Deep End

 Deep End by Ali Hazelwood, 2025 Berkley Books

     Scarlett is a NCAA Diver at Stanford University fighting her way back from a life-altering injury in her Junior year of college. She has few friends, is recently single, and struggles to get back to diving. 

     When her teammate and somewhat-friend Penelope - the darling of college diving - brings up the spicy side of her relationship with her boyfriend at a girls' outing, Scarlett is stunned to learn more about the sexy Olympian swimmer Lukas Blomqvist than she expected. Pen has no qualms against sharing her boyfriend's proclivities with the girls on the team and even pushes Scarlett and Lukas together at a team event. 

     Scarlett's academics throw them together outside the pool and the two do allow themselves to discuss the potential to let off some steam. Scarlett is surprised that Lukas's preferences are nearly perfect for her own. What starts as a purely physical relationship soon becomes more than either expected. Dealing with Lukas, her friendships, her schoolwork, and her diving becomes more and more difficult as the season continues and Scarlett has a chance at the podium at nationals, then at the Olympic Trials. 

     Drama enters the scene the further along in her competition and her relationship with Lukas Scarlett moves. Though she's stayed mostly out of the drama, when it strikes it leads to questioning all of her choices over the last year. 

     The relationship between Scarlett and Lukas takes a turn from Hazelwood's typical portrayal. The mature themes and power exchange are inappropriate for young readers making this book an adult novel. 

The Blood of Hercules

 The Blood of Hercules by Jasmine Mas, 2024 HarperVoyager

     In the late 21st century the Gods of old mythology have returned to the spotlight. They call themselves Spartans and have become the overlords in a world where Titans - immortal monsters bent on devouring humanity - are a daily risk for the everyday human. There are twelve houses in two factions: Olympian and Chthonic. The Olympians are 'good' while the Chthonic houses are 'evil' and punished for their powers which can hurt others by being forced to fight the Titans. 
     Alexis Hert grew up in a protected zone in rural Montana. Her foster parents are abusive, but she has her best friend Nyx (an invisible snake who she talks to) and her younger foster-brother Charlie. When monsters break into the protected zone their foster-mother is killed, foster-father is jailed, and their run-down trailer-home is towed away by the authorities. Alexis and Charlie are homeless at 12- and 11-years-old. Years later, both are some of the smartest children at the local high school, but Alexis's dream is to test into the top 0.0001% get into college where she can earn a job to support them. 
     The Spartan Aptitude Test (which was only supposed to get her into a secondary school) shows that Alexis is a Spartan. From the moment she signs her test her life is thrown into chaos. 
     Alexis is jerked from her home to Italy where she is the only girl among 50 participants in the gruesome Massacre and earns one of 10 places in the Crucible. She is assigned Achilles and Patros as her mentors. They're powerful Chthonic warriors who look upon their assignment with contempt for the half-human Olympian "mutt". 
     But Alexis persists. Despite wanting to die at every turn, despite being starved and sleep-deprived, despite thinking she has no god-like powers, despite being held to an impossible standard, despite the mysterious voices which follow her every moment and make her question her sanity, Alexis persists. She has Nyx to get her through the endless days and remembers Charlie is waiting for her to come home to make life a little less terrible. 
    Getting to the end of the Crucible is Alexis's only hope: she doesn't care what happens afterward. But there are others in Sparta who have plans for the young woman. After years of living on nothing but the scraps she can scrounge for their small family, the goal is to make a better life for Charlie. When she does survive, not only the Crucible, but also an attack on her life Alexis discovers she has more than just her power on her side. 

     Mas tells a fascinating story with a sarcastic and nihilistic main character whose reaction to the hedonism is affront and realism, rather than entitlement. Alexis's fantasy is enough food to survive and a warm place to sleep through the winter; her classmates were raised to believe they are better than their peers and certainly better than mere humans. Identity and power dynamics weave throughout the story told by a teenager who just can't wait to die a death she'll never receive making for a fast-paced read. This book is classified as young adult but leans toward adult. Please read the trigger warnings. 

