| Anger Is Only a Shadow by Elizabeth AcevedoAs Liliana awaits trial for her latest impulsive mistake, she notices her brother acting unusually. Visiting him while he’s away at college would violate the terms of her release, but she may be his only hope. This nuanced verse novel explores the complex realities of juvenile detention and mental illness.
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| Monster, Monarch, Maiden by Rae CarsonBria is rescued by the secretive Titus, saving her from a life of slavery. Now pledged to him as a shield maiden, Bria seeks to understand his mysterious quest, the nature of her own magical gift, and her burgeoning feeling for him. Read-alikes: Andy C. Naranjo’s Cursed Ever After; Rachel Greenlaw’s Compass and Blade. |
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| Hawk & Sparrow by Ayana GrayJournalist Vesper attended the art museum’s exhibition to interview a famed inventor. Instead, she found him dead. Now she’s posing as a couple with sorcerer Maximilian, the main suspect, in order to infiltrate high society and catch the killer. This atmospheric mystery features a Victorian setting sprinkled with magic.
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Adam, Mine.
by K. Ancrum
One seeks retribution, the other absolution. Victor Frankenstein is a young, wealthy, and brilliant prodigy who wants nothing more than to prove himself and change the world. His plan to right what he feels is wrong with the world? Reanimation of the sick and dying, bringing them back to life. But no one will give him the chance to prove his genius. However, one drunken night a bet is made, one that will cause Victor to do the unspeakable: take a teen boy from a small, neighboring village, and experiment on him under the dark of night. Elias Hilfiker. The boy who would become his monster. His curse. When Elias awakens, his voice is gone, his skin is stitched, scarred, and branded with strange symbols, and he's abandoned by his loved ones. Meanwhile, Victor embarks on a journey to discover how to reverse the horror he's unleashed, visiting dark alchemists in lands far and wide, gripped by fear and guilt. But Victor's act of resurrection creates a tether to Elias, leaving them feeling each other's pain, joy, and regret, as the two each seek a way to end the other. As the two bound boys continue to search for answers and forgiveness, vengeance and mercy, the boundaries between what makes a man and what makes a monster will only get more blurred.
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Our Strange Duet: Inspired by Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera
by Erin A. Craig
A rising soprano with a gift she is only just learning to embrace, Christine Daa has moved through the glittering world of the Opera Populaire longing to find her purpose. Instead, she finds herself caught between two men who refuse to let her slip quietly into the chorus. One is Raoul, her childhood friend turned devoted admirer, offering her a future filled with warmth, safety, and a love that feels like sunlight. The other is a mysterious masked figure who lurks beneath the Opera House: The Phantom. His brilliance, obsession, and dangerous devotion to nurturing Christine's talents ignites a dark and complicated passion in her heart. As Christine's star ascends, so does the tension between Raoul and the Phantom. She must decide who she is when the curtain falls--and what she's willing to risk for the life she wants. Set against the sweeping, romantic world of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera, Our Strange Duet allows Christine Daa to take center stage to tell her own story: fierce, emotional, and unforgettable.
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My dearest darkest
by Kayla Cottingham
When transfer student Finch Chamberlin and popular senior Selena St. Clair accidentally wake something terrifying and ancient in the depths of their school, they must work together to stop the horror they unleashed before it consumes the town.
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White Smoke
by Tiffany D. Jackson
Welcome home? fresh from rehab for substance abuse, Mari moves with her newly blended family to a gentrifying town where their renovated house is plagued by strange smells, unexplainable shadows and sounds, and sinister forces tied to the town's deadly history.
Reviewers say: "searing social commentary and genuinely creepy haunts" (Kirkus Reviews).
Is it for you? Mari's experience of anxiety and addiction is vivid and gripping; those looking for a less intense (but just as spooky) haunted house story might prefer Cherie Priest's The Agony House.
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| The Dead of Summer by Ryan La SalaReturning to his island home after a year away, Ollie worries about the friendships weakened by his absence. Then a storm hits, spreading a zombie-like plague possibly linked to an old chemical spill, and Ollie needs his found family more than ever. This fast-paced novel blends body horror with ecological horror.
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She Is A Haunting
by Trang Thanh Tran
Meet: Jade Nguyen, who's in Vietnam helping her father restore a French colonial home in exchange for college tuition.
Her worst nightmares: Jade's unsettling experiences inspire her to fake a haunting with a local named Florence, hoping it'll scare off her family. But Florence and Jade's budding romance is real, and Jade's father might withhold his money if he finds out.
What sets it apart: This satisfying novel weaves true horrors from Vietnamese history into an eerie haunted house tale.
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The Honeys
by Ryan La Sala
Mars has always been the lesser twin, the shadow to his sister Caroline's radiance. But when Caroline dies under horrific circumstances, Mars is propelled to learn all he can about his once-inseparable sister who'd grown tragically distant. Mars's genderfluidity means he's often excluded from the traditions--and expectations--of his politically-connected family. This includes attendance at the prestigious Aspen Conservancy Summer Academy where his sister poured so much of her time. But with his grief still fresh, he insists on attending in her place. What Mars finds is a bucolic fairytale not meant for him. Folksy charm and sun-drenched festivities camouflage old-fashioned gender roles and a toxic preparatory rigor. Mars seeks out his sister's old friends: a group of girls dubbed the Honeys, named for the beehives they maintain behind their cabin. They are beautiful and terrifying--and Mars is certain they're connected to Caroline's death. But the longer he stays at Aspen, the more the sweet mountain breezes give way to hints of decay. Mars's memories begin to falter, bleached beneath the relentless summer sun. Something is hunting him in broad daylight, toying with his mind. If Mars can't find it soon, it will eat him alive.
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Contact your librarian for more great books for age 14 and up!
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