Tag Archives: young adult

Book Title:
Prophecy (Legacy #2)
Book Author:
Ellery Kane
Book Series:
Legacy, #2
Publishing Date:
May 29th, 2015
Publisher:
Dog Ear Publishing
Date Read:
June 30, 2015

Synopsis

Over a year has passed since Lex Knightley journeyed alone into desolate San Francisco. The Guardian Force is disbanded, emotion-altering drugs banned, and citizens allowed to return to the seemingly resurrected city. For Lex, life is almost normal, but normal is precarious. Normal has a way of falling apart. One rainy night changes everything. Out on parole, Quin McAllister's father is arrested for the brutal murder of his new wife. As the Resistance resurges, claiming a conspiracy, Lex doesn't know what-or who-to believe. When old enemies resurface in new disguises and trusted friends start keeping secrets, normal splits right down the middle, leaving Lex and Quin on opposite sides. Prophecy-the second novel of Ellery Kane's Legacy trilogy-continues the story of Lex and Quin, testing the strength of friendship, forgiveness, and love.

My Review

If you haven’t read the first book in the Legacy series, you should go check out the review for it here.  There might be some spoilers here that you might not want to read before reading the first book. This … Continue reading

5 stars
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I have had the wonderful opportunity of doing an author interview with Ellery Kane, author of the amazing Legacy series. About Ellery Kane: About Ellery Kane: In my real (non-fiction) life, I work as a forensic psychologist in the San … Continue reading

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Book Title:
Legacy (Legacy #1)
Book Author:
Ellery Kane
Book Series:
Legacy, #1
Publishing Date:
September 5th, 2014
Publisher:
BalboaPress
Date Read:
February 25, 2015

Synopsis

How do you want to feel today? In 2041, the choice is yours. San Francisco is deserted, the Bay Bridge bombed, and the BART subway trains grounded. The Guardians, members of an elite and mysterious government-appointed military police force, are maintaining order at all costs—thanks to emotion-altering drugs like Emovere that suppress fear and anxiety. Lex Knightley, daughter of a prominent forensic psychiatrist, risks entering the devastated city to partner with the Resistance, a group of rebels intent upon exposing the dangers of Emovere. Lex discovers an ally in Quin McAllister, a magnetic Guardian Force recruit with a haunting past that binds them together. As she uncovers the secrets of the Guardian Force and confronts the truth about her family, Lex begins to realize that even those closest to her are not quite who they seem.

My Review

The first time I read this book, I was completely in awe of how well written and amazing it is.  I just couldn’t put it down.  The setting was amazing, the plot was original, and the characters were so easy … Continue reading

5 stars
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Book Title:
Last Year's Mistake
Book Author:
Gina Ciocca
Publishing Date:
June 9th, 2015
Publisher:
Simon Pulse
Date Read:
June 25, 2015ama

Synopsis

Is there anything that electric chemistry can’t overcome? The past may be gone, but love has a way of holding on in this romantic debut novel told in alternating Before and After chapters. The summer before freshman year, Kelsey and David became inseparable best friends—until the night a misunderstanding turned Kelsey into the school joke and everything around her crumbled, including her friendship with David. So when Kelsey’s parents decide to move away, she can’t wait to start over and leave the past behind. But David’s not quite ready to be left. Now it’s senior year and Kelsey has a new group of friends, genuine popularity, and a hot boyfriend. Her life is perfect. That is, until David’s family moves to town. Old feelings bubble to the surface and threaten to destroy Kelsey’s second chance at happiness. The more time she spends with David, the more she realizes she never let him go. And maybe she never wants to…

My Review

When it comes to this book, I’m trying my hardest to be fair and give it three stars.  It just wasn’t what I hoped it was going to be.  It’s rare for me to find a book where I didn’t … Continue reading

3 stars
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Book Title:
Emmy & Oliver
Book Author:
Robin Benway
Publishing Date:
June 23, 2015
Publisher:
HarperTeen
Date Read:
June 23, 2015

