The Young Elites by Marie Lu

Reviewed by Arthi J.
Grade 11

So. Tell me, little wolf. Do you want to punish those who have wronged you?

The Young Elites is a dark, young adult dystopian fantasy novel by Marie Lu that follows the points of view of three characters: Adelina, Enzo, and Teren. Many years ago a deadly illness spread like wildfire throughout this dark, Renaissance-like world, leaving many dead in its wake. The children who were lucky enough to survive this “blood fever” weren’t, in fact, lucky at all. The color of their hair and eyes changed and strange markings suddenly ran down their arms and legs. They were marked, or malfetto, and separated from society out of fear and misunderstanding because some of the marked survivors, known as the Young Elites, were rumored to possess deadly, magical capabilities along with the scars.

The story begins with Adelina Amouteru, a malfetto and survivor of the blood fever. While her mother died, Adelina survived, but her black hair was turned silver and now she only has a scar where her left eye used to be. Her merciless father wants to believe she has these rumored powers because if not, then she is but a worthless stain on his family’s name and reputation. And while Adelina loves her younger sister Violetta, she can’t help but feel resentment towards the other daughter who is still beautiful, unmarked, and wanted by her father. 

Elsewhere, Enzo Valenciano is the leader of the Dagger Society, a group of Young Elites who seek out other malfettos like themselves before they are hunted and killed. Teren Santoro works for the kingdom and, despite his dark secret, believes that it is his sole duty to destroy the Young Elites before they destroy the already unstable world they live in. 

These three individuals have no reason to run into each other...until they do. As Adelina’s newfound powers emerge, she doesn’t know what to believe, only that she wants to trust Enzo, the boy who saved her from death, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the world is not always so black and white. Each character fights their own battles, both internal and external. Yet in all this uncertainty, it is clear that Adelina’s powers should not belong in this world and that there is a deep-rooted darkness festering in her heart, threatening to consume both her and those who dare cross her.

 I am tired of being used, hurt, and cast aside. It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt.

Unique. I truly wouldn’t use any other word to describe this series because it was unlike anything I’ve ever read before. Lu does a fantastic job in creating an interesting world, along with extremely complex characters. I especially commend her choice of the main character, Adelina. While the novel is told from three different characters points of view, Adelina’s chapters are the only ones that are written in the first person, which gives the reader a clear look into her thoughts while also creating a sense of unpredictability in the events that will come to pass. I really like how Adelina is not the standard, predictable, and morally good character you see in a lot of books today. 

I would absolutely recommend this trilogy (The RoseSociety and The Midnight Star follow this novel) to anyone who’s looking for a dark and mysterious read. The sequel picks up after the shocking cliffhanger that leaves readers with their mouths hanging open and the series’ explosive finale truly leaves you shattered. This trilogy is definitely one of my favorites and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did.           

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Reviewed by Arthi J.

Grade 11

We all bear scars...mine just happen to be more visible than most.

Celaena Sardothien is Adarlan’s most notorious assassin. In a land recently stripped of all magic, the cruel king, who rules with an iron fist, holds a competition to determine who will become the King’s Champion: the person who will become the King’s personal blade, assassinating whomever he desires dead. Celaena, still reeling, both physically and emotionally, from the events that concluded this series prequel (The Assassin's Blade), is summoned to the glass castle from the slave mines of Endovier. The king offers her a bargain: win and competition and become his Champion, and, in return, she will be freed from the slave mines. Now, all that stands in her way are twenty-three extremely skilled killers, thieves, and fighters which should be no problem for the deadly assassin.

However, that is not the only thing that stands in the way of Celeana’s freedom. Something ancient and evil dwells in the glass walls of the castle--a place she believed to be free of magic--and it has one simple goal: to kill. When her competition begins to drop dead one by one, Celaena must fight not only for her freedom but also for her own survival and overcome her own demons that have left scars on her that run deeper than those on her back. Along with her new companions, the Crown Prince and Captain of the Royal Guard, she must work quickly to root out this mysterious evil before it destroys them all and the world surrounding them.       

The entire Throne of Glass series has definitely got to be one of my favorites. Looking back, it's truly astonishing to see how much the plot of the story and characters themselves have developed over the course of the books. Sarah J. Maas does a wonderful job in building the world of Erilea and the complexity of Celaena's character. I also really enjoyed the way in which this novel’s plot subtly builds up to the explosive conclusion that comes crashing down on the reader.  

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading fantasy novels and escaping to another world like no other. If you enjoy this series, I would also recommend Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses series and her newest adult fantasy novel, House of Earth and Blood.

