Me on Suitors and Sabotage

Title: Suitors and Sabotage
Author: Cindy Anstey
Release Date: April 17, 2018
Publisher: Swoon Reads (Macmillan imprint)

Shy aspiring artist Imogene Chively has just had a successful Season in London, complete with a suitor of her father's approval. Imogene is ambivalent about the young gentleman until he comes to visit her at the Chively estate with his younger brother in tow. When her interest is piqued, however, it is for the wrong brother. Charming Ben Steeple has a secret: despite being an architectural apprentice, he has no drawing aptitude. When Imogene offers to teach him, Ben is soon smitten by the young lady he considers his brother's intended. But hiding their true feelings becomes the least of their problems when, after a series of "accidents," it becomes apparent that someone means Ben harm. And as their affection for each other grows—despite their efforts to remain just friends—so does the danger...

Suitors and Sabotage is a gentle tale of mystery and intrigue, of friendship and romance, of side-long glances and pondered-over thoughts and wondering and wondering without asking important questions in order to keep feelings from being hurt.

Imogene is bright and creative, well-skilled and well-versed in art. So much so, she's hoping to one day start an art school. But unfortunately for Imogene, her father has other plans for her. Like a possible engagement to a rather suitable young man. A young man Imogene isn't necessarily interested in. Ben is quick and charming, knowledgeable and interested enough in architecture to be an apprentice to a good architect. But skilled at the art of drawing? Not so much. Luckily enough, he's accompanied his older brother Ernest on a visit to a particular young woman's house, a young woman that Ernest is rather interested in on a personal level. Ben as well, after getting to know her, after discovering she can teach him to draw. But is that all there is between them? Interesting conversation and drawing lessons?

It's a rather sweet, easy-going book, much like the author's previous books. The charm of the English countryside and Regency-era manners and manor houses. The mistakes and misunderstandings that occur when thoughts are thought over and over again but rarely spoken aloud. Random mishaps that bring people together. Definitely a must-read for fans of the author and those looking for more sweet historical romance YA.

(I received an advance copy of this title to review from Raincoast Books.)

Me on That Inevitable Victorian Thing

Title: That Inevitable Victorian Thing
Author: E.K. Johnston
Release Date: October 3, 2017
Publisher: Dutton (Penguin imprint)

Victoria-Margaret is the crown princess of the empire, a direct descendant of Victoria I, the queen who changed the course of history two centuries earlier. The imperial practice of genetically arranged matchmaking will soon guide Margaret into a politically advantageous marriage like her mother before her, but before she does her duty, she'll have one summer incognito in a far corner of empire. In Toronto, she meets Helena Marcus, daughter of one of the empire's greatest placement geneticists, and August Callaghan, the heir apparent to a powerful shipping firm currently besieged by American pirates. In a summer of high-society debutante balls, politically charged tea parties, and romantic country dances, Margaret, Helena, and August discover they share an unusual bond and maybe a one in a million chance to have what they want and to change the world in the process —just like the first Queen Victoria.

That Inevitable Victorian Thing is charming and intelligent, hopeful and kind, and oh so witty. It's an adjustment of the past and a look towards the future for three young people full of worry and expectations.

Victoria-Margaret is a crown princess. One day she will be queen of the empire. But until then, she's Margaret, a young British woman spending the summer in Canada before heading back home. Home where expectations, like finding a future spouse, await. She's kind, intelligent, and wondering if there's anything that could be hers in the future. Helena is quiet and thoughtful, a young woman who doesn't expect anything too grand in her life. She's happy enough to live quietly with her parents, and one day with her husband, who might very well be family friend August Callaghan. But is she sure? Is that really what she wants? Especially when she discovers something rather important and life-changing about herself. August is sure of his future, he knows he will spend it with the family's shipping firm. Even though their ships are being cornered by pirates. Even though he might've screwed up here and there trying to fix it all. Even though he's stubborn as a mule. He'll still have Helena by his side. Right?

Like most E.K. Johnston books, the world-building is exquisite and extensive. I so adore the premise of this book, where it started in history and took a turn. This is like if the wrongs of history were known and were righted sooner than they have been. If racial diversity had been embraced by Queen Victoria in terms of who her children and grandchildren should marry, and by extension the rest of the British Empire, instead of continuing the tradition of marrying into white European royal houses. But like all E.K. Johnston books, the characters are just as wonderful. Full of sense and practicality and curiosity. These three young people have their whole lives ahead of them, but who knows, when all is said and done, what the future will bring. Or what they will turn the future into.

As I read this book, I wondered if I'd ever be able to articulate my thoughts and feelings on it. In the end, all I have is how I felt while and after reading. This bizarre, charming creature made up of Victorian Era tones and moods, wonderfully funny Canadian references, the religion of genetics, and honest compassion. The heartfelt, hopeful attempt at making history better than it is. The wide range of diversity it holds, from race to sexuality to ability. This book is impossible to describe. It's full of wondrous charm and sense, of practicality and honesty. It doesn't talk down to the reader, no matter their age. I would definitely recommend this to readers looking for hope and sense in the world, to those looking for something completely different.

(I received an advance copy of this title to review from Penguin Canada.)

Blog Tour: The Winnowing

Hi all! It's time for a blog tour post! Vikki VanSickle is a Toronto resident, a children's and middle grade book author, a publicist with Penguin Random House Canada, and a lover of children's lit. To celebrate the recent release of hew new book The Winnowing, a curious coming of age mixed with intrigue and strange dreams, Vikki's here to talk about combining genres and how hard it can be to summarize a book like hers. :)

THE TROUBLE WITH GENRE

Despite having a number of books under my belt and spent years working in the children's book industry, when it comes to my own books I always struggle with the elevator pitch. The stakes seem impossibly high—you have one minute (or 144 characters) to hook someone on this book you've spent all this time and energy on—GO!

Me on The Valiant

Title: The Valiant
Author: Lesley Livingston
Release Date: February 14, 2016
Publisher: HarperCollins Canada

The youngest daughter of a proud Celtic king, Fallon has always lived in the shadow of her older sister Sorcha's legendary reputation as a warrior. But when Fallon was a young child, the armies of Julius Caesar invaded the island of Britain and her beloved older sister was killed in battle. On the eve of her seventeenth birthday, Fallon is excited to follow in her sister's footsteps and earn her rightful place in her father's royal war band. But she never gets the chance. Instead, Fallon is captured by a band of ruthless brigands who sell her to an exclusive training school for female gladiators—and its most influential patron is none other than Julius Caesar himself. In a cruel twist of fate, Fallon's worst enemy, the man who destroyed her family, might be her only hope of survival. Now, Fallon must overcome vicious rivalries, chilling threats and the dangerous attention of Caesar himself to survive the deadly fights that take place both in and out of the arena—and claim her place in history among the Valiant.

