4 new YA novels reviewed by Seattle teens

“Suburban Hell”

by Maureen Kilmer (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, $17)

One of my favorite things to do during the fall is read scary books — specifically those about supernatural occurrences. “Suburban Hell” by Maureen Kilmer expertly fills this niche with a chilling plot and well-developed characters. The main characters — Amy, Jess, Melissa and Liz — all busy mothers living in the suburbs, make the decision to build their own clubhouse. The She Shed, as they call it, becomes a place for their semiregular meetups to drink and watch movies together. Even from the first few chapters, it’s clear that something is very off, not only with the construction of the She Shed, but with Liz as well. Readers soon discover that something far more sinister than any of the girls could imagine is taking place in their normally mundane and cheerful part of the suburbs. The plot twists paint a hellish picture of suburbia indeed.

“Ducks”

by Kate Beaton (Drawn & Quarterly, $39.95)

If you were given an opportunity to make extensive amounts of money at the cost of giving up your freedom, would you take it? This is one question Kate Beaton tackles in her latest graphic novel “Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands.” It follows 21-year-old Kate while she pursues a job working in the oil mines of Alberta to help support herself. At the same time, she figures out what to do with the newly bestowed freedom, independence and student loans of her adulthood. Through expressive comic-style narrative, Beaton perfectly ties together themes of misogyny, capitalism and exploitative labor with witty humor and sarcasm. Beaton tackles some challenging and hard-hitting topics which are often painfully overlooked. And while these messages are never blatantly spoken, the impact these pages have is profound. The tremendous art of “Ducks” drew me in, but the character development and fast-paced plot kept me hooked.

— Reviews by Josephine Bishop

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“Strike the Zither”

by Joan He (Roaring Brook Press, $18.99)

Joan He is first and foremost a romance writer. Her poignant voice transcends genre, and the wistful study of love — familial, platonic, amorous — underlies the heart of all her stories.

A retelling of the Chinese classic “Romance of the Three Kingdoms,” “Strike the Zither” is touted as He’s passion project, an ode to her younger self and her multicultural childhood. He’s fondness for the subject matter permeates the relationships the headstrong protagonist, Zephyr, traverses throughout the epic, from her devotion to her lordess, Xin Ren, to the delicate bond she shares with her long-lost sister. And of course, it wouldn’t be a Joan He novel without the intoxicating romance ignited by the mysterious Crow. 

He’s staple plot twists are more numerous and intricately layered than ever, the one constant in the unpredictable battlefields Zephyr navigates. In a surprising turn of events, “Strike the Zither” delivers an exploration of identity in the latter half, touching upon the heartstrings of many who grew up straddling the line between cultures.

The characters — especially Zephyr, with her fiery and arrogant nature — rework traditional gender norms. All exist outside the conventional societal confines in this sweeping saga, freed from both the chains of the past and modern ties, where anyone is free to live as a warrior.

“Bloodmarked”

by Tracy Deonn (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, $19.99)

In the sequel to the acclaimed “Legendborn,” Tracy Deonn returns to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s enchanting secret society, with compelling heroine Bree and her magnetic crew at the helm. In “Bloodmarked,” Deonn delves further into the mythology of the world, incorporating elements of dystopian horror, urban fantasy and Welsh mythology as Bree and her allies travel beyond “Legendborn’s” boundaries.

Though the concepts may be familiar — the Chosen One, an ingénue caught between worlds — Deonn spins them into something wholly original. With white Legendborn aether in one hand and her Black ancestors’ rootcraft in the other, Bree wrestles with the heavy legacy that granted her King Arthur’s unrivaled strength. She struggles to wield such a power and must reckon with the forces that aim to control her and disregard her humanity, while fighting to remain afloat in the imminent war threatening to rip her very world apart.

Through Bree’s battle to take control of her own narrative, Deonn fosters a bigger critique on race and the systemic racism the Black community is forced to deal with on a daily basis, with the higher stakes in this mystical world. Filled with fiery rage and haunting grief, “Bloodmarked” lends a deeper chapter to the electrifying Legendborn Cycle.

— Reviews by Yuena Kim

This article was written on special assignment for The Seattle Times through the TeenTix Press Corps, a teen arts journalism program sponsored by TeenTix (teentix.org), a youth empowerment and arts access nonprofit organization.