Teen Book Reviews

Ashley turned in a few book reviews for summer reading club, and they were all so thoughtful and worth sharing. If you're looking for a good book to sink into, try one of these out. All links go to our catalog, so you can request the book from home.

Early to Death, Early to Rise by Kim Harrison: This was a fun read, especially if you liked the first book in the trilogy. It picks up right where the previous book left off and builds on the world Harrison crafted. My one criticism was the way too obvious red herring. You know from the start that it's a red herring, but the main characters fail to realize this until the end.

It still had the charm of the first book and Marison's quest to change the world one innocent at a time is admirable. It saddens me that there's only one book left in this series, as I adore both Harrison's writing style and the way she crafts her main characters.

This book's writing style reminded me how Kim writes her other series, as she did some of the same central themes of right/wrong. I would recommend this books to fans of urban fantasy, angels, and the war between good and evil or fate vs choice.

The Anti-Prom by Abby McDonald: All three of the main characters were different from each other, but I never felt connected or like I could relate to any of them. I did enjoy their whack predictable story, though. Having alternating points of view was a little confusing, especially when you stop reading in the middle of a chapter. But all in all, it was a cute read. Nothing serious, just pure fun.

This book's plot was like a plot from a summer chick flick, but I can't think of a specific example. I would recommend to this book to impatient prom goers and lovers of chick flicks.

White Cat by Holly Black: Once you get a feel for the characters and what kind of a world they live in, I thought it was a really good mystery/fantasy book. The story was fast paced but we got to get into Cassel's head and see what kind of person he was, even thought he didn't know what kind of a person he was, which I liked. I also liked that there were some good plot twists worked in with the occasional predictability and that it ended with most of its strings wrapped up so you could stop reading the series if you wanted to (which I don't). But the loose ends don't give away too much plot for the sequel. I'm certainly interested in seeing how this series plays out.

This book reminded me of books that involve witch craft but nothing specific. Maybe a little bit like The Demon's Lexicon. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes magic, mystery, and complicated main characters.