Young Adult Book Reviews

Review: Come As You Are by Steven Ramirez

★★★★ Come As You Are by Steven Ramirez

If anyone discovers a source of mysterious power that can help solve all their problems, it is probably too good to be true. That is certainly the case in Come As You Are, a chilling YA horror novella from author Steven Ramirez.

When Ivan, an often-bullied seventh grader, finds a magical notebook in an old locker at school, he thinks that his middle-school years might be salvageable after all. The list that this notebook contains doesn’t necessarily make sense, but Ivan knows that he must complete the list if he wants to unlock the full potential of this […]

Print In The Snow: Anna’s Adventure In The Wyssun World by E.V. Svetova

Print In The Snow: Anna's Adventure In The Wyssun World by E.V. SvetovaAnna hates New York. She especially hates her new life, her new home, and her new stepfather, and if it weren’t for still being able to ski, Anna probably wouldn’t be able to handle it at all. When a chance encounter with another young skier leads fourteen-year-old Anna into another world – one of elves, sorcerers, monsters, and more – maybe New York isn’t so bad after all…

Winner of Gold medal for Juvenile Fiction E-Book in the 2012 Independent Publishers Book Awards, Print in the Snow is E.V. Svetova’s first published work, and it is a truly remarkable one. […]

2017-05-26T06:20:38+02:00May 26th, 2017|Categories: New Releases|Tags: , |

Review: Firebrand by Sarah MacTavish

★★★★½ Firebrand by Sarah MacTavish

Firebrand by Sarah MacTavish is an historical young adult novel centered around the American abolition of slavery in the mid 19th century. Saoirse Callahan emigrated from Ireland with her family and ended up in Texas, where their fortunes may not be any better. When a series of fires crop up all over the state, it’s thought to be the result of a slave rebellion, which may only be rumor, and Saoirse wants to get to the bottom of what’s happening, which may just put her in danger.

In a parallel story, Westleigh Kavanagh, a Pennsylvania abolitionist, is sheltering a […]

2019-05-14T09:58:56+02:00May 15th, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: , |

Review: Ravenwood Risen by W.C. Maher

★★★★ Ravenwood Risen by W.C. Maher

Being wrenched from a life of pastoral normalcy and forced into a destiny fraught with sacrifice and struggle is a common foundation for many fantasy novels, but in Ravenwood Risen, author W. C. Maher takes a new angle on this classic theme. Although the rumors swirl and dangers appear to be creeping in at the edges of Aman, the small region of Colore seems relatively untouched. Ephraim and Jules Ravenwood unwittingly go about their daily lives, ignorant – but not unprepared – for what the world will soon demand of them.

In the same vein as the Shannara […]

Review: Ephaidria by Jim Grieco

★★★★ Ephaidria by Jim Grieco

Most fantasy or sci-fi novels center on a single “surreal” element, such as the presence of alien life, supernatural abilities, terrible dark forces or a bridge to the spiritual world. Ephaidria by Jim Grieco ambitiously tackles all of these concepts, and more, without stumbling over itself or trying to take on too much “strangeness.” From the very start, the novel is packed with mystery, rich descriptions and an unpredictable plot line that stretches the boundaries of readers’ imaginations.

The story starts off simply enough, with the gradual introduction of the four main characters, who are just beginning to discover […]

Review: Evening Star (Moonless Night Book 3) by Floriminda Edar Reid

★★★★ Evening Star by Floriminda Edar Reid (Book 3 of Moonless Night)

When catastrophe struck young lovers Alana and Christian, there remained nobody who could look after them but themselves. Christian, an immortal, always feared his strange world of magic and the unknown would hurt his mortal lover, and together they decide it’s finally time they left behind their troubles for the open sea. But their troubles are far from over, as the seas hide even greater troubles than they have faced so far.

Evening Star is the third book of the Moonless Night series by Floriminda Edar Reid, and the direct sequel to Elusive Dreams. The series follows teen-come-young-adult […]

Review: Faete (The Blood Moon Series Book 1) by Aimée Oswald Sellars

★★★★ Faete (The Blood Moon Series) by Aimee Sellars

Renny McGuire is the last in a long line of proud seanachies – storytellers of the “old country.” She carries the tales her grandfather once told – stolen from the hall closet when he would wax on at the dinner table late at night – and she continues the tradition with her late night readings at her mother’s Celtic bookstore, Seanachie.

A less-told tale of her heritage comes from a place far more mysterious than the Emerald Isle, as the McGuires have a dark family secret – a secret uncovered by one teenage descendant with just a little too […]

2017-04-21T04:00:12+02:00March 13th, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: , |

Review: The Book of Moon by George Crowder

★★★★★ The Book of Moon by George Crowder

Cynical adults may often point to the angst of younger generations and claim that they are being overly dramatic, and that they haven’t experienced enough of life to truly know heartbreak or sorrow. However, in The Book of Moon, author George Crowder reminds readers that pain is relative, and the fact that our capacity for sadness grows as we age does not make it any less potent when we are young.

Moon Landing seems like a normal kid growing up in California, but his musings on misfortune parallels to Job, the biblical whipping boy, suggest that he sees […]

2017-02-17T05:37:23+02:00January 31st, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: |
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