YA Book Reviews all News Posts

Ender In Exile by Orson Scott Card

Sun, 1 Aug 2010 04:18:49 GMT

One year ago, Ender Wiggin won a war against an alien race known as the Formics (the Buggers). Ever since, he has been forbidden from returning to Earth because of diplomatic conflicts over who Ender would join (as far as parties and nations go). He is offered a governorship over a colony on a former Formic world, and decides to go along with his older sister Valentine. He is distraught and obsessed with Formics, and soon finds himself in danger among the Ganges colony on another Formic world.

I must say, this book is very deep. It is not as straight-forward as Ender's Game, but provides a deeper look into the thoughts and feelings of the characters. Although, I have to admit that I felt bored by the length and seemingly never-ending details of the book. Don't get me wrong, I liked the book a lot, but I just didn't love it.

I give this book a 7/10

The Chaos King by Laura Ruby

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 23:23:06 GMT

Before I start, let me tell you that I accidentally bought this book without knowing that it was the sequel to a book called The Wall and The Wing. Anyway, this is a fantasy filled with flying people, monsters, vampires (I know you're probably sick of them by now), and chaos. The story stars Georgie Bloomington (formerly Gurl) who has recently found her parents and is now the richest girl in the universe, who is a leadfoot (cannot fly even a bit). Her best friend Bug (Sylvester Grabowski) struck by his new-found fame seems to have abandoned her. Soon, her life is threatened by a lunatic punk named Mandelbrot who calls himself the Chaos King.

All I can say about this book is that it is a wild ride. It is a fast-paced, and hilarious story that flows into a dramatic and eerie climax. The characters have strong emotion, and you can easily sympathize for them (as long as you're not for the antagonists).I loved the book, and my only wish is that I could've read book 2 first.

I give this book a 9/10

Vandal by Michael Simmons

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 00:58:16 GMT

Some call him a delinquent, an underachiever, and even a vandal. But to Will, this person is someone who he could not hate more, while at the same time wishing for his acceptance. This person is his older brother Jason, who abuses him mentally and physically. As time goes on, things get worse, and the casualties of Jason's antics become higher until it builds to a shocking climax.

Vandal is a novel that I can compare to Fat Kid Rules The World or You Don't Know Me due to their realistic themes and tense environment. It leaves you wondering what will happen next, gaping in awe, and snickering to the short funny instances all at once. Vandal goes beyond traditional novels of it's genre by no just showing the damage, but living out the aftermath and squeezing it into a short 173 pages. This book is heartwarming, suspenseful, and downright stunning.

I give it a 9.75/10

July-Lois Duncan

Sat, 10 Jul 2010 11:36:56 GMT

In the year of 1934, in the city of Philadelphia, girl named Lois Duncan Steinmetz was born. She moved to and grew up in Sarasota, Florida where she started her career. At age ten she was submitting works to magazines; at age 13, she sold her first story. She attended college at Duke University for a year before dropping out and marrying her first husband -as well as having 3 children- and soon getting a divorce. After this, she moved to Albuquerque, NM where she got a B.A. and a new husband named Don Arquette with whom she had 2 more children (one of which who was murdered and inspired the non-fiction book Who Killed My Daughter?)

She has written 48 books including several picture books for children. She is best known for her young adult novels such as: I Know What You Did Last Summer, Down A Dark Hall, and Daughters Of Eve. She is a marvelous suspense writer, and I personally love her work. Of all of the books I have read by her, I would most likely recommend to someone, a book called Stranger With My Face. She has won many awards, and several of her books are now motion pictures including: Hotel For Dogs, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and Killing Mr.Griffin.

This is why Lois Duncan is author of the month.

We're back!!!.....with improvments

Fri, 9 Jul 2010 23:27:42 GMT

As you have probably noticed there have been some ~~minor~~ Major design changes to the website.

This may or may not be the most obvious change, but as you can see, the entire theme of the website has been changed. While it used to be a dull grey with an orange streak; now, it is a tranquil library that catches your eye with smooth beige white to help blend it all together
I have changed the Request Book Reviews page from a comment based page to a full blown submission form.
Finally, if you visit the login page, you will find that I have enabled for users to be able to login through their social networking accounts such as Myspace, Google, Yahoo, Facebook, etc.

