Hi, Hannah! Thanks so much for joining us! Why don’t you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

Hi! I’m so excited to talk with you and with readers.  About me: I’ve been a storyteller for as long as I can remember—through writing as well as music and dance. I’ve always loved creating characters, relationships, and worlds, and I often say the reason I’m a writer is so I can live a million different lives within my own! When I’m not escaping into fiction (my own or someone else’s), I love running, rowing, and exploring new places—whether that means taking a trip to the other side of the world or finding a hidden gem in my own city.

Now, onto I Am Margaret Moore! What can readers expect?

The unexpected, I hope! IAMM has one twist readers might guess, but a second at the very end that was the seed for the whole book. Stepping back from plot (and avoiding spoilers!), the book has some elements my readers might already be looking for: sisterhood, revenge, an exploration of teenage girlhood, conversations about sexual agency. But the world of IAMM is very different from my previous books. I’m excited to welcome readers into the Marshall Summer Naval School, with all its secrets and traditions. Many of my reviews have called the book “lyrical,” and it’s definitely voice-driven—if you like literary fiction or novels in verse, you’ll love my protagonist, Mar, who’s an aspiring poet and whose voice really reflects that part of her.

I Am Margaret Moore has a paranormal element that is quite the twist. Do you have any favorite paranormal elements/stories you can’t get enough of?

It’s funny—I never considered the book paranormal until my team at Wednesday Books framed it that way! And that informs my answer: while I don’t read a lot of straight-up paranormal, I love books that read like contemporary thrillers or literary fiction but slide into territory where you’re not entirely sure what’s real and what isn’t, and where the lines between reality and fantasy and imagination and metaphor blur. I love Tana French’s books for that exact reason, especially The Secret Place—I didn’t read it until after I’d written IAMM, but it felt like coming home when I did, because it’s also set in the sort of closed-off world of a girls’ school, and it centers on a bond of female friendship so strong it turns a little magical. As far as YA is concerned, I love The Walls Around Us (and the rest of Nova Ren Suma’s work) for the same reason. And beyond books, I tore through the first season of Yellowjackets for another dose of near-supernatural sisterhood.

And speaking of reading, do you have any reading pet peeves? Tropes or things you just can’t get behind?

The only thing that really bothers me in fiction (or television, film, or any other medium) is using violence and trauma, especially sexual violence, for shock value or as a cheap way to indicate “character development.” Obviously, I don’t shy away from writing about these things in my own work, and many of my favorite books explore these themes, too—but there’s a huge difference in delving into the intent and impact of violence and trauma, rather than just throwing something into a scene gratuitously. I would never want my treatment of these themes to feel exploitative.

I Am Margaret Moore has quite the atmospheric setting – just like your other two books! How do you manage to create such a “vibe” for your settings?

I feel like my writing process is a little cinematic. I tend to see scenes and settings visually, and I always write with a manuscript soundtrack playing. I usually even know what director I’d see framing and lighting the world my characters inhabit. So for IAMM, I grounded the writing in this sense of eternal summer, ethereal lighting, and a sort of dreaminess to reflect Margaret as a narrator and the almost magical world of the summer camp where the book takes place. IAMM is very Sofia Coppola—whereas Golden Boys Beware (or Foul Is Fair) is very Quentin Tarantino.

I Am Margaret Moore is your third novel. How did the writing process differ from The Dead Queen’s Club and Golden Boys Beware for you?

Every book has its own process! One big difference with IAMM was that I wrote the first draft faster and with more intensity than anything else I’ve written—I was fortunate to have a couple of months where I could focus completely on the manuscript, and I was spending that summer at the lake that inspired the setting for the novel. So I was almost living inside the story, and this enabled me to disappear into it in a way that made the writing process just work.

Speaking of writing, you have some very strong themes like friendship, revenge, truth and betrayal in your stories. Where do you draw inspiration from and what keeps you writing even when writer’s block is lurking?

I don’t really believe in writer’s block. My writing process has periods of intense work and periods in which I’m not necessarily putting words on the page, but I’m doing other things that are just as important: traveling, living, having experiences that will turn into future manuscripts. I often describe my writing as a little bit “method”: once I’m set on a project, I do everything I can to immerse myself in the world. Several years ago, for example, I wrote a manuscript about best friends who are competitive divers, and diving wasn’t something I had any familiarity with. So after I’d done a lot of preliminary reading and interviewing, I worked for a summer at a diving academy, spending the day helping run activities and doing some of the workouts the athletes were doing, and in the evenings hanging out with fellow staff, all of whom were incredibly accomplished divers—Olympic and NCAA athletes and coaches. And for manuscripts set somewhere very specific, I’ll spend a good portion of the development or drafting process in that place, even if it’s somewhere I’m already deeply familiar with.

If I Am Margaret Moore were turned into a movie, what songs would you need to be on the soundtrack and (without too many spoilers) during which scenes would you love to have them play?

