The minute I met Brie in the novel, I liked her. I liked her humor and the way she feels everything so deeply. You can immediately relate to the way she reacts to things, and how you think, “Oh, I know how she feels”. The humor of the novel was probably my favorite thing about the novel. Patrick creates infinite nicknames for Brie, all different sorts of cheeses, and sometimes he says things, and I just say, “HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THAT?”. It’s like John Green humor in that way – the laugh-out-loud humor.

The idea behind the novel is so fresh and original – I mean how do you even research the topic of your heart shattering in half? Jess Rothenberg created a world of haunting and beautiful at the same time.

I really enjoyed The Catastrophic History of You and Me is fresh and new and worthy of the praise it has received.

– Willa, age 14

About the Book:
Title: The Catastrophic History of You and Me
Author: Jess Rothenberg
Release Date: 02/2012

I started Wither because I got Fever (Chemical Garden Trilogy #2) in the mail a few weeks ago and just couldn’t stand to read Fever if I hadn’t read the first one. I’d heard great things about Wither but I was still reluctant. After reading the synopsis on the front flap I thought that the book would be a dark, confusing dystopian novel.

Wither starts out dark. Very dark. I mean, Rhine is taken from her home and forced into a marriage. She is like a prisoner in her own home. Actually, the whole world in this book left me in mortal terror. Also, at first I despised both of Rhine’s sister wives as well. (although I came around for Jenna eventually)

As the book progresses it becomes more light hearted. Rhine meets Gabriel, a servant, who becomes the love interest, and she also gets more freedom and is able to go outside and play with her sister wives, Cecily and Jenna. But when Cecily gets pregnant and Gabriel is relocated and all this other bad stuff (I won’t say what because that would ruin the book) starts to happen, the book becomes darker and gloomier again.

However, the end of this book is completely thrilling and such a cliff hanger! I was so glad I had Fever at the ready so I could pick up where I left off in the first one. And even before the ending there are tons of plot twists throughout the book that were totally unexpected.

I’m not going to dumb it down, this book is creepy and utterly terrifying in many ways. Rhine’s husband’s father, Vaughn, is one of the creepiest characters I have ever read. Really, he was in one of my dreams the other night. Yeah, he’s totally psycho and if he doesn’t scare you then I don’t know what will.

Overall, I really enjoyed Wither. It’s one of those books that chilled me to the bone, but also one with valuable lessons I won’t forget. The world created in this book really is unforgettable. Wither drew me in so much that I would just sit down with it and read 100 pages at a time. If you haven’t read it, I highly, highly recommend it. (as long as you don’t mind being creeped out/in mortal terror)

Alex just wanted to get away from everything for a while, so she headed for the Great Lakes. Then came the “Zap” followed by creepy, brain-washed monster people. With no choice but to run again, Alex brings Ellie, a younger girl with quite an attitude, with her, hoping to survive. Eventually they meet Tom, an Army veteran also stranded by the Zap. Trying to survive the monsters and the cold northern winter, Alex sets on a journey to find everything she’s lost, while trying to find a way to survive. Eventually stuck in a town of survivors, she tries to find a way to escape. Then she realizes the horrific truth of what’s really happening there…

Ashes was a very good book. A great story, the plot keeps a nice speed, so that you’re never waiting too long for the excitement. It was still suspenseful though, the reader is often wondering what choices will be made, and what will happen as a result. I found I really liked Alex. She’s an awesome girl, who never gives up without a fight. I found that she was a very well fleshed-out character with a fairly well explained past. In fact, I think that the author did very well with the almost all the characters, because you really get a feel for them, and they stick to their own personalities, instead of making decisions that don’t fit. So overall, Ashes was a great story, and well put together, making it easy and very enjoyable to read.

– Amber, age 14

About the Book:
Title: Ashes
Author: Ilsa J. Bick
Release Date: 08/2011

Beatrice lives in a world of five factions. Which faction you chose to continue your life after 16 in decides everything. Your friends, your enemies, even your family is affected. “Faction before Blood” is the saying in all the history books. The actions are supposed to make everything easier to live life the way you want. For Beatrice, she finds herself choosing between 2 factions: Dauntless, the Brave, the one she feels she belongs to, and Abnegation, the Selfless, and the one she was born into, the one she has her family in. Her logic is that it would be truly selfless to stay in Abnegation, yet also truly brave to switch from Abnegation to Dauntless, something only one person has ever done before. As Tris makes her decision and struggles to live life the way she really wants to, she fights with herself, and everyone around her. She tries to remain loyal to old friends and family, while also trying to be truly Dauntless, as opposed to the vicious aggressive faction that Dauntless has seemed to have become. Along the way, she also has to deal with Four, one of the Dauntless initiate teachers. Who he is, how she sees him, and most confusing, how he sees her. Her dangerous secret only confuses things more for her. While dealing with everything else, she also has to deal with the dangerous truth of what she is: Divergent. Not fit to follow only one faction’s ideals, but more than one. What this really means, is that Tris is not afraid to be who she feels she is and wants to be, no matter how dangerous that might be for her.

This book was amazing. Divergent had a gripping yet unique plot, incredible characters who you really can understand and relate too, great descriptions of almost everything you could want to know about what is happening, and overall, it all fit smoothly together. No lose ends that you don’t expect to be finished by the rest of the series, no rough edges or seams between two different plot threads. Everything fit together perfectly. I would be hard pressed to find something I really didn’t like about Divergent. This is an incredible story, and I loved every single moment of it.

– Amber, age 14

About the Book:
Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Release Date: 05/2011

This book follows the lives of four people; 1 Aries, her best friend dies in a car crash and a mysterious stranger leads her to safety; 2 Clementine, she is the only person in her town to escape a massacre in the town hall; 3 Mason, his school collapsed and he was the only one to survive because he got called out of school because his mom was in a car accident; 4 Michael, he saw a Bagger execute a man who hit a motorcycler. And then there’s “Nothing.” What is it? A Bagger? One of the group? No way to know for sure.

I really liked this book. The writing was amazing, I was really into it. The chapters are split into different perspectives though, and I kept forgetting what happened to whom. Other than that, I have no other criticism about this book. Depressing, scary, and fabulous.

– Mackinsey, age 14

About the Book:
Title: Dark Inside
About: Jeyn Roberts
Release Date: 10/2011

I truly enjoyed this book because the story line never really lulled; there was always something going on to keep me  interested without seeming confusing. The way the author made the connection to the main points of the Cinderella tale
while still keeping the plot unique was quite a feat and it was a nice surprise to recognize those points in the story. This novel was a great way to start the 2012 year.

–Laura, age 14

About the Book:
Title: Cinder
Author: Marissa Meyer
Title Release: 01/2012

– Laura, age 14

About the Book:
Title: Bloodlines
Author: Richelle Mead
Release Date: 07/2011

– Amber, age 14

About the Book:
Title: Wisdom’s Kiss
Author: Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Release Date: 08/2011