When

TITLE: When
AUTHOR: Victoria Laurie
RELEASE DATE: January 2015
PUBLISHER: Hyperion
PAGES: 327 pages
GENRE: Sci-Fi, Adventure, Mystery
OVERALL RATING: 4/5
APPROPRIATE AGE: grades 8-12

SUMMARY: Maddie Flynn has always seen numbers when she looks at people, whether it be in person, in a picture, or on the television. It wasn't until her father was killed in the line of duty that they figured out the numbers that Maddie sees are the person's death date. When Maddie predicts a boy's death date and then he turns up missing, Madelyn is at the top of list of suspects. The FBI believe Maddie and her best friend, Stubs, are part of a string of murders. But how can Madelyn prove that her ability is real and get her best friend out of jail without putting herself in danger?

WHAT I LIKED: This book is great for both boys and girls. It has a gruesome murder and police investigation, but also includes the drama-filled life of a teenage girl. As part of the 2016 Lone Star List, I've booked talked this with my junior high students and they eat it up. The students race to the computer to be the first to put it on hold. I currently have a list of over a dozen students waiting to read this book, and we own three copies in our library. 

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: This ending was just a little cliche. It seemed like the entire story, one bad thing after another is happening to Maddie, then for some reason the author felt they needed to tie it all up in a pretty little bow with a Happily Ever After...

READALIKES: Numbers by Rachel Ward

BOOK TRAILER: not the official book trailer, but a good one created by Kimberly Zavala

Sweet

TITLE: Sweet
AUTHOR: Emmy Laybourne
RELEASE DATE: June 2015
PUBLISHER: Feiwel and Friends
PAGES: 272 pages
GENRE: Sci-Fi, Adventure, Paranormal
OVERALL RATING: 4/5
APPROPRIATE AGE: grades 8-12

SUMMARY: On a cruise ship filled with celebrities, the rich and famous, Laurel feels out of place. But when best friend, Viv, convinces her parents that she wants two tickets for herself and her best friend as part of the collateral damage of their divorce, of course they agree. This cruise ship promises major weight loss for all the passengers through a tiny packet of SoLu. After a seven day cruise, the ship will come back thousands of pounds lighter due to the weight everyone has lost. But are a couple of pounds the only thing people lose? When the passengers become addicted to SoLu, they begin to lose their minds, attacking each other to get more of the weight-loss sweetener. Can Laurel and her friend Viv survive seven days?

WHAT I LIKED: I liked the total twist in the story. You think you're reading this sweet story of two best friends off on their own on this fabulous cruise. Then Laurel meets her crush, famous child star Tom Forelli, and immediately they click; two of the only people on the ship not taking the weight loss sweetener, SoLu. Then the plot twists, and all the passengers turn into these dangerous zombie-like vampires. While the beginning is great for my girl readers, all about best friends, love interests, clothes and weight-loss; my boy readers will love the second half with people attacking each other and drinking their blood. 

READALIKES: In the After by Demitria Lunetta, Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Mayberry

BOOK TRAILER: Not the official book trailer, but one created by the amazing Tobie Cattarin for the 2016-2017 TLA Lone Star Book Award

Ink and Ashes

TITLE: Ink and Ashes
AUTHOR: Valynne E. Maetani
RELEASE DATE: June 2015
PUBLISHER: Tu Books
PAGES: 386 pages
GENRE: Adventure, Mystery
OVERALL RATING: 2/5
APPROPRIATE AGE: grades 

SUMMARY: Claire Takata is your typical high school girl, she loves playing soccer, and hanging out with her brothers and best friends. But all that changes when she comes across a strange letter from her deceased father to her step father. Claire begins to question her father's death and her entire family's future. Digging deeper, she finds only secrets and lies from her mother and stepfather. But what happens when she digs too deep and finds that her father belonged to the yukuza, the Japanese mafia. Has she uncovered a secret that was better left buried? Has she put the rest of her family in danger? 

WHAT I LIKED: This book definitely kept me on my toes. I don't normally read mysteries because I can always figure out the ending too early. However, this book definitely throws you for a couple of loops before finally finding the actual culprit. 

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: Throughout the book Claire gets into a lot of trouble: things are stolen from her locker, eye balls are left wrapped like a present in her backpack, she's run off the road, and someone almost bombs her house. I seriously just wanted to shake the girl and say "Call the police! Tell your parents!" Its like any scary movie you watch, "Don't run up the stairs!" 

