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
Tag Archives: Coming of Age
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
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.
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
Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson (review by Elisabeth S. ’16)
Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Anne Carson’s compelling language makes this book a masterpiece in verse. Autobiography of Red is a coming-of-age story loosely based on the story of Herakles’ tenth labor (stealing the cattle of the monster Geryon). This version is set in the modern day–Geryon is still a red monster with wings, but he’s also a photographer with his own familial troubles and thirst for adventure. He meets Herakles, and they fall in love, but Herakles departs from his life shortly after, not to be seen again until years later when Geryon is taking a trip through South America. Carson’s use of unlikely yet apt description and Geryon’s singular, confused voice makes this book utterly unforgettable. His trials with an abusive brother, a feeble mother, and lost love make it surprisingly easily to empathize with the red monster. Overall, this book is recommended to all fans of poetry and mythology. – Elisabeth S. ’16
The Trials of Renegade X by Chelsea M. Campbell (review by Monica K. ’14)
The Trials of Renegade X by Chelsea M. Campbell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Trials of Renegade X by Chelsea Campbell continues soon after the first novel left off, as Damien tries to become a full hero. Obstacles include his snarky personality, a girlfriend at Vilmore, and an emerging villainous superpower. Having the same themes as the first book, the sequel emphasizes family relationships and the letterism of Golden City society. The narration also retains Damien’s witty voice and many elements from the first. Towards the end some plot points were a bit too familiar, but overall the story was clever, fun, and heartwarming. Fans of The Rise of Renegade X would definitely enjoy the sequel. – Monica K. ‘14
I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak (review by Elisabeth S. 17)
I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I Am the Messenger is an idiosyncratic, heartwarming novel that is, in most stores, marketed wrongly in the young adult section–this is a novel that should be read and cherished by adolescents and adults alike for its brilliance and quiet, universal lessons. Ed Kennedy is a young cabdriver with no real aspirations and a muted existence in his apartment with his loyal, omnivorous dog The Doorman and his few friends he plays cards with every now and then. After managing to stall a bank robbery by chance, he is sent the first card in the mail, an ace of diamonds, from an unknown benefactor. The card contains three addresses, three messages that he has to send. And thus, he becomes “the messenger,” and the reader is taken for a thrill ride through the Australian suburbs. Full of love, laughter, and ironic life lessons, I I Am the Messenger refuses to be put down after being picked up. Ed Kennedy’s wry voice serves as an excellently readable narrator for the story, and the reader also gets to see Ed develop as he experiences each message that he delivers in his own way. This book is highly recommended for readers of all genres and all ages teen and up. – Elisabeth S. ‘16
Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes (review by Maya V. ’17)
Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The three kingdoms of Auranos, Paelsia, and Limeros are divided by power struggles, wealth, and conflicting ideas. In this time of peril, four young people from these kingdoms are fighting to protect their homelands: Cleo, the princess of Auranos; Jonas, a rebel fighting for the rights of the Paelsian people; Magnus, the Limerian prince and successor to the King of Blood; and Lucia, the sister of Magnus, princess, and sorceress of Limeros. As they fight each other’s lands to protect their own, they soon find their lives intertwined with one another. An adventure and fantasy novel with a sufficient amount of drama, this book will appeal to many young readers. The characters’ thoughts are written in great depth and honesty, which allows the reader to truly connect with the young adults of the story. The recurring theme of independence and how one can still reach his or her goals without the support from adults provides motivation to those in similar situations. The setting and plot development are gripping, and you will not be able to put the book down. With several perspectives, detail, adventure, and violence, Falling Kingdoms is an extremely enjoyable read! – Maya V. ‘17
Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell (review by Cynthia H. ’16)
Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
It all starts with comic books and mixtapes. This is the star-crossed love story of Eleanor Douglas and Park Sheridan, two 1986 teens who don’t fit anywhere but together. They find themselves sharing a seat on the school bus and have refused to look back since. The amazing pacing of the book makes it extremely hard to put down; however, it is the realistic voices of Rainbow Rowell’s characters and the genuine ordeals they must endure that will have readers falling in love with Eleanor and Park as hard and fast as they fall for each other. Be prepared to root for this couple until the beautifully heartrending yet hopeful final chapters, and remember: Nothing ever ends. – Cynthia H. ‘16
Harker US Book Blog 