All Book Reviews

Bleach, Vol 2
Kubo, Tite
4 stars = Really Good
Review:

In the second Bleach manga book Ichigo and Rukia search for Chad. They encounter a hollow that killed a boys parents and the boy was stuck in a parrots body and told that his mother could come back to life. Afterwards Rukia gives Ichigo a soul candy which allows him out of his body without Rukia having to be there. The soul candy goes rogue and steals Ichigo's body. They have to hunt down his body and they make friends with him and put him in a stuffed animal.

Reviewer's Name: Vincent D
Sidekicked
Anderson, John David
3 stars = Pretty Good
Review:

Andrew Bean is a normal kid on the outside but on the inside he is the Sensationalist, a sidekick with super senses. Andrew joins a superhero organization called H.E.R.O this affiliation trains people with superpowers so they can be sidekicks for superheros and someday supers themselves. His hero, The Titan used to be the best (and coolest) superhero but after an unfortunate accident while fighting a notorious criminal called The Dealer he disappeared. This left the sensationalist with no hero to help him when he needs it most especially when the Dealer returns seeking revenge on The Titan. In the middle of this all he still has to be careful not to blow his cover, even to his parents.

Reviewer's Name: Vincent D
P.S. I Still Love You
Han, Jenny
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

P.S. I Still Love You, by Jenny Han, is the second book to the To all the Boys I've Loved Before trilogy. The central character is a girl named Lara Jean. She is a quirky shy girl who loves to bake, enjoys scrapbooking, and is into fashion. The first book of the series begins with a crazy start.

Lara Jean wrote love letters, five in all, to boys that she used to be in love with when she was younger. One day, her young sister Kitty, who previously got in a fight with Lara Jean, decides to get back at her sister by sending out all of these private letters. This changes Lara Jean's life completely. P.S. I Still Love You is a good continuation to Lara Jean's story but I'm trying not to spoil it so I suppose I'll leave it at that. Overall, I love Jenny Han's writing technique. She adds suspense and plot twists to keep the books going and keep things interesting. This trilogy is a must read for fans of chick flicks or romantic comedies; you can't put it down.

Reviewer's Name: Elizabeth P
My Heart and other Black Holes
Warga, Jasmine
4 stars = Really Good
Review:

Aysel is a girl who is held back by her dark past and whose life is influenced greatly by her violent father and his sins. Instead of working, Aysel explores a disturbing website called "Smooth Passages". This website includes different people who wish to commit "partner suicide". Aysel is a very depressed girl and is intrigued by Smooth Passages. She soon discovers a boy who lives close by and contacts him but the closer and closer it gets to their suicide date, the more Aysel wonders if maybe living wouldn't be so bad after all. I thought that this book was fairly well written but the only problem I had with it was that it was predictable. All in all, i enjoyed the book but it wasn't my all time favorite.
Reviewer Grade 10

Reviewer's Name: Elizabeth P
Five Feet Apart
Lippincott, Rachel
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

This book is so amazing and special! It is the story of Stella Grant and Will Newman, two teens with cystic fibrosis, a disease in the lungs.
Because of the possibility of transmitting germs, two people with cystic fibrosis (CF) are not permitted to get within six feet of each other. Will and Stella are polar opposites when they meet, but as they start spending more time together, they find out they have more in common than they initially thought, and start to fall in love despite the six foot rule. This book is engaging, funny, heartbreaking and powerful all at the same time. It makes you appreciate the life you are given so much more, and reminds you to never waste a second of time with someone who you love. This is one of the best books I have ever read!

Reviewer's Name: Allie S
To All the Boys I've Loved Before
Han, Jenny
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

This is a wonderful book for anyone who's ever wondered what it would be like to have all of your crushes find out that you liked them-- at the same time. Lara Jean is a high school junior and her life goes from boring to out of control overnight when her secret love letters to her crushes are mailed out. At the same time, one of her crushes, Peter, breaks up with his girlfriend and the two decide to start a fake relationship to make Peter's ex-girlfriend jealous, and so Lara Jean's real crush, Josh, doesn't find out that she likes him. This book is funny, detailed and true in a way that very few romance books are. It pleasantly surprised me with the humor and heart of this novel. Peter and Lara Jean have wonderful chemistry and it is hard not to fall in love with this book!

