A new student review of Silesia: The Outworlder by S.K. Valenzuela

Tabethar posted a new student review of Silesia: The Outworlder by S.K. Valenzuela. See the full review.

I enjoyed reading such a refreshing story, so different from the usual fantasy adventure. I admired Sahara’s fiery spirit, bravery, and determination, which provided a nice dramatic foil with the more level-headed Jared’s contrasting characteristics. The story held enough suspense to keep the reader interested, without needing constant action to make it enthralling. There were some improbabilities in the plot, but overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel. I await the second book with curiosity. 

A new student review of Forbidden Forest: The Dragon Holder by Wilson Feliz

Kevinhamster posted a new student review of Forbidden Forest: The Dragon Holder by Wilson Feliz. See the full review.

Since I’ve never read a book in this style of fantasy, I eagerly await the next book.  The reason I chose this book is because I liked the sound of the title; I like stories of dragons.  I would probably give this book 5/5 stars although it is has some gruesome parts where lots of people die. Because of this, I recommend it to more advanced readers.  The plot of the book is pretty well done, though I felt some parts of the story were not necessary.  I felt like there was too much focus on the side characters which seemed added for length, and only gave a little to the story plot.  The main character, Liam, was written well and I could picture him going on adventures with his dragon, Shade.  The Dragon Holder is also a lot like the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini, so if you enjoy that series, try it!

 

A new student review of Goggles Gone Strong: Mighty Monday by S.M.W. Claw

Joshchipmunk posted a new student review of Goggles Gone Strong: Mighty Monday by S.M.W. Claw. See the full review.

When I first read Goggles Gone Strong, Mighty Monday, I loved it immediately!  I liked how the Blue family interacted with the island and its people while trying to figure out not only why they were on the island, but also what their big safety goggles were for. I liked how S.M.W. Claw wrote the book so it feels like you are with Calypso, the main character, and you are learning with her.  I definitely recommend this book for all, but I think kids between the age of 8-15 would like it the most.  There were  many things I liked about this book, such as the way S.M.W. Claw put the time and place Calypso was at before every chapter, how the book started with the Blue family trying to keep everything in running order at their shack in the middle of a jungle, and above all, how the book is different than many other books in that both reader and characters learn together.  

A new student review of Two for Joy by Gigi Amateau

OrcaGirl posted a new student review of Two for Joy by Gigi Amateau. See the full review.

I think the phrase, “One for sorrow, two for joy”, fits every part of this story perfectly! While Jenna and her mom are driving to see Tannie, they count crows by saying the phrase:  “one for sorrow, two for joy, three for girl, four for a boy, five for silver, six for gold, seven for a secret never to be told”. Jenna’s mom sees only one crow, which represents sorrow.  Jenna however spots one, two, three, four, five, six, and then seven crows. When Jenna’s aunt moves in with them it seems everything is a big mess of sorrow and frustration, but at the family meeting it turns out there is a secret never to be told!  In this case, that is to ask for help when you need it. I think this book is wonderful for youngsters who might have younger siblings and feel like there isn’t enough love to go around. Just remember there is always more love, the more people there are to give it to!

A new student review of The Liberation by Marissa Shrock

Gracie posted a new student review of The Liberation by Marissa Shrock. See the full review.

I really enjoyed the book when I could actually imagine the different parts. This story always had excitement. You wouldn’t be able to wait for the next page, or chapter. Marissa Shrock weaves the story so well that every page was a surprise. As the story kept going, it got more intense. All the facts fit together closer to the end. Even though it is the second book in the series it was easy for me to understand it. But I am guessing that without reading the first book it may be harder to understand the storyline. Though the first part of the story was okay, the last part was amazing. There were so many happy endings and surprises. There were some surprises I didn’t like entirely and I wished were changed, but they fit with the story very well. It had everything a good story needs. It also reminded me of the Divergent series. I loved it and I think you will to. 

A new student review of The Secret of Goldenrod by Jane O'Reilly

hawkreader10 posted a new student review of The Secret of Goldenrod by Jane O'Reilly. See the full review.

