Category Teen Books

Jun 2 2014
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Book Review: The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson

The crown of embersTitle: The Crown of Embers

Author Rae Carson

Series: Fire and Thorns #1

Genre: Teen Fantasy

Rating: 5/5 stars!

The Overview: Elisa is a hero. She led her people to victory over a terrifying, sorcerous army. Her place as the country’s ruler should be secure. But it isn’t. Her enemies come at her like ghosts in a dream, from foreign realms and even from within her own court. And her destiny as the chosen one has not yet been fulfilled. To conquer the power she bears, once and for all, Elisa must follow a trial of long-forgotten—and forbidden—clues, from the deep, hidden catacombs of her own city to the treacherous seas. With her go a one-eyed spy, a traitor, and the man whom—despite everything—she is falling in love with. If she’s lucky, she will return from this journey. But there will be a cost.

The crown of embers

The Review:

Okay, prepare yourself for total fangirl book review that’s only semi-helpful. ;)

When I read Girl of Fire and Thorns, I was certain I’d found my new favorite book EVER! As you can imagine, I was reasonably terrified that this second book wasn’t going be nearly as good as the first. But you know what? It was phenomenal… and I read it way too fast.

Pretty much everything I geeked out about in my review of The Girl of Fire and Thorns carried over into this book. Even though I’m tempted to sing its praises all over again, I’ve decided to settle for a summary. Here are some of the reasons why I am LOVING this series:

  • The rich character development
  • The epic adventures
  • The breathtaking settings
  • The diverse and interesting cultures
  • The addicting “can’t put it down” plot
  • and The killer love-story

It has all of those things and more, and I am one book away from building a little shrine among my bookshelves for this series. That one book is book three in the trilogy (The Bitter Kingdom) and I am resisting the urge to pick it up right away – I just don’t want the story to be over yet!

I think it’s important to note that even though this book was geared towards a young adult audience, it had everything I look for in my robust high fantasy novels. This new trend of what I’m calling Teen High Fantasy is definitely my new favorite genre. All I have to say is, if there are any Throne of Glass and Graceling fans out there who haven’t tried this series yet, you are missing out!

Other books you might like:

Our YA Escape Reality Book Club has actually chosen Girl of Fire and Thorns as June’s  Selection, so if you’d like to read along or even just geek out with us, visit The Escape’s Reality Book Club Launch Post for more information on how to get involved (it’s easy).

by Niki Hawkes

May 30 2014
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Book Review: Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis

Not a drop to drinkTitle: Not a Drop to Drink

Author: Mindy McGinnis

Series: Not a Drop to Drink #1

Genre: Teen Dystopian

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

The Overview: Lynn knows every threat to her pond: drought, a snowless winter, coyotes, and, most importantly, people looking for a drink. She makes sure anyone who comes near the pond leaves thirsty, or doesn’t leave at all. Confident in her own abilities, Lynn has no use for the world beyond the nearby fields and forest. Having a life means dedicating it to survival, and the constant work of gathering wood and water. Having a pond requires the fortitude to protect it, something Mother taught her well during their quiet hours on the rooftop, rifles in hand.

But wisps of smoke on the horizon mean one thing: strangers. The mysterious footprints by the pond, nighttime threats, and gunshots make it all too clear Lynn has exactly what they want, and they won’t stop until they get it…. With evocative, spare language and incredible drama, danger, and romance, debut author Mindy McGinnis depicts one girl’s journey in a barren world not so different from our own.

Not a drop to drink

Thte Review:

Yeah, I totally understand the hype surrounding this book. This first line says it all:

“Lynn was nine the first time she killed to defend the pond…”

Oh, my, where to start? I picked this book up just to flip through the first few pages and before I knew it, it was 3 in the morning and I was more than halfway through it. It grabbed me right from the start and didn’t really let up until the end. I am not a quote-gather by any means, but there were so many beautiful and evoking passages that I was tempted to pull out a highlighter (okay, I wouldn’t have actually marked the book, but I wanted to…). I have been so immersed in the dystopian genre over the past year that I didn’t think it was possible to find another one I liked this much. It was a breath of fresh air and I rank it right up there with amazing books like Partials and The 5th Wave.

