Review: The Here and Now by Ann Brashares

The Here and Now by Ann BrasharesThe Here and Now by Ann Brashares
Delacorte Press

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Prenna lives a closely guarded life of secrecy, a tightrope walk between fitting in and remaining unnoticed. Twelve unbreakable rules govern her behavior. Those who break them meet accident or relocation. So when Prenna befriends Ethan, a boy from school, she risks everything. Then she discovers that her people, immigrants from more than eighty years in the future, aren’t trying to stop the terrible future from happening, as they once claimed. And her father, who failed to make the journey with her, didn’t abandon the family as she’s been told. If she and Ethan are to save them all, … Continue reading

Review: As White as Snow by Salla Simukka

As White as Snow by Salla SimukkaAs White as Snow by Salla Simukka
Translated from Finnish by Owen F. Witesman
Skyscape/Amazon

After risking her life to bring down a crime ring in Finland, seventeen year-old Lumikki retreats to the anonymous streets of Prague, hoping to find a little peace. Instead she finds a young woman claiming to be her long-lost sister whose life may be in danger. Even though she finds the girl’s story suspicious, Lumikki can’t turn her back on the girl and the mystery surrounding her.

Some elements – an investigative reporter working to uncover a far-reaching scandal aided by a brilliant but odd girl – may remind readers of Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Yet despite the drama and suspense, the story’s pace chokes … Continue reading