by J.C. Carleson
Summary:
When her father is killed in a coup, Laila flees to the United States with her mother and brother. As she struggles with daily life in the States, Laila begins to discover the truth about her father's regime. While her mother schemes and plots for them to have her younger brother inherit the country's rule so they can return to the country, Laila is left trying to figure out what her path is. Does she have to return to a county where she will have no real rights again? Should she stay in America even though life here isn't as easy as they might have thought? What is true in a world where everything she was told was a lie? An interesting read about a girl from a sheltered past coming to terms with truths she was never told.
Review:
This book mildly frustrated me. There were times when I wanted to yell at Laila that family loyalty should only go so far. The mother's plots to return to their country and put her young son 'in charge' and have a family member as regent angered me, mainly because you can see this kind of scheming today and in our recent past. The human rights atrocities that were touched on were equally frustrating as you watched the mother ignoring them to try and continue to live the life she wanted. It's a good read that gives some insight as to what it would be like to grow up in that environment.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade
Saturday, December 20, 2014
Don't Look Back
by Jennifer Armentrout
Summary:
If Sam could remember that night, or anything from her life before that night, maybe she could help them find Cassie. If the person she is discovering she was, the mean girl who was both loved and hated alongside Queen Bee Cassie, was anything like the person she thinks she should have been maybe things would make sense. But nothing is adding up. As Sam tries to remember what happened, threatening notes begin to appear warning her off the case. But nothing is adding up, and Sam is left to wonder, can she not remember because she killed Cassie herself?
Review:
A thriller which will keep you guessing until the very end, Don't Look Back is a fantastic read for anyone who likes suspense fiction. Sam is a very realistic character, and you struggle along with her wishing she could just remember what happened. The book builds to a big reveal, with a little romance on the side (though her love interest just might end up being the killer himself...).
Genre: Mystery
Age Level: 8th Grade
Summary:
If Sam could remember that night, or anything from her life before that night, maybe she could help them find Cassie. If the person she is discovering she was, the mean girl who was both loved and hated alongside Queen Bee Cassie, was anything like the person she thinks she should have been maybe things would make sense. But nothing is adding up. As Sam tries to remember what happened, threatening notes begin to appear warning her off the case. But nothing is adding up, and Sam is left to wonder, can she not remember because she killed Cassie herself?
Review:
A thriller which will keep you guessing until the very end, Don't Look Back is a fantastic read for anyone who likes suspense fiction. Sam is a very realistic character, and you struggle along with her wishing she could just remember what happened. The book builds to a big reveal, with a little romance on the side (though her love interest just might end up being the killer himself...).
Genre: Mystery
Age Level: 8th Grade
The Kiss of Deception
by Mary E. Pearson
Summary:
On the morning of her wedding to a stranger she's never met, Princess Lia runs away to a remote village with her maid. When two handsome strangers arrive in the same village, she views their flirtations with her has harmless, not knowing that one of them is her jilted fiance and the other an assassin sent to kill her. As an ancient rift between kingdoms comes to a head with Princess Lia at the center, it will be a miracle if she survives it. A planned trilogy, this book is hard to put down, and will leave you wishing the second was already out!
Review:
While a slightly similar story to many that are out there, Kiss of Deception is incredibly well written and engaging. Lia is fairly naive, though she learns quickly and is willing to work despite having grown up a princess. The book doesn't tell you which man is the assassin and which the jilted fiance as we watch them both fall for her, and it definitely keeps you guessing until the end. A great read for both adventure and romance novels, it's a fantasy novel that even non fantasy novel lovers will enjoy.
Genre: Fantasy Fiction
Age Level: 8th Grade
Summary:
On the morning of her wedding to a stranger she's never met, Princess Lia runs away to a remote village with her maid. When two handsome strangers arrive in the same village, she views their flirtations with her has harmless, not knowing that one of them is her jilted fiance and the other an assassin sent to kill her. As an ancient rift between kingdoms comes to a head with Princess Lia at the center, it will be a miracle if she survives it. A planned trilogy, this book is hard to put down, and will leave you wishing the second was already out!
Review:
While a slightly similar story to many that are out there, Kiss of Deception is incredibly well written and engaging. Lia is fairly naive, though she learns quickly and is willing to work despite having grown up a princess. The book doesn't tell you which man is the assassin and which the jilted fiance as we watch them both fall for her, and it definitely keeps you guessing until the end. A great read for both adventure and romance novels, it's a fantasy novel that even non fantasy novel lovers will enjoy.
Genre: Fantasy Fiction
Age Level: 8th Grade
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