Not a Drop to Drink is a prime example of storytelling at its best. It didn’t spend a lot of time focusing on the broader scope of this apocalypse, but it didn’t need to. It was a beautifully contained story of one girl’s struggle for survival, made all the more poignant by its narrow focus. I was completely lost in this story, and I absolutely love it when that happens. The plot didn’t take the direction I thought it would, but it definitely wasn’t one of those books that sacrificed plausibility for the sake of being “edgy.” It was the perfect balance of action/reaction, and I was perfectly happy to go along with the ride. Even though it didn’t have a ton of action scenes, it was just as riveting and exciting as if Lynn were fighting off hosts of zombies. The world always felt dangerous, and McGinnis did an excellent job creating a great tone and atmosphere for her story.

Although the world building an atmosphere was were superb, the characters of this book really stole the show for me. They were relatable and vibrant, and I found myself stressing any time one of them was in danger. There were some fantastic dynamics between each of the characters, which made for some profound character growth arcs that are going to be among my favorites for years to come. It was beautiful and heart wrenching, joyful and sad – all at once, putting Not a Drop to Drink at the top of my recommendation list for the genre.

I’m super fired up about how much I loved this book, especially since McGinnis is one of the authors attending the Vegas Valley Book Festival in October. You’d better believe I’ll have pristine copies of both of her books ready to be signed – I am so excited! If you like dystopians with a bit of a frontier twist (more survival-driven than that futuristic), I recommend this novel highly.

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

May 29 2014
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Book Review: Dragon’s Blood by Jane Yolen

Dragon's bloodTitle: Dragon’s Blood

Author: Jane Yolen

Series: The Pit Dragon Trilogy #1

Genre: Teen Fantasy

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

The Overview: Dragons are trained to fight to the death, and two determined teens help free them in this spellbinding saga. Training a dragon to be a fighting champion is the only way to freedom for fifteen-year-old Jakkin.

[One of the worst overviews ever. Essentially, picture the craggy, wasteland plains of Mars being converted into a penal colony. A gritty society has formed  around the economy of training and fighting dragons. It’s a pretty cool concept. -Niki]

Dragon's blood 2

The Review:

This was actually my second read-through of Dragon’s Blood, and I enjoyed it just as much as I did the first time around. It’s book one in a four book series, and I wanted to refresh my memory on everything that happens before continuing on. As it turns out, I really hadn’t forgotten much, just that the book was a lot shorter than I remembered it being. Because of that, this review is also going to be short and sweet. :-)

It’s no secret that I love anything to do with dragons. The fact that this series sat gathering dust on my shelf for so long should be considered an ultimate shame in my household. It had an incredibly cool and original concept, some fun and likable characters, a unique setting (for a dragon book), and a plot that had me engaged right from the start!

As I mentioned in the overview, the concept really was my favorite part of Dragon’s Blood. These people were originally sent to the planet as prisoners, but after several generations had formed a gritty, functioning society. Dragons were already native to the planet, so it was only a matter of time before someone thought to capture one. From that grew an economy of selling dragons and their eggs, and training studs to fight each other in the pits. I found the entire thing fascinating and loved how thoroughly imagined Yolen’s society came across. The story starts out with a young slave boy trying to figure out how to steal a dragon egg from his master so he can raise a fighting dragon and win his way to freedom… it was awesome!

The only thing I had a hard time wrapping my head around was the all odd names. There were a lot of double k’s, and I found myself having to reorient a couple of times to make sure I was thinking about the right character. This was by no means a deal breaker, however, as the weird spellings actually had significance – communicating lineage and slavery status. I can get on board with just about anything if it serves a cool purpose, haha. In any case, other readers should probably try to read it a bit more carefully than I did.

Overall, this book had the same essence that made me fall in love with Anne McCaffrey, but was just different enough to feel like something original. If you enjoy Dragon books, I highly recommend adding this one to your list!

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

May 25 2014
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Book Review: The One by Kiera Cass

The OneTitle: The One

Author: Kiera Cass

Series: The Selection #3

Genre: Teen Dystopian

Rating: 3/5 stars

The Overview: The Selection changed the lives of thirty-five girls forever. And now, the time has come for one winner to be chosen. America never dreamed she would find herself anywhere close to the crown—or to Prince Maxon’s heart. But as the competition approaches its end and the threats outside the palace walls grow more vicious, America realizes just how much she stands to lose—and how hard she’ll have to fight for the future she wants. From the very first page of The Selection, this #1 New York Times bestselling series has captured readers’ hearts and swept them away on a captivating journey… Now, in The One, Kiera Cass delivers a satisfying and unforgettable conclusion that will keep readers sighing over this electrifying fairy-tale long after the final page is turned.

