The nitty-gritty: A super fun read with a cool concept, well drawn characters, and some social commentary for those who like depth with their action. This might be the quickest I have ever read a book! I got through Spliced in just over a twenty-four hour time period, mostly because I stayed home sick from […]
Sparked started out very strong, and I really enjoyed the first half of the story. But unfortunately, around the halfway mark, things started to go downhill for me, and it ended up being a typical YA paranormal that reminded me of so many other stories I’ve read. Which is sad, because I’ve had great luck […]
The nitty-gritty: A fast-paced, frantic glimpse into the future that left me more puzzled than exhilarated, The Uploaded is one wild ride. Little Venice’s streets were hip-deep in spillover from the Atlantic Ocean, a thick muck choked with the Bubbler’s stink and liquefied corpses and rotting seaweed–a dead town that swallowed bodies and vomited out […]
The nitty-gritty: Magical, exciting, emotional and full of human truths, Black Light Express takes what Philip Reeve started in Railhead, expands upon it, and makes it even better. Zen sat awkwardly watching, with Nova’s head on his lap as if it were a bag or something. He had imagined finding Nova alive, and he had […]
The nitty-gritty: A fun, fast-paced thriller about the conspiracy theories behind 9/11, this contemporary YA will give teens (and adults!) plenty to think about. I don’t usually read YA thrillers, but when Geoffrey Girard asks you to read his book, you do! I have to admit I don’t know much about conspiracy theories—although my sixteen […]
The nitty-gritty: A high-octane adventure tale in space, populated by some of the craziest characters you’ll ever meet. Well, this is probably the strangest, wackiest story I’ve ever read, and that’s saying something. Being a lover of speculative fiction, “strange” is the norm and I’ve definitely read my share. Mary Turzillo takes strange to a whole […]
The nitty-gritty: Magical and unique, this story takes the idea of dreams and nightmares to new heights, told in Laini Taylor’s trademark lilting prose. It’s always hard for me to squeeze non-review books into my reading schedule, so I was thrilled when a publicist offered me a copy of Strange the Dreamer, even though it […]
The nitty-gritty: A fast-paced adventure in space with some cool world-building ideas, but with too much of an emphasis on the romance, it lost me in the second half. Color me conflicted. I read lots of enthusiastic reviews of Shadow Run before I dove in, and based on its high ratings on Goodreads, I was […]
The nitty-gritty: More Alice in Wonderland than The Night Circus, Garber’s debut is full of atmosphere and magic, but left me confused and scratching my head as well. I was so excited when I won a copy of Caraval from Goodreads, and I was even more excited when I got my act together and read […]
The nitty-gritty: The devil, teens and wheat fields collide in Liggett’s latest terrifying story. Once again, Kim Liggett tackles the irresistible combination of teenagers and horror. In her debut Blood and Salt, she set her story in the corn fields. This time the story revolves around wheat fields (OK Kim what’s up with the crop stories??) […]