Basic Eight by Daniel Handler

Summary

Flannery Culp wants you to know the whole story of her spectacularly awful senior year. Tyrants, perverts, tragic crushes, gossip, cruel jokes, and the hallucinatory effects of absinthe -- Flannery and the seven other friends in the Basic Eight have suffered through it all. But now, on tabloid television, they're calling Flannery a murderer, which is a total lie. It's true that high school can be so stressful sometimes. And it's true that sometimes a girl just has to kill someone. But Flannery wants you to know that she's not a murderer at all -- she's a murderess.

Review

This is an interesting book, it reads like a diary, but has been modified by the writer in the future, as evidence for her murder trial. It's interesting to see how things play out, though it is eluded as to what will happen. You do begin to relate to the main character and feel bad for the inevitable that will come.

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Graceling Series by Kristin Cashore

Summary

Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight - she's a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king's thug.


When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change.


She never expects to become Po's friend.


She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace - or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away...

Review

I enjoyed this series. Each of the three books focuses on a different female protagonist. I did enjoy the middle book, Fire, the best, but they are all good in their own way.

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Darkest Corners by Kara Thomas

Summary

The Darkest Corners is a psychological thriller about the lies little girls tell, and the deadly truths those lies become.

There are ghosts around every corner in Fayette, Pennsylvania. Tessa left when she was nine and has been trying ever since not to think about it after what happened there that last summer. Memories of things so dark will burn themselves into your mind if you let them.

Callie never left. She moved to another house, so she doesn’t have to walk those same halls, but then Callie always was the stronger one. She can handle staring into the faces of her demons—and if she parties hard enough, maybe one day they’ll disappear for good.

Tessa and Callie have never talked about what they saw that night. After the trial, Callie drifted and Tessa moved, and childhood friends just have a way of losing touch.

But ever since she left, Tessa has had questions. Things have never quite added up. And now she has to go back to Fayette—to Wyatt Stokes, sitting on death row; to Lori Cawley, Callie’s dead cousin; and to the one other person who may be hiding the truth.

Only the closer Tessa gets to the truth, the closer she gets to a killer—and this time, it won’t be so easy to run away.

Review

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5th Wave Series by Rick Yancey

Summary

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it's the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth's last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie's only hope for rescuing her brother-or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

Review

I really enjoyed this series, and the third book wraps everything up very nicely. I enjoy the variety of characters, and that the emphasis of the story is holding onto our humanity, even in the darkest of times.

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The Young Elites by Marie Lu

Summary

Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina’s black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family’s good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever’s survivors are rumored to possess more than just scars—they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites.

Teren Santoro works for the king. As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Young Elites to be dangerous and vengeful, but it’s Teren who may possess the darkest secret of all.

Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society. This secret sect of Young Elites seeks out others like them before the Inquisition Axis can. But when the Daggers find Adelina, they discover someone with powers like they’ve never seen.

Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the lives of these three will collide in unexpected ways, as each fights a very different and personal battle. But of one thing they are all certain: Adelina has abilities that shouldn’t belong in this world. A vengeful blackness in her heart. And a desire to destroy all who dare to cross her.

It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt.

Review

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Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Summary

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers thirteen cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, his classmate and crush who committed suicide two weeks earlier.
On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out how he made the list.
Through Hannah and Clay's dual narratives, debut author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers.

Review

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Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Summary

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs.

It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.

Review

I know a lot of people won't probably like my review, but this book was 'okay'. I feel like the story was forced and all the situations were created around these unusual pictures, assuming these children are peculiar or have special powers of some sort. I read the author initially was going to create just a picture book of these pictures, and I feel that might have been more enjoyable, looking at the pictures and having his speculated scenarios there. I just feel the story was basic, there is no character development at all, and everything feels very 'forced'.

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Blood of Eden Series by Julie Kagawa

The Blood of Eden series includes: The Immortal Rules, The Eternity Cure, and The Forever Song.

Summary

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a walled-in city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten. Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them—the vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself dies and becomes one of the monsters.

Forced to flee her city, Allie must pass for human as she joins a ragged group of pilgrims seeking a legend—a place that might have a cure for the disease that killed off most of civilization and created the rabids, the bloodthirsty creatures who threaten human and vampire alike. And soon Allie will have to decide what and who is worth dying for… again.

Enter Julie Kagawa's dark and twisted world as an unforgettable journey begins.

Review

I really enjoyed this series, and it was completely different that most typical 'vampire' stories.

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Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Summary

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war – and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

Review

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Dust Chronicles by Maureen McGowan

The Dust Chronicles includes: Deviants, Compliance, and Glory.

