Disruptor—Arwen Elys Dayton

Title: Disruptor
Author: Arwen Elys Dayton
Publisher: Delacorte, 2017
Pages: 352 p
Source: Library Ebook
Compensation: None
Read: January 2018

Disrupter is the thrilling conclusion to the Seeker series that started with Seeker and continued with Traveler. Everything comes together in this final book and it’s well worth the wait. The series starts with Quin, Shinobu and John attempting to finish their Seeker training... and learning that being a Seeker is not what they thought it would be. Instead of protecting people, righting wrongs, and avenging evil, Quin’s father has perverted the sacred Seeker training and created a team of assassins to murder other Seekers. The young Seekers revolt but cannot even trust each other. In Disruptor we learn the true history of the Seekers and the Dreads and the only way anyone can be saved is if they work together.

I loved this entire series and Disruptor is no different. It was written perfectly, alternating chapters with the different characters, slowly revealing the secrets and mysteries set up in the first book, and keeping the reader riveted the whole time.

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36 Questions That Changed My Mind About You—Vicki Grant

Title: 36 Questions That Changed My Mind About You
Author:  Vicki Grant
Publisher: Running Press, 2017
Pages: 288 pages
Source: Library ebook
Compensation: None
Read: January 2018

Hildy signs up for the local college’s psych study because she’s interested in things like that and she needs someone to talk to. Paul signs up because he needs the 40 bucks. All they have to do is ask each other 36 questions and answer them honestly. They couldn’t be more different—Hildy is the well spoken daughter of the high school principal and Paul *almost* graduated high school. Hildy is sensitive and cries easily, Paul is gruff. Can 36 questions really bring strangers closer together?

This was a quick cute read. Interspersed throughout the traditional narrative are messages between Hildy and Paul, and Paul’s drawings. There were no major surprises and the big reveal of their secrets was predictable, but it was an enjoyable read.

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Shadowcaster—Cinda Williams Chima

Title: Shadowcaster
Author: Cinda Williams Chima
Publisher: Harper Teen, 2017
Pages: 551 p.
Source: Library
Compensation: None
Read: May 2017

Shadowcaster is the sequel to Flamecaster, which is the “sequel” series to the Seven Realms. I really liked the universe that Cinda Williams Chima created with the Seven Realms so I’m thrilled that she’s continuing to explore it. While Flamecaster focused on Han & Raisa’s son Ash, Shadowcaster tells his little sister’s story. Alyssa is the heir to the throne, but much like her mother, she’d rather be fighting with a sword than dealing with Princess duties. The events in Shadowcaster take place at roughly the same time as Flamecaster, with Jenna making an appearance towards the end of the book. There’s SO much in this one in addition to Alyssa and her journey. There’s a young boy Breon who has a mage mark similar to Jenna’s and who can also do strange things. There’s an honorable Arden captain who is taken prisoner by Alyssa’s company but winds up being much more. Fans of the series will enjoy this one and eagerly await the next book.

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Satellite—Nick Lake

Title: Satellite
Author: Nick Lake
Publisher: Knopf, 2017.
Pages: 464 p.
Source: Library e-book
Compensation: None
Read: January 2018

Leo, Orion, and Libra were born on a space shuttle 16 years ago and have been waiting ever since to go “home” to planet Earth. Before they can leave their bodies have to be strong enough to withstand the space flight home. Twins Orion and Libra are excited to go to Earth and be with their caring astronaut mother, but Leo is not so sure about his future. He’s excited to finally meet his beloved grandfather, but he has a strained relationship with his aloof mother who doesn’t have time for traditional mothering when she is working on the space station. When the three space friends make it to Earth, they discover it’s much harder to adapt than they thought it would be.

This book was not written as a traditional narrative, although it read like one. There was little to no capitalization, words were abbreviated (ur for your), and it was written like a message would be rather than a book. At first it bugged me, but the story was good and the characters were good and once I decided to read it as a message from Leo rather than as a traditional book, it bothered me less.

