I’ve heard so much about The Selection series by Kiera Cass that I finally gave in and started it. The first book of the series, Selection, is a fun, light read about the rags to riches story of America Singer, a teenage girl. This is set in a future time where what once was America is now the country of Illéia. There is a royal family who rules and a caste system in place. America’s family are “fives” which are made up of musicians and artists. Just one level above “sixes” who are servants which is the caste Aspen is in. Aspen and America are in a serious relationship but have to keep it secret since they are in different castes. One day America gets a letter that could change her life forever, inviting her to apply to be Prince Maxon’s princess. Thirty-five girls will be selected for him to get to know and choose his princess from. During the selection process, their families will be compensated for allowing their daughters to participate in the selection. This first book is about the girls being selected and the process of Prince Maxon trying to narrow down the number.
I enjoyed this book because it is entertaining and reminded me of the show, The Bachelor. Prince Maxon, however, is a nice guy and not a sleeze at all. I like the humor throughout the book and how America slowly discovers that Maxon is not the snob she expected him to be. In fact, he is nothing but exceptionally nice to her! The love triangle that develops between her, Aspen and Maxon gets a push when Aspen is drafted as a guard at the palace and is assigned to guard America’s room. This is a quick read and I am anxious to continue on with this series. This is a pretty uplifting read with lots of happy moments.
(Karen’s review, 4 stars)
Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!
In Under Rose-Tainted Skies by Louise Gornall, Norah is 17 and has accepted that the four walls of her house will be her life. She cannot possibly go outside and heaven forbid she should come in contact with a stranger. However, when a new family moves in and a young teen boy notices her, will Norah do something that she could not have imagined she would do or is she just headed for heartache?
This book is based on the author's own experiences. I enjoyed it because Norah was a fun character and thought the ending was good too!
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)
Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!
Karen's: Mom screamed by my ear, and May jumped up, sending popcorn everywhere. Gerad got excited too and started dancing. Dad . . it's hard to say, but I think he was secretly smiling behind his book.
From page 56 of The Selection by Kiera Cass.
"Maybe we shouldn't go," Jonathan repeated. "Maybe we shouldn't tell what happened. Yet."
"Do you really want to do this?" She wagged her finger between them. "A battle of wits? It's not even fun to destroy you because you're too dim to understand you're getting destroyed."
My fingers curl into the door frame so tightly it's a wonder they don't pierce the wood. But I can do it, one whole foot outside my front door, without my chest getting tight.
From page 24 of Under Rose-Tainted Skies by Louise Gornall.
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along, so I thought I would play for fun! Just pick two sentences from the book you are reading. Happy Reading!
The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner is told by three teens starting their senior year in high school in a small town. Dill, Lydia and Travis take turns telling the way this book goes. They all have different family relationships. What they do have in common is a strong bond of friendship.
I enjoyed all the three teens very much. This book kept me interested throughout and has a very good ending.
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)
Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!
Scar Island by Dan Gemeinhart, my favorite children’s author, is about boys at Slabhenge Reformatory School for troubled boys located on an island and run with torture techniques. Jonathan is the new boy sentenced to 10 weeks which is longer than usual because of the bad thing he did. Jonathan is overwhelmed with feelings of guilt and believes he deserves to be there, unlike the others. A couple boys befriend him and eventually he even wins over the bully who bosses everyone around when all the grownups running the place meet an unfortunate death.
This book is dark but not as dark as Lord of the Flies although there are some similarities. I liked this book because of the exploration of group dynamics, the interaction and growth among the boys, and also because of the suspense. I even got to like that huge rat that Jonathan mistook for a cat. Jonathan is a great character who I admired because he was so kind and compassionate throughout the book. I would recommend this book to boys, but don’t think too many girls would enjoy it since there are no girls in it. I liked both this author’s other books better: The Honest Truth and Some Kind of Courage, because they seemed more believable and not as dark as this one.
