Better late than never! As busy season comes to a close and fall tries and fails to start, I'm bringing in six new books for review... hopefully to make up for drier months.
I'm also considering overhauling my blog and reapproaching how I do book reviews - potentially going back to doing them on a book-by-book basis in a separate section and keeping my "main" blog posts more centered on my own writing work. Recent changes in workflow and responsibilities have me rethinking how I want to spend my time and how much of a footprint each part of my reading and writing life should take up. But this is still a thought in progress and may not come into play 'til the new year. Until then, enjoy the latest!
Bookish Candle: The limited Library Nook scent is absolutely perfect for the beginning of the 'ber months: a slightly more understated scent that reminds me of late nights researching at college. Use my link to get 20% off your purchase of this and other book lovers' candles!
Tea Pairing: Poet's Study Earl Grey is an absolute must for rainy autumn nights. I always try to keep a Grey in stock because the bergamot just hits right, especially at this time of year. Check out Chapters' full catalogue of bookish teas, and use my code KARA15 for 15% off your order!
BY INVITATION ONLY
by Alexandra Brown Chang
Available nowPiper Woo Collins is a normal high school girl who happens to have received a major recognition for a recent science project. She's also lost her free ride to Columbia thanks to some high-level debutante drama. But that same drama offers her a solution: the organizers of La Danse des Débutantes want her to replace the recently shamed deb in exchange for a scholarship.
Entering this high class world means playing by a new set of rules. But her surprise roommate for the event, Hollywood heiress Chapin Buckingham, is no stranger to this lifestyle. After a rocky start, the two girls from very different walks of life form a sort of friendship. But someone has their knives out for Piper, and the backlash could mean losing out on the whole reason she's here. As she navigates the world of the elite, she also has to fight back against those who believe she has no place there.
By Invitation Only author Alexandra Brown Chang draws on her own debutante experience to tell this story, which is littered with both admiration for the fashion industry and honest critique of the upper-class world. There's no black-and-white here: some debs are terrible, and others are simply trying to please their parents or chase their own dreams. Some parts of the fashion industry are ethically shady, but others are their own sort of art. While much of this book is a by-the-numbers YA dual-perspective narrative, the "inside baseball" nature of the story makes it surprisingly appealing.
HURRICANE HEIST
by James Ponti
Available nowAlex Sherlock and his friends may only be in middle school, but they're already solving impossible cold cases. As a hurricane bears down on Florida, the gale-force winds unearth the truth behind a massive heist long believed to be solved. As the new school year begins, Alex reconvenes the Sherlock Society (currently himself, his grandfather, his sister, and their two friends) to set things right.
60 years ago, just before another hurricane, millions in very real gems vanished from a movie set. The police were sure they knew who the culprit was, but new evidence could clear the name of a long-dead innocent man. By asking the right questions and digging into decades of research, the Society makes a shocking discovery about the real culprit, and how they pulled off a Hollywood-style heist.
I've reviewed selections from Ponti's City Spies series in the past, and what always impressed me most is that these stories were a great middle-reader gateway to spy fiction: approachable and educational, but never patronizing. The Sherlock Society, so far, is much the same for detective fiction. The kids' lessons in mystery-solving both offer actionable advice for young readers and shed light on how to engage with detective stories as a genre. And that's all while spinning a tale that will keep even astute older readers guessing. These are great stories for mystery-loving parents to share with their kids.
PRESS 1 FOR INVASION
by J.A. Dauber
Available nowAll Matt wants is his own phone. Well, and for his crush Marcela to notice him. But the former is easily solved when he finds a stray phone just lying unattended in the sidewalk. Bonus, right? So it would seem. But Matt soon realizes that the phone's special functions aren't made for humans.
Thanks to the phone's special technology and Matt's heterochromia, he discovers that aliens are both real and working at his school — one as a crossing guard, one as a lunch lady. And they think humans are delicious. Fortunately, the lunch lady seems to have developed a soft spot for humans and wants to send her tentacled cohorts packing. With Matt and Marcela's help, they may just be able to convince the aliens that humans taste terrible. But what will he have to sacrifice to save the rest of humanity from alien consumption?
Press 1 for Invasion has the vibe of a 90s Nickelodeon series about it, and that's a compliment. Matt's narration fluctuates between the very real threat of alien invasion, his complicated feelings for Marcela, and a collapsing friendship built solely on proximity to comic books. It's a very playful book that will be an easy read for youngsters, but it's also a solid alien invasion narrative. At its core, it's a story about discovering what matters. Just as Matt may have to risk his own life to save the whole world, he may have to swallow his pride to preserve more down-to-earth friendships. Definitely a fun read.
