Downsiders by Neal Shusterman is urban teen fiction about a whole community living underground New York City. How they got there in the first place is the mystery that Lindsey tries to solve. The people who live above ground are referred to as topsiders and only those who are depressed enough with nothing to lose are “chosen” to join the downsiders. Talon, a downsider meets Lindsey, a topsider and they feel a connection. Talon even goes so far as to break the rules and invite Lindsey down for a tour!
I thought this book was really goofy and very slow moving. I dozed off on it several times as I was reading it. The only character I really liked was Champ, an 85-yr.-old man who lived in an empty pool who Talon would visit with now and then and play games like Risk and Monopoly. I do not recommend this one.
(Karen's review, 2 stars)
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In Not If I Save You First by Ally Carter, Maddie and Logan are young teen friends. Logan is the President's son. Maddie is the daughter of the man who helps keep the President safe. They get caught up in an incident at the White House that will make this an adventure for both of them.
This is pretty good stuff. There is good action and I liked Maddie and Logan; plus it has a good ending!
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)
Teaser from page 19: For a second, the world stood still, and then he pulled the trigger just as Maddie's father jumped between the man and Logan. And fired.
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In Ever the Hunted by Erin Summerill, Britta is alone and hungry. She gets caught poaching on the King’s land which carries a death sentence. However, the King gives her a deal—capture the person who killed her father and bring him to the King, and she will be set free and get to keep her cottage. The only problem is the killer is her one and only friend!
This book starts out slow but gets better so stick with it. Britta is a real good lead character that knows what she wants and hot to get it! The action is good with some twists to add to your reading pleasure, leading to a very strong ending! I look forward to reading book 2 in this series!
(Gerard’s review, 4 stars)
Teaser from page 17: It takes a beat for his warning to hit me. I jerk out of his grip, mumble thanks, and race toward home.
Karen's review: Ever the Hunted by Erin Summerill is the first book of the Clash of Kingdoms series. In this fantasy, 17-yr.-old Britta is in love with Cohen, her father’s former apprentice. Her father was a bounty hunter for the King of Malam until he was killed and Cohen has been accused of his murder. Britta agrees to hunt him down for Lord Jamis when she is charged with poaching on the King’s land and faces being hanged unless she agrees. Britta has a special gift for telling if one is lying or not, so when Cohen captures her from the royal guards, he convinces her he is innocent and together they try to track down her father’s killer. Then royal guard keeps after them both! Secrets come out along the way that keeps things interesting. I thought the pace of this book was pretty slow, but it did pick up near the end. I really liked Enat and felt bad when she was killed. I like both Britta and Cohen alright so will probably continue on with this series. (4 stars)
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Bruiser by Neal Schusterman is a contemporary fiction novel but with one special boy, named Bruiser. Somehow, he has an unusual power to take on himself the pain of those he cares about, like his younger brother and his Uncle. His uncle tries to protect him as best he can be keeping him home so he doesn’t make friends. He just goes to school and comes home, until Bronte decides to be nice to him. Her brother, Tennyson, doesn’t like her seeing Bruiser at first, but then also becomes his friend, realizing he’s not really so bad after all. Bruiser is wired to only receive pain, not give it.
Teaser from page 14: I hate him. I hate the concept of him. He's a freight train of bad news barreling at my sister.
I thought this book was just okay because Bruiser was so unbelievable in what was an otherwise modern-day contemporary fiction book. The story was pretty good and it kept my interest but it wasn’t near as good as the other books I read by this author.
(Karen's review, 3 stars)
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Defiant by Lesley Livingston is the second book in the Valiant series and just as good as the first! I liked Fallon again in this one and was hoping the people she put her trust in would not let her down. It was heartbreaking when Ludus Achillea, home for gladiators, was overtaken by Pontius Aquila and Nyx. This book has lots of action and strategy.
I liked Cai and Fallon and Quint and Elka. I also liked how Fallon and Sorcha got to fight together to take back their home and stay free. There are many interesting supporting characters in this book which I liked. The plot was well developed but easy enough to follow. I loved it and recommend this series if you like adventure and fantasy!
