The Law of Nines by Terry Goodkind

To Alex Rahl, his twenty-seventh birthday was just another day of the year. However, he is almost victim in a car accident, and he meets a mysterious yet beautiful woman. At first he seems to think there is nothing unusual about these two encounters. However, as the weeks progress, and Alex finds out more about himself, he also discovers that there is nothing ordinary about the gorgeous woman who walked into his life, or the men who mysteriously have been following him.

"The Law of Nines" was an exceptional book that had me on the edge of my seat and wanting to read more. It contained few flaws, and a brilliant plot, which made it one of the best books i have ever read. The setting was somewhat scarce at points, however this was appropriate, as a setting wouldn't have done much good. This left some of the book at the mercy of the reader's mind, making it rather interesting. The mood of this book was one of bewilderment, however it also contained much romance. This romance between Alex and Jax grew and matured in a very realistic and lifelike way. Being so lifelike, this love drew me into the novel and helped me understand the characters, and not think of them as fictional.

The narrative of this novel was direct and very scarce, as it needed to be. The emotions of the dialogues was what truly captured the overall feel of the novel, and made the book understandable and enjoyable. The ending of the novel was both fulfilling and not fulfilling at the same time. While it is implied that everything will be alright in the end, one never gets to surely see if the events that transpire do indeed end well. This sort of ending that really makes a reader feel as if they had just experienced an excellent book.

Terry Goodkind achieved a fantastic, gripping novel that has complicated subplots, a twisted web of emotions, and a fantastic ending. There was, however, just one weakness of the book. During long monologues, the characters would speak in one sentence paragraphs. I found this to be confusing, mainly because I would be forced to be constantly checking for quotation marks at the end of paragraphs to be sure the same character was still talking. However, this did not affect the plot, and I was both mentally and emotionally moved by the novel. I would recommend "The Law of Nine" by Terry Goodkind to anybody looking for a very good read, as I enjoyed it very much.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Baltimore, Maryland USA

Secondhand Charm by Julie Berry

In Secondhand Charm by Julie Berry, Evie lives a quiet life in a small village with her grandfather. She's the village healer, the person everyone turns to anytime there's an illness or emergency. One day, the village receives word that the king is coming, to see the famous feast of Saint Bronwyn. They very quickly clean up the town in order to make it presentable for the king. When he arrives, he brings with him a sickly Lord Chancellor. Luckily, Evie is able to save him, and Evie and her best friend Priscilla are granted a place at the university at the kingdom's capital. They have difficulties getting there, since the carriage is overrun by bandits and their ship sinks in a storm. Evie learns that she is
magical and has a pet leviathan. In the capital, she gets caught up with politics and becomes best friends with Annalise, a princess meant to marry the king.

Secondhand Charm was very enjoyable to read. It was well written and had an interesting plot. Also, there were no stereotypical werewolves or vampires. Leviathans were a nice change. Evie was a well-rounded character with realistic feelings. Her surprise at finding out about her heritage and leviathan were palpable. It was interesting to read about Evie's surprise when she discovered that she was a Serpentina. While some parts were predictable, such as the soon-to-be
Queen Annalise's motives, the book was not ruined. Overall, Secondhand Charm was an exceptional novel with interesting characters.

Reviewer Age:17
Reviewer City, State and Country: Charleston , South Carolina, USA

Banished by Sophie Littlefield

Hailey has never fit in at her high school. Her grandma is a drug dealer with mental problems; at least she has her foster brother, Chub. Then shortly after a girl is injured in gym and Hailey's aunt Prairie shows up. Aunt Prairie tells Hailey that she is a healer, and that their lifes are in danger. As Prairie's past starts to show up, Hailey realizes that there is a lot more to this adventure than she thought.

From the first page the author draws you in. You can easily feel Hailey's pain and confusion throughout the book. The setting and plot are believable. Since this book is written in first person, it takes the story to another level. It was wonderfully written and I could easily see a sequel. I recommend this book to people who liked Double Identify, the Mortal Instruments series and anyone who loves the supernatural or is just looking for a great book.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Northglenn, CO United States

Factotum by D.M. Cornish

Rossamnd Bookchild is not human. In fact, he learns that he is a monster while searching the world for the truth about himself. He knows nothing about his parents or where he came from. Rossamnd lives under Europe's gaze, the most famous monster hunter in the Half-Continent. He takes the position of factotum under Europe's watch and gives her complete loyalty. As she teaches him what it takes to be a monster hunter, strong powers are tracking Rossamnd down because they believe that he has a secret.

My initial reactions to the novel were how well Rossamnd's emotions are displayed and the great dialogue. I enjoyed reading the conversations between characters because of their word choice. In the very beginning of the novel, the crew of the Widgeon speaks how one would imagine sailors speak, and this makes the dialogue interesting. The author also describes the setting in a detailed manner.  I felt as though I was walking through the rooms as Rossamnd walked. I recommend this book to those who have read the first two in the trilogy and who enjoy fantasy novels.

Reviewer Age:17

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

The Sweetness of Salt by Cecilia Galante

The Sweetness of Salt by Cecilia Galante is a story about a girl named Julia and her sister Sophie. After Julia becomes valedictorian at her school, her sister comes to visit. Sophie gets in a big fight with her parents over a big secret that they will not tell Julia. Sophie had given Julia a car for a present. When Julia goes to a party, Sophie leaves. Her parents tell Julia about their sister Maggie who supposedly died of asthma. Later on, Julia leaves to go live with her sister who is short-tempered. They are talking when Julia tells Sophie what their parents had said to her. Sophie looks frightened and tells her that that was not what really happened. The sisters become closer as Julia comes closer to finding out the truth.


