In the second book of the Trials of Apollo series, the former god (currently human) Apollo teams up with Leo Valdez and Calypso to search for a way to restore his godhood, find a missing friend, and stop an evil emperor's plot to take over the world. This sequel was every bit as good as the first book. Fun, action-packed, and surprising. I'd highly recommend to those who love the Percy Jackson books and the Heroes of Olympus series.
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar children focuses in on a teenager trying to uncover the mysteries of his grandfather's life. Common sense makes Jacob want to believe that though his grandfather's experiences were horrible and gruesome, they were in no way magical, or 'peculiar.' However, a series of mystical photographs and eerie stories from his grandfather convince him that there was something strange about his life after all. This book, with a tone reminiscent of Harry Potter, takes us on Jacob's adventure to find out the truth. It is fascinating, intriguing, and makes the reader fall instantly in love with all of the characters. This was a very fun read.
The one thing I did not like about this book was how unrealistic it is.
However, this is very much personal preference. It tilts slightly towards fantasy, a genre with which I am very picky. Nonetheless, I thought it was very well-written, and I will most likely read the following books after having read this one.
Reviewer Grade: 11
I picked up this book because I saw a lot of fan art and posts about it online, and for a while I actually confused it with the "Six of Crows" series. It is DEFINITELY not the "Six of Crows" series.
"The Dream Thieves" is the second book of "The Raven Cycle" series, the first being "The Raven Boys." Now, despite the title making it sound like a cheesy love triangle YA novel, it is most definitely not. If the book was about anyone's love, it would be about the teenage rich boy's love for a dead Welsh king (just read the book it will all make sense).
The thing I loved most about "The Dream Thieves" and the series in general is that each book seems to focus on a different character and their struggles. "The Raven Boys" was a sort of combo about Noah and Adam, "Blue Lily, Lily Blue" is about Blue (or Jane if you prefer), and "The Raven King" is about Gansey. "The Dream Thieves," however, is about Ronan.
The reason I loved this book so much is because of the character development of Ronan and how we are able to see deeper inside his character. Stiefvater starts out the book blatantly stating that Ronan has secrets, and throughout the book she gradually slips either clues or foreshadowing as to what those secrets are. Maggie Stiefvater is the queen of foreshadowing (right ahead of Sarah J. Maas). She finishes it off by revealing some pretty major details about the character that will become relevant in later books (Spoiler free environment here).
I personally LOVE Ronan and many others focused on in this book as well. I loved the complexity of Kavinsky and how he wasn't just blatantly evil, but had secrets of his own as well. I also really really enjoyed The Gray Man and his character development throughout the novel. His and Maura's relationship was one of the most comical and enjoyable things about the book. Add that to the character and relationship struggles of Adam and Gansey, the novel was one of the best I've read in a while. I have little to no complaints except that I want more.
Grade: 10 Age: 15
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling is one of the most exciting and immersive books I've read. Every page has something to offer and the climax is a fantastic way to end the Harry Potter series. It perfectly answers every question from the beginning, and the ending is phenomenal. The book tells the story in a way that is more detailed than the movies, and is the perfect accompaniment. The descriptive battles and challenges the characters face make this book an epic fantasy and a must-read for everyone.
I recommend this book along with the whole Harry Potter series to any reader.
The whole franchise from the books to the movies appeals to both adults and young readers, and is one of the best fantasy stories ever.
Grade:7
Until, Friday, February 12, Samantha Kingston has a perfect life; she has great friends, a hot boyfriend, and is one of the most popular girls in her school. She never thought that February 12 would be her last day, but it is.
However, she gets a another chance at a last day. For one week, Samantha relives her last day, trying to right the wrongs of her past. In that week, she realizes what really caused her death, and the true value of her life.
This book is a really good read. The characters are surprisingly human, and the issues that Samantha struggles with are unusually real. I loved how my opinion of Samantha could developed throughout the story. I enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to people that like realistic fiction.
Over the past year or so, Neal Shusterman has quickly become one of my favorite authors, which can probably be attributed to this fantastic novel.
Everlost is the first of three novels, which follows the story of two teenage characters, Nick and Allie, who have just awoken in a ghostly parallel to the real world after drying in a car crash. They are somewhat like ghosts, and retain the exact appearance they had when they died. The book follows these characters as they traverse through this ghostly world, and try to find their purpose among the other dead children, known as the "afterlights". Along the way, these two characters encounter many lifelike characters, and Neal Shusterman is able to effectively depict each event with imagery and descriptive language. I found myself actually excited to read the next chapter, which is coming from someone who is not typically an enthusiastic reader. Therefore, I would recommend this book to anyone who has spare time and is willing to delve themselves into a truly great book.