The Love Hypothesis

 The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood, 2021 Berkley Books

     Stanford University is the dream, and Olive Smith is a third year Ph.D. student living that dream. Until her friend Anh starts to put up a fuss about Olive's lack of long-term relationship. She lies to her best friend, a lie of convenience and one intended to keep Anh from pushing her into a blind date. But that lie requires some quick acting to keep it going. 

     To keep from getting caught in her lie Olive kisses the first man she sees - the grumpy professor Adam Carlsen. Olive thinks her lie is going to be caught out and Anh will keep up with her matchmaking attempts only for Dr. Carlsen to agree to be her fake-boyfriend. 

     Their charade feels unusually real to both Olive and Adam and spending time together isn't the terrible and terrifying ordeal Olive thinks it will be. Adam is clever, he supports her in her work and personal life, and he stands by her when a scientific convention goes crazy. 

     Olive doesn't think this fake relationship will make it because of her background and how she experiences attraction.  It takes Adam revealing what she never knew for them to give it a real chance at love. 

      The setting in STEM is novel with a female scientist as the lead character who wants to earn her way, but is stopped by systemic prejudices. The relationship between professor and student is scrutinized by the university while Adam and Olive's connection is closely inspected by her friends. Their story follows the traditional fake-dating trope featuring scientists with adult themes. 

Real Mermaids Don't Need High Heels

Real Mermaids Don't Need High Heels by Helene Boudreau, 2013 Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

     Jade Baxter and her best friend have managed to save the tide pool where mers can transition into human form. Cori is officially dating Luke's brother, Trey, and Jade is officially dating Luke. The friends are enjoying typical high school exploits and looking forward to the Fall Formal.
     Except, Jade is terrified of the dance: she's got two left fins. The formal becomes the smaller of her problems when the Mer Council orders all Webbed Ones back into the ocean. Jade finally got her mom back and she certainly isn't willing to let her boyfriend go back into the ocean.
     The friends are busy with their school work: Cori has an internship, Luke and Trey have work and water polo, and Jade has joined the underwater hockey team. To top it all off, Selena has been enrolled as a foreign exchange student at her school - and Jade is not keen on playing tour guide to the mer-girl.
     Jade tries to prepare for Mer-mageddon all while trying to prevent the building underwater war and trying to find the perfect dress for the dance. When they can't keep the Webbed Ones out of the water Cori, Trey, Jade, and their human adult supervision take to the water. Following the "call" back to the Mer Council leads Jade to new secrets and challenges. If the fourteen-year-old can prevent civil war in the mer-world, finding a good dress and learning to dance should be a cake walk.
     The Real Mermaid series is aimed at middle grade and younger teen readers. The girls experience budding romantic relationships with all the emotional ups and downs in a clean romance. This is the third of four novels featuring Jade and her friends.

Pennyroyal Academy

Pennyroyal Academy by M. A. Larson, 2014 G.P. Putnam's Sons Publishing

   From the north, a young girl battles her way through enchanted forests and barren landscapes for a chance to become a legendary princess at Pennyroyal Academy. Pennyroyal has a reputation for building and training knights and princesses of note to fight the great dangers of the day: dragons and witches. But with fewer and fewer candidates of noble blood, they've opened the doors to common-born candidates for the first time. The girl without a name becomes "Eleven", though her new friends christen her Evie.
     Evie is running from something, but she doesn't want to reveal too much to the people around her. The child was raised by dragons and believed herself to be one until she couldn't master the art of flight. This is her chance to start anew.
     At the academy under the care of the steely Fairy Drill Seargent Evie, Demetra, Basil, Maggie and the rest of their candidate class undergo rigorous training to build the core traits of courage, Compassion, Kindness, and Discipline in their quest to become fully-fledged Pennyroyal Princesses. Along the way the usual conflicts between classmates, bullying, pre-teen crushes, and the knowledge that they are at war plague the cadets. Evie discovers that being human may be even more difficult than becoming and being a Princess.
     Pennyroyal Academy is set in the world of Grimm's fairytales and draws on the stories of classic princesses as history. It deals with some mature content - consent and the boundary of humanity in war, in a format more easily accessible to younger readers. With rampant violence (they are training to kill witches and dragons) parents may want to preview the story before offering it to younger readers.

