THE SELECTION by Kiera Cass

by TPS reader guilee20

The dystopian society in which America Singer lives has social classes called castes. These castes are set from one to eight, one being the wealthiest and eight being the poorest. This sets the foundation for the book, because the caste you are in determines how you’re treated and how you are taught to act. America Singer is a Five and her boyfriend, Aspen, is a Six. Their plans are to get married and save enough money to be able to have children. Because Aspen is a Six, he tells America to apply in the Selection, because he’s afraid of holding her back. The Selection is the process of which girls apply to marry the Prince, Prince Maxon.  Aspen and America don’t think she will be accepted, but to their surprise, she is. In spite of this, Aspen gets insecure and ditches America for somebody else, leaving her broken. She leaves for the castle, where she is to live with the other girls that were selected and abide by MANY rules. She is told that she is now a Three and her family is paid while she is away, which is what really drives her. She meets Prince Maxon, and he likes her straight away, but she doesn’t like him, nor does she forget about Aspen. She now is left with two decisions, does she choose Maxon or Aspen, and can she handle being the next Queen of Illea?

MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN by Ransom Riggs

by TPS reader turnern18

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children the first book in a series by Ransom Riggs is great. The book is about a sixteen-year-old boy named Jacob Portman who, after the death of his beloved Grandpa Abe, set off to a small island off the coast of Wales in hopes to learn more about his grandfather’s childhood home to get over his death. Once Jacob is on the island, he finds that the orphanage his grandfather once lived in was bombed and abandoned long ago or so everyone thinks. Jacob soon learns that all of the supposed delusional stories his grandfather told him were real. The tales of invisible boys, girls made of air, and people with superhuman strength are all real and the very children that once lived in the orphanage are still very much alive. Jacob is then immersed in the very peculiar world these children live in. However, soon after meeting all of the orphanage’s inhabitants, Jacob is suddenly given the responsibility to protect the children from the very same monsters who killed his Grandfather. The author of this book created a spine-tingling supernatural world, amplified by vintage photographs which really makes the story come alive. The book is truly something everyone can enjoy it is a great blend of love, adventure, friendship, spookiness and just the right amount of peculiarity. I definitely think that you should read the book as I loved it and cannot wait to start reading the rest Ransom Riggs Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children series.

 

A DARKER SHADE OF MAGIC by V.E. Schwab

by TPS reader ruppj18

In A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab, a guy named Kell is one of the last of his kind. Antari are a rare type of magician who can travel between different worlds. There used to be four worlds, Red London, White London, Gray London, and Black London, until Black London was consumed by the magic that the people there so desperately wanted to control. Now no one goes there and any remaining magic from there was destroyed, so people could not travel there. Kell is a messenger for Red London, which is the most beautiful and prosperous London, and he travels between Londons on official business, or at least most of the time. On the side, Kell is a smuggler, carrying magic to those who wish for the magic they will probably never have. This habit leads to a dangerous object being passed to him in White London, which was ruled by terrible people and was full of death and fighting, and an accidental betrayal of the crown. While in Gray London, he stumbles upon a girl named Delilah Bard, or Lila, who promptly robs him of the dangerous item he had recently obtained and also saves his life. Lila has always wanted to be a ship captain and live a life of adventure, and she saw the discovery of Kell as her opportunity to escape her life and have some fun. Now joined together, these two friends must face countless trials and betrayals in order to keep the people they love and the places they live safe from harm.

This book starts off slow but gets really good. You’re instantly attracted to Black London, a place full of mystery and forbidden to everyone. Kell is a loveable character, and Lila is a funny, tough girl who you really want to succeed. I really liked this book and I can’t wait to read the rest!

