Thirty to Sixty Days by Alikay Wood - OPTIONAL

Thirty to Sixty Days by Alikay Wood, 320 pages. Amulet Books, 2023. $20.

Language: R (25 swears, 3 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Hattie, a compulsive liar; Albert, a cancer survivor; and Carmen, a perfectionist teacher’s pet, happened to be in the same wrong place at the same wrong time. They were exposed to a parasite with the potential to kill them in the next thirty to sixty days. They have to make the choice to either spend their last days being tested in the hospital or attempt escape and live while they still can.

From boat hijacking to turtle-napping to being pepper sprayed, these three teenagers really do live life to the fullest, though most of it is unintentional. The real  life experience comes from their less exciting moments of working together, admitting truths, and asking for forgiveness. Life is all around us, just waiting for us to open our eyes and count the things that matter, a point that Wood conveys through this humorous story with surprisingly heartfelt moments.

Hattie is implied White, Albert is Chinese, and Carmen is Mexican. The mature content rating is for mentions of drugs and sex, underage drinking, criminal mischief, and illegal activity. The violence rating is for fistfighting.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

Kismat Connection by Ananya Devarajan - OPTIONAL

Kismat Connection by Ananya Devarajan, 304 pages. Inkyard Press, 2023. $19.

Language: R (29 swears, 6 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: G

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

The stars hold our destinies—a fact that Arjun (17yo) finds comforting and Madhuri (17yo) finds confining. In order to prove that the stars are wrong and that Madhuri can, in fact, control her life, she asks Arjun to help her with The Kismat Experiment: they will agree to a beginning and ending date for a romantic relationship together. When their relationship ends, Madhuri will have broken the stars’ prediction—but if their relationship doesn’t end as planned, then Arjun will prove the stars right.

Devarajan showcases the beauty of Indian culture in the midst of the confusion and willful misunderstandings of being a young Indian-American. Our circumstances and the ways that others treat us are as malleable to us as are the stars, and, as with the predictions of the stars, we can shape our lives by deciding how we react. As Devarajan’s characters illustrate, it’s not always easy, but knowing that we have the power in our lives will make all the difference.

Arjun, Madhuri, and their families are Indian/Indian-American. The mature content rating is for underage drinking.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

Along a Breton Shore by Arlem Hawks - OPTIONAL

Along a Breton Shore by Arlem Hawks, 368 pages. Shadow Mountain Publishing, 2023. $27.

Language: PG (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

The French Revolution has torn families, communities, and the country apart for the sake of unifying under a new government. Armelle (20yo) and Maxence (25yo) meet on opposite sides of a musket but help each other anyway—a moment of compassion that results in weeks of consequences. While they stubbornly defend their political beliefs, the two must find a way to reconcile if they are to reach their destination.

Armelle and Maxence appear to be very different people, but they share several qualities, including throwing verbal barbs in anger. Most of the development of their relationship felt like a constant back and forth of saying something mean and then apologizing until the next time, which became tiring for me as a reader. I love Hawks’ attention to historical detail, though. The things I learned from her notes in the back of the book and in doing some story-inspired research was fascinating.

The characters are mostly French, with a couple being Caribbeans. Armelle is described as White, and Maxence is described as having “olive” skin. The language rating is for French swears; the mature content rating is for alcohol use and innuendo; the violence rating is for gun use, mild battle scenes, and discussion of war casualties.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

Enlightened by Sachi Ediriweera - OPTIONAL

Enlightened by Sachi Ediriweera, 304 pgs. GRAPHIC NOVEL Atheneum Books for Young Readers. 2023. $23. Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW

Prince Siddhartha lives a charmed life in a beautiful palace with all his needs and whims met. However, he is frustrated as his father, the king, will not allow him to leave the palace as he claims the outside world is too dangerous and holds nothing for the prince. No longer able to accept his perceived imprisonment, Prince Siddhartha leaves his life of privilege, wife, and child to seek out an understanding of suffering and overcoming humanity’s cyclic existence. 

