Boom, you're born. Now what? For Joy Abara, you’re paired with this royal, adopted, musically talented, kind of selfish boy for the rest of your life, that’s what. Meet Felix Hamdi from a (mostly) all-powerful, loved royal family, and Joy Abara from a very poor family who does what they can to survive. Felix and Joy are thrown on an unexpected adventure when they’re forced out of their home world and get trapped in a whole new one, as their first in person meeting. Of course this isn’t the first time they’ve talked. That would be crazy… right? No, no, they’re able to communicate with each other in their minds! That’s not so crazy in this world. Everyone born after the Kindred law was made, has a Kindred and can communicate with their own Kindred who you’re paired with at birth. This law was made to save the kingdom from revolution to ensure every person, poor, royal, or other, would be seen and heard. Felix and Joy were paired and are definitely an unlikely pairing. In The Kindred by Alechia Dow, follow Felix and Joy on this space trip to see how these two are going to get back home, avoid everyone thinking they’re murderers, and survive each other! The author did a good job of introducing Felix and Joy. The dialogue helped develop the character’s personalities and give readers more insight into their thoughts and feelings while also adding humour with it. The author adds different perspectives such as interviewers and news reporters following Joy’s and Felix’s story, but of course only from an outside view. Joy and Felix’s relationship is developed throughout the whole story but I felt that the story lost a little steam once they landed on Earth. However, there is a lot of great humor, and great representation in this story. If you liked author Alechia Dow’s first novel, The Sound of Stars, then definitely pick this one up! Kai Tefft, EO Blogger
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Julian Jackson has a short to-do list for his senior year at Crenshaw County High School in Meridien, Texas: football, football, and more football. He knows he’s only got one chance to earn a college scholarship and make it out of his small town, and keeping his head down, his grades up, and his cleats on the field is that one chance. And then Elijah Vance walks back into his life, throwing all of his carefully laid plans into a tailspin.
Elijah and Julian used to be best friends, maybe even on their way to something more than just friends. But three years ago, Elijah broke into the school to steal money from the coach's office, and Julian was the one who turned him in. After that, Elijah and his family disappeared without a trace. And now he’s back, sitting at Julian’s grandmother’s kitchen table. But time and distance haven’t erased all of their feelings, and Elijah knows that he finally has a chance to prove to Julian that he’s not the same person he was three years ago. But with so many secrets in the way, learning to trust each other again may be harder than they thought. Has something ever happened that ruined the plans you thought you had? You may have become confused and angry, and you didn’t know what to do. The main character in Sidelined, Julian, feels the same way when his best friend returns to town after three years without ever saying goodbye the first time. What seemed like a perfect plan to leave town after graduating high school doesn’t seem so perfect after all. Readers are first introduced to the town where this book takes place by visualizing the area thanks to the in-depth descriptions the author provides. The characters are quickly introduced, and the conflicts and history between them provide details into their relationship and allows the readers to connect with the characters on a deeper level. When Julian and Elijah figure out that the spark is still there and that they need to rely on each other, both on and off the field, their relationship will be put to the test when they learn about history that will affect them all. Sidelined was an amazing book that anyone can relate to (especially a high schooler)! This romance, sports and LGBTQ+ novel is a perfect example of why friends are the greatest thing you can have, and how life is an adventure. The author’s literary work will have you turning the page as fast as you can, (because I sure did) and rooting for the characters. Julian and Elijah will connect with everyone and find a place in your heart. Bronwyn M., EO Blogger Out yesterday, debut YA author Jessica Branton’s paranormal thriller, How to Experience Death for Beginners! Want to win a copy? Read on to find out how… A clairvoyant introvert can enter the minds of people at their moment of death. When a serial killer emerges in her small town, she receives audacious advances from an enigmatic newcomer. Hunting for the slasher herself, police become suspicious as she appears at crime scenes. While dodging detectives and falling in love with the new bad boy, she learns about her dark family history. When an FBI agent comes to assist local police, he believes in her psychic power and they work together to take down the killer. This book really started off with a bang when we get to experience the emerging power of our main character, Casey. Imagine being seven