Young Adult Fiction: A Stage Set for Villains by Shannon J. Spann

Once in a great while I will take a chance on a book that for whatever reason is not something I would normally pick, usually because it may lean too far into fantasy or romance for me. Oddly enough, Shannon J. Spann's A Stage Set for Villains is both, but the premise is intriguing. Set in a land where performers at an enchanted Playhouse are dangerous and feared, a young woman takes an enormous risk by joining them. 

The Situation: Eighteen year-old Riven Hesper fears both the Players and their Playhouse, just as she has been taught to do as a resident of the North. She also has a terrible memory of being attacked and cursed by a Player ten years ago, and it is a curse that has alienated her from everyone, including members of her family. Also, it is slowly killing her. Then an opportunity is presented to her: a chance to not only be healed, but maybe even exact some revenge. The Playhouse is offering a chance for one person to steal a Player's immortality, all they have to do is win a competition. Truly, Riven has little to lose, and she may even get some answers.

The Problem: It is clear that the competition will be difficult, and dangerous. Riven is one of five competitors, each being mentored by one of the Players, and her mentor just happens to be the charming and merciless Lead Player, Jude. But in the Playhouse, nothing is quite as it seems, and the more secrets Riven uncovers, the less her life, including her place in this competition, seems to make sense. It is also clear that this competition is something bigger, grander, and more horrifying than she initially thought. What is certain is the scripts have power; memories cannot be trusted; and we cannot always be sure we are the hero in the story.

Genre, Themes. History: This is a work of fiction set in the land of Theatron, where an expiring treaty had banished the Playhouse and its fearsome Players to the South, keeping them from having an audience in the North. The Players are beings with incredible power, actors that can only survive if they have an audience, though they are often cruel and unforgiving when wielding their power. At the center of the story is Riven, who was cursed by a Player ten years ago and is desperate to reverse it. The chapters are broken up across three 'Acts' with an intermission between the first and second one, and the book even ends with a curtain call and encore. 

My Verdict: A lot happens in this book, and what is refreshing about it is that the author allows over 500 pages for all of that action to take place. There is plenty of room for these characters to run around and have their adventures, with almost none of it feeling rushed. Sure, there are some parts that are maybe given too much space, and the twists and turns can be tricky to navigate, but readers are never left behind. The world that Spann has built comes through in just enough detail without getting bogged down, and it is a world that is complicated, but not overly so, and with plenty of magic and wonder to satisfy a fantasy reader. 

Favorite Moment: I enjoyed the initial introduction of the five Players and their different characteristics. 

Favorite Character: Titus is my favorite Player. He is big, loud, brash, boarish, and thoroughly insecure...and he knows it and does not care.

Recommended Reading: Some aspects of this book did remind me Hotel Magnifique by Emily J. Taylor.

Historical Fiction: Keeper of Lost Children by Sadeqa Johnson

This year has already had a lot to offer when it comes to historical fiction, but I went ahead and decided on Sadeqa Johnson's Keeper of Lost Children for my next selection. The book follows the story of three different people, whose lives all center around occupied Germany in the 1950s. Decisions are made that will change all three lives forever, leading to an incredible story about love and identity.

The Situation: In 1965 Maryland, young Sophia Clark is worked to the bone on her parents' farm, and cannot imagine a life beyond it. But everything changes seemingly overnight when she finds out she is the recipient of a scholarship that allows her to attend the prestigious, formerly all-white West Oak Forest Academy. Sophia may not feel like she fits in at the fancy boarding school, but she never truly felt like she fit in on the farm either. And after a chance conversation with a fellow student, she is set on the path to find out why, and what she discovers changes everything she thought she knew about herself.

