Scorched - YA Review by Rayna Grace C.


Reader: Rayna Grace C.
Age: 14
Title: Scorched
Author: Mari Mancusi
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Pub Date: 09/03/13
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book:  I am going to preface this book review with the statement that this could have been a good book. All the elements were there: vivid, tangible descriptions, detailed backstory behind many of the main characters, multiple interesting perspectives on the same situation that added depth, and, last but not least, freaking dragons. However, this book had an overly complex plot line and was psychologically inaccurate to the characters’ personalities, which utterly ruined the book’s other elements for me.
First of all, there were about three potential plotlines in this book, and for whatever reason, the author decided to just cram them all together in this one novel to make what she must have thought as a Super-Book or something, but ended up making it incredibly confusing for the reader and even harder to explain why I did not like this book to my friends (after it was published!!). The first plotline focused around the main character, Trinity Foxx (What kind of name is that, by the way? It is overly sexy and does not portray the personality of the character at all), in her mission to help her grandfather’s struggling museum/freak show survive in order to keep her makeshift family together. Basically, her grandfather was an ultra-gullible dreamer who spent money on frivolous items for the museum he ran, like a “genuine unicorn horn” and “the last dragon egg,” and since a new highway had been built a few years earlier, Trinity and her grandfather’s museum had become completely out of the way for visitors, and the strange contents her grandma continued to add to the collection further deterred people from coming in. Trinity not only had to try to get through high school, but run the advertising, managing, and finances for the museum and her household without having a nervous breakdown. This in itself could have been a novel, and probably a great one. However, the plot thickens when it is revealed that the reason why Trinity had been living with her grandfather was because she had been in and out of foster homes her whole life due to her mother’s mental illness (she was diagnosed as schizophrenic), and when her mother finally did shape up and was able to provide a stable home when Trinity was 14, she elected to throw away her hopeful future and shoot herself in the head on that Christmas eve for Trinity to find. This also could have been its own story, dealing with grief, change, trust, letting go of resentment, etc. and it TOTALLY would have been a tear-jerker that everyone would have read and bonded over. But here is where everything becomes overwhelming and complicated: suddenly, that stupid dragon egg Trinity's grandfather bought is speaking to her, and the government is coming into the museum with the big guns in order to try and take it from her (they somehow just knew that the dragon egg existed, and also that it was at the museum). Furthermore, there is some random (attractive?) teenage boy trying to convince Trinity to take the dragon egg and leave with him. Of course, Trinity chooses the hot guy and they go to the house where Trinity and her mother lived before she committed suicide, because A) that totally will not be emotionally crippling for a person to go back to a place filled with their broken trust, dreams and personal nightmare come to life, B) how is that not an obvious place to go when you are in need of an abandoned safe haven? So, Trinity and (Connor) hang out for a while like no big deal, we are running from the whole entire government, but that’s pretty normal for me, how about you? And then after like, MAYBE an hour, Connor spills his guts out and explains that he was from the future, where basically the one dragon egg that Trinity had in her possession was taken by the government, cloned and mutated with lizards, and then set loose on the Earth, which caused everything to be burned down and killed by dragons and the people who were left alive were forced to live underground and somehow manage to stay alive. So, Trinity’s reaction to this, obviously, is to make out with Connor, because when I am in a tense, potentially life-threatening situation I repay the guy who “saved” me with a kiss (so original). So now, we are literally only like 30-45 pages into this book and we are pretty much neck-deep in drama, plot details and character information we MUST remember in order to get through the rest of the book, and I am giving literally the roughest outline possible in order to just convey my point: there was TOO MUCH going on in this book for it to be truly enjoyable. The whole time while reading, I was trying to absorb as much of the information being thrown at me without ever actually being like, ‘wow, this is a really deep moment here,’ or ‘I wonder what is going to happen next,’ because all I wanted to do was to understand the part I was at enough to get the next part that I was going towards, which is not a very fun way to read.
The second point I would like to make about this book is that the characters themselves all seemed fairly plausible in their original descriptions, but when their actions were shown or described in the story, they usually clashed quite a bit with what their personalities were supposed to be. I mean, I am all for characters with multiple facets and such, but Trinity at times seemed like multiple people. For example, she was depicted as a girl who managed to get straight As in school, work at her grandfather’s museum nearly every day and handle its finances, while maintaining friendships and still sleeping. This is a serious feat for someone who has literally no emotional baggage that could potentially drag them down. However, as previously explained, Trinity has some pretty big emotional baggage that would probably cause a normal teenager to lose their grip on everything and become extremely depressed, but she miraculously rose above all of those obstacles. I gave Trinity the benefit of the doubt on this one, just letting myself be impressed by her ability to thrive and jealous of her serious productivity skills. But, there was this one description near the beginning of the book that made me rather angry at the author for having it in the book, where it talks about some of the “fun” times Trinity and her (really dumb) friend Caitlyn had together. It said that in Caitlyn’s old barn, they “drank cheap whiskey stolen from (Trinity’s) grandpa’s stash and drunk-texted cute boys from school.” I am not sure if that quote was kept for final publication, but it really ticked me off nonetheless, because if Trinity was doing all of these great things and was so responsible, she would never cloud her judgment with alcohol, ever, let alone would she leave her phone out for her drunken self to text people anything either incriminating or embarrassing. Now, even if we took into consideration the horrible tragedy that befell Trinity in relation to her mother and the grief that would then follow, even if we said that alcohol could have been her escape, if that was the case, she would have never let her friend Caitlyn join in on the experience because it would more than likely be very shameful for Trinity, something she saw as a weakness or her fatal flaw. Now, I really could probably go on about this book for hours longer, but seeing as it is 2 AM on a Monday night, I think I should probably cut this a little short. Well, if you managed to pay attention and read through this whole essay-rant of mine, thank you. We should be friends.
Memorable or Forgettable: The book was memorable only for the deplorable points described above.
Cover: The cover was so cool, I am not even kidding; I picked up the book, said, “Aww, yeah.” and walked out of the TKB room in the library to check it out, without even reading the back. So kudos to whoever made the cover for Scorched, because you, my friend, win at advertising.
Age Range: 12 through 15
Quality: 2Q Needs more work
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal
Additional Comments: I am really sorry I went AWOL for almost five months- My computer was not working for three of those, and then high school happened and I was foolish enough not to take a study hall this year. But, I am back, and I am going to start pushing myself to review more again, so do not think I left everyone hanging here, I just had a small hiatus that won't happen ever again.
P.S. This review turned out to be way longer than expected. Sorry?

