Category Archives: Young Adult

Review: Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

13 November, 2020 6:57 am , 1 Comment ,

Eclipse
(The Twilight Saga #3)
by Stephenie Meyer
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Publication date: Aug. 7, 2007
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romance
Raiting:

As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob – knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death. But which is which?

 

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Posted in: YA Fantasy , Tagged:

Review: I’ll Be The One by Lyla Lee

26 October, 2020 10:18 am , 3 Comments ,

I’ll Be the One
by Lyla Lee
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Publication date: June 16, 2020
Genre: Young Adult
Rating:

Skye Shin has heard it all. Fat girls shouldn’t dance. Wear bright colors. Shouldn’t call attention to themselves. But Skye dreams of joining the glittering world of K-Pop, and to do that, she’s about to break all the rules that society, the media, and even her own mother, have set for girls like her.

She’ll challenge thousands of other performers in an internationally televised competition looking for the next K-pop star, and she’ll do it better than anyone else.

When Skye nails her audition, she’s immediately swept into a whirlwind of countless practices, shocking performances, and the drama that comes with reality TV. What she doesn’t count on are the highly fat-phobic beauty standards of the Korean pop entertainment industry, her sudden media fame and scrutiny, or the sparks that soon fly with her fellow competitor, Henry Cho.

But Skye has her sights on becoming the world’s first plus-sized K-pop star, and that means winning the competition—without losing herself.

 

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Posted in: YA Contemporary, Young Adult , Tagged:

Review: The Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston

5 October, 2020 9:20 am , Leave a Comment ,

The Princess and the Fangirl
(Once Upon a Con #2)
by Ashley Poston
Publisher: Quirk Books
Publication date: April 2, 2019
Genre: Young Adult
Rating:

The Prince and the Pauper gets a modern makeover in this adorable, witty, and heartwarming young adult novel set in the Geekerella universe by national bestselling author Ashley Poston.

Imogen Lovelace is an ordinary fangirl on an impossible mission: save her favorite character, Princess Amara, from being killed off from her favorite franchise, Starfield. The problem is, Jessica Stone—the actress who plays Princess Amara—wants nothing more than to leave the intense scrutiny of the fandom behind. If this year’s ExcelsiCon isn’t her last, she’ll consider her career derailed.

When a case of mistaken identity throws look-a-likes Imogen and Jess together, they quickly become enemies. But when the script for the Starfield sequel leaks, and all signs point to Jess, she and Imogen must trade places to find the person responsible. That’s easier said than done when the girls step into each other’s shoes and discover new romantic possibilities, as well as the other side of intense fandom. As these “princesses” race to find the script-leaker, they must rescue themselves from their own expectations, and redefine what it means to live happily ever after.

 

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Posted in: YA Contemporary, YA Romance, Young Adult , Tagged:

Review: New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

28 September, 2020 1:26 am , 1 Comment ,

New Moon
(The Twilight Saga #2)
by Stephenie Meyer
Publisher:
Publication date: Sept. 6, 2006
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romance
Rating: Little, Brown and Company

I knew we were both in mortal danger. Still, in that instant, I felt well. Whole. I could feel my heart racing in my chest, the blood pulsing hot and fast through my veins again. My lungs filled deep with the sweet scent that came off his skin. It was like there had never been any hole in my chest. I was perfect – not healed, but as if there had never been a wound in the first place.

I FELT LIKE I WAS TRAPPED IN ONE OF THOSE TERRIFYING NIGHTMARES, the one where you have to run, run till your lungs burst, but you can’t make your body move fast enough…. But this was no dream, and, unlike the nightmare, I wasn’t running for my life; I was racing to save something infinitely more precious. My own life meant little to me today.

FOR BELLA SWAN THERE IS ONE THING more important than life itself: Edward Cullen. But being in love with a vampire is even more dangerous than Bella could ever have imagined. Edward has already rescued Bella from the clutches of one evil vampire, but now, as their daring relationship threatens all that is near and dear to them, they realize their troubles may be just beginning….

 

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Posted in: YA Fantasy , Tagged:

Review: Freeze Tag by Caroline B. Cooney

31 August, 2020 7:03 pm , 1 Comment ,

Freeze Tag
(Point Horror)
by Caroline B. Cooney
Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks
Publication date: Sept. 1, 2004
Genre: Young Adult Horror
Rating:

From best-selling author Caroline Cooney comes this suspenseful story of Meghan, whose relationship with her perfect boyfriend is destroyed by a girl who can freeze people with a touch of her finger.

When Meghan and West first played Freeze Tag with Lannie, it was no ordinary game. Because when Lannie tagged someone, they really froze. Icy blue and cold. Like death.

Now Meghan, West, and Lannie are in high school, and Meghan and West are in love. They’re the perfect couple. But Lannie is determined to have West for her very own… and if she doesn’t get her way, she’ll freeze Meghan… to death.

 

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Posted in: YA Suspense , Tagged:

Review: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

24 August, 2020 8:00 am , 2 Comments ,

Twilight
(The Twilight Saga #1)
by Stephenie Meyer
Publisher: Little, Brown, and Company
Publication date: Sept. 6, 2006
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romance
Rating:

About three things I was absolutely positive.

First, Edward was a vampire.

Second, there was a part of him—and I didn’t know how dominant that part might be—that thirsted for my blood.

