Denton Little's Deathdate

General YA Fiction

G/A  Rubin, Lance.  Denton Little’s Deathdate.  Knopf, 2015.  352p.  978-0553496963.  17.99

Thanks to DNA research and statistics, everyone knows when they will die (but not how). Unfortunately for high school senior, Denton Little, his deathdate is tomorrow. His funeral is held the day before his death, so that he can attend and eulogize himself. At midnight he will sit vigil with his family and closest friends, essentially waiting to die. A lot can happen in that time period though, including losing his virginity, getting the weirdest rash ever, meeting a man who claims to have known his mother, going to prom and getting in a crazy car chase. Rubin’s debut novel is a fun, twisty dark comedy. It’s laugh out loud funny while being thoughtful at the same time. Hopefully the sequel coming in April 2016 will be just as fun. Loren Spector, Memorial Branch, LAPL

The Secrets We Keep

High School Fiction

F/A  Leaver, Trisha. The Secrets We Keep.  Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2015.  304p.  978-0374300463. 17.99

When identical twins Maddy and Ella are involved in a deadly car accident, Ella was driving Maddy’s car. When she wakes up in the hospital, everyone thinks that she is Maddy and that Ella died in the crash. Ella is confused and doesn’t bother to correct anyone, instead she decides that she will just be Maddy from now on, thinking that everyone loved her more anyway. Little does she know that Maddy has some secrets that even Ella didn’t know about. But how long can Ella pretend to be someone that clearly she is not? The premise is frustrating because it’s so unlikely that she could keep up the façade (and why would she want to), but the writing is decent. Teens will love it, even if it’s not exactly plausible. Loren Spector, LAPL, Memorial Branch

The F*** It List

High School Fiction

G/M  Halpern, Julie.  The F*** It List.  Feiwel, 2013.  247p.  978-1-250-02565-4.  16.99.

It’s Alex’s senior year of high school and after a rough summer where her father died and her best friend slept with her boyfriend, she’s ready to forgive and forget. But on the first day of school, she finds out that Becca (the best friend) has been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Becca convinces Alex to help her fulfill her bucket list, since she won’t be able to complete everything on it herself. The whole year turns into doing crazy things off the bucket list, falling in love with a boy and dealing with a sick best friend all while coping with the major loss in her own family. Not a lot happens in this novel, but the major messages of learning to grieve, coping with the unexpected and first love make it a decent realistic fiction option. The multiple pop culture references, bad language and graphic sexuality make this book for older teens only. Loren Spector, LAPL, Memorial Branch Library

Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin, Bk 1)

Adult/YA Fiction

G/A.  LaFevers, Robin. Grave Mercy. Houghton Mifflin, 2012. 549p. 978-0-547-62834-9. $17.99.

At the convent of St. Mortain, seventeen-year-old Ismae is trained as a highly skilled assassin in weaponry and poisons, as well as the feminine arts, in order to serve as a handmaiden of death.  St. Mortain, the god of Death, has also blessed her with powerful gifts.  She sets off on a mission at the court of Anne, Duchess of Brittany.  Anne’s court is filled with intrigue and political machinations and Anne’s own life is being threatened. Ismae poses as Gavriel Duval’s mistress, Anne’s handsome brother, but instead finds herself slowly falling in love with him.  When she is called upon to fulfill her vows, she finds herself at odds with her own desires.  Ismae must uncover the plot against Anne before it is too late.

-C. Campos, Angeles Mesa Branch Library, LAPL