Refreshing and Inventive YA Urban Fantasy

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Goldenborn by Ama Ofosua Lieb is a rich and vibrant YA urban fantasy that is an interesting blend of the fantastic and sci-fi. It takes place in a near future world where magic and technology co-exist. The fantasy aspects offer readers a glimpse into Ghanian folklore and mythology. The immersive setting and compelling narrative centers on storytelling traditions and personal identity while exploring themes of culture and appropriation of cultural artifacts.

The story is set in a near future version of San Fransisco and centers most of the story around the San Fran district of AfricaTown. In this world, Ghanian magic, gods, and modern life have been woven together. The FMC, Akoma, works for a clandestine organization that has integrated itself into a special division of the SFPD as part of its cover. The real intent behind InterMag is to investigate magical or supernatural crimes. As such, we are introduced to a setting where magic is acknowledged while also being introduced to the state-of-the-art technology that Akoma has access to as an InterMag agent. Add to this the Ghanian gods, centering the most around trickster god Anansi, and other supernatural beings that are running amok in the city and you have a seamless weaving of magic and cutting-edge science wrapped up in one intriguing YA story. 

After her father suffers a magical attack, Akoma is recruited to InterMag and hopes their resources will help her get to the bottom of what happened. Now a year later, the soon to be eighteen-year-old is balancing her career with trying to be a normal teen, and trying to provide good care to her dad who is still in a coma after his attack. She is also, understandably, not a fan of magic. But this is part of what drives her as an investigator and how she ends up becoming entwined in a series of dangerous magical crimes, one involving thefts and the other involving a couple of perplexing, gruesome murders. Her journey into the dark, complex web of the magical world brings her face-to-face with some startling truths about herself and her family. Akoma's investigation also magnifies her struggles both internally and externally with grief, familial expectations, and with retaining her own personal agency over her own story and identity. 

As a character Akoma is an emotionally grounded one and the conflicts she faces, while being mostly fantastic in nature, still manage to feel realistic and relatable. Her development and growth as she comes into her own is one of the strongest aspects of this novel. While young, Akoma is also keenly observant and clever. The mysteries she sets out to solve are twisty and complex with many layers she has to wade through to get to the bottom of things. But the emphasis on helping her family at the same time and balancing her connections with her friends and a new possible love interest give her and her story additional depth and heart. 

The novel takes place over a very short time line. One leading up to Akoma's birthday, and we are introduced to a ticking clock around that event fairly early on, which keeps the pacing fast and the tension high. But I never felt overwhelmed or like Lieb neglected to give me enough information to follow along as events unfold. The romantic subplot of the story that is introduced was charming and sweet, but was incorporated in such a way that is doesn't overshadow the central plot of the novel. Instead, it is a fun addition to the action.

The world-building in Goldenborn is also topnotch. Elements of the culture and of this setting are introduced through food, clothing, music, community traditions and as well as through storytelling as we learn about alternate realms tied to Ghanian mythology. The exploration of questions surrounding identity, cultural appropriation, narrative and who controls it, and how this shapes our society deepens the fantasy framework of the book as well. Not to mention the gods, shapeshifters, and even vampires mixed with technology such as glasers, AI droids and self-driving ubers, make this a dynamic world to get lost in. 

Goldenborn is a rich and imaginative YA fantasy that combines thrilling adventure, with vivid storytelling and meaningful themes. It celebrates Ghanian mythology in a fun inventive way, features a well-developed, smart main character, and is set in a fully realized, immersive world. Overall, this novel was a refreshing take on the urban fantasy genre and I look forward to reading more in this world that Lieb has created. If you enjoy diverse storytelling mixed with resonant characters and inventive world-building then grab a copy of this book! It is a truly amazing debut novel. 

For June my next review will be the dark, fast-paced YA mystery suspense In Case I Go Missing. Then two weeks after that I'll be talking about the YA queer fantasy romance The Boy With the Heart of Sea Glass that has some lovely elements of Cornish folklore woven into the plot. The covers and blurbs for both books are copied from bookshop.org.

 

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder meets Fargo in this fast-paced YA mystery about a teen detective gone missing and her best friend who must finish her investigation.

Seventeen-year-old Fenny Allen has been Sarah Vincenty's sidekick for as long as she can remember. Over the years, Sarah has built a reputation in their small town as an amateur detective and a vigilante who has dispensed her own form of justice.

Now Sarah is missing. The police have written her off as yet another teen runaway, but Fenny is convinced there’s foul play. And when she discovers a binder Sarah left behind, entitled In Case I Go Missing, Fenny realizes that Sarah disappeared while investigating her biggest case yet. 

With Sarah gone, it's up to Fenny and her other best friend, Sam, to finish her investigation. As they piece together the clues, they find themselves up against a decades-old mystery that links to the town's dark history. But is this binder a guide to finding Sarah—or are Fenny and Sam already too late?

The more the pair uncover, the clearer it becomes that those involved will go to great lengths to keep their secrets. And when everyone has something to hide, there are more than a few reasons to want Fenny and Sam out of the picture. Permanently.

