Teen and Staff Reviews

Teen Review
Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angeles

Where Dreams Descend

By Janella Angeles
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Rana S.
Feb 26, 2021

Janella Angeles’s Where Dreams Descend follows ambitious showgirl Kallia as she fights to compete for a spot as the headlining magician of the Conquering Circus.

The competition takes place in Glorian, a city full of secrets. While competing, Kallia encounters Daron Demarco, the enigmatic young judge with a hidden past. Kallia, too, wishes to forget her past — but Jack, the owner of the club she left for the competition, won’t let her get away so easily.

Teen Review
Nightshade by Anthony Horowitz

Nightshade

By Anthony Horowitz
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Lisa J.
Feb 25, 2021

Nightshade is the twelfth installment of the Alex Rider series. When a secret agent is killed by a ruthless 16-year-old assassin in Brazil, teenage MI6 spy Alex Rider is sent to Gibraltar, a maximum-security prison, assuming the identity of his lookalike nemesis, Julius Grief. His mission? To bond with and extract information from the assassin, Freddy.

Teen Review
Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

Just Mercy

By Bryan Stevenson
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Brooke G.
Feb 24, 2021

Just Mercy is a first-person account of Bryan Stevenson, a black lawyer, who helps prisoners that did not receive fair trials as part of a non-profit organization. Stevenson writes about various clients that he has worked for over the years and how the justice system has failed them.

Teen Review
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes

Don Quixote

By Miguel de Cervantes
Star Rating
★★★

Rated by
Eric S.
Feb 23, 2021

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra is a comedy/tragedy following the adventures of Alonso Quixano, aka Don Quixote. Enchanted by the stories of medieval knights, Don decides, to go out, with his neighbor and squire, Sancho, into the world and imitate the stories of chivalry that he so adores.

Teen Review
The Bird and the Blade by Megan Bannen

The Bird and the Blade

By Megan Bannen
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Brooke G.
Feb 22, 2021

The Bird and The Blade is set in the ancient Mongolian empire. Jinghua, our protagonist, is a slave in the Khipkhak Khanate, that is, until the kingdom is taken over by enemy forces and the only people able to escape are the Khan (King), the prince, and Jinghua. Together they journey across the kingdom, fleeing pursuing forces. With no other options, Khalaf plans to marry Turandokht, the cunning and beautiful daughter of the Great Khan. Easier said than done.

Teen Review
Max Einstein The Genius Experiment by James Patterson

Max Einstein: The Genius Experiment

By James Patterson
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Sriha P.
Feb 20, 2021

Twelve-year-old orphan Max Einstein is a smart girl. She has a brain just as big and creative as the legend Einstein. She loves Einstein and has a passion for him. She is living above a horse’s stall, and learning at a college. One day she is taken to the CMI: Change Makers Institution, and is chosen to become a team leader to save the world. Max and her friends go to a place trying to solve the problems in cities around the world. But, the problem is that Dr. Zimm and his team, Corp, is trying to find Max Einstein, and take her away from the CMI.

Teen Review
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Great Gatsby

By F. Scott Fitzgerald
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Taylor E.
Feb 19, 2021

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s ​The Great Gatsby​ is a work of art. Set in the roaring 20s in New York, the novel follows Nick Carraway as he unravels the truth about his neighbor, Jay Gatsby, his cousin  Daisy, and everyone else surrounding his new apartment in West Egg. For the first six chapters of this novel, I didn’t understand the hype, but I was sold by the end.

Teen Review
Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Insurgent

By Veronica Roth
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Taylor E.
Feb 18, 2021

The second book in Veronica Roth's ​Divergent​ series, ​Insurgent​, is good, but it's underwhelming compared to its predecessor. As a war between the factions surges, Tris must make harsh decisions to save the people around her. This book was a rollercoaster, and while it wasn't boring by any means, it didn't quite capture my attention as ​Divergent ​did.

Teen Review
Happily Ever After by Kiera Cass

Happily Ever After

By Kiera Cass
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Taylor E.
Feb 17, 2021

Happily Ever After​ is a companion novel to ​The Selection​ series by Kiera Cass. The first story, “The Queen​,” tells how King Clarkson and Queen Amberly fell in love. Their relationship is very toxic; his tests were controlling and not justifiable because he didn't want to marry someone vain. The second story included, ​“The Prince.”​ retells the beginning of the Selection from Maxon's perspective.

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