IF LOOKS COULD KILL
by Julie Berry
Available nowThe year is 1888, and Tabitha is trying to find purpose in the Salvation Army. Between a burgeoning crush on Irish bartender Mike and a growing jealousy of her staunch roommate Pearl, she's having a bit of trouble finding her way. Her attempts to rescue a young woman recently brought into a local brothel aren't even her biggest problems. Soon, she'll be mere blocks away from the infamous Jack the Ripper and a snake-haired, vengeful goddess of legend.
"Jack," in his quest for eternal life and youth, has killed his way across London, finding himself face-to-face with Medusa-like women in recent weeks. What he doesn't know is that it's his actions — and the actions of men like him — that awake these fearsome powers in the women of the world. As the godly Pearl reckons with her new fate, Tabitha tries to find a new meaning for salvation... both for the people of New York and for herself.
There are times when If Looks Could Kill feels like it's about to veer into the "yes all men" gender essentialism of a decade or so ago. But the book is thankfully far more nuanced than that. Through one storyline, it delivers a powerful metaphor for the trauma of assault; through another, it examines the role of faith through a surprisingly empathetic lens, welcoming a view of a God who takes joy in every being He creates, no matter how fellow humans may judge them. This, combined with a mix of careful research and deep characterization, creates a surprisingly uplifting story couched in ancient mythology and real-world tragedy. The book is dedicated to the Ripper's victims, and takes care not to sensationalize these crimes. (Well, except for weaving vengeful Medusas into the story.)
INTO THE FIRE
by Ann Brashares and Ben Brashares
Available nowWhat if Germany had won World War II? The question has inspired a variety of fiction, with Ann Brashares's Westfallen series for middle grade readers marking the most recent. In the second installment, Into the Fire, two groups of children separated by nearly eight decades work together to set history right after the events of the first book.
In 2023, America — now the Nazi-controlled Westfallen — is preparing to celebrate the anniversary of the event that changed the outcome of the Glorious War. Henry, Frances, and Lukas find themselves living in an altered version of the world they know after playing with a time-bending radio. Unfortunately, the history of the event that changed the timeline is heavily censored, and the people who were there refused to talk. In 1944, Alice, Artie, and Lawrence communicate with their future friends in hopes of heading off whatever is about to come to pass. But talk of lions and angels and giant whales doesn't make things any easier. With spies in transit, lives on the line, and the future at stake, the friends attempt to navigate their new reality to set things right.
Into the Fire blends historical fact with heavy fiction, presenting both lesser-known details of the fight against the Axis powers and a "what if" that will help middle-grade readers better understand what was at stake during World War II. Reading the first Westfallen book is highly recommended in order to wrap your mind around the time-travel antics, and there's clearly more to come given the cliffhanger finale. But it's a solid story for young readers, and one that will help contextualize events of decades ago.
MURDER IN TRAFALGAR SQUARE
by Michelle Salter
Available September 25The year is 1910, and Mrs. Cora Fairbanks is not your typical London suffragette. Though dedicated to the cause, she has a past as both an actress and a nude model. She's also a widow, keeping her wedding ring with her as a memory of her beloved Ernest. But after the infamous demonstration that came to be known as Black Friday, that little piece of jewelry could implicate her in arson—and the murder of a fellow suffragette.
A prankish demonstration in the National Portrait Gallery turns deadly, with one of Cora's suffragette sisters as the victim. Guy Flynn, an artist turned detective, is on the case. And while he and Cora get on person-to-person, he knows she may be closer to the goings-on of Black Friday than she claims. Her desire to bring her friend's murderer to justice could mean landing herself and her compatriots behind bars again. But then, another body turns up.
Murder in Trafalgar Square is the first in a new line of "Fairbanks and Flynn Mysteries," and it's an interesting read for history buffs. The gentle will-they-won't-they of the leads is delightful, as they toe the line between friendship, romance, and cat-and-mouse. If there is one disappointment, and it's a small one, it's that we've been introduced to a broad cast of characters and haven't had much chance to get to know them well. But the core cast—Cora, Flynn, Cora's roommate Lavender, and Flynn's police officer partner—are well developed and can definitely carry further stories. Couched in a turbulent time, and drawing lines between two groups very much at odds, further Fairbanks and Flynn mysteries could be extremely promising.