I’m definitely a writing playlist maker! My IAMM soundtrack is here, and there are several songs that were on repeat for certain scenes. “Bottom of the Deep Blue Sea” by Missio is the unofficial theme song of the book for me, and two other Missio songs capture the later sections of the book, where Mar goes a little feral—“Animal” and “Anthem for the Broken.” I also love “This Is What Makes Us Girls,” by Lana Del Rey, and “Green Light,” by Lorde, for the sense of summer and sisterhood and anticipation early in the book. And for a more literal answer, there are two classic songs that feature in the manuscript: “Summertime,” by Billie Holiday, and “Eternal Father Strong To Save,” which is the Navy Hymn and the tune the girls of Deck Five use for their deck anthem.

With I Am Margaret Moore releasing soon, are you already working on another project? If so, can you share a tidbit about it with us?

Yes! I’m revising a manuscript I’m absolutely in love with, and while I can’t share any details yet (and I can’t guarantee it will ever see the light of day—that’s the way this industry works!), I can say that it has to do with a world that was hugely important for me as a child and teenager and still is: ballet. For a number of reasons involving its setting and current context, the revision process may be a bit complex, but I believe deeply in this manuscript and I hope I’ll be able to share more soon.

Last but not least, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?

I have to shout out two very dear writing friends of mine: Laurie Elizabeth Flynn and Julia Lynn Rubin. Julia’s Trouble Girls and Laurie’s All Eyes on Her are both amazing YA novels that dig into the same themes my books explore: female bonds at their best and worst, sexual agency, and the way the world views young women. And for knock-you-over beautiful writing in the YA space, I’m in love with anything Elizabeth Acevedo writes, especially With the Fire on High—her voice is absolutely stunning.

Will you be picking up I Am Margaret Moore? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: Hannah Capin, Author of ‘I Am Margaret Moore’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

All cards on the table, I had a hard time getting into this story. While I was intrigued by the central mystery, I was also very confused for most of the reading experience because we only get tidbits here and there that you have to clue together yourself while the pacing meanders between racing ahead and leaving you on the side of the road or dragging you like a corpse through the woods. It didn’t help that the narrative jumped between different summers very frequently and if you accidentally missed the half-sentence that gave an indication of what summer the girls are on, you were completely lost as to what had happened already and what was yet to come. I’d almost venture that this was an intentional stylistic choice, but it was hard to get through.

That being said, after the halfway point and the semi-reveal, I was heavily invested in seeing how the story turned out. That, in part, is due to the fascinating characters we get to explore within this story. Margaret is an unusual protagonist—for more than a few reasons as you will learn—and her connections to her best friends and the other camp members are a tangled web that keeps you guessing. I loved how we got this juxtaposition of who the girls can be at camp, not having to fear consequences for being themselves and how that contrasted with the people they portray outside of camp. It’s the idea of reinventing yourself every summer, just reversed, and stories like that always get me excited.

So while this wasn’t my favourite read, I still loved it for what I’ve become accustomed to associate with Hannah Capin, which is her very unique writing style that always keeps me flipping the pages no matter what and the vibe she creates with her books—even though I was lost for most of the time while reading, I still had this sense of place I rarely get from other stories and that alone is always a great reason to pick up Capin’s books. Not to mention that Capin always manages to weave in social commentary into these mysterious novels and I love that girl power and feminism is always at the front of the story even if you don’t realise just how much they catalyse events.

If you like atmospheric settings, dark academic vibes but make it summer camp edition, and a mystery to boot, then I Am Margaret Moore is definitely for you!

I Am Margaret Moore is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of March 15th 2022.

Will you be picking up I Am Margaret Moore? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

Lyrical and haunting, Hannah Capin’s I Am Margaret Moore is a paranormal thriller that tests the hold of sisterhood and truth.

I am a girl. I am a monster, too.

Each summer the girls of Deck Five come back to Marshall Naval School. They sail on jewel-blue waters; they march on green drill-fields; they earn sunburns and honors. They push until they break apart and heal again, stronger.

Each summer Margaret and Rose and Flor and Nisreen come back to the place where they are girls, safe away from the world: sisters bound by something more than blood.

But this summer everything has changed. Girls are missing and a boy is dead. It’s because of Margaret Moore, the boys say. It’s because of what happened that night in the storm.

Margaret’s friends vanish one by one, swallowed up into the lies she has told about what happened between her and a boy with the world at his feet. Can she unravel the secrets of this summer and last, or will she be pulled under by the place she once called home?

The post Review: I Am Margaret Moore by Hannah Capin appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Lovers of retellings have all read their fair share of variations on glass slippers and poisoned apples, but what about classic literature? Tudor history? Mythology? If you’re looking for a great YA retelling with no mention of deadly spindles or beanstalks, give one of these non-fairytale retellings a try.

