Teen review of "Eyes Like Stars" and "Perchance to Dream" by Lisa Mantchev

 Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev (Théâtre Illuminata #1)
*Originally posted in June of 2013*

I've been searching for this book for what seems like ages. A reviewer had given it high praise and I found the premise to be very intriguing. The only problem was, I couldn't find it anywhere. Fast forward to a few weeks ago when I stumbled across TWO copies in Half Price Books. I think I may have squealed. So, I did go in with rather high expectations, but I was not let down. At all.

The over all idea for this novel could have turned out to be a disaster if it weren't so incredibly well written. It took me a while to get into the story, but that has been happening a lot with me lately. Once I got well into the story, however, I was absolutely hooked. Every character was so well defined and written. Bertie made for an excellent heroine. She was outlandish and flawed, but she did ultimately have good intentions at heart. The faeries were my absolute favorites. They were absolutely hilarious! I loved every second they were there, which is basically the whole book. And of course, there is a bit of a love triangle, but it's not a suffocating one, of which I was glad.

The setting itself can be character as well. The Théâtre houses the characters from every play ever written, and I just loved how those characters were exploited. Hamlet is a sulky teen, Ophelia shows up every time there is running water, I was just so amused by the author's take on iconic Shakespearean roles. Oh, and let's talk about the cover for a moment, shall we? IT'S FREAKING GORGEOUS. As soon as I saw it, I had to have it.

Overall, I highly recommend this novel to those who like fantasy, theater, faeries, or strong willed heroines, because it definitely has all four. I'm going to have to go on a hunt to find book two now. Who knows how long that will take... it'll be worth it though.

- Caroline

Originally posted on The Attic blog.

Perchance to Dream by Lisa Mantchev (Théâtre Illuminata #2)

It's not often that I come across a series whose installments I can read back to back or in close proximity to one another. I know several people who have to exist in a certain story or genre for a while, but is I do that I get burnt out. The last time I did that was over a year ago when I went on a dystopia binge. However, I read Eyes Like Stars only a couple months ago and I just had to read the sequel. And it did not at all disappoint. We get a continuation of the story in the first book but outside the theater with new characters and even higher stakes.

The change of scenery in Perchance to Dream gave a story a refreshing change without losing the magic that Eyes Like Stars had. If anything, it might have been even more magical. Some sequences, especially towards the end, I could totally see as a stop-motion film. Everything was so whimsical and well developed, especially the characters. We have the return of the faeries from A Midsummer Night's Dream, who will forever be my favorite characters, as well as some new characters. It's very rare that a book will cause me to laugh out loud, but the faeries' banters about sweets and pies and all around tom-foolery will never fail to make me laugh. And the reason for that is probably because the writing is so well done and so clever. The language is something I just absolutely love. It's this mix of modern and Shakespearean English that is just so delicious to read and really adds to the crafting of the story.

However, this series, like every other young adult series, is not without romance and a love triangle. But, I will defend this one by saying that it was unpredictable, and the outcome at the end of this novel is not one you see very often. And that could apply to the entire book as a whole. The narrative took twists and turns that I didn't expect. It was just so well crafted! One minute I'd be laughing at the faeries, the next moment Bertie would be stuck in some sort of waking dream, and the next moment would be dark and sort of scary. It takes an awful lot of skill to be able to jump ranges like that.

Overall, if you haven't read this series, you definitely need to pick up Eyes Like Stars. It's been a while since I've wanted to completely binge on a series, but this is turning out to be one of those moments. I need to find a copy of book three as soon as possible.

- Caroline

Originally posted on The Attic blog.

Don't miss the Anime Club's Halloween party!

Tomorrow is the next meeting of the Anime Club at the library. At this meeting we will have our Halloween party. We will have creepy snacks, fun crafts and games, and a raffle for prizes. Costumes are encouraged!

The Anime Club meets at 7 p.m. in the Meeting Room, which is located on the lower level of the Dundee Library. You can register online if you will be attending!

