Everything, Everything

everything everythingEverything, Everything by Nicola Yoon was a fascinating read! It transports you into the world of a teenage girl who has a rare illness, known as “baby bubble disease”, that causes her to be allergic to the world. She has not been out of her house in seventeen years!  Her life consists of her mom, her nurse, and her books.   Maddy is content with her life just the way it is until the day she begins talking to Olly, the new boy next door.  She begins a romance with a boy who she can not touch, or let along breathe the same air as.  Maddy knows that the moment she falls in love with Olly it is going to be a disaster.

This book is very unique and has a lot of funny/quirky dialogue!  It is hilarious, sad, and romantic all at the same time! If you are a fan of John Green novels, you will definitely be intrigued by this one!

 

 

The Mockingbirds

mockingbirdsIn the Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney is set at Themis Academy, I prestigious boarding school that seems perfect in every way.  Exceptional academics, extraordinary students, the kind of extracurriculars to make an Ivy League proud, and zero instances of student misbehavior; or so they think.  The student behavior is not as perfect as they advertise, and it’s up to a secret vigilante society, the Mockingbirds, to maintain order on campus–a responsibility their members take very seriously.
Alex Patrick never thought she would need the Mockingbirds. But when she’s date-raped by another student, she doesn’t know where else to go. As much as she’d like to forget what happened, she can’t escape the daily reminders of what went wrong that terrible night. Before she can summon the courage to take a stand, she’ll have to accept that her battle for justice is not hers alone. Standing up for someone, especially yourself, is worth the fight.

The Naturals

The NatrualsThe Natural’s by Jennifer Lynn Barnes is a gripping psychological thriller! Excellent for fans of a good crime/murder mystery.

Cassie is a natural at reading people; by piecing together tiny details, she can tell exactly what kind of person you are.  She had never thought much of her ability until she was visited by a member of the FBI who invited her to be a part of a secret program that makes use of teenagers with exceptional abilities to crack cold cases.  Cassie joins the program but doesn’t realize the risk involved.  As a new killer strikes, danger looms closer than Cassie is comfortable with.  She gets caught up in the middle of a game of cat and mouse with the killer.  All of the naturals have to pool their gifts together in order to survive.

The Natural’s will have you hooked on page one and keeping you guessing until the very end.  Visit the HHS Media Center’s Mystery section to check this one out.

 

The Jewel

the jewelI recently read the first book in The Lone City Series called The Jewel by Amy Ewing.  Violet Lasting, now known as lot #197, was raised in the Marsh and has been trained as a surrogate for the royalty.  She is purchased at the surrogate auction by the Duchess of the Lake.  The Duchess has waited years for the perfect surrogate to carry out her plans to ascend her family to the throne.

Once Violet begins living in the Jewel, the circle of royalty, she learns of the bitter, cruel, violent, and backstabbing way of life that the royalty lead.  She knows that she must accept it and do whatever it takes to survive.  But then she meets Ash, the handsome companion that the Duchess has hired for her niece.  Violet has never met anyone who sees her for who she truly is and not just a surrogate who will continue the royal bloodline.  A forbidden romance begins between Violet and Ash.  She knows that the consequences could mean execution, but Ash is well worth the risk.

Being the first book in the series, it ends leaving you with many questions about Violet’s life to come.  This book is described as The Selection meets The Handmaid’s Tale.  It is a darkly riveting page turner and it will leave you wanting more.  The second book, The White Rose is set to debut October 6th 2015.  Not too long of a wait!

The Selection Continues…

Twenty years after America Singer fell in love with Prince Maxon and their fairy-tale began, the Selection lives on with their the heirdaughter Princess Eadlyn.  However, Eadlyn has no interest in romance and would put off marriage for as long as possible.  A Princess never truly controls her own life.  As heir to the throne, she is convinced to participate in her own Selection in an effort to save Illiea from an uprising.

Eadlyn makes a deal with her daddy that she will give the Selection three months of her time, but will make no promises that it will end with an engagement.  She does not expect her story to end with romance, but as the selected move into the palace Eadlyn learns that her very own happily ever after may not be as impossible as she once thought.

The Selection series continues with ,The Heir, a fourth book that is as compelling and irresistible as the the very first.  Once you start reading, you will not be able to put it down.  The only downfall is the wait for the next book.  The final book in the series will probably not release until 2016.  It will be well worth the wait I’m sure!

Red Queen

red queenThis is a MUST read.  It has quickly become one of my new favorite books and I have been telling everyone about it! Red Queen is about a girl named Mare Barrow.  In her world, you are divided into to classes; you are either “silver blooded” or “red blooded”.  Silvers are born with powers and abilities; they lead lives of luxury.  Reds are much like slaves or the workmen of the country.  They are typically very poor and, unless they have a trade skill to work somewhere to provide for the needs of the silvers, they are sent to the front lines to fight in the war.

Mare does not have a trade skill and is destined to be sent to the front lines very soon.  She spends her time picking pockets in town in an effort to provide for her family.  One night, she picks the wrong pocket and gets caught by who she later learns is the prince and future heir to the throne.  Instead of having her punished, Cal finds a way to help Mare and gets her a job at the palace.  On her first day working at the palace, Mare nearly falls to her death but is saved by her unknown power to create lightning; something that reds are not supposed to have.  The royal family quickly covers up Mare’s rare ability by claiming that she was in fact a silver born to a prominent war hero, but was raised as a red.  To keep a close eye on Mare, she is betrothed to prince Maven, Cal’s younger brother.

