Rainbow Brite by Jeremy Whitley
I never watched Rainbow Brite when it was on tv (a bit before my time). I've never seen in in reruns or on streaming or anything like that. So I have no idea if this is an accurate representation of the plot of the original series. I do know that I like what I read. There's a fair amount of magic, to be certain. But there's a hint of science too, a brief explanation of the different wavelengths of light. This is a quirky book but tells a reasonably coherent story.
Estranged by Ethan M Aldridge
Changelings may be my favorite of the mythological beings and are, in my opinion, woefully under-represented in fiction. A good changeling story explores duality - the changeling and the human he replaced. And that's exactly what this graphic novel does. It examines the life of a magical being above ground and his human counterpart below, how each envies the other and brings a unique perspective into their interactions. Aldridge has created an involved world with a wide variety of creatures, each having a specific role to play in the social strata of the World Below. The illustration style is reminiscent of Ben Hatke's work and worth examining all on it's own.
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.
