Reading contemporary YA is still somewhat new to me, but I seem to be attracted to the same sort of stories based on the books I’ve selected to read so far. I’ve noticed a pattern of choosing stories that involve characters struggling with a friend’s or other loved one’s death, and James Preller’s Before You Go fits ... Read More »

Reviewed by James La Salandra In simplest terms, speculative fiction—of which science fiction is but one sub-category—can be defined as a genre intent on conjuring answers to “what if” questions. In Energized, physicist and computer scientist Edward M. Lerner employs his technological acumen in weaving a host of such questions into a richly thrilling fictional fabric. ... Read More »

Inspired by his own dreams and the passing of his mother, Michael Boccacino creates a hauntingly dark and creative world where the paths of the dead and the living can be joined once more. After the brutal slaying of the Darrow family’s nanny, Charlotte Markham becomes both nanny and governess to Henry Darrow’s children, James ... Read More »

When I was in the early stages of my pregnancy with my first and only child, I witnessed a man yelling at his sobbing child while they were waiting for a bus. I could hear him screaming at the child from where I stood across the street. The child was sobbing uncontrollably, and it broke ... Read More »

Reviewed by Sara Drake Soul Protectors help emotionally vulnerable people by temporarily switching into their bodies. Most Soul Protectors inherent the ability and get help from their parent when they first learn of their abilities. Unfortunately for Gracie, she has never even heard of Soul Protectors when she accidentally switches into the body of her ... Read More »

Florence Waverley feels like an outsider amongst her classmates. Although she has been living on Hamilton Island for long enough to have made friends and be recognized, no one really sees her. A class trip to Mermaid’s Reach becomes rather lonely for Florence, who explores on her own and becomes separated from her classmates. When ... Read More »

At first glance, The Chesapeake Diaries series by Mariah Stewart appears as if it is targeted toward women 50+, and wouldn’t appeal to anyone in their 20s. I took a chance on the first two books when they first came out and were offered to me for review–and I adored them. Most of the characters are ... Read More »