Vanya and the Wild Hunt

Mandanna, Sangu. Vanya and the Wild Hunt. Book 1 of the Vanya series. 2025. 288p. ISBN 9781250899835.

Eleven-year-old Vanya Vallen has always felt like an outsider, grappling with her British-Indian identity in a predominantly white English town. Her parents hide their secretive pasts. And to compound it all, her ADHD scatter her attention. Adding to her unique circumstances, Vanya possesses the extraordinary ability to converse with books, and more remarkably, the books communicate back to her. 

Vanya's life takes a dramatic turn when a monstrous creature, previously believed to exist only in fairytales, attacks her family, revealing her parents' hidden lives and the pervasive presence of other fantastical beasts.

Whisked away to Auramere, an enchanted library and school, Vanya finds herself among archwitches and archivists, embracing an unexpected, exciting, and wonderful new existence. However, even in this magical sanctuary, danger lurks. The mysterious and formidable Wild Hunt is on the loose, threatening Auramere itself. Vanya must tap into all her creativity and courage to unmask the Hunt's leader and thwart their destructive plans, fighting to protect the only place where she has ever truly felt a sense of belonging.

The Girl You Know

Gonzalez Rose, Elle. The Girl You Know. 2025. 288p. ISBN 9781547616039

Luna and her twin sister Solina have always been together, but a tragedy and parental drug abuse got them into the foster care system, which they fled at the earliest opportunity. Always the smart one, Solina was accepted as a scholarship student at the prestigious Kingswood Academy in Washington State, so Luna and Solina moved to a small town a few hours away from Kingswood. Luna dropped out and now works full-time to support her sister, and she has high hopes Solina will become a doctor.

Luna's world shatters when Solina storms out after an argument with Luna over revealing her intention to drop out of her elite boarding school. She is found dead just hours later, having fallen off a cliff at a popular park. Despite the police ruling Solina's death an accident, Luna is convinced it was murder, since her sister was deathly afraid of the cliffs. 

Driven by grief and a thirst for justice, Luna decides to infiltrate Kingswood, assuming Solina's identity to uncover the truth behind her sister's untimely demise. Luna navigates the treacherous social circles of Kingswood, encountering the same cunning and cruel individuals who were Solina's supposed friends. As she delves deeper into her sister's life, Luna grapples with the unsettling discovery of Solina's hidden secrets, while simultaneously navigating her growing feelings for her roommate. The closer Luna gets to the truth, the more dangerous her investigation becomes, but with nothing left to lose, she is prepared to go to any lengths to avenge her sister's death, even if it means risking everything.

The Afterdark

 Latimer, E. The Afterdark. 2025. 400p. ISBN 9781774882245.

The summer before her senior year, Evie Laurent witnesses the drowning of her twin sister, Ada. Though a part of her is now missing, Evie is not really all that sad. All of their lives, Ada has been trying to punish Evie, which even escalated to half-hearted attempts on her life, like the time Ada tried to shove Evie off a cliff during a hike. Evie's mother, a Supreme Court judge, has always been distant, and she decides to send her daughter to live with her father, the principal of Northcroft, an elite boarding school located on an island in Washington State, the school her sister Ada was attending before she died.

Arriving at Northcroft, Evie is immediately ignored by her father, who refuses to welcome her or even to accept an appointment with her. She meets Holland Morgan, former child star of the Wizards television series, and she finds herself attracted to Holland's magnetic personality, sparking an intense desire to learn everything about her. At the same time, Evie is hiding her own dark secrets, including the guilt she carries for her sister's drowning and the growing strength of her own troubling impulses that make her want to hurt others.

Holland Morgan, no stranger to making questionable choices, finds herself drawn to Evie despite knowing it's a dangerous path. As their attraction deepens into obsession, they become entangled in a dangerous game, both feeling a pull towards the darkness that permeates Northcroft. Soon, Evie discovers Northcroft's secret. The school serves as a gate to the Afterdark. Each night, as the school is locked down, the surrounding forest transforms into a nightmarish reflection of itself, a place crawling with unseen horrors. Evie and Holland must now confront a critical choice: fight the seductive call of the shadows and protect each other, or succumb to the darkness and embrace its destructive power that comes with choosing Northcroft!

Fans of paranormal novels will enjoy this creepy story with two strong female characters and a cast of denizens drawing power and corruption from the gate to the Afterdark. 

Deadly Class, Vol 2: Kids of the Black Hole

Remender, Rick. Deadly Class, Vol 2: Kids of the Black Hole. 2015. 128p. ISBN 978-1-6321-5222-0.

Being a student at Kings Dominion for the Deadly Art school means having to live among the future elite assassins and murderers. The one subject everyone learns? The most effective ways to kill someone. It is a craft that every student is expected to hone while at the school. For Marcus Lopez, studying at school is simply an extension of his previous life dealing drugs. Having been recruited by the school principal himself because of his unique skills, Marcus has secrets that even other assassins would blanch at. When these secrets threaten to destroy Marcus and his friends, they decide it is time to fight back!

Told in black and white, with a hint of purple in most frames, this dark and violent tale will entertain and puzzle the reader in equal measures.

Extraordinary Means

Schneider, Robyn. Extraordinary Means. 2015. 324p. ISBN 978-0-06-221716-5. Available at FIC SCH on the library shelves.

