Ever since her mother sought refuge in the remote religious community of Red Creek, 16-year-old Agnes and her siblings have lived within its protective bounds.  Agnes is careful to follow all the rules—she keeps her hair bound, her face unpainted, her eyes on the Lord, and her actions in line with the prophet's teachings.  She doesn't question the enigmatic leader, even as his preaching becomes increasingly frenetic.  Her one rebellion is going against the prophet's law prohibiting medical intervention.  Ezekiel, Agnes' 7-year-old brother, is a Type 1 diabetic.  Faith hasn't healed him—he needs frequent doses of insulin or he'll die.  Agnes won't let that happen.  She secretly barters for his medicine with a woman from the outside, even though it means risking punishment and excommunication.    

When Agnes' contact brings disturbing news from the outside about a viral pandemic that's sweeping the nation, Agnes is shocked.  The prophet is overjoyed that The End is near; his people will wait the apocalypse out in an underground bunker as planned.  Agnes refuses.  Desperate to save Ezekiel, she leaves behind everything she's ever known and flees with her brother in tow.  As they seek safety anywhere they can find it, Agnes realizes that she has a strange, otherworldly connection to the deadly virus.  Is it possible that she, an ordinary young woman with little knowledge of the world, has the power to stop it?

While Agnes at the End of the World, a debut novel by Kelly McWilliams, may sound like just another YA dystopian/post-apocalyptic story, it has a few elements that make it stand out.  Most cult stories are brutal in their depictions of religious faith, showing it as something that can only be espoused by the blind and the brainwashed.  As Agnes' eyes are opened and she begins to question what she's been taught, she grows into a faith that is meaningful in a more personal way.  She comes to understand what she, herself, really believes and knows.  To me, her journey feels authentic and I love that a YA book depicts that kind of faith as something that is not just acceptable but also healthy and sustaining.  Despite its ruminations on religious devotion, never fear—Agnes at the End of the World is not a Christian novel or even a preachy one.  Its religious themes are expertly woven into its larger plot.  As a Type 1 diabetic myself, I also appreciate the realistic representation of my disease in this story.  It's a condition that isn't addressed a lot in novels and definitely should be.  Beyond these unique features, Agnes at the End of the World also offers a cast of likable characters, a fast-paced plot, and a story well told in assured prose.  For all these reasons, I very much enjoyed this novel, which kept me burning through the pages eager to find out what was going to happen next.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of The Line Between and A Single Light, a duology by Tosca Lee, and The Outside and The Hallowed Ones, a duology by Laura Bickle)

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find

Family is complicated.  Especially if you're a Miller.  This becomes especially obvious when Helen Auerbach, the family's elderly matriarch, dies, bringing her three estranged grandchildren back together under one roof.  Birthed by Deborah, a mostly absent mother, Beck, Ashley, and Jake were raised by Helen, who "was more than a grandmother; Deborah was less than a mom" (24).  When Helen's will is read, the grandchildren are all shocked to discover their ancestral home has been given to their unstable mother.  Beck, the grandchild who has spent the most time doting on Helen over the years, is puzzled by her inheritance—a gaudy brooch.  Was Helen completely out of her mind when she drafted her will?

When a jeweler friend spies Beck's new bling, he's certain it's more valuable than it seems.  Like $10 million more.  Authentication shows one of the brooch's gems is actually the famous Florentine diamond, a 137-carat stone that went missing from the Austrian Empire over 100 years ago.  As much as Beck tries to contain the news, soon everyone knows about her stunning inheritance.  Not only are various government heads vying for possession of the diamond, but Beck's family members are wrangling to get their piece of the proverbial pie as well.  Looming above it all, though, is the very intriguing question—just how did Helen Auerbach acquire the Florentine diamond?  Did Helen's family even know her at all?  As Beck and her siblings search for answers, they uncover the shocking story their grandmother never wanted them to know.  In the process, they discover that money can never buy what's most important in life.

The Imperfects by Amy Meyerson brings together some of my favorite fictional (and real-life) themes—family, genealogy, mystery, and history.  I enjoyed learning about the real Florentine diamond (which is still missing), a subject I knew little about.  The characters in The Imperfects are complex and intriguing.  They're all flawed, with varying degrees of likability, which makes them feel authentic.  Their complicated relationships also seem true-to-life.  Plotwise, the novel remains compelling throughout, as Helen's past is slowly revealed.  As the Millers grapple with their everyday dramas, plus those of the past, and the tantalizing possibilities of a glimmering future, they learn some valuable lessons about family, forgiveness, and where true fortune really lies.  If you can't tell, I loved this wise, engrossing novel.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of the movie Knives Out and of The Woman in the Green Dress by Tea Cooper)

One of the most fun Top Ten Tuesday topics that has come up this year was Book Titles That Would Make Awesome Band Names.  I blanked on that one and I'm having the same problem with today's prompt:  Book Titles That Would Make Great Song Titles.  I love music as much as the next person, but for some reason, song topics make my brain short out.  Thus, I'm going rogue today.  Not too rogue as I'm going to stick with book titles—I just decided to highlight some punny ones that make me laugh.  Cozy mystery titles are all about playing with words, so all the ones on my list come from that genre.  I haven't read any of them, but they all sound entertaining! 

Speaking of cozy mysteries, there was some discussion on my blog the other day (see this post) about what makes a mystery "cozy."  Generally, books in the genre adhere to these loose guidelines:

Ashley Hawkins' single father doesn't have the money to provide her with much more than her basic needs, but he did teach her how to survive in the Tennessee wilderness.  She's perfectly at home in the Smoky Mountains, more comfortable there than inside the walls of her drama-filled high school. So, when she catches her boyfriend making out with another girl while they're all on a group campout, she takes off in a fit of anger, seeking solace among the trees that have always cocooned her.  In her drunken rage, she wanders farther than she intended and injures herself.  When she wakes, Ashley's shocked to realize she's lost and alone.  She's not expected home for a couple of days.  Barely able to walk, she's got no supplies and no choice—she has to get out of the forest.  Battling infection, fatigue, hunger, thirst, wild animals, and more, Ashley's in for the fight of her life.

Be Not Far From Me is another raw, gritty tale from YA veteran Mindy McGinnis.  She pulls no punches in this survival tale, so be prepared.  It's brutal and unflinching.  Ashley is the perfect heroine for this story.  She's smart, tough, and determined.  Her vulnerability, though, is what makes her authentic and relatable.  It's impossibly not to root for her success, even as it becomes less and less likely.  While Be Not Far From Me is a intense, straightforward survival story, it does offer some interesting ruminations on how the things (nature) and people (family and friends) we love can both shelter and harm us.  I've enjoyed all of McGinnis' books; this one is no exception.  If you enjoy stark survival tales, you're going to love Be Not Far From Me.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of other YA and MG survival stories like The Canyon's Edge by Dusti Bowling, I Am Still Alive by Kate Alice Marshall, When We Were Lost by Kevin Wignall, The Wild Lands by Paul Greci, etc.)

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find