Author, Young Adult & Middle Grade Fiction
I blog both on this site and at TheWingedPen.com.
Here, you’ll find my recommendations for adult books. (I write these infrequently).
At the Winged Pen, you’ll find my young adult and middle grade book recommendations, as well as thoughts on writing. I post there monthly. You can find those posts here.
Cat lives in Los Angeles, about as far away as she can get from her estranged twin sister El and No. 36 Westeryk Road, the imposing gothic house in Edinburgh where they grew up. As girls, they invented Mirrorland, a dark, imaginary place under the pantry stairs full of pirates, witches, and clowns. These days Cat rarely thinks about their childhood home, or the fact that El now lives there with her husband Ross.
But when El mysteriously disappears after going out on her sailboat, Cat is forced to return to the grand old house, which has scarcely changed in twenty years. No. 36 Westeryk Road is still full of shadowy, hidden corners, and at every turn Cat finds herself stumbling on long-held secrets and terrifying ghosts from the past. Because someone—El?—has left Cat clues all over the house: a treasure hunt that leads right back to Mirrorland, where she knows the truth lies crouched and waiting…
I was interested in reading The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue because I’ve loved everything I’ve read V.E./Victoria Schwab (9 books ranging from middle grade to adult), and this one does not disappoint.
It’s the story of a teenage girl in 18th century France who makes a deal with a dark god to get out of an unwanted marriage and instead live a life of freedom.
Continue reading “Recommended: THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE by V.E. Schwab”
In the wake of a climactic battle in the ruined city of Babel, two former best friends suddenly find themselves on opposite sides of the same quest. Eve is torn between the memories of the girl she was, and the synthetic she’s discovered herself to be. Together with her lifelike “siblings,” Eve sets out to find the real Ana Monrova, whose DNA is the key to building an army of lifelikes.
Continue reading “Recommended: DEV1AT3 by Jay Kristoff”
Today I’m over at The Winged Pen with a review of Aurora Rising, a new young adult science fiction novel by the authors of Illuminae. Click here to see the full review!
Today, I’m over at The Winged Pen talking about the 7 books that made the short list for the CYBILS Award for YA Speculative Fiction. If you love young adult fantasy, sci fi, alternate history or magical realism, you’ll find some titles you want to add to your TBR! Check out the post here!
Today, I’m over at the Winged Pen with my thoughts on STRONGER, FASTER, AND MORE BEAUTIFUL by Arwen Elys Dayton. This book provides a fascinating yet terrifying exploration of the future of the human body.
Read more here.
Today, I’m over at The Winged Pen talking about Salt by Hannah Moscowitz. The story starts with action and pulls you into not only the thrill of the battle but also the teamwork of the siblings fighting sea monsters with knives, arrows, blowtorches and hooks. They are all lethal.
Bottom line: highly recommended! Check out the full review here.
Today, I’m over at The Winged Pen talking about Not Even Bones by Rebecca Schaeffer, a gritty, blood-drenched young adult thriller. Bottom line: highly recommended! Check out the full review here.
Publisher’s Description
Aisha Un-Haad would do anything for her family. When her brother contracts a plague, she knows her janitor’s salary isn’t enough to fund his treatment. So she volunteers to become a Scela, a mechanically enhanced soldier sworn to protect and serve the governing body of the Fleet, the collective of starships they call home. If Aisha can survive the harrowing modifications and earn an elite place in the Scela ranks, she may be able to save her brother.
Continue reading “Recommended: HULLMETAL GIRLS by Emily Skrutzkie”
Rebecca J. Allen