Book Reviews | library

Book of the Month: October - November

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

I really loved this book, although I was a little disappointed to discover it wasn't a stand-alone fantasy (which are so hard to come by), but rather the first in a series.

Scarlett Dragna and her sister Donatella (aka Tella) have suffered at the hands of their father long enough. When one of them does something wrong, her father hurts the other knowing it will be a much more cruel punishment. Scarlett is engaged to be married to a man she's never met, but whom she believes is her ticket off her father's island and away from his tyranny. Tella, a free spirit, wants nothing more than to run away and never return.

After years of writing to Legend, the head of the magical Caraval, he finally sends Scarlett three tickets. Scarlett is unwilling to jeopardize her one shot at a happy marriage, and as much as she wants to experience Caraval, she isn't willing to take her chances. Tella, however, wants nothing more and gets her pirate boyfriend, Julian, to subdue Scarlett and stage a kidnapping. Because Scarlett is knocked out, Tella arrives at Caraval first and by the time Scarlett and Julian get there, she is missing and all of the guests are looking for her. Scarlett is desperate to find her sister and get back to her father's island in time for her wedding, but she's also starting to fall for Julian, which makes her question what it is she really wants.

This book was the perfect blend of fantasy and romance. Julian was a great character--infuriating, but also sweet and protective.

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Other Reviews

Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

I really liked this book. Set in Australia over the course of one night, the story follows Lucy and Ed as they try to find a graffiti artist known as Shadow. Lucy tells Ed all the things she wants to say to Shadow about art, not knowing all along that Ed and Shadow are the same person. This is a sweet story about two kids figuring out what they want in life. If I had to find any fault in the story it would be that everything ties up perfectly and everyone ends up happy. While this is always the most satisfying way to end a book, it didn't quite ring true. Maybe the fault was mine because as I was reading I kept expecting it to end with some sort of tragedy.

Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt

It's hard to describe something so heart-wrenching as wonderful, but this is an incredible story.

At the age of 13 , Joseph became a father and almost killed a teacher. Out of juvenile detention and now 14, Joseph has become part of Jack's family as a foster child. Faced with teachers and administrators who've already decided that Joseph is worthless, he wants nothing more than to find his daughter, Jupiter.

Told from the perspective of Jack, this book was riveting and I read it in only one sitting. I think the characters, grades six and eighth are a little young for some high school readers, but in my opinion, the quality of the storytelling transcends the age differences.

Lila Bard is a pickpocket from Grey London, with no knowledge of magic or other worlds. She finds Kell in a vulnerable state and takes advantage by lifting the relic from his coat. This one act changes Lila's life and from that point on, she and Kell are connected, fighting dark magic and having the adventure of a lifetime.

This is the first book in the series, and I am curious to see where it will go. Will there be romance for Kell and Lila? Does her glass eye mean what I think it means? Overall, a great fantasy adventure.

Kell is an antari--a messenger who uses magic to travel between worlds delivering communication from one royal family to another. Kell lives in Red London, a world where magic is revered and cultivated. There's also White London, a world where magic is used to conquer and control, and finally there's Grey London, a world where magic has been forgotten. There is one other London, although it's never spoken of--Black London, a world where magic has consumed and corrupted. Fearing the spread of black magic, Black London was cut off from the others.

In addition to delivering messages, Kell smuggles items from one London to another for collectors willing to pay handsomely, an activity that is highly illegal. A woman approaches Kell, asking him to deliver a message to Grey London. Kell takes the package and his payment, but quickly learns he's been set up--he's actually carrying a magical relic from Black London. And then he meets Lila.

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely

This book is extremely timely. Written by two authors, it offers perspectives from two boys at the center of racial tensions.

Rashad and Quinn both separately stop at Jerry's Corner Market on their way to a party. Rashad is black. Quinn is white. After deciding on some snacks, Rashad bends down and opens his bag to pull out his wallet. Right then, a woman backs up and accidentally falls over him. The store clerk and a police officer run to the woman's aid, asking if she's hurt. Then the clerk notices Rashad's bag is open and yells that he was shoplifting. The officer grabs Rashad, drags him outside and starts beating him. About this time, Quinn comes around the corner and sees what's happening. To his surprise, the police officer is his best friend's older brother, Paul.

Rashad ends up in the hospital with broken ribs, a broken nose and some internal bleeding. The city and the boys' school is split over who was right and who was wrong. Before they know it, Rashad's beating is a major news story and Quinn finds himself at odds with people he's known his entire life.

Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes

Holy cow, this book was crazy. Having been convicted of attempted murder, Minnow Bly is serving time in juvenile detention. Despite having a disability (her father chopped off both of her hands), Minnow is anything but a victim.Minnow's story unfolds through her own memories, her conversations with an FBI psychologist and her cellmate and convicted murderer, Angel. When Minnow was five years old, her father moved the family to the wilderness to join a cult called the Community and follow a man known as The Prophet. Over time, Minnow began to question the teachings of The Prophet and the religion known as Kevinism. Minnow gains a reputation for being troubled, and when The Prophet declares that he will marry her to teach her obedience, she knows something has to change. The Prophet is now dead, and the Community has burned to the ground. Minnow is the only one who knows what happened and who's responsible.

I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

This is a lovely story of loss and acceptance. Twins Jude and Noah Sweetwine have their issues, but it isn't until the death of their mother that things really become difficult. Told in alternating narratives--most of Noah's narrative is before their mother dies, while Jude's is after--the book does a great job revealing the teens' struggles and tying things back together in the subsequent narrative. The writing is a bit flowery, with lots of metaphors, but I enjoyed how Noah conveyed his feelings as if they were portraits, while Jude spoke to her grandmother's ghost and quoted from her grandma's made-up bible. Overall, a wonderful book.

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