"An impressive debut with moments of brilliance." -Richard Hall, author of I'm Fine

Eighteen-year-old Sam returns to the tiny Cornish island where he was born hoping to mend his broken heart and learn more about the father he never knew. Instead of finding answers, Sam's life becomes even more complicated when he begins to dream of the sea every night.

Falling for the first boy he meets also doesn't make Sam's life any easier. But Tryste is the perfect distraction. His thunderstorm eyes and their instant chemistry make Sam wish he still believed in happy endings. But Sam's wounds run deep, and he's worried about having his heart broken again.

As Sam's dreams intensify into eerie visions, he suspects there's so much more to his family, and his new boyfriend, than meets the eye. Embracing the truth will blur the line between reality and fairytale forever.

Will Sam choose to stay on dry land or follow his heart to the bottom of the ocean?

Veronica Mars Tone YA Mystery

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The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson is an homage to Agatha Christie with the angsty teen tone of the TV series Veronica Mars (the first two seasons, which were in my opinion, the best). Like Agatha Christie we have a story set in a seemingly idyllic small town, but when a murder occurs it becomes apparent that beneath the surface there are plenty of people with things to hide. At the same time the Veronica Mars vibe is strong because much of the story revolves around two high-school-aged teen girls in a town that is divided up into the have and have nots in the community. We also open with one of the most popular girls in school being a pariah after her ex-boyfriend not only broke up with her but took up with her best friend. All the angst, privilege, sex, drugs, and backstabbing that are so prevalent in Veronica Mars is on full display at Castle Cove High. 

Another fun element to the story is that when all of the terrible went down with her boyfriend and best friend, Alice Olgivie former rich golden girl, pulled a disappearing act for several days in a similar manner to what Dame Agatha did when she found out her husband was cheating on her and wanted a divorce. This is in part why Alice is now on the outs with her former friend group. They didn't appreciate all the notoriety her running away got her or the fact that it made the police suspect her ex-boyfriend, Steve. It has also caused Alice to be placed under house arrest by her parents when she returns unharmed and this is the reason that when she returns to school she's assigned another student to help tutor her in her classes. 

Enter Iris, the other main point-of-view character in this mystery. Iris has secrets of her own and is more than happy to earn some extra money tutoring Alice so Iris can get her and her mom out of Castle Cove and settled someplace else, someplace safer. But things don't go as planned since after their first tutoring session Alice's ex-best friend Brooke disappears during a wild Halloween party and unlike Alice, doesn't resurface alive. From there Alice and Iris, who both saw Brooke the night she disappeared, begin digging into what happened when it seems the police are only too happy to blame Steve again rather than carryout a thorough investigation into the murder. 

I thought what followed was a well developed series of misadventures as the two girls become amateur sleuths with Agatha Christie as their guide. The cast of suspects is wide. Could it be one of Alice's former friend group? It was no secret that with money, good looks, and her pick of guys wanting to date her, one of them could have been jealous of Brooke. But were they jealous enough to kill? Then there's Brooke's step-dad who acted very odd the morning he realized Brooke had disappeared. Does he care about what happened as much as he claims, or does he stand to benefit from Brooke's demise? There is also Steve himself. Is he as innocent as he claims? The clues lead Alice and Iris down a twisty path that reveals some less than savory things about their community and the people they think they know. I enjoyed the red herrings and misdirection that are scattered throughout the plot. They definitely reflect those you'd read in a classic Agatha Christie novel. 

I also found Alice and Iris to be relatable and fully developed characters. Each is struggling with her own personal demons and just trying to survive high school. But their mutual sense of obligation to figure out what really happened to Brooke helps each of them tap into their better selves and let their walls down just enough to become sort of friends. The side characters are a little less developed in this book but I can see that changing in the sequel where they might be on the page more. But honestly, that is a small complaint for what is otherwise a fun and fast-paced mystery adventure. I will definitely be reading the next installment in this series soon. 

If you enjoy teen mysteries with brave and clever female characters that are similar in tone to Veronica Mars then you will enjoy The Agathas.

For my next review in a couple of weeks I will be discussing Goldenborn by Ama Ofosua Lieb. It is a near future urban fantasy that incorporates Ghanian folklore and mythology into its fantasy world. But it is also a fun and action-packed mystery as well. Both the cover and the blurb for the book below are copied from Bookshop.org.

A girl with a mission. A god with a deal. A story that could change everything.

When 17-year-old Akoma Addo stumbles into a world of ancient gods and modern magic, she’ll have to choose between saving her father… or staying true to everything she’s ever believed.

Akoma Addo has one rule: don’t get too close to the supernatural.

Ever since a blazing orb of light left her father in a coma, she’s buried herself in her secret job investigating magical crimes in San Francisco’s AfricaTown -- just enough to keep her grief at bay. But when a body turns up in a pool of molten gold and ash, Akoma’s pulled into something much bigger -- and far more dangerous. At the center of it all is Anansi, the trickster god of stories, who makes her an impossible offer: help him catch a killer and awaken the ancestral magic buried deep in her blood... and in return, he’ll give her a chance to bring her father back. To take the deal, Akoma will have to lie to everyone she loves and embrace the very power she’s spent years trying to deny. And as her connection grows with Xander, the new guy in town with secrets of his own, Akoma must decide who she can trust -- especially when she’s no longer sure she can even trust herself. 

