Kathy

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (Young Adult)

If you weren’t a fan of Maggie Stiefvater’s Shiver trilogy don’t let that put you off. The Scorpio Races is on an entirely different level. It’s an action adventure, meets fantasy and romance all held together by Stiefvater’s take on a chilling mythological creature – the water horse. The story rings with such authenticity that you’ll soon forget to question the idea of flesh eating horses and become engulfed by the spellbinding story of courage, determination, perseverance and first love.

From the publisher: It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die.

At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.

Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.

Book 1: The Maze Runner by James Dashner (Young Adult)
Book 2: The Scorch Trials
Book 3: The Death Cure

I was hesitant to start this dystopian trilogy, sceptical that it would be a less engrossing version of the Hunger Games. I was wrong. The momentum builds from page one, reaching a fever pitch once you are well in. If you have the patience to stick with it, the series won’t disappoint and will soon have you flying through the pages, up well past bedtime.

 From the publisher:When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.

Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (Young Adult/Adult)

This is one of those books that have the power to stay with you, one that you may decide to reach for again and again. Beautifully written and utterly haunting, this is a must-read for book lovers everywhere. And it has an interesting quirk - it's narrated by Death.

From the Publisher: It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . . .

Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.

Previous Reviews

-Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan (Young Adult)
-Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork (Young Adult)
-Shiver, and Linger by Maggie Stiefvater (Young Adults)
-His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman (Young Adult)
-Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (Young Adult)
-The Monstrumologist by Ricky Yancy (Young Adult)
-The Breakwater House by Pascale Quiviger (Adult Fiction)
-Into the Wild by Sarah Beth Durst (Young Adult)
-Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman (Young Adult)
-Dangerous Days of Daniel X by James Paterson (Young Adult)
-The Lightning Thief  by Rick Riordan (Young Adult)
-The Forest of Hands and Teeth,and The Dead Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan (Young Adult)
-Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (Young Adult)
-One For Sorrow  by Mary C. Sheppard (Young Adult)
-The Host  by Stephanie Meyer (Adult Fiction)
The Girls by Lori Lansens (Adult Fiction)
-Gone,and Hunger by Michael Grant (Young Adult)
-Coraline by Neil Gaimam (Young Adult)
- The Hunger Games, and Catching Fire, and Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
-Inkheart,and Inkspell,and Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke (Young Adult)
-Looking for jj by Anne Cassidy (Young Adult)
-The Love Curse of the Rumbaughs by Jack Gantos (Young Adult)
-Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen