Book Review - Darius the Great Deserves Better

📖Recommend for Grades 9 and up📖

Darius the Great Deserves Better

by Adib Khorram

Darius Kellner from Darius is the Great Is Not Okay is back in Darius the Great Deserves Better. A lot has changed since returning from his trip to Iran, and it’s all looking good. But is it really? Darius soon finds that not everything is what he thought. His dad is traveling for work resulting in his grandmothers coming to stay. His relationship with Landon is getting complicated, and his friendship with Chip may have something to do with it.

Though a sequel, this book can also stand on its own if you’re not interested in its predecessor. The first title is more about Darius and his dealings with his mental health, cultural identity, and family relationships. While the second also deals with family relationships, it also focuses more on his sexual identity and romantic relationship. Oh, and both books have a heavy focus on his love of tea. Most of the characters from the first are back in the sequel and some great, and so no great additions. 

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E-books - Series Opener

• The Maze Runner by James Dashner

• Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

• The 100 by Kass Morgan

• Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

• Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Book Review - One of Us is Next

📖Recommend for Grades 9 and up📖

One of Us is Next

by Karen M. McManus

In the time, since Simon passed in One of Us, is Lying, a ton of copycat apps have popped up but fizzled up. Now, this latest copycat seems to be here to stay with their Truth or Dare game. Everyone is a player forced to take the Dare or have the mysterious creator share a Truth about them. Phoebe, as the first target, didn't know what to expect. Maeve, having learned from what happened to Bronwyn last year, knows she can't rely on the police to figure it outtakes matter into her own hands. Knox tries to help Maeve, but when he gets pulled into the game, things aren't so innocent.

McManus has crafted another page-turning mystery. Fans of the first book will not be disappointed in the sequel. Maeve, from the first book, along with two new characters, brings this story to life. However, the Bayview and other minor characters from the book's predecessors are throughout the story. Readers trying to figure out who is behind the game and why they created it, will be kept on your toes. When you think you have it figured out, think again.

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Book Theme Graphic - Series Openers

Book Theme Graphic - Read This Series - Chronicles of Nick

Book Review - The Queen of Nothing

📖Recommend for Grades 9 and up📖

The Queen of Nothing

by Holly Black

Jude Duarte, High Queen of Faerie, has been exiled by High King Carden to the mortal world until pardoned by the crown. When Jude’s twin sister Taryn shows up announcing her husband Locke is dead, she asks Jude to pretend to be her in the trail. Returning to Faerie is risky for Jude. If anybody discovers she isn’t Taryn, she could be killed for coming back before allowed. Jude, though, is eager to return, but her homecoming proves anything but simple.
Jude’s story that started in The Cruel Prince, and continued in The Wicked King does not disappoint in its ending. Characters that are loved and loved to be hated are back and true to form. There are many surprises throughout the book, including a few draw-dropping ones. A fantastical read that will have readers turning the pages to find out how it all ends.

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Book Review - The Poppy War

📖Recommend for Grades 8 and up📖

Book Review from the Bookster

Title: The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang & Narrated by Emily Woo Zeller

Book Edition: Audiobook (Physical Copy Available)

Genres: Fantasy, Adventure, & War. (Magic Realism)

Warnings: Violence, drugs, and child soldiers.

Series: Yes. Book 1 of 2 of the Poppy War.

The Poppy War is a dark read with a focus on religion, social class, and politics. The book reads like a pseudo history book based in Asia and when ruling families still controlled the empire. When the religion was polytheistic and changed regionally so that these gods were brought to life by what the region focused on the most (a fishing region has a god specific in help of fishing that they prayed and gave tribute too). The origin stories of the gods and heroes are a major part of the world and where the possible magic realism comes in. As the main character discovers through meditation and spiritual awakening the world of the gods. Although, her actions do have real world effect it’s not the majority belief that magic or the god’s ability are real. (Similar to the Boxer rebellion were they trained themselves spirtualy to be able to fight against those that where conquering their land. Read-Alike: Boxer by Gene Luen Yang.)