Reviewer's Name: Allie S
Kensuke's Kingdom
Morpurgo, Michael
4 stars = Really Good
Review:

In the book Kensuke’s Kingdom which was written by Michael Morpurgo,a family of 3 and a dog named Stella Artois decided to go on an 18 month journey around the world after Michael's parents lost their jobs. As they take a vast journey across England to Africa and then from South America to South Africa in a yacht named Peggy Sue. Everything was going great for everyone, they traveled to so many countries around the world, until one night when Stella Artois and Michael went off board the Peggy Sue one night. What happened to them is what you’ll have to find out. This book has many cliffhangers after every chapter, for me I just couldn't put the book down. Plus the book does a great job of describing the setting and giving you a great description of what's happening. If you are into animals and geography then this is the perfect book for you. This in my opinion is a great book and everyone should read it.

Reviewer's Name: Shireen D.
Matched
Condie, Allyson
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

This book is truly amazing! It leaves you wondering what will happen next, to where you cannot put the book down! This is the first book of a trilogy by Ally Condie, all of which are fantastic. I usually don't like reading but I checked this out, and could not put it down! I read it in a week or so because it was so enthralling. I would recommend this book to anyone! It's futuristic, comical, dramatic, and romantic all at the same time.

Reviewer's Name: Ashlynn B.
My Brother's Secret
Smith, Dan
4 stars = Really Good
Review:

This book takes place during WWII, and is from the perspective of a boy attending the Hitler Youth. He starts out supporting Hitler and what he's doing, but after moving soon discovers that the way he'd been thinking was wrong. He slowly starts to change the way he's thinking and join a rebellion, putting him at risk. This does end up getting him in a sticky situation, but does he get out? Read to find out.

Reviewer's Name: Ash N.
Fahrenheit 451
Bradbury, Ray
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

Guy Montag, a fireman who lives in the future where all books are banned, is required to burn them all. Guy then meets a strange girl who explains how books aren't so bad. He begins to spend more time with her and as more fire calls end up worse and worse, his point of view on books is eventually changed. Guy becomes a rebel to the fire company, as he tries to stand up to what is right. He later meets with an ex-professor who helps him generate a plan. Will he succeed? Read this book to find out. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to read about an alternate point of view on the future and readers who like technology as well as robots.

Reviewer's Name: Miles
The Outcasts
Flanagan, John
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

It was based off my favourite series, Rangers Apprentice. It was an inspiring book, and it kept my spirits high for the next book.

Reviewer's Name: Adam H.
Five Feet Apart
Lippincott, Rachael
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

-----Possible Spoiler Alert!---------
Stella Grant is a cystic fibrosis patient who actively uses social media to cope with her illness and tries to live a normal life. Stella absolutely loves babies and spends most of her days at the NICU or where they keep the babies. She meets another CF patient, Will Newman, who is at the hospital for a medication trial, in an attempt to get rid of the bacterial infection in his lungs B. Cepacia. He follows her to the NICU while his friends use his room for stuff. CF patients are strictly kept six feet apart to reduce the risk of bacterial infections from other CF patients can be life-threatening. Stella is determined to keep the and dislikes Will initially, who likes to break the rules and take dangerous risks. Stella notices that Will isn't taking his treatment regimen and gets him to agree on one condition he can draw Stella. Will and Stella begin to fall for each other and go on their first to the hospital pool, they reveal scars from
their past surgeries. The day after that Stella made a scavenger hunt for his birthday, which catches him by surprise. It ends with Will meeting up with Stella, who leads him to a room for a surprise dinner party, put on by Stella and Poe, Stella's best friend and a fellow CF patient. After that, Poe dies and Stella is sad because she never got to hug him. Stella decides that she is living her life too strictly. Stella and Will decide to leave the hospital with her in order to view the lights from the city. Stella suddenly grabs Will's hand, scarring Will. However Stella argues that she has gloves on. They come across a pond and decide to slide around on the pond. During this, the hospital is notified that they had a pair of lungs for Stella to get a transplant. She ignores it so she can spend more time out with Will . When Will finds out that Stella can get a transplant, he pleads with Stella to take the transplant. Stella refuses, before falling through the ice. Will is able to pull her out of the water, but Stella is unresponsive. Despite the risk of infection, Will performs CPR and Stella wakes up. They are then brought back to the hospital by ambulance. At first Stella is hesitant but Stella agrees to do the transplant after Will convinces her to do it for him. The transplant is successful. Will finds out that Stella did not contract his infection.When Stella wakes up from her surgery, she sees Will through the glass window of her room. He has set up a display of lights outside of her room, saying that his only regret was that she did not get to see the lights so he brought them to her. He tells her that his drug trial isn't working, and he doesn't want her to have to deal with his eventual death. Confessing his love for her, Will makes her close her eyes, because he says he won't be able to leave if she is looking at him. Stella closes her eyes and Will walks away.