The Problem: In 1950s Germany, Ethel Gathers finally feels like she has a purpose, and it involves a local orphanage full of children with American GI fathers and German mothers. Unable to have children of her own, Ethel puts all of her effort in making sure these children are cared for, even doing what she can to have them adopted into loving families in the U.S, despite the road block that is German bureaucracy. Meanwhile, Ozzie is stationed in Manheim, having left the racism back home in Philadelphia only to be faced with racism abroad, though he does find solace in a relationship with a young German woman. The lives of Sophia, Ethel, and Ozzie will interconnect in a way none of them ever imagined, as surprise discoveries and buried secrets reveal a fascinating story.

Genre, Themes, History: This book is a work of historical fiction set between the years of 1948 to 1968. In 1948, Ozzie begins his assignment in Germany, while in 1950, Ethel first takes notice of the orphanage housing the mixed-race children born to Black American GIs and German women. In 1965, Sophia is given the chance to attend an elite boarding school, which is the beginning of her own journey of self-discovery and identity. The chapters are all told by a third-person narrator, but switch focus between the three different characters. A picture is drawn of what racial dynamics were like in both the U.S. and Germany immediately following the de-segregation of some schools and even the army.

My Verdict: I always wonder how a narrative will play out when the focus changes between different characters, much less characters in different locations and time periods. But Johnson manages to get it done and craft a story that is not only interesting, but it is the kind of subject that can cause a reader to want to learn more. The story gives a face and history (though fictional) to a fairly common occurrence that few know about. The characters are well thought-out, and every moment and interaction seems carefully planned to lead to the overall discovery. Historical fiction lovers will surely appreciate this story of family and love.

Favorite Moment: Sophia's mother, Ma Deary, is not exactly the lovey, motherly type. Her main communication with her children involves giving them orders around the farm. But despite her wrath being a source of fear most of Sophia's life, the young girl does eventually stand up to her.

Favorite Character: Ethel does the impossible for the children at the orphanage, in a time when most were content to only do enough to take care of themselves. 

Recommended Reading: I recommend The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan.

Contemporary Fiction: The Astral Library by Kate Quinn

Historical Fiction writer Kate Quinn has done something a little bit different from her previous books, this time leaning towards fantasy with The Astral Library. Readers will still have the opportunity to visit history, but this time only through the scenes and settings of classic works of fiction, as the protagonist moves from book to book in order to save a special library.

The Situation: Alix Watson understands that life is not fair. Her childhood in the foster-care system taught her that people will often let you down. In fact, she was placed in foster care after her mother ran off without her, following a man who was not interested in "the whole kid thing." Now Alix is 26 years old, working three dead end jobs, and has pretty much given up on the idea of ever attending college. One of her few joys is the reading room in the Boston Public Library. Alix has always loved books and big words, and the library is one of the few places in the world someone with little money can hang around for free. And one day, Alix stumbles through a hidden door, and finds that the library is even more magical than she realized.

The Problem: Beyond the magical door is the Librarian, who explains to Alix that she has been chosen, and she will have the opportunity to live inside of a book of her choosing, effectively leaving her old life behind. Alix is all for it and makes preparations, only for an enemy to begin attacking the library and its inhabitants. According to the Librarian, the last time this happened, it was because someone was after the people who had managed to escape their old lives to live in books. So Alix and the Librarian fight back, but this enemy is different. And defeating it may involve more than simply moving patrons to a safer place.

Genre, Themes, History: This book is a work of fiction that involves a magical library that allows people to literally escape into the pages of their favorite book. It begins in Boston where Alix lives and works, as the reading room at the Boston Public Library is one of her favorite places. And through her adventures, she has the opportunity to visit Sherlock Holmes' London, the world of Jane Austen, and the even Gatsby's parties. But Alix will also have to deal with the bureaucratic process, the intense fervor of a book-banner, and the ever-present whispers of both modernization and monetization.

My Verdict: What could be more alluring to any reader out there than the idea of being able to step into and walk around inside of a book? Even for only a little while. What Alix has been offered is a dream come true, and somehow, the magic of the moment does not quite come across. It could be Alix's rough edges, put there by her mother's abandonment and the harsh realities of a childhood in the foster-care system, as well as her current reality of barely being able to make ends meet. But even as she moves around from book to book, following the mysterious and stern Librarian, the movements feel dull, and any remaining magic becomes overshadowed by the author's message.

