jenny Elder Moke reimagines the world of Robin Hood in lush, historical detail and imbues her story with more breathless action than has ever come out of Sherwood Forest before.

"HOOD is a retelling, and Elder Moke’s version is so tantalizing, I foresee a devout fandom in its future, complete with fanfiction. When an author envisions a world so rich with detail and lyrical descriptions, with a voice that’s funny and wise all at once, it’s impossible not to imagine the tales happening alongside our main narrative. Even as I read it, I immediately needed to know the origin story of Robin and Marien (so, get on that, please, author!).

With phenomenal world building, a strong and sensitive protagonist, a charming and hot romance, HOOD is a book you will treasure, just as a skilled archer does with her beloved bow."

We Are Not From Here

 By: Janny Torres Sanchez

Location: FIC SAN

Genre: Young Adult, Social Justice

I feel like I've been saying this for a lot of books, BUT 2020 is really coming through this year with the books. I was completely and totally heartbroken by this book, but I can't emphasize how important it is

A ripped-from-the-headlines novel of desperation, escape, and survival across the U.S.-Mexico border.

Pulga, Chico, and Pequeña have no false illusions about the town they've grown up in and the dangers that surround them. Though their families--both biological and found--create a warm community for them, threats lurk around every corner. And when those threats become all too real, the three teens know they have no choice but to run: for the border, for the hope of freedom, and for their very lives.

Crossing from Guatemala through Mexico with their eyes on the U.S. border, they follow the route of La Bestia, a system of trains that promise the hope of freedom--if they are lucky enough to survive the harrowing journey. With nothing but the bags on their backs and the desperation that courses through their very veins, Pulga, Chico, and Pequeña know that there's no turning back, dangerous though the road ahead might be.

In this story inspired by real--and current--events, the plight at our southern border is brought to life

"There is also a discussion of how these children are treated once they make it into US borders. The recklessness and disgusting behavior that we see in our daily headlines about immigrant children being kept in horrendous situations like cages isn't glossed over in this book. To have made such a perilous journey to escape the abuses of your own country to then be abused by another country broke my spirit. I hope that in reading this book more people become aware of the dire situations that are being faced by immigrant children and how it's imperative that we develop a more humane method of helping those that are seeking asylum. I think for a lot of people in the United States it's easy to ignore issues that aren't directly affecting you; however, I couldn't imagine my child or any child going through what these characters went through and yet I know it happens. This is probably one of the saddest books that I have read in my lifetime and I hope that more people pick it up and share a willingness to learn more about the experiences of others. "

 By Bookishrealm on Goodreads.

None Shall Sleep

 By: Ellie Marney 

Location: FIC MAR

Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Horror

"Emma feels the fear in her chest like a raven tapping at a window. It's too late for misgivings, though. The door is open. A large male orderly stands sentry, securing her passage to the place beyond sanity, and Emma steps inside...”

"This is basically a YA Silence of the Lambs and I ADORE IT."

Interviewing convicted juvenile killers for the FBI leads Emma Lewis and Travis Bell on the hunt for a serial murderer who targets teenagers. A riveting YA thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seat from start to finish.

It's 1982, and the innovative FBI Behavioral Science section is breaking new ground. Emma Lewis and Travis Bell, two teenagers with valuable skills, are recruited to interview convicted juvenile killers for information on cold cases.

When they're drawn into an active case targeting teenagers, everything starts to unravel. Over Travis's objections, Emma becomes the conduit between the FBI and an incarcerated serial killer, nineteen-year-old Simon Gutmunsson, who is a super-intelligent sociopath. And although Simon seems to be giving them the information they need to save lives, he's also an expert manipulator playing a very long game ...

Can Emma and Travis stop a serial killer on the loose - or will they fall victim themselves? 

The Night Watchman

 By; Louise Erdrich

Location: FIC ERD

Genre: Historical Fiction, America

“Lastly, if you should ever doubt that a series of dry words in a government document can shatter spirits and demolish lives, let this book erase that doubt. Conversely, if you should be of the conviction that we are powerless to change those dry words, let this book give you heart.” 

Based on the extraordinary life of National Book Award-winning author Louise Erdrich’s  grandfather who worked as a night watchman and carried the fight against Native dispossession from rural North Dakota all the way to Washington, D.C., this powerful novel explores themes of love and death with lightness and gravity and unfolds with the elegant prose, sly humor, and depth of feeling of a master craftsman.

Thomas Wazhushk is the night watchman at the jewel bearing plant, the first factory located near the Turtle Mountain Reservation in rural North Dakota. He is also a Chippewa Council member who is trying to understand the consequences of a new “emancipation” bill on its way to the floor of the United States Congress. It is 1953 and he and the other council members know the bill isn’t about freedom; Congress is fed up with Indians. The bill is a “termination” that threatens the rights of Native Americans to their land and their very identity. How can the government abandon treaties made in good faith with Native Americans “for as long as the grasses shall grow, and the rivers run”?

Since graduating high school, Pixie Paranteau has insisted that everyone call her Patrice. Unlike most of the girls on the reservation, Patrice, the class valedictorian, has no desire to wear herself down with a husband and kids. She makes jewel bearings at the plant, a job that barely pays her enough to support her mother and brother. Patrice’s shameful alcoholic father returns home sporadically to terrorize his wife and children and bully her for money. But Patrice needs every penny to follow her beloved older sister, Vera, who moved to the big city of Minneapolis. Vera may have disappeared; she hasn’t been in touch in months, and is rumored to have had a baby. Determined to find Vera and her child, Patrice makes a fateful trip to Minnesota that introduces her to unexpected forms of exploitation and violence, and endangers her life.

Thomas and Patrice live in this impoverished reservation community along with young Chippewa boxer Wood Mountain and his mother Juggie Blue, her niece and Patrice’s best friend Valentine, and Stack Barnes, the white high school math teacher and boxing coach who is hopelessly in love with Patrice.

In the Night Watchman, Louise Erdrich creates a fictional world populated with memorable characters who are forced to grapple with the worst and best impulses of human nature. Illuminating the loves and lives, the desires and ambitions of these characters with compassion, wit, and intelligence, The Night Watchman is a majestic work of fiction from this revered cultural treasure.