Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
< After letting her advisers rule the kingdom for eight years, eighteen year old Bitterblue decides to begin ruling Monsea herself. She realizes that she is too high up to see down to the commoners and then sneaks out at night, posing as a commoner girl. Her escapades only bring more confusion, trouble, and secrets to her attention and she must battle the fog left in the minds of the people by her sadistic father. The third installment in Kristin Cashore's Graceling Realm series, I found Bitterblue enthralling. There is so much character development and so many secrets revealed, it left me wanting more when I finished. – Catherine H. ’17
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Timebound by Rysa Walker (review by Catherine H. ’17)
Timebound by Rysa Walker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Rysa Walker’s Timebound, the first installment in the Chronos Files, is a very thought provoking read. Kate’s grandmother, Katherine, comes to town and announces that she is terminally ill and would like to spend more time with her granddaughter, which seems like a reasonable request. However, Kate’s mother insists that her grandmother is selfish and that she shouldn’t go. But Kate notices a strange medallion that glows a brilliant shade of blue that her mother can’t see but her grandmother can. Upon confronting her grandmother about it, she learns that her massive headaches have been caused by shifts in the timeline and that her grandfather is stuck in a different time, trying to create a religion and change history to benefit himself. Kate also finds out that this medallion is a CHRONOS key that lets her travel back in time. Before she can start training, another shift occurs and her parents disappear from the timeline, having never met each other and never having had her. She must now carry the key with her at all times or else disappear forever. It becomes her mission to go back in time and warn her grandmother so that she can restore her timeline. This book made me think about time travel in a different way. Even though there are several timelines that are mentioned, the story is straightforward and easy to follow. I recommend this book to anyone interested in time travel. – Catherine H. ‘17
The Fall of Five by Pittacus Lore (review by Catherine H. ’17)
The Fall of Five by Pittacus Lore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The fourth book in the Lorien Legacies series describes the events after the Garde’s unsuccessful battle with Setrákus Ra and follows their story as they regroup and try to form a coherent plan. Sam spent forever dreaming up rescue missions by the Garde and resisting Setrákus Ra’s torture sessions until he is finally rescued by two unexpected allies. John spent forever stuck, with no plans until the final member of the Garde, Five, sends a signal to them and the race begins to find Five before the Mogadorians do. Meanwhile, Ella has been having terrible nightmares and eventually ends up hurting John. The Garde try to catch up with each other and train together before the Mogadorians attack but when several people cause trouble from the inside out, the Mogadorians attack. Pittacus Lore has managed to keep the story going and provide some interesting new twists, but the constant switching of perspective can be disorienting, especially because there is usually no indication as to whose perspective we are viewing from. I would recommend this book only if you enjoyed I am Number Four. – Catherine H. ‘17
A Separate Peace by John Knowles (review by Andrew R. ’17)
A Separate Peace by John Knowles
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A Separate Peace is such a refreshing change of pace, it deserves its own genre. Set at a boys’ boarding school in the final years of the World War II draft, it follows the powerful friendship and all-consuming rivalry between Gene and Phineas as the two students battle their teachers, the war, and each other. A Separate Peace is worth a read simply for its historical aspect—written in 1946, it chronicles the overlooked perspective of an adolescent during wartime, and its setting is as far as can be from Normandy and Auschwitz. But Knowles’s true mastery lies in his themes, deeply nuanced and constantly developed to more complex and enlightening forms, and by the end of Gene’s tale he has painted a beautiful portrait of conflict in any setting. A Separate Peace may make a perfect subject for an English essay, but at the same time its gravity and depth merit at least one read from any serious student of the Second World War. – Andrew R. ’17
Cat’s Eye by Margaret Atwood (review by Elizabeth S. ’16)
Cat’s Eye by Margaret Atwood
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Cat’s Eye details the life of stream-of-consciousness narrator Elaine as she reflects as an aged artist on her years growing up in the time after World War II in Toronto. Elaine has recently returned to Toronto in order to manage a retrospective gallery of her own critically acclaimed work. She reconnects with specters from her past, like the phantom Cordelia who tormented her as a child, whom she now sees and hears everywhere she goes even though she is long gone. Atwood captures Elaine’s apathetic, passerby-like thoughts and describes her world in the most visceral way, making her writing a true joy to behold as it brings the story to life. Atwood also uses Elaine as a lens through which she can explore her own judgments and thoughts about growing up as a girl through elementary, middle, high school, and university, finding love, hate, strength, and weakness in all of these events that seem so cataclysmic when undergone for the first time. Cat’s Eye is a true masterpiece, recommended to anyone for a more adult spin on a coming of age story.