READALIKES: How to Disappear by Ann Redisch Stampler

BOOK TRAILER: not the official Book Trailer, but a pretty good one as far as being created by a student. Credit: Tobie Cattarin

The Glittering Court

TITLE: The Glittering Court
AUTHOR: Richelle Mead
RELEASE DATE: April 2016
PUBLISHER: Razorbill
PAGES: 400 pages
SERIES: The Glittering Court  book one
GENRE: Chick Lit
OVERALL RATING: 4/5
APPROPRIATE AGE: grades 7-12  

SUMMARY: Adelaide is a high-borne, whose wealthy family is forcing her into a loveless marriage. So she decides to run away and join the Glittering Court, a group of low-borne girls who are trained in etiquette and dressed like beautiful jewels to eventually be sold to the highest bidder in a new land across the sea.

   

FAVORITE QUOTE: "We are all in charge of our own lives - and we have to live with the consequences that we make." (Mead, )

WHAT I LIKED: I liked that this book had a historic feel to it. The women all wore big dresses and had to make sure that they talked proper. But it all took place in town and a world that does not exist. Overall, it was a great book that I ended up finishing in just a day. 

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: The story started out a little slow. You begin to resent Adelaide because she is rich and has had everything given to her. In order to save her family and their fortune, she has to marry a man that she doesn't exactly like. Instead she decides to abandon her grandmother and disappear in a carriage under an assumed name with people she doesn't know to go to a place that is not even inhabited. Who does that?

SERIES UPDATE: Book 2: Midnight Jewel released April 25, 2017

READALIKES: The Selection by Kiera Cass

BOOK TRAILER: 

Proxy

TITLE: Proxy
AUTHOR: Alex London
RELEASE DATE: June 2013
PUBLISHER: Philomel Books
PAGES: 379 pages
GENRE: Science Fiction
OVERALL RATING: 2/5
APPROPRIATE AGE: grades 8-12 (language) 

SUMMARY: Knox is a playboy, he likes to party, loves the girls, and never gets in trouble. When he steals his dad's car, takes it off autodrive and crashes, instantly killing his passenger, there is no punishment for him. Instead, Knox's proxy Syd is the one who receives the punishment. As Knox watches; Syd is tied up, electrocuted, branded and punished to manual labor in a work camp... all for something a kid he has never met did. So what happens when by some small chance, Knox and Syd finally meet? 

   

FAVORITE QUOTE: "He laughed at himself for thinking about Mr. Baram's weird saying and picked up an ancient plastic pen that had rolled out of one of the bins. He mindlessly clicked the back of it to make the little tip go in and out with a satisfying sound. Why did they even have this antique? Who knew how to write by hand anymore?" (London, 43)

WHAT I LIKED/DIDN'T LIKE: I was not a big fan of this book. The high-tech dystopian society was kind of cool. But it seemed like there were a lot of questionable gaps. The beginning of the story would mention one thing and you would have to wait till several chapters later as to find out why. I never felt any bond toward the characters. It's not like I was tearing up when a character died. Another thing that really bothered me was the language. You would think in this futuristic world, they would come up with new curse words. The author created several new terms, but still felt the need to add curse words so that I don't feel comfortable allowing my middle grade students to read the book. 

SERIES UPDATE: Book 2: Guardian out in May 2015

READALIKES: Red Rising by Pierce Brown, The Eye of Minds by James Dashner

Con Academy

TITLE: Con Academy
AUTHOR: Joe Schreiber
RELEASE DATE: August 2015
PUBLISHER: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
PAGES: 236 pages
GENRE: Realistic Fiction
OVERALL RATING: 3/5
APPROPRIATE AGE: grades 7-12 

SUMMARY: Will Shay is the newest student at Connaughton Academy, where he doesn't quite fit in among the entitled group of students. He is a scholarship kid who came from the tiny island of Ebeye where his missionary parents died in a plane crash delivering medicine to the orphans. Or is he? When Will meets Andrea Dufresne, and she calls him on his fake story, Will learns he might not be the only con artist on campus. 

FAVORITE QUOTE: "In life, as in the big con, sometimes there is no angle. Sometimes you just have to play it as it lays." (Schreiber, 236)
   

WHAT I LIKED: This book was an extremely fast read. I sat down one afternoon and next thing I know I'm half way through the book. I finished the entire book in less than two days. It never got dull, and the ending was a big surprise. Which I always love, because I am the worst about predicting the ending of a book.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: I found the ending really questionable. It's hard to explain without spoiling the story, but through all the action at the end, I found myself really asking, "How did he...", "Would he really get away with that?", "They're just going to leave that as is...", "His parents didn't question...", "Can h really do that?", etc. Once you finish the book, you'll understand. 