Summary

In a post-apocalyptic world, where the earth is buried by asteroid dust that’s mutated the DNA of some humans, orphaned, sixteen-year-old Glory must protect her younger brother and escape the domed city that’s been her entire world.

Outside in the ruins, they’re pursued by the authorities and by sadistic, scab-covered Shredders who are addicted to the lethal-to-humans dust now covering the planet. Glory’s quests to transport herself and her brother to safety make up the thrilling and fascinating first volume of The Dust Chronicles.

Review

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The Testing Series by Joelle Charbonneau

Summary

The Seven Stages War left much of the planet a charred wasteland. The future belongs to the next generation’s chosen few who must rebuild it. But to enter this elite group, candidates must first pass The Testing—their one chance at a college education and a rewarding career.

Cia Vale is honored to be chosen as a Testing candidate; eager to prove her worthiness as a University student and future leader of the United Commonwealth. But on the eve of her departure, her father’s advice hints at a darker side to her upcoming studies--trust no one.

But surely she can trust Tomas, her handsome childhood friend who offers an alliance? Tomas, who seems to care more about her with the passing of every grueling (and deadly) day of the Testing. To survive, Cia must choose: love without truth or life without trust.

Review

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The Breeders by Ashley Quigley

Summary

Ariet has been taken from her family, who are told she has died of an illness; when, in fact, she has been drugged and removed against her will to a secret underground location. Selected for a genetic breeding program by the Creators, the Monarchy of the New World, Ariet and her captor Mason, have to provide an offspring with a predetermined inherited genetic profile, or face termination. They find mutual empathy for one another when their unborn child does not carry the desirable gene. Unable to accept the scheduled termination of her pregnancy by the Creators and to save the life of her offspring, Mason helps her escape to an area outside of the Four Quadrants. Mason's childhood friend Thor, a Guardian in the Great Tower, flees with Ariet to protect her from the unknown, whilst leaving Mason behind to bring down the rulers of the New World. With the aid of refugees from the Old World, Ariet, together with her child and Thor risk everything to join Mason in his fight to destroy the Monarchy.

Review

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If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Summary

Choices. Seventeen-year-old Mia is faced with some tough ones: Stay true to her first love—music—even if it means losing her boyfriend and leaving her family and friends behind?

Then one February morning Mia goes for a drive with her family, and in an instant, everything changes. Suddenly, all the choices are gone, except one. And it's the only one that matters.

If I Stay is a heartachingly beautiful book about the power of love, the true meaning of family, and the choices we all make.

Review

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The Selection Trilogy by Kiera Cass

Summary

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself--and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

Review

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The Giver Quartet by Lois Lowry

The Giver Quartet includes: The Giver, Messenger, Son, and Gathering Blue.

Summary

Jonas's world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear or pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the Community. When Jonas turns twelve, he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now, it is time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back.

Review

The Giver itself is a good book, but is vague and does have some faults, mainly in that it is unclear what happens to the main character at the end. But I feel it is best to see the series as a whole, including all 4 books. In this manner it is a great series, showing that different society issues can be overcome with enough belief and trust in others. I feel that the complete story is found in the Quartet as a whole, and found great resolution in the series finale. The characters are sometimes 'simplistic' but this story can be seen as a deep metaphor, and the characters are necessarily flat or dulled.

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Mindjack Trilogy by Susan Kaye Quinn

Mindjack Trilogy includes the following books: Open Minds, Closed Hearts, Free Souls. It also includes the following short stories: The Handler, Mind Games, The Scribe.

Summary

Sixteen-year-old Kira Moore is a zero, someone who can’t read thoughts or be read by others. Zeros are outcasts who can’t be trusted, leaving her no chance with Raf, a regular mindreader and the best friend she secretly loves. When she accidentally controls Raf’s mind and nearly kills him, Kira tries to hide her frightening new ability from her family and an increasingly suspicious Raf. But lies tangle around her, and she’s dragged deep into a hidden world of mindjackers, where having to mind control everyone she loves is just the beginning of the deadly choices before her.

Review

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Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans

Summary

Since her untimely death the day before her eighteenth birthday, Felicia Ward has been trapped in Level 2, a stark white afterlife located between our world and the next. Along with her fellow drones, Felicia passes the endless hours reliving memories of her time on Earth and mourning what she’s lost—family, friends, and Neil, the boy she loved.

