Dark Destiny by Kym Hackenberger and Melody Lowe

Everyone knows the story behind Sleeping Beauty, but what about the wicked witch who curses the princess? Dark Destiny is the hidden Sleeping Beauty story. Never the favorite child, Princess Elspeth always lived an unhappy childhood. But when Elspeth finds herself betrothed to someone she despises, she finally decides that enough is enough. When Elspeth meets a handsome warlock, she finds herself falling in love and marries him instead. After many years of a happy marriage, a pregnant Elspeth suffers a blow when her former betrothed finds and kills her beloved husband. After that incident, Elspeth has to find a way to avenge her husband's death.

I hadn't really thought about how the story of a villain would be told, so it was great to read a book about just that. I never expected the tale to be told as it was, especially with how closely intertwined Elspeth's story was with Sleeping Beauty and her parents. There were so many interesting characters; including goblins, elves and other fairy tale creatures that added to the mystique of the story. I was expecting to dislike Elspeth throughout, but it's hard not to feel bad for her. For anyone who has wondered what it takes to become a villain, I would definitely recommend reading this book. It's always interesting to know the other side of a fairy tale, so hopefully there will be more novels like this in thefuture.

Reviewer
Age: 22

Reviewer City, State and Country: Philadelphia,
PA United States

Shadowed Summer by Saundra Mitchell

Where y'at, Iris?
There is nothing to do in Odine, Louisiana, except maybe hang out at the cemetery, listen to ghosts, and cast pretend spells. The summer Iris and and her friend, Collette, turned fourteen, that's just what they do. It's all fun and games until Iris truly sees and hears a "ghost" at the cemetery. After an incident with a Ouija board (witchboard), the ghost reveals himself as Elijah, the boy who mysteriously disappeared several years before Iris was born. With the help of Ben-Colette's latest crush- and Collete, Iris must find out what really happened that night in 1989 and why her dad is so hesitant in shedding some light on the subject. It seems all of Odine wants to forget "The Incident with the Landry Boy", all that is, except Iris and of course Elijah's restless ghost.

Shadowed Summer was a short read and after 3 hours and a severe adrenaline rush, I can only say that this book not only made your skin crawl but was written quite well for a first time thriller writer.
The combination of a ghost story, friendship, and growing up made the story even more unforgettable. The characters were very well developed and there was more background than just the ghost haunts. The end really caught me off guard, I literally yelled, "What!" so loud it scared my poor cat. I even found myself re-reading the end just in case I missed something. (Personally I think the whole reason for Elijah's ghost to go haunting was a bit weird, but that's a physiological thriller for you).
Whew. I'm glad I'm done reading and writing the review for it. (Can you hear my heart beating?) Now I'm off to prepare the final resting place of Shadowed Summer-where else do you hide the boogie monsters?-in the closet. Yeah, people it was that spooky.
Mitchell does in fact have a knack for storytelling, but I don't think I could handle another ghost story. I would not recommend this book to you if you get scared easily or, better yet-to take care of the recommendation-read if you dare.

Reviewer Age:16

Reviewer City, State and Country: , NM

Speed Demon by Erin Lynn

Kenzie is a typical teenager who just got grounded. The reason why? Levi. Her life was perfect before she accidentally dropped her acne medicine down the bathtub, that one accidental act prompted Levi, Levi the demon to pop out from the demon world below. Kenzie closed the portal from hell that Levi opened by driving the family minivan into the kitchen (hence the grounding) but, when Kenzie thinks her life will finally go back to normal, Levi tells Kenzie that when one portal closes another one opens. It's up to Kenzie to save the day again and close another demon portal, but this time she also has to stop the other demons from dragging Levi back to hell!

Never have I read a book about demons! Erin Lynn wrote her book Speed Demon in a very upbeat, enthusiastic way. Between the interesting story line and the fast-paced dialogue I had a hard time putting this book down. Though I would recommend readers to read the first book of this series before reading Speed Demon due to some confusion at the begining of the book. I would also recommend this book to readers who are bored to read about someone's typical everyday life.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Potomac, Maryland United States of America

Truancy Origins by Isamu Fukui

The book, Truancy Origins was a well-written and designed book. It is about two brothers who learn terrible things about their father. One decides to rebel against his father, and the other decides to stop him. The brothers are seemingly complete opposites, but is that really so? In this action-packed adventure book, the two boys find out their hidden talents and where their true destinies lie. However, to find the truth, you must read this wonderful book.

In my opinion, this was a great book, with very few faults. The author was definitely able to bring this book to life as you read it. In the way the author wrote the book, you just had to like both the good and bad guy, which is very unique. Also, this book was very suspenseful. I almost stayed up a whole night trying to finish this. That's how good it was. Another quality of this book is how the author is able to convey the story, even if one had not read the first book in the series. Overall, I thought this was one of my favorite books ever.

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Towson, Maryland United States of America

Happenstance Found by P.W. Catanese

As Happenstance opens his unique eyes, he realizes that he has no memory. Not knowing who he is or any details of his life, he ventures off with an interesting group of three: the explorer Umber, is the leader; Sophie is a timid archer; and Oates is a man who is both strong and honest. They leave for Kurahaven, Umber's home city, to relax. When they arrive, however, Happenstance finds that an evil force is after him. Umber was told in a mysterious note to keep Happenstance by his side and to watch the boy's powers grow. Will Umber learn why there is someone after Happenstance? Can Happenstance find his true identity?
Happenstance Found is a fantasy/adventure book. The story is well-written and could be read by a range of people. Although the vocabulary is somewhat scholarly, an avid reader may find the word choice too basic. This makes the book a quick read, and it is definitely a worthy one. I commend Catanese for the unique storyline. The main pieces of the story were intense and kept my attention until the next action occurred. I recommend Happenstance Found for any fantasy lover who is between the ages 10-18.

