Young Adult | Raging Biblio-holism

Six of Crows / Crooked Kingdom

December 12, 2016 by Drew

SIX OF CROWS Rating: 5 out of 5 The Short Version: After a weaponized form of magic enhancement is discovered, a young rogue puts together a team to pull off a daring heist – from the most impenetrable fortress on the planet. This, assuming they don’t kill each other first… The Review: Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha trilogy passed me by, to some extent. I knew it was out there and was intrigued by the concept, but it’d gotten some rough marks from friends […]

Categories: Fantasy, Fiction • Tags: Adventure, Book, Book Review, Book Reviews, Books, Crooked Kingdom, Fantasy, Fiction, Grisha, Leigh Bardugo, Literature, review, Reviews, Six of Crows, Thriller, Young Adult

Bone Gap

June 13, 2016 by Drew

The Short Version: Finn O’Sullivan saw Roza, Bone Gap’s mysterious new arrival, kidnapped right before his eyes. But when he can’t give a description of the kidnapper, the town begins to let the story drift away, assuming she’d really just left. Still, Finn and his brother Sean can’t forget the girl and keep searching for her – and Roza, held captive by a strange man of apparent magic, can’t think of anything but escape… The Review: I don’t read much YA, even now. […]

Categories: Fantasy, Fiction • Tags: Bone Gap, Book Review, Book Reviews, Books, Fantasy, Fiction, Laura Ruby, Magical Realism, Mythology, Printz Award, Reviews, Young Adult

Stargirl

May 11, 2016 by Drew

The Short Version: Leo Borlock is a pretty normal 11th Grader – until a girl called Stargirl arrives at Mica High, starting a revolution of spirit in the school and in Leo’s heart. But when her nonconformity goes too far, the school turns against her and Leo must decide whether he loves her or his own acceptance by the community more. The Review: Christopher Hermelin, my co-host on So Many Damn Books, has been astonished ever since I told him […]

Categories: Fiction, Literature • Tags: Book Review, Book Reviews, Books, Fiction, high School, Jerry Spinelli, Literature, Reviews, SMDB, Stargirl, YA, Young Adult

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Un Lun Dun

March 11, 2016 by Drew

The Short Version: Two twelve year old girls discover a way into a strange city below / adjacent to / across from London, called UnLondon. One of them is apparently the chosen one, meant to save the city from a horrible Smog… but when the prophecy turns out to be maybe-not-quite-so-correct, it’s her friend who steps up to try and save the day. The Review: I’ll admit that I was a little worried when I heard about this particular Miéville. […]

Categories: Fantasy, Fiction • Tags: Alternate Universes, Book Review, Book Reviews, Books, China Miéville, Fantasy, Fiction, Literature, London, Magic, Reviews, Un Lun Dun, YA, Young Adult

The Merciless

October 12, 2015 by Drew

The Short Version: Sofia has just moved to a new town and her new high school is as thorny as any. Somehow, though, she falls in with the popular girls and meets a cute boy – so maybe things will be okay. But when the clique kidnaps the weird rebellious Brooklyn and sets out to exorcise her, what seemed like Mean Girls gets a whole lot darker and devilish. The Review: I’m intrigued, personally, by having read this book and The Hellbound […]

Categories: Fiction, Horror • Tags: Danielle Vega, Exorcism, Fiction, high School, Horror, Religion, Teen, Teenagers, The Devil, The Merciless, Young Adult

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“Why is This Night Different from All Other Nights?” (All the Wrong Questions #4)

October 7, 2015 by Drew

The Short Version: Young Lemony Snicket knows the endgame approaches. The villainous Hangfire has the people of Stain’d-by-the-Sea fleeing the town on a late night train – and so Snicket defies his superiors yet again to board the train and hope to thwart the villainy once and for all. But nothing is quite as it seemed… The Review: A train adventure! I love few things more than a good train adventure. Perhaps it was reading Murder on the Orient Express at a […]

Categories: Fiction, Mystery • Tags: A Series of Unfortunate Events, All The Wrong Questions, ATWQ, Book Review, Book Reviews, Books, Children's, Children's Lit, Daniel Handler, Fiction, Lemony Snicket, Mystery, Reviews, V.F.D., Why Is this Night Different From all other nights?, YA, Young Adult, Young Readers

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The Rest of Us Just Live Here

June 24, 2015 by Drew

The Short Version: Sure, we always follow the story of the hero or the Chosen One… but what about the other kids? The ones who also live in the town but are more concerned with cute boys/girls, friendship, finals, prom, graduation, etc? This is a story about what happens to those kids while the latest apocalypse happens to the Chosen Ones. The Review: Remember towards the end of the third season of Buffy when the student body gives her the Class Protector award and […]

Categories: Fantasy, Fiction • Tags: Advance Review, Book Review, Book Reviews, Books, Fantasy, Fiction, Humor, Metafiction, Patrick Ness, Reviews, Teen, The Rest of Us Just Live Here, Young Adult

Etiquette & Espionage (Finishing School Book the First)

June 19, 2015 by Drew

The Short Version: Sophronia Temminnick isn’t quite the young lady her mother hoped she would be. She prefers to climb trees, take things apart, and be altogether unladylike – and so she is enrolled in a finishing school. Except this finishing school, as it turns out, is a place where young women of particular quality can embrace their outre behaviors and become the most highly trained espionage agents. AND well-learned members of society, too. The Review: Gail Carriger’s The Parasol Protectorate series is […]

Categories: Fantasy, Fiction • Tags: Book Review, Book Reviews, Books, Etiquette & Espionage, Fantasy, Fiction, Finishing School, Gail Carriger, Middle Grade, Reviews, Steampunk, YA, Young Adult

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Don’t Stay Up Late (Fear Street Relaunch #2)

April 29, 2015 by Drew

The Short Version: After a car accident kills her father and puts her and her mother in the hospital, Lisa Brooks has been having a hard time with reality. She has trouble sleeping, she’s hallucinating, and also dealing with grief. When a babysitting gig comes along for a sweet kid, everybody thinks it’s a good way to help her get sorted out – but when teenagers start dying, she wonders if her hallucinations might be real after all… The Review: There continues […]

Categories: Fiction, Horror • Tags: Book Review, Book Reviews, Books, Don't Stay Up Late, Fear Street, Fiction, Horror, R. L. Stine, Reviews, Young Adult

Raging Biblio-holism

The overwhelming urge to collect, consume, and consider books

Tag: Young Adult

Six of Crows / Crooked Kingdom

Bone Gap

Stargirl

Un Lun Dun

The Merciless

“Why is This Night Different from All Other Nights?” (All the Wrong Questions #4)

The Rest of Us Just Live Here

Etiquette & Espionage (Finishing School Book the First)

Don’t Stay Up Late (Fear Street Relaunch #2)