READALIKE:  The Curse Workers series by Holly Black

BOOK TRAILER: this is not the official book trailer, but it was created by a Firsco ISD librarian for use with the Lone Star book list 

Lady Midnight

TITLE: Lady Midnight
AUTHOR: Cassandra Clare
RELEASE DATE: March 2016
PUBLISHER: Margaret K. McElderberry Books
PAGES: 668 pages
GENRE: Fantasy/Supernatural
SERIES: Dark Artifices
OVERALL RATING: 5/5
APPROPRIATE AGE: grades 8-12 

SUMMARY: Its been five years since the Dark War, and parabatais Emma Carstairs and Julian Blackthorn star in this next installment of the Shadowhunter series. All grown up, Julian takes on the role of guardian to the four younger Blackthorn children, while also secretly running the Los Angeles institute for his absentminded uncle, Arthur. Emma is still convinced her parents were not killed by Sebastian and is working to investigate a series of demonic murders. But when the faeries call on the help of the Shadowhunters, they refuse, until the Fae offer up their brother, Mark of the Dark Hunt, as collateral. With the Shadowhunters go against the Clave, and break the Law to help the Fae? 

FAVORITE QUOTE: "And if there were two things he believed were limitless, it was love and imagination." (Clare, 168)
   

WHAT I LIKED: I am a complete Shadowhunters fan, I have read all of the books. My favorites are The Infernal Devices, which I just found out has a follow up series (The Last Hours) coming out in 2017. I liked seeing the story continue on with the next generation of Shadowhunters. I also liked that all of the characters from The Mortal Instruments play a part in this series. Getting to see all your favorite characters like Clary, Jace, Simon, Izzy, Alec and Magnus finally get their Happily Ever After just leaves you feeling warm and fuzzy. 

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: 

SERIES UPDATE: The next book in the series is Prince of Shadows but does not have an expected release date yet

BOOK TRAILER: I could not find an official book trailer for Lady Midnight (shame shame, Simon and Shuster), but I would like to point you in the direction of the Official Shadowhunter Chronicles website. Check it out here at http://shadowhunters.com/

Glass Sword

TITLE: Glass Sword
AUTHOR: Victoria Aveyard
RELEASE DATE: February 2016
PUBLISHER: HarperTeen
PAGES: 444 pages
GENRE: Fantasy
SERIES: Red Queen series
OVERALL RATING: 3/5
APPROPRIATE AGE: grades 9-12 

SUMMARY: Mare Barrow continues her struggle after Red Queen to live as a Red Blood with the powers of a Silver. She joins the Scarlet Guard as they lead a rebellion against the Silver Bloods who control their kingdom. Will she be able to find other New Bloods like herself, and will they be willing to risk their lives to help fight for freedom?

FAVORITE QUOTE: "I cling to Cal, Kilorn, Shade, to saving all the newbloods I can, because I am afraid of waking up to emptiness, to a place where my friends and family are gone and I am nothing but a single bolt of lightning in the blackness of a storm." (Aveyard, 250)
   

WHAT I LIKED: Strong female character, love triangle (square?), and superhuman powers. Three of my favorite things in any Young Adult Fiction. 

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: I felt Glass Sword was the typical book two, story filler. All of the build-up took place in book one, book two is just a flatline till we get to book three and the finale in book four. There was one scene of action and it was too short with not a lot of truly important things taking place. I'm not saying that is necessarily a bad thing, I will definitely be on pins and needles till book three comes out.

SERIES UPDATE: I spoke with the author, Victoria Aveyard on April 21, 2016 at TLA in Houston. She informed me that she is currently working on book #3 of the series, but wouldn't give me a title or release date at this time. 

BOOK TRAILER: uploaded by Epic Reads 

Walk on Earth a Stranger

TITLE: Walk on Earth a Stranger
AUTHOR: Rae Carson
RELEASE DATE: September 2015
PUBLISHER: Greenwillow Books
PAGES: 436 pages
GENRE: Historical Fiction, Fantasy
SERIES: The Gold Seer Trilogy
OVERALL RATING: 3/5
APPROPRIATE AGE: grades 7-12 

SUMMARY: Leah Westfall can sense gold, and California is calling to her, but she can't leave her family, her farm, and everything she has worked so hard for. But when her parents are murdered and she is taken into the care of her uncle, Hiriam; she finally sees the chance to leave. Disguising herself as a boy, and enduring hardships such as the Mississippi River, buffalo stampedes, cholera, and the deserts of the west, will Leah even survive long enough to see the gold that sings to her heart?

