I was an avid reader of Rae Carson’s Girl of Fire and Thorns series and I was prepared to fully enjoy her Walk on Earth a Stranger series as well. Upon finishing this first installment I am a little let down to admit that this book was good but not great. I’ve never been enthusiastic about magical realism but the historical setting and strong female lead persuaded me to set aside my apprehensions and take a chance on Walk on Earth a Stranger. Lee Westfall is the only child of a prospecting couple in Georgia. Her life is standard for…
Browsing CategoryYoung Adult
Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin
This book wasn’t what I was expecting, but I actually really enjoyed it. This is an alternate reality story where the outcome of WWII went the other way and Germany and Japan won. The story follows a young concentration camp survivor Yael who, because of experiments performed on her at the concentration camp, can change her appearance at will. She escapes the death camp to be groomed by the resistance as human weapon thanks to her special abilities. By 1956 the post war world looks very different and Yael is an educated, competent, and stone cold seventeen year old about…
One Dark Throne by Kendare Blake
I was just so disappointed with this book. I instantly fell in love with the first book “three dark crowns” and was excited to have found another YA series that offered something new and had so much potential. But to my great sorrow this next installment really went off the rails. One of the main characters does a complete 180 in personality with very little explanation, taking everything I loved about her and throwing it in the trash. Another MC lost all her strength (metaphorically) and just faded into the shadows. The third (who was my least favorite at the…
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
I loved this! Despite having really enjoyed Ruta Sepetys last YA novel, I didn’t feel I needed to read this one. I generally have an unspoken rule that I follow which is: don’t read more than one or two books by the same author (unless it’s a series, then I read at an alarming and possibly unhealthy rate). I do this because I am on a quest to read only the cream of the crop, I want the best each author has to offer. If I read only the best, then I have more time to read more authors. I…