Ponderings of a Bibliophile

  Author: Neal Shusterman Genre: Dystopian Age Group: Young Adult Number of Books: 3     Book #1: Scythe     Book #2: Thunderhead     Book #3: The Toll The Arc of a Scythe series takes place in a world where artificial intelligence rules and humanity has conquered everything--even death. The Thunderhead--the name given to the modern-day cloud when it developed consciousness--had created a perfect utopia. But in order to curb the growing population, people must be ended, hence the creation of scythes, who are basically respected assassins. The first book of this series is hooking once you get into it. Citra, one of the main characters, is strong and smart and awesome without being unlikable. Rowan, the other main character, has one of the best development arcs in all the YA fiction I've read so far. The second book is just as good, although I missed Volta... no comment on what happened to him. Unfortunately, the third book just doesn't meet the same sta...

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott As far as classics go, this one's pretty good. It's kind of boring, but if you get pass the slow pacing you'll find a heartwarming story of four sisters. Six out of ten stars. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Ugh, no. Don't even get me started. You know how many chapters in this are in here? Nine. Guess how many days it took me to finish this book? Nine. It's not that it's long; it's just so terribly boring that I couldn't bring myself to torture my brain cells for more than one chapter a day. Maybe I'm too young to appreciate the profound metaphorical meaning or whatever, but I strongly dislike this book. The only good thing that came from reading it was being able to brag. Two out of ten stars. Lord of the Flies by William Golding Now HERE is a classic worth its classification. It's dark and disturbing and presents insight on human nature, and it's really well written! If you've pledged to read m...

  Author: Taran Matharu Genre: Fantasy Age Group: Young Adult Number of Books: 3 plus a prequel     Book #1: The Novice     Book #2: The Inquisition     Book #3: The Battlemage     Prequel: The Outcast Fifteen-year-old Fletcher, a blacksmith's apprentice, discovers that he has the power to summon demons. He heads to the military school for summoners to learn to harness his power, where he learns that the war with the orcs is going worse than anyone knows. Between school work, trying to fit in as a commoner among nobles, and training for the tournament, will Fletcher and his friends be able to save the empire? With its orcs, elves, and dwarves, this series is heavy on cliches, but in a really good way! It's like a giant fantasy mash up that has the best of all worlds. The world building is convincing, the magic school is believable, and the magic system is awesome. Finishing the trilogy left me with nostalgia--I would have read it again right ...

  Author: Gordon Korman Genre: Science Fiction Author: Gordon Korman  Age Group: Middle Grade Number of Books: 3     Book #1: Masterminds     Book #2: Criminal Destiny     Book #3: Payback Serenity is the perfect place to live. No crime, no homelessness, no unemployment--why would anyone ever want to leave? Eli Frieden has lived there his whole life, and he's perfectly happy. That is, until he tries to take a bike ride outside of town and becomes incredibly sick. Eli becomes suspicious. After all, Serenity seems too good to be true. And when something is too good to be true, it usually is, as Eli learns when he discovers a terrible secret about the town he calls home. I did not expect to like this book. I've only read Gordon Korman once before ( Restart ), and the writing style and characters were way too cheesy for my taste. Even so, I needed a trilogy or duology to buddy read with someone, so we decided to give this a chance. And let me tell you...

  Author: J. C. Cervantes Genre: Fantasy Age Group: Middle Grade Number of Books: 3     Book #1: The Storm Runner     Book #2: The Fire Keeper     Book #3: The Shadow Crosser Zane Obispo lives a pretty great life, aside from the fact that he needs a cane to walk: he's home schooled, he has a dog he loves, and he has friendly neighbors. But just when he thinks he has things figured out, his mom tells him he has to go back to public school. That's where he meets Brooks, a mysterious girl who tells him he plays a part in an ancient Maya prophecy. The Storm Runner  trilogy is very fast-paced, more so than almost any series I've ever read. J. C. Cervantes wastes no time getting to the action, and since she manages to fit so many scenes in one book, it can sometimes be a little hard to keep up, though this is easily solved by taking a moment every few chapters to make sure you understand what's happening. That aside, reading this series is a great way t...

  Author: Neal Shusterman Genre: Dystopian Age Group: Young Adult Number of Books: 4 (but 5 if you count UnBound, which is a book of short stories)     Book #1: Unwind     Book #2: UnWholly     Book #3:  UnSouled     Book #4: UnDivided     Book #5 (sort of): UnBound The Unwind Dystology is about a futuristic world where troubled teens can be sent to harvest camps, where they will be unwound--all of their body parts separated and donated to other people. Connor's parents signed the Unwind order because of his temper. Lev is a tithe, born and raised to be unwound. Risa lives in a state home, where they must unwind older children to make room for new arrivals. Will the three of them be able to escape their horrible fate? The Unwind books are very creepy, to say the least. Neal Shusterman lures you into this futuristic world with smooth, unique writing and only after you finish the book do you realize how plausible this future is--...