Book Reviews by Genre: Fiction

In this sequel to Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card continues to provide a smartly-written plot that causes the reader to think about death in a whole new way. While the first book in the series gave some thought-provoking insights into war, simulation and the dangers of following orders, Speaker for the Dead examines cultural differences, religion, and the humanity of individuals who acted like monsters during their lives. Instead of moving on from the life of a deplorable person, Card manages to show the reader that a person’s life is made up of all its truths: the bad included with the good.

While Ender Wiggin seemed a little young in Ender’s Game, by Speaker for the Dead he’s aged into a wiser and much more complex character. His experiences in the first book helped to set him up as the universe’s devil and savior, a unique attribute set for a very cerebral character. I did appreciate how the physics of interstellar travel were used as limitations and constraints to make the situation of Ender’s age and experience much more believable. Of course, now that I’ve read the sequel to Ender’s Game, I’m not sure if the sub-plot with his siblings was nearly as important as I thought it would have been, thus making its omission from the movie a sensible choice.

What’s most intriguing about this science fiction adventure is how little science fiction is in it. Sure, there’s light-speed travel, alien creatures, and sentient computers, but when it comes down to it, the story is essentially a detective mystery solved by Ender Wiggin. Perhaps the sci-fi framework helped to create the ideal metaphor for understanding a culture different from our own, but these sci-fi elements could have easily been cut out, and a profound plot would have remained.

Another thought-provoking story in Ender Wiggin’s saga, I give Speaker for the Dead 4.5 stars out of 5.

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I’ll be the first to admit that I like sequels. Or, more accurately, well-done sequels. While the first book in a series can be great by itself, it carries the burden of exposition and world-building. A good sequel gives a light refresher of the important points and gets right into the action. I would certainly consider Stiletto to be a well-done sequel to the first book in the Checquy Files series, The Rook. Not only does it expand upon the central conflict in the first book, but it throws in the twist of the warring factions of the Checquy and the Grafters coming together to form a truce.

In making enemies into teammates, Daniel O’Malley shows the differences between them are almost superficial. The chess-based supernatural soldiers of the Checquy almost have the same strength of powers that the genetically and surgically enhanced members of the Grafters do. Since the whole plot usually revolves around a pawn of the Checquy and a young woman from the Grafters as they try and maneuver treaty negotiations, the reader gets to see both sides of the argument. Of course, as was the case in The Rook, much of the story is divided into episodic events with an overarching storyline connecting these loosely-related moments together.

Even if the humor is often bodily-related, the style continues to be quintessentially British. It casts a delicate balance between action and humor while also moving the story along to an exciting conclusion. I would almost think such a series would be perfect for a Television show adaptation since its episodic nature lends itself to be easily broken up into smaller pieces. One last thing I would like to mention is that the narration given by Moria Quirk in this book was outstanding. With many different European accents and a variety of unique characters to voice, Quirk made the story understandable and engaging in all the best ways.

A perfect sequel to one of my new favorite series, I give Stiletto 4.5 stars
out of 5.

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Hans Vollman died shorty before getting to consummate his marriage with his young wife. His spirit, full of regrets, stuck around the graveyard. The same is true for Mr. Blevins, who committed suicide because of his sexuality. No one really knows why the Reverend chose to stay in what amounts to purgatory, but he's there, and he mostly hangs around with Vollman and Blevins. Every night, those ghosts and more come out of their "sick boxes" to congregate. Until one night, a very special ghost arrives, and everything changes. Willie Lincoln arrives in the graveyard, and instead of immediately transferring to the "next place" as most young children do, he sticks around. Lincoln in the Bardo follows the ghosts and their reactions to the younger Lincoln and his very special visitor, his father, the living sitting president, Abraham Lincoln.