Beware! Read these books if you dare

 

If you enjoy a good scare and can't get enough zombies, check out our Beware! book display in the teen area.

Find books by Carrie Ryan, Darren Shan, Brenna Yovanoff, Sean Beaudoin, and more. Several popular horror series are included in the display: The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan, Zom-B by Darren Shan, Ashes by Ilsa Bick, and the Saga of Larten Crepsley by Darren Shan, just to name a few.

For more creepy and zombie-filled reads, download these reading lists (PDF format):
Are You Afraid of the Dark? Books That Will Creep You Out (part 1)
Are You Afraid of the Dark? Books That Will Creep You Out (part 2)
Zombies

These book lists are also accessible on our catalog BiblioCommons:
Creepy Reads for Teens
Creepy Reads for Teens part 2
Zombie Books for Teens

After reading The Walking Dead comics and watching the TV show, I often wonder if I'd be able to handle a zombie apocalypse. Because we all can't be Rick Grimes, Daryl Dixon, or Michonne, here's a book that will come in handy, The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks:

Does anything on the display or book lists look interesting? I 'd really like to read The End Games by T. Michael Martin, which is about a boy who protects his brother from the zombie apocalypse by telling him they are playing a videogame.

 

Happy (horrifying) reading!

"Allegiant" is here!

Today the final book in Veronica Roth's Divergent trilogy, Allegiant, was finally released. Are you dying to find out what happens? I can't wait to read it!

Don't forget to place a copy on hold (and do your best to avoid spoilers on the internet!)

The movie adaptation of the first book in the series, Divergent, hits theaters March 21, 2014.

Seek the Unknown in our Teen Read Week display!

Visit the teen area of the Dundee Library and Seek the Unknown during Teen Read Week! In our book display, all the books are covered in brown craft paper so that you have no idea what is underneath.

I used quotes to decorate the book covers, but they only give you a general idea of what's contained in each book's pages.

Don't you want to check one out to see what's inside?

 

How about this one?

Teen Read Week

Teen Read Week is next week, October 13-19. The theme is Seek the Unknown @ Your Library.

Visit the Dundee Library or Randall Oaks Branch Library to recommend books you've recently read, enjoyed, and think other readers would like to read! Each recommendation you submit will enter you into the Teen Read Week drawing. We will draw ten names for $10 Target gift cards.

Plus, at the end of the week, we have the program Crafts for Bookworms on Saturday, October 19 at 2:30 p.m.

To go along with the theme, we will have a fun display set up in the teen area at the Dundee Library, which I will post about when the display is ready later today!

Recommended read: "Into That Forest"

Into That Forest by Louis Nowra
TEEN NOWRA

"When I think back, I see time were passing without me noticing. I lost me talking and lost me counting. It were the seasons I noticed: summer and autumn in the rain forests and hills and then winter down by the coast. We had four summers. That made me about ten years old and Becky a bit more than eleven. Four years to a child is like an eternity. Every year I live now passes quicker and quicker, but back then, a year were an eternity, so it were like a time without end."

Six year old Hannah and seven year old Becky survive a flood in the Tasmanian bush while out on a boat ride with Hannah's parents, who do not live. Hungry and cold, the girls follow a female tiger into the bush, who leads them to a cave where a male tiger also lives. While Hannah at once recognizes and accepts that the tigers (she names them Corinna and Dave) are taking the girls in as cubs, Becky resists. But eventually, in order to survive, Becky cannot fight her hunger, and joins in on a hunt.

For four years Hannah and Becky live with the tigers, hunting with them, sleeping next to them, and communicating with them through eye and body movements. They are able to differentiate between all the smells and animals in the bush and have the ability to see in the dark. They stop using language and walk on four legs most of the time. When the girls are rescued, they have trouble re-adjusting to human life, as though they are more tiger than human. Hannah and Becky's struggle to re-learn human behavior and speech is heartbreaking, especially because other kids and adults do not understand why the girls are so awkward.

