The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle by Janet Fox

The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle by Janet Fox -- An evil enchantress is stealing the souls of children, and logical Kat and her siblings must figure out how to stop her. This is a lovely, creepy tale set during WWII. I really enjoyed it (though, in my current reading slump, it took me much longer to finish it than usual). Recommended to readers who like historical fiction with some fantastical and gothic elements.

(Reviewed from an advance copy, courtesy of the publisher.)

The Land of Forgotten Girls by Erin Entrada Kelly

The Land of Forgotten Girls by Erin Entrada Kelly -- Soledad and her little sister Dominga moved to America with their father and stepmother, but their father went back to the Philippines for a visit and never returned. Now Sol and Ming live in a small apartment with their abusive stepmother. Ming hopes for rescue by Aunt Jovelyn, an imaginary relative that their mother used to tell them stories about, but Sol knows that the two of them will have to save themselves. Can she find a way to make Ming's summer magical?

This story has some lovely elements, like the relationship between the sisters, but it never completely came together for me. There were jumps in the plot that had me going back to see if I missed something, and threads were left dangling that I wanted to see tied up. It's a promising novel, and readers looking for stories with diverse protagonists should keep it in mind, but I wouldn't recommend it across the board.

(Reviewed from an advance copy, courtesy of the publisher.)

Seven Dead Pirates by Linda Bailey

Seven Dead Pirates by Linda Bailey -- Timid sixth-grader Lewis is sad when his great-grandfather dies, but excited when the terms of the old man's will require Lewis and his parents to occupy Shornaway, Great-Grandfather's old house, in order to inherit it. Lewis claims the tower bedroom, pleased to be sleeping some distance away from his controlling (but loving) parents. Lewis is less pleased to discover that the tower room is haunted by seven pirates! The motley crew is hoping that Lewis can help them get back to their ship, now on display in the local museum -- but Lewis is not sure he's the bold and capable lad they're looking for. In fact, he's pretty sure he's the opposite of bold and capable!

What a fun read! I just enjoyed this book all the way through. The pirates are a delight, and Lewis is believable (though he seems a bit young for his age). I'll certainly recommend this to young readers looking for a swashbuckling tale.

(Reviewed from a finished copy, courtesy of the publisher, via the LibraryThing Early Reviewer program.)

The Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell

The Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell -- To the wealthy elite of St. Petersburg, wolves are good luck. To General Rakov, commander of the Tsar's armies, wolves are vermin. To Feo and her mother, however, wolves are family. And when the wolves of the wealthy turn on their owners, those wolves are sent to Feo and her mother, who return them to the wild. When General Rakov imprisons Feo's mother, Feo determines to break her mother out of prison. She and her wolves make their way to the city, but along the way, they pick up Ilya, a former child soldier who dreams of being a dancer, Alexei, a teenage revolutionary, and a band of children, all of whom have seen first-hand the devastation wrought by Rakov. Feo's rescue attempt is starting to look more like a revolution!

This is a lovely and atmospheric tale. The writing style will be immediately recognizable to readers who have enjoyed Rundell's other works. I had a little trouble staying engaged in the story, but I think I was just not in the mood; I don't think the book was at fault. The characters and setting are exceptionally strong, and the emotions run deep in this book. Readers who love Russia, wolves, or good writing should pick this one up.

(Reviewed from an advance copy, courtesy of the publisher.)

Silver in the Blood by Jessica Day George

Silver in the Blood by Jessica Day George -- Cousins Dacia and Louisa are both excited and nervous about visiting Romania and meeting their mothers' family. There seems to be some sort of family secret, and nobody will explain it to them. When they learn the truth, it will be more shocking than they could have guessed.

This book has a lot of excellent elements, though it falls short of distinction in a few ways. I liked the two main characters, though they were hard to tell apart, at least at the beginning. I also found the love interests... interesting. I wanted to see more development of those stories, because they really took a backseat to the main action of the story. This was probably as it should be, but I think a little more attention could have been paid to that aspect of the book, because it felt a bit rushed. The pacing lagged in places, though I don't know if I would have noticed that if I had not been listening to the audiobook. I also felt that the villains were flat, entirely evil and without nuance. All that said, I did enjoy the book. Many of the secondary characters are well-written and the setting is fairly good. Mostly, I wanted a little bit more from this book, but I liked the things it did accomplish. I'd recommend it to readers who enjoy books like Juliet Marillier's Wildwood Dancing.

(Reviewed from an audiobook received courtesy of the publisher through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.)

