We sat down with Mystery/Thriller author April Henry to discuss reaching reluctant readers, avoiding soft censorship of books with uncomfortable topics, and the extreme lengths to which she goes to research her novels! Find In The Blood May 12 from Christy Ottaviano Books/Little, Brown, and Company!
“The reader’s imagination is much more powerful”
-April Henry
Ilse has known since childhood that she was different from the other girls and women in Heulensee; even her own mother looks at her differently. When the time comes to perform her rite in worship of the Saint of Fear, Ilse is unable to conjure the necessary terror within herself to satisfy the Saint that protects the town. Her failure puts her entire family in danger, particularly her sister Thea, whose life is threatened by the Saint as punishment for Ilse’s failure. When the town turns against her, she flees into the Hexenwald, a forest from which nobody returns. With her sister’s life hanging in the balance, Ilse must confront her true nature to survive the Hexenwald and save her sister.
Season of Fear is a high-stakes dark fantasy with strong, well-developed characters and a fast-moving plot. While the main storyline focuses on Ilse’s bid to save her sister, the action-packed plot incorporates a compelling Sapphic romance as a strong subplot.
Readers who enjoy rooting for strong, but believably flawed female main characters and don’t mind a bit of gory violence will devour this thrilling tale. Read-Alikes include My Throat an Open Grave by Tori Bovalino and A Girl Walks Into the Forest by Madeleine Roux.
-Katy Henderson
Eighteen-year-old Eternity Price is on death row, so she decides to take her chances and become a contestant on the country’s most popular reality TV shows, Last Chance Live!, a show where the winner is forgiven of their crimes and can go back to society, but all of the contestants voted off the show are executed within a week. On the show, Eternity must convince the country that she deserves a second chance, but when she begins making strong connections with fellow contests and finds herself with friends for the first time in her life, she must grapple with the tough decision of whether she should take the risk and betray the only friends she’s ever had to survive, or protect her new found companions, no matter the cost.
Last Chance Live! has strong character development and will keep teens on their toes while also addressing some of the social issues in the criminal justice system. Mature teens interested in social justice, dystopias, and that liked Squid Games will enjoy this book.
Readers of The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, Truth Is… by Hannah V. Sawyerr, and The Story of My Anger by Jasminne Mendez will enjoy this book.
-Amy Kilkenny
Last Chance Live! is the most popular reality show in America—and eighteen-year-old death row inmate Eternity Price’s last chance to live. Getting cast on the show could win her clemency preventing her execution… if she can convince the viewing audience she deserves a second chance. The catch? If America doesn’t vote for her, she loses the chance to appeal her sentence, and she’ll be executed within a week of being eliminated from the show. And since Eternity’s been unpopular her whole life, she’s terrified America won’t pick her. But any chance of getting out of prison and back to her little brother Sincere, no matter how slim, is better than rotting away in her cell.
Eternity never expected to find her first real friends in a reality TV house full of people battling for survival after being convicted of capital crimes, but that’s exactly what happens. So when she gets the opportunity to sabotage them and secure her own victory, she has a choice to make: protect the friendships and acceptance she’s always longed for at the cost of her own life, or sacrifice her newfound community. Eternity must ultimately decide what forgiveness, family, and freedom mean to her, and how far she’ll go to win a game where the stakes are literally life or death.
This is one of those audiobook performances where the narrator doesn’t just read the story, she builds it moment by moment. What stood out most is the way she uses tension in her voice. There’s deliberate pacing throughout: slight pauses, subtle shifts in tone, and a tightening of delivery that mirrors the stakes of the story. You can feel when something is about to go wrong before it even happens. It’s not overdone or dramatic in a distracting way; instead, it’s controlled and intentional, which makes the suspense land even harder.
In high-stakes moments, her voice sharpens just enough to raise your pulse, while quieter scenes carry an undercurrent of unease that keeps you leaning in. That balance is tough to pull off, but she nails it. The emotional beats hit because the tension is always present, just beneath the surface. If you’re an audiobook listener who appreciates narration that actively elevates the story, this one is very well done.
Fans of Black Mirror and Squid Games will be on the edges of their seats with this one!