SPOILER ALERT – STOP NOW IF YOU INTEND TO READ THIS BOOK. I really liked the librarian and his pet rat. I thought that was a cool surprise and liked how the librarian encouraged Jonathan to take a book every time he came. I was surprised Colin didn’t stay with him when he left the others. There were a few things I felt were farfetched: (1) How all the grownups got electrocuted and died at once; (2) that the boys would put the dead bodies in the freezer where the food would be, yuck!; (3) that the first thing they did wasn’t to all join in to destroy the sinner’s sorrow torture device that they all hated; (4) I didn’t understand why Sebastian got so mad at Colin when he left since at the beginning he announce the boys to go wherever they wanted and do whatever they wanted. When Colin took some chocolates saying they were just Sebastian’s, I was surprised the other boys didn’t back him up and (5) how the majority just followed whatever Sebastian said, letting him take the lead instead of following Colin or Jonathan, who were smarter and nicer, especially at the end.
(Karen’s review, 4 stars)
Gerard read this first 1-9-17, here's his review, 4.5 stars: In Scar Island by Dan Gemeinhart, Jonathan is the new boy at Slabhenge. It is a reform school for boys who are troubled to say the least. Now Jonathan is there and he is happy to be there. But soon he will have to make decisions that will affect him and his fellow boys. I really enjoyed the characters in this book. It has good action and the end has a good twist. I liked this author's first two books better, The Honest Truth and Some Kind of Courage, but this one is not bad at all!
Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!
In The Unseen World by Liz Moore, Ada is 12 years old and works with her dad and his associate in a lab. Ada is very smart. When her dad becomes forgetful and wanders off, Ada tries her best to take care of him. Soon though, he needs more help than Ada alone can give. Now she must go out in the world and deal with school and everyday things in life that she never had to deal with before. She learns things that will question just about everything that Ada thought to be true!
I thought Ada was a great character and loved watching her grow up. I got into this book early. The story moved along okay and I always wanted to get back into it! I also enjoyed this author's first book, Heft.
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)
Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!
The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani is a juvenile fantasy book. I really liked the cover and was looking forward to a quick fun read which it is. Sophie and her friend, Agatha, both get mysteriously kidnapped from their small village to The School for Good and Evil in some distant place. They both think they got put in the wrong school side of the school though and encounter the fight of the life to remain friends. Both girls find themselves living a fairy tale!
I think children would like this book but I was a bit disappointed in it because it really made no sense to me. There is a lot of action and magic going on; however, I found it a bit hard to follow. I liked it enough to care about the main characters, although I really liked Agatha the most and didn’t care much for Sophie, even from the start. I did want to see how it would end and liked the ending.
(Karen’s review, 3 stars)
Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!
"Well, in the School for Good, they teach boys and girls like me how to become heroes and princesses, how to rule kingdoms justly, how to find Happily Ever After," Sophie said. "In the School for Evil, they teach you how to become wicked witches and humpbacked trolls, how to lay curses and cast evil spells."
From page 11 of The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani.
Gerard's:
She knew then that she could not pretend any longer. She walked resolutely down the hall to Liston's office, and knocked on her door, and felt her face crumple.
From page 118 of The Unseen World byLiz Moore.
Jonathan gripped the knife in his hand and fought back the tears that burned in his eyes. "My God," he whispered to the boy next to him. "How long do we have to do this?"
From page 27 of Scar Island by Dan Gemeinhart.
It wasn't the same spot as the first one. This time it was in the exact center of the four bare trees.
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along, so I thought I would play for fun! Just pick two sentences from the book you are reading. Happy Reading!
Wow! After coming off A Court of Mist and Fury, I was doubtful if anything would come close to keeping my interest as much, but The Queen of Blood by Sarah Beth Durst did!
