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Teen SRC 2021 – All This Time by Mikki Daughtry

Written by Olivia X
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I’m not much of a romance reader. I’m more of the “fantasy, horror, and phycological thriller mix that keeps you awake past midnight thinking about the book” kind of person. But, you know, I saw this book at the library and I give full credit to the cover art, because if it hadn’t been that darn elegant, I probably wouldn’t have picked the book up in the first place. So, All This Time is a fiction romance novel by Mikki Daughtry and Rachael Lippincott, that sends you on a whole whirlpool of emotions.

When Kyle’s girlfriend dies in a car crash, he can’t find the motivation to do anything. Kyle blames himself for Kimberly’s death, and it seems that everything around him is a constant reminder of the nagging pain over his loss. And then he meets Marley – a girl who’s suffered from her own loss – and Kyle slowly starts recovering, his life becoming more whole than it ever had been. There’s a problem, though. Does Kyle really like Marley as “just a friend?” And even though Marley’s all sunshine and rainbows on the outside, that doesn’t mean she’s completely healed from her loss…

Can I just say…I don’t re-read books. Unless I’m bored out of my mind, I rarely read books again. Why? Well, there’s plenty of new books out there that I want to read, and I wouldn’t want to spend my time reading the same plot that i’ve already read instead. And anyway, not a lot of books are interesting enough to re-read anyway. Or so I thought. I must’ve re-read this book around…four times?! I even returned it, and then borrowed it again from the library just to read it a second time. THAT’S how good it is. The plot twists are truly amazing, and completely unpredictable. You become so, so attached to the characters, so when you read about them, you actually feel something for Kyle and Marley. All This Time describes emotions in the most precise way possible, and even for me, a black-hearted “sadist” who likes to read about murders, this book was heartbreaking.

(sadist/saddest? get it?! worst pun ever, I know, but I have no sense of humour… so there you are.)

This is definitely my favourite romance book. Yeah, I mean, it’s true that I’ve only read like two romance books in my life, but I have a feeling this one’s going to stay at the top for quite the while. Are all romance books this good?! Hopefully not, otherwise my favourite “fantasy, horror, and phycological thriller mix that keeps you awake past midnight thinking about the book” thing might possibly get bumped down to second-favourite genre. 10/10 for All This Time with no hesitation!

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Teen SRC 2021 – Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman

Written by Lucian C.
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Aurora Rising (The Aurora Cycle, #1) by Amie Kaufman

Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff follows a group of cadets from Aurora Academy who were sent on a simple supply sending mission. However, they weren’t told that this would determine the outcome of a very long war. The crew consists of Auri, a girl with supernatural powers, Tyler Jones, a star pupil of the Academy, and many other people who are considered as misfits.

This book consisted of many plot twists and was very confusing overall. I didn’t like it a lot, but I’d recommend it to anyone who is a fan of interstellar romance or someone who likes reading about aliens.

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Teen SRC 2020 – One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

Written by Rosie
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One of Us Is Lying - McManus, Karen M.

Hiii again! Alright, this week, I’m reviewing One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus, a realistic fiction/murder mystery.

Summary (Spoiler-Free): Five students are in detention together: Bronwyn, the Yale-bound brainiac, Addy, the popular and pretty homecoming queen, Nate, the druggie, who is on probation, Cooper, the star athlete, and Simon, an outcast, who runs Bayview High’s most notorious gossip app. Only, Simon never makes it to the end of detention… he is dead by allergic reaction, but the authorities say it was no accident. Simon died on Monday, when on Tuesday, he was set to expose some dirty secrets about the students he was in detention with, which makes them all suspects in his case.

This story is told through alternating perspectives, and in first-person, which, initially, I found very risky of McManus to use, because this is a mystery, after all, and that could lead to the readers figuring out the culprit very early on. However, I later found out there was reasoning behind this, and it actually tied in very well with the ending. Overall, this book was pretty well written, and it’s hard to figure anything out, because red herrings are ALL over the place, which is good in a mystery. However, I did manage to guess the killer before the ending, even though it was supposed to be a plot twist, so it’s definitely not an Agatha Christie.

I wouldn’t say that there’s anything special about this book?? It was good, and interesting to read, but it didn’t shock me, or make much of a lasting impression. Therefore, it gets a 7.5/10. The extra .5 is for the cover, because it’s a very crisp, yet representative design, which I always appreciate 🙂

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Teen SRC 2020- We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

Written by Inshal
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We Were Liars

Having read Genuine Fraud (also by E. Lockhart) I started We Were Liars happily expecting to have my socks knocked off. And it certainly didn’t disappoint.

Welcome to the Sinclair family. Tall, proud, and rich. Golden-haired, freckled, and most importantly: perfect. There are no Sinclair addicts, drop-outs, or failures. And every summer, the prestigious family meets on their very own island. But one summer, when the Liars (Cadence, her cousins, and a family friend named Gat) are fifteen, something goes horribly wrong. Cadence has an accident and now, at seventeen, she’s still suffering from constant migraines and selective amnesia. She doesn’t remember a thing of what happened. But after having skipped summer sixteen to travel Europe with her dad, Cadence finally returns to Beechwood Island, desperate for answers.

