Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett
Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett addresses several difficult topics with boldness and knowledge. Simone was born HIV positive and she lives with her loving, adoptive parents, Dave and Paul, who she calls Dad and Pops. Simone recently moved to the school she’s now attending, after being tormented and shunned at her previous school when her best friend told everyone that Simone has HIV. She wants a fresh start and her junior year is going well, at first. She’s been assigned as the high school musical director for the school production of “Rent” because Broadway is one of her passions and her teacher believes she has what it takes to follow her dreams and make a career out of directing. Simone meets this amazing guy, Miles, and they form a healthy relationship and she shares her secret with him. Miles handles it kindly and with empathy and treats Simone the same as before. Someone starts leaving threatening notes for Simone, warning her to break up with Miles or else. Everything escalates after that and blow up. Simone finds out who her true friends are and she has to decide whether to hold her head up high and persevere or run away from the same problem all over again.
Be aware that Full Disclosure freely talks about sexual issues and questions, so not for sexually squeamish readers.
Impressive and bold young adult debut!
The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White
Great start to a new trilogy by Kiersten White!
The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White. I pre-ordered this book as soon as I heard about it. The description drew me in and piqued my curiosity! The gorgeous cover emulates mystery and the first chapter lives up to all of my expectations! Traveling through a forest surrounded by knights, the main character heads toward Camelot and King Arthur, her husband-to-be. She loves the forest surroundings but keeps that secret to herself. When they reach a river they have to cross, her true fear comes out and Mordred, Arthur’s best knight and nephew , carries her across the water to safety. No one can understand why she’s afraid and she reminds herself to act the part of Queen Guinevere. Arthur and Merlin planned for her to play the part of the deceased Queen Guinevere so she could protect Arthur from harm, which Merlin has foretold. She has no idea where the threat is or where it will come from but she does everything in her power to protect Arthur and his kingdom. Magic has been and continues to be banished from Camelot but Guinevere keeps running across bits of magic that she eventually discovers the origins of. She enjoys spending time with Arthur and she’s grateful that he knows everything about her, so he’s the one person she can be herself around. They have a marriage of convenience and friendship but Guinevere feels more when she’s with Mordred. The author has built a wonderful setting with many enjoyable characters that I fell in love with. I’m happy that this is the first book in a planned trilogy, so I have two more books to look forward to reading! I like the strength that both Arthur and Guinevere show and the sacrifices they’re willing to make. I enjoyed Dindrane’s attitude and Mordred’s mystery. I can’t wait to continue reading this story, 5 stars!
The Burning Shadow by JenniferL. Armentrout
The Burning Shadow by Jennifer L. Armentrout, published by Harlequin Teen, picks up where the first book in this series left off.
Evie learns more about her past but she still struggles with the reasoning behind her mother’s choices. Luc and Evie grow closer as danger builds mysteriously in their community. Luc and Evie discover information about the Luxen, Arum, Hybrids, Origins, Trojans and the actions of the Daedalus, who want to eradicate the Luxen, Hybrids and Origins. They also learn more about her parents’ motives. It made me sad when certain people died because of their great characters.
A heads-up to potential readers of graphic sexual content. I think the next book in this series will be called Brightest Night because of a character quote at the end of the book. I enjoy the mystery and suspense above all and the dystopian aspect adds intensity to the story. 4.5 stars!
Tabitha’s Death by Jordan Elizabeth
Love the cover!
Tabitha’s Death by Jordan Elizabeth. Author request. Tabitha feels like she’s lost everything and has nothing to live for. She slits her wrists after her best friend has died and her boyfriend uses her. She ends up in a sort of limbo, doing the bidding of the Gray Man. His tasks pile up and cause more torment and she begins to realize that she might never be freed from this. Tabitha meets several others who have ended their lives in different ways. They’re doing tasks for the Gray Man and other limbo creatures, trying to die and move on as they’ve been promised will happen when they’re finished with the creatures’ biddings. Tabitha was timid and submissive to everyone around her but she becomes a stronger person through her time in limbo. I enjoyed her character growth and was glad she was able to finally see her own worth. 4 stars!
