Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan

With Earth dying, the Empyrean sets off to colonize "New Earth". Waverly must take on an incredible amount of responsibility for a 15 year old girl. The second to be born in space Waverly is expected to carry out the mission, and who better to do that with than the first born in space and utterly handsome Kieran. Although she's aware of what she must do Waverly can't help but dream of a more exciting life than just marriage and mothering. However, her wish comes to pass when the second ship, also set out to colonize New Earth, the New Horizon suddenly attacks the Empyrean and attempts to kidnap all of the able females. Are the people on the New Horizon really evil or is all the things she was told growing up just a lie. And who exactly is the mysterious and kind hearted Seth, and how will he help get back what she's lost?

While the idea was brilliant, the writing wonderful, and the plot ingenious, the characters annoyed me to no end. One second you liked a character and the next you hated them. It was hard to follow because it was written in three different peoples point of view, who all at least at some point hated one of the other characters. It infuriated me and caused my emotions to go all bipolar. While the characters were lacking the rest of the book was not. It keep me on my toes the whole time, with almost no predictability. The images were stunning and realistic, and the whole story well developed and very authentic. I read in a day because I could not put it down. It was enjoyable and I cannot wait until the next book comes out.

Reviewer Age:15

Reviewer City, State and Country: Colorado Springs, CO United States

The Hangman in the Mirror by Kate Cayley

The Hangman in the Mirror takes place in Canada, and is based on a true story. 15 year old Francois, newly orphaned, is looking to increase her standing in society, and does so by taking a job as maid to Madame Pommeroy. For once in her life, she is well fed and well dressed. She still longs to be more than she is, however, and steals a pair of gloves from her employer. When she is caught, Francois needs to use a loophole in a law to marry a hangman... or be hung.

"The Hangman in the Mirror" was an excellent book, written with a lot of detail and dialogue. I was easily able to picture the 18th century Montreal that the author described, especially the dirt and poverty of Francois's original home. The characters were likeable though flawed, and the struggle in Francois between being a faithful maid and owning something of her own was very realistic. I also liked how the characters had small things in their past that connected them. I would recommend "The Hangman in the Mirror" to girls who like historical fiction.

Reviewer Age:15

Reviewer City, State and Country:Pennsylvania, USA

Shifting by Bethany Wiggins

Summary: Maggie Mae is almost eighteen and she can't wait to be out of foster care; she's been bounced from house to house since she was five-years-old and her family died. Since she turned sixteen, Maggie Mae has had a serious secret that she hasn't told anyone: she is a shape shifter. Now she is living in Silver City, New Mexico with her last foster parent, Mrs. Carpenter, and is trying desperately to fit in and graduate. Dating Bridger O'Connell seems like a good start, but then Maggie Mae realizes she is being hunted because of her secret and she doesn't know how many people, including herself, will be hurt before the chase is over.
Opinion: This book was really good! I loved Maggie Mae's character and felt that I could relate to some of her problems. The story line was original and I was happy that Bethany Wiggins did not write a cookie-cutter romance novel. I appreciated how Wiggins threw in some legends from the Navajo culture and related them into the lives of the characters. Overall, this book was really good and I would recommend it to pretty much everyone.

Content: 1
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 10
Reviewer Age: 16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Brownsburg, Indiana United States of America

Crossed by Ally Condie

In this sequel to Matched, Cassia leaves her home to work in the Outer Provinces. No one knows that she's actually on the search for Ky, who was sent to another work camp. But when she hears that Ky has escaped into the desolate canyons, Cassia leaves the Society and follows him. During her search, Cassia hears more talk of the Rising, a rebellion that is planning to overthrow the Society. She desperately wants to join and is willing to sacrifice anything to be a part of something important.

Crossed was an okay novel and I liked it well enough. It's obvious that Crossed is the second book of the trilogy because not that much happens and it is used as a build up for the final book. Unfortunately, this makes Crossed pretty boring in terms of plot. I enjoyed the writing, but that didn't make up for the lack of action. The book is also split into two parts, which Ky and Cassia each taking turns to narrate. I liked this a lot, especially when the two were separated, because the reader could see what each was doing. However, as soon as their stories intersect, the double narration is annoying because I could never tell you was actually talking. Despite the slow pace, there were still enough twists and turns in Crossed to make me want to read the last novel in the trilogy.

Reviewer Age:19
Reviewer City, State and Country: Aston, Pennsylvania United States

The Mistaken Masterpiece by Michael D. Beil

Full of excitement and adventure. The Red Blazer Girls are a mystery solving band-as well as best friends. Sophie's dad works at a restaurant, and at one point meets a famous movie star. Her dad asks if his daughter and friends could meet him while he was filming his movie. After the girls meet him they love him even more than before, and when he asks Sophie to take care of his dog, Tillie, she is so excited. And when father Julian asks them to solve another mystery, their all for it. But when Tillie chews up one of the baseballs for their mystery, will they be able to solve it? Or will it end up a disaster.

The author did a really good job writing the book. It made me feel like a knew the characters and they were my good friends. She really went in depth in a lot of things that were very interesting. The pictures in it also helped a lot with understanding what the girls were talking about at some points. I would definitely recommend this book to people who love mysteries, especially mystery loving girls.

Reviewer Age:12

Reviewer City, State and Country: Skokie , Illinois USA

If I Die by Rachel Vincent

In this story, Kaylee, a female banshee, and her enemy Sabime, must team up to defeat an evil incubus. Who, ironically, is a teacher at their school. The only problem with the plan is Kaylee. She s going to die in less than a week. And the teacher can t be left alive for that long. Unfortunately, Death decides to knock at Kaylee' s door. Has Kaylee run out of time?