Wodehouse: A Life by Robert McCrum (review by Andrew R. ’17)
Wodehouse: A Life by Robert McCrum
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
20th-century humorist P. G. Wodehouse may have lived a life in which, by his own admission, “nothing really interesting happened, just meals and taking the dog for a walk,” but he still managed to leave behind countless thousands of pages of letters, articles, interviews, and fiction when he passed away in the 1970s—and it’s clear that dedicated biographer Robert McCrum has sifted through almost this entire mountain of material. Wodehouse: A Life is a tough read, not least because its quintessentially British subject gives rise to many quintessentially British references (Dickens; Eton; Lord Haw-Haw) that American readers would be hard-pressed to understand. Still, given the difficulty of studying a man whose ninety-four-year life was characterized mainly by dull monotony, McCrum has done a commendable job critiquing Wodehouse’s work and analyzing his thought processes in this nuanced look at the humorist’s history. I would recommend this biography not to hardened fans of Jeeves and Wooster, but to readers who are only beginning to delve into Wodehouse’s body of work; Wodehousian apprentices will likely be able to better interpret McCrum’s literary critiques as recommendations for their next humorous read. – Andrew R. ’17
Delirium by Lauren Oliver (review by Catherine H. ’17)
Delirium by Lauren Oliver
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
When love, or amor deliria nervosa, is seen as a disease, scientists develop a cure. However, the cure can only be administered when the patient is eighteen, otherwise it is unsafe. Lena Haloway, now Lena Tiddle, is eager to be cured so that she can’t become like her mother and sister, both previously infected. She’s worried about her friend Hana, who is beautiful and has recently begun riding the edge between loyal citizen and sympathizer. She forgets about this when her evaluations go horribly wrong and she meets a Cured named Alex. She falls in love and finally wakes up to reality, that love is not a disease, and that she must escape. Delirium had an interesting idea, and some nice romance, but I felt that the plot didn’t move smoothly throughout the book. – Catherine H. ’17
The Shadowhunter’s Codex by Cassandra Clare (review by Catherine H. ’17)
The Shadowhunter’s Codex by Cassandra Clare
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
The Shadowhunter’s Codex has no particular plot, but is similar to something such as Harry Potter’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The book explains the various tidbits of Nephilim culture among other things, with amusing notes from the characters of The Mortal Instruments series. A slow, but interesting read, one can learn about the weapons and types of Shadowhunters, as well as how to survive when dealing with Downworlders. I only recommend this book to avid fans of The Mortal Instruments or The Infernal Devices who have already finished the series. – Catherine H. ’17
Dreams of Gods & Monsters by Laini Taylor (review by Maya V. ’17)
Dreams of Gods & Monsters by Laini Taylor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The last book in its trilogy, Dreams of Gods and Monsters is a warming, heart wrenching, and fulfilling finale. After years of the chimaera and seraphim warring brutally against each other, the two races are devastated. The few chimaera monsters left are being resurrected regularly after losing battles. The seraphim race has split into two armies: one led by the new king, Jael, who plans to invade Earth, and another called the Misbegotten. In this sequel, Karou of the chimaera, the main character of this trilogy, and her love interest Akiva of the Misbegotten unite their races to defeat Jael. With their shared dream of uniting their people forever, they fight to bring harmony to the land of Eretz. This novel completes the epic trilogy with no questions unanswered. Every detail of the characters’ lives, the history behind the land of Eretz, and the mystery of the seraphim’s magical powers are explained magnificently. The interesting look into the side characters’ personalities makes the novel even richer with side stories and backgrounds. However, to thoroughly enjoy and appreciate this novel, it is vital to read the preceding two books. This title is a must-read for young adults! – Maya V. ’17
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson (review by Elizabeth S. ’16)
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Though intimidating because of its subject matter, Wintergirls yields a reward high enough at the end to make reading it well worthwhile. Anderson’s writing is always visceral and heartbreaking, but the harsh reality of eating disorders makes it even more gritty. When I was not transfixed by the story, I was admiring Anderson’s writing style and the perfect way that she captures the first person speaker, Lia. Lia’s best friend Cassie was recently found dead in a motel room of an overdose. The book details their past together, including Cassie’s bulimia (which eventually led to her downfalll), Lia’s anorexia, and the pact they made together when they were younger. Lia’s anorexia resurfaces, for the guilt that Lia feels about Cassie serves as a trigger. The author’s voice is strong in this book, with truly believable characters and a singular writing style. I recommend this book to any reader looking to really feel for a character and who isn’t at risk of being triggered by the subject matter. – Elizabeth S. ’16
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