The Valiant is dangerous, brutal and complicated. It's about the price of freedom and the holders of power, about survival and kinship. About rivalries and revenge.

Fallon is skilled, determined, furious. Furious at her father for his actions. Furious at the ones who kidnapped her, forced her into slavery. Furious at the Romans she must now serve and entertain as a gladiatrix in a fighting ring. What follows for Fallon is a hard journey, repeated fights and battles for survival and pride. For honour. Because what is honour in this place? In the country of her enemy, in the service of her greatest enemy. If she wants to survive, potentially escape she'll have to watch, learn, train. Bide her time. Wait for the right moment to strike. Even when her nature would make her refuse to bow her head.

There are two things I know I will get from a book by Lesley Livingston: detailed world-building, be they historical or fantastical, and strong female characters. The smell of the dust in the air, the drip of sweat down the back of a neck, the roar of the crowd as they cheer in the area. And the young girls and women, the ways they come together and the ways they fight. In the open with sword and spear, in the shadows with coin and persuasion. I would definitely recommend this to fans of Lesley's previous books and to those looking for more books about young women fighting for what they believe in and refusing to give up.

(I received an advance copy of this title to review from HarperCollins Canada.)

Me on The Swan Riders

Title: The Swan Riders
Author: Erin Bow
Release Date: September 20, 2016
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry (Simon & Schuster imprint)

Greta Stuart has become AI. New transmitters have silvered her fingerprints. New receptors have transformed her vision. And the whole of her memory has become one book in a vast library of instant knowledge. Greta is ready to rule the world. But the new technology is also killing her. Greta is only sixteen years old, but her new enhancements are burning through her mortal body at an alarming rate. Of course the leader of the AIs, an ancient and compelling artificial intelligence named Talis, has a plan. Greta can simply do what he's done when the time comes, and take over the body of one of the Swan Riders, the utterly loyal humans who serve the AIs as part army, part cult. First though, Greta will have to find a way to stay sane inside her new self. Talis's plan for that involves a road trip. Escorted by Swan Riders, Greta and Talis set out on a horseback journey across the strange and not-quite-deserted landscape of Saskatchewan. But there are other people interested in Greta, people who want to change the world... and the Swan Riders might not be as loyal as they appear.

The Swan Riders is tense, full of gambles and plots and plans. It's a look at what it is to be human, what makes us human, and the lengths we will go to in order to keep our humanity. In order to keep those around us human and sympathetic.

Greta, now an AI with a failing human body, is struggling with a number of problems. One is the decaying of her body. The memories that overwhelm her, that remind her what she left behind. The torture. The quiet moments with Xie. It can hold her AI consciousness for a time, but not forever, and one day she'll have to pick a new body if she wants to continue to move around. Another is Talis, for a number of reasons. And one is the Swan Riders, the army of young people who've volunteered to be the bodies for the AIs. As a former princess, a girl turned captive in order to keep the peace, she knows the Swan Riders as murderers. As angels coming down to Earth in order to carry out justice, to kill the royal children of the parents that dare go to war.

Talis. Oh, Talis. You never expect an AI to be so layered. But circumstances have changed. Talis has changed. Meeting Greta. Being in Rachel's body. The journey to the Red Mountains. His relationship with Greta has changed, from omnipotent intelligence vs stoic princess into something more of a friendship, a companionship. Greta has changed Talis, just as he changed her.

Knowing there would be a follow-up to the punch in the gut that was The Scorpion Rules, I wasn't sure what I expected to find here. More Greta, more of the struggle between her human emotions and her new AI brain, yes. More Talis being amoral and calculating, of course. But I don't know that I expected this. This exploration of what it is to be human. This look at devotion and faith, at the lengths we go to in order to send our message, our hopes, to those we look up to as gods. This book definitely expands on the world of the AIs and their Swan Riders, expands on purpose and end goals. This wasn't the book I expected, I'd hoped for a moment between Greta and Xie but it never happened, but I do think this was a good follow-up. I never knew what was going to happen, who was going to act first, or how Greta was going to fight back in order to keep those she cares about safe. When you read this, be prepared for another punch to the gut.

(I borrowed a copy of this book from the library.)

Me on A Little Taste of Poison

Title: A Little Taste of Poison
Author: R.J. Anderson
Release Date: September 27, 2016
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (Simon & Schuster imprint)

The city of Tarreton is powered by magic, from simple tablets that light lamps to advanced Sagery that can murder a man from afar. Isaveth has a talent for spell-making, but as a girl from a poor neighborhood she never dreamed she could study at the most exclusive magical school in the city. So when she's offered a chance to attend, she eagerly accepts. The school is wonderful, but old and new enemies confront Isaveth at every turn, and she begins to suspect her scholarship might be more a trap than a gift. Even her secret meetings with Esmond, her best friend and partner in crime-solving, prove risky—especially once he hatches a plan to sneak her into the biggest society event of the season. It's their last chance to catch the corrupt politician who once framed her father for murder. How can Isaveth refuse?

A Little Taste of Poison is utterly magical and mysterious, captivating and charming. It's a story of intrigue, of family and faith, of struggle. A story of righting wrongs and helping friends. Of revealing the truth, no matter how dangerous it is.

Isaveth is a wonderful heroine. Ingenious and compassionate. Loyal and trusting. Curious and inquisitive. Her and her family have struggled for years and she's learned to be cautious when it comes to gifts. Especially when it comes to the upper class of Tarreton. But this scholarship, this chance to learn more about magic, to learn about Sagery along with what she already knows about Common Magic? It's hard for her to resist. It also means she can continue her investigating with Esmond, the one-eyed boy formerly known as Quiz. Isaveth can't not ask questions, she can't let things go by when it comes to people in charge abusing their power, treating families like Isaveth's, poor families, Moshite families, like they're less than them. But when those in charge are willing to do anything to get their way? It's hard for Isaveth to keep pushing.

