A new student review of The Way Back From Broken by Amber J. Keyser

Lucy posted a new student review of The Way Back From Broken by Amber J. Keyser. See the full review.

I thought this book was okay. I found the beginning didn't hold my attention; it took a while for the plot to pick up. I didn’t like some of the characters, either. One of the children in the story constantly went to Rakmen, believing he was like some kind of superman. I didn’t like that aspect of the story.

However, I found the ending of the story very sweet and touching. Once I got past the beginning, I found the rest of the story to be powerful and inspirational. The ending was my favorite part. The Way Back From Broken was an amazing story. 

A new student review of The Stars Never Rise

Star360 posted a new student review of The Stars Never Rise . See the full review.

With a title borrowed from Edgar Allan Poe’s haunting poem Annabel Lee, you can expect plenty of creepy, creative imagery and unexpected twists from Rachel Vincent’s The Stars Never Rise. Dystopia? Or horror? It’s a mix of both, with romance and action peppered in for good measure.

 

A trademark of dystopias is a twisted government that controls much of their citizens’ lives. Here, said cruel organization is the Church. I was first surprised that a church was being portrayed in such a horrible light, especially with thinly veiled references to nuns, Catholic school uniforms, and the like. However, it soon became clear that the novel was not actually anti-religion; it was anti-power. The highest levels of the fictional Church are corrupt, while the lower ones remain innocent.

 

Nina’s world is based on a familiar creature – demons. Thankfully, the fantasy and myth surrounding the creature comes from so many fountains that it’s hard to find two stories that treat the vile beings the same way. Vincent went into detail with the exorcists, everything from what they wore to how they spoke. There is room for more information later in the series, but there were enough details for the reader to become engrossed in the dark tale.

 

As for the plot, it was fast-paced and smoothly written. Besides the aforementioned Finn dilemma, I caught on to all other aspects of world-building quickly. Vincent deserves a shout-out for the clever way that she gave readers the base of Nina’s world. Nina quizzes Mellie for a history test, and their conversation was both natural and informative. It was much better than a narrator reading off a list of essential facts, a pitfall that can quickly lose a reader’s attention.

 

Like all gripping characters, Nina is a mixed bag. She’s no goody-two-shoes,  but she’s responsible and has a strong sense of family. Her family life seems like something plucked out of a contemporary novel until her mother’s revelation turns her world around and really gets the story running. Mellie was sweet, but she wasn’t present for enough of the novel for me to really like her. Hopefully, she’ll have a bigger role in future books. The dystopian sisters reminded me of The Hunger Games’ Katniss and Prim, but their setting is very different from Panem, so it didn’t feel like a knockoff.

 

Finn, the love interest, is definitely a curiosity. I don’t want to spoil it, but if you’re anything like me, you’ll have to read the pages that explain his little situation a few times to really understand what was going on. Sparkling boyfriends have nothing on this guy, that’s for sure.

 

The Stars Never Rise is a solid match for older teens that are looking for an unconventional tale of suspense, romance, and paranormal activity.

A new student review of WhipEye by Geoffrey Saign

muffin posted a new student review of WhipEye by Geoffrey Saign. See the full review.

I thought this book was good.  It was so exciting and was bursting with adventure.  The pace is very fast which keeps the reader interested.  The author goes to great lengths to describe KiraKu in a way that makes you feel as though you can reach out and touch it. The best part about this book is the character Charlie.  

At times the books moves too fast and I had trouble keeping pace.  This book might be best for super fantasy fans who are over 12.  

 

A new student review of Oliver and the Seawigs by Philip Reeve

Boomer123 posted a new student review of Oliver and the Seawigs by Philip Reeve. See the full review.

I laughed out loud a lot during this book.  The characters were silly and ended up in ridiculous situations.  The illustrations were perfect for the story, a bit wacky and crazy.  This book moved very quickly and was a fast read. It did not take me long to finish at all.  

 

A new student review of Chantarelle by Genevieve Morgan

jotaf posted a new student review of Chantarelle by Genevieve Morgan. See the full review.

Chantarelle was a very good book filled with action, adventure, and thrills on every page. I liked that the author, G.A. Morgan, was able to make the book believable in its own unique way.  

I also enjoyed the details and rich descriptions in this book. For example, one line says, “Moss hung like beards along the limbs of the lifeless trees.”  A part in the book that I liked was when Chase suddenly remembered about Ayda. It happened in a very memorable and slightly funny way.

