New YA books by Popular Authors: Kiersten White, Meg Wolitzer and Mary Pearson

Several popular YA authors have penned new books that I would like to recommend this month. The two hundredth anniversary of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein has inspired, not only a movie about her starring Elle Fanning, but also a retelling of the book by Kiersten White (And I Darken series), called The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein, told from the point of view of the wife of the monster's creator.  Meg Wolitzer (Belzhar, The Interestings) has written The Female Persuasion, a coming-of-age novel which focuses on a young college student who gets involved with a feminist icon. Mary Pearson's (The Remnant and The Jenna Fox Chronicles) Dance of Thieves is the first book in a new fantasy adventure series, set in the kingdoms of the Remnant universe. 

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein introduces  an orphaned 17-year-old, Elizabeth Lavenza, who has been taken in by the Frankensteins as their son Victor's companion. Although a genius, he is prone to rages and her sole purpose is to socialize him. When he heads off to college and doesn't write, she fears she will lose her position and follows him to renew their relationship.  When she finds him and discovers his experiments on immortality have resulted in a monstrous creation, she does everything she can to shield him from discovery. However, the more involved she gets, the more she realizes that Victor may really be the monster.  Elizabeth, who was a minor character in the classic, is a strong protagonist and the message as to what truly makes a monster is thought-provoking.  Those familiar with the original story will enjoy this creative re-imagining, but it can be easily be read as a standalone.  It comes out September 25th.

In The Female Persuasion Greer Kadetsky, the over-achieving child of former hippies, is devastated when her parents fail to follow through on applying for financial aid for Yale and she is relegated to attending her fallback school, while her boyfriend Cory heads to Yale without her.  Her first week at college she is sexually harassed by an abusive frat guy and finds the courage to fight back after hearing an inspirational speech given at her college by feminist, Faith Frank. After graduation Cory pursues a career in finance, and Greer finds a job at Faith's foundation which supports women around the world. Greer's relationship with Faith plays out over a decade, as she moves from idolizing her to becoming a colleague and critique. An unexpected family tragedy derails Cory's future, and he and Greer part ways as their world's diverge. As they struggle to find their way back to each other, they must come to terms with what they want out of life.  The romance, however, takes a backseat to Greer's relationship with Faith. The thoughtful exploration of women's issues is very timely and is sure to appeal to more mature readers.

Dance of Thieves is set in the Remnant universe with some familiar characters and politics, but it is not necessary to have read that series to enjoy this book.  Kazi is an orphan, who has risen in the ranks of the new Queen's elite guard, due to her  abilities as a thief.  When she is sent to Tor's Watch in search of a war criminal, she meets Jase Ballenger who has just inherited his father's position as leader of an outlaw nation that doesn't recognize the Queen. Jase and Kazi are snatched by slavers and chained together, so when they escape, they must work together to make it back to civilization.  Although at odds politically, Jase and Kazi are drawn to each other, despite constantly lying to each other about their true motivations. The complex tale of warring territories, competing kingdoms and changing loyalties is sweetened by the star-crossed romance between the two.  Told in alternating chapters from Kazi and Jase's points of view, this action-packed fantasy is a page-turner, which is sure to have readers anxious for the next book in the series.