The Death Cure Review

The Death Cure by James Dashner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thomas has made it to the next stage in the game. Even though he has survived the Maze and the Scorch, he still has no more answers as to the part he really played in the making of the Maze. However he does remember more than WICKED thinks and every memory will help him survive the final stage.

Thomas and his friends must make some very difficult decision including when to let go when you know there is no hope, and discoving who to trust when you don't feel you can trust anyone. Through it all Thomas will find a way to get to the truth. He will find himself changed and more of a man than he ever thought he would live to become. With the help of his friends, Thomas will get the answers and maybe save the world in the process.

I have to say this is the most violent of the Maze Runner series but other than that it was an awesome read. You can see many of the characters mature as the story progresses and you feel tied to the characters, almost so much that you hate to see it end. This is a great ending to a very memorable series and I look forward to reading more of Dashner's work.

View all my reviews

The Shade of the Moon Review

The Shade of the Moon by Susan Beth Pfeffer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really thought this series would be over since Miranda decided to end her journaling in the last book. So this book was a very big and welcome suprise for me. I was happy to see that Jon took over the accounts in this book because you really didn't hear much of his point of view up until now.

Basically Jon makes it to the enclave. A saftey point for those who have a pass to get in. But life in the enclave is anything but perfect. Now his life is riddled with being part of the elite or "clavers" while the rest of his family are considered "grubs". Jon is torn between wanting to enjoy the new life he has been give but the guilt that goes along with how he came to be there in the first place. Tensions rise between the two groups and Jon has to analyze what side of the line he stands on and where he belongs. It is far from a perfect world.

A great continuation to a fantastic series. I would love to see more of how this plays out. This is for fans of dystopian of any age. The best part about this series is how the author alternates between male and female protagonists making the appeal even better for all readers.

View all my reviews

Totally Unrelated Review

Totally Unrelated by Tom Ryan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Most teens have had a dream of rocking out with friends. Neil is a guitar player in his family band, but rocking is not what they do. He is part of family band which plays Celtic music. Though Neil loves his family he feels somewhat disconnected from them because he doesn't look like the rest and he just can't seem to get into the whole family band thing.

Then one day his friend makes a suggestion they should try out for the town talent show and actually "rock the house". Neil is definately game for this and find out the date should be clear for any of his family shows so he eagerly agrees. Then a scheduling conflict comes up and Neil must choose between his family and his friends.

This is one of those High-Low books that I really enjoyed and I can see it really appealing to many readers. Teens want to have that one time where they can stand in the spotlight. Neil give them that moment when he describes his emotions about being on stage yet still being a regular kid. I would really like to look at more books from this Orca Limelights collection. If they are as good as this one, I would really like to add them to my collection!

View all my reviews

Daughter of Smoke and Bone Review

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Karou is more than in touch with the world of fantasy. She was raised by a man/monster that collects teeth for a living and has a half serpent/half human woman who was like an aunt or mother to her. Now older, Karou is living in a flat of her own and attending art school where she excels. But she still can't help but feel alone or different from her normal, human classmates.
Karou’s father figure still sends her out on errands such as collecting teeth for his collection which he will never tell her what they are for. However, Karou knows he deals in some kind of magic, and she wants to know what it is. He gives Karou trinkets of wishes but never anything more powerful than the lowest forms of magic because she is often immature in her use of the power. Little does she know she might one day need those larger wishes for protection?

During one of her outings she discovers large black handprints appearing on the doors which house portals to the world of magic. More of them appear as time goes by and then one day they all burn, locking Karou away from her family on the other side of the magic door. Stopping at nothing to get answers she finds herself face to face with the enemy, an angel named Akiva. But neither of them can seem to kill the other, or forget them. Soon they find themselves drawn to each other even though it may cost them everything.

This is an edge of your seat book for all from high school age and up. I could help but be drawn into the magic aspect of the story and I had to wonder, just like Karou, what all those teeth were for. The explanation wove a story which drew me further into the lives of Karou and Akiva until I felt they could almost be people I knew. The author does an excellent job of not only painting a realistic world but making the characters come alive through the pages of the story. Awesome! I can’t wait to read the next book!