Then a girl in a neighboring chamber is found dead, and nobody but Felicia recalls that she existed in the first place. When Julian—a dangerously charming guy Felicia knew in life—comes to offer Felicia a way out, Felicia learns the truth: If she joins the rebellion to overthrow the Morati, the angel guardians of Level 2, she can be with Neil again.

Suspended between Heaven and Earth, Felicia finds herself at the center of an age-old struggle between good and evil. As memories from her life come back to haunt her, and as the Morati hunt her down, Felicia will discover it’s not just her own redemption at stake… but the salvation of all mankind.

Review

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Divided by Elsie Chapman

Divided is book 2 of the Dualed series by Elsie Chapman. The first book is Dualed.

Summary

The hunter becomes the hunted. . . .
West Grayer is done killing. She defeated her Alternate, a twin raised by another family, and proved she’s worthy of a future. She’s ready to move on with her life.
The Board has other plans. They want her to kill one last time, and offer her a deal worth killing for. But when West recognizes her target as a ghost from her past, she realizes she’s in over her head. The Board is lying, and West will have to uncover the truth of the past to secure her future.
How far will the Board go to keep their secrets safe? And how far will West go to save those she loves?

Review

As a continuation it did help make the characters feel more complete and rounded.

Note: I was provided a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Dualed by Elsie Chapman

Dualed is the first book in the Dualed series by Elsie Chapman. Book 2 is Divided.

Summary

In the city of Kersh, everyone must eliminate their genetic Alternate twin, raised by another family, before their twentieth birthday. West Grayer, 15, has trained as a fighter, and has one month to hunt and kill her Alt. A tragic misstep shakes her confidence. Guilty, grieving, she feels unworthy, runs from her Alt and from love - both can destroy her.

Two of you exist. Only one will survive.
West Grayer is ready. She's trained for years to confront her Alternate, a twin raised by another family. Survival means a good job, marriage—life.
But then a tragic misstep leaves West questioning: Is she the best version of herself, the version worthy of a future?
If she is to have any chance of winning, she must stop running not only from herself, but also from love . . . though both have the power to destroy her.

Review

Dualed was better than I initially thought it would be. Even as I began reading, I wasn't very impressed. But somewhere along the way I began to care about the character, and be drawn into the story. To be honest, there are still parts that I feel could have been explained better, such as why she truly becomes a striker (aka assassin). But by the end I guess it mostly makes sense, just would have liked a more definitive reason to begin with. The story takes place in a dystopian future in one specific 'city', though it seems larger than just a city. But, it is in one of those worlds where we really don't know much of what is beyond her 'city'. It is briefly described, but it is one of those situations where you wonder if this will eventually come into play or if the entire story will only take place within the confines of the 'city'. This first book only takes place within the city, but there is a 2nd book recently released, so I plan on reading it to see if there is anything more revealed.

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Out of My Mind by Pat White

Summary

Life is bad enough when you suffer from a traumatic brain injury after being hit by a car, you can’t remember words and are knocked down to the dummy classes at school. But when over achieving high school junior Catherine Westfield experiences post-accident visions that start to come true, she fears they’ll lock her up with the crazies if anyone discovers her secret. Her parents want her back to “normal” but Catherine isn’t sure what normal is anymore. Every time she looks into someone’s eyes her visions kick in, exposing someone’s secrets and fears, and making her feel ever more alone.
Just when Catherine thought things couldn’t get any worse, J.D. Pratt, the “bad boy” who hit her with his car, is assigned to be her note taker to fulfill his community service requirement. J.D. is keeping his own secrets about the accident and his home life. As the two teens are forced to spend time together, Catherine exposes J.D.’s secrets and he learns that she is not as strong as she makes others believe. Even though Catherine wants to hate J.D. for what he did to her and J.D. is convinced she is a “princess” who has everything, they soon realize they need each other more than they will ever admit.
When Catherine sees a vision of a school bombing while looking into the eyes of her football-hero boyfriend, she finds a reluctant ally and protector in J.D. as the two try to prevent the tragedy. In the end, both learn the value of true friendship, forgiveness and even love.

 Review

 The writing is okay, and the plot was interesting enough, but the character seemed so bland. I understand she was supposed to be going through 'changes' but to me it only appeared her big changes were that she preferred a black shirt over a skin-tight tank top. The plot idea is what drew me in, but it seemed to forced it wasn't really believable. The main character grew a bit, in that she started being who she wanted to be. Also, the keep describing one characters younger brother as a 'kid' but then you find out he's only 2 years younger, and really in the same age as the main characters. This could be a very good story concept, but I felt it lacked in depth and back-story.

Note: I was provided a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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