Your Voice is All I Hear by Leah Scheier

Your Voice is All I Hear
Leah Scheier
Fiction Sch256y

I was the one he trusted. I was the one he loved, the only one who believed him, even when his own mother had locked him up and thrown away the key.

And now, I was going to pass down the white tiled hallway, knock on his doctor’s office door, slam his secret notebook on her desk and make her read it, make her understand what he was hiding, make her see what only I had seen.

April won’t let Jonah go without a fight.

He’s her boyfriend—her best friend. She’ll do anything to keep him safe. But as Jonah slips into a dark depression, trying to escape the traumatic past that haunts him, April is torn. To protect Jonah, she risks losing everything: family, friends, an opportunity to attend a prestigious music school. How much must she sacrifice? And will her voice be loud enough to drown out the dissenters—and the ones in his head?

(from Publisher)

Code of Honor by Alan Gratz

Code of Honor
Alan Gratz
Fiction G774c

A timely, nonstop action-adventure about the War on Terror--and a family torn apart.

When seventeen-year-old Iranian American Kamran Smith learns that his brother has been labeled a terrorist, he knows something isn't right. In a race against time, it is up to Kamran to prove his brother's innocence, even as the country has turned against him and his family. With the help of a ragtag team of underground intelligence professionals, Kamran must piece together the clues and the codes that will save his brother's life--and save his country from possibly the largest terrorist attack since 9/11.

Acclaimed author Alan Gratz takes readers on a nonstop action-adventure journey through the emotional, political, and cultural landscape of the War on Terror, while weaving a poignant tale of two brothers.

(from Publisher)

No True Echo by Gareth P. Jones

No True Echo
Gareth P. Jones
Fiction J7162n

Nothing ever happens in idyllic Wellcome Valley, much to Eddie Dane’s dismay. Then, one day, Scarlett White steps onto the school bus. She’s a stranger but somehow familiar. Equal parts smitten and intrigued, Eddie tries to get to know her but finds she has more questions about him. Curious questions about his dead mother.

One day he follows Scarlett to a remote house, where he witnesses a brutal murder, and suddenly he’s back on the school bus the day he first met Scarlett! Caught in a repeating time loop, Eddie learns the truth about his mother’s death, the nature of his connection to Scarlett, and how his past has shaped a dangerous future…one that he can prevent if he lets go of a person he loves.

Smart, gripping, and romantic, this is a time-travel novel that’s really about the importance of human connection and the possibility of choosing the person you become.

(from Publisher)

Taking Hold by Francisco Jimenez

Taking Hold
Francisco Jimenez
Fiction J5647t

In this fourth book in his award-winning memoir series, Francisco Jimenez leaves everything behind in California—a loving family, a devoted girlfriend, and the culture that shaped him— to attend Columbia University in New York City.  

With few true accounts of the Latino experience in America, Francisco Jimenez’s work comes alive with telling details about the warmth and resiliency of family and the quest for identity against seemingly impossible odds.

(from Publisher)

Vivian Apple Needs a Miracle (#2) by Katie Coyle

Vivian Apple Needs a Miracle (#2)
Katie Coyle

With the rapture predicted by the Church of America having passed, Vivian and Harpreet are two of the few who know the truth: that the rapture was staged and the believers who were chosen are either missing or dead. Can they stop Pastor Frick and the church's mad grab for power and control over society? 

Or will this rapture really be the beginning of the end. Vivian and Harpreet are idealistic teens who will stop at nothing to reveal the truth in this sequel to Vivian Apple at the End of the World (HMH, 2015). The characters are well rounded and believable and represent multiple personalities and ideologies. 

The plot is fast paced but difficult to follow for newcomers to the series. Religion—the lack of faith or unwavering belief in it—is a central component to the story line. Readers will be questioning their own belief systems and asking themselves just how far they would go to uncover the truth. Fans of the first volume will want to read this thought-provoking continuation. VERDICT A great addition to YA collections.

(from Publisher)

The Shadow Throne by Jennifer A. Nielsen

The Shadow Throne
Jennifer A. Nielsen
Fiction N554a3

One war.
Too many deadly battles.
Can a king save his kingdom, when his own survival seems unlikely?

War has come to Carthya. It knocks at every door and window in the land. And when Jaron learns that King Vargan of Avenia has kidnapped Imogen in a plot to bring Carthya to its knees, Jaron knows it is up to him to embark on a daring rescue mission. But everything that can go wrong does.

His friends are flung far and wide across Carthya and its neighbouring lands. In a last-ditch effort to stave off what looks to be a devastating loss for the kingdom, Jaron undertakes what may be his last journey to save everything and everyone he loves. But even with his lightning-quick wit, Jaron cannot forestall the terrible danger that descends on him and his country. Along the way, will he lose what matters most? And in the end, who will sit on Carthya's throne?

Rousing and affecting, Jaron's adventures have thrilled and moved readers in The False Prince and The Runaway King. Journey once again with the Ascendant King of Carthya, as New York Times bestselling author Jennifer A. Nielsen brings his story to a stunning conclusion with The Shadow Throne.

(from Publisher)

Sweet Madness by Trisha Leaver and Lindsay Currie

Sweet Madness
Trisha Leaver and Lindsay Currie
Fiction L487sw

Seventeen-year-old Bridget Sullivan is alone in Fall River, a city that sees Irish immigrants as nothing more than a drunken drain on society. To make matters worse, she's taken employment with the city’s most peculiar and gossip-laden family—the Bordens. But Bridget can’t afford to be picky—the pay surpasses any other job Bridget could ever secure and she desperately needs the money to buy her little sister, Cara, passage to the states. It doesn’t hurt that the job location is also close to her beau, Liam. As she enters the disturbing inner workings of the Borden household, Bridget clings to these advantages.

However, what seemed like a straightforward situation soon turns into one that is untenable. Of course Bridget has heard the gossip around town about the Bordens, but what she encounters is far more unsettling. The erratic, paranoid behavior of Mr. Borden, the fearful silence of his wife, and worse still…the nightly whisperings Bridget hears that seem to come from the walls themselves.

The unexpected bright spot of the position is that Lizzie Borden is so friendly. At first, Bridget is surprised at how Lizzie seems to look out for her, how she takes a strong interest in Bridget’s life. Over time, a friendship grows between them. But when Mr. Borden’s behavior goes from paranoid to cruel, and the eerie occurrences in the house seem to be building momentum, Bridget makes the tough decision that she must leave the house—even if it means leaving behind Lizzie, her closest friend, alone with the madness. Something she swore she would not do.

But when Bridget makes a horrifying discovery in the home, all that she thought she knew about the Bordens is called into question…including if Lizzie is dangerous. And the choice she must make about Lizzie’s character could mean Bridget’s life or death.

SWEET MADNESS is a retelling of the infamous Borden murders from the point of view of Lizzie’s Irish maid, Bridget Sullivan.

(from Publisher)