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(Imported from my Goodreads review)

Once and For All--Sarah Dessen

Title: Once and For All
Author: Sarah Dessen
Publisher: Viking, 2017
Pages: 356 p.
Source: Library Ebook
Compensation: None
Read: July 2017

Sarah Dessen’s Once and For All

Louna is spending the summer after high school graduation doing what she's done for years--helping her mom in the wedding planning business. Although she works in the business of "love" Louna is becoming more and more cynical about relationships and romance and true love. Despite her mom's unhappy divorce and jaded outlook, Louna wasn't always this way. She had one perfect night with the perfect guy and hope for the future until it was stolen from her during a school shooting. Ever since then Louna has refused to date anyone, refused to get close to anyone, thinking that she'll never have a chance to get another perfect night. Enter Ambrose, the son of one of her mom's clients. Louna is sent to track him down when he's late for his own mother's wedding and she's strangely drawn to him despite his annoying optimism. When her mom decides to give him a job to keep him from annoying her newest client (his sister), Louna thinks she's crazy. But Ambrose grows on her and she realizes that she can't cut herself off from life forever.

Have I ever read a Sarah Dessen book that I didn't like? Nope. I have not. I always care about the characters, I always sympathize with the situations, I always want to continue reading. I'll be honest, I don't remember plot points years later. I remember characters and when they pop up in later books I have to go back and read my past reviews to jog my memory as to who they are and what they did. But that's ok. Because when I'm reading a Sarah Dessen book I am fully immersed in that world. If you're a Sarah Dessen fan, you won't be disappointed with her latest offering.

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Always and Forever, Lara Jean—Jenny Han

Title: Always and Forever, Lara Jean
Author: Jenny Han
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2017
Pages: 336 P.
Source: VOYA
Compensation: None
Read: April 2017

Jenny Han’s Always and Forever, Lara Jean

Jenny Han first introduced us to the quirky but adorable Lara Jean in To All the Boys I've Loved Before and P.S. I Still Love You. Lara Jean has survived the embarrassing reveal of her love letters, the awkward private romantic video that went viral, the jealousy and sabotage of ex-best friend Genevieve, and the transition from Peter as fake-boyfriend to Peter as real-boyfriend. Now in her senior year of high school, Lara is comfortable in her relationship with Peter and looking forward to attending the same college. Her widowed father has unexpectedly found happiness in a new relationship, her older sister Margot has a new boyfriend, and her younger sister Kitty is thrilled with their father's romance. Everything is going exactly as planned for Lara Jean, until it does not. When Lara Jean's plan is disrupted, she is torn between her heart and her head. 

Although the time period is very clear and there are frequent mentions to today's technology, Jenny Han's story is really timeless. First love, finding one's identity in school and at home, navigating the delicate transition from kid to adult, are all universal themes in teen literature and Han has done a good job of exploring them. She has written a sweet coming of age love story and fans of the first two books will be clamoring for this conclusion. 

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P.S. I Still Love You—Jenny Han

Title: P.S. I Still Love You
Author: Jenny Han
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2015
Pages: 337 p.
Source: Library
Compensation: None
Read: April 2017

Jenny Han’s P.S. I Still Love You

We were introduced to Lara Jean in To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and her story continues in this sequel. The last thing Lara expected when she and Peter pretended to be dating was that she and Peter would actually wind up liking each other. But that’s exactly what happened. Everything’s going great until people from both of their pasts start to intervene. Is it possible for Lara to go from having no real boyfriends to being in love with TWO boys at once?

I enjoyed this one just as much as the first book. This was definitely more focused on Lara’s love life than her family life, but her family still played a large role in the story. I was SUPER glad I had the ARC of the third book in the series so I didn’t have to wait for it. Definite read for fans of the first book!

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To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before—Jenny Han

Title: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
Author: Jenny Han
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2014
Pages: 368 p.
Source: Library
Compensation: None
Read: April 2017

Jenny Han’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before

VOYA has the tendency to send me the third book in a trilogy to review. I don’t know how other reviewers handle it, but I don’t feel right reviewing a conclusion when I haven’t read the first two books! So, when I was sent Always & Forever, Lara Jean last spring, I had some catching up to do.

