In this book, everyone is turned "Pretty" by extreme cosmetic surgery upon reaching the age of 16. Tally Youngblood can't wait until the day that she's finally pretty... that is, until she becomes best friends with a girl named Shay. When Shay runs away, Tally is denied the surgery she's spent her entire life waiting for. She must choose whether to betray her friend, or stay ugly forever.
I loved this book. I enjoyed the plot a lot. It was fun to watch as Tally's beliefs were challenged and she developed as a person.
Reviewer Grade: 12
Frankenstein begins with Robert Walton, an explorer, writing letters to his sister about his journey to the North Pole. Along the way, he rescues a man named Victor Frankenstein from an ice drift. The story follows Frankenstein down memory lane as he tells Walton about his pursuit for knowledge and the deadly consequences that followed.
I really enjoyed this book. I've always been meaning to read it, so I'm glad that I finally did. I loved how it was written; the characters were highly intelligent, and the word choice did an excellent job of showing it. The only thing that I wasn't so huge on was the end. It felt a bit too abrupt to me. Regardless, I found this to be an excellent book.
Reviewer Grade: 12
This book is about an alien apocalypse that comes in 5 waves. Except the aliens – called the “others” – aren’t the traditional kind that most people picture. The book starts off after four of the five waves hit. The main protagonist, Cassie, is in a tent all alone in the forest. The thing that I liked the most about this book was the fast-paced writing, which made it entertaining and enjoyable. However, a few characters weren't as interesting in my opinion and sometimes appeared generic or like the standard character in YA/dystopian series. Also, to be overly critical, I thought there wasn't any logic to a few things in the story. Overall, though, this book was very entertaining and I read through it quickly.
Reviewer Grade: 8
This book is about a society where children are born with two souls. As they get older, the recessive soul of the two disappears, while the dominant one becomes the only one controlling the body. However, in some people, the recessive soul doesn't completely disappear, making them a hybrid. The society in this book doesn't accept hybrids, which our main characters – Addie and Eva – happen to be. I thought this book was okay for the most part. It was interesting to see the different characters’ personalities and how they interacted with each other, especially when sharing a body. However, I thought the pacing was just too slow. It took forever for something important to happen. There are maybe two or three pages that actually feel fast-paced, at least in my opinion. Also, the whole point of the story isn't too clear, such as why the hybrids are viewed as a threat and not accepted in society.
Reviewer Grade: 8
This book focuses on the main antagonist of The Lunar Chronicles series: Levana, before she became the queen of Luna. This book explains many things that were mentioned in The Lunar Chronicles, and shows Levana’s journey from an unfortunate youth into the powerful queen. It was interesting to see the world through the younger Levana’s eyes, and understanding her past. This book also describes drastic steps she took in order to become the ruler of Luna. The setting for the story, the moon, was described and built from a unique perspective, which made it interesting to see Earth from the moon’s.
Reviewer Grade: 8
Action-packed and heartbreaking, Red Rising has no doubt become one of my favorite series of all time. Morning Star is a powerful conclusion to a thrilling series that left me satisfied with how the story concluded. There are many points where I just want to stop and write down all the quotes I love in the book. Pierce Brown writes beautifully and he did every justice to Morning Star. Since it's a sequel and the final book to a trilogy, I won't say much about what happen in case someone new to the series happens to stumble on this review. If you are new, what you need to know about Red Rising is that it's a sci-fi fantasy that borrows elements from mythologies. Red Rising is a phenomenal series and I hope that more people would pick up and give this book a try.
Reviewer Grade: 12
This book left me speechless so many times, shocked by the brutality that brought upon hopes and dreams for a race of the oppressed. War is ugly, yet Pierce Brown paints art and beauty to every word written in this book. There wasn't a moment that bore me. My heart broke many times for the characters in the book, for Darrow, for the young innocent boy he once was and the death stained Reaper he has become. We witnessed the rise of the Reaper in Red Rising and his fall in Golden Son. This is one of the best book I've read so far this year, possibly one of my all-time favorite book. I definitely highly recommend anyone who has already read Red Rising to continue with this book. For anyone who have not read or heard of the series: please pick it up. It is very much worth your time.
