The Lonely Dead

Henry, April. The Lonely Dead. Henry Holt & Co, 2018.

Adele can speak with the dead. Like her mother and grandmother before her, Adele can see and communicate with the dead when she is near the place their remains lie. Diagnosed with schizophrenia at a young age, Adele has been taking medication to damper the voices of the dead. But recently she stopped taking her meds, and now her former best friend is speaking to her, right over the place where her body is buried. Soon the murder is discovered, the police are looking for someone to pin the crime on, and Adele is looking like the ideal suspect.

Anyone who enjoys shows like Supernatural or X-Files where people can speak to the dead, combined with shows like Criminal Minds or Bones where there are murder investigations, would enjoy this book. The ending was completely predictable in the way many suspense/thriller endings are, but that didn't make it any less enjoyable. This book focuses mainly on the action of the plot, and it is certainly a compelling story. There is not much world-building and not a ton of character development, but if you are looking for a fast-paced story, this is the one for you.

I can't speak to the use of schizophrenia as Adele's diagnosis, but I do hope some #ownvoices reviewers on Goodreads do address this issue. It is unsurprising that she was diagnosed, especially with the history of her mother and grandmother also speaking to the dead, but I don't know how an #ownvoices reviewer would see the way this issue was handled.

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: language, attempted murder
Overall Rating: 3/5 stars

Read-Alike Authors: Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Nick Lake, Lucy Christopher

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley for the purpose of review.

The Darkdeep

Condie, Ally. The Darkdeep. Bloomsbury, 2018.

Nico's drone is sent into the mist in an area that is prohibited. Naturally, he follows it in, and accompanied by a couple of friends as well as a frenemy, Nico discovers a mysterious island where strange and scary things are happening. The group tries to uncover the secret of the darkdeep.

This is touted as Stranger Things for kids, and that's a fairly accurate description. This is scarier than Goosebumps, but not too scary to recommend to most tweens (10-12 year olds and older). There is little backstory and scanty character development, but both of those things are sacrificed for the sake of the spooky action, which is the focus in this story. The scary, paranormal phenomena will keep kids turning pages. Recommended.

Recommended for: tweens
Red Flags: bullying, "minor peril"
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley for the purpose of review.

Sadie

TW: childhood sexual abuse and molestation

Summers, Courtney. Sadie. Wednesday Books, 2018.

Sadie has disappeared. After raising herself and her sister in spite of her mother's drug and alcohol addictions, Sadie hits her breaking point when her mother disappears and her sister is murdered. Sadie is convinced she knows who did it, and she's on her way to find that person and get her revenge.

This book is told in the form of eight episodes of a podcast a la Serial and will likely be fantastic as an audiobook. I will agree with other reviewers that the conclusion was quite obvious to me from the beginning, but that did not diminish my enjoyment of the story itself. Sadie and I have quite a lot in common - older sisters born to single parents, abused by a man who took advantage of our mothers and threatened to abuse our sisters if we told, etc. The infrequent flashbacks that Sadie experiences were not triggering to me but may be to other survivors. I enjoyed this book the way I often enjoy episodes of Criminal Minds: we may already know what the conclusion is, but it's the journey and the explanation of the motivation behind the actions, which made up the bulk of the story, that was so fascinating. This one will definitely be popular with teen patrons.

Recommended for: teens, fans of thrillers or procedural crime shows
Red Flags: drug abuse, alcohol abuse, language, sexual abuse/molestation, murder
Overall Rating: 5/5 stars

Read-Alikes: I Am Still Alive by Kate Alice Marshall, Mind Games by Kiersten White, The Night She Disappeared by April Henry

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley for the purpose of review.

White Rabbit

Roehrig, Caleb. White Rabbit. Feiwel Friends, 2018.

Rufus's half-sister, April, calls him late at night asking for help. When he and his ex-boyfriend, Sebastian, arrive at the party where April had been, they find a grisly murder scene. April swears she didn't murder Fox, although the knife in her hand and blood on her clothes tells a different story. April offers Rufus two thousand dollars to solve the mystery and clear her name. Thus the trio begin traveling through the night, searching for clues and talking to suspects, and Rufus finds that things aren't as simple as they seem.

