Maybe One Day

Maybe One Day

by Melissa Kantor

Synopsis:

Zoe and her best friend, Olivia, have always had Big Plans: They''ll tour the world as prima ballerinas and live in a swanky Manhattan apartment (where they''ll hang out with their fabulous boyfriends, of course). But when they''re cut from the ballet company, their plans for the future evaporate. Suddenly, Zoe''s dodging cheerleaders who want her and Olivia to go out for the squad, and Olivia''s got a crush on Calvin Taylor, who Zoe can''t stand. 

Zoe can''t imagine anything worse happening . . . until Olivia gets sick. Really sick. Suddenly, not being able to dance is the least of their problems.

Olivia has always been the nice one, the happy-go-lucky one. Zoe has always been the snarky one, the look-on-the-dark-side one. But when your best friend is in the hospital, you better learn to step up fast. Now Zoe needs to put on a brave face and be the positive one. Even when Zoe isn''t sure what to say. Even when Olivia misses months of school. Even when Zoe starts falling for Calvin.

The one thing that keeps Zoe moving forward is knowing that Olivia will beat this thing, and everything will go back to the way it was before. It has to. Because the alternative is too terrifying for Zoe to even imagine.

My thoughts:

Best friends Zoe and Olivia have made Ballet their whole lives until according to Zoe “the worst thing that will happen to us in our entire lives” happens to them; they are cut from their prestigious ballet school. Livvie doesn't seem to fazed by this rejection and finds other activities including teaching a ballet class at a community centre but Zoe is upset and angry and renounces dance especially ballet.  Sadly Zoe’s prediction about being cut from ballet being the "worst things that will happen to us in our entire lives" isn't true when Olivia is diagnosed with Leukemia at the start of the new school year and Zoe’s world is once again shattered.  Kantor does a marvelous job of showing the real life ups and downs that cancer patients and their families and friends have to go through.  Maybe One day is told from Zoe’s point of view which is a change from some of the other “cancer books”; as most of those books are told by the person with cancer. But cancer doesn’t affect just the one person it affects everyone in that person’s life.  Kantor has done a wonderful job of depicting Zoe’s struggles as she simultaneously has to deal with the realities of Olivia’s cancer (that Olivia will not be better over night, as Zoe’s dad says cancer “is a marathon, not a sprint”) but also accept that life still goes on and it’s okay to enjoy it.

Only Everything

Only Everything

By Kieran Scott

Synopsis:

High school romance is tough—even for a bona fide love goddess. Can Cupid succeed as a mortal matchmaker?

When Eros (aka Cupid) is expelled from Olympus for defying Zeus after falling in love with Orion, she is banished to what she believes to be hell. We call it New Jersey. If she ever wants to go back to the comforts of her old life, she will have to find love for three couples—without using her powers.

Eros, now calling herself True, immediately identifies her first project in Charlie and believes finding him love will be a piece of cake. Charlie is new at school and eager to break out of his old image of band geek, so it’s lucky for him when he falls in with the right crowd on his first day. But music is still his passion. That is, until he meets Katrina...

Katrina is floundering after the death of her father and takes refuge with a boy who, while not entirely supportive, will be there when she needs him, unlike her mother. Too bad True thinks any girl Charlie talks to is perfect for him. Can she get out of her own way and help Charlie and Katrina connect, or will she be stuck in New Jersey forever?

My thoughts:

Eros, a minor goddess (yes goddess, no cute cherub baby in diapers in this story), has somehow many to pull Orion out of the sky.  She has no idea how she did it, she's a minor goddess, she's not supposed to have that kind of power!  Scared of Zeus reaction, Eros, with her mother Aphrodite’s help, hides Orion away, visiting him every chances she gets and slowly ends up falling in love with him.  But of course nothing lasts forever and when Zeus finds out he banishes Eros and her mother to Earth with the ultimatum match up three couples without using her love powers (which Zeus strips from her just to be on the safe side) or Orion dies and Eros will be an outcast.  What follows is a light and highly amusing read as Eros tries to navigate high school, relationships and life on earth.  The story is told through three different characters each struggling with their own issues.  There is Eros who takes on the name "True"; she befriends Charlie, the new kid yet again, and tries to help him find his "soul mate" by setting him up with several different girls all of whom are so not compatible and one who is completely crazy.  There is Charlie who wants nothing more than to just be able to play the drums but with a coach for a dad and two older athletic brothers it's a losing battle.  Then there is Katrina, a nice quiet girl who recently lost her father, is having problems with her mom, and has probably picked one of the worst boyfriends she possibly could for herself.  Though it is completely obvious right from the beginning that Charlie and Katrina are the couple that "True" needs to match readers will not be able to put down this page turner. Full of easily relatable relationship drama and funny teenage mishaps Scott has written a wonderfully light hearted romance novel that is sure to please any romantic. Once Charlie and Katrina (finally!) get together it seems like the story has come to an end and everything is wrapped up in a nice neat little bow; However, readers should remember that Eros must match three couples and Zeus won't make it easy for her and nor will Scott who ends Only Everything in a surprising cliff-hanger that will leaving readers gasping at the unfairness of it all and begging for the next book.

I'll Give You The Sun

I'll Give You The Sun

by Jandy Nelson

Synopsis:

Jude and her twin brother, Noah, are incredibly close. At thirteen, isolated Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude cliff-dives and wears red-red lipstick and does the talking for both of them. But three years later, Jude and Noah are barely speaking. Something has happened to wreck the twins in different and dramatic ways . . . until Jude meets a cocky, broken, beautiful boy, as well as someone else—an even more unpredictable new force in her life. The early years are Noah''s story to tell. The later years are Jude''s. What the twins don''t realize is that they each have only half the story, and if they could just find their way back to one another, they’d have a chance to remake their world.