Although above the title on the cover in tiny font there is the statement, “a fictionalized tale,” this version of Buddha’s history is presented in a way that makes it appear as fact rather than one of the many stories of his origin. The story that the author has chosen to retell is one that is mythical and so the presentation as fact could lead to misinforming and confusing readers who have no previous knowledge of Buddha or Buddhism. If a reader supplemented this reading with other non-fiction books and/or guidance from someone with knowledge of Buddha and Buddhism, it could be worthwhile.

AEB

Enola Holmes and the Mark of the Mongoose by Nancy Springer - ESSENTIAL

Enola Holmes and the Mark of the Mongoose by Nancy Springer. 304 pages. St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books. 2023. $20. 

Language: PG (6 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (Fighting)

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ESSENTIAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

Once again 17yo Enola becomes inadvertently involved in a mystery when a customer asks for help from the new false identity she’s using, Dr. Ragostin. This new London mystery is a missing man who was bitten by a rabid dog. His sister Caroline and best friend Rudyard Kipling ask for help in finding him. Enola throws herself into the search and comes across strange characters, a strong leader and an odd group with the mark of the mongoose. She’s determined to find the missing man no matter how much danger she puts herself in. 

I like how the author ties history into the fictional Enola Holmes’ stories. The author states what’s true history and what’s fictional in the ending notes. I enjoy Enola’s perseverance, bravery, and generosity. Ethnicity is predominantly white. 

LynnDell Watson, Delta High School Librarian, Delta, Utah 

Glitter Everywhere! by Chris Barton, illustrated by Chaaya Prabhat - ADVISABLE

Glitter Everywhere!: Where it Came From, Where It's Found & Where It's Going by Chris Barton, illustrated by Chaaya Prabhat. PICTURE BOOK NON-FICTION Charlesbridge. 2023. $20. 9781623542528

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS  - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Glitter is lots of things. It is tiny, clingy, colorful, loved, and not loved. Glitter is iridescent and is the reason glitter captures the eye and the reason most of us are attracted to it. 

The science and story behind glitter are revealed in this all-encompassing book. The ancient Egyptians used iridescent beetles to glitter objects. Glitter was once called “flitter” until the word glitter became more popular. Glitter is bad for the environment, and scientists are working on many biodegradable forms of glitter. Glitter everywhere! calls attention to something most of us haven’t thought twice about. Barton’s humorous approach and interesting facts produce a very enjoyable read. The vibrant, whimsical illustrations add to the sparkling information. 

PGPowers 

Always Isn’t Forever by J. C. Cervantes - OPTIONAL

Always Isn’t Forever by J. C. Cervantes, 384 pages. Razorbill (Penguin Random House), 2023. $20.

Language: R (172 swears, 6 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Hart and Ruby have always been together and always will be—and then Hart dies the summer before senior year. Neither of them are ready to let go, and Hart’s spirit is given the chance to go back—but not in the body he had. Through all the obstacles of life and death, can they still choose to always be together?

A tragic undercurrent pulled through every part of the story. While the angel/demon trope was originally off putting because of how it contrasted with that undercurrent, the story worked out well in the end. Sacrifices were made, lessons of love were learned, and some things do last forever.

Hart is Latino, Ruby is implied Latina, Jameson is White, and most of the other characters are implied Latinx or White. The mature content rating is for underage drinking, innuendo, and mentions of sex. The violence rating is for assault and death.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

An Uncharted Devotion by Amanda Taylor - OPTIONAL

An Uncharted Devotion by Amanda Taylor, 216 pages. Covenant Communications, 2023.  $15.

Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - NO, ADULTS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

James and Sarah are madly in love when they get married before James has to report back to the Navy. Five years later, he returns a different man knowing that his friend is MIA, and she wonders if she will continue to be lonely even with her husband home. Can they find love again?

The fact that James and Sarah are willing to work to save their marriage is appealing when divorce has become so common nowadays. With their romance as the main focus, the action bit reminiscent of The Scarlet Pimpernel added some fun variety to the characters and the plot. Overall, James and Sarah have a sweet story with the hope of choosing to fall—and stay—in love.

The majority of the characters are English and French. The mature content rating is for alcohol use. The violence rating is for gun use and mentions of suicide.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

A Spark in the Cinders by Jenny Elder Moke - OPTIONAL

A Spark in the Cinders by Jenny Elder Moke, 368 pages. Disney Hyperion, 2023. $19.