Mare’s new life quickly becomes filled with conspiracy, rebellion, and forbidden romance.  This book is a must read for any fan of Divergent, A Game of ThronesThe Selection, or really any dystopian novel.  It will keep you guessing and leave you on the edge of your seat!

I Was Here

i was hereCody is devastated by the recent loss of her best friend Meg.  Meg committed a well thought out suicide, alone in a motel room, by drinking industrial strength cleaner.  Cody continuously wonders how she did not know that her best friend was depressed to the point of ending her own life.  They were closer than sisters; they shared everything with each other.  Except, obviously, the fact that Meg was unhappy and at her breaking point.

After the funeral and memorial services, Cody goes to Meg’s college town to pack up all of her stuff.  While there, Cody discovers that there is a lot that Meg never shared with her.  Cody was astonished by Meg’s roommates and a boy named Ben McAllister.  While going through Megs things, she becomes completely obsessed with an encrypted file that she finds on Meg’s computer.  She knows that this file holds the answers to what was wrong with Meg and, suddenly, she is not so sure that Meg killed herself.

I Was Here was an extremely sad read, but thought provoking and enlightening at the same time.  Along with many other recent titles, it deals with mental disorders and depression.  Although it is a sad book, it is also enthralling, eye opening, and will have you hooked the moment you begin reading.

All the Bright Places

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven is a remarkable book that ATBPdeals with the issue of suicide and mental illness in a surprisingly funny and very relatable way . The main characters, Finch and Violet meet at the beginning of the book at the top of their school’s bell tower where they are both considering jumping.  Finch talks Violet down off the ledge and they begin a beautiful relationship.

Violet has recently suffered the death of her sister just the year before.  She is still having a hard time coping with the loss and adjusting to life without her sister.  Finch is a little odd and is often called “Freak” by his classmates. Finch suffers from a mental disorder and is a bit erratic.  He is constantly avoiding the “sleep” that sometimes takes over.  In this sweet story, Finch is the only person who can bring Violet back from the depression that his invaded her life.   This a compelling novel that would be a great read for fans of John Green.

 

Positive: A Memoir by Paige Rawl

I typically lean towards readipositiveng fiction books, so this was definitely an “out of the box” read for me but it was sooo worth it!  This was an extremely inspirational book that every single person should pick up and read at some point.

On the outside, Paige Rawl looks like your typical, happy teenage girl.  She is very pretty, smart, athletic, and has a great personality.  She was a cheerleader, part of the choir, and participated in several beauty pageants.  What you don’t know, from the outside looking in, is that Paige is HIV positive and has struggled with bullying, depression, and suicidal thoughts throughout much of her life.

The hardest part for Paige was knowing that she did nothing wrong; she came into the world HIV positive and could not have done anything to change it.  Her mother, unknowingly, caught the virus from Paige’s father and passed it on to her unborn baby.  Mrs. Rawl chose to keep the truth about their status from Paige until she was in middle school.  Paige really didn’t think that having HIV would be a big deal to others but after sharing her status with her best friend at a lock in, she quickly realized that so many people are fearful of HIV simply because of their misconceptions about the disease.  She began getting teased and mocked even by some of her closest friends.  Paige walks you through the painful events that took place in her life, but readers learn how Paige chose to rise above her situation and become an inspiring young lady.

Through her touching memoir, Paige allows us to step into her shoes to see and feel what it is like to be on the other side of the bullying that has become so prominent these days in school.  If we could all take the time to see the world through some else’s eyes, the world would most definitely become a much more beautiful place

I’ll Give You The Sun

ill-give-you-the-sunI believe I am going to have to say that this is my new, all time favorite book! I don’t think that I have ever read anything like it! Honestly, I probably would have never picked this book to up to read had it not been chosen as the book of the month for a book club that I am a part of.  The synopsis in the front of the book just does not do it justice and I do not think that my description will either, but I will give you just a small glance of this profoundly moving novel.

The chapters in the book rotate between the point of view of both Noah and Jude who are twins.  Noah’s perspective is told from the past when the twins were thirteen and Jude’s story is told from the present, three years later, and the twins are sixteen.  At thirteen, the twins are super close.  Noah is somewhat of an outcast who is constantly drawing and is falling in love with someone completely unexpected while Jude is an outgoing, brave dare devil is on the verge of becoming “that girl” according to her mom.  Three years later, the twins are completely different people who are barely speaking to each other.  Something as wrecked their lives and the both have reacted in completely ways.  What the twins don’t know is that each of them only half of the story.  The begins to spill over when Jude meets her “split apart” and hermit of an artist who both play an unbelievable part in her life that she is completely unaware of.

This novel is beautifully written! I thing this one review completely sums it up:

“Jandy Nelson’s writing is poetic and mesmerizing. More importantly, Nelson weaves a novel that seeps into your bones like fire on a cold day . . . I’ll Give You the Sun is a novel that promises a story like nothing else and then delivers it.” —Garret Freymann-Weyr, author of Printz Honor book, My Heartbeat