Escondido Public Library

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder is a novel bout mystery and of a girl named Pippa who becomes obsessed with solving a 5-year-old case. Along the way, she uncovers years' worth of dark secrets.

I thought it was a really crazy roller coaster ride. I finished it in less than a week because I was so eager to solve the case with the main character, Pippa.

I would recommend this book to any teenagers or young adults who love a good mystery book.

Victoria, 17

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This book follows Charlie as he ventures into highschool after the loss of a close friend. It is written as a diary and in Charlie's perspective. He creates new friends and new experiences. Along the way, he discovers more about himself, and his past.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a perfect, modern, coming of age book. I liked how real it was, and how it could even be relatable at points.

It's a very interesting and very short read. I 100% recommend. Easy to understand and captivating. Very entertaining and hard to put down.

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Grettel, 18

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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

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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

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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

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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

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This book was about 2 sisters' perspective growing up in ancient Greece, facing the hardships of living as royalty. The older sister was supposed to be the next queen, but her parents decided her sister needed to be queen to save her reputation.

I loved it! The author spends paragraphs describing the scenery making sure we can picture the setting in our heads. What I didn't like was that the perspectives hopped around.

I would recommend this book to other teenagers and young adults because of the heavy themes it also includes advanced vocabulary and knowledge of Greek mythology.

Victoria, 17

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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

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A retired, depressed cop gets a letter one day. This letter is a definite taunt to him. It is signed, 'Mr. Mercedes'. The letter's message is obvious: Do it. Kill yourself. The letter spurs the cop, Bill Hodges, to investigate the Mercedes massacre and find who the killer was.

I really enjoyed this book, because Stephen King made the plot twists intriguing, but not whack you in the face twists. Looking back, you can see 'Oh! That's how it ties together', which is, in my opinion, the best way to reveal a plot twist.

I would recommend this book to people who like murder mysteries, and don't mind gore or language that could be considered 'adult language'. This book would most likely appeal to older teens, but I read it at 14 and found it truly exciting.

Mischa, 14

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Two different timelines collide in an attempt at murder to cover up a successful murder that occurred decades before. Finders Keepers is the sequel to Mr. Mercades, and introduces multiple new characters, as well as adds a touch of supernatural to its predecessor.

This book was very good, but very confusing at first. You originally have no idea how to two timelines tie into each other and it can get confusing, keeping track of all the characters, but, in typical Stephen King fashion, it all works out in the end. I liked this because of how the timelines slowly converged, eventually becoming one.

If you like complicated books that force you to pay attention and end in cliffhangers, then you will definitely love Finders Keepers.

Mischa, 14

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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

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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

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The book followed an elderly women finding a note about a dead body in her woods. The majority of the story takes place in the women's mind and her thoughts, as she creates a story for the unknown victim. She ventures to uncover the mystery.

The book isn't unbearable, but it wasn't my favorite. It lacked a lot of action and just took place in the women's mind. Towards the end the book got a little more exciting, but the ending was rather lackluster.

I would recommend the book to those who read a little bit of everything. It's an interesting concept. I would not recommend to someone who is more interested in stories.

Grettel, 18

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The Gunslinger is a western fantasy fiction centered on Roland Deschain. As the last gunslinger of his kind,  he went on a horror-majestic journey filled with insanity to chase his nemesis, “the man in black.” Roland meets several characters along the way, including a boy named Jake, who joins him as part of his journey.

As the first book in the Dark Tower series, I like that it sets things up for future stories, but as a self-contain story, it falls apart right from the get-go. I will start with the negatives. The plot is dull and dreadful. There are significant moments or emotional moments that stick with you. The prose is dense but confusing. King loves to describe the scenery in this book precisely, and I like it at the beginning, but then it becomes a gimmick that annoys me. Also, the antagonist is a one-dimension type of bad guy. Now on the positive side. Roland is a magnificent protagonist. He has an intriguing backstory and motivation, and his personality is wacky and exciting, but his gun skills remind me of the cowboys in western movies. His father-son-like relationship with Jake is also one of the good parts. The world-building is phenomenal. I have never seen a world like this in the fantasy genre. It is so grounded and bleak but contains crazy creatures and people that make you want to learn or study more about it.

Overall, I recommend the book to those who love western and fantasy because it is a unique take on those genres and to those who love characters like Roland because he is worth your time, even if the story is uninteresting and lacks excitement. Additionally, I am about 50 pages into the next book, The Drawing of the Three, which is a vast improvement from the first book.

Minh, 16

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Cress is a science fiction novel by Marissa Meyer and the third book in the Lunar Chronicles series. It follows the story of Cress, a young hacker who has been imprisoned by the evil Lunar Queen, Levana, on a satellite orbiting earth. Cress is forced to work for Levana and serve as her spy, but longs for freedom and the chance to join the rebellion against Levana's rule.

I thought this book was okay! I think I was really overlooking this book because I was so eager to read the last book because I knew that was when everything intertwined, and I was still left on cliffhangers with the first two books.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a thrilling and action-packed science fiction book.

Victoria, 17

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Scarlet is a science fiction novel by Marissa Meyer and the second book in the Lunar Chronicles series. It follows the story of Scarlet Benoit, a young woman living in France who is searching for her missing grandmother. As she investigates her grandmother's disappearance, Scarlet is drawn into a dangerous conspiracy involving a group of rebels who are fighting against the evil lunar Queen, Levana, and her control on earth.

I love reading about a new character in each book of the series and knowing that they are in the same universe so all of this will tie in together eventually.

If you like sci-fi books and fairytales with a twist to it, then the Lunar Chronicles series is the one for you.

Victoria, 17

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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

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Gabi's high school life life is stressful. She faces many external struggles like her father's meth addiction, a friend's pregnancy, another friend's sexuality struggles, and her own body image issues, all the while helping or hurting her relationships.

I loved Gabi's personality from her vulnerability, her loyalism, and her fierceness. I also loved the author's interpretation of Gabi's bilingualism. Gabi's fluency goes so far so that she feels confident in it. When she paraphrases a meaning or expands upon a sentence in different languages, it adds an extra layer of authenticity to her character.

I would recommend this book to anyone who has any form of doubts surrounding their relationships, whether it be with with family, friends, or lovers. Gabi shares her vulnerable parts, so it doesn't make one feel uncomfortable for having their own intrusive thoughts or insecurities. For me, it made me feel validated to have second thoughts or "what if" moments. Definitely worth a second read!

Lucia, 14

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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

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A woman who one day murders her husband, shooting him in the face, out of nowhere then never talks again. Theo, her new doctor, is persistent on finding out her story.

I really loved it! I loved the twist and turns this book had. You never know what's going to happen next.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers and loves plot twists.

Victoria, 17

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