teen book review blog https://library.escondido.org/teen-book-reviews.aspx http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification mojoPortal Blog Module en-US cathy.janovitz@escondidolibrary.org (Cathy Janovitz) 120 cathy.janovitz@escondidolibrary.org (Cathy Janovitz) cathy.janovitz@escondidolibrary.org Cathy Janovitz no This Delicious Death This Delicious Death: 9781728236445: Cottingham, Kayla: Books - Amazon.com

After going through The Hollowing, a large group of people now need human flesh to keep their humanity intact but a synthetic flesh has been created as a substitute. When four girls go to a music festival one of the group goes feral and eats someone. They must figure out why this is happening and how to stop it before it's too late.

I liked this book a lot because of the combination of mystery and romance. The author's writing style gave the reader a glimpse of each character's experience with the hollowing and I found that to be helpful in understanding the characters' motivations.

The book is good for people who aren't bothered by blood and gore. I would also recommend this book to those looking to read LGBTQ+ romance.

Cambrie, 14

Rating:  

smiley Suggest the Library purchase this book

]]>
https://library.escondido.org/this-delicious-death cathy.janovitz@escondidolibrary.org https://library.escondido.org/this-delicious-death https://library.escondido.org/this-delicious-death Sun, 04 Feb 2024 00:36:00 GMT
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue The invisible life of Addie LaRue

The Invisible Life of Addie Larue is a fictional book about a girl who was born in the 1600's in a small, rural village in France. She constantly felt as though the world had more to offer than her daily life of cooking, cleaning, helping her mother and finding books to read. On the day of her marriage, which was arranged by her parents, she runs off into the woods, and meets a 'God that answers after dark'. She proceeds to make a deal with him, which changes the course (and duration) of her life forever.

I really enjoyed reading this book. The imagery was captivating, and I could barely put it down, as I wanted to know what happened next. The plot was also very interesting, with several surprising plot twists.

I would recommend this book for anyone who enjoys historical fiction, romance and magic. I particularly like the fact that this book did not make romance the most important part of the plot.

Varvara, 14

Rating:  

smiley Find at the Library

]]>
https://library.escondido.org/the-invisible-life-of-addie-larue cathy.janovitz@escondidolibrary.org https://library.escondido.org/the-invisible-life-of-addie-larue https://library.escondido.org/the-invisible-life-of-addie-larue Fri, 02 Feb 2024 23:09:00 GMT
Forest of a Thousand Lanterns Forest of a thousand lanterns

The story follows Xifeng, a complex and enigmatic protagonist who embarks on a journey from innocence to power. Dao's character development is exceptional, as we witness Xifeng's transformation from a seemingly ordinary girl into a formidable force willing to do whatever it takes to rise to the top.

One of the standout aspects of this book is the vivid world-building. Dao paints a rich and vibrant picture of the mystical Eastern-inspired realm, from the opulent palaces to the dense forests and mystical creatures. The attention to detail and cultural nuances in the world-building add depth and authenticity to the story, making it all the more immersive. There were moments where the pacing felt a bit uneven, but this did not significantly detract from my overall enjoyment of the book.

If you're a reader who enjoys exploring morally complex worlds and characters, I recommend giving this book a try. It's a unique addition to the fantasy genre.

Anna, 16

Rating:  

smiley Find at the Library

]]>
https://library.escondido.org/forest-of-a-thousand-lanterns cathy.janovitz@escondidolibrary.org https://library.escondido.org/forest-of-a-thousand-lanterns https://library.escondido.org/forest-of-a-thousand-lanterns Wed, 31 Jan 2024 23:48:00 GMT
The Hunger Games The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games is a dystopian novel depicting a futuristic society where children from throughout the nation are randomly chosen to fight to the death on live television every year. Katniss Everdeen, our sixteen year old protagonist, is forced to combat the evils within both the fatal games and the society that was birthed from the remnants of war.