Heartless by Marissa Meyer
A retelling of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland

This standalone novel by the author of The Lunar Chronicles tells the origin story of the Queen of Hearts. With dozens of clever allusions to characters in the original tale, Meyer’s dark and heartbreaking adaptation will have you rooting for Catherine. This daughter of Wonderland nobility will win your heart with her lemon tarts and dreams of opening a bakery, leaving you both sad and strangely satisfied once she inevitably becomes the maniacal Queen of Hearts.

These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
A retelling of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet

Shakespeare, minus the iambic pentameter and minimalist female characters, plus Shanghai in the 1920s with our two leads the heirs to two rival gangs with a complicated past. We’ve all seen Romeo and Juliet retold with gangs before, but this Juliet will kick all the other Juliets’ butts. Literally. With lots of violence, drama, and an unexplainably contagious madness, Chloe Gong’s Shakespeare retelling is gritty and wonderfully original.

The Dead Queens Club by Hannah Capin
A retelling of Tudor history, specifically Henry VIII

Henry VIII is the captain of the football team, and he’s always got the current “it” girl on his arm, but not all his relationships end well. Just ask his ex, Anna Boleyn. Told from the point of view of the sarcastic high school version of Anne of Cleves, this Tudor retelling is filled with little nuggets of history twisted into high school drama and humour. The Dead Queens Club is part retelling and part thriller with an unforgettable cast, particularly the six “wives”/girlfriends of this king of campus. Capin’s debut retelling is not to be missed.

A Touch of Gold by Annie Sullivan
A retelling of Greek myth, “King Midas”

What if everything King Midas turned to gold didn’t just change back, but stayed cursed, including his daughter? What if his cursed gold objects were stolen, and Midas’s daughter has to use her strange gold-inspired powers to retrieve them with a team of pirates in an exciting seafaring adventure? Annie Sullivan’s Midas retelling, A Touch of Gold is packed with high adventure and sweet romance. This retelling is followed up by the sequel, A Curse of Gold, and will satisfy any craving for a Disney movie in YA fantasy form.

The Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston
A retelling of Mark Twain’s The Prince and the Pauper

This contemporary fandom-centric retelling is the second in a series, sandwiched between two fairy tale retellings of Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast. However, as each book in Ashley Poston’s Once Upon a Con series follows new characters, you can enjoy The Princess and the Fangirl without reading the first book in the series (though Geekerella may just be the book to get you interested in Cinderella again). Told in dual points of view between Jess (the princess) and Imogen (the fangirl), this rom-com retelling will have you falling in love with its two leads and eagerly planning your next cosplay.

Brightly Burning by Alexa Donne
A retelling of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre in space. Need I say more? If The 100 had a baby with Charlotte Bronte’s classic Gothic novel, it would be Brightly Burning. Stella Ainsley is our space-aged Jane, hired as a governess on a private spaceship. This sci-fi retelling brings the romance as well as the dangers of surviving outer space in a thrilling ride through Donne’s gorgeous post-apocalyptic space world. If you love Brightly Burning, be sure to also check out Donne’s companion novel, The Stars We Steal, described as Persuasion meets The Bachelor!

Do you have any other recommendations? Tell us in the comments below!

The post 6 YA Retellings That Have Nothing to Do With Fairytales appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Well, we at The Nerd Daily want to make your life even more magical by recommending some fabulous reads based on your favourite Gilmore Girls character (yes, I know, it’s terrible to make you choose, I wouldn’t be able to, either) so go forth and read, booklovers. Make Rory Gilmore proud!

YOUR FAVOURITE CHARACTER IS LORELAI GILMORE
You’re an avid coffee addict, can talk circles around anyone even in your sleep, and have (or aspire to) the kind of confidence that leaves people gaping at your ingenuity and quick wit. You enjoy reading books that keep you on your toes and make you have an emotional reaction – the story just has to be as unforgettable as people describe you to be.

YOUR FAVOURITE CHARACTER IS RORY GILMORE
You have read all the greats – from Pushkin to Tolstoy, if it’s classic, chances are a copy of it is stowed somewhere in your room. You enjoy stories that are epic, that require you to keep your wits about you while reading and make you reevaluate your values and beliefs. Classic tales with a new twist are right up your alley.

YOUR FAVOURITE CHARACTER IS EMILY GILMORE
You like tradition and order and you like to fit in – whether that’s in the office or in your friends group. You also have a penchant for being the leader of activities and events. You have a natural talent for making people do what you expect of them. If you find the time to read, you want something that is in high esteem and possibly with dark wit that makes you cackle in secret. You also have a hidden love for musicals and are a believer in the one true love of your life.

YOUR FAVOURITE CHARACTER IS RICHARD GILMORE
Ah, yes. The patriarch of the Gilmore clan, the man who adores reading about history and still can’t seem to get over mistakes made in the past. A dignified man who appreciates family values and taking responsibility.