I liked the book because it made me feel like Julia, wanting to know the secret that her family had kept from her for seventeen years. Until she was seventeen, she did not even know she had a sister let alone know how she had died. Julia was anxious to know what had happened just like me. I could not put the book down! I would recommend this book to any teen that likes adventure, a secret, and a little bit of romance.

Reviewer Age:13 Reviewer City, State and Country:  Uxbridge, Massachusetts USA

Where The Truth Lies by Jessica Warman

Emily Meckler's life is perfect. She has two wonderful parents, the ideal school, plenty of friends, and just about anything else a 17-year old girl could ever want. Unfortunately for her, the perfection does not last as
Emily makes her way through this book. Soon, Emily finds everything is changing, both around and inside her, and completely out of her control. When Del Sugar, the cute new boy, enters the scene, will things work out between them? And what if Emily's perfect parents are holding onto a deep, dark secret, that, once uncovered could change everything? Through truth and lies, Jessica Warman's Where the Truth Lies uncovers the life of a teenage girl getting through rough times and tells us that sometimes, it is better to lie.

In my opinion, Where the Truth Lies is an excellent and praiseworthy novel full of romance and fierce adventure. I liked this book a lot because of the all of the character's realistic speaking. The way they talk seems so real that it really helped me create an image of the story in my mind. Despite the realistic and exciting excerpts, I felt the book was sometimes a little slow to get to the point. Over all, this book is an entrancing read and will catch the interests of most young adults.

Reviewer Age:11
Reviewer City, State and Country: Akron, Ohio United States of America

The Dark Hunters, Vol. 3, by Sherrilyn Kenyon

The Dark Hunters Vol. 3 is a continuation of the acclaimed Dark Hunters series by Sherrilyn Kenyon. The Dark Hunters are mythical warriors under the direction of the gods who have sworn to protect the earth from soul-sucking vampires. The main character, Talon, is a Celtic Dark Hunter with a cursed past. In this volume of the series, he makes a discovery that could ultimately lead to his redemption. This discovery comes in the form of Sunshine, a girl he meets while living in New Orleans. While Talon and Sunshine’s romance develops, a grand scheme of destruction brews, and some characters are not what they seem. The end of the story will leave readers asking for more as the clash between vampires and the Dark Hunters is about to escalate.
The strength of this volume is its focus on the main character, Talon. Talon’s past and the curse he has to live with for the rest of his life makes you empathize with his character even though he is an immortal being. The theme of an imperfect hero is very apparent in this story as the Dark Hunters are the only force in the way of earth’s destruction, yet they must not exist in the eyes of humans. They carry their own curse, and it can cause them to sway away from their cause. The raw relationship between Sunshine and Talon is a bit underdeveloped. However, the flashbacks and links between Sunshine and Talon’s pasts are excellent. Where this book falls short is in the action. I had expected more action and fight scenes in the story. Nevertheless, this volume of The Dark Hunters serves its purpose, and readers should be very excited for the next entry in the series. Manga enthusiasts and those infatuated by the Twlilight/Vampire craze will enjoy this book.

Reviewer Age:20
Reviewer City, State and Country: Eden Prairie, Minnesota United States

Summer and Shiner by Nolan Carson

Summer and shiner is a heartwarming tale about a boy named Carly and his best friend, Troop. This is a book filled with action-packed adventures and hardships that the young boys encounter along the way. Follow them as they have competitions with the Spiders, and another gang in their town. On those long summer days, Troop and Carly go down to the creek and go fishing. There they make some unexpected discoveries.

I liked this book because it involves the outdoors, and for the boys adventures. It made me feel like I was really there watching them do funny, and sometimes naughty things. If you are the outdoors type and want to
have an adventuresome book that at some points will have you sitting on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next, then this is your book.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: allegan, mi, america

Gemini Night by Bonnie Hearn Hill

Gemini night is about a teenager, Logan McRae, and how astrology runs her everyday life. Logan gets an internship at CRUSH magazine and if she can predict the next month of a celebrity's life, she could get her own astrology column. Everything is going really great for Logan until she finds out that Arianna Woods, the celebrity whose astrological chart she is predicting, is in danger. Logan has to solve the mystery before Halloween or something terrible could happen.
I've always liked looking at my horoscope now and then, but this book takes it to a whole new level. I loved the story and characters, but it was just too much astrology for me. On a good note, I did learn lots about my sign and astrology. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in astrology or anyone who just likes a good mystery. Great story, just not for me.

Reviewer Age:18
Reviewer City, State and Country: Reading, PA USA

Dash and Lilly's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohen

Two teenagers exchange words with a red notebook that is left in various locations around Manhattan. Clues and dares are profuse as the characters' souls leak onto the pages for the other one to read. Towards the end--surprise, surprise--the characters meet face-to-face. Other secondary personas enter the story to give it some pizzazz. The dares and situations get fairly ridiculous, and the fact that it is Christmastime adds to the chain of events to keep up with.
Seeing as how the book alternates between the male and female characters in terms of narration is interesting. The love story is sweet, but the philosophies tied into the book are anything but subtle. There are some blows to Catholicism--jest or not--and a pinch of nihilism added in for what appears to be for the authors' idea of good measure. While the book is fast paced, it does teach youngsters that going out in the middle of the night to meet strangers is all right; this should be cautioned against, especially in the city.
Homosexuality is seen as normal, and some crudeness is included. Not for young readers.
Reviewer Age:19
Reviewer City, State and Country: Troy, NY USA