Regardless of Arthur Conan Doyle's feelings on the matter, Sherlock Holmes holds a special place in English literature. He's a fascinating character open to a variety of unique interpretations, and exploring his influences and inspirations takes as deep and detailed a dive as any the master sleuth himself would have engaged in.

The son-and-father writing team have launched a hyper-detailed deep dive of Doyle's life, from his school days to his medical practice to his more paranormal flights of fancy, all in the pursuit of understanding from whence Holmes springs. The majority of this study is well thought-out, intriguing, and edifying. This heavy analysis leads up to the crown jewel of the work: a pair of short stories believed to be by Doyle under a pen name, with preceding chapters offering ample forensic proof of their potential as his handiwork.

A few of the deeper analyses (particularly in the Treasure Island chapter) can feel like well-intentioned reaches, at least to a layperson. But those brief moments aside, there's no denying this is one of most comprehensive and conscientiously-written books on Doyle's life and inspiration.

On the surface, Powerless absolutely feels like something we've read a lot, especially in recent years. And, in fairness, it is—especially when you add that the "terrible thing" in question was an all-encompassing plague whose existence has become a grim presence in everyone's vernacular. But there's enough in this intro to the Powerless trilogy to keep you reading, even if you've seen this all before.

After the Plague, the people of the kingdom of Ilya find themselves with a variety of superhuman powers: the Elite. And then there are the Ordinary: people with no powers whatsoever. To preserve the purity of the magically gifted elite, the king has decreed that all Ordinaries should be banished or executed. That would include thief Paedyn Gray, had she not been trained to pose as a wielder of psychic powers. This gets her by until the arrival of the Purging Trials, in which Elites fight to the death to showcase their powers... and after a run-in with Prince Kai, Paedyn finds herself participating.

Now Paedyn is spinning many plates. She has to keep her Ordinary status secret, survive the Trials, and balance a burgeoning love triangle between herself and the king's two sons. But this year's Trials are special—partly because a rebellion is brewing, and party because Kai is taking part. And his role in the royal family demands that he hunt and kill people just like Paedyn.

Equal parts Hunger Games, Talentless Nana, and shonen fighting manga, Powerless is an interesting mix. It is heavy on YA fantasy tropes, which is either a deal-maker or a deal-breaker—no in between. If you're fine with a tried-and-true formula and aren't looking for anything new, there's plenty of magic, swordplay, and romance to keep you riveted.

Raquel Malone Gutierrez's life has changed after illness, causing her to lose her hearing. She's moved on to help her Aunt Nova at the Diamond Dog, a dance hall famous for its jazz music—as well as more illicit business. But bootlegging isn't the scariest thing hiding under the surface of Raquel's new life. Sometimes, her bulky hearing aid picks up the voice of a stranger: Paul, a man lost in time, seemingly attracted to different times and places by a certain festive tune. As Christmas Eve approaches, Raquel takes it upon herself to find a way to save him.

Even with the knowledge that previous books would likely offer more context, this book stood well on its own. Most impressively of all, Jones handles two narratives—one moving ever-forward, one constantly unstuck in time—while leaving the reader with only the intended amount of confusion. Our bewildered time traveler, despite much of his story being a blur, is still just as sympathetic and interesting as Raquel herself. And, in the spirit of scary stories for Christmas, this makes a perfect holiday read.

Bailey is a Type A personality. She needs to see rules followed, she deconstructs her pizza before eating it, and she'd prefer her soda half-regular, half-diet. Charlie is... aggressively not these things. Fortunately, when the two are forced to sit next to each other on a flight from Fairbanks to Omaha, they both know they'll never have to see each other again. Until, three years later, they do.

Fresh off a breakup, the now-17-year-old Bailey runs into Charlie at her new job. But now he's more tolerable, even becoming something of a confidant as the pair are fellow children of divorce. It starts when Charlie floats a bet on whether Bailey's bestie will cheat with a coworker, expanding into Charlie becoming Bailey's fake boyfriend to frighten off her mom's new boyfriend. But a ski trip to Colorado changes everything, and soon they've gone from fake PDA to rile up the potential new dad to catching feelings for each other.

With a narrative that skips between Bailey and Charlie, we see both sides of the teen romance blossom. While Bailey fully (but reluctantly) embraces her growing feelings, Charlie—convinced that friendships between guys and girls never work and even romantic partners will always leave him—battles internally over which extreme to go to.

For teen readers, Betting on You is a deceptively competent look at friendship, romance, and the changing face of blended families. The book is a little rickety on its judgment call re: friendship between boys and girls, although it makes one or two last-minute attempts at saying something a little more solid on that front. Older readers may squirm a little at the (expected) lack of clear communication between the young protagonists; however, for its intended demographic, it's a fun and adorable read.