First, I listened to this book, and while the audio performances were stunning, it was initially extremely confusing for this listener. I had no idea what was happening for the first disk, and considered quitting the book entirely. However, after reading the synopsis on the back and a few online reviews, I stuck with it, and I'm glad I did. Like I said, the audio performances were stunning. Nick Offerman (Vollman) and David Sedaris (Blevins), in particular, deliver masterful performances. Along with exposition from the ghosts, there are interstitial segments that use actual quotes from newspapers and other sources from the time , and it's here that the narration goes into overkill. The audiobook features 160 narrators, and I think that instead of having a different person read each quote, the story would've flowed a little better had our narrator just read the quotes.

The book itself is an interesting paranormal postmodern story that has elements of historical fiction that also takes a long hard look at death, grief, and coming to terms with one's lot in life. There's a lot going on, but after the first sixth of the story, I was hooked, and I really started to care about Blevins and particularly Vollman. This book is short on plot, but that's not the point. This is a character study that also examines life, death, and whatever might lie in-between. As the book is set at the beginning of the civil war, there are some heartrending accounts from the ghosts of slaves, and some maddening accounts from dead confederate soldiers. The book is a bit of an emotional roller coaster, but as I like books that make me feel things, that wasn't a problem for me. This book will make most people feel something, be it ire, or sadness, or confusion (it's been a while since I've read a postmodern book, and the format was occasionally jarring).

While this was at first a difficult listen, I ultimately ended up enjoying it. I would recommend reading the book, and then revisiting it as an audiobook to enjoy the fabulous performances. A challenging, but worthy read. 3 stars - I liked it.

It's not the book's fault that it got 3 stars. I'm just not the target audience. I think that if I read this as a teenager I would give it 4 or 5 stars. That said, it was a good story. It's a dystopian Cinderella story involving a cyborg with a shrouded past, a young emporer, and an evil queen. Not too shabby.

Serafina is a 12 year old girl who sneaks around the Baltimore Estate and gets rid of all of the rats. She has never talked to any of the people who stayed at the estate. The owners don't even know she exists! She has 4 toes on each foot and her collar bones aren't attached to the other bones.

Serafina and the Black Cloak is an amazing book with adventure family and the true meaning of friendship. I would recommend this book to all middle school readers.

I picked up this book because I saw a lot of fan art and posts about it online, and for a while I actually confused it with the "Six of Crows" series. It is DEFINITELY not the "Six of Crows" series.

"The Dream Thieves" is the second book of "The Raven Cycle" series, the first being "The Raven Boys." Now, despite the title making it sound like a cheesy love triangle YA novel, it is most definitely not. If the book was about anyone's love, it would be about the teenage rich boy's love for a dead Welsh king (just read the book it will all make sense).

The thing I loved most about "The Dream Thieves" and the series in general is that each book seems to focus on a different character and their struggles. "The Raven Boys" was a sort of combo about Noah and Adam, "Blue Lily, Lily Blue" is about Blue (or Jane if you prefer), and "The Raven King" is about Gansey. "The Dream Thieves," however, is about Ronan.

The reason I loved this book so much is because of the character development of Ronan and how we are able to see deeper inside his character. Stiefvater starts out the book blatantly stating that Ronan has secrets, and throughout the book she gradually slips either clues or foreshadowing as to what those secrets are. Maggie Stiefvater is the queen of foreshadowing (right ahead of Sarah J. Maas). She finishes it off by revealing some pretty major details about the character that will become relevant in later books (Spoiler free environment here).

I personally LOVE Ronan and many others focused on in this book as well. I loved the complexity of Kavinsky and how he wasn't just blatantly evil, but had secrets of his own as well. I also really really enjoyed The Gray Man and his character development throughout the novel. His and Maura's relationship was one of the most comical and enjoyable things about the book. Add that to the character and relationship struggles of Adam and Gansey, the novel was one of the best I've read in a while. I have little to no complaints except that I want more.

Grade: 10 Age: 15

This book is about a girl who lives by herself on an island. It's a story of empowerment, as the main character learns to live and thrive alone. She doesn't seem to let her circumstances get the best of her. I'd recommend this novel to young girls in particular as the narrator is a strong and capable girl.