The main character Rin lived in the country side as a war orphan putting her in the lowest of the social scale in a society where upward progression is pretty much a fantasy that the nobles use to keep the lower class from rebelling. By scoring high on the Keju she becomes an enemy to the social order and is dragged in to politics of the land.      

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*Please note UPL does not currently own this title but those interested are encouraged to ask about inter-loaning it from another library. Also, Bookster listened to this on a different platform and it is not currently available through Nassau Digital Library.

Book Review - Truly Devious

📖Recommend for Grades 8 and up📖

Truly Devious

by Maureen Johnson

Aspiring detective and true-crime enthusiast Stevie Bell is thrilled to be attending Ellingham Academy in Vermont. The school was founded in the early 20^th century by Albert Ellingham and was closed temporarily when his wife Iris and daughter Alice went missing - the only clue a riddled letter signed Truly Devious. The case has remained unsolved and Stevie is determined to solve it. As Stevie tries to work the case, new mysteries seem to unfold.

If you are looking for a great mystery read, look no further. This page-turner will have readers wondering what happened to Iris and Alice. Stevie’s story in the present time alternates with a storyline at the time of the disappearance. The first in a planned series (The Vanishing Stair is out now) means not everything, if anything at all, is concluded in this book. There is still though, many twists and turns to keep readers occupied.

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Book Review - Summoner: The Novice

📖Recommend for Grades 6 and up📖

Book Review from the Bookster

Title: Summoner: The Novice by Taran Matharu & Narrated by Ralph Lister

Book Edition: Audiobook* (Physical Copy Available)

Genres: Fantasy, Adventure, & supernatural

Warnings: Demons.

Series: Yes. Book 1 of 2 of the Summoner.

The Novice is a nice easy read for those who want a younger version of John Flanagan’s Ranger’s Apprentice series. Based in the middle ages, orphan Fletcher goes on a journey of magic and discovery when he is given a book to summon demons. The ability to summon demons has its on math behind it and those the highest numbers are the best summoners. Fletcher is outcast in the town that he is raised in and outcast in summoning school he is brought to. As summoners are never found in the region he came from and if anyone found out about his criminal record he would everything.  

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*Please note the Bookster listened to this in audio not via Nassau Digital Doorway. The library does not currently own this title in audio form.

Book Review - The Wicked King

📖Recommend for Grades 9 and up📖

The Wicked King

by Holly Black

            It’s been five months since the events that took place at the end of The Cruel Prince where Jude learned that Oak is an heir of faery and has placed Carden on the throne till Oak is older. Jude may have Carden’s allegiance for seven more months but that doesn’t mean things will go smoothly in the land of faery. The Queen of the Undersea has her own plans and Jude is finding herself betrayed by those she thought she could trust.

            While some series and trilogies fall flat with their second book, this one does not. The Wicked King is as wonderful and entertaining as The Cruel Prince. Readers will enjoy Jude and Carden’s humorous interactions. This book has a few twists and turns that will keep you wondering what happens next. The ending will have readers anxiously awaiting the third book due out in 2020.

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Book Review - Three Dark Crowns

📖Recommend for Grades 9 and up📖

Three Dark Crowns

by Kendra Blake

On the island of Fennbirn, a set of triplets is born in every generation; three queens, each one possessing her own magic. However, becoming the Queen Crowned comes at a price. Each sister must fight until only one remains.

A wonderfully crafted fantasy world is the setting of this captivating novel with some twists and turns. Each of the sister’s get a chance to share their story and readers will get insight into what their lives were like growing up and what it is today.

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Book Review - Children of Blood and Bone

📖Recommend for Grades 9 and up📖

Children of Blood and Bone

by Tomi Adeyemi

Believing that magic was evil the King of Orisha thought he destroyed it. When a magical relic resurfaces his daughter, Princess Amari, steals it. Zélie has the ability to use magic if it were to return so she, along with her brother and the princess, set out on a quest to restore magic to the land.

