The Raven Boys

Stiefvater, M. The Raven Boys. Scholastic, Inc. ,2013. E-Book  ISBN: 9780545424936

 Blue has spent every year with her psychic mom as figments of people that are soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue has never been able to see them until this year when she sees a boy. The boy speaks to her, and this is unheard of. Blue soon discovers that his name is Gansey, and he is one of the boys from the local private boarding school, Aglionby. These boys are referred to as The Raven Boys. She has been warned to stay away from them because they are nothing but trouble, but Blue finds her self strangely pulled to Gansey. She has been told her whole life that she will be the cause of her true loves death. Is this the beginning of the end? 

This book for me was okay. It was not spectacular, but it had some fun twists and turns. There were moments that felt like it dragged, and I just wanted something exciting to happen. It’s worth the read though once you get sucked in to it.

LeAnne says, “All I could think about was Gansey really her true love? He was kind of a jerk. It didn’t seem to work for me. “

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

 Bardugo, L. Shadow and Bone. Square Fish, 2013. ISBN-13: 9781250027436. E-book 2.99.

 The great nation of Ravka is being torn apart from a darkness unlike any other, the Shadow Fold. The monsters within this dark are ravishing the town and feeding on the villagers. There is only one person can save them and that is Alina Starkov. Alina has never been anyone special. She is just a normal girl, but when her best friend is hurt, she has a power emerge that she never knew existed. Alina is whisked off to the royal court to be trained by Grisha. She learns quickly though that not everything is as it appears.

 Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo is a great book. It meets every fantasy geeks needs. It has magic, battles, deaths, and shadow monsters. What more could you ask for in a fantasy novel?

More than Friends

Holbrook, Sara and Allan Wolf. More Than Friends: Poems from him and her. Honesdale, Pennsylvania: Wordsong , 2008. Hardback.  ISBN: 978155907855874

More Than Friends: Poems for him and her is a book of poems that are from the perspective of a teenage girl and boy. These poems cover every emotion that a teen goes through when trying to date in high school. Poems about how to respond when first noticing each other to meeting the parents touch on all the emotions good and bad.

This collection of poems by Sara Holbrook and Allan Wolf completely embody the feeling that every teenager go through. We have all experienced the embarrassing moments of trying to figure out how to react to the person that we like. Holbrook and Wolf don’t just approach the fun emotions though, they work through the hard ones about trying to figure out who you are while in a relationship. This book is a must read for all teens.

The Iron King

Kagawa, Julie. The Iron King. Harlequin, 2010. E-Book. $2.99

ISBN: 9780373210084

Meghan Chase has never felt like she belongs. She doesn’t know why, but when she turns 16 things begin to change. She starts seeing things that she shouldn’t, and she doesn’t know why. She learns that she is the daughter of a faery king. Meghan feels like she is being watched, and something is off with her brother. Her brother has been kidnapped and taken to the fey land. How far will she have to go to save him?

The Iron King books are amazing. These are not the faeries of the fairy-tales we grew up with. You are sure to love all the twists and turns. I can guarantee you if you read the first one you will have to read the rest of them.

LeAnne states, “This is not what Tinkerbell taught me. These faeries are crazy cool!”

Clockwork Angel

Clare, Cassandra. Clockwork Angel. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2010. Print (Hardcover).

ISBN: 9781416975861; Price: $24.99

Tessa Gray decides to leave England to head to the United States in search for her brother. When she arrives, she is quickly swept away and held captive by the Dark Sisters and forced to learn to use an ability she didn’t even know she had. Being forced into a marriage with the Magister, Tessa Gray is hopeless until Will Herondale comes to the rescue. Tessa is taken from an everyday mundane world and thrown into a world of Demons, Shadowhunters, and Witches all the while trying to decide between her feelings between Will and Jem.

The Clockwork Angel is a book that is filled with constant action, and just when you think you have the book figured out, you realize that it takes another twist. The Clockwork Angel really embodies the area of steampunk and thrives off of action. I would highly recommend this book as it is sure to pull you in and keep you wanting more.

Meredith, 13 year old, states, “This book has constant action. I don’t know who I want Tessa to end up with.”

Forever by Judy Blume

Blume, J. Forever. New York: Simon Pulse, 1975. ISBN-13: 978-1-4169-3400-4. Paperback. $8.99.

Katherine attends a party at a friend’s house like she has done multiple times before, but this one is different. Here she meets Michael and for some reason she can’t seem to let the idea of him go. Michael and Katherine see their relationship blossom and are excited to experience the full spectrum of what a relationship has to offer. Katherine and Michael feel that their love can never be compromised and will last forever, but a summer apart proves that forever may not be as long as they think.

Forever is a book that is best left for teens ages 15-18. Blume wrote this book in a time were teen sex was a taboo subject. A lot of authors in this time started writing books for the shock value and forgetting the story line, and Blume is no different. Everyone can relate to the feelings and urges that Blume writes about, but where is the story in the book? The book is purely about the sexual relationship between and lacks a true story.