YOUR FAVOURITE CHARACTER IS JESS MARIANO

While you might be seen as a bit of a bad boy or a rebel, you’re a softie at heart who believes in true love, fighting for what and who you love and above all, making the scrappy life look ridiculously hot. You read anything from Jane Austen to Allen Ginsberg – as long as it keeps you invested, you are here for it.

YOUR FAVOURITE CHARACTER IS LUKE DANES
You are outdoorsy and so, if you have to read a book instead of enjoy nature, it better be about nature. Or at least something about sports. Or, you know, just a book that is like Luke – steadfast, loyal and deserving of the description “wholesome grump”. You would also go to the ends of the earth for your loved ones and no sacrifice is too big to make sure that the people you care about are taken care of.

YOUR FAVOURITE CHARACTER IS SOOKIE ST. JAMES

Let’s face it, Sookie is wholesome, heartwarming and her hugs are probably just as life-affirming as her incredible food. 

YOUR FAVOURITE CHARACTER IS LANE KIM
You are all about the music – you would sacrifice everything for it and there’s no one who knows more about the best and the worst music in the world than you. You like to snatch up the aux cord on any road trip and are all about educating your friends and family with fun facts about obscure musicians that they never knew they needed.

YOUR FAVOURITE CHARACTER IS PARIS GELLER
It’s no secret that you are fierce AF, ambitious and determined to a fault. What you want, you get. You work hard and you don’t have time for people who will distract you from your goal. You love stories that are based on honour, moral fibre and integrity…and maybe a bit of revenge now and again.

YOUR FAVOURITE CHARACTER IS KIRK

You’re the person who stands out in any room, who will try anything once just to see if it suits your tastes and while you may be a bit awkward at times, your heart’s also in the right spot.

Who’s your favourite character? Or do you have any other recommendations? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Book Recommendations Based on Your Favourite Gilmore Girls Character appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

“This is what it means to be a feminist. Not a humanist or an equalist or whatever. But a feminist. It’s not a bad word. After today it might be my favorite word. Because really all it is is girls supporting each other and wanting to be treated like human beings in a world that’s always finding ways to tell them they’re not.”

Vivian Carter is fed up – from living in a small town where everyone thinks the football team is untouchable to the sexist dress codes and harassment in the hallways that no one seems to be able to change. When she is once again chastised for breaking the anti-feminist rules of her school, Viv decides to fight back. Taking a page from her mother’s past, Viv creates a feminist zine that she distributes anonymously to her classmates. What starts out as a way to blow off steam turns into fast friendships as girls all over the school band together to fight for their rights, solidifying the fact that there is nothing more powerful than girls supporting girls.

The Exact Opposite of Okay by Laura Steven
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

“I get why he’s lashing out. As a privileged white dude, he’s used to being able to buy whatever he wants. He lives in a country where even the presidency can be bought.
But he can’t buy my love. And that frustrates the hell out of him.”

Faced with a sex scandal of epic proportions, Izzy O’Neill becomes fed up with the double standards that exist for girls and boys – whereas she is publicly shamed and called out for being promiscuous, the guy she slept with is the hero who can do no wrong, receives high fives at every turn and is the conqueror of the whole school. Not to mention she’s dealing with her best friend who keeps begging her to let him out of the friendzone. Izzy decides enough is enough and together with her friends, fights back against the people who decide what a girl should be and how she should behave.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

“That’s the problem. We let people say stuff, and they say it so much that it becomes okay to them and normal for us. What’s the point of having a voice if you’re gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn’t be?”

From a young age, Starr Carter has been instructed on the double standards that exist for black people. Be silent, be docile, don’t do anything rash. Keep your head down and don’t make a fuss. When Starr witnesses her friend getting shot by a police officer for no reason, Starr is inconsolable. But above all, she is angry. Angry at the injustice, angry that Khalil had to die for no reason, angry that the police officer is facing no charges. Starr has to ask herself – what good does it do to keep quiet when she could actually change things for the better?

A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

“I wondered, for the very first time, if maybe I was doing this whole thing wrong. If maybe I’d allowed myself to be blinded by my own anger to the exclusion of all else. If maybe, just maybe, I’d been so determined not to be stereotyped that I’d begun to stereotype everyone around me.”

One year after 9/11, sixteen-year-old Shirin is tired of being stereotyped because she is a Muslim girl. Never surprised by the rude and demeaning attitude of others, Shirin has learned to shut out everyone and everything that might make her feel bad for her religion or wearing her hijab. Until Ocean James shows up and wants to get to know her – who sees the girl who break-dances and loves music and maybe, just maybe, the one who will get behind the protective walls she has built up. Brick by brick, Shirin realizes that not feeding into stereotypes is a tough choice – but changing who you are, how you act just to not be labeled by others is something no one should ever have to do. And finding yourself underneath what others tell you you are might be her toughest challenge yet.