Favorite Moment: One thing this book accurately portrays is the terrifying power of a librarians "Shhh."

Favorite Character: Dennis is a ghost that lives in the Astral Library, and has apparently never quite been able to finish War and Peace, despite having tried many many times. I get it Dennis...that book is great but it is also a slog.

Recommended Reading: I recommend Sosuke Natsukawa's The Cat Who... series.

Science Fiction: Operation Bounce House by Matt Dinniman

Matt Dinniman, author of the popular Dungeon Crawler Carl series, has released a new science fiction adventure, Operation Bounce House. The premise promised a battle involving mechs on a distant planet, a planet that humans have managed to inhabit and populate. I missed the boat on the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, so I was excited to experience Dinniman's writing for the first time.

The Situation: Oliver Lewis simply wants to run the family farm, and maybe attend the occasional band practice with his friends, though they rarely end up practicing. His life on New Sonora is simple, but busy, and he is surrounded by close friends and family, including his little sister Lulu, his best friend Sam, and his girlfriend Rosita. Then there is Roger, the AI bot that runs everything, and the thing that Oliver's grandfather told him and his sister to protect at all costs. In fact, that is rule #1 of the ten rules Grandpa Lewis drilled into his grandchildren, with rule #10 being more than a little cryptic. But Roger has no idea how crucial his grandfather's words will become in just a few short hours.

The Problem: While the settlers of New Sonora were promised peace and the chance to live unbothered, it seems the plan has changed, as large weaponized machines begin appearing on the planet. There had been some news of this possibility in the days before, but Oliver had more or less ignored the warnings, choosing to continue on with life as usual. Now a mech is here, and appears to be piloted by...a child? With Roger's help, Oliver and his friends soon learn all about Operation Bounce House, a game the citizens of Earth can sign up for if they wish to have a chance to help the government rid New Sonora of what they are telling people are 'terrorists.' Poor Oliver is a simple farmer, not even a soldier, and certainly not a terrorist. But he and his friends have to come up with a plan, and fast. Otherwise, the only life he has ever known or wanted is about to end.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a science fiction novel set in a distant time on a distant planet known as New Sonora. Twenty-five year-old Oliver Lewis lives and works on his family's farm close to a place known as Burnt Ends, where some people settled after arriving on ships from Earth many decades ago. On New Sonora, it is mostly grandparents with their 20 something grandchildren, and very few young kids, as a mysterious disease took the lives of the generation that Oliver's parents belonged to. Civilization managed to push past that threat, only to now be confronted with mechs piloted by gamers, streamers, and simply those with a lot of money, ready to take everyone out as part of a game. Issues regarding AI are discussed at length, as well as what humankind will do to justify a war, the toxicity of internet trolls, and how animals always garner the most sympathy.

My Verdict: As with nearly every science fiction book I read, I am not going to pretend to understand every little thing that went on in these pages. And it was a nice touch for Dinniman to make the protagonist Oliver almost as confused as I was. But the explanations, mostly provided by Roger, were more than thorough and served to show just how advanced everything had become - even when it came to the simple farming life Oliver lived - while also portraying the danger of what was happening, and what it would truly mean if Operation Bounce House succeeded. It is a fun novel where some pretty serious stuff happens, that points to equally serious implications of a lot of things happening on Earth right now.

Favorite Moment: Pretty early on in the battle, Roger proves incredibly (and disturbingly) adept at spewing colorful insults at gamers and streamers.

Favorite Character: Sam is a goofball and a little bit of an idiot, but he is earnest, and committed, and willing to fight what appears to be a losing battle for his home on New Sonora.

Recommended Reading: Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game immediately comes to mind, as well as In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune.

