A new student review of Maybe I Will by Laurie Gray

mattstudent_101 posted a new student review of Maybe I Will by Laurie Gray. See the full review.

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A new student review of Mystic by Alyson Noel

MickeyBeth posted a new student review of Mystic by Alyson Noel. See the full review.

Mystic is my favorite (so far) in the Soul Seeker series. Alyson Noel does a spectacular job of making the complicated journey of a Seeker easy to understand. (When I try to explain what the series is about.. Well, that's not so easy.)

Alyson Noel has a way of making mystical worlds become real in the reader’s mind, and while she does not disappoint in Mystic by “creating” the different dimensions (Middle, Upper, and Lower Worlds), she also makes less “enchanting” places seem quite real as well. She describes the land of Enchantment, New Mexico amazingly; so that you can picture the crumbling adobes and even how the town has been darkly influenced by the evil Richters.

The characters also seemed much more developed then when the Soul Seeker series first started. Daire has grown in her training with her grandmother, Paloma has become a better seeker and now understands the seriousness of the task at hand. Dace has also become a much deeper character. Instead of his world being purely shades of black and white as it used to be, he starts to see that sometimes there can be a shade of gray in between. Xotchl, Daire’s best friend, is a very interesting character. With Xotchl being blind, yet able to see energy, anything in her perspective was a little harder to picture but her character is definitely intriguing. Then, of course, there's the romance. Daire and Dace are perfect together. They're definitely my two favorite characters, and the "love padlock" is now on my list of things to do.

In short, all of the characters are believable, even the otherworldly ones.

Mystic is told mostly from Daire’s perspective, but there are certain chapters in Dace and Xotichl’s (Daire’s best friend) perspectives. I liked Daire’s perspective the most. As the main character, her thoughts are the ones that kept my attention the most. Since Xotichl is blind but sees the “energy” of things it was more difficult to imagine some of the things she sees, so I wasn’t as captivated by her perspective. It was also nice to have some in Dace’s perspective to see how deep his devotion for Daire goes.

I also like this series a lot more than Alyson Noel’s Evermore series. I started the series and fell in love with the first book but then the series had grown so sad and depressing by the second book that I never finished it. Mystic holds all of the happiness and romance that I loved in Evermore without being so depressing that I can’t stand it. (In other words, much better.)

It’s hard to say whether or not I liked the ending of Mystic due to the fact that it’s the third book in a series, and there’s going to be four. So Daire’s journey as a Seeker will continue in the next book called Horizon which comes out in November. The ending was sad, but still a good ending all the same.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good suspenseful romance. It is a great book with romance, action, & some Native American myths thrown in.

Mystic will be on sale in about a month! ;)

A new student review of Throne of the Crescent Moon (Crescent Moon Kingdoms)

alison_S posted a new student review of Throne of the Crescent Moon (Crescent Moon Kingdoms) . See the full review.

The prose was electric in its simplicity, monstrosities such as bone ghuls and the ominous Jackal Man illuminated through a writing-style which perfectly skirts the boundary between succinct and Spartan. Ahmed’s deft pacing seamlessly integrates developments in both character and plot, neither of which is marred by stereotyped science-fiction protagonists. On the contrary, Abdulla’s balding visage and corpulent physique, when presented alongside the ferocious self-discipline of his dervish Raseed bas Raseed, makes for a powerful juxtaposition. As our heroes traverse the Crescent Moon Kingdoms, their ensuing escapades- whether against demonic fiends or inner-demons of their own- evoke pity and awe, suspense and angst, glee and wonderment. Imaginative as it is vivid, Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed breaks your heart, only to send it racing back amongst the gleaming temples of Dhamsawwaat.

A new student review of Wednesdays in the Tower

avolzer posted a new student review of Wednesdays in the Tower . See the full review.

 

Wednesdays In The Tower is a sequel to Tuesdays At the Castle. It is not necessary to have read the first book, but it is very helpful. The development of the plot of this fantasy/mystery moved slowly, but it got more exciting as the book continued. The plot was interesting, and I found myself wondering what was going to happen. However, it was lacking an antagonist, or bad guy. There wasn’t really a problem or conflict. Be aware that it ends on a cliffhanger. This really disappointed me, as it was the most exciting part of the book. I’ll be looking for the next book!

 

A new student review of Jane Austen Goes to Hollywood by Abby McDonald

HannahScorsone posted a new student review of Jane Austen Goes to Hollywood by Abby McDonald. See the full review.

The book was okay. I usually have to find the perfect book to get into it. To me the book was kind of boring in the beginnning. Usually books bring me in on the first chapter, but this one didn't. The book got better towards the end. Hallie was my favorite character in the book. She is upbeat and loves to go for her dreams.

A new student review of Jane Austen Goes to Hollywood by Abby McDonald

HannahScorsone posted a new student review of Jane Austen Goes to Hollywood by Abby McDonald. See the full review.

The book was okay. I usually have to find the perfect book to get into it. To me the book was kind of boring in the beginnning. Usually books bring me in on the first chapter, but this one didn't. The book got better towards the end. Hallie was my favorite character in the book. She is upbeat and loves to go for her dreams.

A new student review of All Our Pretty Songs

swimmer1430 posted a new student review of All Our Pretty Songs . See the full review.

I did not know what to expect when I started reading All Our Pretty Songs and I definitely did not expect it to be a retelling of the myth of Orpheus. That fact explains a lot of the plot, and I think fans of Greek mythology will really enjoy this story. The writing is beautiful, almost like poetry. However, there is a lot of narration and not much in the way of plot and dialogue. I would have liked to see more action instead of reading the author's flowery prose. I thought it was interesting that the narrator does not have a name, and I'm still surprised that it's possible to write a novel without revealing that fact. I loved reading about the bond between Aurora and the narrator and it was nice to see such supportive and caring friends. On the other hand, the relationship between the narrator and Jack wasn't as interesting to read about: I felt as though it could have been developed more. I'm not really into mythology, so that part of the plot didn't appeal to me. That's the reason for the 3-star rating. Even though I'm not the biggest fan of All Our Pretty Songs, I think people who like Greek mythology will get a lot out of this story.

A new student review of Sacred by Elana K. Arnold

admin posted a new student review of Sacred by Elana K. Arnold. See the full review.

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A new student review of 100 Cupboards by 99 Unknown Email

admin posted a new student review of 100 Cupboards by 99 Unknown Email. See the full review.

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A new student review of Ruby Redfort Look Into My Eyes

TaurielOfMirkwood posted a new student review of Ruby Redfort Look Into My Eyes . See the full review.

I loved this book! It is like a Nancy Drew, but more modern and at kid level, because Ruby is a kid of 13. It was a thrill to read, with cliffhangers and always the question: "What will happen next?" There was multiple views from multiple characters, which made it interesting. It was also funny at some parts! Overall, this was an AWESOME book!!