THIRTEEN REASONS WHY by Jay Asher

by TPS reader hickst20

When Clay Jensen returns home from school one day, he sees a package on his porch with his name on it. Inside of the box he discovers seven cassette tapes. On these tapes, the voice of his crush and classmate, Hannah Baker, describes the reasons why she committed suicide two weeks before. In the tapes, she describes thirteen people that made her end her life. Clay is shocked when he realizes that he is on the tapes and that they get sent to every person that has wronged her. In the tapes, Hannah gives instructions that after the person listens to the tapes they must mail it to the next person mentioned after them. Clay goes everywhere Hannah describes in her tapes and becomes almost obsessed with learning about her past. Will Clay ever get over Hannah’s tragic death or will he always wonder about the what ifs of the past? Find out in this amazing and moving book written by the brilliant Jay Asher.

RED QUEEN by Victoria Aveyard

by TPSreader wuerzk19

Mare Barrow lives in a world where everything is divided by the color of your blood. Those with silver blood are the elite who have supernatural abilities, and those with red are the commoners, forced into a life of serving the Silvers. Mare and her family are Reds, struggling to survive in their harsh world and constantly living in fear. Mare steals what she can to provide for her family, but her upcoming eighteenth birthday looms ahead of her, taunting her with the fact that she will soon be forced to join the army and fight for a cause she doesn’t believe in. However when her best friend Kilorn’s apprenticeship is cut short with the death of his master, the knowledge that he too will soon be drafted into the war is too much for her. She goes searching for a way to save him from having to join the army, and it is this that leads to a twist of fate, winding up with her at the royal Silver palace. She starts working there as a Red servant but a shocking event leads to the discovery that Mare is extraordinarily different. Although her blood is red, she has an ability like those of the Silvers. To hide this, she is forced into the role of a long lost Silver princess, and her life is drastically changed forever. As her new role draws her even further into the Silver world, she uncovers secrets and forms deadly alliances, all while her heart is torn between two people. Shocking plot twists lead Mare to discover the hard way what she was told all along… anyone can betray anyone.

This book is completely action-packed, never having a dull moment. It kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time and forced me to keep reading, even when certain things happened that made me want to throw it across the room. By far the best thing about this book was the numerous amount of plot twists; every time I thought I knew what was going to happen I was relentlessly proved wrong. If you enjoyed Shatter Me or The Selection series, you will most likely love Red Queen. It had certain elements that reminded me of both of those books, combining the girl with a unique ability and the girl who transforms from a commoner to a princess overnight. This was definitely an enjoyable read, and Victoria Aveyard did an excellent job of keeping me hooked on every word. I recommend this book to anyone looking for an action-packed story full of plot twists that will make your heart drop.

THE GEOGRAPHY OF YOU AND ME by Jennifer E. Smith

by TPS reader wuerzk19

Lucy Patterson is a bit of an outcast, and she’s constantly left behind in her New York City apartment while her parents travel around the world and her brothers go off to college. She doesn’t have any friends and is ready for another boring night alone in her apartment when suddenly a citywide blackout occurs, and she becomes stuck in an elevator. Little does she know the boy stuck in the elevator with her would soon play a significant role in her life. Owen Buckley is also an outcast, the death of his mother having changed his life forever. At his old home he had friends and a good life, but with his mother’s passing, Owen and his father set off to New York and left their old life completely behind them. Owen hates New York until the night the power goes out and he meets Lucy. Together they share one amazing night wandering the darkened city and gazing up at the stars from the roof of the apartment building. However, when the lights come back on, so does reality, and Lucy and Owen are forced into different directions, both moving away from New York City. As they start new lives and meet new people, they try to stay in touch by postcards and emails. But will their one perfect night be enough to keep them in each other’s lives forever? Or will the distance be too much for them to keep in touch?

This is a sweet long-distance love story, perfect for anyone in search of a good romance book. The colorful descriptions give the reader a taste of many different parts of the world that they get to experience along with the characters. The book is also packed with plot twists and unexpected events that keep the story moving along. I definitely recommend this book to anyone searching for a satisfying love story.

