Tag Young adult

The covers of all six books of the Queen's Thief series.

The Queen’s Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner

Kristen B. Leave a comment
The covers of all six books of the Queen's Thief series.

by Kristen B.

A long time ago, when I first started working for the library, I was trading “have you reads” with another staff member. She asked if I – and my then elementary-aged children – had yet read The Thief. We had not but quickly rectified the situation, and I have spent the past two decades recommending that book and its sequels in turn. I re-read them this summer, one after the next as a complete series, and was blown away all over again. There are six books, and each one is excellent in its own way. They may have call numbers that place them in Children’s and YA fiction, but these books are for everyone. Honestly, I do not understand this marketing at all – these books tackle freedom, politics, religion, disability, war, espionage, being true to yourself, falling in love, friendship, loyalty, and so much more.

Part of the delight of these books comes from the fact that the author excels at turning the tables; things are often not quite what they appear. We learn in the first book not to trust the main character Eugenides, the Queen’s Thief of Eddis, any farther than you can throw him – but also, you can trust him with your life. The next five books continue to play with expectations and appearances. I don’t want to ruin the pleasure of discovery – so here’s a quick peek at each book in the series:

The Thief
We are introduced to a small peninsula of three countries, Attolia, Eddis, and Sounis, trying to survive in a world where large empires are greedily subsuming smaller states. Hamiathes’ Gift, a divine object, conveys the right to rule the mountain kingdom of Eddis, except it’s been lost for generations. A wise man, his apprentices, a guard captain, and a notorious thief removed from prison go on a quest to recover it.

The Queen of Attolia
What happens when the Thief gets caught? Eugenides suffers horrible personal consequences and must overcome them to advance his own interests and to keep the allied countries free from the Mede Empire. This book is not for the faint of heart, as it portrays dismemberment and consequent depression. However, it offers an amazing look at how people can suffer major setbacks and continue to achieve their dreams.

The King of Attolia
What happens when the Thief gets what he wants? This is my absolute favorite book of the series, mostly because it’s funny to read about Eugenides coming to terms with the life he has literally begged, bartered, and stolen for. This installment also expands the cast from the point of view of a new character, the soldier Costis, and it is better for it.

A Conspiracy of Kings
Once again, the narrative shifts to a new character – Sophos, the heir of Sounis. His coming-of-age story has larger ramifications for the little peninsula. The Medes continue to encroach, the local barons continue to scheme, and Sounis has to decide if he’s up to the task of being king. Eugenides still figures greatly, if not obviously.

Thick as Thieves
So … about those Medes. The fifth book seems like a side story, until you realize exactly how far Eugenides will go for some revenge. After all, why have only one reason to do something when you can have many? The story follows Kamet, who had a minor role previously, as he escapes his enslavement with the help of our favorite Attolian guard. Only, Kamet has no plans to leave his powerful position until he thinks he has no choice.

The Return of the Thief
Not many series get an ending as excellent as this one – and it’s just about perfect! All of the threads and themes from the previous five books come together in this stunning conclusion. War comes at a price, and that price is paid in many ways by many people.

Eugenides and the rulers are the common elements across the series, but mostly it’s about the titular Thief. It’s a fascinating look at how someone raised and trained to work outside of the conventional hierarchy behaves once he becomes synonymous with said power structures. On the other hand, these books contain some of the best stories written in the past decades, filled with humor, adventure, and a rip-roaring good time. You should read them!

Kristen B. is a devoted bookworm lucky enough to work as the graphic designer for HCLS. She likes to read, stitch, dance, and watch baseball (but not all at the same time).

The colorfully illustrated cover shows two girls faces, with the black silhouettes of two planes nose-to-nose between them.

Bauder Lecture Series with Elizabeth Acevedo

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The author, dressed in a v-neck white top with her curly hair loose, looks over her right shoulder out a window.

Thursday, September 19
6 – 7 pm
Monteabaro Recital Hall, Howard Community College
For teens and adults.
Registration and information.