years old and seeing your father die - through his eyes? Jump ahead years - and now Casey is in high school, and she has tried to bury that power, along with worrying about her sister and mother - and then there’s the new guy Cameron who just moved to town. He’s cute - but does he come with his own pain and darkness? And then...it happens again. Casey jumps into someone else - a woman, a stranger - and sees her murdered right before her eyes. But it doesn't stop there - Casey continues to jump into other people who are about to die, all at the hands of the same person. Is there a serial killer on the loose? This book was a fast read and had tons of action. The conflict is established early and the story has many characters. Although the dialogue and development of characters could have been stronger, if you like this genre, I'm sure you will like this novel! Want to win a copy? Just comment below about WHY this book sounds like something you would read. A winner will be chosen randomly from the comments. Deadline to enter is Friday, February 28th! “All my life,” she said, “I have been told ‘go’ and ‘come.’ I am told how I will live, and I am told how I must die. I must be a man’s servant and a mare for his pleasure, or I must hide myself behind walls and surrender my flesh to a cold, silent god. I would walk into the jaws of hell itself, if it were a path of my own choosing. I would rather die tomorrow in the forest than live a hundred years of the life appointed me.” Okay, it’s official. Medieval-Russian-fairy-tale-based stories are forever my new favorite genre. Katherine Arden KILLED this book. The narration of this book starts by introducing you to a family in a harsh Russian winter, and then you are there as the main character, Vasilisa (or Vasya), is born. This story is told in a beautifully written third person narration, surrounding Vasya, her family, the people of her town, the creatures in the forest, and the young priest who stumbles into their village. Vasya is wild, and possesses the same magical gifts as her mother and grandmother. It portraits fear and courage and skepticism and superstition vividly. There is so much meaning and emotion beneath the beautiful surface of this story. Each character is complex and deep. No one character is truly or completely good or evil. They have layers, backstories, and you can connect with any of them. They’re so realistic in their emotions, while at the same time being these mystical, medieval, fantasy characters. Each of their characters developed and changed over the story, in different ways. You can see the paranoia creeping into the lives of an entire village of people, watching as they become their own undoing and having Vasya fight to protect each and every one of them. This is also totally a kick ass feminist novel with Vasya defying the life that has been forced upon her, becoming someone that no one expected, doing things no one at the time thought women could do, and taking control of herself- it was so AMAZING and honestly totally pumped me up. The sequel, The Girl in the Tower was equally stunning. I highly, highly recommend this entire series (the third one comes out in January 2019 and I’m actually SO excited to read it). I highly, highly, (HIGHLY) recommend that you move this to the top of your TBR pile! Title - The Bear and the Nightingale (Winternight Trilolgy #1) Author - Katherine Arden Publisher - Random House Book Birthday - June 27, 2017 Pages - 368 Social Media - www.katherinearden.com/ Twitter - @arden_katherine Grace C., EO Blogger ***Trigger Warning*** Pedophilia, Sexual Abuse, Drug Abuse "I’m going to kill a man. I’m going to steal the light from his eyes. I want to watch it go out." Sadie is an exceptional book. The main character is Sadie, a teenage girl, who lives in a trailer park with her sister, Mattie, who she loves more than anyone else in the world. Their mother abandoned them and Sadie has been raising Mattie alone. But Mattie is tragically found dead and Sadie is left with nothing but a want to bring justice to her sister’s killer. This book follows Sadie on her journey toward vengeance through an intriguing, suspenseful, and dark mystery. The format of this book is written so that part is told from a radio show hosted by West McCray, who is telling Sadie’s story, and the other part is told by Sadie herself. The differing point of views are so well done in this novel. West McCray offered a more detached position on the story, that when mixed with the intensity and passion written in Sadie’s words, work so well together. Sadie is both the hardened tough woman on a mission and the traumatized and mistreated young girl. She’s desolate and lonely and so broken. No one was taking care of her. She was alone with the guilt of not saving her sister and the trauma and nightmares of her past dragging her down. She continues on this mission, slowly getting more reckless and desperate, and it chills you to the bone. I just wanted to reach into the book and help this poor girl. I swear at one point I was yelling out loud, “HELP HER SOMEBODY! SAVE HER!”