The Crescent by Jordan Deen

Lacey thinks that she is a normal teenager, but comes to find she is wrong.
She meets two guys - Alex and Brandon. Her heart tells her she loves Alex, her mind tells her she loves Brandon. Then, she starts to have reactions to certain people, and her senses are heightened. Brandon tells her it is because she is close to transforming -into a werewolf- and she is not with him, her true, destined mate. Lacey can't bear to hurt Alex, but she doesn't want to sign Brandon's death contract, for werewolves will die without their mate. She can't think of any way out of it, and soon she will be forced to make a decision.

I noticed on the first page alone that this book would be hard to read, there were almost no commas, and apostrophes were often misused. It made the reading slower and took the normal flow of proper grammar out. As for the story itself, it was interesting how the author viewed werewolves, they were described as much more caring and loyal than the cold-blooded beasts we normally see them as. The conflict between Alex and Brandon over Lacey's love was always shifting, one would gain the upper hand, only to fall back again. The end surprised me, and in all the book was okay.

Language and intimate relationships, some bed scenes

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Santa Fe, TX USA

Sugar Changed The World by Marc Aronson

Sugar Changed the World, by Marc Aronson, is a tale full of adventure, history, human cruelty, and of course- sugar! Marc Aronson tells you his family history- while at the same time telling you how sugar changed everything. Through these true events and stories, you see how slavery was a BIG part of sugar. You start to wonder if that wonderful spice was worth all of the suffering. Throughout the story you learn all kinds of interesting details about sugar, but at the same time you learn a lot about humans in general. If you ever wonder where slavery came from, then this is the book for you.

Sugar Changed the World was an amazing book. I would highly recommend it to anyone who ever wonders about slavery. Throughout the story I began to wonder if we even deserve sugar with the way people were treated. The author really helps you connect with the slaves, but he helps you understand the slaveholders intentions too. This book is very well researched and is full of all kinds of interesting facts and opinions. You learn a lot about how sugar was invented while you read. Anyone who likes sugar would like this book!

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Broken Arrow, Ok united states

Full Moon by Ellen Schreiber

Celeste Parker was just a small town girl. She grew up in Legend's Run-a place famous for its scary werewolf stories. It's just another year with her friends, hanging out and having fun. Then one day, she visits a psychic who gives her a puzzling reading and everything changes. She finds herself face to face with wolves when the new kid Brandon saves her. Brandon saves her, but not without incident. He was bitten, but something else changed inside him. She must discover if his transformation is more than a legend, or just a trick of the shadows.

At first, this book seemed to be really good, but as I went on, it started getting more and more stereotypical. The story line was too much like every other werewolf story out there. Also, the characters never seemed to take any risk or go into action, which made the book drag on. The character, Celeste, had no backbone. Yes, the romance between Celeste and Brandon was interesting at first, but she doesn't want anyone to know she's dating him because he's from the wrong side of town. If Celeste was a true heroine, she would at least tell her friends.

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Enon, OH USA

Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren

When Gabi and her sister Lia accompany their mother on an
archeological dig in Italy, they expect the summer to be
filled with boring old artifacts. Instead, they find
themselves transported back in time to 16th century Italy.
After the two are separated, Gabi is taken in by a
neighboring castle. She finds herself falling for the
handsome knight who saved her when she first arrived, but
she must fight her feelings and concentrate on finding her
sister. However, getting her sister back proves to be a more
daunting task for Gabi when she finds herself trapped
between two warring castles. This fast-paced historical
fiction novel incorporates facts, adventure, and romance and
tells the unforgettable story of life in 16th century Italy.

I enjoyed this book, especially the creative way in which
facts are intertwined with the story. The main character
is easy to relate to because of her strong voice throughout
the story. The setting of a medieval castle is vividly
described, and the events in the book are clearly
explained, making the reader feel as though he is actually
there. My only criticism would be that I was disappointed
with the cliff-hanger ending, but I am excited to read the
rest of the books in the series. The dialogue is appropriate
for the teen audience and seeks to engage the reader. I
would highly recommend this book to all historical fiction
lovers!