National Book Award for Young People’s Literature winner Elizabeth Acevedo is the guest author for the 2024 Bauder Lecture, which is a free event. Acevedo is The New York Times-bestselling author of The Poet X, which also won the Michael L. Printz Award, the Pura Belpré Award, the Carnegie Medal, the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, and the Walter Award.

The colorfully illustrated cover shows two girls faces, with the black silhouettes of two planes nose-to-nose between them.

Clap When You Land, a novel-in-verse, brims with grief and love, as Acevedo writes about the devastation of loss, the difficulty of forgiveness, and the bittersweet bonds that shape our lives. It was selected as the Howard County Book Connection title, in partnership with Howard Community College, Howard County Poetry and Literature Society, and Howard County Library System.

From Publisher’s Weekly:
At nearly 17, Camino Rios lives in the Dominican Republic with her aunt, where she dreams of attending medical school at Columbia University, near her father, whom she only sees for a few months each year. Skilled chess player Yahaira Rios, 16, lives with her Dominican parents in New York City, next door to her girlfriend, Dre. When Yahaira’s father leaves for his annual summer trip to the D.R., the plane crashes, leaving no survivors and upending the lives of Yahaira and his other daughter, Camino. In the months following the crash, the girls, previously unknown to each other, discover their sisterhood—and their father’s double life—and must come to terms with difficult truths about their parents. Returning to verse, Acevedo subtly, skillfully uses language and rhythm to give voice to the sisters’ grief, anger, and uncertainty; Camino’s introspective openness; and Yahaira’s tendency toward order and leadership. Raw and emotional, Acevedo’s exploration of loss packs an effective double punch, unraveling the aftermath of losing a parent alongside the realities of familial inheritance.

The Bauder Lecture by Howard Community College is made possible by a generous grant from Dr. Lillian Bauder, a community leader and Columbia resident.

Also by the author:

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

From The Poet X author, Elizabeth Acevedo presents a story about 17-year-old Emoni Santiago, Puerto Rican-raised in Philly. She’s a high school senior figuring out her next move in life. In ninth grade she got pregnant and had her daughter Emma and together she and her baby’s father are figuring out what it means to co-parent with the support of his parents and her Abuela with whom she lives.

Emoni loves to cook and wants to be a chef in her own restaurant someday. When she gets involved in a culinary arts class whose end-of-year field trip is an apprenticeship trip to Spain will she dazzle or disappoint? And when things heat up between her and her classmate Malachi, will she allow herself to find love that is real? With family drama, romance and the value of friendship, Acevedo presents a book you will find savoring to the very last bite. 

Reviewed by Carmen J.

Carmen J. is a teen instructor at HCLS East Columbia Branch. Among her favorite things are great books, all things 80s, shamelessly watching The Bachelor, gardening, and drinking anything that tastes like coffee.

A group of kids are posed in a movie poster group with a large shark behind them and a lighthouse below. It's a colorful cover with sunset colors above clear blue water.

Meet the Author: Ira Marcks

Kristen B. Leave a comment
A group of kids are posed in a movie poster group with a large shark behind them and a lighthouse below. It's a colorful cover with sunset colors above a clear

Wednesday, Apr 3
5 – 6 pm
HCLS Central Branch
Ages 10-17.

Mystery, Adventure, and Friendship in Ira Marcks’ Graphic Novels: Shark Summer and Spirit Week

by Ahmad Ndir

Ira Marcks’ graphic novels Shark Summer and Spirit Week combine mystery, adventure, and friendship in different settings. Both books feature young protagonists who are drawn into solving a local legend or curse with the help of unlikely allies. The stories are fast-paced, engaging, and full of twists and turns that keep readers on the edge of their seats.

Shark Summer is set on Martha’s Vineyard, where a Hollywood film crew arrives with a mechanical shark and a youth film contest. Gayle, a disgraced pitcher, sees a chance to turn her bad season into the best summer ever by making a movie about the island’s phantom shark. Along the way, she teams up with Elijah, an aspiring cinematographer, and Maddie, a moody director. Together, they uncover the truth behind the shark and the history of the island. The book has a vivid sense of place and a nostalgic vibe that pays homage to classic movies like Jaws and The Goonies.

