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The School for Good and Evil
Chainani, Soman
Reviewed: August 31, 2022
Enter a treacherous world where destiny, desire, and friendship meet two girls on their unexpected adventure to The School for Good and Evil, the place where all fairy tales start. Sophie is the classic princess on a book cover; blonde, fair, the beauty of her town, and seemingly benevolent at every turn. Agatha, the “Graveyard Girl,” constantly wearing black, has a witch mother, and a cat with a less-than-sunny disposition appears as the antithesis of Sophie, destined to be the villain. Yet, once kidnapped and taken to the School for Good and Evil, Agatha is plopped onto the... Read Full Review
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Circe: A Novel
Miller, Madeline
Reviewed: August 24, 2022
Circe by Madeline Miller recounts the story of the goddess Circe’s life. Spanning millennia, this book documents her early years in the palace of her father, Helios, and later into her life in exile on the remote island of Aiaia. As I read this book, I watched Circe’s character development from a simple and naive child grow into an empowered and defiant sorceress. As Circe comes from Greek mythology, Miller weaves together classic ancient Greek stories into the life story of Circe, with cameos from famous characters such as the Minotaur and Odysseus. I adored getting to live in... Read Full Review
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The Outsiders
Hinton, S. E.
Reviewed: August 17, 2022
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is a story about Ponyboy, his brothers, his unexpected group of friends, and the cruel reality that they were forced into—all because of their circumstances and social class. Ponyboy is an outcast and a loner from his perspective, yet he prefers it to be that way since he already likes doing activities by himself. But when tragedy strikes, and he is forced into a life filled with violence with those he cares about, it is up to Ponyboy and the boys to survive.
This dramatically-paced story is one that manages to use its words to draw you into... Read Full Review
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That Was Then, This Is Now
Hinton, S. E.
Reviewed: August 10, 2022
Look, I love The Outsiders. It's a novel by S.E. Hinton that you've at least heard of if you haven't read (and loved). After I was assigned The Outsiders, I was left wanting more of Hinton's other works. I wanted to explore her writing style, which I quickly fell in love with after reading The Outsiders. That's when I picked up the book she wrote four years later, That Was Then, This Is Now.
The novel follows, once again, an engaging cast of characters set in a world that, a little way into the book, seems to be familiar to readers of The... Read Full Review
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The Great Gatsby
Fitzgerald, F. Scott
Reviewed: August 3, 2022
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald takes place during the early 1920s. The novel is written in the first person, with the narrator (Nick Carraway) becoming friends with Jay Gatsby, a millionaire who throws lavish parties weekly. Gatsby has been in love with Daisy (Nick's cousin) for a long time, but now Daisy is married to Tom Buchanan. Jay Gatsby's ambition is not only to become opulent but also to be with Daisy. Gatsby and Daisy begin having an affair, leading to overwhelming conflicts between Gatsby and Buchanan's marriage.
As I read this novel, I enjoyed the turn... Read Full Review
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We Are Okay
LaCour, Nina
Reviewed: July 28, 2022
We Are Okay by Nina LaCour starts with the protagonist Marin living alone in the dorms of NYU over winter break. She sits here waiting for her former best friend Mabel to come from sunny L.A., to whom she hasn’t spoken in months. Told in a narrative of flipping back and forth between the past and the present, this novel tells the story of Marin's life in the before, in California with her grandfather, and why she ran away and ended up here in New York City alone. I have read this book multiple times, and each time I take away new meanings and messages from LaCour’s words, watching... Read Full Review
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Twilight
Meyer, Stephenie
Reviewed: July 20, 2022
Twilight is a popular Young adult fiction novella written by Stephenie Meyer that follows 17-year-old Bella Swan after she moves with her father to Forks, Washington. Shortly after moving to forks, Bella meets Edward Cullen, who is very handsome and mysterious. She then takes it upon herself to find out what he’s hiding, and when she does, she falls in love with him. Twilight takes us through the stages of their relationship and the obstacles they encounter. It is a very old novella series that is still read by many people today because the relationship between Edward and... Read Full Review
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House of Hollow
Sutherland, Krystal
Reviewed: July 13, 2022
House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland follows Iris Hollow as she lives a seemingly normal teenage life, though strange events seem to follow her and her older sisters. Flashback to when Iris was young, she and her two sisters inexplicably disappear, coming back a month later with no memory of their time away and with changed appearances. The book starts when Iris’s mega-famous eldest sister Grey goes missing, with only perplexing clues in her wake. While reading this book, I went on a paranormal adventure with Iris as her normal life turned more and more supernatural. Intoxicating... Read Full Review
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Tell Me Everything
Enni, Sarah
Reviewed: July 7, 2022
Tell Me Everythingby Sarah Enni is a book that doesn’t fail to entrance me and present me with the heartfelt portrayal of Ivy’s journey in navigating her relationships, both old and new. Throughout the story, unbeknownst to herself, Ivy takes steps to do things for others—all because of the anonymous app called VEIL. She is also growing out of her shell and slowly changing for the better. However, things start to collapse—all because of her—she needs to take the necessary steps to walk out of her shell to fix what she broke.
This story does an excellent job at revealing... Read Full Review
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Imaginary Borders
Martinez, Xiuhtezcatl
Reviewed: June 30, 2022
Imaginary Borders is a blend of narrative and informative writing that talks about climate change. Climate change is a hot and sometimes controversial topic in today's world. There's an increasing divide between those who advocate for change and those who are suspicious about the activism devoted to climate change. Over the last few decades, this topic has received more and more attention, with this book being just one of the many examples of how people have used their voices to address the situation. Here, Xiuhtezcatl Martinez uses a casual tone where he's almost having a... Read Full Review
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1984
Orwell, George, 1903-1950.
Reviewed: June 17, 2022
1984 is a fictional novel written by George Orwell that tells the story of Winston Smith, who lives under the watchful eyes of Big Brother in the nation of Oceania. He works in the Ministry of Truth where he is responsible for altering historical records in order to fit the needs of the Party. Here, he meets a dark-haired girl named Julia whom he falls in love with. However, the Party reprimands any sexual acts or forms of love among its people. Yet, Winston and Julia fulfill their need for love with each other and manage to keep their relationship a secret from others. After... Read Full Review
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The Last Time We Say Goodbye
Hand, Cynthia
Reviewed: June 8, 2022
The Last Time We Say Goodbye by Cynthia Hand is a story that deals with grief over the loss of a sibling. This story follows Lexie Riggs after her little brother Tyler commits suicide. This novel goes into great detail about how Lexie feels and how she copes with guilt after Tyler’s death, but it also includes how others around her react and go on with their lives after finding out what happened.
When Tyler committed suicide, it was a huge shock to everyone who knew him because he was popular and was seemingly happy. Shortly after his death, Lexie is forced to see a... Read Full Review