Book Reviews
-
Review: The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee
Okay, so maybe I do read more historical fiction than I thought. So far in the month of April, all the books I’ve read have been in that genre. Well, I mean, it’s only three books, but still. Anyways. . . Today, I have a review of The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee, a wonderful historical fiction novel, set in 1890. Title: The Downstairs Girl Author: Stacey Lee Genre: Historical Fiction, Young Adult Series: None Page Count: 366 Synopsis: “From the founding member of We Need Diverse Books comes a powerful novel about identity, betrayal, and the meaning of family. By day, seventeen-year-old Jo Kuan works as a lady’s maid…
-
Review: The Secret of Nightingale Wood by Lucy Strange
For someone who has historical fiction labeled as one of her favorite genres, I don’t read a lot of it. I’m just never able to find ones that seem interesting. Or maybe I just don’t look for them. I started this book without much knowledge of what it would be about and I liked it, but there were a few things that annoyed me. So, here is my review! Title: The Secret of Nightingale WoodAuthor: Lucy StrangeGenre: Historical Fiction, Middle GradeSeries: NonePage Count: 289 Synopsis: “1919. Mama is ill. Father has taken a job abroad. Nanny Jane is too busy to pay any attention to Henrietta and the things she…
-
Review: A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
A Curse So Dark and Lonely ~ Brigid Kemmerer Page Count: 477Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Young AdultSeries: Cursebreakers #1 Synopsis: “Fall in love, break the curse. Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year, Prince Rhen, the heir of Emberfall, thought he could be saved easily if a girl fell for him. But that was before he turned into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. Before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope. Nothing has ever been easy for Harper. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, Harper learned…
-
Review: The Key to Extraordinary by Natalie Lloyd
The Key to Extraordinary Author: Natalie Lloyd Genre: Fantasy, Mystery, Middle Grade Series: None Synopsis: “Everyone in Emma’s family is special. Her ancestors include Revolutionary War spies, brilliant scientists, and famous musicians–every single one of which learned of their extraordinary destiny through a dream. For Emma, her own dream can’t come soon enough. Right before her mother died, Emma promised that she’d do whatever it took to fulfill her destiny, and she doesn’t want to let her mother down. But when Emma’s dream finally arrives, it points her toward an impossible task–finding a legendary treasure hidden in her town’s cemetery. If Emma fails, she’ll let down generations of extraordinary ancestors…
-
Review: The Missing Piece of Charlie O’Reilly by Rebecca K.S. Ansari
The Missing Piece of Charlie O’Reilly Author: Rebecca K.S. AnsariGenre: Fantasy, Mystery, Middle GradeSeries: None Synopsis: “Charlie O’Reilly is an only child. Which is why it makes everyone uncomfortable when he talks about his brother. Liam, his eight-year-old kid brother, who, up until a year ago, slept in the bunk above Charlie, took pride in being as annoying as possible, and was the only person who could make Charlie laugh until it hurt. Then came the morning when the bunk, and Liam, disappeared forever. No one even remembers him—not Charlie’s mother, who has been lost in her own troubles; and not Charlie’s father, who is gone frequently on business trips.…
-
Review: Across the Universe by Beth Revis
Across the Universe Author: Beth RevisGenre: Science Fiction, Dystopia, Young AdultSeries? Across the Universe #1 “A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder. Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules. Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone—one of the few thousand inhabitants of…
-
Review: Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee
Title: Outrun the MoonAuthor: Stacey LeeGenre: Historical Fiction, Young AdultSeries? Standalone Synopsis: “San Francisco, 1906: Fifteen-year-old Mercy Wong is determined to break from the poverty in Chinatown, and an education at St. Clare’s School for Girls is her best hope. Although St. Clare’s is off-limits to all but the wealthiest white girls, Mercy gains admittance through a mix of cunning and a little bribery, only to discover that getting in was the easiest part. Not to be undone by a bunch of spoiled heiresses, Mercy stands strong—until disaster strikes. On April 18, a historic earthquake rocks San Francisco, destroying Mercy’s home and school. With martial law in effect, she is forced to wait…
-
Review: Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
Hello, everyone! I hope you are all doing well. Today I have another book review. Title: Everything, Everything Author: Nicola Yoon Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult Series? Standalone Synopsis: My disease is as rare as it is famous. It’s a form of Severe Combined Immunodeficiency, but basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in fifteen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla. But then one day, a moving truck arrives. New next door neighbors. I look out the window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black t-shirt, black jeans, black…
-
Review: The Princess Bride by William Goldman
Hello, everyone! Happy Valentine’s Day! I have another book review today, this one a classic fantasy romance. Book: The Princess Bride Author: William Goldman Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult Series? Standalone Synopsis: “As Florin and Guilder teeter on the verge of war, the reluctant Princess Buttercup is devastated by the loss of her true love, kidnapped by a mercenary and his henchmen, rescued by a pirate, forced to marry Prince Humperdinck, and rescued once again by the very crew who absconded with her in the first place. In the course of this dazzling adventure, she’ll meet Vizzini–the criminal philosopher who’ll do anything for a bag of gold; Fezzik–the gentle…
-
Series Review: Graceling Realm by Kristin Cashore
Hey, everyone! Today, I’m doing something a little different with my book review, and I’m going to be reviewing a whole series. This won’t go as in depth with the books as I do with a single book, but I’ll talk about some of my thoughts about each of the book. The Graceling Realm consists of four books (so far), each one following different main characters. In Graceling, the story revolves around Katsa, a Graceling born with the skill of killing, and Prince Po, Graced with fighting. Fire, which is set about thirty years prior to Graceling, has the main character Fire, a lady monster in the Dells, a home…