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is a funny quick read about a 16 year old girl. Lara has written each of the boys she has “loved” a letter and kept it safely hidden for years. Until the day they get mailed to their recipients and much embarrassment and hilarity ensues. This is not a romance novel, even if it is about all the boys Lara has crushed on. It’s more about a girl finding her place in her family and finding herself. I loved Lara’s relationship with her older sister. I finished the book in one day and that is a rare feat for me in my old age. They’re making a movie of it which is sure to attract even more readers.
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Cloud Cuckoo—R.E. Palmer

Title: Cloud Cuckoo
Author: R.E. Palmer
Publisher: Front Runner Publications, 2016
Pages: 222 p
Source: Purchased ebook
Compensation: None
Read: April 2017

R.E. Palmer’s Cloud Cuckoo

I was so impressed with the first book in the Never Dawn series (given to me by the author) that I purchased the second one on my own. The first one had ended with such a strong shocking discovery that I wanted to continue the overall story.

Unfortunately, Cloud Cuckoo didn’t measure up. The majority of the book Noah couldn’t remember what he had discovered, he and Rebecca were separated, and he was isolated during a “re-education” time in which they tried to brainwash him into compliance. There were some more secrets revealed, but this second book very much felt like it was a second book—just a bridge to get from the first to the third. This is my problem with most planned trilogies. There wasn’t anything spectacular about this one, although it does end on a pretty big cliffhanger. The third one is out now and I’m sure I will read it because I like to see how things end.

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The Never Dawn—R.E. Palmer

Title: The Never Dawn
Author: R.E. Palmer
Publisher: Front Runner Publications, 2016
Pages: 252 p
Source: Author
Compensation: None
Read: April 2017

R.E. Palmer’s The Never Dawn

I don’t respond to book review requests anymore because I am so behind in my reviews, but I was intrigued by the description of this book and the author’s assertion that he didn’t need a review written by a certain date. So, I accepted and here I am writing a review 9 months later.

The Never Dawn is the first book in a dystopian trilogy about an underground society of people tirelessly working to be able to someday return to the surface of the earth. Noah’s work is very monotonous and repetitive but he’s highly motivated to do a good job and win approval from “Mother”—the mysterious leader of the group. Noah is not really sure how his work will help, but he knows the more units he completes, the closer they’ll get to being able to go home. Noah’s faith in the system is unshaken until he meets Rebecca—a beautiful girl that makes him question everything. Together they begin to realize that things are not quite what they seem.

There have been many dystopian stories, making it difficult to find one that’s different. The Never Dawn is—it made me think about control and freedom and choice. Although you can guess what the true purpose of Noah’s work is, the twist at the end of the book is unexpected. I found myself really wanting to know what happened next—so much so that I bought the second book on my own.

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Queens of Geek—Jen Wilde

Title: Queens of Geek
Author: Jen Wilde
Publisher: Swoon Reads, 2017
Pages: 288 p.
Source: VOYA
Compensation: None
Read: March 2017

Jen Wilde's Queens of Geek

Taylor, Charlie, and Jamie have traveled all the way to the United States from Australia to attend the ultimate fandom convention, SupaCon. Charlie has a fan base of her own as a vlogger and actress promoting her first movie and was able to use her new celebrity status to get lifelong friends Taylor and Jamie into SupaCon as well. Charlie's co-star, the swoon-worthy Reese Ryan, is also her ex-boyfriend and his presence at SupaCon complicates things for the young actress. She strikes up a relationship with fellow vlogger and super cool-girl Alyssa Huntington and discovers that her crush on the internet star isn't in vain. While Charlie and Alyssa are exploring their new relationship, anxiety-prone Taylor and trusty sidekick Jamie are determined to make SupaCon the best experience ever by meeting their favorite author. Taylor must overcome her deepest fears in order to get what she wants. Jamie helps her to realize that what she really wants is him in this geeky romance. 

Queens of Geek is full of book and movie references and is a fun look at the fandom convention phenomena. Taylor's anxiety and experience with Asperger's is treated sensitively. The story is told in chapters alternating between Charlie's and Taylor's point of view, giving the reader a chance to see inside both of their minds. Queens of Geek is a fun quick read that will appeal to romance readers and self-proclaimed geeks. 