Foul Is Fair by Hannah Capin
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

“Sweet sixteen is when the claws come out.”

After a birthday that should have been sweet but ended up being the worst night of her life, Jade decides to get revenge on the golden boys of St. Andrew’s Prep that tried to crush her and failed. Together with her fearless friends and the perfect disguise, Jade infiltrates the untouchable circle of the golden boys and takes back the power on a journey of revenge that will leave no survivors. Fed up with the injustice, Jade becomes larger than life and vows: something wicked this way comes.

What Kind of Girl by Alyssa Sheinmel
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

“Doing something when you’re scared is braver than doing something when you’re not.”

When Mike Parker’s girlfriend shows up with a bruise at school, everyone at North Bay Academy is taking sides. After all, what kind of girl would go to the principal instead of the police? And what girl would stay with her abusive boyfriend instead of leaving him? Divided by the issue of how much abuse society inflicts upon women and how much more they endure even when coming forward, there needs to be a reckoning: why ask what kind of girl stays instead of what kind of guy hurts her?

Do you have any other recommendations? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Destroy The Patriarchy: 6 YA Books That Will Empower You appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Read on to discover our picks and tell us in the comments below if you will be picking any of these up!

The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Tricia Levenseller, author of Daughter of the Pirate King, is back with an epic YA tale of ambition and love in The Shadows Between Us…

The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Teen boys find love when their parents’ NASA mission uproots their lives in this sweet debut perfect for Adam Silvera fans.

The Queen’s Assassin by Melissa de la Cruz
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Red Queen, this is the first novel in a sweeping YA fantasy-romance duet about a deadly assassin, his mysterious apprentice, and the country they are sworn to protect from #1 NYT bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz.

Rebelwing by Andrea Tang
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Set in a wonderfully inventive near-future Washington, D.C., this hilarious, defiant debut sparkles with wit and wisdom, deftly exploring media consumption, personal freedoms, and the weight of one life as Pru, rather reluctantly, takes to the skies.

Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

New York Times bestselling authors Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed have crafted a resonant, funny, and memorable story about the power of love and resistance.

Break the Fall by Jennifer Iacopelli
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Audrey Lee is going to the Olympics. A year ago, she recovered from a spine surgery. Now, the pressure for perfection is higher than ever. Balancing the tenuous relationship between her teammates with unparalleled expectations, Audrey doesn’t need any more distractions. But with painful revelations, incredible odds, and the very real possibility of falling at every turn, will Audrey’s determination be enough?

The Last Confession of Autumn Casterly by Meredith Tate
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

If I Stay meets One of Us is Lying in this gripping contemporary thriller.

Ink in the Blood by Kim Smejkal
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A lush, dark YA fantasy debut that weaves together tattoo magic, faith, and eccentric theater in a world where lies are currency and ink is a weapon, perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Kendare Blake.

What Kind of Girl by Alyssa B. Sheinmel
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Girl in Pieces meets Moxie in this unflinching exploration of all the hurts young women endure.

Foul Is Fair by Hannah Capin
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Foul is Fair is a bloody, thrilling revenge fantasy for the girls who have had enough. Golden boys beware: something wicked this way comes.

Of Curses and Kisses by Sandhya Menon
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

From the New York Times bestselling author of When Dimple Met Rishi comes the first novel in a brand-new series set at an elite international boarding school, that’s a contemporary spin on Beauty and the Beast.

The Stars We Steal by Alexa Donne
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

The Bachelorette goes to space in this gripping story about a young girl caught in a world of royal intrigue and lost love in her quest to save her family from ruin.

Will you be picking up any of these YA releases? Tell us in the comments below!

The post February 2020 YA Book Releases appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Foul is Fair follows young Elle Jade who, together with her coven of popular and powerful friends, rules LA. The world at their feet, there is little these girls can do that would lead to trouble.

On the night of Elle’s sixteenth birthday, they decide to crash a party that will change the trajectory of their lives. Drugged and raped by not one but four golden boys who drip privilege down their snotty noses, Elle decides to make them pay. Not just for herself, but for every girl that came before her. She will be the last girl these boys ever touch without consent. And she will be the last face they see before they die. They have picked the wrong girl to cross. Jade is relentless and angry. After having control stripped from her in one of the most crucial moments in her life, she will do anything to get it back. To move from the status of victim, beyond the survivor narrative to something else altogether: Avenger.

With a powerful, bomb-shell attitude, a new name and look, and her coven of friends who would do anything for her, Jade changes schools to attend St. Andrews and infiltrate the group of friends for one reason and one reason only: to annihilate the people who violated her. With the help of the supposed “golden boy” of the St. Andrews royalty, Mack, and her devoted friends, Jade embarks on a carefully orchestrated path of revenge, to take the boys down one by one.

I don’t know how to do this book justice with words because all I want to do is scream into the void in my heart because this story was exactly what I needed. Foul Is Fair is a revenge story. There is nothing pretty about it. It, quite like its protagonist Jade, is ruthless and full of wrath and by god, I could not put it down.