My thoughts:

I'll Give You The Sun is told in alternating voices by twins Noah and Jude who used to be inseparable. Noah tells his side of the story when he is 13.  Both twins are artists and their mom decides they should be attending the California School of Art, a very prestigious art school.  Jude has no desire to go to the "freak school" and leave all her friends but Noah, who has never fit in, loves the idea and becomes almost obsessive in his quest to gain a spot at CSA. The arrival of Brian to their coastal town is the only other event that Noah truly cares about as he experiences first love and the pain that can accompany it.  Jude's story is told three years later when the twins are 16 and the twins are barely talking to each other. She is on a "boy boycott" after a bad sexual experience followed almost immediately by her mother's death in a car crash; she has been accepted into the art school and is a sculptor student there while Noah for reasons unknown was not admitted.  Jude believes she is being haunted by both her grandmother who tries to help and her mom who hates her; in an effort to please her mom she turns to a brilliant but troubled sculptor for mentoring and meets Oscar who is a definite threat to her self-imposed boy boycott.  I'll Give You The Sun is a story about grief, betrayal, and love. Over the course of this novel the reader sees the twin’s relationship fall apart in Noah's story and slowly start to mend in Jude’s. With both twins being artists, the narration is stunning and Nelson is to be congratulated on her ability to give each twin such a distinct voice; Noah's narrative is a full of dramatic over-the-top descriptions as well as lots of unbelievable color while Jude's, which has been affected by her mother's death, is deeply emotional and peppered with her grandmother's "bible wisdom" (such as Nothing curdles love in the heart like lemon on the tongue). Between all the emotional highs and lows that the twins experience and the beautiful writing Nelson offers this is a novel that will not be quickly forgot by readers.

All The Truth That's In Me

All The Truth That's In Me

by Julie Berry

Synopsis: 

Four years ago, Judith and her best friend disappeared from their small town of Roswell Station. Two years ago, only Judith returned, permanently mutilated, reviled and ignored by those who were once her friends and family.

Unable to speak, Judith lives like a ghost in her own home, silently pouring out her thoughts to the boy who’s owned her heart as long as she can remember—even if he doesn’t know it—her childhood friend, Lucas.

But when Roswell Station is attacked, long-buried secrets come to light, and Judith is forced to choose: continue to live in silence, or recover her voice, even if it means changing her world, and the lives around her, forever.

This startlingly original novel will shock and disturb you; it will fill you with Judith’s passion and longing; and its mysteries will keep you feverishly turning the pages until the very last.

My thoughts:

Judith was kidnapped at age 14 by a madman that the townspeople thought was dead.  At 16 the madman released her and she was able to return home but she had been silenced in an effort to protect her and was unable to tell anyone her tale.  Now two years later Judith lives as a mute and is treated as an outcast in her village, even her mother acts ashamed of her. With the threat of an attack on her village Judith willingly goes back to the madman for help which causes shocking discoveries to be made and forces Judith to decide if she will remain silent or if she will reclaim her voice and let all the truth that's in her be heard.  All The Truth That's In Me is truly an original take on what could be consider a fairly simple story.  This story is told through a monologue that runs through Judith's head and which is almost exclusively directed at Lucas, the boy that Judith has loved for as long as she can remember. Berry artfully reveals characters and plotlines with easy, marking almost every page with little (or sometimes major) clues that help to build up the suspense.  The time and setting of the story is never discussed, one gets the sense that it is the 1800s in North America but this is never confirmed which lends even more mystery to the story.  As all the pieces fall into place the reader with be amazed with Berry's story telling abilities and haunted by Judith's voice. This novel is a hidden gem and one that needs to be raved about to everyone.

Death Sworn

Death Sworn

by Lean Cypess

Synopsis:

Ileni is losing her magic. And that means she''s losing everything: Her status as the renegade sorcerers'' most powerful rising star. Her purpose in life. The boy she loves. Her home.

Exiled to teach sorcery to the assassins hidden deep within the mountains, she expects no one will ever hear from her again. The last two tutors died within weeks of each other. As Ileni unravels the mystery surrounding their deaths, she''ll uncover secrets that have been kept for decades-and she''ll find an unexpected ally and dangerous new love.

But even he may not be able to protect her. Not when she''s willing to risk everything.

My Thoughts:

Three of my favorite things...murder, mystery and magic...top with assassins and romance and Cypress has a guaranteed bestseller!!  I was ensnared from the first page.  Ileni is losing her magic and that means losing her status as the renegade sorcerers’ most powerful rising star, the boy she loves and her purpose in life.  Giving up on life she volunteers to leave her home to teach sorcery to the assassins deep within the mountains.  She doesn’t expect to come out alive.  The last two teachers sent were murdered.  Her only hope is that before she too is killed that she will discover who is behind the murders of the previous tutors.  This is a well written engaging story that lovers of fantasy will devour.

Tumble & Fall

Tumble & Fall

by Alexandra Coutts

Synopsis:

The world is living in the shadow of oncoming disaster. An asteroid is set to strike the earth in just one week's time; catastrophe is unavoidable. The question isn't how to save the world-the question is, what to do with the time that''s left? Against this stark backdrop, three island teens wrestle with intertwining stories of love, friendship and family-all with the ultimate stakes at hand. 

Alexandra Coutts''s TUMBLE & FALL is a powerful story of courage, love, and hope at the end of the world. 

My thoughts:

What would you do in the last days of life if you knew the world was going to be destroyed in one week? Coutts intertwines the story of three teens, as they, and the rest of society, stare down the end of the world. Sienna has just returned home from a rehabilitation centre after a suicide attempt.  Zan is struggling  cope with the death of her boyfriend, and finally, Caden is confronted by the father who abandoned him and now, in the final days of life, wants to reconcile.  Coutts’ creates characters that offer both depth and appeal.  The stories, rather than focussing on end of the world scenes like rioting and chaos, instead focus on stories of forgiveness and family.  This is a well crafted refreshing read that appeal to a wide variety of readers.  

