By Golly, Ollie!

💾 a blog about books, tea, & geekery

Tag: YA

Posts featuring books intended for a young adult audience (13-18 years old)

  • Book Report: Wings by Aprilynn Pike

    wingsWings by Aprilynne Pike (Laurel #1)
    Released:     May 2009
    Publisher: Harper Teen
    Add to Goodreads
    ★★★☆☆
    Synopsis:     Laurel was mesmerized, staring at the pale things with wide eyes. They were terrifyingly beautiful—too beautiful for words. Laurel turned to the mirror again, her eyes on the hovering petals that floated beside her head. They looked almost like wings. In this extraordinary tale of magic and intrigue, romance and danger, everything you thought you knew about faeries will be changed forever.

     

    My Thoughts

    My introduction to this book was an interesting one. Reviews for this books kept popping up across book blogs, and the cover kept catching my eye. I thought the cover was lovely, but the picture of the cover was kind of small so I would squint at it for a few moments trying to figure out what I was looking at. Admitting defeat, I clicked to enlarge the picture and saw it was two flower petals shaped like wings. A week or so would pass and I would stumble onto another review of Wings, and I would find myself staring at the cover again trying to figure out (or at this point, trying to remember) what was on it. How could I forget so soon? I just looked at it! This happened more times than I would like to admit, which lead me to think this book would be forgettable. (Hey, I’m not saying my logic isn’t fallible).

    I decided to give this book a try, and I found myself absorbed into the book. Okay, so for the most part, the personalities of the characters are pretty bland. I mean, the characters were overly perfect. Laurel is the most beautiful girl in the world in school; she’s mediocre in biology, but that’s really the limit to her flaws. Then there is David, her love interest in this book. He’s the All-American type of boy who is good at sports and school, and as far as I’m concerned he doesn’t have a flaw. Then there is Tamani who just seems stoic.

    Wait, sounds like it’s turning into a negative review! It’s not, I swear. While the characters didn’t impress me, the storyline kind of did… I really enjoyed Pike’s unique twist to the fairy tale. Without really revealing anything, reading about Laurel’s true origins was a treat, and it was fun learning how she’s coming to terms with who and what she really is. The mystery surrounding Laurel’s old home as well as the Mr. Barnes who seems very interested in procuring the property is compelling. Especially since people who’ve met him seem to lose self-control and think nothing of it.

    Overall,
    I think Wings by Aprilynn Pike is a good start to the series, and I’m looking forward to reading Spells.

  • The Alchemyst by Michael Scott

    The Alchemyst by Michael Scott

    Let me be honest here.  The reason why I picked up this book in the first place is that the book is about Nicholas Flamel, and Nicholas Flamel is mentioned in the first Harry Potter book.  Does anyone else pick out books like that?  Silly reasons aside, I enjoyed this book!

    The story is about Sophie and Josh Newman.  They are normal twins, working normal summer jobs, but unknowingly working for some really old people.  And by really old, I mean a couple of centuries-old– the Flamels, who are famous for concocting the sorcerer’s stone, which makes them immortal.  Then some golems (not to be confused with Gollum) and peculiar men in business attire, Dr. John Dee and his lackeys, show up at the twins’ place(s) of work.  A magical battle and a kidnapping ensue, and now Sophie and Josh’s life is thrown into a whirlwind– they just might be the twins an old prophecy describes, and if that is so, then they are destined to save the world from the evil Dr. John Dee and some really angry Elders.  In their quest to hopefully save the world, Nicholas Flamel and the twins receive aid from several people we know as myths and legends like  Scathatch the Warrior Maiden and the Witch of Endor while trying to outwit the likes of Bastet and Morrigan.

    The book is filled to the brim with old myths and legends.  Some of them I learned about in school, while others were unfamiliar to me.  It was those that were unfamiliar to me that encouraged me to do some outside research.  I spent so long browsing Wikipedia pages so I could learn more about Scathatch and the Witch of Endor.  The Alchemyst opened up a whole new world that I wanted to know more about; I think it’s awesome when books have that kind of effect.  It would have been easy for Michael Scott to just simply incorporate the legends and their backstories into the novel; however, he wove them into the story giving each one its own distinct and thorough personality.

    I wasn’t so impressed with Sophie and Josh in this story though.  The characters were a little bland compared to the individuals they have met so far.  But, based on how well the legends were created, I don’t doubt Sophie and Josh will grow into more memorable characters as each book progresses.