-Amanda Hunt
Brooklynite Kaylani is off to spend the summer in Martha’s Vineyard in a gigantic old house with her parents’ friends. She’d much rather be studying for a pre-law camp to assist her incarcerated dad, but her parents both insist a little R&R is exactly what Kaylani needs. The island is filled with amazing sights and lots of history; however, the snobby sisters Kaylani is staying with don’t exactly make her feel welcome. Just when Kaylani starts to settle in and meet a few kids her age, a local teen turns up dead. The community immediately thinks it must have been a drowning or a shark attack. Kaylani and her friends aren’t convinced. Can they prove it was murder? And what will happen if Kaylani gets too close to the truth?
This propulsive YA thriller for younger teen readers combines suspense with important social justice topics in Jackson’s classic style. With concise scene-setting details like a spooky looming mansion set in an idyllic summer destination, readers will quickly get pulled into the mystery and drama. Kaylani is a relatable and curious character whom readers will find themselves rooting for.
Hand this book to teens who want a short murder mystery that is light on gory details. Fans of We Were Liars by E. Lockhart or The Liars Society by Alyson Gerber will enjoy this quickly-paced thriller.
–Lily Mayfield
13-year-old Xavier “Zay” goes with his dad and pregnant step-mom to their lake cottage for a typical family holiday, until they wake up the next morning in a replica of the cottage on a goat farm with not a soul around them. They do not know exactly how they got there, but that there is some sort of dome around them, and sometimes are gifted supplies or animals by their unseen captures. Three years later a new family appears, and now 16-year-old Zay is excited at the prospects of being around a girl his age, however the family is led by a conspiracy theorist who will do anything to get his family free, even if that means harm to Zay and his family.
The novel immediately puts the reader on edge with a thick atmosphere of suspense and danger. Zay is a relatable character for teen readers as he navigates forced farm life during his teen years. The social commentary that comes with the new family appearing might seem a little a little heavy handed at times, but adds to the story and makes it one that leaves the reader thinking about it long after finishing it in one setting.
Fans of this read will enjoy Dry by Neal Shusterman and This Moth Saw Brightness by A. A. Vacharat as well.
-Molly Dettmann
The Selected Lists teams read throughout the year in search of the best titles published in their respective categories. Once a book is suggested (either internally or through the title suggestion form), it must pass through a review process to be designated an official nomination.
Each week, the teams feature a review of one of the officially nominated titles. Additional titles to receive this designation are listed as well. At year’s end, the team will curate a final list from all nominated titles and select a Top Ten.
The Best Fiction for Young Adults Committee appreciates teen feedback as members evaluate the nominated titles. Teen librarians are encouraged to share the List of Potential Nominees under consideration with their patrons and solicit feedback using the link: tinyurl.com/bfya2026
As the whole county gears up for the annual Dragonslayer Tournament, a jousting competition among knights, young Lady Isobelle is dismayed to find out that she and her dowry have been named the grand prize for the winning knight. In a nearby village, a blacksmith’s daughter named Gwen has been crafting her own armor and weapons with the intention of somehow finding her way into the tournament to prove to herself that she has what it takes to become a knight. When Isobelle and Gwen meet at the market, they’re curiously drawn to each other and Isobelle comes up with a plan that accidentally dovetails nicely with Gwen’s dreams of being a knight. Gwen will pose as Sir Gawain, carrying the favor of none other than Lady Isobelle. Outside of the tournament, Gwen will be Gawain’s sister. The goal: win the tournament and save Isobelle from a miserable marriage, a prospect that becomes ever more urgent as sparks fly between Isobelle and Gwen. What could possibly go wrong?
This anachronistic historical fantasy is a hilarious, unabashedly feminist, sapphic romp. The omniscient third-person narration rotates between Isobelle and Gwen’s perspectives with occasional fourth-wall-breaking interludes from the narrator, keeping the pace moving at a fast clip. Readers will be drawn in by the chemistry between the two leads, but what really sets this fantasy apart is the clever subversion of typical fantasy tropes that will keep readers on their toes – and laughing out loud – until the action-packed end.
The teen reader who would most appreciate this title is the teen who loves some humor and social commentary along with their fantasy. Fans of Lady’s Knight would find similar energy in the Lady Janies series by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows, Lex Croucher’s Not For the Faint of Heart and the Montague Siblings series by Mackenzi Lee.