Language: PG (9 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Cinderella has married the prince, making her step-sister Aralyn a failure in the eyes of her mother. Aralyn’s hatred for Cinderella grows as Aralyn is forced to sleep on her pallet and do her chores while Mother focuses on Divya, Aralyn’s younger sister. Then Cinderella asks for Aralyn’s help, and Aralyn sees it as the opportunity she needs to regain her mother’s favor and finally best Cinderella.

Moke gives Cinderella’s stepsisters more depth than the traditional story, and I enjoyed reading from a more understanding perspective—understanding their motivations and struggles. The story follows a fairly predictable questing plotline, turning weaknesses into strengths and teenage girls into heroes, but the book isn’t tedious. Rocky alliances, inner demons, and fey curses are around every corner, keeping the action interesting for readers that follow Aralyn into life-and-death situations.

Aralyn and Vee are depicted as White on the cover. The mature content rating is for kissing, and the violence rating is for mild fantasy battle scenes.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

A Spinster's Guide to Danger and Dukes by Manda Collins - OPTIONAL

A Spinster's Guide to Danger and Dukes by Manda Collins, 325 pages. Forever. 2023. $17.

Language: R (39 swears 1 'f'); Mature Content: R (On page explicit sex, innuendos, mention of porn, both sexual and nonsexual nudity, alcohol consumption) Violence: PG-13 (Repeated mention of wounds and murders, off-page suicide, possible cannibalism)

BUYING ADVISORY: HS, ADULT - OPTIONAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL - AVERAGE 

The last thing that 25yo Poppy needs right now is a rather vexing duke getting in her way. She has just learned that her brother-in-law has died and her sister accused of his murder. On her way to help, Poppy runs (quite literally) in to Joshua Fielding, Duke of Langham. The duke, himself, is facing a rather trying week ahead where his grandmother will certainly try to marry him off to one of the many women she has invited to the estate. The plan is simple: Poppy and Langham will assume a false engagement that will allow Langham to escape his potential brides, and Poppy will have ducal support as they investigate the murder. However, what neither of them could have foreseen is the growing feelings between them that grow as the week progresses. 

I enjoyed this book, and I think a decent amount of other readers would agree. No, it is not some literary masterpiece, but it was fun. Well-paced with decent characters, it made for a good read, but it's not one I would necessarily recommend to everyone. I suppose it was three stars. Note: this book began as a cute Victorian romance and murder mystery, but reader be warned, there is one decently explicit sex scene (not overly crude and descriptive but they still walk you through what is going on in quite some detail). There are also a decent amount of innuendos, a part where they discover some pornographic images (although this is not detailed), drink, and a part where they stumble on a nudist cult eating a heart, although there is speculation about whether or not it is human. Characters are all implied white, strictly heterosexual relationships. 

Sierra Finlinson 

Curses by Lish McBride - HIGH

Curses by Lish McBride, 442 pages. Penguin Random House/G.P. Putnam's Sons. 2021. $13. 

Language: PG (7 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content PG (brief passionate kissing) Violence: PG-13 (bloody death of an animal).

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

17yo Merit is cursed to be a beast until she agrees to marry someone who her mother approves of. She meets 19yo Tevin, a professional con man, and they strike a bargain. Merit’s mother has set her up with three worthy candidates and Tevin is going to help Merit navigate their intentions because she doesn’t trust her instincts after being jilted by her boyfriend Jasper. Jasper left Merit after her mother offered him money to leave. Merit feels trapped by her mother and she doesn’t feel anything for the three candidates. As she confides in Tevin, the two of them become friends and more. As they work together, they unknowingly walk into danger and discover deception and they’re going to have to rely on each other more than they realize.

I enjoyed the wonderful descriptions of the setting. The humor is cute and funny. I grew to love the charming characters. Merit is white, and other characters are of mixed ethnicity, including fairy. 

LynnDell Watson, Delta High School Librarian, Delta, Utah 

Charlie Hernandez & The Golden Dooms by Ryan Calejo - ADVISABLE

Charlie Hernandez & The Golden Dooms by Ryan Calejo, 371 pages. Aladdin Paperbacks (Simon and Schuster). 2022 $19.

