August 2019–Meeting 1

Hello all,

We’ve been reading and reading so here are our reviews!

Stepsister by Jennifer Donelly

Stepsister by Jennifer Donelly is a retelling of Cinderella from the point of view of one of the “ugly” stepsisters. Told through the eyes of the stepsister, Isabelle, and the Greek god Dionysus, the story follows Isabelle after her stepsister Ella became queen. I like this book because it has themes like the meaning of ‘beautiful’ and redemption as well as changing your fate. The only reason I wouldn’t nominate this book would be the ending. However, the rest of the book was well worth reading.

–Recommended by Anonymous

The Things She’s Seen by Ambelin and Ezekiel Kwaymullina

A dead girl helps her father solve crimes and move past his own grief. A surreal yet heartfelt story for mystery lovers and supernaturalists alike.

–Nominated by Caleb

Lovely War by Julie Berry

“Lovely War” by Julie Berry is a romance taking place in World War I as told by Aphrodite. The book starts with Hephaestus catching Aphrodite and Ares in an affair in a golden net. He then puts them on trial and Aphrodite tells two stories of romances she helped to build during the war. I loved the writing style, the dialogue, and the perspective on Aphrodite’s work. This was a beautifully written book and I would highly recommend it, especially to those interested in Greek mythology.

–Nominated by Jackie

Slay by Brittney Morris

“Slay” by Brittney Morris is a story of a teen girl who developed an online video game celebrating black history and culture. She develops this came called Slay to create a safe space for black players, but after a murder over a Slay dispute occurs in the real world, the game is debated all over the media. I liked the character development and how the plot was developed. This was a good read and I would highly recommend it.

–Nominated by Jackie

 

We’ve got one more meeting in August and then school will start again so our reading habits might drop as we are inundated with schoolwork, extracurricular activities, jobs, and balancing our lives this year. We’ll keep at it though, and post again after the second August meeting.

 

Happy Reading!

July 2019 Meetings

Hello again,

The summer seems to be flying by and we’ve got a few more recommendations and nominations of 2019 YA books. We’ve had some really great discussions about what we do and don’t like in books, what characters we like and why, and what pacing we prefer as readers. Here are our reviews:

We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mieja

An interesting dystopian society with complex characters.

Recommended by Anonymous

Lovely War by Julie Berry

An interesting and unique story about love in times of war and told through the eyes of Greek gods and goddesses. A long read, but completely worth it.

Recommended by Anonymous

The Transhuman Project by Erin Rhew

A really unique story with memorable and interesting characters that keeps you captivated from beginning to end.

Recommended by Anonymous

The Cerulean by Amy Ewing

A unique fantasy with relatable characters.

Recommended by Anonymous

Genesis Begins Again by Alicia Williams

A heartwarming story about a girl’s hard life.

Recommended by Nicole

Dig by AS King

I loved the funky uniqueness of this book and the way the various plot lines foil and converge in the end. The characters are deep and authentic and the writing is amazing.

Nominated by Anonymous

Fear of Missing Out by Kate McGovern

A wonderfully written, yet sad story of a girl with astrocytoma, AKA brain cancer. Along with her best friend a boyfriend, she goes on a road trip for her last chance to live.

Nominated by Anonymous

Our next meeting is on August 9th and we all took home plenty of reading material to share our thoughts next post. Stay cool, it’s getting hot out there.

Happy Reading!