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

Reviewed by Arthi J.

Grade 11

If I cannot be better than them, I will become so much worse.

Jude was only seven years old when her life was forever changed. One minute she was watching cartoons on the television with her twin sister Taryn, and older sister Viviene and the next, a dangerous stranger was banging on the front door of their home. Madoc, a powerful military commander of the fey, had finally found Jude's mother, whom Madoc had a complicated past with, and due to this, killed both her parents in retribution. Now orphaned and with nowhere else to go, Jude and her two sisters were whisked away to live in the dangerous High Court of the Faerie, fostered by their parents’ murderer.

After ten years of living in a beautiful, but deadly world where she has come to love her parents’ killer as a father, Jude wants nothing more than to belong and will go to great lengths to do so. After all, where else can she go? Though she was born in the mortal world, it is not nor will it ever be her home. Against all odds she fights for her rightful spot amongst the fey. But, many of them look down upon the mortality she was born with, especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and cruelest son of the High King. To win her place in court she must defy him and suffer the consequences for it. In doing so, she becomes tangled in the palace intrigues, trickery and deceptions of the High Court, whilst realizing her own alarming capacity for bloodshed. Yet, as a civil war in the fey kingdom threatens to destroy the only, however cruel, world she’s ever felt at home in, circumstances cause Jude to find herself in a dangerous alliance, which could crumble to pieces at any given second, with the one she hates most: Cardan. Working with the cruel prince of fey, Jude must risk her life to save everything she’s ever known and loved, or possibly lose it all.  

I really loved reading The Cruel Prince. I have read other books that follow the concept of fae, or fey, like A Court of Thorns and Roses (another great read) and it truly astonishes me how distinct and amazing this novel really is. Even though only two characters actually have the ability to lie, it's ironic to find out the numerous deceptions, lies, and trickery that are revealed throughout the novel. Holly Black does a fantastic job in developing Cardan and Jude’s characters, building the hidden fey world they live in, and subtly working up to an ending that truly comes crashing down upon the reader.  

I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading fantasy novels with various plot twists and turns. I think Holly Black did a wonderful job with this series, and I’m also really excited to read her upcoming novella to this series which is going to be from Cardan’s point of view. 

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Reviewed by Arthi J.
Grade 11

Be glad of your human heart, Feyre. Pity those who don't feel anything at all.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas is a fantasy novel, loosely based off of the classic tale of Beauty and the Beast. It is set in the world of Prythian where humans and a different species, called fae, live with nothing but a wall separating them. Long ago, these faeries fought against the humans in a large scale war, and it resulted in very little land being left for the humans. The fae have special strengths and abilities, and their world is separated from the humans with a great wall due to lasting tensions and resentments from the war. Their own lands are divided into courts--Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, and Dawn, Day, Nightmare--each of which are led by a High Lord.

 The human and fae worlds have had little to no interaction since the great war. However, that all changes when nineteen-year-old huntress, Feyre, kills a large wolf in the nearby woods, and a beast-like creature arrives at her family’s cottage, demanding retribution for the fae life she unknowingly ended. According to an old treaty between the fae and humans, written at the end of the war, Feyre has two choices: either be killed or spend the rest of her human life imprisoned in the Fae lands. And so, she is dragged away from her home, family, and everything she’s ever known to live in a dangerous, magical land with her captor, who she later discovers is not an animal, but in fact Tamlin, the High Lord of Spring Court. As she dwells in his estate, her feelings towards Tamlin transform from icy hostility to a fiery passion as she learns more about this beautiful world and uncovers the hidden truths beneath every lie and myth she has ever been warned of. But, with a mysterious “blight” quickly damaging and taking over the fae world and beginning to seep into her own, Feyre must find a way to stop it--or risking losing everything she loves.This is a book of magic, love, fate, power, revenge, and so much more as Feyre comes to know her captor and the strange world she now lives in.

This is one of the most amazing books I have ever read. I never expected what was going to happen, and it had the most complex characters that I loved to read about. It was a bit slow at first, but then sped up and became much more interesting later in the book. I’m not a huge romance person when it comes to reading, but this was a truly wonderful exception and I think that Sarah J. Maas did a fantastic job in building her characters and the unique world surrounding them.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes magic and romance, along with some drama and excitement. A Court of Thorns and Roses is a magnificent book with many twists and turns, and I am so excited to read the second book, A Court of Mist and Fury and later Throne of Glass, another renowned series by Maas. 

Stars Above: a Lunar Chronicles Collection by Marissa Meyer

Reviewed by Susan Z. 

