Category Archives: Young Adult/Teen 12-18

Top Ten Underrated Books

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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s theme lists underrated books, or books with fewer than two thousand ratings on Goodreads. I’ve talked about a lot of these books before. Some are indie or small press novels. Others remain largely undiscovered for reasons I can’t quite figure. All are books I would happily pick up and read all over again.

Top Ten Underrated BooksTop Ten Underrated Books

Glass Girl by Laura Anderson Kurke

You know when you find one of those books where the writing itself is as beautiful as the story? Glass Girl is like that to me. Big emotions, great characters, and a totally swoon-worthy romance. I’m no cowgirl, but I totally loved this Wyoming story.

To Get to You by Joanne Bischof

This one took me by surprise. After reading the back cover copy, I wasn’t totally sure what I’d be getting into. Something about best friends and a cross-country trip? Reuniting with an estranged parent? It sounded a little Hallmark-y to me, in all honesty. Bischof won me over with her straightforward writing. She kept it real when it came to Riley’s relationship with his dad. I liked the way she set up the relationships – the history between Riley and his parents, and his developing relationship with the girl.

The Unlikely Debut of Ellie Sweet by Stephanie Morrill

Seriously. If you have a girl in early teens and you’re looking for clean, funny books with a lot of heart, and you haven’t read anything by Stephanie Morrill, just stop now and fix that. I always laugh. I always cry. I always wish for another chapter. Good stuff. (Did I mention she has a historical mystery coming out next year?! I. Can’t. Wait!!!)

I Have Seen Him in the Watchfires by Cathy Gohlke

Every time I read historical fiction, I think I should read more of it because I enjoy it so much, especially when it’s as done as well as Christy Award-winning author Cathy Gohlke’s novels. This novel goes deep and paints the Civil War in stark detail. For history fans interested in a clean read, this is a must.

Chasing Lilacs by Carla Stewart

I love when authors tackle difficult subjects with poise and honesty, and that’s just what Carla Stewart does in her debut novel Chasing Lilacs. Twelve year-old Sammie faces her mother’s mental health issues and suicide during a time (the 1950s) when these things were hushed up. It’s a bit darker than some of my other selections here, but still a worthy read.

Wind and Shadow by Kathy Tyers

Okay, don’t read the Goodreads copy because it’s really confusing. This book is a continuation of Tyers’ Firebird series, so it’s probably best to start there. I read this one first, and I promise it’s not as confusing as Goodreads makes it sound. Wind Haworth was my favorite character. She’s a young diplomat trying to find her place in a very tense politically volatile situation. I really liked the marriage of politics and sci-fi in this novel.

Liberty by Annie Laurie Cechini

This is a light, fun sci-fi story that I think would appeal to fans of Firefly. A quirky crew and a space mission. What’s not to like? Definitely worth checking this one out.

Update – sorry. It looks like this one is currently out of print!

Mercy’s Prince by Katy Huth Jones

I remember being really impressed with the fact that the characters don’t whine when they’re faced with really tough choices. (I mean, let’s face it. Whining can ruin a great story. Even Luke Skywalker’s whining got old, right?) I found the whole can-do attitude and the story itself really intriguing and refreshing.

Traitor’s Masque by Kenley Davidson

I love fairy tales retold, so as soon as I saw this retelling of Cinderella, I was intrigued. This isn’t a classic Cinderella. Davidson’s heroine finds herself recruited to spy for an unknown Lord who promises, in exchange, the one thing she wants most: freedom from her step-mother’s domain. What will she do when completing her task requires her to betray the prince with whom she’s falling in love?

Curio by Evangeline Denmark

I read this book months ago and I still wake up thinking about it sometimes. I loved the story-within-a-story element to this novel. What is it about a boy with wings that I find so intriguing, too? Gah. I loved it. If you’re a fan of dystopian stories or steampunk, you definitely have to check this one out.

Have you read these books?

If you’ve read and enjoyed any of these books, help the author out. Take a few minutes and rate them on Goodreads and post a quick review! You don’t have to do anything fancy. Think of two things you liked and a book or genre that you found similarly enjoyable whose readers might also enjoy the book. Post, and you’re done!

Doing this really helps an author out. Amazon and other sites have goofy rules about what promotional tools authors can access based on the number of reviews posted for their work.

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Review: The Crowd by Alleece Balts

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

The Crowd
Alleece Balts
Available January 10, 2016

Amazon | Goodreads | Author web site

Ella’s excitement over her acceptance into a prestigious school quickly fades when she has her first run-in with the Crowd. These future politicians and business leaders possess the power to make life miserable for the other students. When Jackson, the Crowd leader, turns his attention to Ella, she wants nothing more than to slip back into anonymity. Only her friendship with Lucas, a boy from another school, gives her any joy. With each new challenge the Crowd tosses her way, Ella reminds herself of her father’s words: be kind. Her mother quotes Eleanor Roosevelt, Ella’s namesake, and Ella strives to live up to those lofty words. But if she’s going to find peace at school, she’ll have to take down the Crowd.

