Where No Shadow Stays by Sara Hashem

Title: Where No Shadow Stays
Author: Sara Hashem

Genre: Urban Fantasy, YA

Series: N/A

Publication: March 31, 2026, 324 pages

Source: Libby 

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Seventeen-year-old Mina is always focused on what comes next: exams, school dances, opportunities for a picnic by the lake. Filling up the future keeps her from lingering over how little she knows about her history or where she comes from. Anytime she asks her father questions about Egypt--or about her mother's mysterious death--he struggles to open up.

When Mina receives an invitation from an aunt she’s never met to visit the Haikal mansion, her mother’s childhood home in El Agamy, Mina accepts. She can’t resist the chance to learn more about her roots or what happened to her mother, even if it means lying to her loves ones for the first time in her life.

But when Mina returns from El Agamy, she doesn’t come back alone.

A sinister entity follows Mina from the Haikal mansion to her tiny California town. Mina is forced to abandon her friends, her father, and everything she loves in order to prevent the entity from violently possessing them. Isolated and fighting for her life, Mina must seek help from an unlikely ally: Jesse Talbot, the mortician’s hostile son and the only person who proves immune to possession. Jesse would rather floss with barbed wire than team up with social butterfly Mina, but he doesn’t exactly have a choice—after all, he’s running from family secrets of his own.

As Mina and Jesse dig deeper into Mina's family lore, they uncover a bloody debt that must be satisfied if Mina wants to finish senior year alive.

MY THOUGHTS

I love Hashem’s The Scorched Throne duology, so when she announced she’d written a horror-esque YA novel, I immediately added it to my TBR. I’ll read anything this author writes. But it saddens me to say that this book wasn’t on the same level as her first duology and left me mostly bored and disappointed.

I thought the book started off interesting enough. The first sentence immediately captured my attention, introducing the protagonist, Mina, and the shadows that seem to chase after her, possessing people whenever she’s alone with them. If she’s around a crowd, they temporarily stay away. We follow Mina as she researches what these shadows are, what they mean, and how they relate to her family and her mother’s passing. In between those searches, the local loner and neighbor, Jesse, joins her as they attempt to lift a possible curse.

I think the concept was intriguing at first, especially as we slowly learned about its connection to her family back in Egypt. However, when the truth about what her mother did and what the entire family had done was revealed, it felt a bit much. I don’t read many horror novels, but while this book had a mild creep factor, nothing about it was truly terrifying or goosebump-inducing. And yes, I know it’s YA, but I’ve read some YA horror novels that genuinely gave me chills. I also wasn’t a fan of the flashback scenes between Mina and her mother, Nadine. They added context to the story, but they felt choppy as heck and disruptive to the overall flow of the story.

I didn’t like Mina or Jesse very much, which is a shame because they’re the leads. What I found especially annoying was Mina’s constant reliance on sarcasm. Jesses, meanwhile, mostly just existed. He mentioned being cursed or soulless or whatever, but it ultimately added little to the story. Unless the only purpose was to make him immune so he could help Mina, it didn’t seem to matter much in the end. I also found their banter cringey and forced. It amplified Mina’s corny sarcasm, and Jesse’ nickname for her was also cringe. I just didn’t enjoy either character.

And man, what was that ending? It felt abrupt and slightly confusing. I think I understand how it ended, but the way it was written felt awkward and unclear. From what I’ve seen online, I’m assuming it ended the way I interpreted it since the book is a standalone. I’m honestly surprised by how underwhelming this book was because I fully expected to love it as much as the author’s other work. Still, this definitely won’t stop me from checking out her next book in 2027.

The Glittering Edge by Alyssa Villaire

Title: The Glittering Edge

Author: Alyssa Villaire

Genre: Urban Fantasy, YA

Series: The Idlewood Duology # 1

Publication: May 6, 2025, 432 pages

Source: Libby Library 

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Rumors are the lifeblood of Idlewood, Indiana. The locals whisper that the De Lucas are witches, and that decades prior they cursed the wealthy Barrion family as revenge for a love gone tragically wrong: now, if a Barrion falls in love with you, you’ll die. If this isn’t reason enough for wallflower Penny Emberly to stay away from both families, she doesn’t know what is. But when Penny’s mom is in an accident that leaves her on the brink of death, Penny can’t ignore the rumors anymore—because the Barrion curse is real. And her mom is its latest victim.

