I’m a huge fan of historical fiction, so when I picked up these YA books which all have a connection to the past, I knew I had to do a collected blog post. If you love stories that have a smidge of the past, of connecting with our history, then keep reading. In today’s blog post I’ll be reviewing An Echo in the City, I’ll Stop the World, Wrath Becomes Her, and Pride and Prejudice and Pittsburgh.
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An Echo in the City by K.X. Song
Sixteen-year-old Phoenix knows her parents have invested thousands of dollars to help her leave Hong Kong and get an elite Ivy League education. They think America means big status, big dreams, and big bank accounts. But Phoenix doesn’t want big; she just wants home. The trouble is, she doesn’t know where that is … until the Hong Kong protest movement unfolds, and she learns the city she’s come to love is in danger of disappearing.
Seventeen-year-old Kai sees himself as an artist, not a filial son, and certainly not a cop. But when his mother dies, he’s forced to leave Shanghai to reunite with his estranged father, a respected police officer, who’s already enrolled him in the Hong Kong police academy. Kai wants to hate his job, but instead, he finds himself craving his father’s approval. And when he accidentally swaps phones with Phoenix and discovers she’s part of a protest network, he finds a way to earn by infiltrating the group and reporting their plans back to the police.
As Kai and Phoenix join the struggle for the future of Hong Kong, a spark forms between them, pulling them together even as their two worlds try to force them apart. But when their relationship is built on secrets and deception, will they still love the person left behind when the lies fall away?
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
An Echo in the City being dual POV allows Song to tell a story about the personal nature of resistance. Of knowing that for each of us, each situation, what we can do and how we can use our voice differs. It’s a story about feeling like we are on a track in life and not knowing how we can break free. As a teen, we can have all these visions of what our life will be like, the paths our parents force us to walk, but what if it could be different. An Echo in the City explores loyalty, class, and opportunity.
As their rights, their futures, are being torn down in front of them, how do we find a way for us to survive? I deeply enjoyed An Echo in the City and the ways it examines oppressive rules, influences, and abuses of power. The rhetoric of resistance that is used and weaponized against them. The pressure of falling in line and failing to see teens for who they are. This one made me cry and if that’s not a good reason to get it, I’m not sure what is! Find An Echo in the City on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, & Blackwells.
I’ll Stop the World by Lauren Thoman
Is it the right place at the wrong time? Or the wrong place at the right time?
Trapped in a dead-end town, Justin Warren has had his life defined by the suspicious deaths of his grandparents. The unsolved crime happened long before Justin was born, but the ripple effects are still felt after thirty-eight years. Justin always knew he wouldn’t have much of a future. He just never imagined that his life might take him backward.
In a cosmic twist of fate, Justin’s choices send him crashing into the path of determined optimist Rose Yin. Justin and Rose live in the same town and attend the same school, but have never met―because Rose lives in 1985. Justin won’t be born for another twenty years. And his grandparents are still alive―for now.
In a series of events that reverberate through multiple lifetimes, Justin and Rose have a week to get Justin unstuck in time and put each of them in control of their futures―by solving a murder that hasn’t even happened yet.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
I remember reading I’ll Stop the World and just gasping aloud. This is the perfect blend of time wimey travel meets historical fiction and family history. It’s a story I fell into and could not stop reading. With a cast of multiple characters at the beginning it was a bit hard to get into, but once I did I was obsessed. Blending mystery, I’ll Stop the World is a fantastic story about unraveling our past and finding out what we can do with the now, the present, and our voice.
If you love stories about time travel that are committed to asking us why. Why did we time travel? And what can we do now? Then you have to read I’ll Stop the World. While being invested in exploring these reasons, it also explores change and individualism. What impact we can truly make in our lives, in the lives of others. Dominoes cascade down as it becomes a rushing avalanche to conclusion. And again tears were shed! Find I’ll Stop the World on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, & Blackwells.
