Book Reviews

Reviewed by R. Yelk, October 2021

Their Eyes Were Watching God is the story of Janie Crawford, whose life is a quest to find true love. Janie narrates the story of her three marriages and her search for love to her friend, Phoeby. When Janie is young, her grandmother sets her up with a man named Logan Killicks, who becomes Janie's first… Read more

Reviewed by S. Cox, September 2021

Sixteen year old Thomas wakes up in a dark underground elevator with no memory of his life before that moment, and arrives at what the other boys there call ‘the Glade’. No one remembers how they got there, why they’re there, or who they used to be. They just know that once every month the lift doors open and a new… Read more

Reviewed by S. Cox, June 2021

What do you do when all of the water in the world is contaminated, when a single drop of the contaminated water will kill you? 

That’s what 15 year old Ruby Morris finds herself wondering in the time following a certain day in Britain; the day that the rain came down, and with it, death. Even as the… Read more

Reviewed by B. Ullsvik, June 2021

After the death of his wife, Tom and Jake Kennedy believe the town of Featherbank can give them a new, fresh start. Featherbank is a small and quiet little town with a dark past. Almost 20 years ago, Frank Carter, a serial killer, kidnapped and murdered five residents. Known for kidnapping kids by whispering through… Read more

Reviewed By M. Koopmans, June 2021

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief is a mythological fantasy story about Percy Jackson. Percy finds out that he is a half blood, half mortal and half god. This causes the 12 year old to be launched into a life of Greek “myths” that he could’ve never assumed were real. Once he arrives at Camp Half-… Read more

Reviewed by M. Koopmans, June 2021

Shadow and Bone is a young adult fantasy novel that takes place in the Ravka. In Ravka there are normal people (called otkazat’sya) and people with the power to control materials, life, and aspects of the world. These special people are called Grisha. Alina Starkov, the main character, has always believed that she… Read more

Reviewed by M. Koopmans, June 2021

Caraval by Stephanie Garber is a young adult fantasy novel. This fantasy novel takes place in a fictional world and revolves around two young girls, Tella and Scarlette. The two sisters are trapped by their father who became abusive and manipulative after their mother left. However, Scarlette has hope that they can… Read more

Reviewed by E. Mankowski, May 2021

Alias Grace, written by Margaret Atwood, depicts the story of Grace Marks. Grace is plagued by amnesia, unable to remember events surrounding the murders of her employer and his mistress. Her narration is from the first person, juxtaposed with a third person narration by Dr. Simon Jordan; a man who seeks to… Read more

Reviewed by E. Mankowski, May 2021

During the early 2000s, the United States was still recovering from the terrorist attacks in 2001 on the twin towers. The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini, is a work of historical fiction intended to demonstrate the issues Afghanistan culture has with assimilation, identity, and power. Throughout the… Read more

Reviewed by E. Mankowski, May 2021

The Round House, written by Louise Erdrich, follows the main character Joe as he narrates the summer when his life changed irreparably. Throughout the novel, Joe is faced with the increasing responsibility of being an adult, despite only being thirteen years old. When his mother is attacked and almost killed… Read more