Under a Painted Sky
By: Stacey Lee

Published: 2015

# of pages: 384

Challenge:  Monthly Motif, Full House

Official description: Missouri, 1849: Samantha dreams of moving back to New York to be a professional musician—not an easy thing if you’re a girl, and harder still if you’re Chinese. But a tragic accident dashes any hopes of fulfilling her dream, and instead, leaves her fearing for her life. With the help of a runaway slave named Annamae, Samantha flees town for the unknown frontier. But life on the Oregon Trail is unsafe for two girls, so they disguise themselves as Sammy and Andy, two boys headed for the California gold rush. Sammy and Andy forge a powerful bond as they each search for a link to their past, and struggle to avoid any unwanted attention. But when they cross paths with a band of cowboys, the light-hearted troupe turn out to be unexpected allies. With the law closing in on them and new setbacks coming each day, the girls quickly learn that there are not many places to hide on the open trail. This beautifully written debut is an exciting adventure and heart-wrenching survival tale. But above all else, it’s a story about perseverance and trust that will restore your faith in the power of friendship.

Bone Gap
By: Laura Ruby

Published: 2015

# of pages: 373

Challenge: Full House, Ultimate Reading Challenge

Quote: "She said, 'Do you love me yet?'
He recoiled from her, from the look of her.  'You don't love me because you can't see me,' she said.  'Look!  Look!  I am beautiful now.  I am beautiful.'"

Official description:  Everyone knows Bone Gap is full of gaps—gaps to trip you up, gaps to slide through so you can disappear forever. So when young, beautiful Roza went missing, the people of Bone Gap weren’t surprised. After all, it wasn’t the first time that someone had slipped away and left Finn and Sean O’Sullivan on their own. Just a few years before, their mother had high-tailed it to Oregon for a brand new guy, a brand new life. That’s just how things go, the people said. Who are you going to blame?
Finn knows that’s not what happened with Roza. He knows she was kidnapped, ripped from the cornfields by a dangerous man whose face he cannot remember. But the searches turned up nothing, and no one believes him anymore. Not even Sean, who has more reason to find Roza than anyone, and every reason to blame Finn for letting her go.
As we follow the stories of Finn, Roza, and the people of Bone Gap—their melancholy pasts, their terrifying presents, their uncertain futures—acclaimed author Laura Ruby weaves a heartbreaking tale of love and loss, magic and mystery, regret and forgiveness—a story about how the face the world sees is never the sum of who we are.

The Lake
By:  AnnaLisa Grant

Series:  The Lake

Published:  2013

# of pages:  306

Official description:

At 17, Layla Weston is already starting over. Having lost both her parents and grandparents, and with nowhere else to go, Layla is moving from Florida to a small town in North Carolina to live with the only family she has left: her estranged uncle and aunt. The last five years of Layla’s life were spent appeasing her less- than-loving grandmother, followed by being her grandfather’s caretaker. Growing old before her time, Layla lost her identity, she must learn how to allow herself to be loved and cared for once again. Life takes an unexpected turn when Layla meets Will Meyer. His breathtaking good looks are enough to catch her eye, but his sincerity and passion are everything she needs to find the strength and confidence she lost — and lead her into love. When tragedy once again strikes Layla’s life, her hope is all but completely crushed. Through it all, Layla learns what it means to truly love and be loved.

Ashes on the Waves
By: Mary Lindsey

Challenge: RIP VIII

Published: 2013

# of pages: 373

Official description:

Liam MacGregor is cursed. Haunted by the wails of fantastical Bean Sidhes and labeled a demon by the villagers of Dòchas, Liam has accepted that things will never get better for him—until a wealthy heiress named Annabel Leighton arrives on the island and Liam’s fate is changed forever.
With Anna, Liam finally finds the happiness he has always been denied; but, the violent, mythical Otherworlders, who inhabit the island and the sea around it, have other plans. They make awager on the couple’s love, testing its strength through a series of cruel obstacles. But the tragedies draw Liam and Anna even closer. Frustrated, the creatures put the couple through one last trial—and this time it’s not only their love that’s in danger of being destroyed.
Based on Edgar Allan Poe’s chilling poem, "Annabel Lee," Mary Lindsey creates a frighteningly beautiful gothic novel that glorifies the power of true love.

