"Crazy House" by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet

Crazy House by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet is teen fiction with a slight similarity in theme to The Hunger Games. Twin sisters, Cassie and Becca, live in an agriculture cell alone. Their mom was sent away for an attitude adjustment and their father is in a hospital because his suicide attempt failed. His girls have not yet granted the hospital permission to end his life in spite of the fact the doctors say he won’t recover. One day, Becca just disappears and Cassie’s truck is missing! Other teens have gone missing too and never returned. Cassie goes to find her on her sister’s moped which is now the only transportation she has. Cassie finds her at The Crazy House when she gets “taken” too!

This book got my interest from page one and never let go. I almost finished it in one day! It is about how these sisters overcome obstacles and work together to escape from The Crazy House. There is quite a bit of action with some mystery and romance too. I liked both sisters and look forward to continuing on with the sequel, The Fall of Crazy House. There is a lot of swearing in this book that I did not like.
 (Karen’s review, 4 stars)

Teaser from page 15: “No, she didn’t!” I shrieked, wanting to hurl my coffee cup right out the window. It would have hit my truck if my truck had been there. Which it wasn’t!


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!

"UnSouled" (Book 3 in Unwind Series) by Neal Shusterman (UPDATED)

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!



See our reviews of other books in this series:  Book 2 - UnWholly Book 1 - Unwind

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!

"UnWholly" by Neal Shusterman (Unwind Series Book 2)

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 Selection by Kiera Cass is a Fun Read!

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)

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I linked this up to Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop in response to the book review prompt.  You can too!

"Forget Tomorrow" by Pintip Dunn

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!

"Arena Mode" by Blake Northcutt

image from Amazon

Arena Mode by Blake Northcutt is the first in a series of fantasy novels around 2041.  This is about Mox, a superhero comic collector genius with a photographic memory, a cancerous brain tumor, and a couple good friends who convince him to enter the Arena Mode contest held in Manhattan, NY to get enough money for the surgery he needs to remove the tumor.  He has no faith in God or anything, and is solely focused on playing the odds which have paid off for him in winning lots of money gambling.  The contest is only for superpower humans, so he has to sneak in by faking a superpower to get the attention of the guy who gives out the invitations to participate.

The majority of this book is the actual contest involving a lot of fighting. During the contest, Mox discovers what is really important to him and fights to survive by out thinking his opponents and getting some help along the way.  I was interested to see how this guy with no superpowers was going to survive against the others who all had superpowers which was pretty fascinating.  I think the theme is about being a superhero by making a difference, but it wasn't all that clear.  Overall, the book is pretty gruesome, corny and unbelievable with a surprise ending I didn't like.   This is not a series I intend to pursue.
(Karen's review, 3 stars) 

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"Ready Player One" by Ernest Cline is GREAT--We Both Liked It!

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline is an amazing YA book set in 2044.  The world has so many problems that people spend most of their time online in a virtual world called OASIS.  The main character is a high school boy named Wade who participates in a contest in OASIS that its originator made up before he died.  The winner gets his wealth because he has no family to leave it to.  Wade lives with his aunt who doesn’t really care about him  in her trailer but has a secret hiding place in an abandoned van buried under a heap of cars not too far away.  He lives like a hermit, attending school online and his only friend is in the virtual world.  The story is told by him.  The book would have been good with just the online contest, but when a huge corporation plays too in the hopes of gaining control of the OASIS to use for their own profit, the stakes go up and so does the suspense.  Wade and his online friends become targets!

I am late to the party on this one, but so glad I finally read it!  I was totally immersed in this amazing book!  It flips back and forth between the virtual world and the adventure of trying to win the contest by being the first to find the hidden egg and the real world where Wade goes on a real life adventure in order to win the game.  There is the mystery surrounding the clues on the hunt as well as the mystery of who the people are behind the avatars.  It was great to see how Wade changed throughout the book and became a caring person with real friends!  This is a fun read and I can only imagine how much fun the author had writing it!  The themes in this book are honor, friendship, working together, and making the world a better place.  Anyone who appreciates video games and 1980 pop culture would enjoy this book too as it is masterfully woven into the plot.  This is a page turner for me—LOVED IT!      
(Karen's review, 5 stars) I even did a video review of this one!  https://youtu.be/YX1TCnurYgU

Gerard's review posted 8/30/2011, 5 stars:
WOW! Ready Player One is about a young man named Wade who spends all of his time in OASIS, a site on a computer that lets you escape from your real life. He wants to win the ultimate prize, a massive fortune and power to the person who can find the egg by solving the puzzles along the way. To do this, he will have to leave OASIS for a time and enter the real world. Can he do it? Can he win the ultimate prize? I liked this book a lot—not one of my favorites though. Don't know why it was classed as a “sizzler” at the library, but it was. I think it would appeal more to guys than women.

