The amount of detail in this novel was truly astounding. I struggle to find the appropriate words to describe how the Shadowlands from the painted slides and Arcadia from The Marineer's Return to Arcadia actually combined into one "thing." More or less, it was like trying to make sense out of Wonderland. Despite that, I loved the way the story played out. Even more so, I enjoyed Marin and Angus's reappearances; which were unexpected, but pleasing all the same. An even more shocking detail was the reappearance of Lady Ishbel, who had died in the second novel after leaving the labyrinth. She had "reappeared" as a spirit that haunted Sunni for a short time before returning inside the painting. As an added bonus, there was even a little romance between Sunni and Blaise; which I thought was, for lack of a better word, adorable. All in all, I enjoyed this novel to the fullest and I highly recommend the series to anyone interested in art, magic, and adventure.
Friday, January 23, 2015
A new student review of The Shadow Lantern by Teresa Flavin
A new student review of Orion Poe and the Lost Explorer by William Summerhouse
When I started this book I found it very slow and lacking action in the beginning then towards the middle I started getting sucked in and found it fast and interesting, with the outcome a total surprise. This action-packed novel is amazing when it comes to the wild exploration of epic proportions and bear/wolf things (yes they’re called bearwolves). Oh and for the answer to the question on the back cover in the publishers summary: Flimps are Flimps. Yes I believe this book is interesting, and amazing but the cover ( Don’t judge it BY the cover) portrays Orion as a 15 year old boy who is strikingly similar looking to yes, Justin Bieber. I suggest this book to anyone who is adjusted to reading violent books, with an age limit of 12 and up.
A new student review of Autumn Falls
I thought it was a very good book! I loved how it kept me reading. The reason why I kept reading was that I wanted to find out what would happen with Reenzie and Autumn. I also could relate to some of the things that happened in the book. That is always a good atribute of a book!
A new student review of Now That You're Here
Let's get something straight: I don't like science. Science fiction? Yes. But science class? That's a different story. Yet throughout Now That You're Here, Nichols expertly blends science fiction with, well, actual science, and I (shockingly) found myself enjoying both. Though these gems of quintessential geekiness— think quantum theory, vintage sci-fi, and classic Star Trek— imbue the novel with a (charming) nerdiness, Now That You're Here centers on relationships, more than on research or academia. The romance between Danny and Eevee, for example, motivates most of the characters' decisions, and this unexpected-yet-unforgettable courtship enhances the novel's otherwise predictable premise with a much-needed emotional subplot. But while the Danny-Eevee romance is sure to enchant any teenage girl, Danny's almost-immediate fascination with Eevee does, at times, seem calculated for swoony-ness rather than realism. Then again, I suppose the whole from-a-different-universe thing would excite my interest too.
But Now That You're Here transcends your run-of-the-mill romance novel; while I couldn't help but enjoy Danny and Eevee's storybook romance, Eevee's ever-changing relationship with herself lent the novel an element of psychological complexity not found in more superficial YA romances. Though Danny's parallel world struck me as a tad generic, I still enjoyed Now That You're Here's heartwarming character relationships and charming geekiness.
A new student review of The Prey by Andrew Fukuda
One of the most important things that a book needs to do is to bring the reader into the story mentally and make them really care about what happens in it. This is especially important in a series as the book also has the job of getting the reader excited for the next book. This book most definitely does that, for me at least. The right word to describe this book is "intense!" I felt like I needed to rest after reading it and I became so invested in it. I felt legitimate fear for the characters as they continually faced certain death and became exhausted from their efforts. In this book we learn more about the bloodthirsty creatures, and also get a name for them: "duskers." The story of these creatures and their development over the years really intrigues me. Fukada leaves the reader wondering whether or not the story told about their origin is the truth in a plausible way, which I see as a good thing because it gets me hyped for the next book. The scene near the end, where Sissy is bitten by Ashley June, really got to me. For me it is probably the most intense moment in the book. Yet it also raises more questions, which I love. How did Ashley June get out of the chamber? How did she get bitten? How was she able to get away when surrounded by duskers to have enough time to transform? It also makes me love her character more, because she's so loyal and strong, but also has a soft side which she is able to transform into another strong point.
Another great thing about this book was that the danger in it seemed really threatening because it shows the victims of the danger. One of these victims was a character that the other characters had a strong relationship with. Too often I find books in which the danger the characters are in doesn’t seem real, because every character gets out just fine. When reading the ending to this book I became so excited my heart sped up. I also love that the book was not overly vulgar in any way when there were plenty of opportunities to be vulgar. It adds more emphasis on the importance of the story. A pet peeve of mine is that some teen books think they need to be overly vulgar or sexual in order to appeal to teens, which isn’t the case. It may be for some teens but not the kind you probably want your target audience to be. This book is not for the faint of heart. I would recommend it to fans of books such as The Hunger Games, or books which take place on a different version of earth. These types of books explore threats not experienced in our current world and are able to explore these threats in a convincing way so that we can understand what the situation feels like.
Thursday, January 22, 2015
A new student review of Take Me On by Katie McGarry
Take Me On is a really amazing book that I would recommend for anyone who is interested in high school romances. It has some foul language, but other than that, I believe it is an amazing book. In fact, I absolutely adored the book. I plan on reading all of Katie McGarry's other books that I can find. She’s an amazing writer!
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
A new student review of Running Out of Night
I liked the groing friendship that developes between Lark and Zenobia on their journey. I also loved the added suspense and problems evovling in each chapter. I really liked the proverbs at the beginning of each chapter foreshadowing the chapter.
I didn't like how little information of Zenobia we are told. The author tells that she is separated from her family but she is an important character and I would like to know more about her. The author writes this book in Lark's point of view and she hasn't had proper education so it is often confusing and distracting with all the improper grammar.
A new student review of The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher by Dana Alison Levy
I like this book because the story and characters were believable. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading fun fiction books.
A new student review of Tandem
I really enjoyed Tandem because it gives a good message about family and it shows that sometimes when you can't walk away from someone, it turns out to be a good thing because you are forced to stay and work things out. You can't just give up. I really liked how the author used humor. She worked it into situations that were serious, and it really showed how the characters became frustrated with each other, but found a way to keep going.
A new student review of Monstrous Affections An Anthology of Beastly Tales
Each story is alluring, capturing ones attention well right from the start. The writing styles are all very different, allowing for unique telling of stories. Holly Black’s story is in a familiar first person. Other stories range from first or second to third person closed and omniscient. A couple well known authors are thrown in the mix to peak interest, but their stories don’t make the rest seem lesser. Brilliant insight from each ‘speaker’ or lack there of, beautiful details that aren’t monotonous, and changes in relatability make this volume a very exciting read. The only issue I found was one specific story, it was very vague and confusing in a way that slows the story down a lot. It felt like it was meant to be an old myth turned modern, but from another language that was then poorly translated. The compilation as a whole was marvelous, Id recommend it to anyone who likes ‘beastly tales’.