Synopsis

Emmy’s best friend, Oliver, reappears after being kidnapped by his father ten years ago. Emmy hopes to pick up their relationship right where it left off. Are they destined to be together? Or has fate irreparably driven them apart? Emmy just wants to be in charge of her own life. She wants to stay out late, surf her favorite beach—go anywhere without her parents’ relentless worrying. But Emmy’s parents can’t seem to let her grow up—not since the day Oliver disappeared. Oliver needs a moment to figure out his heart. He’d thought, all these years, that his dad was the good guy. He never knew that it was his father who kidnapped him and kept him on the run. Discovering it, and finding himself returned to his old hometown, all at once, has his heart racing and his thoughts swirling. Emmy and Oliver were going to be best friends forever, or maybe even more, before their futures were ripped apart. In Emmy’s soul, despite the space and time between them, their connection has never been severed. But is their story still written in the stars? Or are their hearts like the pieces of two different puzzles—impossible to fit together? Readers who love Sarah Dessen will tear through these pages with hearts in throats as Emmy and Oliver struggle to face the messy, confusing consequences of Oliver’s father’s crime. Full of romance, coming-of-age emotion, and heartache, these two equally compelling characters create an unforgettable story.

My Review

I have read a lot of young adult romance-type books that made me roll my eyes and skip over half of the book because it was just so cheesy and terrible that I couldn’t even bear to read it.  I … Continue reading

5 stars
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Book Title:
The Leveller
Book Author:
Julia Durango
Publishing Date:
June 23, 2015
Publisher:
HarperTeen
Date Read:
June 22, 2015

Synopsis

Nixy Bauer is a self-made Leveller. Her job? Dragging kids out of virtual reality and back to their parents in the real world. It’s normally easy cash, but Nixy’s latest mission is fraught with real danger, intrigue, and romance. Nixy Bauer is used to her classmates being very, very unhappy to see her. After all, she’s a bounty hunter in a virtual reality gaming world. Kids in the MEEP, as they call it, play entirely with their minds, while their bodies languish in a sleeplike state on the couch. Irritated parents, looking to wrench their kids back to reality, hire Nixy to jump into the game and retrieve them. But when the game’s billionaire developer loses track of his own son in the MEEP, Nixy is in for the biggest challenge of her bounty-hunting career. Wyn Salvador isn’t some lazy kid looking to escape his homework: Wyn does not want to be found. And he’s left behind a suicide note. Nixy takes the job but quickly discovers that Wyn’s not hiding—he’s being held inside the game against his will. But who is holding him captive, and why? Nixy and Wyn attempt to fight their way out of a mind game unlike any they’ve encountered, and the battle brings them closer than either could have imagined. But when the whole world is virtual, how can Nixy possibly know if her feelings are real? Gamers and action fans of all types will dive straight into the MEEP, thanks to Julia Durango’s cinematic storytelling. A touch of romance adds some heart to Nixy’s vivid, multidimensional journey through Wyn’s tricked-out virtual city, and constant twists keep readers flying through to the breathtaking end.

My Review

This book is fun. I can’t remember the last time I finished a book, sat down, and said that.  But as soon as I finished it, it’s exactly how I summed this book up. It felt like a vacation from a … Continue reading

5 stars
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Book Title:
Alive
Book Author:
Scott Sigler
Book Series:
The Generations Trilogy, #1
Publishing Date:
July 14, 2015
Publisher:
Del Rey
Date Read:
June 17, 2015

Synopsis

For fans of The Hunger Games, Divergent, and Red Rising comes a gripping sci-fi adventure in which a group of teenagers wake up in a mysterious corridor with no knowledge of who they are or how they got trapped. Their only hope lies with an indomitable young woman who must lead them not only to answers but to survival. “I open my eyes to darkness. Total darkness. I hear my own breathing, but nothing else. I lift my head . . . it thumps against something solid and unmoving. There is a board right in front of my face. No, not a board . . . a lid.” A teenage girl awakens to find herself trapped in a coffin. She has no idea who she is, where she is, or how she got there. Fighting her way free brings little relief—she discovers only a room lined with caskets and a handful of equally mystified survivors. Beyond their room lies a corridor filled with bones and dust, but no people . . . and no answers. She knows only one thing about herself—her name, M. Savage, which was engraved on the foot of her coffin—yet she finds herself in charge. She is not the biggest among them, or the boldest, but for some reason the others trust her. Now, if they're to have any chance, she must get them to trust each other. Whatever the truth is, she is determined to find it and confront it. If she has to lead, she will make sure they survive. Maybe there's a way out, a rational explanation, and a fighting chance against the dangers to come. Or maybe a reality they cannot comprehend lies just beyond the next turn.