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and
Country: Bayside, WI USA

Blood Feud by Alyxandra Harvey

The book Blood Feud by Alyxandra Harvey is a mix
of many things: mystery, adventure, and romance, but
mostly fiction, since it is about vampires. In the book a
girl named Isabeau is turned into a vampire after her
parents are killed. During the French Revolution, Isabeau
went and found her way to her uncle's house. He threw a
party and that's when she met Greyhavan changes her into a
vampire and leaves her buried for 200 years. She loathes
him for doing so and is sure to seek revenge someday.
After 200 years, she is found by the hounds, an exclusive
vampire clan thought to be savage.

Then she meets Logan, one of the seven Drake
brothers, considered royalty, at their home caves for a
negotiation meeting to unite their two tribes. Montmartre
is an evil vampire who wants Logan's sister to marry him.
He is partnered with Greyhavan. Isabeau and Logan locate
him and his culprits in an attempt to catch them, but fail
in their attempt. Isabeau finds out that her people are
being attacked. She and Logan go to see if they are okay,
but end up getting attacked by helpers of Greyhavan and
Montmartre, in Isabeau's clan's caves. Isabeau and Logan
get free and flee to help Logan's family under attack as
well. They get caught again on the way by Greyhavan and
Montmartre. Isabeau is then faced with the dilemma of
making a decision to die, but seek revenge by killing
Greyhavan by herself while Logan flees, or leave with
Logan and loose her only chance at revenge.

Blood Feud takes place in the twenty-first century in Europe, and in
Isabeau's past life during the French Revolution. The tone
of the book was eery and exciting: you have the eery past
life of Isabeau's life, and the adventure of what Isabeau
and Logan go through together. There is also mystery and a
bit of humor. Isabeau is amazingly beautiful with dark
brown hair and stunning green eyes. Logan is handsome with
his his brown hair and green eye as well. This book is the
perfect mix of everything a book needs: mystery, suspense,
adventure, humor, and love. The book jumps back an forth
from the present involving Isabeau and Logan and the past
of Isabeau, which is different. It was age appropriate and
had no bad language or other inappropriate content. I
would recommend this book to others, especially vampire
lovers. I learned that getting revenge is not the answer,
that there are better choices to make. You should
definitely read this book because it grabbed my attention
right from the beginning.
Reviewer Age:14 Uxbridge, Massachusetts United States

Shiner and King by Nolan Carlson

In the book Shiner and King by Nolan Carlson, the main
characters are Carly and Troop. They do everything
together. They formed a club called the Mustangs. They
both are in the same class at school. One day Troop and
Carly were riding their bikes and Luke Webster (a mean
boy in the town) fell, the boys went over to him to make
sure he was OK. Luke, because he is mean, kidnapped
them. He kept them in his shed. They were soon
rescued. The dog King goes missing and they spent a lot
of time looking for him. They found him in the nick of
time. King was in danger. You'll have to read to find
out if they find and save King.

I found the book slow moving and difficult to
understand. This was Book 3 of the series and I did not
read books 1 or 2. I felt I was missing connections that
might have been clearer if I had read the previous books.
The Book didn't seem to be about the title characters
Shiner and King. Overall this book was not for me.
Reviewer Age:10 Uxbridge, MA USA

The Haunting of Charles Dickens by Lewis Buzbee

When Meg Pickel s brother goes missing, she finds herself in a strange situation&She meets the famous writer Charles Dickens, who is having trouble writing. This writer s block is due to a worry that London isn t safe. This book follows his journey to learn why so many children are going missing&maybe he can help Meg! Read The Haunting of Charles Dickens to find out!

What a gem! Saying that this book is extraordinary is an understatement. Buzbee s writing will keep you up at night! The book is filled with adventures and haunting details that kept me on the edge. Not only is the writing in this book astounding, the illustrations are strangely beautiful! I would rate this book 5 out of 5 stars!

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Panama City, Florida United States

Zombiesque by Stephen L. Antczak

16 haunting stories about zombies fill the pages of this
unique book. The first story would have to be my favorite!
It is an anecdote about an insatiable zombie who eats his
friends, trying to quench his thirst for blood! Even more
stories make this book a thrill. Just wait till you get
your hands on this book, you ll read it again and again!