There is not a lot of exposition or flowery description and it works perfectly for this novel. You don’t need to know every single detail about a person’s appearance or their home to connect with them. Capin excels at putting you into Jade’s shows, at making you feel the frustration and the armour she puts on herself, the denial and the urge to bring justice upon those who have wronged her. The writing is compulsive and draws you right in, there are no lull moments in the plot—this is a story driven by emotions and it will keep you flipping the pages with the sheer power behind that anger and determination. Certainly, there is a level of suspension of disbelief that you need to have to go into this story, to accept that this will not be pretty. That there will be blood and that this girl manages to unravel this group and get people to murder for her within the span of fourteen days. That these are the people with powerful families that have lawyers waiting to get murder charges thrown out before the gruesome homicides ever cross the newspaper headlines. But once you start that story, you cannot stop until you finish it because you need to see what happens to those who tried to destroy Jade and failed. And now have to pay for it.

This is a polarising book. People are either going to love it or hate it, I don’t think there will be much middle ground. And in a way I think that comes down to what you have experienced in your life or who you know in your circle of loved ones who may have lived through this. For far too many women (and men!), sexual assault and rape is at the forefront of their minds. There are far too many situations we find ourselves in where this is the possible outcome, and sometimes we can escape it and sometimes we don’t. It is inhuman, it is frustrating, it is disgusting and horrible, and five thousand other words that will never make others understand the sheer terror we feel in those moments. We feel powerless, we feel like the victims, we are coddled with empty words or left stranded but in Foul Is Fair, one of us takes the power back. One of us picks herself up off the ground and gets the payback so many of us would love to have but perhaps never will.

An unapologetic, addictive tour de force that will leave readers entranced and empowered, a fantastically grafted story with an inevitable ending that you won’t soon forget. Perfect for fans of Euphoria, Cruel Intentions, Nikita, and Killing Eve, this is for everyone who ever needed the hope of being avenged.

Foul Is Fair is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers as of February 18th 2020.

Will you be picking up Foul Is Fair? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

Elle and her friends Mads, Jenny, and Summer rule their glittering LA circle. Untouchable, they have the kind of power other girls only dream of. Every party is theirs and the world is at their feet. Until the night of Elle’s sweet sixteen, when they crash a St. Andrew’s Prep party. The night the golden boys choose Elle as their next target.

They picked the wrong girl.

Sworn to vengeance, Elle transfers to St. Andrew’s. She plots to destroy each boy, one by one. She’ll take their power, their lives, and their control of the prep school’s hierarchy. And she and her coven have the perfect way in: a boy named Mack, whose ambition could turn deadly.

Foul is Fair is a bloody, thrilling revenge fantasy for the girls who have had enough. Golden boys beware: something wicked this way comes.

The post Review: Foul Is Fair by Hannah Capin appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Who’s ready to get their hands on some new YA releases!? We definitely are and we bet you can’t wait too! We love a new year because that means there’s going to be so many new books coming out over the next 12 months from authors we already love as well as authors releasing their very first novel into the wild!

Naturally there’s many books being released, so we’ve narrowed it down to 48 titles that we are really looking forward to being released between the months of January and June!

So, what can we expect from 2020? Well there’s new books from familiar names such as Cassandra Clare, Melissa de la Cruz, Suzanne Collins,  Alwyn Hamilton, and many more! In terms of content, there’s gender-swapped retellings, vampires, assassins, magic, thrillers, dragons, sweet contemporaries, stories of friendship, tales of love and revenge, and much, much more!

Read on to discover just a few of our favourites and tell us in the comments if you are looking forward to any of these releases!

JANUARY

Oasis by Katya de Becerra
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

In this young adult thriller for fans of Lost and The Twilight Zone, a group of teens are saved when they come across a mysterious oasis. But who will save them from the oasis?

Loveboat, Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Sarah Dessen, and praised as “an intense rush of rebellion and romance” by #1 New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Garber, this romantic and layered Own Voices debut from Abigail Hing Wen is a dazzling, fun-filled romp.

Dark and Deepest Red by Anna-Marie McLemore
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

With Anna-Marie McLemore’s signature lush prose, Dark and Deepest Red pairs the forbidding magic of a fairy tale with a modern story of passion and betrayal.

Rogue Princess by B.R. Myers
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A princess fleeing an arranged marriage teams up with a snarky commoner to foil a rebel plot in B. R. Myers’ Rogue Princess, a gender-swapped sci-fi YA retelling of Cinderella.

Woven in Moonlight by Isabel Ibañez
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A lush tapestry of magic, romance, and revolución, drawing inspiration from Bolivian politics and history.

