A new student review of Incinerator

ReesaOnFire posted a new student review of Incinerator . See the full review.

I must give this book my applause. Incinerator, by Niall Leonard, was good. With its enticing plot, teasing mystery and splendid characters, it makes the reader hold his or her breath. Leonard did a admirable job spinning the plot together, but particularly with leaving hints and clues throughout the story to reveal the true villain. A wonderful read to keep your brain active, Incinerator flies.                                        Unfortunately I cannot say that it flies smoothly or with flying colors. While I commend Leonard for his work, I can still say it needs work. I have primarily issues with the book: structure.                                      

First off, the format of the book was difficult to read. Throughout the whole book it was only a block of text—no indents or paragraph indicators. I found it irritating and distracting from the story.   A minor detail, but bothersome none-the-less.                                                                                                                    

Second off, the book started extremely slow and dull.  Perhaps this could be attributed to it being a second book in a series, but it was. Even though it was extremely taxing in actions, explanations  and in word choice, the book picked up in the middle.    It had a slow start, which hinders your enjoyment of the book. It was almost confusing for me, the beginning was so different from the rest of the book.                                                                                                                                                                                    

Thirdly, as I previously mentioned, the explanations were frustating.  This may be due to that fact that this book is a sequel. There is lot information not provided for the reader who has not read the first book.  As I read it, I really only knew that Finn’s father died, he got in trouble with a criminal, and now has a load of money.  Until almost the end of the book, that was all I knew.  It was frustrating and confusing for me as a reader.                                                                                                                      

Still, this book was entirely enticing. I enjoyed the plot and Finn’s character immensely. I could see many books or short stories about him. With Leonard’s brilliant plot, his structural, frustrations may be forgiven.  I do strongly suggest that if you read this book you read the prequel, “Crusher”.

A new student review of Guiamo(Chronicles of Guiamo Durmius Stolo)Book1 by Marshall Best

alison_S posted a new student review of Guiamo(Chronicles of Guiamo Durmius Stolo)Book1 by Marshall Best. See the full review.

Although Guiamo paints a fairly vivid portrait of its protagonist's adolescence, Best's prose relies too heavily on summarizing, or "telling, and lacks the description necessary to truly immerse the reader in the novel's plot. Furthermore, this lack of detail impedes the reader's ability to identify with Guiamo. In spite of this, however, readers can't help but root for Best's hardworking, fiercely optimistic protagonist. While Guiamo's plot starts off slow (the novel's first few chapters lack conflict), it accelerates considerably as the book progresses. Best conveys ancient Rome with a stunning level of historical accuracy, and his knowledge of the time period imbues the novel with rare sense of authenticity. Although I can't endorse Guiamo as a fast read, I do, however, recommend it as a satisfying one. 

A new student review of One or Two Things I Learned About Love

Tori posted a new student review of One or Two Things I Learned About Love . See the full review.

Okay, let me start out by saying I picked this book because the cover caught my eye. I was looking for a fun and easy read. But this story bored me and was immensely frustrating. This book bored me because I just didn't like the whole idea of this book. The beginning started out with the fact that she thought she would never get a boyfriend; then it's love at first sight. The author wasn't realistic. Hildly was a character I liked; I didn't like Connor. Connor is to overproctive and greedy. He ges upset over little things with Hildy. Those are just some of he traits about Hidly and Connor.

 

                                                                                

A new student review of Alfred C. Bogeyman by M. Allman

rowan posted a new student review of Alfred C. Bogeyman by M. Allman. See the full review.

THe book was not my kind of book, but it's good for young kids.

A new student review of Jack and the Wild Life by Lisa Doan

kbarberscott posted a new student review of Jack and the Wild Life by Lisa Doan. See the full review.

Jack and the Wild Life was an OK book. It started way too late, and wasn't all that interesting when it got to the action part. I wanted to put the book away. I would have put the action closer to the start, not diving in but taking out the useless information and overly drawn out character development.

A new student review of Perfectly Good White Boy by Carrie Mesrobian

ReesaOnFire posted a new student review of Perfectly Good White Boy by Carrie Mesrobian. See the full review.

