Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning

Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning

Posted by Anonymous

Reviewed by: Andrew Zollman

What I Read: Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning

Find It @YCLD: Here! 

What It's About: MacKayla Lane’s life is good. She has great friends, a decent job, and a car that breaks down only every other week or so. In other words, she’s your perfectly ordinary 21^st century woman. Or so she thinks…until something extraordinary happens.

When her sister is murdered, leaving a single clue to her death–a cryptic message on Mac’s cell phone–Mac journeys to Ireland in search of answers. The quest to find her sister’s killer draws her into a shadowy realm where nothing is as it seems, where good and evil wear the same treacherously seductive mask. She is soon faced with an even greater challenge: staying alive long enough to learn how to handle a power she had no idea she possessed–a gift that allows her to see beyond the world of man, into the dangerous realm of the Fae…. (synopsis from Amazon.com)

What I Thought: Disclaimer: Mature Adult – Now that, that is out of the way. This is an interesting book and series. Yes, I read the entire set. I also started to read Karen’s next series in the MacKayla Lane saga with Iced, Burned, and soon to be Flayed. Anyways, back on subject. This book went very dark very fast. The first book in a series is always about character building and creating a pretty picture for the reader. This book does not follow that pattern at all. Sure you follow Mac on her journey, but everything just falls apart around her. The author does a good job of setting up the character and her change while only hinting at her past during the story.

I know, I know, you all hate flashbacks. So do I. But low and behold Karen Marie Moning is very good at selecting and using memory to fuel her stories and characters. Now I wouldn’t consider this a kid or teen friendly book. There are elements within that help pull the reader into the story and the actions of the character, but they aren’t for every age. Read the book; have a good time trying to figure out who the bad guys and good guys or girls are in the story. I assure you will be on the edge of your chair, bed, or wherever you like to read as you follow MacKayla through this Alice in Wonderland type story.

Readalikes: First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones

Or look this book up on NoveList!

Gabi, a Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero

Gabi, a Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero

Posted by Yuma County Library

Reviewed by: Sherri Levek

What I Read: Gabi, A Girl In Pieces by Isabel Quintero

Find It @YCLD:  Here!  

What It's About: This is a YA (Young Adult) novel that follows a Latina high school student during her Senior year.  Gabi, the main character, chronicles her life at home and school with humor and grace.  She deals with anxieties about weight, applying to colleges, two best friends – one who is pregnant and one who has decided to come out of the closet -- a father addicted to meth, an overprotective mother and overly religious aunt, and an emotional younger brother, all while becoming a poet and falling in love.

What I Thought: Although the subjects discussed in this YA novel are serious, Gabi’s interpretations are insightfully humorous.  She is a smart, honest, and determined young woman who loves her family and friends, food, and poetry.  Her descriptions of Mexican food will have you searching out the nearest taco truck! There are also poems throughout the book, both by Gabi and well-known poets.  I love this book – I think many teenagers will bond with Gabi and her friends as they experience their last year of high school. And, if literary prizes influence your reading choices, Gabi, A Girl In Pieces is the winner of the 2015 William C. Morris YA Debut Award.  I would recommend this novel to older teens, as there are sexual references and some language concerns. 

Readalikes: How it Went Down by Kekla Magoon, I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson, and Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall

Or look this book up on NoveList!

Steelheart by Bryan Sanderson

Steelheart by Bryan Sanderson

Posted by Yuma County Library

Reviewed by: Lauren Regenhardt

What I Read: Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson

Find It @YCLD: Here! 

What It's About:   Not every villain has a nemesis.  Ten years ago, Calamity struck, a blast in the sky that gave ordinary humans extraordinary abilities.  As the Epics rise to power, the cities decline and people are suffering.  David Charleston witnessed High Epic Steelheart kill his father.  He also saw him bleed.  As David vows to avenge his father’s murder he finds himself caught him in a tangled web of plots to overthrow Newcago’s Epic leadership alongside the revolutionary group The Reckoners.  In this comic-book in novel form, the action never stops as David sets out to kill the invincible Steelheart.

What I Thought: As the teen manager, it’s important to stay up to date with their interests and obsessions.  After realizing that many of my reluctant readers-the ones that refuse to open a book unless it’s got DC or Marvel on the front-couldn’t stop talking about this book, I knew I had to see what it was all about.  What was so awesome about this book that got these teens to sit down and not just read it but share it with their friends?  I mean it when I say it’s a comic book in novel form.  It’s full of action and as the villains take over you find yourself fearing them alongside the protagonists.  You find yourself falling in love with David or with his love interest.  It’s an easy read that keeps you hooked. Fans of Marvel or DC or anyone who enjoys superheroes but not the comic book format will love this book.

Readalikes: V Is For Villain by Peter Moore, another novelized comic book themed around villains.

Or look this book up on NoveList!