Exposure by Kim Askew and Amy Helmes

Exposure: A Twisted Lit Novel. Kim Askew and Amy Helmes. Merit Press. YA Fiction. January 2013. 272 pp. pbk.  ISBN # 9781440552618.

Skye Kingston is a phenomenal photographer, even though she is only a high school Senior in a small Alaskan town.  She’s smart and initially not a popular gal, but she’s made a good friend in Craig.  Soon Craig has moved into the popular group of students as a result of his superb hockey skills.  Beth latches onto Craig and definitely views Skye as an unwelcome addition to their group; in fact, she is just plain nasty to Skye.  As Skye is a serious student and spends a great deal of time on developing her own pictures, she’s annoyed but doesn’t allow herself to fall apart over such a nasty gal. Well, that’s what she says while her thoughts and emotions keep swirling!

Home isn’t much better, with Skye’s parents barely speaking and her mother appearing to avoid being home whenever possible.  Skye suspect a divorce is a distinct future possibility but says nothing, thinking if unsaid perhaps it will never happen.  Still, it’s another bump that could definitely affect her future.  How could Skye go away to college, knowing her father will need help with her sibling and how can her parents afford her tuition if they might not be together?

Then one night Skye is invited to a party.  Craig invited her, never realizing she for a change just might accept the invitation instead of refusing in her normal response.  Drinking begins and soon after a game begins which resembles a teenage version of hide-and-seek but which ends in total disaster, the death of Duncan and some whispered words Skye accidentally overhears. 

How these teens deal with the tragic death of one of their own and their reactions as the investigation very slowly unfolds is tension-ridden reading. Many secrets will also slowly be revealed. The discovery process of the Hamlet-style murder mystery, as well as the unfolding of Skye’s family and future life, makes for a terrific read that isn’t predictable at all.  Riddled with tension and some poignant and potent moments, Exposure is a terrific teen read.  These authors know their audience and have told a riveting read guaranteed to make readers want more like it in The Twisted Lit collection. Highly recommended!

The Namesake by Steven Parlato

The Namesake. Steven Parlato. Twisted Lit Series. Merit Press. YA Fiction. January 2013. 256 pp. pbk.  ISBN # 9781440554579.

Evan is dealing with the worst grief possible, the death of his father by suicide.  As Evan was growing up, his father and he had a special one-day-a-year ritual in which one could ask a question and the other would answer with the absolute truth.  And like his father, Evan is a very gifted artist.

All of that interest in art falls to the wayside along with all other interest in school and friends.  But Alex is a female friend whom Evan still trusts implicitly.  Alex keeps his head to earth, not allowing him, after a sufficient amount of time, to use grief as an excuse to keep from living.  Evan, however, is haunted by his need to know why his father hung himself and why he was so unhappy.

Finally, his grandmother acknowledges his need and gives him a key, nothing else but a key.  This begins his search for the truth, which he finds in a trunk holding his father’s secret stash.  It’s a diary that he reads very slowly because he can only tolerate so much.  At the same time, he finally decides he wants to go on a religious weekend called “Encounter.”

To tell more would be to spoil an amazing evolution in Evan’s attitude as revelation after revelation comes from the journal and from others who knew his father. Although some would say that the news he finally learns would crush another teen, Evan returns to his art to express what he now thinks and feels about the agony his Dad held within for so very long.

The Namesake is a MUST read for all young adults.  It could happen to you or to someone you know. It won’t happen if you read this phenomenal story.  Yes, it’s fiction but it’s real and painfully credible; it’s pre-knowledge and part cure for an issue that haunts too many young lives. Kudos to you, Steven Parlato, for tackling this topic with such grace and power!

The Girl in the Wall by Daphne Benedis-Grab

The Girl in the Wall. Daphne Benedis-Grab. Merit Press. YA Fiction. December 2012. 272 pp. pbk.  ISBN # 9781440552700.

Sera made a difficult choice to save a life by telling the truth. Now she’s paying for it day after day after day.  Her peers at school are treating her like “pariah of the year.”  Now her family is insisting she attend the birthday party of her ex-friend, Ariel.  It’s all very uncomfortable until rock star Hudson Winters (real name Hunter Winters) begins to croon a song Sera loves.  The mesmerizing effect of his singing is cut short by the burst of gunfire and then the hell begins!