View all my reviews

The Lost Prince Review

The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Once again I fell in love with the characters in Kagawa's book. I didn't think I could enjoy these characters as much as I liked Puck, Ash, and Meghan but I guess I am drawn to those with ties to the fey. Reading the struggles that Ethan went through after Meghan disappeared from his life made him even more endearing. Though Meghan's story went full circle, I always wondered what happened to the family she left behind. Ethan was emotionally scared by his sister's disappearance and became withdrawn from those around him. But he could only stay out of the fey world for so long before he was drawn back in. His story is one of seeking answers to the questions he has carried for so many years and reconnecting with sister and her new family.

View all my reviews

Virals Review

Virals by Kathy Reichs
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Tory just can’t seem to stop seeking adventure, and since she lives on a small island, she sometime has to go out of her way to find it. After her mother’s death, she has to move to the island with her newly found father. As though both flounder through their new found heritage, Tory feels compelled to spend time either by herself or with her pack of local friends.

Tory and her science geek friends begin to keep track of a local wolf dog for their entertainment. But when Coop comes up missing, they have no idea what adventure they will get into when they find him. And he has an added bonus for the group… he carries a disease which will give the group heighten powers. As the group works through their new found “gifts” they fall upon a mystery of a missing girl from decades before. The more the look into the girl’s disappearance, they more they feel that people are working against their efforts of discovering the truth. When they find a body, they suddenly become targets; and who knows what lengths people will go to in order to keep the past buried.

This books appeals to readers of all kinds. If you like sci-fi, you are an animal lover, a science geek, or just the average kid looking for adventure, you will love this book. Even as an adult reader, I couldn’t help but be drawn into the mystery of the missing girl and the story of the wolf pup. The books is filled with humor and one liner which will keep you on your toes. You can’t help but think two steps ahead and wonder what will happen next. This was a great transitional book from the adult genre which Reichs came from and I look forward to more of her YA books to come.


View all my reviews

Sign Language Review

Sign Language by Amy Ackley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The theme of this book is loss and survival which the author embraces whole heartedly. Abby and her family is dealing with the fact that her father has cancer and he has only been given months to live. As his illness progresses, the whole family has to find their own way of dealing with what is to come. Her father often takes a light hearted approach which her mother hates. Her brother becomes more of a caregiver than a son and Abby feels lost in the shuffle. She has moments when she is sad but cannot seem to mourn the coming loss, and other times she just wants to escape from everything around her. But life has to go on, and Abby has to find her own way to deal with how she wants her life to proceed.

I didn’t give the book five stars more because I felt Abby was often self-centered so this had nothing to do with the overall quality of the book. I will admit I had times when I wanted to shake her and tell her to snap out of it. But everyone deals with grief differently and I do respect the author’s perspective of Abby. I think this is a book for everyone, even with a girl cast as the main character. We all need a little insight to understand what others are going through in times such as these. Maybe you have already been through it yourself, but if you haven’t, you might have a better understand of how to be supportive and a good friend during someone else’s time of need. The book might also explain why a friend or relative is behaving in a way you just can’t understand. I highly recommend this book for all readers from junior high and up.


View all my reviews

Every Day Review

Every Day by David Levithan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Imagine what your life would be like if every day you woke up in someone else’s body. You could never really establish friendships, never have parents of your own, and most of all, you could never fall in love. This is what life is like for A. This is the only life A has ever known for A has been changing bodies since birth. A has never really thought about how life could be different if you only stayed in one body, until A meets Rhiannon. Suddenly A wonders is finding ways to stay connected to her, and has even explained how much different life is when you are in different shoes daily. But there is a price to pay for making time for Rhiannon in each new body, and A will find out the hard way why love is such a fragile thing.

If you want a book that really makes you think about life and love, this is the most thought provoking book I have read in a long time. You will think about how others perceive you, how far would you go for love, how fragile trust can be and what you would have to give up to make someone trust you in return, as well as how does sexual orientation figure into relationships. I guarantee you will not walk away from this book without taking a good hard look at yourself, what you have to offer the world, and what you would change if you could be someone else every day.

The story is moving on many different levels. I became really wrapped up in the budding relationship between A and Rhiannon but I could also see all the ways that it could never work out. Not only is there the difficultly of moving around to different places, there is also someone else is involved every time A goes to see her; the person whose body A is occupying that day. As the story progresses you begin to worry about the people A is “hijacking” during his stay and how a missed opportunity could pass while the person is “away”. This is a fantastic book and I highly recommend this for high school readers and up. Everyone can take something away from this great read!


View all my reviews