Review: Of Secrets and Sorcery by Chris Solaas

Of Secrets and Sorcery by Chris SolaasOf Secrets and Sorcery
Chris Solaas

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As Kyne settles into his new home and new school, he begins to notice strange things happening around him. He wakes with strange bruises that seem to match up with bumps he must have gotten in his dreams. In those dreams, he’s a prince of a faraway realm, on the run for his life, whose only friend seems to be an irritable red dragon. With each night the dreams become more vivid, and Kyne realizes they may in fact be as real as his waking life.

The dragon was probably my favorite character – because, seriously, who can resist a snappy dragon? … Continue reading

Review: The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You by Lily Anderson

The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You by Lily AndersonThe Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You
Lily Anderson
St. Martin’s Griffin

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Trixie’s rivalry with Ben goes all the way back to first grade. Now in senior year, there’s no undoing those long-standing battle lines. Until Trixie’s best friend starts dating Ben’s and the group forces them to call a truce. But letting go of her dislike is easier said than done, even when it turns out Ben might possibly be hiding surprisingly pleasant qualities beneath his ridiculous mustache. But when a cheating scandal leaves Trixie’s BFF expelled, Trixie’s determined to rally the troops and prove her bestie innocent. The investigation may shatter … Continue reading

Review: Traitor’s Masque by Kenley Davidson

Traitor's Masque by Kenley DavidsonTraitor’s Masque
Kenley Davidson
Page Nine Press

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When Trystan’s secret horse rides are interrupted by a handsome, intelligent stranger, she has no idea she’s just met the crown prince of Andari. To her, he’s just a lonely nobleman, seeking the same healing solitude as she is. So when her stepmother’s tyranny reaches new heights, Trystan leaps at an offer from a friend of her late father’s. The lady offers Trystan the freedom she desperately craves for one tiny favor: deliver a message. Not until she’s agreed does Trystan realize she’s just committed to betray the friend she met in the woods, the man she may be falling in … Continue reading

Review: Genius: The Game by Leopoldo Gout

Genius: The Game by Leopoldo GoutGenius: The Game
Leopoldo Gout
Feiwel & Friends
Available May 3, 2016

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As the clock counts down to Zero Hour, 200 of the best and brightest kids form teams competing to solve a challenge created by a young visionary with world-changing goals. For Rex, Tunde and Painted Wolf, the competition is only part of the challenge. Rex needs a supercomputer housed at the challenge site to locate his brother whose been missing for two years. A war lord threatens to wipe Tunde’s whole village off the map unless Tunde and his friends deliver a powerful weapon to him at the end of the contest. Painted Wolf will do … Continue reading

Review: It Ain’t So Awful, Falafel by Firoozeh Dumas

It Ain't So Awful, Falafel by Firoozeh DumasIt Ain’t So Awful, Falafel
Firoozeh Dumas
Clarion Books

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When Zomorod Yousefzadeh and her family move (again), she decides to take the opportunity to start fresh and try to fit in with her new California schoolmates. The first thing to go? Her name. She adopts the classic Brady Bunch Cindy as her identity. After a rough start, she begins to find true friends. But when unrest in Iran turns into an American hostage crisis, Cindy begins to catch glimpses of an uglier side of the Land of the Free. Cruel bumper stickers and slogans send chilling messages to Cindy and her family. Cindy tries to … Continue reading

Review: The Star-touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

star-touched-queenThe Star-touched Queen
Roshani Chokshi
St. Martin’s Griffin

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When Maya’s father the Raja promises her in marriage to end a war over his kingdom, her dreams of living a quiet scholarly life are destroyed. Despite the fact that her horoscope promises only death and destruction to her husband, she finds herself wed to Amar, the ruler of a distant kingdom that stands apart from her world. Amar’s home holds many mysteries, but all are forbidden to explain things to her until the new moon. As Maya’s curiosity builds, she begins to unravel her husband’s secrets. What she learns places worlds in danger. To save them all, she’ll have to journey across kingdoms and beg … Continue reading