Crazy House

Crazy House by James Patterson & Gabrielle Charbonnet, 2017 Hachette Book Group

     Twin sisters Cassie and Becca Greenfield could not be more different: Cassie is a perfect student and careful to keep everything working as expected. By contrast, Becca is constantly in trouble, barely gets by in school and regularly flouts the rules. When Becca suddenly disappears Careful Cassie goes searching all across their cell for her wayward sister.
     Becca wakes in a strange place dressed in a hideous yellow jumpsuit and locked in a cement cell with four other teens. She is dragged from the room to take a series of tests and to endure a knock-out fight with one of the other kids. After the fight, Becca is thrown into a cell with the boy who brutally beat her, where he tries to befriend her. This place is a death row and, Becca learns, full of such contradictions.
     In their cell, Cassie breaks the rules and meets new people who aren't like Careful Cassie. The prefect's son Nate seems to be leading the outsiders and Cassie enlists his help. When they head out past the edges of the cell, Cassie is taken by the same people who took Becca.
     Within a couple days Nate followed trying to find his friend and discovers the two girls, and several other missing teens, have been taken to some sort of compound. Outside the cell, Nate meets a young boy from the cell next door who helps him infiltrate the crazy house.
     Cassie and Becca meet in their prison, the two battle and appear to take leadership over different parts of the prison. The administrators worry the girls will either fail or break this experiment. When Nate and the politics of their cell arrive in the prison Cassie changes the timeline of the girls' plan: Nate was injured and she cannot bear to have him die in this mess.
     The Greenfield twins present an interesting challenge for the administrators of the crazy house and their experiment. When the mystery of why everyone has been gathered is revealed to Cassie and Becca they must confront the misrepresentation of their life.
     With violence and mature content, Crazy House is better suited to older teen readers. Those who enjoy their mystery with a bit of adventure and a dash of romance will find a fascinating new world in this tale.

Looking for Alaska

Looking for Alaska by John Green, 2005 Speak

     When Miles Cavalry decides to attend his father's boarding school in southern Alabama it is driven home to his parents how disconnected he is from his high school in Florida. At Culver Creek, Miles meets the Colonel, his new roommate, Alaska, the girl who lives down the way, and Takumi, the third leg of their stool and an Asian-American rapper. The Colonel absorbs Miles into their social group and re-christens him, Pudge.
     In contrast to his focus on studies Pudge and his new friends are in competition and conflict with the "Weekday Warriors". The rich kids from Birmingham are stereotypical popular kids, and the friends are the pranksters. Though the groups hold a good-natured war their greater enemy is the Eagle, who runs the school. A couple brushes with authority teach Pudge the importance of planning ahead and brazen confidence to get out of trouble.
     With Alaska and her mysteriously fascinating knowledge of all things contraband leading him, Pudge becomes adept at balancing the rigorous acadamia at Culver Creek with smoking, drinking, and attempting to find a girlfriend. Slowly Pudge facts for the unattainable Alaska Young while she self-destructs.
     Just as everything seems to be falling into place Pudge, Takumi, and the Colonel's lives fall apart. Alaska dies in a car accident after a night of heavy drinking. After a period of incredulity the three young men and a sophomore, Lara, search for answers. The search coincides with the syllabus of their religious class and as the four students search for Alaska's truth they find camaraderie and that she managed to tie them even closer together.
     With some graphic promiscuity Looking for Alaska was written for late high school and college readers. It tackles issues of intention and fate with honesty and humor. Readers who enjoyed The Fault in Our Stars will enjoy John Green's first novel.