Hannah narrates this story when she is 76 years old, apologizing at the beginning for her speech: "me language is bad cos I lost it and had to learn it again." Some readers may have trouble with her way of talking, but for me, her voice made the book more interesting than if she had been using perfect grammar.

I highly recommend Into That Forest if you...
* enjoy survival reads
* are interested in Australia
* are looking for something different to read

In addition to being a quick read, Into That Forest is a unique and very moving book (yes, I cried), and one of my favorite books of the year.

New books for autumn

Right of Way by Lauren Barnholdt
Told in their separate voices, seventeen-year-old Peyton convinces eighteen-year-old Jace to drive her from a Florida wedding toward her Connecticut home with the intention of staying in North Carolina rather than face her parents' marital and financial problems, while both avoid the obvious attraction they have felt since they met at Christmas.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
When seventeen-year-old Tana wakes up following a party in the aftermath of a violent vampire attack, she travels to Coldtown, a quarantined Massachusetts city full of vampires, with her ex-boyfriend and a mysterious vampire boy in tow.

The Fallout by S.A. Bodeen
This sequel to The Compound finds Eli and his family struggling to acclimate to the outside world after escaping the compound where his father imprisoned them for six years, an effort that is complicated by an intrusive media and disturbing revelations about his father's company.

Untold by Sarah Rees Brennan
As Kami Glass and her friends continue to battle the sorcerers of the Lynburn family in the sleepy English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale, friendships and families are torn apart. Book #2 in the Lyburn Legacy series.

Night School by C.J. Daugherty
After her third arrest in one year, sixteen-year-old Allie's parents send her to Cimmeria Academy, a boarding school, where she finds herself exposing the dark secrets of the school and her classmates.

A Radiant Sky by Jocelyn Davies
As the leader of the Rogues, Sky must fight to maintain the balance between order and chaos--and for a way for her and Asher to be together. Book #3 in the Beautiful Dark series.

Inheritance by Malinda Lo
When teens Reese and David are kidnapped after revealing that they were adapted with alien DNA, Reese is forced to reconcile her new love for David, a human, with feelings for Amber, an Imrian, and make a world-changing choice.

Torn by David Massey
Only eighteen when she is sent to Afghanistan, British army medic Elinor Nielson is continually at odds with her hardnosed bunkmate, Heidi Larson, but connects with a mysterious Afghan girl and local children, as well as an American lieutenant.

Parallel by Lauren Miller
A collision of parallel universes leaves 18-year-old Abby Barnes living in a new version of her life every day, and she must race to control her destiny without losing the future she planned and the boy she loves.

Into That Forest by Louis Nowra
Two girls. Two tigers. Four years in the wild. Two girls survive a terrible flood in the Tasmanian bush and are rescued by a pair of Tasmanian tigers who raise them in the wild. Their story of survival is remarkable, as they adapt to the life of the tiger, learning to hunt and to communicate without the use of human language. When they are discovered and returned to civilization, neither can adapt to being fully human after their extraordinary experience. Totally believable, their story will both shock and captivate listeners as it explores the animal instincts that lie beneath our civilized veneer.

The Shade of the Moon by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Jon Evans is one of the lucky ones--until he realizes that escaping his safe haven may be the only way to truly survive. Book #4 in the Life as We Knew It series.

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick
A day in the life of a suicidal teen boy saying good-bye to the four people who matter most to him.

The Taming of the Tights by Louise Rennison
Tallulah Casey has returned for another term at her performing arts school, but after sharing a secret kiss with the local bad boy, Tallulah is now determined to find her perfect leading man.

Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
At age eight, David watched as his father was killed by an Epic, a human with superhuman powers, and now, ten years later, he joins the Reckoners--the only people who are trying to kill the Epics and end their tyranny.

