Category: Teen/YA Fiction Review

REVIEW: Trouble Makes a Comeback by Stephanie Tromly

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Digby returns! Zoe and Digby are back in this sequel to Trouble Is a Friend of Mine (5 ♥ – great book!). In the months since Digby left, Zoe has made some “normal” friends and started dating a football player. She’s determined to ace the SAT so she can secure a good “future.” And she’s completely left the adventures of first semester behind her! Sort of….

Then Digby returns. And where Digby is, chaos follows. Body guards, explosions, secrets and lies. Zoe will have to decide which life she wants – her new “normal” one or the Digby one.

Digby returns

Review

I loved the first book in this series. In fact, I re-read it before reading this so the story and the relationships were fresh in my mind. The first book is fun, smart and fresh – magic. This one didn’t quite hit the same level for me. The main characters are still terrific. And I had to know what happens next, so I’m glad I read this. But instead of focusing on the overarching mystery of the series (Digby’s missing sister), this book spent most of the time on the “normal” vs. “Digby” dilemma and a mystery that is central to this story. A good mystery, but not the mystery I was expecting when I started reading.

The ending is a major cliffhanger for the overarching mystery. So book 3 is a must read for me.

If you haven’t read the first book, I highly recommend it. If you loved book one like I did, go into book two expecting the dynamics to be different and for this story to have a split focus and I think you will enjoy it.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Bad Blood by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

The Naturals series finale. It’s hard to summarize the final book in a series and not give something away from a previous book. Suffice it to say that Cassie and the Naturals are back, still using their “gifts” to pursue serial killers. Each of the Naturals are dealing with their own baggage in this one while it careens towards an ending that wraps up the one case that ties all of the books in this series together.

Naturals series finale

Review

I love this series because it is a perfect book for teens and young adults (and adults) who enjoy a great mystery and suspense story. And I am crazy about great mysteries!

I love the psychological aspects to the main characters and their cases. The characters are fascinating – deep, nuanced and flawed. They have evolved over the series into an interesting family of sorts. And each book in the series has given back story to Cassie and the other Naturals bit by bit, rounding out their history and explaining some of their “gifts.”

This book is darker than the first three. This was necessary for the story that’s being told in this one. I wish I had re-read the earlier books before starting this one so all the parts and characters were fresh in my mind. I think it would have added some depth to the story when past moments came up that I haven’t read in a long time. [If you aren’t familiar with this series, you HAVE to start with book one, The Naturals.]

While I would love to read more stories with these characters, the series arc was wrapped up well. Some great twists in this one keep me going back through the story in my mind.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥ ½

 

REVIEW: Madly (The Potion Diaries) by Amy Alward

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Samantha comes from a long line of alchemists – potion makers without magic but with a gift for mixing and creating potions for whatever ails you. When the princess gets a bad potion, all the alchemists in the kingdom are summoned to join the hunt for a cure. The one who can make a potion to cure the princess wins gold and magic! Too bad for Samantha that her grandfather refuses to join the hunt. She’s just an apprentice. What can she do?

madly potion-diaries

Review

Ever since I first saw the cover for The Potion Diaries, I have wanted to read it. I thought about it all summer long, counting down to the October release date.

Then in September I realized that it’s not a new book, but a re-packaged book. My local library had had Madly, the same story but with a different title and cover, all along!!

The story is fantastic. The potion/magic pieces create the world, but the characters are the story. Stephanie and her family are great. I especially like how the world is set up with magic users and “ordinary” folks. Stephanie has a pretty easy time figuring out the ingredients thanks to her family gift. But actually obtaining those ingredients is another whole story!

The characters made this story for me! And the adventures in getting the potion ingredients kept me turning pages.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

royal-tour

I read book 2, The Royal Tour, right after I finished Madly. It sagged at spots in the middle for me, but it was still enjoyable. I’m glad I pressed through the slow spots. The characters continue to be terrific. I loved seeing more of the princess and Sam’s sister in this book. Major cliffhanger at the end sets up book 3 to be a doozy!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

 

 

REVIEW: The Long Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

This is book two in the Fixer series. The Fixer was my favorite book of 2015. The Long Game is shaping up to be my favorite book of 2016!

Tess Kendrick is back, ready to stick up for the little guy. Still trying to figure out her place in her family. Wondering who to trust in Washington – and even at her own school.

I’d love to tell you more but this story is so twisty, it’s hard to share but not spoil. Just trust me. This was amazing. Mystery. Suspense.  All kinds of awesome.

the-long-game

Review

I adore Tess Kendrick. Her dry humor and snark are fun. I love her commitment to take up for the underdog, even if it puts her against very powerful people. I love her friends, especially Asher who is a delight. He is one of my favorite characters in all of literature. So sarcastic and funny!