And Esmond! We get more glimpses of his family life, the life he was running from when he first met Isaveth in the first book. It's not a happy life. It's privileged, it's fancy, but it's cold and unforgiving. It's a strict set of rules that Esmond doesn't necessarily agree with. It's a father who would rather drink and a brother with dangerous plans and powerful accomplices. He has to be careful if he wants to reveal the truth of his brother to the city, because Eryx isn't stupid when it comes to hiding his tracks.

In the first book, we only saw so much of Tarreton, of the city that Isaveth and Esmond race through before time runs out. Now we see more, like Tarreton College and its students, some of whom aren't completely stuck up and pretentious. We see more of Esmond's house and the figures that inhabit it. But the familiar things are still there, like Isaveth's house on Cabbage Street, like her father and her sisters. Like the supportive Moshite community.

As with the first book, this covers all manner of important and current ideas and topics. The class divide. Wealth and poverty. Privilege. Religion. Politics. It's so layered, from family disagreements to classroom bullies to political intrigue, all in a story about a young girl learning magic and solving mysteries with her best friend. I found this book and its heroine to be charming and honest, insightful and powerful. A must-read.

(I received an advance copy of this title to review from Simon & Schuster Canada.)

Me on Girl Mans Up

Title: Girl Mans Up
Author: M-E Girard
Release Date: September 6, 2016
Publisher: HarperTeen (HarperCollins imprint)

All Pen wants is to be the kind of girl she's always been. So why does everyone have a problem with it? They think the way she looks and acts means she's trying to be a boy—that she should quit trying to be something she's not. If she dresses like a girl, and does what her folks want, it will show respect. If she takes orders and does what her friend Colby wants, it will show her loyalty. But respect and loyalty, Pen discovers, are empty words. Old-world parents, disintegrating friendships, and strong feelings for other girls drive Pen to see the truth—that in order to be who she truly wants to be, she'll have to man up.

Girl Mans Up is an eye-opening look at gender, sexuality, relationships, and family. Those moments when we're trying to figure ourselves out, struggling to find all the answers, and trying to understand when people want impossible things from us.

Pen is smart and kind, she's great at video games, but she's struggling to come to terms with a number of things. With the things Colby asks of her, how he uses her to pick of girls and also to keep them away after he breaks up with them. With the things her mother demands of her, like learning how to cook Portuguese dishes and wearing nice dresses instead of jeans and baggy shirts like her brother wears. She sort of knows who she is, who she wants to be. She likes girls, wants to date girls, and she wants the freedom to dress comfortably. As she does this, as she starts to be the Pen she's always wanted to be, she bumps up against the walls of expectation.

The idea of family and loyalty runs strong in this book. The different things, the different people, we give our time to, that we believe in and give our trust to. But what about when giving that time and respect hurts you? What about when you find that it's not worth it anymore? When you're being crushed under the weight of loyalty and respect, physically and mentally? Pen is grasping for solutions, wanting everyone to stop yelling, her mother to stop crying, her friends to stop teasing. She she wants the chance to be who she is. A girl who likes girls, who wants to date girls. A girl who wants to wear jeans and baggy clothes and have short hair. As time goes on, Pen finds it harder to respect those who demand it from her. And why should she, when they don't respect her in return?

This book was a little hard to take, but still necessary. Sometimes friendships are toxic but they're hard to escape. Sometimes familial relationships cause us pain and stress but we can't leave. Sometimes people try to change us, try to force us into being someone we don't want to be, but we're still not sure who we want to be. This story is a harsh one, a rough and honest one. A look at identity and accepting that being honest with ourselves, with who we want to be, isn't always the same as what others want from us. Which is perfectly fine. We don't exist to serve the whims of others, to bow down to their demands and hide our true selves. Our identities are our own, and no one can tell us who we should be.

(I received an advance copy of this title to review from HarperCollins Canada.)

Me on Waiting on Wednesday (291)

Waiting on Wednesday is a bunch of weekly fun hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. :)

Title: Spindle
Author: E.K. Johnston
Release Date: December 6, 2016
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

From Goodreads:

The world is made safe by a woman...but it is a very big world.

It has been generations since the Storyteller Queen drove the demon out of her husband and saved her country from fire and blood. Her family has prospered beyond the borders of their village, and two new kingdoms have sprouted on either side of the mountains where the demons are kept prisoner by bright iron, and by the creatures the Storyteller Queen made to keep them contained.

But the prison is crumbling. Through years of careful manipulation, a demon has regained her power. She has made one kingdom strong and brought the other to its knees, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. When a princess is born, the demon is ready with the final blow: a curse that will cost the princess her very soul, or force her to destroy her own people to save her life.

The threads of magic are tightly spun, binding princess and exiled spinners into a desperate plot to break the curse before the demon can become a queen of men. But the web of power is dangerously tangled--and they may not see the true pattern until it is unspooled.

Because of course. Because always Kate's books. Kate's books always keep me finding new things to think about, new pieces of characters and places and myself that I think about for days until I find another new piece of something else.

Me on With Malice

Title: With Malice
Author: Eileen Cook
Release Date: June 7, 2016
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers

Eighteen-year-old Jill Charron wakes up in a hospital room, leg in a cast, stitches in her face and a big blank canvas where the last 6 weeks should be. She comes to discover she was involved in a fatal accident while on a school trip in Italy three days previous but was jetted home by her affluent father in order to receive quality care. Care that includes a lawyer. And a press team. Because maybe the accident... wasn't an accident. Wondering not just what happened but what she did, Jill tries to piece together the events of the past six weeks before she loses her thin hold on her once-perfect life.

With Malice is tense, a book of hidden memories, of stories and rumour. Of assuming the worst and hoping for the best. Of never being sure what's true and what isn't.

Jill wakes up lost, confused, in pain. She's wondering why she's in the hospital, where her memories of the last six weeks have gone,where her best friend is. If she's the reason why Simone is dead. Jill is floundering is a sea of doctors, headaches, amnesia, and a number of people who think they know better. People like Jill's dad, like Jill's lawyer, like the hundreds of faceless Internet trolls who think Jillhad something to do with Simone's death. All Jill wants are answers and for someone to tell her what happened, what's going on, but they can't. No one really knows what happened.

There are many sides to a story, to an event, shown by the snippits of police interviews and revealed text messages. It's hard to know if Jill and Simone were still close friends, if they were fighting, if they were friendly, if they were cold and aloof. If Jill was excited about university in the fall, if she wanted to run away. If Simone was excited for Jill, if she was jealous, if Jill was the jealous one. Everyone saw something different. Only two people know the truth. One of them is dead and the other can't remember what happened.