The author kept the same characters as in book one, and introduced a few new ones. I enjoyed everything about this book. I would recommend this book to ages 11 and up, or to anyone who loved The Fog of Forgetting.

A new student review of The Beast of Seabourne by Rhys A. Jones

dancechicka posted a new student review of The Beast of Seabourne by Rhys A. Jones. See the full review.

To be frank, the beginning of this novel was a twisted mess, too many characters were introduced in a short amount of time, and the story seemed to have no direction at all.  Then, around Chapter 15, everything seemed to change.  The plot straightened out instead of going in circles, the characters didn’t seem so undeveloped, and some real progress toward the end result occurred.  I finally felt like the book had a goal.  I was a little confused as to what was going on in the beginning—not reading the first book really stunted my understanding of the story’s focus.  I also found the dialect and slang that the characters used perplexing.  It was like an English/American/Alien vernacular that I found a little tiring and hard to follow until I got used to the characters and their respective personalities.  In conclusion, I felt like the idea and the subject matter of the story was good.  The author just spent too much time on the exposition, laying out needlessly intricate groundwork before the rising action, making reading tedious.  If that problem is fixed, I would have no qualms about giving the upcoming books in this series a try.

“People called Oz many things—adventurous…rebellious…stubborn…buzzard—but the more people told him to stay away from something, the more determined Oz was to do the exact opposite.”

I would recommend this book for ages eleven and up.  There are some violent themes (a given if the title is The Beast of Seabourne), and one or two mild curses are used.  I guess chasing a slippery beast can sometimes be frustrating.

Will Oz and his friends be able to find the remaining artefacts and uncover the identity of The Beast of Seabourne before anyone else is hurt?  Or will one of them be its next victim?  Reading Rhys A. Jones’s new novel, The Beast of Seabourne, is the only way to find out!

Note:  If you are interested in delving into the Artefacts Series and want to learn more about the origin of Soph and the start of Oz’s perilous adventure, be sure to check out the first book in the quintet, The Obsidian Pebble, by Rhys A. Jones!

A new student review of Be Positive! Think Positive! Feel Positive! Surviving Junior High Vol. 2 by Dr. Orly Katz

bygflower posted a new student review of Be Positive! Think Positive! Feel Positive! Surviving Junior High Vol. 2 by Dr. Orly Katz. See the full review.

I really enjoyed this book. I felt it gave tweens/teens a great opportunity to boost their self confidence. The stories about the author's childhood are written in a jolly tone, but also give children something to relate to, as the stories are very realistic. I also enjoyed the quizzes because they led to advice on how to boost your positivity. The overall message is "don't worry, be happy," and Surviving Junior High Vol. 2 was a great energy-boosting read! I would recommend this book to any child aged 10+ who is looking for a self-esteem boost.

A new student review of 77 Things You Absolutely Have to Do Before You Finish College by Halley Bondy

Zack-Is-Swag posted a new student review of 77 Things You Absolutely Have to Do Before You Finish College by Halley Bondy. See the full review.

This is a REALLY good book. I am recommending it to everyone. This book has some content that is not explained effectively at first but as you read on it is made clear. I look forward to doing most of these things when I’m older. Unfortunately, there are a few things I could do now but not many due the fact that I'm not in college yet. A few things I could do are cleaning out my closet and starting a photo album but not many other things. I can’t wait to get a good sound system in my dorm and throw parties. You might have to save up for that and a few other things but most things in the book are free or cheap to do. 

A new student review of Mind Over Bullies - A MOB Forms by D.K. Smith

nictaf posted a new student review of Mind Over Bullies - A MOB Forms by D.K. Smith. See the full review.

Mind Over Bullies was a great book and was very exciting! The descriptions of the characters were rich and vivid; for example, one excerpt read, "Margo Rios was pretty, smart, fit, popular, and a firecracker who could be a bit of a jerk sometimes." 

The story had twists and turns that kept me guessing what would happen next. If a second book in the series is written, I would love to read it. I would recommend this book for ages 12 and up, because of some explicit language and the use of more mature themes.

A new student review of Goblins on the Prowl

O.B. WAN posted a new student review of Goblins on the Prowl . See the full review.

Goblins on the Prowl was an excellent book with lots of twists. I think the book was exciting and had lots of action. I liked the variety of creatures that appeared in this book, such as mini-dragons. My favorite part was the secret-revealing with Flegmire the goblin. Flegmire was my favorite character because she was a complete wacko! She invented an instrument that made music by pulling on goblins’ tails. I would recommend this book to readers of the Beyonders series by Brandon Mull or anyone who likes action and twists.