The Kill Order
By: James Dashner

Challenges: Dystopia Challenge 2013, 50 States Challenge

Series: Maze Runner

Published: 2012

# of pages: 327

Official description:

The prequel to the New York Times bestselling Maze Runner series.
Before WICKED was formed, before the Glade was built, before Thomas entered the Maze, sun flares hit the earth and mankind fell to disease.
Mark and Trina were there when it happened, and they survived. But surviving the sun flares was easy compared to what came next. Now a disease of rage and lunacy races across the eastern United States, and there’s something suspicious about its origin. Worse yet, it’s mutating, and all evidence suggests that it will bring humanity to its knees.
Mark and Trina are convinced there’s a way to save those left living from descending into madness. And they’re determined to find it—if they can stay alive. Because in this new, devastated world, every life has a price. And to some, you’re worth more dead than alive.

Matched
By: Ally Condie

Challenges: Dystopia Challenge 2013

Series: Matched

Published: 2010

# of pages: 366

Quote: "I hold onto my brother and for the first time in years he hugs me back, tight, the way he did when he was a little boy and I was the big sister he admired more than anything else in the world." -pg 203

Official description: Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate... until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

"Even if the fall of our Society would make life better for some, it would make it worse for others.  Who am I to try to change things, to get greedy and want more?  If our Society changes and things are different, who am I to tell the girl who would have enjoyed the safe protected life that now she has to have choice and danger because of me?" -pg 239

"They have perfected the art of giving us just enough freedom; just enough that when we are ready to snap, a little bone is offered and we roll over, belly up, comfortable and placated like a dog . . . They've had decades to perfect this; why am I surprised when it works on me again and again and again?" -pg 249

Cinder


By: Marissa Meyer

Challenge:  Once Upon a Time

Series: Lunar Chronicles

Published: 2012

# of pages: 387

Official description:Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . . 
Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future. 

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

By: Ransom Riggs

Published: 2011

# of pages: 352

Official description:

A mysterious island.

An abandoned orphanage.

A strange collection of very curious photographs.

It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography,Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.

My opinion: Don't be fooled! The description and the cover make this book seem like a suspense/Gothic/ghost/horror story. This is a fantasy book, pure and simple. The first third isn't strictly fantasy. I was even really creeped out in the first few chapters. However, it turns into a sci-fi/fantasy novel complete with time travel and fantastical creatures. I was disappointed, but you don't have to be if you know what you're getting into.

The inclusion of the pictures makes this book fascinating! I loved it and thought it was so unique. However, I was a little annoyed that a few of the pictures could have been left out altogether and then in some parts the narrative offers fake sounding explanations for the pictures. Not all of the pictures needed to be specifically mentioned, the explanations (justifications?) broke up the narrative.

Why I gave this book 4/5 stars: Unique story, cool pictures, misleading description, not the most well-written.

Other reviews:

life by candlelight
S. Krishna's Books
Chrisbookarama

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Divergent

By: Veronica Roth

Series: Divergent, Book 1

Challenge: Dystopia Challenge

Published: 2011

# of pages: 487

Official description:

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves… or it might destroy her.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

My opinion: I started this book a little skeptical about how good it would actually be. I knew it was being compared to The Hunger Games, but seriously, how can anything be better than The Hunger Games!? So the beginning of the book seemed very juvenile and took me awhile to enjoy. But I eventually ended up really enjoying this book and can't wait for the next in the trilogy to be released this year!

