They All Fall Down by Roxanne St. Claire: A Read & Review Club Review

The CHB Read & Review Club is a chance for high school and middle school students who enjoy reading to share the joy of reading with others through reviewing and recommending books. As a bookshop, we often receive special review copies of books in advance of their release dates so that we can review them. However, since we can only read so many books and we value the thoughts and opinions of other readers, CHB is recruiting high school and middle school students who would like to read and review advance reader copies (or arcs) of middle grade and young adult books that we receive, and we'll be posting their reviews here!

Samantha B. (15) is a Read & Review Club member, and she has written a review of Roxanne St. Claire's new book, They All Fall Down! Check out what she has to say about the book:

They All Fall Down by Roxanne St. Claire was excellent. If you are a fan of thrillers and murders –and I do not mean a group of crows—you will love this book. The author really knows how to grip the reader from the first page. The characters were very well developed and the dialogue was splendid. I would recommend this book to anyone above the age of thirteen. I found Kenzie Summerall to be an excellently developed character. I could just imagine everything she went through. I absolutely loved this book and could not put it down! I stayed up most of the night trying to finish the book! They All Fall Down will hold you captive until the very end. Any parent and teenager who loves fiction or have read any of her other novels will love this book. Every twist and turn will make you want more and more of each of the characters. Every character certainly brings this amazing thriller together. I certainly hope Roxanne St. Claire continues to write young adult novels like this one! 

Thanks to Samantha for her review!

For Real by Alison Cherry: A Read & Review Club Review

The CHB Read & Review Club is a chance for high school and middle school students who enjoy reading to share the joy of reading with others through reviewing and recommending books. As a bookshop, we often receive special review copies of books in advance of their release dates so that we can review them. However, since we can only read so many books and we value the thoughts and opinions of other readers, CHB is recruiting high school and middle school students who would like to read and review advance reader copies (or arcs) of middle grade and young adult books that we receive, and we'll be posting their reviews here!

Rebecca R. (15) is a Read & Review Club member, and she has written a review of the new novel by Alison Cherry called For Real! Check out what she has to say about the book:

In Alison Cherry’s new novel, For Real, she presents readers with real life situations and struggles. The characters face the difficult question: whom can I trust? When Miranda finds her boyfriend cheating on her, Claire, her sister, is there to help her find a way to get back at him. Claire, a shy, awkward, pop culture nerd, decides Miranda, a cool, outgoing partygoer, needs to go on a reality TV show, and Claire finds herself there too. Once they are put in the television show they are quick to make alliances, but are soon forced to decide if the friends they are making are true. The book is full of plot twists and is aimed at teenagers. It teaches about love and how important family is through everything. It also teaches that not everyone is just like they seem on the outside. I thought the book was amazing and a definite page-turner; the characters and plot were well introduced. The plot has so many twists and turns that there will almost never be a point where you are ready to put the book down. I absolutely loved the book and I hope others do too!

Thanks to Rebecca for her review!

Frostborn: Thrones and Bones Book 1 by Lou Anders: A Read & Review Club Review

The CHB Read & Review Club is a chance for high school and middle school students who enjoy reading to share the joy of reading with others through reviewing and recommending books. As a bookshop, we often receive special review copies of books in advance of their release dates so that we can review them. However, since we can only read so many books and we value the thoughts and opinions of other readers, CHB is recruiting high school and middle school students who would like to read and review advance reader copies (or arcs) of middle grade and young adult books that we receive, and we'll be posting their reviews here!

Caitlin G. (14) is a Read & Review Club member, and she has written a review of Lou Anders' new book, Frostborn! Check out what she has to say about the book:

Frostborn is the first book in the Thrones and Bones series by Lou Anders.  Anders has beautifully written a fun and energetic middle grade book filled with many adventures. Karn and Thianna are two unlikely friends that are both searching for their own adventures in everyday life. Together they seek out trouble and overcome challenges that they never would have been able to overcome by themselves. They realize through their adventures what they really want to do with their lives, and they also discover the importance of finding who they are as people or frost giants can be. One of the main themes in this book is the importance of friendship.  Finding ways to overlook differences and being able to stay friends through arguments and rough times is capitalized on because of how different the personalities of the characters are.  The people that would enjoy this book are the people that have enjoyed books such as Magisterium by Cassandra Clare and Holly Black and the Unwanteds by Lisa McMann. Because of the magic and adventures present in this book and the challenges that relate to the common struggles in life, I recommend this book to people that have read similar books. This book was a very good read and I cannot wait to get my hands on the second book in this series, Nightborn.