To Be Perfectly Honest by Sonya Sones
Fifteen-year-old Colette is a compulsive liar spending a miserable summer in San Luis Obispo, California, babysitting her seven-year-old brother while her famous mother shoots a movie, but things look up when Connor enters the scene.

Once We Were by Kat Zhang
In the sequel to What's Left of Me, fifteen-year-old Addie and Eva struggle to share their body as they are drawn deeper into the fight for hybrid freedom from the government's oppression.

Teen review of "Antigoddess" by Kendare Blake

Antigoddess by Kendare Blake

*This is a review of an Advanced Readers Copy*

Antigoddess was a bit of a wildcard pick for me. I really knew nothing about the story, but I've really been wanting to read Kendare Blake's other novels, Anna Dressed in Blood and Girl of Nightmares. I've heard so many wonderful things about her writing so I jumped on the chance to get a copy. I went in to the story almost completely blind, with only the small amount of knowledge about Greek mythology that I was taught in school. What turned out to be an excellent aspect of the novel was that you don't really have to know anything about Greek mythology. The story is so well crafted that it works and flows together and it all makes sense.

However, the story went at a very slow pace. I had some trouble focusing on what was happening and it took me a while to get through. The problem most likely stems to the amount of characters the novel holds. Jumping between different characters and story lines can be time consuming and so by the time we got to the climax of the plot, the book was over. The lead up took about 17 of the 20 chapters and we only get a taste of the battle that is just beginning. I feel like there was too much time spent talking and not enough time spent doing. That being said, it was incredibly well written. Good writing can make up for so many things, and in this case, it made up for the slow pacing. The writing was very descriptive and especially gory. The author definitely did not shy away from giving us all the details. (A lot of them made me wince while reading.)

Another redeeming aspect was the overall story. It was completely original. We're not getting a retelling of a story or myth. Instead we are getting modernized and dying gods, fighting against each other to ensure their survival. Each god had an affliction that was just so creative and fitting for each iconic figure. And speaking of iconic figures, I absolutely loved that Athena was one of the main protagonists. She is hands down my favorite figure in Greek mythology. She's a goddess of battle, but she's been separated from her original world, as are all the other gods. I thought it gave her more depth and more conflict to her. The idea of setting all these gods in a modern setting and being able to see what they would have become after thousands of years is absolutely fascinating to me. And Kendare Blake did a wonderful job of reimagining each god and the other characters. The only ones I didn't care much for were Cassandra and Aidan, but I got over it. They were essential to the story.

In the end, I enjoyed the overall story and characters. The pacing is something I can look past now that the story is set up and ready for the sequel, which I will most certainly be reading along with the author's other novels. (Her gory and sometimes frightening descriptions in this book have me excited to see what she does with the horror genre.) This series definitely has promise.

- Caroline

Review also available on The Attic blog

Awesome books released this week!

This is too much. I can't handle it. I just can't handle all the amazing new books that are out on the shelves this week! New series, continuations of already existing series, graphic novels, and even a couple (GASP!) stand-alone books. Are you an Ellen Hopkins fan? Her latest, Smoke, is the sequel to Burned. Looking for a truly scary read? Try Robin Wasserman's The Waking Dark. Do you enjoy books that incorporate mythology? Pick up Antigoddess by Kendare Blake (Greek mythology) or The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White (Egyptian mythology). Are you a nerdfighter? Perhaps you'll enjoy Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. I loved her previous book, Eleanor & Park, and can't wait to read this one. Keep reading to see what else is out this week:

Antigoddess by Kendare Blake
Athena and Hermes' search for the cause of their unexpected, life-threatening illnesses leads them to Cassandra, a former prophetess, who may be key to a war started by Hera and other Olympians who have become corrupt anti-gods determined to destroy their rivals.

The Waking Dark by Robin Wasserman
After a series of suicide-killings and a deadly storm, the residents of the town of Oleander, Kansas, start acting even more strangely than would be expected. Only the five witnesses of the murders retain their sound minds, and must band together to save the town from whatever has come over it.

