Time for another twofer set of book recommendations!

First, a caveat: pretty much the only thing these two books have in common was that I could not put them down. Well, and the reason that I couldn’t put them down was that I cared so much about the characters from the very beginning and wanted–no, needed–to know what would happen to them.

ALL THE TRUTH THAT’S IN ME by Julie Berry. This book! First off, the striking cover art really grabbed my attention. I had to know what a book that looks like this could be about.

At first, I wrongly assumed it was a contemporary novel. It’s a historical! And it’s completely thrilling from page one. We find ourselves deep in the POV of the the eighteen-year-old main character, Judith, though her words are addressed to “you.”

So many mysteries to unravel. As we gradually find out what happened to Judith, we also discover the depths of her emotion and why she’s following–almost stalking–Lucas, the “you” in her thoughts. And such gorgeous prose:

Tonight the moon came out, and I went out with it, to watch it rise over the treetops. So silent, the moon.

FAIR COIN by E.C. Myers. Again, this book could not be more different. While ALL THE TRUTH THAT’S IN ME delves into a world in the past, FAIR COIN thrusts us into a near-future that makes the reader wonder if the unfolding story is in fact science fiction or fantasy. Is there a scientific reason driving the “wishes” that seem to be changing sixteen-year-old Ephraim’s life, or is there magic behind it?

But what hooked me early on in this book was Ephraim himself. While he’s thrust into a near-tragic situation on page one, his authentic voice when he deals with it immediately got me on his side:

Ephraim had stayed late, hoping for a chance to talk to Jena Kim, the hottest geek girl in his class, while his mother nearly killed herself. 

This sentence totally hooked me. Anyone who can put “hot” and “geek” in a sentence to describe the same person has got my attention. While the mystery of the strange coin and what it meant definitely kept me reading, I was of course hoping Ephraim would find a way to get his wish without having to wish it. 🙂

Looking forward to reading QUANTUM COIN!