THE SELECTION by KIERA CASS

by TPS reader barons20

The Selection by Kiera Cass is a story of a regular girl becoming regal. The main character America is in the adventure of a lifetime. She was chosen to be in a group with 35 other girls to win over the prince, Maxon. Minor problem, America is already in love with someone at home. She has to choose between a childhood lover, or a prince that could change her and her family’s lives forever. Prince Maxon is the opposite of what America thought he would be. He is kind, charming, and not so experienced with dating as she’d thought. America’s family isn’t the wealthiest bunch, so she joined “The Selection” contest so her family would receive the weekly income. Maxon wasn’t very happy when he heard about this, but he understood. I would love to trade places with  America to see what palace life is like.

 

THIS IS WHAT HAPPY LOOKS LIKE by Jennifer E. Smith

by TPS reader lamara20

This is a book centralized around the idea of emails. One girl and one boy begin an email chain on the total chance that this boy typed in the wrong email address. He, Graham Larkin, was trying to email the person who was supposed to babysit his pet pig. He explains this to the girl, Ellie O’Neill. Graham in his reality is living as an actor as the main part of the last move to one of his previous. Ellie is a simple girl from a simple town, but with a troubled back-story we find later in the book when she admits it to Graham. He ends up being so interested in this mythic girl who he’s found through a simple mistake that he tells his producer to have them shoot the next movie in her hometown. She and her friend work in the same ice cream shop. Ironically, her best friend borrows her shirt and then Graham asks her out. At dinner, when Graham realizes it must not be Ellie, he makes it a bit too obvious and his date realizes it too. However, she just so happens to be Ellie’s best friend so she understands and gives him directions to her house. Ellie didn’t like the Graham Larkin that everyone knew, but the Graham Larkin who’d been emailing her for so long now, she felt an instant connection. However, Ellie still has a secret she’s been hiding that could be the end for her and Graham. This book is a must read for romantics, and you won’t want to put it down for a second.

 

MAZE RUNNER by James Dashner

by TPS reader frezzaa17

The Maze Runner by James Dashner was one of the better books I have read. The main character Thomas gets put in a whole new world when he arrives inside a maze. He can’t remember anything about his past life, besides his name. A short time later the first girl ever,named Teresa, lands in the Glade with a note saying she is the last person they are sending. Once she arrives, the Maze starts acting up and things start to change. The doors don’t close at night and Grievers run amok inside the Glade killing off some people. Chaos and order have left the Glade, and the position of authority is challenged. Thomas and Teresa must work together with the others to finally find a way out of the Maze. The book is much better than the movie. Hollywood leaves out funny plot details along with other information that add to character development and the overall plot. Dashner also has a great use of words that paint a better picture your head than what Hollywood can do in a movie. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book of the Maze Runner series.

REQUIEM by Lauren Oliver

by TPS reader hunth19

Requiem, the third book in the Delirium series by Lauren Oliver, is a great end to the trilogy.  Lena has held her own in the wilds and is becoming much more used to it.  However, it is not the perfect world she had imagined it to be. People are free to love, but still not free from the regulators.  After more rebellions from the resistance, the regulators decide to put an end to the madness.  And so, once again, her homestead is forced to relocate.  Also, she wrestles with her conflicted feelings between Julian and Alex, who has escaped from the crypts and into the wilds and has dramatically changed.

While this chaos is going on, Lena’s former best friend, Hana Tate, who is very gorgeous, has been cured, leaving her in a loveless and supposedly perfect and safe world.  Despite this, Hana has doubts about whether the cure really worked on her because she has strange dreams and recollections of her past.  Hana is engaged to Fred Hargrove, the soon to be mayor.  His actions are misleading, leaving Hana threatened, confused, and struggling.  Also, she discovers Lena’s timid cousin, Grace, and attempts to aid her and her family, who have become outcasts on account of Lena’s decision to escape to the wilds, leading to more doubts about whether or not she has truly been cured.

        The plot leaps and turns as you race through with the story.  I was swept up in the characters’ lives, and Lauren Oliver made me feel like they were real people.  Some parts of the book were really frustrating and left me wondering how things could possibly turn back around.  In the end, everything worked out.  A couple things weren’t quite solved, leaving the reader to wonder what would happen, but that’s the way of life.  Requiem is a really captivating book, and I would recommend reading the entire series.