Joining Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop this week for the book review topic.

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. Happy Reading!

"The 100 Homecoming" by Kass Morgan

The 100 Homecoming by Kass Morgan is a teen book that is the third of a series.  I think it was a mistake to read this one first because I didn’t feel a connection with any of the characters.  I focused on three couples:  Wells and Sasha, Bellamy and Clarke, and Luke and Glass.  The 100 were juvenile delinquents that were sent back to earth to see if they could survive.  Not too long after they arrived, more colonists from the planet in outer space made a crash landing.  Many were killed but some lived and were brought into The 100’s camp.  On earth, there were friendly Earthborns and dangerous Earthborns. 

This was okay but I was glad to get to the end and move on to something else.  It was about courage, love, friendship and survival with the groups fighting against each other along the way to provide some excitement.  I would recommend you read the series in order though and not read this book until you have read the first two.  There is a TV show about this book, but I haven't watched it so can't really compare the book to it.

(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. Happy Reading!

"Find Me" by Laura Van Den Berg

Find Me is about a young girl named Joy.  She has no one to confide in at all.  What she does have is a troubled past and an addiction to cough syrup.  When a sickness spreads through the land, Joy is immune to it and that gains her admission to a hospital.  There she goes through tests and then she breaks out of the hospital to find her mom who abandoned her as a baby.

I found this to be pretty good.  I am not sure I would call this a page turner, but it did keep my interest.  The way it ends leaves open to a second book I would probably read.
(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. Happy Reading!

"Champion" by Marie Lu - Legend Series Book 3 is a Winner!

We both liked Champion by Marie Lu is the last of three in the Legend series about Day and June and did not disappoint!  I hated to see this end.  All the books were so good, but this last one just might be the best!  It is action packed and full of twists and turns with a good ending!  Day and June are the best!  LOVED IT!  Can't wait for more from Marie Lu!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Champion by Marie Lu is the third book in the LEGEND series and for once, the last book in a series does not disappoint.  It was fun reading about June and Day again!  This book is complete with action, suspense, adventure and some touching moments.  I really liked the part when June went to Ross City in Antarctica--what a cool place that would be to live with controlled temperatures, lots of color, and a point system to motivate people to do good.  This is really a good book involving making choices and dealing with tough situations.  I wish though that June's dog, Ollie, had a bigger part.  Both my husband and I loved this series and highly recommend it if you enjoy YA futuristic novels.
(Karen's review) 

See our reviews of her first two books in this series:  Legend and Prodigy. 

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. Happy Reading!

Proxy by Alex London is GREAT Science Fiction

Proxy--Some Debts Cannot Be Repaid by Alex London is great! WOW!! Imagine screwing up and having another person take all the punishment. That is what Syd does for Knox, until one day Syd decides that he had enough and takes off, but runs into Knox! What happens then? Just a real page turner with action galore and the ending is fantastic! The writing is SO good too--LOVED IT!
(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. Happy Reading!

"Prodigy" by Marie Lu (UPDATED 4-16-13)

Starts Slow But Picks Up--Stick With It

Prodigy by Marie Lu is as good as her first book of this series, Legend. This book goes quick because it’s so good! Day and June alternate narrating chapters and the action kept me turning pages. The Republic is on the verge of a revolution and Day and June join forces on the same side, but is it the right side? Who can they trust? Who is telling the truth? Can Day continue to trust June? Tess, developed a major crush on Day and he begins to see her in a different light. The author has a good balance between strong, likeable characters and action and suspense. Prodigy is about friendship, loyalty, trust, and fighting for freedom and social change. I highly recommend this YA read.
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

Prodigy by Marie Lu is the follow up after Legend.  Legend was fantastic; however, Prodigy started very slow.  I would have liked more action but the second half picked up and I really got into it!  I look forward to reading the last book in this series too! 
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

This is the sequel to Legend which we both liked! You should really read that one first.

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. Happy Reading!

"Agenda 21" by Glenn Beck

Agenda 21 by Glenn Beck is a thriller about a young girl named Emmaline who only knows that she is controlled by the authorities. Then one day her mom is taken away and she begins to question why things are the way they are. It moves swiftly! It ends like there will be a second book which I will be reading too!
(Gerard's review, rating 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. Happy Reading!