(Karen's review, 5 stars)
Teaser from page 17: I might have felt a twinge of sympathy for them but, to be honest, in that moment, I couldn't have cared less. My friends and I were victorious, and that was all that mattered.
Gerard's review (5++ stars): Defiant by Lesley Livingston is the action-packed follow-up book to The Valiant. Things start out well for Fallon, but that quickly changes when the place she calls home is overrun and she is put into a cell! Will she have to fight for an enemy or can she somehow turn the tables on her enemies?
This book is just as good as the first. Fallon is a fantastic character and she carries the story very well. The other characters are developed nicely and really add to the story, especially her sister! This book is filled with lots of good action and the ending is great! I LOVED IT! If there is a book 3, I will read it.
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This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills is about a group of friends and how they help each other. Vera and Gabe are twins whose mother painted until she died. Remy is Gabe’s best friend, Tash and Aubrey are Vera’s best friends Frank is a wealthy friend who likes to party. Sloane is a new friend who gets attention when she embarrasses the bully who was picking on Gabe at a party. Sloane’s dad is a teen romance writer who has writer’s block but gets inspiration from his daughter’s life. When one of the paintings gets sold that Gabe wanted to keep, Sloane decides to track it down for him and get it back.
This is an okay read if you like a bit of teen drama with a bit of romance. Of course, one of the relationships tossed in were a couple lesbians, but that was just a small part of the book. Overall, I thought the dialogue was done well but would have preferred less foul language. I liked how it ended and enjoyed the main characters. (Karen's review, 3 stars)
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Perfect by Cecelia Ahern is the follow-up to Flawed. Celestine is on the run. She wants to get her verdict overturned, but Crevan is after her and will stop at nothing to get her for a reason that only he knows! This was a good book to start the year. I was engaged from page 1! Celestine was a great character and I was rooting for her all the way!
Teaser from page 10: Each time, the Whistleblowers come to close to my hiding place I can barely breathe. I hear their footsteps, sometimes their breaths, as I'm crammed, jammed, into spaces, above and below, sometimes in places so obvious they don't even look, sometimes so dangerous they wouldn't dare to look.
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)
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Undivided by Neal Shusterman is the 4th and last book in the Unwind series. The author saved the best for last! Conner, Lev and Risa all have action-packed chapters in this book. The pacing is really good in that you were on the edge of your seat for sure. The last part of this book is pretty much unputdownable! Well done, Mr. Shusterman!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)
(Karen's review 12/18/17, 5 stars:) UnDivided by Neal Shusterman did not disappoint at all! I LOVED it and what a fantastic finish to a thrilling series with lots of ups and downs and twists and turns! This story is about friendship, betrayal, teamwork, sacrifice and making a difference. It has humor, a bit of romance, lots of adventure, some very creepy things, revenge, some fighting, justice, lots of escaping and just extremely interesting characters. The teens in this series are very brave, smart and creative! The ending is great!
WOW! I loved this book. After the last one, UnSouled, I didn't think this series could get any better, but it did! This book had my emotions covering the spectrum, from humor, to sadness, to happiness, to relief, to shock to tears of joy! I liked how I felt the characters were real and got drawn into their story lines. This would be a great series for a book club because there is so much to discuss and so many characters to analyze. It was a very thought-provoking series that I wanted to read straight through.
Teaser from page 14: "There isn't one single thing that will end unwinding," she tells them. "It will take a hodgpodge of random events that come together in just the right way and at just the right time to remind society it's got a conscience."
SPOILER ALERT--skip this unless you have read this book: In this book, Connor and Grace make it to Sonia's where he and Risa are reunited and discover an invention that Sonia's husband had been working on that can manufacture human parts! It gives them all hope that an end to unwinding is possible! Lev does what he can to get the Indian reservation to publicly announce that it is a sanctuary for AWOLS. Hayden, Bam and Jeeves team up to overthrow Starkey and Hayden begins podcasting again against unwinding. Argent is betrayed by Nelson and switches sides to help Connor and Risa. Cam brings down Roberta and the Proactive Citizenry operation all by himself. The ending was so touching when Conner was finally reunited with his family!
