Skip to main content

Teen Book Review–The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson

The Unexpected EverythingSo…Real Life isn’t usually a genre I read but this book made it onto my exceptions list. The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson is just so hilarious and relatable that even readers who hate anything non-magical (aka me) won’t be able to put it down! I can’t say much here without spoiling but trust me, this book is a super fun and happy read so you won’t have to worry about the traumatizing stress experienced in fantasy or paranormal stories when your favourite characters are subject to dying at any given time…

!SPOILER ALERT!Read More

Teen SRC 2017 – Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Continuation of Divergent, Tris and Four leaves Dauntless, to Amity, for protection from the Eurdite. There they try to find out what the leaders of Abnegation where trying to protect and why the Erudite want some to stop them. Together the both of them find out the secrets of the work they are living in, so that they can save the world from danger.

Teen SRC 2017 – Divergent by Veronica Roth

Tris Prior lives in modern Chicago, where the society is divided into five factions. Each faction believes in different virtues. Every 16-year-old will go through the aptitude test and will determine which faction they will live in for the rest of their lives. Tris moves to Dauntless, where they encourage bravery and blame cowardice for the world’s problems. Tris finds out during her aptitude test, that she is divergent, meaning she cannot fit into one faction and can manipulate stimulations. Told to keep her divergence a secret, Tris finds about the war that will take away all of her loved ones away. This is one of the bes books I have ever read. Five out of Five Stars ✨

We went to McNair Secondary

 

 

We went on another school visit recently and went to McNair Secondary!!!

We had so much fun visiting this school and the students and the teachers had fun with us too. So much fun that they asked us to come back the following week to talk about even more books 🙂

 

We are trying to go visit every high school in Richmond, BC, so if you’d like us to come to your school, please email us at teenblog@yourlibrary.ca

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Benjamin Alire Saenz’s  Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is the sort of book that you want to tear through in one sitting. As soon as I was done, I knew I’d be reading it again at some point. The writing is beautiful and flows from beginning to end, and this is easily a book that a non-YA reading adult can enjoy as much as teens can. It touches on falling in love, sexual orientation, male friendship and cultural identities. It is never shallow, yet it doesn’t throw its depth in the reader’s face in a sort of I’m smarter than you way.

Our main character, Aristotle, begins the novel very angry. He’s sad, confused and furious about his older brother being in prison and because of how his parents won’t tell him any of the specifics. His father, a war vet, is distant and depressive and it has led Aristotle further into loneliness. This alienation won’t let him grow close to anyone. When the novel begins, he hasn’t allowed himself to make any friends. He can be a jerk at times, but he doesn’t know how else to be because of all the feelings that are swirling around inside him. He wants to find out about his brother and decides to pursue the mystery of what happened.

After he meets Dante, the two of them fall into an easy friendship. Dante is a wonderful character, full of energy and light and humour. He allows Aristotle to begin viewing the world in a new way, a more open way, which leads to him tentatively making other friends as well. There is no grand plot to this novel, no big events, just two young men going through the business of living as they each find their way in the universe. If you are interested in reading a realistic story that is filled with both loveliness and heartbreak, please pick this one up.

Shooter by Caroline Pignat

Currently, I am reading Shooter by Caroline Pignat and it is amazing!! I seriously cannot put it down!!

Set in a high school in BC, five students find themselves locked in the boys bathroom during a lockdown. They are five different kinds of people and feel like they have nothing in common. As the minutes tick by, they become a little restless and start to talk about their lives. Not only do they learn about each other, but they also learn, to their horror, that this is still a drill! There is really is a shooter in the school.

Told by the five points of view, the story weaves together well and it’s hard to put down. This book was also one of the Riot Reads in the Richmond High Schools this year. Be sure to check it out!

Teen Review – A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Who wrote Throne of Glass, a novel that is an amazing bestseller? Sarah J. Maas. Who wrote A Court of Thorns and Roses? That’s right, Sarah J. Maas. Feyre is a nineteen-year-old who kills a wolf in the forest and is then visited by Tamlin, an immortal faerie. As he takes her to his home, she dislikes him immensely. Although, there is a thin line between love and hate!

