Review: Easy Prey

Easy Prey
by Catherine Lo

Publisher: Amulet
Publication Date: October 16, 2018

EASY PREY by Catherine Lo is a both a modern mystery and thought-provoking story of cyberbullying, sexting, and the victim-blaming mentality of the current era. Based in the small town school of Edgewood High, EASY PREY focuses on the aftermath of a sudden and anonymous release of a teacher’s nude photos. The three suspects in question of releasing said photos are high school seniors  Matthew “Mouse” Maguire, Drew Wilson, and Jenna Bradley, each having had plausible motives to do so. In fact, all three took part in acquiring the risqué photos of Ms. Bailey, but who took the joke too far?

Switching back and forth from points of view, EASY PREY gives the reader a detailed insight into the characters and their thoughts, each character being unique within themselves — far more than their labels of the geek, goth and jock. Having had previous knowledge of the effects of nonconsensual releases of nude photos, I was curious as to how this story would interpret the subject. I can now say that I am impressed at how EASY PREY put forth a very accurate and honest description of what happens in circumstances like these, and I definitely recommend giving it a try to see for yourself. Overall, EASY PREY is authentic, callous, and captivating, all whilst keeping up a tense “whodunit” factor up until the very end. As for the shocking ending, I can promise that it is not what you’d expect, and no one is who they seem. (At least, I didn’t see it coming!)

Review: MUNMUN

MUNMUN
by Jesse Andrews

Publisher: Amulet Books
Publication Date: April 3, 2018

Jesse Andrews’ latest novel, MUNMUN, delves into a dystopian world where a person’s height directly corresponds to their wealth, or “munmun.” The richest in the world stand at skyscraper height while the poorest are the size of mere rats. Warner and his sister, Prayer, are littlepoors, the very smallest of the citizens. After the accidental murder of their father, Warner and Prayer set off to try and find Prayer a wealthy husband who will share his wealth and “scale up” Warner’s family. And so begins an epic adventure of hope, humor, and important motifs that are far more serious than how they are presented.

Personally, I enjoyed MUNMUN. Andrews describes this made up world with such precision that I began to believe that it really existed. The roller-coaster ride of Warner and Prayer kept me on the edge of my seat--well, bed--and kept me happily turning the page. The syntax of this book is unique in that many words are pushed together, all acronyms are spelled out phonetically, and more. While it is hard to get used to at first, this style of writing perfectly encapsulates the narrator, Warner. Despite having an ending that left much to be desired, MUNMUN is a well-written, passionate book about the struggles of the poor that I recommend to any interested readers.

Review: Ginger Kid

Ginger Kid: Mostly True Tales from a Former Nerd
by Steve Hofstetter

Publisher: Amulet Books
Publication Date: March 20, 2018

GINGER KID by Steve Hofstetter is a memoir about the author growing up as a kid in New York. He is a quirky kid with tons of wit. He gets bullied in high school. It's really about him grappling with fears as he grows up. I enjoyed this book. It was a funny light read. From the very first page it was witty and interesting. I liked the fact that the author wrote about himself. I feel that takes a lot of guts and is probably extremely difficult.  The writing style was easy to comprehend and fit perfectly with the subject. Since I'm also in high school it's cool to hear about another person's experience.

Review: A Taxonomy of Love

A Taxonomy of Love
by Rachael Allen

Publisher: Amulet Books
Publication Date: January 9, 2018

A TAXONOMY OF LOVE by Rachael Allen follows the blooming romance between Spencer, a young boy with Tourette’s who seeks to explain life through various scientific diagrams (taxonomies), and Hope, the girl who moves in next door. Told through time-jumps, we catch a glimpse of various points in their lives, and see them truly grow throughout the book. Despite how much time is covered in the novel, there’s a certain intimacy between the reader and the characters that’s often hard to achieve in novels with this sort of style; however, Allen manages it brilliantly. If you’re looking for a cute romance with quirky storytelling, be sure to give A TAXONOMY OF LOVE a read!

Review: The Last Thing You Said

The Last Thing You Said
by Sara Biren

Publisher: Amulet Press
Publication Date: April 4, 2017

THE LAST THING YOU SAID by Sara Biren is a romance novel about the healing power of love and friendship when confronting grief. It follows Lucy and Ben as they struggle to cope with the untimely death of Trixie, Lucy’s best friend and Ben’s younger sister. Though this story obviously deals with some heavy subject matter, it is ultimately light and uplifting. While Lucy and Ben’s relationship is at the forefront of the plot, I found Lucy’s relationships with the other female characters to be much more compelling than I had anticipated at first; these complex characters provided such a support network to Lucy and added depth to the plot. That being said, I did feel as if Lucy and Ben’s romance seemed unrealistic at times, and it wasn’t as genuine as I would have liked it to be. Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone seeking a lighter read.

Review: The Romantics

The Romantics
by Leah Konen

Publisher: Amulet Books
Publication Date: November 1, 2016

THE ROMANTICS by Leah Konen is a romantic comedy about high-school romance with a unique twist: Love itself is the narrator. Love tells the story of Gael Brennen, a high-school senior, as he struggles with heartbreak and relationships while his family is crumbling around him. Although I thought this book was cliche and very cheesy, I found myself not being able to put it down because of the striking characters and interesting plot twists. It was very clever to have the story be told from the perspective of Love as I have never heard of a book written that way. I enjoyed the references to famous movies and books throughout it and thought it was a very witty story overall.