This Is Where the World Ends-- Reviewed by Sarah Roberts

“We knew each other to our fingertips. No, that's not right. We only knew each other in our fingertips, and that was nothing at all, and for a while that was okay. We could have been a love story, a fairy tale, an indie film about high school and selective insanity featuring a boy of angel parts and a girl made of dreaming. We could have been all the best things: bracelets sliding down arms while shots slid down throats, laughter and crashing music in dark and flashing rooms, kisses that started hesitant but didn't stay that way.”  

Do you have a person in your life that you could never separated from? If they disappeared you would go completely insane? That's Janie and Micah.

Janie and Micah are always together. That's the way it's always been since elementary school, when Janie moved next door.  Janie and Micah are total opposites. Where Janie is outgoing, Micah is shy. Micah loves music, and Janie is more into art.

It's a perfect friendship- as long as it's kept a secret.

Everything is perfect. That is until Janie goes missing. Now, as Micah looks for his beloved best friend, things begin to get colored with doubt.

What was once so clear to Micah, now becomes a little blurry. The friendship that was once the realest thing in his life, becomes something to doubt.

I thought this book was wonderful! The characters were amazing. I enjoyed the mystery this book had to offer, and had my attention grabbed in many scenes throughout this book. Although, a little slow in points during the story, I still thought it was a great read. The mystery behind Jill's disappearance I found quite interesting. All in all this was a great book that I would recommend to my friends and family.

A Thousand Pieces of You and the sequel Ten Thousand Skies Above You-- Reviewed by Sarah Roberts

“Every form of art is another way of seeing the world. Another perspective, another window. And science –that’s the most spectacular window of all. You can see the entire universe from there.”

 - A Thousand Pieces of You  

    The lose of a parent is never easy, but when you find out that they were murdered it becomes almost unbearable. Especially if the "suspected" murderer is a close family friend.

That's the unfortunate event that erupts in Marguerite Caine's world. Marguerite's world was perfect. She lived with her parents that just so happened to be renowned scientist, her sister, had a guy in her life named Theo who was not only her friend but secret crush, and there's Paul who seems to create a lot of mixed emotions inside Marguerite. This all comes to an end when Marguerite's father is murdered in a dreadful automobile accident. This happens days after the creation of a dimension traveling machine known as "The Firebird".

The villain behind Marguerite's father's "death"...Paul. To make matters worse, Paul has run off with the Firebird and is jumping around dimensions. It's up to Marguerite and Theo to catch up to Paul, and get to the bottom of things. As Marguerite travels to each dimension she enters the lives of her other selves, and even meets different Pauls.

Follow Marguerite in her journey through dimensions, and help find the secrets behind her father's murder as well as....love.

“That kind of sorrow never gets any lighter, but you grow accustomed to the weight as you carry it on.”

- Ten Thousand Skies Above You.

In this sequel to "A Thousand Pieces of You" Marguerite is, yet again, on another adventure. Only this time she's out to save Paul. After a moment of happiness everything in Marguerite's life is turned upside down once again, and another loved one is snatched from her life.

Only this time Marguerites not fighting to save only herself, but everything she holds dear.Join Marguerite as she battles her parents ex-scientific discovery sponsors and...Theo?

Will love conquer all, or will all be lost in a different dimension?

I loved these books!! They grabbed my attention with the very first word. That is why I'm giving these books 5 star ratings. I loved how each character had their own personality as well as the baggage each character carried around. The suspense was also very thrilling in these books, and made you feel like you were actually part of the story. If I could change one thing in these books it would probably be that we hear from Paul's point of view. I would like to know what was going through Paul's mind throughout both of these story lines. I would definitely recommend both these books to my friends and family, because they are both well written. 

The X-Factor--Reviewed by: Sarah Roberts

 

 

 

 

  Maja is your normal, everyday 17-year old. She dreams of becoming a an actress, and her role model is Marilyn Monroe. So when things take an interesting turn at a celebration party for her boyfriend, Maja doesn't quite know how to handle it. One minute she is an average teen, and then the next minute she is at a test modeling photo shoot because some guy thinks she could have 'The X-Factor'. 

                                   
                     But things don't go the way they should have.
 