Reviewer Grade: 12
Actual Rating: 4.5
If you love anti-hero, this book is for you. Vicious follows the stories of Victor and Eli, a pair of brilliant, arrogant yet lonely college roommates who share ambition and interest in EO, ExtraOrdinary human being with unnatural superbeing abilities. Vicious blurred the line between heroism and villainy, a moral gray area we often find ourselves standing in. From roommates to enemies, Victor and Eli engaged in a game of cat and mouse that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the book. It was a very thrilling and exciting read and I can't wait for the next book in the series.
Reviewer Grade: 12
When Cassia and Ky finally find each other, they lose each other yet again. Cassia works for the Rising from within the Society, while Ky works for them from outside the borders. Nothing goes as planned, though, as the veil lifts and things shift once again.
This is definitely one of the best books that I've read in a while. It tied up the trilogy quite nicely. I've read so many great series with terrible endings, but this was not one of them. The entire book kept me captivated until the very last second.
Reviewer Grade: 12
This book is about a teenage boy who abnormally the size of an adult. Many mistake him as an adult when truly he is not. I liked this book because it connected my love of astronomy with my love of action in books. I picked this book because it is full of action and comedy. I enjoyed that so much action and comedy could be compacted into a truly meaningful book. I cannot find anything that I did not enjoy!! This book was both surprising and predictable at times. This is the best book I have read all year!
Reviewer Grade: 8
In Crossed, Cassia travels to the Outer Provinces to find Ky, who has been sent there to die. When she arrives, though, she finds that he's already escaped and left a series of clues in his wake. The book follows her as she attempts to find and rescue Ky, while questioning everything she's ever known.
This book is the second in a series. I didn't enjoy it as much as the previous book. It reminded me too much of other books and also was a bit dull. Most of it just felt like a filler to move the series along.
Reviewer Grade: 12
In Matched, the Society makes all choices. When citizens are 17, they have the option to be "matched" with their life partners. When the main character, Cassia, is matched with her best friend, she knows with complete certainty that he is the one... until she sees another face flash onto the screen. She soon finds herself conflicted about whether or not her match is right for her - and whether the Society is all that is seems to be.
I enjoyed this book. It was fun to watch as Cassia started to question things instead of believing everything she'd been told. I'd recommend checking it out if you're into dystopian books.
Reviewer Grade: 12
Actual Rating: 4.5
This book is similar to The Giver by Lois Lowry, but it is a love story. This book stars a 17 year old girl named Cassia and her love journey with many risks and restrictions. I picked this book because it was recommended by sister when she was doing a school project. I liked this book because it gives you a different perspective on the things we have today and the challenges we face versus the challenges that Cassia faces. Though, this book, even though it is a trilogy, left some loose ends. This book has many twists and turns you would not expect. All in all, this book is by far the best book I have read this year. If you like this book, then read the next two books in this trilogy, Crossed, and Reached.
Reviewer Grade: 6
While a line isn’t all that extraordinary, a line that divides a country, separates the known from the unknown, and has people fearing to go near it is. To end a war, a line crossed out part of the country, dooming those still on its other side to either death or a fate worse than it. Rachel likes to sit in a broken, mysterious told greenhouse, just gazing out, imagining what lies beyond the line. Many people say mutated humans or monsters, but Rachel can only find beauty in its lush forests. Until, that is, she receives a message asking for help, which she can only assume comes from the other side of the line. Naturally, an adventure then is embarked upon.. I liked this book because of its slow moving, mystery-building pace, and its “chaos in the midst of the clam” sort of setting. a must-read for those who enjoy both reading between the lines, and a story that, not the author, but the reader, deciphers.
Reviewer Grade:9
Set in a world where warfare is the top priority, all school systems are adapted to better shape children into viable subjects for the training program-Battle School. This program’s main goal is to shape perfect soldiers for the war against an alien race threatening humanity, or what’s left of it, as it is. While being the youngest student there by far, he advances far past the other students in warfare, academics, and strategy training very quickly. But, unknown to Ender, he is being used as a weapon in training and after to accomplish a goal that goes against all of his morals. I enjoyed this book because it was a new twist on an old idea-special treatment for the geniuses, but this time, it was not with their well-being in mind. From the cover to the synopsis, this book entices the reader to dive into this dystopian world. Besides the story, this book also has many thought-provoking moral lessons-do what’s right or serve the common good? This space centered tactic game is one the reader can play right along side Ender.