When Fox Mulder was just a kid, his little sister was kidnapped while he was babysitting her. That event has haunted him and his family ever since. So, when children start to go missing and then turn up dead from what appears to be a ritualistic serial killer, Mulder knows that he has to do something.

While I like the X-files, I'm certainly not the world's greatest fan - I've probably seen around 1/2 of the episodes, and I haven't watched the reboot. However, this book jumped out at me as I was perusing the stacks, and I'm glad it did. In fact, if you are just a fan of mysteries and/or the paranormal, this book will totally meet your needs. You can go into this without knowing anything about Mulder and the TV show, and you'll still have a great reading experience. If you are an avid fan of the show, there are several "easter eggs", cameos and cute references throughout the book (the smoking man shows up in the first chapter!). Also, it's got some entertaining historical fiction elements as the book is set in 1979, and that is very much reflected in the music and technology.

Garcia does a great job with the character development. Mulder quickly teams up with two other "genuis" types, and this book could've quickly devolved into some variation of "three teen geniuses solve a crime caper" a la a number of middle grade/YA books out there, but Garcia fleshed the characters out to the point that this pitfall was, for the most part, avoided. Mulder is, understandably, obsessed with finding his sister, and his parents are separated. His best friend, Gimble (a D&D name), has a father who is so enmeshed into conspiracy theories that he's been fired from the Air Force (he may or may not be an influence to young Mulder). His other best friend, also a love interest, was not as well developed, she was easily the weakest character, and I could've done without her and the romance. The story itself was a well done serial killer mystery, though the end felt a little abrupt with a ton of loose strings. The mystery is only mostly resolved, so I'm assuming there will be a sequel.

Anyone looking for a decent mystery with good characters, look no further. The X-files stuff is just icing on what is an already pretty tasty cake. I wanted to believe (I couldn't help myself), and this book didn't let me down. 3.5 stars.

Beautifully written - the book explores love, loss, and moving on in a way that doesn't feel like it should be a young adult novel.

Such a classic. You might think that a book about frontier life on the prairie would be boring, but it's not. Well, I did skip a few places that detailed the construction of the cabin etc. Otherwise, it's relaxed in most places and downright exciting in others. The book is told from the perspective of the middle daughter, Laura Ingalls. I love that the author is writing about her family. Thumbs up!

Octavia Butler's Kindred broke so much ground both as a flawless time travel novel and visceral retelling of the slave experience. As an African-American author writing science fiction, her body of work changed the field while winning its top honors -- the Nebula and Hugo awards -- and the author herself was awarded a MacArthur genius grant. This graphic novel is an excellent introduction to her work, and is highly recommended for YA and adult readers alike.

Set in 17th-century Amsterdam, the book follows the life of young bride, Nella Oortma, and her marriage to the wealthy merchant trader, Johannes Brandt. Johannes is kind but distant, leaving Nella feeling alone in his large estate. Nella receives an elaborate wedding gift from Johannes—a cabinet-sized dollhouse replica of the Brandt estate. Nella’s life takes a mysterious turn after she employs a local miniaturist to furnish the tiny house with replicas of the residents of the estate. I enjoyed the book and found it to be a fast read. The author’s rich description of people and places made the Old World setting come alive. Every chapter, the reader is reminded that not everything is what it appears to be.

Jason Dessen is a physics professor who lives with his wife and son in Chicago. One night as he is walking home, he is abducted by a man in a geisha mask, made to drive to an abandoned building on the outskirts of town, and drugged. He regains consciousness surrounded by strangers who say they’ve been anxiously awaiting his return.

The title itself is a bit of a spoiler for what it takes Jason the first 100 pages to figure out, which is an unrealistically long time, as he is purportedly a “brilliant experimental physicist.” The narrative is tainted with passive misogyny as well, and the whopping total of two female characters are barely characters at all, and the author makes it quite clear how easily disposable either of them are. Once Jason’s situation becomes clearer, the description of the book's technology is both imaginative and logical (really the only part of the book I enjoyed). Following this plot point, the squishy-brained version of Jason whom we have no option but to see as the protagonist makes stupid decisions as overgenerously as Peter Jackson makes Hobbit films.

