Gateway Reviews

RIOT ACT Max Bowl is dead. He's pretty damn aware of that fact, too. It isn't exactly his choice to be hanging around the world of the living after the fact, but it wasn't his choice to die in the first place, either. He's got the new U.S. government to thank for that. Stuck following his best friend around like an unseen shadow, Max can't help but want to warn her. There are more secrets at play than Gigi realizes, and nobody's safe. Max's death speaks to that. But no matter how hard he tries, Gigi can't hear Max's warnings--and she's got plans of her own. Gigi's a theatre kid at heart. They all are (were), and they've gotten in trouble before for putting on now-banned plays--plays that push a little too hard at the new authoritarian government in place. But it's 1991, her best friend is dead, and Gigi is running out of things to lose. What's a little rebellion gonna cost her, right?

EIGHTEEN ROSES Lucia Cruz isn't the debutante type. Plus she doesn't exactly have the friends for a traditional Filipino debut anyway. She'd need at least eighteen of those to fill out her posse, and she's got exactly one. And she doesn't want more than that. When an argument sparks between Luz and her best friend, Luz's grand total of friends goes to exactly zero. And on top of that, Luz finds out that her mom has planned a debutante ball behind her back. One that Luz can't exactly back out of, considering her grandma will be flying in all the way from the Philippines to attend. Forced to cobble together a court of eighteen "friends" on short notice, Luz can't exactly stay in her comfort zone. And branching out might mean the unthinkable: participating in an after-school club. And joining a club means finding something Luz is good at. Which isn't exactly an easy task.

NEAR MISSES & COWBOY KISSES Riley Thomas doesn't want to be here. A weeklong Oregon Trail excursion with her family is not her ideal summer vacation. And knowing that she'll have to stay in Nebraska even when the week is done, since her parents decided to uproot the family when the school year finished up? Well, it's definitely not the senior year she had in mind, either. Plus the airline lost her luggage, so she'll be spending the week in rural gas station clothes--yippee. Colton Walker, on the other hand, is no stranger to long treks into the Great Plains. His family runs guided tours, pioneer wagons and all, every summer. Colton tolerates the tourists. But there's nothing better than a night out alone under the stars, just him and his horse. So when he runs into Riley Thomas the day before they're set to head out on the trail, he isn't impressed. He knows a prairie princess when he sees one--California tourist g

IT'S ONLY A GAME Marina Chan has a secret: "Marina Chan" isn't her name at all. Marina Chan isn't real, and the real girl she left behind when she ran away from her old life is better left in the past. Marina's been careful to keep any hints of that girl from slipping through the cracks. That's why she doesn't have any friends. Except for her online gaming teammates, that is. But it's not like they've ever met in person. Until this weekend. Marina knows meeting up is a risk, but it's a risk she's willing to take. Being on the run is kind of lonely. Plus, it's not like she can turn down an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of her favorite gaming studio, even if that means risking her old identity slipping through. But the tour of the studio goes awry when the head of the company--and the creator of their favorite game--is murdered, leaving Marina and her teammates the only witnesses. Whoeve

SLEEP LIKE DEATH Eve has trained all her life to take down the Knight. Crackling with dark and violent magic, Eve knows this is the task she was born to do. She has to avenge her mother, whose desperate wish the Knight twisted. Just like he twists all the wishes of those who dare to seek him. Only the desperate--and foolish--would seek out the Knight. An ancient evil wandering the countryside as long as anyone can remember, any wish he grants gets twisted into a dark curse instead. All across the land, families bear the scars he leaves behind. So when Eve gets wind that the Knight and his corrupt bargains have made their way back into her borders, she knows it's time to act. But even though Eve has been training all her life, her mother, Queen Regina, doesn't want her to go. And when Queen Regina starts acting strangely, Eve knows that the Knight's dark tendrils have stretched farther than even she could have guessed.

THE COLOR OF A LIE That's the thing about being in your own skin: nothing else fits the same. Calvin knows how to pass as White. He's done it before to snag food from diners where he and his friends weren't allowed. But moving to a Whites Only suburb is an entirely different ballgame. Moving here wasn't exactly Calvin's choice. It was his dad's decision, in response to... what happened back home in the city. And hiding your true identity, Calvin quickly learns, is exhausting. Nobody can know him, not the real Calvin, and everyone who gets close feels like a threat. He can only guess what they'd do if they found out. As much as his father would like him to embrace their new white lifestyle and move on, Calvin can't deny who he is. And there's trouble brewing already. When Calvin catches wind of a school integration movement taking root just under the noses of town leadership, he can't help but get involved... eve