Exit, Pursued by a Bear

Exit, Pursued by a Bear by E.K. Johnston, 2016 Dutton Books for Young Readers

     Cheerleading is the only sport worth anything at Palermo Heights High School and it means to world to Hermione Winters and her best friend Polly Oliver. The two friends kick off senior year with cheer camp - where they act as co-captains and the year looks to be off to a stellar start.
     Camp goes well, things get a little tense between Hermione and her boyfriend, Leon, but they figure it out. The last night of camp all the cheerleaders, male and female, attend a dance - pretty much a supervised party.
     At the dance Hermione spends time with her friends, but when she suddenly wakes up in the hospital all she can think is that an entire twelve hours of her life is gone. Polly is the one who tells her - someone slipped something in Hermione's drink at the party and raped her.
     Back at home Hermione has become "that raped girl" and their small town doesn't know how to handle her trauma, and Hermione isn't going to give her townsfolk an easy way out. Hermione continues to be cheer captain, she continues to focus on her friendships, she pushes herself through the examinations and the procedures  involved in the criminal investigation, she continues to focus on what she's always wanted and try to work through the trauma of her experience.
     Exit, Pursued by a Bear is the story of how we should deal with sexual assault and a story of friendship in changing lives. Polly and Hermione have always known they will make decisions at the end of Senior Year which will take them in their own directions, but Hermione's experience reminds the girls they will still need each other for life's sudden events. Parents may want to pre-read the book prior to allowing younger readers free rein.

Hexed

Hexed by Michelle Krys, 2014 Delacorte Press

     Indigo Blackwood is the stereotypical high school cheerleader: cheer captain best friend Bianca, football captain boyfriend Devon, and part of a social circle capable of destroying anyone. The only thing keeping her from High School Royalty is her weird mom.
     Mrs. Blackwood believes she is a witch with real powers, she runs an occult shop in downtown Los Angeles; Indie has been raised to believe in her mother's conspiracy theories, despite what conventional wisdom and her general education say. And she is freakishly possessive of the ratty old family Bible.
     When several mysterious strangers appear in her life and the family Bible is stolen Indie's mother becomes neurotic. Indie meets super-sexy Bishop who explains her mother's crazy belief in witches, sorcerers, and other paranormal creatures aren't so crazy. While Mrs. Blackwood is not a witch, her mother was, and Indie very well could be one. But the big shocker is that the missing Bible is a list of all witches throughout the world and how they can be killed by a sorcerer.
     Indie must make the choice between living up to her popular lifestyle and following through on her promise to recover the book for her mother. Indie is plunged into the ancient war between witches and sorcerers with a minimal grasp of magic and little hope of success. Bishop tries to help Indie on her journey and to discover her destiny.
     Between dealing with betrayal from those closest to her and the search for the missing book Indie discovers something in herself which wants to protect what she has adopted as her own. Hexed is filled with teenaged angst laced with magic and hope. Older teens and young adult will enjoy Indie's journey from popular cheerleader to kick-butt crime-fighter.

Rebel Belle

Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins, 2014 G.P Putnam and Sons

     At Pine Grove Academy Harper Price is a legend. As a high school junior she is the first junior to ever be student body president; head cheerleader; Homecoming Queen; member of the Future Business Leaders of America, Committee for Academic Honesty, and Key Club; and Chairperson for Pine Grove's Annual Christmas Bake Sale. To top it off Harper is dating Ryan Bradshaw - the perfect boyfriend, and has  a key role in this year's Cotillion. And, until the night of the Homecoming Dance, she has little trouble balancing her demanding life and maintaining a running feud wiht David Stark since Kindergarten.
     Due to a quirk of wardrobe, Harper finds herself in the girls' bathroom when the school janitor rushes in, dying from a wound to the abdomen. He passes a strange sort of power to Harper, who then must defend hersefl from her history teacher when he attempts to murder her. harper uses her stilleto shoe to kill the teacher adn escape. When she flees she runs into the last person she wanted to see: David.
     When an article on Harper's post-murder breakdown runs in the school paper Monday morning she knows David is to blame. In confronting him, Harper discovers her new superpowers don't allow her to harm David, or allow anyone else to. This complicates things when Ryan tries to defend Harper's honor and she flips her boyfriend over her shoulder.
     Life continues to complicate as Harper learns what her new superpowers make her--a Paladin: superhuman Protector of the Oracle. Small problem; David Stark is the Oracle. Harper is the only thing standing between David and attempts to either murder or imprison him. Harper and David team up, much to the confusion of all Pine Grove. The closer time ticks to Cotillion the more danger Harper feels.
     When the duo discover a sorcersess who tries to bring David to fight against Delphi (the home of the Oracle) and the order who manage the Oracle's magic Harper finds there is more to being a paladin than has ever been explained to her.
     Going from the girl who has everythign under control and can control anything to the girl at the center of a whirlpool with no control over her own body, let alone her circumstances, nearly drives Harper to the edge. She and David try to grasp what their new relationship means and try to keep themselves alive long enough to reach Senior Year. Mythology and magic blend with small-town charm to create a story of friendship and growth suitable for young teen readers and adults alike.