    Now, I made the mistake of bringing this book to work with me.  I read it during my breaks and my lunches.  I also sneaked off the floor in between breaks and lunch to read a couple of pages here and there.  But, don’t tell my boss.  In my defense, I couldn’t help it!  This book was so action-packed!  There were car chases and magical battles of epic proportions.  Every few chapters revealed the fate of what the world would be if Sophie and Josh’s powers weren’t awakened.  And every chapter left off on a cliffhanger.  Cliffhangers get me every time.  I just needed to know what happened next; I’m sure you understand, right?

    Overall, the Alchemyst by Michael Scott was downright fascinating.  Normally I don’t read more than one book from a series a year, but I’m thinking The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel might be an exception.  I went out just last week to buy the second book from the series, The Magician.  And, even though it’s been only a month since I finished The Alchemyst, I’m thinking of starting the new book very soon.  I have no intention to bring it to work with me though.  If it’s anything like the last book, I’m sure I will find several excuses to leave the sales floor, which isn’t good considering I work off of commission.

    The Alchemyst (the Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel #1) by Michael Scott

    Released: May 2007
    Genre: Fantasy
    Age Group: Young Adult

    The tomb of Nicholas Flamel is empty. The greatest alchemist of his day supposedly died in 1418, but rumors continue to swirl that he continues to walk among us. Could it be true that this magician/chemist has access to the secret of eternal life? Could the Book of Abraham, which he purportedly owns, hold the key to this elixir? If it does, the theft of this single ancient volume could destroy the world as we know it.

  • Lure by Deborah Kerbel

    Lure by Deborah Kerbel

    After reading the synopsis for Lure by Deborah Kerbel, I was eager to read this book.   I used to read ghost stories often when I was younger, but I haven’t read too many in recent years.  Instead, I’ve been hooked on shows like Ghost Hunters or Ghost Adventurers.  So, it seemed this book would be right up my alley.

    It wasn’t.

    The story is written from two points of view; Max, from the modern-day, and John, a boy from the past, take turns telling their story.  It was interesting to see how much their stories relied on each other for the storyline to advance.  But, I didn’t think the quality of Max’s story was as fine as John’s story.  John’s chapters were so eloquently written and much more interesting; I was sucked right in.  After finishing each of John’s chapters, I had a better sense of who he was.  He’s a sickly and weak boy who loves books even though his father wishes he were strong so he could work in the family blacksmith business.  Each chapter showed his struggle with coming to terms that he’d never be good enough in his father’s eyes, and it was kind of heartbreaking.

    After reading Max’s story, I only had a vague impression of who he was.  And from that vague impression, I decided that I couldn’t stand Max.  He sits there and simmers about how he is invisible to all of his peers, yet he skips school all the time.  It’s like, maybe if he made an effort to go to school with these people, he wouldn’t be invisible to them.  Plus, the only time the reader gets to know Max is when he is at the library or when he is around Caroline, a girl he was kind of infatuated with. 

    Also, and I don’t mean to get nit-picky, but Max kept talking about how he loved breathing in Caroline’s “awesome” scent.  But, every time I read that or a variation of that, I just really wanted to know what “awesome” smells like.  This lack of concrete descriptions also lent itself to the vagueness I felt after finishing each of Max’s chapters.

    As for the ending…I’m kind of baffled.  It all came as a surprise to me, which was cool, but things didn’t seem to add up.  I’d spoil the ending if I voiced my concerns though.

    Overall, this book wasn’t for me.  It left me wanting more, but not in a good way.  While I very much enjoyed reading about John, I wanted to understand Max better.  It almost seemed like Max was a pawn in this story.  It almost seemed like his only purpose was to figure out the mystery, so character development wasn’t really necessary.

    I also went into the story thinking it was going to be spooky.  It wasn’t, and I didn’t so much mind that.  But, I was kind of bummed out that it was lacking in paranormal activity.  Most of it was hearsay, and Max and the reader only experienced two or three things firsthand.  The things that did happen were kind of clever; I just wanted more.

    Lure by Deborah Kerbel

    Lure by Deborah Kerbel

    Released: January 2010
    Genre: Mystery
    Age Group: Young Adult

    [goodreads | indiebound]

    Absolutely nothing is going right for Max Green. His parents have just uprooted their family from Vancouver to the bleak suburbs of Toronto, he has no friends, and everybody at his new high school is ignoring him. To make matters worse, he’s in love with an older girl who’s completely out of his league. When Max discovers a local library rumored to be haunted by ghosts, he’s immediately drawn to it. With the help of some cryptic messages, he begins to piece together the identity of the teenage ghost and the mysterious chain of events that have connected its spirit to the building for over a century. But just who was John, anyway? Why has he chosen to contact Max? And what does an old fishing lure have to do with solving the mystery?