Overall, I deeply enjoyed this ambitious work. Even though Collins' writes accessibly, the simple vernacular used in her writing does not take away from the truly complex topics she discusses. While The Hunger Games can be enjoyed for it's suspenseful action and unique atmosphere, I enjoyed this book most because of its subtle critiques on reality television, government, class, and American society as a whole. It explains such nuanced yet familiar ideas in a way that allows even the youngest of readers to properly grasp what the author is trying to convey. Putting complexity aside, The Hunger Games is also an engaging, fast-paced, and exciting novel that will keep you immersed until the very last page. With relatable characters, realistic worlds, and excellent prose, I swear I could not put this book down.

As a staple to the YA dystopian genre, I can not recommend The Hunger Games highly enough. For readers who are looking for a fresh and engaging read, this book is most certainly for you. It has all the elements that dystopian readers' crave without feeling repetitive or over done. With action, complex societies, well-developed characters, and suspense, The Hunger Games will be sure to not disappoint.

Morgan, 14

Rating:  

smiley Find at the Library

]]>
https://library.escondido.org/the-hunger-games cathy.janovitz@escondidolibrary.org https://library.escondido.org/the-hunger-games https://library.escondido.org/the-hunger-games Wed, 03 Jan 2024 20:32:00 GMT
Both Can Be True Both Can Be True by Machias, Jules

Ash is a genderfluid person who feels pressured to stay as one gender rather then who they are. While finding out how to be themselves, Daniel, who has a love for dogs, takes in a new pup companion (in secret). The dog's name is Chewbarka, and he saved her from being put down. This lovable dog brings the two close together with the same hope to save Chewbarka.

I found this book a heartwarming story filled with the joy of animals. It is a great representation of what it is like to be someone who is coming out and I found it refreshing to find a book that related to those struggles.

I would definitely recommend it to animal lovers and those of the LGBTQIA+. It is beautifully written and switches perspective.

Cambrie, 14

Rating: 

smiley Suggest the Library purchase this book

]]>
https://library.escondido.org/both-can-be-true cathy.janovitz@escondidolibrary.org https://library.escondido.org/both-can-be-true https://library.escondido.org/both-can-be-true Wed, 03 Jan 2024 19:54:00 GMT
Ramona Blue Ramona Blue

Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy tells the story of Ramona, a teenage girl who is navigating her identity and relationships in a small town after Hurricane Katrina. While the book explores important themes of self-discovery, family dynamics, and sexual orientation, I personally found it to be lacking in depth and character development.

I had mixed feelings about Ramona Blue. While the book tackles important topics and addresses the complexities of identity, I felt that the plot lacked cohesion and direction. The pacing was slow, and the characters felt underdeveloped, making it difficult for me to fully connect with them.

I would cautiously recommend Ramona Blue to readers who appreciate coming-of-age stories and are interested in exploring themes of identity and sexuality. However, I would also suggest being prepared for a slower-paced narrative and characters that may not resonate as strongly. It's important to approach this book with an understanding that personal opinions may vary, and some readers may find deeper meaning and connection within its pages.

Jane, 13

Rating: 

smiley Find at the Library

]]>
https://library.escondido.org/ramona-blue cathy.janovitz@escondidolibrary.org https://library.escondido.org/ramona-blue https://library.escondido.org/ramona-blue Tue, 19 Sep 2023 21:45:00 GMT
The Summer I Turned Pretty The summer I turned pretty

Girl who goes to a summer house every summer of her life with her mother and brother is hopelessly falling in love with house-owners son. she glows up one summer and suddenly both sons are interested in her.

The Summer I Turned Pretty is the perfect book for summer. The author did a really good job making the story, It makes me want to fall in to a love triangle. I like how the author was developing the story throughout the book.

If your looking for the perfect summer romance book, then this is the book for you. Its packed with drama and it kept me on my toes. This story would make you want to live in this world.