A House in the Sky

A House in the Sky

by Amanda Lindhout & Sara Corbett

Synopsis:

As a child, Amanda Lindhout escaped a violent household by paging through issues of National Geographic and imagining herself in its exotic locales. At the age of nineteen, working as a cocktail waitress in Calgary, Alberta, she began saving her tips so she could travel the globe. Aspiring to understand the world and live a significant life, she backpacked through Latin America, Laos, Bangladesh, and India, and emboldened by each adventure, went on to Sudan, Syria, and Pakistan. In war-ridden Afghanistan and Iraq she carved out a fledgling career as a television reporter. And then, in August 2008, she traveled to Somalia-"the most dangerous place on earth." On her fourth day, she was abducted by a group of masked men along a dusty road.

Held hostage for 460 days, Amanda converts to Islam as a survival tactic, receives "wife lessons" from one of her captors, and risks a daring escape. Moved between a series of abandoned houses in the desert, she survives on memory-every lush detail of the world she experienced in her life before captivity-and on strategy, fortitude, and hope. When she is most desperate, she visits a house in the sky, high above the woman kept in chains, in the dark, being tortured.

Vivid and suspenseful, as artfully written as the finest novel, A House in the Sky is the searingly intimate story of an intrepid young woman and her search for compassion in the face of unimaginable adversity.

My thoughts:

I first heard Amanda’s story when she was a keynote at teachers’ convention. There must have been 3000 people in the packed room and while she told her story not a murmur could be heard.   This memoir is just as captivating.  She begins by telling the story of as a child of a dysfunctional family.  To escape, she travels to Calgary after high school, where she earns enough money as a waitress to begin her lifelong dream of travelling the world.  She went from South America to Asia to increasingly risky trips into Pakistan, Syria, and Afghanistan. While working as a freelance journalist, Amanda Lindhout and Nigel Brennan, an Australian photographer, travelled to Somalia where they are kidnapped and held for ransom.  A ransom that both the Canadian and Australian governments refused to pay.  She writes of her months of captivity with an honesty that at times is difficult to read.  She talks about the teenage soldiers who guarded them with an understanding  voice that places no blame on the teenage boys that brutalized her while in captivity.  She is betrayed by Nigel, beaten and sexually abused and, as her health declines, she creates “a house in the sky” to hold  everything she loves.  Teens will appreciate the honesty and be inspired by the survival of Lindhout. They will also be amazed by forgiveness that Lindhout demonstrates by her current work establishing a school for Somalian refugees in Nairobi.  

The Hit

The Hit

by Melvin Burgess

Synopsis:

Live the ultimate high. Pay the ultimate price. The shocking return to YA by the author of Smack.

A new drug is on the street. Everyone''s buzzing about it. Take the hit. Live the most intense week of your life. Then die. It''s the ultimate high at the ultimate price. Adam thinks it over. He''s poor, and doesn''t see that changing. Lizzie, his girlfriend, can''t make up her mind about sleeping with him, so he can''t get laid. His brother Jess is missing. And Manchester is in chaos, with the cops in the pockets of the dealers and with a group of homegrown terrorists, the Zealots, battling to overthrow the banks. Wouldn''t one amazing week be better than this endless misery? After Adam downs one of the Death pills, he''s about to find out.

My thoughts:

There is a new drug in town.  Everyone is talking about.  It is called Death.  Those who take it, have one amazing week.  But the price of this amazing week is death.  Adam, the protagonist,  decides to join in. Adam's life is going nowhere: his brother is dead and his girlfriend doesn't love him. He doesn't feel like he has anything to lose The book tells the story of how his amazing week suddenly isn't so perfect after all. Adam falls for Lizzie, an upbeat teenager with no intention of dying.  She decides to make Adam’s last week a good one but nothing seems to work out.  The pair get caught between a terrifying criminal gang and the shadowy revolutionary group, the Zealots.  The new drug, 'Death', is such a simple concept that is genius in so many ways. In the story, it starts out as a form of euthanasia but turns into something much greater. This action, violent  filled story will engage both the avid and reluctant reader. The surprise ending will leave readers shocked.  

The Weight of Blood

The Weight of Blood

by Laura McHugh

Synopsis:

The town of Henbane sits deep in the Ozark Mountains. Folks there still whisper about Lucy Dane's mother, a bewitching stranger who appeared long enough to marry Carl Dane and then vanished when Lucy was just a child. Now on the brink of adulthood, Lucy experiences another loss when her friend Cheri disappears and is then found murdered, her body placed on display for all to see. Lucy's family has deep roots in the Ozarks, part of a community that is fiercely protective of its own. Yet despite her close ties to the land, and despite her family's influence, Lucy-darkly beautiful as her mother was-is always thought of by those around her as her mother's daughter. When Cheri disappears, Lucy is haunted by the two lost girls-the mother she never knew and the friend she couldn't save-and sets out with the help of a local boy, Daniel, to uncover the mystery behind Cheri's death.
 What Lucy discovers is a secret that pervades the secluded Missouri hills, and beyond that horrific revelation is a more personal one concerning what happened to her mother more than a decade earlier. The Weight of Blood is an urgent look at the dark side of a bucolic landscape beyond the arm of the law, where a person can easily disappear without a trace. Laura McHugh proves herself a masterly storyteller who has created a harsh and tangled terrain as alive and unforgettable as the characters who inhabit it. Her mesmerizing debut is a compelling exploration of the meaning of family: the sacrifices we make, the secrets we keep, and the lengths to which we will go to protect the ones we love.

