Crier's War
by Nina Varela
Young adult · ages 14–18 · grades 9–12 · 820L · 464 pages · 2020
Why we'd hand it over
A lush, clever fantasy about two girls on opposite sides of a war learning to see each other's humanity; LGBTQ+ romance, real stakes, and a willingness to let moral questions sit unresolved make it memorable, though the ending divides readers on whether the emotional payoff matches the plot setup.