— Courtney Waters
The Selected Lists teams read throughout the year in search of the best titles published in their respective categories. Once a book is suggested (either internally or through the title suggestion form), it must pass through a review process to be designated an official nomination.
Each week, the teams feature a review of one of the officially nominated titles. Additional titles to receive this designation are listed as well. At year’s end, the team will curate a final list from all nominated titles and select a Top Ten.
The Best Fiction for Young Adults Committee appreciates teen feedback as members evaluate the nominated titles. Teen librarians are encouraged to share the List of Potential Nominees under consideration with their patrons and solicit feedback using the link: tinyurl.com/bfya2026
After a young man is killed by a police officer after allegedly stealing, a peaceful protest in the local neighborhood takes place. Uncomfortable at the thought, Cooper accompanies his “big brother” Jason and other friends to loot some of the local stores. A woman is shot and killed and Jason is the prime suspect.
This fast paced mystery will keep readers hooked. Additionally, readers will relate to Cooper’s guilt over keeping secrets from his father, his friends and his crush. This book also has a social justice component that will appeal to readers. It is a reasonable length and will appeal to reluctant readers.
Fans of the author’s work Promise Boys as well as readers who enjoy a mystery mixed with social justice themes will enjoy this book. This book will appeal to fans of Nic Stone as well as Angie Thomas and Jason Reynolds.
– Melissa Palmer
The Selected Lists teams read throughout the year in search of the best titles published in their respective categories. Once a book is suggested (either internally or through the title suggestion form), it must pass through a review process to be designated an official nomination.
Each week, the teams feature a review of one of the officially nominated titles. Additional titles to receive this designation are listed as well. At year’s end, the team will curate a final list from all nominated titles and select a Top Ten.
The Best Fiction for Young Adults Committee appreciates teen feedback as members evaluate the nominated titles. Teen librarians are encouraged to share the List of Potential Nominees under consideration with their patrons and solicit feedback using the link: tinyurl.com/bfya2026
Check out our blogpost for more resources!
A new pandemic is sweeping across the world. But this virus is different. People who recover from Crown Royale find themselves content and happy. The new mindset rattles economies and the traditional power structure. Three teens find themselves involved in an international power struggle between forces that want to use the virus to enlighten the human race and those determined to maintain the status quo.
The book balances a fast-paced storyline with thoughtful character development. Schusterman once again uses dystopian themes to explore the human condition, just as he did in the Arc of the Scythe trilogy. Readers will be drawn into the moral complexities, left questioning whether either side truly has humanity’s best interests at heart.
Readers who enjoy a mix of inner turmoil and high-stakes plots will enjoy this book. Fans of Shusterman’s previous works, specifically Dry and Arc of the Scythe, won’t be disappointed. Consider recommending this to readers who would enjoy Plagueland by Alex Scarrow without the gore.
– Cathy DeCampli
The Selected Lists teams read throughout the year in search of the best titles published in their respective categories. Once a book is suggested (either internally or through the title suggestion form), it must pass through a review process to be designated an official nomination.
Each week, the teams feature a review of one of the officially nominated titles. Additional titles to receive this designation are listed as well. At year’s end, the team will curate a final list from all nominated titles and select a Top Ten.
The Best Fiction for Young Adults Committee appreciates teen feedback as members evaluate the nominated titles. Teen librarians are encouraged to share the List of Potential Nominees under consideration with their patrons and solicit feedback using the link: tinyurl.com/bfya2026
Teresa has been trapped in her bedroom because of panic attacks resulting from a car accident that she survived and her best friend did not. Finding her place online as a streamer has given her friends, purpose, and a refuge from her anxiety – until she witnesses a bizarre incident online. Teresa investigates, the phenomenon spreads, and she becomes the next target.
Readers are immediately pulled into the online action, questioning whether a creepy figure appearing online and prompting streamers to “open the door” is a psychological, physical, or supernatural phenomenon. The text is interspersed with chat logs, text messages, video descriptions, and screenshots, providing an easily readable and digestible format.
Teen readers who are looking for lots of dialogue and a gripping suspense story will appreciate this title. This is a strong thriller with plenty of mystery and horror moments throughout. Deadstream is comparable to other YA techno-horror titles like Such Lovely Skin by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne and The Glare by Margot Harrison.
–Emily Williams