My thoughts:

I was browsing the bookstore just looking for anything that wasn't dystopic or teen romance when this book title caught my eye.  The story itself is dark and the setting, the small town of Henbane that sits deep in the Ozark Mountains is a perfect fit.  Everyone in town believed that Cheri had just run away from a bad mother.  However, when her mutilated body shows up on display in the town river a year later Lucy, our primary protagonist becomes haunted by the death.  It turns out that Lucy's mother, a bewitching stranger who appeared long enough to marry Lucy's father, disappeared without a trace a decade earlier.  Lucy begins to wonder if perhaps her mother's disappearance was a murder as well.  As Lucy searches for answers she discovers a secret that pervades the secluded Missouri hills, and beyond that horrific revelation is a more personal one concerning what happened to her mother more than a decade earlier.  This novel, told from different characters perspectives and time periods is guaranteed to keep readers turning pages through the night.

Bright Before Sunrise

Bright Before Sunrise

by Tiffany Schmidt

Synopsis:

Jonah and Brighton are about to have the most awkwardly, awful night of their lives. For Jonah, every aspect of his new life reminds him of what he has had to give up. All he wants is to be left alone. Brighton is popular, pretty, and always there to help anyone, but has no idea of what she wants for herself

My thoughts:

Brighton Waterford, the most popular girl at prestigious Cross Pointe High School, has made it her mission to get the entire student body to participate in some type of volunteer activity in honor of her father that passed away 5 years previous. Jonah Prentiss, a new student who can’t stand Cross Pointe, lives for the weekends when he can escape back to his hometown that he was forced to leave and is the one student Brighton can’t get to tell her the time of day much less do some volunteer work.  Over the course of a single night full of mishaps, almost fistfights, misunderstandings, an angry ex-girlfriend, and some painful revelations Brighton and Jonah’s perspectives of the other changes drastically and they discover a spark between them that neither one wants to ignore. This novel is told from both teens point of view in alternating chapters and Schmidt has done a marvelous job in making her two characters believable; in Jonah Schmidt has captured his anger and frustration over his lack of control with his life and in Brighton the reader can easily see her exhaustion and the massive amount of pressure she is under. Bright Before Sunrise is a fun and lighthearted opposites-attract type of love story that will leave the reader with warm, fuzzy feelings.

Freakboy

Freakboy

by Kristin Elizabeth Clark

Synopsis:

From the outside, Brendan Chase seems to have it pretty easy. He's a star wrestler, a video game aficionado, and a loving boyfriend to his seemingly perfect match, Vanessa. But on the inside, Brendan struggles to understand why his body feels so wrong--why he sometimes fantasizes having long hair, soft skin, and gentle curves. Is there even a name for guys like him? Guys who sometimes want to be girls? Or is Brendan just a freak?

In "Freakboy"'s""razor-sharp verse, Kristin Clark folds three narratives into one powerful story: Brendan trying to understand his sexual identity, Vanessa fighting to keep her and Brendan's relationship alive, and Angel struggling to confront her demons.

My thoughts:

Brendan is a wrestler, an excellents students, and has the perfect girlfriend.  But for Brendan being with Vanessa just isn’t enough; sometimes he wants to be like Vanessa, with soft skin and long, silky hair. Vanessa is the only girl on the wrestling team and has had to deal with quite a lot of harassment from the rest of the team.  She loves Brendan but when he starts to pulling away from her, she is hurt, scared because she has no idea why.  Angel is a trans, who has not had sex-reassignment surgery and maybe never will because as she says she is “blessed to like me / the way I am”.  Angel has had to travel a hard road and while life is pretty good now she still has her set of problems to deal with. Angel works at Willows Teen LGBTQ Center and when she meets Brendan she decides to try and help him figure out where exactly he feels comfortable on the gender spectrum.  In a style that will remind readers of Ellen Hopkins, Clark’s Debut novel Freakboy is told from three very different points of view using free verse to tell a compelling story about a very complex topic. Freakboy explores many different types of gender identity showing the reader that sometimes there is no easy answer when it comes to gender and introducing a few new terms that the reader may not be familiar with such as genderqueer and gender fluid. This novel doesn’t shy away from the struggles that most transgender teens will face at some point but it also offers hope. Clark’s Freakboy is a must for libraries.

Faking Normal

Faking Normal

by Courtney C. Stevens

Synopsis:

Alexi Littrell hasn't told anyone what happened to her over the summer. Ashamed and embarrassed, she hides in her closet and compulsively scratches the back of her neck, trying to make the outside hurt more than the inside does.

At school, nobody sees the scratches or her pain. The only person she connects with is the mysterious Captain Lyric, who writes song lyrics on her fourth-period desk for her to complete. With pencil marks and music, Alexi carves out a comfortable space for herself as she and the Captain finish each other''s songs-words on a desk feel safer than words spoken aloud.

But when Bodee Lennox, the quiet and awkward boy next door, comes to live with the Littrells, Alexi discovers an unlikely friend who understands her better than anyone. He has secrets of his own and knows all about suffering in silence. As they lean on each other for support, Alexi gives him the strength to deal with his past, and Bodee helps her find the courage to finally speak up.

With her powerful, moving debut novel, author Courtney C. Stevens emerges as an extraordinary new talent to watch.

My thoughts:

Faking Normal is a gripping and emotionally stirring read about victims wrongfully blaming themselves.  Alexi Littrell didn’t tell anyone what happened to her over the summer.  Instead, ashamed and embarrassed she hides in her closet and compulsively scratches the back of her neck in an attempt to have the physical pain hurt more than the emotional scars.   Brodee, the quiet boy whose mother just committed suicide,  too has a secret he hides.  In a novel where grief and trauma dominates, Alexi and Bodee’s slow growth of trust in each other, and the subsequent slow reveal of the traumas they’ve faced, is not only powerful but will keep readers engaged.  While the subject matter is very serious, at it’s core this is an uplifting and inspiring story about what being a friend really means. The story will stay with readers for a longtime.  

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ave Lavender

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ave Lavender 

by Leslye Walton

Synopsis:

Magical realism, lyrical prose, and the pain and passion of human love haunt this hypnotic generational saga. 

