Review: Riverkeep

Riverkeep

by Martin Stewart 

Publisher: Viking

Publication Date: July 26, 2016

  

RIVERKEEP by Martin Stewart is an adventurous and thrilling book about a boy named Wulliam, who is attempting to cure his father after he was possessed by a dark spirit. Wull is almost 16, and is set to become Riverkeep, where he tends to a magical and treacherous river. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and its adventurous nature. Furthermore, I really liked the character development and the diversity amongst the characters as a whole. I liked the book largely due to its action and the way the book is written: keeping accents for each and every character really helped me to keep a good idea of the characters’ traits in my head. I would recommend the book to people who enjoy action and adventure. However, the book had some gore in it, so people who don't enjoy that kind of description may not like it as much.

Review: Mirror In The Sky

Mirror In The Sky 
by Aditi Khorana 

Publisher: Razorbill
Publication Date: June 21, 2016

Beautifully written by Aditi Khorana, MIRROR IN THE SKY allows both the characters and readers to think about all the “what-ifs” life has to offer. Just as Tara Krishnan is settling into her junior year of high school, NASA releases news of Terra Nova, Earth’s mirror planet. Tara, along with the rest of the world, starts to consider the weight of her life choices, wondering what life is like for the alternate version of herself on Terra Nova. Soon, she begins to notice slight changes in her everyday life – her mother seems distant and Tara finds a new group of friends within the school’s resident popular clique. With everything up in the air, all Tara knows is that her life on Earth will never be the same. Tara and her family members had a genuine and authentic voice that readers will easily be able to relate to. Without being too laden with scientific details, the plot was believable and mainly revolved around the main character’s social circle. 

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Review: Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies

Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies
by Lindsay Ribar

Publisher: Kathy Dawson Books
Publication Date: June 7, 2016

In ROCKS FALL, EVERYONE DIES, Aspen Quick is the (admittedly) self-centered protagonist who has the ability to steal people’s innermost thoughts. In fact, he uses his talents primarily for personal gain. The Quicks have been tasked with using their powers to keep a cliff from falling on top of their small town and it’s Aspen’s turn to partake in the triad ceremony that his family has participated in for centuries. Filled with suspense, humor, and a whole-lot-of teenage angst, this novel provides a protagonist that you’ll love to hate, but will still want to succeed.ROCKS FALL, EVERYONE DIES is the perfect summer reading book, and is destined to destroy whatever reading slump you may find yourself in. 

Review: What Happens Now

What Happens Now

by Jennifer Castle

Publisher: Harper Teen 

Publication Date: June 7, 2016 

WHAT HAPPENS NOW, is about Ari Logan, a girl who sees a boy from afar (Camden Armstrong) and immediately falls in love with him. The summer that she first sees him, Ari never gathers the courage to talk to Camden, but the next summer is different. Ari is living with depression and finds herself forgetting her own demons as she figures out Camden's real self. I am a blossoming fan of romance novels and I really loved this book! It was very well written and the plot was compelling. I highly recommend this to romance and drama lovers.

Review: True Letters From A Fictional Life

True Letters From A Fictional Life 
by Kenneth Logan 

Publisher: Harper Teen
Publications Date: June 7th, 2016

Kenneth Logan's first novel, TRUE LETTERS FROM A FICTIONAL LIFE, is an astoundingly genuine story about a teenage boy coming to terms with his own sexuality and its impact on his world. James, a moderately popular jock with a charismatic girlfriend and a seemingly perfect life, struggles with his affections for one of his closest male friends. With no one to turn to James writes letters to him and all the other people in his life to help him process his feelings. Guilt from lying to his girlfriend, friends, and family, and for an injury that happened to one of his peers, James finds a connection with a boy from another school and slowly learns to accept himself, doing his best to ignore what other people think of him.

            
This story is easily one of the most realistic and honest LGBTQ+ coming of age tales in a while, and I felt as though I was a part of James' life. The unbarred descriptions of the conflicting emotions he felt were natural and seemed as though the author had true insight into what James was experiencing. While the story was masterfully told, there was also a rawness and a truthfulness that made it an emotionally captivating account from a shockingly life-like narrator. From the moment I picked it up, I was unable to stop reading until I had finished and by the last page I was crying, not only because of the story, but because it was over. I recommend this book to anyone even remotely interested by this genre and promise that it will be one of your best reads of 2016. I'm thrilled not only by this book, but by the potential this author has and I'm extremely excited to see what he does next.

Review: Savage

Savage

by Thomas Sniegoski

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Publication Date: May 31, 2016

SAVAGE by Thomas Sniegoski, is a book full of action and mystery.  It takes place on the island of Benediction, where we follow the life of a teen girl named Sydney, two of her friends, and her dog. SAVAGE is a book worth reading, as once the excitement rolls in, it continues through till the end. I loved this book, and any fans of mystery (or maybe even romance) will probably enjoy it just the same.