Promise Me Something

Promise Me Something by Sara Kocek, 2013 Albert Whitman & Company

     Reyna Fey has always gone to school with her three best friends, but when they transition from middle school to high school she is on her own at a new school. Reyna has the chance to make friends with Olive, another freshman who doesn't make sense. At first Reyna is annoyed by this girl who is completely normal one minute and in the next says something so out of the ordinary Reyna is at a loss.
     The less she sees her middle-school friends Reyna spends more and more time with Olive. The two girls develop a close friendship and Reyna introduces her new friend to the old clique when Olive points out the injustices around their school, Reyna is disconcerted. Distracted by romance with a boy in their history class and the history teacher's obvious bigotry toward a fellow, openly-gay classmate, Reyna cares little about what is not directly in front of her.
     In the midst of her drama at school Reyna's father is recovering from a car accident which nearly took his life. Reyna struggles with the anger she feels toward her father's girlfriend, her soon-to-be step-mother, for causing the wreck.
     When Olive shares her secret with Reyna, she doesn't know how to handle it. But she just learn whether a true friendship with an outcast is worth the cost or settle for fake friendships with the popular clique. Reyna is forced to grow up, as many high school students are, and her struggles are those of a real person in a difficult situation. With themes of suicide, sexuality, peer pressure, and perception versus reality Promise Me Something is appropriate for more mature readers - high school and older.

Magnolia

Magnolia by Kristi Cook, 2014 Simon & Schuster

     In small-town Magnolia Branch Mississippi the Marsden and Cafferty families have been friends and neighbors since the American Civil War. They've been talking about uniting their families for generations. So when one family has a son and the other a daughter at the proper ages to marry, the families spend their entire lives throwing them together.
     Jemma Cafferty and Ryder Marsden cannot stand each other. Jemma has spunk and Ryder always seems too good to be true. It doesn't help that at every turn their parents try to convince Jemma and Ryder into a relationship.
     When Jemma's older sister has an incident at school and both sets of parents go to her, Jemma and Ryder are left alone to deal with an approaching hurricane. When the road washes out the two teens huddle in Jemma's home fighting the elements, wild snakes, and their sudden attraction to each other.
     In a new take on the Romeo and Juliet story these not-so-star-crossed lovers go from hate to something much different. Magnolia is an example of contemporary young adult romance and appeals to readers who enjoy contemporary fiction.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling, 2007 Arthur A. Levine Books

