Hunter or Pawn?

Warcross (Warcross #1)

by Marie Lu

Hardcover, 353 pages

Published September 12th 2017 by G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

ISBN: 9780399547966

Book Box/Autographed

About:

For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn’t just a game—it’s a way of life.

The obsession started ten years ago and its fan base now spans the globe, some eager to escape from reality and others hoping to make a profit. Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down Warcross players who bet on the game illegally. But the bounty hunting world is a competitive one, and survival has not been easy. To make some quick cash, Emika takes a risk and hacks into the opening game of the international Warcross Championships—only to accidentally glitch herself into the action and become an overnight sensation.

Convinced she’s going to be arrested, Emika is shocked when instead she gets a call from the game’s creator, the elusive young billionaire Hideo Tanaka, with an irresistible offer. He needs a spy on the inside of this year’s tournament in order to uncover a security problem . . . and he wants Emika for the job. With no time to lose, Emika’s whisked off to Tokyo and thrust into a world of fame and fortune that she’s only dreamed of. But soon her investigation uncovers a sinister plot, with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire. (Goodreads)

Rating: 4 Stars

Review:

This is an exciting fast past first volume in Marie Lu’s new (2017 release) Sci –Fi series. It’s not completely original. It kind of reminded me of Ready Player One, but it was still a great read. The story line is awesome. A mix of video game tournaments, virtual reality, bounty hunting, and a touch of romance (it’s YA so what do you expect?). The characters were all likable. I was rooting for Emika the whole way through. I even like Hideo…. At first anyway. One problem I had with the story is that once a certain secret is reveled in the book, it wasn’t too hard to figure out who the “bad” guy is. That being said though, the twist at the end of the book leaves me wondering…. Who is Emika going to help in book 2? And who is really the bad guy in the end? I can’t wait for book 2 “Wildcard” coming out in September of this year! I’ve already ordered it for our library and placed my hold on it. Weather you’re a Sci-Fi fan or not, pick up this book and give it a read. I think you’ll like it! 

This Might Change Your Life...

Long Way Down

by Jason Reynolds

Hardcover, 320 pages

Published October 24th 2017 by Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books

ISBN 9781481438254

Library Audio Book

About: 

A cannon. A strap.
A piece. A biscuit.
A burner. A heater.
A chopper. A gat.
A hammer
A tool
for RULE

Or, you can call it a gun. That’s what fifteen-year-old Will has shoved in the back waistband of his jeans. See, his brother Shawn was just murdered. And Will knows the rules. No crying. No snitching. Revenge. That’s where Will’s now heading, with that gun shoved in the back waistband of his jeans, the gun that was his brother’s gun. He gets on the elevator, seventh floor, stoked. He knows who he’s after. Or does he?

As the elevator stops on the sixth floor, on comes Buck. Buck, Will finds out, is who gave Shawn the gun before Will took the gun. Buck tells Will to check that the gun is even loaded. And that’s when Will sees that one bullet is missing. And the only one who could have fired Shawn’s gun was Shawn. Huh. Will didn’t know that Shawn had ever actually used his gun. Bigger huh. BUCK IS DEAD. But Buck’s in the elevator?

Just as Will’s trying to think this through, the door to the next floor opens. A teenage girl gets on, waves away the smoke from Dead Buck’s cigarette. Will doesn’t know her, but she knew him. Knew. When they were eight. And stray bullets had cut through the playground, and Will had tried to cover her, but she was hit anyway, and so what she wants to know, on that fifth floor elevator stop, is, what if Will, Will with the gun shoved in the back waistband of his jeans, MISSES.

