Young Adult Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Lost Scrolls of Archimedes by Tom Roberts

Lost Scrolls of Archimedes by Tom Roberts

A young dreamer is thrown into a life-altering adventure to protect ancient knowledge in Lost Scrolls of Archimedes, the first in the new Lost Artifacts series from author Tom Roberts. Boasting a brilliant blend of historical reference and fictional mystery, this is a feast for the senses for readers who love a free-wheeling escape into the past.

The all-powerful Oracles demand that Hippolytus secure the fabled scrolls of Archimedes, but the scholar’s desire to decode them himself draws enemies in from all sides. The old man entrusts the treasure to his young assistant, Marcus Bassus, who holds his own […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-08-17T08:31:48+02:00July 26th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Historical Fantasy Book Reviews, YA Fantasy Book Reviews, Young Adult Book Reviews|

The Daughter of Death by Cassandra MacCheyne

The Daughter of Death by Cassandra MacCheyne The boundary between the living and the dead blurs in The Daughter of Death, a new YA adventure novel by author Cassandra MacCheyne.

Young Aria Hades does her best to fly under the radar, but her supernatural abilities keep getting in the way, and her troubles only mount as the darker power buried within her begins to surface. Being a rare human-reaper hybrid is only compounded by the average trials of youth and the awkwardness of adolescence. This odd juxtaposition makes the fast-paced narrative both relatable and fantastical, not to mention original. This is a classic coming-of-age tale boasting […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-07-02T06:06:06+02:00July 2nd, 2020|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Young Adult Book Reviews|

Review: Ellie Everlasting by Isabel Scheck

Ellie Everlasting by Isabel Scheck

Readers are returned to Neverland in Ellie Everlasting, an original new novel from author Isabel Scheck. Introducing a fresh heroine to this classic story, and bending the edges of J.M. Barrie’s original world, this is a well-penned and whimsical dive into a reimagined fairy tale.

When Ellie is brutally murdered in her mint-green dress by her girlfriend’s brother, she discovers that the “other side” is none other than Neverland, and she awakes to find herself face to face with Peter Pan himself, along with Tinkerbell twinkling in her ear.

While Ellie comes to terms with her own death – […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-07-23T02:34:22+02:00June 22nd, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: YA Fantasy Book Reviews, Young Adult Book Reviews|

Review: A Devil’s Tongue by Richard J. Blanco

A Devil's Tongue by Richard J. Blanco

A young man on a dangerous road with one end in sight finds a final chance at redemption in A Devil’s Tongue by author Richard J. Blanco. Readers are brought into the juvenile yet unexpectedly mature mind of Robert, a young man who has seen far too much already in his young life, in this heartbreaking story of second chances.

The traumatic premise of this novel gives it a harder and more visceral edge than other stories of kids going down a dark path and finding salvation. Watching Robert attempt to be “normal” while wading the waters of addiction and […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-06-24T03:49:49+02:00June 2nd, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews, Young Adult Book Reviews|

Review: Raven (Cinzento Academy Book 1) by Sue Loh

Raven (Cinzento Academy Book 1) by Sue Loh

Breaking through a corporate firewall and getting chastised by Mom for not eating enough fruit can both happen in the span of an afternoon in Raven, the first book of Sue Loh’s Cinzento Academy series. When a ragtag team of virus-hunting geniuses is presented with a challenge that may exceed any of their individual skillsets, they will have to redefine teamwork and put their strange minds to the task.

The Cinzento Academy is an elite school for brilliant tech minds – a “Home for Wayward But Brainy Boys and Girls.” Fireball, a whip-smart 16-year-old, along with an eccentric team […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-06-08T09:25:50+02:00May 20th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Young Adult Book Reviews|

Review: Memloots: The Exposition by Francis O’ Joseph

Memloots: The Exposition by Francis O'Joseph

Author Francis O’ Joseph immerses readers in a sci-fi world that looks oddly similar to our own in Memloots: The Exposition. Tapping into philosophy, religion, agricultural practice, economic theor,y and sociology, while still maintaining an air of whimsical adventure, this is a YA novel brimming with creativity and potential.

Philo Heartfield is like so many other young people on the planet Petrichor: studying hard and aspiring to earn a spot at a prestigious university. He dreams of traveling to Maraville, the home world of the intelloyds, outer-space philanthropists who have transformed his home into a thriving, livable planet.

Ringed by […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-06-02T07:30:23+02:00April 14th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Science Fiction Book Reviews, Young Adult Book Reviews|

Review: A Noble’s Path (The Enchanted Isles Book 2) by I.L. Cruz

A Noble's Path by I.L. Cruz

Inez Garza, sporting a new magical streak of purple hair, is back at the heart of rebellion and action in A Noble’s Path, the second book of the Enchanted Isles series from author I.L. Cruz. Following on from the tumultuous events of A Smuggler’s Path, this new installment dives right into the action, supported by remarkably thorough exposition from the first book.

Magic is still forbidden in Canto, but the hidden market is alive and well, and Inez continues to tread the finest line between royal blood and illicit smuggling. Navigating the complex underbelly of illegal magic and […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-07-05T10:22:19+02:00March 12th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews, YA Fantasy Book Reviews, Young Adult Book Reviews|

Review: Blowback ’94 by Brian Meehl

Blowback '94 by Brian Meehl

Author Brian Meehl brings his Blowback Trilogy to a compelling close with Blowback ’94, where Iris Jongler-Jinks finally gets her wish to hop through time, landing her squarely in the heart of the Belle Epoque in Paris, determined to find her mother and reunite the Jongler family.

Iris is joined by Arky, her time-traveling brother who just recently evaded death in the American Civil War, and the pair boast a brilliant dynamic as they try to unravel the last great mystery of their family’s cor anglais. Although neither of them planned to be tossed backward this time around, […]