Reviews in a Minute: April 4th Releases

These books all release on April 4th! I am trying to get them posted by then. Depending on when you read this, maybe I succeeded!

The Immeasurable Depth of You by Maria Ingrande Mora
The Way of the Cicadas by Audrey Henley
Funeral Songs for Dying Girls by Cherie Dimaline
Camp Zero by Michelle Min Sterling
The Scourge Between Stars by Ness Brown
Paradise-1 by David Wellington

The Immeasurable Depth of You by Maria Ingrande Mora
Published by Peachtree Teen on April 4, 2023
Pages: 352
Format:eARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Netgalley

"Raw and compassionate." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Brynn's story blooms with hope and fierce love, and every step feels earned." —ALA Booklist (starred review)

How do you face your fears when everything is terrifying?

Fifteen-year-old Brynn can’t stop thinking about death. Her intrusive thoughts and severe anxiety leave her feeling helpless—and hopeless. So after her mom interprets one of Brynn’s blog posts as a suicide note, she takes extreme measures, confiscating Brynn’s phone, blocking her Internet access, and banishing her to stay with her father who lives “off the grid” on a houseboat in the Florida mangroves. Isolated from her online friends—her only friends—Brynn resigns herself to a summer of mind-numbing boredom and loneliness… until Skylar appears.

Skylar is everything Brynn isn’t—sultry, athletic, and confident. Yet Brynn feels at home around this fearless girl who pushes her to try new things and makes her belly flutter with nerves that have nothing to do with anxiety. When Brynn discovers that Skylar is trapped in the bayou and can’t tell her why, she resolves to free her new crush from the dark waters, even if it means confronting all of her worst fears.

In the devastating but uplifting tradition of Adam Silvera and Nova Ren Suma comes a queer supernatural coming-of-age story from acclaimed author Maria Ingrande Mora.

TW via author note: “This book contains depictions of anxiety, depression, intrusive thoughts, internalized ableism, grief, suicidal ideation, panic attacks, and homophobia from teen peers. It also deals with the description of and aftermath of suicide.”

This book was so very quietly lovely, at once heartbreaking and heartwarming. Brynn has been struggling with her mental health, and her mom has taken some of her online communications as a cry for help. So, she sends Brynn to Florida to spend the summer with her semi-estranged father. Brynn isn’t tickled, as you can imagine, especially since she’s been banned from the internet. (Sidenote: I don’t think this is great parenting, though I do understand that Brynn’s mom was desperate and worried, but. I really don’t recommend this.)

Brynn’s anxiety obviously isn’t cured by a trip to off-the-grid houseboat in Florida, so she’s still struggling- maybe even more so without a support system. Her dad is definitely trying, but it’s a lot. I don’t know about you, but I would not be tickled to spend my summer in a musty humid houseboat with no connection to the outside world and/or technology. Brynn spends a lot of her time hanging out in the bayou, and there she meets Skylar. Skylar’s story is far more complex than Brynn bargains for, however.

I felt a connection to Brynn, because a lot of her anxieties and fears were my anxieties and fears, especially her intrusive thoughts and panic about death. That one really resonated with me, and my goodness, what I wouldn’t have done for a book that addressed this when I was Brynn’s age! I mean, even as an adult, I felt so understood by Brynn, imagine what Teen Me would have thought- because I was pretty sure I was the only person having these disruptive thoughts, and to know I wasn’t alone? That would have been everything.

Brynn spends a lot of time focusing inward on her trip, but also learning to let others (like her father and his wonderful girlfriend) in to lighten the load. I loved her journey, and I loved the family aspect of the story. Skylar’s role in this story is important, but Brynn’s role in her own recovery is really the shining star of the story.

Bottom Line: Such a lovely, quiet gem about mental health that will certainly make readers feel less alone, more empathetic, or more likely, both.

The Way of the Cicadas by Audrey Henley
Published by Monodon Books on April 4, 2023
Format:eARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Netgalley

An amnesiac survivor proves the outside’s habitability and spurs a group of bunker-borns on a gritty journey through an irradiated wasteland in this tense and poignant post-apocalyptic—perfect for fans of The 100 and Station Eleven.

Ten years after nuclear war devastated the United States, Hayden is bored of the meager rations, recycled air, and sterile light of the bunker he’s called home since childhood.