Thanks to Caitlin for her review!

The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare: A Read & Review Club Review

The CHB Read & Review Club is a chance for high school and middle school students who enjoy reading to share the joy of reading with others through reviewing and recommending books. As a bookshop, we often receive special review copies of books in advance of their release dates so that we can review them. However, since we can only read so many books and we value the thoughts and opinions of other readers, CHB is recruiting high school and middle school students who would like to read and review advance reader copies (or arcs) of middle grade and young adult books that we receive, and we'll be posting their reviews here!

Caitlin G. (14) and Samantha B. (15) are Read & Review Club members, and they have each written a review of the new short story collection by Cassandra Clare, Maureen Johnson, and Sarah Rees Brennan: The Bane Chronicles! Check out what they have to say about the book:

Caitlin: In The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare, Magnus Bane’s life is revealed in ten short stories. These stories take readers through many different experiences including warlock cacti, Herondales, and humorous first dates. Clare brings characters from the past, present, and quite possibly the future into this mini-series.  I really enjoyed this book because it answers so many questions that I had about Magnus and his past.  Also I liked the fact that I knew many of the characters in the stories because of Clare’s Shadowhunter series.  Some of the new characters may end up in the next two Shadowhunter series that Clare is writing.  In this book, readers are shown who Magnus is and the life experiences that have helped to make him who he is in The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices.  I think that people who have read one or both of Cassandra Clare’s past series will greatly enjoy The Bane Chronicles.  This book gives reasons for Magnus’s decisions in the Shadowhunter series and looks at Magnus’s immortal friends’ lives.  Magnus has always had a special relationship with the Shadowhunters and this book looks into that a little too.  Anyone that considers themselves a Shadowhunter will enjoy learning Magnus’s story. 

Samantha: Cassandra Clare has done it yet again! The Bane Chronicles was absolutely amazing! I could not put this book down! If you liked The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices, you will love this book! The characters were so well developed I almost started perceiving them as real people instead of fictional characters. When the author gives you the ability to lose yourself in the book, that is when you know they have done their jobs correctly. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who has read any of Cassandra Clare’s work. These three authors really know how to get their readers hooked from the first page. Through every twist and turn, The Bane Chronicles will have you begging for more. The comic strips drawn in the book are fantastic! The comics that are drawn at the beginning of every chapter really help you visualize what is going on with Magnus. I highly recommend reading this book and the rest of the books by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, and Maureen Johnson. You most certainly will not regret it! These authors will take you on an amazing journey though each of their books.

Thanks to Caitlin and Samantha for their reviews!

Pennyroyal Academy by M.A. Larson: A Read & Review Club Review

The CHB Read & Review Club is a chance for high school and middle school students who enjoy reading to share the joy of reading with others through reviewing and recommending books. As a bookshop, we often receive special review copies of books in advance of their release dates so that we can review them. However, since we can only read so many books and we value the thoughts and opinions of other readers, CHB is recruiting high school and middle school students who would like to read and review advance reader copies (or arcs) of middle grade and young adult books that we receive, and we'll be posting their reviews here!

Caitlin G. (14) is a Read & Review Club member, and she has written a review of M.A. Larson's new book, Pennyroyal Academy! Check out what she has to say about the book:

In his debut novel, Pennyroyal Academy, M. A. Larson spins a story of fairy tales, magic and adventures. Larson brings a brand new meaning to the word princess.  Princesses go to Pennyroyal Academy to become trained in fighting witches with their courage and compassion.  Courage and compassion are two things that witches have no ability to feel in their dark hearts; they feed off of the fear that they give their prey.  This book is not just another fairy tale novel; it is very different.  There is a mixture of old fairy tale characters that everyone will recognize and new exciting characters that fit right into their world.  I really enjoyed Pennyroyal Academy because of the well-developed and very likable characters and the interesting plot.  I absolutely could not put this book down because of how involved I became with the characters and all of the challenges that they faced.  Fans of Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles will really enjoy this book because of the fairy tales and adventures. People that are big fans of fairy tales will find this book enjoyable as well.  In this magical book filled with princesses, knights, witches, and dragons, the plot twists will send readers’ minds reeling.  I am glad that I read Pennyroyal Academy and hope that there will be more books by Larson to follow.