I enjoyed imagining what faction I would be in if I lived in the world presented in Divergent. There are 5 factions. I'd be in Erudite, along with everyone in my family. Except my sister, she would definitely be "factionless." For awhile I couldn't think of what faction she fit into, but realized she already is basically factionless in this world, so there you have it. My husband read Divergent as well and said he'd want to be in Dauntless, but we figure he'd probably be assigned to Amity. :-)

So, if you've read this and know what I'm talking about, what faction would you be in?

Why I gave this book 4/5 stars: Easy & entertaining to read, good pace, interesting characters, original plot and setting. A little bit too "young adult" for me to fully appreciate, but that just makes it better for people who really are young adults!

Other reviews:
Book Nut
S. Krishna's Books
Bookfoolery and Babble
It's All About Books
Royal Reviews

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Wither

By: Lauren DeStefano

Series: Chemical Garden Trilogy, Book 1

Published: 2011

# of pages: 368

Quote: "I don't know how Cecily has the energy to cry so much. I can barely muster the energy to move. Just being alive feels so arduous that all I want to do is climb under the covers and sleep. It seems impossible that I ever had the strength even to walk." -Rhine pg. 304

Official description:

By age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. She can thank modern science for this genetic time bomb. A botched effort to create a perfect race has left all males with a lifespan of 25 years, and females with a lifespan of 20 years. Geneticists are seeking a miracle antidote to restore the human race, desperate orphans crowd the population, crime and poverty have skyrocketed, and young girls are being kidnapped and sold as polygamous brides to bear more children.

When Rhine is kidnapped and sold as a bride, she vows to do all she can to escape. Her husband, Linden, is hopelessly in love with her, and Rhine can’t bring herself to hate him as much as she’d like to. He opens her to a magical world of wealth and illusion she never thought existed, and it almost makes it possible to ignore the clock ticking away her short life. But Rhine quickly learns that not everything in her new husband’s strange world is what it seems. Her father-in-law, an eccentric doctor bent on finding the antidote, is hoarding corpses in the basement. Her fellow sister wives are to be trusted one day and feared the next, and Rhine is desperate to communicate to her twin brother that she is safe and alive. Will Rhine be able to escape--before her time runs out?

Together with one of Linden's servants, Gabriel, Rhine attempts to escape just before her seventeenth birthday. But in a world that continues to spiral into anarchy, is there any hope for freedom?

I really appreciated the writing style and how the story flowed. It was very natural. The characters are realistic and have conflicting emotions and opinions without seeming flighty or unorganized. The author doesn't force anything on the reader. So many young adult novels are repetitive or have everything spelled out for the reader. Or the main character seems unreasonable. It was refreshing to read a sci-fi novel that is so well written.

It hardly seems like a "young adult" novel. I suppose I need to redefine young adult in my head though. I think it's a great novel for adults to read, the content is mature, but not crude or full of bad language.

Why I gave this book 5/5 stars: Well written, realistic characters, unique setting

Other reviews:

Bookfoolery and Babble
Royal Reviews

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Chime

The Golden Compass
by: Philip Pullman

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
by: Ann Brashares

Catching Fire
by: Suzanne Collins

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks
by: E. Lockhart

Challenges: YA Challenge

Published: 2008

# of pages: 352


It's hard for me to review this book. It was a mixture of what I typically think of as shallow young adult reading material and deep, well written young adult reading material. Frankie is a typical 15 year old girl entering her sophomore year at a private boarding school. She's concerned about her appearance, she's interested in boys, and she feels a bit lost without her older sister. What makes Frankie different is that she forces herself to leave her comfort zone and not be the typical 15 year old girl. It almost seems like it isn't quite natural for her to do, which is understandable. Most people want to fit in and Frankie feels the same way, but the part of her that wants to be different ends up winning.

Frankie changed a lot over the summer between her freshman and sophomore year. The changes are mainly physical, but she is also forced to become her own person after her sister goes to college across the country. Frankie discovers that her appearance changes her status at school in ways she never dreamed of. She grabs the attention of her biggest crush, but her quick thinking also plays a part in that. That's one thing about Frankie, she's constantly thinking. Thoughts go through her mind with lightening speed, she analyzes everything and chooses what to say or do in each situation. I greatly admire her character for this trait!

Frankie also discovers that she isn't content to sit in the background and let the seniors she hangs out with walk all over her. If she can't come right out and be a part of their secret society, she decides to take a less obvious approach. She ends up leading an all male secret society while keeping her identity a secret. She's clever, witty, and funny. I was interested to see what she would come up with next and where she was going with her thoughts and plans.

I very much enjoyed this book, in spite of the inevitable modern teenage situations that arise. Thankfully that wasn't overdone, it just made me shake my head at their word choices ("dog," "grodie," "nimrod") and the boy obsession that all the girls have. Frankie's thoughts and her play on words kept me entertained and made me genuinely like her. She's a strong female character (oh yeah, this is a girl power book!) and I thought the feminist ideas presented throughout the novel were appropriate and fit with the theme without being overdone.

I recommend this book to young adults and adults (who enjoy the YA genre) alike. It's appropriate and Frankie's personality and decision making skills are thought provoking.



Other Reviews:
Books Lists Life
Bold. Blue. Adventure.

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The Amaranth Enchantment
by: Julie Berry

Published: 2009

# of pages: 306


This cute young adult fairy tale fantasy is about a 15 year old girl named Lucinda whose life is changed forever when two strangers enter her uncle's goldsmith shop one day. From then on, one thing after another happens and Lucinda is forced into the adventure of her life. The book has everything from a "witch," a nasty aunt, a mischievous thief, an evil lord, and (of course!) a handsome prince.

I enjoyed the book and read it in less than a day because it was so fast. However, I felt like the story was very disjointed, especially towards the end (after page 250). After that it really didn't flow very well. Also, it was confusing how Lucinda sometimes jumped from one conclusion to another and contradicted herself. However, I've found that to be a common trait in many young adult books. I think YA authors try to be simple and so don't always explain the process the character goes through to make decisions.

All in all, this is a unique retelling of a fairy tale (based on Cinderella), if not a little strange in parts. It's definitely geared towards young adults, not all adults will be able to enjoy it. I recommend this to young adults and fans of young adult fantasy.



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The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
by: John Boyne

Challenges: YA Challenge

Published: 2006

# of pages: 216

Quote: "And were they really so different? All the people in the camp wore the same clothes, those pajamas and their striped cloth caps too; and all the people who wandered through his house . . . wore uniforms of varying quality and decoration and caps and helmets with bright red-and-black armbands and carried guns and always looked terribly stern, as if it was all very important really and no one should think otherwise.
What exactly was the difference? he wondered to himself. And who decided which people wore the striped pajamas and which people wore the uniforms?" -Bruno pg. 100


If I had to describe this book in one word it would be: powerful. The descriptions of the Holocaust are vague and the reader doesn't really get involved, and yet, I can't stop thinking about this book. It doesn't have to be detailed and we don't have to connect to the main character to still be affected by the story.

The story takes place in Nazi Germany. Bruno is the main character and the story begins with his family being transferred to "Out-With" so that his dad, a high ranking Nazi officer, can run the camp after receiving a visit from "the Fury." Bruno finds the move a hard adjustment, one that is made even more confusing by the fact that he doesn't understand where he is and what's going on. One day he meets a boy the same age as him and they start up a friendship unlike any Bruno has ever had before. The boys can't play together because they are separated by a huge fence. So instead they talk, and as they talk, they discover how much they have in common...and how much they don't have in common.