Black Girl Unlimited: The Remarkable Story of a Teenage Wizard by Echo Brown
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Heavily autobiographical and infused with magical realism, Black Girl Unlimited fearlessly explores the intersections of poverty, sexual violence, depression, racism, and sexism―all through the arc of a transcendent coming-of-age story for fans of Renee Watson’s Piecing Me Together and Ibi Zoboi’s American Street.

Blood Countess by Lana Popović
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A historical YA horror novel based on the infamous real-life inspiration for Countess Dracula.

Don’t Read the Comments by Eric Smith
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Slay meets Eliza and Her Monsters in Eric Smith’s Don’t Read the Comments, an #ownvoices story in which two teen gamers find their virtual worlds – and blossoming romance – invaded by the real-world issues of trolling and doxing in the gaming community.

FEBRUARY

The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Tricia Levenseller, author of Daughter of the Pirate King, is back with an epic YA tale of ambition and love in The Shadows Between Us…

The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Teen boys find love when their parents’ NASA mission uproots their lives in this sweet debut perfect for Adam Silvera fans.

The Queen’s Assassin by Melissa de la Cruz
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Red Queen, this is the first novel in a sweeping YA fantasy-romance duet about a deadly assassin, his mysterious apprentice, and the country they are sworn to protect from #1 NYT bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz.

Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

New York Times bestselling authors Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed have crafted a resonant, funny, and memorable story about the power of love and resistance.

Belle Révolte by Linsey Miller
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

From the author of the Mask of Shadows duology comes a standalone fantasy where two young women must trade lives, work together to stay alive, and end a war caused by magic and greed.

The Last Confession of Autumn Casterly by Meredith Tate
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

If I Stay meets One of Us is Lying in this gripping contemporary thriller.

Ink in the Blood by Kim Smejkal
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A lush, dark YA fantasy debut that weaves together tattoo magic, faith, and eccentric theater in a world where lies are currency and ink is a weapon, perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Kendare Blake.

Foul Is Fair by Hannah Capin
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Foul is Fair is a bloody, thrilling revenge fantasy for the girls who have had enough. Golden boys beware: something wicked this way comes.

MARCH

Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Chain of Gold is the first novel in a new trilogy that stars the Shadowhunters of Edwardian London.

Bone ​Crier’s Moon by Kathryn Purdie
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Kathryn Purdie comes a high-stakes fantasy duology flush with doomed romance and macabre magic, perfect for fans of Stephanie Garber and Roshani Chokshi.

Anna K.: A Love Story by Jenny Lee
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Dazzlingly opulent and emotionally riveting, Anna K.: A Love Story is a brilliant reimagining of Leo Tolstoy’s timeless love story, Anna Karenina―but above all, it is a novel about the dizzying, glorious, heart-stopping experience of first love and first heartbreak.

Greythorne by Crystal Smith
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Brimming with deliciously mysterious magic, political intrigue, and a passionate heroine who will do anything to save the ones she loves—this highly anticipated sequel to Bloodleaf won’t disappoint.

Harley in the Sky by Akemi Dawn Bowman
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

The Greatest Showman meets This Is Us by way of Sarah Dessen in this heart-wrenching, hopeful contemporary novel about a multiracial teen who risks it all to follow her dreams by joining the circus, from the critically acclaimed author of Starfish.

Havenfall by Sara Holland
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A safe haven between four realms. The girl sworn to protect it–at any cost. New York Times bestselling author Sara Holland crafts a breathtaking new contemporary fantasy perfect for fans of Melissa Albert and Holly Black.

Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda meets Clueless in this boy-meets-boy spin on Grease.

When We Were Magic by Sarah Gailey
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A sly, witchy dark comedy about four teens whose magic goes wildly awry from Magic for Liars author Sarah Gailey, who Chuck Wendig calls an “author to watch.”

APRIL

Incendiary by Zoraida Córdova
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Jack Kerouac Is Dead to Me by Gae Polisner
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Gae Polisner’s Jack Kerouac is Dead to Me is a story about the fragility of female friendship, of falling in love and wondering if you are ready for more, and of the glimmers of hope we find by taking stock in ourselves.

Time of Our Lives by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A reflective, romantic coming-of-age novel that explores life after high school–perfect for fans of Fangirl and Emergency Contact.

The Lucky Ones by Liz Lawson
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

For fans of Thirteen Reasons Why, This Is How It Ends, and All the Bright Places, comes a new novel about life after. How do you put yourself back together when it seems like you’ve lost it all?

Clique Bait by Ann Valett
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Pretty Little Liars meets Burn for Burn in this thrilling debut from Wattpad star Ann Valett.

Verona Comics by Jennifer Dugan
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

From the author of Hot Dog Girl comes a fresh and funny YA contemporary romance about two teens who fall in love in an indie comic book shop.

Late to the Party by Kelly Quindlen
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

From author Kelly Quindlen comes a poignant and deeply relatable story about friendship, self-acceptance, what it means to be a Real Teenager. Late to the Party is an ode to late bloomers and wallflowers everywhere.