I would recommend this book to others because the book tells you that just because you might be different you can still find love. This book is a good romance novel that takes two people that think that they don't have anything in common to them falling in love.

Reviewer's Name: Hannah L.
The Thing About Jellyfish
Benjamin, Ali
4 stars = Really Good
Review:

The Thing About Jellyfish is a mysterious book that you will never want to put down. It starts out with a twelve year old girl named Suzy watching jellyfish at a aquarium. A few days ago her best friend had died swimming in the ocean while on a vacation. When Suzy is told this she realizes it can not be true, her best friend had been a great swimmer, so she sets out to find what happened to her best friend. She believes it could have only been one thing, a jellyfish. She does as much as she can to prove what happened to her best friend, but no one believes her. If you love mysteries and like not knowing what is going to happen, this book is for you. It is a great read for teens and children and I totally recommend reading it.

Reviewer's Name: Aspen
Chains
Anderson, Laurie Halse
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

Isabel Finch is a slave girl and belongs to Miss Mary Finch. When Miss Mary Finch dies, she and her younger sister Ruth must travel away from Rhode Island and to New York where they are bought and serve a new master. This master is a strong loyalist and Isabel finds herself trading information about battles and invasions to the local patriot camp in New York. I loved this book because it showed bravery and the injustice of slavery for young girls. I would fully recommend this book to anyone who has a heart for historical fiction.

Reviewer's Name: Nina F.
Spelled
Schow, Betsy
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

Have you ever wondered what it's like being a princess? Well, if you ask Dorthea Gale Emerald, princess of Emerald, it's not easy. Especially when the only thing you can't have is fire.

This is an amazing read about a princess you accidentally curses all of Story and embarks on a mission with a servant, her fiancé she was forced to get married to, and a pair of beautiful ruby heels. It has a lot of plot twists, romance, bickering, and , of course, villains and heroes. This book is part of a three book series and a twisted version of Wizard of Oz. There are no bad parts to the book in my eyes. The major theme is don't judge a book by it's cover. All ages can enjoy this book, but there is slight cursing and blood. So if you have a book wish list, definitely add this book to it.

Reviewer's Name: Mia G.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay
Rowling, J.K.
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

I found this book really good sure some people would have a hard time reading a sceen play but I found this easy and im reading the second book right now and I would recommend this book to all ages this book took place in the 1920 before harry potter and it gives you the chance to use your imagination to picture these fantastic creature.

Reviewer's Name: David
Genres:
The Young Elites
Lu, Marie
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

(Slight Spoiler Alert)
The Young Elites is a book of teens and young adults who are very powerful (literally). The main character Adelina heard about The Elites when she was a child but it wasn’t until a major event in her life when she figured she was apart of them. As a child Adelina’s mother died of the same disease that killed thousands of adults and gave children markings making them malfettos and very few elites. Since Adelina’s mother died when she was very young and Adelina became a malfetto it left her vulnerable of abuse from her father. Adelina developed a hatred for her father but always stayed loyal to her sister Violetta. Violetta and Adelina kept each other calm.

