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Summerlost

SummerlostTitle: Summerlost
Author: Ally Condie
Genre: Contemporary, Middle Grade, Mystery
Format: Hard Cover
Pages: 272
Reason Read: Utah Book Month
Rating:

My Thoughts

This is Ally Condie’s middle grade and contemporary debut and I really think she hit the bulls-eye with SUMMERLOST and discovered her niche in writing. I loved her Matched series, but there’s just something about this book. It was outstanding. The story is beautifully written. It’s such a great book about friendship, love, loss, and healing. It hit very close to home and is as if Ally wrote about my own feelings of grief regarding my mom’s passing. I highly recommend it for not only the intended audience but adults as well.

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One Dead Spy

One Dead SpyTitle: One Dead Spy
Author: Nathan Hale
Series: Hazardous Tales #1
Genre: Informative, Middle Grade, Non-Fiction
Format: Kindle
Pages: 127
Reason Read: Book Club
Rating:

My Thoughts

I didn’t really realize what ONE DEAD SPY was about until after I started to read it. It’s basically American History in graphic novel form peppered with jokes to make the history more fun. Personally, I thought the jokes were stupid and juvenile. I also hated the execution of the story, but it’s middle grade so I think young kids would enjoy them and learn something from them in the process. In that sense, I thought the story was successful. However, while I enjoyed the history, learning, and even the pictures, I would’ve rather read something like this in a historical fiction novel or watch a TV show / movie about it.

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Burning Glass

Burning GlassTitle: Burning Glass
Author: Kathryn Purdie
Series: Burning Glass #1
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult
Spice: 0.5 / 5
Format: Hard Cover
Pages: 512
Reason Read: Book Club
Rating:

My Thoughts

I really enjoyed BURNING GLASS for a lot of reasons. I liked the characters and thought they were complex and rich. The world is a fictional world based on imperialistic Russia, which really drew me into the story. It was like a moth to a flame, really. The story also reminded me of THRONE OF GLASS a little bit. I had fun and I look forward to reading the sequels when they’re released.

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Heir To Edenbrooke

Heir To EdenbrookeTitle: Heir to Edenbrooke
Author: Julianne Donaldson
Series: Edenbrooke #0.5
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance
Spice: 0 / 5
Format: Kindle
Pages: 46
Reason Read: Just Because
Rating:

Also in this series: Edenbrooke
My Thoughts

I love EDENBROOKE so much. I was excited when I found out Donaldson had written the beginning to the inn from Philip’s POV in the form of a digital novella. It was so much fun to read! I loved being in Philip’s head, especially for the inn scene. My only complaint is I wish it were a little longer. (I actually kind of wish she wrote the whole novel from his perspective à la Stephenie Meyer and MIDNIGHT SUN.)

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Reached

ReachedTitle: Reached
Author: Ally Condie
Series: Matched #3
Genre: Dystopian, Romance, Young Adult
Spice: 0.5 / 5
Format: Hard Cover
Pages: 512
Reason Read: SLTA Party, Utah Book Month
Rating:

Also in this series: Matched, Crossed
My Thoughts

I really liked where REACHED went. I thought it was very realistic. Most dystopian books with revolution end up being so far-fetched that I don’t think they can work. Sure, there were conveniences that happened that probably weren’t as realistic, but the way the Rising and the Society were dealt with was fascinating and seemed like it could actually happen if it were real.

I loved Ally’s writing style. It’s so poetic, beautiful, descriptive, and concise. The descriptions of the setting were so vivid. There were times that I felt like I was in the midst of everything going on. Even though I wouldn’t want to live in Cassia’s world, the descriptions made me want to see the Society and the different provinces and areas.

While REACHED was told only from Cassia’s point-of-view and CROSSED was told from both hers and Ky’s,  REACHED is told from Cassia’s, Ky’s, and Xander’s. I loved being inside Xander’s head, finally, knowing what he thought and how he felt about everything. And, I loved that the three of them were in three different critical places, so we got a good overview of what was happening and not just a closed off view.

I’m really happy and satisfied with how this trilogy ended. It was a fun ride and I’m glad to have experienced it with the characters.