            Maja becomes exhausted from the countless photo shoots, diets, and a always being in the public eye. So what does Maja do? Well she turns to some "friends" that get her into a lot of trouble. When it all explodes in her face, Maja is left with a drug addiction, no self-esteem,and no true friends. She now is left with one question: How far will she got to reach her dream and land among the stars?


         I really thought this book was well written and enjoyed it immensely. I enjoyed how this book touched on subject matter that others would have been afraid to write. That is why I gave this book a 4 and 1/2 star rating. The characters were well developed and I felt almost everything that Maja felt. The lack of self-esteem that Maja had felt like it would have been experienced by teens today. He book really gives you an inside view of what the modeling industry really is, the it isn't all the glamour and beauty it's made up to be. So all in all, this book was a great experience and I would definitely recommend it to my friends and family.

What We Saw--Reviewed by Sarah Roberts

 

               
              Have you ever been in a situation where something bad happens, and you are the only one that wants to speak out against it? Well that's exactly where Kate Weston finds herself. After a picture of Stacey Stallard passed out over Deacon Mill's shoulder appears on social media, Kate begins to question what really happened that night. Suddenly, controversy erupt in town after Stacey accuses four of Kate's classmates of rape. Kate begins to question What really happened at that party after she left? who was still there? and more importantly what did they see?
     I gave this book a five star rating. This book was absolutely amazing! The mystery and suspense had my heart pounding and my mind dying to find out more as each chapter passed. I enjoyed how there was some romance but also a scandal that I feel any teen could experience at any party. This book may have you believe you have it all figured out by reading one single page, but in reality nothing is as exactly as it appears. The closer you look, the more you see.

 



Nightshade -- Alexandra Lopez

 

Nightshade

by Andrea Cremer

Reveiwed by Alexandra Lopez

Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she would be mated to the alpha wolf, Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters' laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything- including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice.

I loved the lore they used for werewolves; however I was too keen on our Heroine Calla. She was clichéd, falling for a human at one of the worst times. She falls for a human she saved, which was a big no-no. But overall I loved the side characters; they seemed better developed than Calla. Maybe because I’m not too fond of romance, but it didn’t seem believable. From what I tool was that Calla loved him. She said it was meant to be. The romance was forced and the book would have done better without it.

 I liked Ren better than Shay. Ren was a jerk, but he knew what was important. His views were twisted, but he had conviction and that’s what I liked most about him. He was just boring; there was nothing interesting about him. Then now that I think about it, maybe that’s why she loved him. Shay was different, he was human after all. He was normal, something Calla would never be, or at least experience. Still, Shay was boring, nothing would change that.

Empty-- Reviewed by Alexandra Lopez

Empty

By Suzanne Weyn

Reviewed by Alexandra Lopez

In the distant furture the fossil fuels are running out. No gas. No oil. Which means no driving. No heat. Supermarkets are empty. Malls have shut down. Life has just become more local than we ever knew it could be.

Nobody expected the end to come this fast. And in the small town of Spring Valley, decisions that once seemed easy are quickly becoming matters of life and death. Three young teens Tom, Nicki, and Leila are three young teens whose lives are very different from each others and their view points different. Will the they survive this madness? Will the world survive? Or will we resort to war, to take what little oil is left?

Empty is basically the world running out of oil. And it shows exactly how we are depend at of oil. For electricity, generators that require oil to run, which effect a lot house hold appliances. Then because oil is limited, the government raised the prices. In the story just the description of other teens, kids and even adults, t has taken a toll on them. They seem dirtier, angrier, and even more worried. Things I also enjoyed is that the world around them affected them. The country was on the verge with Venezuela, new treaty's with country that had valuable resources, oil being cut off from us and many other things that took a toll on everybody.

However even if oil was gone, life didn't end, yes it would be difficult, most of them had luxuries that would be missed, but the world wasn't dead. There is hope, life will go on. Overall this was a really good book and a big reminder that the oil will not be there forever, and we should look for alternatives before things get any worse.

