A Mirror Mended

A Mirror Mended by Alix E. Harrow, 130 pages

In this sequel to A Spindle Splintered, our protagonist Zinnia has somehow moved from her own Sleeping Beauty-inspired multiverse to that of Snow White. But unlike her own multiverse, where she's been jumping from world to world to save the princesses, this time she's pulled over by the evil queen, who wants her help escaping her own fate. I loved the creative fairy tale-multiverse and the many twists on Sleeping Beauty that the first book brought, but I REALLY dig this one, which examines the nature of good and evil, and the agency of characters to change. It's amazing what a full story Harrow can create with just 130 pages. Highly recommend this series! 

Liesl & Po

Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver  307 pp.

This is another book for the Treehouse Book Club. Liesl has been locked away in an attic bedroom by her evil stepmother. Her father has died and she was not permitted to visit him in the hospital before his death. She has no friends until a child ghost named Po appears one night. At the same time, a boy named Will, who is apprentice to an alchemist, makes an innocent mistake which sets a series of events in motion to draw Liesl, Po, and Will together. Soon they are on the run from the angry alchemist, the alchemist's client, and Liesl's evil stepmother. All Liesl wants to do is bury her father's ashes in the place he wanted. Will just wants to be far away from the alchemist who constantly calls him "useless". The unlikely relationships of Liesl, Po, and Will becomes a true friendship as they learn to rely on each other and find an unexpected ally.