One of the things I liked about this book was how often the people and relationships in Ella’s life turned out to be different than they first seemed. She’d make judgments about the people around her and then have to decide whether or not to shift her expectations as she gained more experience. I thought that was pretty realistically portrayed.

The story kind of follows two separate tracks. On one hand, it’s a romance. On the other, it’s a tale about bullying. Most of the time I thought those two ideas played well with each other, but there were moments where the romance seemed to overshadow the other story elements. Overall, this didn’t lessen the enjoyment for me. I just sometimes forgot that there was more going on than blossoming love.

The faith elements come through naturally, and I enjoyed the way those moments unfolded. I liked how her faith was integrated with the wise voices in her life, like her dad’s reminders to be kind and her mom’s Eleanor Roosevelt quotes.

Overall, I thought this was a sweet, clean story. If you’re looking for a lighter read that still explores issues like bullying, maybe as an alternative to something like Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers, check out The Crowd.

Cultural Elements
Most of the characters in The Crowd are or appear to be white. Ella becomes friends with a girl named Jayla, who is the only African-American student at their school. Ella’s friend Lucas is described as Latin.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
No profanity. There are a couple of crude comments. For example, one boy makes a comment to another boy about wanting to “bang” a girl.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. A boy and girl fall asleep on a bed after talking for hours.

Spiritual Content
Ella’s faith is extremely important to her. She often prays for guidance. She and her aunt study proverbs together and attend church regularly. Ella volunteers to sing in the choir, but becomes discouraged when it feels more like performance than worship.

Violent Content
Kids at school pick on Ella. They do some hurtful things along the lines of ruining her skirt by placing a broken pen in her seat.

Ella learns some town history in which a boy shot two girls before killing himself in a school shooting. Another girl gets shot when a gun accidentally goes off.

Drug Content
Ella hears rumors about Jackson’s wild past involving a lot of drinking. Ella’s dad achieved great success as a musician in a rock band, and he lived a hard party life until becoming a Christian and leaving the band. We don’t learn many details about either Jackson’s rumored past or Ella’s dad’s rock star days. There are no descriptions of alcohol or drug use, just references to the fact that they happened.

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

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Review: Paper and Fire by Rachel Caine

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic, Fantasy, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , ,

Paper and Fire
Rachel Caine
New American Library/Random House
Available July 5, 2016

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Jess survived induction into the Library, but life as one of their soldiers is far more grueling than he expected. The girl he loves is locked away forever, and his best friend is lost. When rumors bring Jess’s old classmates together again, they face a terrible choice: a rescue mission that would mean living the rest of their lives on the run from the Library, if they manage to escape. Jess promises refuge with his family, but even he isn’t sure he can count on his father to hide them without having something valuable to offer in return.

After devouring the series opener, INK AND BONE, (and then pestering everyone I know to also go read it) I was anxious to start reading PAPER AND FIRE. I love Jess. Something about the combination of his cleverness and vulnerability makes it essential for me to root for him.

I felt like the story in INK AND BONE was a tiny bit more organized, but I still really enjoyed PAPER AND FIRE. In the first book, I was nervous about liking each new character as they were introduced. In PAPER AND FIRE, I was biting my nails down to the quick because again and again, all the characters I love find themselves in mortal peril. I kept having to stop and take a breath.

One of the really difficult things for a series like this where the story world is so unbelievably inventive is that the second book doesn’t have that wow factor with regard to that story world. We already know about the Great Library and the sinister automata. Though they’re still as unique and interesting, I didn’t feel the same awe, because I had kind of already acclimated to the wonder. If that makes sense. I felt the same way about THE HUNGER GAMES. But by the second book, I was like, oh yeah, the Arena. I remember that. Not quite the same.

So yeah. That’s my take. Still a great read, and possibly cleaner than the first book. I’m super excited to see what happens in the next book, ASH AND QUILL.

Content Notes

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Some passionate kissing. At one point, it seems like two characters are winding up to have sex, but they argue instead, and that kills the mood.

Two men kiss.

Jess and his friends learn that in the Iron Tower, Obscurists are matched based on ability and forced to have sex in order to produce children. The process isn’t described, but during Morgan’s imprisonment, Jess worries for her and hates the idea of her being forced into anything.

Spiritual Content
Khalila is a practicing Muslim.