tags: fantasy / dragons / science fiction / time travel / urban fantasy / paranormal / conspiracy-theory / romance / ya lit



Bi-Normal - YA Review by AJ G.


Reader: AJ G.
Age: 17
Title: Bi-Normal
Author: M.G. Higgins
Publisher: Saddleback Educational Publishing, Inc.
Pub Date: 07/01/13
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: I thought this book was cute. It wasn't very complicated, or overly sweet or overly sad. It was a quick story about a guy discovering his sexual identity. It was sort of funny, and had its ups and downs. Ultimately, I'd say this is less of a book that you SHOULD read, and more of a book you COULD read, if you're really stuck for a book and don't feel like getting very invested in it. There was nice character development, to make up for the lack of a plot. Everything was fairly exaggerated to get across the point that he was in a conservative town. However, the main character was adorably dumb.
Memorable or Forgettable: This was a fairly forgettable book. I can't remember any character names, major details, nothing. I just remember the rough plot, which was pretty cookie cutter. It was a fun read, but not something I really felt like I connected to or got invested in. It was like a fluff novel for guys.
Cover: The cover made NO sense. It took me weeks to figure out that it was supposed to be hands holding. But nobody held hands the entire book. And you can't tell that they're hands. I would've preferred almost anything. A truck. A baseball diamond. Literally anything from the story.
Age Range: 12 through 17
Quality: 3Q Readable
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal

tags: LGBTQ / contemporary / realistic fiction / ya lit



A Corner of White - YA Review by Grace KL.


Reader: Grace KL.
Age: 14
Title: A Corner of White
Author: Jaclyn Moriarty
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books
Pub Date: 04/01/13
Galley: Yes
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book: This book did several things very well.  The character development was well paced and the surprises unexpected but believable.  The inner thoughts of the characters were a little unbelievable for the real world, but perfect for the style of this book.  Also, the two main settings in this book seem very different at first, but the author very cleverly makes some important similarities between the two clear.
Memorable or Forgettable: This book had an abundance of memorable qualities.  The characters were zany, but each in their own special way.  The Kingdom of Cello was well developed, with the provinces each having their own vastly different qualities.  Even the events that take place in the real world felt similar to a different kind of fantasy as well, like the character being assigned to pretend that they are a famous scholar from Cambridge, or the main character running away from home 13 and a half times.
Cover: The only reason I picked up this book was because it was by Jaclyn Moriarty.  The cover does not fit the book, and does not at all suggest the fantasy elements and the Kingdom of Cello.  Something with a rainbow on it would be nice, or with more colors because those are central features of the book.
Age Range: 12 through 18 and up
Quality: 5Q Hard to imagine a better book
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal
Additional Comments: Previous books by Jaclyn Moriarty have been told only with things written down by the characters like letters, memos, lists, diaries etc. but this one is a straight out narrative with some letters and notes mixed in.
Annotation: In the Kingdom of Cello, Elliot is frantically trying to locate his missing father. Meanwhile, in the World, Madeleine and her mother have run away from home to Cambridge. Elliot and Madeleine start communicating, and the two worlds seem more similar than ever before.

