Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a superhero? How about a villain? In Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots, readers take a deep dive into the world of superheroes, but hear the story from the point of view of a civilian who temps for villains. Set to be released on September 22nd, this novel will take all preconceived notions about good and evil and give readers a new way to view the world around them.
     Anna does boring things for terrible people because even criminals need office help and she needs a job. As a temp, she’s just a cog in the machine that is a villain's headquarters. But when she finally gets a promising assignment, everything goes very wrong, and an encounter with the so-called “hero” leaves her badly injured. And, to her horror, compared to the other bodies strewn about, she’s the lucky one. So, of course, then she gets laid off. With no money and no mobility, with only her anger and internet research acumen, she discovers her suffering at the hands of a hero is far from unique. When people start listening to the story that her data tells, she realizes she might not be as powerless as she thinks. Because the key to everything is data: knowing how to collate it, how to manipulate it, and how to weaponize it. By tallying up the human cost these caped forces of nature wreak upon the world, she discovers that the line between good and evil is mostly marketing.  And with social media and viral videos, she can control that appearance. It’s not too long before she’s employed once more, this time by one of the worst villains on earth. As she becomes an increasingly valuable lieutenant, she might just save the world.
     This book is one of the most unique books I’ve ever read and I don’t think I can express accurately enough how much I think this book should be on everyone’s bookshelf. This book takes the idea of superheroes and villains and turns it onto its head! It’s full of characters you’ll love to hate and characters you’ll hate to love, while crushing the stereotypes of good and bad people. Anna is a fabulous narrator and her character development is so interesting to see, especially from her first person point-of view. The entire cast of villains and heroes is so well written and helps keep the plot interesting and engaging. And even if you think you know what a character’s motives are, Walschots will turn those assumptions on their head and leave the reader gobsmacked with new developments and ulterior motives.
     Jam-packed with action and scheming, this story also showcases themes like self-worth, vengeance, ethics, and morals. Above all, this book is about good and evil and how the only difference between the two is from which side you’re looking at the world from. Everyone believes themselves to be good. Even the villains in this story believe they are doing bad things for the right reasons. However, there’s a fine line between doing something for the good of humanity and doing something for your own self-preservation.
     Walschots also makes a point to showcase how this battle between good and bad never truly ends. It’s just a continuous cycle of trying to fight for what you believe is right and how far you’ll go to get it. Yet, she also shows that regular people can be just as powerful as those with supernatural abilities if they learn to utilize their own skills and talents in the right ways.
     Hench is dark, gritty, funny, raw, and just overall amazing! While there are some parts of this book that are dark and disturbing, the way Walschots creates the world of this novel is astounding and proves that it’s not just the heroes and the villains whose stories matter.

*I received an ARC from William Morrow and HarperCollins in exchange for my honest opinion.

      With election season in full swing, Lori Goldstein’s newest young adult novel is a great book to read if you can't get enough of real-life politics. In Sources Say, which was released on September 8th, two exes go head-to-head in the most dramatic school election ever.
    At Acedia High School outside of Boston, student council has always been nothing more than a popularity contest. Nobody pays attention. Nobody cares. But all that changes when the Frankengirls show up. During the very first week of school, someone plasters the halls with Photoshopped images of three "perfect tens"--images of scantily clad girls made from real photos of girls at school. The student body is livid. And the two presidential candidates, Angeline Quinn and Leo Torres, jump on the opportunity to propose their solutions and secure votes. After their messy break up, Leo and Angie are fighting tooth and nail to win this thing and their constituents are mesmerized as they duke it out. As if things couldn't be more dramatic, the school's two newspapers get involved. The Red & Blue is run by Angie's sister Cat and she prides herself on only reporting the facts. But her morals are tested when The Shrieking Violet--written by an anonymous source and based less on facts and more on fiction--blatantly endorses Leo. Rumors fly, secrets are leaked, and the previously mundane student election becomes anything but boring.
     This book took a bit for me to get into. While the mixed media element (which includes news articles and tweets) is fascinating, it isn’t until about halfway through that the campaigns and mysteries start to develop and engage the reader. This novel gets into the dirty side of breakups, popularity, and what certain people would do to get what they want. And readers ultimately come to realize that everyone has ulterior motives in this story.
     That being said, this is a strikingly relevant book for today’s day and age. With fake news, polarizing politics, and the rise of social media, this novel gets to the crux of what people want out of government officials: a yearning for their voices to be heard.
     If you enjoy politics, journalism, or how the media affects the general public, then I highly recommend giving this book a read. Otherwise, it's just a classic YA book about people trying to find themselves in high school.

*I received an ARC from Penguin Teen in exchange for my honest opinion.

     Based on her award-winning podcast, The Bright Sessions, Lauren Shippen tries her hand at book-writing with a story based on the world of Dr. Bright and the characters from the podcast. In Shippen’s debut novel, The Infinite Noise, the focus falls on two teens trying to navigate high school with the additions of love and supernatural powers.
     Caleb Michaels is a sixteen-year-old champion running back. Other than that his life is pretty normal. But when Caleb starts experiencing mood swings that are out of the ordinary for even a teenager, his life moves beyond “typical.” Caleb is an Atypical, an individual with enhanced abilities. Which sounds pretty cool except Caleb's ability is extreme empathy—he feels the emotions of everyone around him. Being an empath in high school would be hard enough, but Caleb's life becomes even more complicated when he keeps getting pulled into the emotional orbit of one of his classmates, Adam. Adam's feelings are big and all-consuming, but they fit together with Caleb's feelings in a way that he can't quite understand. Caleb's therapist, Dr. Bright, encourages Caleb to explore this connection by befriending Adam. As he and Adam grow closer, Caleb learns more about his ability, himself, his therapist—who seems to know a lot more than she lets on—and just how dangerous being an Atypical can be.
     I had never heard of The Bright Sessions and this book was literally a “judging a book by its over” purchase (because let’s be honest: it’s gorgeous)! But I really enjoyed learning about Atypicals and the way Caleb’s empathy works.
     This debut is YA, romance, and sci-fi all wrapped up in one 300+ page book! Both Caleb and Adam are dealing with issues and use each other to help balance out their emotions. Shippen also places focus on self-harm, depression, and other mental health issues and weaves them well into the story.
     The only thing that I would critique is that I wish there was more discussion about the AM and other Atypicals in the world, but it maybe because it’s either covered in the podcast or maybe the author is saving it for a different novel? Either way, the focus was mainly on the romance and the sci-fi was kind of in the background.
​     This book was engaging and 100% binge-worthy! I will definitely be reading more of Shippen’s works (including the second book in this series set to come out) and now really want to check out the podcast that started it all!