Violent Content
Burners use Greek fire to set books and themselves ablaze. They also use it against soldiers and members of the Great Library. Jess serves as a soldier and faces battle. The battle descriptions are more about the strategy than about warfare. Guns are used.

Jess and the others learn that Wolfe and other prisoners were tortured. While there aren’t scenes actively depicting the torture, characters who’ve experienced it react strongly to any triggers, and there are some references to the fact that it happened. At one point, Jess and the team find the room where others have been tortured.

Drug Content
None.

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

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Review: Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine

Book Review and Content, Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , ,

Ink and Bone (The Great Library #1)
Rachel Caine
New American Library/Penguin/Random House

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

The Great Library controls all knowledge in a world that’s never known the printing press. Jess believes in the rule of the Library, even though his family has built their fortune selling forbidden books on the black market. When he’s sent to join the Library as a spy for his family, his passions only become stronger: to protect knowledge, to serve an agency created to bring that knowledge to the masses. But something dark and twisted has taken root at the core of the institution Jess loves, and as he’s faced with the horrible truth of it, he must decide where his true loyalties lie, and what is worth dying for.

I have to say that from the very beginning, before I even cracked the cover, I was fascinated with this book. For so many readers, the library represents comfort, safety, and one of the best parts of our childhoods. To see a series in which the villainous entity is in fact the most powerful library, our favored institution gone horribly wrong? Oh yes, I was totally hooked.

And then I read the opening pages. And I couldn’t stop. Jess had me immediately. This boy who lived in the shadow of his father, risking his life every day for one precious book at a time. Wow. Just wow. I loved that kid. Then, when he goes to training to join the Library, I worried I’d lose some interest in the story. It wasn’t where I expected the tale to take me, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to like those Library yahoos. And Caine did it again. Each twist and turn totally blew me away. Every time I met a character and thought, ehh, not sure I’m going to like that guy, the story turned, and I was surprised and further intrigued.

I’ve already got a copy of PAPER AND FIRE for review. In fact, the publisher first sent me that one and then offered INK AND BONE, which I hadn’t yet read, so that’s how I ended up reading it. I CANNOT WAIT to start it. Like, I want to be reading it right now. You’ve heard enough about INK AND BONE, right? Just go get a copy if you haven’t already. Seriously.

Okay, maybe check the content notes first, because there is a bit of heavy stuff there.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used with moderate frequency.

Romance/Sexual Content
Some intense kissing. At one point, a boy and girl lie next to each other to sleep. Jess discovers that two men are lovers—he doesn’t witness much in the way of romance between them, but they live together and the tenderness between them is clear.

Spiritual Content
Khalila is a practicing Muslim and mentions Allah. Catholicism is mentioned briefly in reference to burial rites.

Violent Content
As a child, Jess sees a giant mechanical lion crush innocent people to death. Later, Jess and his friends find themselves in a warzone where they witness firsthand some of its brutality. Rebels called Burners use Greek fire to light books and themselves ablaze. They also use it as a weapon against their enemies.

Drug Content
After a long ugly battle, the group reforms and shares wine (except Khalila.) Some members get drunk. Jess visits an establishment where tobacco and “other weeds” are smoked.

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

What Makes an Amazing Villain?

I love that in this series, the villain is something so unusual, something with such a positive connection to so many of us. What other stories have you read with unexpected villains? What do you think would make an interesting villain that you’ve never seen in a novel before?

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Review: Ophelia Adrift by Helen Goltz

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

Ophelia Adrift
Helen Goltz
Atlas Productions

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Newly orphaned, Ophelia Montague moves to the coast to live with her uncle. She soon finds her feet among the locals and takes on a history project learning about shipwrecks in the area. She meets Jack by the sea one night and falls deeply in love with him. Jack feels drawn to Ophelia, too, by a powerful force outside his control. He longs to be with her, but fears she may destroy him if she comes too close. Ophelia doesn’t understand the secrets Jack carries. She only knows she wants to be with him. When Jack reveals the cost of being with him, the price may prove too high for Ophelia to pay, and it may be too late for her to escape.

I liked that the story switches to a lot of different points of view. We see some scenes from Ophelia perspective, others from Jack’s, and still others from Adam or Holly’s viewpoint. I liked the way this drew the focus of the story onto the different relationships in Ophelia’s life rather than letting it be completely swallowed by her obsession with Jack.

The romance between Jack and Ophelia is definitely a dominant force in the tale. I found it a little hard to swallow the strength of their passion for each other because it didn’t seem to have much of a base. Why does she like him? Because she does. Why does he like her? Because they’re soul mates. It was kind of just supposed to be something readers never question. I kept waiting for there to be some revelation about a connection between Ophelia and Jack’s ancestors or something like that. Something that gave reason for the “meant to be” idea.