Foolish love appears to be the Roux family birthright, an ominous forecast for its most recent progeny, Ava Lavender. Ava - in all other ways a normal girl - is born with the wings of a bird. In a quest to understand her peculiar disposition and a growing desire to fit in with her peers, sixteen-year old Ava ventures into the wider world, ill-prepared for what she might discover and naive to the twisted motives of others. Others like the pious Nathaniel Sorrows, who mistakes Ava for an angel and whose obsession with her grows until the night of the summer solstice celebration. That night, the skies open up, rain and feathers fill the air, and Ava's quest and her family's saga build to a devastating crescendo. First-time author Leslye Walton has constructed a layered and unforgettable mythology of what it means to be born with hearts that are tragically, exquisitely human.

My thoughts:

Everyone in Ava’s family has suffered at the hands of love: Her Great-Grandmother when she was left by her husband after having to immigrate from France to “Manhatine”, her Grandmother Emiliene when she loses the love of her life and every one of her siblings, and finally her mother Vivianne when she was abandoned by her childhood sweetheart after a night that left her pregnant with twins Ava and Henry. When the story moves on to Ava’s tale it shows a girl who is trapped by family history and her own reality (she was born with wings); a girl who is trying to figure out where she truly fits in the world and if the world can even accept a girl like her.  Emiliene, Vivianne, and Ava all live in the same house together but all of them due to history or circumstance are hiding and it is only when Ava endures a violent assault from a soul misguided in his obsession that love’s wounds begin to heal and the women start to relate to each other as a true family. The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ave Lavender is a multi-generational novel that tells of love and it’s victims. With events that could easy have come out of a fairytale setting - Emiliene’s sister turns into a bird and Vivianne’s incredible sense of smell -  Walton has created a beautiful and haunting story that perfectly blends magic, myth, and realism together.  

Proxy

Proxy

by Alex London

Synopsis:

Knox was born into one of the City''s wealthiest families. A Patron, he has everything a boy could possibly want—the latest tech, the coolest clothes, and a Proxy to take all his punishments. When Knox breaks a vase, Syd is beaten. When Knox plays a practical joke, Syd is forced to haul rocks. And when Knox crashes a car, killing one of his friends, Syd is branded and sentenced to death.

Syd is a Proxy.  His life is not his own.

Then again, neither is Knox's. Knox and Syd have more in common than either would guess. So when Knox and Syd realize that the only way to beat the system is to save each other, they flee. Yet Knox's father is no ordinary Patron, and Syd is no ordinary Proxy. The ensuing cross-country chase will uncover a secret society of rebels, test both boys' resolve, and shine a blinding light onto a world of those who owe and those who pay. Some debts, it turns out, cannot be repaid.

A fast-paced, thrill-ride of novel full of non-stop action, heart-hammering suspense and true friendship—just as moving as it is exhilarating. Fans of Anthony Horowitz''s Alex Rider series, James Dashner''s Maze Runner, Patrick Ness''s Chaos Walking series, and Marie Lu''s Legend trilogy will be swept away by this story.

My thoughts:

Imagine never having to pay for a wrong you do?  This is the life of Knox.  He was born wealthy and as a Patron whenever he does wrong, his Proxy is the one punished.  

Imagine having to pay for the wrong someone else does?  Someone breaks something and you are fined? Someone steals something and you are penalized.  This is the life of Sid.  

He is Proxy to Knox and when Knox crashes a car, killing his latest girlfriend, Syd is branded and sentenced to 16 years at the Old Sterling Work Colony.  Too great a punishment for Syd to bear, he escapes.  An action packed thrill ride results and Syd meets up with Knox, who helps him flee.  Fans of Dashner’s Maze Runner Trilogy and Horowitz’s Alex Rider series will be thrilled with the nonstop action and heart hammering suspense.  Recommended to both avid and reluctant readers.

Fates

Fates

by Lanie Bross

Synopsis:

One moment. One foolish desire. One mistake. And Corinthe lost everything.

She fell from her tranquil life in Pyralis Terra and found herself exiled to the human world. Her punishment? To make sure people''s fates unfold according to plan. Now, years later, Corinthe has one last assignment: kill Lucas Kaller. His death will be her ticket home.

But for the first time, Corinthe feels a tingle of doubt. It begins as a lump in her throat, then grows toward her heart, and suddenly she feels like she is falling all over again--this time for a boy she knows she can never have. Because it is written: one of them must live, and one of them must die. In a universe where every moment, every second, every fate has already been decided, where does love fit in?

My thoughts:

All Corinthe, the first Fallen Fate in history, wants is to return home to Pyralis and her sister Fates.  Sent to Humana (Earth) for her curiosity and losing a marble of fate over the waterfall, she is given a new responsibility as an Executor and must help humans to complete their unfulfilled destinies. Luc is a star athlete trying to figure out what he really wants while keeping his little sister, Jasmine, safe (mostly from herself). When the two finally meet, they both feel an instant attraction that is hard to ignore but shortly after their encounter Corinthe is given her last task to complete that will allow her to return home to Pyralis: kill Luc. With doubts setting in Corinthe tries to complete this last task and as Luc fights for his life, both make a crazy leap off an abandoned building sending the story, Luc, and Corinthe into full blown fantasy. Traveling different worlds as well as the crossroads that connect all of the worlds together, Luc and Corinthe call an uneasy truce in order to save Jasmine who was lured to the world of the Blood Nymphs and is slowly becoming one of them. Fates is a story full of mystery and wonder. Bross has created an unforgettable story filled with many different worlds each one more imaginative than the last. As the story progresses, Corinthe starts to grow and slowly becomes more human causing her to question everything that she has ever been taught. Can a person change their destiny or is everything fated? Readers will have to wait for the sequel which comes out spring 2015 to find out.