The story Crouch attempts to tell has literally limitless potential, yet he explores, well… not very much of it. The strongest characters fail to live up to even their basic outlines, and overall the book falls face-first into disappointment and unintentional humor. It’s a science-fiction story written in the style of a supernatural drama. Crouch should not have strayed so far from Wayward Pines.

This is a powerful quick read with an engaging story line. Yes, Holocaust books are a dime a dozen, but this one is on top of the heap. The location of the book in Denmark also separates it from the rest. I was struck by the idea that it's easier to be brave when you don't know more than you need to to complete a task. Well done.

I have read this book a total of four times and cannot get enough. The story is of teens being forced into a maze and having to think of a creative way to get out. With grievers which are the monsters that haunt the maze and thrilling action on every page it leaves me wanting more every time I read this book. I picked this book since I have a love for action and adventure movies and after hearing that this movie was coming out I decided to read the book. I enjoyed the action of the story and how much I could relate to the story. The only thing I did not like about the book is that the story line was slow or stuck at certain points during the story. It was overall very exciting and kept me up for hours. The book was moderately predictable although I was not sure whether they would or would not make it out of the maze. It was definitely one of the best books I have ever read and would highly suggest it.
Reviewer: Grade 9

To Kill a Mockingbird shows us that growing up can not always be as easy as it seems. Especially when you live in Maycomb, Alabama, and your father is a lawyer defending a black man. Scout grows up not knowing much about the real world it is not until the trial that turns the whole town upside down that she really discovers how the South is really run. I love how relatable the characters are to teenagers like us today. I love how simple the story line is and the literature is beautiful. It tells you simply how things should be, it states things blatantly through Scout's eyes. The only thing I did not like about the book is that at some points it was hard to follow the story line. Although the story is very simple it got more complex when reading further. I chose this book because I had heard from many people that this was an incredible book and decided to see for myself. The book itself did surprise me as it did have a rather twist ending that was rather unpredictable. The characters were extremely relatable, I could see that in certain situations I would have acted similarly. I would say that it is definitely one of the best book I have read this year or even ever for multiple reasons. It can relate to old and young and describes an issue that still exists today.
Reviewer Grade: 9

The Green Ember is a wonderful, adventurous book! It is about two young rabbits, Heather and Picket, trying to protect their friend and prince, Prince Jupiter Smalls, from the terrible, evil bird named Morbin Blackhawk. Morbin Blackhawk has killed Smalls' father and is now trying to kill the heir to Jupiter's throne, aka Prince Jupiter Smalls. S. D. Smith did a great job on writing this book and giving foreshadowing and a lot of literary devices. This book is one of my favorites!

I love this book! It is a fun magical book and is perfect for us kids. J. K. Rowling did an amazing job making the characters and creating the settings and scenes to where you can picture them in your head. It is about a young boy named Harry and his friends named Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger working as a team to stop to most evil wizard in the history of magic from getting a stone that makes you immortal. This book has some very funny scenes:) I really enjoyed this book and I think you would too!

This is a beautiful book. It won the Caldecott Medal, so that's saying something. The artwork is fantastic. The book tells the story of Jean-Michel Basquiat's life in a free form jazz-inspired style. I'm not familiar with Jean-Michel Basquiat's work and now I want to see it for myself. There's a biography in the back. I only read this book once to my daughter. If I had read it more than once, I'd probably give it 5 stars.

Written on My Heart tells a tale of young Florine Gilham and Bud Warner, a couple soon to be married. As the wedding approaches, Florine's memory is drawn back to her mother. She disappeared when Florine was only twelve years old. Florine and Bud face the challenge of trying to solve the mystery of her vanishing mother all while raising a family. It comes to a path that shows them the power of families, not only the one's you are born into, but the one's that are because of friendship.
Overall, this fiction was fun to read, but does get a little bit boring in the beginning. It does speed up, and the author's impressive writing creates the whole scene for the book.
Reviewer Grade: 8