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Being Fishkill by Ruth Lehrer is about a young girl who makes her first name Fishkill because it sounds tough. She feels she has to be tough because her mom is gone, and there is no one else! This book was way better than I thought it would be. I really wanted only the best for Fishkill. The pacing of this book was very good and I was always glad to get back into it! I liked that it had twists and turns that I did not see coming. Pick it up, you will be glad you did!
Teaser from page7: "I'm not in your gang." I said. I wasn't sure if I wanted to be or not, even if it was a real gang.
(Gerard's review, 5+ stars)
Karen's review, 12/22/17: Being Fishkill by Ruth Lehrer is about a 12-yr.-old girl who is poor and lives in a shack with her drunk/druggie mother and her abusive grandfather. Her father is unknown. She finally built a friendship with a girl who called herself Duk-Duk and moved in with her and her lesbian mother who was very nice to Fishkill. After the mean grandfather died, Fishkill’s mother tried to sober up so she could get back custody of her daughter. Most of this story is sad. I liked this book all right but could have done without the Lesbian angle. I felt bad for Fishkill and her biological mother. My favorite character was Duk-Duk because I liked how she wanted to be a lawyer and tried to view everything logically. This book had some interesting situations and really addressed the emotions one feels when a loved one dies. It also had a bit of humor when Fishkill and Duk-Duk came up with their secret mission to get revenge on the girl who bullied them—that was very cool and my favorite part of the book! (4 stars)
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UnSouled is book 3 in the Unwind series. Conner and Lev are on the run and new characters are introduced. There is plenty of action for sure! I enjoyed the characters of Cam, Risa and Starkey in this book. One more book to go to finish this exciting series. (Gerard's Review, 5 stars)
Karen's review 12/8/17, 5 stars: Unsouled by Neal Shusterman (book 3 in the Unwind series) is fantastic! There is so much action and interaction among very cool characters that makes it go very fast. There are so many different parts to this novel that my mind is spinning! Connor and Lev are on their way to Ohio to find Sonia for answers to help end unwinding, but get in an accident. Cam, the rewind, escapes from Roberta to go find Risa but finds Conner instead. Meanwhile, Starky and his storks take over more harvest camps and Hayden was one scheduled to be rewound. Once he is freed, he becomes part of Starky’s gang even though he does not agree with Starky’s methods and tries to get Bam as an ally. Archer holds Cam hostage but when the Juvie authorities hunt down Conner, Archer’s sister, Grace, helps him escape in genius fashion. Grace appears to be kind of off, but is an amazing strategist and a great character who sees what most people do not.
Teaser from pg. 64: “You’re crazy! Why would I do that?” “Because,” says Grace, “if you don’t keep this secret, everyone in Heartsdale is gonna know you were outsmarted by dumb old Grace Skinner, and you’ll be a laughingstock till the cows come home, and they ain’t comin’ home anytime soon!”
This book was so good I hated to see it end and can’t wait to read the next one. I love that there are such interesting characters and how they interact with each other. This book has a lot of humor in it as well. I especially liked how Archer fooled the parts pirate, taking him on a wild goose chase in the opposite direction of where Conner was headed. My favorite character is . . . . Grace! She is awesome! This is one thrilling series for sure!
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In This Mortal Coil by Emily Suvada, Catarina is very good at what she does. In her world, people can recode their DNA allowing them to change their bodies any way they want, but she can hack into again. Her father and best friend are on the run. They must find a way to end the plague or all is lost!
Teaser from page 21: "I know that, but you can't come, darling. It's not safe."
This book was a bit too hi-tech for my taste. The story line was good enough, just did not feel a connection to the characters. (Gerard's review, 4 stars)
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Unwholly by Neal Shusterman is the second book in the Unwind series. This book follows Connor, Risa and Lev after going their separate ways after their escape from the Happy Jack Harvest Camp. Several more interesting characters are added: Cam (a teen built from all unwind parts), Miracolina (a tithe who gets “rescued” against her will) and Starky (an unwanted stork who was signed over to be unwound but escaped). Some romantic interests start to develop in this book and several organizations play big parts – both those against unwinding and for unwinding as well as the black market parts pirate, Nelson.
