Must-read romances: 'The Cage,' 'Hold Me Like a Breath,' 'Daughter of Deep Silence'
The Cage by Megan Shepherd
What it's about (courtesy of Balzer + Bray):
When Cora Mason wakes in a desert, she doesn't know where she is or who put her there. As she explores, she finds an impossible mix of environments—tundra next to desert, farm next to jungle, and a strangely empty town cobbled together from different cultures—all watched over by eerie black windows. And she isn't alone.
Four other teenagers have also been taken: a beautiful model, a tattooed smuggler, a secretive genius, and an army brat who seems to know too much about Cora's past. None of them have a clue as to what happened, and all of them have secrets. As the unlikely group struggles for leadership, they slowly start to trust each other. But when their mysterious jailer—a handsome young guard called Cassian—appears, they realize that their captivity is more terrifying than they could ever imagine: Their captors aren't from Earth. And they have taken the five teenagers for an otherworldly zoo—where the exhibits are humans.
As a forbidden attraction develops between Cora and Cassian, she realizes that her best chance of escape might be in the arms of her own jailer—though that would mean leaving the others behind. Can Cora manage to save herself and her companions? And if so ... what world lies beyond the walls of their cage?
Why you should read it: This book is crazy. It made me feel like I was the one imprisoned. I was right there alongside Cora, thinking other people were spies, falling for Lucky, feeling betrayed by Lucky, falling for Cassian, and the enclosure! At first I thought the book was a bit shallow. We had the stereotypical strong heroine, the good guy with a secret, the genius nerd, the beautiful manipulating girl, the strong slight bully and then the alien who seemed to reach inside of Cora. I was like, Ah, I get it, I know what's going to happen. But the story is interesting enough that I kept reading because I enjoyed it, and then, Bam! The last fourth of the book throws off everything — I mean, everything. I didn't see any of it coming, not where each person ends up, not how Cora ends up, and I really like Cassian, though I'm probably alone (I always choose the wrong guy). Now I want the next book in the series ASAP and have to wait another year. This is definitely a recommend. It's a great start to, hopefully, a continuation of the excitement and craziness Megan leaves readers and Cora with. I also think having a scene or novella from Cassian's POV would really make him a sympathetic character!
What Megan Shepherd has to say …
Tell us about Cassian and Cora's forbidden attraction.
Megan: Well, the whole "interspecies alien dating" thing is a bit taboo, granted! But more than that, what keeps them apart is that Cassian is Cora's captor — he took her from Earth and is keeping her trapped in a contained environment. The real moral questions come in when you realize there's a possibility humans destroyed Earth. So is he their captor, or their savior?
What are you currently working on?
Megan: I'm putting the finishing touches on the sequel to The Cage. I'm also very excited to have sold my first middle-grade book, The Secret Horses of Briar Hill, which will come out in fall 2016 from Random House.
Favorite line from The Cage?
Megan:
Stars. He had given her the stars.
Because really, how could you not be intrigued by a guy who has the actual power to do that?
Hold Me Like a Breath by Tiffany Schmidt
What it's about (courtesy of Bloomsbury):
Penelope Landlow has grown up with the knowledge that almost anything can be bought or sold—including body parts. She's the daughter of one of the three crime families that control the black market for organ transplants.
Penelope's surrounded by all the suffocating privilege and protection her family can provide, but they can't protect her from the autoimmune disorder that causes her to bruise so easily.
And in her family's line of work no one can be safe forever.
All Penelope has ever wanted is freedom and independence. But when she's caught in the crossfire as rival families scramble for prominence, she learns that her wishes come with casualties, that betrayal hurts worse than bruises, that love is a risk worth taking ... and maybe she's not as fragile as everyone thinks.
Why you should read it: This has been the month of awesome YAs, and Hold Me Like a Breath is a good one! Penelope is such an interesting heroine. She's not normal and has a terrible disease that doesn't allow her to live her life the way she wants or longs for. She's this dichotomy of caution and risk. I loved reading about her fantasies, her hopes and, of course, her family. Pen's love interests are also beautiful in their own way. Both Char and Garrett light up Pen in different ways, and hopefully in the next book we'll be get some more nice moments alone and some more sizzle. The first half of the book does seem a bit long, though the second half flies by with a lot of action. Pen's transformation — or, revealing, as I like to think of it — is beautiful and kept me wrapped up in the story long after the last page. I can't wait to get the sequel … There is a sequel, right??