Spirit Week takes place in the Underlook Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, a famous landmark that belongs to the reclusive horror writer Jack Axworth. Suzy, an aspiring engineer, is invited to tutor Jack’s son, Danny, but instead she finds herself investigating a local curse that threatens the hotel. With the help of Elijah, an amateur filmmaker, and Rena, the hotel’s caretaker, Suzy tries to save the hotel and the town from the shadows of the past. The book has a creepy and dark tone that draws inspiration from horror stories like The Shining and The Haunting of Hill House.

Both books are well-written and illustrated, with expressive characters and colorful scenes. The themes of acceptance, belonging, and finding your family intertwine throughout the stories, as the characters overcome their personal challenges and grow closer to each other. The books are suitable for middle grade and young adult readers who enjoy graphic novels, mystery, and horror. I would recommend them to anyone who likes a good scare along with a good laugh.

Author is posed in front of a book case and he is adjusting the collar of his sweater.

Award-winning graphic novelist Ira Marcks visits HCLS on April 3 at 5 pm at Central Branch. He discusses how he plans, writes, and draws a long form comic story by engaging hands-on using the three essential elements of storytelling – characters, setting, and theme. Followed by book sales and signing.

Ahmad Ndir is a Teens’ Instructor & Research Specialist at the Central Branch at HCLS. Along with helping young learners discover new books, he is an avid reader of teen fiction and nonfiction titles on different aspects of psychology. He strives for positivity for himself and those around him, in both his personal and work life.


A Black woman with natural hair holds her arms apart in front her her with red glowing around the top and a blue around the bottom, against a dark background.

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

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A Black woman with natural hair holds her arms apart in front her her with red glowing around the top and a blue around the bottom, against a dark background.

King Arthur isn’t dead. The Round Table yet survives.  

Only… it looks a little different. In the place of mail and armor, you have sixteen-year-olds with unbelievable strength and speed. Merlin’s around too, but he’s a college student and “Merlin” is merely a title. And somehow, wonder of all wonders, the seat of all this ancient power is in Chapel Hill, NC.

That’s not the only fantastical thing, though, in Legendborn by Tracy Deonn. There are centuries of lore, of demons and Shadowborn, all hiding under a thinly veiled surface of messy college kid drama. They surround the Onceborn (read: all of us), who live blissfully ignorant lives, worrying about normal things, like getting busted going off campus or figuring out who is headed to the party tonight.  

And Bree, our protagonist, doesn’t know about any of the secrets of the Round Table when she applies to the University of North Carolina’s Early College program with her best friend Alice. She doesn’t expect to be caught up in an Arthurian world of magic and lore, and she definitely doesn’t expect that applying to go to the same school her mother attended would cause so much personal tragedy. Still reeling from the trauma of losing her mother, trying to establish some sense of normalcy, and looking for the truth about the suspicious circumstances of her mother’s death, Bree throws herself headlong into this Arthurian world, making friends and enemies along the way.  

Cool, right? It’s everything I want from my YA novels, hearkening back to the good ole days of 2014, when the trilogy ruled the YA realm with works like Divergent or Matched. But now, we get far more in-depth lore, speaking more candidly (and less stereotypically) about mental health, and a whole lot more diversity of character. Bree’s experience at UNC is profoundly shaped by being Black. It’s a reality that so many BIPOC students face that has only recently been put to pen, and a reality that author Tracy Deonn knows intimately, having gone to UNC herself.  

The coolest part is one I won’t spoil for you, but there is a very fun other magic in this book too, so if you like King Arthur and his knights, but it’s not enough to sway you, there’s a whole lot more to the magic of this world, and Bree discovers all of the secrets and implications in due course.  