Language: G (0 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: PG (crushes, a couple of kisses); Violence: PG (Peril, monster violence, bloody not gory). 

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

In Charlie's 3rd adventure, he is approached by a Calaca ( a skeleton girl) who begs him to help her, but won't say exactly what she wants him to do. Instead, she gives him clues to follow. Charlie, Violet and his cousin Raul discover that La Mano Peluda has another plan, this one involves an army of the dead. Caiman, a potion master with an army of Gator Goons is out to stop Charlie from stopping them. Good thing Charlie's cousin Raul has some morphing powers of his own. 

There's some actual romance in The Golden Dooms - Violet sees she may have competition, and is jealous. Handsome Raul does the same to Charlie and he worries about Violet. I can't believe how many legends and mythological beings there are! The Golden Dooms is just as exciting as the others. You certainly need it if you have the other two. Highly recommended for my Hispanic students who have the extra background knowledge that makes Charlie Hernandez special. Note: The Golden Dooms does not contain a glossary - books one and two did. The characters are Hispanic and Latin American 

Lisa Librarian 

The Secret History by Donna Tartt - OPTIONAL

The Secret History by Donna Tartt, 576 pages. Knoph Doubleday. 2004. $16 

Language: R (133 swears 27 'f');  Mature Content: PG-13 (Consistent drinking and drug use throughout, suicide and suicide attempts, off-page sex) Violence: PG-13 (Murders with descriptive gore) 

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW 

Bunny is 24 and the oldest of the group. Richard escapes as soon as he can from his small Californian town and abusive family to the east coast university: Hampden. There, he finds himself studying ancient languages alongside five other students and their eccentric professor. The group idolizes this professor and, as they become increasingly immersed in his teachings, they slip farther and farther into obsession, danger, and evil. 

This book took me two months and two formats to finish (starting paperback and ending audiobook), meaning it was terribly difficult to finish. The writing feels very classical and certainly pretentious, as the narrator studies languages, and I had to look up words on nearly every page. Although the beginning 200 pages were incredibly slow and uneventful, the ending was gut-wrenching and I was wholly invested in that last two hours. Further, I don't think many high schoolers would actually make it past those first couple hundred pages. As far as mature rating goes, the drinking and drug abuse was constant throughout the whole novel by all characters, there is off-page sex, mention of sex between siblings, mention of domestic abuse, and there were multiple deaths by both murder and suicide. All main characters are white. 

Sierra Finlinson 

Harvest House by Cynthia Leitich Smith - ADVISABLE

Harvest House by Cynthia Leitich Smith, 320 pages.  Candlewick. 2023. $19 

Language: PG-13 (30 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: PG (Drugs, ghosts) Violence: PG-13 (Assault, stalking, murder)

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Hughie Wolfe can't wait for 11th grade to begin so he can jump back into theatre with his friends -- especially since he turned down a previous role last year due it its insensitivity towards his Indigenous roots. Unfortunately, the school has cut down on the theatre budget, and students are left to create plays or theatre activities on their own. Following the lead of his drama teacher, Hughie begins to help set up a Haunted House near the Crossroads at what they call "Harvest House." To his dismay, the students and his teacher want one of the main displays to be an "Indian Burial Ground" which features the tragic "Indian Maiden" who was rumored to have been killed there. Annoyed by the stereotype and misrepresentation of sacred parts of his culture, Hughie can't decide what to do. Then strange things begin happening, and Indigenous women and Latinas start claiming that maybe there is someone haunting that area. Soon, Hughie has to decide if protecting his Indigenous and Latina sisters by staying near Harvest House is worth putting up with the racism and stereotypes of the haunted house's main attractions. 

I'm torn about how I feel about this novel. I absolutely love the representation of Indigenous cultures and the way it explored the pressure many minorities feel to always speak up for their cultures/beliefs - those elements were profound and important. At the same time, Hughie's entire moral conflict revolves around using the "Indian Maiden" as a way to create interest in the haunted house, and this feels exactly like what the book does: it takes a mysterious Indigenous ghost to help drive the mystery of the story. It felt like maybe the publishers wanted to do exactly what Hughie was fighting against in the book, so I'm uncomfortable with that. I also felt it didn't have much in terms of spooky or scary, and the ending was rather lackluster bordering on preachy. So I think it's valuable purely for its representation, but it's not a strong novel on its own. Hughie Wolfe is Indigenous with Latin-x and LGBTQ+ friends. 

