A new student review of Cherry Money Baby

dancechicka posted a new student review of Cherry Money Baby . See the full review.

Okay, before we start, I have a confession to make—I completely, wholly, utterly judged this book by its title.  I know, I know, I am without shame.  But seriously, when I saw that sassy title--Cherry Money Baby—I knew that I had to give it a shot. And it lived up to the title.  I loved Cherry--she’s foul-mouthed, harsh, unrelenting, and tell-you-like-it-is—and I loved her for that.  Being a small-town girl myself, I could really connect with her.  I understand how small towns can sometimes be—sheltered, biased, yet with a sense of community and strength.  Cusick’s writing was honest and in-your-face.  What really impressed me was his dialogue.  Some writers tend to “overwrite” dialogue—making it sound too formal and structured.  Cusick kept it to-the-point and broken up, so that I felt like this novel really was happening right in front of my eyes.  His vocabulary was colorful and vibrant.  The book was slightly dull at the beginning and at some parts in the middle, but only for a chapter or so.  I really recommend this book for anyone who is interested in a modern novel with a small town twist!

                “The wheel spun free of Cherry’s hands.  Weightless silence.  Then the passenger’s side smashed into the concrete divider.”

                I would recommend this book for ages sixteen and up, for profanity, sexual references, and the use of drugs and alcohol.

                So, will Cherry decide to stay in her simple life….or will she jump into the life of Ardelia Deen feet-first?  Read Cherry Money Baby to find your answer!

A new student review of Reunited

Peace8747 posted a new student review of Reunited . See the full review.

I liked Reunited a lot. It was a really good book and I enjoyed it.

A new student review of Burning

VBat posted a new student review of Burning . See the full review.

Burning is a light read with deep meaning. It explores the many nuances of love and belonging through various situations and perspectives, while entertaining the reader. 

My favorite part of Burning was Lala's cultural background. In order to understand Lala's emotions, the reader must adapt their mindset to accept her family's male-dominated society and traditions. While these customs are foreign to many readers and seem very backwards in modern times, they are important to Lala as a character. A book's job is partly to expand the mind and worldview of the reader, and in this aspect the book is certainly a success.

While the symbolic nature of Lala's sexual rebellion gave the reader insight into her thoughts, I felt that it was overdone and detracted from other important parts of the book. Some of the scenes felt forced, as if the book hoped to attract teen readers by including mature subject matter. I would have prefered to see Lala find her own worth without any involvement from the males in her life.

All in all, Burning told a meaningful coming-of-age story, but occaisionally tried a little too hard to interest teen readers. I would recommend it to mature teen girls who enjoy romance and realistic fiction. 

A new student review of Star Path

scifiguy posted a new student review of Star Path . See the full review.

Star Path is very exhilirating and action-packed. I enjoyed this book a lot.

A new student review of Tidal

mikaylamoody68 posted a new student review of Tidal . See the full review.

This book in my opinion had a good plot. There are alot of twists in this book as well, but I also got bored throughout the book. Every now and again I felt like putting the book down and not picking it up again. As soon as I was about to put the book down, I would get drawn back into the story. When I got to the end of the book I became in love with the story.

A new student review of The Golden Day

aschoenfeldt posted a new student review of The Golden Day . See the full review.

Ursula Dubosarsky's The Golden Day proved to be a thought provoking, complex book that left me with more questions than answers. I am still haunted by the tragic innocence of the little girls, and the insidious chain of events that propel them into adulthood. The time period and setting were intruiguing, but I would have like more of an explanation on the event that sets the novel in motion: the hanging of the man on the morning of Miss Renshaw's disappearance. I enjoyed seeing the friendships blossom between the girls, especially Cubby and Icara, but some events were confusing, such as the death of Icara's mother. The ambiguous ending left me somewhat unsettled, but I would not hesitate to read this book again.

A new student review of Through the Zombie Glass by Gena Showalter

Ravette posted a new student review of Through the Zombie Glass by Gena Showalter. See the full review.

Normally, when the word "zombie" comes to mind, you think of mindless corpses craving brains. That's not the case in the White Rabbit Chronicles; these creatures feast on the life force of a human being, the spirit! I thought that idea alone was enthralling and creative. The story also takes you though a series of twists and turns throughout the plot, trying to make you guess what will happen next. Despite some grammatical errors, this was an excellent read!

A new student review of The Iron Traitor by Julie Kagawa

kaiyle posted a new student review of The Iron Traitor by Julie Kagawa. See the full review.

This book is probably one of my favorites in Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey series.  It's really interesting seeing Ethan as a teenager and how his sister's actions have affected his entire life.  There are a lot of plot twists in this book that you will never see coming and will make you want to read the next book.  I highly recommend reading the other Iron Fey books about Meghan before reading "The Call of the Forgotten" books so that you can understand all the background information on Ethan's life.  And I would recommend this book to anyone who likes romance, fantasy, and adventure.

A new student review of Black Spring

bookgirl1289 posted a new student review of Black Spring . See the full review.

Black Spring is beautifully written and has a plot that will make you want to keep reading even if you know how Wuthering Heights ends (I read a summary of Wuthering Heights because I was really curious about what happened in it, but you can understand this book just fine even if you don't know the story). Some things in this story are the same, but the magic element and strange traditions of the northern plateau make the story different in an interesting way, and there are characters in Black Spring that are much more likable.

Croggon is a wonderful writer and describes the landscape so vividly that it seems terrifying and real. I think she has improved on the original character of Cathy, making it somewhat easier to understand Lina’s actions. Anna, a servant girl who is raised along with Lina, is a great character who tells most of the story, and she makes Lina seem less selfish and more doomed by fate. One of the things that I didn’t really agree with was the idea that Anna thought that Lina wouldn’t have been so selfish if she had not been persecuted as a witch. I don’t think that had much of an effect on Lina since she spent her childhood in the southern country. The Heathcliff character (Damek) is more mysterious, and we don’t find out much about his thoughts or feelings, so I didn't have much sympathy for him at all. But I think the whole obsession/revenge story works better in a fantasy setting because it’s more believable than in real life.

A new student review of Tidal

mikaylamoody68 posted a new student review of Tidal . See the full review.

This book in my opinion had a good plot. There are alot of twists in this book as well but I also got bored throughout the book. Every now and again I felt like putting the book down and to not pick it up again. As soon as I was about to i would get drawn back in . When i got to the end of the book I became in love with the story