The first half of the book is pretty good. If you can get past the cursing, sex scenes, course jokes, sex scenes, sex scenes, and more sex scenes. I swear, it was like the author didn t know how to keep sex out of her book! Every other chapter is about something sexual. First it' s an 18 year old getting pregnant. Then it s Kaylee finding out her teacher is an incubus. And not just an every-day incubus. He 's an incubus in heat. Later, it s Kaylee witnessing another student s miscarriage. And let 's not forget Kaylee s experience with her boyfriend. Might I mention that this experience happens in her bedroom? In her bed?

Thankfully, the author only focuses the first half of the book on sex. It' s only mentioned a couple times in the second half of this story. The second half of this book focuses on Kaylee' s decision on whom she will choose as a boyfriend.

Overall I found this book very disappointing. It seems geared for a more mature audience. If the first half had been as good as the second half, it would' ve been a lot more enjoyable.

The entire first half of the book was ENTIRELY focused on sex. It had a couple F-bombs, and it had MULTIPLE characters cursing. Also, it got extremely violent toward the end of the book. I'm not at all pleased that this book was said to be Young Adult Fiction.

Reviewer Age:16

Reviewer City, State and Country: Yucaipa, California United States of America

Worst Vampire Ever by Caissie St. Onge

It seems like most vampires lead charmed lives filed with fast cars, huge mansions, and eternal beauty. Not Jane Jones. Her family barely makes ends meet and she s far from the classic stunning vampire. In fact, Jane s even allergic to blood, making her weird even by vampire standards. For the last century (give or take) she has been moving from high school to high school. However, something is amiss at her newest school (besides the vampire-infested student body). When her creepier-by-the-minute history teacher assigns Jane a group project, she learns more about her past then she ever wanted to.

This book seemed to have a lot of potential. I ve read more than my fair share of vampire novels, but this one seemed to have a new concept. I really thought the idea of an awkward teen vampire could turn into a really fun read. Sadly however, this book fell short for me. The beginning was quirky and funny. It really set up a cute coming-of-age story. Jane talked about what vampire myths were true and false, about her family. Then, as I read further the plot started feeling kind of disjointed. It had good moments throughout, but the overall conflicts felt forced. I respect that the author tried to be surprise the reader but the twists just felt unnatural. There is a love triangle just kind of thrown in, but it didn t really ever develop. I m not sure if I would pass by this book completely, though. Although I didn t love it, I didn t feel like it wasted my time. It was a pretty light read. I think it would be good for the beach or a book report. So, if you re looking for a quick vampire read, this might be worth a try. But buyer beware: it s no Twilight.

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Crescent City, CA USA

Matched by Ally Condie

Matched kept me on the edge of my seat, wondering what would happen next. Author, Ally Condie, did a good job of describing the dystopian world in which 16 year old Cassia Reyes lives. In Cassia's world, a government called ‘The Society’ decided everything about you, what your occupation is, who you marry, and even when you die. Cassia is perfectly content with her world, until her ‘Match Banquet’. The Match Banquet is a banquet where those people who choose to be married see who ‘The Society’ has chosen for them. Cassia is pleased to be matched with her childhood friend and believes everything is perfect until she reviews the microcard of her match and sees someone else's face,someone who isn't her match. The Society never makes mistakes, so what is going on? An impossible choice leaves Cassia confused and suddenly wanting a different life, a life where she (not The Society) makes the choices about herself.

I thought Matched was an excellent book. I felt like Ally Condie really allowed me to get into Cassia's head. I felt her troubles and her pain as if it was my own. I'll be the first to say, I'm not a romance fan. However, this book made me want to read more. I recommend Matched for anybody who wants a book with the perfect balance of struggle, romance, and reality.

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Tipp City, Ohio United States

Emma by Jane Austen

Emma Woodhouse knows one thing for sure: she is an amazing matchmaker and she is never going to fall in love. . . It seems like it would contradict itself, right? Well, Emma has a new project to find a lover for the simple and shy Harriet Smith. Emma soon finds out that she's gotten in too deep and if she keeps trying, she might lose everything!

'Emma' by Jane Austen, was very fun to read. Emma reminds me so much of myself that I found myself comparing myself and life style to hers! Jane Austen does an excellent job of getting the reader involved in the story by using very imaginative wording to get you painting your own pictures of the settings and characters.'Emma' is a classic novel about romance and a girl that just wants to live life to it's fullest and Jane Austen could not have done a better job.

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Tatamy, PA USA

Eve by Anna Carey

Eve has always lived within the walls of the School. Because the Plague wiped out 98% of the population, Schools have been formed to take in orphans and teach them a trade. Eve finds out on the night before her graduation that the School isn't what she thought it was. The promise of going out to practice her trade was a lie. Eve and he graduating friends are destined to be taken to a nearby building to be used as breeding mechanisms. Eve knows she must escape. When she does she meets Caleb, a male. She has been kept from males her whole life because she was taught of their dangerous ways. but soon she falls for Caleb. A griping love story set in a dystopian world.

I really liked Eve. It was a fantastic book that told of a realistic world that could someday be ours. I really liked the writers style, but thought at times the characters were somewhat unrealistic. The story itself is great and there is a sequel. I liked the way the author ended it, Eve left me wanting more. I would recommend this book highly to anyone in the young adult age group.

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Tipp City, OH United States