A new student review of The Lovely and the Lost by Page Morgan

dancechicka posted a new student review of The Lovely and the Lost by Page Morgan. See the full review.

When I first started this series, I felt as if I had taken a chance—the plot a little unconventional, borderline atypical, the type of plot that could easily be dismissed as odd, angsty, gothic nonsense within the first few chapters if not written correctly.  However, I am happy to say I am glad I let myself take that chance.  This book was very solid, and, unlike some other sequels, a good follow-up from its predecessor, The Beautiful and the Cursed.  The characters’ developed well-- Gabby, who I (at first) judged as shallow and factious, developed into a strong, independent warrior with an iron will and a fiery heart.  Grayson, the tortured and guilt-ridden brother, also added a different complex to the plot. However, our Lady Ingrid seemed too wishy-washy and immature--she couldn’t make up her mind! It was almost as if she and Gabby switched roles.  Before reading this novel, I would definitely recommend reading The Beautiful and the Cursed (the first installment of the Dispossessed series), as it helps make this sequel more enjoyable and easier to understand.  The plot ended with a good cliffhanger that definitely set up the third book well to keep the reader interested and entertained.  With deception, drama, dysfunction, and Morgan’s unique, flowing prose that is rarely paralleled, I look forward to continuing to read and enjoy her works.

“If anyone knew what he’d done in London….they would realize he shouldn’t be hunting anything.  They would realize they should be hunting him.”

I would recommend this book for ages ten and up, for minor expletives, slightly morbid themes, violence, and mentions of intimacy.

Will Ingrid, Gabby, Grayson, Luc, and the Alliance all come out unscathed and get what they most desire in the end?  Read Page Morgan’s The Lovely and the Lost to find out!

A new student review of Swim That Rock by Jay Primiano John Rocco

bringtheawesome posted a new student review of Swim That Rock by Jay Primiano John Rocco. See the full review.

Personaly  I liked this book. It's about passion, dedication, and tragedy. They also had a little love, and action scenes in there as well.

A new student review of Bluffton: My Summers with Buster Keaton by Matt Phelan

cowboys1 posted a new student review of Bluffton: My Summers with Buster Keaton by Matt Phelan. See the full review.

I like graphic novels, so I enjoyed the book. However, it would have been just as good of a story if it was written like a regular novel.  This way though, it may attract more reluctant readers.  My favorite parts were the tricks that they played on people.  I was surprised that although this story was mostly very funny, it had a sort of serious ending.  I liked that I found out the decisions that Henry made when he was older and how Buster still influenced his life.

A new student review of Awakening (Hope Trilogy #1) by Lauren Ashley

EmilyFredricks posted a new student review of Awakening (Hope Trilogy #1) by Lauren Ashley. See the full review.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It had a good mixture of fighting, love, and intensity.  The plot was well written and it kept me interested. There were no boring parts that I had to push myself through. All of the characters had a point in the story and none of them were there for no reason. This book left me waiting for the next one to come out. It was overall a fast-paced book which I really enjoy. There was at least one fight scene in every other chapter. Awakening was a bold, amazing story about breaking out of your shell.

A new student review of Masks by E. C. Blake

kanati posted a new student review of Masks by E. C. Blake. See the full review.

Masks by E.C. Blake is the first book in his fantasy series Masks of Aygrima and is set in what at first glance seems to a utopian society but as we dive farther in we find a war brewing behind closed doors. At first I thought that the main character seemed a little too sheltered for my tastes, but a few chapters into the book she is thrown into what many people in her hometown would consider a living nightmare and seems to come to terms with what the world really is like. Each of Blake's characters have surprisingly unique personalities, usually with stricking backstories to match, but somehow he manages to weave them into a perfectly cohesive storyline. Overall I beleive this is a good opener to the series and can't wait to see how the author manages to develope this story further. I would recomend this book to any teens or young adults looking for a different type of series than most everything that is currently out there.

A new student review of Lost Children of the Far Islands by Emily Raabe

aeehrhardt posted a new student review of Lost Children of the Far Islands by Emily Raabe. See the full review.

I loved LOST CHILDREN OF THE FAR ISLANDS. It was spellbinding! The many cliffhangers all lead to unexpected outcomes. Emily Raabe had me guessing what would happen next, and then I found out that I was completely and utterly wrong. The characters were mysterious and outgoing. I definitely hope that there will be a sequel to LOST CHILDREN OF THE FAR ISLANDS, maybe even another three or four books. My favorite character was Gus because she is so much like my best friend, she has the same interests and the same goals. I also liked the Bedell because he was trustworthy in the end.

A new student review of The School for Good and Evil #2: A World without Princes by Soman Chainani

tlang posted a new student review of The School for Good and Evil #2: A World without Princes by Soman Chainani. See the full review.

This series is so amazing from the beginning to the last page. I could not put it down-- I immediately fell in love with the School for Good and Evil, A World Without Princes, like I did with the first book. It's funny, sad, adventurous, and has good ol' friendship.  

A new student review of Blind Curve by Elizabeth Karre

sisto8 posted a new student review of Blind Curve by Elizabeth Karre. See the full review.

This book was okay.  It was kind of disappointing because it was short.  Reading a short book is kind of boring because the reader can’t really get into the book and its characters before it is over.  The characters weren’t very strong.  They weren’t people that somebody would want to care too much about.  The story wasn’t written in a good way.  It seemed very predictable by appearing like step 1, step 2, etc.  The writing was very good, just not the story.  I don’t recommend this book for anyone under 13.

A new student review of CINDERELLA: The Classic Version of the Popular Fairy Tale by Michael Jason McElroy

Nixie Wind posted a new student review of CINDERELLA: The Classic Version of the Popular Fairy Tale by Michael Jason McElroy. See the full review.

I liked this book because it described the plot very well. It was written in a creative, rhyming, poetic fashion that I enjoyed. I don’t think it was quite good enough for five stars because the beginning was not as “attention-grabbing.” I would recommend this book to other people because they would like this variation of the way the book was originally written.

A new student review of Shadowlark by Meagan Spooner

featherwhisker posted a new student review of Shadowlark by Meagan Spooner. See the full review.

I couldn't make it through this entire book without forcing myself to read it. If you look at most narratives, they follow Aristole's plot triangle, which begins with backround information. This book gives you basically no backround information. I can see what the author was going for, which was where the characters develop throughout the story, but it's not done right. It's like starting a movie halfway through, you have no idea what's going on or who anyone is. 

It's also very hard to understand what the main character is like. She'll be brave and strong one chapter, and the next be afraid to do anything. This makes it hard to like her, and having likeable characters is an important part of a good book. 

The story also moves very slowly, but speeds through the exciting parts. She spends a few chapters talking about walking through some woods, a city, and talking to some people, but only a short amount of time talking about being attacked.