new posts in all blogs
Viewing: Blog Posts Tagged with: Young Adult reviews, Most Recent at Top [Help]
Results 1 - 15 of 15
How to use this Page
You are viewing the most recent posts tagged with the words: Young Adult reviews in the JacketFlap blog reader. What is a tag? Think of a tag as a keyword or category label. Tags can both help you find posts on JacketFlap.com as well as provide an easy way for you to "remember" and classify posts for later recall. Try adding a tag yourself by clicking "Add a tag" below a post's header. Scroll down through the list of Recent Posts in the left column and click on a post title that sounds interesting. You can view all posts from a specific blog by clicking the Blog name in the right column, or you can click a 'More Posts from this Blog' link in any individual post.
Juliet has believed her father has been dead for years. After his scandal rocked London and her father disappeared (presumed dead), Juliet and her mother were left without anything. Then Juliet's mother died of consumption and the poor girl was orphaned and penniless. She began working as a maid and managed to survive on her own, though always wondering if she were meant for the life she was living.
After a crazy series of events, Juliet ended up on a boat (with a very handsome man from her past) headed to an island where her father is living -- indeed alive and apparently still up to the deeds that brought scandal upon his family. When she arrived, Juliet is thrust into the world her father created on the island, whether she wants to be or not. Though she wants to love her father and know him, she doesn't understand him, his reasoning for what he does, and quickly realized that he cannot be trusted.
Gothic mystery, love triangle, super scary scenes. I loved it!
Though I've never read H.G. Wells' "The Island of Dr. Moreau," -- the book this story was based on -- I can only imagine that the creep factor is incredibly high. Shepherd's story gave me goosebumps more than once and was perfect reading for these cold winter days. Sometimes I just need a creepy, dark story to pass the time at night and this one hit the spot.
I'm really looking forward to reading more from Shepherd. Her writing style is beautiful and engrossing and though I did feel the plot dragged a tad bit at the end, I truly felt like I was on the island with Juliet, experiencing events as she experienced them. The setting was amazing and both gorgeous and horrifying at the same time.
I was able to see Megan Shepherd speak on a YA panel at
Hooray for Books! a couple of weeks ago and she shared that the two other books in this trilogy will also be based on gothic classics. Fun! Or creepy, whatever.
Jane wants to end her life, plain and simple. She's come from a long line of people who kill themselves and even though she's tried herself several times and ended up in rehab, determination has a hold of her now. On leave from rehab, she plans to kill herself while flying home. Fortunately or unfortunately for Jane, her plane never makes it home.
After the crash, Jane and her seatmate Parker are the only two left alive. With someone else that needs her help, Jane forgets about the need to kill herself and instantly decides she and Parker both need to survive. The mountaintop is relentless with its wind, snow, and well-below-freezing temperatures and the pair have few supplies and little hope of being rescued.
A super fast read, you'll rip through this one in no time, wanting to know what fate awaits Jane and Parker. Besides all the action and constant fear for these characters, I really appreciated how the author managed to turn hopelessness into pure courage. Anyone can pick this up and be inspired...a great quality in a novel.
The back cover describes Survive as being "Hatchet for a new generation" and I totally agree. I was definitely satisfied by adventure, thrills, and a believable bit of romance.
Survive
Alex Morel
272 pages
Young Adult
Razorbill
9781595145109
August 2012
Courtney Summers has done something that only John Green has been able to do so far this year. She made me stay up all night to finish her book. Ok, so I actually only stayed up until 2:30, but with a 7-month-old that totally counts as all night in my world. I wasn't just up late either...I was so incredibly tense with anticipation as to what would happen next that every little noise had me convinced that a zombie was about to break into my house.
Yep, I said it. Zombie. There are most definitely people in this book that are dead, but not dead, and want to eat the few that are actually still alive. Six teens are locked in a school after a virus takes over their town and quite possibly the entire world. The way Summers manages to give each of these kids a distinct voice and realistic actions during a very unrealistic situation is absolutely amazing.
These teens, especially our main character Sloane, definitely had a lot of "stuff" going on before everything started changing and just because zombies are now attacking doesn't make the stuff go away. There are also an incredible amount of teen hormones in one small place and when under stress, some look for comfort in each other. The feelings are totally believable and understandable. You've all heard me say many times that I don't like sex in books unless it's essential to the story, not just dropped in for drama. These situations work and most definitely have their place.
Please don't be scared away from this book simply because I've mentioned zombies. It's a survival story, a friendship story, and has enough tension that you'll be turning pages as fast as you can possibly read them. Give it a try and I'll bet you'll end up half the night finishing it too. I loved it.