First of all, don’t disregard any characters until the second book where the whole plot has a sudden twist which took me about a week to absorb. That’s when you realize you should have seen it coming. Anyways, for those who have only read the first book so far or haven’t read the book at all, there will be no spoilers. THIS BOOK IS AMAZING! The basis is definitely a Beauty and the Beast theme but the story quickly develops. The strong independence and complexity of the main characters is amazing, but you definitely feel a connection to Feyre who struggles to face her challenges. It is definitely a paranormal, which I love, combined with romance, which I also love, plus many other genres. All the people I have come across have definitely loved this book. The relationships and the way she views this strange world intrigued me for sure. Sarah J. Maas once again excels. After reading the book, who do you ship Feyre with? The best part is this is the best time to read the series as the third book is out in a couple of weeks! Get started on this series and be ready to delve into a wonderful world. The ending is the best part! Sudden adventure and more drama! Remember: A Court of Thorn and Roses, A Court of Mist and Fury, and A Court of Wings and Ruin. Happy reading!

Teen Review – Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

This book is just amazing and before I begin praising it, let me give you a few sentences of the summary. Mary E. Pearson just completely draws you into her books and their world, making you yearn to find out what happens next. The Kiss of Deception stars seventeen-year-old Princess Lia, who runs away from her wedding and decides to work at an inn. When two strangers come in, the secrets begin to take form as one is the prince she ran away from while the other is the assassin sent to kill the princess. 

It is such an intense book with the drama from the beginning, fantasy tales with a tinge of supernatural, adventure, bravery and romance! It is a very relatable novel as it shows a girl who just wants to be normal and be independent, which a lot of people sympathize with. As the story progresses it continues to get better! The only portion that might be confusing, but adds to the mystery of things, is figuring out who is the assassin and who is the prince. While you read the book you will secretly hope she is falling in love with the prince, but how will you know? You’ll have to read the book until the very end to see! There is a very interesting love triangle going on, but on top of that, there is also the friendship this princess has with the women she works with. The women are all diverse but have the similarity where they will go to any ends to support those they care about, especially their friends. Overall, it’s a very well-rounded book and if you look clearly, it is very deep as well.

This series is one of my absolute favourites, and the first book was the best introduction ever! Usually, I am the type to only read books that are completed because when authors release books months later, I often forget the storyline. For this book, I was completely hooked and made sure to read all the books. Just to mention the best part: the series is completed! Yes, no cliffhangers at all, just read the next book! I started this book pretty early on so it was torture waiting for the third book but you do not have to suffer through that! The Kiss of Deception, The Heart of Betrayal and The Beauty of Darkness are all available! Is that not the best news you could ever hear about a series? Basically, out of my whole enthusiastic review about the book, I must recommend that everyone reads this series!

We went to Richmond Secondary!

We went to Richmond Secondary School last week and had a blast!

 

 
We saw about 300 students there and got to talk about our favourite books this year. Here’s a video of Cindy talking about her favourite book of 2016, Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake 

We love going to the high schools and talking about great books! If you want us to come to your school, please email us at teenblog@yourlibrary.ca

Teen Review – Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth

The author of Divergent is back at it again with her new book, Carve the Mark! In the recent Teen Battle of the Books, Veronica Roth‘s novel was a close second to Heartless, but that does not mean it is not an amazing read as well! This story is about Cyra and Akos, enemies who were never meant to become friends. They both have currentgifts that bring them together and help them face their problems.

First of all, there is a lot of different vocabulary that takes a while to get used to if you are not captivated by the book. Basically, the most important part is that Cyra is part of the Shotet nation while Akos is from Thuvhe. They both have personal challenges that they need to face which seems a bit similar to daily life, although their version is a bit more…magical! They work together and get past all of this. I loved this book so much and the gradual relationship that is built is so diverse and realistic, compared to a lot of unrealistic books which talk about how the first time they met, they became friends. To me, that sounds completely impossible, although I might be wrong!Read More