These titles were recently added to the collection of Yakima Valley Libraries
Every spiral of fate
Mafi, Tahereh, author.
At long last, the wedding day has arrived. The Jinn queen and the enigmatic ruler of Tulan are to be married in a magical, enchanted ceremony--but Cyrus, tethered by a blood oath to his bride-to-be, can find nothing to celebrate in this union. He's falling ever more deeply in love with the one person oathbound to kill him. Sworn to an ancient, unbreakable magic, Alizeh can only fulfill the prophecy to free her people by ensuring Cyrus dies by her own hand. And Cyrus is forced to await his end all while Prince Kamran inches closer, ready to take his place by Alizeh's side. The countdown to murder coils tensions ever tighter, but the historic wedding has already drawn deadly attention. To prepare for war and protect her people, Alizeh must finally discover her magic--and outrun the enemies trying to stop her. Alizeh and Cyrus, along with Kamran and their friends from Ardunia, must flee on dragon-back to begin the perilous journey into the legendary mountains of Arya, where a firestorm of revelations, magical discoveries, and fresh allies awaits them. Every allegiance will be tested, every darkness uncovered, and when the shattering secrets of the Tulanian king are finally revealed . . . Nothing, and no one, will be the same.....
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Sisters in the wind
Boulley, Angeline, author.
Ever since Lucy Smith’s father died five years ago, “home” has been more of an idea than a place. She knows being on the run is better than anything waiting for her as a “ward of the state”. But when the sharp-eyed and kind Mr. Jameson with an interest in her case comes looking for her, Lucy wonders if hiding from her past will ever truly keep her safe. Five years in the foster system has taught her to be cautious and smart. But she wants to believe Mr. Jameson and his “friend-not-friend”, a tall and fierce-looking woman who say they want to look after her. They also tell Lucy the truth her father hid from her: She is Ojibwe; she has – had – a sister, and more siblings, a grandmother who’d look after her and a home where she would be loved. But Lucy is being followed. The past has destroyed any chance at safety she had. Will the secrets she's hiding swallow her whole and take away any hope for the future she always dreamed of? When the past comes for revenge, it’s fight or flight.....
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The House Saphir
Meyer, Marissa, author.
Mallory Fontaine is a fraud. Though she comes from a long line of witches, the only magic she possesses is the ability to see ghosts, which is rarely as useful as one would think. She and her sister have maintained the family business, eking out a paltry living by selling bogus spells to gullible buyers and conducting tours of the infamous mansion where the first of the Saphir murders took place. Mallory is a self-proclaimed expert on Count Bastien Saphir ― otherwise known as Monsieur Le Bleu ― who brutally killed three of his wives more than a century ago. But she never expected to meet Bastien's great-great grandson and heir to the Saphir estate. Armand is handsome, wealthy, and convinced that the Fontaine Sisters are as talented as they claim. The perfect mark. When he offers Mallory a large sum of money to rid his ancestral home of Le Bleu's ghost, she can’t resist. A paid vacation at Armand’s country manor? It’s practically a dream come true, never mind the ghosts of murdered wives and the monsters that are as common as household pests. But when murder again comes to the House Saphir, Mallory finds herself at the center of the investigation ― and she is almost certain the killer is mortal. If she has any hope of cashing in on the payment she was promised, she’ll have to solve the murder and banish the ghost, all while upholding the illusion of witchcraft. But that all sounds relatively easy compared to her biggest challenge: learning to trust her heart. Especially when the person her heart wants the most might be a murderer himself.....
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The wildest dreams bookshop
Page, Gracie, author.
Sometimes real life is better than fiction... Seventeen-year-old Anna's summer is not off to a good start. She's pretty sure she's flunked her exams, and her boyfriend, Max, has unceremoniously dumped her. So when her aunt invites her to come work and live at her seaside bookshop, Anna takes her up on the offer -- what other choice does she have? At least there she can hide out, maybe get her mess of a life back on track without the distractions of everyone she knows. But there are plenty of other kinds of distractions in this sleepy little town: the infuriatingly hot local surfer who keeps crossing her path, for instance, plus the celebrity book launch Anna unwittingly agrees to host at the bookshop. It might not be any less messy than her real life, but this summer is going to be anything but boring!....
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You've found Oliver
Thao, Dustin, author.
It's been a year since his best friend, Sam, died. Even though Oliver knows he won't get a response, he can't stop texting Sam's number, especially as the anniversary of his death approaches. Then one day he accidentally hits the call button, and someone picks up. The voice on the other end isn't Sam. Sam's number was reassigned and a stranger has been receiving Oliver's private and vulnerable messages for months. But Ben, a college student in Seattle, won't remain a stranger for long. When they finally meet in person, their spark is undeniable. Everything seems perfect until Oliver discovers something strange might be keeping them apart. Dustin Thao's star-crossed return to Ellensburg, WA is a sliding-doors romance sure to break your heart wide open.....
