Dragon's Oath by PC Cast and Kristin Cast

Dragon's Oath is the beginning of the doomed fates of the star-crossed lovers Anastasia and Dragon.  Dragon grew up in nineteenth century England as a rebellious, troublesome teen.  When his father is fed up with his son's embarrassing actions, he banishes Dragon to America.  Upon Dragon's departure, he is marked by a vampyre, a mystical being, to study at the Tower Grove House of Night, a school to learn the magical ways of the vampyre.  At the House of Night, Dragon becomes a skilled swordsman and warrior.  He also meets Anastasia, Professor of Spells and Rituals.  These two vampyres, from completely different backgrounds, come together to face a rising evil, but what will this threat do to their relationship?

As an installment in the House of Night series, the book added a decent amount of value to the continuing story arc, and I am interested to see what happens next.  However, as a standalone book for the casual reader, there definitely isn't enough substance despite its easy accessibility.  I was intrigued by the combination of the vampyre myth and magical realms.  This world isn't often created nor explored.  Another unique set piece was the fact that the Houses of Night are in U.S. cities with humans living nearby.  The clash between vampyres and humans will be an interesting plot point as the series continues.  Unfortunately, the story and dialogue doesn't grip you like other notable sci-fi/fantasy series, but Dragon's Oath may provide some value for those who enjoy the series.

Reviewer Age:21
Reviewer City, State and Country: Eden Prairie, Minnesota United States

The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers by Lynn Weingarten

Alex was Lucy's first boyfriend, her first love, her first everything. After spending the summer apart Lucy couldn't wait to see Alex on the first day of school, and share her special surprise with him. Only instead of reacting the way she thought he would, Alex breaks up with her!

Lucy is completely devastated, and utterly heartbroken. Then she meets Olivia, a striking but mysterious girl, who gives Lucy the opportunity of a lifetime! Olivia is part of a secret sisterhood of heartbreakers, a group of girls who are immune to ever having their hearts broken. If Lucy joins the secret sisterhood, not only will her own heart be healed, it will never be broken again! The rules are simple, make someone love you in the next seven days, and then break their heart. But Lucy has another plan in mind! What if instead of using the secret sisterhood of hreatbreakers to win a heart and break it, she used it to win a heart and keep it? With the clock ticking away will Lucy be able to win Alex back, or is she destined to be heartbroken forever?

Lynn Weingarten made this book come to life! She set the story up beautifully and it captivated me from the very first page. I found myself reading this book as fast as I could so that I could find out what happened next. Before I knew it, I devoured the entire book in one sitting!

Lucy is the main character in this book and my heart literally broke for her. She was completely devastated by her breakup with Alex. What girl hasn't been down that road at least once? So could I blame her when she decides to use the Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers to win a heart and keep it forever? Well, this girl couldn't!

I loved this book and would definitely recommend it to others. I think a broken heart is something everyone can identify with. It really makes you wonder, if you were given the same opportunity, what would you do?

I haven't read any other books by this author, but now I want to read every book she's ever written! I can't wait to read the sequel to this amazing novel!

Content: 1

Rating: 10

Reviewer Age:26

Reviewer City, State and Country: West Columbia, TX United States

Lighthouse Nights

Trevor enlists Jules in his plan to make a profit from the
suicides of frequent visitors of a depression chat room.
Jules makes a pact with each victim to commit the act
together. Jules fakes it, and Trevor swoops in to make off
with the valuables. Everything goes as planned until she
begins to fall in love with Gabe, their seventh potential
victim. Now, Jules faces the most important decision she has
yet.

Vander Ark' s novel is filled with dark romance and
twists and turns that keep the reader turning the pages.
Unlike most young adult novels with mature content that can
be overlooked to enjoy the book, the content of Lighthouse
Nights cannot. It is as much a part of the book as the
setting and characters. I would definitely recommend this
book to others who enjoy realistic novels, but I advise
caution because it may be triggering to some.

