Read For Your Future: November 2012

November 30, 2012

Review: London Eye (Toxic City #1) by Tim Lebbon

Summary-

The Hunger Games meets The X-Men in an exciting post-apocalyptic debut.
Two years after London is struck by a devastating terrorist attack, it is cut off from the world, protected by a military force known as Choppers.
The rest of Britain believe that the city is now a toxic, uninhabited wasteland. But Jack and his friends, some of whom lost family on what has become known as Doomsday, know that the reality is very different.
At great risk, they have been gathering evidence about what is really happening in London, and it is incredible. Because the handful of Londons survivors are changing. Developing strange, fantastic powers. Evolving.

Review-

areas, if not the entire world. What i liked about this one is that it deals with an isolated area of devistation. The characters are such a hodge-podge of personalities. It makes for a very funny , entertaining & engaging read. Some of the exploits these young people go through is scarey. They are a brave and determined group of people. The way the author describes the decay and devistation to the city is hauntingly realistic. I am looking forward to reading more in the Toxic City series.

Publisher-Pyr

Reviewers Rating: 4 Stars

Reviewed by~Mechele

Thank you to the Publisher for the donation of this book to the Read for your future book program!

Summary-

In the steampunk world of Victorian London, a beautiful vampire seeks out the author of Dracula–to set the record straight . . . If one is to believe Bram Stoker’s legendary vampire tale, Lucy Weston is Dracula’s most wanton creation, a sexual creature of the night who preys on innocent boys. But the real-life Lucy is nothing like her fictional counterpart—and she demands to know why the Victorian author deliberately lied. With Stoker’s reluctant help, she’s determined to track down the very fiend who transformed her—from the sensual underworld where humans vie to become vampires, to a hidden cell beneath a temple to madness, and finally into the glittering Crystal Palace where death reigns supreme.
Haunted by fragmentary memories of her lost life and love, Lucy must battle her thirst for blood as she struggles to stop a catastrophic war that will doom vampires and humans alike. Ultimately, she must make a choice that illuminates for her—and for us—what it means to be human.

Review-

It has been quite a while since I have read such an engaging Vampire story. Let me tell you, not all Vamp stories are created equal. This story in particular has an undeniable connection to the myth, lore & legend of the whole vampire experience. The main character is a strong, willful & intellegent herione. Without help of unlikely allies she makes good on destroying the evil plots of some of the strongest & oldest of her kind. The storyline is well thought out and written with such detail. You can see how it would all play out exactly the way it was intended to. This is one of the better, more realistic vampire stories. Well, as believeable as a tale like this can be, anyway. I really enjoyed this book and hope to read more from this very talented author. 4 3/4 stars! If that were possible.

Publisher-Gallery Books

Reviewers Rating: 4.5 Stars

Reviewed by~Mechele

Thank you to the publisher and author for the donation of this book to the Read for your future book program!

Summary-

Everything is in ruins.
A devastating plague has decimated the population, and those who are left live in fear of catching it as the city crumbles around them.
So what does Araby Worth have to live for?
Nights in the Debauchery Club, beautiful dresses, glittery makeup . . . and tantalizing ways to forget it all.
But in the depths of the club--in the depths of her own despair--Araby will find more than oblivion. She will find Will, the terribly handsome proprietor of the club, and Elliott, the wickedly smart aristocrat. Neither is what he seems. Both have secrets. Everyone does.
And Araby may find not just something to live for, but something to fight for--no matter what it costs her.

Review-

A very unusual dystopian tale. Not at all what I was expecting this book to be like. The story starts out mysterious and follows through with that same theme. It kinda gave me the creeps in a good sort of way. The main characters personality shines out of the ordinary. The author projects a very good emotional image through the actions & thoughts of the main character. The melody of the storyline flows from one strange event to the next almost flawlessly. This is one of those books you have to pay close attention to in order not to miss any of the details. All the little pieces of the plot add up to the bigger picture. If you miss even the tiniest detail, your picture will be incomplete. The body of the story is rich & full. Never a dull moment. It keeps your mind constantly at work. A very enjoyable read.

Publisher-Greenwillow Books

Reviewers Rating:4.5 Stars

Reviewed by~Mechele

Thank you to the author for the donation of this book to the Read for your future book program!

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November 19, 2012

Review: A Soldiers Secret by Mariasa Moss

Summary-

The story of Sarah Emma Edmonds, who masqueraded as a man named Frank Thompson during the Civil War. Among her many adventures, she was a nurse on the battlefield and a spy for the Union Army, and was captured by (and escaped from) the Confederates. The novel is narrated by Sarah, offering readers an in-depth look not only at the Civil War but also at her journey to self-discovery as she grapples with living a lie and falling in love with one of her fellow soldiers.

