Seven Percent of Ro Devereux by Ellen O'Clover

Seven Precent of Ro Devereux is a YA realistic fiction book that was sent to me by the publisher. This book was released today! High school senior Ro Devereux designed the app MASH that can predict various parts of your future with 93% accuracy upon completing a 100-question survey. She never imagined that it would go viral and attract the attention of a tech firm in Silicon Valley. Partnered with XLR8, she is instructed to take the survey that predicts a romantic partner and prove to the world that it works by appearing to fall in love with them. Ro is shocked when the result is Miller, her childhood best friend with whom she had a falling out with and haven't spoken to in 3 years.

I do not usually read romance, but what drew me to this book was the unusual twist of Ro and Miller being forced to pretend to be in a relationship and how that eventually may turn into a real one while exploring what went wrong in their prior friendship. I liked the storyline more of XLR8 and how mass media and the tech industry manipulates statistics and invests more in screen time and amount of downloads than scientific accuracy. As the app took off, I enjoyed seeing the effect of the fame and business on Ro and how she handled it. Ro and Miller both made some mistakes, and I appreciate imperfect protagonists. Quick note that I also love women in STEM!

I think everyone at some point in time has wondered what their future would look like. If you google "predict my future", there are dozens, maybe even hundreds, of surveys that claim to predict your future career, number and gender of kids, where you would live, pets, etc. Even if the 93% accuracy gave a happy ending for Ro and Miller, there is still a 7% chance that the result would not be correct for someone else. What happens if you guide your future and make decisions based on what the app tells you, or if you had your future carefully planned out and the app tells you that your passion is wrong? I was glad that in addition the romance, O'Clover tackled mental health issues, family relationship challenges, and both the positives and negatives of glimpsing the future.

I highly recommend this book!

Title: Seven Percent of Ro Devereux
Author: Ellen O'Clover
Publisher: Harper Collins
Pages: 320
Series: No
Rating: 5 Stars
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Screamcatcher: Sa’be Most Monstrous (Screamcatcher book 4) by Christy J. Breedlove

Screamcatcher: Sa'be Most Monstrous is the fourth book in the YA paranormal fantasy Screamcatcher series that was sent to me by the author. The Badlands Paranormal Society has received their next client. Tonya, who calls because her husband has gone missing after investigating what seems to be numerous violent Bigfoot- aka "Sa'be". Jory and her friends soon realize that there is more to the folklore than meets the eye, and helping their client will require more than firepower: willpower and empathy. 

After reading the previous book, The Shimmering Eye, I wondered how Breedlove would be able to top it. Interestingly, the author shifted from gunfights and explosives to killing the enemy with kindness. I think that strategic choice was a smart one so that the reader doesn't constantly compare the book to the previous one, which is common in series. Not to mention this concept was very unique. The choice Jory and her team made to instead show respect to the creature and its family and offer peace was I think incredibly smart. This also provided a test of wills to the characters of their level of self-control. Contrary to the mostly physical test of the previous books, this was a test of mental strength and agility, an interesting pivot point. 

Bigfoot is commonly portrayed in the media and in conversations in matters that are offensive (such as the name itself), ridiculing, or made into various jokes. Perhaps that is just my scientific/inquisitive mind, but I found learning about their intellect, social structure, and motivations fascinating. I am sure there are several mythology books that deal with Sasquatches, however I doubt that there are many with the level of empathy and detail as this. This book also serves as a lesson to not assume the worst in others or judge them on their differences. The Sa'be had their own motivations and reasoning that weren't purely violent, and the end reason for why they kept Kyle was ingenious.  It certainly wasn't as fast-paced or perhaps as exciting as the previous books, but I was very interested in learning about the Sa'be itself. I also know next to nothing of Native American culture and beliefs. Contrary to the obvious paranormal fantasy from the previous books, this could be labeled realistic fiction. Without evidence, I cannot say if I believe that Sasquatches exist, but it could be possible.

I highly recommend this series and this book! 

Title: Screamcatcher: Sa’be Most Monstrous
Author: Christy J. Breedlove
Publisher: Fire & Ice Young Adult Books
Pages: 246
Series: Yes, Book 4
Rating: 5 Stars
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Breakup From Hell by Ann Dávila Cardinal

Breakup From Hell is a new YA fantasy book that was sent to me by the publisher. It was released today! Miguela (Mica) Angeles is excited to get away from her small Vermont town and her strict grandmother by attending college in California. One day, she meets and falls for Sam, a new boy in town. Sam is not who he says he is, and Mica and her friends begin to experience supernatural strength, speed, and terrifying visions. Her plans and perception of herself and her friends' heritages will forever change as Mica is thrown into an ancient battle of good vs evil. 

Let me start out by saying that I am not at all religious, and I know absolutely nothing about Catholicism, a "Saint Michael" or any bible verses. The most education I have about archangels is the song's music video by one of my favorite bands, Amaranthe. I am very happy that the author did explain most of the religious references and bible quotes, otherwise I would have been very, very confused. I usually avoid books that center around religion, but I actually really liked this book. You absolutely do not need to believe in a god or have any knowledge of churches at all to be able to fully comprehend the story. I love discovering books that are unique and bring something new to the table. I've never personally read a YA fantasy book that was even remotely similar to this, but take that with a grain of salt since I don't often read books that involve religion.

I'm glad that Mica and her friends weren't extremely religious/evangelical, because it made it easier to relate to her. It felt like a normal YA fantasy book, a group of teens discovering their powers and ancestry. Zee was my favorite character. She is so sensitive and kind, and her visions and feelings played a key role in the mystery. I loved the mystery aspect. In many fantasy books that involve people with powers, the world-building is completely explained and established in the beginning. It was refreshing to see the teens come into their own while also having that suspense. Breakup From Hell definitely had some creepy moments, but I appreciated that the evil part of good vs evil wasn't too terrifying. 

However, I do have a few nitpicks. I would have wished we had some more background on the characters and perhaps had them showing some signs of powers before we met Sam, because I'm still not sure if Sam and Rona influenced them, or if their presence coincidentally activated their instincts. It would have been nice if their romance started for real, and then along the way we become suspicious of Sam and Rona. I also think that the feelings with Rage (Yes, that is a real character's name), came on a bit suddenly and could have been built up to more. Also, who actually names their kid "Rage?" Seems like you're dooming them to have anger issues. It took me like 20 pages from when he was introduced to realize that he was a character and not a metaphor or imaginary friend. Those aren't big things, just little things. 

I recommend this book! The way it ended, I am curious if we will receive a sequel eventually, and I cannot wait to read that if it did come out. 

Title: Breakup from Hell
Author: Ann Dávila Cardinal
Publisher: Harper Collins
Pages: 304
Series: No
Rating: 4 Stars
Goodreads