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Take the Key and Lock Her Up—Ally Carter

Title: Take the Key and Lock Her Up
Author: Ally Carter
Publisher: Scholastic, 2016
Pages: 336 p.
Source: Library
Compensation: None
Read: March 2017

Ally Carter's Take the Key and Lock Her Up

Ally Carter’s Embassy Row series began with All Fall Down, continued with See How they Run, and now ends with this final installment. I read the first one two and a half years ago and I still vividly remember how it made me feel. I remember the tension and the stomach clenching and the suspense. Am I an Ally Carter fangirl? Maybe. Do I start out each of her books already knowing I’m going to like it? Maybe.

If you haven’t read the first two books, get that done before you attempt this one.

This is a solid conclusion to the series. Some of the tension is missing because the cards are on the table now—we know who the bad guys are and what they want. I know that at the time I read this (nearly a year ago) I gave it 4 stars, but I’m having trouble remembering specific details. Yet, I can clearly recall things that happened in the first book. I’m not saying this to mean that I didn’t enjoy Take the Key and Lock Her Up, because clearly I did, but it may not be as strong as the first two books. Things are wrapped up neatly and I would still recommend this entire trilogy.

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All the Bright Places—Jennifer Niven

Title: All the Bright Places
Author: Jennifer Niven
Publisher: Knopf, 2015
Pages: 378 p.
Source: Library ebook
Compensation: None
Read: Dec 2016

Jennifer Niven’s All the Bright Places

Violet Markey is mourning the death of her sister when she meets mysterious Theodore Finch. Theodore is obsessed with death, constantly coming up with different ways he could kill himself, but something always stops him from going through with it. Violet and Theodore embark on a school project to discover the unknown natural wonders of their state. As they discover each new place, they learn more and more about each other. Theodore brings Violet out her shell and gives her something to look forward to other than just counting the days. But even as Theodore helps Violet, he falls deeper and deeper into his own depression.

I picked up All the Bright Places because I really liked Holding Up the Universe, a book I was sent to review for VOYA. All the Bright Places was just as good and difficult to put down. Violet and Theodore are both likable characters that readers will naturally root for. The writing is poignant and meaningful; Theodore’s positive post-it notes are thoughtful & insightful. Although it’s difficult to put this book down, it’s not an easy book to finish. It’s heart-wrenching and emotionally exhausting. Have a box of tissues nearby.

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Goldenhand—Garth Nix

Title: Goldenhand
Author: Garth Nix
Publisher: Harper Collins, 2016
Pages: 368 p.
Source: Library
Compensation: None
Read: December 2016

Garth Nix’s Goldenhand

It’s been over a year since I read this book and while I know that I absolutely enjoyed it and gave it 5 stars at Goodreads, some of the details are a little fuzzy. This is what happens when you tend to read a lot of fantasy—at some point they all blend together. Which is yet another reason for not waiting a year to do a review.

Goldenhand takes place 6 months after the events in Abhorsen. Lirael is now the Abhorse-in-Waiting and one of her first missions is to rescue Nick Sayre who has just been attacked by a Hrule creature—events that are described in the short story The Creature in the Case from the collection, Across the Wall. She helps him as much as she can but realizes that he needs medical attention that only the Clayr can give, so the two travel to Lirael’s former home, the Glacier. At the same time, Ferin races towards the Glacier to deliver a message to Lirael from her mother—a message with apocalyptic visions of the future. Lirael and Nick must again battle Chlorr of the Mask and attempt to defeat her once and for all.

I’ve loved all of Garth Nix’s books. Some more than others, but I honestly have never picked up a Nix book and said, “eh.” Although I can’t remember the minute details, I very much remember being so happy to be back in the Old Kingdom. I loved reading about Lirael and Nick again. This was a satisfying follow up to the original Abhorsen trilogy.

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Love and First Sight—Josh Sundquist

Title: Love and First Sight
Author: Josh Sundquist
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company, 2017
Pages: 288 p.
Source: VOYA
Compensation: None
Read: Dec 2017

Josh Sundquist’s Love and First Sight

Will starts his first day at a new high school groping a girl on the stairs, sitting on a kid in the cafeteria, and making a fellow classmate cry just by looking at her. All in all a successful day for a sixteen-year-old blind boy who had never been in a public school. Will manages to navigate high school with his cane, his iPhone, and his ability to memorize routes once he has taken them. Navigating high school friendships turns out to be a bit trickier. Will becomes friends with the boy from the cafeteria and the girl he made cry, but when an experimental surgery gives Will eyesight he discovers that they were not as forthcoming with him as he thought. Cecily, the crying girl Will is falling in love with, has a facial birthmark that does not meet traditional standards of beauty. Will insists that what Cecily looks like really does not matter, but he feels betrayed by her and their friends for keeping it from him when he could not see it. 