It's fascinating how Boyne made this book so innocent when it is discussing a topic that is so NOT innocent. It's eerie to see everything through a child's eyes. Bruno mispronounces and doesn't understand words and so comes up with the terms "Out-With" and "Fury" instead of their proper pronunciations. I knew what "Out-With" was right away, but for some weird reason, it took me awhile to realize what "the Fury" was. However, in both cases I couldn't help but see how Bruno's versions of these words are actually more appropriate than the true pronunciations.

My copy of the novel has an interview with Boyne at the end and I was pleased with what he had to say. He's very aware not only of the injustices of the Holocaust, but of the countless genocides that have taken place since then. The reason why I would recommend this book to ALL people, regardless of age, is because I feel like it still applies to our lives today. And that's exactly what Boyne wrote it the way he did. We can learn lessons from the novel, lessons that are important for adults and children to learn. So although the subject of the Holocaust can be touchy because of the violence, I still think that children should learn about it at a young age to learn about injustice so that they will recognize it if it ever comes up in their lifetime. This book can be a tool in teaching them this lesson because of it's young adult style. However, although the story is simple, it's also one that adults can relate to, no matter how many other books they have read on the subject.



Other Reviews:
Booknotes by Lisa
Bloggin' 'bout Books

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The Hunger Games
by: Suzanne Collins

The Truth-Teller's Tale
by: Sharon Shinn

Challenges: YA Challenge, TBR Challenge

Published: 2007

# of pages: 304


Loved this book! It was more romantic than I expected a young adult book to be, but it was such a refreshing romance. I admit that I wasn't pulled into the story right away, I was actually a little put off by the characters and the way the story was being told, but soon I was very into the story and I really enjoyed the characters of Eleda and Gregory.

Eleda and Adele are twin sisters who find out that they are special in the world they live in. Eleda is a truth-teller, meaning she can't tell a lie or hide anything. Adele is a safe-keeper, meaning she can't tell secrets and keeps things to herself. Although the girls are opposites in many ways, they are very close to each other. The summer they are 17 a dancing master and his apprentice come to stay at the inn Eleda and Adele's parents own. They brings secrets with them and the girls must deal with these as well as the problem of their best friend, Roelynn, being forced to marry against her will.

Although the story is told in a way that is almost too young adult at times, I loved the romance and the world Shinn created. The story has a very interesting twist and it was neat to see how things come together. I recommend this to young adults and adults alike, especially if you enjoy a good, clean romance or a creative fairytale-like fantasy. There's a prequel to this book called The Safe-Keeper's Secret that I'm going to get around to reading one of these days, but The Truth-Teller's Tale is a standalone novel and it isn't necessary to continue reading or read the other book first.

Princess Academy
by: Shannon Hale

Challenges: YA Challenge

Published: 2007

# of pages: 336


I have to say, Shannon Hale is one of my favorite young adult authors. Princess Academy was original, fun, and definitely kept me hooked. I loved the world that Hale created for this novel and the character Miri was great.

Miri lives in a small mountain village that exists only to mine a special type of rock, linden. That's how all of the villagers make their living although it is a hard one. They are very poor, they work as long as the weather allows and then trade the rocks for supplies twice a year. Miri isn't allowed to work in the mines. Her father won't allow her to and she doesn't know why. Her mother died giving birth to her and her sister isn't too much older and also doesn't know the reason Miri can't even step foot into the rock quarry.

One day the villagers receive news that the prince is going to marry a girl...from their village. The astronomers read the signs that a girl from the small mountain town would be the princess. They must follow tradition and all the girls in the proper age range must go to a princess academy for a year to learn how to be a princess. Miri and her friends travel to the academy where a whole new world opens up to them. Miri does her best to excel at her studies since it's one thing she can do to feel useful to the village. She's torn between the desire to be chosen by the prince and to continue living with her family in the place she's always loved.

Miri shows a strength of character as she leads the other girls as disaster falls upon the academy. She's a great role model for young girls who read this novel. The story has a great pace and is filled with neat details and plenty of action. I definitely recommend this to all young adults and also to any adults who are interested in young adult books, especially the fantasy genre.