Reviewer Grade: 9
This is a steampunky, military sci-fi novel that takes place in the 25th century and chronicles the life of Sir Robert Mayfair Bruce, an military engineer working for the United Yukon Confederacy, a vast empire that controls all of North America and large parts of the rest of the world. The book is written as a historical memoir/biography that has come under scrutiny for supposedly lying about the life of one the Confederacy's greatest leaders, an Alexander the Great-like young man named Fitzpatrick who is viewed as a hero many years after the events in Robert Bruce's publication. The novel is made even more intriguing by the fact that it is "annotated" by a fictional scholar who frequently refutes the facts described by Bruce. This begs the question "Do we want the 'nice' version of history, or the truth?"
Bruce is as excellent narrator, generally engaging and observant, and it is easy to see why he is so charmed by Fitzpatrick. His motivations are clear and his interactions with other characters are authentic and believable. That said, it is occasionally annoying that he lets his love interest, Charlotte, boss him around so much, but other than that, he is likable and real. (If you like Nick Carraway from The Great Gatsby, you'll probably like Bruce.) Speaking of Charlotte, I think she was one of this book's only major weaknesses. She seems unrealistically perfect -- intelligent, witty, independent, defiant, feisty, and not much else. She has an unhealthy amount of control over Bruce to the point that the reader questions his abilities as a leader since he seems to have no backbone when it comes to Charlotte's manipulation and he does everything she tells him without question, in spite of the fact that she isn't terribly likable. Fitzpatrick himself was well-done. His charismatic, megalomaniacal character develops subtly over the course of the book, and his rise and fall, involving a descent into moral depravity and possibly madness, is fascinating. Likewise, secondary characters are also well-developed.
This book moves rather slowly (the "War" of the title takes about 300 pages to begin), and occasionally the author gives excessive detail to things that don't need it while omitting other details that could have fleshed out the world, so suspension of disbelief is required to enjoy some things. Otherwise, the alternate reality is well-developed and appropriately detailed, with an intriguing history, society, and politics. If you don't like long books with minimal action, don't read this. But if you enjoy an intellectual steampunk adventure with good characters that raises interesting points concerning how history should be portrayed, I recommend trying Fitzpatrick's War.
Reviewer Grade: 12
Actual Rating: 3.5
Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins did not live up to the hype in my opinion. It's not that it was a bad book, it just didn't grab me as well as I expected. I might be judging it because the "outstanding" reviews but the characters seemed to grim and lifeless also super depressing I understand it's not meant to be happy but it seemed gloomy. I Didn't read the sequels because lack of interest.
Reviewer Grade: 11
Delirium, a dystopian novel written by Lauren Oliver, follows a girl's thoughts and actions in a world where love is deemed a disease and where she meets a boy who changes her whole perspective on life. In the world of Delirium there is a cure for love which Lena can't wait to get when she turns 18, the age required to be given the disease. But after she meets a boy, named Alex, she can't help but question the cure and question herself as she as to decide whether to let love consume her, or stay with what she has been taught. It had action, conflict, suspense, and romance. Throughout the book you learn a lot about Lena and the world she lives in, and see her change dramatically from a naive girl waiting to be cured of the "disease" love to being more independent and wanting more of this love she had never experienced before. Over all, Delirium is a great book that kept me wanting more and I would suggest it to anyone that is interested in finding something new to read.
Reviewer Grade: 8
Blackout changes perspectives throughout the story. It does get kind of annoying because it leaves you at a cliffhanger but other then that is a great book. I really hated how it didn't make sense before but then you see the entire story for what it is. I chose this because it's a Battle of the Books book and the cover looks really interesting. I wish that I had more details.
Reviewer Grade: 7
UnWholly by Neil Shusterman, the sequel to Unwind, begins where the last book ended and it's held its own against the first book unwind but with a twist. The last book was shown from different povs but there is a new main character that opens a new storyline and adds more mystery to the plot. If you thought you would get more answers about the heartland war you would be very disappointed as there are now more questions then you started off with. Great read would recommend if you have read books like Maze Runner and Hunger Games.
Reviewer Grade: 11