But when Brita, a mysterious woman with no long-term memory, becomes the first outsider to stumble upon the bunker, she proves to the underground city that the surface isn’t as hostile as those in power let on. Her arrival sets off a chain reaction that causes Hayden, Brita, and a handful of other residents to emerge.

The outside world is teeming with life, but also with danger they never anticipated. After an outside survivor betrays the group, they’re imprisoned by a military faction with the key to Brita’s identity. For Hayden to save his friends, he must uncover a past Brita would rather never remember—along with secrets the bunker sheltered them from all these years.

A lyrical near-future post-apocalyptic novel with an ensemble cast featuring government conspiracies and secret military technology set in the Nevada desert.

TW: “For a full list of trigger warnings, please visit audreyhenley.com/triggers”

This book was compared to The 100, so I needed to read it. I suppose that is scary, that I will legit read anything that claims it is akin to The 100 but here we are. It is also compared to Station Eleven, and I loved that too, so obviously. Here’s the thing: I loved those shows way more than the books, which is something that kind of comes into play here.

See, I do think that those are fair comps to this story. In fact, as I thought about it, The Way of the Cicadas actually has a very similar vibe especially to The 100– but the Kass Morgan The 100, not the cannibalistic, body snatching, culling-addicted, genocidal The 100. And that isn’t a bad thing even! It is just… something to be aware of? This story is just a bit more on the level of the book. Tamer, I suppose? Perhaps younger? (It was listed as “adult fiction” on Netgalley, but I absolutely think it is YA.) Again, these are not bad things! Just things of note!

It is definitely an entertaining story, and has a lot of elements that I love. Things like:

Bunkers
Apocalypses
Being stuck in bunkers during apocalypses
Not knowing who to trust
“No good choices”
And more!

So yeah, the comps definitely fit here. And like I said, I was certainly entertained. It is a pretty fast moving book, and I enjoyed the world. My biggest qualm would be that the characters felt a bit one dimensional. I didn’t feel much of a connection to them, and it was sometimes hard to keep track of who was who because they didn’t have a ton of like, distinct personality traits.

But as a whole, this was definitely more positive than negative, and I liked far more than I didn’t, so I consider that a win!

Bottom Line: It was certainly entertaining and kept me interested throughout, though the characters weren’t quite as strong as I’d have liked.

Funeral Songs for Dying Girls by Cherie Dimaline
Published by Tundra Books (NY) on April 4, 2023
Pages: 280
Format:eARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Netgalley

After inadvertently starting rumors of a haunted cemetery, a teen befriends a ghost in this brand-new young adult novel exploring Indigenous identity from the critically acclaimed and bestselling author of The Marrow Thieves series.

Winifred has lived in the apartment above the cemetery office with her father, who works in the crematorium all her life, close to her mother's grave. With her sixteenth birthday only days away, Winifred has settled into a lazy summer schedule, lugging her obese Chihuahua around the grounds in a squeaky red wagon to visit the neglected gravesides and nursing a serious crush on her best friend, Jack.

Her habit of wandering the graveyard at all hours has started a rumor that Winterson Cemetery might be haunted. It's welcome news since the crematorium is on the verge of closure and her father's job being outsourced. Now that the ghost tours have started, Winifred just might be able to save her father's job and the only home she's ever known, not to mention being able to stay close to where her mother is buried. All she has to do is get help from her con-artist cousin to keep up the rouse and somehow manage to stop her father from believing his wife has returned from the grave. But when Phil, an actual ghost of a teen girl who lived and died in the ravine next to the cemetery, starts showing up, Winifred begins to question everything she believes about life, love and death. Especially love.

I have truly adored every book of Cherie Dimaline’s that I have read before. And this book had some really and truly lovely moments. But as an overall story, it just didn’t fully work for me. I liked it I suppose, but I didn’t fall in love with it as I had her other works.

First, I didn’t feel a huge connection to Winifred. I mean, I felt for her, of course, but I just didn’t totally get who she was as a person, if that makes sense? Like her story tugs at the heartstrings, absolutely no doubt about it. But… I just didn’t get who she was as a person beyond her loss, you know?

Another issue I had was the nonlinear writing. At times, I was unsure of whether something was happening in the past or present, because there weren’t really clear distinctions when one ended and the other began. Perhaps there will be more of a separation in the final book, but it took me out of the story a lot, as I was trying to determine when the heck a thing was happening.

