A new student review of Tempus: The GenEx Saga by Holly Lauren

alison_S posted a new student review of Tempus: The GenEx Saga by Holly Lauren. See the full review.

First of all, let’s get one thing straight: from the opening hook to the messy, exhilarating final chapter, Tempus delighted me. Though Lauren’s humor could occasionally deteriorate from giggly teenage antics to corny bouts of forced comedy, I couldn’t help but smile through my groans. You could call Tempus lighthearted, even generic teen fluff, and you’d have a point; from the angelic blonde to the bad boy she falls for, Tempus’ plotline runs parallels that of most supernatural romance novels. You might consider it comfortingly familiar, or you might consider it formulaic escapism. Or you might, like me, consider it a little bit of both. Though a tangle of marginally related subplots slows the novel’s earlier chapters, Lauren whirls through Tempus’ electrifying climax fast enough to give you whiplash. So fast, in fact, several earlier subplots fade into the rush of pheromones and adrenaline.

Tempus defies just, you know, fundamental scientific laws while putting young adult lit’s tired, so-called “rules” on a pedestal. Love YA paranormal (because, despite the flimsy scientific explanation, I still consider this paranormal)? Then I’m all too certain you’ll adore Holly Lauren’s Tempus.

 

A new student review of Gaby and The Best Middle School Self-Defense Book Ever by Linda Elkin

ACS41404 posted a new student review of Gaby and The Best Middle School Self-Defense Book Ever by Linda Elkin. See the full review.

This is an excellent book.  The author of the book, Linda Elkin, did a great job of using the characters to explain how to survive middle school.  As a middle schooler myself, I could really relate to the characters and the challenges they faced.  Using Gaby and Lily, the author gives great examples on how to handle multiple problems.  I would recommend this book to all middle school girls.  It's encouraging and will make you feel differently about middle school.

A new student review of Winter of Elves by Joanne Vruno

moseso posted a new student review of Winter of Elves by Joanne Vruno. See the full review.

This book is well-written and a perfect read for magic and fantasy lovers. Short, action-packed scenes fill the book’s pages. However, the middle of the story slows a bit. The ending is without fault and leaves the reader dreaming about what will happen next. The book seems geared toward readers ten and under, though Aly is a twelve-year-old. Overall, Winter of Elves is an enchanting story for eight to ten-year-olds. 

A new student review of Basketball and Dance Love by Cameron Glenn

Star360 posted a new student review of Basketball and Dance Love by Cameron Glenn. See the full review.

Basketball and Dance Love

A new student review of Weightless by Sarah Bannan

sakurafrost posted a new student review of Weightless by Sarah Bannan. See the full review.

I thought the plot was good overall, but the book moved a lot slower than I would have liked. There would be a few sentences that would really pique your interest, and then another page of boring stuff before you found out more. If those pages of boredom had been extracted I think it would make a much more exciting novel. I liked that the narrator is not a person but a group of observers in the school, which I thought really captured the clique-oriented storyline. (i.e. "We went to the mall" instead of "I went to the mall".) I feel like there was a lot of "fluff' in the book- lots of words but they didn't really convey anything of substance. (A lot like Donald Trump, don't you think?) Besides that, the ending was pretty obvious halfway through the book, and I really wanted to jump to the ending to confirm my suspicions instead of reading the rest of the book.

A new student review of Paper Hearts by Meg Wiviott

leah0304 posted a new student review of Paper Hearts by Meg Wiviott. See the full review.

I enjoyed "Paper Hearts" because once I started reading, I could not stop. The plot is incredibly suspenseful, and kept me immersed throughout the book. Paper Hearts is described so vividly, I could almost picture myself there. 

 

Even though I really liked this book, there were some things that I would change. One thing I found unnecessarily confusing was how fast the plot moved. I had to pay attention because each chapter discussed a character's perspective. It can be confusing if you don’t pay attention to which character's perspective is discussed in each chapter. The format, although choppy, was the only downside of this book.

 

A new student review of Zeroes by Deborah Biancotti Margo Lanagan Scott Westerfeld

crabby posted a new student review of Zeroes by Deborah Biancotti Margo Lanagan Scott Westerfeld. See the full review.

Upon reading the dust jacket for this story, my initial reaction was somewhere along the lines of, Oh, great, another story about Teens Who Are Special and Different. And, true, the book features a set of kids who can do spectacular things no others can. However, while the plot was prominent and drove the pace of the story, the characters were extremely real and experienced personal growth that wasn’t overshadowed by the more fantastical aspects of the narrative. Even their powers are flawed, to the point where the reader at times pities the characters instead of envying them. The book is as much about people as it is about adventure, and I definitely enjoy a nice helping of character development alongside my action in a story like this. All in all a delightful read for teens that leaves one fond of the characters and looking forward to the rest of the series.

 

 

A new student review of The Hunted by Matt De La Peña

Reading=Believing posted a new student review of The Hunted by Matt De La Peña. See the full review.

This is a great book. Matt De La Peña's The Hunted is a page turner that I am not likely to forget. It has a fast paced plot line and characters that are intriguing and relatable, and I found it was hard not to get attached to them. The Hunted is the sequel to The Living in which Matt De La Peña introduced the characters and their relationships. The first book was great and the second was just as good. As the protagonists make their way through the remnants of the west coast, you can picture the destruction and begin to feel the tense mood of this book. Overall, I would definitely recommend this book, it's an easier read with plenty of suspense.

A new student review of Winter of Elves by Joanne Vruno

jotaf posted a new student review of Winter of Elves by Joanne Vruno. See the full review.

I thought Winter of Elves was an awesome book. I enjoyed that the author, Joanne Vruno, added new and exciting details to each continuing book in the Seasons of Elves series. I never would have expected a wolf would be so instrumental to one of the books. 

I also liked that there was so much detail and description in each book. I felt like I was right there with the characters every step of the way. The descriptions continued to build upon each character in this book. 

A part in the book that I particularly enjoyed was when a secret was discovered about the rock elves. I loved every part of this book. I would recommend it to students aged 11 and up or to anyone who has read and liked books one and two.

A new student review of Stalking Los Angeles by Tom Berquist

thudson36 posted a new student review of Stalking Los Angeles by Tom Berquist. See the full review.

I enjoyed reading Stalking Los Angeles. I thought the storyline was a very original idea; I’ve never read a book like this one before. I liked how the author used alternating perspectives between Reggie and the mountain lion, because it allows the audience to watch how their two lives intertwine.

The main character, Reggie, was likable and easy for me to relate to. He had to deal with many challenging life situations and handled them in a realistic way. I thought the plot moved along at a nice pace, and it always held my interest. I found the end of the story slightly confusing, when Reggie went on his “vision quests." However, the ending clarified my confusion and wrapped everything up nicely. I really enjoyed reading Stalking Los Angeles and would recommend it to others.