But it hasn’t worked out that way, not quite.

The year she emerged from her older sister’s shadow-and Kiera, who became a best-selling graphic novelist before she even graduated from high school, casts a long one. This was going to be the year Normandy Pale came into her own. Okay, yeah, this looks like the byproduct of the great Dystopian YA Craze of the 2010s, but at least the whole system with languages actually seems fairly original.

As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country’s only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime. and her secret is almost exposed.Ĭharlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can’t be sure where his real loyalties lie. It’s there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she’s never heard before. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she’s spent her life trying to hide her secret. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The Pledge (The Pledge, #1), Kimberly Derting Also, buff dudes on book covers never fail to make me cringe, so this one’s a no from me.Ģ. When Nate Holden – Abbey’s secret crush – starts to climb Alaska’s Denali, the Angel of Death stalks him because of her.Īnd Abbey finds out the hard way that Death never forgets.Įh…I’d be on board, if not for the veeeery forced-looking romance. Now she’s the target of Death’s ravens and an innocent boy’s life is on the line. After she crossed paths with Death – by taking the hand of an ethereal boy made of clouds and sky – she would never be normal again. She survived a horrific car accident, but her “lucky” break came at the expense of her mother’s life and changed everything. And Death would be my willing teacher.įive years ago, Abbey Chandler cheated Death. I would learn a lesson I wasn’t prepared for. The choices I had made led to the moment when fate took over. Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books.

Happy Friday, bibliophiles! I had a snow day today, so I’ve had some lovely time off to relax, and most importantly…read.Īs always, my TBR is in need of some serious cleaning, so hereby begins my third TBR cleansing session…

Shooting stars by allison rushby