Coldest Girl in Coldtown

Coldest Girl in Coldtown

by Holly Black

Synopsis:

Tana lives in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. The only problem is, once you pass through Coldtown''s gates, you can never leave.

One morning, after a perfectly ordinary party, Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses. The only other survivors of this massacre are her exasperatingly endearing ex-boyfriend, infected and on the edge, and a mysterious boy burdened with a terrible secret. Shaken and determined, Tana enters a race against the clock to save the three of them the only way she knows how: by going straight to the wicked, opulent heart of Coldtown itself.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is a wholly original story of rage and revenge, of guilt and horror, and of love and loathing from bestselling and acclaimed author Holly Black.

My thoughts:

The vampires are no longer satisfied to live in the shadows; the government in an effort to stop the spread of vampirism set up Coldtowns where vampires, and their worshippers live behind a set of steel walls like celebrities - as well as humans that were trapped when the walls went up because leaving a Coldtown is almost impossible.  After a night of partying with friends, Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses; during the night someone foolishly opened a window and let the vampires in. As Tana hunts for her keys and shoes she discovers two other survivors; Aidan, her ex-boyfriend who has gone "cold" and will turn into a vampire if he gets the human blood he is craving, and a mysterious vampire locked in chains named Gavriel. As these three unlikely companions escape Tana is bitten and starts to go "cold" herself; Not wanting to risk her family as she tries to fight off the vampire disease (if she can survive 88 days without drinking human blood the disease will leave her body and she will be human again), Tana drives herself, Aidan, and Gavriel to the nearest Coldtown.  Black's novel, inspired by a short story of the same title, is a dark, and violent thriller.  Tana is a extremely resourceful girl with the courage and wit to stand off against monsters and do what's right. For those sick to death of vampire lit, Coldest Girl in Coldtown is a new and completely original take on the genre and vampire fans with not want to miss it.  

Minders

Minders

by Michele Jaffe

Synopsis:

Q: If the boy you love commits a crime, would you turn him in?
Sadie Ames is a type-A teenager from the wealthy suburbs. She''s been accepted to the prestigious Mind Corps Fellowship program, where she''ll spend six weeks as an observer inside the head of Ford, a troubled boy with a passion for the crumbling architecture of the inner city. There''s just one problem: Sadie''s fallen in love with him.
Q: What if the crime is murder?
Ford Winters is haunted by the murder of his older brother, James. As Sadie falls deeper into his world, dazzled by the shimmering pinpricks of color that form images in his mind, she begins to think she knows him. Then Ford does something unthinkable.
Q: What if you saw it happen from inside his mind?
Back in her own body, Sadie is faced with the ultimate dilemma. With Ford''s life in her hands, she must decide what is right and what is wrong. And how well she can really ever know someone, even someone she loves.
A high concept, cinematic read with a surprising twist, MINDERS asks the question: who is really watching who?

My thoughts:

Enter the mind of subject nine, aka Ford Winters, a nineteen year old boy troubled boy who is haunted by the murder of his brother.  A mind that is angry and while it has the potential for murder and destruction also has the potential to love and create.  Sadie Ames enters this mind when she is selected for the Mind Corps Fellowship. As a Mind Corp researcher, Sadie will experience Syncopy, which allows her to live within a subject’s mind as an observer while her own body is placed in stasis. Sadie trusts that her cold and analytical mind will make her the perfect candidate to objectively catalogue her subject’s thoughts and actions. But being inside the mind of Ford Winter is much more intense than Sadie anticipated. Seeing all of Ford’s thoughts and insecurities, Sadie is fascinated by the workings of her subject’s mind and soon finds it impossible to keep her emotions in check. Sadie watches helplessly as the boy she comes to love place himself in the crosshairs of a highly dangerous enemy. This edgy sci-fi thriller is a refreshing change from the post apocalyptic literature of late and provides an accurate and consuming picture of humanity. Jaffe perfectly describes Ford’s subconscious thoughts and raw emotions such as grief, betrayal and love, leaving readers feeling as though they are trapped inside his mind along with Sadie.  An expertly written novel that is highly recommended for teen readers.  

The Ring & The Crown

The Ring & The Crown

by Melissa De La Cruz

Synopsis:

Princess Marie-Victoria, heir to the Lily Throne, and Aelwyn Myrddn, bastard daughter of the Mage of England, grew up together. But who will rule, and who will serve? 

Quiet and gentle, Marie has never lived up to the ambitions of her mother, Queen Eleanor the Second, Supreme Ruler of the Franco-British Empire. With the help of her Head Merlin, Emrys, Eleanor has maintained her stranglehold on the world's only source of magic. She rules the most powerful empire the world has ever seen. 

But even with the aid of Emrys' magic, Eleanor's extended lifespan is nearing its end. The princess must marry and produce an heir or the Empire will be vulnerable to its greatest enemy, Prussia. The two kingdoms must unite to end the war, and the only solution is a match between Marie and Prince Leopold VII, heir to the Prussian throne. But Marie has always loved Gill, her childhood friend and soldier of the Queen's Guard. 


Together, Marie and Aelwyn, a powerful magician in her own right, come up with a plan. Aelwyn will take on Marie's face, allowing the princess to escape with Gill and live the quiet life she's always wanted. And Aelwyn will get what she's always dreamed of--the chance to rule. But the court intrigue and hunger for power in Lenoran England run deeper than anyone could imagine. In the end, there is only rule that matters in Eleanor's court: trust no one.

