Monthly Archives: May 2015

Vixen

Series: The Flappers (book 1)

Author: Jillian Larkin

AR Level: 5.1

Miss Library Lady Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

**NOTE: I will not give a detailed review of books 2 and 3 so not to give anything away from book 1**

 

This is one heck of a page turner told through the eyes of 3 seventeen year olds living in 1923 Chicago.  High class living isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be.  There will be lies, jealousy, revenge and even murder

Gloria is seemingly perfect!  Beautiful, rich, excellent grades (which are easy to come by).  She’s also engaged to one of the most eligible bachelor’s Sebastian.  What more could she possibly want?  Perhaps to be a singer at a speakeasy… fall madly in love with Jerome, the African American jazz musician…

Lorraine is Gloria’s envious best friend.  Trying to pull herself from Gloria’s shadow and into the heart of Marcus, Lorraine falls into the scandalous yet glamorous life of a flapper.  What happens though when Gloria lives the flapper lifestyle better?  What happens when Marcus falls in love with someone else (though he never had feelings for Lorraine)?  What will happen when Lorraine turns to alcohol to keep her from falling?  Jealousy, alcohol, secrets and revenge do not mix!

Clara is Gloria’s country bumpkin cousin who comes to live with Gloria.  Running from your past is always difficult.  Trying to pretend to be something you’re not is even more difficult.  Clara isn’t as innocent as she wants people to believe.  Everyone (except Gloria and Lorraine) loves Clara, especially Marcus!  What happens when your past catches up to you?  Will she lose everything she’s gained?

Everybody has secrets… can these girls keep their secrets hidden?

 

Ingenue – book 2 (Miss Library Lady rating 3 out of 5 stars)

Dvia – book 3 (Miss Library Lady rating 3 out of 5 stars)

Coexist

Series: Keegan’s Chronicles (book 1)

Author: Julia Crane

AR Level: none

Miss Library Lady Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

**NOTE: I will not give a detailed review of books 2 and 3 so not to give anything away from book 1**

 

Keegan is a 16-year old elf (of the light) who is biding her time until she turns 18.  All elves, when born, are bound to another elf as their soul mate, their chosen.  One cannot meet their chosen until the younger of the 2 turns 18.  Keegan at least knows her chosen’s name… Rourk.

Rourk is a year older than Keegan and is a trained warrior in the Light Elfin Army.  Due to Keegan knowing his name, he can feel a pull any time she thinks of him.  He can see her with is mind’s eye, so he know’s what she looks like.

All elves know the great war between light and dark elves is coming, but they don’t know when or where.

Thaddeus (Keegan’s younger brother) is a seer, he has visions.  One night he envisions the great war very briefly.  When describing his vision to his father, his father is able to determine when and where the great war will happen.  

In Ireland during the harvest moon, which happens to be on Keegan’s 17th birthday.  Keegan’s fate is connected to the fate of the light army winning the great war.

Will light prevail over dark?  Will Keegan and Rourk ever meet?

Coexist leaves you with a cliffhanger you won’t see coming!  Continue Keegan and Rourke’s story: 

Conflicted -book 2  (Miss Library Lady Rating: 4 out of 5 stars)

Consumed -book 3  (Miss Library Lady Rating: 3 out of 5 stars)

Eleanor & Park

Author: Rainbow Rowell

AR Level: 3.8

Miss Library Lady Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

**NOTE: Eleanor & Park will NOT be available at Yolo’s library due to mature content**

I just can’t form words to describe this book.  Despite the rave reviews on Amazon, B&N, and Good Reads, I thought the book fell flat.  The author spent so much time building up the characters that she seemed to forget about the story itself.  I pushed myself to read it in it’s entirety though due to it’s popularity and in hopes the ending would tie it all together.  Atlas, it did not; I wanted to throw my Kindle at the wall!  Everyone has their own likes and dislikes though, so don’t let me review discourage you from reading this book.  I’ve included a review from Amazon that I think gives a great description of Eleanor & Park.

 

Borrowed from Bethany Gronberg‘s review on Amazon.com

Set in 1986, Eleanor & Park is funny and sad, sarcastic and sincere, and above all geeky. The title characters are both 16-year-old misfits in their working-class Omaha neighborhood. Park is half-Korean in a mostly-white part of town, and is into alternative music and comic books, unlike his brother and dad who are into sports. Eleanor is big (she thinks of herself as fat) and awkward and poor, the oldest of five kids with a painfully difficult home life, and defiantly flaunts her crazy red hair and weird clothes.

They find themselves sitting together on the school bus every day. Over time they’re reluctantly drawn together by sharing Park’s X-Men and Watchmen comic books. Despite their friends’ derision and their families’ dismay and disapproval, they fall in love over mix tapes featuring The Cure and the Smiths. A larger, more dangerous threat looms over one of them, skillfully woven throughout the story and coming to a climax in a way that will have you reading faster and faster to find out what happens. (or just to get it over with *my  added note)

The Bullet Catch

Author: Amy Axelrod

AR Level: 4.8

Miss Library Lady Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

 

Leo is a thief!

What else is he supposed to do in 20th Century New York after the orphanage he lives in burns down?  He has no family, other than 3 other boys whom he befriended while at the orphanage.  3 of the boys are of age to sent off to be apprentices the other would be sent to another orphanage but they don’t want to be split up.  So, what other choice to they have?  Live the life of thieves, picking pockets to make it through each day until they catch a big break.

Leo is fascinated with magic!

When he gets an opportunity to see Harry Houdini be hoisted up while being restrained in a straight jacket and somehow free himself, Leo takes the chance to do his own magic making other men’s wallets disappear.  Leo finds a write up for a newspaper ad, the Great Barzini is looking for a magician’s apprentice.  Maybe now he can get away from his current life and live honestly.  Can Leo get the job even though he doesn’t know magic?

BETRAYAL

LIES

MURDER

Can Leo turn his life around?  Can he run away from his dark past?  Or is the lowly life of thievery all Leo will ever know?

 

Written in the Stars

Author: Aisha Saeed

AR Level: 4.1

Miss Library Lady Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

 

What if you weren’t allowed to date or go anywhere but school and home?

What if you didn’t have a choice in who you married?

Would you fight for your freedom and what you wanted?

 

Naila has always done what she’s told and listened to her parents, except for falling in love with Saif (her secret boyfriend of 1 year).

Senior prom is coming up and Naila knows Saif would love to go but understands she’s not allowed to attend.  Naila, along with best friend Carla, scheme so Naila is able to go to prom.  Bad news … Naila gets caught!

Furious, Naila’s parents book a month long vacation to their family home in Pakistan (far, far away from Florida).  What was first thought of as a terrible thing begins to looks like an opportunity for Naila to gain her parent’s trust back.

Forced in to attended tea’s and dinner’s Naila begins to waiver on the idea of this trip being a good idea.  Her cousin breaks down and tell Naila about the plan to find a husband for Naila even though it’s supposed to be a secret.

If Naila’s parents find her a husband will she ever get back home to Florida?  What about Saif; how can she deny the boy who she really loves?  How can her parent’s do this to her?

Through many twists and turns, Naila’s story will keep you guessing whether true love is able to withstand what’s been written in the stars.