Reviewer is in grade 11.
Clockwork Angel is the fantastic first book in the Infernal Devices Trilogy, a series set in the Shadowhunter's universe. When Tessa Grey arrives in London, she is simply looking for her brother, Nate, however she quickly is drawn into London's Downworld, where fey, vampires, and demons run wild on the streets. Taken in by the London Institute, she meets Jem and Will, Shadowhunters that are devoted to the fight against downworlders. As she begins to realize the depth of her own power, a plot comes to light that could threaten the safety of the world.
This is a great book filled with just enough romance, action, lore and adventure. I would highly recommend this book to anyone that enjoyed Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instrument series or generally likes historical fantasy. As a whole, this book is an amazing read that draws you in immediately.
Reviewer Grade: 9
Clary Fray is a completely normal girl, except that she saw three people brutally kill someone. Not only did she witness a vicious killing, but somehow no one else can see it but her. Then suddenly her mother is kidnapped and she is attacked by a demon. Clary gets sucked into a world full of monsters and shadowhunters, an elite group of people tasked with protecting humans. In order to save her mother from Valentine, the man who wants to murder downworlders and innocent children, she must team up with Jace Wayland, a very talented and young shadowhunter. I could absolutely not put this book down!!There was so much action and just enough romance that this book will probably always be one of my favorite books ever! I definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys fiction.
Reviewer Grade: 8
For my Review I read the second book in the Benzenghast by Alice LeGrow. This book was just as good as the first one, maybe even better. In this on Dinah and Vincent are still trying to free all the ghosts with the help of Edaniel the tower god. During this time Vincent falls ill. What I liked most about this book was that it shows you what it is like when someone keeps blaming themselves for something that is not their fault.
Reviewer Grade:8
Peeps is an amazing book that takes a interesting, scientific approach to vampirism. It is centered around Cal Thompson a carrier of a unique parasite that causes aversion to light, heightened senses, and cannibalistic impulses. Because Cal is only a carrier he shows none of the extreme symptoms of the parasite. At the beginning of the book, Cal has had the parasite for a year. With the help of the Night Watch, a shadowy organization that hunts down parasite positives, or 'peeps', and a girl named Lace, he is tasked with capturing all of the girls he gave the disease to in that year. Filled with information on real parasites, this book is definitely not for squeamish people. Peeps also has a little content that some people might not be comfortable with. That being said, this is a great book and an interesting take on the idea of vampirism. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone that enjoys science fiction, or any of Scott Westerfeld's other books.
Reviewer Grade: 9
Meghan Chase has never been normal. She lives on a pig farm. Her father disappeared when she was just six. She is forgotten by everyone, even her stepfather. But as she nears her sixteenth birthday, extremely strange things begin to happen to her. First, she sees a mysterious stranger watching her, and her best friend, Robin, becomes strangely protective. Then, her half brother, Ethan tells her about the monsters that are always watching him.
Megan is soon drawn into a world that she never could've imagined. A world of magic, faeries that would kill you in an instant, and unbreakable pacts: The Nevernever. It is there that she realizes that her whole life has been a lie.
This book is a fantastic novel with tons of action, humor, and romance. The characters are well developed, and fun to read about. Many of the characters are from other stories such as Puck, King Oberon, the Big Bad Wolf, ext. I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who likes books with fantasy, humor, and supernatural themes. It is the first book of an originally four book series (the author has added additional books with different characters as the focus of the story). There is, I believe, some slightly questionable language and topics, not to mention romance, so if that bothers you this might not be the book for you. Overall, this book is amazing, and very character driven, and I recommend it to lovers of The Mortal Instruments, and Julia Kagawa's other books.
Review Grade: 9
Marked by P.C and Kristin Cast is genius. The story follows a young girl named Zoe whose life is turned around. After dumping her alcoholic boyfriend and living with her loser step dad, Zoe is turned into a vampire who must attend The House of Night, a school for students like her. She soon finds that being a vampire isn’t so bad. This story is a 4/5, and I recommend it to anyone willing to read, however it does include some mature things so if you are not able to handle swearing, or any other such things the book is not for you.
Reviewer Grade: 7
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater is about a girl named Grace and a boy that is half human, half wolf named Sam. This story is about their adventure together, as they try to find a way to make Sam a full human. I would rate this book a 4 because I loved how surprising the ending was, but it was a little slow in the middle of the book. I picked this book because my language arts teacher recommended it to me. I would recommend this book to people who like the book Twilight.
Reviewer Grade: 8
Beautiful Creatures introduces 2 characters who end up being helpful to each other in a small town called Gatlin.
Ethan Wates, has a dream to leave Gatlin, and go explore the world, as long as it's as far as possible from Gatlin. But, he keeps having the strangest dream about a beautiful girl, who knows him, and he hasn't even met her.
Lena Duchannes, just moved to Gatlin, and is struggling to hide her power that keeps on growing stronger because of a curse that has cursed her family for centuries.
When Ethan, first see's Lena, he is suddenly interested in her, and tries to find out who she is. But when he finally discovers what she has been trying to hide, he puts himself in a puzzle that he refuses to get out of because of his love for her. With school, home, and the curse, this story has a ending, that could change there lives forever.
I liked reading this book because it always had an adventure, but also added mystery at the beginning and towards the end of the story. But it could've been better if the author of this book could've added more suspense at the beginning of the book.
Reviewer Grade: 12
iDrakula by Bekka Black is an interesting book for me because I found it to be both creative and unimaginative at the same time. I found it unimaginative because of the fact that it is the same plot line as Bram Stoker's classic Dracula. On the other hand, it is a creative retelling in the fact that it is set in modern times and is almost entirely made up of texts and emails, sort of like a written version of those movies that are POV and created by giving the actors the camera so it looks like an amateur did it. So I found the content to be a copy but the way it was presented to be highly entertaining and imaginative. I would say that this is very much for teens who find Bram Stoker's Dracula too hard a read. If you can, read the original over this. However this is a good alternative if you cannot.
Reviewer Grade: 12
Twilight has an interesting story idea. The love story between the two lead characters, Bella and Edward with the rivaling Jacob Black is a good basic plot, however the way the story was written made me want to burn the book, and some things were just strange. Like the main male, Edward is a vampire and when Bella finds out she has no emotions about it whatsoever. The book is kind of disturbing. I do not recommend it to anyone.
Ethan Wate has lived in Gatlin all his life - and all he wants to leave his hometown more than anything. That is until he meets the new girl at school, Lena Duchannes, who lives with her strange reclusive uncle Macon. Typical teen love story, right? No. Lena and her family are Casters, meaning they have magical powers. Every girl in the family, when she reaches sixteen years old, is "Claimed" and becomes either good or bad - Light or Dark. Lena is terrified she will be a Dark Caster. Teaming up, she and Ethan search for a way to keep the ritual from turning her evil, discovering dark magical secrets hidden within the town along the way. This book is hilarious, adventurous, and romantic (the romance is kept fairly PG). The characters were likable and unique. The setting, Gatlin, is mysterious and fascinating. The rest of the series isn't as good as this one, unfortunately - but I'd definitely recommend this one to anyone who loved the Southern Gothic genre, romance, or adventure in general. (I'd rate it PG-13 for minor language, a little romance, and violence).
Reviewer Grade: 9
Bella, a regular girl from Phoenix, decides to live with her dad in Forks, WA for the rest of high-school while her mom and step- dad travel for her step- dad's job. When Bella starts to settle down in Forks a strange boy named Edward catches her attention. Who is Edward? And why does he act so strange around Bella? I'd rate this book a 5 out of 1 to 5 because it was romantic, dramatic, and had some action. I could relate to Bella because we both are terrible at sports.
Reviewer Grade: 8
Breaking Dawn is the fourth and last book in the Twilight Saga. This book is about Bella, a normal girl, who is worried about her wedding with her soon to be husband Edward, a vampire. Though all of Bella's worrying is for nothing, their honeymoon was nothing short of a disaster. Their love story continues, who will survive? Out of 1(bad) - 5(awesome) I would rate this book a 5 because I love the romance and action in this book and it has a ton of detail, so I can picture everything that happens. I read this book because I loved the previous books in the series.
Reviewer Grade: 8
This book was amazing. At the beginning, it begins slow. The first couple of chapters focus on Haven and her "condition". These chapters give you an emotional connection to the characters, and bits of how each person views life. From the religious grandmother to the gay best friend you feel for Haven. She's been longing for this boy, Ethan, since she was nine. The only person who never thought she was crazy was her father, but he's gone now, and Beau of course. But when she finally finds out what she needs to do too find Ethan, and learn more about her life, you'll go through a confusing emotional roller coaster with her. I picked this book because the slogan under the title (What if love refused to die?) interested me. This book surprised me in so many ways, it threw in many clues of these surprises, but with all that's going on you won't notice what's really going on. The book is a big puzzle, and you have to put the piece together, until it all comes together.
Reviewer Grade: 10