"Kill Decision" by Daniel Suarez

Unmarked drones are attacking America, causing many deaths and havoc to take place.  This leads to an unlikely alliance between Odin, a special force Sargent and a woman who studies warrior ants--I kid you not!  This book isn't as good as his first, Daemon, which I loved, but did keep me interested all the way with good twists and turns.  I recommend i!
(Gerard's review, rating 4 1/2 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. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

"Starters" by Lissa Price--Fun Read full of Surprises

Starters by Lissa Price takes place in the future but isn't too far out that it is unbelievable. After a war, people lived longer, 150 to 200 years old was common and Prime Destinations developed a way for old people to rent the body of a young person, usually a teen. I loved the idea of the old people getting a new body but keeping all their experience and knowledge. Callie decides to rent out her body for a big sum of money that would be enough to provide a home for her and her little brother who is also sickly. After three rentals, she'd get paid; however, the third rental didn't work quite right and she found herself in a terrible situation and is not sure who she can trust.

I enjoyed this book very much because of all the unexpected things that happen to Callie and the interesting concept. I thought it was a fun read and definitely recommend it! (Karen's review)

Starters by Lissa Price:  WOW!  You will meet Callie, a young girl whose parents are dead, and her 7-yr.-old brother, Tyler, is very sick.  Her only hope to get money is to rent her body out to old people to use.  She really doesn't want to do it but gives in to help her brother.  Everything goes fine at first, but then takes a turn for the worse!  I devoured this book in just two days; kept those pages turning to see what would happen next.  Can't wait for the second book to come out in December!
(Gerard's review)

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. Happy Reading! We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

"Legend" by Marie Lu (UPDATED 1-4-12)

Legend by Marie Lu is teen fiction that takes place in a futuristic Los Angeles.  It is told by a young boy named Day and a young woman named June.  Day is an outlaw and is wanted by the Republic.  June is a member of the Army of the Republic.  They are on opposite sides, or are they?  Legend is so good that the movie rights have already been sold.  If you loved "Hunger Games" and "Divergent," you will love Legend too.  I look forward to the second book in this series.
(Gerard's review)



Legend by Marie Lu is a futuristic teen romantic thriller about a fugitive 15-yr.-old, Day from the slums, who is passionate about protecting his family and helping people, even if it means going against the Republic. When June, a Republic agent and military prodigy from a wealthy family, thinks Day is responsible for killing her brother when trying to steal the cure for the plague to cure his youngest brother, she hunts Day down. This is a fun, adventurous novel that is a page turner. 

Favorite quote from this book:

“I never did ask you about your street name. Why 'Day'?”
“Each day means a new twenty-four hours. Each day means everything's possible again. You live in the moment, you die in the moment, you take it all one day at a time.”

I liked how the author alternated telling the story between Day and June.  It kept my interest and was also easy to follow.  Although somewhat predictable, I enjoyed it very much and was rooting for Day and June to become friends from the start.  I recommend this to anyone who likes action and romance.

(Karen's review:  My rating: 5 of 5 stars)


Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

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"When She Woke" by Hillary Jordan

When She Woke by Hillary Jordan is about Hannah, who had an abortion.  She refused to name the father or the doctor who performed it.  As a consequence of her crime of murder, she had to live her life as a red chrome (She turned red!).  A chrome is a criminal whose skin color is genetically altered to match the color of their crime and released back into society.  How Hannah deals with this, the people she meets and the decisions she makes is the basis for this book.

I really enjoyed When She Woke a lot!  It's a real page turner to say the least.  I cared about Hannah and looked forward to reading more.  I also thought the ending was really good!
(Gerard's Review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

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"Enclave" by Ann Aguirre

For Fans Of The Hunger Games--Publishers Weekly

The start of Enclave by Ann Aguirre was good but then it went flat in my opinion until the last 160 plus pages when I was gripped by it so much that I could not put it down. Wow! It was so good; glad I did not give up on this dystopian novel. There is a teen romance in this like in Hunger Games. One thing I do know for sure, I'll be reading the second book in this trilogy!
(Gerard's review)

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"Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card

I know I'm way late to read Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card since it came out years ago.  That being said, I thought this book was just AWESOME!  For sure my book of the month for April and will rank very high in my books of the year list!

The premise of this book is the government has tabbed Ender to be the next big commander.  He is taken away from his family and sent to "Battle School."  His brother, Peter, and his sister, Valentine, also play interesting roles in this book. 

If you loved Hunger Games and The Maze Runner series, you will love this book too!
(Gerard's Review)

Karen's Review:
I liked Ender's Game very much too.  I'm glad Gerard encouraged me to read it!  Ender is just six years old when the government rejected his older brother and sister and took him instead to train to be the commander to fight against the buggers out in space and save the world.  Ender is very smart and very endearing.  He doesn't want to kill anyone but excels in the battle games.  I liked how even though Ender was an "underdog" he was very clever and came out on top when others made things tough for him.  The only thing I did not like about it was the ending.

If you like stories about mind games, leadership, friendship, bullying, military strategy/training or science fiction, you would love this book!  Anyone with battle experience I think would identify with Enger.  We both highly recommend this one--it's awesome!

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.