MONDAY’S NOT COMING by TIFFANY D. JACKSON A REVIEW by ALEXA DUNCAN Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson is a ripped-from-the-headlines story about the bonds of friendship, the relationship between marginalized communities and the police, and how far people will go to cover up a crime. Monday isn’t a…
BAD ROMANCE by HEATHER DEMETRIOS (2017) A REVIEW by ALEXA DUNCAN Bad Romance, like the Lady Gaga song, is a story about an all-consuming relationship that destroys everything in its path. Our main character, Grace, just wants to get out of her troubled household and go to college at NYU.…
EMERGENCY CONTACT by MARY H.K. CHOI (2018) A REVIEW by ALEXA DUNCAN Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi is a cool book. In almost every sense of the word. The author herself is cool (she wrote articles for Wired, GQ, and The Atlantic before stepping foot into the YA world).…
A REVIEW by ALEXA DUNCAN Boy bands. We all love them. Or at least, I do. I was an avid fan of the Backstreet Boys and NSYNC when I was younger, One Direction when I was a little older, and now the Korean super-group, BTS. Boy bands are fun. They…
THE WICKED DEEP by SHEA ERNSHAW (MARCH 2018) A REVIEW by ALEXA DUNCAN The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw reads like it should have come out in 2008. This isn’t an insult. Coming from me, it’s an incredibly high compliment. If you don’t remember, 2008 was the height of the…
SHADOW AND BONE by LEIGH BARDUGO (Shadow and Bone #1) (2012) A REVIEW by ALEXA DUNCAN Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo offered readers something fresh when it came out in 2012. While the YA world’s obsession with fantasy novels was just getting underway, Bardugo helped popularize them with her…
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EVERLESS by SARA HOLLAND (2018) A REVIEW by ALEXA DUNCAN Everless by Sara Holland is the latest entry in YA’s fantasy obsession. There’s a kingdom, a queen, sad villagers struggling against an unjust monarchy, and a sprinkling of magic. Everything you’d expect from a YA fantasy novel. However, Everless manages…
THE SELECTION by KIERA CASS (2012) A REVIEW by ALEXA DUNCAN The Selection by Kiera Cass spawned its own little phenomenon upon its release in 2012. Marketed as a dystopian version of The Bachelor, The Selection was the novel for you if you wanted more romance than what The Hunger…
CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE by TOMI ADEYEMI (Legacy of Orisha #1) (2018) A REVIEW by ALEXA DUNCAN Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi is massive. Literally and figuratively. Clocking in at 530+ pages, Children of Blood and Bone breaks the “debut novel” standard in more ways than…