Book Reviews

Hooked To Books Scholarship 2019: The Finalists and Their Life-Changing Book Essays

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Hooked To Books is pleased to invite you to read the five most inspirational essays in our 2019 Scholarship Program, among more than 300 submissions this year. The essays, excellent in writing styles and rich in content, show us not only the power of books, but also the power of the readers. Read and see how books change lives – the readers’, and many others’.

Best self-help books in 2019

24 Best Self-Help Books to Read in 2020

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Whether you’re looking for something to help you engage with your spirituality, increase your confidence or motivate yourself to start a new business, we’ve dug through piles of resources to find the best self-help books to read in 2019 and beyond.

Looking for the best book reviews on the internet?

Whether you are looking to laugh, cry, or dive into fantasy to escape the real world, we welcome you to our book reviews category.  They say never to judge a book by its cover… and we agree.

Below you’ll find book stories, young adult, new adult, and other widely assorted genre books. Some of our reviews and personal stories help with depression, crisis moments like midlife, and more.  We’ve literally compiled hundreds of book reviews for you to peruse. 

Think of Our Book Reviews As First Dates. 

We all know that nothing replaces reading an entire book (especially in one sitting, over a slow, breezy weekend…)

Think of our book reviews as first dates.  They are deeper relationships than the ones we share with strangers from a distance, but they don’t require intense commitment.

We hope you enjoy.  Please, be our guest.

book review winter is coming song of ice and fire -ice

Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin

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What makes this saga one of the best fantasy book series of this age?
“Winter is coming.” These ominous words are spoken throughout the book series, A Song of Ice and Fire by George Martin. Referred to by Time Magazine as the “American Tolkien,” Martin has created what can be described as one of the best fantasy book series of this day and age. All books have been nominated for Hugo, Locus, Nebula, and World Fantasy awards. Martin’s saga tells the story of multiple characters in fictional lands (The Telegraph 2011).

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

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Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz’s crew is the only thing standing between the world and destruction―if they don’t kill each other first.

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

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The story of fighting for your dreams, even as the odds are stacked against you, and especially for young black people, freedom of speech isn’t always free.

The Cruel Prince By Holly Black

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Different from the fairies we’ve always known since we’re little. The Cruel Prince shows an exciting story of a witty mortal’s way to survive in Faerie.

3 Jungian Psychology Books for Navigating Midlife Crisis

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The crisis of midlife is a summons. This appointment beckons us into a more substantial and more meaningful life. At midlife, life’s unanswerable questions grip and fascinate the soul into a potential awakening, not to answers, but an enriched life — a more conscious way of being.

Anna and the French Kiss - Book Review

Book Review: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

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Anna and the French Kiss is a phenomenal debut YA novel from Stephanie Perkins. It walks the line between hilarious and emotive, hysterical and hard hitting. If you’re looking for a story that grabs at your heart and holds it with incredible characters, a beautiful setting and many a near miss, you’ll find a home in this story. After many a Tumblr recommendation of this novel, I picked it up in Waterstones and set myself down to read.

If I was Your Girl - Book Review

Book Review: If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo

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This is one of those books that is very hard to forget. While I had some issues with this book, and at times found it a little predictable, it doesn’t much matter. This is one of those books that matters because of what it talks about: in particular the issues presented to teen trans girls in a world that isn’t ready for them.

Airwoman - Book Review

Book Tour: Airwoman – Excerpt and Giveaway

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Airwoman is a high-flying YA fantasy novel set in a stunning new Dragonverse. If you like fascinating worlds, memorable characters, and a dash of romance, then you’ll love Zara Quentin’s action-packed adventure.

Book Review – Daughter 4254 by Leigh Statham – Guest Post & Giveaway

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Daughter4254 used to think life in a community where art, music and names are outlawed would suffocate her creative spirit. Now that she’s rotting in a prison cell, she’s not sure her dying mother made the right choice when she entrusted her with the secrets of rebellion. Prison has given her plenty of time to relive every mistake and lose all hope.

The Dragon Orb

Blog Tour: The Dragon Orb by Mike Shelton

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The Dragon Orb is full of magic and adventure, and a way for younger readers to get a peek into the world of politics. The book is a strange combination of a Dungeons and Dragons adventure with Game of Thrones, but with kids as the movers and shakers of the story.

A door to nowhere - Book Review

Book Review: A Door to Nowhere by @madelinestanford

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Having read Like Hell by Madeline Stanford some time ago, I was expecting this story to be good, and it didn’t disappoint. The story is centred around Aurora, whose Grandmother predicts the dates on which the pair of them will die. When her Grandmother’s prediction for her death date comes true, Rory starts a countdown to her own death and starts trying to live life to the full.

Dream Me by Kathryn Berla

Dream Me by Kathryn Berla – Interview & Giveaway!