More improvements to the website will be added as this month progresses. Thank you for your support-Herp250

On hold

Mon, 31 May 2010 12:35:51 GMT

Dear readers, I am sorry to announce that the site will be on hold for the month of June. I will be away, and cannot write my reviews. 'Til then, I bid you adieu.

Sorry for the inconvenience, Herp250

Forest of Secrets by Erin Hunter

Sun, 30 May 2010 20:19:49 GMT

I was slightly against two Warriors reviews in one month, but then I decided that it was either cats or an old book that I read weeks ago. Anyways, the third installment in Erin Hunter's famous Warriors series, is the best one yet. Now WindClan is back in thier territory, and Brokentail (formerly the ShadowClan leader BrokenStar) is prisoner to ThunderClan. But tensions continue to rise as NewLeaf nears, and alliances shift. Through all of this, our hero FireHeart and his friend GrayStripe will fight for their lives, while protecting secrets that should've stayed hidden.

This was definitely the best one yet. It digs deep into the hearts and minds (personified) of the characters and deals with pain, realization, doubt, denial, heartbreak, betrayal, and death (and yes, these are still cats). It also has fight scenes mimicking the epicness of warring battalions that make readers savor every paragraph. Erin Hunter has outdone herself with this new book. I have started reading the next one, and I'll have the new review soon.

I give this book a 9.75/10

Fire and Ice by Erin Hunter

Sun, 16 May 2010 13:52:11 GMT

After the defeat of former ShadowClan leader Brokenstar, WindClan has stil not returned to their hunting grounds. RiverClan is getting anxious, and hostile as the Twolegs are digging deeper into their territory (the rivers). Prey is now scarce as leafbare gets nearer and nearer. Now, WindClan must be found and during this action packed adventure, our hero Fireheart has growing suspicions of the ThunderClan deputy who may be responsible for the mysterious death of Redtail. What comes then is a twist of betrayal that no one sees coming.

This book is a perfect follow up to book 1 that provides a storyline with many more twists than the first. It is full of action, suspense, drama, and yes, lots of furious cats. It emphasizes how a cats point of view is different from ours using expressions and interpretations that seem quite appropriate even though they may take a while to get used to. It is an amazing book and another score for Erin Hunter. I can't wait to read the next one.

I give this novel a 9/10 http://www.warriorcats.com

You Don't Know Me by David Klass

Tue, 11 May 2010 01:19:00 GMT

For the first few chapters, I had absolutely no idea about what was going on. Klass had one of the most peculiar wording, and it involved multiple names for single characters and double negatives; and on the first page it literally asks you if you are confused. But I'm getting off topic. This book stars fourteen year old John-named after a toilet- who is living 'a life that is not a life' with his mother and cruel and abusive 'father who is not his father'. He portrays many funny events from an unusual point of view that flourishes in the traumatic and tragic scenes that open the eyes of not only John, but whoever may pick up the book.

This book,was although confusing, downright brilliant. It shows the deep emotions locked inside and how deeply cruel the people of our society can be. When not focusing on the intense and tragic, it can be bright, and even humorous at some parts that range from nicknames to fantasies to chinese egg roll sellers chasing kids with huge noses. And the reader will no doubt be changed as John experiences the ordeals of abuse, betrayal, love, and desertion.

I give this masterpiece a 10/10 for it's brilliance and depth.

May-Patrick Ness

Sun, 9 May 2010 17:22:18 GMT

If you are a longtime member, than you probably remember my review on The Knife of Never Letting Go. This is the amazing author who not only wrote that, but 2 more in the same series. He was born in Fort Belvoir in 1971 and moved to Hawaii where he lived until he was six years old. He then lived in Washington for ten years before moving to L.A. so he could get a degree in Literature at the Univesity of Southern California. Ness currently holds both U.S and Brittish citizenship due to the fact that he applied for Brittish citizenship on account of him moving to England in 2005.

