Gateway Reviews

THE PRISON HEALER In the ten years since she arrived at Zalindov, Kiva has learned how to survive. She has rules, and she holds to them: keep her head down, don't make any attachments, and most importantly, hold onto hope. Hope is key. Zalindov may be the world's most brutal prison, but as long as she believes her family is still out there and coming for her, Kiva can survive. Kiva works as the prison's healer, a position given to her five years ago after the unfortunate demise of the last healer. She may be only seventeen, but she knows her breaths are numbered. Only the occasional coded note, slipped into the pockets of new inmates, keeps her going. But when a new inmate arrives unconscious and deathly ill, everything changes. The Rebel Queen herself is thrust into Kiva's care, and she's been scheduled to face the infamously deadly Trial by Ordeal. Along with the queen comes a new message: Kiva must keep the Rebel Queen...

EVERYONE DIES FAMOUS IN A SMALL TOWN In a small town, you are forever defined by the worst thing that ever happened to you. This short story cycle revolves around the lives of young people in small towns scattered across Alaska and the American West. Each story dives into the hidden drama of small town life, revealing what happens under the placid cover of spaces where seemingly nothing happens. From sled dogs and snow to wildfires and late-night rendezvouses, this book beautifully weaves together the lives of a group of American teens circa 1995. PROS Wild West The U.S. is a vast country, full of all sorts of regional distinctions. Even in small towns, these distinctions are apparent. A Midwest small town is vastly different than a Western town, and that distinction here is well-defined--in a good way. Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock fuels these small towns with their regional flare. From the sled dogs and snows of Alas...

THE FOREST OF STOLEN GIRLS It's been a year since Hwani saw her father, the famous Detective Min. It's been a year, and they've officially declared him dead. But Hwani hasn't given up on her father yet. Disguised as a young man, Hwani escapes from the claustrophobic household of her aunt and sneaks across the sea to the island of her childhood, the place where her father disappeared. Nowon Village hasn't been her home since the Forest Incident five years ago, when Hwani and her baby sister Maewol got lost in the woods only to be found hours later by the body of a dead girl, babbling about a man in a white mask. Now, thirteen more girls have gone missing in the woods. By the time Hwani arrives, the trail is cold, and the villagers colder--especially her estranged younger sister Maewol, left behind on the island when Hwani and her father left for the mainland. Maewol may know more than she thinks, though she isn't inter...

THE HALF-ORPHAN'S HANDBOOK The last place Lila wants to go this summer is camp. She simply wants to curl up, hide away, and pretend the rest of the world doesn't exist. It has only been a few months since her father's traumatic death, after all; she deserves a break. When Lila's mother finds a summer camp specifically for kids who have lost someone close, however, she insists that Lila and her baby brother Sammy attend. Lila agrees to give camp a chance for a single week--enough to appease her mother but not enough to make any attachments. Attachment only leads to hurt. She doesn't want the new friends that camp offers. She especially doesn't want the budding romance that bumps into her on her first day at camp, and she can fend these potential attachments off with one thought: at the end of the week, she never has to see them again. But when Lila gets caught breaking camp rules, she is given a choice: disappoint her ...

BLADE OF SECRETS Ziva prefers metal to people. She is renowned in the land for the blades she makes, blades infused with the magic her mother passed on to her. More and more strangers from across the land come in search of Ziva's blades, but her young sister and business partner Temra keeps them at a distance--which is a good thing. Ziva can't breathe when strangers are around. When a warlord comes seeking out her services, however, Ziva can barely refuse--and she doesn't really want to. She will get the bounty of a lifetime for the blade she makes, and she puts all of her energy into one final creation: a blade that steals the victim's secrets. When Ziva learns that the warlord plans to use this blade to make a country of slaves, however, Ziva steals the sword. Along with her sister, a mercenary, and a traveling scholar, she flees for her life, the fate of the country in the balance. PROS ...

SHE'S TOO PRETTY TO BURN Veronica is bored. High school parties, high school drama: it's beneath her. Nothing is interesting--until she spots Mick. Mick is the most beautiful girl Veronica has ever seen. Tan, athletic: the only problem is Mick is photo shy, and for photographer Veronica, that is a problem indeed. Veronica needs Mick's picture, and she gets it: a candid shot on a moving train right after their first kiss. Veronica promises Mick the photo won't go anywhere, but Veronica shares it anyway. When the photograph goes viral, Mick and Veronica are thrust into a world of high art and exhibitions. For Veronica, the backstage scene of artists and installations is old news, but for Mick, it is brand new. Mick just wants to survive high school. Mick doesn't want fame. She doesn't want her photo all over the internet. But when Mick's mother kicks her out of the house, she dives fully into the world that will wel...

FIREKEEPER'S DAUGHTER Daunis Fontaine is caught between two worlds: the Zhaaganaash world of her mother and GrandMary and the Anishinaabe world of her Firekeeper father. She dreams of college, where she can do more than straddle a line--where she can marry her maternal quest for higher education and her paternal knowledge of traditional medicine. But before Daunis can leave home, family tragedy strikes. To support her mother, Daunis suspends her studies and remains caught between two worlds. At least she has the chance to meet Jaime, the new superstar recruit of her brother's hockey team. Daunis and Jaime hit it off, but she senses that he's hiding something from her--from everyone. Before Daunis can figure out what he's holding back, she witnesses a shocking murder that completely upsets her world and thrusts her into a new reality, a reality in which the FBI needs her help. Drawing on her knowledge of chemistry and traditi...