The Bitter Kingdom

The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson, 2013 Greenwillow Books

     Elisa managed to survive the journey into the depths of power, but Hector has been stolen away and her country is at war with itself. As she travels across the desert after him Elisa also battles with the growing power of her Godstone.
     The Inviernos have plans for the queen of Joya d'Arena, but with one of their own as an ally she works to thwart their plans. Along the path Elisa witnesses firsthand the damage her traitors have wrought on the kingdom. While she battles to keep her presence under wraps and catch up to the men hurrying Hector away Elisa makes several discoveries about her people.
     She adds to the entourage with a slave girl who is a half-blood: part Invierno and part Joyan. The girl becomes fiercely loyal to Elisa and saves the party several times. With her friends at her back Elisa has the will and the power to achieve what her Godstone has destined for her, but it isn't what she thinks.
     Despite nearly losing the man she loves and her own life, Elisa continues to fight for what she believes is the best course of action for her world. She discovers that her own willpower is strength enough without the supplement of a Godstone.

Percy Jackson and the Battle of the Labyrinth

Percy Jackson and the Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan, 2008 Hyperion Books

     After The Titan's Curse Percy, Annabeth, and Grover have separated for the new school year. Percy is dragged back into the fight between the Greek Gods and Kronos's army from his high school Freshman Orientation. When two demons disguised as cheerleaders attack Percy the young woman who can see through the mists, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, helps him escape.
     Back at Camp Half-Blood the danger is escalating. Kronos's forces are heckling at the boundary of the camp and the magic keeping the demigods safe begins to buckle. Annabeth, Percy, Grover, and Tyson answer the call of Camp Half-Blood's Oracle and quest into the Labyrinth under the camp.
     Using Princess Ariadne's magic string Percy leads their adventure under camp into Daedalus's maze. The Labyrinth stretches under the United States and the friends encounter old allies and new dangers throughout their journey.
     The dangers mount as the inevitable crash between Olympus and the armies of Kronos nears. Percy and his friends continue to face obstacle after obstacle with the hope they will manage to rescue and protect their world from certain destruction. Like the first three books in the Percy Jackson series young readers will enjoy the mysticism and the adventure of The Battle of the Labyrinth.

The Elite

The Elite by Kiera Cass, 2013 HarperTeen

     After Prince Maxon's sudden elimination only 6 girls remain in the Selection. America, Marlee, Kriss, Natalie, Elise, and Celeste are put through the paces at breakfast with the entire royal family, lunch and receiving with the queen, and tea hosted by the king. All the while attending diplomacy classes and dates with the prince.
     Things seem to be going well between America and Maxon--even reigniting an old holiday until both Aspen and Maxon begin to push America for a decision. After a brief but inflammatory argument their relationship hits the rocks. Maxon no longer seems like the carefree and kind prince America has believed him to be.
     Aspen begins to play on her fears that Maxon is playing a part with her. While their relationship is treason, America is willing to risk the consequences for a few moments of peace and familiarity.
     Though Maxon and America reconcile, again America's temper shifts between them and Maxon's ever-increasing secrets broaden the divide. Through planning a diplomatic dinner and creating a program to change Illera America pushes her boundaries. Can maxon keep her at the palace when the king insists she go?
     Consistent with her passion and desire for justice America struggles to see herself fit into Maxon's world. As she confronts the challenges before her readers will relate to her self-consciousness and admire her spunk. Like The Selection, The Elite is a good fit for readers who enjoy YA Fiction.

Our Happy Time

Our Happy Time by Gong Ji-Young, 2014 Marble Arch Press

     Privileged pop singer Yu-Jung Mao faces a round of therapy after her third suicide attempt. She is an angry woman and unwilling to undergo the battery of questions from doctors and nurses she sees as nothing but hypocrites. When her aunt, a nun with the Catholic Church, offers her an out Yu-Jung takes it.
     With Aunt Monica, Yu-Jung visits Seol's detention center and meets Yun-Soo. Yun-Soo is a death row inmate incarcerated for the rape and murder of a teenager, and the murders of her mother and their housekeeper. Yun-Soo is at first bitter and refuses to see Aunt Monica and the sweets she provides, but over time he begins to accept the kindness she brings.
     Yu-Jung is surprised that a man she sees as morally bankrupt and little more than an animal can make her reconsider how she views and interacts with the world. But as they spend more time together, both Yu-Jung and Yun-Soo come to understand no one is wholly good, nor wholly evil.
     When the expected comes unexpectedly Yu-Jung is transformed, but her choices will ultimately define her, just as Yun-Soo's have defined him.
     Meant for a mature audience, Our Happy Time addresses topics from murder and corporal punishment to what it means to be human. Young Adult readers can enjoy the unrepentant sarcasm of Yu-Jung as she challenges what she believes about herself and society surrounding her.

Boston Jane: Wilderness Days

Boston Jane: Wilderness Days by Jennifer Holm, 2010 Yearling Books

     Still in Shoalwater Bay, Washington, Jane Peck has been abandoned by her fiance. She makes plans to travel back home, but receives a letter making those plans impossible: her father, ill throughout the first novel, has died.
     With nothing left to return to, Jane decides to stay in Shoalwater Bay. But she is the only woman in the settlement, her closest companions in a nearby Chinook village. Working for her keep turns the somewhat over-emotional Jane sour and her ex-fiance's treatment makes her suspicious of the men around her. When Mr. and Mrs. Fink arrive, Jane is hopeful of a companion and friend.
    But Mrs. Fink is a little too charming: the men of Shoalwater Bay clamour to do her bidding and ignore their spunky Jane, while still expecting her to care for them. Even a proposal from Jehu, an attractive young man Jane met on the ship from Boston, is fraught with frustration and suspicion.
     A mysterious man with a valuable gold watch offers Jane the watch for her caring and hospitality and she finally has the means to go home to civilization. But the man may have something sinister in store for her new home, can Jane abandon her new friends to return to a place she never belonged?
     Though she found the adventure she had always dreamed of it turns out, adventure wasn't what Jane was searching for. Early teen readers who enjoy adventure, romance, and a touch of spook will find Wilderness Days an engaging novel with a frustratingly realistic lead in Jane.