Category Archives: HMH Books for Young Readers

April 27, 2016 · 11:58 pm

Review: The May Queen Murders by Sarah Jude

Title: The May Queen Murders by Sarah Jude
Publisher: HMH for Young Readers
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult, Mystery
Length: 304 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

Stay on the roads. Don’t enter the woods. Never go out at night.

Those are the rules in Rowan’s Glen, a remote farming community in the Missouri Ozarks where Ivy Templeton’s family has lived for centuries. It’s an old-fashioned way of life, full of superstition and traditions, and sixteen-year-old Ivy loves it. The other kids at school may think the Glen kids are weird, but Ivy doesn’t care—she has her cousin Heather as her best friend. The two girls share everything with each other—or so Ivy thinks. When Heather goes missing after a May Day celebration, Ivy discovers that both her best friend and her beloved hometown are as full of secrets as the woods that surround them.

Review:

Set in the Missouri Ozarks, The May Queen Murders by Sarah Jude is an atmospheric, spell-binding young adult mystery.

Rowan’s Glen is home to generations of families who are deeply rooted in the insular community.  Ivy Templeton is a strong believer of the folklore, omens and superstitions that have been handed down by her grandma but her cousin and best friend, Heather, is not.  With various animals turning up dead, the town blames Birch Markle, a troubled young man who murdered a young woman twenty-five years ago then disappeared into the surrounding woods.  For the first time since the tragic murder, Rowan’s Glen has decided to celebrate May Day despite the concern from some the villagers.  In the weeks leading up to the celebration, Ivy and Heather are at odds when Ivy fears that her cousin is courting danger by sneaking around with someone from the neighboring town.  Her fears soon are realized when, shortly after being crowned May Queen, Heather disappears and days later, her lifeless body is discovered.  Shattered by her loss, Ivy is determined to uncover the truth about Heather’s murder but will her search for answers endanger not only her life, but her loved ones as well?

Although the community is close-knit, Ivy’s closest friends are Heather and Rook Merriweather.  She is hurt when Heather begins to exclude her and they begin to drift apart.  Ivy grows deeply worried for her cousin’s safety when she realizes that Heather is sneaking around after dark, but her concerns fall on deaf ears.  Hurtful words are exchanged during a heated confrontation, and Ivy is devastated when Heather dies before they reconcile their differences.

Despite the heightened security in the Glen following Heather’s murder, Ivy and Rook begin investigating the puzzling clues that Ivy discovers amongst Heather’s belongings.  One of their discoveries answers a decade’s old mystery but this information raises some very serious questions about some of the events occurring in the present.  Another troubling murder puts the town on edge as the search for killer intensifies.  Rook and Ivy stumble into a rather macabre situation that quickly turns deadly, leaving both of their lives hanging in the balance.

The May Queen Murders is an eerie, suspense laden mystery that is full of unexpected twists and turns. With a plethora of long buried secrets, chilling revelations and spooky folklore, Sarah Jude obscures the perpetrator’s identity until to the novel’s shocking conclusion.  An outstanding young adult novel that is sure to be a hit with readers of all ages.

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Filed under Contemporary, HMH Books for Young Readers, Mystery, Rated B+, Review, Sarah Jude, The May Queen Murders, Young Adult

December 21, 2015 · 11:56 pm

Review: This Raging Light by Estelle Laure

raging light Title: This Raging Light by Estelle Laure
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult
Length: 288 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

Can the best thing happen at the worst time?

Her dad went crazy. Her mom left town. She has bills to pay and a little sister to look after. Now is not the time for level-headed seventeen-year-old Lucille to fall in love. But love—messy, inconvenient love—is what she’s about to experience when she falls for Digby Jones, her best friend’s brother. With blazing longing that builds to a fever pitch, Estelle Laure’s soulful debut will keep readers hooked and hoping until the very last page.

Review:

Estelle Laure’s debut, This Raging Light, is a fast paced young adult novel with a marvelous cast of appealing characters and an engaging storyline.

Lucille Bennett is surviving her family’s implosion as best she can but with school about to start, she is definitely feeling the pressure. Desperate to ensure she and her younger sister, Wren, stay together, she has not told anyone but her best friend, Eden Jones, about her plight. The last of her money is gone, the bills are piling up and Lucille is running out of options when she lands a job at a local restaurant. When Eden can no longer babysit Wren, her twin brother (and Lucille’s secret crush) Digby steps in to help, but complications ensue when he begins to fall for her as well.

