Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed Historical Fiction Realistic Fiction Review #1 * * * Stars (Pretty good) “Amal Unbound” by Aisha Saeed follows Amal, a young Pakistani girl who dreams of becoming a teacher. Her life takes a turn when she accidentally offends a powerful local landlord, Khan Sahib. As punishment, she is forced to be a servant at his estate. There, she encounters a world of oppression and injustice. Despite the challenges, Amal remains … Read more
The Guard Selection series, bk# 2.25 Dystopian Fantasy Romance Science Fiction Review #1 1 Star (a waste of time) “The Guard” by Kiera Cass follows Aspen, a palace guard in lllea, where the selection of a princess for Prince Maxon is happening. Aspen is torn between his duty and his feelings for a girl named Lucy, leading him to struggle with his inner conflicts. As tensions rise, Aspen is faced with difficult choices about his … Read more
The Prince Selection series, bk #0.5 by Kiera Cass Dystopian Fantasy Romance Science Fiction Review #1 * * Stars (Just ok) In “The Prince” by Kiera Cass, Prince Maxon prepares to select his future queen. Aspen, a palace guard, secretly loves one of the candidates, America Singer, who enters the Selection for financial reasons. Maxon and America form a bond as the competition progresses despite her conflicted feelings for Aspen. As political tensions rise, Prince … Read more
I Hope This Doesn’t Find You by Ann Liang Realistic Fiction Romance Review #1 * * * Stars (Pretty good) “I Hope This Doesn’t Find You” by Ann Liang follows Sadie Wen who is the epitome of a perfect student. She is the school captain, valedictorian, and a delight to have in class. Maintaining her reputation is tough, so she vents her frustrations by drafting unsent emails. Sadie would never send these emails because they … Read more
Flashback Keeper of the Lost Cities, bk #7 by Shannon Messenger Adventure Fantasy Romance Review #1 * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) This book is about a girl named Sophie and her friends trying to stop this bad group called the Neverseen. The Neverseen gets to them first and harms Sohpie and her friend Fitz with an echo. When they get better they have to try and find the Neverseen and stop them from … Read more
Caraval Caraval series, bk #1 by Stephanie Garber Adventure Fantasy Mystery Romance Suspense Thriller Review #1 * * * * Stars (Great!) “Caraval” by Stephanie Garber follows sisters Scarlett and Donatella Dragna, who live under their abusive father’s control. Both of them dream of attending Caraval, a magical performance where the audience participates in a game. Just as Scarlett is about to enter an arranged marriage to escape their father, she receives an invitation to … Read more
Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson Mystery Realistic Fiction Suspense Thriller Review #1 * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) “Monday’s Not Coming” by Tiffany Jackson follows Claudia, a devoted friend who is determined to find her friend Monday Charles. The novel opens with Claudia returning from a summer at her grandmother’s in Georgia, expecting to reunite with Monday. However, she soon discovers that Monday is not there. As days turn into weeks, Claudia … Read more
The Missing Sword Chronicles of Never After, bk #4 by Melissa de la Cruz Fantasy Romance Review #1 * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) The Orge Queen gives Filomena’s mom a magic potion that makes her sick. To save her, Filomena and her friends Jack, Gretel, Alister, and Rosie need to find the sword of Excalibur which is in a lost city. They have to go through different tests and figure out that they … Read more
The Stand by Stephen King Dystopian Horror Science Fiction Supernatural Suspense Thriller Review #1 * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) Stephen King’s “The Stand” is a dystopian genre novel (though flavorings of multiple genres are present in the text) that chronicles the journeys of an ensemble cast of characters as they learn to survive in an America that has been ravaged by a genetically engineered plague known as the Superflu. As the survivors of … Read more
Zeroes (trilogy) by Scott Westerfeld Supernatural Review #1 * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) Follows a group of teens with supernatural powers, but they’re no heroes. Their abilities have odd and specific drawbacks that cause them to be found in unsavory situations. I loved the writing and each kid’s powers are so interesting!