Thanks to Caitlin G. for her review!

Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick: A Read & Review Club Review

The CHB Read & Review Club is a chance for high school and middle school students who enjoy reading to share the joy of reading with others through reviewing and recommending books. As a bookshop, we often receive special review copies of books in advance of their release dates so that we can review them. However, since we can only read so many books and we value the thoughts and opinions of other readers, CHB is recruiting high school and middle school students who would like to read and review advance reader copies (or arcs) of middle grade and young adult books that we receive, and we'll be posting their reviews here!

Samantha B. (15) is a Read & Review Club member, and she has written a review of Becca Fitzpatrick's new book, Black Ice! From the author of the Hush, Hush saga comes a new thriller: Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick. From the publisher’s summary: “Britt Pheiffer has trained to backpack the Teton Range, but she isn't prepared when her ex-boyfriend, who still haunts her every thought, wants to join her. Before Britt can explore her feelings for Calvin, an unexpected blizzard forces her to seek shelter in a remote cabin, accepting the hospitality of its two very handsome occupants – but these men are fugitives, and they take her hostage. Britt is forced to guide the men off the mountain, and knows she must stay alive long enough for Calvin to find her. The task is made even more complicated when Britt finds chilling evidence of a series of murders that have taken place there...and in uncovering this, she may become the killer's next target. But nothing is as it seems, and everyone is keeping secrets, including Mason, one of her kidnappers. His kindness is confusing Britt. Is he an enemy? Or an ally?”

Check out what Read & Review Club Member Samantha has to say about the book: Black Ice is amazing! I was hooked by the first page. Fitzpatrick really knows how to make her characters come to life and make you feel what they are feeling. The ending was not what I expected, but I was pleasantly surprised. This book is fantastic, gruesome, intense, and heart-stopping; I could not put it down! I didn’t want to sleep until I finished this book. I was up from dusk till dawn reading to see what would happen to Britt Pfeiffer! Would Calvin, her ex-boyfriend who haunts her thoughts, find her before it was too late? Mason was absolutely perfect in a kidnapper-but-awfully-kind way. I had trouble trying to figure out if he was Britt’s enemy or ally. I could only hope he was an ally when Britt makes a discovery that could make her a serial killer’s next target! You will not regret buying this book. If you loved Hush, Hush, you’ll love Black Ice. This novel is perfect! A thriller with just the right amount of romance, Black Ice is going to grip you and not let go until the ride is over.

Thanks to Samantha for her review!

Let's Get Lost by Adi Alsaid: A Read & Review Club Review

Introducing the CHB Read & Review Club! The Read & Review Club is for high school and middle school students who enjoy reading and would like to share the joy of reading with others through reviewing and recommending books. As a bookshop, we often receive special review copies of books in advance of their release dates so that we can review them. However, since we can only read so many books and we value the thoughts and opinions of other readers, CHB is recruiting high school and middle school students to read and review advance reader copies (or arcs) of middle grade and young adult books that we receive, and we'll be posting their reviews here!

Alexis B.'s review of Let's Get Lost is the first Read & Review Club member review we're posting! Check out what she has to say about the book:

"Let's Get Lost is not just a book about love, friends, and adventures; it goes much deeper than that.  Let's Get Lost gives us a greater understanding of our need to find ourselves.

A mechanic/med school student, a runaway, a senior going to prom, and a girl learning how to love have only one thing in common: Leila.  Leila is traveling across the country meeting people that will forever affect her life.

Alsaid has written a very unique book. Many people compare his novel to John Green's novels, but each individual book tells an individual story.  If we compare these novels, we are saying they are cookie-cutter, and while Let's Get Lost may have the same effect on people as John Green's novels, it is a very unique novel. This novel is not necessarily a page-turner but in the best way. Let's Get Lost is the kind of book you want to take in slowly so you don't miss even a minor detail.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Alsaid's new book and highly suggest it to anyone who wants to see their life in a different perspective because Let's Get Lost applies to everyone's hidden feelings."

Thanks to Alexis B. for her review!