Twins Iris and Malina have a special gift, or “gleam,” but it must be hidden from the world. In their small town on the coast of Montenegro, this means the sisters had to stop using their witchy gifts when they became too strong. Iris is naturally aware of people’s scents and shapes—gleaning important information from her observations. Malina’s gift for hearing emotions as music allows the sisters to evaluate who is to be trusted, and who to fear. Over the years, Iris’ skills have deteriorated with lack of practice, and unfortunately, so has her relationship with the twins’ secretive mother, Jasmina. But when a vicious attack leaves their mother technically dead—yet mysteriously alive—the sisters must unearth the wild truth of their heritage.

Though the revelations about the twins’ background are somewhat murky, the power of their love—for themselves, their mother and their respective love interests—is movingly portrayed. A cliffhanger ending and layered, likable characters will leave readers eager for what’s next in this unique new series from debut author Lana Popović.

This article was originally published in the August 2017 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Readers who devoured Ink and Bone and Paper and Fire, the first two titles in bestselling author Rachel Caine’s Great Library series, have a summer reading treat in store. Ash and Quill continues this ingenious saga of an alternate world in which the Great Library of Alexandria has not only survived but also become immensely powerful, controlling all knowledge and even the ownership of books.

Jess Brightwell is a likable, compelling hero. He has been raised to love books, despite the fact that his family has “smuggled them, sold them, and profited from them.” As the story opens, Jess and his friends have been transported from London by the Translation Chamber, which can destroy a person and then recreate him or her far away. Jess has landed in the rebellious colonies of America (Philadelphia, to be exact) where “Burners” refuse to submit to the Library’s rule.

There, in a half-ruined sports stadium, Jess is forced to witness books being burned before he is jailed. But, as he reflects, “Prisons—like locks—were made to be broken.”

Ash and Quill is a page-turning adventure, full of danger and intrigue. There’s romance, too, as Jess and the courageous Morgan take on the challenge of trying to save the true core of the Library from evil plotters within.

While Ash and Quill is perfect for teen readers, parents intrigued by the alternate future depicted in Philip K. Dick’s The Man in the High Castle might want to borrow this one to stick in a beach bag.

Deborah Hopkinson lives near Portland, Oregon. Her most recent book for young readers is Independence Cake.

This article was originally published in the July 2017 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

An unexpected turn of events places an unlikely pair—a slave and an enemy soldier—on a treacherous journey in Megan Whalen Turner’s newest adventure-filled novel, Thick as Thieves, part of her acclaimed Queen’s Thief series.

Highly esteemed among the palace household, Kamet oversees local and outlying estate finances for his Mede master, Nahuseresh. Although he is happy to hold such authority, the intelligent, brown-skinned slave also has to endure his temperamental master’s unexpected beatings. To Kamet, this suffering is worth the chance to become “one of the wealthiest and most powerful men in all the empire” as the next emperor’s personal slave. But Kamet’s hopes for a somewhat brighter future fizzle when he hears news of his master’s demise. The last thing Kamet expects is to run off with an Attolian soldier who promises his freedom. What follows is an unforgettable motley-duo adventure.

Aficionados of this creative series will be thrilled to follow Kamet’s character development as Turner places him front and center in her epic tale. Brimming with a host of pertinent foils, as well as a clever thief named Eugenides, Turner’s plot takes mature teen readers along on Kamet’s death-defying journey. With a well-defined cast and a captivating writing style, Thick as Thieves is a brilliant combination of artful storytelling, imaginative history (with maps) and a flurry of twists and turns—up to the very end.

Preacher’s daughter (dresses modestly, doesn’t date, never goes to parties) is the only identity Leah Roberts has—in public, anyway. But when she sneaks out to the woods behind her house, she can be her true self: a girl who’s grieving over a tragedy that splintered her family 10 years ago. And in these woods, she watches a family of fantastic creatures who officially don’t exist. They’re large, vaguely humanoid, covered in hair and known in legend as Bigfoot or Sasquatch.

One night a newcomer arrives with the Bigfoot family—a young man who’s surprisingly close to being human. As Leah finds herself drawn to this mysterious stranger, the outside world shifts, too: Her brother’s best friend starts making romantic overtures toward her, and her mother’s perpetually odd behavior becomes stranger than usual. As details of her family’s dark history are slowly revealed, Leah finds herself in a place where the past and the present, humans and non-humans, love and loss coexist . . . and sometimes violently clash.

Part supernatural romance, part mystery and part contemporary realism, The Shadows We Know by Heart blends the psychological suspense of Stephanie Kuehn’s Charm & Strange with traditional legends of Bigfoot, adding a flavor of “Beauty and the Beast” along the way.

This article was originally published in the March 2017 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.