Crooked Kingdom, by Leigh Bardugo

 Kaz works a plan to get revenge on Van Eck, and destroy his reputation. They have barely survived a deadly heist, and now they must work to free Inej. When an unexpected race of Shu attack, no Grisha is safe. The crew works to end Van Eck, but also plan to send the Grisha to Ravka, where they will be safe. But they all know that once their work is done, they will split up, and possibly never see each other again.

I loved this book, butat the same time I was sad that the series is over. I'm glad the cliffhanger from the first book was solved. The only thing I did not like was one event that happened at the end. I have to say that whoever read the first book, I highly encourage you to read this one. This book met all my expectations, and I am in love with it. I was terribly sad when I finished it. Definitely recommed readers to read this series, starting from Six of Crows, along with the Grisha trilogy if you're interested.

Reviewed by Anisa, Grade 8
Casa Verdugo Library

The Assassin's Curse, by Kevin Sands

 

In 17th century London, apothecaries apprentice Christopher Rowe gets invited to the King of England's party when an assassin puts poison in drinks and makes an assassin anion attempt on the King and multiple other nobles. Now Christopher, and his loyal friends Tom and Sally venture to France to get to the bottom of this mystery. While there they discover new friends and enemies and also find a path of clues that leads them to one of the most valuable treasures found yet.

The Assassin's Curse, by Kevin Sands, is an exciting mystery novel and the third in Christopher Rowe's adventures. I would recommend this book to anybody who loves mysteries and action books. Also anybody who has read the other books in the series should definitely read this one. What I liked about this book is that it combines real history with fiction and makes it seem like a true story at the same time. It also has many unexpected twists and turns and dead ends. But the clues mean that you can guess along and figure out the clues too.

Reviewed by TJ, Grade 8
Montrose

Defy, by Sarah B Larson

 Alexa and her twin Marcel are forced to make a descion once their parents die. Alexa must disguise as a boy, or face the fate of the breeding house. Marcel and Alexa are taken be the Antonia's army, and must serve in the royal guard. Alexa becomes Alex, and Marcel helps keep her secret. After Marcel is killed, Alex needs to keep her secret on her home. Things become awry when she is assigned to guard Prince Damien. Can Alexa keep her secret, and also fall for the Prince at the same time?

This book has become my new must read series. I have been looking for a book to read after the Court of Thornes and Roses series, and this book showed up on my recommendations list on Goodreads. This genre is the kind I love to read, fictional adventure with a bit of romance. I recommend Defy, by Sarah B Larson for anyone who has read/loved the Throne of Glass, Court of Thornes, and Red Queen series. It has the same feel as the other series I have mentioned. The book should definitely be checked out, and I personally really enjoyed it.

Reviewed by Anisa, Grade 8

Casa Verdugo Library

An Enchantment of Ravens, by Margaret Rogerson

Isobel is an artist who creates portraits for the fair folk. She receives her first royal costumer, the autumn prince Rook. When Isobel paints sorrow into Rook's eyes, he is furious.She is spirited away with Rook to stand trial.During their journey, they are attacked. They depend each other on survival, and in turn, fall in love.

This book is a standalone, so I was very sad to see that this book is short.  I would have liked it better if there was a bigger plot. I started getting bored near the end, but the beginning and middle were pretty good. In conclusion, I would recommend this book for those who like standalone, and who don't mind a shorter plot. But in my opinion, this book was not for me.

Reviewed by Anisa, Grade 8
Casa Verdugo Library

Court of Wings and Ruin, by Sarah J. Maas

Feyre returns to Velaris,delighted to be reunited with her friends. Lucien is with her, and tension rises with his mate, Elain. Nesta and Elain are now High Fae, and the changes are visible. Rhys and Feyre prepare for war against King Hybern, recruiting allies with the other High Lords. It is a hard task to convince all courts to join them, especially with the Spring and Autum court, who hate Rhysand.

I loved this sequel!  It is the perfect addition to the  Court of Wings and Ruin, by Sarah J. Maas series. What I love the most is that there is no cliffhanger! I am excited to see what the 4th book will bring. It's just so sad we have to wait until May, 2018! This book is teen/young adult fiction.

Reviewed by Anisa, Grade 8

Casa Verdugo Library

Prospero's Children, by Jan Siegel

Prospero's Children, by Jan Siegel, begins with a 16 year old girl and her family. They move to an old house that they have got it from a relative in England for summer vacation. The house itself, is pretty old and damaged so her father decides to sell the house and get a better place for summer. Her name is Fern and she has to live with her younger brother, Will, until her father comes back from New York. Meanwhile, her father's girlfriend takes the charge of selling the house. However, the house isn't just a regular one, it is full of mysteries. Fern and Will find out more about the house and its history. They start looking for a key to open the gate to the Atlantis, but they are not alone in this adventure. Their father's girlfriend also knows about the key and that is why she has been in charge of the house to find it and gain power. She is the only one who is stopping them from finding it, but she is not sure if the kids know anything about it. As the story goes on, Fern and Will find more and more clues to find the key and so does their father's girlfriend. Will they ever find the key? If they do, what would happen next? This book at first was pretty interesting. At the very beginning, the story was written so well and strongly. However, it wasn't like this when I continued reading it. For me, events happened so slowly and I almost got so bored and tired while reading it. The problem is, it takes a long time for an exciting scene to happen and surprise the reader. However, some may have other opinions and find this book interesting. Prosper's Children is suitable for teenagers and maybe young adults, but mostly for teenagers since the main characters are about 15 and 16 years old. At the beginning, it made me so excited and interested in what will happen at the end, but as I read more and more, I got really tired and bored and I even stopped reading the rest of it! However, this does not make this book to be a bad and boring one. Reviewed by Orkideh, Grade 12 Downtown Central Library

Incarceron, by Catherine Fisher

The book "Incarceron" by Catherine Fisher is about a boy named Finn who lives in a giant prison that has been sealed from the outside world for a long time. Finn forgot how he got into the prison but is sure he was not born there because of a strange mark on his wrist. Him and his friends end up doing their best to escape the prison. On their way to freedom they face challenges and eventually reach what they think is the exit.

 The characters were well presented and the story, well told. Although at the beginning the book may be confusing because of just how different the prison is from our world, by the end it all makes sense and I was left surprised by how simple but confusing it was. It is an interesting book I'd recommend to anyone who likes science fiction and/or good books.

Reviewed by Anton V., Grade 9
Montrose Library

The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson’s third adventure begins with the rescue of two mysterious half-bloods, Nico and Bianca. During the mission, however, they lose Annabeth, and Percy is determined to find her. Worse, with Chiron gone, the camp now has a new director-a man named Tantalus who cannot eat or drink. With monsters everywhere and a dangerous enemy on the rise, Percy and friends must join forces with the Hunters for a chance at victory.

Not only are the new characters wonderful, they prove to be very surprising. In the book Percy Jackson and the Titan’s Curse, by Rick Riordan, especially, we get some great character moments where we find out truly shocking facts about them-things that you only realize were obvious after they happen. I do wish Bianca and Zoe, along with the other hunters, got more character development. They definitely don’t get enough time for us to appreciate them; just long enough so you become emotionally attached. However, they’re still really amazing in the moments they do get, and I really recommend you read it.

Reviewed by Griselda E, Grade 9

Casa Verdugo Library