YA – All the Tides of Fate

Grace, Adalyn. All the Tides of Fate. Imprint, 2021. 978-1-250-30781-1. $18.99. Grades 9-12. 

All the Tides of Fate starts right after the events of the previous book, All the Stars and Teeth with Amora’s magic gone and her kingdom in shambles. Amora decides to embark on a journey to find her magic with the help of the same cast of characters from the first book.  Amora’s character development really takes off in this book, and in her quest to get her magic back, she begins to come into her own. The friendships and relationships are more developed in this book, and the author really continues to make you feel as though you are on the ship with the characters. The tension from the first book which was built, is continued in this book with a well planned ending.

THOUGHTS: Overall, this was a solid conclusion to a fantasy duology that was well written and well developed from the first book to the conclusion.

Fantasy            Mary Hyson, Lehigh Valley Regional Charter Academy

YA Story Collection – Meet Cute

Meet Cute: some people are destined to meet. Alloy Entertainment, 2018. 978-1328759870. 320. $17.99. Gr. 9 and up.

This sweet collection of stories from a variety of popular young adult authors is a welcome respite from our current contentious reality. Each story revolves around the first meeting of two individuals in a variety of settings and situations, some realistic and some based in the future or an alternate reality. There is a diverse cast of characters throughout, and many different genders and sexual orientation preferences are represented. I found myself engrossed in each story, wondering how the characters will ultimately be brought together. Two of my particular favorites were “Hourglass” by Ibi Zoboi, which highlighted one girl’s struggle with body image, and “Department of Dead Love” by Nicola Yoon, a futuristic take on dealing with broken relationships. I found myself wishing that both stories would continue! THOUGHTS: This is a great collection of stories to serve diverse audiences in a high school setting. Highly recommended!

Short Stories     Lindsey Myers, Shady Side Academy Senior School