Loveless by Alice Oseman
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Loveless is a journey of identity, self-acceptance, and finding out how many different types of love there really are. And that no one is really loveless after all.

MAY

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

The post 48 YA Book Releases To Look Out For In 2020 appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Read on to discover our picks and tell us in the comments below if you will be reading any!

Our Year of Maybe by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Aspiring choreographer Sophie Orenstein would do anything for Peter Rosenthal-Porter, who’s been on the kidney transplant list as long as she’s known him. Peter, a gifted pianist, is everything to Sophie: best friend, musical collaborator, secret crush. When she learns she’s a match, donating a kidney is an easy, obvious choice. She can’t help wondering if after the transplant, he’ll love her back the way she’s always wanted.

Let’s Go Swimming on Doomsday by Natalie C. Anderson
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Forced to become a child soldier, a sixteen-year-old Somali refugee must confront his painful past in this haunting, thrilling tale of loss and redemption for fans of A Long Way Gone and What is the What

Just For Clicks by Kara McDowell
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Mommy blogs are great . . . unless the blog happens to belong to your mom. Twin sisters Claire & Poppy are accidental social media stars thanks to Mom going viral when they were babies. Now, as teens, they’re expected to contribute by building their own brand. Attending a NY fashion week and receiving fan mail is a blast. Fending off internet trolls and would-be kidnappers? Not so much. Poppy embraces it. Claire hates it. Will anybody accept her as “just Claire”? And what should Claire do about Mom’s old journals? The handwritten entries definitely don’t sound like Mom’s perfect blog persona. Worse, one of them divulges a secret that leaves Claire wondering what else in her life might be nothing but a sham . . .

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

In a lush, contemporary fantasy retelling of Beauty and the Beast, Brigid Kemmerer gives readers another compulsively readable romance perfect for fans of Marissa Meyer.

Two Can Keep A Secret by Karen M. McManus
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Echo Ridge is small-town America. Ellery’s never been there, but she’s heard all about it. Her aunt went missing there at age seventeen. And only five years ago, a homecoming queen put the town on the map when she was killed. Now Ellery has to move there to live with a grandmother she barely knows. The town is picture-perfect, but it’s hiding secrets. And before school even begins for Ellery, someone’s declared open season on homecoming, promising to make it as dangerous as it was five years ago. Then, almost as if to prove it, another girl goes missing.

96 Words for Love by Rachel Roy and Ava Dash
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A modern retelling of a classic Indian legend of Shakuntala and Dushyanta, 96 Words for Love is a coming-of-age story.

Only A Breath Apart by Katie McGarry
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Bestselling author Katie McGarry’s trademark wrong-side-of-the-tracks romance is given a new twist in the gritty YA contemporary novel, Only a Breath Apart.

The Dead Queens Club by Hannah Capin
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Mean Girls meets The Tudors in Hannah Capin’s The Dead Queens Club, a clever contemporary YA retelling of Henry VIII and his wives (or, in this case, his high school girlfriends). Told from the perspective of Annie Marck (“Cleves”), a 17-year-old aspiring journalist from Cleveland who meets Henry at summer camp, The Dead Queens Club is a fun, snarky read that provides great historical detail in an accessible way for teens while giving the infamous tale of Henry VIII its own unique spin.

White Stag by Kara Barbieri
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

The first book in a brutally stunning series where a young girl finds herself becoming more monster than human and must uncover dangerous truths about who she is and the place that has become her home.

The Similars by Rebecca Hanover
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

When six clones join Emmaline’s prestigious boarding school, she must confront the heartbreak of seeing her dead best friend’s face each day in class.

Famous In Small Town by Emma Mills
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

For Sophie, small-town life has never felt small. She has her beloved marching band, the pride and joy of Acadia High (even if the football team disagrees); and her four best friends, loving and infuriating, wonderfully weird and all she could ever ask for. Then August moves in next door. A quiet guy with a magnetic smile, August seems determined to keep everyone at arm’s length. Sophie in particular. Country stars, revenge plots, and a few fake kisses (along with some excellent real ones) await Sophie in this hilarious, heartfelt story.

Death Prefers Blondes by Caleb Roehrig
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Teenage socialite Margo Manning leads a dangerous double life. By day, she dodges the paparazzi while soaking up California sunshine. By night, however, she dodges security cameras and armed guards, pulling off high-stakes cat burglaries with a team of flamboyant young men. But then Margo’s personal life takes a sudden, dark turn, and a job to end all jobs lands her crew in deadly peril. Overnight, everything she’s ever counted on is put at risk. But can one rebel heiress and four kickboxing drag queens withstand the slings and arrows of truly outrageous fortune? Or will a mounting sea of troubles end them — for good?

Are there any other YA books that you are excited for? Tell us in the comments below!

The post January Book Releases: YA appeared first on The Nerd Daily.