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Jessamy's life is a balance between acting like an upper-class Patron and dreaming of the freedom of the Commoners. But away from her family she can be whoever she wants when she sneaks out to train for The Fives.
The winding streets and narrow alleys of Karolene hide many secrets, and Hitomi is one of them.
Are some men born evil, no chance of redemption from the moment they draw breath? Perhaps, perhaps not. Grim doesn't seem to think so, and yet, he knows better than to believe that knowledge alone would curb a cruel man's intent... Even if that man is himself.
Jessamy's life is a balance between acting like an upper-class Patron and dreaming of the freedom of the Commoners. But away from her family she can be whoever she wants when she sneaks out to train for The Fives.
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At a Glance
Featured Book
(violence, assassination, kidnapping, war, political intrigue, mild profanity, romantic tension, and non-explicit sensual situations)
AUTHOR LINDSEY POGUE
SKIES OF FIRE (BOOK 1)
As volcanoes erupt, wildfires spread, and sinkholes swallow entire cities, Knox and Ava must put a lifetime of grudges aside to survive the shifting landscape.
After an asteroid knocks the moon off its axis, scientists warn of Earth's eventual destruction. Governments, Moon Maniacs, and doomsday preppers brace for the worst, but as the years tick by, life continues mostly unchanged, and it becomes easy to fall into a false sense of security.
Ava Hernandez is no stranger to loss, heartache, and the struggle to survive. Branded a social pariah in her small town for reasons beyond her control, she's grown used to people's stares and mutterings over the years. Working two jobs while taking care of a sickly woman she owes her life to, it's all Ava can do to keep her head above water, let alone prep for "the end."
Knox Bennett is country boy royalty and infamous for holding a grudge. His mother is dead, his father has gone off the rails, his brother has abandoned him, and Ava is to blame for all of it. While he might've been fed with a silver spoon, all the money in the world can't prepare him or save his family's ranch from what comes next.
As fire engulfs the small town of Sonora, Texas, and nearby cities crumble, Ava and Knox are thrust together in the ensuing chaos. With all odds stacked against them, they must rely on each other to reach the safe haven alive.
Skies of Fire is a post-apocalyptic adventure set in the fire-scorched heartland of the American Southwest. This book is a stand-alone, with tie-ins to Waves of Fury, another Surviving Earth Chronicles installment.
Why this book may be a good choice for you and/or your family...
Skies of Fire by Lindsey Pogue is a gripping post-apocalyptic novel that combines intense survival scenarios with a heartfelt enemies-to-lovers romance. Set in a world ravaged by natural disasters following a celestial event, the story follows Ava and Knox as they navigate personal grudges and environmental catastrophes. The narrative delves into themes of resilience, trust, and the human spirit's capacity to endure, making it a compelling read for mature teens and adults alike. In terms of content, Skies of Fire contains moderate romantic tension and occasional strong language, with no explicit sexual content. The romantic elements are present but not central to the plot, and any intimate scenes are handled with subtlety. Given these aspects, the book is best suited for mid-teens and up. Parents should be aware of the mature themes and consider whether it's appropriate for their family. Overall, the novel offers a richly woven tale that can captivate readers looking for a mature and thought-provoking adventure.
(contains mild romance, brief sensual content, violence, and some swearing)
AUTHOR EMILY ST. JOHN MANDEL
STATION ELEVEN
This Anniversary Edition of Station Eleven, a finalist for the National Book Award and named a Best Book of the Twenty-First Century by the New York Times, celebrates ten years of this now iconic novel with a new color illustration and a guide to “The Mandelverse”
An audacious, darkly glittering novel set in the eerie days following civilization's collapse, Station Eleven tells the spellbinding story of a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region, risking everything for art and humanity.
It is fifteen years after a flu pandemic wiped out most of the world's population. Kirsten is an actress with the Traveling Symphony, a small troupe moving over the gutted landscape, performing Shakespeare and music for scattered communities of survivors. But when they arrive in the outpost of St. Deborah by the Water, they encounter a violent prophet who digs graves for anyone who dares to leave. Spanning decades, moving back and forth in time, and vividly depicting life before and after the disaster brought everyone here, this suspenseful, elegiac novel is rife with beauty, telling a story about the relationships that sustain us.
AUTHOR TAHEREH MAFI
SHATTER ME (BOOK 1)
The gripping first installment in New York Times bestselling author Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me series.