Ness is an amazing Author to say the least. He has written the award winning Chaos Walking trilogy -which consists of the books: The Knife of Never Letting Go, The Ask and The Answer, and the grand finale known as Monsters of Men- as well as two books for adults called The Crash of Hennington, and Topics About Which I Know Nothing. He has won awards such as the Booktrust Teenage Prize,the Guardian Award, the 2008 James Tiptree Jr. Award, the 2009 Carnige Medal, and the 2009 Costa Book Award. He is an overall great author and this is why he is Author of the Month for the month of May.

Sincere Apologies

Tue, 4 May 2010 19:52:07 GMT

I apologize for the promise of five book reviews this April. There were problems which I did not expect to encounter. The series reviews will not be continued and I will resume my normal amount of 3 reviews a month with 3 new books.

Thank You, and I apologize for any inconvenience.

Sincerely, Herp250

The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 23:44:21 GMT

This is now book 3 in the famous Percy Jackson series. Basically, Artemis is supposedly kidnapped while hunting a monster. And it is obviously up to Percy and his friends to save the day. Percy, Thalia, and Grover now must rescue the godess with the help of her man-hating Hunters. But what was the monster that Artemis was hunting when she disappeared? A question with an answer so epic, that it could destroy Olympus as a whole.

This book was ok. It has all of the attributes that made the past two books sucessful. All of the action and humor that draws in the reader, while using Greek mythology to give it depth. Put it together with a not as astounding base plot, and you turn something beautiful into something mediocre and quite amateur sounding. Don't get me wrong, I loved the book, but I just thought that Riordan let me down after writing the last 2 so good.

I give it an 8/10

The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 21:36:43 GMT

One year later, and Percy is almost through the seventh grade. And he has been having strange dreams lately about his satyr friend Grover who seems to be in the Keys with something following him. He is enrolled at a special school where he has befriended a homeless boy named Tyson who is extremely peculiar. He is approached by a bully and big brawny kids with odd names. They turn suddenly turn into giants and he along with Tyson and his old friend Annabeth (who appears out of nowhere) now have to fight for their lives. Now once again Percy is whisked away to Camp Half-Blood where he learns that Thalia's Tree, -the protective boundary point for the camp- is dying. Someone has poisoned it and the only way to revive it is to get the golden fleece that is kept by the cyclops Polyphemus on his island in the Sea of Monsters.

Phew, that was a mouthful. But anyways, this book by far surpasses the first. It captures the views of characters not commonly looked at. The storyline although, seems pretty lengthy and loosely strung. However, it comes to gether in the end to provide an exciting twist that no one sees coming. So far, The Sea of Monsters is very good and spectacularly written.

I give this novel a 9.5/10

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 01:42:55 GMT

This is the first book in the adventure that would not only expand to five books, but also get adapteded to the big screen. It starts with Perseus "Percy" Jackson being tormented by a classmate when he accidently sets off a chain of events that gets him swept off his feet and into a world of myths and monsters. Percy is soon whisked away to Camp Half-Blood- a camp of half human-half god kids- where he will make friends and enemies, as well as learn new things about himself. But now Percy finds out that Zeus's master lighning bolt has been stolen and that Percy is the prime suspect. This story is not just an adventure, it provides an acurate review of Greek mythology with several twists and laughs that provide the readers with information without boring them.

The Lightning Thief in my opinion is a great story that got all the hype recently for the wrong reason. I'm of course talking about the movie, which held little relevence to the book. Although, let's not go into that. I believe that even reluctant readers would find this book enchanting and would have trouble putting it down. It is entertaining as well as being informative and full of fast-paced action that is quite comparable to the action scenes in the Leven Thumps series. My only criticism is the way the characters move across the map. It is questionable due to the time restriants that the reader will learn about while reading the book.

I give this book a 9/10

April-Rick Riordan

Thu, 8 Apr 2010 02:00:26 GMT

Rick Riordan was born on June 5, 1964 in San Antonio, Texas, where he would grow up and eventualy get degrees in English and History. He has helped with or written 10 books in the Scholastic 39 Clues series, 5 books in his Percy Jackson and The Olympians series with 3 companion books, and 7 books in his Tres Navarre series. He recently had his book The Lightning Thief converted to a movie by Twentieth Century Fox, who sadly messed up the charcters, plot, and the ending in ways that defeat the whole point of the story and eliminating the chance for a sequel on the big screen. The author has won 5 awards: 2 for his Tres Navarre series and 3 for his Percy Jackson and The Olympians series. This is why Rick Riordan is author of the month.

www.rickriordan.com/

5th Month Special

Wed, 7 Apr 2010 13:10:13 GMT

Attention Readers, This moth we will be having (for our fifth month) a five book special, in which I shall review the 5 books in the Rick Riordan series known as Percy Jackson and The Olympians.