My Review

In the back of the book, the author includes a note asking not to give any spoilers away when reviewing this book.  While that might make this a difficult review, I definitely believe that this book needs to be experienced … Continue reading

3 stars
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Book Title:
Those Girls
Book Author:
Lauren Saft
Publishing Date:
June 9, 2015
Publisher:
Little, Brown Book for Young Readers
Date Read:
June 16, 2015

Synopsis

Some girls will always have your back, and some girls can't help but stab you in it. Junior year, the suburbs of Philadelphia. Alex, Mollie and Veronica arethose girls: They're the best of friends and the party girls of the school. But how well does everybody know them-and really, how well do they know one another? Alex is secretly in love with the boy next door and has joined a band-without telling anyone. Mollie suffers from a popular (and possibly sociopathic) boyfriend and a serious mean streak. And Veronica just wants to be loved-literally, figuratively, physically...she's not particular. Will this be the year that bonds them forever or tears them apart for good? In a debut novel that is raw, honest, hilarious, and thought-provoking, Lauren Saft masterfully conveys what goes on in the mind of a teenage girl and how often even the closest of friends walk the thin line between love and hate.

My Review

Part of me is somewhat embarrassed to have given this book three stars.  That means…I kind of liked this.  It took me a few days to even figure out how to review this, it was just so…bad.  But bad in … Continue reading

3 stars
2 Comments
Book Title:
Between the Notes
Book Author:
Sharon Huss Roat
Publishing Date:
June 16, 2015
Publisher:
HarperTeen
Date Read:
June 11, 2015

Synopsis

When Ivy is forced to move to the “wrong side of the tracks” due to economic hard times, she discovers that not everything—or everyone—is what they seem, even herself. Fans of Jenny Han and Sarah Dessen will love this funny, poignant, and relatable story. When Ivy Emerson’s family loses their house—complete with her beloved piano—the fear of what’s to come seizes her like a bad case of stage fright. Forced to give up her allowance, cell phone, and the window seat in her lilac-colored bedroom, Ivy moves with her family from her affluent neighborhood to Lakeside, aka “the wrong side of the tracks.” Hiding the truth from her friends—and the cute new guy in school, who may have secrets of his own—seems like a good idea at first. But when a bad-boy-next-door threatens to ruin everything, Ivy’s carefully crafted lies begin to unravel…and there is no way to stop them. Once things get to the breaking point, Ivy turns to her music, some surprising new friends, and the trusting heart of her disabled little brother. And she may be surprised that not everyone is who she thought they were…including herself.

My Review

Yes, I’m giving this one five stars! I loved every single thing about this book, from the characters, the settings, the story…just everything about this book was utterly fantastic. We start off with Ivy, a teenage girl who lives in … Continue reading

5 stars
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Book Title:
Charlie, Presumed Dead
Book Author:
Anne Heltzel
Publishing Date:
June 2, 2015
Publisher:
HMH Books for Young Readers
Date Read:
June 8, 2015

Synopsis

In this thrilling tale of suspense and deception, two girls are shocked to discover they've both been dating the same boy when they show up at his funeral. What else don't they know about Charlie Price? As they travel from Paris, to London, to Mumbai to Bangkok, the girls try to figure out Charlie's secrets but soon discover they are harboring secrets of their own. This page-turning psychological mystery will engulf teen fans of Gillian Flynn and Gossip Girl. In Paris, family and friends gather to mourn the tragic passing of Charlie Price—young, handsome, charming, a world-traveler—who is presumed dead after an explosion. Authorities find only a bloodied jacket, ID’d as Charlie’s. At the funeral, two teens who are perfect strangers, Lena Whitney and Aubrey Boroughs, make another shocking discovery: they have both been dating Charlie, both think Charlie loved them and them alone, and there is a lot they didn’t know about their boyfriend. Over the next week, a mind-bending trip unfolds: first in London—then in Mumbai, Kerala, and Bangkok, the girls go in search of Charlie. Is he still alive? What did their love for him even mean? The truth is out there, but soon it becomes clear that the girls are harboring secrets of their own. No one knows whom to trust in this thrilling tale of suspense and deception.

My Review

Thrilling?  No.  Suspense?  Ehh… I don’t even know what to call this, aside from kind of boring and lackluster. Honestly…it felt like it took me forever to finish this book.  That’s such a shame because I was so looking forward … Continue reading

2 stars
4 Comments