It’s a brick of a book, but it flies by. The themes in this book of being Black, the unquestioned queerness among her friends and peers, and the honest discussions of grief and the trauma that results make for a real and grounded force within this novel that is otherwise so perfectly fantastical. I can’t wait to get my hands on the second one. In this series – here’s hoping for a trilogy.  

You can get Legendborn by Tracy Deonn in print, audiobook, eBook, and eAudiobook.  

A stack of 7 volumes of series, with identical type but featuring different character poses at the bottom ... all in blue and green.

Manga Romance: A Tropical Fish Yearns For Snow

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Two manga characters stand back-to-back with fish swimming around them.

by Monae R.

This year has seen me reading completely different books than usual. Am I back in middle school, 2011? I was obsessed with Asian culture, anime, and most relevant, manga. This format of Japanese comics was all I read. From action, to slice of life, to romance, I engulfed every book I could get. If I had known that Savage Branch was not the only library I could visit, I would have read a lot more, alas I had no idea. Now that I work in the library system and am aware of the resources, I find myself falling back in love with manga as I read A Tropical Fish Yearns for Snow.

Makato Hagino is a female author from Ehime Prefecture, Japan. This series has nine books and follows characters Konatsu and Koyuki – two girls who bond in a most unlikely place. Konatsu’s father gets a new job overseas and they have to leave Tokyo to stay with her aunt. From the large city to the small seaside town, adjusting is not easy. As if that was not enough, Konatsu, who is not adept or fond of change, must also adapt to a new school surrounded by new people. Eventually she ends up joining a club that drops her straight into the lap of the Introverted and extremely shy Koyuki. The two slowly grow out of their shells and build a friendship that has the potential to be a lifelong bond.

This heartwarming story will hit home for all of us introverted individuals and will give extroverts insight into the quiet thought process of an introvert. This romantic slice of life will keep you wanting more and close the story leaving you with nothing but warmth.

Monae is a Children’s Instructor and Research Specialist at HCLS East Columbia Branch.

A single orange basketball sits on a wooden court.

Library’s Got Game

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A single orange basketball sits on a wooden court.

by Brandon B.

March Madness historically has been known as one of the most exciting sporting events of the calendar year. Before you fill out your bracket for the men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments, consider brushing up on your basketball bona fides with the Library. Sixty-eight teams earn spots in the men’s tournament and 32 teams for the women every year. All teams compete in the three-week basketball tournament in their respective regions, vying to make it through to the Sweet Sixteen and Final Four on their way to the Championship game.

Read some terrific accounts celebrating the joy of the game from HCLS’ collection. Former NBA player and ESPN analyst Jalen Rose wrote Got to Give the People What They Want to explain his experiences as a student-athlete at the University of Michigan. Rose was a part of the first college basketball team to start five freshmen in a season.

Kwame Alexander’s Newbery Award-winning The Crossover is a great book for teens who have a passion for sports and poetry. The Crossover is available in a number of accessible formats for teens. The original novel is available as a print book, an audiobook on CD, an e-book and an e-audiobook from Libby/OverDrive, and as an e-book from CloudLibrary. The 2019 graphic novel version, which was a nominee for the Black-Eyed Susan Award, is available in print and as an e-book from Libby/OverDrive.

Cover of Sum It Up by Pat Summitt, with a close up of her face looking to the right.

University of Tennessee coach Pat Summitt’s book Sum it Up: 1,098 Victories, a Couple of Irrelevant Losses, and a Life in Perspective (also available as an e-audiobook from Libby/OverDrive) chronicles her life journey and legendary career, which resulted in eight national championships. In her memoir, Pat Summitt also shares her battles with Alzheimer’s disease and cancer.

You can also watch some of the great basketball films to get in the spirit. The classic film Hoosiers, starring Gene Hackman, showcases a team that battles adversity and triumphs just like all the colleges in the NCAA tournament. Love and Basketball stars Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps and tells the story of two childhood friends who share their love for each other through their basketball journey.