Teaser from page 21: Within seconds, the drunk is there, not so drunk after all, with three others whose faces he can't make out. They lift him up and shove him into the back of a waiting van.
This book started out kind of slow, but that may be because it was so long since I read the first book, it took me a while to “catch up” again. This book seems to be a lot of foundational work for setting up the next in this series. I really like all the characters except for Starky and Nelson. Lev and Miracolina’s relationship was very interesting for me and also Risa’s and Cam’s growing friendship. The second half of this book really picked up with lots of adventure and excitement. I look forward to continuing with this series.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)
Gerard's review (4 stars): UnWholly by Neal Shusterman is the sequel to UnWind. It was good to team up with Conner, Lev and Risa again. Conner is trying to help kids like himself who escaped being unwound. Lev is caught up in an underground movement, and Risa, now in a wheelchair, feels she might be a burden. There is tons of action in this book to say the least. I did not know what was going to happen next! Looking forward to continuing on with Book 3 of this series.
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The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater is the true story of two teens and the crime that changed their lives. Sasha and Richard are two teens who lead separate lives. The only time they are connected is when they are both on the No. 57 bus after school, and only for eight minutes tops! One day an incident happens between the two that will change both of their lives forever!
Teaser from page 5: Surely it's not too late to stop things from going wrong. There must be some way to wake Sasha.
This book is divided into three parts: Sasha, Richard, the incident. The incident part is by far the best! On the strength of that, I give this book 4 stars.
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)
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Warcross by Mari Lu is teen science fiction that had my head spinning trying to figure out how everything worked. This is about a worldwide, popular virtual reality game with tournaments that people actually attend! Emika Chen is what is referred to as a bounty hunter who helps the cops capture bad guys, primarily ones who illegally bet on Warcross games. She is a hacker who got an offer to work for the creator of Warcross, Hideo Tanaka, to figure out who was sabotaging his security system for the games. Emie lives in NYC, travels by skateboard, has a big debt and is being kicked out of her apartment for not paying rent when she gets his offer. She accepts and her life changes completely!
I liked this book, but there is a lot of things I really don't understand about how all this advanced technology works. Sometimes it seems as though the players are physically in the game and other times as though it is their avatar playing. This is fast-paced and very interesting, but a lot of things just didn't make sense to me. I like Hideo and think Emie should stick with him, but have a feeling she is going to defect to the other side. I like his big invention too!
(Karen's review, 4 stars)
Gerard's review, 11/8/17, 5++ stars: Warcross by Marie Lu is about the game played worldwide called Warcross. It is an obsession to most people. When one young down on her luck girl, Emika, hacks into the opening game of the tournament, she becomes known to all. When she gets a call from the game's creator, she does not know what will happen to her. Teaser from page 10: I fire the stun gun once more, this time at close range. It hits true. His body goes rigid, and he collapses on the pavement, trembling. Marie Lu knows how to write and it is on full display with this book! I was engaged from the get go! Emika is a great character and it was a joy to follow her. There is good action and an ending that leaves everything up in the air! Do not miss it!!
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In They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera, Mateo and Rufus are both young teen boys. Death-cast calls chill them and tell them that today will be their last day to live! Even though you know how it plays out, this book still works! The boys were really great characters and it was interesting how they bonded.
Teaser from page 41: Everyone wanted so much more out of me, myself included. I have to honor this. It's my last day to do so.
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)
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In First We Were IV by Alexandra Sirowy, four young teens find a dead girl in an orchard. Five years have gone by and the killer has not been found. the teens decide to form a society and do pranks in their small town to raise awareness that bad stuff goes on and maybe the police can finally find the killer.
The story line was weak at best. I really could not get into the characters at all! I kept reading in the hope that it would get better or make some sense. I would not recommend this one!
(Gerard's review, 2.5 stars)
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In 27 Days by Alison Gervais, Hadley Jamison has it all. Her parents are very well off so she lacks for nothing. She is pretty with lots of friends and lives in a real nice apartment. When she finds out a classmate of hers has died, someone she hardly knows, she wishes she could have done something. Sometimes wishes come true, but it comes with a cost. In this case, the cost is plenty!