Review-

the story is a fun way to learn about someone other than a biograpghy. it would provoke interest in learning more about sarah emma edmonds' life and her part in the civil war.

Publisher-Harry N. Abrams

Reviewer Rating:4,5 Stars

Reviewed by Noelle (student at Franklin High School)

Thank you to the publisher for the donation of this book to the Read for your future book Program!

Review: Monument 14 (Monument 14 #1) by Emmy Laybourne

Summary-

Your mother hollers that you’re going to miss the bus. She can see it coming down the street. You don’t stop and hug her and tell her you love her. You don’t thank her for being a good, kind, patient mother. Of course not—you launch yourself down the stairs and make a run for the corner.Only, if it’s the last time you’ll ever see your mother, you sort of start to wish you’d stopped and did those things. Maybe even missed the bus.But the bus was barreling down our street, so I ran.Fourteen kids. One superstore. A million things that go wrong.
In Emmy Laybourne’s action-packed debut novel, six high school kids (some popular, some not), two eighth graders (one a tech genius), and six little kids trapped together in a chain superstore build a refuge for themselves inside. While outside, a series of escalating disasters, beginning with a monster hailstorm and ending with a chemical weapons spill, seems to be tearing the world—as they know it—apart.

Review-

This book is a compelling twist of fate. The characters fit the ideal image of high school students. It will bring you up leave you hanging then take you even higher and blow your mind. This book is the next Hunger Games

Publisher-Feiwel & Friends

Reviewer Rating: 5 STARS!!!

Reviewed by~Brett Ball (Student at Franklin High School)

Thank you to the Publisher for the donation of this book to the Read for your Future book program!~

Review: Paradise by Jill S. Alexander

Summary-

Paisley Tillery is the drummer for a country rock band. If they can make it to the stage at the Texapalooza music fest, then Paisley will be closer to her dream of a career in music and a ticket out of her small Texas town.
Drumming and music are what Paisley has always wanted. Until the band gets a new lead singer, the boy from Paradise, Texas. With Paradise in her life, what Paisley wants, and what she needs, complicate her dreams coming true.

Review-

I felt it was sad, a little slow and it made me very angry at the end. I liked the characters but the story line was dumb.

I think the author should write more books, but make them more exciting.

Publisher-Feiwel & Friends

Reviewers Rating: 3 Stars

Reviewed by~Summer Bednarski (Student at Franklin High School)

Thank you to the publisher for the donation of this book to the Read for your Future book program!

Summary-

Dutch almost-eighteen-year-old Anna is not allowed to go on a Spanish beach vacation with her friends. Instead her parents send her to small town in America to spend the summer with her uncle. To pass the time, Anna starts working in an antique shop where she befriends different kinds of people ranging from the local undertaker--a boy her age--to an elderly Jewish couple. Anna could never have imagined that what she thought would be the dullest holiday ever would turn out to be a time where she discovers what life is about.

Review-

Seeing Anna goes from Europe to Pennsylvania was interesting to read about. How she had to adjust to changes and make new friends. She had to interact with different sorts of poeple who would become her friends after ahe felt betrayed.

Publisher-Lemniscaat USA

Reviewers Rating: 4 Stars

Reviewed by~Noelle (Student at Franklin High School)

Thank you to the publisher for the donation of this book to the Read for your Future book program!

SummThe Shifter is an immortal creature bound by an ancient spell to protect the kings of Samorna. When the realm is peaceful, she retreats to the Mistwod.
But when she is needed she always comes.
Isabel remembers nothing. Nothing before the prince rode into her forest to take her back to the castle. Nothing about who she is supposed to be, or the powers she is supposed to have.
Prince Rokan needs Isabel to be his Shifter. He needs her ability to shift to animal form, to wind, to mist. He needs her lethal speed and superhuman strength. And he needs her loyalty—because without it, she may be his greatest threat.
Isabel knows that her prince is lying to her, but she can't help wanting to protect him from the dangers and intrigues of the court . . . until a deadly truth shatters the bond between them.
Now Isabel faces a choice that threatens her loyalty, her heart . . . and everything she thought she knew.

Review-

I read this book a year or so ago. When Nightspell came in I needed to refresh my memory. Or so I thought. This story is shrouded in legend, lore and mystery. I feel in love with the irresistably mystical world of Mistwood. Right from the beginning, I was drawn into this mysteriously, imaginative and original storyline. This book just goes to show that all shifter stories are not the same. The main character transforms, before your eyes, into the mythical creature. Thyat is once she gets all the facts straight in her head. Her superhuman strength and supernatural abilities made this story even more outstanding. This book really grabbed my attention and held me captivated to the very end. Even though this is a 339 page book, I flew right through it. I Highly recommend this fantastic book.

Publisher-Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins

Reviewer Rating: 5 STARS!!!

Reviewed by~Mechele