FAVORITE QUOTE: "Rear trigger, soft breath, hair trigger, crack! Smoke puffs up as the butt kicks my shoulder. Almost two hundred yards away, the poor animal's rear legs fly out sideways, and it goes down in a cloud of dust. 
Jefferson whistles as I hand the gun back to him.
'Not bag for a girl,' says Jonas Waters.
'It's not bad for anyone,' Jefferson snaps." (Carson, )
   

WHAT I LIKED: I absolutely loved the historical fiction aspect of this book. I don't normally read Historical Fiction books, but the magic "gold seer" part of the story intrigued me. I would probably shelve this book in the Fantasy section of my library. But I love how it includes actual dates and includes such details about the hardships of the trip overland America that so many made (and didn't make) during the Gold Rush.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: The ending. Completely anticlimactic! Yea, they reached California, oh no, her uncle... and then he walked away. Seriously? Seriously? I feel like there needs to be a sequel, what happens next? Does she get married? Does she find gold and become rich? 
*EDIT: I found out this series is actually a trilogy, so I take back my "What I Didn't Like Comments

SERIES UPDATE: Book Two: Like a River Glorious will be released September 27, 2016

BOOK TRAILER: Epic Reads Explains Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson

Ink and Bone

TITLE: Ink and Bone
AUTHOR: Rachel Caine
RELEASE DATE: July 2015
PUBLISHER: Scholastic Press
PAGES: 355 pages
SERIES: The Great Library
GENRE: Fantasy
OVERALL RATING: 4/5
APPROPRIATE AGE: grades 6-12

SUMMARY: In an alternate history, the library of Alexandria controls all the knowledge of the world. People are not allowed to own actual paper copies of books, but only blanks, devices that allow temporary access to approved books available to the public. Due to this, the world is a dangerous place, with Scholars controlling the access to the knowledge, Burners who believe no one should have complete control, and smugglers who will get you any book for the right price. Jess falls into the last category, his family has a network of smugglers all across the country, and Jess is a runner, one of the best runners. That is until his father thinks he will be more valuable working for the source, and buys him an opportunity to win a place among the Library Scholars.

FAVORITE QUOTE: "Librarians instruct, assist, research, develop, create... and protect, do they not?" (Caine, 69)

WHAT I LIKED: I absolutely loved the world building in this story. A lot of the story takes place in England and Egypt and other places in that area. But the history behind these places are completely different from what we know now. The author, Rachel Caine, explained in a Tweet to me, "It's modern, but because of the changes in history, it's a kind of flawed utopia where scientific advancements been slowed... It's not dystopian because there is law and order, society, all the things we think of as normal. But it's deeply flawed."

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: I felt this book needed a glossary in the end. Maybe a short description of the Library specialities: Medica, Artifex, Historia, and Lingua. I felt like I needed a course in Latin to understand all of the job titles: Obscurist Magnus, Artifex Magister, etc. 

READALIKES: The Iron Trial by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare

SERIES UPDATE: Book Two: Paper and Fire due out July 5, 2016

BOOK TRAILER: 

Legend

TITLE: Legend
AUTHOR: Marie Lu
RELEASE DATE: November 2011
PUBLISHER: Putnam's
PAGES: 305 pages
SERIES: Book 1 in the Legend trilogy
GENRE: Science Fiction
OVERALL RATING: 5/5
APPROPRIATE AGE: grades 7-12

SUMMARY: Day is the most wanted fugitive in the  Republic, June is the Republic's number one military cadet. In a future where the two sides of the country are constantly at war, Day and June will do anything they can to protect the ones they care about. But when their paths cross, will it be a battle to the death or will the two realize maybe they share the same enemy?

WHAT I LIKED: I enjoyed how this story was not only written in alternating first-person narratives so that you could get the story from both sides, but also because each character's chapter was written in a different color. I know it is such a little thing, but sometimes when you pick up a book after a while you have to backtrack to remember what is going on. This made it easier. Also, while there are a lot of dystopian books out there right now, Legend, easily goes at the top of my list. This three book series does not disappoint as each new book comes out in the series.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: I hate to say this, but I don't like the ending (no spoilers). But after everything that June and Day endure throughout the three book series, I just really hate to see how they end up. I'm a sucker for a happily ever after.