This book gave me nightmares, that s for sure! I truly
felt like I was in the story. Each story contained vivid
details, which scared me in the most delightful way! I
couldn t put the book down! This book has a specific
audience. If you re the type of person who enjoys historic
books, back away. You must have an open mind to ghosts,
werewolves, and zombies! This book is the next best thing!

Language is bad!

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Panama City, Florida United States

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Seventeen-year-old Lena lives in a world where love, or amor deliria nervosa, is nothing but a disease deemed to be fatal by the government. The only way for society to flourish as it should is through complete eradication of love, and that is where the cure comes in. All inhabitants of the United States of America living within the heavily militarized border are required to have the procedure on their 18th birthday. This cure takes away all the intense feelings of love won and love lost, of fixation and obsession, and of euphoria and despair. Lena, of course, simply cannot wait for her procedure. She has always been different, set apart by her infamous and long-deceased parents who just so happened to be branded with the most shameful labels society has to offer: one is a sympathizer; the other took her own life. Lena just wants all this pain and worry to disappear, but then Alex comes into her life -- Alex, who bears the scar of the procedure on his skin. This means he is completely safe to interact with, right? Right?

In my opinion, Lauren Oliver's second novel, Delirium, was not in the same caliber as her debut, Before I Fall. Although Oliver's fluid writing style is still there, peppered with beautiful similes that make her books such a joy to read, the setting and plot of Delirium just doesn't have the originality of her first book. Thirty pages in, my mind was flashing warning signals, and the existing similarities between Delirium and Scott Westerfield's Uglies series began popping up. For some reason, I felt like Lena was, for a lack of a better word, somewhat of a bimbo. She is passive and hesitant, and her doubt about herself and the world around her can be quite annoying sometimes. I understand that most books are centered on characters that aren't special in the conventional sense but end up maturing and discovering the rebel within themselves as the book progresses. It felt like Oliver was aiming for this growth, but Lena fell short. She does indeed become more confident by the end, but the transformation process was lacking.

The other thing about Delirium is the speed of its plot development. The first half of the book was a chore to get through -- almost nothing occurred. Total stasis, almost perpetual boredom. The addictive quality of a novel is a big factor for the reader's enjoyment, and the crawling pace of this book was the biggest turn-off for me.

With all that being said, Delirium does have its lovely parts. Each chapter is preceded by a short passage taken from various pieces of literature that exists in the Delirium world. They give insight into the novel and are all gorgeously crafted by Oliver. The ending was quite an intense ride as well. It definitely leaves the reader wanting of the second installment of the Delirium trilogy. Overall, an applaudable addition to the YA dystopian genre.

Reviewer Age:16

Reviewer City, State and Country: Palo Alto, CA USA

Destiny's Path by Frewin Jones

Branwen has started her journey to save Brython. She is aided by her two trustworthy companions. Rhodri, a half Saxon who used to be a slave to Herewolf Ironfist until he escaped and was saved by Branwen. And Blodwedd, who is the messenger of Govannon of the Wood (one of the Shining Ones). She was an owl until she was charged with watching over Branwen and now she is an owl trapped in a human's body. Her final companion is Fain her trusty falcon guide. But Blodwedd brings tidings of distaster, the coastal village of Gwylan Canu is in danger, so they sneak into Doeth Palas to warn Iwan, the son of the Lord and Lady of Gwylan Canu. Once he is sure they can be trusted he goes to plea with Prince Llew to help him. To make sure all goes well Branwen and her companions follow, and on their journey the old ways are revealed to her. When they reach the coastal citadel they discover Rhodri's true feelings for the owl girl and the treachery of Prince Llew.

Destiny's Path is an enticing book that keeps you always anticipating what will happen next.This book was very easy to follow and had an amazing flow from one chapter to the next. I think the theme of this story is is to have faith in those who guide you. I would recommend Frewin Jones' book to any girl who likes adventure books with a dash of romance.

Battle scenes might not be proper for younger children

Reviewer Age:15

Reviewer City, State and Country: Makanda, Illinois USA