And so it goes, the whole long way down, as the elevator stops on each floor, and at each stop someone connected to his brother gets on to give Will a piece to a bigger story than the one he thinks he knows. A story that might never know an END…if WILL gets off that elevator.  (Goodreads)

Rating: 4 Stars

Review:

This is a powerful read. I feel like it had even more of an impact because I listened to it and heard it from a voice not my own. It made it feel more real. Like someone was standing there telling me the story of their life. I’m not sure if I had read it instead if it would have been the same way.  I don’t usually pick up novels in verse, that’s why I waited so long to read this one. For some reason the format doesn’t really appeal to me. Listening to it being read though was a whole new experience. If I hadn’t known already I don’t think that I would have picked up on it being a novel in verse. The story is just that well crafted. It’s sad and will probably anger you. I couldn’t believe the “rules” that the people in this situation are suppose to follow blindly. There’s so much that can go wrong in their vicious cycle. One person dies, then a loved one is suppose to go get revenge by killing the killer, but by that loved one killing someone another loved one steps up to take revenge on the original revenge killing. Where does it stop?!? I know that in the real world that this is really how some people live. I know that kids can’t play outside in some areas for fear of being shot. I remember going to school with my mom, who was a teacher in one of these areas, and having her tell me to stay away from the windows because shootings happened outside the school on almost a daily basis. It’s a scary way to live. It’s also scary to think that this is how people live and no one stops it. This book is beautifully worded and might change your look on things. And the ending…. DAM! I want to know what our main character chooses. I want to believe he ends the stream of violence but at the same time I know that’s not how his world works and getting out of the cycle is probably almost impossible. I whole heartily recommend listening to this book, or reading it if you don’t mind novels in verse. 

A Who Done It, Done Right...

One of Us Is Lying

by Karen M. McManus

Hardcover, 358 pages

Published May 30th 2017 by Delacorte Press

ISBN13: 9781524714680

Library Book

About:

The Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars, One of Us Is Lying is the story of what happens when five strangers walk into detention and only four walk out alive. Everyone is a suspect, and everyone has something to hide. 

Pay close attention and you might solve this.

On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.

Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule. 

Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess. 

Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.

Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.

And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High's notorious gossip app.

Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention, Simon's dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn't an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he'd planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who's still on the loose? 

Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them." (Goodreads)

Rating: 4 Stars

Review:

This book had me guessing who the killer was until the end. I had my suspicions, but the actual end game wasn’t my first thought. I loved that! It made the book go by really fast and kept me hooked. This book felt like a mix of Pretty Little Liars and Gossip Girls episodes in some ways… complete with interruptions by an unidentified person/murderer taunting the police and public with blog posts. Even Simon’s tumbler posts sounded very Gossip Girl/Pretty Little Liars with the whole use of people’s initials instead of names. That mixed with alternating viewpoints made this a different format for a mystery book… at least different from what I usually read. Because we were seeing into so many different characters/suspects lives and minds, it was really hard to pick out the killer. The main characters were all fairly likable. They’re human so they each had their flaws, which was nice to see, but also caused me to dislike them in someways (I’m not a fan of cheaters). Each character had their own problems and secrets to deal with, which made them relatable and made the story more interesting. Older teens who are looking for a great mystery should pick this one up! Younger teens might be intimidated by the drinking, drugs, and sex that are all mentioned in the book. This book is currently on the new Abe Lincoln Award List and the Read For A Lifetime List (both are Illinois High School book programs). 

Not Everything Is Black And White....

Renegades (Renegades #1)

by Marissa Meyer 

Hardcover, 556 pages

Published November 7th 2017 by Feiwel & Friends

ISBN: 9781250044662

Received in Shelflove Crate (Book Box)

About:

Secret Identities. Extraordinary Powers. She wants vengeance. He wants justice.

The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies—humans with extraordinary abilities—who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone...except the villains they once overthrew.

Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in justice—and in Nova. But Nova's allegiance is to a villain who has the power to end them both. (Goodreads)

Rating: 5 Stars

Review: 