Monsters by Ilsa J. Bick
The final book in the Ashes trilogy! Have you read Ashes and Shadows yet? Alex and Tom's future is uncertain as they continue the struggle to survive in a post-apocalyptic world, and their lives are threatened by the Changed and other human survivors.

Boxers & Saints 1: Boxers by Gene Luen Yang
China ,1898. Bands of foreign missionaries and soldiers roam the countryside, bullying and robbing Chinese peasants. Little Bao has had enough. Harnessing the powers of ancient Chinese gods, he recruits an army of Boxers--commoners trained in kung-fu--who fight to free China from "foreign devils". Against all odds, the grass roots rebellion is violently successful. But nothing is simple. Little Bao is fighting for the glory of China, but at what cost? So many are dying, including thousands of "secondary devils"--Chinese citizens who have converted to Christianity.

Boxers & Saints 2: Saints by Gene Luen Yang
China, 1898. An unwanted an unwelcome fourth daughter, Four-Girl isn't even given a proper name by her family when she's born. She finally finds friendship--and a name, Vibiana--in the most likely of places: Christianity. But China is a dangerous place for Christians. The Boxer Rebellion is in full swing, and bands of young men roam the countryside, murdering Westerners and Chinese Christians alike. Torn between her nation and her Christian friends, Vibiana will have to decide where her true loyalties lie...and whether she is willing to die for her faith.

Living with Jackie Chan by Jo Knowles
This is a companion novel to the book Jumping off Swings. This isn't how Josh expected to spend senior year. He thought he'd be hanging out with his best friends, Dave and Caleb, driving around, partying, just like always. But here he is, miles from home--going to a new school, living with his Jackie Chan-obsessed uncle, Larry. Trying to forget. But Josh can't forget. So many things bring back memories of last year and the night that changed everything. He thinks about it every day. The pain, the shame, the just not knowing are never far from his thoughts. Why is he such a loser? How could he have done what he did? There are moments of peace, like when he's practicing karate paired with Stella, the girl upstairs and his one true friend. When they move together through the katas, Josh feels connected in a way he has never felt before. He wonders if they could be more than friends, but Stella's jealous boyfriend will make sure that doesn't happen. Maybe it doesn't matter. If Stella knew the truth, would she still think he was a true karate man?

More Than This by Patrick Ness
A boy named Seth drowns, losing his life as the pounding sea claims him. But then he wakes. He is naked, thirsty, starving. But alive. How is that possible? He remembers dying. So how is he here? And where is this place? It looks like the suburban English town where he lived as a child, before an unthinkable tragedy happened and his family moved to America. But the neighborhood around his old house is overgrown, covered in dust, and completely abandoned. What's going on? And why is it that whenever he closes his eyes, he falls prey to vivid, agonizing memories that seem more real than the world around him? Seth begins a search for answers, hoping that he might not be alone, trapped in a crumbling, abandoned world.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Feeling cast off when her best friend outgrows their shared love for a favorite celebrity, Cath, a dedicated fan-fiction writer, struggles to survive on her own in her first year of college while avoiding a surly roommate, bonding with a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words and worrying about her fragile father. 

The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White
Sixteen-year-old Isadora, the mortal daughter of Isis and Osiris, is sick of being in the middle of family drama so she jumps at the chance to leave Egypt and start a new life in San Diego with her brother. 

Smoke by Ellen Hopkins
After the death of her abusive father and loss of her beloved Ethan and their unborn child, Pattyn runs away, desperately seeking peace, as her younger sister, a sophomore in high school, also tries to put the pieces of her life back together. 

Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein
A companion novel to Code Name Verity. When young American pilot Rose Justice is captured by Nazis and sent to Ravensbrück, the notorious women's concentration camp, she finds hope in the impossible through the loyalty, bravery, and friendship of her fellow prisoners. 

