Book Review: Numbers by Rachel Ward

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Genre: Fiction Age Recommended: 14 and up In this book, the author weaves a terrifying tale of a girl who can see the date on which each person will die. A novel concept which is well-executed, this book promises to leave you on the edge of your seat. This book is written is from a young girl’s perspective. And while it is understandable that the author would want to stay in character, the writing style of this book seems a little amateur, in that it is difficult to grasp a deeper meaning from the book … Continue reading Book Review: Numbers by Rachel Ward

Book Review: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars Era: Romantic Okay, let’s be completely honest, this isn’t one of the most interesting and engaging books ever written. It is, however, a very iconic piece of literature for many reasons. First, Frankenstein was one of the first true “horror” books ever written in this time period. It focused a lot on legitimate science instead of alchemy, which was different from most books in that era. The introduction of the tabula rasa, or blank slate, is also an interesting idea about how society shapes who we are. Perhaps the most interesting aspect, however, is how this book … Continue reading Book Review: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Book Review: Chokher Bali by Rabindranath Tagore

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Genre: Fiction Age Recommended: 14 and up This book was not one that I could finish in one sitting, just because of the sheer density and length of the book. I felt that the author could possibly have gotten the point across in fewer pages, even though the story was unique, and different from most that I have been reading. I felt that the main character is blatantly sexist on multiple occasions, which is probably an accurate reflection of the time period this story is based in. ———————————————————————– Mahendra is a young man who refuses to marry until he … Continue reading Book Review: Chokher Bali by Rabindranath Tagore

Book Review: Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Time period: Realism This is another book that I just finished in English class. I generally would not recommend this book to people who do not like dense reading, although the book isn’t very long. Fathers and Sons was written in 1862, during the realist era, and as such, focuses a lot on science and the different philosophical ideas arising during this time. The books explores nihilist ideals as well as an increased focus on science, which seems to be a recurring theme during this time period. ———————————— Arkady and Bazarov are visiting Arkady’s father … Continue reading Book Review: Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev

Book Review: La Vida es Sueño by Pedro Calderón de la Barca

Hey everyone! Sorry that I haven’t posted at all for a very long time but I got caught up with a lot of work and also had a lot of debate tournaments in the last few months. Here’s the next book review! Rating: 5 out of 5 stars Genre: Fiction Age Recommended: 14 and up This book was part of a reading assignment that I had in English class recently. I enjoyed it immensely because of the way the author made the reader sympathize with the main character’s situation, even though he was portrayed in a bad light. This book … Continue reading Book Review: La Vida es Sueño by Pedro Calderón de la Barca

Book Review: When You Never Said Goodbye by Meg Kearney

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars Genre: Realistic Fiction Age Recommended: 13 and up This book was an ARC, courtesy of NetGalley I didn’t really enjoy this book, because while it was a good story and has well developed characters, I felt that the author tried too hard to drag the story out. Even though this book was the third in a series and I easily understood it without having read the first two. —————————– Liz’s adoptive father has just passed away, which is making her more eager than ever to find her birth mother. After saying goodbye to her mother after … Continue reading Book Review: When You Never Said Goodbye by Meg Kearney

Book Review: The Celtic Dagger by Jill Patterson (A Fitzjohn Mystery)

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars Genre: Mystery Age Recommended: 12 and up This book wasn’t very engaging, and had new characters introduced very often that didn’t always add to the book. Moreover, near the end of the book, it suddenly became very disturbing as a murderer was revealed, and I found it difficult to continue reading. —————————————- Fitzjohn is about to leave for a well-deserved break when he’s guilt-tripped into solving one more case. A man had just been murdered with two stabs to his neck and back. Moreover, the dagger that had been used to kill him had … Continue reading Book Review: The Celtic Dagger by Jill Patterson (A Fitzjohn Mystery)

Book Review: Gilded Cage by Vic James

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars Genre: Fiction Age Recommended: 14 and up This book was well-written but haunting. I would definitely recommend this to people who enjoy reading fantasy novels because the story was unique from the cliche plots of many other books of this genre. All in all, my expectations were high for this book, and it did not disappoint. ————————————————— Luke has just been pulled out of school to start his ten years of government service.  He’s pleased that at least his family will be together while working, but he’s torn away from that fantasy and pushed into … Continue reading Book Review: Gilded Cage by Vic James

Book Review: Naming the Stars by Susan Koefod

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Genre: Sci-fi or Fantasy Age Recommended: 11 and up The characters in this book were very well developed, and I enjoyed reading the book until the last few pages, where I felt that in a rush to end the book and wrap it up, the author made it too confusing. —————————————————– Mary Louisa Moura has disappeared. Her parents have no recollection of her, her possessions are all gone, and nobody can see her. Mary is terrified, desperate, and alone, with nobody to go to. Until Fish. Fish is a swimming instructor, and happens to be the … Continue reading Book Review: Naming the Stars by Susan Koefod

Book Review: When Asia was the World by Stewart Gordon

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars Genre: Non-fiction / translated biographies Age Recommended: 13 and up It’s this time of year again… summer assignments. This book wasn’t as boring as I expected it to be, and I enjoyed reading the accounts of people who lived many centuries ago. However, the author could have done a better job linking the different chapters of the book to each other, as they were all independent stories, and the only thing similar about them was the fact that they all took place in Asia and were in consecutive time periods. ——————————————— This book focuses a … Continue reading Book Review: When Asia was the World by Stewart Gordon