The Mirror King by Jodi Meadows

The Mirror King by Jodi Meadows
"Princess Wilhelmina is ready for her crown, but declaring herself queen means war. Her magic is uncontrollable and now there’s a living boy made of wraith—destructive and deadly, and willing to do anything for her.

Caught between what she wants and what is right, Wilhelmina realizes the throne might not even matter. Everyone thought the wraith was years off, but already it’s destroying Indigo Kingdom villages. Princess Wilhelmina’s ability might be just the thing to help reclaim her kingdom—or ruin it forever."- summary from Amazon

I'm such a huge fan of Meadows' books and this conclusion to the Orphan Queen duology is simply fantastic. It's a big book, but ends up being such a quick read. Meadows keeps the action moving at a good pace and some good humor peppered throughout, with quite a clever climax and sweet ending. Wilhelmina is such a smart, kickass character and I loved following along on her journey as she tries to save her world from the fast-encroaching wraith. If you love fantasy, you need to read this duology!

FTC: Received ARC from publisher. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.

Concentr8 by William Sutcliffe

Concentr8 by William Sutcliffe
"In a not-so-distant future London, riots have become the norm. But when the government suddenly stops distributing Concentr8--a behavioral modification "miracle" drug akin to Ritalin--the city's residents rise up fiercer than they ever have before.

Amidst the chaos, five teens pick a man seemingly at random and chain him up as a hostage in a warehouse. Blaze is their leader, and Troy has always been his quiet sidekick--the only person he has ever trusted. But even Troy didn't see this coming, and as their story unfolds over six tense days, one thing is clear--none of them will ever be the same again."- summary from Amazon

This was an interesting book, but there's a lot left unresolved for me at least and it doesn't seem like there's supposed to be a sequel. It's a quick read from multiple perspectives, which the author does really well. Each character has their own unique British voice (dialect-wise and sometimes grammar-wise) and it's cool to read from each POV as the teens get deeper and deeper into this crazy scheme. It was a quick read, so it's definitely worth a read if you have time and are interested by the summary, but it's not a must-read.

FTC: Received e-galley from Netgalley. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.

True Letters from a Fictional Life by Kenneth Logan

True Letters from a Fictional Life by Kenneth Logan
"If you asked anyone in his small Vermont town, they’d tell you the facts: James Liddell, star athlete, decent student, and sort-of boyfriend to cute, peppy Theresa, is a happy, funny, carefree guy.

But whenever James sits down at his desk to write, he tells a different story. As he fills his drawers with letters to the people in his world—letters he never intends to send—he spills the truth: he’s trying hard, but he just isn’t into Theresa. It’s his friend, a boy, who lingers in his thoughts.

James’s secret letters are his safe space—but his truth can’t stay hidden for long. Will he come clean to his parents, his teammates, and himself, or is he destined to live a life of fiction?

This heartfelt debut novel explores the muddy landscape of truth and lies and lays bare the sometimes painful but often hopeful work of writing one’s own authentic story."- summary from Amazon

I absolutely loved this book and had so much trouble putting it down. It's such a great novel- very emotional, but funny and an interesting take on the usual coming out story. Also, the romance was freaking ADORABLE and I didn't want to leave the two of them once the book ended. I want there to be more books about those two!! James' letters throughout the book are heart-wrenching to see the kind of emotional turmoil going on inside his mind as he deals with his homosexuality by shoving it down and barely dealing with it at all. This is such a great book for GLBT teens to read because I know there will be many who see themselves in James' place. I cannot wait to read what Logan puts out next!

FTC: Received ARC from publisher. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.

As I Descended by Robin Talley

As I Descended by Robin Talley
"Maria Lyon and Lily Boiten are their school’s ultimate power couple—but one thing stands between them and their perfect future: campus superstar Delilah Dufrey. Golden child Delilah is a legend at exclusive Acheron Academy, and the presumptive winner of the distinguished Cawdor Kingsley Prize. But Delilah doesn’t know that Lily and Maria are willing to do anything—absolutely anything—to unseat Delilah for the scholarship. After all, it would lock in Maria’s attendance at Stanford—and assure her and Lily four more years in a shared dorm room.

Together, Maria and Lily harness the dark power long rumored to be present on the former plantation that houses their school. But when feuds turn to fatalities, and madness begins to blur the distinction between what’s real and what’s imagined, the girls must attempt to put a stop to the chilling series of events they’ve accidentally set in motion."- summary from Amazon

A creepy, thrilling roller-coaster of a ride- I absolutely loved it and couldn't put it down. Loved all the GLBT representation in it too!! But Talley is not afraid to really go full-horror story in terms of character deaths.

FTC: Received ARC from publisher. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.

The Great American Whatever by Tim Federle

The Great American Whatever by Tim Federle
"Quinn Roberts is a sixteen-year-old smart aleck and Hollywood hopeful whose only worry used to be writing convincing dialogue for the movies he made with his sister Annabeth. Of course, that was all before—before Quinn stopped going to school, before his mom started sleeping on the sofa…and before the car accident that changed everything.

Enter: Geoff, Quinn’s best friend who insists it’s time that Quinn came out—at least from hibernation. One haircut later, Geoff drags Quinn to his first college party, where instead of nursing his pain, he meets a guy—okay, a hot guy—and falls, hard. What follows is an upside-down week in which Quinn begins imagining his future as a screenplay that might actually have a happily-ever-after ending—if, that is, he can finally step back into the starring role of his own life story."- summary from Amazon

I've been meaning to read Federle's stuff for years now, and have finally gotten around to one and I absolutely loved it!! It was such a great coming-of-age gay story that dealt with the harder issue of death and learning how to get back to your life while still honoring the one you lost. Quinn is an extremely relateable main character and I really enjoyed how little there was on the actual coming-out aspect of the story; it was refreshing to see it happen early on in the book and then moving forward into that next step of being honest with everyone about who you are. Federle peppers the novel with screenplay bits when Quinn starts to step away from what's really happening and making up how he wants his life to go, which never pans out right once back in the real world. Even with some of the heavier issues in the book, Federle keeps things light and funny throughout the story, providing many laugh out loud moments. Overall, a fantastic YA debut and I really need to get my hands on his middle-grade books now!

FTC: Received e-galley from Edelweiss. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.