This is a standard murder mystery/thriller story, with the addition of Rufus and Sebastian being LGBTQ+. The flashback scenes provide appropriate spacing and breathing room between intense scenes where the trio question suspects and try to suss out who is telling the truth. Most teens will probably not guess the ending before reading it. Unfortunately, most of the suspects use homophobic slurs in reference to Rufus and Sebastian, which could easily have been avoided even from the mouths of distasteful villains.

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: murder, underage drinking and illegal drug use, language, homophobic slurs
Overall Rating: 3/5 stars

Read-Alikes: The Night She Disappeared, The Killing Woods, The Girl Who was Supposed to Die

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley for the purpose of review.

This Story is a Lie

Pollock, Tom. This Story is a Lie. Soho Teen, 2018.

Peter is a math genius but also deals with an anxiety disorder; his sister has always been his rock, his protector. When they attend an awards banquet in honor of their mom and she is stabbed and Peter is kidnapped, Peter has to decide what is the truth and whom he can trust.

I can definitely recommend this book to teens who enjoy suspenseful stories that are action-packed and compelling to read. This was a difficult book to put down, even though I guessed at a lot of the plot twists before they happened. I don't think teens will likely guess the ending before it happens, and teens who enjoy crime procedural shows like Criminal Minds will likely enjoy this story as well.

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: violence, bullying, language
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

Read-Alikes: The Naturals, The Rules for Disappearing, Boy Nobody

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley for the purpose of reveiw.

Copycat

Jayne, Hannah. Copycat. Sourcebooks Fire, 2018.

Addison loves the Gape Lake series, so much so that she has a blog dedicated entirely to the books. When she receives an email from the author asking her to be part of a blog tour, she is ecstatic.

And then the murders began.

Seriously, after that life and art imitate each other as Addison tries to find the solution to the mystery as the body count rises in her hometown.

This book will probably be plenty suspenseful and interesting for teen readers, but I figured out the solution way too early for the suspense to truly be suspenseful. Additionally, the first third of the book or so was rather stilted and clunky; it took a while for the writing to smooth out and become suspenseful. I would give this book to fans of thrillers, especially those who read things quickly and need another book to fly through as they wait for the next book in their beloved series, but this isn't a stand-out title.

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: murder (and consequently corpses)
Overall Rating: 3/5 stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley for the purpose of review.

I Am Still Alive

Marshall, Kate. I Am Still Alive. Viking BYR, 2018.

Jess's mother died in a car accident, and after Jess's leg has healed enough for her to sort-of walk again, she is sent to live with her father, a man she hasn't seen in over a decade. Her father lives in the middle of the Canadian wilderness, and he has warned Jess that he made some bad choices in life, and that if she ever sees a plane landing on the lake, to stay hidden no matter what. When the inevitable plane arrives, Jess's father is murdered, his cabin is burned, and Jess is left alone in the wilderness. Will she be able to survive the harsh Canadian winter, and what will she do to escape in the spring?

I am a sucker for survival stories - I remember wearing out my copy of My Side of the Mountain when I was in elementary school. This book has a large survivalist plot; Jess spends a lot of her time building shelter, attempting to hunt, trying to stay warm, etc. Much like Mark Watney in The Martian, Jess is completely alone, and her mistakes could be fatal. There's also the element of a thriller in this story, as Jess knows her father's murderers are going to return, and she has to decide if she is going to fight them and steal their plane or hide until they are gone.

I will admit I skimmed the final fight scenes, as I do in every thriller I read. I loved the build up to it, and the "before" and "after" chapters didn't jar me as they have in other stories. This is a compelling read and a great one to give to teens who enjoy survival stories.

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: violence
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

Read-Alikes: The Martian, My Side of the Mountain, Peak, The White Darkness

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Edelweiss for the purpose of review.

Zero Day

Gangsei, Jan. Zero Day. Disney-Hyperion, 2016.