This is Not a TestCourtney Summers336 pagesYoung Adult FictionSt. Martin's Griffin9780312656744June 2012
Joey Crouch knows his mother has raised him in a sort of bubble and though he doesn't exactly know why, he's actually ok with it. Having never left Chicago, he has spent most of his life in a small apartment, with only one good friend to talk to, but knowing only that life is what really gets him through the days. He's, at the very least, content.
When his mother dies unexpectedly, Joey is sent to Iowa to live with a father he has never met and knows absolutely nothing about. What he finds is an incredibly strange man...a social pariah who quite obviously wants nothing to do with Joey and outwardly expresses his disgust at being saddled with a kid he doesn't want. Combine that with the torture Joey begins to endure at his new school, both at the hands of his peers and even a teacher, and this kid's life really is pure horror.
The secrets his dad guards closely are soon uncovered and the Joey is sucked into an unimaginable lifestyle. He learns unconventional lessons from his father in a manner that is both completely off-putting and totally exhilarating. A completely unique method of father-son bonding for sure, wrapped up in a detailed, smartly-written package.
I was more than grossed out while reading this book! I squirmed in my chair and made sure not to eat while reading, yet I could not put it down. I had to know what happened to Joey and his father, but it was a whole lot more than that. I learned more about dead people than I ever thought possible from a YA fiction story and I found myself running to the computer to look up tidbits to see whether or not they were true.
It's not a book for everyone. I chose this for my YA Book Club for Adults selection this month and one member flat-out hated it and I can totally understand why. You have to have a really open mind to read a story as gruesome as this one in order to appreciate the truly fantastic writing style. The details are impressive, but those very details could also turn certain readers away.
The bullying is extreme and I often had to take reading breaks during those portions, because it was just horrifying. I sincerely hope no child ever experiences the things that Joey must go through. I really wanted to reach in the book and take him away from those terrible people, even though it was necessary to the plot line!
For me, it was a 5-star book. I had to suspend my disbelief for a lot of it, but the author did such an amazing job at creating the characters and the society their lives revolved around, along with the elements of description and unique setting, that I just loved it. Well...loved it as much as one can love a book about dead bodies, extreme bullying, and unloving parents. :)
I would only hand this to older teens or adults for subject matter reasons.
Rotters
Daniel Kraus
464 pages
<
After her brother dies fighting in Iraq, Honor isn't quite sure how to deal with it. She's angry at him, hurt, brokenhearted and completely confused as to why this has happened to her brother. When a letter shows up in, written by Finn before he died, complete with tickets for Honor to see her favorite singer's last concert, she decides it's almost like Finn's last request before his death and she has to go.
Taking a road trip across the country is the last thing Honor feels like doing...especially when Finn's best friend shows up, drunk, and insists he's going with her and knowing that college starts in just a few days. Rusty does prove to be problematic with his spitfire attitude and love for annoying her, but he's also incredibly resourceful, especially when the car breaks down and Honor starts to feel like she's about to break down as well.
The dynamic between Rusty and Honor was believable and I enjoyed how their relationship progressed. It wasn't an overnight change from drunk, annoying boy to someone she could really like, which is pretty much how life goes. Things take time and the author made the progression realistic.
I loved the secondary characters the pair met along the way...especially Wyatt! I wanted more Wyatt! And now, the idea of scuba diving to see the stars is something on my new bucket list :)
What happens is more than a road trip, it's a journey together, learning about each other and doing things that Finn would have wanted them to do together. Funny, super sweet, with a great emotional punch. It's another great road trip book to add to the list for your summer reading!
In HonorJessi Kirby240 pagesYoung AdultSimon and Schuster9781442416970May 2012Review copy provided by publisher
Up until 5 years ago, Taylor and her family went to their house on Lake Phoenix every single summer. That's where Taylor met her best friend Lucy and her first boyfriend, Henry and had a wonderful couple of months at the beach. But, 5 years ago, everything changed and Taylor ran away, not returning to Lake Phoenix until this year. This year, everything has once again changed and she's back at the beach, scared of what's before her.
Taylor's dad is sick and his request was for the family to spend one last summer together at their lake house. Taylor knows her dad just wants a normal summer for them, but knowing she'll run into Henry and Lucy, she's terrified about returning and once she gets there, learns she has a right to be scared. What happens that summer teaches Taylor what second chances really mean.
