Translated from Japanese by Cathy Hirano

Elin lives with her mother, a respected beast daughter in charge of caring for the Toda, dragon-like creatures men ride into war. But Elin and her mother are different, descendents of a mysterious group of people known as the Ahlyo. When disaster strikes, Elin’s world is turned upside down. This book follows Elin as she grows up and learns how to care for the Royal Beasts, natural enemies of the Toda. Elin just wants to connect with these creatures, but the politics of her world seep in and once again, her life changes forever.

I’d recommend this story for anyone who feels connected to and cares deeply about animals, who wants to journey into a Japanese-inspired fantasy world, and who’s interested in a story that’s driven more by relationships than by action.

Note: This story was originally published as four books in Japan, but has been collected into one novel in most English editions. Manga and anime adaptations also exist.

Nima has been in love with one of her best friends, Ginny, for years. Hoping to make the most of the summer before her Senior Year, Nima tries to confess her love, only to get politely shut down before she can even say much. Nima's dealing with her best friend Charles not speaking to her, her mother (who she hasn't heard from in over a year) resurfacing in her life, and the strange run-ins she keeps having with a boy named Gordon. Feeling boring, bland, but also overwhelmed, Nima's life changes when she stumbles into a drag show at the local fair and befriends an older drag queen and gets a crush on one of the drag kings.

Nima slowly starts to find her confidence and become more secure in her own identity and she steps further into the world of drag. But as Nima learns more about herself, she also discovers things about her mother she never understood, and isn't sure she wants to know more.

This book is for lovers of Ru Paul's Drag Race, queer love stories, and anyone who knows what it's like to want to take risks, even when you're terrified.

Review by Ms. Ingrid Strange

In the book We Speak in Storms, Author Natalie Lund used a technique of flashback and three separate protagonists who were all high school students: Brenna Ortiz, Joshua Calloway, Callie Keller. The setting was Mercer, Illinois, both in the present and 50 years prior when a catastrophic tornado had claimed the lives of dozens of teenagers at a drive-in movie. Each character was struggling with something significant in their life and found one another and ultimately themselves, with the help of the collective deceased represented by 3 in particular who could relate to the circumstances in which the protagonists found themselves. This was a very interesting philosophical view of what happens to our souls once we die and how everything is interconnected. We are all struggling at times in our lives and a little guidance from the other side can help with insight and perspective. What I liked the most was the idea that we can still make things right 50 years later, because once the protagonists became stronger they, in turn, helped their ghostly visitors attain resolutions with loved ones because their deaths had happened so abruptly they were unable to have closure.

Manu has been sheltered her whole life. She lives in Miami with her mother and their friend, Perla, who acts like a grandmother to Manu. Manu and her mother are undocumented immigrants, having left Argentina to protect them from her father's family. Manu doesn't know much about her dad or his family, but her mother insists they're dangerous and can never know about Manu's existence. Because of this, Manu spends all her time cooped up in their apartment, terrified of ICE raids, and wishing for a different life. Manu also keeps a low profile because of her distinctive eyes, which she must always keep hidden behind dark sunglasses. Manu also suffers from what her mother jokes is "lunaritus" -- horrible period cramps every full moon that are so debilitating that she must take sedatives to sleep away the worst of the pain. When Perla is hurt and hospitalized and ICE raids her mother's work and takes her into custody all on the same day, Manu finds herself alone for the first time ever. She discovers that her mother has been keeping secrets, and Manu uncovers some wild truths about her life, her family, and herself. What seems like a fantasy world from her dreams is actually real, but as she learns about it, she must still hide her true identity, even in a community she thought would accept her.

This book is fabulous. It tackles the issues of immigration, belonging, and community in a fantasy setting that shines a light on oppression, misogyny, and what it means to be "illegal." Manu is an incredible protagonist trying to find her identity while dealing with the expectations of multiple cultures and the secrets of her family.

I'd recommend this book for lovers of rich new fantasy worlds, people who appreciate fantasy that intersects with real world issues, and powerful leading ladies.

Review by Ms. Ingrid Strange

The Ash Princess, was the first novel written by Laura Sebastian, which is now a trilogy. Theodosia/Thora, the protagonist is written in first person and captures the reader’s attention immediately. On the first page of the first chapter Sebastian has 2 lines in italics: “Don’t look at their faces, don’t look” & “I will not anger the Kaiser and he will keep me alive.” This immediately grabbed me and I wanted to know why and what was going on. The intrigue in the palace is beyond brutal and the Kaiser is a twisted tyrant, but Theo manages to survive ten years, with many scars to show for it. This book makes you question humanity and the winners of war. It makes you route for a young woman whose strength has helped her survive to the point where she is capable of taking on the evil and lead her subjects out of slavery. I am ready for the next book in the trilogy!

Review by Ms. Ingrid Strange

Hush is Dylan Farrow’s first Novel. The premise is that in the country of Montane, just saying something can make it happen, but only if you have the gift of Telling. The people with the gift of Telling are called Bards, which brings to mind Shakespeare who, as a playwright, would be the King of Bards. But this book does not mention Shakespeare; however, the allusion is manifested just by the use of the word Bard and because most Bards are male. But the protagonist is a 17 year old girl named Shae who has lost her brother to a disease called the Blot. Between Bards and Blots I was hooked as anyone who loves literature and writing would be. The Blot is a deadly disease that is supposedly spread by ink, so books are forbidden! I immediately thought about all the dictators that want to keep the people ignorant and promote book burning. Shae has been kept in ignorance and the reader is pulled into the journey she embarks on as she starts to investigate who murdered her mother and has to leave the only home she has ever known in order to find the killer. She seems to have all the cards stacked against her, but the more she questions, the more she learns, and the stronger she becomes, discovering that she is actually a Bard and quite a powerful one at that. This tale has many twists that keep the reader turning the pages.