One day Adelnia decided to escape from her father’s madness. On her way Adelina does a crime discovering her abilities. Adelina gets in lots of trouble with the Inquisition but is able to escape. When Adelina escapes she joins the Dagger Society a group of young elites. The Dagger Society has a goal to wipe out the Inquisitors. Within the goal Adelina has some drama within the group. Adelina is relatable to teens experiencing intensified versions of how teens feel such as passion, anger, happiness, and much more.

Reviewer's Name: Alexia
Wonder
Palacio, R. J.
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

In the beginning of the book August has a facial deformity called Treacher Collins syndrome where his ear is lower than the ears are supposed to be. He has not gone to a regular school ever so in fifth grade his mom has decided that she does not want to

Reviewer's Name: Hannah
The Wedding Party Cover
Guillory, Jasmine
3 stars = Pretty Good
Review:

Maddie and Theo have known and disliked each other for a long time - as long as they've had the same best friend, the newly engaged Alexa Munroe. When they end up hooking up after Alexa's engagement party, it was unexpected for both of them to say the least. They both end up in the wedding party, and they know they will be thrown together more often. When they find themselves unable to resist a second hook-up, they put some rules into place, the chief one being that they'd only hook up until the wedding and then they'd go their separate ways forever.

If you read that synopsis and thought that you knew exactly where this book is headed, then you are correct! This is a very straightforward romance. What you see is what you get. I was expecting a little more. I thought it would be a comedy or maybe there would be some political commentary since our leads are both people of color but neither of those things were present. That said, I actually found the straight-up nature of this read to be surprisingly refreshing. I knew exactly what I was going to get and I got it. I didn’t learn anything new, and some aspects of the story were frustrating (for example, they don’t hate each other so much as tolerate each other with mild annoyance) , but all was resolved by the end. It was a good palate cleanser, and next time I don’t know what I’m in the mood for, I may pick up a Guillory book.

To be completely honest, I don’t read a ton of romance (which is how I would classify this book, perhaps mistakenly). If you like contemporary romance, I see no reason that you wouldn’t like this one – its a sexy read with believable characters and scenarios. 3 stars. Despite myself, I ended up kind of liking it.

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley publishing for the advance copy which I got in exchange for an unbiased review. The Wedding Party will be available on 16 July, but you can put your copy on hold today!

Reviewer's Name: Britt
Ember Falls
Smith, S.D.
4 stars = Really Good
Review:

Being a fan of children’s series like The Chronicles of Narnia, as well as a lover of rabbits (owning two Flemish giants as pets), I was glad to get back into the Green Ember series with the second book, Ember Falls. Obviously, as this series is mainly geared toward children, there were a few points of the plot of this second book that I either predicted from the start or could see coming from a mile away. In any case, the world building that continued with this book was top notch, despite certainly feeling like a “linking” part of the series.

While The Green Ember could stand on its own and laid the groundwork for the books that came after it, Ember Falls certainly needs its predecessor to make sense. It also seems to rely on the next book in the series to reach some conclusion. This is an issue that often arises in book series. The saga of the story as a whole (across numerous books) is prioritized over focusing on a complete plot for each book. Don’t get me wrong: I still want to see where this series goes; however, it’s a little infuriating when I don’t have access to the next book in the series yet.

Ember Falls inherits a lot of what I liked and disliked about The Green Ember. This is likely going to be the case for the series as a whole. The individual characters are well-rounded and have clear motivations. However, the fact that they are rabbits seems to be often overlooked. These characters mostly act like ordinary people and only occasionally use their unique lagomorph attributes to advance the plot (same goes for the enemies as well). Other than that, this is certainly a series I’ll be reading to my children someday.

An adequate progression of the Green Ember series, I give Ember Falls 4.0 stars out of 5.

Reviewer's Name: Benjamin W.