Language, graphic descriptions
Reviewer Age:22
Reviewer City, State and Country: Bay City, Texas USA

The Silent by Rebecca Kenney

The Silent by Rebecca Kenney

At Mourning High, everything seemed normal. Normal kids, normal teachers, normal school, normal day. But as Nikki Altemann arrives at school one day she learns everything is no longer normal. The head faculty and staff received threatening, and frightening emails. Detectives and police are called in.  The problem is, the emails are untraceable. So a head detective "hires" Nikki to be the ears and eyes of the school.  Only her faith can give her the courage she needs to face what's coming in the months to come.

I think the book was very well written. The author was very specific about the events that occurred. Every page had me on the edge of my seat down to the end of every sentence. In almost every scene I pictured myself in the background. I also found it easy to relate to several of the events. If I could have changed anything about the book, it would have been to make the final chapter longer and more vivid so the reader could've had a more vivid idea of what was going on. I learned to never take life and what you have for granted, because you never know when everything can change.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Jackson, Missouri USA

Artemis Rising by Cheri Lasota

The book Artemis Rising is centered around a young pagan girl. The story takes place between 1600 and 1800 AD. Then most people were Catholic and those who weren't were considered wrong and a disgrace, never to be associated with. In the new land, Arethusa and her mother were suspected pagans who believed in the Greek god Artemis. Arethusa's father was Catholic and constantly beat up on his wife. When he discovered proof of their beliefs, he decided to take his wife and Arethusa back to their homeland. On the way there Arethusa and her mother completed a ritual bonding Arethusa to the evil Diogo, the ship captain’s son. She is washed ashore, unable to physically utter a word or remember anything after the ritual, and meets a handsome young man. She is quickly torn between two evils, turning her back on her beliefs for the one she loves, or living unhappily for rest of her life with the one chosen for her by unseen forces. In this book by Cheri Lasota, two worlds, beliefs and stories combine causing chaos in one girl’s life. Who will she choose?

I thoroughly enjoyed the book Artemis Rising. It was well written and entertaining. I couldn't put my laptop down or read it fast enough. I felt the despair, hope and longing that was described so vividly right along with the main character. I could close my eyes and picture the landscape and the people without even trying. It had a sense of seriousness and heart throughout showing Arethusa's determination to stick to her beliefs no matter what anyone said. It was a great book that didn't feel like it was written specifically for one gender. I think men and boys will enjoy it just as much as woman and girls! I have and will continue to recommend this book and look forward to reading more by Cheri Lasota.

There are a few references to religion, violence, and culture. Parents may want to approve first.

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Glendale, AZ United States

My Beating Teenage Heart by C. K. Kelly Martin

In this book My Beating Teenage Heart a girl is trapped in an unfamiliar place of darkness, with no memories or meaning. All she knows is her name, Ashlyn. Then she stumbles upon Breckon, a teenager torn apart by the loss of his younger sister. While Breckon fights to forget and rid himself of his life, Ashlyn is struggling to gain hers back. As she watches him, she realizes she may be able to help him forgive himself for what happened to his sister. Working behind the scenes of his life, Ashlyn tries to bring back peace to Breckon's life while remembering her own. 

This book is different and written in a new and upbeat style. I could connect it to other books I have read without it being the same story line. I liked how the characters transformed in the book and the plot was continually moving. All of the characters were well developed and fit together to make this book a success. The writing and plot reminded me of Sarah Dessen's writing. I would recommend this book to teen girls who enjoy dramatic fiction.

There was some sexual content in this book.

Reviewer Age:14

Hot And Steamy by Jean Rabe and Martin H Greenberg

Hot and Steamy is a book full of little stories, all of steampunk romance. All of the stories take place in the Victorian era. All of the stories are love stories. Of course, what else did you expect? But, there is more than just love in these stories, there are intrigue, danger, pyrotechnics, and plenty of gadgets. The stories have varying settings and plots.