In order to save her mom’s life, Penny must bring together two bitter enemies on either side of the feud and work with them to break the curse. For star quarterback Corey Barrion, doing so would mean finally saving his family from the magic that killed his mom. And for misfit witch Alonso De Luca, it would mean convincing everyone in Idlewood—especially Penny—that he isn’t the villain they believe him to be.

But as the trio navigates Alonso’s unpredictable magic, the tangled web of Barrion-De Luca history, and an increasingly chaotic group chat, it soon becomes clear that the curse is not what they expected. Did a De Luca really curse the Barrions in a fit of jealousy, or is something even more sinister afoot? Penny will have to conquer her anxiety, wrestle with her budding feelings for Alonso, and delve into dangerous, forbidden magic to find the truth and save her mom — even if it means putting her own life at risk.

MY THOUGHTS

To be honest, I had never heard of The Glittering Edge until I saw it as a pick in a book box. The stunning artwork immediately caught my attention and made me want to read the story to learn more about the characters.

The Glittering Edge is a Young Adult Urban Fantasy set in the small town of Idlewood, Indiana. Rumors swirl about two rival families, one of them witches: the De Lucas and the Barrions, and the curse that binds them together. Penny, the main protagonist, gets swept into the feud when the curse strikes her mother, leaving her in a coma. The only way to save her is by seeking help from the two rival sons: Alonso De Luca and Corey Barrion.

The book reminded me of early 2000s YA novels and TV shows, like Vampire Academy or The Secret Circle. It gave me the same nostalgic feelings I had as a teen reading and watching those stories, and at first it felt wholesome and engaging. I was intrigued and eager to learn more about the De Lucas and the Barrions. The world-building is straightforward and easy to follow. However, my biggest issue was with the inconsistency around who knows about magic and who doesn’t. For example, Penny has no idea magic exists, but when she discovers Alonso has powers, she barely reacts or questions it. And if the De Lucas supposedly cursed the Barrions, who are human...why do the Barrions wield so much influence over the witches’ council? They even had the authority say to lock away the De Lucas’ powers. It made no sense. That’s like an ordinary citizen telling a company president how to run their business.

As for the characters, I wasn’t a fan of anyone except Alonso. Penny was irritating, having the attention of the most popular, attractive guys in school seemed to inflate her self-importance. One scene in particular frustrated me: when she discovered important information about Alonso’s grandfather and Corey’s grandmother, instead of sharing it with the very people helping her save her mother, she selfishly withheld it until the end. Corey came across as just another spoiled rich kid. Naomi was also frustrating, I don't know why she entitled that Penny tell her everything about magic and the rituals. Dylan was your stereotypical self-absorbed mean girl. Honestly, there weren’t any likeable characters. Alonso was the only one who felt chill and genuine, but even he got screwed over in the end with the partial possession, which also annoyed me.

Overall, The Glittering Edge started off strong but quickly went downhill. As you can probably tell, I won’t be continuing the series. I really wish it had lived up to the promise of those nostalgic early 2000s YA books and shows.

#Murdertrending by Gretchen McNeil

Title: #Murdertrending
Author: Gretchen McNeil
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense
Series: N/A

Hardcover, 352 Pages
Publication: August 7, 2018 by Freeform

Source: I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

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WELCOME TO THE NEAR FUTURE, where good and honest 8/18 citizens can enjoy watching the executions of society’s most infamous convicted felons, streaming live on The Postman app from the suburbanized prison island Alcatraz 2.0.

