Pantomime: Micah Grey, Book 1 (Strange Chemistry)
At around page 90 in Lam’s impressive debut fantasy novel, there’s a reveal so stunning that it makes it difficult to discuss without spoilers. Still, difficult hardly means impossible, especially as Lam’s memorable characters and rich world building stand tall in their own rights. Using a flashback structure to show both why noble-born Iphigenia Laurus runs away and joins the circus and how she changes her identity to become trapeze-artist Micah Grey, Pantomime does feature standard YA elements such as parental estrangement and problematic romance—yet marvelously transfigures them. Even as Micah must constantly work to avoid discovery, “he” begins to wonder whether he might be a latter-day incarnation of a mythological being. However, when he eventually shares his secret with love interest and fellow aerialist Aenea, the scene’s emotional power doesn’t seem worthy of its complex and deeply felt buildup. That said, Lam has more in store for us, as a hair-raising climax follows that recalls a classic Lon Chaney flick in terms of the operatic satisfaction it delivers. Grades 9-12. --Peter Gutierrez