Fall into YA Horror

September 3, 2015 |

It’s getting closer and closer to one of the best times of year: fall. Technically, fall doesn’t kick off until September 23, but at least here in Wisconsin, the weather is already starting to make a little bit of a turn. Don’t get me wrong, I love summer fiercely. But there’s something about fall that really sits well with me, and I love how I feel like I’m allowed to stay in and ready scary books just because it’s the “right time” to do that.

I’ve written extensively about YA horror before, here and at School Library Journal, but I haven’t talked about what’s been hitting shelves in horror lately. It’s a big season of solid horror reads, too — I’ve been tearing through them and think that even though horror is and always has been a staple of YA, it’s getting a little more of the spotlight now. This isn’t a bad thing.

Here’s a big round-up of recent and upcoming YA horror novels. All descriptions come from WorldCat, and for the books I’ve read, I’ve added a bit of my thoughts about the title. Consider this your fall reading list.

The Accident Season by Moira Fowley-Doyle: Every October Cara and her family become mysteriously and dangerously accident-prone, but this year, the year Cara, her ex-stepbrother, and her best friend are 17, is when Cara will begin to unravel the accident season’s dark origins.

The Bargaining by Carly Anne West: Grieving and guilty over a friend’s death, Penny is not surprised when her mother sends her to live with her father and stepmother, April, but when April takes her to help restore an old house in a dense forest, weird occurences connected to missing children threaten Penny’s safety and fragile mental health.

Bits & Pieces by Jonathan Maberry: Twenty-two short stories, eleven of which were previously published, based on the Rot & Ruin series in which fifteen-year-old Benny Imura and his friends fight a zombie plague in a post-apocalyptic America. Includes a related comic book script.

Blood and Salt by Kim Liggett: Seventeen-year-old Ash Larkin finds out her family is involved in a centuries-old saga of love and murder, alchemy and immortality when she follows her mother to an isolated settlement in the cornfields of Kansas.

The Creeping by Alexandra Sirowy: Seventeen-year-old Stella has no recollection of the day her best friend disappeared while the two, then six, were picking strawberries, until the corpse of a similar girl turns up and Stella not only begins to remember, she learns that something dark has been at work in their little town for generations.

The Crimson Gate by Whitney A. Miller: Harlow Wintergreen, now the new Matriarch of VisionCrest, the powerful religious organization previously led by her father, is trapped inside a Cambodian temple, but she must escape and thwart her double, the evil Isiris, who is masquerading as Harlow in order to bring disease and destruction to the world.

The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall by Kate Alender: Sixteen-year-old Cordelia and her family move into the house they just inherited in Pennsylvania, a former insane asylum the locals call Hysteria Hall–unfortunately the house does not want defiant girls like Delia, so it kills her, and as she wanders the house, meeting the other ghosts and learning the dark secrets of the Hall, she realizes that she has to find a way to save her sister, parents, and perhaps herself.

Verdict: I loved this, and it’s hands-down one of the best books I read this year. It’s a fast-paced, extremely intelligent, and feminist horror story with a lead character who is smart. I find myself getting frustrated with leads in horror frequently, but Delia doesn’t disappoint. Alender writes suspense so well — this was my first book by her and it won’t be my last. I’m eager to dive into her backlist. This one is more gothic than gore.

The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich: Told through journal entries, a psychotherapist’s notes, court records, and more, relates the tale of Carly, a teen who was institutionalized after her parents’ death but released to Elmbrige High School, where she is believed to have a second personality or soul named Kaitlyn, and/or be possessed by a demon.

Dead Investigation by Charlie Price: Since the affair of the murdered cheerleader, seventeen-year-old Murray has moved into the lawnmower shed at the town cemetery, where he is close to the dead that he talks to and considers friends–but the caretaker’s daughter, Pearl, wants him to use his gift to find a homeless man who seems to have disappeared, and may have been murdered by someone who is hunting the homeless.