I think this book says a fair amount about how we judge people when we don't know all the facts, about how we assume the worst and them proceed to smear them with even more dirt and mud. How we assume the worst when the accused is a woman, how the media is quick to pain women as treacherous and plotting while men are expected to screw up every now and then. Because of the change in how most get their news and the rise of social media, more and more people are tried in the court of public opinion. In the court of the Internet, where anyone can give an opinion on something they no nothing about. It also reminded me of the Amanda Knox trial (which I do suggest you look up if you don't know much about it/haven't heard of it). I think thriller fans and mystery fans will love this.

(I received an advance copy of this title to review from Raincoast Books.)

Me on Exit, Pursued by a Bear

Title: Exit, Pursued by a Bear
Author: E.K. Johnston
Release Date: March 15, 2016
Publisher: Dutton Children's Books (Penguin imprint)

Hermione Winters is captain of her cheerleading team, and in tiny Palermo Heights, this doesn't mean what you think it means. At PHHS, the cheerleaders don't cheer for the sports teams; they are the sports team—the pride and joy of a tiny town. The team's summer training camp is Hermione's last and marks the beginning of the end of… she's not sure what. She does know this season could make her a legend. But during a camp party, someone slips something in her drink. And it all goes black. In every class, there's a star cheerleader and pariah pregnant girl. They're never supposed to be the same person. Hermione struggles to regain the control she's always had and faces a wrenching decision about how to move on. The assault wasn't the beginning of Hermione Winter's story and she's not going to let it be the end. She won't be anyone's cautionary tale.

Exit, Pursued by a Bear is a book that shows the strength of girls after they are raped, the ways they fight back and live their lives after the assault, and the way one girl refuses to be a cautionary tale for those who will follow her.

Hermione is smart, personable, and kind. The kind of supportive girl you want in your corner, the kind of girl who you want to be in their corner. She's strong, focused, and looks at certain things with questions in her eyes. She wonders what her light year of high school will be like, where she'll be after graduating. She wonders why her boyfriend acts the way he does, a little presumptuous and a little more jealous. She wonders about cheerleading, how far the team will go in terms of competition over the school year. Then she's assaulted, drugged and raped and left cast aside. But she refuses to let the assault define her.

Hermione has to fight to regain her agency, from those in her life, from those she doesn't know. Which feels strange to her. Yes, she was raped. She doesn't deny it. But that doesn't mean she's suddenly a different person, that she's no longer who she was. She refuses to be treated any differently, to be seen as a warning, a story to tell others. Before the rape, she was Hermione Winters. After the rape, she remains Hermione Winters. No one will take that from her.

There's a support structure here not often seen in stories about rape and assault, not to this extent. There are so many here that support her choices, her decisions, her requests that she not be treated as a cautionary tale. Her best friend Polly. Her parents. The girls and boys on the cheerleading team. The police officer who handles her case. The therapist that drives two hours to meet with her once a week. The cheerleading coach. Not every rape and assault victim will have this kind of support, the kind of access to police, health care, and abortion services that Hermione does. This is one story about one girl. No two stories will be exactly the same.

As optimistic as this story is, it's still an honest story about what happens to a teenage girl before and after she is raped. In 2015, All the Rage by Courtney Summers highlighted the anger that some girls are filled with after they are raped, the shields they put up around them. The fear that fills them. The harm that victim blaming does. Both books push back at rape culture, at victim blaming. But both books tell different stories. Romy and Hermione are not the same girl. Their experiences pre- and post-rape are rather different, which is good. There is no one way to be raped, to be a victim of rape, to react after being raped, and to live your life in the days, weeks, months that follow. Once again, E.K. Johnston gives readers a heroine who refuses to be anyone but herself.

(I received an advance copy of this title to review from Penguin Random House Canada.)

Me on Under the Dusty Moon

Title: Under the Dusty Moon
Author: Suzanne Sutherland
Release Date: January 23, 2016
Publisher: Dundurn Press

Victoria Mahler is the sixteen-year-old only daughter of rocker Micky Wayne, whose band, Dusty Moon, took the world by storm when Micky was just a teenager. The band broke up under mysterious circumstances, but, after years spent off the road being a mom, Micky's solo career is finally starting to take off. When an offer to tour Japan falls into her mom's lap, Vic is left to spend the summer under the care of her distant grandmother, and without her built-in best friend. Fortunately, a boy with a secret geek side and a group of feminist game-makers save the season, and Vic starts to see herself as her own person, out from under her mother's shadow. But when Micky finally comes home — with a poorly chosen boyfriend in tow — all bets are off. Will Vic be able to maintain her newfound sense of self amidst the building thunder of Micky's second chance at stardom? And through it all, will Micky still really be her best friend?

Under the Dusty Moon is clever and bright, wonderfully capturing the screwups, mistakes, and flaws of being a teen, of fighting with friends, of dating, of trying to figure out who you are and what you want to be when you're in someone's shadow.

Victoria is smart, creative, and somewhat serious. She'd have to be, what with her mother being a bit bold and fun, maybe a little wild. Books like this highlight the focus of teens, which is often themselves. Vic resents her mom and her career as a musician. Why can't she get a real job? Why does she have to leave her alone for part of the summer? Why dis she get famous when she was younger, making Vic feel incompetent, like she'll always come in second place? Vic looks at her mom, sees someone who people know, sees someone who made a name for herself, and doesn't think she could have something of her own without people wanting to talk about her mother and her old band. She doesn't know that she's smart and creative enough on her own, she can only see her own flaws and insecurities. Now, with her mother out of town, Vic has a chance to find something that's hers, but will it work out?

This book feels so classically Canadian. The Toronto streets. The hot, sticky summers. The money struggles of anyone trying to be a musician or in the arts in a big city. The story of one person trying to figure themselves out. The self-discovery journey is part of so many books, but there's just something about it here that screams Canadian.

I think the author has fairly captured what it is to be a teen here. To be clueless and bratty and demanding of parents. To want to have their own things, to have some private things without your parents embarrassing you. To be kept in the loop with friends, to be able to stay friends while being with others. To not screw up dating a guy you really like because there's only ever one chance for a first date, first kiss, first time having sex. In some ways this is a serious comedy of errors (the awkwardness of parents who blab everything!). Everything seems to go right then go wrong for Vic and she scrambles to pick up the pieces. I would recommend this to those looking for something fun but also thoughtful and realistic.

