Tag: teen fiction

REVIEW: Embassy Row series by Ally Carter

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

The final book of the Embassy Row series released in December 2016. Here is a summary of all the books in the series.

Book 1 – All Fall Down: Grace arrives at the US Embassy in the country of Adria feeling uncertain and out of place. She’s sure that everyone feels sorry for her, either because her mother is dead or because she is “crazy.” She knows what she saw, though. She knows there was a scarred man there the night her mother died. And she knows she’s seen that same man in Adria!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

Book 2 – See How They Run: Reeling from the revelations of All Fall Down, Grace learns more history of Adria as she tries to protect her secrets and her friends, as well as find a killer. But the revelations of book two are just as stunning as book one! I’d love to say more but I don’t want to spoil anything!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

Book 3 – Take the Key and Lock Her Up: Grace is on the run, but the powers that be will not let her stay in hiding. She knows she will have to find secrets long buried – or compromise everything and everyone she cares about – if she wants to survive.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

Review

This is a great series! I feel like the series improved as it went on. Book one pushes the reader to decide what to think – and what to believe – when it comes to Grace and her past. And Grace can be hard to like at times because you just aren’t sure what to believe. Hang with the story because it is worth it.  Book two broadens the scope, showing Grace’s history in a larger context. This also makes the deeper mysteries more important. Book three puts all the pieces together and runs headlong into the final conflict. A lot happens in this book and the pace is pretty frantic. Take the Key and Lock Her Up is my favorite of the three books.

This is terrific, clean YA – lots of suspense and intrigue with mild romance. I highly recommend it!

 

REVIEW: Into White by Randi Pink

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

After a humiliating “final straw,” Latoya prays that God would make her “anything but black.” The next day she is a blonde, blue eyed white girl, still living with her black family. They are the only ones who still see her as she originally was. Latoya gets to experience her school and her peers as “Katarina” the white exchange student. She talks face to face at times with Jesus about her transformation.

Black girl experiences life as white girl

Review

This was a fascinating story. Toya feels all the pain in her life is the fault of her race. At times it was difficult to read – the cruelty, the blatant racism, the crass moments. But it made me think, which I think is a great quality in a book.

I would love to read this with a group of white and black readers and hear from others what they thought of the portrayals in the story. Online reviews are mixed and most of the ones I saw were written by white people. There’s an element of a story like this that begs to be enhanced by conversation. I wonder – are the characters in the book the worst of stereotypes? Or are there high school students who have had experiences like this? Are there minority students who hate their own race because of the bigotry they experience? And if so, how can we help them?

If I had one complaint about the book, it would be that it doesn’t offer any solutions. Toya’s resolution seems centered more on her individual life and circumstances and less on a universal experience or revelation about valuing her race.

Racial issues are front and center in our country these days. I think it’s important to read books that explore race and racism, especially ones that expose readers to perspectives that are different from their own. (This book includes some language as well as an attempted sexual assault. May be best suited for mature readers.)

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