Daughters Unto Devils by Amy Lukavics: When sixteen-year-old Amanda Verner’s family decides to move from their small mountain cabin to the vast prairie, she hopes it is her chance for a fresh start. She can leave behind the memory of the past winter; of her sickly Ma giving birth to a baby sister who cries endlessly; of the terrifying visions she saw as her sanity began to slip, the victim of cabin fever; and most of all, the memories of the boy she has been secretly meeting with as a distraction from her pain. The boy whose baby she now carries.

When the Verners arrive at their new home, a large cabin abandoned by its previous owners, they discover the inside covered in blood. And as the days pass, it is obvious to Amanda that something isn’t right on the prairie. She’s heard stories of lands being tainted by evil, of men losing their minds and killing their families, and there is something strange about the doctor and his son who live in the woods on the edge of the prairie. But with the guilt and shame of her sins weighing on her, Amanda can’t be sure if the true evil lies in the land, or deep within her soul.

Verdict: I read a review calling this “Children of the Corn” meets “Little House on the Prairie” and that’s perfect. This is classic horror set in the 1800s — but that’s not actually stated in text. It’s inferred by the way the story is written, which is old time-y. But readers who see this as current times could be believed too, as Lukavics builds a story that isn’t about setting but about voice, about tension, and about delivering real deal chills. Horror fans who are genre fiends will dig this, and it could be a solid introduction to those who want to be horror readers and are ready for an all-out horror fest. More gore than gothic. Remember, it’s the prairie.

The Devil and Winnie Flynn by Micol Ostow and David Ostow: While working as a production assistant on her aunt’s television show about the paranormal, a seventeen-year-old girl discovers a psychic ability of her own, which may provide clues to her mother’s death.

Verdict: I called this my favorite book of June for a reason. This is a fun read that plays on tropes through the lens of reality television. It toys with so many of the things I love — format is unique, it explores the “other side” of “reality” TV, and it digs into the urban legend of the Jersey Devil. This one is light on scares and more about exploring the backside of horror, so it’s one you could hand to your more easily scared readers. Diehard genre fans, though, will find a lot to enjoy here BECAUSE they’ll pick up on the tropes. It’s smart.

The Dogs by Alan Stratton: Set in a remote part of the Canadian countryside, THE DOGS is a first person narration by 15 year old Cameron. He and his mother have just moved yet again to keep out of the way of Cameron’s violent father. This time their new ‘home’ is a deserted old farmhouse with a disturbing history.

The Diary of a Haunting by M. Verano: After her parents’ high-profile divorce, sixteen-year-old Paige is forced to leave Los Angeles for a rambling Victorian mansion in small-town Idaho where she soon notices strange occurrences that seem to be building toward some unspeakable horror.

Nightfall by Jake Halpern and Peter Kujawinsa: On a distant island where day and night exist on fourteen-year cycles, and the islanders migrate south each sunset, three children get left behind and must find a way off the island before the Night finds them.

Return to the Dark House by Laurie Faria Stolarz: Ivy Jensen escaped the Dark House–but the haunting memories of the friends she left behind remain. As the trail for the killer grows cold, it’s up to Ivy to end the nightmare. Forever.

Sanctuary by Jennifer McKissack: After the sudden death of her aunt, Cecilia Cross is forced to return to the old mansion on a remote island off the coast of Maine, ironically named Sanctuary, the place where her father and sister died, and from which her mother was committed to an insane asylum soon after–and it is also a place of dark secrets, haunted by the ghosts of its original owners, and inhabited by her vicious uncle.

Slasher Girls & Monster Boys edited by April Genevieve Tucholke: Inspired by classic tales and films, a collection of fourteen short stories ranging from bloody horror, to psychological thrillers, to supernatural creatures, to unsettling, all-too-possible realism, by acclaimed YA authors of every genre.

Verdict: I’m about half-way through this collection as I write this, and I’ve been really impressed with the stories so far. There is something for every kind of horror fan and it’s a good anthology of stories, as they all feel different and lend themselves to reading in one big gulp or in small spurts (like I prefer).