. It’s so easy to feel so deeply about Sadie and her journey. “I can’t take another dead girl.” This novel isn’t comforting or warm, it’s cold, raw, and heartbreaking - and powerful - just as the author intended. Sadie is an edgy, well written, emotional thriller, that is totally worth the read. Grace C., EO Blogger Title - Sadie Author - Courtney Summers Publisher - Wednesday Books - St. Martin's Press - Macmillan Pages - 308 Social Media - courtneysummers.ca/ Twitter - @courtney_s In a star system dominated by the brutal Vathek empire, eighteen-year-old Amani is a dreamer. She dreams of what life was like before the occupation; she dreams of writing poetry like the old-world poems she adores; she dreams of receiving a sign from Dihya that one day, she, too, will have adventure, and travel beyond her isolated moon. But when adventure comes for Amani, it is not what she expects: she is kidnapped by the regime and taken in secret to the royal palace, where she discovers that she is nearly identical to the cruel half-Vathek Princess Maram. The princess is so hated by her conquered people that she requires a body double, someone to appear in public as Maram, ready to die in her place. As Amani is forced into her new role, she can’t help but enjoy the palace’s beauty—and her time with the princess’ fiancé, Idris. But the glitter of the royal court belies a world of violence and fear. If Amani ever wishes to see her family again, she must play the princess to perfection...because one wrong move could lead to her death (from Goodreads). Fans of sci-fi blended with fantasy, this is definitely a novel you are going to want to pick up. Slow to start, Amani's kidnapping starts a succession of events that will keep you reading - and guessing - about how this tale will end! Amani was a fabulous main character. One thing I really enjoyed about her was her strength - her people, her family, and she herself were prisoners of their own planet - tortured and killed and left to basically survive on their own. Once a thriving nation, they are now second-class citizens and are no longer allowed to speak their language, celebrate their customs, or just be themselves. Throughout it all, Amani remained strong, firm in her beliefs, and holding out that there is hope for her people and that she will see her family again. This novel has a great mix of romance, action, and suspense - and it will definitely leave you waiting in suspense for the next installment! Pick up a copy of Mirage today! TITLE - Mirage AUTHOR - Somaiya Daud PUBLISHER - Flatiron Books/Macmillan PAGES - 308 SOCIAL MEDIA - http://www.somaiyabooks.com/ Twitter @somaiyadaud Mrs. Larkin, EO Smith School Librarian It’s been a really long time since I’ve read a fantastic book. I mean, since high school has started, my free-reading as a whole has dramatically decreased, but even the books I have read haven’t lived up to my expectations. This year, I’ve been reading more for myself. It was actually the trailer for Love, Simon that caught my eye. I immediately wanted to see the movie, but I have a rule. Any movie that’s based on a book has to be read before watched. I’ve stuck to that rule for as long as I can remember, and I wasn’t about to break it. I read Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda in about a week. The book itself was so compelling to me, even if I didn’t have a comparison, and it was one of the first books in a while that I picked over Netflix. I felt that Albertalli did an extremely good job writing the book with her detail and character choices. All of the characters were compelling, and I couldn’t wait to find out who Simon’s pen pal was. I became invested in Simon’s journey and wanted the best him. Admittedly, I cried multiple times reading the book. Granted, I’m a crier, but it was emotional. The book set the bar extremely high for the movie. I saw it just a day or two after I finished the book, so the details were fresh in my mind. My thoughts on Love, Simon? Fantastic movie. I criticized it at first because it doesn’t line up exactly with the plot of the book, but aside from a few aspects, it pretty closely follows what Simon goes through. The book, of course, has more detail, but I still felt drawn into the characters and the story. It was also really fun to see the different locations to make the viewer feel more in it. I would absolutely recommend the movie to a friend even if they haven’t read, and vice versa. It was the best book I’ve read and the best movie I’ve watched in a long time. My overall take? The book is always better than the movie, but the movie was pretty great too. Katie F., EO Blogger Fantasy is a hard genre to write. A lot of different fantasy series end up being the same storyline with different names and predictable endings. But not with The Traitor's Game. While the plot is a little cliche, Jennifer A. Nielsen has done a wonderful job on this book. I have to admit I’m kind of biased because the Ascendance Trilogy was amazing and I’ve been idolizing this woman since 2012, but I swear I’m being impartial here. The characters in this book were great. The first person point of view switched between the character Kestra, a highborn girl being threatened into betraying the family she barely knows and the cruel ruler they support, and the character Simon, a former servant and orphan turned rebel. The first person point of view definitely deepened