The Boy in the Black Suit

Title: The Boy in the Black Suit
Author: Jason Reynolds
Publication Date: Jan. 2015
Age Level: 7th grade and up
Genres: realistic fiction
Review: As soon as I saw this book I was excited about it. I had heard wonderful things about Jason Reynolds and his last book "When I was the Greatest". Plus, a YA book featuring a black teenager dealing with the emotions of losing his mother was refreshing. Sure, there is lots of YA books dealing with grief but I was happy to see a non white male protagonist. What is even better is that the story is wonderfully told and well written. The story centers around Matt Miller, who is 17 and just lost his mother to breast cancer. Matt and his mother had a wonderful relationship that he reflects on throughout the story. The love for his mother is obvious and so is the emptiness that she leaves behind. Add to the story that his father, who had not drank for 20 years, is suddenly a drunk without his wife, and you have a teen struggling to grow up fast. Matt takes on a job at a funeral home, that is run by the caring Mr. Ray. It is through this job that Matt is able to deal with his grief as he watches others suffer through loss. He also meets a girl named Love, who like Matt, has her own profound loss to deal with. What I love about this story is Matt. He is character that I connected with immediately. I lost a close friend my senior year of high school and so much of the emotions and feelings that Matt has are what I went through. I also enjoy that the books shows the grief of others as well. As the story goes along Matt discovers that many of the people in his life are dealing with their own pain and loss. While no one will know the pain that Matt feels over the loss of his mother, they do understand what it is like to grieve. Overall this is a great story about loss, grief and growing up. An excellent read for a teen dealing with their own loss. 

Mortal Heart

Title: Mortal Heart (His Fair Assasins #3)
Author: Robin LaFevers
Publication Date: Nov. 2014
Age Level: 9th grade and up
Genres: Fantasy, historical fiction
Review: I have been a fan of this series since book one, Grave Mercy.  Each book in the series has told the story of a daughter of Mortain, the god of death. The series is based around the country of Brittany, which is trying to save itself from political strife. In the midst of all this is three strong females who each have a different story to tell. Annith is the last of these stories. She spent the first two stories at the convent of St. Mortain, taking care of younger girls, much to her dismay. She wanted to be out in the field doing Mortain's work. She learns that the head sister has plans for her to remain at the convent permanently which Annith is against. Annith begins a journey to discover herself and where she came from and unravels other mysteries along the way. Of course it has a love interest but I won't give too much away. What I love about this series is the women themselves. Each character has such great strength and personality it's easy to become attach to each of their stories. This has the feel of Kristin Cashore's stories. I would give this to any teen who likes historical fiction blended with fantasy. The book doesn't have swearing but does contain some violence, sex, and of course it deals with the idea of old gods. I know that some of the more conservative of my patrons at my library would take offense to some of the content. Otherwise its a wonderful end to a series that features strong female leads, political intrigue, a bit of a magical/fantasy element, and some romance.
Read Alikes: Kristin Cashore's Fire, Graceling