The Suffering by Rin Chupeco: When an old friend disappears in Aokigahara, Japan’s infamous ‘suicide forest,’ Tark and the ghostly Okiku must resolve their differences and return to find her. In a strange village inside Aokigahara, old ghosts and an ancient evil lie waiting.

Thirteen Chairs by David Shelton: When Jack enters the deserted house in his neighborhood, he finds a group of people who invite him to take the thirteenth chair in the room and share a story–in the house where the ghosts meet.

Took by Mary Downing Hahn: A witch called Old Auntie is lurking near Dan’s family’s new home. He doesn’t believe in her at first, but is forced to accept that she is real and take action when his little sister, Erica, is ‘took’ to become Auntie’s slave for the next fifty years.

The Unquiet Past by Kelley Armstrong: Tess has always been tormented by waking visions that make her question her sanity. When the orphanage she lives in burns down, she decides to face her fears and find out once and for all what is wrong with her. She believes the truth must lie with her parents, and so, armed with only an address and phone number, Tess travels to a crumbling mansion in rural Quebec, where she discovers evidence of mistreatment of mental patients. She also makes an unlikely ally and gradually unearths her family’s sad history—and finally accepts the truth about her paranormal powers.

What We Knew by Barbara Stewart: When Tracy and her best friend, Lisa, were kids, stories about a man — a creep who exposes himself to little girls — kept them out of the woods and in their own backyards. But Tracy and Lisa aren’t so little anymore, and the man in the woods is nothing but a stupid legend. Right? But someone is in the woods. Someone is watching. And he knows all their secrets, secrets they can’t tell anyone — not even each other. Lisa’s just being paranoid. At least that’s what Tracy thinks. But when a disturbing “gift” confirms her worst fears, it sets the girls on a dangerous journey that takes them beyond the edge of the woods. But reality is more terrifying than the most chilling myth, and what they find will test the bonds of friendship, loyalty, and love. Tracy and Lisa can’t destroy the evil they’ll face, but can they stop it from destroying each other?

We’ll Never Be Apart by Emiko Jane: Haunted by memories of the fire that killed her boyfriend, seventeen-year-old Alice Monroe is in a mental ward when, with support from fellow patient Chase, she begins to confront hidden truths in a journal, including that the only person she trusts may be telling her only half of the story.

Verdict: Well, I’ll be honest — I guessed this one from about page 5. I could have figured it out by the description alone what was going to happen. But I’m also fairly comfortable with horror tropes, and this didn’t stray from a familiar one. That’s not a bad thing for those who aren’t so well versed, but the downfall is that with horror, as opposed to some other genres, I find reading the story becomes less about enjoying the story as it’s written and more about guessing whether or not my hunch is correct. This isn’t a bad book, and it’s certainly worth reading. It’s much more on the psychological side of horror than on the gore or gothic side. I believe, but am not 100% certain, that the author may be a woman of color, which is absolutely worth noting because diversity in horror (in YA and in adult) is sorely lacking. I sound wishy-washy on this title because I can’t fairly evaluate the horror element of it, but I can say the writing was solid and I would absolutely pick up another book by Jean.

What I’m Reading Now

September 2, 2015 |

Cybils season is starting up, which means the books I helped pick for the shortlist last year have been on my mind the past couple of weeks. So naturally, I’ve been working my way through the sequels of some of the finalists.

The Hunted by Matt de la Pena

Like its predecessor The Living, The Hunted so far is fast-paced and doesn’t shy away from life-threatening situations. Shy makes it back to the California coast, and it’s completely devastated. He has to survive in the changed landscape as well as avoid the people hunting him thanks to what he discovered at the end of the previous book. Shy’s voice is strong and I expect (hope) I’ll like this one as much as I did the first.