Grade 12 

Stars Above by Marissa Meyer is a collection of several stories; most of which serve as prequels to the main series, and one being an epilogue. If you’re done with the Lunar Chronicles and you want more...this is that book. It’ll give you a bit of history, a look at what happened in the near future, and more. 

Stars Above is made up of nine chapters, each a separate story. "The Keeper", "Glitches", "The Queen’s Army", "Carswell’s Guide to Being Lucky", "After Sunshine Passes By", "The Princess and the Guard", and "The Mechanic" are all what I would consider prequels to the Lunar Chronicles. Some are backstories that provide a bit of history while others have events that happen literally right before or at the beginning of the series. They all sort of just provide additional context, and also some are told from a different person’s perspective. 

"Something Old, Something New" is the epilogue we all wanted. I would say it picks up just about a few weeks after Winter (the last book in the main series). It’s really sweet, and if you weren’t happy with where Winter ended off... "Something Old, Something New" will definitely bring some closure. So, this was the final chapter, however, there is one previous chapter that isn’t really a prologue or an epilogue, and it doesn’t really fit into the main series. "The Little Android", following the same style as the other books, is a sci-fi twist on The Little Mermaid. Androids aren’t meant to fall in love, or really have any emotions in general, but this one certainly does. 

 I really enjoyed all the stories in Stars Above, being a big fan of the Lunar Chronicles. Like I said, they are mostly prequels. I liked getting to know the characters a bit more through these prequels. Another thing I liked was that we got some new perspectives; some events do overlap with what has happened in the main series, but we got a different person’s point of view so that was pretty nice. I really enjoyed the epilogue, I think it was a great way to end things. And although I didn’t mind how Winter ended, this epilogue did tie up some of the loose ends. "The Little Android", I was confused the first time I read it, but it made more sense the second time around. I think it’s cool that another classic fairy tale got a sci-fi update. I would be pretty excited if the author came out with more of these short stories. 

 I would recommend this book for those that have already read the Lunar Chronicles and enjoyed those books. I think this book alone can be a little confusing if you were to read it by itself, without having prior knowledge on the Lunar Chronicles. So if you haven’t read those books, they’re really great books for everyone. I would especially recommend them for people who like science fiction.

Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Reviewed by Arthi J.
Grade 11

"Thou Shalt Kill."

Scythe, by Neal Shusterman, is a young adult novel that takes place in a unique, dystopian society. The year is 2041, and by now what we refer to as “the cloud” has developed into the Thunderhead, and has solved all of humanity’s problems. An almost perfect utopia exists, where humanity has conquered poverty, hunger, disease, corruption, and even death itself. Almost.

Scythes, who operate separately from the Thunderhead, are the only ones with the license to permanently kill, or “glean” (in order to keep the size of the population under control). With this great power, they are expected to kill with morality and honor. The novel follows the story of Citra and Rowan, two teenagers who are reluctantly taken under the wing of the honorable Scythe Michael Faraday in an apprenticeship to become a scythe. They are expected to become the deadly weapons of society, because if not, their failure will result in grave consequences. However, they are living in turbulent times where not all scythes glean with honor and integrity and have their own selfish and sinister desires in mind. Cracks are forming within the Scythedom, and Citra and Rowan will soon find out that this so-called utopia they are living in is not so perfect after all. But will they be too late?

I really enjoyed reading Scythe. To be honest, this trilogy (Thunderhead and The Toll follow this novel) has been on my book list for a while now and I’m especially glad I finally took the time to read it. At first, the plot moved a bit slow, and I had a lot of unanswered questions; but I later realized that the build-up was worth it because the ending absolutely blew me away. I think that Neal Shusterman did a good job in balancing his focus between building the world surrounding Scythe and the characters themselves.

I would definitely recommend this book to almost anyone. However, if you are the type of reader who is more invested in the characters themselves, or more specifically the relationships and romances between them, then this book might not be the best fit for you. While it does include some romance, it is not the entire focus of the novel. In my opinion, Shusterman does a fabulous job in following the moral grey area regarding killing in order to maintain the size of the population and in creating an incredibly unique, dystopian world like no other. Overall, this was a great novel to read, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Fairest: Levana's Story by Marissa Meyer

Reviewed by Susan Z.
Grade 11

Having been burned as a kid by your supposedly loving older sister really does something to you.