The One 2

The Review:

Even though The One was the book I was most looking forward to reading in 2014, I stalled on picking it up for almost 2 weeks after the release date. You see, I was terrified it wasn’t going to live up to my high expectations, and was also concerned I’d forgotten elements from the first two books. Luckily, I’d saved reading The Selection Stories (novellas) until right before this one came out. Not only did they remind me about what was happening in the story, but got me all fired up about this series and how much I loved the characters and writing style. It also so happens that my Escape Reality Book Club voted The Selection as May’s Book-of-the-Month, and I knew I had to kick myself into gear to read The One before our next book club meeting – the chance that someone could accidentally give me spoilers of this much-anticipated book was too horrifying to consider! Needless to say, I finally got brave enough and picked up The One… And was completely enthralled from the first page!

Oh my gosh, this story pulled at my heartstrings in every which-way possible. There were just so many places where my heart ached for these characters, and I was so invested I couldn’t put it down. There are very few books that can make me truly lose myself. I’m almost always conscious of how far I am and how many more pages I have to go. With every book in the series, I lost track of all time and place. I fully intended on pacing myself through this book, savoring it, but ended up devouring it in half a day (so much for that plan!). Because these are among the few books that can affect me so profoundly, they will always be among my favorites… even though this final book didn’t quite live up to my expectations.

This series definitely has a few issues with the broader conflicts – the entire segments revolving around the rebels requires a “just go with it” mindset and weren’t nearly as well-imagined as they could have been. I know that’s bothered a lot of people, but it never bugged me too much because the narrower, interpersonal conflicts were so well done – I’d go so far as to say they’re among the most interesting of any series I’ve ever read. So even though this series lacks that rich world building usually present in dystopian novels, it more than makes up for it through engaging writing, fun characters, and fantastic internal conflicts.

I do have to say that as much as I was anticipating the ending, I didn’t totally enjoy it. Without delving into any spoilers, I feel like the story lacks a little conflict resolution and there were a few key points that I thought could’ve been done differently. After finishing it, I sat there for a good long while thinking about the a few simple changes the author could have made that would have significantly changed how I felt about the ending. Since I’m sure Cass isn’t planning on rewriting it just to satisfy me, I decided I’m just going to pretend it ended the way I thought it should and leave it at that.

So, even though The One didn’t totally live up to my expectations (sigh), this series is still one of the most engaging stories I’ve ever read and I will always hold the first book on a pedestal. While I didn’t enjoy the rest of the series nearly as much as I enjoyed The Selection, I’m still incredibly glad I read them and will probably delve into them again in a few years.

I hope you have enjoyed this last week’s tribute to The Selection series! :)

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

May 22 2014
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Book Review: The Selection Stories by Kiera Cass

The selection storiesTitle: The Selection Stories: The Prince & The Guard

Author: Kiera Cass

Series: The Selection Novellas

Genre: Teen Dystopian (sort of)

Rating: 4/5 stars

The Overview: The Prince and The Guard both offer captivating views into the hearts and minds of the two men fighting to win America Singer’s love. Before America arrived at the palace to compete in the Selection, there was another girl in Prince Maxon’s life. The Prince opens the week before the Selection begins and follows Maxon through the first day of the competition. Raised as a Six, Aspen Leger never dreamed that he would find himself living in the palace as a member of the royal guard. In The Guard, readers get an inside look at Aspen’s life within the palace walls—and the truth about a guard’s world that America will never know.

The selection stories 2

The Review: 

Reading these novellas was the perfect way to amp myself up for The One – the conclusion to the The Selection trilogy. These short stories show a bit of behind the scenes action surrounding the two love interests within the trilogy. The Prince is from Maxom’s perspective that takes place within the timeline of The Selection (book 1), while The Guard is from Aspen’s perspective and takes place alongside The Elite (book 2).  As it had been over a year since I read books 1&2, these novellas were the perfect way to refresh my memory before diving into the conclusion.