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Fateless
Kagawa, Julie, author.
Deep in the forgotten city of the Deathless Kings, an ancient relic of untold power waits--for one bold enough to steal it. When seventeen-year-old Sparrow joined the Thieves Guild she made a vow of binding loyalty to their cause. So when a mission comes along from The Circle, a group of mysterious, dangerous beings who control the Thieves Guild from the shadows, Sparrow is determined to cement her place in the guild. What ensues is a death-defying adventure that has Sparrow and her band of thieves venturing into the heart of the forgotten city of the Deathless King. The fate of Sparrow, her companions, and Raithe, the enigmatic yet alluring assassin Sparrow is forced to join forces with during their quest, all hang in the balance as they find themselves battling ancient forces within the tombs and facing the unwavering hold of fate.....
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Songs for ghosts
Kumagai, Clara, author.
When seventeen-year-old Japanese-American Adam discovers a diary in his attic, he is enthralled by its account of a young woman's life in Nagasaki. A hundred years separate them, yet like Adam, she is caught between cultures, relationships, and heartbreak. She also writes of the ghosts that have begun to seek her out, which Adam dismisses as fantasy—until he begins to be haunted by her terrifying spirit. Unravelling the mystery of her identity—and the wrong done to her—seems to be the only way to save himself. This leads Adam to a home stay in Nagasaki, where he begins to reconnect to his heritage not only through Japanese language and culture, but also by connecting with long-lost family members. And then begins a race against time as Adam and his new crush, Jo, attempt to untangle a story that has rippled through generations.......
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Rosa by any other name
Alcaraz, Hailey, author.
In this Romeo and Juliet-inspired retelling set during the civil rights era, a Mexican American girl is driven to join a movement for justice after her white classmate and best friend from the barrio are tragically murdered... Rosa Capistrano has been attending posh North Phoenix High School to boost her chances of a college education and a career in journalism, thanks to the groundbreaking Brown v. Board of Education verdict for desegregation. But though she’s legally allowed to be there, it’s still unsafe for Mexican Americans. That’s why she’s secretly passing as Rosie, a white girl. All she has to do to secure her future is make sure her Mexican home life and her white school experience never intersect. However, Rosa’s two worlds collide when her best friend Ramon and classmate Julianne meet and find themselves entangled in a star-crossed romance. Rosa is terrified about what their relationship could mean for her and them... and her worst fears are soon realized in an unspeakable tragedy. Rosa is thrown into the center of a town-wide scandal and her true identity is put in the spotlight. With the help of Marco, Ramon's brooding and volatile brother whose passion ignites hers, Rosa must choose what is more important to her — protecting her fragile future, or risking everything to help her friends find justice. Rosa by Any Other Name is a harrowingly beautiful coming-of-age tale that shines a light on an important and often overlooked facet of US history. An extensive author's note with research details and a further reading list are included.....
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Reasons to hate me
Metallo, Susan, author.
There are countless good reasons to hate seventeen-year-old Jess Lanza, Stone Bridge High's premier autistic theater nerd and Champion of Questionable Life Choices. Unfortunately, the cyberbullies that hounded her all summer are stuck on last year's life-ruining mistake, the one that earned Jess the title "Boyfriend Stealing Slutbag." To relieve the bullies of their stale content, Jess vows to dazzle them with online posts about her own ridiculous fails and embarrassing character traits. But somehow, all of Jess's posts circle back to her friendship with Chloe -- the friendship her alleged sluttiness pulverized -- and the gaping hole she left in Jess's life. As Jess chases Chloe's forgiveness, she must confront some of her darkest weaknesses -- and darker still, the truth of what happened with Chloe's boyfriend, a story neither of them wants to hear. Told through a series of blog posts and short scripts, this cleverly staged and structured debut novel crackles with spot-on dialogue, features a range of fully developed neurodiverse characters, and sharply evokes high school in all its hilarious and agonizing complexity.....
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The steps
Van Draanen, Wendelin, author.
Fourteen-year-old chess whiz Ruby Vossen tries to keep to herself. She refuses to be a pawn in her wealthy family's web of deception. But ever since Ruby's mother and aunt died in a car wreck, the battle lines drawn within the Vossen clan have ruled her life. Ruby's father and uncle became irreparably estranged, and within months, Ruby's cousin/BFF was banished from her life, her father remarried, and she wound up with a gold-digging stepmom who has two teens of her own--The Steps. So when strange and dangerous things begin happening on the Vossen estate, Ruby sees only one logical explanation: The Steps are scheming to inherit the Vossen fortune. And as things get more and more intense, it seems like killing is in their playbook. Luckily, Ruby has her own playbook, and she's not about to go down without a fight. She'll even break her dad's rules to get her cousin back on her side of the chessboard... It's time to check-mate The Steps before they can finish the Vossens off.....
