This is a post-apocalyptic book with a great deal of action and intensity. The switching points of view made each character feel more dynamic to me, and the ending really did tug at my heartstrings. Speaking of that, the ending was, I think, wonderfully set up for the next book in the series. Only some of the information about where the characters’ next adventure would take place was given, enough to make readers interested. I really like the idea of Zoey becoming more independent and smarter and deciding what she feels would be best. It’s always very interesting to me when stories put children in important decision-making positions, and this is no exception.
I had not read the previous book in this series, and I felt that I might not be able to connect to it very well with my lack of background, but it actually did a decent job. By the end I really cared about what was happening to these people. One complaint I do have was with the pacing; I feel that going a bit slower with the story would have made it better. It seemed that everything happened very quickly, the characters making choices within very short amounts of time. The timing of flashbacks and previous character stories worked wonderfully, however. It probably is a better experience to read this book after reading the first in the series, with more background and story to work with. Overall, a pretty good action series that I will definitely be looking into for future reads. I would recommend it to preteen or teen fans of action movies with sci-fi elements.
Monday, February 02, 2015
A new student review of The Severed Tower by J. Barton Mitchell
A new student review of Little White Lies
I thought Little White Lies was a good, suspenseful novel. The story keeps you on the edge of your seat and I found myself wanting to keep reading after every chapter. I liked the major plot twist near the end of this book, but I did find some parts confusing. I think it takes the first couple of chapters to grab your attention, but once it does, it holds your interest. The characters are very well developed, although I think they can sometimes be unrealistic. You can tell the storyline took a lot of thought and planning because the book has many twists and turns. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a thriller.
A new student review of Keepers of Runes and the Tower of Shadows by Andrew Cratsley
I really liked this book. It was pretty good. My favorite part is when Rieka walks out of the tower into the mass of dead not using any emotion as if she were cold hearted. At some points I felt fairly confused, having to reread a paragraph two or three times. My favorite character was Corinth because of his attitude. I also liked that this was PG so when I was babysitting and the girl asked what I was reading I could read it out loud and she loved it. This is the first book in a series. I would recommend this book to 10+, for people who absolutely LOVE fantasy (like me) and who have read and liked “Fable Haven” By Brandon Mull (especially book five) and “Lark Rising” by Sandra Waugh.
Sunday, February 01, 2015
A new student review of Kalona's Fall by P. C. Cast Kristin Cast
Creating a tragic hero, the authors bring unceasing sympathy for a series-long villain in the novel, Kalona’s Fall.
Too often, I feel like stories become flat because they lack a good enough development for the villain. Stories are defined by the struggles of the characters. Usually, villains provide the struggle as the speed bump in the middle of road for the hero of the story, but the very best stories contain the most heart wrenching, understandable villains. These villains have a logical backstory, an immense appeal to pathos and a chance at redemption. They create the best stories.
Unfortunately, Kalona did not earn a place on my ‘top villains’ list.
Kalona’s Fall had many interesting and whimsical properties to it. Casts’ artful creation story held romance, and magical creatures brought different thrilling textures to the plot. The plot itself was not extraordinary but held a catching air. However, Casts’ overall characters’ development left much to be desired. Kalona, the main character, is the only exception, as he has a clear character development from something innocent to something dark and selfish. Casts’ other characters (with their lack of development) dragged my esteem for this book down.
The other characters simply did not make the story believable. Either the characters were too predictable or were too nonsensical. Erebus, for example, fought hard for Nyx’s love in the beginning of the tale but then ups and forfeits the competition after a good portion of the book with no explanation as to why, except that he sees the passion between Nyx and Kalona. It was not logical for his character in my opinion and thus killed the book, as it eliminated an obstacle for Kaona in perhaps the laziest way possible for the authors to have chosen. Nyx brought little logic but a lot of emotion to the book. While her emotion held my attention, it felt often either dragged out or cut short. Her interactions in the tale lacked a balance and it felt like Nyx either overacted or underacted her part. Together with other characters, Kalona’s Fall was shortchanged and I was tempted to not finish the book.
But I finished it anyway.
It wasn't a waste of time, as new obstacles popped up for Kalona which were intriguing and set up the plot for the rest of the series (I am assuming this as I have not read the House of Night Novella series). Kalona did win my sympathy, but not my heart. The story held a lot potential and brought a great explanation as to why a hero became a villain, but I found that the simplicity of the solutions given to certain problems presented throughout the book thoroughly disappointed me
A story which holds charm for avid fans of House of Night Novella series, Kalona’s fall will add a depth for the villain and thus the entire series plot; but for the browsing reader, it may not be so appealing or hold their attention.
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
A new student review of Chasing Light by Angela Jooste
When I began reading this book, I was unsure if I was going to like it. However, as I continued to read it, I found the author’s style of writing to be beautiful. Alternating point of views is hard to write, but she did so wonderfully. Another thing I loved about this book was the amazing cover art. While subtle, it got me interested enough in the book without giving anything away.
The one complaint I have about this book is that it was hard to remember all the characters, and I easily got their names confused. About halfway through, I finally got them down; it just took a bit of time.
Overall, this is a moving book written for older teens that will not disappoint.
A new student review of Taking Flight
I loved reading this book, written by Michaela and her adopted mother. It was very interesting to read about Michaela’s life in her own words. It was written with lots of details, and was very interesting. I especially liked reading about the hardships Michaela had in Africa as a young child. It made me feel grateful for the life I have! But even with a hard childhood, she was able to blossom in America into a beautiful ballerina. She didn’t make excuses about her life, she just became better.
I highly recommend that you read this book!
A new student review of Suspicion
I was a little dissapointed with this book. The story and the plot were rushed, and we barely ever get to see Imogene's character devenlopment as far as her powers go. Plus she crushes on her dead cousins boyfriend, and expects him to like her back (which *spoiler alert* of course he does because who doesn't love the female protagonist). The book was too fast paced, should have been longer and had more plot and character development, and my biggest pet peeve of this book was everyone was okay with Imogene going to England by herself at 17 years old. Her foster parents were against it at first but after promising to skype everyday (which they didn't do) the were super okay with Imogene going back to the place where her entire family had died violently. All in all, two stars was all this book deserved (it got an extra star for having a very very beautiful cover)
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
A new student review of Halfway Home: Drawing My Way Through Japan by Christine Mari Inzer
This is a wonderful book and I recommend it to all frequent readers.
A new student review of Hetty and the Yeti by Jules Burnett
The best part of the book for me was how everything was presented. I liked how certain words were bolded or in italics to emphasize them. To add to the experience of reading, there are many illustrations that show how the characters look, which is really helpful. At the beginning of each chapter is an old Tibetan saying, which was also a nice touch. The overall style of the book was very interesting, and I definitely enjoy reading books like this.
As for the story itself, it was funny at certain points, but never really got too deep into the story, and even when things got tense it never became too scary. The length of the book is really nice for younger readers, who may still want some illustrations to help give context to descriptions given. One critique of mine is that some parts of the story were pretty predictable. But overall the book was a very nice read.
A new student review of Seraphina
I think Seraphina is a great book that is worthy of its many awards and praise. I especially liked that the author, Rachel Hartman, made the characters, and even the world they live in, seem believable. Something else I loved about the book was, because there was a gap between the prologue and the rest of the story, Rachel added an excerpt at the end that kind of filled in the gap. Pretty much the only thing wrong for me was that it got off to a slightly confusing start, but after not even ten pages it picked up considerably. I am eagerly awaiting the day I read book two of this series. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes mystery, action, and suspense, yet can still take some bad words and a little bit of death. If you like The Inheritance Series, I really think that this book is also for you.