(I received an advance copy of this title to review from Dundurn Press.)

Me on Faerie

Title: Faerie
Author: Elisha Marjara
Release Date: October 1, 2015
Publisher: Arsenal Pulp Press

Just days before her eighteenth birthday, Lila has resolved to end her life. The horror of becoming an adult, and leaving her childhood behind, has broken her heart. Lila is a hyper-imaginative girl who is on a collision course to womanhood. She likens herself to a half-human fairy creature who does not belong in the earthly world; but in the cold light of day she is a psychiatric patient at a hospital, where she is being treated for anorexia―her sickness driven by the irrational need to undo nature and thwart the passage of time. Lila tells the story of how she ended up on the Four East wing: we flashback to her childhood in the '80s, growing up in a small town as an overweight brown kid to Punjabi immigrant parents: her father, a literary scholar whom she idolizes, and her mother, a housewife―"the most female of all females who found comfort in cooking." Faerie weaves these passages with Lila's downward spiral into life-threatening illness, her budding sexuality, and her complicated recovery in hospital that comes with a price.

Faerie is an honest and painful look at a young girl's battle with herself, with her hatred of her fat teenage self and her suffering as nothing more than a skeleton in a hospital gown. Here are the ups and downs of Lila's life, her belief that being thin will change her and her decision on whether she wants to live of die.

When the book starts, Lila is depressed and broken. A skinny splinter of a girl. She's angry, defeated, and will defend her decision to not eat until her last breath. Even if it causes her to take her last breath. Something Lila confronts in the hospital is change and her dislike of it. Ever since she was a child, she hated change. Especially when it came to her body. She hated how her body grew as she got older, hated how her sister's grew in a different way. In the hospital, she hates how she is forced to put on weight. But change is inescapable. Her constant battle with weight and eating is a battle of control over inescapable change. Lila believes she can control how many calories her body takes in, even in the hospital. Lila believes she can control all of it.

This book pushes and pokes at 'traditional beauty standards,' the ones that have been drilled into girls' heads since they were young. That you're only beautiful if you look like a Barbie doll, that you're only beautiful and desired if you're thin, if you have blonde hair. That anything else is ugly. Those 'standards' ruin Lila, who can't see that she's beautiful the way she is. This book also pushes a number of things into the reader's face that aren't talked about much in literature or seen in movies or TV. That girls get periods. That fat girls have sex drives. That Punjabi girls have the same problems as white girls. That the world can crush a girl so much she begins to hate food, hate that she needs to eat to live.

This is a story that is all to familiar to some teenage girls. The battles we have with our appearance, with our weight, with our family. With wanting to look like someone else, someone we've put up on a pedestal. The prose here is lyrical and honest, unflinchingly honest. Horrifying at times, what with the descriptions of Lila's emaciated body, the sudden dips and hollows in her body where muscle and fat would normally be on any human being. I think this book brushes up against the line between YA and adult. Lila is telling her story here, reflecting on her past and her imaginations, but she's telling it as an adult. Still, I can see this being read by those looking for an honest look at how far an eating disorder will take some girls, at the reality that many girls face when it comes to their bodies and how they want to look. I hope this book makes it into high school libraries so all teens can read Lila's story, see the truth of how far eating disorders can go. See the truth of what we've done to ourselves in terms of perception and media influences. See the truth that we can't always control everything.

(I received an e-galley of this title to review from Arsenal Pulp Press.)

Me on Waiting on Wednesday (259)

Waiting on Wednesday is a bunch of weekly fun hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. :)

Title: Hot Pterodactyl Boyfriend
Author: Alan Cumyn
Release Date: March 22, 2016
Publisher: Antheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books (Simon & Schuster imprint)

From Goodreads:

Prepare to be blown away—or rather, carried away on huge muscular wings—by this blissfully outlandish, bracingly-smart, tour de force about a teen who has to come to terms with relinquishing control for the first time as she falls for the hot new... pterodactyl... at school. After all, everybody wants him!

Sheils is very pleased with her perfectly controlled life (controlling others while she’s at it). She’s smart, powerful, the Student Body Chair, and she even has a loving boyfriend. What more could a girl ask for?

But everything changes when the first-ever interspecies transfer student, a pterodactyl named Pyke, enrolls at her school. There’s something about him—something primal—that causes the students to lose control whenever he’s around. Even Sheils, the seemingly perfect self-confident girl that she is, can’t keep her mind off of him, despite her doting boyfriend and despite the fact that Pyke immediately starts dating Jocelyn, the school’s fastest runner who Sheils has always discounted as a nobody.

Pyke, hugely popular in a school whose motto is to embrace differences, is asked to join a band, and when his band plays at the Autumn Whirl dance, his preternatural shrieking music sends everyone into a literal frenzy. No one can remember what happened the next day, but Shiels learns that she danced far too long with Pyke, her nose has turned purple, and she may have done something with her boyfriend that she shouldn’t have. Who’s in control now?

Hilarious and relatable (despite the dinosaur), Hot Pterodactyl Boyfriend is about a teen who must come to terms with not being in control of all things at all times, break free of her mundane life, discover who her true self is, and, oh, finding out that going primal isn’t always a bad thing.

This book sounds bizarre as heck. And imagine my surprise and them almost instant understanding when I discovered it's CanLit. Of course something this bizarre would be Canadian. ;) I'm curious as to how the story will be told, how it'll all work with the dinosaur aspect, and how hysterically funny it'll be.

Me on Darkthaw

Title: Darkthaw
Author: Kate A. Boorman
Release Date: October 13, 2015
Publisher: Amulet (Abrams Books imprint)

For as long as Emmeline can remember, she's longed to leave the isolated world of the settlement and explore the wilderness that calls to her in her dreams. And now that the Council has fallen, she will finally, finally get that chance. With First Peoples guide Matisa at her side, Emmeline rallies a brave group to join her on her quest into the unknown, including her beloved Kane and his two younger brothers. But the journey soon proves far more dangerous than Emmeline anticipated—with warring clans, slavers, colonists, disease, and natural disasters seemingly at every turn. After putting so many lives in danger, she starts to doubt everything she once knew. Did she make the right choice to leave the settlement—and can her relationship with Kane survive the ordeal? Matisa insists that to set things right and to fight the evil that is bringing all this danger and turmoil to the forest, Emmeline must journey to Matisa's people—even if that means leaving Kane behind.

