Reviews written by Samantha Randolph

Shade loves her best friend, Jadis. They do and share everything together, but there's one thing that Shade wants that Jadis doesn't approve of: a spot on the cheerleading team. When Shade makes the team, she's thrust into a new group of friends, including the three Chloes. The three Chloes...

Hazel has been able to see ghosts since she was a kid, but the most frightening ghost (or creature?) she's seen is the one in her grandmother's old house. The dark shadow there always seemed to smile, and as her grandmother's health weakens, she believes the shadow is to blame....

Pahua Moua doesn't exactly fit in with her classmates. Her closest friends are her younger brother and a cat spirit that no one else can see. When she gets the chance to make new friends, she accidentally unleashes a powerful spirit who steals her brother's soul. Attempting to channel her...

In Disney's latest Twisted Tale, Rapunzel's mother doesn't drink from the sunflower: instead, she drinks from the moondrop flower. Instead of healing, Rapunzel now has the power to hurt and kill with her silver hair. Taken away by Mother Gothel who convinces the king and queen it's for the safety...

12-year-old Agatha lived her whole life believing she was the daughter of the Earl of Gosswater until Clarence, her 'cousin' who inherited the estate after the Earl's death, kicked her out to live with her real father, a goose farmer. In her new small home with a man she barely...

In 1893 Chicago, Jewish boys are disappearing. At first, Alter Rosen thinks that they have left for different opportunities like many boys have done, but when dead bodies start showing up, including that of his best friend, Yakov, he knows something is up. To make matters more complicated, Alter has...

The island of Envecor is cursed. They say Time and Death fell in love, and their love resulted in a place where people are immortal and carry their hearts outside their bodies. They may only ever change and leave the island if they find their soulmate. Psyche is a Heart...

Sisters Elizabeth and Tess are forced to live in a neighborhood where debt collectors can’t take you to jail because of Tess’s debt. Elizabeth works odd jobs to help put food on their table, but she knows that the real, life-changing money is in bare-knuckle boxing. However, 18th century London...

Zee loves telling stories, especially the spooky kind. That might be the reason why when she does start seeing strange things like scary hounds and ghosts, people aren’t eager to believe her. Branded the mean nickname “Ghost Girl” by Nellie, the most popular girl in school, Zee’s only true...

A daughter and a son live with their father in a small, dying village in 1345 China. The son, Zhu Chongba, is predicted to have a fate seeped in such greatness that generations upon generations will know his name. The daughter, however, is predicted to have a fate of nothingness....

When Andromeda is denied the chance to make her debtera training official, she accepts a job most other debtera have refused: cleansing Magnus Rochester’s manor of the Evil Eye. If she can succeed, she will have a patronage and can then make her living as a debtera. Within her first...

The June 1, 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre is an event few know about, though it was one of the most violent acts of white supremacy in US history. Brandy Colbert’s BLACK BIRDS IN THE SKY examines what lead to the events of June 1st, what exactly happened that day, and...

Robber Girl wants to help Gentleman Jack get his gold and live with him and Grandmother. When they attempt to take the gold, however, it ends up being a trap. Gentleman Jack is arrested, and Robber Girl is taken into the Judge’s custody. Robber Girl, now called Starling, has a...

Quinn and Cora used to be best friends. When Quinn’s brother killed Cora’s sister in a school shooting, they stopped speaking. Now months later, Quinn leaves Cora a birthday gift on her doorstep: articles about time travel and wormholes. Quinn is convinced that, with Cora’s help, they can open a...

EVERYONE DIES FAMOUS IN A SMALL TOWN is a collection of interconnected short stories that focus on teen life in small towns, specifically ones in Alaska and Colorado, in the 1990s. Each story shifts to a different character, but there is a consistent thread of relation (like the best friend...