What Tiffany Schmidt has to say …
Tell us about the two love interests Char and Garrett.
Tiffany: Handsome and charming Garrett is the boy next door, who's not at all boy-next-door wholesome. He's grown up watching over and protecting the extremely sheltered Penny Landlow, but neither of them are children anymore.
Romance is the last thing Penny expects when Char slams into her life, but she's so attracted to the way he listens to and values her opinions. She's so attracted to him ... but everything she has to tell him is a lie.
What are you currently working on?
Tiffany: I'm gearing up to finish the final round of edits on the second book in the Once Upon a Crime Family series. Break Me Like a Promise will be out in spring 2016, and I can't wait for Magnolia Grace Vickers to stomp and storm her way into readers' hearts.
Favorite line from Hold Me Like a Breath?
Tiffany:
Who cared if it was blood money—my whole life was blood-soaked.
Daughter of Deep Silence by Carrie Ryan
What it's about (courtesy of Dutton Books for Young Readers):
I'm the daughter of murdered parents.
I'm the friend of a dead girl.
I'm the lover of my enemy.
And I will have my revenge.
In the wake of the devastating destruction of the luxury yacht Persephone, just three souls remain to tell its story—and two of them are lying. Only Frances Mace knows the terrifying truth, and she'll stop at nothing to avenge the murders of everyone she held dear. Even if it means taking down the boy she loves and possibly losing herself in the process.
Sharp and incisive, Daughter of Deep Silence by bestselling author Carrie Ryan is a deliciously smart revenge thriller that examines perceptions of identity, love, and the lengths to which one girl is willing to go when she thinks she has nothing to lose.
Why you should read it: Carrie Ryan had me with The Forest of Hands and Teeth. Her gritty (hah, overused word, I know) characters and horrible events just dragged something out of me. Daughter of Deep Silence is just as crazy and emotional. Just watching/reading Libby/Frances and her falling or refalling for Gray was intense. I was right there with her: I didn't know if I wanted her to spill everything to Gray, or hold him at arm's length. And that ending? Hope wrapped in secrets. I like that this isn't a love triangle (I thought it was between Shepherd and Gray), but it's twisted relationships. While romance isn't the driving force, the connection between Gray and Frances, even after everything, is palpable. I don't think even Gray realized that while he was falling for "Libby," his subconscious knew who she was, just like Shepherd also knew who she wasn't. If you're looking for a dark and very intense read, pick up any of Carrie Ryan's books, but especially this one. I'm choosing to overlook how "focused" Frances is and how Morales is willing to overlook everything, and instead tell you this is a crazy book that I've already told my family and friends about!
What Carrie Ryan has to say …
Tell us about Frances and Grey's complicated relationship.
Carrie: Angst! Oh, how I love writing the angst — there's so much delicious tension to it! Frances fell in love with Grey when she was a young teen (in that way you totally and completely fall in don't-tell-me-it's-not-forever! first love) and now, four years later, has come back pretending to be someone else to exact revenge for the role she thinks Grey's father played in the death of her parents. So, you know, it's complicated between them.
Frances has created this entirely new, very cold and calculated identity in order to exact revenge. But Grey speaks to the buried part of her who wants a second chance at love and warmth. So their relationship is really an internal struggle for her about what's important in life.
What are you currently working on?
Carrie: I'm super excited about the book I'm working on now! I don't want to say too much about it yet, except that it's another stand-alone contemporary YA and it's a story I've wanted to write for years. I think fans of my other books will definitely like this one as well! I'm also continuing to work on The Map to Everywhere, a middle-grade series I'm co-writing with my husband, John Parke Davis. The second book, City of Thirst, comes out this fall.
Favorite line from Daughter of Deep Silence?
Carrie: So tough to choose! But one of my favorites is this one:
"I am nothing except this: a girl reborn of the deep ocean silence, meant for nothing but vengeance."
And the reason I like it is because it's a play on the epigraph by Vittorio Alfieri, which is also the inspiration for the title: "Deep vengeance is the daughter of deep silence."
Jessie Potts, also known as Book Taster, adores books in all forms. She also does reviews for RT Book Reviews magazine and works in the submissions departments at Dreamspinner Press and Entangled YA. You can follow her on Twitter (@BookTaster).