Mad but Magic: Ghost Hand

Guys. There is seriously SO MUCH good YA to be released this fall. That’s why I compiled this list of my top ten books to be read this fall out of ALL NEW RELEASES! Here they are, helpfully organized for you (and me) according to release date so that you can mark your calendars!

(As always, TTT is a weekly feature of The Broke and the Bookish)

1. Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan

Release date: August 27, 2013

After loving Will Grayson, Will Grayson (a collaboration between Levithan and John Green) and Boy Meets Boy, I decided to try some of Levithan’s other stuff. I couldn’t quite push through Every Day, although I plan to pick it up again soon. Two Boys Kissing tells the story of two high school age boys who try to break a Guinness World Record by taking part in a 32 hour kissing marathon while trying to figure out how they feel about each other.

2. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

Release date: September 3, 2013

This summer I also rediscovered the work of Holly Black (I was a big fan of The Spiderwick Chronicles a few years ago) in her Modern Faerie Tales. I stumbled upon this upcoming book by her on Amazon, and now I am SO excited for it. From Goodreads: “Tana lives in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. The only problem is, once you pass through Coldtown’s gates, you can never leave.

One morning, after a perfectly ordinary party, Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses. The only other survivors of this massacre are her exasperatingly endearing ex-boyfriend, infected and on the edge, and a mysterious boy burdened with a terrible secret. Shaken and determined, Tana enters a race against the clock to save the three of them the only way she knows how: by going straight to the wicked, opulent heart of Coldtown itself.”

3. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Release date: September 10, 2013

Another chance find, this time from my local library. This new book is from the author of YA hit Eleanor & Park and sounds similarly adorable! It follows sisters Cath and Wren, who are huuuge Simon Snow fangirls (HP, anyone?) but as they grow up, Wren tries to build a different life for herself, and Cath is left wondering if there’s life outside of the fandom. (Um, there’s not, in case you were wondering.)

4. The Dream Thieves (Raven Cycle #2) by Maggie Stiefvater

Release date: September 17, 2013

First I should probably finish The Raven Boys, in which my attention was really at the top of the novel, but flagged halfway through. I’ll definitely come back for more, though, as I’m dying to know what will become of firecracker heroine Blue and the Raven Boys themselves, Gansey, the leader, fierce and bitter Ronan, and sweet, bashful Adam.

5. Battle Magic by Tamora Pierce

Release date: September 24, 2013

It is a well-established fact on this blog that Sam and I will read any book Tamora Pierce publishes, forever (don't believe me? Here's an experiment: search "Tamora Pierce" to see how many times we talk about her. Or don't, cause maybe it's embarrassing). She is quite simply a goddess of girl-centric YA fantasy. I must admit, I’m a little behind on this Circle series business, since I’ve been involved in the Beka Cooper series for awhile now, but this September 24^th release date is the perfect opportunity to get caught up!

6. Atlantis Rising by T.A. Barron

Release date: September 26, 2013

I already expressed my love of T.A. Barron to the world a few months ago; I’ve been eagerly anticipating this Atlantis origin story (genius idea!) by the author of The Lost Years of Merlin series. If there’s anyone who knows how to build a magical world, it’s this guy.

7. Ghost Hold (The PSS Chronicles #2) by Ripley Patton
Release date: September 30, 2013

Coming out just in time for you to read it on a chilly fall night, at home, alone, and creep the heck out of yourself. I read the first book in this series, Ghost Hand, over the summer and was pretty darn impressed by up-and-coming YA author Ripley Patton’s darkly funny style. If you’re a fan of Holly Black, Cassie Clare, or Libba Bray, give this series a try (and read our upcoming long review, too!)

8. The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus #4) by Rick Riordan

Release date: October 8, 2013

Another author I’m obsessed with (and have met in person!). I’ve been desperately waiting for this 4^th book in The Heroes of Olympus series since Riordan published The Mark of Athena last spring. You don’t have to have read the Percy Jackson series to jump right into this one, although it might help. If you love Greek or Roman mythology, this series has BOTH! As well as a seriously goofy sense of humor and a great cast of characters.

9. Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Release date: October 22, 2013

I’ll come clean: I didn’t love Divergent as much as the rest of the world. In fact, in some ways I found it kind of silly. But I’ll still jump on the Veronica Roth bandwagon to see how the series ends… boy, do I read a lot of series.

10. The Retribution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #3) by Michelle Hodkin
Release date: June 3, 2014

This one’s mostly on here because it was ORIGINALLY supposed to be released in November 2013, and then the publisher decided to torture us and make a wait an extra SIX MONTHS. I am so not okay with this and am protesting by including it on my fall 2013 TBR list, anyway. I don’t hear much talk about this series except among my dedicated group of fangirls (ahem, friends), but it is smart and spooky and surprising!

Now tell me, what books are YOU looking forward to reading this fall? Tell me all about them so I can steal them from you and add them to my Goodreads, mwahahaha…

-Meg

Ripley Patton’s Ghost Hand is not for the faint of heart. Marketed as a YA paranormal thriller, it may initially attract fans of lighter fare like Twilight and other paranormal romances. If that’s you, buckle up for a dark and wild ride.

Olivia Black is a high school student with a rare genetic mutation known as PSS, or Psyche Sans Soma, a condition in which a portion of one’s body is manifested as energy rather than flesh. The book jumps right into the action when Olivia loses control of her PSS hand and it reaches into a classmate to retrieve something that most certainly should not be there. Marcus, the new guy in class, seems far too interested in Olivia after he witnesses this incident. But it may be because he has vital information about the dangerous men who chase Olivia through the cemetery and go to extreme lengths to bring her into custody.

This novel was a fresh voice in the genre and brought some exciting new things to the table, including one of the toughest, smartest, spunkiest heroines I’ve had the pleasure of reading this year. Olivia’s character is informed significantly by the death of her father and the burden of being different, of being born with a PSS hand. When she gets in big trouble with militant political group Citizens Against Minus Flesh, her refreshing, tough-girl response? “Solve the problem. Get yourself out.”

And while the novel tackles some dark themes, including cutting, torture, and death, Olivia handles it all with a healthy dose of snark. This novel made me laugh out loud a number of times, especially at Olivia’s interactions with budding love interest Marcus. Much like Jace and Clary in Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments series, humor forms a big part of their relationship and they variously refer to each other as an “emo ninja,” a “labrador” and a “cute narcoleptic.” I dare you to read this book without snickering to yourself.

A dramatic reenactment of me reading Ghost Hand.

Speaking of Marcus, this novel earns major points for the inclusion of a dark-skinned love interest and a mixed-race romance. His and Olivia’s relationship develops organically throughout the course of the novel as they slowly open up to each other. The rest of the characters are equally diverse and have unique backstories; Patton is equally as gifted at characterization as she is at plot development. However, some characters, like Jason and at times Marcus, though fully realized, are not always likeable or trustworthy, and I found myself rooting for Olivia more than any of her allies. I hope we’ll see a softening of these hard-ass boys in the next two books of the trilogy.

The only drawback to Patton’s first full-length novel: the pacing at the top of the novel was a bit too fast, which I suspect is related to Patton’s background as a short story writer. I could have used more exposition in getting to know Olivia and the phenomenon of PSS. Patton suggests that Olivia’s life is turning upside-down, but it’s hard to comprehend the extent of that change when we don’t see the before, only the after.

Ghost Hand is an original, engrossing read that I highly recommend to fans of other YA paranormal fiction who are ready to delve into more challenging and adult themes. With the introduction of Olivia Black, the genre is all grown-up.

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