Lisa J HS ELA Teacher 

Together We Rot by Skyla Arndt - OPTIONAL

Together We Rot by Skyla Arndt, 272 pages. Viking Books for Young Readers. 2023. $18 

Language: R (79 swears 6 'f'); Mature Content: PG-13 (Underage drinking and smoking, passionate undescribed kissing ) Violence: PG-13 (Bloody sacrificing of a rabbit, sacrificing son by bleeding him to death, father plunges knife into son’s chest) 

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL 

 AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

18yo Elwood runs away when he overhears his father talking about sacrificing him for the church he resides over in the Garden of Adam Community, located in the Upper Peninsula. He’s been told throughout his entire life that he’s a burden. He’s been punished and unloved by his parents. 18yo Wil is sure that her mother was sacrificed by the church and Elwood’s father. Wil and Elwood help each other hide from danger, investigate the community’s weird happenings, and try to find out what happened to Wil’s mother. Their lives will be thrown into chaos before it's over. 

I enjoyed the creepy aspect of Elwood’s family and his father’s effect on the community. The prose represents beauty and pain, hurt and happiness, perfectly. The story was too quick to achieve well-developed characters.  The ethnicity falls to white. 

LynnDell Watson, Delta High School Librarian, Delta, Utah 

The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King by Carissa Broadbent - NO

The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King by Carissa Broadbent. 600 pages Carissa Broadbent. 2023. $30 

Language: R (100+ swears 145+ swears); Mature Content: R (Nudity, descriptive sex, suicidal thoughts); Violence: R (Intense fighting and gore, violence against children) 

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - NOT RECOMMENDED 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Oraya might have won the Kejari, but she has lost her identity, her lover, and her father. Forced to play the prisoner queen, she faces threat after threat and plot after plot as she fights her recent history with Raihn. Raihn is now the king. And while he may not enjoy the politics and subtle manners of court, he does know how to fight, and fight he will for the future he dreams of. 

 Like the first, these books are one of the top recommended on TikTok, but also like first, it is certainly not appropriate for high school audiences. While I did quite like the first, this one wasn't as magical and I felt like the characters were running on emotion most of the time rather than logic. Noteworthy: I am, in fact, only on page 300 of 600 and this is the content and language so far. Again, there is a lot of gore and violence (even the detailed mass murder of children), sexual jokes and references ( I have not encountered an explicit sex scene yet, by the way they talk about it, it cannot be that far off), and incredibly crude language (so many F-words and a ton in the context of sex). All white or implied white, strictly heterosexual relationships, aged up characters (24-32) 

Sierra Finlinson - HS 

Damsel by Evelyn Skye - HIGH

Damsel by Evelyn Skye, 368 pages. Random House/Ballantine. 2023. $24 

Language: R (35 swears 0 'f');  Mature Content: PG (Brief kisses); Violence:  PG-13 (Men being eaten by dragon, detailed sounds. Being burnt by flames. Pierced through skull by dragon wing point.) 

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

20yo Elodie is excited to meet her betrothed, Prince Henry of Aurea. Elodie is one of three princesses who will be given to the dragon during Harvest Week in exchange for Aurea’s prosperity. Each year for the last eight centuries, three princesses from different parts of the world have been brought to Aurea under the guise of marrying Prince Henry, only to be sacrificed to the dragon. After unceremoniously being sent into the dragon's lair, Elodie keeps going by relying on her wits, her strength and the help of past princesses through clues they’ve left behind. She might just survive to save the next princess. 

The story is slow in the beginning to give the reader a sense of calm but then the action picks up once Elodie learns the secret of Aurea. I enjoyed how the author meshed the past and present princesses together and the perseverance of each. I'm impressed how the author’s 13yo daughter created a functional language for the dragons in this story. The language syntax, grammatical rules and words are in the back of the book. The ethnicity of Elodie and Henry fall to white, but brown skinned characters are found in the book also. 