The book Fairest: Levana’s Story written by author Marissa Meyer is a prequel to The Lunar Chronicles. The entire series is, what I would describe as, classical fairy tale characters but placed in a sci-fi futuristic setting. Levana, our main antagonist, is the power-hungry, manipulative, and extremely cruel ruler of Luna. It doesn’t take much to guess who she’s based off of. Based of the main series, readers know her as a tyrant who's the stepmother of Princess Winter, trying to murder Cinder, and conquer Earth. Fairest: Leavana’s Story gives readers an insight as to how Levana became the Evil Queen.

The book begins with the accident and ends events that occur right before Cinder (the first book in the main series). In Fairest, readers get a glimpse of Levana’s history and events that made her the person she is. It has bits of her childhood, filled with neglectful parents and an abusive sister, her love life--falling for someone who was already in love with another, and her rise to power. Despite her traumatizing childhood where her sister, Channary, basically threw her into a fireplace, Levana always had love for Luna. When their parents died and Channary became queen, Levana had ideas on how to make Luna better. When Channary died however, and Levana became queen...the power got to her. Though initially she had good intentions on making Luna better for its people, being the queen eventually got to her head. Levana craved power; she wanted to be loved by her citizens forever. The only thing that could stop her was Channary’s little daughter. Because the daughter was so young, Levana, the only other member of the royal family, temporarily took the throne. But Levana wanted forever; she wanted to secure that position of power. So she did the only reasonable thing and had her niece disposed of--or so she thought. Now with her out of the way, Levana had full control of Luna. But eventually the love of an entire planet wouldn’t be enough for her, and Levana would turn to Earth.

Even after learning Levana’s backstory, I didn’t feel remorse for her. I understand she had a very abusive childhood and practically never felt any love, but in the end she was still a bad person who continued doing bad things. Fairest is a really good book and did a really good job describing Levana. It explains Levana’s backstory and I understand how she became the person she is. I am happy that this is what we got instead of a redemption arc for Levana. Another thing I thoroughly enjoy about this book is that it doesn’t defend Levana. It’s not a book trying to explain her actions by any means. Even in Fairest, Levana does some pretty bad things--like how she got rid of her niece, so it’s definitely not a book trying to defend who she is or trying to put the blame on someone else.

I recommend Fairest for people who have read The Lunar Chronicles. I’m not saying if you haven’t read the series that you shouldn’t read Fairest, there’s just a lot that I wouldn’t understand if I hadn’t already read the other books. And if you haven’t read The Lunar Chronicles, I definitely would recommend those too for really everybody.

Nil by Lynne Matson

Reviewd by Ela P.
Grade 11

Of course I'd hallucinate a zebra. Why couldn't I dream up Robert Pattinson or, better yet, a river of Gatorade?

Have you ever had a dream that seemed too real to be just a figment of your imagination? Well, the novel, NIL, by Lynne Matson explores that unreal experience through the lens of a normal high school girl, Charley. However, rather than make this whimsical island one filled with everything a girl could dream, it was filled with real-life experiences and its many wild horrors. Charley is a normal high school girl, who couldn't think any differently from the life she was living. However, when she is taken from her normal home life, and randomly dropped on NIL, an island that the world doesn't know exists, she is forced to prioritize her survival over every distraction NIL presents. No matter how hard she tries, getting off of NIL is more than just a task, its a game, in which their only opponent is NIL herself.

Everything was always easy for Charley as a normal teenage girl, or so she thought... until she got to NIL. Trapped naked on an island that nobody knew about, and little hopes of contact with the normal world, Charley finds herself lonely and afraid of all the dangers that lurked in the woods on the island. This all changed when she met Thad, a Canadian boy, who introduces her to a small village of other teenagers from around the world who ended up on NIL just like her. They quickly fall for each other, creating the only feeling of happiness that she gets on the island, but also a weakness for NIL to prey on. The people on the island treat NIL like a curse watching over them, toying with their lives as if they were a game to her, and doing everything in her power to stop them from escaping her torture. In order for them to beat NIL, they all have to work together to do their part, but when some are filled with jealousy and desperation, their union slowly falls apart, leading them all to face many more disasters. In order to get off of NIL before their 365-day limit is over, they all have to work harder than ever, face their fears, put their lives in danger for the people they love, and make sacrifices to remain in order. Charley is forced to change herself, to cooperate with these vastly different teenagers and learn to keep her new family on the island safe by stepping out of her comfort zone, something she wouldn't be willing to do before. As Thad's time on NIL is coming to an end, their desperation causes their love to become stronger, and the two teenagers are faced with a debacle. Should Thad go before his time is up or should he take the risk to save the one he loves?

