Told through recovered computer documents, Illuminae tells the story of Kady and Ezra fighting to survive after a rival mining company destroys their colony and they and the rest of the survivors are fleeing on an damaged fleet while being pursued by the enemy warship. What follows are pages of IM chats, reports, and emails recovered to tell their story of rebellion and survival. When a mysterious illness starts to affect other refugees, it adds a whole other dimension to this story. This was a such a unique take on science fiction--telling the story through recovered documents as two teens fight the system so they can stay alive and stay together--a fast and exciting read!

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is about a fireman named Guy Montag whose job is to, ironically, start fires. Everything was going great for Guy, I mean he had money, a “loving” wife, and had an exhilarating job of burning books. That all changes when he meets a teenage girl who completely changes his view on the corrupt world and when he opens a book, which is illegal, he realizes why reading them is forbidden. Guy realizes he must escape this awful place, but where would he go? How would he get there? And who can he trust? Fahrenheit 451 is one of many dystopian society novels that catch my attention because it makes me wonder what would happen if this WAS our world. It is very boring in the beginning and is confusing at some parts, but overall it’s an amazing book and had me reading 20 pages within 10 minutes towards the end. I chose this book because I love dystopian society books and also the cover looked intriguing. I wonder what would happen if books were illegal and people were forbidden to read them?

Reviewer Grade: 10

After a mission to Mars goes wrong, Astronaut Mark Watney is left on Mars all by himself and must find a way to survive on the deserted planet for 414 days. The Martian by Andy Weir is a nerdy but super jaw-dropping novel because it incorporates a survival journey combined with accurate science. Having a limited supply of food, no contact with NASA, and his crew mates thinking he is dead, Watney must use his botany and dummy mechanic skills to find some way to not die on Mars before the next Ares mission. Being stuck with disco music, a variety of technical problems, and no human interaction, Mark Watney is on the route to giving up, when NASA is able to contact him and work to bring him back home, but will Watney make it? We read this book as a requirement for English and I thought it was going to be a nerdy, boring sci-fi book, but it actually was super attention grabbing and I found myself finishing it within 2 days. The whole book is so interesting because you get to learn about a guy surviving on Mars and even if it is fiction, Andy Weir actually used accurate scientific data to back up his book.

Reviewer Grade: 10

District 13 has finally stepped out of the shadows and joined the rebellion. Unknowingly, Katniss has been a central part of their revolution for a while. Now, she must decide whether or not she'll collaborate with them. The success of the rebellion and the future of Panem depends on it.

This was my least favorite book of the series. I felt as if it dragged a lot because not much happened for a while. The end felt really rushed and thrown together, which I found disappointing. It's an okay book, but I didn't find it very satisfying.

Reviewer Grade: 12

After Katniss and Peeta win The Hunger Games, the Capital is upset. Katniss' defiance that allowed the both of them to win has inspired the Districts to rebel. The Capital, desperate to stay in control, must find a way to stop the rebellion before it actually becomes a force to be reckoned with. To do this, they must destroy the rebellion's figurehead in the right way. Just when Katniss finally thinks that she's safe, her world is turned upside down and she finds herself in more danger than ever before.

This book was good. While I enjoyed it more than the first one, it's a bit repetitive. Part of the plot was the same as the first book, just with different circumstances. Otherwise, I loved it.

Reviewer Grade: 12

The nation of Panem resides in a place that was once known as North America. It is a Capital surrounded by 12 districts. Once, the districts rebelled against the Capital and were defeated. Thus, The Hunger Games were born. Every year, each district must send one boy and one girl between the ages of 12-18 to fight to the death in The Hunger Games, which is broadcasted across national television. When Katniss' sister is chosen, she volunteers to go in her place, knowing that to go means certain death.

I really enjoyed this book. I found it to be very interesting. It's scary to think that anybody would allow an event such as The Hunger Games to occur. Power in the wrong hands can lead to terrible things.

Reviewer Grade: 12

This book definitely isn't like the movies, but it is still really interesting to read. The main character, Victor Frankenstein, goes through a lot of crazy times. He creates a so called monster by many and everything that comes after keeps you wanting to read more. There is a lot of melancholy feelings and struggles that many go throughout the book. It uses a lot of diction and has foreshadowing throughout giving you hints here and there of what might come. I highly recommend this book because it's a very cool story.

Reviewer Grade: 12

Proactive Citizenry has been hiding a way to create new body parts that would make unwinding completely unnecessary. If this information can be revealed, unwinding may finally come to an end, but nothing's as easy as it seems.

Starkey and his brigade of storks are growing more powerful every day. Instead of helping anything, the attacks made by the brigade are only convincing people that the new laws that allow teenagers (without parental consent) and convicts to be unwound must be passed. Desperate times call for desperate measures, right?

Between people's fear of feral teenagers and their belief that unwinding is the only way to provide them with a substantial amount of body parts, unwinding may never end.

I enjoyed this book. It really goes to show how fear can drive people to do drastic things. The only thing that I didn't like a lot was the ending. While the fate of the future was implied, it didn't feel very concrete. I personally didn't find it satisfying, but that's just my opinion.

Reviewer Grade: 12

Juliette’s story begins in an insane asylum/prison. She knows why she’s there. She deserves to be there. However, when they bring her an inmate, she doesn’t know how to react. Juliette has so much strength, but she doesn’t know how to find it or control it, yet. She begins as a frangible, scared girl but becomes a daring and powerful woman, thanks to the wonderful villains in this first novel. Because of Juliette’s transformation, any reader will find some strengths within themselves, as well. And unlike some trilogy’s, Juliette’s story just keeps getting better.

Reviewer Grade: 12

This book has been given more credit than it probably deserves. However, it is still a great novel. Bradbury has such beautiful writing, it grabs you from the first sentence. The story is about a man, Montag, who lives in the future as a fireman. Unlike today’s firemen, though, Montag is a fire-starter. He burns houses that have a single book in them, since books are illegal in this future. Montag meets a young girl, though, that changes his perspective on his previous perception of why books are so bad. If you are itching to read something quick, good, and that will make you think, this is a book for you!

Reviewer Grade: 12