Lane's comfortably completely laid out life plan has just collapsed on itself. A senior in high school, Lane was looking forward to taking the SATs, seeking and receiving early admission to Stanford, then move on to graduate school before getting married and having an amazing career. He is smart, driven, but didn't take into account that tuberculosis could stop him in his tracks. Now sick, his family has sent him to Latham House, a sanatorium where teens who have contracted the incurable strain of tuberculosis are being treated while scientists continue their research into discovering a cure.

Since incurable tuberculosis is, by definition, incurable, most teens sent to Latham House don't expect they will ever leave this place. As a school, the academic demands are minimal. As a hospital, everyone is focused on wellness and ensuring that patients don't overexercise their brains or their muscles, thus triggering a coughing fit. Lane expects to come to Latham House, continue his studies, and recuperate quickly enough to be sent home so he can apply to college.

On his first day there, he is stood up by his guide, and he has to go to the dining hall by himself. When Lane discovers that his guide in fact died in the night, it hits him that for many people Latham is the last place they will live. In the dining hall he recognizes a girl he was attracted to during a summer camp experience three years ago when they were both thirteen. The Sadie he knew was an awkward and shy girl. Not this Sadie. She is outspoken and wears her passion on her sleeves. Lane immediately finds himself even more attracted to her. Sadie, however, remember summer camp and the fact that Lane stood her up at the camp dance.

Finally able to resolve this misunderstanding, Lane joins Sadie's group of misfits and troublemakers, and soon learns that living life doesn't need to mean the journey is already all planned. All of the teens at Latham House have learned the hard way that you need to live in the moment.

As Lane and Sadie fall in love, he realizes that sickness could take it all away. Lane, Sadie and their friends dare to break rules. Some rules, however, are meant to protect them from themselves and from becoming sicker. When one of their own dies, they are forced to re-evaluate their lives.

Told from Lane and Sadie's perspective in alternating chapters, Extraordinary Means continues the exploration of teens finding themselves afflicted with incurable diseases. Fans of Quarantine: A Love Story will appreciate the realistic portrayal and the feelings shared by two teens in love.

Flunked

Calonita, Jen. Flunked. 2015. 244p. ISBN 978-1-49260157-9 . Book 1 of the Fairy Tale Reform School series. Available as an eBook from Overdrive.

Following the disastrous allegations that followed Cinderella’s ball and the incident of the glass slipper, Flora, Cinderella’s wicked stepmother, realized the error of her ways and, to atone for her violent tendencies and evilness, she created the Fairy Tale Reform School where every character that needs to be reformed can be safely taught together so they can change their ways. With princesses in charge and with the 7 dwarves and their minions enforcing their will, Enchantasia has never been this peaceful.

Unfortunately, not everything is as it should be. Two major villains managed to escape the dwarves and now lurk in the dark edges of Enchantasia. Worse, peace has not improved the prosperity of the people. Gilly’s father is the craftsman who created the glass slippers, but ever since their popularity went through the roof they have been made magically, putting him near bankruptcy. With no prospects of money and a belly always empty, Gilly has been stealing from the Royals in the marketplace to make sure there’s always something to eat. But when she gets caught a third time, Gilly is sentenced to the Fairy Tale Reform School.

Staffed with former villains, such as the Bad Wolf and Snow White’s Evil Queen, the school at first seems daunting. As Gilly makes friends, however, she quickly realizes that things are not at all as they appear, and that it may be impossible for some villains to truly be reformed. With her friends, Gilly will try to stop an attempt on the princesses’ lives, but can she save Enchantasia without losing herself?

Outrun the Moon

Lee, Stacey. Outrun the Moon. 2016. 391p. 607 mins. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.

Mercy Wong is dedicated to achieving her goal of owning her own enterprise and pulling her family out of poverty. Living with her little brother, her mother, and her father in a small apartment in San Francisco’s Chinatown in 1906, Mercy experiences daily discrimination. Her father runs a laundromat and works sixteen hours a day, seven days a week. Her younger brother is sick and frequently needs medicines. Her mother is a fortune teller who has predicted her own death. Americans dislike the Chinese and have closed off their borders to more Chinese immigration, so even though Mercy is born in the United States and therefore a citizen, she’s considered an alien by the local population.

Having read and thoroughly internalized a treatise on business, Mercy embarks on a mission to join the most prestigious high school for girls in San Francisco, the St. Clare’s School for Girls, where the scions of San Francisco’s rich families go to perfect their education and social graces before meeting a husband. Mercy, however, plans on developing her business acumen and make contacts. Her friend Tom, whom she is romantically interested in, wants to build air machines and refuses to join his father in his herbalist business, planning instead to move to Seattle to work with a certain individual named Boeing.

Mercy convinces Mister Du Lac, a board member of the school and the owner of the most prestigious chocolate maker in the country to help her join the school. She has to pretend to be a Chinese heiress even though she’s never been to China and doesn’t know many of her culture’s more refined customs. None of that deters Mercy, however, who will persevere through mean girls at the boarding school, a strict and disciplinarian headmistress, and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fires that destroy most of the city to achieve her goals of not only succeeding in American society but changing it as well. Filled with humor, this book provides a great look at a relatively unknown period of American history.