Sundquist writes about Will's blindness with sensitivity. Although Will is completely incapable of seeing anything in the beginning of the story--not even shadows--he is not helpless or powerless. He is flawed, not because he cannot see with his eyes, but rather because of how he responds when he can see with them. The lesson in Love and First Sight is clear and predictable, but readers will enjoy Will's journey anyway.

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Keep Her

Title: Keep Her
Author: Leora Krygier
Publisher: She Writes Press, 2016.
Pages: 264 p.
Source: VOYA
Compensation: None
Read: November 2016

Leora Krygier’s Keep Her

Maddie is a seventeen-year-old recent graduate contemplating her future. Although she loves numbers and scientific rational thinking, she has been accepted into a university program for fine art. She creates collages from photographs and unwanted scraps of material. While waiting for her pictures to be developed, the camera store she is in is suddenly flooded from a water main break. Maddie starts to panic, but is quickly rescued by a young man. Aiden and Maddie instantly bond over their frightening experience and form an interesting friendship. Maddie is dealing with emotions from her adoption, as well as the consequences of her brother's criminal behavior. Aiden is dealing with his own demons, namely the guilt over his younger brother's accidental death and the life-changing decision he is faced with--whether or not to keep his infant daughter. When Maddie learns Aiden is considering putting his daughter up for adoption, she tries to convince him to keep her.

Keep Her is a quick interesting read that will engage fans of contemporary fiction. Maddie and Aiden's relationship blooms very quickly, but throughout the novel there are flashbacks to Aiden's mission to save endangered whales that suggest that maybe Aiden's been waiting for Maddie for a lot longer. Fans of meant-to-be romance stories will not be disappointed.

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Visitors--Orson Scott Card

Title: Visitors
Author: Orson Scott Card
Publisher: Simon Pulse, 2014
Pages: 608 p.
Source: Library Ebook
Compensation: None
Read: November 2016

Orson Scott Card's Visitors

Visitors is the conclusion to the Pathfinder trilogy that includes Pathfinder and Ruins. There is no point in even attempting to read this unless you've read the first two.

I've seen the negative reviews of this book (and series) but I enjoyed this series. Rigg and his friends have discovered that the world is in danger of obliteration from visitors with deadly intentions. Luckily, Rigg and his friends are not ordinary teens. They each possess different talents letting them manipulate time. They put those talents to use as they frantically search for a way to prevent the destruction of everything they know and save the world.

Just like Ruins, this is not the book to read while watching TV or multitasking. You need to devote some time to this and then some more time to think about it when you're done reading. I love time travel and I'm a big fan of tv shows/movies that explore its ramifications. It helped that I've already thought about the concept of time and Riggs & Umbo's conversations about causality and the relationship between the past and the future were conversations that I've thought about. This book is *deep*. The entire series is deep. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it, but it'll take a special reader to truly appreciate it.
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Ruins—Orson Scott Card

Title: Ruins
Author: Orson Scott Card
Publisher: Simon Pulse, 2013
Pages: 544 p.
Source: Library E-Book
Compensation: None
Read: November 2016

Orson Scott Card’s Ruins

This is the second book in Orson Scott Card’s Pathfinder series and without reading the first you’ll be lost and confused and simply unhappy. If you haven’t read the first, go ahead and do that before you read this review.

Rigg, his friend Umbo, and his newly discovered sister Param all have special powers to help them manipulate time. On the run from people who would like to prevent Rigg and/or Param from claiming their birthright, they cross the forbidden Wall between the world they know and one they can only imagine. Here they uncover even more mysteries and are not sure who they can trust. Even though they spend a lot of time bickering and being suspicious of one another, they have to work together if they are going to prevent the horror that the future brings—a destructive force with deadly intentions that’s hurtling across time and space towards Garden.

Get ready to use your brains because there is some DEEP thinking about time and cause/effect in this mind-bending sequel. This is a complex book that deserves undivided attention.
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