Get swept away in the intriguing world that Tomi Adeyemi creates. The story alternates between the perspectives of Amari, Zélie, and Inan (the Prince). Certain elements of the stories may cause frustration but they will not take away from a wonderful story. Readers will also discover textures of West Africa infused into the story.
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Book Review - Making Friends

📖Recommend for Grades 6 and up📖

Making Friends

by Kristen Gudsnuk

For Danielle being in sixth grade was easy. She had her friends in her class and knew what to expect. But that was last year. This is seventh grade and her friends are in a whole other group of classes than her, and she isn’t having an easy time making new friends in her school block. Then one day Danielle draws the head of one of her favorite comic book characters in her late Great Aunt’s sketchbook, and the head comes to life out of the book. She decides to use this to her advantage and draws herself a new best friend named Madison. At first, everything is great but then Madison discovers she is only a drawing and a rift occurs between them. It doesn’t help that the prince she originally drew turns out to be evil and really wants to keep Danielle and Madison apart. 

Making friends can be hard and keeping them isn’t always easy either. By reading this book, readers will enjoy a great story and learn about the evolution of friendship. Some readers may find themselves relating to Danielle because not having a friend in your class can feel like the end of the world.  

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Book Review - Everless

📖Recommended for Grades 7 and up📖

Everless

by Sara Holland
In the land of Sempera time is currency. Hours, days, and even years are extracted from one’s blood as giving payment and turned into coins for those receiving payment to ingest. Desperate to earn more time, Jules Ember returns to the Everless where she and her father were once servants, in order to help prepare for the royal wedding. Jules’ father isn’t happy about her plan to return to their former home, having taken a risk in leaving to begin with. The more time she spends in Everless, the more danger Jules discovers exists there; danger she has found herself a part of.
Fantasy fans should not miss this first book in a planned series. The story may feel like a slow start but picks up soon after Jules arrives in Everless. Readers will enjoy the world Sara Holland has created and all the twists and turns.

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Book Review - The Eye of Minds

📖Recommended for Grades 7 and up📖

Book Review from the Bookster

Title: The Eye of Minds by James Dashner & Narrated by Erik Davies

Book Edition: Audiobook (Available on OverDrive)

Genres: LitRPG*

Warnings: Virtual terrorism, suicide, and suicidal thoughts are mentioned in the book.

Series: Yes. Book 1 of 3 of the Mortality Doctrine.

The Eye of Minds is an interesting mix of Sci-Fi gaming adventure where the characters are desperately searching for what is the Mortality Doctrine. They hope to stop a terrorist plot from further killing other users of the VR gaming system that is slowly becoming a death trap. The game’s technology and coding is more of a focus rather than world building or game statistics found in other LitRpg. The book itself is written as nice easy read for those who are not really interested in books yet but with a little more sophistication to the writing style compared to his other series, the Maze Runner Trilogy. The narrator has a clear voice and easily voices each character with defined voices, a good quality audibook that won’t have you repeating sections over and over to understand. This is a good book for reluctant readers and those who love video games or Sci-Fi.  

*The genre LitRPG is the combination of literature and Role Playing Games; books that would be listed under this genre focus on either a science fiction themed gamed or fantasy themed world. All LitRPG focus a lot on world building and tend to have game references such as the stats of their game characters and their accessories. A lot of the newer storylines use VR, Virtual Reality gaming system to make it seem more immersive for both the characters and the readers into the world of the game.   

Book Review - The Cruel Prince

📖Recommended for Grades 9 and up📖

The Cruel Prince

by Holly Black

Seventeen year old Jude is a mortal living among the fey (faeries and other creatures), having been raised by the one who killed her parents a decade ago. She is desperate to fit in and wants nothing more than to be a knight. Many obstacles stand in her way such as her “father” not allowing her and Prince Carden who is cruel towards Jude and her twin sister. When treachery occurs in the High Court of Faery, Jude somehow finds herself in the middle of it all.

Just when readers will think they have it all figured out, something will change. The characters who fill this story are all intriguing in their own ways, some of which you will love, some hate and some love to hate. You’ll be itching for the sequel before you even finish the first. A captivating story set in wonderful world of fantasy.

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