When I started this book, I loved it because it was some of my favorite characters doing things I loved to read about. It was fun. It was comfortable in the best possible way. A smooth transition from book one to book two.

Then BAM! Everything – action, betrayal, danger – amps up to 11. Suddenly I found myself reading a very different sort of story. It was tense. It was unbelieveable. And it was awesome! I am hoping to have time to read it again over Thanksgiving or Christmas break. I can’t wait to sink into that story again!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

Jennifer Lynn Barnes is one of my go-to authors. If you’ve never read her stuff, start with The Fixer and then The Long Game. Then, if you love her work like I do, try her series, The Naturals. The final book in that series came out earlier this month, so you can read them all, back to back, without waiting.

 

REVIEW: Star Wars: Ahsoka by E. K. Johnston

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Ahsoka Tano was the padawan to Anakin Skywalker. but she walked away from the Jedi when she was betrayed by another Jedi. She escaped Order 66 and the aftermath, but she can’t avoid the Empire forever. Ahsoka knows she will have better luck if she doesn’t use her powers and if she can found an out of the way place to hide. Unfortunately, the Empire decides her “out of the way” moon is just what they need. Can Ahsoka protect her new friends AND hide who she really is?

Star Wars: Ahsoka

Review

Ahsoka is an excellent character from the animated series, Star Wars The Clone Wars. In fact, this book made me want to go back and watch the whole series again. The writers have brought her back for the new series, Star Wars Rebels. This book fills in some of the gap between the two TV series.

I liked reading about Ahsoka’s growth as she ventured out on her own. She has no master to guide her. No clone troops to lead. No Yoda to advise her. So Ahsoka has to develop her own code, her own system for deciding where to help and where to lay low. It’s great to watch that unfold.

Familiar names from movies and more from the TV shows make this fun for Star Wars fans. The context of both help fill in the back story, but the story at face value works on its own. Readers with no Star Wars context might need to check an online source to help them with any questions they  might have.

Rating:  ♥♥♥♥

 

REVIEW: Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

A set of triplets born to be Queen. Each girl born to eliminate the other two and win the crown. Katharine is a poisoner. Arsinoe is a naturalist. Mirabella is an elemental. Each girl is nurtured in her powers by factions that want their girl to win – and their group to be in power. Who will win? Who will die? And who can be trusted?

Three Dark Crowns

Review

This was amazing from start to finish! If you are a fan of Young Adult fantasy, I highly recommend this story. The author did a great job making each of the sisters distinct. Each one has a unique “support system,” too. I expected to like one more than the others from the start. Maybe get more of her perspective. I thought there might be a clear favorite at the outset. But they were so different. I cared about them all. And even when I did develop a “favorite,” the author up-ended things enough to leave me wondering if she would still be my favorite when it’s all done.

The author does a fantastic job of hinting at backstory, but she does it sparingly so that even at the end, we have unanswered questions. The ending was HUGE and sets up the next book perfectly. My only complaint is having to wait so long for it!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Gallagher Girls Series by Ally Carter

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

The Gallagher Academy looks like just another boarding school for pampered princesses, but behind the walls, the girls are training to be spies. Cammie, Bex, Liza and Macey may seem like normal teenage girls, but they are trained for covert ops, breaking codes and sneaking in and out without a trace. They may just be students at the start of the series, but the missions and danger becomes more personal as the series comes to a conclusion.

Gallagher Girls, Book 1
Gallagher Girls Series, Book 1

Review

I decided to review this as a series because it’s been out for awhile. The series has received updated covers (pictured here) for the 10th anniversary.  You can see the covers for books 2-6 at the bottom of this post.  I read all 6 books (plus three short stories) in just under a week; I had to know how it all worked out!

The first book hooked me with how often it made me laugh out loud. I fell in love with the characters, especially the four core girls. Their relationships have realistic ups and downs, but in the end they will always have the others’ backs. The later books grabbed me as the mystery amped up with twists, turns and tension. This is the kind of series where you start to question every character – is this a good guy or a bad guy?

This is a great bridge series for kids who are still enjoying middle grade books but also are ready to stretch into teen material. There’s no language and the romance is limited to crushes and kissing. This is often labeled “clean teen” or “clean YA.” The story is strong and the characters are fantastic. If there were more books in this series, I would read them immediately!

Rating:  ♥♥♥♥

 

Gallagher Girls Series, Books 2-6