---

*Thank you Simon & Schuster for sending me a copy for review*

Ben and his two best friends, Robert and Jill, call themselves the Keepers of the School and they’re newest mission is to save their school, and the treasures inside of it, from destruction! They’re school is under a demolition order once school finishes for the summer break and instead will be turned into a seaside amusement park.

There’s only a few days left before summer break starts, so the Keepers decide to share their secret with more students. The three friends know that time is of the essence, and that they’ll never be able to do it all on their own.

They even get parents and a teacher, as well as a handful of classmates, to become their eyes and ears around the school. They’ll need as much help as they can get to discover and figure out all of the clues without being caught by either of the two janitors, who seem more than happy with the plans for the school.

When the Keepers finally find the treasure that’s been hidden for hundreds of years, they can’t believe what they’ve discovered. They know their only option is to call the police and the local museum even if it’s 3 A.M. and means getting in trouble. They know that there won’t be any other way to save the school before it’s torn down in a few hours time.

This is the first Middle Grade book I’ve listened to on audio and reviewed, and I truly enjoyed it! I thought the characters were smart, fun and adventurous – something I was hoping for in this kind of book. Ben, Jill and Robert really seemed to care about their school even if it meant breaking a few rules and getting in trouble.

The story was mysterious and suspenseful but still light and entertaining, perfect for any young reader just getting into books. The ending was truly amazing, and I was excited to see what the treasure Ben, Jill and Robert found would contain. And just like the Keepers of the School I was in utter shock when they found the things hidden inside of the school!

This is the fifth book in Andrew Clements, Benjamin Pratt and the Keepers of the School series, and I hope to pick up the first four instalments soon. Great book to get a child you care about into reading!

---

---

When fifteen year old Laila’s father passed away, she didn’t know that he was a tyrant. She didn’t know that he was a dictator. She also didn’t know her father was killing people every day. She didn’t believe it: what fifteen year old would?

When Laila’s father is murdered by her uncle, Laila, her mother, and her little brother are moved to the suburbs of America. Her little brother thinks he’s king, but doesn’t know what pushed him from being a prince to being the king. The small family of three is now living in a completely different world and an entirely different life to what they have always known.

Laila is used to covering her entire body to prevent anything from showing and bringing shame on her family. Now she attends high school. She can talk to boys and does so many other things that she would never be allowed to do back home.

But things aren’t as simple as they seem. Laila soon finds out through the internet and television who her father was and what he was doing. Her mother isn’t telling her what’s going on or who these people are who keep showing up in their new home.

Laila is tired of sitting around with no food, watching her mum turn to alcohol for relief, and decides to take it upon herself to figure things out. She has to solve what’s going on and get back what belonged to her family—even if it means lying to her mum and sneaking around.

I picked up The Tyrant’s Daughter on netgalley and I went into this book without any idea what it was about, except that I loved the cover.

The biggest worry I had at the beginning of the book was that Laila is only fifteen years old and dealing with a huge amount of pressure. I didn’t want this book to become more ‘high school drama-y’, but turns out that she acted with extreme maturity! She didn’t focus too much on her new life or the boys around her. I liked that she was more worried about saving her family and her people. So no, this book didn’t have very much romance, but romance wasn’t what I was looking for in this type of book. Loved Laila for that!

Overall, I truly enjoyed the story! I liked watching Laila and her little brother open up to a whole different type of society and way of living. Her thoughts at the beginning of the book about what the girls in her new high school were wearing and how they were so exposed was extremely interesting. Laila was experiencing complete culture shock and it shows the huge differences between cultures and ways of thinking.

 

I don’t think I would have picked up this book if I had read the synopsis. I usually don’t read books that have anything to do with war, but I’m glad I did! The characters and the culture displayed in The Tyrant’s Daughter were so detailed and real. I couldn’t get enough!

---

---

Bel:

Cover

Male and female faces in shadow against a white backdrop sat above a beautiful star-scape, all done in pinks purples and oranges. Quite pleasing to the eye, and speaks volumes about the contents of the story.

Characters

There is a complicated mix of characters and each of them carries their own.

Favourite

Amy, though she spends some time feeling sorry for herself she eventually gets her butt kicking self into gear and makes it work.

Least Favourite

Eldest. Creepy character.

Beginning

Amy and her parents are preparing to be put into stasis for a rather long flight across the universe.

Storyline

Amy is woken up fifty years prematurely and the situation on Godspeed is odd to say the very least.

Ending

There is more to be read in the follow up books A Million Suns and Shades of Earth so to spoil the ending wouldn’t be nice.

Thoughts

I didn’t reread Across the Universe as I’d already reviewed it in August 2012, but this is what I said back then…

“The pacing of the novel was well-crafted, with much of the mystery remaining out of reach until effectively unravelled; also, as this is the first instalment in a series, there was the sense of ‘to be continued’ but never the infuriatingly feeling of details being purposefully omitted.

Beth Revis also does atmosphere superbly, and this is evident from the novel’s opening chapter, in which Amy is cryogenically frozen. She narrates each stomach-churning detail as it happens. Never before have I felt so incredibly claustrophobic while reading!!”