My thoughts:

The Ring and The Crown follows five teens in the early 1900s of an alternate Earth where magic is not only real but also highly sought after and the Franco-British Empire rules a very large part of the known world. Aelwyn, daughter of the Merlin the most powerful mage in the kingdom and second only to the Queen, has just returned from Avalon to become a court mage and serve her best friend, the princess.  Marie-Victoria, only child of 150 year old Queen Eleanor, is being forced into an arranged marriage to the Prussian KronPrinz Leopold to seal a peace treaty between the two nations; though Marie-Victoria is in love with someone else. Ronan Ashtor, a young New York socialite, is going to the London to "do the season" and find a rich husband (preferably with a title) to save her family for ruin.  Wolfgang, Leopold's little brother who usually goes by the nickname Wolf, is returning to London for his brother's wedding and to support Marie-Victoria, one of his oldest friends.  Isabelle of Orleans, whose family ruled France till they were defeated by the British, heads to London to steal back her fiance Leopold from his future wife.  In this beautiful created world of sparkling ball gowns and high drama, De la Cruz has blend history with fantasy seamlessly.  Though the novel does start slowly by the end the reader will be breathless with the fast-paced sequences of events and the many plot twists. The Ring and The Crown has so much happening by the end of the novel it is not surprising that some issues remain unresolved and readers will have to wait for the next installment of the series for the answers.

Fangirl

Fangirl

by Rainbow Rowell

Synopsis:

In Rainbow Rowell''s Fangirl, Cath is a Simon Snow fan. Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan, but for Cath, being a fan is her life-and she's really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it's what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath's sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can't let go. She doesn't want to.Now that they're going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn't want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She's got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can't stop worrying about her dad, who's loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

My thoughts:

The world of Simon Snow is something special that twin sisters Cath and Wren have shared since their mom left.  They read and reread the books, visited the forums, dressed up for midnight book releases and even wrote fanfiction about the series. But with the start of college Wren decides she is too old for such things, informing Cath that college is the place to meet new people  and that she will not be sharing a dorm room with her sister. Cath alone, scary, and completely overwhelmed by the size and expectations of college hides in her room immersing herself in her two year epic Simon Snow fanfiction that she is determined to finish before the final installment of the series.  But life intervenes forcing Cath out of her comfort zone and breaking down her protective shell. Fangirl is a funny but realistic story that deals with many complex issues such as abandonment, addiction, and mental illness. Rowell genius lays in her ability to write such well-developed and endearing characters that are never entirely perfect making them instantly relatable for the reader. While fans of fanfiction will thrill at finding this memorable story about one of their own, Fangirl is a novel that should be in every library.

Boy on the Edge

Boy on the Edge 

by Fridrik Erlings

Synopsis:

Henry has a clubfoot and he is the target of relentless bullying. One day, in a violent fit of anger, Henry lashes out at the only family he has - his mother. Sent to live with other troubled boys at the Home of Lesser Brethren, an isolated farm perched in the craggy lava fields along the unforgiving Icelandic coast, Henry finds a precarious contentment among the cows. But it is the people, including the manic preacher who runs the home, who fuel Henry's frustration and sometimes rage as he yearns for a life and a home. Author Fridrik Erlings offers a young adult novel that explores cruelty and desperation, tenderness and remorse, but most importantly, kindness and friendship.

My Thoughts:

Henry is an outcast who can’t read, stutters and has a clubfoot.  Constantly tormented and teased at school the silent Henry lashes out, in a violent fit of rage, at the only family he has -- his mother.  Henry is then sent to live at the Home of Lesser Brethren, an isolated farm for troubled boys.  The farm is perched in the craggy lava fields along the unforgiving Icelandic coast and is run by the neurotically zealous Reverend Oswald and his kindly wife, Emily.  Henry finds acceptance among the cows he tends; however, he is still unable to build relationships with the people around him and his loneliness threatens to overcome him.  In an attempt to find a friend Henry keeps a secret from Emily and the Reverend that causes the tragedy that eventually leads to the family breaking up.   The violent and isolated setting is the ideal backdrop for a story about a boy who too is full of violence and isolation.  This is a touching novel that is highly recommended.  

Cruel Beauty

Cruel Beauty

by Rosamund Hodge

Synopsis: 

Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a reckless bargain her father struck. And since birth, she has been training to kill him.

Betrayed by her family yet bound to obey, Nyx rails against her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, she abandons everything she''s ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, disarm him, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.

But Ignifex is not what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle-a shifting maze of magical rooms-enthralls her. As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex''s secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. But even if she can bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him?  Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast,Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.

My thoughts:

An engaging and complex tale that infuses elements of the Greek myth Cupid and Psyche and the classic fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast.  Nyx has been raised to marry and murder the Gentle Lord, the tyrant held responsible for separating her land from the rest of the world and controlling the demons that haunt it.  However, once Nyx meets her new husband, Ignifex, she soon realizes he is not the monster she was brought up to believe.  She must choose between following her heart and fulfilling her duty. The tension and resulting banter between Nyx and Ignifex is lively and sharp.  This is an intricate and arresting read for teens who enjoy mythology and romantic fantasy.  

Traitor

Traitor

by Andy McNab & Robert Rigby

Synopsis

Danny Watts'' grandfather, Fergus, was a Deniable Operator in the SAS before he was betrayed, imprisoned, and falsely denounced as a traitor. Now Fergus has escaped, but the real traitor is determined to silence Fergus and Danny for good. Together Danny and Fergus are forced to go on the run in an against-the-odds battle for survival. As they try to clear Fergus'' name, Danny learns all the military field craft, trade skills, and covert operations techniques that are second nature to his grandfather. When Fergus is recaptured, Danny must put those skills to the test and rescue Fergus before it''s too late.

My thoughts:

The book has a pace that gets very quick very fast, with only brief respites for flashbacks told by the characters. The use of this fast pace made me feel like I was there with Danny and with Fergus. Overall this is an extremely well written book that will pull you in and never let you go. It has a masterfully executed style and a pace that doesn’t let you get a breath except when you are about to settle down for a nice night’s rest  in a metro tunnel way.  The pace of the book made me want to keep reading even when I shouldn't. 