One touch is all it takes. One touch, and Juliette Ferrars can leave a fully grown man gasping for air. One touch, and she can kill.
No one knows why Juliette has such incredible power. It feels like a curse, a burden that one person alone could never bear. But The Reestablishment sees it as a gift, sees her as an opportunity. An opportunity for a deadly weapon.
Juliette has never fought for herself before. But when she’s reunited with the one person who ever cared about her, she finds a strength she never knew she had.
(Passionate kissing, moderate swearing, and some violence)
AUTHOR PATRICK NESS
THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO (BOOK 1)
A dystopian thriller follows a boy and girl on the run from a town where all thoughts can be heard – and the passage to manhood embodies a horrible secret.
Todd Hewitt is the only boy in a town of men. Ever since the settlers were infected with the Noise germ, Todd can hear everything the men think, and they hear everything he thinks. Todd is just a month away from becoming a man, but in the midst of the cacophony, he knows that the town is hiding something from him -- something so awful Todd is forced to flee with only his dog, whose simple, loyal voice he hears too. With hostile men from the town in pursuit, the two stumble upon a strange and eerily silent creature: a girl. Who is she? Why wasn't she killed by the germ like all the females on New World? Propelled by Todd's gritty narration, readers are in for a white-knuckle journey in which a boy on the cusp of manhood must unlearn everything he knows in order to figure out who he truly is.
(violence, dark themes, mature language, and distressing situations)
( some violence, minors drinking and adult drug use, moderate swearing including some more explicit)
AUTHOR LAUREN OLIVER
PANIC (BOOK 1)
From New York Times bestselling author Lauren Oliver comes a captivating, thrilling novel of fear, friendship, courage, and hope that will leave readers gasping for air. Now a television series on Prime Video.
Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a poor town of twelve thousand people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do. Heather never thought she would compete in panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors. She'd never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought.
Dodge has never been afraid of panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game; he's sure of it. But what he doesn't know is that he's not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for. For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most.
Read the book that inspired the series, which the New York Times described as “Reminiscent of ‘The Hunger Games’ but grounded in the real world.”
AUTHOR T.L. PAYNE
SEEKING SAFETY (BOOK 1)
The nation goes dark. Technology fails. Help isn’t coming.
An EMP has destroyed the nation’s power grid.
The country is plunged into chaos during one of the coldest midwest winters on record.
Pre-med student Raine Caldwell is in a race against time. Eight hundred miles from home and separated from her parents, Raine is forced onto the dangerous streets of St. Louis, Missouri.
A storm is brewing…
While fires rage, deadly gangs roam the streets. After joining a group of fellow survivors, it becomes a fight for survival as they race to escape the city before the violence and a bitter winter storm overtakes them.
(violence, assassination, kidnapping, war, political intrigue, mild profanity, romantic tension, and non-explicit sexual situations)
AUTHOR MARY E. PEARSON
DANCE OF THIEVES (BOOK 1)
Mary E. Pearson's Dance of Thieves is a new YA novel in the New York Times bestselling Remnant Chronicles universe, in which a reformed thief and the young leader of an outlaw dynasty lock wits in a battle that may cost them their lives―and their hearts.
When the patriarch of the Ballenger empire dies, his son, Jase, becomes its new leader. Even nearby kingdoms bow to the strength of this outlaw family, who have always governed by their own rules. But a new era looms on the horizon, set in motion by a young queen, which makes her the target of the dynasty's resentment and anger.
At the same time, Kazi, a legendary former street thief, is sent by the queen to investigate transgressions against the new settlements. When Kazi arrives in the forbidding land of the Ballengers, she learns that there is more to Jase than she thought. As unexpected events spiral out of their control, bringing them intimately together, they continue to play a cat and mouse game of false moves and motives in order to fulfill their own secret missions.
(violence, assassination, kidnapping, war, political intrigue, mild profanity, romantic tension, and non-explicit sensual situations)
AUTHOR LINDSEY POGUE
SKIES OF FIRE (BOOK 1)
As volcanoes erupt, wildfires spread, and sinkholes swallow entire cities, Knox and Ava must put a lifetime of grudges aside to survive the shifting landscape.
After an asteroid knocks the moon off its axis, scientists warn of Earth's eventual destruction. Governments, Moon Maniacs, and doomsday preppers brace for the worst, but as the years tick by, life continues mostly unchanged, and it becomes easy to fall into a false sense of security.