Lucille has managed to keep it together pretty well in the months after her family fell apart. However, stress is definitely taking its toll on both her and Wren, but for her sister’s sake, Lucille maintains tight control of her emotions. Although well out of her comfort zone initially, her new job turns into a surprising source of comfort as she lets go of worries during her shifts. But she trades one concern for another after a blow up with Eden puts them at odds. Lucille is grateful for Digby’s offer to help her but she cannot help but feel guilty when they begin sneaking around behind his girlfriend’s back.

Ahh, Digby. A genuinely nice guy who is torn between his commitment to his longtime girlfriend and his newly awakened feelings for Lucille. This situation is surprisingly sympathetic but this does not negate the fact that both he and Lucille were wrong to begin acting on their feelings before his other relationship is resolved. Despite his indecision, Digby is there for Lucille and this definitely counts in his favor.

Which brings us to Eden, Lucille’s best friend forever who, for inexplicable reasons, abandons Lucille when she needs her most. Unsure exactly what caused the rift between them, Lucille nonetheless reaches out to her but sadly, Eden rebuffs her overtures. While her co-workers fill some the gaps left by Eden’s absence, Lucille is not willing to lose her best friend too and she keeps trying to repair their tattered friendship. Eden’s reasons for staying away are a little weak, but Lucille is more than willing to forgive and forget.

Despite its slightly unrealistic storyline, This Raging Light by Estelle Laure is a well-written young adult story that is remarkably free from angst. The characters are likable and sympathetic despite their flaws and the emotions they experience ring true. The plot is engrossing and although not everything is neatly wrapped up, the novel’s conclusion is uplifting. All in all, an enjoyable debut that will appeal to readers of all ages.

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Filed under Contemporary, Estelle Laure, HMH Books for Young Readers, Rated B+, Review, This Raging Light, Young Adult

November 1, 2015 · 11:57 pm

Review: NEED by Joelle Charbonneau

NEEDTitle: NEED by Joelle Charbonneau
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller
Length: 352 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

“No one gets something for nothing. We all should know better.”

Teenagers at Wisconsin’s Nottawa High School are drawn deeper into a social networking site that promises to grant their every need . . . regardless of the consequences. Soon the site turns sinister, with simple pranks escalating to malicious crimes. The body count rises. In this chilling YA thriller, the author of the best-selling Testing trilogy examines not only the dark side of social media, but the dark side of human nature.

Review:

Featuring a unique but socially relevant storyline, NEED by Joelle Charbonneau is a fast-paced and riveting young adult mystery/thriller. Enticed by a new social networking site that promises to give them what they want and/or need, the students attending Nottawa High School are soon drawn into a sinister web of seemingly innocuous tasks that take a menacing turn.

Kaylee Dunham typically eschews social media but after her friend Nate Weakley sends her an invitation to NEED she signs up in hopes of obtaining a kidney for her younger brother. Membership for the website is by invitation only and after the invitee signs up, they send in their request. But before the request can be granted, they are given instructions that must be followed to have their wish fulfilled. Although the assignments are innocent in the beginning, the students are then required to perform more ominous tasks. Kaylee is the only person willing to break the rules and reveal the truth about the site, but her history makes her an unreliable source of information that no one, including her mother, is willing to believe.

Kaylee is obsessed with finding a donor match for her younger brother, DJ and her desperation to help him lead her to some pretty harebrained schemes. Her relationship with her mother is quite strained and Kaylee is angry with her for not doing more to find her father, who abandoned the family soon after DJ’s diagnosis. Her actions have left her socially isolated but fortunately, Nate has remained her steadfast (and only) friend.

While Kaylee’s request on the NEED site is selfless, the same is not true for her classmates. The requests are mostly benign and fall into the “want” category instead of being an actual “need”. No matter how outlandish the request, each one is filled as soon as the tasks are completed. Not knowing what some of these requests entail, many teenagers are horrified by the results of their actions, but fear and embarrassment make it impossible for them to tell anyone what they have done. As the situation spirals out of control, Kaylee makes a shocking discovery about who might be behind the NEED website, but will she be able convince anyone that she is telling the truth before it is too late?

