CET Writes

In this brilliant sequel to Openly Straight, Ben finds his way, his voice, and his love as Konigsberg continues the tale with this beautifully raw and complex addition to the burgeoning body of LGBTQ YA literature. #LibrariesRRock #RRockReviewHS ​  |   @billkonigsberg ,  @AALBooks

This 2020 #MaverickList nominee, hurls the reader two years into the future, a world where the rules have changed & crush is forbidden, so hold on tight as the ride is anything but smooth.   #CETReviews   #RockReviewsHS   |   @babsdraws ,  @brendenfletcher ,  @cameronMstewart ,  @ImageComics

In volume 2,  @gracecellis and  @shaebeagle continue this fantastic paranormal romance that delightfully navigates some surprisingly heavy topics with dexterity and levity!  #CETReviews   #RockReviewsHS   |   @ImageComics ,  @LibrariesRRock  

In this 2019 #SPOTTX honoree,  @av_geiger goes beyond merely providing a good mystery. This book is fodder for some interesting thought experiments that center on mental health and social media.  #CETReviews #RockReviewsHS   |   @SourcebooksFire ,  @LibrariesRRock  

Both Abelard and Lily so deeply resonated with me that I felt like I was reading a love story between two halves of myself as I watched each struggle to find their happy. #TheLoveLettersofAbelardandLily #CETReviews #RRockReviewsHS #SPOTTX   |   @LibrariesRRock , @HMHteen

Having barely survived a demon possession,  Mia must move in with her Milanese extended family where she’ll stay alive by learning the family heritage and mastering the family trade of demon catching with the ancient lore of bell, book, and candle.  In the course of these studies, she begins to understand that the world is far more complex than she ever believed it to be and the powerfully seductive forces at play can’t be easily categorized.  Beyer constructs a narrative in which the quick and the dead, the animate and the inanimate, as well as the characters and the setting have had a long standing multi-generational intimacy. As the plot unfolds, the audience quickly realizes that the protagonist seems to have a walk-on part in an expansive drama that has been playing out for a very long time.    Nonetheless, for this scene Mia seems to play the role of both Dante and Cervantes simultaneously-functioning as not only the damned but also the guide through th...

"It's 1888, and seventeen-year-old Verity Newton lands a job in New York as a governess to a wealthy leading family, "but she quickly learns that the family has big secrets. Magisters have always ruled the colonies, but now an underground society of mechanics and engineers are developing non-magical sources of power via steam engines that they hope will help them gain freedom from British rule. The family Verity works for is magister, "but it seems like the children's young guardian uncle is sympathetic to the rebel cause. As Verity falls for a charming rebel inventor and agrees to become a spy, she also becomes more and more enmeshed in the magister family's life. She soon realizes she's uniquely positioned to advance the cause" but to do so, she'll have to reveal her own dangerous secret." - From the Publisher This is a fantastic read - a real page turner. Lovers of steampunk and speculative history will find a new heroine in Miss ...

Image from  fantasticfiction.com “Marianne Velba and - Adrian track the mysterious fighter Richard Aldana into another universe to arrive in Paxtown, an illustrious modern megalopolis, where something sinister lurks behind the glitz and glam. There, mother and son enlist as a team in the Fighting Fists Funeral Cup, that world’s famous boxing tournament, in order to discover the ugly secrets lurking in Richard’s past. Marianne and Adrian soon realize, however, that they are not the only travelers from the Valley of Kings with a stake in the Funeral Cup…” - From the Publisher Although the quality is excellent, I cannot recommend this series for purchase by a school library because of thematic elements that might invite challenge - profanity, sexual content, sexual violence, nudity, drug consumption, and organized crime. Albeit these topics are tastefully navigated and are neither glorified nor condoned by the narrative, their prominence escalates as the series progresses. T...

Image from  amazon.com "When Richard Aldana disappears with the newly won Royal Cup, young Adrian is shocked-- and only further surprised when his mother, Marianne, is determined to pursue Aldana on an incredible vehicle she had hidden away: a motorcycle! Their chase leads them to a mysterious rift. Beyond that lies a strange world, where the greatest threat comes from those who uphold the law. Arrested as criminals by a gang of unruly enforcers, Marianne and Adrian now must take part in a physical court battle where might is right. Can they survive this legal circus?"— Back cover. Last Man is an excellent series that uses a blending of action, adventure, fantasy, martial arts, and romance to truly enhance what could have easily been merely Shonen - instead, giving the series a depth that will appeal to fans of many different genres. Unfortunately, the adult content that makes a brief, tasteful appearance in volume one escalates in prominence as the series progresses...

