I'll start with a book called 5 to 1, by Holly Bodger. I got to read this book thanks to NetGalley. It's publishing date is actually tomorrow, 5/12. This was a really fascinating read that turns the idea of gender inequality on its ear. The setting of the story is India in the year 2054. Because of laws prohibiting families from having more than one child...and many families wanting only boy children, the ratio of boys to girls is now 5 to 1. Girls became a valuable commodity and were being sold to the highest bidder. But a group of women rebelled and formed the country of Koyanagar, closed the gates to all outsiders, and now men must compete in tests to in order to win a wife. Any boy can compete, but those not chosen are sent to guard the wall that surrounds their country - most likely to their death. This story is told from two points of view - Sudasa, a young girl who must choose her husband through the tests even though she doesn't want to, and Kiran - a boy competing in the tests who doesn't want to win, and has plans of his own. This was an incredibly fascinating story. If you want to read something thought-provoking, you should try 5 to 1. MCPL has this on order, so you can put it on hold if you're interested!
If you're more up for a story loosely based on the Greek myth of Hades and Persephone (God of the Underworld lures girl to Underworld, she ends up having to live six months of every year there), you might like the story, Everneath, by Brodi Ashton. Six months ago Nikki Beckett vanished...she'd been lured to the "Everneath" by Cole, and Everliving who promised her an end to the pain of living after her mother's death. When Nikki returns to her old life and has only 6 months to live it before she's pulled back into the Everneath for eternity, she only wants to make things right with her family and her old boyfriend, Jack. Cole wants her to return to the Everneath with him and to use her to help take over the throne, but Nikki doesn't know what she wants, other than finding a way to stay in the real world and never have to go to the Everneath again. This is the first in a series...if you like it, you'll find a novella, Neverfall, and two more novels, Everbound and Evertrue. All 3 novels are available at MCPL. You can find the first 2 books and the novella on MCPL's Overdrive, as well.
If you like stories that involve lots of action and espionage, you might like Julie Kagawa's Talon series. In book 1, Talon, you meet Ember Hill, someone who appears to be a normal teenage girl, but who is actually...a dragon. At one point, dragons were nearly extinct after being hunted by the lethal Order of Saint George - soldiers who swore to kill all dragons. They've been hiding and biding their time, forming an organization called Talon, and their goal is to take over the world. Ember is a member of Talon. She's been trained to fit in with human society and she and her twin brother Dante get one last summer to train in a beach town in California before they accept their roles as agents of Talon. Ember just wants to relax and get to enjoy what a normal human life might be like. Garrett Sebastian is a soldier of St. George. He and his partner have been sent to the small California town where Ember and her brother are staying in order to find hidden dragon agents - in other words - Ember and Dante. But when Ember and Garret meet, they become friends and maybe even something more...until they discover the truth about one another. If you like Talon, you'll be itching to read the 2nd book in the series, Rogue, which just came out on April 28th. I got to read my copy of Rogue from NetGalley, but you can find both books at MCPL. Talon is also available through MCPL's Overdrive.
Another book I've read recently is The Winner's Crime (Winner's Curse #2), by Marie Rutkoski. This story continues Kestrel and Arin's story as they try to find a way to save their countries. You can read more about book one here. I don't want to give too much away, but at the end of the first book, Kestrel does something bit in order to save Arin...and in this book she has to learn to live with that choice...or does she? This series is so beautifully written, but it's definitely full of drama. If you haven't read the first book, add both it and this 2nd novel to your list of to-reads! You can find both books at MCPL. You can find book 2 through MCPL's Overdrive, as well.
Skandal, by Lindsay Smith is another book 2 I've read recently - it's the follow up to Sekret, which you can read about here. Again, I don't want to give too much away, but Yulia is now in the U.S. working for the CIA trying to find a way to save her mother. Figuring out a new culture is only the beginning of Yulia's problems as she works to try to bring down the man who has caused all her family's troubles. You can find both books at MCPL and Skandal is available through MCPL's overdrive.
My final recommendation is for a series I've just finished. The 3rd and final book is Lion Heart, by A.C. Gaughen, which concludes her Scarlet series (you can read more about book 1 here). I got to read Lion Heart early, thanks to NetGalley - it will be published next week on May 19th if you're interested. This third and final book finds Scarlet imprisoned by Prince John, unsure if she will ever find a way back to Robin Hood. Once again, I'm not going to give anything away, but this was an awesome conclusion to a really great series. I absolutely loved this twist on the Robin Hood story and am sad that it has come to an end! You can find both the first 2 books at MCPL and through their Overdrive system. Book 3 is on order, so you can go ahead & put it on hold if you're interested!
Finally - who's up for a challenge? Some of you have said you'd like to challenge to read more than me over the summer. If you want to challenge me, you can find the access to the link on my Reading page on the team website (scroll down below current class info). There is also a link to the form where I'll ask you to log your books as you read them. And if that's not enough, there is also a link for those interested in joining me in reading some classics this summer. My goal is to read several "classics" that I've never read before, so I hope some of you will join me in that!
