This book is a good resource historically. Hosseini's writing provides a good perspective of what it's like to have lived in Afghanistan. The story itself is interesting. There is plenty of text to analyze about the struggles of an impending war, which I think is good to gain understanding from other cultures. However, I found that there were some scenes throughout the book that were unnecessary. They were a part of the story but went into extreme detail that made me uncomfortable and covered very mature topics. Overall, I give this a three. It's not bad, just not my cup of tea, so I wouldn't be recommending it to someone myself.

This book was definitely interesting to read. I didn't exactly dislike it but it wasn't my favorite book ever. The book is about a dystopian world with a special act that lets people "unwind" their teenagers. This process involves repurposing their organs and body parts, donating them to people in need and justified this as the life doesn't really end. It's the premise of the book and brings up some heartbreaking scenes to read. In my opinion the plot isn't bad. It's about three teens that come together to try and escape being unwound. What I like about it is that it's a powerful adventure and there's a lot of unique characters. Even though it wasn't my favorite book I've read, I don't think it a waste of time and would recommend it to those who enjoy science fiction and action.

After reading Gary Paulsen’s other Hatchet books, I knew I had to read The River. The story is simple: Brian has been rescued from the horrors of the wilderness, with scars to prove them; but a group of men who want to educate people on nature survival are asking him to travel back to the desolate Canadian Forests! Read as a simple, and seemingly safe, plan falters and leaves Brian back in the wild, alone. His only hope: to raft down a river and hope for somebody to rescue him.
Although this novel gives off a less tense survival vibe, it is certainly still entertaining. I would certainly recommend this entire series to anyone who loves a good nature book with a twist. The River: A Hatchet Adventure, is worthwhile. Read and submerse yourself in a survival book of hardships and adventure!

Gary Paulsen has done it again in his fifth and final Hatchet series book. Brian is back in the comfort of the Canadian wilderness, and he has promised to visit a native hunting family on his venture back into the forests. However, his trip turns into a massacre when Brian arrives to a horrific scene. Brian must claim vengeance over whoever, or whatever did this. Join Brian on his hunt in another excellent adventure from Gray Paulsen. This book is yet another wilderness hit! Totally recommended to anyone who loves a good nature book.

He has finally done it: Brian survived the terrors of nature and has finally returned to his home town in New York. Everything is better now, or is it? Is city life as wonderful as Brian dreamed it to be while stuck in the middle of the Canadian Forests? Or has Brian become part of nature? To find out, read the third book in the Hatchet series, Brian’s Return.

I knew that I had to read this book after completing Gary Paulsen’s previous two books in the series. Brian kept growing on me the more I read, and I couldn’t get enough of Gray Paulsen’s descriptive writing. Although this book holds less of Brian’s wilderness struggles, Brian now encounters a whole different kind of hardship. I completely suggest this book to any wilderness lovers out there!

When I finished reading Gary Paulsen’s initial book to the series, Brian’s Winter was on my list. The novel twists the first book, Hatchet, with an alternate ending! Brian now remains stranded in the Canadian Wilderness, but here’s the catch: in order for Brian to survive, he must endure Canada’s brutal winters. Can Brian get lucky enough to survive yet another season in the wild, or will he succumb to the sheer power of Mother Nature? Find out by reading Gary Paulsen’s Brian’s Winter.

A fake king, Rhian, has tricked the people of Camelot and taken the throne for himself. Now, he’s sentencing Tedros to death! Agatha barely manages to get out of his clutches, and hides in the School for Good and Evil, but Sophie has fallen into his trap, and must pretend to love him to survive. Sophie and Aggie find secret ways to communicate, and try to return Tedros to the throne before all stories and their friendship is torn apart.

Another amazing book by Jim Benton, You can bet on that follows Jamie and Angeline’s relationship as they face Isabella, and make multiple bets. Jamie complains about homework, ugly clothing, and feeling inferior, which we can all relate to. She and Angeline make a bet that whoever loses at a fair game has to kiss the worst boy in school. On the lips. Jamie really doesn’t want to lose, but what happens if she does?

I don’t know about other readers, but generally, as soon as a jacket blurb mentions something like “intergenerational saga” or “centuries-long family lore,” I roll my eyes and drop the book like the proverbial hot potato, sure it’s going to tax me with keeping track of 27 characters and five time periods. For whatever reason, this time, I kept reading past that ominous descriptor, and I’m so glad I did as Margaret Wilkerson Sexton’s moving and engrossing novel, The Revisioners, is one of the best I have read in recent years.

Chapters rotate across three time periods and center on two main characters, Josephine, who was born into slavery but who claims freedom at an early age and lives a long life in Louisiana, and Ava, her great, great-granddaughter, who lives in contemporary New Orleans with her pre-teen son and—in an unexpected twist that becomes increasingly unsettling—her wealthy, white paternal grandmother with dementia. In addition, both Josephine’s and Ava’s own mothers feature vividly in their respective chapters, deepening the layers of national and personal history that Sexton so realistically and poignantly depicts. The maternal line in this family is also characterized by certain gifts of understanding and sight, both earthly and other-earthly, which create a shadowy but certain bond that steadily solidifies among the women as the plot progresses.

Conflicts between our protagonists and somewhat minor but all too powerful white characters in all time periods make for suspenseful, unsettling scenes and, as you might expect, lead to heartbreak and trauma for both Josephine and Ava. Believe me, I cried (well, even sobbed) more than once at the outcome of certain events, but Sexton isn’t after “easy tears”; they would be pointless if not accompanied by genuine acknowledgment of and determination not to hide from our nation’s painful and shameful past, especially on the part of white readers. Even so, the novel’s conclusion (in Ava’s time/place) points towards healing and hope for this family that has endured so much.

I won’t spoil the surprise of the title’s origin and its place in this book (or in which of the three generations of Black American women it is featured), but I found this plot-dependent entity and the way it informs and almost foretells key characters’ lives one of the most poignant and satisfying conceits Sexton employs. I couldn’t recommend this book more emphatically for anyone looking for a serious and unforgettable, not to mention timely, contribution to American literature.

This is my favorite book out of the series. Sophie is GOOD, so why is the prince of evil proposing to her every day? And, of course, he says that because she kissed him, and it brought him back, that it was true loves kiss. She accepts his proposal, and becomes the queen of evil. But she’s still mad at Agatha. Agatha is hiding out in Galvadon with Tedros, her true love, and prince of Camelot. The two are still best friends, but find themselves on opposite sides of a war. Can they survive this with their relationship intact?