As I read this book I realized that the glossary in the beginning of the book was not just to show off the knowledge of the writers but to help you understand all of the acronyms used by the characters in the book.  However, the constant use of the acronyms was annoying because it kept breaking my immersion to have to flip back to the beginning of the book to understand what something means, like SOP meaning “standard operating procedure” which I commonly forgot. Overall I would have to say that this book is an extremely fun, well paced read that takes the reader out of the world of reality and into a world of danger and suspense. The few downers I found were that it was a very light read with easy wording (apart from the acronyms). So it didn’t take very long to finish. The use of the acronyms tore my attention away from the book and took me back into the fact that it is only a book, not some other world/dimension to get immersed in.

reviewed by R.W., Grade 10 Scona student

The Lost World

The Lost World

by Michael Crichton

Synopsis:

It is now six years since the secret disaster at Jurassic Park, six years since the extraordinary dream of science and imagination came to a crashing end-the dinosaurs destroyed, the park dismantled, and the island indefinitely closed to the public.
 There are rumors that something has survived. . . .

My Thoughts:

I personally loved this book! If you loved "jurassic park" , "The Lost World" is for you! The book is equally thrilling and just as sci fi spectacular as Jurassic park and fits perfectly as the next book in the series. If you haven't read Jurassic park you are missing out! like any good book it is a heck of a lot better than the movie and  is a perfect sci fiction/thriller!

"The Lost World" is a perfect speed, but first it provides you with some crazy science info so you can understand what the nerds in this book are talking about. Then it cuts to the chase. I can honestly say i read this book in 7 sittings. Full of suspense, wonder (a few casualties along the way) and evil this book WILL keep you reading! I have never been so terrified of a book before! I know it sounds far fetched and cheesy, but these dinosaurs are scary! The raptors (the most common terror) will haunt you to the end of the book, the mere mention of them makes you cringe . "They were all snareling and licking the blood off their snouts, wipingtheir faces with their clawed forearms, an intellegent gesture almost human" (Chrichton 335), does that not send a disturbing mental inage to your brain? Michael Crichton doesn't hold anything back! you have peoples faces being eaten, stand-offs with chameleon-dinos and chicken like scavengers dinos munching on partially alive humans! Most of all this book is crammed with suspenseful situations where you find yourself holding your breath. A truly well written book and a must read for anyone who wants a scary read!

reviewed by A.R., Grade 10 Scona student

Love & Lies

Love & Lies

by Ellen Wittlinger

Synopsis:

Marisol Guzman from Hard Love is older and wiser. She has graduated from high school and deferred Stanford for a year so she can pursue her newest dream, writing a novel. She has taken an apartment in Somerville with her best friend Birdie, a waitressing job at the legendary Mug in Cambridge, and signed up for "How To Write Your First Novel" at the adult learning annex. 

But on the first day, she isn''t sure what is a bigger suprise, that Gio is in her class or that it is being taught by Olivia Frost, the most beautiful, intelligent woman she has ever laid eyes on. Between that; Birdie bringing home his new boyfriend (who is equally afraid of Marisol and the cat) to live with them; and Lee, a high school senior who has fallen head over heels for Marisol, she can hardly keep things straight. Especially once she herself falls into her first real relationship with the twenty-eight year old Olivia. 

As Marisol becomes more and more involved with Olivia, she begins to wonder if she is too blinded by love to see the truth.

My thoughts:

This novel was interesting at first and definitely took a while to acquire the characters and realize the theme but it is a very intense book because of many drama mishaps throughout Love and Lies. The characters grew on me eventually and all have unique personalities to admire. Specifically one of Marisol's best guy friends who is a generally round character. He has a good sense of humour and auspiciousness to him. Another character that brought my interest is her sister, even though she has a sassy attitude, that wit brought out her true personality which is always a good factor in any person.  I like the authors style of writing mainly because I found it easy to read and interpret what she was trying to convey. For example I definitely connected with the sense of humour she constantly had throughout the story and that helped me read it. The characters were mainly very well-rounded which is a plus and made it intriguing. There was a good amount of dialogue used which also connected me to the novel.

reviewed by C. M., Grade 10 Scona student

The Professionals

The Professionals

by Owen Laukkanen

Synopsis:

Four friends, recent college graduates, caught in a terrible job market, joke about turning to kidnapping to survive. And then, suddenly, it''s no joke. For two years, the strategy they devise-quick, efficient, low risk-works like a charm. Until they kidnap the wrong man.

Now two groups they've very much wanted to avoid are after them-the law, in the form of veteran state investigator Kirk Stevens and hotshot young FBI agent Carla Windermere, and an organized-crime outfit looking for payback. As they all crisscross the country in deadly pursuit and a series of increasingly explosive confrontations, each of them is ultimately forced to recognize the truth: The true professionals, cop or criminal, are those who are willing to sacrifice . . . everything.

A finger-burning page-turner, filled with twists, surprises, and memorably complex characters, The Professionals marks the arrival of a remarkable new writer.

My thoughts:

The Professionals was a brilliant book by Owen Laukkanen. When the initial incident hits you can't stop reading. The tension is always there; the looming threat of getting arrested or killed while the protagonists are scrambling for escape. This book kept me reading and wondering if they will ever escape. Owen Laukkanen connected you to these criminals by portraying them as victims, forced to turn to illegal methods of making money with no hope of getting a job in the recession. In this book you are rooting for the bad guys, no matter what horrible things that they all did.

My only complaint with this book is the ending.(Do not worry this is spoiler free.) I found it to be anticlimactic compared to the rest of this high tension book. I found myself to be re-reading the ending to see if there was anymore to the ending but to no avail. I do give some credit to Owen, I thought him going with it all happened so quickly feeling with the tide turning so quickly.

I found this book to be one of the best books that I ever read and I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys action and suspense. I would give this book eight stacks of cash out of ten.


reviewed by I. F., Grade 10 Scona student