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Carlisle, Pennsylvania United States of America

The Rule of Won

Caleb Dunne is a self-pronounced slacker. After his brush
with the law last winter, his overly-motivated semi-
girlfriend Vicky insists that he begin attending "craves".
These are meetings for the new club modelled after the
popular book The Rule of Won. At first, Caleb embraces
the way and is ready to "imanifest" until his brain falls
out, but before long, the group starts to take on an
almost cult-like appearance and Caleb opts out. This
seemingly harmless idea that you can get whatever you want
by just believing starts a movement that gains popularity
throughout Screech Neck High. It becomes apparent that if
you aren't with the club then you are against it.
Bullying, violence and stealing are just some of the
various tactics these club-members employ to get their
point across and it's time for someone to take a stand.

Stefan Petrucha has a wonderful ability to make the
characters come to life. Caleb, among others, has
wonderful depth and a witty manner that entertained me
throughout this book. Its language also drew me into the
book and allowed me to visualize the various settings. One
of the downfalls of the book is that I am unable to
connect with some of the references to other sources that
are made. Besides this, the book was an enjoyable read
and is suitable for both boys and girls.

Reviewer
Age:15

Reviewer City, State and Country: Richmond,
Virginia United States of America

Deathwish

Deathwish by Rob Thurman is the fourth book to the Cal and Niko Leandros series following Nightlife, Moonshine, and Madhouse. Half-human Cal and Niko Leandros, the main characters in the series, continue their story of dealing with mythical beings with new problems in New York City. The brothers are yet again faced with the threat of their monster heritage, the Auphe (elf family), who are bloodthirsty for revenge. Worse still is the mystery surrounding their newest client, a vampire named Seamus, who was killed before the brothers could find out the identity of Seamus' stalker. This story, along with the past books, is a mysterious urban fantasy filled with twists.

This book has an awesome storyline and describes each page with detail. The storyline makes more sense, however if the previous three books are read first. Deathwish also has mature language and some disturbing details and therefore, is more for young adults. The storyline is very captivating overall. Deathwishs' genre is fantasy, mystery, and a bit of horror.

Note: Mature language and some disturbing details.

Content: 3
Rating: 7
Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Colleyville, Texas USA

What They Always Tell Us by Martin Wilson

Martin Wilson's What They Always Tell Us is a story about the lives and formation of brothers who are living through the ordeal known as high school. James, a senior, knows exactly where he's going and who he is, and he's happy with this knowledge. Alex, James' younger brother, doesn't and isn't. This vast difference is the main reason James and Alex are no longer close. That is until their ten-year-old
neighbor befriends them both and pulls them together with the mystery of who keeps parking outside his house at odd hours.
What They Always Tell Us is a great book for boys, if a bit ordinary. Wilson really captures relationships between males of all types and ages. James' frustration with his ordinary life portrays any senior's feelings of being stuck in Small town, USA. And Alex's identity crisis could be that of any teenager's. An interesting read for those bored boys out there.
The rate of the book's content is a 3 for its graphic, semi-sexual scenes and mature content.
Reviewer Age:17
Reviewer City, State and Country: Penacook, New Hampshire United States of America

Nation by Terry Pratchett

Mau was just coming back from his coming of age ritual when the big wave came. The wave wiped out everything in the Nation- people and animals alike. The wave also crashed the English vessel, Sweet Judy, into the Nation and killed all of her crew- all, that is, but Daphne. Daphne and Mau meet, and soon after that survivors from other islands in the chain arrive. They bring word that the Raiders- a cannibalistic tribe from the farthest island- are going to each of the islands in the chain, one by one, and looking for people to kill. They have a new chief, too: First Mate Cox, the leader of an attempted mutiny on the Sweet Judy which Daphne witnessed. Mau has to fight Cox in a battle to protect all the islanders from death and slavery- but Cox is a clever leader and a strong fighter.

Nation was a brilliant and detailed book which should be an addition to every library. It shows the shock and grief of losing everyone in his life and then the recovery and hope of starting over. The story is a bittersweet one with many good life lessons set into the foundation subliminally. And, despite the beginning of the story, the overall tone is actually joyful and in good spirits most of the time. Because: When much is taken, something is returned.

It is labeled as ages 12 and up, due to religious questioning and the initial subject of losing so many things.

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Colleyville, Texas USA

WWW:Wake by Robert J. Sawyer

"WWW: Wake" by Robert J. Sawyer is a thrilling book. The
story mainly follows a girl with a unique case of
blindness that just so happens to be a polymath. She gets
in contact with a Japanese researcher that implants a
device in her left eye. Afterwards, she begins to see the
world wide web before she sees the real world. As Sawyer
explains, she sees the internet in its abstract nature,
not how regular people see browsers, websites, and
whatnot. Later, it becomes clear to her that the internet
she encountered was actually a being. The girl teaches
this being how to communicate and eventually finds solace
in its futuristic company. Intermittently dispersed
throughout the novel are sub-plots; the reader understands
the importance of these as the story progresses.

This
book is surprisingly good. Readers feel sympathy for the
main female protagonist and begin to identify with other
characters. However, there are sexual innuendos scattered
throughout the book that could have been omitted.
Additionally, there are some obscenities in the novel
related to certain characters' diction. If "WWW: Wake"
didn't have such a well-thought out plot, readers would
have had the urge to put it down.

Reviewer Age:17

Reviewer City, State and Country:
Staten Island, NY USA