Ava Hernandez is no stranger to loss, heartache, and the struggle to survive. Branded a social pariah in her small town for reasons beyond her control, she's grown used to people's stares and mutterings over the years. Working two jobs while taking care of a sickly woman she owes her life to, it's all Ava can do to keep her head above water, let alone prep for "the end."
Knox Bennett is country boy royalty and infamous for holding a grudge. His mother is dead, his father has gone off the rails, his brother has abandoned him, and Ava is to blame for all of it. While he might've been fed with a silver spoon, all the money in the world can't prepare him or save his family's ranch from what comes next.
As fire engulfs the small town of Sonora, Texas, and nearby cities crumble, Ava and Knox are thrust together in the ensuing chaos. With all odds stacked against them, they must rely on each other to reach the safe haven alive.
Skies of Fire is a post-apocalyptic adventure set in the fire-scorched heartland of the American Southwest. This book is a stand-alone, with tie-ins to Waves of Fury, another Surviving Earth Chronicles installment.
Why this book may be a good choice for you and/or your family...
Skies of Fire by Lindsey Pogue is a gripping post-apocalyptic novel that combines intense survival scenarios with a heartfelt enemies-to-lovers romance. Set in a world ravaged by natural disasters following a celestial event, the story follows Ava and Knox as they navigate personal grudges and environmental catastrophes. The narrative delves into themes of resilience, trust, and the human spirit's capacity to endure, making it a compelling read for mature teens and adults alike. Goodreads +4 Lindsey Pogue’s Bookshop +4 Lindsey Pogue’s Bookshop +4 In terms of content, Skies of Fire contains moderate romantic tension and occasional strong language, with no explicit sexual content. The romantic elements are present but not central to the plot, and any intimate scenes are handled with subtlety. Given these aspects, the book is best suited for mid-teens and up. Parents should be aware of the mature themes and consider whether it's appropriate for their family. Overall, the novel offers a richly woven tale that can captivate readers looking for a mature and thought-provoking adventure.
(contains moderate romance, implied sexual content, intense violence, and some swearing)
AUTHOR CARRIE RYAN
THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH (BOOK 1)
In Mary's world there are simple truths.
The Sisterhood always knows best.
The Guardians will protect and serve.
The Unconsecrated will never relent.
And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth.
But, slowly, Mary’s truths are failing her. She’s learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power. And, when the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness.
Now, she must choose between her village and her future, between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death?
"A bleak but gripping story...Poignant and powerful."-Publishers Weekly
"A postapocalyptic romance of the first order, elegantly written from title to last line."-Scott Westerfeld, author of the Uglies series and Leviathan
"Intelligent, dark, and bewitching, The Forest of Hands and Teeth transitions effortlessly between horror and beauty. Mary's world is one that readers will not soon forget."-Cassandra Clare, bestselling author of City of Bones
"Opening The Forest of Hands and Teeth is like cracking Pandora's box: a blur of darkness and a precious bit of hope pour out. This is a beautifully crafted, page-turning, powerful novel. I thoroughly enjoyed it."-Melissa Marr, bestselling author of Wicked Lovely and Ink Exchange
"Dark and sexy and scary. Only one of the Unconsecrated could put this book down."-Justine Larbalestier, author of How to Ditch Your Fairy
(violence, death, dystopian themes, mild language, romantic intimacy-but no explicit content)
AUTHOR VERONICA ROTH
DIVERGENT (BOOK 1)
This first book in Veronica Roth's #1 New York Times bestselling Divergent series of books is the novel the inspired the major motion picture starring Shailene Woodley, Theo James, and Kate Winslet. This dystopian series set in a futuristic Chicago has captured the hearts of millions of teen and adult readers.
Perfect for fans of the Hunger Games and Maze Runner series, Divergent and its sequels, Insurgent and Allegiant, are the gripping story of a dystopian world transformed by courage, self-sacrifice, and love. Fans of the Divergent movie will find the book packed with just as much emotional depth and exhilarating action as the film, all told in beautiful, rich language.
One choice can transform you. Beatrice Prior's society is divided into five factions—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). Beatrice must choose between staying with her Abnegation family and transferring factions.
Her choice will shock her community and herself. But the newly christened Tris also has a secret, one she's determined to keep hidden, because in this world, what makes you different makes you dangerous.
