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Pointe, Claw
Amber J. Keyser
Synopsis: Jessie Vale dances in an elite ballet program. She has to be perfect to land a spot with the professional company. When Jessie is cast in an animalistic avant-garde production, her careful composure cracks wide open. Nothing has felt more dangerous.



Meanwhile, her friend Dawn McCormick's world is full of holes. She wakes in strange places, bruised, battered, and unable to speak. The doctors are out of ideas.



These childhood friends are both running out of time. Jessie has one shot at her ballet dream. Dawn's blackouts are getting worse. At every turn, they crash into the many ways girls are watched, judged, used, and discarded. Should they play it safe or go feral?
Publication Date: 04/01/17
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Mystery
Thirteen Days of Midnight
Synopsis: In a devilishly dark and funny debut, a teen finds himself the unwitting beneficiary of eight enslaved and angry ghosts seeking bloody vengeance.

When Luke Manchett’s estranged father dies unexpectedly, he leaves his son a dark inheritance: a collection of eight restless spirits, known as his Host, who want revenge for their long enslavement. Once they figure out that Luke has no clue how to manage them, they become increasingly belligerent, and eventually mutiny. Halloween (the night when ghosts reach the height of their power) is fast approaching, and Luke knows his Host is planning something far more trick than treat. Armed with only his father’s indecipherable notes, a locked copy of The Book of Eight, and help from school outcast Elza Moss, Luke has just thirteen days to uncover the closely guarded secrets of black magic and send his unquiet spirits to their eternal rest—or join their ghostly ranks himself.
Publication Date: 08/25/15
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Haw
Sean Jackson
Synopsis: In a barbaric future, enough hope remains for some to sacrifice everything: the gripping story of a father's struggle to save his son from a corrupt society in a pitiless, bleak, futuristic America. Mired in a corrupt, dangerous city that is on the verge of collapse, a father and son flee to a rural village, hoping to find refuge from their violent lives. What they find is not the haunted hippie environs of local legend, but a gritty farm community that thrives despite the threat of criminal invasions and the ominous presence of a nearby nuclear reactor. A bioengineer, Lucas lends his expertise to the efforts of sustainability, while his son-a rising young photojournalist-falls in love with one of the sons of a folksy family whose charm lies in its ability to keep the community together, through music and love-until disaster shakes their fragile world.
Publication Date: 06/19/15
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Science Fiction
The Girl With the Half and Half Face
Synopsis: She's trained to follow wherever her Core leads. Until it leads her away from everything she's ever known . . . into mortal danger. Eighteen-year-old Kayli-el is part of a new species on her planet, with a powerful internal guidance called the Core. After her teacher is murdered for its secrets, Kayli-el runs for her life - right into the arms of Tamber, a boy who's crossed the ocean on a mysterious quest. When the killers who murdered her teacher capture her best friend , Kayli-el faces a choice with devastating consequences: follow her Core's wisdom and flee across the ocean to safety with Tamber, leaving Serene behind, or defy her own guidance to try and save Serene's life.
Publication Date: 04/12/15
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Adventure
All the Bright Places
Jennifer Niven
Synopsis: "A do not miss for fans of Eleanor and Park and The Fault in Our Stars, and basically anyone who can breathe."--Justine Magazine

A New York Times bestseller

Soon to be a major motion picture starring Elle Fanning!

A 2016 Zoella Book Club Pick!
 
Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.
 
Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death.
 
When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.
 
This is an intense, gripping novel perfect for fans of Gayle Forman, Jay Asher, Rainbow Rowell, John Green, and Jenny Downham from a talented new voice in YA, Jennifer Niven.

“At the heart—a big one—of “All the Bright Places” lies a charming love story about this unlikely and endearing pair of broken teenagers.” 
 — New York Times Book Review 

“…this heartbreaking love story about two funny, fragile, and wildly damaged high school kids named Violet and Finch is worth reading. Niven is a skillful storyteller who never patronizes her characters—or her audience.”
— Entertainment Weekly 
Publication Date: 01/06/15
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fiction
Breathe Into Me
Sara Fawkes
Synopsis: How did my life get so broken?  It's a question Lacey St. James asks herself every day.  Stuck raising her little brother in a trailer park while she works a dead end job at a grocery store, she has a stalker exboyfriend, a bad reputation, and no way out.  

And then she meets Everett, whose presence changes her life.

Everett is an enigmatic outsider who is only visiting for the summer, and for reasons Lacey can't understand, he seems completely transfixed by her. He's determined to show her that life can offer more than she'd ever hoped for, if only she believes in herself.  She desperately yearns to trust him, but what happens when she finds out that everything he's told her is a lie?
Publication Date: 07/29/14
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Romance
Kissing Italian
Lauren Henderson
Synopsis:

Travel, romance, intrigue, and fun, set against the backdrop of the glorious Italian countryside are what you’ll find in this companion to Flirting in Italian by Lauren Henderson, author of Kiss Me Kill Me.