NEED by Joelle Charbonneau is an intensely compelling and suspense laden young adult novel.  The storyline is thought-provoking and the mystery surrounding the NEED website is quite intriguing. Unexpected plot twists, startling revelations and a pulse pounding race to uncover the person behind the NEED website culminate in a dramatic and action packed conclusion. A very clever young adult novel that I highly recommend to readers of all ages.

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Filed under Contemporary, HMH Books for Young Readers, Joelle Charbonneau, Mystery, NEED, Rated B+, Review, Thriller, Young Adult

October 5, 2015 · 11:58 pm

Review: We’ll Never Be Apart by Emiko Jean

we'll neverTitle: We’ll Never Be Apart by Emiko Jean
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult, Mystery/Suspnese
Length: 288 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

Murder.
Fire.
Revenge.

That’s all seventeen-year-old Alice Monroe thinks about. Committed to a mental ward at Savage Isle, Alice is haunted by memories of the fire that killed her boyfriend, Jason. A blaze her twin sister Cellie set. But when Chase, a mysterious, charismatic patient, agrees to help her seek vengeance, Alice begins to rethink everything. Writing out the story of her troubled past in a journal, she must confront hidden truths. Is the one person she trusts only telling her half the story? Nothing is as it seems in this edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller from the debut author Emiko Jean.

Review:

We’ll Never Be Apart by Emiko Jean is a twisty, turny, edge of your seat psychological thriller. Set against the backdrop of a mental hospital, this young adult novel is a riveting mystery written in first person from seventeen year old patient Alice Monroe’s point of view.

Alice and her twin sister Celia have had a very rough life. In the foster care system from age six, they bounce from home to home where they befriend another foster child, Jason. Suffering heartbreaking abuse at the hands of those who should have been protecting them, Alice, Celia and Jason help protect one another from harm. However, Celia has developed an unhealthy obsession with Alice and she turns to arson whenever she feels her sister slipping away from her. When Jason re-enters their lives after an earlier separation, Celia is threatened by the blossoming romance between him and Alice. After a trip to beach goes tragically wrong, the twins are sent to Oregon State Mental Hospital on Savage Isle while Jason winds up in juvie. Jason’s attempt to help Alice escape is thwarted by yet another fire and tragically, Jason dies while Alice and Celia manage to survive the blaze. Now back at the hospital awaiting trial, Alice and another patient, Chase Ward, try to track down Celia before she can attack Alice again.

Alice is an uncooperative patient but there is no getting around her private and group therapy sessions. The doctor in charge of her case suggests keeping a journal to help her understand the events of her past and these entries provide a heartrending look into her life from the time she and Celia lost their grandfather and entered into the foster care system. As she reflects on the series of events that culminated in their first trip to Savage Isle, Alice is stunned by emerging portrait of Jason and the events that led her, Celia and Jason to this point in their lives.

Alice is essentially the good twin who is unfailingly upbeat and positive whereas Celia has been troubled right from the start. Alice is an excellent student who hopes to use college as a means to a better life while Celia skips school and sets fire to cope with her problems. Alice is overjoyed when they are reunited with Jason but Celia’s jealousy over their fledgling romance takes a very twisted turn. Alice seems to be an unwitting accomplice to Celia’s unsavory fascination with fire and Jason’s need for revenge but her love and loyalty for the pair clouds her judgment as events spiral out of control.

Despite the rumors and secrets swirling around Chase, Alice eagerly accepts his offer of assistance. She tries to keep from getting too close to him but he sweetly and rather humorously manages to sneak past her defenses. Their friendship takes a bit of a romantic turn as they join forces to find Celia but Alice cannot help but feel betrayed by him late in the story when she discovers one of the secrets he has been keeping from her. Convinced he can help her face certain facts about her past, Chase takes matters into his own hands, but in doing so, will he cause Alice irreparable harm?

We’ll Never Be Apart by Emiko Jean is a suspense-laden psychological thriller. The novel is incredibly well written with a rather ingenious and engrossing plot. The characters are superbly developed and quite appealing despite their troubled pasts. In spite of a few suspicions about how the various story arcs would eventually play out, the overall story is quite enjoyable and the conclusion contains a few unexpected plot twists. A very intriguing young adult mystery that I highly recommend to readers of all ages.

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Filed under Contemporary, Emiko Jean, HMH Books for Young Readers, Mystery, Rated B+, Review, Suspense, Young Adult