We Were Liars was absolutely brilliant. The idea of a perfect and rich family with their own island is fascinating, and E. Lockhart pulled it off impeccably AND realistically. The flashbacks, Cadence’s pain written in fanciful poetry, and yes, even the romance, was enjoyable to read. It beautifully conveyed the reality that no family is perfect, and there is an overall message in the book about dealing with family problems, money, expectations, pain, loss, and guilt…

And then there’s the plot twist. OH BOY, what can I say about the plot twist? My heart skipped a beat and I had to read the page again and again when I got to it. And the best part: it was entirely believable. (I mean, it took some time but I eventually came to terms with it.) Seriously, the plot twist is amazing.

The book isn’t perfect. (Duh, nothing’s perfect. Not even the Sinclairs!) The switching timelines were confusing: I didn’t know half the time when Cadence was talking about summer fifteen or seventeen. It could have been improved with chapter headings or something like ‘before’ and ‘after’. Cadence is okay as a character– not enough personality in my opinion, and not very likable, either. There were also some overdone metaphors that cut the quality of the writing, and and abrupt ending that needed more and slower falling action.

But please, don’t let my harsh criticism put you off. (that’s just me being me, really.) We Were Liars gripped me from the start and I finished the book in hours. I sacrificed sleep for it, and I don’t regret a thing. It’s the best of the best of contemporary suspense novels and I can’t wait to read it again. 9.5/10.

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July’s Teen Book Club

Written by RPL Teen Admin
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Welcome to the July’s Teen Book Club! Since we can’t meet in the library, we thought that we would do a book club here on the blog. Participate by commenting below this post and start discussions with other teens. And there’s prizes!! Remember, 1 teen will win 1 Book Prize each week for a thoughtful comment in the monthly Teen Book Club.

For the month of July, let’s talk all about Teen Books with a great twist in the plot!

Some questions for you:
– Is there a book that had a twist that you did NOT see coming?
– Did the twist make sense, or did it ruin the story?
– Did your opinion of the book change after the twist?
– If you could, would you change the ending?
– Or, if you didn’t like the ending because of the twist, does the ending matter or is the book still great without the twist ending?
– At what point in the book did you have an idea what was going on? What was the key clue that gave it away?

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Teen SRC 2019 – Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Written by Rosie
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Hey friends! So first of all, if one of you has already written a review on Catching Fire (since it’s a very popular book), let me know and I’ll add a link to your review!

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins is the sequel to The Hunger Games which I have also reviewed before (click here). It takes place in a country where the Capitol (and its citizens) have all the power and dictates over the other cities, also known as districts. Every year, to reinforce fear in the poverty-stricken districts, the Hunger Games are held. They are essentially fights-to-the-death between 24 unlucky competitors for the grand prize of glory, survival and rest of their life in luxury. It is cruel, gory and completely senseless because all it ends up being is entertainment for the bloodthirsty capitol citizens. *SPOILER FOR HUNGER GAMES, NOT CATCHING FIRE* The shocking co-victory from Katniss and Peeta in the 74th Hunger Games has stirred an uprising in the districts. President Snow notices this and starts to threaten Katniss before their Victors’ tour around the districts. Then, an unexpected twist comes along… *OK DONE!*

Thoughts: Love, love, loved this book. This series isn’t popular for no reason! It’s an amazing example of character development, world-building and plot set-up all being spectacular and blending smoothly together. It definitely deserves its 9.5/10. The 0.5 off is because it didn’t make me feel too emotional but other than that, literary perfection; You can’t not find it interesting.

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Teen SRC 2019- This Story Is A Lie by Tom Pollock

Written by Inshal
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This Story Is A Lie - Pollock, Tom

This Story Is A Lie by Tom Pollock

Fast-paced, captivating, and complex. This Story Is A Lie by Tom Pollock is a unique and compelling take on your average mystery novel.

Seventeen-year-old math prodigy Peter Blankman has suffered from panic attacks ever since he could remember. He’s always afraid and nervous, but when his mother wins a prestigious award for her work, Peter is determined to be there beside her like a normal kid would be. And that is when, for the first time in Peter’s life, his worst fears are realized. His mother is stabbed and nearly killed, while Bel, his twin sister and the only person who ever understood him disappears, presumably kidnapped by his mother’s attacker.

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Teen SRC 2019 – All Fall Down by Ally Carter

Written by Rosie
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All Fall Down by Ally Carter

Good Saturday morning guys! I’m in a very good mood because finals are over and I only have one more Career Ed project to finish!!

Yesterday I finally finished reading All Fall Down by Ally Carter (can you tell I’m a little obsessed with her books?) and let me tell you, I screamed a little (internally) at the end…

All Fall Down is set in a world where every single country is just a house on a street named Embassy Row. The story is about a girl named Grace who lost her mom to a “fire” 3 years ago. However, she believes her mom was murdered by a scarred man who keeps appearing in her flashbacks but no one, not even her family believes her. When Grace goes out exploring the countries with Noah, her best friend, she accidentally ventures into Iran, the forbidden country. What’s even more surprising though, is that she’s not alone. In fact, when she catches a glimpse of the other intruder, she spots a huge facial scar…

Thoughts: I really liked this book, it was a bit slow in the beginning but the ending reaaaally threw me for a loop. The story gathers pace progressively until it’s super fast and huge, kind of like a snowball rolling down a hill, collecting snow. I think the world-building could be a little bit more detailed too but other than that I think this was a really good introduction to hopefully an amazing series! I’d give this book an 8.5/10 because the story has just started developing but I’m sure the next book will be even better! Definitely recommend 🙂

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