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Dark dude
Hijuelos, Oscar, author.
Fifteen-year-old Rico Fuentes has had enough of life in Harlem, where his fair complexion -- inherited from an Irish grandfather -- keeps him caught between two cultures without belonging to either. He pours his outsider feelings into a comic book Dark Dude, with his friend Jimmy illustrating. But when Gilberto, who's always looked out for Rico, moves to Wisconsin and Jimmy loses himself to an insidious habit, Rico decides enough is enough. With Jimmy in tow, Rico runs away to the Midwest in search of Gilberto. The heavily white community feels worlds away from Harlem, and for the first time, Rico sees what it's like to blend in -- no longer the "dark dude" or the punching bag for the whole neighborhood. But the less energy Rico needs to put into proving he's Latino, the less he feels like one. And the more he gets to know the people around him, the more it's clear that a change in location doesn't change human nature -- and that there's no such thing as a perfect community. Faced with the truth that there are things that can't be cut loose or forgotten, things that keep him from ever having an ordinary white kid's life, Rico must decide whether he can make a home in the place he ran to... or the one he ran from.....
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An embroidery of souls
Martinez, Ruby, author.
Jade Aguilar can stitch beauty and brilliance into existence — unravel life itself. Like her mother, she’s a thread speaker in the queendom of Mérecal, where their rare gift can be used only in service of the Crown. When her mother, the master thread speaker, goes missing amid a spree of unusual deaths, the queen orders Jade to find her or be conscripted into a life of servitude. Lukas Keller, a boy with a heart as bright as the universe, is desperate to save his family from the clutches of poverty. He gets caught up with a vicious gang and is forced to do the one thing he swore he would never do: seek the help of a thread speaker. Jade and Lukas form a mistrustful alliance. As Mérecal descends into chaos, it’s clear there is something monstrous on the hunt. Jade and Lukas cling to each other for survival — and perhaps... something more. ....
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All the tomorrows after
Yi, Joanne, author.
Each night, Winter Moon counts her earnings dreaming of escape. Once she’s saved enough, she and her grandmother can finally take flight and disappear. But when her spiteful mother steals her money and blows through it all in one day, Winter is forced to turn to her estranged father, who recently reappeared in her life after being absent for more than a decade. They agree upon a simple contract: she spends time with him in exchange for payment. It’s not easy reconciling the past and the present, though, and when she’s struck with a sudden loss, Winter flounders in grief and rage. The only person offering a hand is Joon, the new boy at school who sees Winter when no one else does. When Winter discovers a secret her father has been keeping from her, things get even more complicated. As she navigates grief, first love, and forgiveness, Winter begins to forge connections, new and old, that make her question everything: her future, her conviction to disappear, and what it really means to be family. Winter knows that broken things can never be fixed, but can they come back together in a different way?....
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The house of quiet
White, Kiersten, author.
To save her sister, she must enter the House. In the middle of a deadly bog sits the House of Quiet. It’s a place for children whose Procedure triggered powers too terrible to be lived with — their last hope for treatment. No one knows how they’re healed or where they go afterward. Birdie has begged, bargained, and blackmailed her way inside as a maid, determined to find her missing sister, Magpie. But what she discovers is more mysteries. Instead of the destitute children who undergo the Procedure in hopes of social advancement, the house brims with aristocratic teens wielding strange powers they never should have been burdened with. Though Birdie wants to ignore them, she can’t help being drawn to stoic and silent Forest, charmed by clever River, and concerned for the youngest residents. And with fellow maid Minnow keeping tabs on everything Birdie does, danger is everywhere. In her desperate search for Magpie, Birdie unearths terrifying threats and devastating truths, forcing her to confront just how much she’s willing to sacrifice to save her own sister. Because in the House of Quiet, if you find what’s lurking beneath... you lose everything. Unravel the mystery. Ignite the rebellion.....
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When we were monsters
Niven, Jennifer, author.
At an elite New England boarding school, eight students are selected for an exclusive storytelling workshop with the one and only Meredith Graffam-an enigmatic writer, director, and actress. For sixteen days, they will live in the isolated estate of the school's founder, surrounded by snowy woods and a storm-tossed sea. Only one of the chosen will walk away with a lifechanging opportunity to realize their creative dreams. Everyone, including Graffam, has a compelling reason to be there -- Effy, the orphan, Isaac, the legacy, Ness, the wallflower, Ramon, the outsider, and Arlo, whose unexpected arrival leaves Effy spiraling -- but only the most ambitious will last the term. Graffam's unorthodox methods push the students past the breaking point, revealing their darkest secrets, taking unthinkable risks, and slowly starting to turn on one another. But Graffam never expected they would turn on her.......
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