     In the final book of the series, Harry is back at Privet Drive and preparing to leave as the Dursleys go into hiding. The Order of the Phoenix arrives to transport Harry to safety beginning a battle with Voldemort and his Death Eaters.
     With losses to their list of allies, Harry, Ron, and Hermione begin travelling the countryside looking for Voldemort's horcruxes. After a meeting with the new Minister of Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour, to receive their inheritance from Dumbledore and a Weasley wedding the trio flee to complete their quest.
     Death Eaters follow and the friends finally find temporary sanctuary in Harry's house, left to him by Sirius: Number 12 Grimmauld Place. There Harry, Ron, and Hermione discover Sirius's brother had stolen a locket-horcrux from Voldemort and left a fake one in its place. The house-elf Kreacher tells Harry that Mundungus Fletcher recently stole the horcrux and lost it to Dolores Umbridge.
     Harry, Ron, and Hermione infiltrate the Ministry to steal the locket back and bring a Death Eater within the protective magics of Grimmauld Place. On the run in forests around Britain Harry continues to have visions of Voldemort. Eavesdropping on a group of goblins helps him realize the Sword of Gryffindor (which Harry had inherited from Dumbledore, but the Minister had refused him) could destroy horcruxes.
     The search for the Sword of Gryffindor frustrates the three friends and Ron loses patience, abandoning Harry and Hermione. Hermione is hurt by Ron's abandonment and suggests they search out Bathilda Bagshot in Godric's Hollow with the hope she will give them the Sword. Bathilda, unfortunately, has been killed and her body inhabited by Nagini, Voldemort's snake. Harry and Hermione barely escape her attack and Harry's wand is destroyed.
     While on watch a doe patronus appears to Harry and leads him to the Sword of Gryffindor at the bottom of a pond. The locket horcrux attempts to strangle Harry, but Ron reappears and saves his best friend, using the Sword to destroy the horcrux. Hermione, again takes the lead and directs her friends to Luna Lovegood's father for an explanation of a symbol she found in Dumbledore's book. Luna's father betrays the trio in hopes of getting his imprisoned daughter back from the Ministry, but first he tells them the story of the Deathly Hallows -- three magical items which can stave off death.
     Captured during their escape, Harry, Ron, and Hermione are taken to Malfoy Manor where Bellatrix interrogates Hermione about the Sword of Gryffindor. They are rescued, along with Luna, Ollivander the wandmaker, and the goblin Griphook, by Dobby the Free House-elf. Bellatrix's behavior indicates something of interest in her vault at Gringotts and the trio finds Hufflepuff's cup, another horcrux.
     The final horcrux leads Harry, Ron, and Hermione back to Hogwarts where they infiltrate the borders through Dumbledore's brother. Aberforth connects the trio with Neville Longbottom who has taken over Dumbledore's Army and been training in the Room of Requirement. Harry enlists the D.A.'s help in finding the final horcrux, they indicate Ravenclaw's Diadem missing for decades.
     While Harry searches, Hogwarts prepares for Voldemort's arrival. With the destruction of Voldemort at hand a massive battle wages over the school, but Harry must sacrifice himself before victory is at hand.
     The conclusion of Harry's seven-year battle with the being who attempted to kill him as an infant is elaborate and the final book in the series illustrates the qualities which allow Harry to survive to adulthood. This novel is aimed at older readers, high school-aged and adults with rampant violence as in any war. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows ties many of the loose ends together, ending the saga. Readers who enjoyed the Harry Potter series to this point will find many of their questions answered, and those who enjoy fantasy will enjoy the Harry Potter series.

Prom & Prejudice

Prom & Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg, 2011 Point

     Elizabeth Bennet is a scholarship student at Longbourn Academy in Connecticut. Charlotte Lucas, the other scholarship student, and Jane, Lizzie's roommate, are her only friends. When Jane falls for Charles Bingley from Pemberly Academy and he returns from a semester in London, it appears Jane will have the perfect date for that all-important event: Prom.
     Lizzie likes Charles, unlike most of the students at both Lonbourn and Pemberly he genuinely likes her without reservations for her attire or her family's lack of money. The same cannot seem to be said for his friend Will Darcy. Darcy appears to take offence at every nuance of their first meeting causing Lizzie to form a negative impression.
     Like the classic Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Prom & Prejudice follows Lizzie through the ups and downs of relationships and that critical invitation to the event of the year. She challenges her own opinions of the people around her, and worries that she has become what she has despised about Longbourn--a snob.
      Prom & Prejudice brings the classic tale to the exclusive high schools of the modern elite while still holding the essence of Austen's original. More appropriate for middle school readers, the book is an enjoyable read.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling, 2005 Scholastic

     Harry has escaped Voldemort's clutches once again, and there is no chance the wizarding world cannot accept the return of the dark wizard--he has appeared in the Ministry of Magic itself. But Harry has been branded a spoiled attention-seeker and his reputation, along with those who support him, has been trampled in the muck. Some still doubt Voldemort's return.
     Alongside Ron and Hermione, Harry returns to Hogwarts for his sixth and penultimate year of school. Despite the chaos outside the walls, it appears not much has changed. But with Snape as his Defense Against the Dark Arts professor and a new Potions Master, Harry finds himself itching to get away.
     It is that new Potions Master that gives Harry his change of scene. Horace Slughorn knew Lord Voldemort when he was young Tom Riddle and first began his quest for supremacy and immortality. Dumbledore's invitation to return to Hogwarts begins a search for Voldemort's defeat--beginning with information Slughorn may have provided the young man. But the professor is hesitant to reveal information which may paint him in a less-than-desirable light.
     Dumbledore begins to entrust Harry with a more pivotal role in the rebellion against Voldemort and his forces. While still participating in his schooling and navigating changing friendships, as well as burgeoning relationships, Harry joins the Headmaster in his search for Voldemort's horcruxes and defeat.
     The war continues to rage around Hogwarts and even the school is not the safe haven it once was. As Voldemort's power increases and the dangers surrounding their questing mount, Harry discovers something more to his fight than just the hope for peace. The second-to-last novel in the Harry Potter Series is meant for older readers and one of the darkest yet, but as outrages pile, resistance gains strength. Harry's battle becomes one the entire wizarding world can take part in.