In the ARC version that I read, there are quite a few copy errors. Sometimes two sentences would be separated by a comma. In the grand scheme of things, it’s not a huge error, but things like that tend to trip me up. They may be fixed before the final version is released, though.

In reading some of the author’s notes about the story, I was excited to learn that the shipwreck mentioned in the tale did really happen, and many of the details about the sailors themselves were pulled from records about the real men aboard the vessel. I found it fascinating to have that bit of history pulled into the contemporary story. It definitely added some intrigue and made me want to learn more about shipwrecks.

Also – I loved coming across the various places mentioned in the Australia setting. Until recently, I worked for a company that creates 3D city models, and we had modeled many of the sites mentioned in the story. So that was kind of a cool thing for me that even though I’d never been to those places, I could visualize some of them from our models.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Intense kissing. Ophelia offers herself to her boyfriend, but he responds telling her that she will only share his bed when she is his wife. Adam receives a young woman into his room while wearing only boxers. No details about what happens after, though Ophelia wonders vaguely.

Spiritual Content
Ophelia believes she’s encountered a ghost and does some online research as to whether that could be true. One thing she learns is that (according to her research) if the ghost only partially appears and is missing some part of himself, then it may be a demon rather than a ghost she’s seeing.

Violent Content
Two of the local boys wind up in a fist fight over an old family feud. Ophelia researches records of shipwrecks in the area and learns about some of the sailor’s deaths at sea. A few of these instances are described in some detail.

Drug Content
None.

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

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Review: 10 Steps to Girlfriend Status by Cynthia Toney

Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,

10 Steps to Girlfriend Status (Bird Face #2)
Cynthia Toney
Write Integrity Press

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

While visiting an elderly neighbor, Wendy stumbles onto a family secret about a forbidden romance from her grandmother’s generation. Wendy investigates further, but her snooping only seems to create more trouble. Her visits to her neighbor, Mrs. V, land her in trouble with her hopefully-soon-to-be boyfriend, David, when he sees her with Mrs. V’s grandson. Having Alice for a new stepsister was supposed to be fun, but Alice withdraws, barely speaking to Wendy. And even her friend Gayle seems distant. Solving the mystery of what happened to the forbidden couple might soothe Wendy’s curiosity, but it will take more than that to patch up the other relationships in her life.

I enjoyed Wendy as a narrator in the first book, 8 Notes to a Nobody, and was excited to jump back into her quirky mind in this story, too. At fourteen, her latest project is making herself David’s girlfriend. As she pursues a relationship with him—it’s all clean, innocent things—she learns that relationships require more than holding hands and going out on Saturday nights. Respect and trust are essential, as is a basis of friendship. The story unfolds naturally. There’s no moment in which a preachy adult or friend hands Wendy the pearls of wisdom or beats her over the head with them. Everything happens as Wendy’s own discoveries about herself and the world around her. I really appreciated this and thought it was nicely done. I also liked that Wendy doesn’t pursue David using her body or emotional manipulation.

I liked that in the midst of all these other things—investigating the past, learning about changes in Mrs. V’s life, pursuing a relationship with her first boyfriend—Wendy is learning to adjust to her new blended family. When Wendy learns that her mom and new stepdad want her to wait until she’s a little older to date, she struggles with this news. Not only is she disappointed, but she feels like her new stepdad is overstepping his bounds, and worries that her mom may not stand up for what she wants and believes and will let her stepdad run the show. They have a long talk about it, one that I felt like was pretty realistic. Everyone articulates his or her side well, even if they don’t all agree. Blending two families isn’t an easy adjustment for anyone, and while it doesn’t dominate the story, I appreciated that it was an element included. I liked that it was a functional version of what blending families can be. We often see the dysfunctional versions in literature, so I was glad to see smart adults making good calls but again, not driving the story or taking over the scenes. Wendy remained the protagonist and the truth-seeker throughout the entire story.

For late elementary and middle school readers, this is a light, fun story that introduces relationships on a lot of different levels: Wendy’s mentoring/grandparent-like relationship with Mrs. V; the changes in her relationships with her new stepfamily; her relationships with Sam and David. The forbidden relationship in Wendy’s past explores an interracial relationship, and the challenges faced by the two in a generation much less tolerant than today. The details about that struggle are brief and vague, but the story definitely communicates that this was a big challenge for a couple of that time period. Toney does an excellent job introducing deep topics like this in a way that makes them accessible to younger readers but maintains a light story.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Wendy really wants David to be her boyfriend. In her mind, there are ten steps she’ll need to complete in order to make this happen. As the story unfolds, she mentally checks off the steps. They are things like meeting his family, and eating lunch together.

There is one brief kiss on the lips.

Spiritual Content
Wendy and David’s families attend church.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
None.

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

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