Category Archives: By Age Range

Review: Perfect Glass by Laura Anderson Kurk

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Perfect Glass by Laura Anderson Kurk

Perfect Glass
Laura Anderson Kurk
Playlist Fiction
Published June 1, 2013

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About Perfect Glass

Henry begins his year-long trip to Nicaragua, leaving Meg behind in Chapin to finish her senior year. Henry faces the challenges of assembling a new building for his sister and brother-in-law’s orphan home in a country with limited supplies and deep distrust toward Americans. Meg meanwhile finds herself the center of affection for the new and fascinating Quinn O’Neill and the unlikely companion to a feisty elderly woman wielding a shotgun.

Meg wants desperately to secure admission to the University of Wyoming, so she and Henry can stay together through college and she can pursue a degree through the writing program there. Quinn helps Meg put together a video about the deadliness of texting and driving. She wants to believe his interest is only friendly, but she seems to be the only one who thinks so. Henry’s plans unravel quickly and governmental changes put the ministry he serves at risk of closing completely. While privately he is nearly falling to pieces, he must maintain a brave face for the children in his care. Even when his girlfriend seems to drift dangerously close to cheating on him with Quinn.

My Review

Fans of Kurk’s first novel, GLASS GIRL may find it to be a story difficult to beat. The intensity of Meg’s journey of loss and love in that novel makes it difficult to imagine creating a follow-up that can match, but PERFECT GLASS does just that. Henry continues to be the strong yet gentle man in Meg’s life, but adversity brings his flaws to the surface. Meg returns to salve the wounds of a dynamic older woman, demonstrating the beauty of character that can bloom after suffering. This is a fabulous novel and a worthy read for teens interested in missions overseas or looking for a classy romance.

Content Notes for Perfect Glass

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
Very brief references to a past rape, very limited details.

Spiritual Content
Both Henry and Meg face startling failures. Each falls back to regroup, but must learn that sometimes one’s personal strength isn’t enough, and only dependence on God can suffice. Meg befriends a boy who has many questions and little faith and a woman with deep anger toward God. Both challenge her to justify her faith.

Violence
Men surround a boy in Henry’s care and threaten to attack him, until Henry gets involved. Henry witnesses a man slap a teenaged boy on the back of the head and confronts him about it. Brief references to a past murder and rape, very limited details.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links which do not cost anything for you to use but help support this blog.

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Review: False Covenant by Ari Marmell

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , ,

False Covenant
Ari Marmell
Pyr
Published June 5, 2012

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Widdershins, a young thief and sole follower of her god Olgun, struggles to keep her tavern and its crew afloat through mostly legal means. Rumors about her involvement in the recent murder of the Archbishop strain relationships with other members of her guild, despite the fact that its leadership declared her innocent. When a new evil emerges on the streets of Davillon,

Widdershins is charged with the task of locating its source. What she discovers nearly undoes her. As the nightmarish creature begins to target her, Widdershins must team up with unlikely allies and join physical with spiritual forces. Gods help the people of Davillon if she should fail.

Marmell creates a fantastic world with a colorful cast of characters, both natural and supernatural. In a town on the outs with its powerful Church, politics and spirituality collide, birthing an unstoppable horror. Fantasy fans and gamers who like Dungeons and Dragons will fall into this story and not surface until completing its last page.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Infrequent but severe.

Sexual Content
Brief kissing.

Spiritual Content
Many references to the politics of the reigning church leadership. Rather than worshipping one god, the church services pay homage to many. Widdershins is the sole surviving follower of a god outside the group worshipped by the church.

Violence
Battle violence containing some graphic or disturbing details.

Drug Content
Widdershins owns a tavern, so there are some brief scenes depicting alcohol consumption. Nothing central to scene or story.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Review: The 13th Sign by Kristin O’Donnell Tubb

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , ,

The 13th Sign
Kristin O’Donnell Tubb
Feiwel and Friends
Published January 8, 2013

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When her grandmother is too ill to fulfill a birthday tradition, thirteen year-old Jalen finds herself in the creepy voodoo shop alone. Jalen is ready to storm out after another disappointing and ill-fitting reading for her sign, but she is strangely drawn to a mysterious book sealed by an ornate lock. Too late Jalen and her friends discover that opening the book releases the thirteenth sign, causing a shift in the personalities of everyone on the planet and unleashing the other twelve signs, sworn to protect Ophiucus, the thirteenth. Now Jalen must fight the twelve, for only by defeating the other signs will she survive and restore order to all.

O’Donnell Tubb writes a fast-paced and highly entertaining story which will appeal to fans of Rick Riordan’s novels starring Percy Jackson and friends. This is a story of friendship, loyalty and destiny loaded with fun characters and desperate battles.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Jalen’s grandmother believes strongly in horoscopes. Jalen herself is skeptical until she must face and defeat a physical manifestation of each sign.

Violence
Brief battle scenes. No graphic details.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Review: Goddess Tithe by Anne Elisabeth Stengl

Book Review and Content, Christian World-View, Clean Fiction, Fantasy, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , ,

Goddess Tithe
Anne Elisabeth Stengl
Rooglewood Press
Published November 12, 2013

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A young sailor eager to learn of life on the seas finds himself the keeper of a foreign stowaway. Despite the crew’s whispers of the goddess who demands to be given the lives of those found hiding aboard merchant vessels, the captain promises safe passage to the mysterious traveler. The young boy, Munny, struggles to understand why the captain would risk the lives of his crew to spare this strange man. As the enraged goddess tosses the ship about on enraged seas, Munny becomes caught between the captain’s order to protect the passenger and the crew’s plots to throw him overboard.