When eighteen-year-old Dee Guerrera wakes up in a haze, lying on the ground of a dimly lit warehouse, she realizes she’s about to be the next victim of the app. Knowing hardened criminals are getting a taste of their own medicine in this place is one thing, but Dee refuses to roll over and die for a heinous crime she didn’t commit. Can Dee and her newly formed posse, the Death Row Breakfast Club, prove she’s innocent before she ends up wrongfully murdered for the world to see? Or will The Postman’s cast of executioners kill them off one by one?

#Murdertrending is pitched as The Purge meets Scream meets The Hunger Games, which I must say is an appropriate and accurate description. McNeil throws readers right into the fray as our main character, Dee, wakes up imprisoned on the infamous game show app island Alcatraz 2.0 for murdering her sister. An island full of convicts; whom are hunted by a group of sadistic killers. The popular show has a cult following of millions of viewers that are watching 24/7 but what they don’t know is that these convicts are actually not convicts at all and it’s up to Dee to expose the truth and to find her sister’s murderer.

#Murdertrending is a Young Adult novel but McNeil doesn’t shy away from the gruesome details…if you thought The Hunger Games was gory and brutal, then you haven’t seen anything yet. The concept of the novel is by no means new, hence the comparisons mentioned in the previous paragraph. But McNeil still created an engaging story with distinct characters full of twist and turns. To make this book even more relevant to our day and age, readers will find conversation threads/Chatroom-IM from viewers to see their point-of-view on what is happening on the show. I really liked the addition; it was fun reading everyone reactions and hypothesis.

Dee was a good but not unique main character. I thought her falling into her role as Cinderella Survivor and dispatching seasoned killers was far too easy and unrealistic. The other characters that Dee end up meeting on the island while all distinct, all played into their basic roles; we had the hot babe, the jock, the nerd and the introvert which can be found in most stories in some form or another. All good of course, but in my opinion it could have been better or more fleshed out. While some things were cliche or predictable, the mystery was executed perfectly and the twist at the end was a pleasant surprise because I definitely didn’t see it coming. All in all, I enjoyed #Murdertrending, it was a quick and light read. I would certainly recommend this book for the older audience of YA (16-18 years old). 

Like Never and Always by Ann Aguirre

Title: Like Never and Always
Author: Ann Aguirre
Genre: Thriller YA
Series: N/A

Hardcover, 336 Pages
Publication: July 17, 2018 by Tor Teen

Source: I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

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On a hot summer night, a screech of brakes and shattering glass changes two lives forever.

Liv wakes in the hospital, confused when they call her Morgan. She assumes it’s a case of mistaken identity, yet when the bandages come off, it’s not her face in the mirror anymore. It’s her best friend Morgan’s.

Morgan always seemed to have the perfect life, yet Liv must navigate endlessly disturbing secrets of the criminal and murderous variety—and a romance that feels like a betrayal. Torn between the boy she loved as Liv and the boy she’s grown to love as Morgan, Liv still has to survive Morgan’s last request.

I’ve read a lot of Aguirre’s work from her Sci-Fi series, Paranormal Young Adult series to her series written with her husband; so I’m quite familiar with her writing style. And in my opinion Like Never and Always is one of her best work. Like Never and Always is a contemporary Young Adult Thriller with a dash of Science Fiction and Paranormal. There are two plots interwoven in the story; the first is Liv, a sixteen-year-old girl wakes up in the body of her best friend Morgan and from there navigates life as Morgan incorporating some of her own personalities and the second is finishing up Morgan’s task in finding out what really happened to her mom. Did she commit suicide or was she murdered?

Aguirre’s latest Young Adult novel touches on a lot of serious topics such as tragedy and grief, lies and betrayal, social status, death, and rape/pedophilia. I really liked how Aguirre layered the mystery in both regards to how Liv ended up in Morgan’s body and they mystery surrounding Morgan Mom’s death. And how she presented these topics into the story tastefully without it feeling forced. I thought Liv and Morgan’s characters were well developed and fleshed out. Even though readers only had a secondary impression of Morgan, by Liv living as Morgan and discovering her secrets; everything made complete sense from her relationship to her friends, acquaintances and to her own father. I don’t know what I would do if I woke up in someone’s else body. Terrified would be an understatement. However I thought Liv handled it as best as she could or thought she could (for the most part). By Liv occupying Morgan’s body she ended up meshing the best qualities of both of them to basically create a new person.

