A Forgery of Roses

Myra Whitlock is an artist in a place where the religious majority believes her work is blasphemy.  Even worse, she is a prodigy.  This means she has a magical ability to use her art to change reality.  She knows she must keep this power hidden.  To be outed as a prodigy is to be killed or imprisoned by the government.  

Artists all over town have gone missing over the past few months, including Myra's parents.  Her mother was training Myra, but now it is up to her to make enough money to care for herself and her chronically ill younger sister.  Lucy is curious and intelligent, but she is clearly getting worse, and they don't have money for a doctor.

That's why Myra accepts a dangerous offer that could change their lives forever.  Mrs. Harris, the governor's wife, offers Myra more money than she could make in a lifetime to heal her son through her art.  There are only two problems.  Governor Harris and his wife actively hate prodigies which means Mrs. Harris could turn on her at any moment.  The other problem?  Will Harris isn't just injured or sick; he's dead.

Myra joins the household undercover and quickly tries to do the impossible.  As far as she knows, no one has ever used magic to bring someone back from the dead.  But to use her magic to heal, she needs to understand the injuries and the emotions behind them.  It quickly becomes clear that Will's death was not an accidental fall.  Someone murdered him, and Myra has no hope of reviving him until she knows the truth.

With the help of the Harris's older and gentler son August, she begins an investigation that will reveal dark secrets and bring her face to face with a murderer, but will she recognize the face of a killer before it's too late?

I have a split opinion on this one.  I thoroughly enjoyed Jessica S. Olsen's story which is well-plotted with an interesting take on magical ability and the toll it takes to exercise it.  This would easily be one of my favorites of the year if not for the repeated passages of awkward metaphors and overwrought phrasing.  I will still recommend this one; I just don't know why the prose didn't get more editing.

I Must Betray You

It's Romania in 1989, and Cristian is living in a world oppressed by a communist dictator.  Despite the danger, Cristian and many others look for every scrap of information they can find about the outside world.  They listen to Radio Free Europe and watch bootleg copies of American movies in secret.  But even so, Cristian finds it difficult to believe that world is real.

Even possessing a scrap of an American magazine can be dangerous with neighbors informing against each other to the secret police.  Owning even a small amount of foreign currency is a crime, and Cristian is alarmed when he finds an American dollar tucked into the envelope with the stamp given to him by a friend.  

That dollar is the beginning of a dangerous game when the secret police use its existence to blackmail him into becoming a spy for the government.  Becoming an informer is the antithesis of what Cristian wants to be, but he really has no choice.  And they promise medicine for his sick grandfather.  Now that he is caught up in this world, he becomes suspicious of everyone.  Who told the secret police about the money in the first place?  Are there ever really any secrets when the government can see into your most private hiding place?

Maybe, he thinks, he can become a double agent.  He can spy for the government while also trying to find a way to get the truth about life in Romania to the outside world.  When the opportunity to act comes, will he have the courage of his convictions?  Or will he continue to live in oppression?

Ruta Sepetys's niche is bringing to light the stories of the oppressed and awakening compassion in the hearts of her readers.  This is a powerful story of struggle and hope in a dark time.  Like her other works, this is a story everyone should read and reflect on the dangers of oppressive governments and the impact they have on regular citizens.  Highly recommended for grades 7 and up.

Across the Desert

It's summer, and twelve-year-old Jolene spends as much time as she can at the public library.  It's too hot to be outside, and she doesn't want to be in the apartment with her mom.  The highlight of her day is watching the live stream of Addie Earheart's daily flight over the Arizona desert.  She doesn't know Addie in real life, but the two started chatting online once Jolene found the daily flight videos.  

Jolene wants to be a cartographer, and she uses Addie's videos and existing maps to draw out her own version of the desert.  It's almost like having an adventure herself.

Addie is Jolene's only friend.  That wasn't always true, but after the car accident that injured her mother, life was never the same.  Her mom started taking the pain meds prescribed by her doctor, but then she couldn't stop.  Now, it seems like she doesn't care about anything else.  There's rarely food in the house, and most of Jolene's clothes are two sizes too small.  

That's why the daily live stream and the chats are so important, but one day Addie's plane crashes as Jolene is watching.  Then the feed goes blank.  Jolene is the only viewer, and Addie was flying over a vast uninhabited desert.  No one else knows what happened...or even where to look.

As a panicked Jolene tries to reach out to adults for help, it quickly becomes clear no one believes her.  She knows Addie would respond to her chats to let her know if she were safe, but she doesn't.  Jolene can't just leave her friend to die because no one will listen.  That's when she decides to go on the biggest and most terrifying adventure of her life.

I'm a Dusti Bowling fan, and this one does not disappoint.  It's full of the same life-and-death adventure her fans will expect, and she also deals with trauma in a realistic way that is appropriate for middle-grade readers without patronizing them.  Jolene is struggling with the aftermath of surviving a horrible car accident and a stint in foster care, and she's living with a parent who is addicted to opioids.  There are definitely parts of this story that stretch credulity, but Jolene and her internal struggles are very real.  Highly recommended.

Hotel Magnifique

After their mother dies, Jani takes her younger sister and moves to the port city of Durc hoping for opportunities to live a better life.  What she finds is the drudgery of working in a tannery to support herself and Zosa.  They can barely afford the rent in their boarding house, and Jani dreams of returning to their idyllic village in the countryside.

Everything changes when she learns the Hotel Magnifique will be appearing in Durc.  The magical hotel appears out of thin air to take on new guests and staff.  No one knows exactly what happens in the hotel because guests emerge after their trip with no memories other than a feeling of indescribable joy.  

The hotel is also the only place where suminaires can safely perform their magic.

When Zosa is hired to work as a performer, Jani isn't surprised.  She just needs to find a way to extend her own temporary appointment as a maid, she the sisters won't be separated.  Everything in the hotel is more enchanting than Jani could have imagined, but she quickly starts to see that some things seem not quite right.  

For one thing, employee contracts are unbreakable, and she can't find anyone who will talk to her about their lives before the hotel.  Her only ally in the quest for information is the mysterious Bel.  She knows he's a suminaire, but she isn't exactly sure what his job entails.  She only knows she finds him frustrating and increasingly attractive.  Bel warns Jani not to dig too deep; if the Maitre finds out what she's doing in his hotel, the consequences will be dire.  But Jani is determined to find a way to save herself and her sister their beautiful but deadly cage.

Emily J. Taylor's lushly dark fantasy is a world to sink into and enjoy.  There are as many delights as there are horrors in the Hotel Magnifique, and I loved them all.  Jani and Zosa have a strong sisterly bond that never falls into resentment, and the romance element is a light but important part of the plot and Jani's character development.  The conclusion felt a little rushed, but I loved it anyway!  Recommended for grades 7 and up.