Addie was kidnapped when she was eight years old. Eight years later, she shows up in a police department and insists that she is indeed Addie Webster, daughter of the current president of the United States. She is vetted via blood test and sent home to recover in the White House. But is Addie really back? And what happened to her during those eight years away?

This is a standard thriller except that it's targeted at teens. I read it in mostly one sitting, and even though I had figured out a lot of the twists beforehand, I still enjoyed the story. This would be an easy book to book talk and I could place it in the hands of even the most unwilling reader and convince them to just try it out. The fast pace of the story will keep many people turning pages, but stronger readers may be bothered by the cardboard-cutout characters, since the focus is on the action. Nonetheless, a good story that is already gracing the shelves of my library.

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: violence, minor language, teens spike their milkshakes with alcohol
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

Read-Alikes: The Naturals, The Rules for Disappearing, This Is Where It Ends

The Girl I Used to Be

A great way to hook mystery readers into reading thrillers; not recommended for reluctant readers.

Henry, April. The Girl I Used to Be. Henry Holt & Co BYR, 2016.

Olivia's mother was murdered when Olivia was just a small child. After aging out of the foster care system, Olivia finds out that her father's remains have been discovered as well. It was always thought that Olivia's father murdered her mother, but what if they were murdered by someone else entirely? And what if that person knew that Olivia was searching for the truth?

Like many of Henry's works, and many procedural crime shows, this book starts in the middle of a chase scene, then rewinds to the events leading up to the chase scene. Unlike many crime shows and Henry's other works, though, this wasn't the page-turning thriller I expected. The entire book exists only to explain the dramatic chase scene that happens in the second-to-last chapter, right before the final "everything is fine and we're all happy now" scene. I would recommend this book to teens who enjoy mysteries and procedural crime shows, but unlike Henry's other works, I wouldn't give this book to reluctant readers, because the bulk of the novel moves to slowly to keep the reader turning pages.

Bottom Line: Bypass this one in favor of books by Nick Lake, James Patterson, or others.

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: violence
Overall Rating: 3/5 stars

Read-Alike Suggestions: The Name of the Star, The Rules for Disappearing, The Naturals

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley for the purposes of review.

The Killing Woods

Christopher, Lucy. The Killing Woods. Chicken House Ltd, 2013.

Emily's dad has been accused of murdering Ashlee, a popular teen girl whom Emily's dad carried out of the woods near her house one night. Emily's dad doesn't remember killing Ashlee, but he suffers from PTSD and assumes he killed her during a flashback while in the woods. Emily is determined to clear his name, but to do so she has to investigate what might actually have happened to Ashlee.

This book definitely sounds like it would be suspenseful and creepy, the perfect book to read around Halloween. Unfortunately, while the story does have a mystery element, the suspense aspect fell flat, as did the thrilling, must-turn-the-next-page aura that I expect from a book designated as a thriller. I also didn't feel like I got to know Emily or her father at all, even though both have starring roles in this story. I had high expectations for this book, but I was definitely disappointed. For teens who like thrillers or compelling reads, I'd recommend books by Nick Lake instead.

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: murder, underage drinking and teen drug use, a soldier's PTSD flashbacks
Overall Rating: 3/5 stars

Read-Alike Suggestions: The Impossible Knife of Memory, The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die, Stolen: A Letter to My Captor

The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die

Henry, April. The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die. Henry Holt and Co. BYR, 2013.

She wakes up on the floor in a cabin. She doesn't know who she is, where the cabin is, why she's here, or why the two men in the room have just decided that she must die. Somehow she must escape them, find out who she is, and find her family, if she has a family.

Very similar to The Rules for Disappearing, the main character in this story has memory problems, but she is alone and cannot remember who she is. She is on the run from people who want to kill her and she wants to find her family, but she doesn't know whom she can trust. I read this book in the space of a single afternoon. The fast, compelling pace will keep even reluctant readers turning the pages. A great thriller for young adults and also tweens.

