Fresh Fiction Review: 29 Dates

I really enjoyed this YA novel by Melissa de la Crus on dating, family pressure, and being sent to a new country for school.

I reviewed it for Fresh Fiction; read my thoughts on this book here. 

Mini Review: The Hate U Give

Starr witnesses her best friend from the neighborhood die in font of her - murdered by the police.

The Good:
The parents.
The discussions you have around this book
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air references
The Hope
The Harry Potter References
The Horror movie joke

The Bad:
It's over!

I can't believe I haven't talked about this book before. It's amazingly good. I devoured it! It's one of my favorite books of the year and I can't wait for the movie!

Library Recommendation: A must have for every public and high school library. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Diverse Characters

This week's topic is diverse characters. So here's my list of 10 books featuring diverse characters that I'm hoping to read soon!

- meme from The Broke and the Bookish

 

A bit younger:

Review: An Ember in the Ashes

Soldiers come into Laia's home, looking for her brother. He has a book of drawings that he's determined to keep hidden. When he tells Laia to run, she does, knowing that she's leaving him behind. Her grandparents died and her brother's taken into custody.

Ashamed of her inability to act that night she offers up her services in exchange for her brother's freedom. She goes undercover in the Commandant's household.

It's the most dangerous thing Laia has ever done and it could be the death of her if she doesn't play her cards right. She runs into Elias, who's going through a series of tests to crown the next leader.

No one knows that Elias has been questioning his loyalty lately. He isn't ready to give up everything, but he's getting closer.

Their paths cross and they can either help each other or their friendship could be the end of both of them.

My Thoughts: I really really enjoyed this book and I'm so happy there's a sequel in the works. 

Ok, yes, the book was violent - with several references to women/girls being raped, the commander has a history of violence, and there's that whole battle scene that's just heartbreaking. And it's not gratuitous - its in their world. 

I loved the strong women - women who risked everything for a cause, women who ruled their world, and women who defied the odds to make themselves stand out. 

I loved the lies, the secrets, and the relationships between everyone. It made the book all the more intriguing. 

I liked learning about the Scholars and the rebels. I liked learning about the soldiers and their life. 

I liked the choices the characters had to chose between duty, family, loyalty, and their own interests. 

All in all, I devoured this book and I've been thinking about it ever since.

Cover Thoughts: Pretty Good
Source: My Library

Final Thoughts: Wonderful fantasy debut that will rock your world. Grab it now!

Review: Endangered

Panda has a HUGE secret that no one knows - not even her best friend. She's the person behind the website that takes people down a notch or two.

They're not nice people and she has no problem exposing their dirty secrets.

But now someone knows HER secrets. Unless she plays a game, that person will expose her to the world. Panda's worked really hard to become invisible in the walls of high school. She's not interested in being in the spotlight again.

But she might not have a choice as the game becomes dangerous.

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book for several reasons.
* The main character's love of photography (I loved learning more about getting the good shots
* Panda's blog of exposing people made this book a thoughtful read, especially after her last post had severe consequences. I'm glad that I wasn't in middle school or high school in the age of social media.
* While I'm not a fan of some of Panda's choices, she had the best of intentions. 
* I love thrillers for teens and this lived up to it  with the action and danger and cryptic notes (even though I did have an inkling of the bad guy before)
* I like how the end played out with her parents and the police and how she finally understood her role in everything
* Panda is bi-racial

Cover Thoughts: Perfect, I love the way the main character is captured in the camera lens.
Source: My Library

Final Thoughts: A fantastically entertaining read that will keep you turning the pages