And don't miss The Fates Divide, Veronica Roth's powerful sequel to the bestselling Carve the Mark!
AUTHOR JORDAN RIVET
WAKE ME AFTER THE APOCALYPSE (BOOK 1)
When a killer comet hurtles for the earth, 18-year-old Joanna Murphy is selected to wait out the apocalypse in an underground bunker. She enters cryosleep with her close-knit team, preparing to resettle the planet after the atmosphere clears in two hundred years.
Joanna is the only one who wakes up.
Faced with a bunker full of bones and a blocked exit, Joanna must claw her way to the surface, figure out what happened to her team, and try not to panic—or die. That’s going to be tricky if she’s the only person left in the world.
From the author of the Lost Clone series, Steel and Fire, and the Seabound Chronicles comes a story of resilience and optimism at the end of the world.
( some intense scenes and budding romance)
(intense scenes, violence, no sex, mild cursing)
AUTHOR BRANDON SANDERSON
SKYWARD (BOOK 1)
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!
From Brandon Sanderson, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Reckoners series, Words of Radiance, and the internationally bestselling Mistborn series, comes the first book in an epic new series about a girl who dreams of becoming a pilot in a dangerous world at war for humanity's future.
Spensa's world has been under attack for decades. Now pilots are the heroes of what's left of the human race, and becoming one has always been Spensa's dream. Since she was a little girl, she has imagined soaring skyward and proving her bravery. But her fate is intertwined with her father's--a pilot himself who was killed years ago when he abruptly deserted his team, leaving Spensa's chances of attending flight school at slim to none.
No one will let Spensa forget what her father did, yet fate works in mysterious ways. Flight school might be a long shot, but she is determined to fly. And an accidental discovery in a long-forgotten cavern might just provide her with a way to claim the stars.
AUTHOR BRANDON SANDERSON
STEELHEART (BOOK 1)
How far would you go for revenge if someone killed your father?
If someone destroyed your city?
If everything you ever loved was taken from you?
David Charleston will go to any lengths to stop Steelheart. But to exact revenge in Steelheart’s world, David will need the Reckoners—a shadowy group of rebels bent on maintaining justice.
And it turns out that the Reckoners might just need David too.
(intense scenes, violence, no sex, mild cursing)
(violence, mild romance, swearing, and dark themes involving supernatural powers and dystopian society)
AUTHOR SAMANTHA SHANNON
THE BONE SEASON (BOOK 1)
The New York Times bestselling first novel in the sensational Bone Season series, a heart-pounding epic fantasy by the author of The Priory of the Orange Tree.
“Intelligent, inventive, dark, and engrossing.” NPR
Welcome to Scion. No safer place.
The year is 2059. For two centuries, the Republic of Scion has led an oppressive campaign against unnaturalness in Europe.
In London, Paige Mahoney holds a high rank in the criminal underworld. The right hand of the ruthless White Binder, Paige is a dreamwalker, a rare and formidable kind of clairvoyant. Under Scion law, she commits treason simply by breathing.
When Paige is arrested for murder, she meets the mysterious founders of Scion, who have designs on her uncommon abilities. If she is to survive and escape, Paige must use every skill at her disposal – and put her trust in someone who ought to be her enemy.
With its intricate worldbuilding, slow burn romance, and “complex, ever evolving, scrappy yet touching” (NPR) heroine, the Bone Season series shows Samantha Shannon at the height of her considerable powers.
(includes mild romance, no sexual content, frequent and sometimes graphic violence, death-related themes, and occasional strong language)
AUTHOR NEAL SHUSTERMAN
SCYTHE (BOOK 1)
Two teens must learn the “art of killing” in this Printz Honor–winning book, the first in a chilling new series from Neal Shusterman, author of the New York Times bestselling Unwind dystology.
A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery: humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now Scythes are the only ones who can end life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control.
Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe—a role that neither wants. These teens must master the “art” of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own.
(includes mild romance, no sexual content, intense violence, disturbing medical procedures, and occasional strong language)
AUTHOR NEAL SHUSTERMAN
UNWIND (BOOK 1)
Three teens fight for their lives and each other in this breathtakingly suspenseful first book in the twisted, New York Times bestselling Unwind Dystology series by Neal Shusterman.
After America’s Second Civil War, the Pro-Choice and Pro-Life armies came to an agreement. According to their Bill of Life, human life may not be terminated from the moment of conception until the age of thirteen. But between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, the child may be gotten rid of by their parent through a process called “unwinding.”