At first, it did seem like it was the stereotypical "trapped on a dangerous island" book, however, towards the end I realized that there was more reality than fantastical elements underlining the story. It shows ups and downs of every person, which is more down to Earth than the typical "struggle after struggle" plot, which made it more realistic. Every character makes mistakes and all struggle between acting on their sense versus emotions, which better represents the human instincts and their need for survival. Similarly, their situation makes the reader think about the difference between the dreams and realities, and the line that can be crossed. I thought that using an Island as the setting, and personifying "mother nature's power" was very good since it is still a belief that many cultures think true. It made me rethink the power of nature and its curses that it could very well present to any of us at her mercy, whether we are on an island or not. It's very mind-boggling and provides a thrill to anyone looking for an interesting book to read.

I really loved reading NIL, and would definitely recommend it to anyone who wanted a fantasy-based book with certain realistic elements. It is a very important lesson to the young adults reading the book and puts their lives in perspective to Charley's. Personally, I find it an important book that teaches the moral of perseverance no matter what struggle people are facing in their lives, and that eventually, it pays off. It was a lesson even I had to learn from the book when I read it. Her story made me reflect on my life, and how in order to achieve my goals, I had to keep working towards them without stopping to even consider quitting. The sequels of NIL are also very good, though they are told from different perspectives of different teenagers living on the island, I would recommend reading those as well. Overall, this was a very good and influential book that I would hope you enjoy as well.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Reviewed by Arthi J.
Grade 10

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green is a young adult novel about a young teenage girl named Hazel Grace Lancaster, who has been diagnosed with lung cancer for as long as she can remember. By now, she has lost all hope and has come to terms with what her life will be like with her diagnosis. At first, she is reluctant to attend a local cancer support group recommended to her by her parents, but she soon realizes after meeting a boy named Augustus Waters (diagnosed with osteosarcoma), that maybe it isn’t the worst thing.

Augustus is charming and witty, however Hazel can’t help but to push him away like everyone else in her life. Augustus is not like everyone else, however, and he keeps coming back. He is drawn to her in a way that Hazel doesn’t understand. As Hazel and Augustus embark on an emotional roller coaster of romance, sadness, and humor, including a trip to Amsterdam in search of Peter Van Houten, the author of An Imperial Affliction (Hazel’s favorite book), Hazel starts to realize that her life is more than just terminal . . . it is about to be completely rewritten.

This is one of the best books I have ever read and not at all just, as Hazel would put it, a “cancer book.” Behind Augustus and Hazel’s stories, lies many themes and morals that are up for the reader's interpretation. I really appreciate how John Green builds this heart-warming story out of the darkness and despair that comes with the topic of cancer. I can also honestly and proudly say that I cried during the ending of this novel (which is saying much because it takes a lot for me to cry).

I would definitely recommend this novel to anyone who is looking for a sweet, humorous, and, sadly, tragic love story to read. I thought that this was a beautifully, well-written novel and that the characters and plot were both unique beyond measure. So, get out your tissues and embark on this crazy, emotional roller coaster, and I hope you enjoy this novel as much as I did.

At the Edge of the Universe by Shaun David Hutchinson

Reviewed by Arthi J.
Grade 10

At the Edge of the Universe by Shaun David Hutchinson is a young adult novel told from the perspective of Ozzie, a high school student. Tommy and Ozzie have been best friends since the second grade and boyfriends since eighth. Ozzie doesn’t have many plans for the future, but the only thing he knows for certain is that Tommy is in it.

But then one day Tommy disappears or, more accurately, he ceases to exist. Tommy has been wiped from the memories of everyone he knew and loved . . . everyone except Ozzie. Now, Ozzie doesn’t know what to do, and people start to think he’s crazy. Between creating a person out of thin air and going through therapists quicker than underwear, they’re not that far off. In addition, Ozzie is certain that the universe is shrinking and that somehow he, Tommy, and his new physics project partner, Calvin are involved. As Ozzie and Calvin spend more and more time together, it gets harder and harder for Ozzie to deny his feelings for Calvin even though he still loves Tommy. But time is running out, and Ozzie knows that the window for saving Tommy is closing, and once it’s closed it can’t be opened again. But, Ozzie is determined to keep it open for as long as possible to get Tommy back. How he will do it? Now, there’s the real question.

I really enjoyed reading this book, and the ending truly had me shook. I thought that this was a very beautifully written novel and that even though some parts were difficult to read, it was all very realistic. In my opinion, the characters were well developed, and the plot was very unique and unlike anything I have ever read before.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who’s looking for a sweet and humorous, yet meaningful book to read. Hutchinson includes many layers, hidden meanings, and ambiguities in his novel that certainly keeps his audience guessing and on their toes. So if this seems like your kind of novel I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did.