In this fantasy novel, humans are attacked by six different spirits: air, water, earth, ice, fire and wood who feel the land belongs to them. These spirits have two instincts: destroy and create. Certain humans have an affinity to control them in different degrees and The Queen is the most powerful and keeps everything in balance and protects the people. Over time though, the Queen can lose some of her power and so they have heirs trained and prepared to become Queen if the Queen dies. The kicker here is that the spirits are the ones to choose the next Queen and they give her more power. The main character is Daleina who as a child demonstrates she has the affinity to control spirits when her home is attacked. She is smart, nice, and determined to learn more so that she can become Queen and protect people from these spirits but do no harm. The Queen must be able to control the spirits, not just wipe them all out because that would wipe out their land as well.
I loved this book so much, I even read it at night to finish it! (I hardly ever read at night.) I got so engrossed in it that was almost late getting back from lunch and had to stop earlier than usual on the bus so I wouldn't miss my stop. It is a fun and interesting read that shows how important good leadership and teamwork are. There is a lot of killing in this book and I felt so bad for Daleina when her friends died. There is lots of action and humor which kept this from being depressing because of the killing. Daleina is such a great character who truly wanted to protect others. She befriends a wolf who proves to be a loyal asset to her and also is chosen to be trained by Ven who brings along a healer, Haman. The three of them work together to do what is best for the land. I really look forward to the next book in this series, Queens of Renthia.
(Karen's review, 5 stars)
In The Queen of Blood by Sarah Beth Durst, Daleina is a young girl whose community is torn apart and its people are killed by the spirits. This is not supposed to happen! The Queen is supposed to protect the people. Daleina decides to try out to be a champion. A champion is a person who protects the people and is an heir to be a queen. But the odds are long that she can become one. Is the queen losing her power?
I thought this book was very good. I was into it from page 1 because Daleina is a great character. This has plenty of action and a few twists that I did not see at all. I am looking forward to reading the next two books in this series.
(Gerard's review 12/23/16, 5++ stars)
Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!
In The Perfect Girl by Gilly Macmillan, Zoe Maisey ia gifted pianist. Now 17, she is giving a recital. Three years ago, an incident happened that had a tragic effect on her and her loved ones. She is ready to move on with her life, but sometimes the past catches up with you.
This book goes back and forth in time. Sometimes I'm okay with that but not with this one. I never really felt connected to any of the characters at all. There is a lot going on in this book, so much so that I thing the main story sort of got lost. I loved this author's book, What She Knewbut this one not so much!
(Gerard's review, 3 stars)
In Every You, Every Me by David Levithan, Evan is alone. He is a young teen boy whose best friend/girlfriend, Ariel, is gone! Gone where is the question. Is she alive or dead? Evan begins to get photos of her and places where they spent time, but how and from whom? Is Ariel back or is Evan going crazy with guilt because of the day Ariel left? This book had me from page 1! I love how the author kept building up the suspense all the way to the end.
(Gerard’s review, 5 stars)
Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!
Remember Yesterday by Pintip Dunn is the follow-up to Forget Tomorrow. This is ten years later and Jessa is now 16. She mourns the death of her sister and is working with the underground to overthrow the government. One day a boy who never had any time for her, gives her some new information. Will Jessa join up with the enemy if it means the world will look better to her?
This book is so much better than the first one! It has more action and less romance with a good ending to set up book 3.
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)
Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!
The
champion looked away, across the ruined village and the broken bodies.
"Only the best can become queen. And she is not the best."
From page 15 of The Queen of Blood by Sarah Beth Durst.
Rys gave me a smile dripping with venom. He knew--through that bond, through whatever magic was between us, he'd known I was about to say no.
From page 44 of A Court of Mist and Fury bySara J. Maas.
Gerard's:
I can't breathe. I take huge gulps of air, but it doesn't help.
From page 31 of Forget Tomorrow by Pintip Dunn
If I could go back to the past and undo my sister's decision, I would. But I can't. So all I can do now is thwart my sister's enemy.
From page 30 of Remember Yesterday by Pintip Dunn.
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along, so I thought I would play for fun! Just pick two sentences from the book you are reading. Happy Reading!
