Solstice

“Hell on earth” takes on new meaning in Hoover’s riff on one of the better-known Greek myths. Piper Snow, newly 18, lives in Austin, Tex., in a near future when climate change is turning catastrophic: millions have died in the unrelenting heat gripping the world. Piper’s mother is powerful politically, but at home she’s a despot, constraining Piper with emotional manipulation as well as lock and key. It’s no wonder Piper takes the first opportunity to rebel, especially when rebellion comes in the guise of blond and muscular Reese, whose presence scrambles Piper’s brain, and brooding Shayne, whose manner swings maddeningly between forthright and aloof. The moment Piper steps out on her own, however, she enters a world for which she’s entirely unprepared—and that her mother had, in fact, strained every resource to keep Piper from. Hoover disregards more probable climate changes to suit her fictional ends, but her confident deployment of myth is impressive. Most readers will be happy to immerse themselves in Piper’s struggles with adulthood, love, and fate. Ages 13–up. Agent: Laura Rennert, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (June)