Pride and Prejudice and Pittsburgh by Rachael Lippincott
Audrey Cameron has lost her spark. But after getting dumped by her first love and waitlisted at her dream art school all in one week, she has no intention of putting her heart on the line again to get it back. So when local curmudgeon Mr. Montgomery walks into her family’s Pittsburgh convenience store saying he can help her, Audrey doesn’t know what she’s expecting…but it’s definitely not that she’ll be transported back to 1812 to become a Regency romance heroine.
Lucy Sinclair isn’t expecting to find an oddly dressed girl claiming to be from two hundred years in the future on her family’s estate. But she has to admit it’s a welcome distraction from being courted by a man her father expects her to marry—who offers a future she couldn’t be less interested in. Not that anyone has cared about what or who she’s interested in since her mother died, taking Lucy’s spark with her.
While the two girls try to understand what’s happening and how to send Audrey home, their sparks make a comeback in a most unexpected way. Because as they both try over and over to fall for their suitors and the happily-ever-afters everyone expects of them, they find instead they don’t have to try at all to fall for each other.
But can a most unexpected love story survive even more impossible circumstances?
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
I picked up Pride and Prejudice and Pittsburgh for a variety of reasons one of them being how much I enjoyed She Gets the Girl, but another is that Natalie Naudus narrates the audiobook. Shakira Shute and Natalie Naudus do a phenomenal job at infusing swoons in every sentence while also presenting a love that fights against the past. Being dual POV is a brilliant choice because it also focuses Pride and Prejudice and Pittsburgh on the character developments of Audrey and Lucy. Lucy to figure out what is worth fighting for in her future and for Audrey to find her artistic spark and self-confidence.
The historical fiction setting forces the themes of fighting for a future, for honoring our passions and freedom of surviving a life versus living a life, even more urgent. It’s tragic to see the historical fiction setting and the characters who find ourselves and are confronted with the limits of possibility and setting, of time and place. It clearly is a story about love. But it also becomes a story about the importance of choice, of allowing someone the option. It’s perfect for fans of time travel and romance, but also the importance of queer joy. Find Pride and Prejudice and Pittsburgh on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, Blackwells, Libro.fm, and Google Play.
Wrath Becomes Her by Aden Polydoros
Vera was made for vengeance.
Lithuania, 1943. A father drowns in the all-consuming grief of a daughter killed by the Nazis. He can’t bring Chaya back from the dead, but he can use kishuf — an ancient and profane magic — to create a golem in her image. A Nazi killer, to avenge her death.
When Vera awakens, she can feel her violent purpose thrumming within her. But she can also feel glimpses of a human life lived, of stolen kisses amidst the tragedy, and of a grisly death. And when she meets Akiva, she recognizes the boy with soft lips that gave warm kisses. But these memories aren’t hers, and Vera doesn’t know if she gets—or deserves —to have a life beyond what she was made for.
Vera’s strength feels limitless—until she learns that there are others who would channel kishuf for means far less noble than avenging a daughter’s death. As she confronts the very basest of humanity, Vera will need more than what her creator gave Not just a reason to fight, but a reason to live.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
From the vibes alone I was fascinated by Wrath Becomes Her which manages to channel Frankenstein vibes mixed with Jewish folklore. Set in a historical fiction setting, Wrath Becomes Her examines who the real monsters are. Because if you think it’s very simply the ones who are created, then you’ve got a lot to learn. Much like Frankenstein it explores how one learns of their monstrosity, of the crimes others perpetuate under guises, and cruelty.
Wrath Becomes Her delivers on these themes of monstrosity, relativity, and the crimes against each other. About whether there’s anything redeemable in a world of cruelty, prejudice, and warfare. About people who see the good, the pieces, and the possibilities. It’s a fantastic addition to these YA historical fantasy stories about resistance, survival, and connection. Find Wrath Becomes Her on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, & Blackwells.