If you click the green flag you can see how I ranked each book by category. Here are my personal descriptions and age ratings for each book: Each Night Was Illuminated by Jodi Lynn Anderson: a mystery with a good premise, some darkness, a good romance, a brilliant setting, and some interesting paranormal elements. 12+ for theme. What Beauty There Is by Cory Anderson: a great mystery that helped me discover that Idaho is kind of interesting. 16+ for dark themes. Dig by A.S. King: another great mystery that helped me discover that Idaho is kind of interesting, with more discussion of social issues and some killer hyperboles, metaphors, similes, and personification. 16+ for dark themes and some content. The Silent Unseen by Amanda McCrina: right up my alley, being about resistance units in WW2 Poland and Ukraine; you can read my review of it in this studio. 13+ for dark themes. All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir: just read it because it's amazing; again, you can read my review of it in this studio. 13+ for dark themes. The Hollow Inside by Brooke Lauren Davis: a riveting and creepy mystery with an adorable (and heartbreaking) LGBTQ romance as well as a perfect depiction of a small town as a setting with dark secrets. 15+ for dark themes and some content. Anatomy by Dana Schwartz: it's in Reese Witherspoon's book club, so you know it's good, and I approve of the Victorian setting, the romance, and the feminism. 12+ (contains some descriptions of gore) The Light in Hidden Places by Sharon Cameron: an amazing story that's made even more moving by the fact that all the characters were real people. 13+ for dark themes. As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh: perhaps the best book I read all year; the romance is a model of what love is, the premise is haunting, and the plot twist is heart wrenching. 16+ for dark themes. I just realized that all these books were written by women. That makes them so much cooler <3
What Beauty There Is and The Hollow Inside are both nominated for the Gateway Readers Award this year. If you are in high school, please read these nominees and vote! My vote is likely going to The Hollow Inside. More depth on book descriptions: - As far as I can remember, All My Rage and As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow have trigger warnings for violence - Dig brings in Critical Race Theory (I am a fan of that, some people may not be) - All the books I put in the romance category are clean - I will warn you that Anatomy is normal historical fiction for the majority of the plot but then suddenly becomes steampunk-paranormal about mid-way through. Don't read it if you don't like magical realism. Credits: My librarians helped me discover What Beauty There Is, The Silent Unseen, All My Rage, Dig, The Hollow Inside, Anatomy, and The Light in Hidden Places. My sister introduced me to Each Night Was Illuminated. I discovered As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow on Goodreads.