My only issue was the love triangle and how easily Liv was able to move into Morgan’s life. A little too easily and happily I may add (when it came to Clay). I didn’t like how in the beginning Liv was all about Nathan, his feeling, missing him and how she planned to tell him the truth and then a few chapters later she’s all about Clay and makes the final decision that she’s choosing Clay over Nathan. Whom are brothers by the way. I thought it was messy and heartless. She dated Nathan for 8-9 months and he’s was a complete wreck over causing her death yet she ends up falling madly in love with his brother after a a couple of weeks, a month? Not cool. However, by the end of the book I did eventually see Liv differently. Once she made her decision she never went back on it or wavier-ed; meaning despite Clay learning the truth, if he decided he didn’t want to be with her then she would be by herself. No going back to Nathan, no Clay. So there was that. It took a long time and a lot of eye-rolling but Aguirre somehow made everything work and gave the characters a HEA.

With that being said, I still enjoyed the book. It was the perfect combination of a thriller mystery and sci-fi/paranormal. There were a lot of twist and turns and I loved that I didn’t know where the story was going and by the time the ending came, I was completely shocked! I hope we get more books like this from Aguirre because it was unputdownable! I highly recommend it, it’s definitively something new, fresh and has a unique spin on body-swapping/mistaken identity. 

Martians Abroad by Carrie Vaughn

Title: Martians Abroad
Author: Carrie Vaughn
Genre: Science Fiction, Young Adult
Series: N/A, Standalone

Hardcover, 288 Pages
Publication: January 17, 2017 by Tor Books

Source: I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

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Polly Newton has one single-minded dream, to be a starship pilot and travel the galaxy. Her mother, the director of the Mars Colony, derails Polly's plans when she sends Polly and her genius twin brother, Charles, to Galileo Academy on Earth—the one planet Polly has no desire to visit. Ever.

Homesick and cut off from her desired future, Polly cannot seem to fit into the constraints of life on Earth, unlike Charles, who deftly maneuvers around people and sees through their behavior to their true motives. Strange, unexplained, dangerous coincidences centered on their high-profile classmates begin piling up. Charles may be right—there's more going on than would appear, and the stakes are high. With the help of Charles, Polly is determined to find the truth, no matter the cost. 

Carrie Vaughn is well known for her ever popular Urban Fantasy Kitty Norville Series, but Vaughn branches off into something different with Martians Aboard, a new standalone Sci-Fi novel for Young Adult (but can be enjoyed by everyone of course). If I am correct, I think this is Vaughn’s first foray into Young Adult, and she did it marvelously. Martians Aboard kind of reminded me of CW’s Star Crossed, minus the whole romance aspect and being a whole lot better. But what we had was a group of teens from across the solar system being sent to earth’s Galileo Academy to promote interplanetary relationships between humans and offworlders...and as you can imagine...high school is no joke. And if a student is able to succeed and pass at Galileo Academy, then they’ll be ready for anything. For the real world. Readers follow twins Polly and Charles, the only martians at school as they try to navigate the unknown territories of earth and high school.

I absolutely loved Polly. Teenagers, or characters in most Young Adult novels come off annoying and angsty, you know, typical teens. However, Polly and her brother, lived somewhat a sheltered life, I mean, living on Mars had a lot of restriction and there’s only so much one can do on a dry, dusty terrain. Polly is definitely not your typical teenager and I think her obliviousness to earth’s social norms made her all the more endearing. There was a lot of “accidents” occurring coincidentally since Polly and the other colonies kids arrived at Galileo Academy (one of the most prestigious school in all of the colonies). Unlike most of Polly’s classmates who only looked out for themselves; Polly always found herself in the middle of those “accidents”, jumping in front of danger to rescue a fellow classmate, because it was the right thing to do. I loved her impulsiveness, bravery, selflessness and dedication to her friends and family. Polly’s group of friends were all just as great and super supportive. My favorites scenes was when everyone worked together, the Earth kids and offworlder kids. And despite their differences of living in different part of the solar system; at the end of the day they’re all the same, a bunch of kids dealing with the same problems, up and downs of high school.