A Golden Web

A Golden Web by Barbara Quick, 2010 HarperTeen

     Alessandra is gifted--while her older brother avoids his studies as many young boys do, Alessandra soaks up every moment of learning she can. From her earliest moments she glowed with intelligence and curiosity.
     As a young woman, Alessandra's intelligence becomes the greatest hurdle to her happiness. She longs for the freedom to learn at the great university in Bologna where medicine is developing daily. Alessandra's stepmother has another idea and plans to marry her off to a man who will keep Alessandra out of her stepmother's home. In preparation for such a day the young woman is sent to a cloister from which she escapes to the University and the freedom of disguise as a man.
     But in fourteenth-century Italy, a woman disguised as a man is an abomination--a witch to be burned at the stake. Alessandra must be careful of how the world sees her, but her mind is quick and she becomes what she's always dreamed of: a student, a desired young woman, and an expert medico.
     A Golden Web is based on the life of Alessandra Giliani the world's first female anatomist. Her story is embellished and brought to life through Quick's characters breathing fresh life into the young woman who defied the world.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling, 2000 Bloomsbury

     Harry goes to visit Ron at the Burrow in the summer after his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry, Ron, and Hermione travel to the World Quidditch Cup where all hell breaks loose. Death Eaters are more and more brash about their performances and the Dark Mark in the sky throws everything into confusion--Death Eaters attack wizards and witches and are not repelled by the Ministry of Magic.
     Back at school the Ministry has decided to revive the age-old tradition of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. A student from each of the three magical schools in Europe will participate in a three-tiered tournament for the honor of housing the Tri-Wizard Cup. Representatives from Beauxbaton Acadamy and Durmstrang Institute travel to Hogwarts hoping to be chosen.  With such a public distraction the Death Eaters and Voldemort's followers gain traction and progress toward bringing the Dark Lord back.
     Though the competitors must be of age--seventeen--fourteen-year-old Harry's name somehow makes it into the Goblet of Fire and Harry becomes the fourth contestant. Throughout the three challenges Harry is both aided and challenged by the people around him and his competitors. Not only are the adults around him taking sides, but his friendships seem to be cracking under the pressures of a competition Harry never wanted.
     Facing dragons, mer-folk, and a deadly maze all lead up to one of the most difficult experiences of Harry's life. He loses friends, gains enemies, and witnesses the rebirth of the most dangerous and terrifying wizard his world has ever known. Yet he persists and helps to unearth treachery in the most impregnable stronghold in the wizarding world: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
     Public opinion has never seemed to impact Harry's life, but when he transforms into the youngest competitor in the Tri-Wizard Tournament he is no longer just the Boy Who Lived--he becomes the hero and golden boy. Life has progressively gotten darker for Harry and his friends since they met their first year at Hogwarts yet they stick together and rely on each other for their strengths. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is a story aimed at a teen audience, but one that has entertained readers of all ages since its publication.

Halo

Halo by Alexandra Adornetto, 2010 Feiwel & Friends

     Today's world isn't what it used to be. It is much less Godly than ever before and Bethany Church, along with her sister Ivy and brother Gabriel, is sent from Heaven to help bring balance to the world. The angels land in a small town and integrate into daily life.
     Ivy, a seraph, volunteers in the community. Gabriel, the archangel, teaches music at the elite public high school where Bethany is a student. Unlike her removed siblings, Bethany has no problem fitting in with human life. She is the most human of the three angels and begins to fall into the normal patterns of her classmates.
     She even falls in love: Xavier is a unique young man for the modern world. He is the swim team captain, class president, valedictorian, and his family is Catholic. But at the edge of their idyllic world is Jake Thorn. Bethany can't figure out what it is about Jake that bothers her so.
     As Jake tries to lure her away from Xavier, Bethany clings to the relationship and tries to avoid Jake. She even breaks all the rules and reveals her identity to Xavier as their relationship progresses. Neither Ivy nor Gabriel is happy with the decision, but bring Xavier in on their divine mission. The three angels take their mission seriously and fight for peace in their small town and beyond.
     The story has strong Christian elements but is a typical coming of age story. Bethany begins to explore the human world and to experience emotions angels cannot feel. She questions what it means in terms of her angelic identity, but is firm in her belief in God's love.

