Ponderings of a Bibliophile

  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--...

  Author: Marissa Meyer Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy/Dystopian  Age Group: Young Adult Number of Books: 3     Book #1: Renegades     Book #2: Archenemies     Book #3: Supernova Sixteen-year-old Nova despises the Renegades--a group of superheroes who protect and run Gatlon City--because they failed to come to her family's aid during a break-in. She is an Anarchist now and intent on bringing down the Renegades, so she joins them as a spy for the other Anarchists. She didn't expect herself to become close to her Renegade team. As someone who liked but didn't love Marissa Meyer's other series, the Lunar Chronicles, my expectations for Renegades were mediocre. Boy, did this series surprise me! With great writing, realistic emotional conflicts, strong characters, and an interesting plot, Renegades astounded me on so many levels, in a good way. That being said, this book did have a few weaknesses. First, it was kind of hard to remember which character ...

  Title: The Devouring Gray Author: Christine Lynn Herman Genre: Paranormal/Fantasy Age Group: Young Adult Number of Books: 2 The Devouring Gray is about a girl named Violet who moves to a small town after her sister's death. But when Violet finds a body in the forest near her house, she starts to wonder if the town is normal after all and becomes determined to find out what is causing the murders and disappearances. The sad thing about this book was that it had potential. The characters were intriguing, at least on the surface, but as I read on it became clear that they weren't very developed, with the possible exception of Harper. The backstory of the founders was very well thought out, but the world building felt forced and plastic. This made it hard to get into the book. However, Christine Lynn Herman's writing was so good that it had me shivering. Her tone and style match what's happening in the story perfectly. My overall rating is four out of ten stars. If you...

Author: Leigh Bardugo Genre: High Fantasy Age Group: Young Adult Number of Books: 2      Book #1: Six of Crows      Book #2: Crooked Kingdom In the dangerous city of Ketterdam, six outcasts join together to attempt a daring heist. Success means becoming rich beyond their wildest dreams. Failure means death. Whether you're looking for action, antiheroes, or romance, Six of Crows  has it all. Between love triangles, Mary Sues, and special snowflake protagonists who aren't like other girls, I was starting to lose my faith in YA literature. That was when I picked up  Six of Crows , the book that changed everything. The characters rival those of the Harry Potter series, the writing flows, and the the plot is a masterpiece. Leigh Bardugo takes all the cliche elements of the YA genre and laughs in their faces with her originality and world-building. My biggest problem with the book? I couldn't hate any of the characters! Normally, when I'm reading a seri...