Book 1: The Lightning Thief ( I'm reviewing the book, not the movie)

Book 2: The Sea Of Monsters

Book 3: The Titan's Curse

Book 4: The Battle Of The Labyrinth

Book 5: The Last Olympian

Also, Rick Riordan is going to be Author of The Month as you may have suspected from reading this.

Thank You.

Pillage by Obert Skye

Thu, 1 Apr 2010 01:56:12 GMT

Dragons, magical plants, and a crazy uncle who lives in the attic. These are all components that make Pillage such a magical experience. In this story, Beck Phillips is a troublemaker who is about to be expelled when his mother dies and he is dumped with his enccentric, filthy-rich uncle who is obsessed with dragons and won't leave the attic. When Beck finds he has the ability to make things grow is when the trouble begins. He soon finds a conservatory full of dragon eggs and all hell breaks loose.

I will not go through the trouble of making this book sound like it was bestowed to me upon golden tablets. It was okay, and just okay. It had a good plot line and good intentions, but it had unreal characters and an odd events that barely intertwine to create the story. It was although, an overall entertaining story. And this is why I will give it a decent rating.

I give this book a 6.75/10

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 18:19:00 GMT

Archie, the assigner of The Vigils-an organization of boys at a Roman-Catholic prep school in Trinity ,MA-assign Jerry Renault an assignment. He must withdraw from the annual chocolate sale for ten days . This is nothing until Jerry refuses to resume after ten days, and The Vigils take it as an insult. Jerry is then harassed, threatened, and attacked. But Jerry is not the only one affected, Cormier writes in the third-person perspective as he tells parts of the story through many of the boys at Trinity. This book may seem calm and subtle but it packs a deeper meaning without morals as it portrays the ideas and conflictions deep within the minds of our characters.

This book is an amazing story which doesn't need nonstop action to make you not want to put it down. It reaches far into the characters' minds as they try to suvive the "war" brought by The Vigils. This powerful novel is a benchmark for future young adult novelists. The Chocolate War is an astounding work of art. And Robert Cormier had certainly outdone himself with this one, but the one criticism I have is that none of this could ever happen in real life.

I give this novel a 9.8/10

Sorry about the low-res picture

Everlost by Neal Shusterman

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 17:16:40 GMT

I'll get straight to the point for this one. Two kids, Nick and Allie die in a car crash. They are then knocked to the side on their path towards the light and they wake up in a fascinating limbo between life and death known as the Everlost. Now, Nick and Allie must either find a way to adapt to this new and strange world within their own, or find a way to get back into the living world while surviving the perils of this magical and terrifying realm. As Nick and Allie make their way through the Everlost, they will aquire many friends, enemies, and they will have to face the most terrifying monster imaginable.

This book is hands-down my favorite book of all time. It is a fast-paced action shrouded by mystery and anticipation. It leaves you with many "what-if's?", while not allowing you to take your mind off of this book. Plus, it keeps the characters real, aware of their surroundings, and thinking/comprehending things at age level. There is a seemingly endless amount of twists, turns, and suprises up Shusterman's sleeves. I proudly recommend this to any- and everyone who love books.

I know it's a little biased but I give it the acclaimed 10/10!!!!!!!

March-William Sleator

Mon, 29 Mar 2010 17:19:50 GMT

William Sleator is an acclaimed science fiction/horror author for young adults. He is an exceptional writer and has been compared to R.L.Stine and Franz Kafka. Sleator was born on February 13th, 1945 and has written 30+ books since. William Sleator, though now 65-years old, is still one of the most interesting authors I know. This is why William Sleator is Author of the Month.

He has no website, so here is his Wikipedia Page

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Sleator