tags: fantasy / magical realism / mystery / contemporary / ya lit



Absent - YA Review by Tori H.



Reader: Tori H.
Age: 13
Title: Absent
Author: Katie Williams
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Pub Date: 05/21/13
Galley: Yes
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book: Absent has good character development with change throughout the book, an interesting plot, and is good at keeping you hooked.
Memorable or Forgettable: What made it memorable to me is that this book had a new plot that was interesting and not done to death (like some dystopian books with a female protagonist and some sort of testing). It was a good book that was new and fun.
Cover: It was a pretty cover, but it was a neutral in meaning. It wasn't tempting or repelling, and it definitely didn't reflect the contents of the book. It was a moth with an upside down moth right underneath it. You have to finish the book to finally know what it means. It is a strange cover.
Age Range: under 12 through 18 and up
Quality: 5Q Hard to imagine a better book
Popularity: 5P Everyone wants to read it
Additional Comments: I loved it!
Annotation: I am a high school student, at least I was. I have just died in high school by falling off the roof, or at least I thought I fell. I am now stuck in high school, hearing this rumor that I actually jumped. I can't do anything about it, because I'm a ghost and nobody can hear me, except for the two other ghosts here. I soon discovered that I can now jump into people who are thinking about me, and do actions for them, but they can take it all back once I am out of them. Will I fix the rumor about my death? Or did I really jump? Read the book to find out.

tags: fantasy / paranormal / ghosts / contemporary / romance / death / mystery / horror / ya lit




Relic - YA Review by Grace KL


Reader: Grace KL
Age: 14
Title: Relic
Author: Heather Terrell
Publisher: Soho Teen
Pub Date: 10/29/13
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: The main character was well developed, but I felt as though I didn't know the rest of the characters very well.  The book made me think about how technology impacts our way of life, but probably not in the extreme fashion that the society in this book thinks it did.
Memorable or Forgettable: The most memorable parts of the book were the plot and setting.  To have a post-apocalyptic society in northern Europe was something I had never seen before.  The whole basis of the plot: that our society worshiped the false gods Apple and Mastercard, was very interesting and new.  I would have liked to know more about the world at the beginning of the book, so that when things came up in the end that surprised the main character, the reader would be surprised as well.
Cover: The cover's bright colors really make it stand out on the shelf.  The snow, ice and crevice in the middle show what the book is about, but I really like having the medieval city in the far corner as well.  Seeing it there makes it seem unlikely that the book is post-apocalyptic fiction.
Age Range: under 12 through 15
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal

tags: fantasy / science fiction / dystopian / adventure / survival / post apocalyptic / ya lit



Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer - YA Review by Katie J.



Reader: Katie J.
Age: 13
Title: Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer
Author: Katie Alender
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Pub Date: 09/24/13
Galley: Yes
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book: This was an excellent book.  It was so good, I read it in one day and I would not put it down. It is only 300 pages so it's not horribly long, but for being 300 pages, there is a lot of information.
Memorable or Forgettable: It was a great book.  If I had to choose one thing that was bad, it would be that it was maybe a little to crammed. Like maybe the publisher had said, "Ok the plot of this book is about a ghost killing people and you have to fit it into 300 pages. Ta-ta. Good luck!"
Cover: I thought that the cover did an ok job of explaining the book.
Age Range: 12 through 18 and up
Quality: 3Q Readable
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal
Annotation: While in Paris, France, on a class trip, Colette Iselin enlists the help of her charming French tour guide to help uncover a possible connection between Marie Antoinette, a series of horribly gruesome murders, and perhaps her own history.

tags: mystery / suspense / thriller / ghosts / fantasy / paranormal / historical fiction / ya lit



Rebel Spring - YA Review by Simon DS.