My favorite story was The Prince. Reading from Maxom’s POV was totally delightful, and I would especially love it if an entire book was written from his perspective. It was neat getting an inside look to the selection process and experiencing some of the mixed emotions Maxom felt while entering into it. I always liked him, but this novella made me love him even more. While The Prince is not essential to the main story, I still recommend it highly, as I think most Selection fans will enjoy it.

The Guard was an interesting story, but it wasn’t anything profound. You see, in my mind, Maxom is so right for America that I haven’t ever entertained Aspen as a real possibility. I often find scenes America shares with him frustrating, and just don’t agree with many of his decisions. That said, however, it was great to read about his interactions with the other people of the castle and to see what a positive influence he had on all of them – specifically America’s maids. While I recommend The Prince for purely entertainment purposes, I recommend The Guard for certain plot points that will help make The One (the final book) more enjoyable.

What’s next? I am going to hole myself up in a room for a day and completely devour The One. I want to savor it, because it’s the trilogy ending I’ve been most anticipating for the past year, but I know it’s not going to take me much longer than that to read. If you’re like me and are sad to see this series come to an end, keep hope, as Cass is releasing the novella, The Queen (detailing Queen Amberly’s own selection journey) which will be released in early December. I, for one, am stoked to get my hands on that, even though it’s just another novella. Heck, I love the concept behind the story so much I’d be willing to read books about all of the selections within this world – keep them coming Kiera!

If you haven’t read The Selection and want to, now’s your chance – our YA Escape Reality Book Club (which anybody can join, provided they love YA novels), has chosen The Selection for May’s official book, and I can’t wait to talk about it!

Otherbooks you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

May 8 2014
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Book Review: After the End by Amy Plum

After the endTitle: After the End

Author: Amy Plum

Series: After the End #1

Genre: Teen Fantasy

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

The Overview: She’s searching for answers to her past. They’re hunting her to save their future. World War III has left the world ravaged by nuclear radiation. A lucky few escaped to the Alaskan wilderness. They’ve survived for the last thirty years by living off the land, being one with nature, and hiding from whoever else might still be out there. At least, this is what Juneau has been told her entire life. When Juneau returns from a hunting trip to discover that everyone in her clan has vanished, she sets off to find them. Leaving the boundaries of their land for the very first time, she learns something horrifying: There never was a war. Cities were never destroyed. The world is intact. Everything was a lie. Now Juneau is adrift in a modern-day world she never knew existed. But while she’s trying to find a way to rescue her friends and family, someone else is looking for her. Someone who knows the extraordinary truth about the secrets of her past.

 The Review:

Those of you who follow my blog regularly might remember that I went on a digital arc requesting spree back in January – a rather greedy decision that I’m still paying for in May. After the End was one of those titles I probably shouldn’tt have asked for, considering I hadn’t yet read anything by the author. However, I’m glad I did because it drew me in on the first page and didn’t let up until the end.

The dual POV was easily my favorite part of the book, as both Juneau and Miles brought their own flavor to the story. Juneau’s plight was interesting, and I felt intellectually drawn to her throughout the story, but Miles was the character that sold it for me. He was just so funny and I found myself thinking “just one more chapter” to see what would happen with him next. I would go so far as to say he’s one of my favorite characters read about so far this year. He was earnest and vibrant, and I love how distinct his voice was from Juneau’s.

Another thing I really liked about the story is that it took place practically in my own backyard. Not to say that the setting was in Southern Utah, but Plum described places I’ve been and highways I’ve traveled, and it made the story have an extra element of fun because I could picture them perfectly! I’ve also always been incredibly fascinated in Alaskan culture (Eskimos!), and although Juneau’s clan wasn’t indigenous, her people lived off the land and had a great connection with nature… something I’ve always admired but could never bring myself to do (maybe if the yurts had electrical outlets?). Anyway, that bond with nature provided the basis for a cool magic system, and I look forward to exploring it further with Juneau in the second book.

The only thing I didn’t enjoy about this book was the ending… the story stops in kind of an odd spot and I didn’t find it particularly climactic. As this is a series, the ending isn’t a deal breaker, but I can think of the few things that would have made it stronger. I will leave it at that to avoid spoilers. :-)

Overall, I may not have read anything else by Plum before, but I am strongly considering picking up her other series now because of how much I liked the writing style and the voice of her characters. The writing had this great effortless feel, and was a lot of fun to read. If you’re in the mood for an entertaining story that’s not quite like anything else, this would be a great pick!

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes