Fantasy

Revolution. The end of the dragonlord's reign. The sole survivor, Lee, having been spared by the revolutions leader, is a natural at dragon riding. After being left at an orphanage, forgotten by the people, he forms an unlikely bond with a peasant girl named Annie. She also is a natural at riding and the two having been training together since their dragons chose them. But the tournament for First Rider is coming up and them having to duel is throwing a wedge in their friendship. Not only that, but when Lee receives a message from survivors of the old regime, he must make a choice. Throw away all his hard work and rejoin his family or stick by his friends and fight for his new way of life. This exhilarating tale will leave you breathless and windswept, grasping for more. Would recommend for anyone that enjoys dragons, awesome fights and an underlying feeling of romance. Fireborne will forever be burned into my mind as a fork of fantasy and powerful story telling.

The Lightning Thief follows a twelve-year-old boy named Percy Jackson through his quest in retrieving Zeus' lightning bolt back. Percy is a normal kid who's always had trouble in school and behaving, only to find out he's a half blood. With this discovery, he's sent to Camp Half-Blood, home of the half-children of Greek Gods and mortals. We journey along with Percy when he's sentenced to a quest to find Zeus' precious weapon- his lightning bolt rod, and experience adventure, exciting battles, and new friendships.
I consider the Percy Jackson series to be a staple in every teenager's reading list. This series is similar to the Harry Potter series, and I enjoy the mythical adventures throughout both. I recommend the Percy Jackson series to anyone who wants a light but entertaining read.

The Alchemist is a novel about Santiago a shepherd boy, who goes on a journey to find treasure. I've heard lots of hype around this story, but I have to admit that this story did not live up to its name.
Sure, the writing was pretty good, but I could not find myself getting into the story at all. I wasn't connected to any of the characters, and I couldn't care less about what happened to them.
Maybe this novel wasn't exactly meant to have a detailed and structure plotline, since it was more of a metaphorical piece, but the journey the main character took throughout the novel was written in such a way that made it completely uninteresting. The writing was more philosophical and seemed more like a long lecture rather than an actual story. Maybe I missed something, but as much as I wanted to like this book, I couldn't. Toward the end, I found myself only skimming the pages to skip to the end and get the story over with.
Maybe the experience with this book is different for everyone, but I'll have to say that it was definitely not for me.

Reviewer Grade: 11

Animal Farm by George Orwell is an allegory about a farm of talking animals that push out their farmer after the abuse that they endure and proceed to create their own form of government. The animals form their government without the realization of the need to work for survival and have to adapt to the situation which causes discrepancies and arguments. I thought that this book was really good due to the surprising climax, ruthless betrayal, and the historical relation that it contains, but it does have some dragging parts. The plot is unpredictable and very interesting throughout. I had to read this book for school and thought it would be boring, but after reading it I gained knowledge of history through symbolism and recommend this book for history enthusiasts such as myself. Reviewer Grade: 9

The Little Prince is a story about a pilot who crash lands in the middle of a desert, attempting to repair his broken plane. Whilst he tries to do so, he meets a strange young boy who he calls the "little prince," and ignites an odd friendship with the boy.
I've found that my experience in reading this classic tale has been different each time. My first time reading, I vaguely remember thinking how childish and confusing the story was. However, through my most recent and second time reading, I've finally understood the popularity surrounding the book. Although this story is meant to be a children's story, I think that people of all ages can read and appreciate this book, as it contains some deep and meaningful themes and quotes.
This story speaks incredible volumes on the journey of growing up and is assisted in delivering this message through beautifully crafted sentences. Reading this book was an unforgettable experience, and I cannot express how stunning this book is. The illustrations in this story add some childlike charm, and the whole time I was reading, I was so content with the sweet writing style that I didn't want it to end. During the last few pages, I felt a bittersweet emotion as the story began to close, and I think the ending was perfect and added the right amount of sadness and hope.
Overall, this book is one of my all-time favorites, and I cannot recommend it enough. You will not regret reading this story, and I hope some of the lines written in this story stick with you as they have for me

Addie LaRue, a girl who lived in Paris, made a deal. She gets to live as long as she wants, however, nobody has the ability to remember her. Until 300 years later, when a boy remembers her name.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a book that will leave you in tears!! I really liked reading this book, all though it was not my all time favorite. The book had incredible character development (which is really important to me) and increasing plot to keep readers engaged. The only reason why I didn't give this book five stars is because about 8 of the chapters felt like they just repeating itself. Overall, it was a great book and I would read it again.

Amani is a sixteen-year-old gunslinger and sharpshooter from Dustwalk. Orphaned, she lives with her abusive aunt, uncle, and cousins, but wants to run away from the desert and flee to Izman, the capital city. When she meets Jin, a mysterious foreigner, she takes her chance to leave her dead city and runs away with him. They encounter many dangers along the journey as they defend themselves against mythical creatures such as the "Nightmares" and "Skinwalkers". Along the way, Amani discovers that she can control the sand, and other secrets about herself, Jin, and the Rebel Prince.

My favorite character in this novel was obviously Amani. She is around my age, adventurous, and just wants a better life for herself. Living in Dustwalk, many of her opportunities are limited because she is female, and she represents an important theme about female autonomy and feminism. There's a bit of everything: adventure, fantasy, romance, and lots of events that kept me hooked. I liked how there were a lot of unexpected events and that the ending has some ambiguity to it. This book is the first of a trilogy, and I'm just as excited to read the other books!

"Isle of Blood and Stone" is an engaging story of Elias the mapmaker who lived on the island kingdom of St. John Del Mar. When he was very young, his father was lost in a plot of kidnap the princes of the kingdom, one that was never fully solved. Elias, eighteen years later, has returned home to solve this conspiracy and avenge his father. With the help Mercedes and the king, Ulises, he begins to unravel the mystery that his father, who may still be alive, has left for him. "Isle of Blood and Stone" encompasses the qualities that good books do: suspense, tension, and a little bit of love. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a good book and a good plot twist.

Legends by Marie Lu is a novel set in a dystopian and apocalyptic future of Los Angeles. The author does an amazing job illustrating new apocalyptic Los Angeles, especially the divide between the rich and the poor. The rich have lavish meals, houses, and water. While the poor are lucky to just survive. The two main characters June and Day are born with this divide between them. June born to the rich is trained for success in the system while Day born into the poor and is the most wanted criminal. They would have never met but now June is tasked with hunting down Day. The book switches between their viewpoints helping the reader understand the difference in the class system. Not only that but the author does a great job of switching in the right times to reinforce the plot rather than an awkward switch. All in all I couldn’t set the enthralling novel down and would recommend it with 5 out of 5 stars.