Category: Young Adult

Out of Air- Rachel Reiss

Don’t forget to hold your breath while reading Rachel Reiss‘s 2025 YA thriller Out of Air. A group of teens having their last hurrah together before college take a trip down under on a scooba trip in Australia. Looking forward to a futuer of acting as her ailing grandmothers primary caretaker, Pheobe dreads the end of their final trip. Knowing that her friends have endless possiblities awating them and she may likely fall behind. While white knuckling their quickly ending adventure, Pheobe finds a mysterious treasure that brings more trouble than any gold is worth.

The constantly changing character dynamics were the most interesting part of the whole story. Each teenager had their own daming secrets that could easily tear the group apart at the seams. Everytime I thought I figured out the mystery a new secret emerged to throw off all my theories. But Phobe was by far the most interesting.

The wealth inequality between her and her cohort was an obvious point of tension in the book. Phobe had strong feelings of inadequecy within a group of wealthy friends. All thorughout her naration you could feel a growing fear of stagnation while the rest of her friends have a bright and prosphorus future.

Phobe’s fear of loss is such an interesting drive in her characters development throughout the book. It seems to be her primary motivator thoughout most of her interactions in the book. She fears losing the, “Salt Squad,” she fears losing Gabe’s affection. In the end, her actions lead to the question. If you love something, should you let it go?

All These Bodies

All These Bodies by Kendare Blake begins with a killing spree across the midwest that stops in the small town of Black Deer Falls, Minnesota. This is where we learn that a small family of four was attacked, leaving three killed and only one surviving infant. In the midst of all this carnage a young teen girl (Marie) is found covered in the blood of the diseased. Is she the victim or the perpetrator? How did she come to be in the middle of this carnage? The sherif’s son (Michael) , is the only one who she will tell her story too. After a rollercoaster of an investigation, the reader is left with more questions than answers.

One of the most interesting aspects of the story is the unidentifiable monster in the closet. There was a string of murders so there was clearly a killer but the killer themselves were never the most prominent part of the story. While I was reading Blake’s work, it appeared that the biggest villain in our story, was fear and the want for speedy, but neglectful, justice. The town of Black Deer Falls was terrified of whoever or whatever brutally murdered one of their own. They wanted to justice, not to wait around for a fair and speedy trail (even if it meant harassing and abusing Michael’s family and friends to get it).


While the idea of the story is very interesting and had a lot of potential, the book itself could have had a little more substance to it. I found the characters to be one dimensional, unsympathetic, unreliable, and at times a little infuriating. For example: Marie our main suspect, seemed to be hostile and uncooperative for no real reason and seems to act only as an antithesis the prosecuting attorney (Benjamin Pilson). Whereas, Michael’s (the story’s protagonist) squeaky clean image wasn’t relatable and we don’t really know much about him apart for his future aspiration to become a journalist. His character fell flat, I wasn’t sure why he was given the authority he had throughout the novel, it was simply unbelievable. All three of these characters mash up into a very unsatisfying story. After I read Blake’s work I was left with more questions than answers. Was the killer a vampire? Was Marie a vampire? Was Marie innocent or was she lying the whole time? Who can really be trusted?

Bruised

A story of self discovery and healing is told through Bruised by Tanya Boteju. We begin the story with Daya, who recently lost her parents in a car accident. After meeting a few new friends at the skate park, Daya tries out for a roller derby team to help distract her from her grief. After realizing that roller derby is much more than getting knocked around and bruised, Daya finds herself on a journey of healing and self discovery.

The cast of characters presented in Bruised are nothing but diverse and supportive. Boteju’s characters are relatable to readers of all ages. Daya; the main character; is a teen girl who just wanted her parents to be proud of her ( a feeling all of us have experienced at one point in our lives). One of the most refreshing aspects of the book is that it normalizes characters of different sexual orientations and gender expressions. Bruised, shows young teens and young adults that having a supportive community can help one though the most difficult of circumstances.

Bruised provides a brilliant depiction of a good community support system. Daya’s extended family and friends support her during a time of self discovery and devastating grief. In addition, they support her passions and outlets while holding her accountable for her detrimental habits. Boteju shows readers of all ages the support we should be giving our loved ones and the support we all deserve in times of hardship.