Fiction
Nonfiction
This was an intriguing book about an imaginative artist who passed away at a young age. The author interviews her friends and family in order to discover more about her. Each person has a different outlook of Addison Stone. I really enjoyed this story which seemed to be about a real person since it includes photos and artwork of this promising young artist (but it is actually a novel).
I think what made this book so amazing to me was my originally misconceptions about it. All I knew about it was that it was "creepy and disturbing", and looking down at the plain orange and black cover with a not-very-interesting name, I thought, "Oh well, I have little to expect out of this book." I then realized that the characters had more personality than expected and that the storyline was, yes, disturbing in many aspects, but very compelling. It is a very philosophical book that is thought-provoking in every chapter. I will not spoil any of this wonderful book as I hope that you will read it yourself! It changed my life and is my favorite book! Audiences recommended are older teen to adult. The themes in this book are not suitable for those younger than high school, and it would be confusing and not as meaningful for those who are younger. Despite this, it is a moving and powerful story about the struggle of identity in man, and I highly recommend it to all in the range of the intended audience.
Anna was sixteen and on her way to a school dance when she was killed. Someone cut her throat...someone nearly cut her head clean off! They say she was wearing a white party dress, and when they found her the whole thing was stained red. Anna Dressed in Blood is Scary, but you won't have to sleep with the lights on. Ghost hunter, Cas Lowood provides a witty perspective on ghosts, but the story keeps you wondering what happened to the end.
Such a great book to read around Halloween! It sucked me in from the very beginning, and I almost read it all in one sitting! (Adult responsibilities were the only thing keeping me from it!). Suspenseful, spooky, and fast-paced, this book has a great story, likable characters, and a mystery that will keep you guessing.
Highly recommend for those that love ghost stories! (may be a little too much for those that are easily frightened).
A lovely interwoven tapestry of human grief and reconciliation, this novel has a mystical lining and wonderful characters that capture the heart and the imagination. It is finely written, with well defined voices threaded together across time and circumstance.
Wow. This book is crazy. Crazy good, crazy scary, and crazy demented. I recommend tenth grade and up. Part of a trilogy. I Hunt Killers is about a boy of a serial killer who must fight off the urge to be like Dear Old Dad or die trying. The psychology is the book was astounding, you are able to see how a killer's mind works. Amazing, and I cannot wait to start the sequel.
Loved the concept of the book, it showed the confusion, frustration, and fear that comes with diminishing memory. I liked the switching back and forth between the past and present and how they started getting blurred. It's just the ending I had a problem with - I don't think it lived up to the rest of the book.
Umm. Wow. This was an amazing book - it was weird, and beautiful, and horrible all at the same time. Reminded me somewhat of Far Far Away as it was like the original versions of fairy tales, dark and disturbing, but awe-inspiring at the same time. I had to keep reminding myself that this is cataloged as a teen book - I think adults would love it and appreciate the writing as well. Anyone who argues that YA novels are not sophisticated or that they are written at a lower level should pick up a copy of this book. Fantastic.
The best book I have ever read!
Loved this series about a preteen ghost who wants to grow up so badly and finds her path after alot of adventures. Have to order the set for my school--it will be very popular with the girls!
Going into this book, I expected a typical teenage romance novel. However, Allyson Condie delivers here on a much deeper level. Set in the "Society"--a future utopian community similar to the one from Lois Lowry's "The Giver"--it follows the story of a 17-year-old young woman named Cassia Reyes. Cassia's character development is well-paced and multi-layered. The numerous instances of symbolism throughout the novel reflect Cassia's growing awareness of herself and of the unsettling underpinnings of the Society she has always known. As a welcome surprise, Condie transforms the all-too-typical overt teenage love triangle romance plot thread into a refreshingly subtle choice between not just two young men, but two different ideologies. Another of Condie's refreshing changes to the genre: the Society and Cassia's role in it take the forefront here, so those who aren't fans of romantic plotlines will find plenty to enjoy! The addition of some excellent classic poetry doesn't hurt this novel either. Overall, this book is fast-paced, enjoyable, and much more complex than it first seems. I am looking forward to the next installment!
This book came highly recommended to me by almost everyone who'd read it. I am a bit skeptical of any popular book, but I gave it a go, and that wasn't a great decision on my part. I found the characters to be not very relatable, with their sophisticated speech (minus the very excessive cussing) and incredibly deep intellectual processes. Now, I understand that the book is supposed to be deep, and make readers think about such issues as life, love, and death, but the author's perspective is so hopeless that it's hard to even think about. As a Christian, I believe that there is an eternity after death for every person, and one single choice in their lives determines whether it is an eternity of life or death. In this book, Hazel believes that after death is simply oblivion. What a hopeless way to live! I cannot appreciate a tragic story that doesn't have a redeeming factor.
Tragedy aside, I found the entire love affair sappy and stupid. Gus is the "perfect" boyfriend, and the whole "I don't want to get in a relationship with you because I don't want to hurt you" is so cliche. And why did they have to have sex? I am finding that too many books have pointless sex scenes that don't do anything to further the plot or the audience's connection to the characters. This was another such story.
Despite these very major, debilitating faults, the book was thought-provoking. However, this is one of the last books I would ever recommend someone read.
This book is hilarious, clever, disgusting, educational, and all-around awesome! I read it during my lunch break at work which I don't recommend as the content is really gross. But seriously, read this awesome disgusting book!
This was an interesting book if you like novels or fiction or historical fiction. It talks a lot of the Jewish religion which made it very confusing unless you know a lot about the Jewish. I had to read this book for school but I did not think it was horrible. It was just very boring and slow.
Read this book if you like fiction/ novels/ the Jewish religion.
I did not think that this book was amazing like it is portrayed normally. It was very boring and seemed to make the government a bad thing like many other books do which made it more normal of a teen fiction book. It didn't really have any unexpected twists or changes and was just very boring in general.
The story of Miss Peregrine's children just keeps getting better! I enjoyed the first book, but Hollow City, in my opinion, was a more finely tuned and intense story. So many beautiful and unusual images, and I love how the characters continue to grow and reveal hidden aspects of themselves. I can't wait until the final book come out!
This book was one of those rare occurrences when the sequel is way better than the first. I almost didn't read the sequel because they first book was pretty disappointing, but boy am I glad I did. This book is so fast paced that I couldn't put it down. Every page seemed to hold a new surprise and plot twist. It was stuffed with surprises without being overdone and the ending left me panting for the next installment.
The thing about teen books, especially 'chick-lit' style books, is they all seem to run together. As I was reading this book, I realized that somewhere in my hazy pre-baby past, I'd already read this book. I could just barely remember it. It was like having deja vu while reading. But still it was good, even for the second time around.
"Shatter Me" is a wonderful example of the most cliché teen romance "novel" that anyone has ever read up. The summaries promised it to be an epic dystopian fiction, but as the story progressed Juliette, the main character became more interested in the idea of choosing between two men. Aaron, who captures her to conduct experiments with her power, or Adam, the boy she met when she was ten. Her options are not exactly out of the ordinary for a supposedly "Dystopian" fiction. The only real difference I see between this and the other books I've read in this past year is the gut wrenching number of similes and metaphors, some of which have absolutely no context to this story whatsoever. Though it was well written, this book could be mightily improved.
Personally loved this book, I adored the main character and the setting was wonderfully done. I think that Saturday Woodcutter was a great character. When she decided that she was done trying to act like someone else, she went on an adventure. This book kept me thoroughly interested for a little over a week. The conclusion was mostly thrilling and made sense with the context of the book.