  • Dead Beautiful by Yvonne Woon

    Dead Beautiful by Yvonne Woon

    Paranormal romance books are still flooding the market thanks to the Twilight series.  It’s not my genre of choice mostly because of clichés and overdone love triangles with the main character always falling for the total creep.  But, these are not the things that describe Yvonne Woon’s Dead Beautiful.  Of all the paranormal romance books I’ve read, I have declared Dead Beautiful to be my favorite (thus far, at least).

    Initially, I thought this book was yet another vampire love story, but I was wrong.  So very wrong.  Dead wrong (har har!).  The Latin-rooted philosophy and “mythology” that were woven into the story made Dead Beautiful unique amongst other paranormal romance books.  I say “mythology” because I believe Woon created it for her story, but she did so in a way that made it all seem like the myth had been around for centuries.  And, as you can guess from the title, death is a major subject throughout this book.  This might be an unappealing subject for some, but I loved the spooky and foreboding atmosphere this created.

    I did appreciate the romance in Dead Beautiful.  I think the relationship between the main character, Renee, and her love interest, Dante, progressed pretty quickly.  And it’s clear Renee is smitten with Dante, but it’s not overkilling.  It’s also apparent to the reader that Renee thinks about her friends and the world around her as much as she does about Dante.  I would say it’s a breath of fresh air from many of the newly published young adult books regardless of genre.  I would also have to say that for once I found the love interest to be swoon-worthy!

    Dead Beautiful by Yvonne Woon

    Dead Beautiful is equal parts romance and mystery, so the story had me guessing all the way through.  Several twists and turns that had me formulating ideas of what could be next, but more often than not I was wrong!  I found the mystery to be compelling, and I think this is what made the book such a page-turner for me.

    I did think the pacing of the story was a little off.  There were times in the story that moved slowly, but that didn’t bother me.  I did think the ending was rushed though, which left me feeling like something was missing.  The first 470 pages were written so beautifully.  I truly loved Woon’s writing style, and I have to admit, I am quite envious of it.  Everything was written so vividly, and getting lost in the world Woon created was easy.  However, the last 10 pages went by too quickly.  I would say I was even left quite confused to the point where I had to re-read the ending to make sure I understood what had happened.  Now, that being said, after I fully understood what happened, I thought the ending was perfect– not the way I thought it would end (thank goodness!)

    Overall, I loved this book. (Notice how I bold-faced and italicized “love”?  Yea, that’s how much I loved it).  I think it would be a great addition to the bookshelves of lovers of the paranormal romance genre.  It would be perfect for the shelves of those who aren’t so keen on the genre, like me, too!

    Dead Beautiful by Yvonne Woon

    Released: September 2010
    Genre: Romance, Fantasy
    Age Group: Young Adult

    [add to goodreads ]

    On the morning of her sixteenth birthday, Renée Winters was still an ordinary girl. She spent her summers at the beach, had the perfect best friend, and had just started dating the cutest guy at school. No one she’d ever known had died. But all that changes when she finds her parents dead in the Redwood Forest, in what appears to be a strange double murder.

    After the funeral, Renée’s wealthy grandfather sends her to Gottfried Academy, a remote and mysterious boarding school in Maine, where she finds herself studying subjects like Philosophy, Latin, and the “Crude Sciences.” It’s only when she discovers a dark tragedy in Gottfried’s past that she begins to wonder if the Academy is everything it seems.

  • The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

    The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

    The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson is easily one of the most thought-provoking books I’ve read.  Ever.  It’s decades in the future in America; doctors have fallen into the habit of playing God, but their medicine has been rendered useless ever since they began pumping people full of antibiotics endorsed by major pharmaceutical corporations.  Jenna Fox, who has just woken up from a coma with “amnesia”, has been affected by this, but to what extent I can’t say because it will spoil the story for you.  Throughout the book, Jenna must rediscover her past to learn who or what she truly is.  At the same time, she must keep it a secret because she is afraid people will think she is a monster, and she doesn’t want to jeopardize her and her family’s freedom.  The Adoration of Jenna Fox seemed so eerie to me; as medicine and technology keep advancing I do think what happened in the book could be possible in reality.

