Review: Found

Found by Harlan Coben
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love how Coben doesn't dumb down his writing when he writes for teens--the action and fast-pace is still here like in his adult books, but the characters are teens instead of adults. His adult fans should try this series--they won't be disappointed. I somehow skipped Book #2 in this series, so I'll have to go back and read it sometime.

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Review: His Majesty's Hope

His Majesty's Hope by Susan Elia MacNeal
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Oooo, I love this series. Totally unbelievable, but that's just what I want in my WWII spy stories! Maggie Hope is finally being sent to Germany undercover--the first female spy for England during the war! Unfortunately she is dropped right into her mother's world--Clara Hess, the evil German intelligence officer who is down on her luck since her plan to kidnap English royalty failed in the last book of the series.

Love the relationships between Maggie and her men, as well as her friends' homosexual relationship in a London where it's illegal but accepted in certain circles. The author did her research, and has pages of Historical Notes and lists nonfiction books to read if interested.

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Review: If I Was Your Girl

If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lovely book and thank you, thank you, for having a trans woman write a novel about the teen trans experience, and even including a trans model on the cover. This book needs to be in all high school libraries.

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Review: My Lady Jane

My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Just the kind of funny vacation fluff I was looking to read! I'll read anything about British monarchs, and the addition of a few of them being able to turn into animals at will made this a funny read! I wasn't too thrilled with the occasional comments from the narrators, but I loved the snarky comments and vivid imagination that the three women used to write this book. This version of Layd Jane Grey is much more entertaining than the real-life version!

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Review: Hostage Taker

Hostage Taker by Stefanie Pintoff
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Surprised that this is the first of a series, because the group of FBI people involved have worked on cases before. The main character, Eve Rossi, is a profiler who works as a hostage negotiator. While she's on bereavement leave for the death of her step-father, a CIA agent, someone takes hostages at St. Patrick's Cathedral in NYC, right before the lighting of the famous Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center. Eve calls in her ragtag crew to help, and they try to save the hostages, while taking out the bad guys. Interesting read, and it didn't go where I expected, which is always good! A little too much buildup in this book, but I'm assuming the next book will be better without all that extra info.

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Review: At Wolf Ranch

At Wolf Ranch by Jennifer Ryan
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I couldn't finish this, mainly because it was unbelievable. I wanted to nice, smutty romantic vacation read, but instead I got a crazy uncle who murdered everyone in order to steal the family fortune. I just couldn't handle it.

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Review: Asking For It

Asking For It by Louise O'Neill
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Published for YAs in Britain, and then published adult here in the US this year. Well, maybe. Booklist reviewed it in the adult section and said it was a great crossover novel for teens. School Library Journal reviewed it as YA. So who knows?

Whatever--it belongs in both the YA and the adult sections of your libraries. So much heart and drama and anguish over the beautiful Emma. Was it rape? She was drunk. She did choose to take drugs. She did know the boys and call them later, even showing up at a party with them.

But then there are the pictures. All of the pictures that are all over Facebook and Twitter and email.

This book disgusted me--no one takes Emma's side, other than the crazy feminists. THIS BOOK EXPLAINS RAPE CULTURE!! It's the epitome of what makes me angry about rape and slut-shaming and weight issues and all that is teenage hormones. Ugh.....just read it. This should be this generation's Speak.

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Review: Girl Waits with Gun

Girl Waits with Gun by Amy Stewart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Enjoyable romp through 1914 rural New York--the Kopp sisters are thrown into the middle of a shitstorm when their buggy is hit by a car of hoodlums. All Constance Kopp wants to do is to collect the $50 from the man who hit them, but instead he launches a threatening campaign of bricks, gunshots, and extortion against the family. But Constance doesn't cower--she's six feet tall, and been through a lot of problems in her 35 spinster years--she's up for the challenge. Love how this is based on a true story, and readers will cheer for the Kopp sisters to win in court and in life. I'm looking forward to reading Book #2 about how Constance becomes a deputy sheriff!

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Review: Everything Is Teeth

Everything Is Teeth by Evie Wyld
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Five stars for the illustrations and three stars for the story.

Awesome real-life drawings of sharks and injuries that invade the cartoon illustrations of the rest of the story. This is a family memoir--the main character learns about sharks at an early age, and her awe and fear of them is compared to the anxiety she feels in her own life. Call me dense, but I was a bit confused by the last few pages--while they showed the reader what happened later in life, I didn't understand their inclusion.

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Review: Terminal Lance: The White Donkey

Terminal Lance: The White Donkey by Maximilian Uriarte
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Judging by the reviews on Goodreads, this author got the Marine life down correctly in this graphic novel. I've never been, so I can't go on and on about accuracy and whether he got the training and serving in Iraq correct. But I do feel like I know more about what being a Marine is all about, so that's good! And the book was supported by comic strip followers in a Kickstarter campaign, which is pretty cool. Lots of swear words, racist language, and sex talk, but, hey, they're Marines. Libraries, purchase this to give to current soldiers and older teens who are thinking about joining up.



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Review: America's First Daughter

America's First Daughter by Stephanie Dray
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Good read about Thomas Jefferson's daughter, Patsy, and the coming-of-age of our country. It's interesting to read the bits about Hamilton, too, since those lyrics repeated in my head as I read this historical fiction novel.

It is romance, so I found myself rolling my eyes a bit more than I would have liked. Some parts are over the top, but I loved how the authors did a lot of research to bring the people to life. Luckily they explain what they made up, too, which is the main part of the novel--the relationship between Patsy and William Short, as well as Jefferson's relationship with Sally Hemmings.

I could have read an entire novel about Patsy's teenage years in France with her father--the book went downhill for me as she married and stayed in a bad relationship while popping out tons of kids.

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Review: The Odyssey of Sergeant Jack Brennan

The Odyssey of Sergeant Jack Brennan by Bryan Doerries
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Perfect for the classroom. Review to come in SLJ AB4T.

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Review: Hurt People

Hurt People by Cote Smith
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is one of those books where the reader KNOWS that something bad is going to happen, and there is so much foreshadowing that you practically want to drive to the book-version of Leavenworth, Kansas, and scoop us the two brothers and keep them safe.

Not much mothering, fathering or adulting going on with these two kids. Just sad, which made this book a sad, depressing read. While I felt like shouting "I told you so" to the parents, that doesn't do much good in a book!

And now I never want to move to Leavenworth with all those dark prisons looming over the town.

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Review: Hamilton: The Revolution

Hamilton: The Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Amazing stuff.

Review to come in SLJ Adult Books 4 Teens.

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Review: Hamilton: The Revolution

Hamilton: The Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Amazing stuff.

Review to come in SLJ Adult Books 4 Teens.

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Review: Gun Street Girl

Gun Street Girl by Adrian McKinty
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Best Sean Duffy book yet. Chief Inspector Duffy of the Carrick RUC is trying to investigate a whole string of deaths, but the some darn America keeps getting in his way. When some missiles go missing from a Northern Ireland production plant, and some bigshots get involved, Duffy is told to leave everything alone. But, of course he doesn't.

Great audio--Gerard Doyle is a master. Totally deserving of the Audie.

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