Two people are died and a group of killers is holding the rest of the party attendees temporarily until they realize the person they really wanted to kill, Ariel, is missing. So begins an awful night of threats, murders, fire, and more while Ariel is hidden in the walls of her home. It’s a place where Sera and she hung out and played when they were much younger.  But now Sera has to make a choice to betray Ariel again or prove her loyalty. The cost of either is huge!

As the night progresses, the remaining youths know there will be no help until well into the next day.  They, therefore, begin to plan on how to attack the killers and at the same time gradually discover who is behind this insane, cold-blooded attack and why. It’s NOT a pretty picture, no matter how one sees the choices and possible outcomes.

During this night Sera discovers that Hudson (Hunter) is a regular guy with his own sad story.  It’s his strength and ideas that help Sera tolerate the intense pressure and plan for a different alternative to the end they all expect.  At the same time, Ariel has the time while in hiding to think about who are her true friends and make a decision that might just save her own life.

The Girl in the Wall punches the reader with its very real brutality and poignancy.  The author knows well how to increase the tension but also make it something compassionate and moving, not just another made for TV drama.  Superbly done, Daphne Benedis-Grab!  YA readers will love this novel, for sure!

Tempestuous by Kim Askew and Amy Helmes

Tempestuous: A Twisted Lit Novel. Kim Askew and Amy Helmes. Merit Press. YA Fiction. December 2012. 256 pp. pbk.  ISBN # 9781440552649.

Miranda Prospero, a once upon a time very popular teen, is working in a corn dog fast food stand to pay off her punishment fine.  What’s the deal?  It turns out Miranda was the dupe of a shyster teen who put together a group of geeks who would write essays for other students and in another incident arrange to have others take the SAT.  Fake IDs, etc. were eventually discovered and the scam turned into a criminal event, with Miranda taking the heat for all of it. 

So here she is in a greasy dump which turns into an all-nighter because she and her teen friends (and enemies) are snowed in and then locked in.  However, as Miranda is known as the “Teflon teen,” she’s initially annoyed but then decides to make the best of it. She’s planning a 17th birthday party for her fellow worker, Ariel.  There aren’t too many customers around and teens being teens, Miranda and her friends decide to hearty-party all night long.

The first problem arises when it turns out that one of the mall kiosks has been robbed; and since the mall is locked down, that means the robber is also still hidden among them.  Add to that the scene in which Miranda gets handcuffed to a guy, Craig, whom she’s not too crazy about.  No, they can’t find a key, so imagine being cuffed all night.  How will she figure out a visit to the lady’s room?

The night gets even crazier with plots and counter-plots, misunderstandings and confessions that might be real and might be plotted for worse scenarios.  Will the criminal be found? Miranda refuses to give in to fear and it is her wacky plans that save the day – or at least hope to!

Tempestuous, a novel again having Shakespearean allusions toward The Tempest, is a funny read that again highlights a Twisted Lit series worth the attention of all teens and young adults!  Nicely done!

Louder Than Words by Laurie Plissner

Louder Than Words. Laurie Plissner. Merit Press. YA Fiction. December 2012. 272 pp. pbk.  ISBN # 9781440556652.

Sasha’s world came to a screeching halt on the night when a devastating accident killed her parents and younger sister.  Sasha can’t remember a thing that happened that night. All she knows is that she’s been unable to speak since that awful night!

A famous psychiatrist who has practiced around the world seems unable to make any progress with Sasha. But now her attention is distracted by a young fellow student she meets.  Ben has the uncanny ability to read the minds of people he is close to in physical space.  It’s unnerving to say the least and yet Ben’s gentle revelations of Sasha’s thoughts begin to make her face what a private hell she’s created for herself by constantly focusing on her inability to communicate. 

The challenge Ben springs on Sasha is quite startling, especially considering that she has totally fallen for him and wants to be treated like a girlfriend.  To Ben, however, Sasha needs to overcome her disability, to totally heal as much as one can in her experience.  Her anger over this ultimatum and the help of Ben’s mother, a woman with her own unique alternative therapy skills, pushes Sasha to a new level.

The clues and memories that return are gradual and then absolutely stunning when it all comes together.  While the end might be considered too neatly tied up, it is very, very real to Sasha and is worth reading to see what finally frees her from her own self-imprisonment and a very real danger!

Louder Than Words is a fast-paced, young adult novel that will rivet readers’ attention to the very last page.  Nicely done, Laurie Plissner!