I LOVE MORGAN MATSON. Ok...now that I've gotten that out of the way, let me just tell you that this book broke my heart in all the right ways. I loved each and every character... from smaller characters like Elliot and the screenwriter neighbors to Henry, Taylor, her dad, Warren, etc. Each one was written perfectly and added to the story in such a fantastic way, that you'll end up caring about what happens to each of them, not just the main character.
It's the perfect book to prep for your own summer vacation or if you're like me and sticking around home this year, you can live vicariously through Taylor and imagine movies on the beach, ice cream every day, and warm weather. Ooh...but, bring your tissue box, you'll need it.
A great book for fans of Jenny Han's "Summer" series.
Second Chance SummerMorgan Matson480 pagesYoung AdultSimon&Schuster9781416990673May 2012Review copy
Talk about suspense! I'm starting to think Lisa McMann is the queen of teen suspense, because she really does get me every time. I'm a big fan of her Wake series and this new stand alone was quietly creepy and definitely a page turner.
Ethan was kidnapped as a child, but has somehow found his way back to his family, years later. His parents, of course, are absolutely thrilled that he's home, but his younger brother isn't quite sure what to think. He finds it strange that Ethan can't remember simple events that happened when they were little and finds tiny inconsistencies in the story Ethan tells about his kidnapper.
Determined to prove he is ready to be the kid everyone remembers, Ethan tries to make friends with the group he's told he hung out with as a young boy, attempts to be a great big brother to the little sister that arrived after he had been abducted, and even tries to get along with his brother, without success. Something is wrong and Ethan's brother knows it.
If you read a lot of books, you'll probably figure out the ending, however, the way McMann gets us there is pretty awesome. Even though I was pretty sure I knew what was going to happen, I still had chills on certain pages and still really wanted to be able to read faster to find out if I was right and what was going to happen to Ethan and his family.
I think this would be a great choice for a reluctant reader or someone that needs a quick page turner to get into a story.
Can't wait to see what's next from Lisa McMann! Whatever it is, I'm sure it will make my heart beat a little faster.
Dead to YouLisa McMann256 pagesYoung Adult FictionSimon Pulse9781442403888February 2012Review copy
Rose, a formerly bubbly, popular teen with a spot on the cheerleading squad, has fallen into a deep depression after the death of her mother a few short months ago. She dropped cheering, stopped hanging out with her friends, and refuses to listen to any sort of music, afraid she'll cry as soon as she hears any lyric at all. Her long time boyfriend, Chris is even getting frustrated with her, confused as to Rose won't even try to feel better.
When she finds one of her mom's famous Survival Kits, made especially for her, at first Rose can't even open it. Once she does, she knows it's time to begin the healing process, using the items her mother placed in the kit. With the help of her best friend and a guy who she never noticed before, but can't seem to stop thinking about, Rose starts to open up her heart again, though the process of feeling is anything but easy.
The first thing I noticed once I got into the book a little ways, is how real the dialogue felt. Major plus! I have so many pet peeves when it comes to unrealistic character dialogue, but Frietas hit it spot on. I felt Rose's pain and heartache and her need to do things in her own time, rather than when and how everyone else expected her to.
Will had me swooning, I'll definitely admit that. He was that perfect quiet guy that so many girls dream about. Smart, sensitive, hardworking, always says the right thing, ya know. Well, except when he doesn't say the right thing, but I forgive him.
Overall, I really enjoyed the story and the emotions evoked by the characters. I'm a huge Sarah Dessen fan and would definitely recommend it for readers that like her work. It's a hopeful contemporary read that will leave you itching to make your own Survival Kits.
The Survival KitDonna Frietas368 pagesYoung AdultFarrar, Straus, and Giroux9780374399177October 2011Library copy
I had the "luck" last week to have to sit through a 3 hour glucose test. I sat in a freezing cold waiting room, with no television, and dozens of irritating people streaming in and out throughout the morning. What got me through this incredibly boring experience? Tahereh Mafi's Shatter Me. I was able to read it in one sitting, as I read faster than I have in a long time. I couldn't help it...it's that exciting!
The first in a new series, we're introduced to Juliette, a young girl, locked up in some sort of prison. We quickly learn that she hasn't had any physical contact with a person in almost a year. If she touches someone, they die. Uh...can we say, yikes? The new government has given her a choice: she either joins them as their weapon or she'll be killed.
Juliette has to decide whether her life is worth torturing others for the Reestablishment's pleasure or if she'll fight against the regime. All this while attempting to deal with the horror of her condition...she can KILL people with a single touch. How does someone handle that fact?