The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman
Cliffhanger ending!
Thanks to NetGalley and Disney Hyperion for the opportunity to read and review The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman.
A mix of characters is introduced in the first few chapters. They all have something in common; they’re all descended from the main four families that have resided in Four Paths for decades. These families have protected the town from the Beast that resides in the mysterious and frightening Gray. Hawthorne, Carlisle, Saunders and Sullivan are the four head families. Violet Saunders has recently moved to Four Paths with her mother, Juniper. It’s just the two of them since Violet’s sister and father have both passed away. Justin and May Hawthorne are the children of the sheriff of Four Paths, their mother Augusta. Violet and Juniper live with Darla, Juniper’s sister. Harper Carlisle lost a hand earlier and she keeps training to still be strong and helpful; she has four siblings. Isaac Sullivan is part of the fourth founding family but the rest of his family is gone, in one way or another. Secrecy seems to be the rule between families and hiding truths from the Four Paths citizens is how the heads of the families claim to keep the town safe. Secrets are painfully revealed and trust is broken. The teenagers’ lives and relationships all intertwine and complicate matters because the teens don’t want the secrecy. They want honesty and openness. The teens also get thrown into violence and deception by the Powers that run the town. They each have to decide who they will be loyal to and what they will do with their own powers and futures. The story ends with a bit of a cliffhanger and I’m expecting the sequel to shine more light on Isaac’s mysterious family. 4 stars for a supernatural story that has much more to tell!
Cold as a Marble by Zoe Aarsen
Sequel to Light as a Feather!
Thanks to NetGalley, Edelweiss and Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing for the opportunity to read and review Cold As a Marble by Zoe Aarssen, the sequel to Light As a Feather.
McKenna and her friends’ lives were completely disrupted in the first book. Two out of their friend group died, Olivia and Candace, and they believe both deaths were caused by Violet, the new girl who insisted they play the game Light As a Feather. During the game, Violet described their deaths and McKenna accused Violet of killing her friends. A restraining order was placed on McKenna and she was sent away to a different school. She’s home for Christmas and more teenage girls are dying. McKenna, her neighbor and boyfriend Trey, and Olivia’s brother Henry diligently work together to stop Violet and the curse she’s helping along. Suspenseful and interesting adventures and actions that the three dive into cause stress and more problems in their personal lives than helping stop the curse. I liked this sequel better than the first book in this series because it was faster paced and had more character development. Spooky, dangerously fun read for young adults! 4 stars!
Edison by Edmund Morris
More than just an inventor!
Thanks to Amazon Vine, NetGally and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to read and review Edison by Edmund Morris.
This eight hundred page book is an interesting read and engaged me easily with the history of Thomas Alva Edison. This fascinating man was so much more than just an inventor and the author conducted extensive research to bring Edison to life for us! I just wish the book had an index for research accessibility because this is the main reason for wanting this biography of Thomas Alva Edison, using it for research that our library students have to conduct to complete their annual research paper. All-in-all, a great read because the author has taken the facts about Edison and made them appealing and compelling!
Overcoming Opioid Addiction by Adam Bisaga, MD.
Necessary and beneficial guide!
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Overcoming Opioid Addiction by Adam Bisaga, MD.
I wanted to read this book because, as a librarian, I was hopeful that it could be a helpful guide and voice of wisdom and information to those who may need it most, whether for personal, family or friend use. Overcoming Opioid Addiction was written to give general knowledge of Opioids, the epidemic and addiction, for health-care professionals, family members and for addicted individuals. The book is sectioned into four parts, each concentrating on one of these areas. This fascinating but informative and helpful book opened my eyes to Opioids and helped me to better understand how addiction became an epidemic and how patients can be treated and overcome addiction. 5 stars for this necessary and beneficial guide to Opioid Use Disorder!
Accident! by Andrea Tsurumi
Accident! by Andrea Tsurumi is a creative, simply drawn, moral of a story! Accident! shows that mistakes aren’t the end of the world and it’s okay if we make a few mistakes. We all do and we just pick ourselves up and get on with our lives again. Humor and charm make this picture book entertaining for all ages!
The Thought Spot 