Reader: Simon DS.
Age: 13
Title: Rebel Spring
Author: Morgan Rhodes
Publisher: Razorbill
Pub Date: 12/03/13
Galley: Yes
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book: This story overall had very good stylistic elements. The characters were all complex and three dimensional, changing and evolving over the course of the story. The plot was exhilarating and ripe with conflict and magic, keeping me glued to the book. The dialogue was very well done, because it was filled with political intrigue and veiled threats and counter threats.
Memorable or Forgettable:  This book is one of the best fantasy books I have read, because when I read it, it feels like time stops around me. Kind of like floating underwater in the middle of a pool, it is just me and the book. Also, the author very adept with making you feel the emotions of the characters in the book (grief, anger).
Cover: This cover (like the first book) was awesome. There is really no other way to put it. It totally jumped out at me, taking all of my attention. Whoever designed it also had a really good sense of lighting and color.
Age Range: 12 through 17
Quality: 5Q Hard to imagine a better book
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal
Annotation: Auranos has been taken, and the King of Blood rules over all. He lies to the citizens of Auranos, enslaves those of Palesia, and anyone who speaks up gets their head on a stake.

tags: fantasy / high fantasy / magic / epic fantasy / paranormal / witches / romance / adventure / ya lit




The Enchanter Heir - YA Review by Greta H.



Reader: Greta H.
Age: 16
Title: The Enchanter Heir
Author: Cinda Williams Chima
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Pub Date: 10/01/13
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book:  The Enchanter Heir was a compelling read, and I found it hard to put down. The plot keeps moving at a nice pace, and though there is a lot going on, it doesn't seem too crowded or as if the author is trying to cram the action into a short amount of space.

As in her other works, Chima does an excellent job of making her characters come alive. For example, one of the protagonists, Emma, is a skilled guitar maker, and the rich details used to describe her work and the instruments in general support this aspect of the character well. The main characters (Jonah Kinlock and Emma Greenwood) have depth and are not just cookie-cutter people; there were times when I felt like something they did or said was not in-character, but overall I felt like I got to know who both Jonah and Emma were as people. The supporting characters didn't see as much development throughout the story, but they didn't seem completely flat, either.

As a fan of the three predecessors in the Heir Chronicles, I was expecting The Enchanter Heir to have a similar fantasy-in-the-modern-world feel. I was a bit surprised that while the previous books were more heavy on the medieval and magical aspects, this one seemed to move more towards the modern pieces. Even so, Chima did a good job of integrating the magical guilds and other characteristics of the Heir Chronicles world into this continuation of the series.

I would highly recommend reading the first three books before reading The Enchanter Heir. Even apart from the first three, it is definitely not a stand alone book, as the ending leaves off on a cliffhanger that will undoubtedly start off the next installment of the series (next book is confirmed, title to be The Sorcerer Heir). The ending leaves the reader with many questions and definitely makes me eager for the next book to come.
Memorable or Forgettable: It was very exciting to have another installment in the Heir Chronicles series, as the ending of the third book was more or less satisfying; it didn't lend me to think that the series would continue, so it was a nice surprise. Chima did a great job creating new, interesting characters along with new issues that tied into the books before it, but still remained new and exciting. It was well written and included a lot of modern elements that allow the reader to connect to the world.
Cover: The cover of the book seemed a bit more detailed than the first three books of the Heir Chronicles, but it still fits, more or less. I did like it; the colors are beautiful and pull you in, as does the mist and the intricate sword. The sword on the cover I assume was that of Jonah Kinlock (one of two main characters). The sword does not play a large role in the book, but it doesn't make the cover seem out of place.
Age Range: 14 through 17
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal

tags: fantasy / magic / ya lit





Reality Boy - YA Review by Guanani



Reader: Guanani
Age: 17
Title: Reality Boy
Author: A.S. King
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Pub Date: 10/22/13
Galley: No
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: Reality Boy is the disturbing tale of an unusual type of family abuse exacerbated by being on a nanny reality TV show. The depth and believability that A.S. King conveys through her characters and themes was impressive as usual, and I actually read the 300+ pages in one sitting. The themes of lacking motherly love, psychopathic behavior and the delusional promotion of schadenfreude by the reality TV industry were very powerful. I was surprised by how upset I became at the mother and older sister and the unfairness of Gerald’s situation. There are all sorts of books about messed-up families, but this is the first I’ve seen that explored the topics of abusive siblings, post-traumatic anger management, child suffering as mass entertainment, and bystanders as criminals. The chapters alternated between Gerald as a teenager trying to cope with his past and excerpts from when his family was on the nanny show.
Memorable or Forgettable: Once again A.S. King has produced a thematically powerful, character-driven narrative. Even though the topics were quite heavy, there were moments of humor and redemption. The only component of the book that I didn’t particularly care for was the romance, but I understand that it was a way for Gerald to realize he’s not the only one dealing with the aftermath of family issues. I actually skipped over the chapters that were particularly romance-y because I could predict what was going to happen in them and wanted to get back to the explanation of the family. It’s not my favorite A.S. King book (Everyone Sees the Ants), but it is a worthy addition to her formidable collection. This book is memorable because of its unusual and well-developed themes.
Cover: The cover is okay; I like how his face and the title are sort of broken up and disrupted, like his life. I picked this up because I’ve liked other A.S. King books and a friend recommended it.
Age Range: 14 through 18 and up
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal

tags: realistic fiction / contemporary / ya lit




Relativity - YA Review by Eoghan G.



Reader: Eoghan G.
Age: 13
Title: Relativity
Author: Cristin Bishara
Publisher: Walker Childrens
Pub Date: 09/10/13
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: There was just the right balance between boringness and "that is so cool it just blew my mind." I liked the book a lot and I would love to say there is no room for improvement, but that would be a lie. There are only that a few things I noticed that the author could fix.
1. The was a time where the author lost me for second or two because of flashback and I had to reread the page.
2. It says in Ruby's book that there are supposedly hundreds of thousands of worlds, but she can only get to 10.
3. The second half of the book is about Ruby in Universe 4 and the other SIX are rushed into the last 20 to 30 pages of the book.
Memorable or Forgettable: The book actually was kind of forgettable, sadly. The plot was fresh and kind of exciting, but it started and ended there. The characters were cookie-cutter characters and the setting was really bland.
Cover: The cover is really cool and it definitely reflects the contents of the book. It catches the eye with the bright colors on a black background.
Age Range: 14 through 15
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal
Annotation: Sometimes life sucks, like your dad suddenly remarries after 11 years and moves you from California to Ohio, to move in with his new wife and her psychopath daughter. But what if you could change that? When Ruby finds that a tree that was struck by lightning can take her to different dimensions, she suddenly finds infinite possibilities at her fingertips.

tags: fantasy / science fiction / paranormal / ya lit




Hero Worship - YA Review by Devon K.



Reader: Devon K.
Age: 17
Title: Hero Worship
Author: Christopher E. Long
Publisher: Flux
Pub Date: 01/08/14
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: Well written and witty, but the ending is oddly abrupt and feels unfinished with a number of clichés.
Memorable or Forgettable: The characters and powers are well done and interesting, but some logic is clichéd and flawed.
Cover: The cover looks nice and serves to display the superficiality of professional heroism.
Age Range: 12 through 13
Quality: 2Q Needs more work
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal
Annotation: Marvin Maywood dreams of being a hero -- he has the powers, he has the ideals, but there is one problem; Marvin's powers are classified as "dirty," unstable and dangerous. But when Marvin saves a family from a group of hoodlums, things begin to look up for him. Until he finds the truth about the professional heroes he worships.

tags: fantasy  / suspense / paranormal / ya lit




Battle Magic - YA Review by Devon K.



Reader: Devon K.
Age: 17
Title: Battle Magic
Author: Tamora Pierce
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Pub Date: 09/24/13
Galley: No
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book: A very exciting addition to a solid universe, I was pleased to see the increasing inclusion of more adult elements, especially considering how these elements interact with and flesh out past titles. However, this book will confuse new readers with its complex chronology of the ten other books based in this universe.
Memorable or Forgettable:  The intrigue and interesting characters (either further developed or introduced) are fascinating.
Cover: The cover is interesting and draws the eye, and is mostly accurate for the contents (though more so, if you are already familiar with the series).
Age Range: 14 through 15
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity:  4P Broad general teen appeal
Annotation: This is the continuation of mages Briar, Rosethorn, and Evvy's journey across the world of the Circle of Magic. The three visit the holy land of Gyonxi and the belligerent Yanjing Empire, only to find that nothing is as it seems and danger lies in every turn. 

tags: fantasy / magic / science fiction/fantasy / adventure / paranormal / ya lit




The Enchanter Heir - YA Review by Lian S.



