House of Ivy and Sorrow is set in Willow’s End, Iowa, a town with a lot of rumors of witchcraft floating around. Josephine Hemlock has heard many of these rumors, after all, those rumors are about her and her family. Well, the rumors are mostly about her grandma. Josephine’s mother died awhile back from a mysterious Curse. This Curse was like getting a magic-sucking tick stuck to your body that you can’t get off.  The curse would cause you to slowly lose your magic until you were sucked sick and dry. Your blood would turn black, and you would grow sicker and weaker, until even lifting your head was a chore. Then you would die. Josephine thought that only her mother was cursed and that she was safe. However, the Curse has returned and is ready to take her life the very same way it took her mother’s. Since Josephine is the last of the Hemlocks falling victim to the curse will mean the end of her bloodline.

House of Ivy and Sorrow is great because there are secrets at every corner! Right when you think the story’s over, the book says, ”BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!” At every turn you’re questioning who’s good? Who’s bad? The beauty is you’ll never really know until the end. It entices you by giving you subtle hints that a person is good, or normal, when in fact they might be evil, or a witch. Or maybe they’re not. You’ll just never know.

House of Ivy and Sorrow shows a struggle between life and death, as well as good and evil. It’s a book that I honestly couldn’t put down. It shows the struggle of a high school girl trying to balance her home life with another unexpected supernatural life, all the while trying to avoid Death in the process. It’s a beautifully written book with a heart wrenching story that will keep you guessing until the very end!

In the thrilling adventure found within Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith, a fifteen-year-old named Austin explores some of the typical aspects of the teenage experience: family issues, sexual orientation, finding yourself, and so forth. However, unlike the average teenager, Austin also has to deal with the fact that he and his friend, Robby, are partially responsible for unleashing an army of unstoppable praying mantises. Suddenly, the fate of the world has fallen on their shoulders. Although there are clearly plenty of issues that take place during the end of the world, Smith proves that the complexities of human nature can be just as terrifying and mysterious, if not more so.

Despite how odd this book may sound in a summarization, I can definitely say that just a short summary could never do this book justice. The original and inquisitive manner in which Smith delivers this story is difficult to adequately describe without giving away too many spoilers. Granted, this book is not for everyone, but for those who are willing to take the plunge, it can be an extraordinary experience.

In total, for anyone eager to explore a thought-provoking adventure book, I highly recommend reading Grasshopper Jungle.

“The past, the present, and the future walk into a bar. It was tense.” explains more about this novel than one would at first expect. The Here and Now by Ann Brashares is a book about what happens in between one time and another. This book is a curiosity, not unlike our protagonist Prenna, waiting cautiously to spill its secrets. It’s about the use of time travel, it’s about the moral and physical ramifications of traveling. It’s about a young girl named Prenna, who’s haunted by nightmares of another time where a mosquito-borne illness ravished everything. And her friend Ethan, who is more peculiar than even Prenna knows. Most importantly, it’s about how far the deprivations and sin of human nature lie, as Prenna and Ethan work to right what was once wronged.

Tempered with events that stand out gray against a world full of color, The Here and Now shines whenever it focuses on its thoroughly compelling plot. It’s easy for time to get lost as you’re reading, hoping for the next bit of information to be given so that you can make your way farther down the rabbit hole. The characters are likeable enough to enjoy following along on this journey. While this story is very bleak in parts, there’s always an underlying feeling of hope that keeps the atmosphere from being completely stifling.

The Here and Now offers more than is apparent at first glance. It unfolds around you as you read, intriguing enough to keep you reading, never stopping to let you breathe. Right when you think it will suffocate you, it lets up enough for you to breathe. This book is for people who enjoy the intricacies of science fiction, as well as the flavor and emotion of romance novels. It can be read by just about anyone, though, and is an interesting book for preteen to adult readers.

When misfortune crashes down on someone’s life, numerous thoughts flood their mind. They may try to convince themselves that maybe one day, everything will improve. Maybe one day the catastrophe will cease. Maybe one day the world will stop appearing like it’s falling apart. Throughout Melissa Kantor’s new novel “Maybe One Day”, these gloomy thoughts are explored in immense detail. This story follows the friendship of the narrator, Zoe, with her best friend Olivia. Although these girls experience some issues at the start of the book, their strong friendship pushes them along. The lives of both young ladies are transformed when Olivia is diagnosed with leukemia. When Olivia begins cancer treatments everyone has high hopes for her recovery.  Zoe, who is especially positive and hopeful, goes to extremes to assist her best friend. However, as Olivia’s struggle between life and death intensifies, the harsh reality of her condition is revealed. As her cancer worsens, Olivia is clearly not the only one who feels as if she is falling to pieces.

In conclusion, Kantor displays an astonishing ability to capture the powerful emotions involved in friendship, teenage life, and sorrow. If you are willing to take an emotional but rewarding plunge into friendship and grief, this is a great book to consider.