Recommended for: teens, tweens
Red Flags: violence - the main character wakes up missing two of her fingernails, which apparently were pulled out during an interrogation she doesn't remember. The rest of the book finds her running from people who want to kill her.
Overall Rating: 3/5 stars

Read-Alikes: The Rules for Disappearing, Hostage Three, The Naturals, Mind Games

Cruel Beauty

Hodge, Rosamund. Cruel Beauty. Balzer+Bray, 2014.

Nyx is betrothed to the "gentle lord," an evil ruler who has taken over her kingdom. She has been trained by her father to infiltrate the ruler's castle and destroy him, thus freeing her people. But Nyx soon realizes that the situation is much more complicated than she and her father could possibly have imagined, and now she has to sort through her conflicting emotions and limited information to decide what would be the best move.

I listened to the audio version of this book, and while I admit that the narrator did a fantastic job at creating a creepy atmosphere, I wanted to read the print version instead simply so I could get through the book more quickly. The ending seemed to drag out unnecessarily long, so I would recommend this book only to my strongest readers, as I think my weaker readers would probably not be invested enough to finish the book.

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: sex is discussed, although it isn't explicit or graphic (Nyx is told what she is expected to do on the night of her wedding)
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

Far From You

Sharpe, Tess. Far From You. 2014

Three years ago Sophie was in a car accident and nearly lost her life. Her subsequent recovery sparked an addiction to narcotics, which her parents attempted to cure by sending Sophie to live with her aunt for several months. Soon after Sophie's return, there's another accident, but this one involves murder. Used to Sophie's lies, no one will believe that she hasn't relapsed. Sophie needs to find her best friend's murderer before it's too late, and she might have to do this all by herself.

This book is told in chapters which alternate between present-day and stories from the past which relate to whatever's happening in the present. The labels at the beginning of each chapter, in addition to a change in font, make it fairly easy to follow along. I really enjoyed the mystery aspect of this story, and I tried to follow along and guess who the murderer was before the end of the book. (I was wrong.) This is a great, suspenseful story of a girl who happens to be bisexual; the focus is not on Sophie's coming-out but rather on her attempt to solve her best-friend/almost girlfriend's murder.

Recommended for: young adults
Red Flags: drug use, alcohol, sexual abuse
Overall Rating: 5/5 stars

Read-Alike Suggestions: The Name of the Star, Confessions of a Murder Suspect

Dangerous

Hale, Shannon. Dangerous. Bloomsbury, 2014.

Maisie Danger Brown entered a contest on the back of a cereal box and won a spot at space camp.  However, things start to go very wrong once she's at the camp, and soon she realizes she's signed up for a lot more than lessons on how to be an astronaut. Any more details would provide too many spoilers, but this book is an action-packed page-turner that is sure to thrill science fiction fans.

Recommended for: young adults, science fiction fans
Red Flags: violence in large quantities
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

The Rules for Breaking

Elston, Ashley. The Rules for Breaking. 2014.

Anna has finally gotten her old life back and things are returning to normal when suddenly the people who were chasing her show up again. She is kidnapped along with her boyfriend and her sister and must find a way to protect them and also save herself.

This book read much like the first one, with slower moments interspersed between very intense scenes. I would have enjoyed this book more if I had read it right after the first one, but it's still not a bad story. I'm not sure that this series merits a third installment, as the first two were so very similar to each other.

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: lots of violence, minor language, reference to someone wearing a necklace which had a pendant shaped "like a man's private parts."
Overall Rating: 3/5 stars

I received a complimentary copy of this novel through Netgalley for the purposes of review.

The Lives of Tao

Chu, Wesley. The Lives of Tao. Angry Robot, 2013.

Tao is from a race of aliens that crash-landed on Earth millions of years ago. His race can't survive in our atmosphere, but they can inhabit the bodies of other creatures, so the aliens have been "possessing" creatures from the time of the dinosaurs. Now they inhabit humans, for the most part, in an attempt to bring technology up to a level where they can repair their ship and return home. But there's a feud of sorts going on among the aliens, which plays out in political battles among humans.

Enter Roen. Roen is a white, middle-aged, out of shape man who works in a cubicle for a random IT company. Roen becomes inhabited by Tao after Tao's previous host dies. Now Tao has to convince Roen that 1) Tao is real and 2) Roen is not crazy. And Roen needs to be trained. Soon. Because the battle is still waging around him and Roen is not ready to fight.

