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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
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A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story
Park, Linda Sue
Reviewed: October 27, 2021
This book is a dual perspective from Salva who is the main character and Nia. This is about life in the 1980s and south Sudan when the Civil War was going on. Salva was used to being part of a farming family, he would take care of the cattle and occasionally go hunting with his siblings. One day at school, they heard gunshots and the teacher told him to run into the bush because they didn’t want them to be recruited as child soldiers. It’s about Salva walking through the desert with others and eventually, he eventually meets up with his uncle by chance. His uncle is in a group of these... Read Full Review
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The Secret Life of Bees
Kidd, Sue Monk
Reviewed: October 21, 2021
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd is an amazing coming-of-age fictional novel. It’s set in 1964 and follows the struggles of a 14-year-old girl named Lily Owens whose life has been built around the blurred memory of the afternoon her mother was killed. She runs away from her abusive father with her nanny Rosaleen on her fourteenth birthday after personal and societal troubles consume her life. They go on a quest to Tiburon, South Carolina to discover what truly happened to Lily’s mother when Lily herself was only 4 years old. It focuses on the racism that occurred during... Read Full Review
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The Last Wish: Introducing the Witcher
Sapkowski, Andrzej
Reviewed: October 5, 2021
The Last Wish is a short story collection and the first book in Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Witcher series. The Witcher is probably a familiar name to those who are a part of the video game community. The Witcher games are well-renowned for having excellent narratives and beautiful regions to explore. The most recent release, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, won the 2015 Game of the Year Award. Now, this may come as a surprise to some, but The Witcher books are not spin-offs of the games; rather, the games are sequels to the books. The novels... Read Full Review
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Scythe
Shusterman, Neal
Reviewed: September 28, 2021
Scythe by Neal Shusterman is a good book for a lighter read. Scythe follows the story of two teenage apprentices, Citra and Rowan, as they compete to become a "Scythe" (killers who keep the population in check), although neither really wants to win. I really enjoyed the world-building of Scythe and all of the layers Schusterman created as if it could become a reality for our current world. This created a sense of perfection at the beginning but, as you read more, you realize how flawed their society truly is. As I read, I found myself switching sides between what... Read Full Review