the characters and I think did great things for the story. Switching between narrators can always be risky though, it’s a hard thing to get right. Sometimes the switching point of views can get confusing or cause the reader to get bored of one character's point of view, making parts of the story drag on. But in this case, though I did slightly prefer the parts told by Kestra, I think it was very well done. I also really appreciated that Nielsen finally gave us a kick-ass female main character. Any good fantasy novel has to be able to touch in on inner conflicts other than just the exterior wars and magical battles, and Nielsen does it so well. The characters were struggling with moral obligations and their changing beliefs just as much as they were dealing with assassination attempts and spying in castles. I love Kestra’s passion to do the right thing and her intelligence. I love Simon’s dedication and bravery. This book is full of twists and turns, lots of drama and suspense - and a little romance. All of which is so important in fantasy novels. This is something this author has always been really good at, and I think it really comes across in this novel. It ended on a great note, too. Not such a cliffhanger that drives you crazy for the years it take for all the sequels to be released, but it left you intrigued and wanting to read more. The execution of this story was completely dynamic. I’m personally so excited for the sequels to come out and to read the rest of this series. Genre - Fantasy Pages - 400 Publisher - Scholastic Author links - http://jennielsen.com/ Grace C., EO Blogger Trigger Warning: this books contains sexual assault I just finished The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis and I’m honestly gonna admit it’s now one of my favorites. The writing was absolutely awe-inspiring and often left me closing the book for a few minutes to ponder a thought presented by the main protagonist, Alex. 17-year-old Alex (my fave) suffers from a lot of mental issues after the murder and subsequent finding of her horribly mutilated and, as she discovers, sexually assaulted older sister. Her thoughts and feelings discussed throughout the book are incredibly insightful and full of a kind of child-like innocence, but coupled with the outlook of someone who knows and has seen first hand the horrors of the world most people never get to know about in their whole lives. McGinnis portrays this beautifully, so much so that I slowly fell in love with a character you learn in the first page of the book has killed someone and felt no remorse for it. Yes, it’s worse than it sounds. The book deals HEAVILY with themes of sexual assault and rape culture, so if you’re not cool with reading 300-400 pages of that sorta thing, then I’d say this book is a no-go, but if you want to see heroic female characters fighting rape culture and objectification from their male counterparts, as well as an adorable romance and a main character whose lesbianism isn’t mentioned more than three or so times throughout the book (because she’s there for plot development not queerbaiting), I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who would like to read it! To find out more about the author, visit her website: http://www.mindymcginnis.com/index.html Julia T., EO Blogger There’s a pause on the other end. Suddenly, I realize that I’m mouthing off to one of the world’s most powerful people -- to my idol, someone I’ve watched and read about and obsessed over for years, someone who had changed my life. Across from me, Keira watches the phone intently as if she could see what Hideo’s expression looks like. I swallow in the silence, afraid for a moment. “I have a job offer for you,” Hideo replies. “Would you like to hear more?” When hacker/bounty hunter Emika Chen is offered a job as a professional player in Warcross, the virtual reality video game played by almost everyone in the world, she has no idea what she is in for. The game’s creator, Hideo Tanaka, confesses he wants her to be a player so that he can use her skills to weed out another hacker, one that has been causing some problems in the game. She’s overwhelmed by the Tokyo scene, fame, money, the adrenaline rush of the game - and a little romance, too. However, as the game progresses, she realizes she’s in deeper than she thought. More information is uncovered, leaving her wondering who the bad guys really are and what is actually going on in Warcross. Navigating power structures, sleazy deep web encounters, and her own emotions, Emika comes to a startling discovery and makes an even more surprising decision. NY Times bestselling author Marie Lu’s Warcross is an intense, fast-paced read that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat, but also asks some important questions. In a world where technology is becoming more advanced and all-encompassing, what are inventors’ ethical obligations? Are ethics objective or subjective? When faced with a decision between someone you care about and a moral you hold, what should you choose? What would you choose? Readers will find themselves mulling over these dilemmas and more long after they finish the book. Damien D., E.O. Smith Blogger |
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