My personal opinion, on this book is not pretty. I rarely run into a book that I do not like, but this was one of them. A lot of the stories were confusing, and too in depth, and by the end of them you're left standing there going, HUH?! The stories were almost too old, a little dreary, for teens. This would be a very good adult book, but I think many teens will agree with me, that this isn't a very good teen book.


Rating: 2
Content: 1
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Silver Spring, Maryland USA

Recruited

Recruited
Suzanne Weyn

Kadeem Jones is the star quarterback at southside. When he begins his senior season, he starts getting attention from college scouts. When Teller University, a top football program, recruits him, he gains attention from the cheerleaders and even gets money from a recruiter. Then he slips up and tells a rival recruiter of his times at Teller. It turns out those good times were actually violations. So now Kadeem has to chose between helping an NCAA investigation or playing at Teller.

This book was a great book; it shows what happens today in major college sports. The main character in this book has to make an important decision:  whether to tell the truth or not, to go play at Teller with all the illegal benefits, or to risk not playing at all. I believe the author used appropriate language and achieved her purpose, showing how the difficult choices are sometimes the better. I think this book was similar to the other sports books I have read. I would recommend  this book to anyone who likes to read sports books.
7
Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Fairborn, Ohio USA

Wherever You Go

Wherever You Go
Heather Davis

Lonely and lost. No other words can better describe Holly Mullen after the loss of her boyfriend Rob in a tragic accident. However, its been a few months, and Holly needs to move on. Although,  how can she forget the only boy she has ever loved? Meanwhile, her Alzheimers-stricken grandfather, Aldo, has come to live with Holly, her mother, and her little sister.

Holly’s  mother works two full time jobs; Holly is left to care for her grandfather and her little sister. Due to his disease, it is normal for Aldo to have hallucinations. But what happens when he begins to see the ghost of Holly’s boyfriend Rob, who has not yet crossed into the light? And what will Robs ghost think of Jason, ( Rob’s best friend when he was living)  trying to get close to Holly? Wherever You Go is book filled with romance, haunting stories of the past, and finding the strength to move on.
I really did enjoy the book Where You Go. The love triangle and connection between Rob, Jason, and Holly made the book hard to put down. I never knew what would really happen at the end of the book, due to the constant love triangle between the three. I felt Holly was a great character, mainly because her way of life is much different then Rob’s and Jason’s, so she gave you another form of living in the story. The romance between Holly and Jason also made the book interesting to read. Since they are both fighting to get over Rob’s death, I felt the connection between them was even stronger and that formed a great plot.
Even though I liked a lot of things about this book, it did take me awhile to get through it, due to a slow beginning, but it was worth getting beyond that. If you like stories of romance, love triangles, family, and ghosts, Wherever You Go by Heather Davis is a great read for you.
7
Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Springfield, Ohio USA

Skary Childrin and the Carousel of Sorrow by Katy Towell

Nothing has ever been the same since the Storm arrived in Widowsbury.  Anything odd or weird is seen as dangerous to the villagers; even scary children like Adelaide Foss, Maggie Borland, and Beatrice Alfred. They are three girls that attend Madame Gertrude s School For Girls, and they are harassed because of their special talents. Adelaide has traits of a werewolf, Maggie is super strong, and Beatrice claims to see and talk to ghosts. Some of the townspeople begin to disappear, and the girls want to get to the bottom of this mystery when their new friend disappears as well. With the help of the cook's son,  the girls try to figure out who, or what, is behind the disappearances. Will they be able to get everyone back, or will Widowsbury become a ghost town?

Skary Childrin and the Carousel of Sorrow is a novel by Katy Towell. A little slow at first, Skary Childrin gradually steals your heart as more and more people get taken away. The characters and their stories are amazing. I love how the pieces all clicked together at the end of the story. The characters were fantastic, and I think that the world needs more heroes and heroines like Adelaide, Maggie, Stephen, and Beatrice. Even though it is doubtful, I hope to see a sequel to these books with the eventual ending of the Widowsbury curse. I recommend this book to all ages, especially those who like skary stories.

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Fresno, California USA