Darkthaw is a dangerous journey through unforgiving terrain. It's a walk down a path dreamed of by unexpected. Em has lived a surprisingly sheltered life in the settlement. She was not prepared for the dangers that roam free outside its walls.

Now Emmeline is free. Now she is on a journey, moving forward into the world towards the home of some of the First Peoples. Matisa's people. Matisa, who dreamt of her and found her in the shadows. The two girls are connected. Em knows they must stay close. Their dreams are telling them something, that something is coming. But the path is more trecherous than Em and Kane expected, than Matisa and her family expected.

The setting is still as it was. A settlement in the middle of nowhere. The forests that contain their secrets. The sounds of the river. But there is more to the world than just Em's settlement. The Dominion is out there, moving westward in search of land to map and move into. But is that a threat to Em and Matisa's plans? Are they really just looking for places to settle, or are they wanting more? Em comes to discover that the world is a dangerous place, much more so than she'd expected. But does she have the strength to continue her journey? Will she still want to continue down this path?

With the Dominion moving further westward, it's like history repeating itself. Em's world is like a distant, once ruined but now rebuilding version of ours. The First Peoples know that war machines and weapons ruined the world, which is why they separated themselves. They are wary of what comes now, what might come in the form of mapmakers and settlers. If the past will repeat itself. If the streams and rivers will fill with sickness and death. All are now cautious, waiting, watching. Wondering what the dawn will bring.

This is the result of Em's decision to leave the settlement. She knows she wants more than what's available to her. She needs to leave. There's more in the world that she needs to see, places that she needs to go. This is Em learning the truth about the world, that it was far safer, in some ways, in the settlement. But she would gain nothing from staying. She had to leave, had to learn, had to discover which path she'd chosen. With the events of this book and the ending, the happiness and the sorrow, I'm curious as to what will come in the last book.

(I received an advance copy of this book from the author.)

Me on An Inheritance of Ashes

Title: An Inheritance of Ashes
Author: Leah Bobet
Release Date: October 6, 2015
Publisher: Clarion Books (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt imprint)

The strange war down south—with its rumors of gods and monsters—is over. And while sixteen-year-old Hallie and her sister wait to see who will return from the distant battlefield, they struggle to maintain their family farm. When Hallie hires a veteran to help them, the war comes home in ways no one could have imagined, and soon Hallie is taking dangerous risks—and keeping desperate secrets. But even as she slowly learns more about the war and the men who fought it, ugly truths about Hallie's own family are emerging. And while monsters and armies are converging on the small farm, the greatest threat to her home may be Hallie herself.

An Inheritance of Ashes is haunting, full of unspoken words and unseen dangers. It's a book of sadness and hope combined into one creature, one setting, one young girl and the place she calls home, the people she call friends and family.

Hallie is on edge, waiting for the other shoe to drop, waiting for the last argument between her and her sister. Things on their family farm are moving slowly with only the two of them working the land, with her brother-in-law not yet home from the war down in the South, a war of a Wicked God and Twisted Things. With Thom not yet home, what else could Hallie do and agree to let a wandering man work the farm with her for her sister Marthe? But his arrival brings questions, brings secrets, brings harsh words. And then the monsters come.

She's a sweet girl, Hallie, wanting to keep the barley farm running, wanting to make everything good and right for her sister and her coming baby. Hers is a sweet voice, a voice afraid of more than a few things. A voice that means well but at times is reckless. A voice that keeps the secrets in the dark in order to keep others safe.

With Hallie and Marthe, we see the unspoken words between siblings. The things we want to say but can't for any number of reasons. Fear. Guilt. Anger. Pride. We argue because we can't say the words we want to. We never say the words we should say everyday. We pick and poke and prod at the mistakes. We push because we love. We love with each breath in our bodies, each inch of ourselves. But we just can't say the important words when we want to, when we should.

This book shows the aftermath of war, what it does to the survivors. What happens to those named 'hero' or 'villain.' No one really went to war meaning to be a hero, not in this book. The men, the farmers and shopkeepers, the husbands and brothers and sons, went to war because help was needed. No one expected to be a hero. No one expected to push into the storm of the Wicked God Southward and cut His heart. But someone did. After the war, what returns to the farms and the shops? The homes? Men with shadows in their hearts, with darkness and magic in their eyes. They see the world differently now. Few will understand their pain.

I found this to be a darkly magical and enchanting look at siblings, at war, and at how far we will go to protect what's ours. The farm is Hallie and Marthe's farm. It will be their farm as long as they breathe, as long as they live. No one will push them from it or take control of it. They will stay strong and protect what is theirs, who is theirs. The book is a slow journey through the aftermath of a devastating, complicated war and through the battlefield of sibling politics. It's a book of silent words and birds with spider webs that burn you if you touch them. It's a book I'd recommend to those looking for more powerful, meaningful Canadian YA and to those looking for something a little different in their slightly magical/paranormal recovering from ruin futuristic setting.

(I received an e-galley of this title to review from HMH through NetGalley.)

Me on A Thousand Nights

Title: A Thousand Nights
Author: E.K. Johnston
Release Date: October 6, 2015
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Lo-Melkhiin killed three hundred girls before he came to her village, looking for a wife. When she sees the dust cloud on the horizon, she knows he has arrived. She knows he will want the loveliest girl: her sister. She vows she will not let her be next. And so she is taken in her sister's place, and she believes death will soon follow. Lo-Melkhiin's court is a dangerous palace filled with pretty things: intricate statues with wretched eyes, exquisite threads to weave the most beautiful garments. She sees everything as if for the last time. But the first sun rises and sets, and she is not dead. Night after night, Lo-Melkhiin comes to her and listens to the stories she tells, and day after day she is awoken by the sunrise. Exploring the palace, she begins to unlock years of fear that have tormented and silenced a kingdom. Lo-Melkhiin was not always a cruel ruler. Something went wrong. Far away, in their village, her sister is mourning. Through her pain, she calls upon the desert winds, conjuring a subtle unseen magic, and something besides death stirs the air. Back at the palace, the words she speaks to Lo-Melkhiin every night are given a strange life of their own. Little things, at first: a dress from home, a vision of her sister. With each tale she spins, her power grows. Soon she dreams of bigger, more terrible magic: power enough to save a king, if she can put an end to the rule of a monster.

A Thousand Nights is mystical, lyrical, and enchanting. It's a story of sorrow and magic, of power and craft, of language and words. It's a story of love, how you can love someone so much you would do anything for them.

