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Midnight Sun
Meyer, Stephenie
Reviewed: January 26, 2022
Midnight Sun is a young adult fiction novel written by Stephenie Meyer. This book is a companion novel for Twilight and retells the events from the young lovers' first encounter through the perspective of Edward Cullen as opposed to Isabella Swan. It takes a new and dark twisted turn on the events of Twilight. We learn of the unnerving and intriguing event of meeting Bella and many fascinating details about Edward’s complex inner thoughts and his past. We get a glimpse of his struggles with his vampire instincts and how he slowly allowed himself to become closer... Read Full Review
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Someone to Love
De la Cruz, Melissa
Reviewed: January 19, 2022
At first glance, the book might appear to be a sappy love story. However, this story delves into a much more serious topic. The novel does not focus on the love between two people, but rather on the love for one’s self. It is about Olivia Blakely’s journey of self-love.
The story shows the effects of what society’s standards can do to one’s self. A person’s yearning to be “perfect,” to be what others find appealing, can drive a person's self-esteem down to a point where they are harming themselves. This issue is shown through Olivia Blakely’s eating disorder, which comes to a point... Read Full Review
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The Cousins
McManus, Karen M.
Reviewed: January 12, 2022
The Cousins by Karen M.McManus is a book that contains a very interesting story about family secrets. The book revolves around three cousins who are suddenly invited to spend the summer working at their Grandmothers island resort. They had never known anything about their Grandmother as their parents had been disowned from their family at a very young age. They embark on this journey to try and get to know their Grandmother and reconnect with each other...only to be met with a dark and mysterious past that revolved around secrets, betrayals, vengeance, and even death. In the... Read Full Review
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The 5th Wave
Yancey, Richard
Reviewed: January 5, 2022
The 5th Wave appears to be your usual run-of-the-mill post-apocalyptic story, but the author creates a unique take on this scenario. The 5th Wave is a suspenseful Sci-Fi story with some elements of drama sprinkled throughout, written by Richard Yancey, known for his stories that revolve around suspense. The 5th Wave is the start of a trilogy that explores an alien threat to destroy human life on Earth. The novel is set in the modern world, spread across several months to highlight the aftermath of four out of the fives waves (of disasters) brought by an unknown... Read Full Review
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Deep and Dark and Dangerous
Hahn, Mary Downing
Reviewed: December 23, 2021
Deep and Dark and Dangerous is an interesting ghost story for children. It follows a young 13-year-old, Ali, who finds a strange picture of her mom and Aunt Dulcie with two other people, one who is ripped out of the image. After finding this in her attic, she is filled with so many unanswered questions that her mom brushes off. While on vacation with her Aunt Dulcie and her little sister Emma, the answers and clues start unraveling. Ali befriends an odd girl, Sissy, who's a troublemaker and is always mentioning the unusual drowning of a girl in the lake back when Ali’s mother and... Read Full Review
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The Last Olympian
Riordan, Rick
Reviewed: December 16, 2021
This is the most action-thrilling book of the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan so far. Percy Jackson is 16 in this novel, which is the fifth in the Percy Jackson series, and he finally discovers what the old prophecy surrounding him is about. According to the prophecy, Percy is responsible for the world's fate. Percy and his friends are once again tasked with stopping unknown evil...as usual… which, let's just be honest, we all enjoy! The Titans are trying to take over Mount Olympus! It's up to the demigods from Camp Half-Blood to save it but they are hopelessly outnumbered by... Read Full Review
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Pride and Prejudice
Austen, Jane
Reviewed: December 8, 2021
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is a fictional romance novel that follows the intricate love story between Elizabeth Bennet, a countryman’s daughter, and Fitzwilliam Darcy, a rich aristocratic man. They are forced to overcome family and status difficulties in order to find what love is really about. Initially, Darcy and Elizabeth are both initially inclined to only see the bad in one another, complicating their story and blinding them from seeing how wonderful their love is. It follows each character's bias, prejudice, and pride in life and love. We view their story in a... Read Full Review
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You Will be Mine
Preston, Natasha
Reviewed: December 2, 2021
As it gets closer to Valentine’s Day, the anniversary of Lylah’s parents’ death begins to approach. She wants nothing more than to move on and forget about the last two years. Lylah lives in a house, near her college, with five of her roommates; Chase, Sonny, Charlotte, Sienna, and Isaac. They all end up developing really close bonds. Lylah is hoping for Chase, her love interest, to make a move on her by the big day. But that hope quickly changes when one by one, each one of her roommates, begins to receive individual, personalized notes. At first, they think it’s just a silly prank but,... Read Full Review
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Six of Crows
Bardugo, Leigh
Reviewed: November 24, 2021
Six of Crows is a fantasy novel about a thief and his crew who are attempting to pull off a heist. Kaz Brekker is the leader and his crew consists of a convict, a sharpshooter, a runaway, a spy, and a heart render. They come across many different obstacles as they try to perform this heist. This book was so interesting to read. It had just the right amount of action and you easily fall in love with the characters. The characters are all so different but you can feel for them. If you are a fan of fantasy or magical beings, I definitely recommend this book.
... Read Full Review
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The California Drought
Perdew, Laura
Reviewed: November 17, 2021
If you’re really into geography, this is the book for you. When reading this book you will not only learn about the troubles California has gone through due to the drought it has experienced, but you will also learn about different actions that people, communities, and the government can take to decrease the amount of drought we see in California. This book has many interactive visuals that will also help you understand different topics about the California drought. So if you’re a visual learner, this is a great book for you. The book covers all types of topics in regard to the last five... Read Full Review
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The Song of Achilles
Miller, Madeline
Reviewed: November 10, 2021
I could not get enough of this book, I had moments where I was stuck reading it for hours. It's about a boy, Patroclus, who is exiled from his home and sent to live with other exiles. There, the boy meets Achilles who's a little hesitant at first but slowly becomes his friend. After spending days together, the boys end up falling for each other but this leads to problems with Achilles' mother. The boys leave for training but are soon called back home to participate in a war against Troy, which Achilles will lead. I have to say this book kept me on my toes! It had a great love story, good... Read Full Review
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Shadow and Bone
Bardugo, Leigh
Reviewed: November 3, 2021
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo is a magical book. One in a seven-book universe focuses on Alina Starkov, a seemingly ordinary orphan who works in the army, as a mapmaker, alongside her best friend Mal Oretsev. Then all of a sudden, she finds herself on a fateful trip into the Fold, a dangerous land-sea of shadows and monsters. Once she is inside the Fold, all-hell breaks loose. In the midst of the chaos, it is revealed to her, and all those around her, that she is Grisha, a person who can manipulate the elements to their benefit, and a powerful one at that. Suddenly, she is... Read Full Review