It’s been a terrific summer in Italy so far. Violet’s summer studies program is interesting, she’s made new friends, and the shopping is amazing. And now her lighthearted romance with handsome aristocrat Luca di Vesperi has developed into something deeper. For the first time in her life, she understands the true meaning of the word amore. Luca feels the same about her. But there are certain rumors circulating that, if proven to be true, will mean they can never be together. What they need are answers—but are they prepared for the truth?

Publication Date: 03/11/14
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Romance
Unconditional
Kelly Lawrence
Synopsis: A boy like Joe, fresh out of prison and 'from the wrong side of town', is out of bounds...especially for straight ‘A’ grade college student Ashley, but she can't seem to keep away. He's the one that she wants, and she wants him to be her 'first'...but at what cost? With her family acting mysteriously and her friends turning against her, Joe seems to be the only person she can turn to, but can she really rely on him...or herself?
Publication Date: 02/28/14
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Romance
Splendor
Elana K. Arnold
Synopsis: From National Book Award finalist, Elana Arnold, comes the stunning sequel to Sacred, Splendor—a story about changing friendships, family, romance, passion, and self-discovery.
 
Sometimes the answers we seek aren’t ours to find. . . .
 
Scarlett loves her boyfriend, the dashing and mysterious, Will Cohen. But now he’s gone east for college, and Scarlett is stuck home on Catalina Island. Senior year should be a breeze, but between dealing with her parents’ separation and her wild best friend, Lily, things are off to a rocky start. And then there’s Gunner. Dangerous, dark, ferociously attractive Gunner.
 
 Scarlett distracts herself by spending time with her horse and delving into ecstatic mysticism, a way to practice Kabbalah. Through this practice, she hopes to learn to control her emotions, and begin to make sense of her place in the world. But Scarlett’s world is increasingly unrecognizable.
 
Are Lily and Scarlett becoming too different to stay friends? Is Will still the love of Scarlett’s life, even though she has feelings for Gunner? Does being in love mean only being attracted to one person? The more Scarlett questions, the fewer answers there seem to be.
 
 
Praise for SPLENDOR:
 
"As in Arnold’s earlier Sacred, teens will gravitate toward Scarlett and her problems. Arnold has painted a very realistic picture of teenage girls and their conflicting emotions. . . . Fans of the first novel will appreciate continuing Scarlett’s story and finding some closure with this sequel. Readers unfamiliar with Sacred will still be able to enjoy Splendor.”—VOYA 
 
"A fluidly written character study that finds Scarlett coming to terms with her spirituality, her relationships and her future."—Kirkus Reviews
 
“Recommend this to fans of deeply introspective dramas, especially those who want to think about religion and its role in their lives.”—Booklist
 
 
 
Praise for SACRED:
 
"Will appeal to many teens, especially fans of the Twilight series."—Booklist
 
"Filled with tension and angst. . . . Readers will be looking for the next installment."—School Library Journal
 
"A poignant novel of loss and grief, but also of hope."—VOYA
Publication Date: 11/12/13
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Romance
The Hands
Hannah Lapehn
Synopsis: After sneaking out to a forbidden party, Taylor Donavant is faced with an unusual punishment that sets her on an unexpected path. Shortly after, she receives a supernatural ability that alienates her from her peers, and she has to question why she would be chosen for something so significant. In a spellbinding battle of good versus evil, Taylor struggles to preserve her newfound identity as a dark force lurks close by, watching and waiting for the right moment to manipulate her gift.
Publication Date: 10/17/13
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Faith-based
Delusional
Sue Publicover, Scott Spotson
Synopsis: Don’t believe everything you see! When rising marketing executive Patricia Fowler falls for Paul Blast, a married co-worker, she tries to put her life into perspective—a task that becomes increasingly difficult when she starts having eerie hallucinations. Patricia’s dreams of a happily ever after turn into one nightmare after another as she battles threats that go beyond her imagination. Is her new love behind the torment? After all, his former girlfriend ended up in an asylum. Or could Paul’s wife be more than a bored, spoiled, rich girl? Meanwhile, the FBI is trying to track down a thief who magically appears and disappears, taking priceless gems and artwork with her. “Delusional” is a fast-paced thriller that blurs the lines of reality and fantasy, leading to an explosive climax where what you see isn’t necessarily what you’re going to get!
Publication Date: 09/20/13
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Mystery
Capital Girls
Ella Monroe
Synopsis:

Jackie Whitman, Washington DC's "It Girl." She's drop-dead gorgeous, brilliant and dating the President's son. Under 24/7 media scrutiny, she never makes a mistake…but there's a new guy on the scene with all the right moves. Suddenly, being bad has never looked so good.

Taylor Cane, blonde bombshell and wild child extraordinaire. She's the leader of the pack and the glue that binds the four of them together. Reckless adventure is her specialty, flirting with danger her drug of choice, no matter the consequences.

Lettie Velasquez, she's all brains and blind ambition. Her goal: Princeton. Though money and privilege elude her, she's counting on hard work to pay off one of these days. So long as her heart doesn't lead her astray.

