Fantasy, Fiction, Young Adult

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Shadow and Bone #1 / Grishaverse #1 I just realized I'm reviewing the Leigh Bardugo books I've read in the opposite order in which I read them! It you have any interest in reading any of the books in her Grisha-verse, I recommend starting with this one and reading them in the order they were… Continue reading Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Fantasy, Fiction, Young Adult

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

Seraphina #1 There aren't many books that I can say I jumped on when they were first released in hardcover, but I'm very proud to own a first edition ofย Seraphina. It is one of my favorite books (I know, I say that a lot), but this one I love specifically to recommend to people. Seraphina,… Continue reading Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

Fantasy, Fiction

The Magicians trilogy by Lev Grossman

The Magicians, The Magician King, The Magician's Land Happy Halloween! Since I don't read a lot of horror, I figured a fantasy series was the next best pick for Halloween. The Magicians Synopsis Intellectually precocious high school senior Quentin Coldwater escapes the boredom of his daily life by reading and rereading a series of beloved… Continue reading The Magicians trilogy by Lev Grossman

Contemporary, Fiction, Young Adult

Paper Towns by John Green

When I was student teaching, my sixth grade students raved about John Green. Around that time, The Fault in Our Stars was blowing up and the movie was expected to do well as well. Given how much they raved about him, I figured I might as well read one of his books, especially given how many… Continue reading Paper Towns by John Green

Fantasy, Fiction, Historical, Young Adult

Gemma Doyle trilogy by Libba Bray

A Great and Terrible Beauty, Rebel Angels, The Sweet Far Thing I first readย A Great and Terrible Beautyย shortly after it was first released many moons ago... in 2003 when I was a freshman in high school. I loved it from the very beginning - it was one of the first young adult fantasy books that… Continue reading Gemma Doyle trilogy by Libba Bray

Book Club, Fiction, Historical, Young Adult

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

Salt to the Sea first came into my hands as an ARC (advanced reader copy) shortly after I was introduced to Ruta Sepetys' writing when I picked up a copy of Between Shades of Gray at a not-so-little hidden gem of a used book store in center city Philadelphia. When I met Ruta at Winter Institute in 2016,… Continue reading Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

Book Club, Fiction, Historical

Cinnamon and Gunpowder by Eli Brown

A former co-worker first recommended Cinnamon and Gunpowder to me when I told her of my love of pirate tales. It then became a book that sat on my shelf for far too long until I decided it should be a book selection for my book club, the Modern Readers! This is the original graphic used to… Continue reading Cinnamon and Gunpowder by Eli Brown

Fiction, Historical, Young Adult

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Verity #1 Over the past few years I have read my fair share of novels set during World War II including my absolute favorite Montmaray Journals, the splendid Salt to the Sea, and the โ€œpull-on-your-heartstringsโ€ Letters to the Lost. So when Sarah told me that if I read Code Name Verity it would break my… Continue reading Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Fantasy, Fiction, Young Adult

Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy by Laini Taylor

Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Days of Blood & Starlight, Dreams of Gods & Monsters When I first saw the cover of Daughter of Smoke and Bone, I fell head over heels โ€“ love at first sight. Blue hair, dynamic fonts, intriguing synopsis, Prague as a setting, fantasy world. I was just coming off the… Continue reading Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy by Laini Taylor

Fiction, Science Fiction, Young Adult

Warcross by Marie Lu

Warcross #1 Marie Lu is officially now the most reviewed author on this site! This may be due in large part to a very exciting event that took place at the bookstore I work at two weeks ago when I had the great of fortune of moderating a discussion between the lovely Marie Lu and… Continue reading Warcross by Marie Lu