READALIKES: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Divergent by Veronica Roth

MOVIE RELEASE: in talks

BOOK TRAILER: 

The Rose Society

TITLE: The Rose Society
AUTHOR: Marie Lu
RELEASE DATE: October 2015
PUBLISHER: P.G. Putnam's Sons
PAGES: 395 pages
SERIES: Book 2 in The Young Elites trilogy
GENRE: Fantasy
OVERALL RATING: 4/5
APPROPRIATE AGE: grades 8-12

SUMMARY: Adelina Amouteru has been cast out by the Dagger Society, a group of Young Elites, for her betrayal to their leader, Enzo (see first book: The Young Elites). She flees Kennetra with her sister to find other Young Elites to build her own army so that she may get her revenge on the Inquisition, who almost killed her and continually fight to destroy the rest of the Malfettos. But what will Adelina have to give up to get everything she wants? Her family, her friends, her love, even... her powers?

FAVORITE QUOTE: "Enzo inherited a throne. Guilietta relied on her royal blood. Queen Maeve rules Beldain because she was born to it. But true rulers are not born. We are made." (Lu, 375)

WHAT I LIKED: In an MTV interview from 2013, Marie Lu described The Young Elites series "as 'X-Men' meets 'Assasin's Creed'. It's superheroes but in this fantasy, renaissance-y society." I absolutely love the world building in this book. The renaissance style with different kingdoms, clothing, traditions, and language. I love the characters' names: Adelina Amouteru, Raffaele Laurent Bessette, Guilietta, Magiano, Violetta, etc. It seems like they just roll off your tongue, you want to say them over and over. It completely blows my mind that there are people out there that can just make this stuff up. One of the reasons why I will always be a reader, and never be the writer. 

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: I am a huge fan of Marie Lu, I absolutely loved her Legend series, it is easily in my Top Ten. The first book in this series, The Young Elites, was great, easily a five star book. I loved watching the evolution of Adelina's character from a scared, beaten, little girl to The White Wolf. However, I felt like this second book was missing something, and I can tell you exactly what it was: Enzo. The absence of Adelina's love interest that brought out her softer side really altered the storyline. Throughout the entire novel she became more and more angry, the evil just eating her up inside. However, that will not stop me from reading the third novel in the series to see how her character evolves again. 

READALIKES: Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi

BOOK TRAILER: 

Bone Gap

TITLE: Bone Gap
AUTHOR: Laura Ruby
RELEASE DATE: March 2015
PUBLISHER: Balzer + Bray
PAGES: 345 pages
GENRE: Mystery, Fantasy
OVERALL RATING: 1/5
APPROPRIATE AGE: grades 9-12 (curse words, sexual references)

SUMMARY: Finn O'Sullivan is an outsider in the small town of Bone Gap, Illinois. Often called names such as Moonface, Sidetrack, Spaceman, and beat up on a regular basis by a group of boys he calls the Rudes. Finn is alone in the world, his mom ran off to Oregon with a man she met on the Internet, his brother, Sean always at work as a paramedic, even Roza disappeared. But Finn is the only one that knows Roza didn't disappear, she was kidnapped, and no one in Bone Gap will listen. So it is up to Finn to find the mysterious girl who magically appeared in the barn, and magically disappeared the same way. 

WHAT I LIKED: This book received several awards, and was listed as one of the Top Ten Books For Young Adults in 2016. It received nothing but five star reviews by readers on GoodReads. When I saw this book listed over and over for different awards, I just knew it was a Must Read. I enjoyed the way that the author described things in the story, especially the physical appearances of the characters. How do you describe a person's face if you can't really see it?

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: Although it seems like everyone in the world absolutely loves this book... I did not! To me, it seemed like the story had ADD, it jumped all over the place. It was difficult for me to tell what was currently happening and then what was a flashback. So many of the storylines seemed pointless, for example, when Finn was with Miguel building the fence. There were two short chapters about this, but did they ever finish building the fence? Reading the story, it seems like a Realistic Fiction book, but then this horse appears that takes them riding off cliffs and through the sky? What was in that honey? Are the characters high and these midnight runs are actually a dream? And what happened to Roza? Where exactly has she been all this time? Without giving away spoilers, let me know just say that if you're the type of person that likes to figure out mysteries, you will never see this one coming! 

READALIKES: 

BOOK TRAILER: none found