Young Adult Book Reviews

The Path of Decisions (The Cremelino Prophecy Book 2) by Mike Shelton

The Path of Decisions (The Cremelino Prophecy Book 2) The Path of Decisions follows The Path of Destiny in which Darius finds he has magic powers in a realm that forbids the use of magic. In the second book of the series, Darius is now first commander of the King’s Elite Army and is still coming to terms with his magical abilities, and he’s torn between following the King or his own path. Christine and Kelln are fighting battles of their own, and Kelln must warn Darius of the threat from an evil wizard. The decisions that they make will affect not only the Kingdom, but their relationships with […]

2016-08-12T07:45:43+02:00June 9th, 2016|Categories: New Releases|Tags: , |

The Path of Destiny (The Cremelino Prophecy #1) by Mike Shelton

The Path Of Destiny by Mike SheltonThe Path Of Destiny (The Cremelino Prophecy #1) by Mike Shelton is an exciting and character-rich young adult fantasy novel following the life of Darius, son of a councilor of the King of The Realm, who discovers he has the ability to create fire. Magic is forbidden in The Realm after a wizard rebellion a century before, so Darius is at risk of being banished from his home. Darius must choose whether or not to use his new powers, but finds he may have no choice at all.

Author Mike Shelton is expert at world building: both the world the […]

2016-08-12T07:45:57+02:00May 25th, 2016|Categories: New Releases|Tags: , |

Review: Our Wild and Precious Lives by A.G. Russo

★★★★½  Our Wild and Precious Lives by A.G. Russo

Our Wild and Precious Lives by A.G. Russo is heartfelt and heart-wrenching – an unexpected knockout.

The YA genre often lacks the emotional depth of adult fiction, and with good reason – young adults might be unable to appreciate traditional “adult” themes. In A.G. Russo’s emotional masterpiece, Our Wild and Precious Lives, the boundaries of this genre are bent and even broken in certain places. The mature tone and depth of feeling are impressive, to say the least. The setting of Cold War Germany and the thoroughly developed characters lend the book a great deal of authenticity, and […]

2016-06-13T09:15:44+02:00May 4th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: |

The Improbable Rise of Paco Jones by Dominic Carrillo

The Improbable Rise of Paco JonesThe Improbable Rise of Paco Jones by Dominic Carrillo is about the awkwardness of teenage years through the eyes of Bi-racial Paco Jones. Paco transfers to a rich high school from a poor neighborhood. It doesn’t help matters in his new environment that he’s fairly odd-looking, with an unsightly birthmark on his neck, pigeon toes, and overly-hairy arms, so he’s teased mercilessly by his classmates. He then falls for the most popular girl in class, who has a boyfriend, and is tasked as an eighth-grade Cyrano by her boyfriend. Soon Paco finds himself at the center of a whole lot […]

2016-04-14T08:23:30+02:00April 14th, 2016|Categories: New Releases|Tags: |

Joseph Van Pearce and the Prophecy of the Dragon’s Head Medallion by C.C. Brampton

Joseph Van Pearce and the Prophecy of the Dragon's Head MedallionJoseph Van Pearce and the Prophecy of the Dragon’s Head Medallion by C.C. Brampton follows Joseph Van Pearce, a moody teenager who’s lost his father, tearing his family apart, and he can’t focus on much of anything. His luck’s about to change when he finds a mysterious photograph, which leads him to discover that he’s the guardian of a mysterious medallion. Meanwhile, he’s being followed by an evil crow-like creature that wants the powerful Dragon’s Head Medallion for itself, and now Joseph has to save his family in more ways than one.

The novel is a great mixture of modern-day […]

2016-04-05T12:17:29+02:00April 5th, 2016|Categories: New Releases|Tags: , |

Review: Edge the Bare Garden by Roseanne Cheng

★★★★½ Edge the Bare Garden by Roseanne Cheng

Edge the Bare Garden by Roseanne Cheng is a wonderful instructional novel for teens.

Agnes hasn’t had an easy life. Even though she’s young, her daily life has been filled with taunts by her peers, reinforcing the belief that she doesn’t belong.

An opportunity arises for Agnes to seek revenge online. Can her actions be justified? Forgiven? More to the point, in today’s online world, who should be held responsible when individuals can hide their identity?

Roseanne Cheng is a teacher and founder of the website, Teachable Lit, which is dedicated to books and reviews that instruct young minds. […]

2020-02-21T05:54:31+02:00March 24th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: |

Review: I Am Ed by R.A. Akerlund

★★★½ I Am Ed by R A Akerlund

An intensely moving story of loss, survival, and brotherly love.

The prospect of losing a parent is a fearful part of every child’s reality as they grow up, but to lose both parents, as the nuclear family of brothers in this novel did, is something particularly tragic. Readers are given an intimate glimpse of teenage life through the eyes of orphans, and the resultant story is nothing less than heartfelt and inspiring.

When Fred, Ben, Steve, and Ed lose their mother, they are faced with a difficult decision: report her passing to the authorities and risk being separated or […]

2019-01-22T04:36:49+02:00March 22nd, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: |

Review: Discovering Kaylee by Stu Kane and Hannah Wilkerson

★★★★ Discovering Kaylee by Stu Kane and Hannah Wilkerson

Discovering Kaylee, by Stu Kane and Hannah Wilkerson, is an angst-filled teenage drama that will hold the reader’s interest until the end.

Kaylee, a high school junior, is popular and successful. She has good grades, friends, drive, and is attractive. Sam is the opposite. He’s withdrawn from his peers, school activities, and classes. When the two of them start a rock band, it drastically changes both of their lives. The question is will the two of them survive the changes?

Teenage drama is just that: drama. It’s one of the appeals of young adult and new adult fiction. […]

2016-03-16T08:15:39+02:00March 4th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: , |
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