Girls Like Us by Gail Giles

Girls Like Us by Gail Giles -- Biddy and Quincy are both in the Special Ed program at school, but that doesn't mean that they have anything in common. When their social worker arranges for the two of them to live together after graduation, both girls have their doubts, but they will soon learn that they can be stronger together than they were on their own. This is a skillfully written book with a lot of heart. Biddy and Quincy's struggles are touching and relatable, and there are surprising flashes of humor as well. Highly recommended.

(Reviewed from an electronic copy borrowed through my library system.)

Warren the 13th and the All-Seeing Eye by Tania del Rio and Will Staehle

Warren the 13th and the All-Seeing Eye by Tania del Rio and Will Staehle -- Orphaned Warren is heir to the family hotel, but until he comes of age the hotel is managed by his lazy uncle Rupert and Rupert's evil wife Annaconda. Warren believes that Annaconda only married Rupert in order to get her hands on the legendary All-Seeing Eye, thought to be hidden somewhere in the hotel. Warren doesn't know where the Eye is, but he knows he'd better find it before Aunt Annaconda does!

This is a fun, quirky tale (appropriate, considering the publisher) that relies equally on text and illustrations. The secondary characters are a bit flat, and I thought the plot took some leaps in unexpected directions, but the story is generally enjoyable and the pacing is good. This tale is the sort that readers of The Mysterious Benedict Society and Floors ought to investigate.

(Reviewed from an advance copy, courtesy of the publisher, via the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.)

Kill the Boy Band by Goldy Moldavsky

Kill the Boy Band by Goldy Moldavsky -- Four teenage superfans of a popular boy band inadvertently kidnap a member of the band. Hijinks ensue. This was an okay read for me. The plot was engrossing enough that I finished it in a day, but I didn't like any of the characters (which may have been kinda the point, but still). I can totally see this being made into a teen movie someday.

(Reviewed from an advance copy. courtesy of the publisher.)

Christy and Todd: The Married Years trilogy by Robin Jones Gunn

Forever With You, Home of Our Hearts, and One More Wish by Robin Jones Gunn constitute a trilogy continuing the story of some of this prolific inspirational romance author's best-loved characters. Christy and Todd are a young married couple just out of college. Over the course of these three books, they face challenges with jobs, finances, and housing. They learn to communicate and compromise, and start planning for the future, including the possibility of children. They also reconnect with many old friends known to Gunn's readers from other connected stories.

I probably would not recommend these books as a starting point for readers unfamiliar with Gunn's works -- she uses this trilogy to tie up several loose ends and catch up with many old characters. Readers who have not already "met" Doug and Tracy, Katie and Eli, Sierra and Jordan, and the many others who appear in these pages would probably be a bit confused -- like going to a party where you don't know anyone, but everyone seems to know everyone else. On the other hand, readers who are familiar with Gunn's stories will enjoy catching up with everyone. Gunn's greatest strength as an author is her skill at creating memorable, relatable characters. I felt that the writing was rather weak compared to some of her earlier works (I always feel that the Glenbrooke series is her best). In this trilogy the authorial voice veered to the preachy side at times, which I've never noticed before in Gunn's writing. I also found myself occasionally rolling my eyes at the coy references to sex. I get the feeling that Gunn was taking special pains to keep the books squeaky clean for the youngest and most innocent of her readers, but it comes across a bit stilted. Of course, none of that kept me from burning through these books in a very short amount of time. I appreciate getting some closure for several long-running story lines, and I hope to see Gunn move on to focus on creating some new characters for her readers to enjoy. (When I saw the title of this series, I joked, "What next? Christy and Todd: The Parenting Years? Christy and Todd: Midlife Crisis? Christy and Todd: The Retirement Years? Christy and Todd: Til Death Do Us Part?" I think I may be kind of over Christy and Todd.)

(Reviewed from my personally purchased electronic copies.)

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo -- A wealthy and powerful man has a job that needs to be done. It won't be easy. In fact, some might say it's impossible. But if Kaz can pull it off, the rewards will be enormous. Kaz pulls his team together: Inej, Jesper, Nina, Wylan, and Matthias. They've never worked together before, and some of them hate each other, but Kaz needs the unique skills and knowledge that each of them brings to the table. Will it be enough?

What can I say: I'm a sucker for a good fantasy heist novel. This one has seamless plotting and snappy dialogue -- Jesper's quips had me snorting with laughter more than once. The characters are complex and a real mix of good and bad, and none of them are completely and immediately likable, though I found that they mostly grew on me over the course of the novel. This book was recommended to me because I enjoyed The Lies of Locke Lamora, and I think that recommendation is a good one. If you liked that, you should try this -- and if you enjoy this, keep an eye out for that if you haven't already read it.

(Reviewed from a copy borrowed through my library system.)