Tag Archives: Young Adult

Not That Kind of Girl by Siobhan Vivian

American Literature January 22, 2013 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: Student council president Natalie has a lot of pressure on her, and a freshman girl’s provocative behavior starts to unravel the control she’s fought so hard to maintain. Review: In many ways I could relate to Natalie, the first-person narrator of Not That Kind of Girl, to the point of being annoyed with her for being so blind to the feelings of everyone around her. I do get frustrated with stories that revolve around a character who either misses something critical, or who others…

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

American Literature January 21, 2013 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: A bad boy surviving foster care and hoping to get custody of his younger brother falls for a troubled young woman covered with scars and no memory of how she got them. Review: Honestly, I don’t know why I kept readingPushing the Limits. I didn’t think Noah was that great a guy, and Echo’s helplessness really got to me. I didn’t get why her scars were such a huge deal, socially speaking, and it bugged me how contrived some of the conflicts were. Yet…

The List by Siobhan Vivian

American Literature January 20, 2013 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: When the annual list of prettiest and ugliest girls in each grade is posted, the named girls face their demons and find out who they really are. Review: The List is my favorite kind of YA–edgy, sharp, and deeply human. I loved the backstories created for all the characters and how it all came together.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

American Literature December 27, 2012 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: In a world divided into five factions ruled by a defining character trait, a young woman risks excommunication if anyone discovers that she is Divergent–showing tendencies to more than one character trait. Review: I initially dismissed Divergent as part of the post-Hunger Games dystopian frenzy and assumed it wouldn’t grip me and enthrall me in quite the same way. I was dead wrong–I actually think Divergent is a better story than HG–at least so far. I felt way more invested in Tris’s dilemma because…

Erebos by Ursula Poznanski

German Literature December 24, 2012 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: When a teenage boy gets a copy of a contraband video game, he soon learns that Erebos and the real world are bleeding together with deadly results. Review: Erebos was a fun, fast read with good plotting and a well-realized game world. It was pretty straightforward in its execution and I’m not sure I’m totally satisfied by the ending but it was a fun read nonetheless.

All You Never Wanted by Adele Griffin

American Literature December 24, 2012 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: When her popular older sister Alex falls into a depression, ambitious Thea sets her sights on everything that she covets from her sister’s life. Review: Told in alternating POV chapters, All You Never Wanted is a merciless look at one sister bent on destroying herself, and another sister bent on helping her achieve her goal. As the mom of two daughters it made me sad to see the animosity between them, but I also really liked the complexity of their relationship and the way…

The Believing Game by Eireann Corrigan

American Literature December 16, 2012 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: Greer’s been dumped in a home for disturbed kids, but amazingly she meets the boy of her dreams–and his creepy AA sponsor, a 50-year-old possibly homeless guy who has grand plans for Addison, Greer, and their friends. Review: The Believing Game is the portrait of a nascent cult. While Greer doesn’t quite buy Joshua as a spiritual leader, she’s so in love with Addison that she accepts Joshua so as not to lose her boyfriend. But Joshua has a way of getting under people’s…

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth E. Wein

British Literature December 16, 2012 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: When her plane goes down in Nazi occupied France, a teenage Scottish spy known only as Verity has just one chance to write her confession before her captors send her off to a concentration camp. Review: Code Name Verity was the best read I have had all year. No contest. (Well, maybe The Devil in Silver.) I seriously just want everyone to feel how I feel when I think about “FLY THE PLANE MADDIE.” I am about to cry and I might just have…

The Twisted Window by Lois Duncan

American Literature October 3, 2012 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: A high school girl agrees to help a mysterious stranger rescue his little sister, whom he claims has been kidnapped by her father. Review: I used to love me some Lois Duncan back in the day (Stranger With My Face, anyone?) but this one just didn’t do anything for me. Many thanks to Laurel Leaf Suspense for the review copy.

The Paladin Prophecy by Mark Frost (Book 1)

American Literature September 25, 2012 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: A boy enters an elite prep school to hide from the mysterious black capped men who are stalking him and who have taken over his family, only to discover a conspiracy coming from another dimension. Review: The Paladin Prophecy is extremely well-written, and despite the presence of many expected genre elements, it showed a lot of imagination. Not surprising, considering that Mark Frost was the co-creator of Twin Peaks, one of the best TV shows of all time. I found so much I liked…

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