The Winner’s Crime by Marie Rutkoski

I started this one a long time ago and I still haven’t finished it. It’s not because it’s bad; exactly the opposite. It’s so good that it hurts to read it. I haven’t been in the mood for books that give me a lot of feelings, and this series is full of feelings – war, thwarted love, betrayal, and no good choices for anyone. It’s the second book in a trilogy, which means it’s practically guaranteed to end unhappily. I’ve been sticking to a lot of happily-ever-afters in my reading choices lately. Still, I think this long weekend is the time to finish it up. And then sob.

Death Marked by Leah Cypess

This is a duology, not a trilogy, meaning this volume should provide a conclusion to Ileni’s story and hopefully avoid the second-book heartache that often occurs in middle installments. At the beginning of this sequel, Ileni is a captive of the Empire, forced to learn fighting magic with the assistance of lodestones. Of course, she hates it, and she also has to contend with some dangerous fellow students with their own agendas. I’m not far enough into the book to determine if I’ll like it as much as the first, but I’m hoping it will impress me just as much with its clever, intelligent plotting.

Sound by Alexandra Duncan

I only wish I were reading this one. It publishes September 22 and I will be first in line to get it (metaphorically speaking).

Prison Island by Colleen Frakes

September 1, 2015 |

One of my favorite kinds of nonfiction is the graphic memoir. Absorbing the author’s art alongside the text gives me insight into the author’s experiences that I wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. I get to see how they picture themselves and the world around them, and how they interpret their own experiences in a visual way. I’m not a hugely visual person, but I really like this format – it’s great for the nonfiction reluctant reader in me.

In Prison Island, Colleen Frakes writes about her experience growing up on McNeil Island, located off the coast of Washington state. It was the United States’ last prison island, accessible only by sea or air. Her memoir is told in two different times: one during her family’s time there when she was a middle schooler, and the other when they all return as adults to say goodbye to the island as it is officially shut down. The scenes from the past, therefore, become reflections, musings on her unusual childhood, and the tone is best suited for adults or older teens (though there’s nothing objectionable about it for a middle school audience).

The premise was really interesting to me, not the least because I lived and worked for four years in a prison town in Texas (though I could drive in and out whenever I pleased). There were a lot of similarities. The adults who lived on the island were all employed by the prison; in my case, the prisons were the biggest employer and the main driver of the economy. You also just got used to having prisoners around, as did Frakes and her family. They didn’t always stay in the prison – and I don’t mean escapes (though Frakes does relate one story about an escape). One of my favorite stories to tell people about living in Huntsville was that the city got trustee prisoners to help us move boxes into a new wing of the public library. Each of us had a couple of prisoners we supervised, and the city got cheap (or free, as far as I know) labor. This concept was new to me and it’s new to almost everyone I share it with who isn’t acquainted with the prison system. As the name indicates, these trustee prisoners were the more trustworthy of the inmates – but they were also the ones who had the easiest time escaping if they tried.

Of course, the fact that Frakes lived on a prison island made her situation much different from mine in important ways. Just the fact that it was an island made it a tricky thing to get certain supplies we take for granted on the mainland – like a fresh pizza. Everyone on McNeil Island was associated with the prison in some way, and it was pretty sparsely populated as a result. The kids had to go off-island for school. There would be a telephone call made to everyone when it was suspected a prisoner was escaping or a riot occurring, and everyone was forced to stay inside, which happened frequently (false alarms, many of them). Such things never happened while I was in Huntsville (and as far as I know, there isn’t a system in place for warning anyone anyway, aside from the news).

I wish a bit more time had been spent on the past than on the reminiscing from the present. Frakes and her family take a tour of the island, hitting all spots they remember, and these aren’t the most riveting sections. Overall, the memoir feels a bit slight. Perhaps I was imprinting some of my own expectations onto the book – that it would be a little weirder, or a little more exciting (though I’m sure to Frakes it was weird enough). Still, it’s an interesting look into a pretty unique childhood, and it’s definitely worth a read for fans of graphic memoirs. The orange cover is a nice touch, too – though in Huntsville, all the prisoners wore white.