Quote

“More than the sound of my own beating heart, I miss the sound of a ticking clock.” Amy about the passing of time.

Krista:

Cover

The US hardcover has an interchangeable dust jacket. One side is a brightly coloured universe with blues and pinks, but if you flip the cover over it’s a blueprint of the ship in which you can see the different levels and areas that are explored in the book. I prefer to keep the blueprint as the outer cover on my book.

Characters

The story is told from different perspectives: Amy, as she explores the ship after she wakes up, and Elder, as he does his duties. We travel through the ship and more characters are introduced, some playing larger roles than others.

Favourite

Harley: The friendship that develops between Amy and Harley and Amy and Elder are strong and come from more than simple convenience. 

Least Favourite

Eldest: I have to agree with Bel here. C.R.E.E.P.Y.

Beginning

The prologue is detailed in describing the emotional and physical process of being put into stasis. I think it was a brilliant way to start the book and grab the reader’s attention.

Storyline

Amy is awoken from her stasis many years earlier than was originally planned. She is alone, scared, and misses her parents. What she finds aboard Godspeed is not what she expected. I loved the detail and world-building that the author puts into the history of the ship while she has been asleep.

Ending

As the first book in the novel, the story builds up at the ending with surprises that continue on through the other books in the series. 

Thoughts

For me this felt more dystopian than sci-fi. I loved all the twists the story took. This book got me thinking about individuality and the concept of leadership. The love story is more than just attraction; it’s companionship and trust. And I love the fact that Amy pushes Elder to trust his instincts and fight for what he believes to be right. It’s not a story about a girl that pushes a guy to see things her way, it’s about a girl that encourages a leader to become what he was always meant to be and to think for himself.

Quote

“We’re the ones who aren’t normal. People are supposed to be like that: obedient, calm, working together. It’s us—who can’t focus, who can’t work together, who can’t do the Feeder or Shipper jobs—we’re the ones who aren’t normal. We’re the ones who have to take the mental meds just so we don’t go loons.”

Lisa:

Cover

I absolutely love the original cover so when it went through a change, AFTER I purchased the first two instalments in this trilogy, my heart broke… into like a MILLION ZILLION pieces. I guess I just like the dorky romantic covers instead of the newer metallic ones.

Characters

I couldn’t get enough! I LOVED Amy and I LOVED Elder! They were so different, came from completely opposite worlds, but were just perfect for one another.

Favorite

If you couldn’t guess it, my ultimate favorite characters are Amy and Elder… duh! Amy was down to earth and unlike a lot of characters in the YA genre and didn’t just shrug when something crazy happened to them. Amy spent the entire book mourning the “loss” of her parents and never seeing them again – like any REAL person.

I like that she had feelings and was frustrated, and that she expressed that through the story. She needed time to absorb everything that was happening to her and going on around her, before she could move forward and decide what she was going to do next.

Elder, the soon to be new Eldest on Godspeed was dealing with his own issues. Not only are the humans from Earth being defrosted by someone, and left to die, but also he has the responsibility of becoming the leader of this massive ship on his shoulders.

He’s kind, sweet and really adores Amy!

Least Favorite

I don’t think I have a least favorite character. I mean there was a EVIL villain…but he was a good evil villain… if you know what I mean.

Beginning

Amy’s parents are asked to board Godspeed and travel three hundred years to discover a new planet for human habitation. Amy has a difficult decision to make: stay on Earth and say goodbye to her parents forever, or be frozen for three hundred years and leave behind everything she’s ever known. Is she willing to leave behind her home, and the boy she loves, to be woken up three hundred years later on a new planet?

Middle

Having unfrozen fifty years early, Amy is devastated when she is informed that she will most likely never see her parents again, or at least not until she is much, much older than them. Eldest and the doctor tell her that there is no way they can refreeze her, because there’s a HUGE risk she will never wake up again.

Now Amy is stuck on this ship with people who aren’t acting normal, who seem to be in a haze during “mating season”, and where the “crazy” people aren’t ALL that crazy. Things on Godspeed aren’t normal.

Elder is not only trying to keep up with his learning, and responsibilities, but is now also trying to comfort Amy and keep the ship under control.

And when frozen are being found open and left to thaw, Elder and Amy have to figure out who is doing this and how they even know that they existed! When one is found dead, and another is found half thawed, the pair knows they have to do something.

End

Broke my heart, put it back together again, and had my emotions all over the place! Across the Universe had me questioning every character, and everything they said and did. I would never have expected the ending, and who it was that was defrosting the frozens! SUCH a good twist!!

Overall Thoughts

I LOVE this trilogy! I have already read the second book, and really enjoyed it! I can’t wait to read the third one, to see how things end for Amy and Elder!

 

Hardcover, 398 pages

Published January 11th 2011 by Razorbill

original title

Across the Universe

ISBN

1595143971 (ISBN13: 9781595143976)

---

---

*I would like to thank Point, as well as Netgalley, for allowing me to review Better Off Friends.*

Macallan has recently lost her mother and is now trying to grow up and become a woman with only the help of her dad and uncle. When she is asked to come to the guidance councilor’s office at the beginning of the first day of school, Macallan assumes that she is getting an “I’m sorry your mom died” speech. But to her surprise, she is asked to give the new guy, Levi, a tour of the school and show him to his first period class.