You know something I get a lot? “You can’t get emotional over a book. A book can’t be scary. It’s just words.” Well, that’s definitely not the case with Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong. The story follows Moria and Ashyn, two twin sisters born to be the “Seeker” (Ashyn) and “Keeper” (Moria) of the Forest of the Dead, a neighboring forest where people from their village are exiled for their crimes. Today is the day of the first Seeking, a day when the Seeker goes out to put the spirits of the dead exiled in the forest to rest. However, something goes horribly wrong. Strange beings from so-called “myths” in their village have appeared, killing everyone in the village aside from Moria, Ashyn, and a few others. On top of that, the children of the village have gone missing. But that is only the beginning of their problems…

Sea of Shadows is a very descriptive book. So much so, that I often found myself cringing at some of the details! I’m not saying that I totally disliked the description, though.  As a matter of fact, I think that’s one of the book’s strong points. It’s so descriptive, it’s like you can really see precisely what’s going on. The book is extremely bloody! I mean, an entire village gets wiped out in a matter of minutes! So if you like your fantasy with a little gore this might be a good one for you.

I have absolutely no complaints about this book, whatsoever. It almost makes me sad that this book doesn’t come out for another 4 months or so, because that means people will have to wait even longer to enjoy it as much as I did. Sea of Shadows has a real fantasy-romance feel, so if that’s what you like, it’s time to get excited. Come spring time there will be a new book for you to treasure.

The Scar Boys is the first book written by Len Vlahos, and is a story about a boy who is struck by lightning at a young age and then starts a rock band with his only friend once he gets to high school. They get pretty good, but as usually happens with rock bands when hormones are involved, things start to fall apart. And always as they’re seeming to get pretty good again, they fall even harder. Slowly but surely, Harry (our lovely protagonist) and his happiness begins to crumble around him.

Overall, the book was pretty spectacular. Good writing pervades throughout, with powerful passages expressing the emotion of any given situation and beautiful description that lends reality to the many locales that are explored in the novel. The plot made sense, and it was clear that a lot of thought had been put into crafting something so obviously plausible that it leaves the reader unable to question that it may never have happened. The characters were unique and powerful, and each one served a tangible purpose. The main character, Harry, was especially well-built: he in and of himself is an exploration into the human psychology of a disfigured boy in the 1980’s, and Vlahos captures what this must feel like perfectly.

There was only one thing I didn’t enjoy overmuch about the novel: Vlahos’ repeated use of the phrase “strike that”. From time to time, it’s artful and well-placed, but by the end of the book it had come to bother me as it appeared on nearly every other of the 230-odd pages. But I could easily look past that to enjoy the full effect the story had on me.

The bottom line is that this is a truly great YA novel, and I would recommend it to most all of my friends. However, it’s clearly written for (and likely more easily enjoyed by) boys. I let this slide, though, because there’s a wealth of YA fiction written for girls and a dearth of truly good YA for boys. In any case, I think that most people in their teens can easily enjoy this book, gender aside. At first glance, it seems enjoyable only to people like me (who love the 70’s and 80’s for the golden age of rock they were), but I know that time-period interests aside, just about anyone can enjoy this book.

Reviewed by Sage G.

There are books that creep slowly through the underbrush, limbs plastered to the ground like a sedentary giant, until crashing into you unexpectedly. Ocd, The Dude, and Me, by Lauren Roedy Vaughn is not one of those books. From the very start, when we first meet intrepid senior Danielle in the midst of a unusually usual breakdown, it is impossible to feel anything except the heat and anticipation radiating from this novel. From that point onward, the novel is a nonstop roller-coaster ride through Danielle’s life and issues. Issues which are abundant, as the reader finds out through shadowing Danielle on the class trip to London, Labowski fest, and finally graduation. It’s uncertain at first whether or not Danielle will be able to conquer her low self-esteem and mental issues, but the story manages to wrap together in a satisfying and fulfilling conclusion.

It’s unusual to find such realism in a novel about a neurotic teenage girl, and at first I had my doubts. However, things somehow manage to come together to make a thoroughly enjoyable read, filled with fleshed out and believable characters. The very emotional nature of this novel is at times a bit overbearing; however this is a welcome change to a trend towards sparse narratives that leave you feeling empty.  While a tad brash and eager to jump in head first, this novel manages to surpass its downfalls and rise above. The format (that of a girl writing to her diary), while not the most original idea, is done very well and thoroughly engaging. Ocd, The Dude, and Me handles its subject matter (mental illness, teen angst, and baggage from the past) very well. It never panders to the audience, while still giving off the feeling in its passages that it understands what it’s talking about.

This is a book for the lost and the lonely, for people who fluctuate in mood more than they’d care or be able to admit. It’s for anybody who’s ever felt a little bit silly, outcast, neurotic, or socially awkward. Most importantly, it’s worth reading for it’s genuine portrayal of teenage life, even if you’re no longer a teenager.

The book Will in Scarlet by Matthew Cody is an enchanting retelling of the tales of Robin Hood and his legend of stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. Initially, it follows William Shackley – a boy of mischief and the son of a wealthy lord. Nevertheless, after his father leaves England with King Richard the Lionheart to fight a war in Jerusalem, William’s well-being is threatened. With the King gone, a power struggle emerges, and as a result, William is forced to flee his comfortable life into the neighboring Sherwood Forest. Here, he is taken for ransom by the Merry Men, a band of outlaws who live off of theft and greed. However, although Will’s heart is set on leaving Sherwood and revenging his family from the royal men who tore his life apart, he eventually finds that this band of thieves has more potential and compassion than he ever could have anticipated.

All in all, my favorite aspect of this book is the use of imagery. Whether Cody was writing about an event as stimulating as a wolf hunt or as simple as the aromas of a kitchen, his word choice allows readers to experience this story as if they had been transported into the adventure itself.

For those of you interested in an easy-to-read adventure book, I highly suggest giving Will in Scarlet a try!