Need--Reviewed by Sarah Roberts

" A want is a desire to possess or do something. A wish. A need is something required because it is essential. Something very important that you cannot live without."

"What do you need?"

                   Social media is the most important thing to teens these days. So when a social media cite called NEED starts offering to send teens in the small town of Nottawa whatever they need in exchange for small tasks to be carried out, what could be sweeter. At first the tasks are as simple as inviting people to join NEED, and then everything changes. A fellow classmate is the first to die after cookies were "mysteriously" delivered to her containing the one thing that could kill her...peanuts. The culprit is a fellow classmate, and NEED member, who was just following through on the task given to them. As more teens begin to die off, there's only on teen who wants to end NEED for good. Follow Kayla, as she tries to find out who is behind NEED, and hopefully put a stop to them before more classmates meet their untimely deaths.
 

            I became obsessed with this book after the first chapter! This is why I rated the book a five out of five stars. This book will have you begging for more. I thoroughly enjoyed how each chapter was from a different point of view of each character. Just like every person has their own opinions and point of views, so do the characters. You really get to experience what goes on in every character's head through the progression of each chapter. The ending of this book will leave you breathless. It was also make you think that this story could possibly happen in real life today.



Dreamland~ Reviewed by Hailey Hinrichs

“All that we see or seem Is but a dream within a dream”

–Edgar Allan Poe

            Odea Donahue is not like most kids her age. Traveling from town to town with her mother her whole life and not knowing her father aren’t the only strange things about her.

            She has the ability to walk through people’s dreams.

            After being able to walk in people’s dreams since she was six years old, she knows that there are rules that she MUST follow. Never be seen, never interfere in the person’s dream, and never walk through someone’s dream more than once. Her mother was able to enforce these rules until she meets Conner, a new kid who has secrets of his own. Conner’s past makes her even more interested in him and she begins to break the rules in hopes that she’ll uncover the truth behind Conner’s past. But the rules were made so that the monsters would never find her. Once the rules were broken, they found her and took her mother hoping that it would lure her to their world. In her journey to find her mother, she uncovers more about Conner’s past, and her own.

            I really enjoyed this book so I gave it 4 out of 5 stars. I loved the whole plot of the book. I think the author did an amazing job creating a good view of the world she created in the book. The plot twists were ones I did not see coming at all. One thing that wasn’t so great about the book was that it took a little bit to really get into. Although I liked that some parts did leave you questioning something and made you what to read even more. Also, I liked the originality of the book. There aren’t any many books that I’ve seen about people dream-walking and other worlds being created from the monsters that are in nightmares. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys thrillers.

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.

 



The Appearance of Annie van Sinderen-- Reviewed by Hailey Hinrichs

                19 year-old Wes Auckerman has just moved to New York City to attend a filmmaker summer program at NYU. While helping a friend film a séance in the Bowery, Wes and his friend, Tyler, see a beautiful girl with a satin bow in the way of the camera frame. As the night progresses, Wes can’t seem to find her again. Due to his curiosity to find out more about her and Tyler’s need to find this mysterious girl to sign a release paper, Wes goes to find her. Once he finds her and they start spending more time together, Wes tries to uncover parts of Annie’s past. Also, how is she connected to Maddie, the other mysterious girl Wes met at the séance? As Wes and Annie travel around NYC trying to find her missing ring, Wes learns more about her past and why she seems otherworldly.

                I really enjoyed this book so I gave it 4 out of 5 stars. I love Katherine Howe’s writing style and I thought this book was very good. I really liked the characters and how bizarre some of them were. I also liked the dual POV’s and that some parts were from Wes’ POV and other were from Annie’s. Sometimes it doesn’t work very well and it gets confusing when authors do that but I think it went along smoothly in this book. If you have ever read Katherine Howe’s other book Conversion I think you would like this book as well. It has that thriller/mystery twist to it that really keeps you wanting to read more. I really enjoyed this book all together.