The Society for Soulless Girls
Laura Steven

Publisher: Delacorte Press / Random House Children's

Pub Date: Sept. 19th, 2023
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Genre: Young Adult Thriller / Mystery
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Synopsis:

A sapphic enemies-to-lovers retelling of Jekyll & Hyde, this dark academia thriller follows two roommates who must solve an infamous cold case of serial murders on their campus after an arcane ritual gone wrong prompts another death.

​Ten years ago, four students lost their lives in the infamous North Tower murders at the elite Carvell College of Arts, forcing Carvell to close its doors.
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Now Carvell is reopening, and fearless freshman Lottie is determined to find out what really happened. But when her beautiful but standoffish roommate, Alice, stumbles upon a sinister soul-splitting ritual hidden in Carvell’s haunted library, the North Tower claims another victim.
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Can Lottie uncover the truth before the North Tower strikes again? Can Alice reverse the ritual before her monstrous alter ego consumes her? And will they give in to the ill-fated attraction that’s growing between them?
Exploring possession and ambition, lust and bloodlust, femininity and violence, The Society of Soulless Girls is perfect for fans of The Secret History, A Lesson in Vengeance, and The Grimrose Girls.

Content Warning: sexual harassment, on page animal death, suicide, self-harm, violence, murder, physical abuse

1. You're a fan of creative retellings: 
'The Society for Soulless Girls' is a retelling of Jekyll & Hyde with a dark, academia aesthetic!

2. You like complications: 
The sapphic leads have complex life situations and complex emotional make-ups.

3. Enemies-to-lovers is your trope: 
Add a little grumpy/sunshine and some slow-burn romance to top it off. 

4. You want your thrillers with a touch of magic: 
Occult rituals, mystery, and social politics, oh my!

5. You prefer stories that push beyond your comfort zone: 
These are 'angry girls. So, there's a lot of violence and boundary busting here, so if that's your thing, this is the book for you!

About the Author:


Laura Steven is an award-winning author from the northernmost town in England.


She has published several books for children and young adults; her debut novel The Exact Opposite Of Okay won the inaugural Comedy Women In Print Prize in 2019, while The Love Hypothesis was optioned for TV by an Emmy-winning team. Her books have been widely translated, and her work has appeared in The i Paper, The Guardian and Buzzfeed.

Surrender Your Sons
Adam Sass

Publisher:
    Flux

Pub Date: Sept. 15th, 2023
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Genre: Young Adult Thriller
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Synopsis:


Connor Major’s summer break is turning into a nightmare.


His SAT scores bombed, the old man he delivers meals to died, and when he came out to his religious zealot mother, she had him kidnapped and shipped off to a secluded island. His final destination: Nightlight Ministries, a conversion therapy camp that will be his new home until he “changes.”


But Connor’s troubles are only beginning. At Nightlight, everyone has something to hide from the campers to the “converted” staff and cagey camp director, and it quickly becomes clear that no one is safe. Connor plans to escape and bring the other kidnapped teens with him. But first, he’s exposing the camp’s horrible truths for what they are—and taking this place down.


Content Warning:  conversion camps, religious bigotry, homophobia, transphobia, physical and emotional abuse, suicide, murder, kidnapping

About the Author:


Adam Sass began writing books in Sharpie on the backs of Starbucks pastry bags. (He’s sorry it distracted him from making your latte.) His debut YA novel, Surrender Your Sons, was named a best book of 2020 by Kirkus Reviews and Foreword INDIES, a best first novel for young readers by Booklist, won the Gold Medal for YA fiction at the IPPY Awards, and was a selection for ALA’s Rainbow Book List for 2022. His YA rom-com, The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers, was named a Best Book of 2022 by Seventeen and received starred reviews from Booklist and School Library Journal. He is also the author of the upcoming thriller, Your Lonely Nights Are Over.
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Adam has been featured in Teen Vogue and the Savage Lovecast. He is also a recurring co-host on the popular podcast Slayerfest98, where he recaps Marvel shows, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and other pieces of pop culture. He lives in Los Angeles with his husband and dachsunds. 

Midnight at the Houdini
Delilah S. Dawson

Publisher: Delacorte Press / Random House Children's

Pub Date: Sept. 5th, 2023
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Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
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Synopsis:


A girl discovers a surreal hotel where no one ever leaves. When the clock strikes midnight she’ll be trapped there forever unless she’s able to break free from magic that in turn breaks all her rules. Perfect for fans of Caraval and The Starless Sea!


The night is perfect and glorious and sparkling, too beautiful to be real. Like magic.


Anna may have grown up in glitzy Las Vegas, but she’s determined that no one will ever call her shallow. While her older sister Emily is the star of the family, Anna is the diligent stage manager, making sure that both their lives go perfectly to plan. But when Emily reveals a startling betrayal, Anna flees in the middle of a raging storm and takes shelter in a boutique establishment she’s never seen before: The Houdini.  


Inside, Anna discovers a magic hotel . . . and a magical boy. Earnest, curious Max has lived his entire life inside the Houdini. Over the course of one surreal evening, he becomes Anna’s guide to the curious building. For the first time in her life, Anna is center stage, in a place that anticipates her every desire, with a boy who only has eyes for her.  


But that’s because the Houdini has no other guests. No one ever enters the Houdini . . . and no one ever leaves. When the clock strikes midnight, Anna will be trapped in the Houdini forever. If Anna’s ever going to find out who she is on her own in the real world, she’ll first have to make an impossible escape. But will she be able to do it if it means leaving Max behind?

I've mentioned before that I have discovered an affinity for fantasy stories with performance magic style settings, so when I saw 'Midnight at the Houdini' by Delilah S. Dawson show up in the tour offerings for the month, I jumped at the chance to give it a read.

The concept is clever and I enjoy the ticking time clock on the course of events. It certainly keeps things interesting knowing that there's a finite point not far ahead and a lot for the main character, Anna, to deal with.. if there's hope of resolution.

While the story is good and the characters are likeable, I find for me personally.. the prose to be just a bit simple. I believe the author is just trying to set the tone to match Anna's age, but her voice doesn't change much between the opening pages when she's a mere 10 year old girl, to the core of the story.. six years later. Despite her whirlwind organizational skills, she seems the same in the way she communicates and processes thoughts.

Ironically, this is a young adult story with definitive young adult themes, some of which are relatively dark. But the style of writing just makes it feel younger. I'd still recommend it as a read, but I'd also suggest adjusting your expectations of the way it's told and how things unfold.

Nonetheless, I really enjoyed it. Anna is a sweet, if needy girl and Max is quite disarmingly charming. The dynamic between the others who run the hotel is filled with tension and the place has a lovely old eerie quality to it. 

About the Author:

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Delilah S. Dawson is the New York Times-bestselling author of Star Wars: Phasma, Black Spire: Galaxy’s Edge, and The Perfect Weapon. With Kevin Hearne, she writes the Tales of Pell. As Lila Bowen, she writes the Shadow series, beginning with Wake of Vultures. Her other books include the Blud series, the Hit series, and Servants of the Storm.

She’s written comics in the worlds of Marvel Action: Spider-Man, Lore’s Wellington, Star Wars Adventures, Star Wars Forces of Destiny, The X-Files Case Files, Adventure Time, Rick and Morty, and her creator-owned comics include Star Pig, Ladycastle, and Sparrowhawk.