I was into this book from page 1! The characters are believable and the story line kept me turning pages. What more do you want out of a book? I LOVED It! Do not miss this one!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)
Karen's review, 8/11/17: I liked In 27 Days by Alison Gervais too. This is about two high school students in a prep school who come from very different backgrounds but develop a friendship through very unusual circumstances. When Hadley goes back in time 27 days to try to prevent Archer from committing suicide, both their lives change for the better!
I liked this book and would recommend it to teens. It promotes the value of life and shows how just by making time for others can make a huge difference in their lives. The only thing I didn't get about this book was the paranormal characters, Death and Havoc. That's why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5. I almost finished this book in a day.
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Endure by Sara B. Larson is the third and final book in the Defy Series which we both highly recommend. Alexa again has her hands full trying to hold off the enemy and make sure King Damian is safe! This book is probably the best of the series. It has tons of action from the outset and the pacing of the book is very good! I just had to see what was going to happen next! This is one of the top series that I have ever read! I LOVED IT!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)
Karen's review 3/19/16: Endure by Sara B. Larson is not only the third book of the Defy trilogy, but also the best! Good characters are motivated by love and loyalty while evil characters are motivated by greed and power in a struggle to survive. Alexa and Damian’s love story continues on throughout this book and is heartbreaking. Alexa’s fight against Armando and his black sorcerers is amazing! There is lots of action in this book as well as the tender moments of friendship and love.
I loved this last book of the series which is captivating and even made me cry near the end. When Alexa left King Damian after his proposal to rescue her friend, Rylan, I thought she was nuts and was proved to be right! I actually felt she made a very bad decision there and didn’t have as much sympathy for her during her captivity as I otherwise would have. I felt it was her own fault for being so stupid to go back to Dansii with Eljin to save Rylan.
At any rate, this is a very entertaining and adventurous
fantasy/clean romance series I highly recommend, especially for anyone
new to fantasy. I was never bored and it moved along well.
(Karen's review, 5 stars)
This series reminded me a lot of THE THRONE OF GLASS series by Sarah J. Mass. I discuss some differences and similarities in this video:
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Ignite by Sara B. Larson is book 2 of 3 in the Defy series. King Hectoer has been killed and now Damian is the king. Alexa is there to protect him. Peace reigns in the land, but that is fleeting. Soon there is danger, plenty of it! WOW! This book is so good! It is as good as the first if not better because there is plenty of action and you do not know what is going to happen next. Alexa is a fantastic character and the secondary ones are very good too. The writing is great! It gives you all you could ask for in a book. (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)
Karen's review 3/17/16, 4 stars:
Ignite by Sara B. Larson is book 2 in the DEFY series that is full of attacks, betrayal, suspense and mind controlling magic! King Damian and his kingdom are at a loss when it looks like Blevon is breaking their peace treating. Alexa and Damian’s love story continues and Rylan gets into some major trouble. Alexa is jealous when he falls for a beautiful woman visitor. Damian’s younger brother is abducted and just when things seem to be going right for King Damian, Alexa suppresses some important information from him and that’s where this book ends. This book left me with several unanswered questions that make me look forward to continuing on with the last book in the series, Endure. Will Alexa and King Damian get their happy ever after ending? What will happen to Rafe and Dansii? Will Eljin fully recover and be able to help save Blevon and the sorcerer's temple? Will Alexa actually get to become the Queen?
I liked this book as much as the first of this series and can’t help but root for Alexa and Damian to finally find happiness together. There is lots of fighting in this book but with a twist when Alexa has no choice but to fight her friends to survive. I liked all the action in this book as well as the romantic story line between Damian and Alexa.
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In And I Darken by Kiersten White, Lada and Radu are brother and sister. Their father sends them off to another land. Lada hates it and cannot wait to go to her homeland and claim her birthright. Lada is a great character! She knows what she wants and how to get it! There is a lot more to this book than her story line; I enjoyed it all! There is good action so I look forward to book 2 in this series.
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)
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