Barbara Vey

Saturday Breakfast (Book) Club/YA Style

Welcome to the premiere blog of Young Adult readers who will blurb about the books they've read.  I'm hoping to do this twice a month, but as I get more readers, I'll happily post every Saturday.  So a big BHB welcome to Maddy, Melissa, Alexis, Ashleigh and Meghan for starting us off on such a high note.

The Mysterious Mr. Spines: Wings by Jason Lethcoe

Read by Maddy, 17

14 year old Edward Macleod is an orphan sent to Portland Steel Foundry boarding school. He never felt like he fit in, and has a peculiar itch on his back. Until he escapes this school of horrors, he doesn't realize what he really is.

I experienced every thing Edward did as it happened to him. This was the first time I read this type of book and I found it entertaining. It was a cliff hanger and I recommend it for middle schoolers.

Real Vampires Don't Diet by Gerry Bartlett

Read by Melissa, 18

Glory St. Clair is your average woman, except for the fact that she is a vampire.  On New Years Eve, she takes a boat ride with Isreal Caine (another vampire, who happens to be a rockstar) and they meet a green, slimy creature.  Now, they have to bring the creature back some bad vampires, otherwise Glory and Isreal are as good as dead.

Reading this book, I felt like Glory was talking to me as her best friend. I found her experiences to be hilarious, but also relatable.  I'd recommend this book to anyone high school or older.




Moongazer by Marianne Mancusi

Read by Alexis, 15

In Skye Brown's dreams she is Mariah Quinn, the famous strong leader of a rebellious group and madly in love with the strong and handsome Dawn Grey. She is told that all her dreams and nightmares are true and that she isn't Skye but really Mariah who betrayed them all by being a Moongazer. But what is a moongazer? What really is reality? And who can she trust to find out the truth? 

When I first saw this book I was already in love with it. Then I read it and I was completly hooked! The one thing for me that makes a good book into a great book is lovable characters. This book definitely had some exceptional characters that sucked me into the book.

The Luxe by Anna Godbersen

 

Read by Meghan, 17

 

Manhattan, 1899: Four privileged teenagers live in a society dominated by opulent lifestyles, endless luxury, and hidden secrets. However, when the luxurious life lived by sisters Elizabeth and Diana Holland threatens to crumble in front of society and in front of frenemy Penelope Hayes, it is left up to Elizabeth to save her family’s reputation. Before Elizabeth can make a decision to stabilize her family’s life, her carriage overturns and Manhattan is mourning her missing body days later. However, whispers begin to circulate as scandals and past secrets come to surface in this thrilling novel.

 

This novel first grabbed me by the gorgeous dress on its cover. The book definitely lived up to my expectations. Every character can be identified with somebody in the present, and their lifestyles had me biting my nails with anticipation. I was so glad to find there were two more, Rumors and Envy, with a fourth on its way! I wholeheartedly recommend it for teenagers wishing for a nineteenth century twist on “Mean Girls” and “Gossip Girl”. 


Raven's Strike by Patricia Briggs

Read by Ashleigh, 22

The second book in the Raven duology, Raven's Strike, continues to follow Seraph, her family, and their newly acquired friends.  The group finds themselves in a race against time to save the lives of two of their members from dark magic that befell them in the first book.  Their quest leads them to a cursed city with a haunted past and forces them to come face to face not only with the source of the evil that has cost them so much, but also with the truth of ancient events the consequences of which reach through time demanding atonement that comes at a high cost.

One of the things I love about Patricia Briggs' writing is her ability to draw you into the story. Raven's Strike is no let down, in fact the duology as a whole is probably my favorite work by her so far.  The book brings me closer to the characters I became intimate with in Raven's Shadow and takes me through one plot twist after another.  Up until the very last chapter I was left guessing how the story would end. Each chapter of the book brought a new discovery that made me reconstruct my previous assumptions and wonder how the author was going to tie everything together by the end of the book.  Yet she manages to do it, answering the unresolved questions in such a way that I didn't feel bereft when the book was over.  Recommend for older teens.

Bottom Line:  Just remember that young readers usually grow up to be adult readers, so encourage, praise and lead by example.

Posted by Barbara Vey on May 2, 2009 | Comments (11)