All in all Martians Abroad was a very enjoyable read and everything wrapped up nicely (however, a little too quickly). Too bad this is a standalone. I wish there was more. I wouldn’t mind reading more about Polly, the enigmatic Charles and their buddies. Martians Abroad is a coming of age story and is a character driven novel, so there isn’t a lot of action. But trust me, watching Polly develop relationships with her fellow Galileo classmates was just as interesting and had me finishing the book all in one sitting! I was glued to the pages. I highly recommend everyone checking out this fun, light and charming Sci-Fi YA. It will not disappoint!

The Last Harvest by Kim Liggett

Title: The Last Harvest
Author: Kim Liggett
Genre: Horror, Young Adult
Series: N/A

Hardcover, 352 Pages
Publication: January 10, 2017 by Tor Teen

Source: I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

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“I plead the blood.”

Those were the last words seventeen-year-old golden boy quarterback Clay Tate heard rattling from his dad's throat when he discovered him dying on the barn floor of the Neely Cattle Ranch, clutching a crucifix to his chest.

Now, on the first anniversary of the Midland, Oklahoma slaughter, the whole town's looking at Clay like he might be next to go over the edge. Clay wants to forget the past, but the sons and daughters of the Preservation Society—a group of prominent farmers his dad accused of devil worship—won't leave him alone. Including Ali, his longtime crush, who suddenly wants to reignite their romance after a year of silence, and hated rival Tyler Neely, who’s behaving like they’re old friends.

Even as Clay tries to reassure himself, creepy glances turn to sinister stares and strange coincidences build to gruesome rituals—but when he can never prove that any of it happened, Clay worries he might be following his dad down the path to insanity...or that something far more terrifying lies in wait around the corner.

It’s been awhile since I’ve read a good horror story, and The Last Harvest fit the bill perfectly. The Last Harvest takes place in a small town in Oklahoma involving teens, a secret society, nightmares and visions, and a prophecy…which happens to be everything I like in a story! Liggett hooked me in within the first chapter, building on the creep factor as we flashback briefly to the night Clay’s dad died. The Last Harvest paid homage to old school horror, classic horror where we get a sense of something ominous coming, it’s a steady and gradual build, like the perfect slow burn before the big reveal. Liggett nailed everything about this book, from the plot, the setting, to the realistic and relatable characters.

If you’re the squeamish type, then this book might not be for you. Liggett spectacularly details all the horrible and gory things that happened to the people around Clay and it’s pretty graphic at time. Liggett also did an amazing job crafting and incorporating the religious aspects to the story. Although, at first I thought that it sounded too preachy but as the story progressed, I realized that she wasn’t being preachy at all; that this is exactly what the story needed and in my opinion all the better for it.

There was a lot to like about Clay. Before his father’s death he had it all, the girl, popularity, a football star, basically the town’s favorite. But the year after his dad died, it was as if everything was stripped from him. He and his family became outcasts, the black sheeps of the town. I admired Clay for stepping up and putting everything aside to support his family; even going as far as saving all his money to put his youngest sister through a private school. The other 6th generation of the Preservation Society were all very well fleshed out and developed. Although, readers will only come to know a little more than what’s on the surface when it comes to Clay, Ali and Tyler. I still thought Liggett made every one uniquely their own and most importantly still memorable enough in terms of secondary/tertiary characters.

The Last Harvest exceeded all my expectations. It is the best horror story I’ve read in a long time and the best, most shocking twisted endings I’ve read in years! Liggett throws readers in for a loop, with twist after twist and just when you thought you knew everything…she proves you wrong. Oh so wrong. I never would have guessed that ending if you gave me a bunch of chances. It completely surprised me, and to me, those are the best story, the best kind of endings. I know I used the word ‘best’ about 5 times in a paragraph…but it’s just that kind of book! I highly recommend checking out The Last Harvest, you won’t be disappointed!