Contemporary Fiction: The Elsewhere Express by Samantha Sotto Yambao

After reading last year's Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao, I looked forward to what would come next from the author. And when I first caught sight of the cover art for The Elsewhere Express, I was thrilled to see that it would seemingly involve trains. Combining the author's imagination with my favorite mode of transportation seemed like a dream come true, and I could not wait to dive in.

The Situation: Raya was born to fulfill a very specific purpose, but when her brother died, that purpose seemingly went with him, along with her dream of being a songwriter. Now she is barreling her way through medical school, surviving on all of the junk food she was not allowed to have as a child. Q is a celebrated artist still angry and grieving over the tragic death of his father. And if life had not already been cruel enough, he is losing his sight, which means his artistic career is nearly over. While strangers in life, Raya and Q will each find themselves swept aboard the Elsewhere Express, a train full of impossible scenes, and cryptic instructions.

The Problem: According to the conductor, the passengers that find themselves aboard the Elsewhere Express are souls adrift without a clear purpose. Raya is immediately intent on finding a way off the train, while Q believes he would like to stay. After all, on the Elsewhere Express, Q is able to see again, and would rather live in this reality than the one he has left behind. But while the train may have a pharmacist that can concoct a tonic that will make people forget painful memories; and a boarding car that resembles a meadow; and compartments that are personalized to the inhabitant; it also has secrets. And it seems a danger has followed Raya and Q onboard, threatening the peace and safety of the train.

Genre, Themes, History: This novel is a work of fiction with the action taking place mostly onboard the Elsewhere Express, a train that never stops moving, and picks up people who feel they have no purpose in their lives. Every train car is different, with few of them even resembling train cars as we know them. Raya may have lost her sense of purpose after her brother died, but she is not interested in staying on the Elsewhere Express. But Q is an artist who is losing his sight, and the Elsewhere Express has allowed him to see again. He cannot imagine returning to a life where that is not true. The novel deals with grief and searching and longing, while also playing with the nature of time and movement.

My Verdict: I love trains, so the book already had major points in its favor. And the Elsewhere Express is a mystical train where it seems nearly anything is possible, and each car contains a different wonder that must be explained. While the grief that Raya and Q are experiencing is relatable and heartbreaking, the constant wonders and fantastic experiences that can be found aboard the train only served to make the story less and less interesting. There was little time allowed to become invested in each new thing, and the ongoing changes only caused me to feel lost, before I eventually gave up attempting to follow the narrative thread. 

Favorite Moment: Each chapter of the book begins with what is said to be a frequently asked question from "The Elsewhere Express Passenger Handbook" and I thought it was an incredibly clever way to title the chapters and introduce what they might include.

Favorite Character: Rasmus is a large man who has been onboard the train for a long time, and even has other versions of himself wandering around in it.

Recommended Reading: I recommend the author's previous novel, Water Moon. 

Nonfiction: The Flower Bearers by Rachel Eliza Griffiths

It was the description on the book jacket that got me on this one, as well as the fact that the author is the fifth wife of famous writer Salman Rushdie. I was in search of a "serious" memoir, and Rachel Eliza Griffiths' The Flower Bearers would prove to fulfil the purpose.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a nonfiction book written by poet and visual artist Rachel Eliza Griffiths. It is a memoir that focuses most specifically on her relationship with her best friend, poet Kamilah Aisha Moon, who passed away suddenly on the day of Griffith's wedding to author Salman Rushdie. Less than a year later, Rushdie would be brutally attacked while speaking at an event, nearly losing his life after being stabbed multiple times. Griffith's book is about the two momentous events, and so much more, including the pandemic, the death of her mother, and her mental health struggles in the midst of all of it.

My Verdict: I admire any author who is able to pack so much life and story and introspection into less than 350 pages. Not only does Griffith talk about her relationship with and the death of Moon, as well as her marriage to Rushdie, but she examines her childhood with the mother that would not live to see the wedding, and discusses in depth her own experience with dissociative identity disorder. In a book that talks about being the fifth wife of a famous author, and the grisly attempt on his life, it is strange how that is not even the most interesting part of the book. Plus, there is Griffith's own writing and poetry that is discussed, as well as Moon's. It is a stunning memoir that is surprisingly easy to read, given the content, while also being heartbreaking, and ultimately quite joyful.