    Awesome storyline aside, I appreciate how many of the characters in this book grew and changed throughout.  In most books, it seems only the main character grows, and the rest of the characters only encourage the growth.  But, in The Adoration of Jenna Fox, opinions of supporting characters change over time regardless of the magnitude, and these impact their perceptions of themselves, the world, and their relationship with Jenna Fox.

    While I very much enjoyed the story, I did have trouble appreciating the way it was written.  Everything was stated so matter-of-fact from Jenna’s point of view– cold and calculated.  However, I think if it were written any other way, the story wouldn’t have the same impact on the reader.  I’m also left feeling a little confused about one of the characters.  Everyone made such a big deal about him, warning Jenna to stay away from him, but he rarely made an appearance in the story.  You see, I can’t even remember his name, and I’m not entirely sure why he’s such a bad person.  At one point, he and Jenna have a confrontation of sorts, but I don’t understand his motivation.

    Overall, I enjoyed this book.  I liked the development of the storyline and the development of the characters.  But, above all, I loved how the story questions both bio-medical ethics and humanity.  It does so in a way that is not overly philosophical or pretentious, and it will appeal to both teens and adults.

    The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

    The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

    Released: April 2008
    Genre: Science Fiction
    Age Group: Young Adult

    [goodreads | indiebound]

    Who is Jenna Fox? Seventeen-year-old Jenna has been told that is her name. She has just awoken from a coma, they tell her, and she is still recovering from a terrible accident in which she was involved a year ago. But what happened before that? Jenna doesn’t remember her life. Or does she? And are the memories really hers?

  • The Candidates (Delcroix Academy) by Inara Scott

    The Candidates (Delcroix Academy) by Inara Scott

    My experience with books that delve into the realm of the paranormal has rarely been a positive one.  I always seem to get my hands on the books that have super lame, female main characters.  But, The Candidates showed me strong female lead characters can exist in these types of books.

    Dancia Lewis was awesooooome!  In the beginning, she struggled with low confidence, but throughout the book, she begins to grow into a strong-minded and independent young woman.  Her confidence is on occasion punctuated with moments of self-doubt, but she always manages to pull through.  I think this is the kind of growth I’ve been missing in so many of the books I’ve read in the past few years with female main characters.  And, the fact that her new confidence waivers on occasion make Dancia seem real to me; what young adult hasn’t grown up experiencing this?

    My only frustration with Dancia is she seems too mature for her age.  If she hadn’t said she was 14 years old and just entering high school, I would have assumed she was about to graduate high school.  On one hand, this was a breath of fresh air.  On the other hand, it wasn’t entirely believable.  I was 14 once and I know 14-year-olds– we were never that mature and self-aware.

    The romance in this book doesn’t make me cringe.  For once!  There are two possible love interests for Dancia.  There is Jack, a freshman like Dancia, who comes across as a bad boy and unapproachable to those who don’t know him.  Then there is Cam, the eleventh-grade heart-throb– the “All-American” type if you will.  Like most teenagers, she is at times preoccupied with the thoughts of these two boys, but it’s not constant; Dancia isn’t another Bella Swan.  The romantic relationship she develops isn’t even rushed.  I just find it frustrating that characters always go for the love interest opposite of who I would choose.  Seriously Dancia, why couldn’t you choose……just kidding!

    The pacing in the novel was a little slow, but this didn’t make me read it with any less vim.  Much of the action takes place in the last quarter of the book, and once I got there, I couldn’t read or turn the pages fast enough.  Otherwise, there was a lot of background information offered in this book; I have to assume this means the next book is going to be action-packed and full of win!  Regardless of the pacing of the Candidates, this was a book I simply could not put down.

    I thought the only noteworthy downfall of this book was the lack of descriptions of the setting.  I understand Delcroix Academy is a big, brick, square doughnut-shaped building sitting on the top of a hill, but I’m perplexed about what the inside of the building looks like.  In my head, I imagined the inside of the Academy to look the same as my old high schools, which I’m sure is hardly the case.  I would hope the inside of Delcroix is significantly more pristine and grand.  But, since there weren’t too many descriptions, I couldn’t imagine it any other way.

    Overall, the book was awesome!  I loved the characters, and I’m intrigued by the storyline.  I can’t wait to find out what happens next, so I’m especially eager for the second book to hit shelves!