Karime, 14

Rating:  

smileyFind at the Library

]]>
https://library.escondido.org/the-summer-i-turned-pretty cathy.janovitz@escondidolibrary.org https://library.escondido.org/the-summer-i-turned-pretty https://library.escondido.org/the-summer-i-turned-pretty Sat, 02 Sep 2023 00:16:00 GMT
The Crown's Game The crown's game

The book was about two wizards who are competing against each other to be the new enchantress or enchanter for the king. The take part of all different events to see who the best enchanter is.

The book was amazing. I love the two places that the characters come from. One is an orphan and the other raised in the countryside by her father. I love seeing all the different abilities they have because it was interesting seeing what they could bring to the table to be the best enchanter.

This book has some love drama in it as the two enchanters start falling in love with each other if that is something that you are into. It is an enemy to lovers' story. There is fighting in it so that would be interesting for anyone who loves it.

Jocelyn, 17

Rating:  

smiley Find at the Library

]]>
https://library.escondido.org/the-crowns-game cathy.janovitz@escondidolibrary.org https://library.escondido.org/the-crowns-game https://library.escondido.org/the-crowns-game Tue, 16 May 2023 18:36:00 GMT
What I Like About You What I like about you

One girl, two lives. One online and one in real life. In real life she is the daughter of two famous documentary directors and the granddaughter to a famous book editor. When she is online she could be herself, a book reviewer, without anyone liking her house or her family background. Everything changes when she moves and meets her online best friend of many years and ends up having a HUGE crush on him. Without him know who she truly is.

I enjoyed this book because throughout the book is reveals how the main character didn’t really know much about her culture, due to the fact that her parents never had the time to teach her. So when she gets closer to her grandpa, she realizes how little she know about her background and her own people and her wanting to learn more. It also displayed how many teens my age have the problem to express themselves in real life rather than online.

If you love coming of age books, I think you will really enjoy this book.

Chelsea, 15

Rating:  

smiley Find at the Library

]]>
https://library.escondido.org/what-i-like-about-you cathy.janovitz@escondidolibrary.org https://library.escondido.org/what-i-like-about-you https://library.escondido.org/what-i-like-about-you Tue, 04 Apr 2023 20:09:00 GMT
Cafe con Lychee

The children of rival restaurants. They both face the dilemma of the shops that they love so dearly being sold due to the new restaurant, 'World Fusion Cafe' stealing their recipes and customers. They both begrudgingly have to work together but can they save their restaurants or will they find something deeper within themselves?

Cafe Con Lychee is an amazing book. The book really gets in the mind of the protagonists and feels as though you are immersed in their world! The plot is wonderful ( I LOVE THE FORCED PROXIMITY TROPE + THE ENEMIES TO LOVERS) and the different supporting characters that go through typical issues that high schoolers would face which I love as a high schooler right now.

I would recommend as someone who is part of the LGBTQ+ Community and being Hispanic, the lessons that are brought up are really important and hit close to home. I found comfort in the characters, which I feel like other people can connect to, or without identifying with such.

Jocelyn, 17

Rating:  

smiley Suggest the Library purchase this book

]]>
https://library.escondido.org/cafe-con-lychee cathy.janovitz@escondidolibrary.org https://library.escondido.org/cafe-con-lychee https://library.escondido.org/cafe-con-lychee Thu, 23 Feb 2023 20:38:00 GMT
Red, White & Royal Blue Red, white & royal blue

The son of the president of the United States, and the son of the England Monarch do not see eye to eye. After a mishap with the press, the two families force the two to be best friends to clear the air for the rest of the world. What happens when they don't need to pretend anymore? Will the world approve of their love or will they have to diminish their fiery passion for each other?

I loved this book, the push and pull of these two were absolutely cheesy and kept me reading. This read took me two days to complete on a road trip and I was so disappointed that there was not a sequel to this book :( .I did love the writing and almost anyone could pick this up and have a wonderful time getting to know Prince Henry and Alex.

