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Teen SRC 2020 – Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Written by Max
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Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1) by Leigh Bardugo

“No mourners. No funerals. Among them, it passed for ‘good luck.'” – Leigh Bardugo, Six of Crows

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo blew my mind. Honestly, I was a bit weary when I first picked up this novel. It’s a well-known book, and I’ve seen it everywhere- from my local library to my school library, it was always at the front of the bookshelf. At this point, so many people were talking about it. However, I was still a little suspicious because I usually don’t enjoy fantasy novels (totally just a lack of imagination on my part). Still, I decided to give it a read after all the big talk, and I don’t regret it at all.

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Teen SRC 2020 – The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

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“What’s the point of having a voice if you’re gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn’t be?” – Angie Thomas, The Hate U Give

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas is genuinely one of the most influential novels speaking out against racism written in our time. Especially now, in the times of people using their voice to campaign for what’s right, this book brings a whole new light to the controversial issues that have existed for generations.

Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, this novel is about a sixteen-year-old girl named Starr Carter who lives in two different worlds- a poor neighbourhood where she lives, and a fancy prep school she attends. Starr navigates through many feelings of grief after seeing her childhood best friend, Khalil, murdered by the police. When his death makes national headlines, Starr faces a choice that can change the entire community that surrounds her- does she defend her friend when confronted by a horrendous amount of outside pressures?

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Teen SRC 2020 – Legend by Marie Lu

Written by Max
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“Each day means a new twenty-four hours. Each day means everything’s possible again. You live in the moment, you die in the moment, you take it all one day at a time.” – Marie Lu, Legend

Legend by Marie Lu is possibly one of my favourite books of all time. Honestly, I’m quite a sucker for dystopian novels because the rush I get when I’m reading is so wild. The pace that Marie Lu sets for this book is exhilarating, and there are no dull moments in this book.

This story is told through two POVs between Day (Daniel Altan) Wing and June Iparis. Day is an infamous criminal who’s on the run from Republic officials with the help of his friend, Tess. At the same time, June is a prodigy, recently graduated from a Republic academy (although she’s had a good share of rulebreaking herself). When June is set on a mission to hunt down Day, they end up colliding, and everything starts to unfold as they find out their real enemies and underlying secrets.

I enjoyed this novel because the action and the plot twists were invigorating. Every time I thought I had something figured out, something just had to go wrong. I had my breath held the entire way through because of how fast-paced it was (which I love), and I couldn’t put the book down until I reached the end.

However, I felt like there were still pieces missing. I would’ve liked some more details about the world revolving around them. I had so many questions about their surroundings that were left unanswered. I also would’ve liked more time spent on Day and June’s chemistry. It felt rushed, and I wanted to see more development between them.

Lastly, I just want to put it out there that Tess and Day have the most intriguing friendship ever. Their friendship is so well developed to the point where it felt like they were siblings. The way that they cared for each other is a dream most people have, and they were always there for each other. Their backstory was so heartwarming, and it helped me realize how much time it takes to develop sincere trust. I feel like side characters don’t usually get the same amount of admiration as main characters do, which is quite a bummer- but I don’t see how anyone could not adore Tess!

All in all, this novel was an astonishing read, and I would definitely recommend it. My rating for this novel is an 8.5/10 because there were some missing pieces to the story that I would’ve enjoyed seeing.

Till next time,

Max.

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Teen SRC 2020 – The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

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The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

A science fiction novel with a hint of romance? Sign me up! Throughout this novel, you will be lead through a roller coaster of wild emotions; it can range from excitement to absolute terror. There won’t be a single feeling of disappointment with this book, because every page will have you reeling on the edge of your seat.

On the day of Ruby’s tenth birthday, she sent to a rehabilitation camp called Thurmond. Why? She had obtained a peculiar disease that killed the majority of the children in America. Locking children up in a camp because of a “disease”?! That sounds crazy, doesn’t it? It almost seems as if the government is… scared of them. Now at the age of sixteen, the truth about Ruby’s abilities are revealed… and she barely makes it out alive. On the run, she meets three other kids who also escaped. They then start their journey to a safe haven called the East River- where supposedly, there are kids just like them. But as they continue their journey, Ruby will be faced with a decision that will determine her future.

“Just one more page!!” I cannot stress this enough, but that sentence is almost never true (unless you somehow have amazing control over yourself.) I thought that this book was absolutely phenomenal. I’ve read many sci-fi novels, but this one was so unprecedented that I ended up reading until the sun came up. The relationships built between the characters were so wholesome and there were times where I needed a moment to collect myself before I could continue reading. This book has single-handedly made me cry and laugh so much- sometimes, even at the same time. Ruby is such a sweet girl and reading from her POV was astounding because it showed how selfless she was. I would, without hesitation, give this book a 10/10. 

Thanks for taking time to read my review!:)

Till next time,

Max

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Teen SRC 2019 – Back to the Future by George Gipe

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Back to the Future by George Gipe

Hey! We’ve all heard of the CLASSIC movie “Back to the Future”, right? If you haven’t, you should definitely check it out. I recently finished the book and I decided that it was too amazing to NOT write a review about it.

This book is about a boy named Marty McFly, going on an adventure back in time. He discovers that his actions for what he does in the past can affect the actual future. If you haven’t watched the movie, drop everything you’re doing right now and watch it (wait- don’t actually do that, I’m just kidding).

I think that this is a great book. It helped me acknowledge how our actions can affect what happens in the future, but once it happens, there’s no going back; we have to live with what has happened and learn to move on from all of it, whether we like it or not.

I know this was a short review, but not all good books need a huge amount of words to describe its greatness. All in all, I’d rate this book a 10/10. It’s a classic must-read (especially if you’ve seen the film) and it helped me realize the importance of our actions.

Thanks for reading my review and I hope you decide to read this when you have the time! 🙂

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Teen SRC 2019- Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

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Hey! I recently (re)read the novel Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson and I do have some strong opinions on it that I would like to share.

To start off, this novel is about a girl named Melinda Sordino. Throughout this book, she fights to overcome her depression due to something aching that happened to her at a summer party. She goes back to school in September with no friends, along with multiple glares from strangers. She decides that speaking will only hurt her, slipping into a state of depression.

This book truly meant a lot to me. The first time I read this book was in 2018 and it taught me a lot about standing up for myself when times get hard. When we are told to stand up for ourselves, we agree and stop thinking about it the day after. When we have to take action and stand up for ourselves, we tend to become a coward. I know that not all of us can relate to this, but there has to be someone out there who’s too shy, or too afraid to go out and stand up to everyone who has hurt them in the past.

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Teen SRC 2019- the perks of being a wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

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Hey! This is my first teen SRC review I’ve ever done so I wanted to dedicate it to a book that meant a lot to me. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

I first read this book when I was around the age of 10 and to be honest, I had no idea what was going on half of the time. I actually thought this book was pretty pointless. A few years later, I saw it at the local library and I thought I’d give it another try, given the fact that I was literally 10 when I first read it. I started reading through it, when it hit me how dumb I was as a child. I saw Charlie’s writing through a whole different perspective and it amazed me how much I related to his thoughts. I felt as if Charlie and I were somehow reaching out to each other. Charlie and I shared a fascinating connection of poetry and reading. As I flipped through the pages in this book, I felt myself get more and more attached to Charlie. It blew my mind knowing that I could connect with a character in such a way.

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