Tag: YA

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Review of The Madman’s Daughter by Megan Shepherd

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THE MADMAN’S DAUGHTER by Megan Shepherd

SUMMARY:

Sixteen-year-old Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself in London—working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumors about her father’s gruesome experiments. But when she learns he is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations are true.

Accompanied by her father’s handsome young assistant, Montgomery, and an enigmatic castaway, Edward—both of whom she is deeply drawn to—Juliet travels to the island, only to discover the depths of her father’s madness: He has experimented on animals so that they resemble, speak, and behave as humans. And worse, one of the creatures has turned violent and is killing the island’s inhabitants. Torn between horror and scientific curiosity, Juliet knows she must end her father’s dangerous experiments and escape her jungle prison before it’s too late. Yet as the island falls into chaos, she discovers the extent of her father’s genius—and madness—in her own blood.

Inspired by H. G. Wells’s classic The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Madman’s Daughter is a dark and breathless Gothic thriller about the secrets we’ll do anything to know and the truths we’ll go to any lengths to protect.

REVIEW:

It took me getting through almost half the book before I really connected, but once I did it was fantastic! I look forward to book 2!


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Review of Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

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OUT OF THE EASY by Ruta Sepetys

SUMMARY:

It’s 1950, and as the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets, seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer.

She devises a plan get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street. Josie is caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans lures her in her quest for truth, dangling temptation at every turn, and escalating to the ultimate test.

With characters as captivating as those in her internationally bestselling novel Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys skillfully creates a rich story of secrets, lies, and the haunting reminder that decisions can shape our destiny

REVIEW: What an absolutely delightful book! You immediately are drawn into Josey’s world and fall in love with her. A must read!

FIVE STARS
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Review of I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga

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I HUNT KILLERS by Barry Lyga

SUMMARY:

Jasper “Jazz” Dent is a likable teenager. A charmer, one might say.

But he’s also the son of the world’s most infamous serial killer, and for Dear Old Dad, Take Your Son to Work Day was year-round. Jazz has witnessed crime scenes the way cops wish they could—from the criminal’s point of view.

And now bodies are piling up in Lobo’s Nod.

In an effort to clear his name, Jazz joins the police in a hunt for a new serial killer. But Jazz has a secret—could he be more like his father than anyone knows?

REVIEW: I found this book to be such a fun read. It has this Dexter quality and the main character Jazz is incredibly likable.
I thought it was gory and uncomfortable at times, but in a good way. Many YA books tackle issues such as murder in such a mundane way. She was killed, but not raped. She was tortured, but after death. I was actually relieved to see the nitty-gritty reality of the fact that most women are murdered AND raped. And sick people torture people when they’re still alive. It’s not all roses 🙂
Weird rant that may make me seem insane aside, I really liked this book! and I really REALLY loved Jazz.

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Review of The Archived by Victoria Schwab

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THE ARCHIVED by Victoria Schwab

SUMMARY:

Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books.

Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive.

Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what he once was, a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often—violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a useful tool for staying alive.

Being a Keeper isn’t just dangerous—it’s a constant reminder of those Mac has lost. Da’s death was hard enough, but now her little brother is gone too. Mac starts to wonder about the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive, the dead must never be disturbed. And yet, someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapters. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself might crumble and fall.

In this haunting, richly imagined novel, Victoria Schwab reveals the thin lines between past and present, love and pain, trust and deceit, unbearable loss and hard-won redemption

REVIEW: I really enjoyed this story and thought the concept was fascinating. I’m interested to see where she takes this series. I will definitely be reading book #2


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Review of Reached by Ally Condie

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REACHED by Ally Condie

SUMMARY:

After leaving Society to desperately seek The Rising, and each other, Cassia and Ky have found what they were looking for, but at the cost of losing each other yet again. Cassia is assigned undercover in Central city, Ky outside the borders, an airship pilot with Indie. Xander is a medic, with a secret. All too soon, everything shifts again.

REVIEW:

The story is very beautiful in the way that Ally Condie writes. Her imagery is wonderful and vivid and I appreciated this book from a writing standpoint.  Great story!


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