Fans of the Tales of Goldstone Wood series will recognize the mysterious stowaway as the adventurous Leonard from books two and three. Stengl weaves humor into the story through the language barrier between Leonard and Munny, who seldom understand one another, sometimes leading to hilarious results. Munny lives in bondage to the fear of the goddess who controls the seas, and yet through the story he learns of a greater power, one personal and benevolent and of the beauty of grace and its power to banish vengeance. Goddess Tithe is a beautiful story, though its length prevents it from developing the complexity of Stengl’s longer stories. Series fans will find the same lovely prose and deep spiritual undercurrents classic to all of the Goldstone Wood novels.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
The sailors believe that a ruthless goddess lives beneath the waves of the sea and demands to be given any stowaways found aboard sea vessels. The story explores themes of vengeance versus grace and the value of self-sacrifice.

Violence
An older sailor boy bullies Munny. Brief fight scenes with few graphic details.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Review: White Lines by Jennifer Banash

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , ,

White Lines
Jennifer Banash
G P Putnam’s Sons
Published April 4, 2013

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Seventeen-year-old Cat slogs through school days, waiting for nighttime, when the flashing lights and pulsing music of New York’s hottest clubs to bring her to life. Waiting to float away on the little white lines. What started as a dream, an unending party, twists into something more sinister. Cat can feel her life rocketing out of control, but she feels powerless to stop it. As pressure from her boss and her abusive mother pile on top of her, Cat wants to retreat further into the haze of anonymity in the club scene. All that holds her back is the mysterious boy who makes her want to experience life and feel things that ordinarily terrify her. As the pull of her night life and her attraction to Julian yank her in different directions, Cat must make hard choices and force her fears into words before she fractures completely.
In a genre already crowded with stories of teen drug experimentation, self-destruction, and recovery, Banash boldly writes with equal measures grit and empathy. Cat’s battle extends far beyond drug addiction into issues of abandonment and abuse, which only adds to the believability of her plight. Though the end was a little too neat and tidy to fit the rest of this dark tale, the message of hope and recovery is sure to be encouraging to readers who’ve struggled with addiction personally or through a friend or family member.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Infrequent but severe.

Sexual Content
Brief but intense kissing scene. References to sexual encounters that happen off-scene.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violence
One boy attempts suicide publicly by first trying to throw himself out a window and then cutting himself. Another boy eggs him on. Cat’s mother physically and emotionally abuses her. A few scenes contain brief but strong descriptions of this abuse. She suffers from a violent recurring nightmare in which her mother brutally murders her.

Drug Content
Cat and her coworkers frequently abuse drugs like cocaine and extasy. Consequences for the behavior are severe and while the abuse is pretty thoroughly described, it is not condoned in any way. This is a cautionary tale of disaster averted by rehab and therapy.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Review: The Others by Kristin Bryant

Christian World-View, Clean Fiction, Sci-Fi, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, ,

The Others
Kristin Bryant
Sourced Media Books
Published September 1, 2013

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Ryen and his friends receive the greatest honor when they are sent from their home planet to earth as a team of researchers to find evidence of Jesus’ existence. Could he be The Light, whose coming was prophesied so long ago? As Ryen and his team scour the earth for clues, a young woman catches his eye. Try as he might, Ryan can’t stop thinking about her. As his mission comes to a close, he knows that if he becomes involved with her, he’ll only have to leave her behind. He should protect her by ignoring her, but can he ignore the powerful longing he feels for her?

When Ryen’s teammate invites the girl to join them on the last leg of their earthly journey, he promises himself the only reason he allows her to accompany them is to protect her and send her home. But the more time he spends with Savannah, the more thinly his resolve is stretched, and the girl claims she has no home to which she can return, only terrible memories. Difficulties at his own home force Ryen to focus. His tribe leader threatens to invade earth and rumors of kidnapping, murder and a deadly new weapon send Ryen and his team spinning. It’s more important than ever to find the evidence they’ve been sent to collect. Ryen will have to work fast if he is to protect Savannah and his family and stop the terrible plot that could destroy them all.

In a fresh, fun story, Bryant explores history and archaeology from a whole different perspective. The story unfolds, bringing with it a vibrant cast of characters and a plot that is as fascinating as its premise. Ryen can be a little bit brooding and repetitive (he revisits the idea that he should not become involved with Savannah but wants to several times without deepening or adding to his observations,) but Savannah’s quick wit and endearing nature make it tough for readers not to engage in the story. History or archaeology fans will probably find this story more interesting than sci-fi fans, as much of it takes place on earth, and the aliens themselves are genetically identical to humans. The political intrigue and high action sequences make this a fun read for all.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
Romance between Ryan and Savannah intensifies, but no details are given as to whether they engage in sex, though they do spend the night together.

Spiritual Content
Ryen’s people received prophesies that The Light, a savior to all creation would come – to another planet. Since the prophecy was received, the people have devoted themselves to developing the technology to explore space looking for the planet where the Savior was born. They journey to earth looking for evidence to prove that Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophecy.

Violence
On Ryen’s home planet, a small group of tribe members stage a revolution using a terrible weapon. The group bribes and threatens leadership members. On earth, Ryen attacks a man who pursues a young woman. There are a few graphic details.

Drug Content
Ryen ends a relationship with a girl because he discovers her addiction to drugs. She has since passed on her addiction to other members of her tribe. This only leads to destruction.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

 

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