This book was a lot more entertaining than the cover or title made it seem to be. I only picked it up because it was part of YALSA's Hub Challenge, and I actually had to purchase a copy of this book since none of my local libraries carried it. But I'm glad I did. This book was a lot of fun, and I could see it being entertaining for adults and older teens. It doesn't fit the demographic of my middle school library, though, so I will be keeping this copy for myself.

Recommended for: older teens, adults

Red Flags: language, violence

Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

Boy Nobody

Zadoff, Allen. Boy Nobody. Little, Brown BFYR, 2013.

Boy Nobody was taken from his family when he was young. He has been trained in the art of blending in and the art of killing. His mission is simple: arrive at a new school, blend in with the other students, and then accomplish the objective of killing whomever his mark is. After he's done, he is sent to his next location and someone else cleans up after his mess. But when Boy Nobody actually befriends and begins to care for one of his marks, things become complicated. Will he be able to save himself and finally discover the truth?

This book was a fast-paced and compelling read. I neglected the dishes, the laundry, my cat, and everything else as I focused on this story and what would happen to Boy Nobody at the end. It was that good. I could easily booktalk this book or get some of my reluctant readers to try it out. The fast pace and mysterious plot would definitely appeal to my patrons.

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: language, alcohol use, violence
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

Stolen

Christopher, Lucy. Stolen: A Letter to My Captor. Chicken House, 2009.

Gemma is in an airport in Bangkok when it happens. She is drugged and kidnapped by a man who takes her to the Australian Outback where he has prepared a house for them to live in. Forever. She tries to escape several times, but they are so far away from civilization that there's no way she could get anywhere. When Gemma allows herself to be bitten by a snake, her captor has to take her to get some help, and it is then that she is able to escape and be reunited with her family.

This book is very popular among the girls at my library, and some of them have told me that their parents are surprised at how much time they spend reading when they pick up this book. I'm sure they are drawn to the fact that Gemma should hate her kidnapper but finds herself drawn to him and even misses him once she is freed.

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: kidnapping, obviously; there is no sex - he doesn't rape her, molest her, etc. Some alcohol use.
Overall Rating: 5/5 stars

Stolen

Christopher, Lucy. Stolen: A Letter to My Captor. Chicken House, 2009.

Gemma is in an airport in Bangkok when it happens. She is drugged and kidnapped by a man who takes her to the Australian Outback where he has prepared a house for them to live in. Forever. She tries to escape several times, but they are so far away from civilization that there's no way she could get anywhere. When Gemma allows herself to be bitten by a snake, her captor has to take her to get some help, and it is then that she is able to escape and be reunited with her family.

This book is very popular among the girls at my library, and some of them have told me that their parents are surprised at how much time they spend reading when they pick up this book. I'm sure they are drawn to the fact that Gemma should hate her kidnapper but finds herself drawn to him and even misses him once she is freed.

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: kidnapping, obviously; there is no sex - he doesn't rape her, molest her, etc. Some alcohol use.
Overall Rating: 5/5 stars

Hostage Three

Lake, Nick. Hostage Three. Bloomsbury USA Children's, 2013. 

Amy's father and stepmother drag her onto her father's yacht for a summer trip.  Then the yacht is overtaken by Somali pirates off the coast of Africa and Amy is renamed Hostage Three. The pirates only want money, but the deadline is drawing near, and they're getting impatient.  How will Amy and her family survive?

This was actually a fairly interesting story, if it weren't for the insta-love between Amy and one of the pirates. I'm not sure if she was suffering from Stockholm Syndrome or what the deal was, but that part of the story seemed a bit ridiculous to me.  I enjoyed the rest of the story, though, including the increasing tensions between the hostages, who just want to be released, and the pirates, who want/need money. I can definitely see this book being popular in my library, and it would be easy to booktalk even to my reluctant readers.

Recommended for: teens, tweens

Red Flags: language, minor violence, Amy is almost raped at one point

Overall Rating: 4/5 stars