I would recommend this book! It's a relatively beautiful and fulfilling read. The banter and the chemistry is something to die for! I have re-read this book many times and I have truly come to appreciate it more each time. The book may have some parts in which it can be slow but also contain some scenes with spice so please beware lol. I have given this book to a friend who doesn't favor reading as I do, and she was HOOKED I tell you!!

Jocelyn, 17

Rating:  

smiley Find at the Library

]]>
https://library.escondido.org/red-white-royal-blue cathy.janovitz@escondidolibrary.org https://library.escondido.org/red-white-royal-blue https://library.escondido.org/red-white-royal-blue Sat, 18 Feb 2023 22:16:00 GMT
Wildcard Wildcard

Wildcard sequel to Warcross is a science fiction novel by Marie Lu. It follows the story of Emika Chen, a young hacker and former member of the Warcross championship gaming league, who finds herself caught in a dangerous conspiracy involving the powerful corporation behind the popular virtual reality game Warcross.

I really like how it includes a fast-paced plot, and that it explores themes like loyalty, the power of technology, and identity, which I enjoy reading, in a thoughtful and engaging way.

I would recommend this to any young adults who are addicted to technology.

Victoria, 17

Rating:  

smiley Find at the Library

]]>
https://library.escondido.org/wildcard cathy.janovitz@escondidolibrary.org https://library.escondido.org/wildcard https://library.escondido.org/wildcard Fri, 10 Feb 2023 17:45:00 GMT
Hopeless

A girl that never shows interest in guys meets a boy and can't stop thinking about him. She feels like she has met him before and their first interaction is strange because he feels like he has met her too they just can't figure out from where. They begin to hangout and try to put the pieces of what they remember together to unfold the story of how they met.

The book was good it has a lot of hard topics that's discussed but handles it in a mature way. The book sheds light on what happens to people very often and how dark things can be.

I would recommend the book to those that like a love story but one that has a deeper meaning to it. I would look up what the topics the book discusses first because some topics might be too mature for some audiences.

Nadia, 16

Rating:  

smiley Suggest the Library purchase this book

]]>
https://library.escondido.org/hopeless cathy.janovitz@escondidolibrary.org https://library.escondido.org/hopeless https://library.escondido.org/hopeless Wed, 08 Feb 2023 22:33:00 GMT
Warcross Warcross

This book takes place in a futuristic setting, and it follows the perspective of a girl who is forced into employment as a bounty hunter as an act of desperation.

I enjoyed this book because it really dives deep into the technology of this futuristic world which I found interesting. It also shows you how big of an impact this technology affects lives in this book.

Yes, I would recommend this book to any young adults who enjoys Sci-Fi books and loves technology.

Victoria, 17

Rating:  

smiley Find at the Library

]]>
https://library.escondido.org/warcross cathy.janovitz@escondidolibrary.org https://library.escondido.org/warcross https://library.escondido.org/warcross Tue, 07 Feb 2023 00:52:00 GMT
Me Before You Me before you : a novel

The book is about Louisa, looking for employment to help her family. She takes a job as a caretaker who's purpose is to entertain grumpy 35 year old Will Traynor, who after an accident is a quadriplegic. Little by little their relationship becomes closer, but Louisa finds out it would end soon.

I wouldn't say I typically read romance books, but this one is so original and a slow burn. They don't force the characters together, it's natural. I really enjoyed this book.

I would definitely recommend this book. Even if you aren't huge on romance, the story is incredible. There is also a movie! Which is always fun for after.

Grettel, 18

Rating:  

smiley Find at the Library

]]>
https://library.escondido.org/me-before-you cathy.janovitz@escondidolibrary.org https://library.escondido.org/me-before-you https://library.escondido.org/me-before-you Tue, 07 Feb 2023 00:22:00 GMT
Winter Winter

Winter is a sci-fi novel by Marissa Meyer and the fourth and final book in the "Lunar Chronicles'" series. It follows the story of Winter, the younger sister of the evil Lunar Queen, Levana, who had been kept locked away in her palace for most of her life. Along the way she escapes, and she joins Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and their allies, who are also fighting against Levana's rule.

