Reader: Devon K.
Age: 17
Title: Deception's Princess
Author: Esther Friesner
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Pub Date: 04/22/14
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: It's okay. The plot is decent, the voice is convincing but has strange and confusing tense use.
Memorable or Forgettable: Read last comment.
Cover: The cover was not memorable and was decently representative of content.
Age Range: Under 12 through 13
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Annotation: Maeve is a princess prized by her father. The king spoils her and guards her jealously. Her journey to maturity.
tags: high fantasy / historical fiction / adventure / ya lit
Reader: Devon K.
Age: 17
Title: Hexed (The Witch Hunter #1)
Author: Michelle Krys
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pub Date: 06/10/14
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: This book is a quick, silly read that will be a great one-off when you want a trashy book (in the same way someone enjoys Teen Wolf or the 60s Batman live-action show). Also, that epilogue ending is a load of baloney that was made to infuriate and is shameless marketing and should be fixed; even when an author continues a plot to a sequel through a cliff hanger, such a poorly contrived cut off is absurd and should not have made it through the editing process.
Memorable or Forgettable: This book is memorable because it makes great leaps and wears on the suspension of disbelief too much.
Cover: The cover would be decent if it actually matched the book's contents, which it did not; the cover shows someone who is so far from the picture painted of the main character in the book it is barely laughable.
Age Range: Under 12 through 15
Quality: 2Q Needs more work
Popularity: 2P Only for special interest
Annotation: Indigo's life is great, except for her mother, whose witchcraft loving eccentricities have brought Indigo nothing but mockery. Then this Bible her mother is extraordinarily protective of vanishes, and a handsome young man named Bishop appears asking Indigo to help him locate the Bible to protect it from a group of sorcerers, because Bishop claims she is a witch charged with its protection.
tags: fantasy / paranormal / witches / The Witch Hunter series / ya lit
Reader: Devon K.
Age: 17
Title: Defy
Author: Sara B. Larson
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Pub Date: 01/07/2014
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: The book is decently written, though the fantasy names and languages can be cringe-worthy. If you are one who enjoys slightly cheesy teen romances, this book will be quite enjoyable. But be forewarned, many subplots will be dropped and go unresolved for no apparent reason.
Memorable or Forgettable: Alexa's voice in first person is very enjoyable, though does fall into unfortunate stereotypes about teenage girls in books even when they do not match her character.
Cover: The book was tempting because it reminded me of Graceling, a personal favorite, however it also had little to do with the plot since the dagger is 1) not a functional weapon for a professional such as Alexa, and 2) does not appear in the novel so is a bit out of place.
Age Range: 12 through 15
Quality: 3Q Readable
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal
Additional Comments: The title makes no sense; it seems to have been chosen for the purpose of being catchy.
Annotation: Alexa Hollen has lost much in her homeland Antion's war with neighboring nation Blevon: her home, her parents, her childhood. All that is left of her past is her twin Marcel, and the two decide to join the Antion army and hide Alexa's gender in order to make do with their lives. Three years gone and the two join Prince Damian's elite guard, but when mysterious attempts on the Prince's life threaten the kingdom, and Alexa finds herself caught between the affections of two handsome men, Alexa must choose who to trust and who to pledge allegiance.
tags: high fantasy / romance / Defy / ya lit
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
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