I loved Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles series, but I wasn’t sure how this one was going to be. I love super heroes and villains but YA versions that are good are hard to come by. I had semi high hopes for Renegades going in and it didn’t disappoint. Despite it being pretty long (it’s over 550 pages) it was a fast read. It was refreshing getting to see a “villains” backstory and have it resemble something that could be the beginning of a superheroes. Nova has a good reason for hating the “good” guys and in her eyes the “bad” guys did more good than the superheroes. Having the good guys make mistakes and possibly not be as good as they think they are was refreshing too. Throwing in alternate views between Anarchist Nova and Renegade Adrian (a good guy who has a secret mission of his own) created a great balance between “good” and “bad”. It reminded me of the conundrum that is the x-men and how good and bad aren’t black and white, and everyone has their own opinion on the matter. Is Magneto bad for wanting to protect mutants and give them freedom? Are the X-Men good because they have a different vision for the same goal? It’s all your point of view on the matter. Renegade definitely leaves the reader rooting for both Nova and Adrian. I also loved the costumes for all of the characters. It reminded me of old school DC comics. The fact that the Puppet Master had a blimp that is his vehicle of choice was priceless for me as a old Batman movie fan. This book ends with a huge cliff hanger leaving us readers wanting more…. RIGHT NOW! I really don’t want to have to wait! Like the Lunar Chronicles, this book can easily be read and enjoyed by any teen young or old.  It’s going to be one of my book talk books at the Junior Highs for summer reading this year.  

It's Turtles All The Way Down

Turtles All the Way Down

by John Green

Hardcover, 286 pages

Published October 10th 2017 by Dutton Books for Young Readers

ISBN: 9780525555360

Given To Me By An Awesome Co-Worker (It’s even signed!!!)

About:

Sixteen-year-old Aza never intended to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Russell Pickett’s son, Davis.

Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts. (Goodreads)

Rating: 5 Stars

Review:

I will admit it right from the start that I have been a huge John Green fan from his very first book “Looking For Alaska”. Yes I am one of those people who have read all of his books. Yes I am one of those people who has also watched his Vlog Brothers videos. Back in High School I even considered myself one of his “nerdfighters”. I still recommend many of his books to teens who come into my library looking for a “good” read. How can you not when most of his books have won one award or another, and 2 of his books have been turned into movies? I love that he always has some kind of geekiness/nerdyness in his stories. I also love that I usually learn something new from his books too. Who knew what a paper town was before the book?

Green went radio silent in his book writing for quite a few years. From what I hear it was to deal with personal issues, which good for him for knowing when he needed to take time for himself. From what I’ve read, his time off actually helped to inspire “Turtles All The Way Down”. He suffers from I believe OCD, and used his anxieties and experiences to help shape the main character Aza. 

Anyway back to the review…needless to say I was very excited to hear that a new book was finally coming out. 

Originally upon hearing what it was called, I wasn’t excited for the title.I couldn’t figure out what it meant. Was he going to talk about Ninja Turtles (he’s known for adding nerdyness to his stories)? After reading the book though I love the title!!! I don’t think there could have been a better choice. I will leave it at that because I don’t want to spoil anything for you. The saying “turtles all the way down” definitely has a new meaning for me though.

The writing is just what you’d expect from a John Green book. I’m glad to see he hasn’t lost his wit and cleverness in his long writing hiatus. The nerdy shout outs are still in place as well. His description of a town in Indiana is perfect. His description of a high schoolers school day is perfect. I don’t deal with the anxiety and mental issues that our main character Aza has but his writing really put me in her shoes. In some cases it even made me a bit paranoid about things as well. How many cells really do transfer over to me when I kiss someone??? (Yuck!). The supporting characters were also well written and entertaining. I couldn’t help feel so bad for Davis and his little brother. How all of the supporting characters deal with Aza’s issues was a welcome change to YA. In most YA books the supporting characters won’t speak their minds, or tell the person that I love you, but you’re really hard to be around sometimes. It was a relief to see true feelings show for once. This book will pull at your heart strings and make you think, but it won’t end the way you think. If I had one problem with it, it would definitely be the end. I wanted more! I want to know what happens to everyone. I really don’t want to spoil anything so I’ll leave it at that, but if you want to rant about the ending with me at all contact me! 

Overall, I give this book a solid 5, and that’s not just because I like John Green. Anytime I read a book in a day or two I know it’s a good one. It would be a great read for older teens and new adults. Some younger teens might enjoy it as well, although there is a bit of “mature” subject matter touched on.