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Zat is a dreamer from the distant future—a time when humans no longer dream and Earth is a desolate wasteland. He dreams of the beautiful Earth of the past, and a fiery-haired beauty named Babe. Against the wisdom of his peers, Zat decides to risk everything to travel back in time and live in Babe’s dreams…

Blade and Soul

Blade and Soul – Excerpt & Giveaway

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After the death of its duchess, Safrana is in turmoil. Two equally powerful families vie for power, quickly turning the beautiful citadels of Safrana into a hellish warscape. While, on the outside, there is a desperate search for the one true heir to the throne. The one man who could stop an encroaching civil war and force the citadels into peace.

The History Of Hilary Hambrushina

How I Used Crowdfunding to Get My Book Published

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Hilary has one goal for her first year in junior high: to become popular. But her plans are turned upside down when her best friend leaves for the summer and a quirky girl named Kallie moves in next door. Kallie paints constellations on her ceiling, sleeps in a hammock, and enacts fantastical plays in front of cute boys on the beach.

Book Review: The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson

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I’ve had this book for a while, and I put of reading it for some time. Mostly because I’ve become very wary about books focused on being transgender. Not because the stories are bad, or unimportant. Mostly because they tend to be very similar. It’s only been two weeks since I read Meredith Russo’s debut, If I Was Your Girl, and so I was worried the story lines would be too similar. However, this book gave me a very pleasant and refreshing surprise.

Plains of Sand and Steel

Plains of Sand and Steel – Review & Giveaway

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Plains of Sand and Steel tells the story a young woman who rises up to take charge of the empire after the sudden death of her royal husband. It features her courageous attempts to conceal a secret and protect her people from the invaders. The novel is war, revenge, friendship, betrayal, and love beautifully entangled in an fantasy setting.

Book Review: Leslie’s Study of Femininity by @justlyd

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No one can resist a woman that can kick ass, and Leslie in Lydia Carr’s story is one of those ladies. She may not be a soldier, or a warrior, but she’s a woman that is unafraid to say what she thinks, and I’m totally in love with her. That’s why I’ve read this story no less than three times.

Book Review: Vanilla by @leigh_

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Everyone loves a good seaside romance, and Vanilla is among one of the best. Meet Flo – forced to go and live in sleepy Walden-on-Sea with her Gran when her sister, Nora, gets a flat with her boyfriend. After her parents died in a car accident, Gran and Nora are all the family she has left.

Book Review: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

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I could write a fanfiction about Fangirl. I love it that much. As a writer of fanfiction, a lover of books and a massive nerd, it’s very difficult not to.

Cath is a shy girl moving to college on her own. Separated from her twin, Wren, for the first time, she finds comfort in the only other constant in her life – writing.

Walled City - Book Review

Book Review: The Walled City by Ryan Graudin

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While on first glance The Walled City appears to be a dystopian fiction, the book is actually based on a very real place: The Kowloon walled city in Hong Kong was once home to a Chinese military base. There was no architectural plan, which led to makeshift buildings being thrown up without a proper plan. The result was a haven of drug lords, poverty and a home for black markets and brothels.

The Walled City is based entirely on this premise.

Book Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

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This will forever be one of my favourite young adult books. Not just because I love the plot and the characters, but also because the book has a point. So many novels now serve just to entertain, but the Hunger Games was made to open eyes, and that’s what I admire most.

Book Review: The Archived by Victoria Schwab

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Schwab’s world building in The Archived is top notch. There is so much put into the different aspects of the Archive and the world surrounding it – the Narrows, the Outers, the Librarians, the Keepers, the Crew, the keys. And so many rules that go along with each aspect.

Book Review with Giveaway: Pushing the Limits

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The story follows both Echo and Noah’s points of view. It’s interesting the way she accomplishes this. She alternates the narrator by chapters. So one chapter you are in Echo’s head and the next is Noah’s. This could have been distracting if not written well but I feel like it enhanced the story!

Book Review: Howl’s Moving Castle

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In which a witch bewitched the hatter’s daughter – and then some….Sophie lived in the town of Market Chipping, which was in Ingary, a land in which anything could happen, and often did – especially when the Witch of the Waste got her dander up.

Book Review: Ready Player One By Ernest Cline

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The story takes place in the future where virtual reality is more like reality as most people spend their time in the virtual world of OASIS. Initially I was intrigued as it reminded me of the Bruce Willis movie Surrogates which I enjoyed, but this book was even better

Book Review: The Raft by S. A. Bodeen

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I can’t really say much more about The Raft. I didn’t form a connection with the characters and I just felt like I knew how it was going to end before it got there. There were times that I was freakin’ out with Robie – especially with the sharks and being in the water.

Book Review: The Fairytale Keeper: Avenging the Queen

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Fairytales have started to become super popular lately in everything from movies, to TV (I’m an avid Once Upon a Time viewer), to, obviously, books. When we first were asked to review this particular book, I was excited for a new take on Snow White, but really didn’t know what to expect.

