Review: Wilder Girls

Wilder Girls by Rory Power
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Hetty has not left the Raxter School for Girls in over eighteen months. They have been under a quarantine that started with the teachers dying first. When the students became infected, it didn’t seem to kill them, but turn them. These girls have been cut off from all communications with the outside world and they can’t even go outside of the fence because the Tox has infected the local wildlife. Hetty was a rule follower until Byatt went missing. Now she is questioning everything about the quarantine, including what lies on the other side of the fence. What will Hetty learn about this mysterious disease?

Wilder Girls is a stand-alone science fiction story that was a fun escape read with just a little bit of science fiction thrown in. Even if readers are not very familiar with quarantines and diseases, most will be able to enjoy the bigger story that is included here. Power has created a few different characters for readers to explore and overall the ending was satisfactory. With that being said, it was not a drop everything and finish the book experience. I’m glad I read it and recommend others who like this type of book to add it to their TBR list.


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Review: Heartwood Box

Heartwood Box by Ann Aguirre
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Araceli’s parents have decided that she needs to spend her senior year with her great-aunt Ottilie in a small New York town. They thought it would be a safe and quiet place for her to get ready for college, but they didn’t know that people have been going missing for over twenty years and there are mysterious lights in the woods that Araceli is explicitly told to NOT follow. After Araceli begins receiving letters from a GI during the First World War, she wonders whether it is all one big prank or is there really a mystery that needs to be solved.

Heartwood Box is a stand-alone science fiction mystery where the characters are easy to relate to and the story was very easy to fall in to. Aguirre has taken many mysterious storylines and has blended them into a superb novel. When I wasn’t reading the book, I was thinking about the events and what might happen next. I also really liked that it was not part of a series and I was able to unravel all the mysteries in a short amount of time. I recommend Heartwood Box to all fans of mysteries, even if you don’t normally like science fiction.


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Review: Teen Titans: Raven

Teen Titans: Raven by Kami Garcia
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After Raven and her foster mom are in a tragic auto accident, Raven loses both the only mother she has ever known and her memories. She moves to New Orleans with her foster mother’s sister in order to finish her senior year of high school. Raven quickly remembers anything related to school knowledge, but can’t remember the personal things. When she starts hearing weird things and some other unexplained issues arise, Raven begins to wonder if it is actually a good thing that she doesn’t remember her past. What secrets is Raven’s subconscious trying to protect her from?

Teen Titans: Raven is the first graphic novel in the Teen Titans series. Those readers who are looking for the group will need to hold off for another book because this volume is all about Raven. It really doesn’t matter if readers are knowledgeable about any other stories that include Raven because this book is intended to give a starting point for this character. Unfortunately, if you are a really big fan you might find flaws, but as a reader who just enjoys good stories, this book fits the bill. I will be looking for future stories about the other Teen Titans and hopefully Raven herself.


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Review: Before the Broken Star

Before the Broken Star by Emily R. King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Everley is a survivor. She was the only one in her family to make it out of a massacre and she stays alive because she has a clockwork heart. Everley believes she knows who was behind her family’s deaths, but she quickly learns that not everything is as it seems. Now she is sentenced to 7 years on a penal colony and is expected to marry and help build a new world. She knows she must keep her clockwork heart hidden, but with love in the mix, that may not be as easy as she wishes.

Before the Broken Star is the first book in The Evermore Chronicles. This story begins like most steampunk novels and quickly morphs into a totally different adventure. It is hard to classify it into one genre, but readers of steampunk, adventure and fantasy will all enjoy these pages. King has created a storyline that made me want to return to the book often so that I could finish it quickly. The second book is scheduled to be released in August and I will be willingly waiting for the opportunity to continue this adventure.


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Review: Contagion

Contagion by Teri Terry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Shay saw a young girl on the side of the road the day before going on a vacation. Months later she discovers that this girl, Callie, went missing that morning. She calls the number on the flyer and reaches the brother, Kai. They meet to talk about what Shay saw, but quickly find themselves in the middle of an epidemic that is causing quarantines across the country. Will Kai and Shay discover the truth about Callie’s disappearance? What is behind this contagion that is sweeping across the land?

Contagion is the first book in the Dark Matter series. At the beginning of the book I was having trouble getting into the story because the reader knows some of the things that have happened to Callie, but as the story progresses and the protagonists begin to unravel the truth, I quickly discovered that having that additional information gave me a better understanding of the larger picture. This novel is full of adventure, mystery and a little bit about diseases and outbreaks. Terry has taken a very real possibility and has crafted a story that many readers will easily devour. This book was great and I look forward to the second book in a few months.


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Review: The Evil Queen

The Evil Queen by Gena Showalter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Everly has been living a normal teenage life when she begins to communicate with mirrors. She doesn’t know if what she sees is real or not, but some of the images shake her to her core. She soon finds out the truth … she is from another realm and destined to become the Evil Queen. Or is she destined to be Snow White? No one seems to have the final answer, but Everly is determined to find out. She travels to Enchantia to confront the prophecy head on, even if it means she must push through her internal battle between good and evil.

The Evil Queen is the first book in The Forest of Good and Evil series. Showalter has taken many beloved fairy tales and has included some modern day twists. Since most readers are already familiar with fairy tales in general, it appears that Showalter decided to spend only a minimal amount of time on world building. That is great for us because there is more story for us to enjoy. I am a huge fan of fairy tale re-tellings and this one was a fun example. I recommend this book and look forward to the next volume in the future.


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Review: Soul of the Sword

Soul of the Sword by Julie Kagawa
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Kitsune is still on her quest to take a piece of an ancient scroll to the Steel Feather temple to stop the summoning of the great Kami Dragon. If she fails in her quest, the Harbinger of Change will grant a wish to the bearer of the scroll. Unfortunately, Hakaimono has escaped the sword Kamigoroshi and taken possession of Kage. Hakaimono is working with the Master of Demons to try and break the curse to completely set him free. He wants to take over the land and plunge it into darkness, but he can’t complete this goal without the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers. Will Kitsune be able to free Kage from Hakaimono’s possession? What difficult choices will she need to make along the way?

Soul of the Sword is the second book in the Shadow of the Fox series. In a world full of magic and adventure, readers will easily recall the basics of the first book in order to become fully invested in this second installment. Kagawa has taken the world building that has already been completed and woven deeper characters and more diverse plot twists. Although this book has a satisfactory ending, it is not a duology and readers will be anticipating the next book when it is released.


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