This book hits readers on several different levels. There's the emotional aspect of what Juliette is going through with herself, the slight paranormal, the bits of romance, and then just the crazy fast pace the story moves at. The ending (no spoilers, promise), definitely has me wanting the next book, pronto! It was original and new, even in the midst of dozens of dystopian books released this year. A hard task to tackle at this point, I would imagine.
Buy from IndieBoundBuy from PowellsShatter MeTahereh Mafi342 pagesYoung AdultHarperCollins9780062085481November 2011Review copy provided by publisher I am an affiliate of both IndieBound and Powells and will receive a small percentage of the purchase price.
Short stories aren't always my thing, but I knew if a book was raising money for an awesome cause, I at least wanted to give it a shot. This collection has stories by some of my favorite authors in the MG/YA genres, including John Green, Francisco X. Stork, Jeanne DuPrau, among others. It has loads going for it...and I chose it as our book club read at
Hooray for Books, for October. We ended up having a great discussion!
Though I wasn't totally smitten with all of the stories and poems included in the book, I did appreciate the theme of wishes. Each story had something to do with making a wish, having a wish come true, or what a wish actually meant to the characters involved. I loved Cynthia Voight's "Stepsister," a reimagined Cinderella tale (with a bit of a gruesome ending), and Nikki Giovanni's poem "I Wish I Could Live (in a Book)" was definitely appropriate and fun.
Green and Stork definitely made me happy with their stories, "Reasons" and "The Rules for Wishing," both ending up more on the YA end of the book, which is probably why I liked them a little more.
Overall, a fun book of stories for a great cause. All of the proceeds of the book go to supporting library development in Darfuri refugee camps through
Book Wish Foundation. If you have a reader who is hard to buy for, I would definitely recommend picking this one up. A great introduction to some top notch authors/poets and the proceeds all go to charity. Win-win!
With dozens of zombie stories hitting the YA shelves recently, and AMC’s new series THE WALKING DEAD hitting small screens on Halloween, there are plenty of ways to scare yourself with new tales of the undead. I strongly recommend SOULLESS by Christopher Golden, a nail-biting thriller that is, hands-down, the best zombie novel I've ever read. If you want to find out what happens when zombies take Manhattan, pick up Soulless now.
Read an excerpt.
Read my blog post about the book.
But wait! There's more!
Many of the contributors to editor Christopher Golden's THE NEW DEAD, from St. Martin's Press, got together to talk about zombies and the upcoming television show.
Check out the interview.
Have a safe and happy Halloween weekend, everyone!
Fantasy vs. Historical Fiction vs. Young Adult.
It's not easy to categorize StarCrossed by Elizabeth C. Bunce.
Following the success of her debut novel, A Curse Dark as Gold, Bunce transitions
into a whole new world in this new book, due out October 1st.
Lovers of magic, lovers of the Renaissance-era, and lovers of just plain great writing
will all enjoy this read!
Find out more about the tale here.
Lucy's mother has a secret. She's a hoarder. Lucy has lived in shame fearing others will find out about the junk and trash that is inside her home. The one time she was careless, someone at her private school found out and she ended up with the title 'garbage girl'. Now she only has two more years till she graduates. She can't wait to get out and start her own life. Then a horrific event happens that changes everything. Dirty Little Secrets is sure to generate discussion on hoarders and the children that live in that situation. Read more of my review at YA Books Central.
Kaylee Cavanaugh knows something is wrong with her. She has the ability to sense when someone dies. But unlike others who see auras or even visions, she lets out a blood curdling scream. All Kaylee wants to do is to be normal and to get the attention of Nash, a senior at her high school. Then after she almost loses it at a club, Nash comes to her rescue. How much does he know about her? About her ability? Add to that other girls are dropping dead without any explanation. My Soul to Take is the first book in a series about soul screamers, people who announce the death of someone with a scream. Read more of my review at YA Books Central and check back later this week for my review on the sequel My Soul to Save.
What is reality? Sixteen-year-old Cameron asks himself that question right after he finds out he has mad cow disease and will die. During a school assembly, Cameron sees Dulcie, a punk rock/angel, who later tells him he needs to go on a two week quest to find Dr. X who has the cure for his disease. Going Bovine is a hilarious tale that will keep you guessing on what's real. Read more of my review at YA Books Central
Sounds like my kind of thing. The premise reminds me of THIS IS NOT A TEST, just without the zombies. Are they similar?
Hmm...it didn't remind of me of This is Not a Test. The whole "survival" aspect is definitely there, but this is definitely more of an out-in-nature survival, with a sprinkling of changing herself. This is Not a Test had more of the character-driven aspects with a sprinkling of zombies ;)