I loved how we got to know this new character, Winter, who is the sister of the evil queen, who everyone hates because of that whole controlling the world thing, But I loved that we also got a backstory on the evil queen.

I recommend this to anyone who enjoys novels with an action-packed plot, and fairytales.

Victoria, 17

Rating:  

smiley Find at the Library

]]>
https://library.escondido.org/winter-1 cathy.janovitz@escondidolibrary.org https://library.escondido.org/winter-1 https://library.escondido.org/winter-1 Wed, 01 Feb 2023 23:18:00 GMT
The Song of Achilles book cover for The song of Achilles

This book is told in the perspective of a boy named Patroclus, who is a Greek Prince, and is exiled by his father and is taken in by a king and his son, Achilles who he develops a very close bond with.

I loved it! What I liked about this book was that I wasn't once bored of the storyline and how the author is very descriptive in her writing.

Yes, I would recommend this book to young adults who want to learn more about Greek mythology.

Victoria, 17

Rating: 

smiley Find at the library

]]>
https://library.escondido.org/the-song-of-achilles cathy.janovitz@escondidolibrary.org https://library.escondido.org/the-song-of-achilles https://library.escondido.org/the-song-of-achilles Mon, 23 Jan 2023 22:12:00 GMT
To Kill a Kingdom Amazon.com: To Kill a Kingdom (Hundred Kingdoms): 9781250112682: Christo,  Alexandra: Books

To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo is a young adult fantasy novel about a 17-year-old mermaid princess named Lira who is known as the "Princess of the Sea of Blood" because of her ruthlessness towards human sailors. Lira is tasked by her mother, with capturing the heart of a human prince.

I somewhat like it. This book has a captivating plot that caught my attention, it had well-developed character and really lets your imagination run wild on this world the author created but while it had all that I was expecting more suspense or drama in the plot and was left disappointed on how short the book was.

I would recommend this to anyone who loves anything with mermaids and romance.

Victoria, 17

Rating: 

smiley Suggest the Library purchase this book

]]>
https://library.escondido.org/to-kill-a-kingdom cathy.janovitz@escondidolibrary.org https://library.escondido.org/to-kill-a-kingdom https://library.escondido.org/to-kill-a-kingdom Mon, 23 Jan 2023 21:28:00 GMT
The Unhoneymooners The Unhoneymooners

A couple about to get married has plans but in some way their maid of honor and best man take the trip instead of the married couple. The maid of honor and best man hate each other how will they last on a trip.

This book was good in a comedy romance way. The people that go on the vacation argue in the best way and make the funniest jokes. By the end of the trip their feelings for each other switch.

Yes I would recommend the book for those that love romance comedy and enemies to lovers trope. It has so many different aspects that make the book really enjoyable.

Nadia, 16

Rating:  

smiley Find the ebook

]]>
https://library.escondido.org/the-unhoneymooners cathy.janovitz@escondidolibrary.org https://library.escondido.org/the-unhoneymooners https://library.escondido.org/the-unhoneymooners Fri, 16 Dec 2022 01:11:00 GMT
Cemetery Boys Cemetery boys

This book follows the perspective of a gay, transgender brujo, Yadriel, who wishes to be accepted into his community. Throughout this story Yadriel struggles with the gender roles in his community.

I Loved it! I really like how the author goes about telling this story, it doesn't feel too slow or fast, it's just the right pace.

I would recommend this book to teenagers or young adults in the LGBTQ+ community.

Victoria, 17

Rating:  

smiley Find at the library

]]>
https://library.escondido.org/cemetery-boys cathy.janovitz@escondidolibrary.org https://library.escondido.org/cemetery-boys https://library.escondido.org/cemetery-boys Thu, 15 Dec 2022 00:51:00 GMT