I could not finish this book. Even though I was interested in Sean’s development as a character, there was too much crass behavior for me to stand.

Much of the mature content and crass language were unnecessary to the plot. Because of the major focus on the mature content of Sean’s relationships, I was not able to continue this book. I was sorely disappointed; I expected much more. 

A new student review of How to Lose Everything by Philipp Mattheis

tbrayton posted a new student review of How to Lose Everything by Philipp Mattheis. See the full review.

How To Lose Everything by Philipp Mattheis is a harsh and realistic testimony of being a teenager.  It presents the peer pressure that leads to drugs and alcohol, and also, in part, the human thirst for wealth.  Accompanying this is the haunting reality of how fragile friendships can be.  In the beginning, we see four friends with an unbreakable bond, but by the time we close the book, we’ve witnessed the shattering of that friendship, that now resembles puzzle pieces that will never fit together.  All in all, this book is an eye opener worth a read.  It has the ability to bring the reader down to earth and make them think about what they would do if it was them in such a tricky situation.  It causes the reader to really ponder about what they would do if it were they who were enabled to do anything they wanted. And if they had that power, would they abuse it and live with the consequences, or respect it.

A new student review of Blood Oath by T.L. Clarke

sschu5 posted a new student review of Blood Oath by T.L. Clarke. See the full review.

  Blood Oath is about a very adventurous girl who spends the first several years of her life not knowing who she is truly is or where her future is going to lead her. There is a lot of foreshadowing in the book. The story may lead you down one path then change your mind a few paragraphs later. I think it is such a good book because of how T.L. Clarke writes. The book is just an amazing read, and I would recommend this to anyone.

A new student review of Sticky Fingers: DIY Duct Tape Projects by Sophie Maletsky

hg2008 posted a new student review of Sticky Fingers: DIY Duct Tape Projects by Sophie Maletsky. See the full review.

I really like this book! I thought it was fun and creative with lots of cool ideas! The directions were well written and easy to understand. I am going to try many of theses ideas, there aren't any which I really disliked. I also liked how they gave you tips and told you what you would need. I also liked the fact that the had a few full sized patterens in the back that is always great for any crafter!

I would recommend this book for any beginning Duct Tape crafter or even more experienced because I think they would both equally enjoy and benefit from this book!

A new student review of A Drowned Maiden's Hair by Laura Amy Schlitz

dancechicka posted a new student review of A Drowned Maiden's Hair by Laura Amy Schlitz. See the full review.

Against all my reservations at first, I really enjoyed this book.  It was unique and edgy, in theory, with twists and turns that kept you on pins and needles.  Maud was the perfect main character—though she was a younger protagonist, I identified with her almost immediately.  Her fiery will and good heart really set her character development off and running.  I had so much fun watching her grow! The sister’s, on the other hand, were the perfect example of things not being always what they seem.  You never knew what was coming next.  The exposition was tight, the sentence structure flowing and slightly foreboding, adding to the suspense in the book.  I definitely feel like Schlitz has the makings and potential of a wonderful author!  Spiritualism can sometimes be a tricky topic, but Schlitz seemed to attack the topic and navigate it well.  Sometimes, though, it seemed like the plot ran a little weak—some seemingly unrelated events were occurred that I couldn’t quite figure out if they were related or just fillers.  The prose and the simple idea of the book certainly made up for it, though.  In the end, a five-star read that I would definitely recommend!

                “She trusts me,” Hyacinth said……. ”She’s almost ready….”   She brushed her palm against Maud’s cheek.  “You see, Maudy? Do you see why we need you so badly?”  Maud nodded, grave-faced.  She saw.”

                I would recommend this book for all ages, as there is no cursing or impropriety in the book.  However, if the mention of spiritualism bothers you, you may need to look into another avenue.

                Will Maud go along with the Hawthornes charade in her endless quest to find love—or will she let her desire for the truth set her free?  Read A Drowned Maiden’s Hair by Laura Amy Schlitz to find out!