By repurposing a teen’s organs and other body parts in living recipients, the unwound child’s life doesn’t technically end. According to society’s leaders, unwinding leads to a healthier and safer community, as troublesome and unwanted teens are used for the greater good.
Conner is a rebel whose unwinding was ordered by his parents. Rita, a ward of the state, has been slated for unwinding due to cost cutting. And Lev, his parents’ tenth child, has been destined for unwinding since birth as a religious tithe. As their paths intersect, they start to fight for their own destinies. But do they stand a chance of escaping their fate or proving their lives are worth saving?
(Passionate kissing, moderate swearing, and some violence)
AUTHOR AMY TINTERA
REBOOT (BOOK 1)
In this fast-paced dystopian thrill ride from New York Times–bestselling author Amy Tintera, perfect for fans of The Hunger Games, Legend, and Divergent, a seventeen-year-old girl returns from death as a Reboot and is trained as an elite crime-fighting soldier . . . until she is given an order she refuses to obey.
Wren Connolly died five years ago, only to Reboot after 178 minutes. Now she is one of the deadliest Reboots around . . . unlike her newest trainee, Callum 22, who is practically still human. As Wren tries to teach Callum how to be a soldier, his hopeful smile works its way past her defenses. Unfortunately, Callum’s big heart also makes him a liability, and Wren is ordered to eliminate him. To save Callum, Wren will have to risk it all.
Wren’s captivating voice and unlikely romance with Callum will keep readers glued to the page in Amy Tintera’s high-stakes alternate reality, and diving straight into its action-packed sequel, Rebel.
Don’t miss Amy Tintera’s new fantasy series, Ruined—full of epic stakes, sweeping romance, hidden identities, and scheming siblings.
(includes mild romance, some kissing, dystopian violence, government control themes, and occasional mild language)
AUTHOR SCOTT WESTERFELD
UGLIES (BOOK 1)
Soon to be a major motion picture streaming on Netflix!
The first installment of Scott Westerfeld’s New York Times bestselling and award-winning Uglies series—a global phenomenon that started the dystopian trend.
Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can’t wait. In just a few weeks she’ll have the operation that will turn her from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty. And as a pretty, she’ll be catapulted into a high-tech paradise where her only job is to have fun.
But Tally’s new friend Shay isn’t sure she wants to become a pretty. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world—and it isn’t very pretty. The authorities offer Tally a choice: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. Tally’s choice will change her world forever.
(intense violence, death, war themes, mild profanity, and brief sexual content involving kissing and implied intimacy)
AUTHOR RICK YANCEY
THE 5TH WAVE (BOOK 1)
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A gripping tale of catastrophic loss, unthinkable odds, and unflinching courage in the first book in epic series from award-winning author Rick Yancey.
"Remarkable, not-to-be-missed-under-any-circumstances."—Entertainment Weekly
"A modern sci-fi masterpiece . . ."—USAToday.com
After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.
Now, it's the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth's last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie's only hope for rescuing her brother--or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.
"Wildly entertaining . . . I couldn't turn the pages fast enough."—Justin Cronin, The New York Times Book Review
(contains moderate romance, some sensual content, emotional manipulation, suicide themes, and occasional swearing)
AUTHOR SUZANNE YOUNG
THE PROGRAM (BOOK 1)
The first book in Suzanne Young’s New York Times bestselling series is a “gripping tale for lovers of dystopian romance” (Kirkus Reviews) about two teens in a world where true feelings are forbidden, teen suicide is an epidemic, and the only solution is The Program—now with a freshly reimagined look.
Sloane knows better than to cry in front of anyone. With suicide now an international epidemic, one outburst could land her in The Program, the only proven course of treatment. Sloane’s parents have already lost one child; Sloane knows they’ll do anything to keep her alive. She also knows that everyone who’s been through The Program returns as a blank slate. Because their depression is gone—but so are their memories.
Under constant surveillance at home and at school, Sloane puts on a brave face and keeps her feelings buried as deep as she can. The only person Sloane can be herself with is James. He’s promised to keep them both safe and out of treatment, and Sloane knows their love is strong enough to withstand anything. But despite the promises they made to each other, it’s getting harder to hide the truth. They are both growing weaker. Depression is setting in.
And The Program is coming for them.