"The Secret of Goldenrod" was a great book! I was so absorbed in Trina's story that I didn't want to put this book down. With the exception of the magical ball and talking doll, the plot felt very realistic. The detailed descriptions of the mansion painted a picture in my head and made me feel as if I was there. I really liked how the author used flashbacks to combine Trina's story with the story of the family who lived in Goldenrod a century before. I found "The Secret of Goldenrod" to be a very fast and entertaining read and would strongly recommend it to anyone from 5^th grade through middle school.  

A new student review of The Diabolic by S. J. Kincaid

JesusFreak posted a new student review of The Diabolic by S. J. Kincaid. See the full review.

Upon opening this book, I found myself intrigued from the get-go. The first chapter gripped me and I found myself curious to find out more about the universe. The story was very fast-paced and didn’t bore at any moment.

The main character, Nemesis, was a different protagonist than most books have. She wasn’t quite human, so it was very interesting to have the story from her perspective. She was a strong character throughout the book, both physically and mentally. It was an intriguing experience to see her grow from the start of the story to the end.
The author did an amazing job describing the universe the characters lived in. The descriptions weren’t too lengthy, but were just the right amount of words to explain the world and what was happening.
This book is an excellent read for those who love the young adult genre. Filled with suspense that will keep you on the edge of your seat, The Diabolic is sure to impress.

A new student review of Vampire Boy (Book 1 of Carpathia Chronicles) by Aric Cushing

jotaf posted a new student review of Vampire Boy (Book 1 of Carpathia Chronicles) by Aric Cushing. See the full review.

I thought Vampire Boy was a great book. It was full of adventure, magic, and mystery. The characters were well developed; Alex is a vampire that tries to be friendly to everyone and is brave, too! By using a lot of conversation between the characters, the author, Aric Cushing, kept the book interesting. 

I was disappointed that this book ended very abruptly. This story will be part of a series, but I would have liked to see the school year completed.

I would recommend it to readers ages 10 and up. This book strongly resembled Harry Potter (it even had a reference to it), so if you like Harry Potter, this book might be for you.

A new student review of The Flame Never Dies by Rachel Vincent

PhilipDeGroot posted a new student review of The Flame Never Dies by Rachel Vincent. See the full review.

From the get-go, it is obvious that this is the second book in a series, and should not be read as a stand-alone novel. Unfortunately, I was not able to read the first book, and was a little lost at the beginning as a result. It was, however, relatively easy to pick up on the plot and understand everything that was going on. One thing that was harder to do was get to know the characters, as the author probably assumed readers of the second book would already know the characters. Because of this, there were few things in this book that made the characters memorable, and I found them rather easy to confuse with each other.

While the individual details of the plot are unique (a government run by demons attempting to destroy other demons without destroying themselves), the overall idea can be found in many other books. I think this story is something that will appeal to those who read lots of dystopian fantasy, especially because of several unique twists that make it different from other books of this genre. Generally, the protagonist in dystopian books is fighting against one main antagonist througout the series, but (from what I gathered through this book), the first book, The Stars Never Rise, time is spent escaping and surviving attacks from the corrupted church. The Flame Never Dies, however, turns a different direction, and although it still contains things about the church, most of the focus is on the demon city that is set on destroying Nina and her group. I gave this book three stars because, although there were some different twists, I did not find it terribly unique or memorable, and it did not contain anything that really excited me. So if you love this genre and want something a little different, then The Flame Never Dies will probably be great for you. Otherwise, I would look elsewhere.

A new student review of A Pigeon's Tale by S.A. Mahan

Jowill posted a new student review of A Pigeon's Tale by S.A. Mahan. See the full review.

This is the most original story I have read in a while!

The title, ​A Pigeon's Tale, is perfect since it's a tale told by a pigeon named Walter.  

Some of the vocabulary and science terms were above me. Even though I didn't fully understand them, it did not interfere with my overall understanding and enjoyment of the story.

Readers of all ages will like this story. This tale evokes almost every emotion imaginable! As Walter tells the story of his long life (hundreds of years long) the reader will cry, laugh, gasp, and celebrate.