Book Review: DJ Rising by Love Maia

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I feel that’s something to be aware of when reading the book, but I’d say it’s what makes Marley seem like such an amazing character in the way he deals with life that I appreciate the honesty of the writing

Book Review: Insurgent (Divergent #2) by Veronica Roth

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The story picks up with Tris, Four and some of the others are on their way to Amity to take refuge from the Erudite and the Dauntless (Tris and Four’s faction that were used by the Erudite to wage a war on the Abnegation, Tris’ old faction, the one her mother and father were still a part of).

Book Review: A Temptation of Angels by Michelle Zink

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I almost never tell anyone to not read a book, and A TEMPTATION OF ANGELS will be no different. Just like with the Prophecy of the Sisters series, some people absolutely loved it. I did not. So if this book sounds appealing to you, give it a shot.

Book Review of Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy by Ally Carter

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I was super stoked to see if the second book of the Gallagher Girls Series would live up to the hype built in first book and I was not disappointed in the least! I loved the integration of the boys school into the world of Gallagher Academy and the girls’ daily lives.

Book Review: The Other Life by Susanne Winnacker

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The Other Life is a fast, entertaining read. I liked the direction that Winnacker went with the Weepers and think the world that she created would be very interesting if I knew more details. I’m a details person, y’all. I love them – so I need that in my books, especially my dystopian books.

ARC review: Bitterblue (Graceling Realm #3) by Kristen Cashore

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There was just so much meat to this book. Not just the story itself, but you can easily see how much thought and planning went into it. An entire language was created in order to show how crazy King Leck really was. Cashore’s writing was fantastic, and even after such a long break in between books, I had no problem diving right in and getting lost in the story.

Book Review: Pack of Lies (Red Ridge Pack #1)

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Pack of Lies was an interesting, entertaining read that was absolutely perfect for me after finishing a super emotional book. I was a little surprised to see that it contained 62 chapters, but I read through it in two days, which would have really been a ‘one sit read’ if I’d started earlier the first day.

RC review + giveaway: The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden #1)

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I absolutely LOVE the world Julia Kagawa created in Immortal Rules. We’ve all gotten a bit exhausted over the whole vampire scene, and it was actually very interesting to find out that Julie had vowed to never write vampire books. I am SO GLAD she decided to forgo that thought and give me (yes, ME!) this book.

Review: The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman

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This book will leaving you guessing to the end about who to trust. Just when you think you know she’ll turn the tables again. It wasn’t until I was about 75% of the way into the book that I was like, “Oh, yeah, I know.” And I did. But even then there were still surprises.

Review: The Rivals (The Mockingbirds #2)

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Alex and her friends are back in action and this year they stakes are high as The Mockingbirds uncover a prescription drug ring operating in the school with a huge twist. I loved where the book picked up and the way the obvious love-triangle was handled

Review: The Mockingbirds (The Mockingbirds #1)

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I feel like this book also gives hope. Hope to victims of all sorts of injustice in a way that is very empowering. I can’t wait to see what Alex and The Mockingbird gang are up to next, stayed tuned for that review soon!

Book Review of Out of Sight, Out of Time by Ally Carter

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I’m super sad that after this there will be only one more, but seeing where she left Cammie this makes perfect sense. The next book will finish out senior year at school and, you guys…I just really have NO IDEA what can possibly come in the next book.

Review: Fair Coin by E.C. Myers

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Only you’ll be sort of right. Myers has written a brilliant book that will challenge and entertain you. If you like science fiction and shows such as Doctor Who (which you totally SHOULD), you will love, love, love this book.

Review: The Queen of Kentucky

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“The Queen of Kentucky” caught me way off guard. I thought it was going to be a cute, pretty cut and dry teen romance but that was definitely not the case. While I found the main character slightly immature (which I realize is to be expected of a freshman in high school)

Audio Review: The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann

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The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann is a fun, imaginative story that is perfect for the middle grade reader. Even though I don’t quite agree with the “Harry Potter meets The Hunger Games” blurb, The Unwanteds is a creative tale that will be engrossing to young readers

Review: Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

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Pandemonium is everything that a sequel should be – engaging, heart pounding, and completely captivating. I can’t remember the last time I read a book so fast and was so completely enchanted with the characters and story.

Audio Review: A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

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A Monster Calls is heartbreaking and real and something that you need to experience. Conor will break your heart and you will want to take him home and make his life better once you read his story. The audiobook is fantastic and would be a great starter for audiobook virgins.

Review: Chime by Franny Billingsley

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The language in this book is beautiful. Like beautiful to the point I was salivating. It’s poetic in a way that doesn’t stop the action. Every single word moves the story forward and the lyricalness* of the writing works to build the ethereal world in which it exists.

