Review: It’s Kind of a Funny Story, by Ned Vizzini

For such a moving and detailed look at an important subject, I can’t believe how little I’ve heard about this book. I was hooked from the first sentence: “It’s so hard to talk when you want to kill yourself.”

It’s Kind of a Funny Story is a brutally honest contemporary following a teen who has a mental illness—yep, it’s another one of those. But out of the thousands already published, this one stood out because it was so well written.

Review: A Torch Against the Night, by Sabaa Tahir

“You are my masterpiece, Helene Aquilla, but I have just begun. If you survive, you shall be a force to be reckoned with in this world. But first you will be unmade. First, you will be broken.”

Though I enjoyed An Ember in the Ashes more, I think this was a really great sequel. If you loved the action and violence in the first book, A Torch Against the Night won’t disappoint. It’s full of bloody scenes and brutal characters in a world based on ancient Rome, but it also touches on themes of loyalty and love—should you serve the Empire you have sworn your allegiance to, or save your family instead?

Review: Girl in Pieces, by Kathleen Glasgow

Hm, this is a tricky book to rate. I feel like I should give it a high rating because it’s a well-researched look at a serious matter—self harm. But I can’t bring myself to give it any more than two stars simply because I didn’t enjoy Girl in Pieces.

You’re probably thinking, “How could anyone enjoy a book about self harm?” But with these kinds of gritty, realistic novels, I can usually appreciate how the author chose to tackle such a delicate subject, or at least take away new knowledge from being able to step into the shoes of a character who’s gone through so much more than I ever have.

Review: With Malice, by Eileen Cook

“Why is it they say you always hurt the ones you love? Because you know exactly how to do it.”

I really wanted to give this four stars. Because, oh boy, was this ever good . . . right up until the last ten pages.

With Malice is a hyped up YA thriller, and for good reason. It was extremely well written and didn’t suffer from the cheesiness I usually find in this genre. The pacing was unbelievably fast and I flew through the pages. I was totally in love with it . . . right up until the end, when I couldn’t help but lower my rating.

Review: Delicate Monsters, by Stephanie Kuehn

I don’t think I entirely “get” Kuehn’s books. Charm & Strange was too weird for me, and though I liked Delicate Monsters better, it was still pretty bizarre.

This book is about three messed up teens who are different kinds of monsters, and I don’t use that word lightly. I mean, these characters were awful—borderline sociopathic and just nasty in the way that they thought:

“She puffed harder on her cigarette, enjoying the burn on her windpipe and the hope that she was giving someone somewhere cancer.”

But that kind of just made them even more interesting to read about.

Review: You Before Anyone Else, by Julie Cross and Mark Perini

“Why is your mouth so easy to stare at? And why do I want to kiss you so badly?”

Cue another young adult romance that is so desperately trying to follow the path of every new adult book, complete with casual sex, a good girl falling for a bad boy, and a hidden past . . . ooh, I’m so intrigued. No, I’m actually not, because I’ve read this exact same scenario way too many times.

As if there aren’t enough of these books. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind this type of story, even though it’s unbelievably predictable, if it were actually well written with believable, fleshed-out characters. The problem with You Before Anyone Else was that the main characters were so dull and I was utterly uninterested in their romance.

Review: The Raven Boys, by Maggie Stiefvater

Well, that was a lot of fun! I’m not going to pretend The Raven Boys was the most original—it wasn’t by a long shot—but it was so entertaining I was able to look past the plot holes, cheesy storyline, and ridiculous dialogue.

When it comes to books, there’s two kinds of cheesy—the plain old annoying cheesy that makes me roll my eyes and is laughably bad, and the fun cheesy. For instance, Truthwitch was as cliché of a young adult fantasy novel as you could get, but it was also fast paced, enjoyable, and lighthearted.

The Raven Boys may have been another angsty paranormal romance about a “special” girl full of overused ideas, but it was so addicting and undeniably fun.

Review: How it Feels to Fly, by Kathryn Holmes

“Ballet was my safest space. Then my body changed. I got curvy, and I got self-conscious. I couldn’t stop thinking about everyone looking at me—what they were seeing.”

This was a great look at an issue that is sadly common: negative body image. So many women and young girls are plagued by this, and I can tell you from personal experience that it’s such a sad place to be.

Review: Out of the Easy, by Ruta Sepetys

This was such a compelling historical fiction novel. Am I the only one who feels like a lot of books in this genre can get too descriptive with historical fact, and thus become boring? With Out of the Easy, however, I truly couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.

I loved the characterization of different people in New Orleans in 1950, how Sepetys captured their lives, the good and ugly parts. Our protagonist, Josie, is an inspiring, independent girl with huge dreams to go to college, but she is held back because her mother is a prostitute.

Review: My Sister’s Keeper, by Jodi Picoult

“You don’t love someone because they’re perfect, you love them in spite of the fact that they’re not.”


Lowered my rating because of that ending I saw coming a mile away.

Whoa, that was a seriously intense family drama. Such a compelling, original plot that brought up a lot of questions, but the author left them for the reader to decide. I love when authors do that, instead of answering controversial topics with their own opinion. Everyone’s going to have a different opinion, so why not leave the questions open?

My Sister’s Keeper follows thirteen-year-old Anna, who is suing her parents for the right to her own body. She was literally created in a medical lab to be a donor for her sister, Kate, who has leukemia.