Image from penguinrandomhouse.com Whereas June--a military prodigy--is born into an elite family in one of the wealthiest districts, Day--the country's most wanted criminal--is born into the slums. Their paths cross when Day is the prime suspect in the murder of June’s brother. As June desperately tries to avenge his death, she comes to understand that neither Day nor the Republic are as sinister or virtuous as they seem. Legend: The Graphic Novel is a fun read that not only makes a nice companion to the original text but is also capable of standing alone as a work. Moreover, reading graphic adaptations can be employed as a clever means of remaining up-to-date with currently popular literature without the investment required by the fuller works. Legend: The Graphic Novel Adapted by Leigh Dragoon Secondary G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers 160pp. Published 2015 ISBN 978-0399171895 $14.99 Dystopian

Image from amazon.com In this second book of the Last Man series, Richard Aldana continues his unconventional winning streak as one half of an even more unconventional pairing - showing himself a likely contender for the Royal Cup. As The Royal Cup is to The Stranger , Empire Strikes Back is to A New Hope. This is the point in the series where the exposition, world building, and character development gel, creating a synergy that energizes the reader and propels the story. In short, things have just gotten good, and it will be interesting to see where this French manga takes us! Although one might be tempted to write this series off as merely Shonen, the blending of action, adventure, fantasy, martial arts, and romance give the series a depth that will appeal to fans of many different genres. Last Man:  The Royal Cup (Book 2) by Balak, Michaël Sanlaville, Bastien Vivès Secondary First Second 208pp. Published 2015 ISBN 978-1626720473 $9.99

In her preface to this edition of  Forever... , Blume, in addition to cautioning readers to take more precautions than her pre-HIV/AIDS characters do, expresses gratitude that “some things, like  feelings , never change.” The timelessness of teenage drama and awkwardness at the dawn of adulthood contributes to the evergreen quality of a work which references such 1970s staples as fondue parties and vinyl records. The realistic treatment in both word and action of Katherine and her peers as they haltingly progress beyond adolescence appeals to modern readers at the same stage of life with its immediacy and matter-of-fact manner, while providing audiences who have passed through this baptism by fire with a familiar set of tropes which ring true even if the details differ from their own experiences. Temporal affairs and technologies have changed the venues, communications, and risks, but the character-driven interactions remain recognizable from generation to generation. Among...

Arras is slipping out of the Guild's control and Cormac Patton needs Adelice to help reestablish order. However, is the price of peace too high? Can she put aside her own personal grievances and let go of her past in order to fight for mankind's future?  This final book in the Crewel World trilogy returns Ad to Arras where she will ostensibly work with Cormac in order to avoid the undoing of existence itself. However, as might be expected Patton is duplicitous, proving that there is no honor among thieves. Unfortunately, this deception not only thwarts the protagonist but also the novel’s plot. Just as she spends too much of this tale mired in the politics of this universe, stymied by her own feelings of inadequacy, and unable to jump start her forward progression, the audience is similarly quagmired in this purgatory of Adelice’s making - hoping for a salvation that is too long in coming and does little to soothe the injuries that were sustained. Unraveled   (Crew...

Book two of the Crewel   World series starts on the exhale as the  audience  realizes that not only has the protagonist's  love triangle escaped to Earth but also that Earth is not the hollow shell that they've been led to believe it to be. Having literally rent the very fabric of her existence,  Adelice is forced to acknowledge the tangled web that comprises her past and future  – finding herself constantly torn between the questionable freedom of Earth and the gilded prison of Arraras, her lover Jost and his brother Erik, as well as her extraordinary potential as a savior and as a weapon. Moreover, she comes to realize that everyone—especially those she loves the most—hides secrets  they would kill to protect. Consequently, Adelice must choose what to fight for.  Similar to its predecessor,  Altered  is extremely engaging after the initial  hundred-page  investment. Furthermore, as this story unfolds, the reader becomes i...