    The Candidates (Delcroix Academy #1) by Inara Scott

    Released: August 2010
    Genre: Fantasy, Romance
    Age Group: Young Adult

    [goodreads | indiebound]

    Dancia Lewis is far from popular. And that’s not just because of her average grades or her less-than-glamorous wardrobe. In fact, Dancia’s mediocrity is a welcome cover for her secret: whenever she sees a person threatening someone she cares about, things just…happen. Cars skid. Structures collapse. Usually, someone gets hurt. So Dancia does everything possible to avoid getting close to anyone, believing this way she can suppress her powers and keep them hidden.

    But when recruiters from the prestigious Delcroix Academy show up in her living room to offer her a full scholarship, Dancia’s days of living under the radar may be over. Only, Delcroix is a school for diplomats’ kids and child geniuses–not B students with uncontrollable telekinetic tendencies. So why are they treating Dancia like she’s special? Even the hottest guy on campus seems to be going out of his way to make Dancia feel welcome.

  • Tweet Heart by Elizabeth Rudnick

    Tweet Heart by Elizabeth Rudnick

    Let me just gush about the pages of Tweet Heart by Elizabeth Rudnick for a minute.  Each one is formatted and designed to perfection.  Each page has a cute background, not unlike Twitter.  The blog entries are headed by spiffy blog headers.  And before each tweet is a small little picture of the…er, tweeter?  Tweet Heart was such a visually appealing book!

    The characterization was pretty good, especially considering Rudnick had to do it in 140 characters or less.  Although, readers get to learn more about Claire and Bennett through their blogs and Will and Lottie through e-mails, too.  I thought the characters were pretty realistic, but I hate to say it, all the characters annoyed me at one point in the story.  They either seemed too shallow or too obsessed with their image, but for the most part, they all experienced some kind of transformation at the end that allowed me to appreciate the characters.  Or at least made the characters more palatable.  Lottie and Benn were the best considering they acted as a voice of reason throughout the novel but with just the right amount of snark.

    The plot was equal parts fun and frustrating (OMG!  @WiseOneWP, how could you do that?) but also a tad bit predictable.  I think readers will want to snag this novel for its unique format instead of its mind-blowing plotline.

    Overall, the book was a fun and fast read.  I just wish there were more #hashtags.  I think this is considered one of those summer day beach reads, so even though beach season is several months away, make sure you pack this book in your beach bag!

    Tweet Heart by Elizabeth Rudnick

    Tweet Heart by Elizabeth Rudnick

    Released: June 2010
    Genre: Romance
    Age Group: Young Adult

    [add to goodreads ]

    Claire can’t believe it when her dream guy starts following her on Twitter. She never thought he noticed her, and suddenly he seems to understand her better than almost anyone. But the Twitterverse can be a confusing place, especially when friends act differently online than they do in person. Things get even more complicated when Claire realizes she’s falling for someone else, the last person she ever would have expected.

  • Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry

    Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry

    Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry was an interesting twist on zombie lore. It wasn’t the typical hack and slash story I expected. Instead, Maberry humanized the zombies and penned downright deplorable characters, which highlighted the man vs. monster dilemma. I never thought it was possible to feel sympathetic toward a creature that hungers only for brains, but this novel proves it is.  The one thing I appreciated most is Maberry’s ability to keep me guessing all the way through; there were so many twists and turns! And there were so many cliffhangers that kept me saying, “I have to read just one more chapter…”.

    I thought the characters were a “mixed bag” though. Tom was a little too good to be true, and Benny was a tad bit annoying. Some of their dialogue was a little hokey too, and every once in a while I would think, “Did he really just say that?” Nix and the Lost Girl, on the other hand, were amazing! Both were butt-kicking heroines. Maberry also cooked up some deliciously vile baddies; Charlie Pink-eye and the Motor City Hammer were two characters that I loved to hate. I wanted to tie those two guys up and feed em’ to the zoms!

    Overall Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry was an enjoyable book filled with adventure, butt-kicking, blood and rotting flesh, a budding romance, and dreams of a better future. This book is definitely worth a read!

    Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry

    Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry

    Released: September 2010
    Genre: Horror, Science Fiction,
    Age Group: Young Adult

    [add to goodreads | IndieBound]

    from goodreads:

    Benny Imura is 15, and now he must find a job or his food rations will be cut in half.  But what kind of opportunities are there in a world that’s nearly been run over by zombies?  His job search seems fruitless until his brother, Tom, invites him to join the family business– zombie hunting.  For the first time in his life, Benny will go beyond the fence that keeps him safe in Mountainside to land claimed by the zombies known as the Rot and Ruin.  Any preconceived notion Benny may have had about his brother, fellow bounty hunters, zombies, and the way the world works will be completely shattered.