Just like a great novel or film, the end or destination is not the best part but the journey. When the champion is crowned at the NCAA tournament this year, hard work, determination and adversity, are important characteristics that will help them succeed. It’s time for the tip-off; enjoy the games!

Brandon is a Customer Service Specialist at HCLS Central Branch who loves reading, football, and taking nice long walks around his neighborhood.

Three panels show a white cat on black, a black cat on pink, and white cat on pale blue.

Anime & Manga Club ヘようこそ

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The title of the club is printed in stylized letters that are cut from photographs of various Asian scenes, including temples, cities, a bamboo forest, a woman in a kimono walking with an umbrella, a cherry blossom tree, and a Hokusai blue wave print.

By Peter N.

Calling all anime- and manga-loving teens! Join other like-minded teens the last Wednesday of every month (subject to change) at HCLS Miller Branch for Anime & Manga Club. 

What will you be doing there? Glad you asked! Come and enjoy a hangout especially for teens where you can enjoy anime-related programming, a craft or two, and discussions of the latest mangas and animes to hit the scene. You also have the opportunity to get recommendations from staff and your peers for what to read or watch next. 

Are you looking for a classic manga like Fruits Basket, Dragon Ball, or The Prince of Tennis? Or are you looking for something newer like Jujutsu Kaisen, Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba, or my personal favorite, One-Punch Man? We’ll talk about them all! Or do you want to know if the Ghibli films are really all they’re cracked up to be? You’ll have to join us to find out!

Also learn how you can access anime and manga using your library card through online resources such as Libby, Cloud Library, and Hoopla. 

The next meeting of Miller’s Anime & Manga Club takes place Wednesday, November 30 at 6 pm. We hope to see you there!

よろしく!

Peter is an Instructor and Research Specialist at the Miller Branch who desperately hoped that the digital world and Digimon were real when he was a kid, and still remembers seeing the first Pokémon movie in theaters and crying with Pikachu when Ash “died.“

The cover shows line drawings of ocean vegetation floating against a background of blue water. The title is lettered in shades of pink, orange, and yellow.

The Last True Poets of the Sea by Julia Drake

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The cover shows line drawings of ocean vegetation floating against a background of blue water. The title is lettered in shades of pink, orange, and yellow.

by Ash B.

Not to be dramatic, but The Last True Poets of the Sea by Julia Drake is one of the most underrated novels I’ve read. It received positive reviews from Booklist, Kirkus, School Library Journal, and Publisher’s Weekly – and yet it still seems like not many people know about it. That’s why I eagerly recommend it whenever I can! 

Violet Larkin is a wild child – partying and doing all manner of things that a 16-year-old girl probably shouldn’t be in New York City. After her younger brother attempts suicide and her own reckless behavior worsens, her family sends her to stay with her uncle for the summer in the small coastal town of Lyric, Maine.  

Descended from a shipwreck survivor who supposedly founded Lyric, Violet is convinced that disaster runs in her blood. As she struggles with inner turmoil, she becomes determined to uncover the long-lost location of that shipwreck and the truth of her family history. With the help of new, unexpected friends, Violet discovers so much more – about herself, about love in all forms, and about surviving the emotional wrecks of life. 

After Violet starts working at the local aquarium in Lyric, the story seems like it might include a very “boy meets girl” romance with her coworker, but it delightfully diverges into something more refreshing. While there is a slow-burn teen romance with a bit of a “twist” love interest, that is far from the focal point of the book. I would say the core of the story is the complexity of mental health and the importance of allowing oneself to be (safely) emotionally vulnerable. The narrative balances the mending of relationships within Violet’s family, the importance of Violet building new friendships in Lyric, and the development of Violet’s relationship with herself. 

It is such a beautiful story of healing and connection. I really appreciated how Violet, an amazingly complex teen protagonist, opened my eyes to how mental illness and trauma can impact and manifest in such different ways depending on each person. For someone such as myself, anxiety typically causes retreating into oneself, isolating, and fearing the outside world. Social anxiety and generalized anxiety can really go hand-in-hand in this way, at least in my experience.  