The narrator is complex. Kind-hearted, selfless, passionate. She will do whatever it takes to keep her sister alive, to keep her from being yet another dead wife. And so she puts herself in front of Lo-Melkhiin's gaze. And so she draws his attention. And so she rides off, not knowing how much longer she will live, believing that she will die. She doesn't realize that there's something different about her, something that keeps her alive, night after night. She doesn't sit around forever, waiting, and instead tries to learn about this new world she lives in. Tries to learn about the man who has taken her to wife. She tries to save everyone.

In some ways, this is a bit of a love story, but not in a grand epic romance sort of way. The narrator and her sister are as close as can be. Raised together, taught together. It's not often that this kind of relationship is highlighted. Sometimes characters aren't motivated by romantic feelings. Sometimes it's those close to them, those they've spent their entire lives with, that they'd do anything for. And it's not that she's in love with her sister. She's always known that one day her sister would marry, as would she. But not like this.

There is such power in words, in storytelling, in the storytellers. It's them who recount the events, who tell the tales, who choose which words to use and pass on to those who would listen. How intriguing, that the narrator uses barely any names beyond that of Lo-Melkhiin and some of his close guards. There is power in names, but also in the nameless. In those who are everywhere, who could be anyone. The narrator could be any daughter with any sister from any village in any desert. And yet she sounds like a specific daughter with a specific sister from a specific village in a specific desert. She is everyone and she is only herself. What power she has.

This book left me in awe of storytellers, how they weave words together, how they then burn inside me with the need to share them with another. This is a book for lovers of stories, for tellers and sharers, for sisters and daughters. For those who haven't yet discovered the power inside themselves, because it is there, waiting, like a copper fire.

(I received an advance copy of this title to review from Hachette Book Group Canada.)

Me on The Scorpion Rules

Title: The Scorpion Rules
Author: Erin Bow
Release Date: September 22, 2015
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books (Simon & Schuster imprint)

Greta is the Crown Princess of the Pan Polar Confederacy, a superpower formed of modern-day Canada. She is also a Child of Peace, a hostage held by the de facto ruler of the world, the great Artificial Intelligence, Talis. The hostages are Talis's strategy to keep the peace: if her country enters a war, Greta dies. The system has worked for centuries. Parents don't want to see their children murdered. Greta will be free if she can make it to her eighteenth birthday. Until then she is prepared to die with dignity, if necessary. But everything changes when Elián arrives at the Precepture. He's a hostage from a new American alliance, and he defies the machines that control every part of their lives—and is severely punished for it. Greta is furious that Elián has disrupted their quiet, structured world. But slowly, his rebellion opens her eyes to the brutality of the rules they live under, and to the subtle resistance of her companions. And Greta discovers her own quiet power. Then Elián's country declares war on Greta's and invades the prefecture, taking the hostages hostage. Now the great Talis is furious, and coming himself to mete out punishment. Which surely means that Greta and Elián will be killed... unless Greta can think of a way to save them.

The Scorpion Rules is powerful and intriguing, a world of power plays, of fear and death, of hidden things. Of hidden meaning. Of hidden words and feelings. Of power and control, of who has it, who wants it, and who ends up with it.

Greta's voice is compelling. Soft, intelligent, cautious. Knowing. She's lived her life as a hostage, a Child of Peace. She's always known that one day, if her home country goes to war, she would die. And she's not alone in this way of thinking, this upbringing. Until Elián arrives. Until he doesn't act like everyone else. Until he doesn't grasp the severity of his new situation. Until Greta understands what's coming, what needs to be done. It's never dawned on her that there could be another way, until it does. Until there is. Until Greta becomes the Greta she was meant to be.

The premise, the world-building, is genius. What a world where war could happen at any point. What a world where there would be such a real consequence for going to war. What would a leader rather risk: the lives of their people or the life of their child?

Talis is intriguing. Amoral, controlling, and witty. He's an evil artificial intelligence with layers, with a complicated past. Like with most characters, there's something about them that makes them stand out. Good or evil. Talis has reasons for his rules. They're based on human history, the fact that humans consistently screw up. Maybe now, with Talis in charge, with Talis taking their children, those in charge won't screw up so much.

Power. This book is about power. Who holds it, who wants it, who will push to take it, and who will use it. Talis has power. Of course he does. He's levelled cities. Destroyed countries. Killed thousands, perhaps millions. He's in charge. But. But. Talis isn't the only one with power.

More than anything, I wanted to understand this book. In some ways I think I do. This book says a lot about power, about rulers and rules, about decisions, about morality and mortality. The world-building is creative and inventive, the characters are flawed and rich with humanity. It's so rare that a book about international relations and politics and so many other complicated things like love and goats can be so human. Do not be fooled by the description, events will not unfold in ways you expect them to. Read this if you're looking for something smart and human, something unexpected.

(I received an advance copy of this title to review from Simon & Schuster Canada.)

Me on Storm

Title: Storm
Author: Amanda Sun
Release Date: June 30, 2015
Publisher: Harlequin Teen (Harlequin imprint)

After almost a year in Japan, Katie Greene has finally unearthed the terrible secret behind her boyfriend Tomohiro's deadly ability to bring drawings to life—not only is he descended from Kami, the ancient Japanese gods, but he is the heir to a tragedy that occurred long ago, a tragedy that is about to repeat. Even as the blood of a vengeful god rages inside Tomo, Katie is determined to put his dark powers to sleep. In order to do so, she and Tomo must journey to find the three Imperial Treasures of Japan. Gifts from the goddess Amaterasu herself, these treasures could unlock all of the secrets about Tomo's volatile ancestry and quell the ink's lust for destruction. But in order to complete their quest, Tomo and Katie must confront out-of-control Kami and former friend Jun, who has begun his own quest of revenge against those he believes have wronged him. To save the world, and themselves, Katie and Tomo will be up against one of the darkest Kami creations they've ever encountered—and they may not make it out alive.

Storm is weaving its way to a conclusion, one predicted to end in betrayal, heartbreak, and death. But will it? Or will the ink take hold, refusing to let go?

Katie's determination is at an all-time high here. She's focused on finding a way to save Tomo from the battle inside him, to quiet the raging ink running through his veins. He's not the only one suffering now, Katie's dreams are becoming more intense, more dangerous and important, but Tomo's definitely in more pain than Katie. Katie's ability is diluted, she isn't under a constant barrage of voices, urges, and ink dripping from her fingers. Because she has some ability, because she can see the goddess Amaterasu in her dreams, she's able to help Tomo search. But will she be the one to save him when those in previous lives never could?