I did really enjoy that there was a big focus on family relationships and personal growth. Winifred had a lot to overcome, and honestly at the start of the story she wasn’t particularly likable, but she did grow as a character. She does that through confronting her own past, and that is the part I really enjoyed. I enjoyed the ghost of Phil subplot less, however. I get that Phil was supposed to be a way for Winifred to kind of come face to face with her personal situation, but it almost seemed like… I don’t know, like a cheat maybe? I didn’t want to only know Phil as she related to Winifred, I guess is my point.

Now to address something I saw in many reviews before I started this book: the fatphobia claims. Look fam, I am quite sensitive to such a topic, and I legit saw like, one reference that wasn’t so great? But. To me, one offhanded comment does not equal “rampant fatphobia”. And, like I said, Winifred at the start of the story isn’t exactly the most likable anyway, so I was taking everything she said with a grain of salt anyway- she was a little judgy tbh. So yeah, I am just not seeing it, and if that worried you, I really wouldn’t let it dissuade you from reading this book.

I will say, I really loved the ending of the story. Obviously I can’t tell you much about it because endings, but it was satisfying and just the right blend of hope and emotion. And it made me feel good that I stuck with the story.

Bottom Line: This book had some really lovely moments, especially when it came to family matters. It didn’t quite hit for me, but neither did it miss.

Camp Zero by Michelle Min Sterling
Published by Atria Books on April 4, 2023
Pages: 304
Format:eARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Netgalley

In a near-future northern settlement, a handful of climate change survivors find their fates intertwined in this mesmerizing and transportive novel in the vein of Station Eleven and The Power.

In the far north of Canada sits Camp Zero, an American building project hiding many secrets.

Desperate to help her climate-displaced Korean immigrant mother, Rose agrees to travel to Camp Zero and spy on its architect in exchange for housing. She arrives at the same time as another newcomer, a college professor named Grant who is determined to flee his wealthy family’s dark legacy. Gradually, they realize that there is more to the architect than previously thought, and a disturbing mystery lurks beneath the surface of the camp. At the same time, rumors abound of an elite group of women soldiers living and working at a nearby Cold War-era climate research station. What are they doing there? And who is leading them?

An electrifying page-turner where nothing is as it seems, Camp Zero cleverly explores how the intersection of gender, class, and migration will impact who and what will survive in a warming world.

Where to begin with Camp Zero, which was absolutely one of my most anticipated books of the year, and a real Shannon Book™ in general? I mean, it had all the hallmarks of something I’d love: near-future dystopia, set in a remote locale with wonderfully messy characters, and a bizarrely wonderful secondary plot. And I liked it, I did! I just didn’t love it? I was… I daresay a tad bit underwhelmed at times? But again, this is not to say it isn’t good; it is just to say maybe I had different expectations.

What I Loved:

The different characters’ stories intersected beautifully. I love when you’re reading a book and things just… click. And I love that the author wove this story together in such a great way.
Speaking of weaving, talk about twists! This book had some great ones, some really messed up stuff that kept me wanting to keep reading.
I found what we knew of the world to be very fascinating. I do wish there had been a bit more worldbuilding, but what we do know I really enjoyed. Unsurprisingly, climate change has basically decimated the world, and so people have to find new ways to survive. That is my jam! Plus, I love that this book takes the characters to a cold, desolate locale. Definitely fits the vibe of the book.
The whole White Alice subplot was just so wonderfully weird! Seriously, I was so curious about what was going on there! It was messy and bizarre, and I probably would have read a whole entire book about those shenanigans.
I liked the backstory of Rose and her mom a lot. I think those moments were lovely, especially knowing that her mom is a big motivation for why Rose ended up coming to this place to begin with.

What I Struggled With:

The pacing just felt off to me. Like, there were times that I was really interested in the story, and then other parts that just felt like a slog. I think, especially in the middle, that there were some extraneous bits that if pared down, may have made the pacing better and more readable.
The whole tone just felt super bleak to me. And I love bleak! I am like, the queen of bleak! But this didn’t have enough warmer moments to offset that, basically. I love a dark book, but I also like to feel like the characters have something left to hope for, you know?
I think I’d have liked a few more answers? Like- the ending is an ending proper, don’t get me wrong, but I think there were just questions I had as a reader that were never fully answered, is my point.

