Moth & Whisper by Ted Anderson and Jen Hickman
Imagine a world where your identity is your most valuable commodity, where you're tracked everywhere you go and it's basically illegal to be unknown. That's the world of this book. Anderson and Hickman introduce us to this world and to Nikki, a teen on the run, searching for missing parents. Parents who are the world's greatest thieves. Nikki has taken over both their roles while searching for information about their whereabouts. It's a complex world but one that's well portrayed visually so we aren't weighed down with expositional dialogue. The text and illustrations work together well to tell a complete story. This is a great book, both to read and to simply admire visually.
The Lying Woods by Ashley Elston
Oddly enough, the whole "discovering that my rich dad is an embezzler" is an increasingly common theme in teen fiction these days. This is a fairly strong entry in the genre. We have elements of family secrets and worlds colliding; of the truth about a person's actions at odds with your emotional connection to them. And there are hints of The Count of Monte Cristo in the plot, so that's fun too. A truly solid read.
Beyonders Volume 1 by Paul Jenkins and Wesley St. Claire
If you have any interest in secret societies, history mysteries, or conspiracy theories, than this is the book for you. Building off of the Voynich manuscript and the Antikythera mechanism, Jenkins spins a complex world of early computer programming and predictions, of secret societies at war with one another.
Little White Lies by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Personally, I've never had much interest in debutantes. That high society stuff is a far cry from my own world experience. I can't deny that the ins and outs of this plot are compelling, though. Barnes has woven a complex plot of family secrets and the dark underbelly of polite society. We see a group of young ladies working a plot at multiple levels to reveal a series of dangerous secrets, all while presenting a front of refinement and class.
How We Became Wicked by Alexander Yates
Plague stories are usually a pretty exciting proposition. In this case, we have people transformed into a near childlike state of wonder and excitement but with a violent tendency. They are off hand about murder. They want to kill and are fairly open about that desire. No mindless zombies here. It makes their presence unsettling to be certain but not overly frightening. Yates does some interesting things with perspectives and timelines, revealing truths about the world in which his protagonists live in a metered way. Not especially pulse-pounding but an interesting read.
Hi friends! I find myself with a mostly free weekend, so I decided last minute to participate in the 24 in 48 Summer Readathon. This is a fun, low pressure readathon and a great way to check some titles off my TBR list. Check in with me over the next 24 (ish) hours and see how I'm faring.
I wasn't interested in Pokemon during it's original surge of popularity. Then, as it continued, I didn't really understand it. Recently, I gave in and watched the show and bought my first pack of cards. It's safe to say I'm completely hooked now, a level of interest that's started to be reflected in my craft projects. Like this little pompom Pikachu and pokeball I made over the weekend.