Here is a list of books both Gerard and I loved that we read in 2016 and would highly recommend. If you click the links it will take you to our reviews:
YA fantasycontinues to be a favorite genre for both of us. Books in this genre we both read and loved last year were:
We also each made a top 12 Favorites list for 2016 so some of these will not be on those lists because we had to narrow down our favorites to just 12--a very hard thing to do! I read 83 books last year and Gerard read 132. You can see both our favorites of 2016 here:
To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!
In Forget Tomorrow by Pintip Dunn, you get your future memory on the day you turn 17. But when Callie gets her memory, it is not what she expected at all. Now she will do anything to stop this from happening! But can she do it?
This book was okay. It had a bit too much romance for my liking though, would have liked more action. The last part of the book was very good when things came together which pushed this to 4 stars. This is book 1 in a series and look forward to reading book 2.
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)
Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!
Wow! A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas is so good! This is the second book in A Court of Thorns and Roses series and is even better than the first! This review has some spoilers so read the book first and then come see what I thought of it. Definitely must read the first book before this one. If you like fantasy and magical kingdoms, this is a "must read." (This would be R rated for sexual content.) SPOILER ALERT: Feyre pretty much tells Tamlin to “jump in the lake” and chooses to stay with Rys who is her mate and challenges Feyre to use her skills. This book is full of new adventures with lots of wit and packed with both heartbreaking and heartwarming scenes and lots of good dialogue. I like all the characters in Rys’ inner circle and loved their trip to the Summer Court and how the wraiths came to save Feyre and Amren from drowning. I cheered when Feyre served Rys the food in the cabin, accepting the bond as mates. The ending is Great and I can't wait for the next book!
I was having a hard time deciding on my favorite read for December until I read this one which is the winner! (Karen's review, 5 stars)
Gerard read this first, 6-15-16: A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas is the follow-up book to A Court of Thorns and Roses and is like ten times better than the first one! Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to spring court, but at a high cost. She still has the bargain with Rhysard.
Wow, oh Wow! I really liked the characters, the writing and the action which all work together to make the story flow well. The ending is probably the best I have ever read! I want book 3 NOW!
(5++ stars)
Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!
In A Shadow Bright and Burning by Jessica Cluess, Henrietta has powers that she keeps hidden. However, when a friend is in danger, she reveals her powers for all to see. She is the "Chosen One" who must go and train with men to help fight the attack that is sure to come. She has a secret though that if found out, the battle will be lost for sure.
This is the first book of a series. Most of the real action comes at the end to set up for the second book. I enjoyed the main character and it had good twists at the end that peaked my interest for the next book.
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)
Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!
In The Poet's Dog by Patricia MacLachlan, two young children are all alone in a fierce winter storm. Teddy (the talking dog) locates them and leads them to a cabin where he lives so they will be safe. Teddy tells them a story while they wait for the storm to end and for help to come.
This is a young reader's book, but I enjoyed it very much. I hope it touches your heart like it did mine! Perfect read for the holidays!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)
Karen read it too and here are her thoughts: I read it because it was a short children's book that I could read quickly but did not enjoy it as much as Gerard did. The dog understood words and only children and a poet could understand what the dog said. I liked the ending but overall wasn't impressed, but then, poetry isn't my thing. I liked other dog stories much better. (Karen's review, 3 stars)
Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!
I inspected my new body. I appeared to be a teenaged Caucasian male, clad in sneakers, blue jeans, and a green polo shirt.
From page 5 of The Trials of Apollo--Book One, The Hidden Oracle byRick Riordan.
Gerard's: "A sorcerer would never harm children," I said, squeezing her hand in return. Granted, I'd never met a sorcerer, but Sarah didn't need to know that.
From page 1 of A Shadow Bright and Burning by Jessica Cluess.
He led me to his sister crouched under a big tree, a blanket wrapped around her. She was younger, maybe eight.
From page 2 of The Poet's Dog by Patricia MacLachlan.
The champion looked away, across the ruined village and the broken bodies. "Only the best can become queen. And she is not the best."
From page 15 of The Queen of Blood by Sarah Beth Durst.
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along, so I thought I would play for fun! Just pick two sentences from the book you are reading. Happy Reading!