Bottom Line: Pretty solid near future cautionary tale that ties the various characters’ stories together nicely.

The Scourge Between Stars by Ness Brown
Published by Tor Nightfire on April 4, 2023
Pages: 176
Format:eARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Netgalley

Ness Brown's The Scourge Between Stars is a tense, claustrophobic sci-fi/horror blend set aboard a doomed generation ship harboring something terrible within its walls.

As acting captain of the starship Calypso, Jacklyn Albright is responsible for keeping the last of humanity alive as they limp back to Earth from their forebears’ failed colony on a distant planet.

Faced with constant threats of starvation and destruction in the treacherous minefield of interstellar space, Jacklyn's crew has reached their breaking point. As unrest begins to spread throughout the ship’s Wards, a new threat emerges, picking off crew members in grim, bloody fashion.

Jacklyn and her team must hunt down the ship’s unknown intruder if they have any hope of making it back to their solar system alive.

I got really into this high stakes space story! And my only qualm is that I want more of said story. I loved the concept of the potentially last vestiges of humanity trying to keep themselves alive on a spaceship where pretty much everything that can go wrong does. They can’t go back to the colony they came from, because that did not go well. They are barely making it back to Earth, which is their end goal, and they don’t even know if it is still survivable. But, they aren’t even doing so great just staying alive in space, as it turns out, because well… something is happening aboard the ship. I won’t tell you what, because where’s the fun in that?

Jacklyn is an awesome main character, and she finds herself thrust into the captain’s role when her father (the official captain) basically locks himself in his room. She will clearly do anything she can to keep her people alive, and she’s willing to put her own ass on the line to do it. But she’s also in over her head, and she knows it. Not only are there some bizarre shenanigans happening on the ship, but the people of the ship are fracturing among themselves too, leaving Jacklyn to deal with threats all over the place.

It’s a very fast paced and exciting story, and I think if there was going to be a continuation, I’d have given it another star. If there will be someday, I’ll amend. But if the ending is really the ending, I am just not satisfied because I have more questions that need to be answered, and I am really bad at not having concrete endings. That’s on me, but this is my thoughts, so. There you have it.

Bottom Line: I really enjoyed this story and loved Jacklyn and the very high stakes space adventure. I just want more of it, please and thank you!

Paradise-1 by David Wellington
Series: Red Space #1
Published by Orbit on April 4, 2023
Pages: 688
Format:eARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Netgalley

When Special Agent Petrov and Dr. Lei Zhang are woken up from cryogenic sleep, dragged freezing and dripping wet out of their pods with the ship's alarms blaring in the background, they know something is very wrong. Warned by the Captain that they're under attack, they have no choice but to investigate.

It doesn't take much time to learn that they've been met by another vessel—a vessel from Paradis-One, Earth's first deep-space colony, and their final destination.

Worse still, the vessel is empty. And it carries with it the message that all communications from the 150,000 souls inhabiting the Paradis-One has completely ceased.

Petrov and Zhang must board the empty ship and delve further into deep space to discover the truth of the colony's disappearance—but the further they go, the more dangers loom.

Let’s get the most burning question you all have out of the way immediately: no, this absolutely did not feel like a 700 page book, and it took me only perhaps a day longer than usual to finish it. I was very pleasantly surprised, and if that was the reason you were on the fence about this one, don’t let it deter you, it moves very swiftly! Also, the chapters are nice and short, which helps me feel like things are moving along nicely.

I also loved the story, which helped. From the start, I was pulled in, as we begin with the stakes already clearly through the roof. But as the book goes on, things get even more exciting and tense, so I was kept intrigued throughout. There were a lot of twists, and both a ton of excitement as well as slower character-driven moments. Speaking of characters, it’s a pretty small cast of characters but I absolutely loved them. And the robot Rapscallion injects some much needed wit and levity into the book, which I obviously appreciated.

Even though we get a lot of questions answered in this book, there are still so many more to come. I won’t lie, even after nearly 700 pages, I was giddy excited to see that there would be a part two, so if you need to know how I felt about this one, know that I very desperately need more.

Bottom Line: Look, if you love a space adventure with characters you’ll adore and all kinds of great plot twists, this is the book for you, regardless of page count.