However, for Violet, her anxiety – the storm she feels inside but doesn’t know how to healthily cope with – is sometimes the catalyst for her extroverted, often-risky behaviors such as partying, (underage) drinking in social settings, and flirting with much older men. Over the course of the novel, I grew to understand why someone like Violet might engage in those types of behavior (that would personally make my anxiety even worse) as a means of trying to avoid their inner struggles. 

This is a YA novel that I think can help so many people, teens and adults alike. It shows the importance of communication, self-love, healthy interpersonal relationships, and being kind to oneself while growing up. It challenges the idea that teens who “act out” are “bad” or “broken,” instead showing the nuanced reasons why unhealthy coping behaviors are used by young people who are struggling. Not to mention that it is beautifully written with crossover appeal for both YA and adult fiction readers. 

The characters of The Last True Poets of the Sea settled into my heart and have made a permanent home there. I read this book for the first time over a year ago and I still can’t stop thinking about it. When a book lingers with you long after you finish the final page, that tends to be a good sign. I loved it so much, I bought my own copy and I’m planning on re-reading it during my own trip to Maine this summer! If you’re interested in a contemporary coming-of-age story, I really hope you give this one a read.

Ash is an Instructor & Research Specialist at Central Branch and is a co-facilitator for Reads of Acceptance, HCLS’ first LGBTQ-focused book club. Their favorite place to read is spread out on a blanket under the shade of the tree. 

Against a summery orange background, that shows a ferris wheel and light-rail train, two young Black boys smile at the reader.

Kings of B’more by R. Eric Thomas 

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Against a summery orange background, that shows a ferris wheel and light-rail train, two young Black boys smile

by Eliana H.

R. Eric Thomas is a Baltimore-based television writer, playwright, and the bestselling author of Here for It: Or, How to Save Your Soul in America and Reclaiming Her Time: The Power of Maxine Waters. He is also the (temporary) Prudie, answering questions for the Dear Prudence column in Slate magazine through mid-summer. He is visiting in-person at the Elkridge Branch + DIY Center on Wednesday, June 15 at 6:30 pm. He will be discussing his debut young adult novel, Kings of B’more. I had the wonderful opportunity to read an advance copy, and I am so excited to share it with you.

Have you ever seen Ferris Bueller’s Day Off? In the popular movie from the 1980s, the title character, a high school student, skips school to take his best friend and girlfriend on a whirlwind adventure all over Chicago. When the main character of Kings of B’more, Harrison, learns that his best friend, Linus, will be moving to South Carolina in just a few days, he is inspired by the movie – which his dad has just made him watch – to plan an adventure all around Baltimore for the two of them. Despite his grand ideas and the help Harrison enlists, things (of course) don’t quite go as planned. The boys manage to have an epic day nonetheless.

Throughout the book, I was struck by the beauty of the friendship between Harrison and Linus. Author R. Eric Thomas captures a fresh, unique voice and perspective for each of them while highlighting the ways in which they complement one another. They can have entire conversations with their eyes, they see and value the truth of each other, and they show their affection in ways large and small. As two Black queer young men, they certainly face some challenges. But Harrison and Linus support one another as each discovers his own way to take on the world. I thoroughly enjoyed the language that Thomas uses, with vividly descriptive passages that bring the surroundings to life. Baltimore really becomes another character in this story, not just the setting. 

With ups and downs and so many adventures, Thomas has packed an entire coming-of-age tale into a story taking place over a single weekend. The growth each character experiences occurs in a way that is completely natural in terms of what they are going through. Harrison and Linus feel authentic and well-developed, and I was so glad to get to know them as I read. Despite a very satisfying ending, I would love to know what happens next. And I am definitely planning my next foray into Baltimore as soon as possible! 

I hope you will join us at the upcoming author event to hear more from R. Eric Thomas, ask questions, and consider purchasing a book for signing (if you want).