And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.

Deeply seductive and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight is a love story with bite.

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Posted in: YA Fantasy , Tagged:

Sneak Peek Wednesday: Girl With Three Eyes by Priya Ardis (Giveaway)

19 August, 2020 12:04 pm , 6 Comments ,

Girl With Three Eyes
by Priya Ardis
Publisher: Vulcan Ink
Publication date: Aug. 28, 2020
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

She would hate her third eye less if it actually gave her special powers.

When her secret is threatened, she may be the only one who can save the kingdom.

“In this series opener, Ardis…presents an engaging mix of fantasy worldbuilding and teenage courtship…A piquant mix of adolescent romance and adventure.”Kirkus Reviews

Sixteen-year-old Kira puts on a show about having empathic abilities, but she miraculously wakes a highborn boy from a coma after a near-fatal accident on mountainous slopes. When his father threatens to expose her “magic” to the queen, she attends the kingdom’s most elite academy as a bodyguard.

Soon, she’s immersed in a strange new life—one of being a simple student trying out for the school’s skyboarding team. Her fake life becomes the life she’s always wanted, but Kira cannot escape who she truly is. Nothing in the court of the Raj is as it seems…

Will she risk her freedom to unmask a killer before the crown falls?

 

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Review: Geekerella by Ashley Poston

7 August, 2020 7:39 pm , 5 Comments ,

Geekerella
(Once Upon a Con #1)
by Ashley Poston
Publisher: Quirk Books
Publication date: April 4, 2017
Genre: Yound Adult Romance
Rating:

Cinderella goes to the con in this fandom-fueled twist on the classic fairy tale.

Part romance, part love letter to nerd culture, and all totally adorbs, Geekerella is a fairy tale for anyone who believes in the magic of fandom. Geek girl Elle Wittimer lives and breathes Starfield, the classic sci-fi series she grew up watching with her late father. So when she sees a cosplay contest for a new Starfield movie, she has to enter. The prize? An invitation to the ExcelsiCon Cosplay Ball, and a meet-and-greet with the actor slated to play Federation Prince Carmindor in the reboot. With savings from her gig at the Magic Pumpkin food truck (and her dad’s old costume), Elle’s determined to win…unless her stepsisters get there first.

Teen actor Darien Freeman used to live for cons—before he was famous. Now they’re nothing but autographs and awkward meet-and-greets. Playing Carmindor is all he’s ever wanted, but the Starfield fandom has written him off as just another dumb heartthrob. As ExcelsiCon draws near, Darien feels more and more like a fake—until he meets a girl who shows him otherwise.

 

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Posted in: YA Romance, Young Adult , Tagged:

Sneak Peek Wednesday: I Am Here Now by Barbara Bottner (Giveaway)

5 August, 2020 1:05 am , 2 Comments ,

I Am Here Now
by Barbara Bottner
Publisher: Macmillan
Publication date: Aug. 4, 2020
Genre: Young Adult Poetry

Set in the 1960s, Barbara Bottner’s I Am Here Now is a beautiful novel in verse about one artist’s coming of age. It’s a heartbreaking, powerful and inspiring depiction of what it’s like to shatter your life―and piece it all back together.

You can’t trust Life to give you decent parents, or beautiful eyes, a fine French accent or an outstanding flair for fashion. No, Life does what it wants. It’s sneaky as a thief.

Maisie’s first day of High school should be exciting, but all she wants is to escape.

Her world is lonely and chaotic, with an abusive mother and a father who’s rarely there to help.

So when Maisie, who finds refuge in her art, meets the spirited Rachel and her mother, a painter, she catches a glimpse of a very different world―one full of life, creativity, and love―and latches on.

But as she discovers her strengths through Rachel’s family, Maisie, increasingly desperate, finds herself risking new friendships, and the very future she’s searching for.

 

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Review: The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead

31 July, 2020 7:24 am , 2 Comments ,

The Glittering Court
(The Glittering Court #1)
by Richelle Mead
Publisher: Razorbill
Publication date: April 5, 2016
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Rating:

Big and sweeping, spanning from the refined palaces of Osfrid to the gold dust and untamed forests of Adoria, The Glittering Court tells the story of Adelaide, an Osfridian countess who poses as her servant to escape an arranged marriage and start a new life in Adoria, the New World. But to do that, she must join the Glittering Court.

Both a school and a business venture, the Glittering Court is designed to transform impoverished girls into upper-class ladies who appear destined for powerful and wealthy marriages in the New World. Adelaide naturally excels in her training, and even makes a few friends: the fiery former laundress Tamsin and the beautiful Sirminican refugee Mira. She manages to keep her true identity hidden from all but one: the intriguing Cedric Thorn, son of the wealthy proprietor of the Glittering Court.

When Adelaide discovers that Cedric is hiding a dangerous secret of his own, together they hatch a scheme to make the best of Adelaide’s deception. Complications soon arise—first as they cross the treacherous seas from Osfrid to Adoria, and then when Adelaide catches the attention of a powerful governor.

But no complication will prove quite as daunting as the potent attraction simmering between Adelaide and Cedric. An attraction that, if acted on, would scandalize the Glittering Court and make them both outcasts in wild, vastly uncharted lands…

 

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Posted in: YA Fantasy , Tagged: ,