All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Steifvater

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater is one of my favorite books.

I loved her Raven Cycle series.

But All the Crooked Saints––Stiefvater's latest novel––hit a soft place inside me, where love meets darkness longing for redemption. In her book, she tells a story rife with magical realism that strips away the stupidity of religion and pokes at the characters that are hurting and want to be healed. This is the sort of story I love––where an author is able to deal with real life issues in ways that feel like fantasy. Or maybe this was a fantasy, that felt like real life.

Three cousins live with their extended family on a ranch in Colorado where pilgrims will come hoping for a miracle. One of the cousins is can provide a miracle but what happens after that is up to the pilgrim. And what happens when that balance of miracle and darkness is tipped? Thus the story begins to move forward in interesting ways.  It results in a whirlwind of life-changing events for all three cousins.

I found that it took me awhile for the story to settle in and make sense, so I encourage readers to push through the seemingly confusing first pages. It is well worth the read.

I don't know if Stiefvater is a Christian or just someone who understands the darkness that exists in the world. Her view of how we should deal with that darkness is beautifully rendered through this story.  We are all crooked saints.

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

I have been a fan of John Green for years. In his latest novel, Turtles All the Way Down, he gives readers an excellent picture of what it means to suffer, to be imperfect and yet be loved. What starts as a mystery, soon becomes the story of one teen's struggle to understand (or rather decide) if she is a whole person.

This book is an incredible inside-look into the fears and identity crises we all have experienced manifested intensely inside one girl.

When Aza discovers a long-ago friend's billionaire father goes missing, she and her friend Daisy decide they will try and solve the missing-person case for the offered reward.  But as they dig into the past to find clues, they discover more about themselves than they do the case, resulting in a series of life-changing events.

Green again gives readers uncompromising characters who are able to be funny, honest, raw and likable. This is my favorite of his to date.

Sycamore by Bryn Chancellor

Told through multiple voices, Sycamore tells the story of people in a small town dealing with love, loss, and finding a place to call home.

When a girl's bones are found down in a rocky gully, it opens up the tumultuous past for both young and old members of the small town of Sycamore. I loved moving fluidly between the past and present, following the stories of the intertwining characters living in Sycamore. Written with heart and an understanding of what makes people choose to act, to love, to leave, and to say goodbye, Chancellor has given us a beautiful view of small-town life in the midst of public tragedy.

I grew up in a small town. So many of the things that define small towns are present in this lovely tale: the ever-present knowledge of everyone's else's business, seeing but not telling secrets, hiding shameful behaviors because everyone knows you.

Everyone knows. I think that's what Chancellor showed through her characters that I loved most: while everyone knows, everyone is gracious with each other's secrets and longings and needs. Not that things aren't ugly or bitter or twisted anyway. But that in the knowing, there can still be love.