Levi had just moved from California. He was dressed in a button up shirt, cargo shorts, and a pair of flip flops. He was trying to go for the cool/hot/mysterious new guy look, which the girls in his old school would swoon over, but he completely missed the target. Macallan dragged him down the hallways, dropped him at the door of his first period class, and didn’t give him a second look.

When Macallan saw Levi sitting by himself at lunch on that first day of school, she knew the right thing to do was to ask if he would sit with her and her friends; so she did. She had no idea just how quickly and easily she and Levi would click. But when he quoted her favorite British comedy show, she knew it was their destiny to become best friends.

Since that lunch period, the two were inseparable. They spent more and more time together and soon became best friends. But having a guy friend isn’t as easy as you would think, especially when everyone always assumed Levi and Macallan were dating.

Throughout Better Off Friends, Levi and Macallan were dating and seeing other people while still staying great friends. But neither Levi nor Macallan could explain the weird feeling they got in the pit of their stomach when they saw the other with someone else.

The two won’t find out until both of their hearts have been broken and they only have each other to lean on.

Better Off Friends was the perfect book to transition from deep winter reading, to light and fun spring reading.

The story is told from both Levi and Macallan’s perspectives and I feel like this was the best way to go when it comes to a book like Better Off Friends. I like seeing and knowing both sides of the friendship/relationship. I LOVE knowing what each of them is thinking, experiencing, and feeling.

I’ve read many books where a boy and a girl were ‘best friends’ and started to fall in love. But what makes Better Off Friends different is that we get to witness this friendship develop, grow, and change over the years. We get to see the struggle and hardships the friendship has gone through and overcome, as well as just how this boy and girl become so close. And only towards the end of the book do the two confess their feelings towards one another.

If you’re looking for a good first spring/summer book to read, Better Off Friends is the book for you. It doesn’t have too much lovey-dovey stuff, but real and true feelings. No insta-love.

I’ll have to pick up the rest of Elizabeth Eulberg’s books!

---

---

 Evie has spent a lot of her life wondering what it would be like to live a normal teenage life and experience normal teenage things. But now that Evie has that life attending school, living with her vampire friend Arianna, and even working, a ‘normal’ life doesn’t sound as much fun as it used to.

When Raquel shows up one day to ‘visit’, she asks Evie to rejoin the force (IPCA: International Paranormal Containment Agency), promising that Evie wouldn’t have to do anything that makes her uncomfortable.

But Evie isn’t sure how to respond. She promised Lend that she wouldn’t go back and instead focus on their future together in college. But Evie accepts and decides not to tell Lend. Once she has accepted, Evie meets Raquel’s newest intern, Jack: a human who has lived for some time in the Faerie Realms and who can navigate through it without getting lost. Jack seems to be an annoying pain, but soon Evie realizes just how much she needs a friend like Jack: someone who just wants to have fun, even when things are really serious.

Things seem to be going much better for Evie since Paranormalcy has ended, though her ‘sister’ has died. Lend even makes her biggest wish come true and takes her to prom. But as always, things don’t always go as planned and Evie is pulled out of the dancing crowd by Reth (Evie’s ex-faerie-boyfriend). He is there to inform her that the two Faerie courts are going to war and that she is the prize.

Her world starts crumbling down all around her. Her relationship with Lend is on the line when she starts spending a lot more time with Jack. She meets her father, who hasn’t noticed that his daughter ever left and still thinks that she was ten or so, still ‘running around somewhere’. And now her old life at IPCA is quickly catching up with her.

I absolutely LOVED Paranormalcy, and I think the main reason why is because I had no idea what I was getting myself into or what I should have expected. I read no reviews, only the synopsis on the back of the first book, and while things didn’t go as I expected them to, I was under its trance and couldn’t get enough.

While I thought Evie and Lend were perfect for one another and I enjoyed following their relationship with one another, my favourite part of the book was that the story didn’t just focus on them. I read Paranormalcy for the action, the paranormal, and the mystery. I did enjoy the love story, but I was much more focused on the other aspects, and I’m glad that their relationship didn’t overshadow everything else the story had to offer. Paranormalcy did this well, and I was praying to all the Gods, that Supernaturally would do the same. It did.

The characters were fantastic, both the main ones and the smaller roles. I liked that Jack added a little bit of lightness and humor to this story because I felt like Evie needed that small stress reliever. She was always dealing with these huge life-depending problems, and Jack just made those parts a bit more fun for both Evie and the reader alike.

Overall, Supernaturally isn’t the same old boring paranormal read, which I’m sure we’re all starting to get tired of. There was a pretty big twist towards the end of the book that I can’t mention, but I am pretty darn excited to get to the third and final book! I hope to finally find out who Evie is and what secrets her past holds!

 I’m dying to see what Kiersten White has in store for Evie!

---