The Black Fire Concerto by Mike Allen (Haunted Stars Publishing, 2013)

For several years now, twelve-year-old Erzelle has been the prisoner of the cannibal clan of the Red Empress, a riverboat full of death, misery, and degenerate ghouls, forced to play the harp during their infernal meals. This changes when the … Continue reading

Fine Young Gentlemen by C.W. Slater (C.W. Slater, 2013)

The first thing you should know is that despite the title, the three major protagonists of this book are neither fine, nor gentlemen. Young, sure, as all three are 16-year-olds who attend Percy College School, an elite Canadian academy. Jacob … Continue reading

Spoils, by Tammar Stein (Random House, 2013)

Money is truly the root of all evil in this somewhat imbalanced teen drama. Seven years ago, Leni Kohn’s family won the lottery–$22 million after taxes. Today, a week before Leni’s eighteenth birthday, the family is pretty much broke. Careless … Continue reading

Red, by Alison Cherry (Delacorte, 2013)

Scarletville, Iowa, bills itself as a National Redhead Sanctuary. Indeed, it’s a town where the vast majority of the populace are redheads.  A town where gingers are worshipped, and the redder the better. Where strawberry blondes are disparagingly referred to … Continue reading

Severed Heads, Broken Hearts, by Robyn Schneider (Katherine Tegan Books, 2013)

In one tragic night, high school tennis star Ezra Faulkner’s life is turned inside-out, when a car crash shatters his knee and destroys his athletic dreams. Now, as he enters his senior year, he’s forced to reinvent himself. His girlfriend … Continue reading

In Too Deep, by Coert Voorhees (Disney Hyperion, 2013)

High school freshman Annie Fleet has several great passions: scuba diving, the mysteries of the ocean, and a crush on her schoolmate, Josh Rebstock. She finally gets a chance to get his attention when the two of them head to … Continue reading

You Look Different In Real Life, by Jennifer Castle (HarperTeen, 2013)

Ten years ago, Justine was one of five six-year-olds chosen to star in a documentary, aptly titled Five at Six.  Five years ago, she and her costars returned for Five at Eleven. Lance and Leslie, the directors of the first … Continue reading

The Rules For Disappearing, by Ashley Elston (Disney Hyperion, 2013)

The girl currently known as Megan Jones has been through half a dozen identities in under a year, as have her parents and little sister.  Constantly uprooted, forced to live in obscurity, never daring to draw attention to themselves, they’re … Continue reading

Nantucket Blue, by Leila Howland (Disney Hyperion, 2013)

Cricket Thompson is psyched when she gets invited to spend the summer on Nantucket Island with her best friend, Jules.  After all, ever since Cricket’s parents divorced and her mother sunk into a cloud of depression while her father found … Continue reading