Audio Review: Sisters Red

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The narrators for Sisters Red did a great job. I love that there were different narrators for Rosie and Scarlett – I think it would’ve been harder to keep up with who was narrating if one person would have read the whole book.

Review: Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer

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Overall, I really did love Bloodrose. The good outweighed the bad and the storytelling, worldbuilding, and emotional rollercoaster that Cremer takes the reader on is what a good book is all about. I might not like or agree with everything that happened but this was Cremer’s story to tell – and she told it amazingly well.

Book Review of Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer

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Cremer takes the reader on one heck of a ride with Wolfsbane. Cremer laid the foundation in Nightshade and Wolfsbane took off and never looked back. Regardless of what team you are on, the plot of Wolfsbane is what keeps the need to finish this book as fast as possible going.

Audio Review: Fire

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If you are looking for a love story in Fire, this might not be the book for you. Yes, there is a love interest – but it’s not at the forefront of the story. Fire and Brigan’s story takes a more cautious route – there is just so much history between the two characters that as much as you want them together you don’t know how it could possibly work.

Audio Review: Shift (Shade #2)

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If you haven’t picked up Shade and Shift, you are missing out. There were so many people on Twitter buzzing about it that I finally gave in to the hype (even though I thought I would hate it) and I’m so glad I did. If you can get the audio from your library, read it that way – you will not be disappointed.

Audio Review: Blood Red Road

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Blood Red Road is a awesome debut book. If you can pick up the audio for it, I HIGHLY recommend it. Lind is superb and if something happens and I end up reading book two instead of listening, I know it will be her voice I hear in my head. This book is amazing and if you haven’t checked it out you are missing out.

Review: Obsidian by Jennifer Armentrout

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Obsidian is a fun read that is face paced and never dull. Katy, Daemon, and Dee’s characters play off each other fabulously. There is witty banter, steamy chemistry, and a great friendship between the characters that I just loved.

Audio Review: Delirium

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I loved the characters in Delirium. At the beginning, Lean is very no-nonsense type of girl – she plays by the rules and doesn’t cause any trouble. As the book progresses, we see her grow into her own person. She comes out from the shadows of her past and becomes strong and fearless.

Book Tour Review: Ashfall by Mike Mullin

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In Ashfall, a super volcano erupts and puts the world into a tailspin. Grey ash everywhere, sucking air quality, no food – only the strong survive. Our protagonist is Alex, a sixteen year old, who decided to stay home by himself for the weekend.

Review: Fracture by Megan Miranda

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Fracture should definitely be on your to be read piles if it isn’t already. No ghosts, witches, vampires, or werewolves here. Just a amazingly well written thriller that you won’t be able to put down.

Quick Review: Forever (Wolves of Mercy Falls #3)

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Even though the books started off with Sam and Grace as the main characters, in Forever the focus shifts a little more and now Isabel and Cole are just as important to the storyline. I, for one, love Isabel and Cole’s stories.

Audio Review: Shade

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If you haven’t read Shade yet you should definitely get to it. Don’t be like me and keep putting it off. This is one of my favorite series and I could kick myself for waiting so long to read them.

Review: Cold Kiss

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Cold Kiss is a fantastic debut. Don’t go into it thinking it is a zombie story – because it is so far from your typical zombie story. The writing is superb and the characters and interesting and real.

Review: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

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The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is a fantastic read. It is a very intriguing and so different from anything I’ve read – and, regardless of the crazyness, I love it for it. I highly recommend this book.

Audio Review: Red Glove

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All of the characters in Red Glove are written fantastically. The are witty, entertaining, and all bring something to the story. I even enjoyed the scene’s with Cassel’s mom surprisingly since I think she is a horrible mom in general.

Review: The Name of the Star

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The beauty of The Name of the Star book is that I kind of didn’t care about anyone but Rory, and I don’t mean that in a negative way. I think she is a strong character on her own and the people in her life will only help to make her stronger.

Audio Review: Graceling

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I seriously loved Graceling and wish I hadn’t put off reading it for so long. It was truly an amazing book full of adventure, love, and courage. For this to be a debut book, it is so amazingly well written. This is the type of book that needs to be made a movie – it would be amazingly good!

Review: Enthralled

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Enthralled was a great anthology and made me want to pick up a few of the authors’ books that I haven’t read because the stories were so good. Make sure to pick it up when it comes out!

Review: Hourglass By Myra McEntire

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If you are looking for something away from vampires and werewolves and want something a little more on the sci-fi side – Hourglass is definitely for you. I’m looking forward to the next book in the trilogy.

Review: Liesl and Po by Lauren Oliver

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Liesl and Po by Lauren Oliver is a wonderfully written middle grade novel. I’m always looking for books to add to my school library and this is definitely one that makes the list. With intriguing characters, adventure, and a wonderful storyline.