LynnDell Watson, Delta High School Library, Delta, Utah

Witness Trees by Ryan G. Van Cleave, and Dom Dom - HIGH

Witness Trees: Historic Moments and the Trees Who Watched Them Happen  by Ryan G. Van Cleave, illustrated by Dom Dom. PICTURE BOOK NON-FICTION Bushel & Peck Books. 2023. $20. 9781638191254 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL, MS, HS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

In the sweep of wind over grass, near the pulse of rivers stand trees, monuments that have witnessed and continue to witness important events in history. A 1,000 year-old tree in Sherwood forest is now called the Parliament Oak after King John of England Held an emergency session of Parliament during the uprising of 1212 beneath the massive tree. Trees bear witness to the what, where, how, and who of the past. Many other trees are mentioned and the wars and events that they witnessed, including the Hundred Horse Chestnut tree around 4,000 years old. The tree that survived 911 is also included. Some of histories tree witnesses have been cut down, and these important trees need humanities protection. 

The Witness Trees is a beautiful book using verse and rhyme to express the ways very old and young trees have witnessed wars and other very important events in our world’s history. There is also a small text fact on each page informing us about each important tree. The reader is left with a feeling of awe and calm that trees continue to watch over us and continue to do so much longer than our small lifetimes. The illustrations are well done and also contribute to a feeling of peacefulness. Young and old readers will enjoy the story and facts. 

PGPowers

Slaying the Vampire Conqueror by Carissa Broadbent - ADULTS

Slaying the Vampire Conqueror by Carissa Broadbent, 411 pages. Carissa Broadbent. 2023. $20

Language:  R (30 swears 34 'f'); Mature Content: R (extremely descriptive sex, naming body parts, nudity, drug use) R Lots and lots of bloody violence 

BUYING ADVISORY: ADULTS

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

26yo Sylina, a Sister of the Arachessen, a group of skilled assassins and magic users, has given everything to her goddess; her devotion, her life, her eyes. Her most recent mission is interrupted, however, when the vampires arrive. Brutal, strong, and fast, they move quickly across the nation, conquering city state after city state as they work their way to the capital. Sylina's job is simple, at least in theory: gain the trust of the Conqueror and kill him. As she infiltrates his army, claiming a place as his seer, she will soon find herself teetering between her Arachessen vows and the man she was sent to kill. 

As always, I love Broadbent's books, however I cannot recommend them to a high school (let alone younger) audience. I thought Sylina was an intriguing character as she was conventionally blind, having sacrificed her eyes, and Atrius the Conqueror was wonderfully complex. I also appreciate that their romance is built on mutual respect and trust rather than lust. While they contain beautifully complex, intelligent characters and a unique plot, they also depict quite explicit sex, brutal violence (there were an amazing amount of beheadings), and strong language. Race is not mentioned although Sylina is white on some covers and the vampires are all painfully pale. 

Sierra Finlinson - HS

A Debt to the Stars by Kevin Hincker - OPTIONAL

A Debt to the Stars by Kevin Hincker, 286 pages. Kevin Hincker, 2023. $17.

Language: R (144 swears, 201 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13

BUYING ADVISORY: ADULTS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW

Diana’s pet project is about to send two people where humans have never been before: the bottom of the Mariana Trench. But last minute problems nearly cancel everything, which would delay the entire project another year. Diana replaces one of the two people selected to go, and she insists on moving forward today, even when her team on land informs them that alien ships have arrived.

Hincker makes the absolutely ridiculous sound possible in Diana’s story. Sentient vegetables, greedy alien bankers, and intergalactical economics—including explanations that went way over my head. Though there are a couple of lingering questions that entice readers to look forward to the sequel, I will not be subjecting myself to skimming over more explanations that will not make sense due to my lack of economic studies. The happy ending of this first book is satisfactory for me.

Diana is depicted as White on the cover, Sanjana has “olive” skin, Robert is described as “vaguely Asian,” and the text mentions various skin tones in other characters. The mature content rating is for mentions of alcohol, drugs, genitalia, and masturbation as well as for nudity. The violence rating is for blood and gore, mentions of guns, self harm, attempted suicide, murder, and fantasy violence.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen