Literary Scene | Three New YA Series

By Ryan G. Van Cleave | November 2022

Shades of Rust and Ruin: Shades of Rust and Ruin #1

by A.G. Howard (Knopf, Sept 2022)

I’m already a fan of New York Times bestselling author A.G. Howard’s work. But when I saw the pitch for this one, I gave it a shot. Phoenix “Nix” Loring is suffering from a Halloween curse. Her whole family is, in fact. Her parents died tragically on that date when she was three, and her twin sister similarly died on Halloween a little over a decade later. Now Nix is unsurprising suffering from survivor’s guilt, and the one person she wants solace from—Clarey, her dead sister’s boyfriend—isn’t an option, since Nix has secret feelings for him.

All Nix has is her art abilities and the sketches she’s drawn for her imaginary world of Mystiquel. And one day, Nix experiences trauma-induced colorblindness, so even art becomes a source of pain. 

Come Halloween day, her uncle goes missing, and both Nix and Clarey go to find him, which takes them through a portal that leaves them stuck in the dangerous, dark world of Mystiquel where Nix’s art has become a fearsome reality. Those who like Christina Rosetti’s “Goblin Market” will see clear echoes and inspiration in this story.

This steampunky fantasy world is interesting and engaging, as is Howard’s writing. I’m also pleased by the inclusion of neurodiverse characters, a fairy tale atmosphere, and the cliffhanger-ish ending that sets up the next book in the series. Oh, did I mention there’s a Goblin King? 

Go read this book.

Ryan’s Rating: 4.5 out of 5
www.aghoward.com

Foul Lady Fortune: Foul Lady Fortune #1

by Chloe Gong (William Morrow, Sept 2022)

The title grabbed me here—how do I NOT read a bit just to see if the story is as cool as the title, or its premise, which is a speculative historical noir thriller based on Shakespeare’s As You Like It. Gong herself says it’s “Chinese period drama meets Marvel movie.” She also promises that this first book of the new duology works well enough on its own for readers not to need to read the previous two books, These Violent Delights or Our Violent Ends. 

Well, the story of Foul Lady Fortune is pretty darn cool. It’s 1931 in Shanghai, and as the Japanese Imperial Army is slowly encroaching upon China, Nationalist propaganda assassin Rosalind Lang (Code name: Fortune) is sent into action. Only Lang isn’t just any assassin—a medical experiment that saved her life a few years prior left her able to heal from any wound, along with no longer aging (she looks 19) or needing to sleep. Plus, she’s wracked with guilt over her past sins for betraying her own team in a way that nearly led to the destruction of Shanghai.

Lang’s goal is to find out who is committing a series of murders in Shanghai before more of her countryfolk are killed. The Japanese are the likely suspects since they’re connected to a Japanese government funded newspaper. But are they really behind it? To help her cover, she poses as the wife of a fellow Nationalist spy, Orion Hong, whose playboy antics and easy-going attitude drive her bonkers. 

Remember that in this period of Chinese history, a number of groups are vying to gain power over the fractured country. Nobody was sure of anyone else’s true loyalty. Double, triple, and quadruple agents were everywhere, and families quickly became split over political beliefs. To no one’s surprise, both Hong and Lang have their own secrets and private goals, too, which begin to emerge as they unravel more of the mystery behind all those murders.

When the plot twists hard at the ¾ mark, it’s seemingly a bit out of nowhere, but the banter between the two is good, and Rosalind’s Communist trans sister is a welcome addition to this plot. But look—you’ve got an exciting time period, a Shakespearean plot, and a spy+assassin fake marriage. What more do I need to say? 

The book has plenty to admire. And while it’s got excitement and thrills, there’s some fun to be had here too.

Ryan’s Rating: 4.25 out of 5
www.thechloegong.com

Last of the Talons: Talons #1

by Sophie Kim (Entangled: Teen, Sept 2022)

I first learned about Sophie Kim’s debut novel, Last of the Talons, when a pair of my book-devouring friends got hold of advanced copies. They said to read it, so I did and here we are.

The story is that eighteen-year-old assassin Shin Lina belongs to the Talon street gang, only a mission-gone-wrong leaves all her pals dead. Worse, in her new goal of doing anything to keep her younger sister alive, Lina has to work for the person who runs a rival gang that caused the death of her fellow Talons. Along the way, she’s tasked with killing a deadly emperor in order to save her sister, only the more she learns about this powerful foe, the more she’s realizing that she’s falling for him.

While the book starts a bit slow and the characterization is hit-or-miss, Kim is doing a lot of things well with this story. The action is compelling (especially at the end), and the extensive worldbuilding that’s based on Korean myth and legend is quite effective.

Ultimately, fans of YA fantasy should give this series a trial run.

Ryan’s Rating: 4.25 out of 5
www.sophiekimwrites.com