Red Queen--reviewed by: Sarah Roberts

"In school, we learned about the world before us, about the angels and gods that lived in the sky, ruling the earth with kind and loving hands. Some say those are just stories, but I don't believe that. The gods rule us still. They have come down from the stars. And they are no longer kind."

Picture high school. It's ruled by two kinds of groups. There's the popular, almighty people, and then you have the unpopular, lowly people. Well that is the type of society that Mare Barrow lives in.

There are two kinds of people in Mare Barrow's society, except the thing that defines your place is the color of your blood. First you have the Silvers,which are the elite people "whose supernatural abilities make them gods". Then you have the Reds, which are the lowly servants of the Silvers.

Mare Barrow is a Red, who just so happens to be the best pit-pocketer in all the village. Mare lives with her mother, her war-disabled father, and her sister Gisa. Mare also has brothers but they are in the military, which Mare will soon join them...or so she thought. One encounter with a stranger leads Mare landing a job in the royal palace, filled with people she loathes the most. Mare works through rooms filled with Silvers, just simply serving and refilling drinks. Girls appear trying to win the affection of the two young princes, but only one of them is familiar. It's the stranger who got Mare the job.

As the night goes on Mare does her serving duties, and can't wait for the night to end. Suddenly, she is attacked by a girl in the pageant and thrown of the balcony landing on this lightening force field. The only problem is, Mare does burn but controls the lightening. This sets off a chain of events that will change everything.

I loved this book! It really made my imagination come to life. I would definitely recommend this book to my friends and family. Not only does this book have suspense, it also has betrayal and a hint of love. I love Mare's independent spirit, but also how loyal she is to her friends and loved ones. The storyline is absolutely spectacular! It will give you goose bumps. You feel everything the characters feel, and even feel afraid for some of them at one point. Join Mare in this fantastic tale, and "rise red as the dawn."

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.

Changeling--Reveiwed by Alexandra Lopez

  

   Changeling by Phillipa Gregory

   Reviewed by Alexandra Lopez

  Luca Vero is locked up for speaking heresy, and chased out of his religious order. Soon a secret sect,The Order of the Dragon, commissioned by Pope Nicholas V, recruits him. Luca's job is to discover and destroy the evil that is occurring across Europe. Along his journey, he is sent to investigate a cursed nunnery. This is were he meets Isodle, that was sent there because she did not want to marry right away and she cannot inherit her father's estate.Since she arrived to the Nunnery, they blame her for the weird things happening to the nuns; nuns sleep walking, and seeing weird visions. Will Luca be able to prove Isolde is innocent? Or will he only prove that she might be a real witch?

   I loved Changeling, but not so much the characters. For example, Luca is this smart person, that uses math solve problems, but he rarely used them. Which is what gotten him in trouble to begin with. And he doesn't do anything, he is a very bland character. However this does leave room for development in the later books, which I pray there will be. It had a steady pace, but in the beginning it was a bit slow, but once we met Isolde, things took off. 

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer - a review by George Morejon

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer

by Lish McBride

**** stars

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer starts off introducing Sam and his 3 friends, Ramon, Brooke, and Frank. They all work at a McDonald's like fast food place and love to slack off and fool around. One day this becomes a problem when a game gone wrong leads to Sam being tracked by a strange, terrifying man. After being scared out of his life when a man attacks him, he thinks he's finally safe... Until he gets the most disturbing message of his life telling him to met a man named "Douglas" at the zoo, where he finds out what he really is: a necromancer.

This took me about 6,5 hours to read. From the first chapter i liked this book. The way the kids acted was really relatable and hilarious at the same time. It reminded me of Going Bovine, although the writing style wasn't as good. The necromancer thing wasn't something I had ever read, but the way that so many people he talked to knew just what he was talking about kinda surprised me. I felt bad to the person that 'had' the message, but her reaction was pretty positive in their outlook.