Laura Beth Ballou, poor little rich girl and a real southern belle. She dreams of Julliard and the bright lights of Broadway. She's sweet as pie…until the new girl in town starts messing with her friends.

Capital Girls forever…But when one of them dies in a mysterious accident, their once impenetrable bond is shaken. And as secrets long kept rise to the surface, the future of their friendship hangs in the balance. One thing's for certain, though: Washington DC will never be the same again.

Publication Date: 08/07/12
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Chick Lit
Unnatural Issue
Mercedes Lackey
Synopsis: The sixth novel in Mercedes Lackey's magical Elemental Masters series reimagines the fairy tale Donkeyskin in a richly-detailed alternate Victorian England

Susanne Whitestone, an Earth Master magician, had always lived in Whitestone Manor and liked nothing more than to keep the land itself and its animal inhabitants thriving. For the last eleven years, she has had a special teacher in the forest—a powerful fae known only as Robin. Susanne, at twenty-one, doubted any mortal Earth Master could find fault with the practices that Robin taught her.

But though Susanne was her father’s only child, she had never set eyes on him, for Richard Whitestone lived as a recluse in a sectioned off wing of the manor. Richard Whitestone was also an Earth Master, but since his beloved wife’s death in childbirth, he had lived a kind of half-life. He hated even the thought of the child who had ended his wife’s life. His own life had withered, and as he had grown bitter, and blighted, so had everything he could see from his windows—the once-beautiful private garden was now as stark and wizened as his heart. 

But as the years passed, Richard found that there was one thing that gave him solace—the thought, an obsession, that he could bring his Rebecca back to life through necromancy. He would need an appropriate vessel for her spirit, a young woman, preferably one who looked like she did and was approximately the same age that Rebecca has been at the time of her death—twenty-one....and Susanne was the image of her mother.
Publication Date: 06/05/12
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fiction
Trading Faces
Ann Herrick
Synopsis: In Trading Faces by Ann Herrick, published by Books We Love, An "Ugly Betty" and a Popular Beauty wind up trading faces—and lives—and the situation is not what either one expected!

When 15-year-old Darcy Doane wakes up as Cybil Sheffield, she is thrilled. Cybil is everything Darcy has ever wanted to be. Pretty. Popular. Only… all the attention isn’t exactly what Darcy expected. Especially when her own brother, Joey, is crushing on her. Gross.

Cybil is shocked when she looks in the mirror and sees a face she totally doesn’t recognize. She thought not always being the center of attention might be a good thing, but being invisible is hardly bearable. Even her boyfriend, Devon, looks right through her! How can she survive when the only people (except a family of strangers) who even know she's alive are three dipsticks she can't remember ever seeing before?

With the school play and an A-List party coming up, Darcy and Cybil have a lot to work out. There’s a learning curve for both of them, especially after they are caught fighting at school and forced by the principal to help her at a Return-to-Work project for displaced women.

Trouble is, how do they get their own lives back?
Publication Date:
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Romance
Monstrous Affections An Anthology of Beastly Tales
G. Carl Purcell, Joshua Lewis, Alice Kim, Nalo Hopkinson, Nik Houser, Nathan Ballingrud, Paolo Bacigalupi, Dylan Horrocks, Kathleen Jennings, Patrick Ness, Sarah Rees Brennan, M. T. Anderson, Holly Black, Cassandra Clare, Gavin J. Grant, Kelly Link, Kelly Link, Kelly Link
Synopsis:

Fifteen top voices in speculative fiction explore the intersection of fear and love in a haunting, at times hilarious, darkly imaginative volume.

Predatory kraken that sing with — and for — their kin; band members and betrayed friends who happen to be demonic; harpies as likely to attract as repel. Welcome to a world where humans live side by side with monsters, from vampires both nostalgic and bumbling to an eight-legged alien who makes tea. Here you’ll find mercurial forms that burrow into warm fat, spectral boy toys, a Maori force of nature, a landform that claims lives, and an architect of hell on earth. Through these and a few monsters that defy categorization, some of today’s top young-adult authors explore ambition and sacrifice, loneliness and rage, love requited and avenged, and the boundless potential for connection, even across extreme borders.

With monstrous stories by
M. T. Anderson
Paolo Bacigalupi
Nathan Ballingrud
Holly Black
Sarah Rees Brennan
Cassandra Clare
Nalo Hopkinson
Dylan Horrocks
Nik Houser
Alice Sola Kim
Kathleen Jennings
Joshua Lewis
Kelly Link
Patrick Ness
G. Carl Purcell

Publication Date:
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Anthology
Flight of a Starling
Lisa Heathfield
Synopsis:

Best friends and sisters Lo and Rita have spent their lives flying through the air on the trapeze under the lights in the big top. The nomadic circus community is a close-knit family, but those bonds are threatened as secrets and lies surface and Lo finds forbidden love with a boy from outside the circus. The two sisters find themselves at odds with each other for the first time as they both search for love and test the limits of family loyalty. Lo must face up to a family member's deception and navigate her newfound love. Will she manage to land on her feet?

Publication Date: 02/01/19
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Romance

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