Finished copy provided by the publisher. Prison Island is available today.

On The Radar: 14 September YA Reads

August 31, 2015 |

One of the most popular posts I do over at Book Riot is the round-up of upcoming YA fiction titles, and one of the most popular questions I seem to get on Twitter and in my inboxes is “what should I be looking out for in YA?” For a lot of readers, especially those who work with teens either in classrooms or in libraries, knowing what’s coming out ahead of time is valuable to get those books into readers’ hands before they even ask.Each month, I’ll call out between 8 and 12 books coming out that should be on your radar. These include books by high-demand, well-known authors, as well as some up-and-coming and debut authors. They’ll be across a variety of genres, including diverse titles and writers. Not all of the books will be ones that Kimberly or I have read, nor will all of them be titles that we’re going to read and review. Rather, these are books that readers will be looking for and that have popped up regularly on social media, in advertising, in book mail, and so forth. It’s part science and part arbitrary and a way to keep the answer to “what should I know about for this month?” quick, easy, and under $300 (doable for smaller library budgets especially).

For September, here are 14 titles to have on your radar. All descriptions are from WorldCat, and I’ve noted why it should be included. I know that’s more than the normal 12 I like to limit to, but September is a huge month, and I wanted to make sure I hit some of the biggest titles, as well as a handful of the smaller ones. There is really something for every type of reader here.

Hello, Goodbye, and Everything In Between by Jennifer E. Smith: High school sweethearts Clare and Aidan spend the night before they leave for college reminiscing about their relationship and deciding whether they should stay together or break up.

Why: Smith’s contemporary teen romances are wildly popular. With recent movie news for one of her backlist titles, I think we’ll be seeing more and more teens looking for her books.

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas: Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. Embracing her identity as Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen, Celaena returns to the empire–for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past

Why: This is the fourth installment in the extremely popular “Throne of Glass” series, so you won’t want to miss it. I got a very early finished copy of this book and it’s massive.

Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon: The story of a teenage girl who’s literally allergic to the outside world. When a new family moves in next door, she begins a complicated romance that challenges everything she’s ever known. The narrative unfolds via vignettes, diary entries, texts, charts, lists, illustrations, and more.

Why: Another big-deal book that was a Buzz title at Book Expo America — and for good reason. This is a really enjoyable read, packed with ephemera to help tell the story. It’s also a book that just had its film rights snatched. On a totally unrelated but interesting note — it’s an Alloy property.

Lizard Radio by Pat Schmatz: Fifteen-year-old bender Kivali has had a rough time in a gender-rigid culture. Abandoned as a baby and raised by Sheila, an ardent nonconformist, Kivali has always been surrounded by uncertainty. Where did she come from? Is it true what Sheila says, that she was deposited on Earth by the mysterious saurians? What are you? people ask, and Kivali isn’t sure. Boy/girl? Human/lizard? Both/neither? Now she’s in CropCamp, with all of its schedules and regs, and the first real friends she’s ever had. Strange occurrences and complicated relationships raise questions Kivali has never before had to consider. But she has a gift–the power to enter a trancelike state to harness the “knowings” inside her. She has Lizard Radio. Will it be enough to save her?

Why: This is a scifi novel with a gender fluid teen and aside from filling a huge hole in YA, it’s a really compelling, engaging, and thought-provoking read.

The Shepherd’s Crown by Terry Pratchett: Tiffany must gather all the witches to prepare for a fairy invasion.

Why: It’s the last Terry Pratchett book and another addition to the “Tiffany Aching” series.

Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy: Sixteen-year-old Willowdean wants to prove to everyone in her small Texas town that she is more than just a fat girl, so, while grappling with her feelings for a co-worker who is clearly attracted to her, Will and some other misfits prepare to compete in the beauty pageant her mother runs.

Why: This book does a fat girl right. Seriously. It’s a fantastic read that’s fun, funny, and heart-filled. In what could be called a trend in this post, the movie rights for this one have been acquired.

