Category: YA
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Children of the Night
Children of the Night (When Monsters Wake Book 1), by Victoria Setian and Savanna Ganucheau A modern YA adaptation of Dracula that makes some interesting changes. It’s updated to a modern high school setting and brings the book’s original queerness to the forefront, with updated identities. Mina takes a more active role in the beginning,…
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Cat Burglar Black
Cat Burglar Black, by Richard Sala Cat Burglar Black follows the adventures of K, who was trained in burglary at an orphanage before being whisked away to a decaying mansion-turned-school by a mysterious aunt she’s never met. The school as a secret, of course, and they need K’s skills to uncover it. Are you looking…
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Wake Now in the Fire
Wake Now in the Fire, by Jarrett Dapier and AJ Dungo When students learn that a favorite book has been banned throughout the school system, they do everything in their power to return Persepolis to its rightful place on the shelf. There are a lot of books about banned books, including several graphic novels, largely…
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Hello Sunshine
Hello Sunshine, by Keezy Young Alex disappears after having a public breakdown. Everyone is convinced he’s a runaway and has stopped looking for him. It’s up to his friends, his secret boyfriend, and his twin brother to figure out what happened and try to find him. Hello Sunshine is a totally immersive experience, starting out…
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This Place Kills Me
This Place Kills Me, by Mariko Tamaki and Nicole Goux In the wake of scandal, Abby’s parents ship her off to the prestigious Wilberton Academy. Abby doesn’t fit in and is still processing the betrayal that led her there when one of her classmates dies unexpectedly. Now Abby, as the “undesirable element” is getting all…
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Trumpets of Death
Trumpets of Death, by Simon Bournel-Bosson, translated by Edward Gauvin In the early 1990s Antoine is left at his grandparents’s house while his father tries to reconcile with his mother. Antoine’s grandmother is critical, constantly complaining, but his grandfather is standoffish on a good day and cruel on a bad one. When the grandmother has…
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Raised by Ghosts
Raised by Ghosts, by Briana Loewinsohn This book is beautiful and intensely lonely. The story of a girl whose home life is filled with guilt and neglect, whose academics are plagued with executive distinction, and whose social life is tinged with social anxiety. Music, art, and notes passed between friends keep her going from day…
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Darkly
Darkly, by Marisa Pessl Dia is one of seven interns selected for an exclusive opportunity to work with the renown (and defunct) Darkly company. Things are not what they seem as the interns dive into the history of founder Louisiana Veda and her stolen masterpiece. Pessl poured so much love and effort into the legend…
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Plain Jane and the Mermaid
Plain Jane and the Mermaid, by Vera Brosgol When Jane’s parents die in a freak accident she’s on the verge of homelessness, women being unable to inherit, so she takes matters into her own hands and proposes to the most beautiful boy in the village. But a mermaid has her own plans for pretty Peter,…
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The History of Everything
The History of Everything, by Victoria Evans This is so cute! I really like how Evans handled the conflict between Agnes feeling like it’s the last summer of her life and Daisy wanting to start dating Noah. Noah was a sweetheart, too, which is always a nice change of pace for these kinds of stories. …
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Red in Tooth and Claw
Red in Tooth and Claw, by Lish McBride When Faolan Kelly‘s grandfather dies, she’s shipped off to the Settlement along with the other orphans and inconvenient minors to work for their upkeep. But something’s not right in the Settlement and Fallon lands right in the middle of a bloody mess. I really wanted this to…
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Everything Glittered
Everything Glittered, by Robin Talley There’s a murder in Washington DC…in 1927. Only three teenage girls are willing to look beyond the surface and see what really happened. I really enjoyed this book but if you’re looking for a mystery-forward plot this might not be the book for you. The murder mystery is certainly there…
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We Called Them Giants
We Called Them Giants, by Kieron Gillen, Stephanie Hans , and Clayton Cowles One day most of the human population and a lot of the food just… disappears. Lori and Annette band together for survival and to learn to navigate the new world. We Called Them Giants feels like Watership Down in a way I…
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Stage Dreams
Stage Dreams, by Melanie Gillman Despite a rocky start, the bandit Flor and runaway Confederate conscript Grace decide to team up. If they can just steal sensitive information from rail barons they’ll each be able to fund their dreams. A short heist comic, told with flair and sensitivity. As much as I love the characters…
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The Backstagers, Volume 1
The Backstagers, Volume 1: Rebels Without Applause, by James Tynion IV, Rian Sygh, Walter Baiamonte, and Jim Campbell A sweet high school story of belonging, featuring a fun backstage crew of misfits that have to navigate life and growing up… as well as and a magical moving labyrinth of tunnels below stage, populated with strange…
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