The Fault in Our Stars--Reviewed by Alexandra Lopez

Author:John Green

Review:Alexandra Lopez

   Hazel Lancaster, dying from cancer, only has three friends (meaning her parents and her favorite author), because she doesn't want to have to hurt any more people than she will, when she dies. However her parents are worried that Hazel is distancing herself from everyone, so they beg her to go to a support group. Hazel finally agrees to it, even though she herself really doesn't want to go.

  Little did she know Hazel will meet someone that will change her life? It must have been love at first sight, but the boy named Augustus Waters has caught her eye. They hit it off; sharing medical stories, their life and even what brought them there. Young teenage romance blossoming, everything is going okay. But is it really? Augustus starts to look worse each day. Hazel worries, but she is reassured by him, everything will be okay. But will it?

  Reading this book was enjoyable. But, there was one thing that was unrealistic to me, but I did enjoy the characters. The great part of this book was that the author made each teenager real. They acted like a real teenager; these were kids literally dying, maybe not now, maybe a few weeks or even days. They don't know, so it makes it a compelling story.  As the reader, you delve in the story more. You cry, laugh and even start to understand what they are going through.

   However I had one major problem with one scene. Both of their parents left them alone for a day. I don't want to spoil it but something happens between the two lovers. But I find this unrealistic; your own children are dying, any minute they could drop dead. Why would you leave them alone? Regardless of this one scene it was a great book to read. Get it while it’s hot, located in your Celtic library.



Stravaganza City Of Masks--Reviewed by Alexandra Lopez

Stravaganza City Of Masks

Author: Mary Hoffman

Reviewed: Alexandra Lopez

   Lucien is seriously ill with cancer, only able to stay in bed and uses a notebook to pass the time. He discovers this notebook has magical properties. Every time he sleeps he always dreams of this world. He soon realizes it isn't just a dream, when he sleeps the notebook transport him to this other world. He is soon caught up in the danger that surrounds the city. He will have to protect the city he has come to love. But will he able to before he dies?

   I recommended those that love mystery, romance, science, history or drama to read this book. I could not put it down, I enjoyed the concept for the other world he entered. It seemed like he went back in time because the other world seemed similar to Italy, but it's not. It's one heck of ride, check it.

The Great Gatsby by Kaitlin Kimbrell

The Great Gatsby

by: F. Scott Fitzgerald

Jay Gatsby thought that by changing his whole life and throwing big parties he would end up with the love of his life. Jay started his life in the Midwest with a different name. Jay Gatsby's real name is James Gats, but after he met Daisy he wanted to change his life. He went out and created a life that he knew would win Daisy over. However, life doesn't always turn out as we plan and we cannot recreate the past.

Nick Carraway went to start a new chapter in his life. He moved closer to his cousin Daisy and met Jay Gatsby by happenstance. The two became neighbors and with Nick's help Jay re-meet Daisy. Their lives will forever be changed.

I didn't really enjoy this book because there was too much deception, cheating, and fake people. When we meet Gatsby to me he seems creepy he stares at Daisy's house from a distance and she doesn't know he is there. Then they make Nick help them sneak around Tom (Daisy's husband) so they can see each other. All the while Tom is cheating on Daisy. None of this is okay with me and I really just dislike this book. 



I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You.
by: Ally Carter

For Cameron Morgan becoming a spy was without a doubt going to be her life. She really had no choice in the matter anyway. With her mother as headmistress of the top all girl spy academy, Gallagher Girl, and her father having died while working for the top agency, she really did not want to have a different live. Cameron, known as Cammie or The Chameleon, was very good at being a spy. Cammie was very skilled at not being seen, hints the nickname Chameleon, until one day when she meets Josh. Josh makes her happy and makes her think about what life would be like if she was not a spy. Cameron knows that she should not be talking to him, but some how he always seems to see her when the girls are in town. She cannot just go back to being invisible to him, or can she? Will Cammie the Chameleon go back to hiding and spying or will she choose a life with Josh?  

To me this book, I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You, is very intriguing. It kept me guessing until the very end and I was even still wondering after the book was over about what was going to happen next. I was glad when I found out that the second book, Cross My Heart And Hope to Spy, came out because I liked the first one so much. There are four books to this series now and I have read them all, if that tells you anything about how much I was intrigued by this book. I have recommended this to some of my friends and I would recommend it to every girl I come in contact with because i believe that this book, even though it is about spies, shows what many girls go through with boys, friends, and parents.

Paranormalcy--a review by Nallely Saavedra

 



  

PARANORMALCY and SUPERNATURALLY

by Kiersten White

***** stars 

No one is safe anymore...not even the dangerous.

Evie has always thought her life was normal. But when strange things start to happen and most paranormals' start to perish, it's up to Evie and the International Paranormal Containment Agency to figure out what's really going on. Yet among the variety of paranormals', Evie is rare. She has eyes that can see through the paranomals' glamours and so far she's the only one of her kind. With the help of best-friend, Alisha the mermaid, her mentor Raquel, invisible boy Lend, and ex-fae boyfriend Reth, they try to save their kind from complete destruction.

She thought she could survive being normal..but she was wrong.

Evie finds herself in the life she has always dreamed of. Boring is all that comes to mind. But then one day after school she finds Raquel waiting for her, and she knows she needs to go back to where she truly belongs. But then Reth comes with horrible news and Evie is once again thrown off the comfy paths she was just starting to build. Except this time..the battle is for her freedom and survival.

I personally fell in love with this series. Right from the first page I was entrapped and couldn't put it down. Evie is a strong-willed person who combines girly-girl with a fierce style. Although Reth can get annoying, you can tell he cares for Evie..but I'm totally going for Lend-Evie. I like the way White mixed love, survival, and the feeling of trying to find oneself. I thought it was nice and I hope you guys enjoy these two books like I did. X)

-Nallely X)

Hate List - a review by George Morejon

Hate List
by Jennifer Brown
**** stars

What would you feel like if your school was shot up by another student? Now what if that other student was the person you were going out with? And what if you were accused of helping them? This is what happen with Valerie, the young girl in Hate List whose boyfriend, Nick, one day in may decided to put 'their' plan into action. After struggling to get over the tramatic experience, she got shot in the leg, not to mention was a prime suspect for making the 'hit list', she has to go back to the same school for her last year. What will people think of her?

They'll hate her, that's what. The unity presented in the newspapers isn't real she sees, with all the normal fighting and argueing still happening. But she makes a friend in an unlikely person, one of her worst tormenters from the year before, and takes on a project to honour their classmates.

This was a 5 hour book that had an interesting concept that i hadn't put together before, a list of people a person hates whichh leads to a school shooting. It plays out where you can see Valerie as either a cause of the problem or the victim, and i saw her as a victim. The mother was too overprotective, always worrying about protecting the world from her daughter after the event. I agreed with Valerie's unlikely friend when she said "It's not your fault. After all, you didn't shoot anyone."

Where She Went--A Review by Sarah Gnefkow

Where She Went 

by Gayle Forman

**** stars  

It had been three years since Mia had survived a horrible car accident, three years since Adam and Mia’s love had saved her, and three years since they had broken up and walked away from each other forever. Now as they went their own ways, they hold completely different lives. Adam is now a tabloid famous rock star living in Los Angeles California with an A-list celeb girlfriend. Mia on the other hand was a successful cello player and a student at Julliard while she is living in New York. One day fate gets Adam stuck in New York for one last night and him and Mia are brought together again. As they start to explore the place that Mia now lives they are reminded of what they once were. They start to wonder of what their futures will become, and if they will include each other in them. But will they reunite for good? Or will it just be a one night fling?


I actually really liked this book that’s why I gave it four stars! You would definitely need to read the first book If I Stay to understand Where She Went. The first book was told from Mia’s point of view but this book is told from Adam’s. It was actually really interesting and I liked how their completely different new lives seemed to tie together with what their old relationship used to be. I definitely recommend this to anyone who really liked the first book.

Cathy's Key -- a review by Hope Austin

Cathy's Key  

by Sean Stewart and Jordan Weisman
 
***  


This book is the sequel to Cathy's book. It follows Cathy as she unravels the secrets surrounding Cathy's boyfriend, Victor, her best friend's budding business, amd her father's death. Even though her biggest problems are purely paranormal, she still deals with things like trying (and failing) to stay employed so she can can pay her mother rent, documenting it all in in her notebook.


This series has all the trappings of a paranormal romance (love triangle and all), but the authors do keep things interesting with a unique take on immortality (rooted in Chinese mythololgy), interesting charcters and subplots, and well-paced humor. Since third book is already out, I'm going to read it next. If you plan on reading this, it's probably in your best interest to call the number on the book, and actually take a look inside the bag.

Bright Young Things - a review by George Morejon

Bright Young Things

by Anna Godbersen

**** stars

Bright Young Things takes place during the 'roaring 20's', following the story of three girls. The first character is Cordelia. The book starts just an hour before her wedding to a boy she met and fell for the earlier summer. But it's not all it seems, as it's a forced marriage her aunt arranged. She needs someone to help her. The second girl, Letty, is just the person to do that. Letty's a petite girl who's been Cordelia's best friend since they were both little. They decide that day to finally run away from their podunk Ohio town to the city of dreams, New York City. Almost missing the 6;52 train, they make it and find a women's tenant house to stay at. But the first night, they get drunk at an easyspeak and evicted when they get back home. With Letty's dream of becoming a star seemingly crushed, this causes a fallout between Letty and Cordelia, who go their separate ways.

Cordelia goes on to look for her father (the real reason she came to New York) by crashing a party at the house of Darius Grey, who has the same last name as her. She's called out by someone for party crashing, but the third girl, Astrid, takes Cordelia under her wing and protects her. When Cordelia is able to have the chance, she tells Darius she's his daughter. The party fall's silent, and finally he says how glad he is to see her, to her relief. Astrid and Cordelia become best friends, and share more than secrets and romances. All the while while Letty is learning the hard way that breaks don't come easy in New York, and it isn't easy becoming a star.

I thought this was an okay book. The 20's were something I had just learned about in history class, so that's why I picked it. I thought the characters were interesting, and the way it switched perspectives in between chapter was really smooth. Letty's story seemed the most interesting. She had the hardest time and wasn't always out at rich people parties. I think her story showed what it was really like trying to move to New York. (I don't remember how long it took me to read the book. Oops)

She's Come Undone -- a review by Hope Austin

She's Come Undone

by Wally Lamb
*****

Dolores Price has had tough childhood. As if being bullied and picked on wasn't enough, she also has to contend with her parents' divorce and her mother's subsequent institutionalization, among other things. Dolores copes with them the only way she knows how: by sitting in front of the television and eating junk food. By the time she's deemed ready to enter the "real world", she weighs a little over 250 pounds. Now Dolores is on her own and determined to make it.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I love reading about people's life stories, real or fictional, and this one is no exception. Even though my life is nothing like Dolores's, I could really relate to how she was feeling. What's really amazing about this book is that the author is a man yet gets inside the head of a girl so easily. Anyone who's interested in books about the personal struggles of others should definitely read this one.

Rules of Attraction--Review by Sarah Gnefkow

Rules of Attraction

Simone Elkeles

***1/2 stars

Carlos Fuentes has lived many places in the seventeen years of his life. He originally was raised in Chicago before his older brother Alex started to get into gangs trying keep his family safe. Carlos' mother moved their family to Mexico after Alex had left the gang. Now Carlos is moving back to the United States a year later to live in Colorado with his older brother (which is now on the right track) who tried to carve out a life for Carlos that he doesn't want. Carlos doesn't abide to anyone else's rules but his own. Kiara a straight A student was asked to escort Carlos around his new school for the first week. They both are dealing with social situations at school, for Carlos its his current reputation and for Kiara its her stuttering problem. Carlos decides that he doesn't need a guide and blows Kiara off. By doing this Kiara wants to get even, which ends up attracting each other. But will these sparks be enough to get over their social issues?

This book was pretty good, but definitely not as good as Perfect Chemistry. In a way they were both really similar and after reading the first one the outcome was quite predictable. The book goes by alternating speakers. I didn't really want to put it down, but in a way the endings were the exact same so I gave it 3 1/2 stars. It was a pretty good series so I do suggest checking these books out.

Perfect Chemistry- Review by Sarah Gnefkow

Perfect Chemistry

by Simone Elkeles

***** Stars

Brittany Ellis is the most popular girl in the school. But underneath her life isn't so great, she has to keep up the image that her school life, home life, and family life is all perfect. In chemistry class she is partnered with the schools bad boy, Alex Fuentes. He is in a gang and has the image of doing drugs, getting arrested, and selling but just like Brittany he really isn't what he seems. Alex decides to make a bet with his friends that he can get with Brittany, he does this with no hesitation. But what Alex didn't realize was that Brittany was much more than money and being perfect, he discovered that her life was anything but that. Soon the bet he had made with his friends has turned into much more than he'd expected. They will have to face the reality of getting past the stereotypes and judgments of their families and fellow peers to be together. But will love be enough?

I loved this book, and a lot of my other friends did too! I did not want to put this book down at all and when I wasn't reading it I was always wondering what was going to happen next with Brittany and Alex. The book was written with alternate speakers, it would switch paragraphs back and forth between Brittany and Alex's point of views. I never wanted this book to end. The only thing that I was disappointed with about this book was the way it ended because I wanted to know more about what happened with them! All in all I definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes excitement and romance.

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares - Review by Sarah Gnefkow

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares

by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

*** and a half stars

Dash and Lily are both teenagers who meet within the bindings of a moleskin notebook. Dash finds this notebook on the shelves in his favorite library during his first Christmas break he is at home alone. Inside there are dares left for him from a girl named Lily. Lily is set up by her brother to do this so she can find a boy who she can spend her Christmas break with while her parents are in Fiji and her grandfather is in Florida. In return, Dash must write dares back to Lily to keep the relationship going. They end up running all over town in New York City following the path each one of them have left for the other. Both Dash and Lily yearn to meet each other but are afraid that their exchanged words have built up more than the other really is, and they are afraid of disappointment. But with each dare comes the need to meet and when they finally due it is definitely not the first impression either of them have expected. They are both pushed to get past what their expectations have built up for the real deal.

I found this book was pretty good. It has some really great parts where I didn't want to put it down, but other parts I felt it was going to go on for hours. This book was written from both Dash's point of view and Lily's alternating chapters. The thing that bothered me the most was definitely at the beginning when it was confusing to understand what was going on. Towards the middle it kind of smoothed everything out though. It wasn't one of those books where I just had to keep reading but it was one that I wanted to find out what was going to happen next. During the last couple of chapters it really showed how the whole book came together with all the random pieces of information it gave me throughout. All in all I think that this would be a good book to check out if you want to read something that's fun and interesting on the side of more important things.

Accomplice -- a review by Hope Austin

Accomplice
by: Erieann Corrigan
***

Chloe Caffrey has gone missing. The school halls are filled with crying girls and distraught teachers. Among them is Finn, whose tears are fake. Why? Because she knows where Chloe is: in Finn's grandmother's basement, watching T.V. and reading romance novels. It's all part of their plan. Chloe was the beautiful girl who was going to go missing and Finn was going to play the part of the hero, who saves Chloe from her big, bad abductor. Chloe's abduction would be on every news outlet, making her a celebrity. Finn's rescue would make her famous, too. That's good, because according to their guidance counselor, perfect grades and hundreds of community service hours just aren't enough to get into college anymore. So the girls set up an elaborate plan, and after weeks of planning, it's finally happening. Unfortunately, there are some things they didn't plan on: the lengths the police department would go, celebrities coming to console Chloe's family, and the suspects. When Finn sees how Chloe's disappearance is affecting her family, she wants out. Too bad Chloe won't let her.

The book had a great setup, but poor execution. The author has apparently never heard of "show, don't tell" so random facts about characters are only mentioned when the reader needs a reason to hate them. The best example is the way Chloe's grieving mother is portrayed. She lashes out once, and Finn (the narrartor) goes on a spiel about how she is the most terrible woman on earth. This leads me to the other thing I really diliked about it: Finn. I couldn't stand her attitude. She passes judgement on people when she herself is in no position to judge, made worse by the fact that she is never called on it. There were other things that annoyed me, like how the characters, supposedly incredibly smart, couldn't believe that the police would actually follow any lead they had on Chloe's "disappearance." It's such a shame, because this book has a really good premise.