Teen review of "Incarnate" by Jodi Meadows

Welcome to our new Teen Reviewer, Caroline! Caroline also blogs at The Attic (YA book reviews) and The Sleuth (a Nancy Drew fan blog). 
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Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Another one of those books that is causing me to ask myself, why did I take so long to read this?! It was always one of those "maybe" books for me since it came out, and I just happened to find it on sale and grabbed a copy. What I was expecting was an interesting story involving reincarnation and dragons. What I wasn't expecting was that it would have excellent world building, characters, and be full of music.

The setting of Incarnate is a character unto itself. Range and the city of Heart are this mix between the present, a fantasy world full of mystical creatures like dragons and centaurs, and futuristic technology (i.e. laser guns.) And it completely worked. To me, there are some genres that are hard to write and get right, and fantasy is one of them. There is so much that could go wrong when crafting a complex universe like the one in Incarnate. I have to applaud the author for not only making it all work together, but for making it a world I want to live in.

And not only is the world building excellent, but so is the character development. I really liked Ana as the main character. She doesn't start out the strong heroine that everyone loves to read about. She had a sheltered and abusive upbringing that causes her to be cautious of everyone and everything, but she evolves throughout the novel. Even though I do enjoy main characters who know what they want and will do anything to get it, I thought Ana was realistic. Most people don't start out like that-- they have to work towards it. And of course, our love interest Sam is the one who gets her to the point of which she can fend for herself. There's kind of an insta-romance between them, but it didn't really bother me that much. It made sense to me later on in the novel, but spoilers! I won't tell you why. You can figure it out.

Overall, Incarnate has a slower pace to it, but I don't really think it took away from the story. I really enjoyed getting to all everyone and getting engrossed in the world of Range. The plot is shrouded in enough mystery that it kept my brain constantly involved in what was going on. And the music. There is so much music woven into the story and I absolutely loved it. So, in the end, once I was done kicking myself for not reading it sooner, I very much enjoyed this novel. Especially the ending. It ended with just enough of a cliff hanger to make me want more, but not too much to make my mind melt. Well done, Jodi Meadows. Well done.

- Caroline

This review is also available on The Attic blog.

Teen Gaming Club news

The next meeting of the Teen Gaming Club is Saturday, September 7, from 2-4 p.m. I am happy to share that from now on we will have three different consoles available: Wii, PS3, and XBOX 360 (with Kinect). We have four standard controllers for each console. Feel free to bring in your own games to play!

Also, the library will be hosting a big International Games Day event on November 16 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. We will have games set up in the Meeting and Craft rooms for all ages -- videogames, card games, and board games. I'm looking for teens to help plan or volunteer at the event. If you are interested let me know!

Book Bite: "City of Bones"

"I was laughing at you because declarations of love amuse me, especially when unrequited. And because your Simon is one of the most mundane mundanes I’ve ever encountered. And because Hodge thought you might be dangerous, but if you are, you certainly don’t know it."

- Jace to Clary, City of Bones by Cassandra Clare (2007)

City of Bones buttons

These are some buttons I made for the City of Bones Movie Release Party this weekend: angelic power runes and "Shadowhunters: Looking Better in Black Than the Widows of our Enemies Since 1234." At the party even more runes will be available for you to make into buttons, or you can design your own.

Have you seen the movie already? How does it compare to the book?

City of Memes

Have you registered for our City of Bones Movie Release Party yet? The party is Saturday, August 24 at 2:30 p.m. in the Meeting Room of the Dundee Library. We'll make runes buttons, answer trivia questions, and even give away a movie poster!

On the official Mortal Instruments: City of Bones website, fans are able to create their own memes featuring the images of Jace, Clary, Alec, Simon, Isabelle, Valentine, and more from the film. Go to the Extras section and click on City of Memes. Select your image, and then add text! Here are some memes I created... It's hard to stop once you start making them!

 

 And one last meme, featuring Simon Lewis:

See? You better listen to Simon!!