Review: Rebel Bully Geek Pariah, by Erin Jade Lange

This book is being compared to The Breakfast Club, and in many ways it’s very similar: it follows four socially outcast teenagers as they find themselves stuck together one night.

The beginning was absolutely crazy. After a party bust, our four anti-heroes are on the run from the cops. They steal a car, pick up supplies at a gas station, and find a cabin to hide out in. Over the course of the novel they begrudgingly become attached to one another and open up about their pasts.

Our narrator, Sam, has a drug addict and alcoholic for a mother. When Sam was only six her mother was sent to prison for making meth. Andi, York, and Boston—her three new accomplices—all come from equally rough backgrounds.

“Eon” is an Action Packed Fantasy with Dragons

Wow, that was exactly the immersive, fast-paced fantasy I was looking for.

I have to admit, at first I wasn’t too impressed by the pacing of this novel. I found the world building dense, the plot complicated, and, quite frankly, I was bored. I’m so glad I stuck with it though, because after the first seventy pages I suddenly couldn’t put it down. The suspense made me breathless and I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next.

“This Adventure Ends” is a Heartfelt, Solid Contemporary

“Maybe . . . it’s a kind of love where you don’t have to say it. Where they’re such a part of you and you’re such a part of them that it doesn’t need to be said. Because you already know.”

Wow. This was a really, really great book. It was a well written, fast paced contemporary with characters whom I couldn’t help falling in love with. I can’t even begin to summarize this emotional, smart, and moving story.

Our main character, Sloane, is sarcastic, intelligent, and incredibly flawed. She constantly overthinks things and has an irrational fear that if she lets herself love someone, she will love them too much. She doesn’t let her emotions show and has a harsh, blunt cover to hide her true self.

“Cruel Beauty” is a Bizarre Fantasy Retelling

“He’s a monster. Maybe I’m a monster to pity him. But I can’t leave him.”

This was certainly one of the strangest, most original books I’ve read in a while.

Cruel Beauty is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast with tons of fantasy and Greek mythology thrown in the batch and mixed up to create something totally bizarre and enticing.

While reading it, I found myself comparing it to other YA retellings I’ve read, such as Scarlet and Cinder. I think Rosamund Hodge’s novel is a few tones darker than either of those examples. There were so many well-written, eerie parts in this book that I never wanted them to stop.

“Crimson Bound” Delivers Another Creative, Addictive Retelling

There’s just something sinister about the forest, isn’t there?

I have to say I enjoyed this book more than the author’s debut, Cruel Beauty. Cruel Beauty was great, but then Rosamund Hodge had to go and make that whole weird ending for it that I’m still unsure of my feelings for.

If anything, I think the author’s writing has improved and matured a lot since her debut. Everything lovely and amazing about her writing was really enhanced in Crimson Bound. Never mind the plot, I want more breathtaking scenic descriptions and saucy lines from the main character!

“The Siren” Felt Like a Twelve Year Old Daydream

“Where in the world did you come from, you beautiful, silent girl?” he whispered.

The thing I loved about The Selection—and the very same thing that made many people hate it—was the silly, light, enjoyable tone of the writing. It was sugar and spice and pretty dresses and handsome boys and pure entertainment. And it totally worked for me. I got sucked into the story following America’s life—basically a soap opera—and loved every page of it.

The Siren might have worked in the same way had the writing not felt more simplistic, the main character’s voice more immature. While I still found it entertaining, it was a bit too sweet.

“An Abundance of Katherines” Portrays Hilarious Friendships Between Teenagers

“That’s who you really like. The people you can think out loud in front of.”

I really should have read this sooner, because John Green didn’t fail to deliver another excellent depiction of the carefree and incredibly complex life of teenagers.

This time the quirky and hilarious narrative follows Colin, who has just been dumped for the nineteenth time. Colin can’t seem to help falling in love with girls named Katherine, but it always ends the same way for him: with his heart broken.

“Ink and Bone” Paints a Horrific Picture of a Future Without Books

This story opens on the streets of London in the year 2025.

Jess grew up in a poor home with a brute of a brother and his father, who taught him the business of book smuggling. Jess is forced to steal books so his father can resell them illegally in the black market.

Books are the most precious thing in this novel. They are upheld as the highest of items and some characters even value them over human lives. This makes a lot of people angry and causes them to burn books and libraries. These people are known as Burners. As a great lover of books, this very idea horrified me.

“The Forbidden Wish” is a Sweet, Compelling Retelling of Aladdin

“Even a thief may have honor, and even a jinni may have a heart.”

Do you like Aladdin? A good action-packed fantasy? Diverse settings? Romance that isn’t insta-love? Because The Forbidden Wish is all of those things and more. It contains a plot that managed to hold my attention the entire time, female-empowering characters, and a cute love interest.

This is a retelling of Aladdin with a unique concept—this time the jinni is the main character, and she’s a girl. Zahra has been trapped inside a magical lamp for four thousand years, and she hasn’t had a Master to grant wishes to in hundreds of years. That’s where Aladdin steps in.

“The Winner’s Kiss” is an Epic, Nostalgic Finale

“You don’t need to be gifted with a blade. You are your own best weapon.”

I am trying very hard to remain calm and collected right now so that I can write an articulate review, when what I really want to do is turn into a fully raging fangirl.

Oh, my poor heart. Marie Rutkoski certainly knows how to shred it into pieces. This book flooded me with so many emotions—it made me feel incredibly sad, angry, surprised, frustrated, and joyously happy. The plot was carefully constructed so that each scene was able to evoke a new emotion from me.