I'd said that with the second book it felt like the romance took over in some spots. Here it all clicked for me. The romance, the searching, the danger the ink presents for Tomo's sanity and survival. There are moments of real life, moments of homework and school time, of Katie hanging out with Yuki, of kendo practice, but there are more pressing matters at hand.

This book goes even deeper into Japanese mythology, into the myth of Amaterasu, the goddess of the sun, Tsukiyomi, the god of the moon, and Susano, the god of storms and the sea. Into their origin, their relationships, and their tragedies. The stories are darker than I'd imagined, filled with betrayal, jealousy, love, rage, and twisted emotions. As Katie and Tomo travel to different shrines and temples looking for the three Imperial Treasures of Japan, I was intrigued by how spiritual Japanese people are, how it's something they continue to hold close in the 21st century. Their point of view is different to my own Western/North American one that isn't as spiritual or religious. This is something that books do well, then the author has done their due diligence with research. They portray/share lives, beliefs, and points of view that differ from those of the reader.

I've said before that I've enjoyed the books in this trilogy, that this darkly magical twist to Japanese mythology is something I've grabbed hold of with both hands and devoured. As always, I do hope the author's gotten everything right. The mythology, the sights and sounds of Japan, the language and the customs. For those looking for a now complete trilogy heavy with romance, teen angst and confusion, and Japan's rich history and mythology, give this a read.

(I won a copy of this title through Goodreads First Reads.)

Me on a Canada Day YA Reading List

Hi there! It's Canada Day! We've been an actual country for 148 years now, which isn't that long when you look at world history. England, France, Spain, Italy, Egypt, Israel, India, China, Japan. Their recorded history goes back hundreds of years, if not thousands. It makes 148 years look like a drop in the ocean.

Since it's Canada Day, I thought I'd put together a reading list for all of you. Books set in Canada. Books written by Canadians. Books about Canada.

The Story of Owen and Prairie Fire by E.K. Johnston. People are chomping at the bit for Kate's upcoming fall book A Thousand Nights, but you need to read her first two books. Kate has shifted and twisted and re-worked Canadian, and world, history so it feels like dragons and dragon slayers have always existed in the world as we know it. These books are clever, witty, and don't pull punches. There are consequences, and there are friends, and there are life lessons. Kate's words are some of the best words.

Dark Inside and Rage Within by Jeyn Roberts. Finally, a post-apocalyptic series that doesn't totally ignore Canada. ;) When a massive earthquake hits, when people start acting strange, 4  points of view eventually collide in Vancouver.

The Fallen World trilogy (The Way We Fall, The Lives We Lost, The Worlds We Make) by Megan Crewe. Another series that doesn't forget about Canada.

The Hemlock trilogy (Hemlock, Thornhill, Willowgrove) by Kathleen Peacock. If you like werewolves and heroines who investigate mysteries and locations that are out to kill her, you might like this series.

Sorrow's Knot by Erin Bow. Mysterious and atmospheric and secretive and complicated.

Anything by Courtney Summers. ANYTHING. SERIOUSLY.

This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki. The classic Canadian summer setting: the cottage. It never changes, but people do. They get older, they drift apart, they hide their pain.

Above by Leah Bobet. I've seen that some people have been put off by the narrator's voice. Stick with it. This is all about people and the other, how we accept those who look "normal" and shun or lock away those who don't.

Ultraviolet and Quicksilver by R.J. Anderson. More clever and witty heroines. These books are like if you took actual real life and mixed in some suspicious aliens. Also, yay for an asexual heroine.

Friends with Boys by Faith Erin Hicks. All friendship and family and the horror that is your first day in high school. Plus a ghost. I need more of Faith's books in my life.

The Never trilogy (Once Every Never, Every Never After, Once and For Never) by Lesley Livingston. Clare and Allie are awesome friends, accepting and protecting but also arguing and reasoning. You want a teen girl friendship that isn't catty or about one getting something from the other? You want an honest friendship? Read these books. Also read them for the time-travelling hijinks.

The Guests of War trilogy (The Sky is Falling, Looking at the Moon, The Lights Go On Again) by Kit Pearson. I read this series so much when I was a kid. Norah and Gavin are British children sent to Canada in 1940 in order to be safe from the war brewing in Europe. These books are their five years in Canada, their struggle with being safe while their family is in the UK, and their relationship with the two women who take them into their home.

So many more books by Susan Juby, Susin Nielson, Kenneth Oppel, Arthur Slade, Carrie Mac, Charles de Lint, Eric Walters, Monica Hughes, Kelley Armstrong, Tim Wynne-Jones, Joëlle Anthony, Eileen Cook, Morgan Rhodes, Eve Silver, Michelle Krys, Kat Kruger, Caroline Pignat, and many many more authors.

Do you have any go-to authors or books when looking to read about a piece of Canada? Is there anyone/any book you'd add to the list here?

Me on Waiting on Wednesday (230)

Waiting on Wednesday is a bunch of weekly fun hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. :)

Title: The Scorpion Rules
Author: Erin Bow
Release Date: September 22, 2015
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books (Simon & Schuster imprint)

From Goodreads:

A world battered by climate shift and war turns to an ancient method of keeping peace: the exchange of hostages. The Children of Peace - sons and daughters of kings and presidents and generals - are raised together in small, isolated schools called Prefectures. There, they learn history and political theory, and are taught to gracefully accept what may well be their fate: to die if their countries declare war.

Greta Gustafsen Stuart, Duchess of Halifax and Crown Princess of the Pan-Polar Confederation, is the pride of the North American Prefecture. Learned and disciplined, Greta is proud of her role in keeping the global peace — even though, with her country controlling two-thirds of the world’s most war-worthy resource — water — she has little chance of reaching adulthood alive. 

Enter Elián Palnik, the Prefecture’s newest hostage and biggest problem. Greta’s world begins to tilt the moment she sees Elián dragged into the school in chains. The Prefecture’s insidious surveillance, its small punishments and rewards, can make no dent in Elián, who is not interested in dignity and tradition, and doesn’t even accept the right of the UN to keep hostages. 

What will happen to Elián and Greta as their two nations inch closer to war?

The internet buzz for this just makes me want to read it more and more. This is going to be so good.