Elizabeth Wein and David Almond place readers in new and unusual settings in their latest offerings, Black Dove White Raven and The Tightrope Walkers. Power struggles are at the heart of Virginia Boecker’s The Witch Hunter, Marie Rutkoski’s The Winner’s Crime, and Powerless, cowritten by Tracy Deebs and Tera Childs, a theme that continues to run through teens’ favorite reads. ALMOND, David. The Tightrope Walkers. Candlewick. Mar. 2015. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9780763673109. Gr 9 Up—Dominic Hall is growing up in the shipyards of northern England, where he is destined to work if he doesn't do well in school. Throughout his youth, different pressures are pushing him. There's Holly, the girl next store who dreams of being an artist and a tightrope walker, and there's Vincent McAlinden, who teaches Dom how to fight, hunt, and kiss. Almond takes the struggles of a young boy growing up and puts it into an environment unlike any that we've seen in other popular YA novels. Most YA novels these days are dystopian, or magical, or take place in basic America, but this new setting, the shipyards of England, is refreshing.—Maddie, age 17 BOECKER, Virginia. The Witch Hunter. Little, Brown. Jun. 2015. Tr $18.00. ISBN 9780316327008. Gr 9 Up—This book is about a girl who is a witch hunter, betrayed by the very people she works for, who then begin to hunt for her. Elizabeth is forced to join the people that she hunted, including Nicholas Perevil, the most powerful and dangerous wizard in the kingdom. I would have to say that it did not have enough detail and I found myself kind of skipping over words. I thought that it would have an end, but it is set up for another book to come after it. The publisher notes say that people who liked Game of Thrones would like this book.—Sam C., age 13 CHILDS, Tera & Deebs, Tracy. Powerless. Sourcebooks. Jun. 2015. Tr $16.99.ISBN 9781492616573. Gr 9 Up—Being powerless in a city full of powerful people can be challenging. When Kenna, an ordinary girl who works in a lab with her mom, is suddenly caught between the heroes and villains, she must make up her mind and choose a side to save herself, her mother, and a close friend's relative. This book has all the power, romance, chocolate, and plot references you crave. Maybe it's me, but I am completely obsessed with eyeball close-ups. That's probably why I picked up this book—even if you shouldn't judge it by its cover. I just think eyes are very attractive and EYE-catching!  The sparks on (Kenna's) irises are quite curious and intriguing. The conflict is well woven throughout the book, and I loved the overall creativity. I found it fascinating that two authors could blend together the word of Marvel and DC Comics into the modern-day version of superhero and villain-filled streets. Well, don't tell anyone this, but I also wanted to read this book because I wanted to get inspiration and draw lines between Miss Childs's and Deebs's Powerful to my own book series. I wanted to make sure I wouldn't be "stealing" from them in any way, shape, or form, but I also could draw conclusions and make observations from their writing style to my own. I thought Powerless was awesome. I would also appreciate if the authors could make it clearer if there will or won't be another book. You could go so much farther with the topic of superpowers. This book could become the next Hunger Games!—Sam G., age 13              RUTKOSKI, Marie. The Winner's Crime. (Winner’s Trilogy: Bk. 2) Farrar. Mar. 2015. Tr $17.00. ISBN 9780374384708. Gr 8 Up—This is the sequel to The Winner's Curse (Farrar, 2014), but I would not recommend reading it until the next book is out because it ends, honestly, in the middle of the story arc, without climax or resolution. If it were possible (but I know it’s not), I'd say don't publish the last couple chapters, save them for the next book. The story is really well written, with strong characters, and I wanted to know more about what was going to happen after the second book. But I was really disappointed. The book did not follow a story arc. It ended in the middle, never had a climax, and never had any resolution. It would have been fine to end the story earlier, when Arin realizes Kestrel might be deceiving everybody, tricking everyone into thinking she doesn't care for the citizens of Herran at all. But then the book continued, and everything went downhill; the continuation should have been the start of the next book, or followed up by some kind of resolution. It was exhausting and unrewarding to read. And the cover—I can't say I'm a fan of the whole “girl in distress in a dress” theme. I guess it works, but it feels a little cliché.—Anika, age 17 WEIN, Elizabeth. Black Dove White Raven. Disney-Hyperion.  Mar. 2015. Tr. $17.99. ISBN 9781423183105. Gr 8 Up—Teo and Em were practically brought up in planes, but when Teo’s mother Delia dies in the one terrifying instant, due to a bird strike, the makeshift family is jolted cruelly back to reality. In a battle to find closure, Em's mother Rhoda orders them to pack their bags in order to move to Teo's home country, Ethiopia. However war is not far off, and some secrets are unearthed that would be better off forgotten. There were many compelling aspects of Black Dove White Raven, but if I had to pick one it would be the sense of equality between the two main characters, Emily and Teo. In the 1930s, racism was still going strong but from the beginning, Emily never doubted the Teo was her equal and they were very close friends. The same could be said for their mothers, Rhoda and Delia. When Teo's mother Delia died there was no doubt in Emily's or Rhoda's minds that they would continue to take care of him as if he were part of the family. I absolutely loved, loved, loved this book. It was inspiring and sweet and thrilling. If you liked Code Name Verity, this is the book for you.—Isabel, age 13