Review: Summer of '69

Summer of '69 by Todd Strasser
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lucas’ plans for the summer are simple: hang out with friends, smoke some weed and take some pills along the way. His plans go off track when he finds out that he did not get into college. He is now at risk of being drafted and sent to the Vietnam Conflict. Also, his girlfriend is spending time in Canada and his friend Tinsley wants to practice her free love by temping Lucas to cheat on Robin. If his life wasn’t crazy enough it looks like his parents might be getting a divorce and his friend in Vietnam is in constant danger. What will Lucas do to avoid ‘Nam? What else will life throw at him?

The Summer of ’69 is a coming of age story inspired by the author’s own time in this iconic era. The drugs are abundant and the choices are less than noble, but the story will be appealing to readers of all ages. Since this is the 50th anniversary of Woodstock, some young readers may see articles and shows that talk about the events, yet this story will help them understand what was going through many young people’s minds in the months and weeks leading up to the festival. Strasser has based his characters and events on his own life and stories he heard from friends and this makes this book just a little bit more appealing.


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Review: The Honey Bus: A Memoir of Loss, Courage and a Girl Saved by Bees

The Honey Bus: A Memoir of Loss, Courage and a Girl Saved by Bees by Meredith May
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Meredith knew her parents fought a lot, but her world was turned upside down when her mother left her father and moved them to live with her grandparents in California. Her mother could not cope with the ending of her marriage and isolated herself from everyone. Meredith tried to just stay out of everyone’s way until her grandfather invited her to help with his beekeeping. She now had a way to escape her hectic reality and learn life lessons from these small creatures along the way.

The Honey Bus is a poignant memoir that reads like a novel. This book takes readers through the early years of a confused child and gives them a chance to watch her grow into a strong young lady. The memoir parts are great, but so are the lessons about bees and beekeeping. I recommend The Honey Bus to those who enjoyed The Glass Castle and The Secret Lives of Bees. It is a wonderful story about making a home where love is and the truths that can be learned about the life of bees.


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Review: Sky Without Stars

Sky Without Stars by Jessica Brody
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It has been 500 years since Laterre was colonized and it is time for a revolution. It turns out that the planet wasn’t as perfect as excepted and the wealthy are living the extravagant life while the lower classes barely stay alive. It doesn’t help that the world is twenty-five years into an eclipse that has them in perpetual night. Chatine would do anything to leave her situation, including spying on a boy who has only shown her kindness. Marcellus is the grandson of the general and also the son a very famous traitor. Alouette fled underground with her father many years ago and has been trained to protect the secret library. These three young people have an unexpected role to play in this upcoming revolution. Will they have what it takes to stand their ground? What will they learn about themselves along the way?

Sky Without Stars is the first book in the System Divine series. This science fiction novel takes place on a distant planet in a distant future, yet the issues that are expressed are mirrored in society today. Brody has taken a timeless storyline and brought it to an audience that will enjoy this new spin. The story is told in the alternating voices of the three protagonists and readers will be blessed with the additional insight into the narrative. I recommend Sky Without Stars for all young adult science fiction fans and maybe even those who aren’t usually into young adult fiction. It is a real page-turner.


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Review: Veins of Gold

Veins of Gold by Charlie N. Holmberg
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Gentry and her siblings are working hard to keep the farm running and food on the table. They never expected to do it on their own in the rugged west, yet when their father leaves them in search of gold, that is where they find themselves. After a series of natural disasters put added strain on this young family, Gentry learns that the magic of the world is out of whack because of what the humans have been doing … specifically, removing gold from the ground. The earth’s reactions are slowly getting worse and Gentry must make a very grown-up choice to help her family. Will she marry a wealthy man that can protect her family or will she put her trust in Winn and his power over gold?

Veins of Gold is a stand-alone novel that takes place during the gold rush of the 1800s and is easy to relate to and fun to read. Holmberg has outdone herself with creating a cast of characters that has at least one person the reader can relate to. This is a very clean young adult novel and would be appropriate for even the youngest teen. The history is not overpowering and the hardships seem authentic. I recommend Veins of Gold to my readers, even if you don’t normally enjoy historical fiction stories.


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Review: The Iliad

The Iliad by Gareth Hinds
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Iliad is an epic story telling about the heroic battle between two ancient people. Although these armies fought each other over three thousand years ago, readers are still turning pages and authors are still writing their own version. Hinds has created a new graphic novel interpretation of these events to help readers with many visual ques. This is a book about an extensive battle that transpired with close contact fighting. With that being said, the art work shows these graphic scenes, yet they aren’t distasteful in the least. This is a companion graphic novel to Hinds’s version of The Odyssey and readers who enjoyed that adventure should be pleased with this one. This is the story of The Iliad and not the story of the Trojan horse, just in case that is what readers are thinking.



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Review: The Fever King

The Fever King by Victoria Lee
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Noam Alvaro has survived a viral magic attack and is now a technopath. He can control technology with his mind and the minister of defense would like to use this skill for his own gains. Noam knows what it is like to have no rights, especially since he is the son of undocumented immigrants, and he decides to accept the minister’s offer. He needs to learn about science to control his magic, but he doesn’t want to help the government … he wants to use it against the government. He can’t think of a way for his plan to go wrong until he falls for the minister’s son and he must decide between his ideals and his heart.

The Fever King is the first book in the Feverwake series. I really wanted to enjoy this new author with an interesting story premise, but the characters never really grabbed my attention. Lee did a wonderful job with world building, but she should have spent a little more time making a cohesive storyline. I will read the next book when it is released and I hope that it will show the promise that this book lacked.


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Review: The Dysasters

The Dysasters by P.C. Cast
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Foster Stewart is told she must attend a football game in the middle of nowhere and ends up meeting Tate Taylor, the star quarterback. She brushes off the encounter until some weird weather brings them back together and activates some special abilities. They quickly discover that they are the first set of teens to have their powers awakened. If that wasn’t crazy enough, it turns out that Foster’s father is the scientist that devised this crazy scheme. Will Foster and Tate be able to locate the other teens and stop this disastrous plan?

The Dysasters is the first book in a new series by P.C. and Kristin Cast. These characters don’t have much time to rest and recoup as they travel around trying to stop these evil scientists and readers will feel the rush of adventure as they turn the pages. Goodreads doesn’t have this book listed as a series (I was hoping for a stand-alone), but the ending definitely leaves readers to believe there will be more books. The Dysasters was a fun read but isn’t a drop everything to finish novel.


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