The City of Brass (The Daevabad Trilogy #1) by S.A. Chakraborty

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Nahri has never believed in magic. Certainly, she has power; on the streets of 18th century Cairo, she’s a con woman of unsurpassed talent. But she knows better than anyone that the trade she uses to get by—palm readings, zars, healings—are all tricks, sleights of hand, learned skills; a means to the delightful end of swindling Ottoman nobles. 

But when Nahri accidentally summons an equally sly, darkly mysterious djinn warrior to her side during one of her cons, she’s forced to accept that the magical world she thought only existed in childhood stories is real. For the warrior tells her a new tale: across hot, windswept sands teeming with creatures of fire, and rivers where the mythical marid sleep; past ruins of once-magnificent human metropolises, and mountains where the circling hawks are not what they seem, lies Daevabad, the legendary city of brass, a city to which Nahri is irrevocably bound. 

In that city, behind gilded brass walls laced with enchantments, behind the six gates of the six djinn tribes, old resentments are simmering. And when Nahri decides to enter this world, she learns that true power is fierce and brutal. That magic cannot shield her from the dangerous web of court politics. That even the cleverest of schemes can have deadly consequences. 

After all, there is a reason they say be careful what you wish for... 

I've been excited to read this debut from S.A. Chakraborty. I thought that the idea of a main character that is a con artist accidentally summoning a djinn was something that I hadn't heard of before. This book was an entirely new experience for me. I thought that the world building was interesting. The author introduces readers to the hierarchy of different types of djinn, their powers, and how their world came to be. I also haven't read a book that takes place in Egypt so it was fun for me to learn more about it and the culture.
I haven't been reading adult fantasy for long but I thought that City of Brass was excellent! I would recommend it if you are trying to transition from young adult to adult or if you just want to try reading adult fantasy. I think that some adult fantasy can read like it is trying too hard to be adult by being complicated or unnecessarily long. This is not the case with City of Brass. It was easy to read and to be drawn into the story. 
I loved the characters. They were clearly each products of their home lands and were shaped by the choices that they made as a result. They are each extremely flawed in ways that made me question if I even liked them at times while I was reading. This made me want to keep reading even more to see if they were able to be redeemed or would change as the book progressed. I decided that I enjoyed them by the end of the book and can't wait to see where the author will continue their development as the series continues. There are many layers to each of them already that can be explored in the next book. I'm also looking forward to learning more about side characters due to an intriguing ending to the first installment. 
The politics and social issues were interesting and I wasn't sure what side I fell on. I believe this was the author's  point. There is no right side. There should be equality between the races of djinn as well as freedom of choice. I'm not one for political intrigue and things in books but I found this topic to be particularly interesting. I also believe that it helped that there was so much action taking place periodically over the course of the story. I love battles especially if they involve magic and/or monsters!
There were portions of the book that were a bit slow for me but overall I thought that the book was excellent and executed extremely well. I'm excited to see where the author takes the series next. I thought that the ending was amazing and I cant wait to start reading the next book.

The Hollow City by Dan Wells

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Dan Wells won instant acclaim for his three-novel debut about the adventures of John Wayne Cleaver, a heroic young man who is a potential serial killer. All who read the trilogy were struck by the distinctive and believable voice Wells created for John.

Now he returns with another innovative thriller told in a very different, equally unique voice. A voice that comes to us from the  realm of madness.

Michael Shipman is paranoid schizophrenic; he suffers from hallucinations, delusions, and complex fantasies of persecution and horror. That’s bad enough. But what can he do if some of the monsters he sees turn out to be real?

Who can you trust if you can't even trust yourself? The Hollow City is a mesmerizing journey into madness, where the greatest enemy of all is your own mind.

I went into The Hollow City expecting to like it so I had high expectations. They were met when I read this. I have no complaints to talk about. I think that The Hollow City was very well executed with each reaction, clue, and event flowing into the next. The pacing of the book was excellent. It was fast paced but still managed to be coherent.

As far as characters go, I liked John Wayne Cleaver [I Am Not A Serial Killer] more than Michael even though he wasn't any less interesting. I think that I enjoyed the darker, creepier side to John that Michael didn't have. Michael had a depth to him that I appreciated and it was interesting to experience everything in the book from his point of view. He was an unreliable point of view. It was difficult to tell fact from fiction which I found to be exciting and frustrating at the same time. 

I loved the twist in the book even though I guessed part of it. It was an interesting way to take the story. I think that the paranormal elements in this book were more fleshed out and better done than in some of the author's previous work. I honestly don't think that Dan Wells can write something that I won't enjoy. I have liked all of the books that I have read by him. 

What to Say Next by Julie Buxbaum

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Two struggling teenagers find an unexpected connection just when they need it most.

Sometimes a new perspective is all that is needed to make sense of the world.

KIT: I don’t know why I decide not to sit with Annie and Violet at lunch. It feels like no one here gets what I’m going through. How could they? I don’t even understand.

DAVID: In the 622 days I’ve attended Mapleview High, Kit Lowell is the first person to sit at my lunch table. I mean, I’ve never once sat with someone until now. “So your dad is dead,” I say to Kit, because this is a fact I’ve recently learned about her. 

When an unlikely friendship is sparked between relatively popular Kit Lowell and socially isolated David Drucker, everyone is surprised, most of all Kit and David. Kit appreciates David’s blunt honesty—in fact, she finds it bizarrely refreshing. David welcomes Kit’s attention and her inquisitive nature. When she asks for his help figuring out the how and why of her dad’s tragic car accident, David is all in. But neither of them can predict what they’ll find. Can their friendship survive the truth?

I loved this book so much! I thought that the author did a great job of portraying a character that is autistic. It wasn't romanticized but it was shown to be something difficult that can make relating to peers difficult. David was my favorite character in the story by far because he was so real. He had struggles but also successes. He is a great example of how just because someone is coping with an issue like autism, it doesn't mean that they are worth less than others. He is able to contribute through his honesty, heart, and intelligence. I loved seeing his growth throughout the story which the author also did well portraying. It is not a magical, quick fix but rather a very slow and realistic progression.

I also thought that Kit was a great example of grief and how it can take many forms for each individual. Everyone around her expects her to move on and to be her old self but to her losing her father feels like it just happened no matter the length of time. The author makes her feelings on the matter apparent in such a way that in reading it readers can feel the emotions as if they were their own. 

I think that it will be easy for readers to relate to each of these characters if they have ever felt that they were different or have lost someone close to them. The author handles both of the main characters issues delicately but also pushes readers to feel different emotions and understand the characters in a way that can be painful to read. I loved the author's writing and will continue to read her novels as she has no let me down yet with her books.