Category Archives: Young Adult

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, by Michelle Hodkin

Posted on November 26, 2011 by Thistle

I’m in two minds about this book, so I’ll get the negative out of the way first. The writing was not my favorite, and the characterization of the teens seemed really stereotypical/cliched, particularly in the beginning. The plot meandered a … Continue reading →

Posted in 2011, 2012, Prose, Young Adult | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, by Ransom Riggs

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Thistle

So this book has been big news for the last few months. Unfortunately, I was not really blown away by it the way many people seem to be. The story was fun enough, and creative, but I had quite a … Continue reading →

Posted in 2011, Prose, Young Adult | Tagged , | 1 Comment

When She Woke, by Hillary Jordan

Posted on October 24, 2011 by Thistle

I’m in two minds about this book. It’s a dystopian retelling of The Scarlet Letter, so I expected there to be some similarities there. However, some of the similarities were, for me, a little too close: Hester Prynne = Hannah … Continue reading →

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Readathon: The Name of the Star, by Maureen Johnson

Posted on October 22, 2011 by Thistle

I think I have found my new favorite Maureen Johnson book. Seriously, this book was fantastic. Johnson does everything right. She makes her characters believable and real without glamorizing them. She makes them feel like teenagers without belittling or stereotyping … Continue reading →

Posted in 2011, 2013, Prose, Young Adult | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Shatter Me, by Tahereh Mafi

Posted on August 31, 2011 by Thistle

I really enjoyed this dystopia. The story developed well over the whole book, ending in a good spot to wait for the sequel. The writing was fantastic and actually reminded me of some of my own experimental writing in my … Continue reading →

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Between, by Jessica Warman

Posted on August 10, 2011 by Thistle

Compared to the other two Jessica Warman books I’ve read, this one didn’t impress me as much. The concept was fantastic, if a bit like Lauren Oliver’s Before I Fall, and I was hooked by the story the whole time. … Continue reading →

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The Rules of Survival, by Nancy Werlin (audio)

Posted on August 2, 2011 by Thistle

This book was fantastic. It showed that abuse is not always necessarily just physical or sexual, and it also showed the difficulties that agencies like Child Protective Services have in cases of not-quite-as-clear-cut abuse. The performance, read by Daniel Passer, … Continue reading →

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She Loves You, She Loves You Not, by Julie Anne Peters

Posted on July 10, 2011 by Thistle

Oh Julie Anne Peters, can I just say that I love you and wish I had your books back when I was a teen? Peters writes some of the best YA I’ve read, and hands-down the best GLBT YA I’ve … Continue reading →

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Cryer’s Cross, by Lisa McMann

Posted on July 7, 2011 by Thistle

I have a strange relationship with Lisa McMann. I read the whole Wake trilogy sometime over the last year, and for each book I came away with an identical impression: not terribly well-written, but very fun to read. They are … Continue reading →

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The Last Little Blue Envelope, by Maureen Johnson

Posted on July 2, 2011 by Thistle

This is the sequel to Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes. What is it with series? Normally I avoid them whenever possible, but this summer I have been reading lots of sequels and third books, probably because I really enjoyed the opening … Continue reading →

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