I was pretty excited when my hold on the audiobook of Summer Bird Blue came through on Overdrive. I knew that the main character was biracial, and since I am too, I’m constantly seeking out out such identities in book.
ARCHENEMIES by Marissa Meyer
When Renegades came out last year, I liked it but didn’t love it. At the same time though, I thought this new series had potential and was excited to continue reading. Now I’m happy to report that Archenemies lived up to those expectations. It’s everything I hoped for and more!
SOFIA AND THE UTOPIA MACHINE by Judith Huang
Sofia and the Utopia Machine fills an important space in Singapore literature not only as an young adult book but as science fiction. I don’t remember coming across any local YA books when I was in primary and secondary school. In fact, when I was still in secondary school, I wasn’t interested in Singapore literature precisely because it seemed to be geared towards adults. In that regard, it’s heartening that local YA books have gained more visibility in recent years.
ONLY LOVE CAN BREAK YOUR HEART by Katherine Webber
Only Love Can Break Your Heart demonstrates how messy relationships can be, be they romantic, platonic or familial. From grief, to love, to forgiveness and hope, this book covered a huge spectrum of life experiences.
MIRAGE by Somaiya Daud
For some reason, I’ve had a significant slow down with YA novels this year. I’ve just not been able to settle down and focus on reading, no matter how intriguing various books sound. Most of the time I’ve resorted to audiobooks for which I tend to pick non-fiction books. Thanks to a long haul flight though, I had no distractions to keep me from Mirage. I was happily entertained.