Sixteen-year-old Adelice Lewys has the rare ability to weave the very fabric of her world. Even though her parents have trained her to hide this gift–a treasonous act for which they pay dearly–she doesn’t escape detection. In fact, she is  abducted by the Guild  and forced to become a Spinster, one of the elite cadre of Fates who manipulate the minutiae of everyday life. Entangled in a web of deceit, Adelice must unravel the truth and navigate this dangerous realm in which maiden, matron, and crone live a half-live in Purgatory between all-powerful and powerless.  Although the plot  is  extraordinarily compelling, it ends with a cliff hanger and then arrogantly proclaims “End of Book One.” Not only does Albin assume that her debut novel will be received favorably enough that there will indeed be a complete series, but she also presumes that the reader be willing to continue reading it.    Such arrogance creates an inherent flaw in the narrative; ...

The taciturn peace that the double suicide of Romeo and Juliet imposed on the citizens of Verona is tentative at the best of times as the tension generated by the long-standing feud between the Montagues and the Capulets continues to permeate the atmosphere - seeping into to everyone’s bones and tainting all that it contacts. Burdened by the responsibility of leadership and desperate to save his city, the young Prince Escalus concludes that the only way to truly squelch this nonsense is to SUCCESSFULLY marry a Montague to a Capulet. Unfortunately, the betrothed – Benvolio and Rosaline – are not the paragon of peace that he had hoped for. However, in banding together to undermine the fate they loathe, the couple not only broker peace and save the city but also discover that they are far more willing than either would have anticipated. This lovely blend of romance and mystery adheres to the spirit of Shakespeare’s writing, if not the letter. Taub breathes new life into the well-traver...

In an overt attempt to inspire readers, the story unfolds as three young women plan their post-secondary-education lives while dealing with immediate obstacles and use the many types of love (i.e. romantic, familial, platonic, etc.) as their coping strategies.  Because this novel is heavily laced with every possible tear-jerking scenario – three plucky heroines who overcome what seem to be insurmountable odds, a protagonist who is dying of cancer, a negligent mother, an ill parent, forbidden love, the promise of a gratifying albeit hollow love affair, the lure of long-awaited true love, and an abusive significant other – it seems to pointedly target the traditional audience for “chick lit;” in short, the book is heavy handed and overdone.    Nonetheless, it will surely find an audience who views these plot elements as features rather than bugs. The Year of Luminous Love by   Lurlene McDaniel Secondary Delacorte Press 362 pp. 2013 9780385741712 $18.99 R...

At seventeen, Emery Land finds her life voraciously consumed by physical deterioration resulting from seizures.   Practically living in a hospital under constant surveillance by her scientist father and an ostensibly-skeptical team of doctors, she feels herself a lab rat; consequently, weighing the stifling emotional price of her caged existence against the physically lethal cost of freedom, Emery flees in order to pursue her theory that during her seizures she travels through time and space.  Inhabiting an emotional purgatory that exists somewhere between the heaven of free will and the hell of self-recriminations, she meets Asher Clarke who seems to be intimately entwined with her plight.  Together, they must race against the Doomsday clock to understand the truth of their complicated connection.  Above all else,  Flutter  is a beautifully-written, poignant tale of possibly-star-crossed lovers that questionably ends in death but certainly avoids b...

After having graduated from high school early, the trifecta—angels-in-training Haven Terra, her boyfriend Lance, and her best friend Dante—head to New Orleans for community service. In "The Big Easy," the three friends find themselves not only at odds with a local enclave of vicious, shape-shifting demons called the Krewe but also staring down their second test in the quest to earn their wings. However, they soon discover that their fellow volunteers are also angels-in-training, and together they must quell this  menace  and overcome their personal demons, individually and collectively.  In book two of the  Gilded Wings series, Agresti continues her exciting tale of a modern struggle between the forces of good and evil - employing angels and demons, the original supernatural characters. Moreover, without being heavy handed, the author spins a ripping yarn that incorporates motifs and archetypes such as the triumvirate, the plucky heroine, and the Byronic devi...

Image from goodreads.com Tantalize: Kieren’s Story is the graphic novel adaptation of Smith’s young adult noire fantasy by the same name—told from the perspective of Kieren, a mixed-blood werewolf.  Kieren’s senior year of high school finds him awakening to the realization that he is in love with his best friend Quincie who clearly returns his affection.  Unfortunately, he is reluctant to act upon these feelings because to-date he is unable to control the beast within and thus fears harming her.  Moreover, any day now, he will leave to join an urban pack and learn the ways of his kind.  When the murder of the chef at Quincie’s ancestral vampire-themed restaurant appears to have been committed by a werewolf, Kieren is compelled to clear his name and save his best friend from all that threatens her—including herself.  Doyle’s illustrations extend the text by expressing what Kieren can’t, or won’t, in the halting tight-lipped narration that is so representati...