Shadow hills by anastasia hopcus

I read this one a bit ago, and it's sort of lingering with me, which is great. I could't find any definitive answer about whether it was the start of a series, but it defy itely could be, and I wouldn't even have to relegate it to the category of "guilty pleasure" to justify buying it. It's not perfect, but some of the most noticeable problems I had with it would be fixed if it were the start of a series-- like the fact that the most interesting ideas it brought up in my mind were not even touched upon, like whether there was a connection between Phe's parents and the exiles. And it's better than Twilight, while fitting firmly in the same genre: Phe manages to be in love without losing her identity, she has one to begin with, adults aren't two-dimensional idiots, she stays in school, the love affair isn't abusive, the metaphysical elements are rooted in so ethnic closer to actual lore, the quality of the writing is solid and realistic... I could go on.

The review should be up on NYJB soon. I'm looking forward to her next book!