Rooted in Ghanaian mythology and packed with mystery, danger, and slow-burning romance, Goldenborn is a gripping fantasy about legacy, lies, and what it really means to rewrite your story.

 

A Spy's Most Difficult Cover Yet...Single Mum

 

Cover copied from bookshop.org

I, Spy by L.M. Kemp is a fast-paced suspense thriller full of intrigue, rogue operatives, and preschool drama. And can I just say how awesome that title is for a book about a former spy who is brought back into the espionage game while simultaneously raising her four-year-old daughter. Talk about serving a dual purpose. 

This novel hooked me right away with action and danger almost from the first page. But beneath the high-stakes missions, spies and secrets runs an undercurrent of just trying to make it as the single parent of a very young child with all of the anxiety, love, tenderness, guilt and sometimes sheer boredom that engenders. Add to that fact the isolation Kendall has been living in with her daughter Rosie to keep them both safe from her past and you have a character dynamic there that is layered and complex. All parent-child relationships tend to be that way, but for Kendall things are ramped up even more because of who and what she was raised to be. Not only is Kendall a past spy, but she was raised to be one by her single mother who was also one. This background leaves her constantly questioning her own parenting skills since she doesn't feel she ever had a real role model to fall back on herself. Kemp makes this dilemma an interesting source of conflict for Kendall as she tries to be a different sort of mother to Rosie.

After the life that Kendall has been living for the past four years in hiding is discovered by unknown agents, she is forced to call in a favor from her former handler, Rico. In return for offering her a secure safe-house for her and Rosie to seek refuge in, Rico asks Kendall to undertake a mission for him. One that she will be perfect for, spying on one of the other parents at her daughter's new school. It seems like a relatively low-risk assignment. That is until Kendall realizes that Rico hasn't told her all the facts and that the tech firm the parent works at is developing spyware that could have darker and deadlier consequences than anyone could've fathomed. But despite feeling a bit rusty after four years of living as a civilian, Kendall is still sharp, highly-skilled and lethally dangerous, especially against anyone she thinks might harm her little girl. 

This book kept me turning pages with all of its twists and short action-packed chapters. It is definitely a 'just one more chapter' type of novel. The character development for Kendall, Rosie, and other side characters you meet along the way was also top notch. But what I'm most impressed with is the way the author was able to seamlessly weave together the spy world with the world of single parenthood. It was highly entertaining to see the way Kendall carries out surveillance and counter-surveillance at the same time she maintains her daughter's school day schedule, watching the clock for instance, while she's gathering intel to make sure she isn't late picking up Rosie. Using parent volunteer opportunities and social media stalking to infiltrate parent groups and develop contacts among the adults connected with the school while also helping build costumes for the school play. 

As a thriller this was a fun and gripping one while still being emotionally compelling. While it is full of the secrets and intrigue you would expect from a spy novel, it also explores the complexities of figuring out one's identity not only as a working adult, but also after one becomes a parent and responsible for someone else. I'm very pleased that this is the first in a series, as I will be waiting in avid anticipation for the next installment. I, Spy will be out this Tuesday May 5th if you'd like to pick up your own copy. 

For my next review in a couple of weeks, I'll be featuring a clever YA mystery that is Agatha Christie meets Veronica Mars entitled The Agathas. The blurb and book cover below are both copied from bookshop.org.

Who killed Brooke Donovan? It’s the biggest mystery of the summer, and everyone in Castle Cove thinks they know what happened. But they're wrong. Two unlikely friends come together to solve the case in this fast-paced, fun, modern Agatha Christie inspired thriller.

Last summer, Alice Ogilvie’s basketball-star boyfriend Steve dumped her. Then she disappeared for five days. She's not talking, so where she went and what happened to her is the biggest mystery in Castle Cove. Or it was, at least. But now, another one of Steve’s girlfriends has vanished: Brooke Donovan, Alice’s ex–best friend. And it doesn’t look like Brooke will be coming back. . .
 
Enter Iris Adams, Alice’s tutor. Iris has her own reasons for wanting to disappear, though unlike Alice, she doesn’t have the money or the means. That could be changed by the hefty reward Brooke’s grandmother is offering to anyone who can share information about her granddaughter’s whereabouts. The police are convinced Steve is the culprit, but Alice isn’t so sure, and with Iris on her side, she just might be able to prove her theory.
 
In order to get the reward and prove Steve’s innocence, they need to figure out who killed Brooke Donovan. And luckily Alice has exactly what they need—the complete works of Agatha Christie. If there’s anyone that can teach the girls how to solve a mystery it’s the master herself. But the town of Castle Cove holds many secrets, and Alice and Iris have no idea how much danger they're about to walk into.