Favorite Moment: I enjoyed reading about Griffiths' time in college, in particular her years at Sarah Lawrence with Moon.

Recommended Reading: I recommend Alice Walker's In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens, as Walker was a favorite author of Moon's. 

Young Adult Fiction: Beth Is Dead by Katie Bernet

Not to judge a book by its cover, but I totally judged this book by its cover. I mean, look at it. The eye-catching pink and impossible to ignore blood dripping off of the letters. And then, that first word in the title...somehow I knew that the Beth in Beth Is Dead by Katie Bernet was the third March sister in the classic novel Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Usually I am not big on retellings or reimaginings, but after reading the premise, I knew I had to give this book a try.

The Situation: Ever since their dad published a book with his four daughters as the main focus, the lives of the March sisters has not been the same. By far his most popular book, Little Women tells a fictionalized story of their lives, and there are readers who love it, and plenty who hate it. Many protested the idea of a man writing about girls. Others believe it was exploitive...and included in that number are at least two of his own daughters. There is the attractive and responsible Meg; ambitious and driven Jo; the party girl screw-up Amy, whom every reader of the book loves to hate; and then Beth. Sweet angelic Beth, who dies at the end of her father's book. The controversy surrounding the book drives Mr. March into hiding, and life moves on as well as it can, until life decides to imitate art, and Beth is found dead.

The Problem: It was New Year's Eve, and while Meg is away at Harvard, Beth and Amy attend a friend's annual New Year's Eve party, as Jo stays home, content to work on her writing. But Amy comes back alone, and when Beth is still gone in the morning, she and Jo go out to look for her, only to discover unimaginable tragedy. Now with a murder investigation underway, the three remaining March sisters find themselves once again in the public eye, and due to the chaos of the night, seemingly everyone is a suspect. What becomes clear, is that everyone also has secrets they do not want uncovered by nosy detectives, including the surviving March sisters. 

Genre, Themes, History: This is a work of fiction that focuses on the March sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, from the Louis May Alcott novel Little Women, originally published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869. Each chapter is from the point of view of one of the sisters, including Beth, and is either set 'Then,' before Beth's death, or 'Now,' after she has died. Bernet brings the sisters into the modern era by giving them cell phones, social media accounts, email addresses, etc. But she also makes Jo's ambition a little more caustic, and turns Amy into a rebellious teenager who is constantly being suspended from school. The sisters also do not get along as well as they did in the classic novel, but they must work to stick together if they are going to find out what really happened to Beth.

My Verdict: I will first say that it has been years since I have read Alcott's classic novel, but I do remember enjoying it, and can recall enough to know that the sisters in Bernet's novel are very different, but with many similarities. The main similarity is that in both books, *spoiler alert for those who have not read the original* Beth dies. And while the original novel paints a picture of a sisterhood that many would envy, the girls in this book made me glad that I only had a brother. Die hard purists may have a hard time with how the sisters are presented against a modern day backdrop, but if readers can allow themselves to have fun with the premise and get a little lost in the mystery, I think they will enjoy hearing from the different sisters and seeing the drama unfold. 

Favorite Moment: Throughout the book, Beth is often seen as the forgotten sister, or at the very least, the one few are interested in. This is mostly because of the way her father portrayed her in his novel, so it was nice to see the moments when she would stand up herself, assert her own opinion, and go for what she wanted.

Favorite Character: Beth is an easy choice, but I will also pick Meg. She has her flaws and makes more than a few questionable decisions, but she takes her role as the oldest sister seriously and shows up for her family.

Recommended Reading: Naturally, I recommend Alcott's original book, as well as Tiffany D. Jackson's The Weight of Blood, a retelling of Stephen King's Carrie.