Eliana is a Children’s Research Specialist and Instructor at HCLS Elkridge Branch. She loves reading, even if she’s slow at it, and especially enjoys helping people find books that make them light up. She also loves being outside and spending time with friends and family (when it’s safe).

A young woman with long wavy dark hair, dressed in a denim jacket, looks backward over her shoulder. A bright yellow and orange phoenix is rising behind her against the night sky, and its tail wraps around her.

Wicked As You Wish by Rin Chupeco

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A young woman with long wavy dark hair, dressed in a denim jacket, looks backward over her shoulder. A bright yellow and orange phoenix is rising behind her against the night sky, and its tail wraps around her.

By Sahana C.

Consider this: every fairy tale you’ve ever heard is at least a little bit true. The Kingdom of Avalon is full of castles and magic, Alice really did travel all through Wonderland, and most of all – magic? Definitely real.  

But at the exact same time, Rin Chupeco manages to surprise readers with twists on each story. Avalon is frozen (literally and metaphorically!) outside of time, Alice was a warrior, and all that magic has rules and regulations in ways that seem to make sense when you look around at the modern world.  

The book opens in the Royal States, a monarchical version of the U.S., where everything is almost exactly the same as reality with the exceptions of a king and quite a bit more magic. The story even involves governmental agencies, with ICE taking on a prominent (and punny!) role throughout the course of the plot. 

The hero here is a young girl named Tala. She comes from an incredibly powerful legacy, with her family hailing from both the Philippines and Avalon. Her entire lineage is made up of magic, despite being convinced that she lives in the most boring town in the entire Royal States, and she’s been told that she’s fairly powerful, too. She’s hesitant to believe it, though, considering her powers are exclusively centered on disrupting magic.  

Her life changes in a big way when her family is called to protect the Crown Prince of Avalon, Alexei, who is the sole survivor of the royal family and has been in hiding for his whole life. Alexei’s dream is to revive his home country and take back his homeland by breaking the curse of the Ice Queen. In the meantime, though, he and Tala become fast friends, and he manages to enjoy a little bit of a normal high school, being sheltered by the Makiling clan, Tala’s super powerful family.  

When the Firebird, the symbol of Avalonian royalty, finally arrives, Tala and Alexei are thrown into a whirlwind adventure, accompanied by the children of Avalon’s best and brightest heroes. All of them have something to prove and they don’t always get along, but they do come together to save a country they’ve all loved and longed for from afar.  

You see, this whole book is a thinly veiled analogy for the immigrant experience and various facets therein. Tala’s whole family is Filipino, and she’s never been to the Philippines but longs to know more about her culture. Alexei had to leave Avalon as a child, forced out by war. The rest of the group that accompanies Tala and Alexei on their adventure also have varying levels of connection to Avalon: some have fond memories of childhood there, others have most of their family members stuck behind the border.  

Chupeco makes it clear, through Tala, that regardless of how connected to country she is, she can still fully claim her heritage. Tala is told by trusted adults time and time again that she belongs, and Chupeco makes it even more explicit when she writes, “Just because you’ve never been to the Philippines doesn’t mean that their rivers don’t course through your blood. It doesn’t mean you don’t have their mountains in your eyes. It’s not where we are, it’s who we are. You’ll always be both a Makiling and a Warnock, and always a Filipina. Never forget that.” 

I will say that some of the worldbuilding was a touch heavy-handed, and I had to go back and forth on the rules of magic and power in this universe Chupeco creates. Those moments could have benefited from a bit less, but they did not take away from the heart present in every chapter. First and foremost, this is a story about family, ones that are forged by blood and those that are found through friendship. For readers who are interested in YA fantasy, with an incredibly diverse and vibrant cast of characters who talk about the immigrant experience and recognize just how important food is as a bonding tool, this is the book for you.  

Wicked As You Wish is available in print and as an eBook from Libby/OverDrive.

Sahana is an Instructor and Research Specialist at the Savage Branch. She enjoys adding books to her “want to read” list despite having a mountain of books waiting for her already.