Bloodlines

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead, 2011 Razorbill Publishing

     Bloodlines is a spin-off of Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series. It is the first novel in its series and follows Sydney Sage. She and her family are Alchemists, a group of humans who have taken it upon themselves to prevent vampires from preying on humans and taking advantage of the discrepancies between human and vampire abilities.
     Sydney is like any other human girl, except for her place among the Alchemists, and her enhanced abilities. Somewhere in her past she helped to establish Lissa Dragomir as queen of the Moroi, a "less disgusting" type of vampire. In Mead's world, there are two types of vampires: the undead dhamphir, and the not yet dead moroi. While the Alchemists find the Moroi acceptable so long as they remain isolated from humanity, the dhamphir are to be destroyed at all cost.
     When Sydney is dragged out of bed in the middle of the night to play babysitter to Lissa's sister Jill at Amberwood Prep, a boarding school in Palm Springs, California, neither Jill nor Sydney are happy about the decision. But as soon as they think things are starting to settle down, Sydney discovers things are rarely as simple as they seem. Something vampire is lurking around Amberwood Prep and Sydney is going to discover the truth.
     The conflict between what Sydney sees as her duty to protect human-kind and the responsibility she has to keep Jill alive and prevent civil war makes her unsure of herself. When she allows herself to see the humanity in her new vampire companions, and even to see how an alliance--a lasting alliance--could stop all she's been fighting for her entire life. Bloodlines is a young adult novel, more appealing to teens.

Balthazar

Balthazar by Claudia Gray, 2012 HarperTeen

     After rescuing Bianca from Evernight Academy, Skye Tierney starts to have visions of death. Each time she encounters the scene of a violent death, whether it was a murder, suicide, or something as painful as a heart attack, Skye witnesses the event through the eyes of the victim. She reaches out to friends from Evernight with the hopes that her problems will be solved. However, the vampire sent to help her discovers there is more going on with Skye than anyone realized.

     It appears that Skye’s psychic abilities have given her blood unique properties: she can allow vampires to experience life again. When Lorenzo, one of Balthazar’s former companions, has a taste he brings Balthazar’s sire to the scene. Redgrave will stop at nothing to get Skye’s agreement, and if it hurts Balthazar in the process, so much the better.

     Balthazar finds a position at Skye’s school to be a nearby bodyguard. But when the drama in her life rises to the surface, vampires are not the only thing Balthazar wants to protect her from. When their relationship heats up, Skye’s so-called friend spreads a rumor that Skye is sleeping with her History teacher (a technically true rumor). In that unguarded moment Redgrave kidnaps Skye and Balthazar is forced to rely on some unlikely allies to save her.

     In the end, Skye faces the prospect of her hometown becoming the battleground for vampires fighting over her blood. With little left to chose from, Skye manages to embrace her new psychic abilities and hope for a future with the only man she’s truly loved.

     Balthazar has beaten himself raw over the centuries with guilt for his sister’s death, and the death of his first love. When Skye captures his attention and heart, he doesn’t know how to deal with the imbalance between his desires and what he should do. It takes her near-death to make him see that there is more to his undead life than the guilt at his death.

     Unlike the Evernight books, Balthazar deals with Skye and Balthazar’s journey, their relationship, and the aftermath of Lucas and Bianca’s happily-ever-after. Skye has been changed by her experience and Balthazar is learning to live again. Each has emotional trauma they work together to get through, while facing incredible odds. Their story is about overcoming fear, fighting for what you believe in, and survival even when you want to give up. The book is meant for high schoolers, with some intense sexual tension and implied amorous activities.