Beastly Bones by William Ritter: When dinosaur bones from a recent dig mysteriously go missing, and an unidentifiable beast starts attacking animals and people, leaving their mangled bodies behind, Abigail and her eccentric employer R. F. Jackaby, investigators of the supernatural in 1892 New England, find themselves hunting for a thief, a monster, and a murderer.

Why: It’s the sequel to Jackaby, which is a perfect book for fans of “Sherlock Holmes.”

Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson: Lee Westfall has a secret. She can sense the presence of gold in the world around her. Veins deep beneath the earth, pebbles in the river, nuggets dug up from the forest floor. The buzz of gold means warmth and life and home—until everything is ripped away by a man who wants to control her. Left with nothing, Lee disguises herself as a boy and takes to the trail across the country. Gold was discovered in California, and where else could such a magical girl find herself, find safety?

Why: It’s the first book in a new series by Morris Award nominee Rae Carson, and it’s a fantasy western. It looks like a fun twist on both genres.

I Crawl Through It by AS King: A surrealist novel about four teenagers who find unconventional ways to escape standardized tests and their perilous world, and discover that the only escape from reality is to face it.

Why: AS King is a perennial librarian favorite and readers who love strange, surreal worlds will be eager for it.

The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow: 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 Preceptures. 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 Precepture. 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 Precepture’s newest hostage and biggest problem. Greta’s world begins to tilt the moment she sees Elián dragged into the school in chains. The Precepture’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?

Why: There has been so much buzz about this book, and I’ve received a couple of review copies of it already. I’ve seen a lot of fantastic reviews, including stars from professional journals.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo: Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction–if they don’t kill each other first.

Why: A brand new series by New York Times bestselling and popular author Leigh Bardugo. I believe this is a new series set in the same world of her previous series, too, which should not only bring in new readers, but it’ll be exciting for already-established fans. Again, this has been a buzzy title for a while.

Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs: Time is running out for the Peculiar Children. With a dangerous madman on the loose and their beloved Miss Peregrine still in danger, Jacob Portman and Emma Bloom are forced to stage the most daring of rescue missions. They’ll travel through a war-torn landscape, meet new allies, and face greater dangers than ever. . . . Will Jacob come into his own as the hero his fellow Peculiars know him to be?

Why: Well, the first two books in this series haven’t done too shabby. There’s been a lot of buzz and I suspect we’ll see a huge push for this when it publishes, too.

Zeroes by Scott Westerfeld, Margo Lanagan, and Deborah Biancotti: Told from separate viewpoints, teens Scam, Crash, Flicker, Anonymous, Bellwether, and Kelsie, all born in the year 2000 and living in Cambria, California, have superhuman abilities that give them interesting but not heroic lives until they must work as a community to respond to a high stakes crisis.

Why: I’ve actually seen very little said about this new series, but it includes blockbuster name Scott Westerfeld, so it should be on your radar. Margo Lanagan also has some name recognition, at least in the library world.

What We Saw by Aaron Hartzler: The story of a town torn apart by the events surrounding the rape of drunk girl at a house party, from the perspective of the partygoers who witnessed it.

Why: This is another book that addresses rape and rape culture, a topic that needs to continue being talked about. But additionally, this is Aaron Hartzler’s debut into fiction, and it’s impressive.

This Week at Book Riot

August 28, 2015 |

Over at Book Riot this week…

Looking for book recommendations based on your love (or someone else’s love) of The Perks of Being A Wallflower? I made a big, diverse round-up of next reads and talked a bit about why the book is so beloved.

This week’s “3 on a YA theme” post was about YA takes on Sherlock Holmes. There are some more solid suggestions in the comments for this one, too.

Last weekend, I sent the rest of the big boxes of Some Girls Are / What Goes Around down to South Carolina. I’m going to probably have another small box or two to continue, but Andria started to receive them at the library. Here’s a great photo (and caption!) of the first teens getting the books.

Andria said they were beyond excited that they not only got to read the book, but that they get to keep it: