Above -- Reviewed by Paige Espinosa

          Imagine being abducted from a fair with you whole town right there but no one notices you leaving. Blythe Hallowell is taken from her small town's annual Horse Thieves Picnic by the school's weird, survivalist librarian, who she learns has been planning on keeping her hidden and safe from the impending apocalypse. This is the story of Blythe's life hidden underground in an abandoned missile silo, kept by a mad man, and of how she comes to find her way back above.
     I gave this  book three and a half out of five stars because it was good, I just had a hard time really getting into it. It was definitely original and unlike most books I've read though which I really liked. I really liked how no main character was really truly likable or totally despicable. Even Dobbs- a crazy kidnapping madman- wasn't all bad. He was really just wrong in the head because his intentions were, arguably, good. Blythe starts going a little bit crazy underground and by the end she isn't anything close to the sweet sixteen year old that got kidnapped; she's a thirty-something year old woman who lost her whole childhood and had her future dreams crushed as well, which made me not even like her character's attitude and thoughts at time. I would recommend this to anyone who wanted to read a new, original dystopian novel.

Brutal Youth: Reviewed by Jack Berney

   

  

      Peter Davidek is in eighth grade when he first visits St. Michael the Archangel High School. The school's reputation is far from shining: grossly underfunded, filled with delinquent students, religious zealots, and downtrodden kids desperate to fit in. Not to mention that the building is literally falling apart. After witnessing something especially horrible on the day of his visit, Peter’s parents shock him by mysteriously deciding to send him there. When the first day rolls around, Davidek meets and bonds with some other new freshman. Noah Stein is quick to become his friend: somewhat cynical yet not averse to a fight or a laugh, his scarred face hides a scarred past. Together the two boys face the campy villain Ms Bromine, who loves detention-giving more than life, and the scheming Father Mercedes. We also see events through the eyes of their fellow student Lorelei Pascal, a girl who seems to be good at heart but will also risk anything to fit in, as well as a horde of bullies bent on hazing and a faculty that is strangely supportive of it. If they are to survive, they might have to unlearn what they thought they knew.
I tried and tried to give this book a chance, but reading it honestly got to be like pulling teeth. It seemed as though it was part Mean Girls, part American Horror Story, with some of the protagonists being moderately dynamic and somewhat relatable. That is, except when they are driven to extreme violence and cruelty .The antagonists were clearly not written to be liked; their negative actions and influences dominate the book's tone, which may explain why I had such a difficult time enjoying it. The egotistical football player with the perfect but cruel valedictorian as his girlfriend, the teacher who hates kids and loves detentions, the bully who only bullies to feel better about himself. Breznican makes a great effort to weave in themes of teen angst and the struggle for identity, and to this end has characters frequently spell out their motivations directly during dialog. Though does get his point across, I quickly felt as if he was beating me over the head with it. I did find this book to be somewhat thought-provoking, it was anything but a feel good read. Those interested in fiction written about young adults (this book is definitely not suitable for children), might enjoy it more than I did; hopefully not everyone will find brutal youth so brutal.

The Fever reviewed by: Portia Rockers

Deenie is a teenage girl who lives in a small community. She is part the Nash family who is very close. Tom is  her father, he is a single father and a science teacher. Eli, is Deenies brother, he is a star hockey player and a womanizer. Lise is one of Deenies best friend who collapsed during a quiz and had a series of seizures. Deenie skips the rest of school to see her only to see her have another one. Lise is now in a coma and in the hospital. The whole town has its theories, but then her other friend Gabby has a similar incident, and then her other friend Kim. Though none of her other friends were as bad as Lise parents are freaking out, some thinks its HPV others think its the toxic lake, everyone wants an answer, but can they handle the truth?

I gave this book four stars because, while I really enjoyed the plot, I felt it switched P.O.Vs to often and there was a lot of short paragraphs that skipped around and got confusing. Also the end wasn't as dramatic as I wanted. I really liked the plot though, it showed a more dramatic way of version of high school. But at the same time it was realistic, the book showed jealousy and how fast rumors spread. I felt the girls were really believable with the problems they faced during high school, and the author did a great job at writing bad girls. If you liked this book then you might like The Crucible or Megan Abbotts other books.    

The Here And Now - reviewed by Maggie Devero

The Here And Now by Ann Brashares

Reviewed by Maggie Devero

Seventeen year old Prenna James' life takes a supposed change for the better one day: she and a few other specified people from the time period 2090s travel back in time to the year 2014. Their plan is to change the future without affecting the present, as hard as that will be. They must eradicate the mosquito-borne epidemic that dominates the world in futures, leaving the world and the little people left alive, fortunately immune to the disease, in tatters. But in order for this to work out, they must not interfere with too much of the future, lest they change everything in the course of their history. So they strictly follow twelve rules, but the thing is....Prenna begins to question their means. Little by little she stops listening to the people she's with, and begins following this boy that has taken her under his wing since the beginning, Ethan Jarves. The two of them must save the future, and make the most of the present.

Okay, so when I first started this book, the intro really had me getting into the idea of the storyline. Time travel, bending time and space, saving the world from a disease that is ruining the earth and destroying its people?? Sounds so cool, and interesting and action packed! And then literally within the next couple chapters, you could tell the entire story was going to revolve around the relationship between Ethan and Prenna, and it just got SO ANNOYING. I was so excited for this action, thriller type book with maybe a little bit of romance, but then that was all it was and it just killed the story for me. Everything seemed to play out too easily, and too well, and it was just too convenient. I guess that's the reason I ended up giving it two stars, because I was hoping for a four star book. I just wish they had played a little more on the scifi aspects of the book, instead of the romance. But if you're into romance with a twist of something unusual, then I would recommend this book for you!

Panic - reviewed by: Portia Rockers

                                      

Heather is a young girl in her teens who lives in a town called Carp. Carp only has a population of 12,000 people, and is in the middle of nowhere. Since there isn't much to do in Carp the graduating seniors play a game called panic. Heather has never found interest in the game but, the thought of the large cash prize starts to change her mind. Even though the game is dangerous and her sister is paralyzed from last years game she decides to play. Dodge who isn't afraid of the game enters as well, and even though Heather is seen as one of the weaker competitors he and her form an alliance. And maybe something more. 

I thought this book was great and I really liked it. I gave the book four stars because I thought the concept of the game was a bit like Hunger Games, but the author was able to make it different and unique. I really liked the chemistry between Dodge and Heather, they were so cute. Heather was a really unique voice and you can really feel the emotions she goes through as the book progresses. I also like how the book is realistic, it takes place in modern times, and I like how she shows the flaws that the characters have. I would recommend this book to people who like thrill, action, and some romance. They are also making this book into a movie, which I'm excited to see how it will turn out. 

Monsters of Men - reviewed by Maggie Devero

Chaos Walking Book #3

Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness

Reviewed by Maggie Devero

In this thrilling finale to Patrick Ness's Chaos Walking Trilogy, Todd and Viola are back at it again to try and bring peace to the New World, in the midst of the most chaotic event that either of them have experienced up to then: a second Spackle War. Any previous riots the native inhabitants of the New World were nothing compared to this....a full blown battle between three armies: The Ask, The Answer, and the Spackle. Todd and Viola are forced to walk a fine line in making choices that will lead to continuous battle or possible peace. The duo are also forced to work together with the Ask and the Answer in order to fend off the formidable foe of Spackle, while still very aware of just the kind of enemies they are falling in ranks with. They understand though, that something must be done in order for the convoy of new settlers to land in a place they can eventually call home. And in a new POV, we are reintroduced to Spackle 1017, who helps lead the Land, better known as the Spackle army to most, into battle, giving them images in their Noise worth fighting for. Years of oppression and mistreatment, and they will as a whole put up with it no more...they will take back their planet from these invaders. Who will win this war, and what will become of the New World, the settlers, and Todd and Viola themselves? Read the book to find out!

Seriously, you think I would have broke and given something less than five stars lately, but honestly all three books in this trilogy deserved them. They were fantastic reads, and this conclusion wrapped it all up in a absolutely fascinating and exciting way. I'm much a person for action stories, so when they started off this book with a full blown war I was worried I would become bored at the repeated battle scenes and constant debate on when and where to strike from the characters. But it wasn't like that at all, what the the constant changing of POVs, including the new one from Spackle 1017, which I was not expecting to read form in the least. It was great though, seeing the battle from three different perspectives, how they all found something to fight for, all seemingly justified. And the change in each battle, bringing in new weapons or adding some twist to the story to complicate things kept the story interesting. Watching Todd and Viola's characters grow from the first book until now, and the relationship between the two is stunning, and very interesting because it's like your learning and growing along with them. With an amazing ending to a fantastic trilogy, I give the entire series five out of five stars and would recommend them to ANYONE. I'm keeping my eye out for anything new to come out by Patrick Ness, for sure.