Reader: Lian S.
Age: 17
Title: The Enchanter Heir
Author: Cinda Williams Chima
Publisher: Hyperion
Pub Date: 10/01/13
Galley: Yes
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book:  I knew I would like this book before I turned to the first page, because I love the series, but Enchanter Heir exceeded my expectations. It manages to add completely new elements to the world while remaining a firm part of the Heir series. I do not exaggerate when I say that I could not put it down. Characters I had never seen before suddenly had a grip on my heart. I would recommend this book to anyone, though I suggest they begin with the Warrior Heir.
Memorable or Forgettable: The two main characters had these vivid personalities that kept coming to mind after I finished the book. They both love music, and every time I played music after finishing Enchanter Heir, one of the protagonists would come to mind.
Cover:  I picked up the book because I liked the author, but the cover drew me, too. I liked that it had a dagger for an enchanter, which does indeed reflect the contents perfectly.
Age Range: 12 through 18 and up
Quality: 5Q Hard to imagine a better book
Popularity:  4P Broad general teen appeal
Annotation: Enchanter Heir smoothly combines real-world city life and a fantastical world. The small details of the characters and setting combine to build a breathtaking world.

tags: fantasy / magic / ya lit




All the Truth That's In Me - YA Review by Kit K.



Reader: Kit K.
Age: 15
Title: All the Truth That's In Me
Author: Julie Berry
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Pub Date: 09/26/13
Galley: Yes 
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book: When I began this book, I was quick to realize I would have to pace myself. I needed to take brief intermissions that would help me make my way through the pages. And this was shocking to me, as I usually love to sweep my way through a book efficiently in order to squeeze out the amazing plot and characters and laughter and suspense so I can go to bed smiling happily. But I didn't go to bed smiling that night. Instead my dad came into my room and saw my face. Needless to say he was concerned: I was sitting in my bed crying.
     This may not seem like much besides evidence of my oddness, but, to be honest, this is an astounding feat. Books often make me laugh, gasp, squeal, but never ever never cry. Julie Berry created a perfectly planned story, releasing information in small doses that help you handle the intake of the desperately tragic situation that has befallen Judith. There is no character in this book that DOESN'T develop over time, whether it's Judith herself, slowly discovering how to cope with the past, her newest friend, Maria, who was once betrothed the the man Judith loved since childhood, or even her mother, who is hostile and unworthy of her daughter, yet shows moments of compassion and pity. I honestly cannot say anything bad about this book. The syntax was excellent from beginning to end. The dialogue was everything it needed to be, and Judith was the perfect character, complex and utterly understandable, though my past is nothing like hers. I even found myself trying to say her dialogue the way she did.
     I guess all I have to say is thank you, Julie Berry, for an amazing book.
Memorable or Forgettable: This book was definitely memorable. The way it was written and who it was written to really got me. The characters are memorable as much as they are well thought out, and, as aforementioned, complex and dynamic.
Cover: The cover didn't really match the book. Yes, the typography was excellent, as was the way the problem of muteness was shown, but the girl just didn't seem right. She doesn't match the time period, and her eyes looked more dangerous than sad or observant.
Age Range: 14 through 18 and up
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 5P Everyone wants to read it
Annotation:  With abrupt chapters that will make you cry and gasp, Julie Berry will astound you through a story of fear, tragedy and confusing love.

tags: realistic fiction / contemporary / historical fiction / thriller / mystery / sociology/abuse / romance / ya lit




Solstice - YA Review by Eli S-M.



Reader: Eli S-M.
Age: 14
Title: Solstice
Author: P.J. Hoover
Publisher: Tor Teen/McMillan
Pub Date: 06/18/13
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: The book did several things well, like conveying the sense of paranoia that came from living under the constant threat of a heat spike and conveying hints about a city councilmen's secret. The science of the heat crisis was also well thought out, along with the governmental responses (i.e. "heat lockdowns" and chemical coolant sprays). All seemed plausible and likely. Several things could have been done better, however. The main character's mother's overprotectiveness was over emphasized, and the councilman, for what I felt was quite a bit of build up, turned out to be a negligible plot point. His secret is revealed nonchalantly, simply to "tie up loose ends," and has no bearing on the story.
Memorable or Forgettable: The book was fairly memorable. The use of a fantasy/mythological storyline in a sci-fi/dystopian setting was imaginative and led to to both the plot and setting being well thought out.  The plot being dominated by a love triangle, however, was dissappointing. Some more tangible action should be incorporated into the story, instead of the entire conflict being the main character trying to resist one of the other character's attractive aura.
Cover: The cover reflected the contents of the book fairly accurately, and helped me visualize the domes.
Age Range: 12 through 15
Quality: 3Q Readable
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal

tags: dystopian / science fiction / fantasy / mythology / romance / ya lit