THE DREAM HEIST – Christina Farley

by TPS reader alchc27

The book that I first chose to read was The Dream Heist by Christina Farley. It is a book filled with mysteries, adventure, drama, and a little bit of romance. The book follows the adventure of Aria Hale and her friends. They all work together with her dad at MAXlife. I enjoyed the book from the second I started it. There wasn’t a dull moment and that is what kept me reading. Once you really got into it and things started to connect, it was hard to put down. The friendships between Aria, Jake, Sun, Tony, and Javier grew throughout the entire book. Aria and Jake were classmates but never talked until they were forced to after she went into his dreams, and they developed feelings for each other. He helped solve the mystery, and they wouldn’t have been able to do it without him. As she went across the country, she found things she never thought she would, new beginnings, and even love. When the final plot twist happens, it makes the book even better. Looking back there is a lot of foreshadowing that you wouldn’t catch the first time you read it. Trying to solve the mystery with the characters is really fun. Bad things happen, but they always find a way around it and work together to do so. Overall I really enjoyed The Dream Heist, and I would recommend it to anyone who loves mystery filled with lots of drama. I would read this book again and would love to catch even more foreshadowing within everything that happens.

INTERNMENT by Samira Ahmed

by TPS reader williamsc22

Internment by Samira Ahmed is not only a good read, but it is a call to action. Set in near-future America, this novel brings to attention modern issues of society while highlighting the notion of “History repeats itself.” The author describes the situation as “fifteen minutes in the future,” suggesting that at America’s current rate, we are closer to this dystopian society than we think. With the growing oppression of Islams, Ahmed creates a story that parallels past events that have occurred. Beginning with smaller yet, unjustified acts of racism such as burning Muslim-written books or giving Muslims a curfew, the story quickly accelerates with the occupation of Muslim internment camps. Using the enactment of the Muslim Registry and Exclusion Laws, Ahmed foreshadows a much worse future for Islamic America. She incorporates the Japanese-American Internment camps from World War II and similar treatment of the Jews in Nazi Germany, that create a sense of panic, implying that America is returning to old habits. The excuse that Muslims are a threat to America is solely used to justify the Registry and Exclusion Acts. Using a young teenage girl, Layla Amin, as the protagonist of the novel, she exposes the true irony of the entire plot. Her harmless, yet oppressed character advances the notion that racism in America cannot be justified. The violent mistreatment of the occupants in the Internment camp forces Layla and her friends to attempt an escape. Ahmed’s use of young characters suggests that future generations have the power to destroy these groundless and racist traditions. Layla’s story serves as a warning to our current society.

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.

 

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.

 

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.

THE 5TH WAVE by Rick Yancey

By TPS reader willimasm19

The Fifth Wave by Rick Yancey is a great science fiction novel. This novel is constantly keeping you on your toes and wondering what will happen next. I enjoyed how the book had a realistic feel to it. Telling the story through the eyes of a high school student, was a brilliant idea, and it made me feel connected in the book. At times I felt like I was Cassie, the main character, and was going on this journey through the alien attacks. She ends up forming an alliance with Evan Walker who is a strange young man, but he just might be Cassie’s last hope at finding her little brother and surviving the attacks. It was crazy to me how real the Alien attacks felt. Rick Yancey’s description of an alien attack happening to a modern society feel so real. In the novel the effects of the alien attacks cause earthquakes, tsunamis, and disease. All odds are against Cassie and Evan. The chance of survival is little. Overall, I enjoyed reading the novel and could could hardly put it down to stop reading at night. I can’t wait to start reading another one of Rick Yancey’s books.   

 

THE PROGRAM by Suzanne Young

by TPS reader woolworthv19

Sloane Barstow lives in a world where expressing your feelings are forbidden. An epidemic of teen suicide starts sweeping the world causing parents, the government, and psychologists to go into a frenzy. With the loss of her brother, Sloane finds herself having to be more cautious than ever, even the slightest hint of sadness or depression can send her to the only proven treatment, The Program. Nearly everyday Sloane sees someone new from her school getting taken by workers from the government, called handlers, to The Program. Once sent to The Program all of your “infected memories” are erased causing you to become a completely different person than you were before. You lose all memories of your friends and have very few left about your family; they tailor your life to the way they want it to be. As more and more of her friends are taken into The Program or committing suicide, Sloane finds herself leaning on her boyfriend James, the only one left she can cry in front of. Together they plan to stay together forever but as the depression begins to hit harder and the amount of handlers begin to increase can they stick together, or will they end up forgetting about each other?

The Program is the first of four books in The Program series. Though this book seemed slightly depressing and sad, the plot twists had me unable to put the book down. Even if you are not a fan of dystopian novels, I highly recommend reading this novel. Suzanne Young does an excellent job of giving you backstory, and throughout the book she adds flashbacks keeping you aware of Sloane’s life before and after the epidemic and how greatly it has impacted her. Though it was a bit obvious that Sloane was eventually going to be taken to The Program, Young did an amazing job of adding in characters like Michael Realm and Kevin that made her time in The Program and when she first got out so much more interesting. Also, the addition of Miller and Lacey helped give the book more detail as the reader was able to see how much The Program can change people and how some were willing to die for love and their memories rather than go into The Program and forget their memories. Overall, I would highly rate the book, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good read.

DELIRIUM by Lauren Oliver

by TPS reader hunth19

Delirium, by Lauren Oliver, was different than any book I’ve ever read.  The plot was unique, exciting, and fast paced.  In Delirium, the main character, named Lena, lives in a world where love is considered a disease.  Girls and boys were always separated, and even speaking about “love” would gain the suspicion of people.  At age eighteen, every person has to have “the cure” to free them of this disease.  Directly before, they have an examination that will determine who they can marry.  For a while, Lena believes them and holds on to the hope that her life will be better after the cure.  However, everything changes when she accidentally meets a boy named Alex.  Because of the fact that love was considered a disease, Lena had never really talked to a guy.  After meeting Alex, she had an epiphany and realized that everything the government had told them was twisted.  Love was not a disease, it was a blessing.  The story goes on as Lena, her best friend Hana, and Alex try to evade the regulators, who were strict enforcers of the law.  Eventually, Hana learns the truth about Alex and it almost destroys their relationship.  However, after many events, they plotted to make a very dangerous escape to the “wilds”, which is the outcasts of society where love is not banned and the people can live freely.  The ending was unexpected and exciting, leading you to read the next book called Pandemonium.  I can’t wait to read it!  

PANDEMONIUM by Lauren Oliver

by TPS Reader mcanallya23

Pandemonium is the second book in the Delirium series by Lauren Oliver. The main character, Lena, completely changes since the first book. At the beginning of Delirium, she is a shy girl who has never doubted that love is a disease and must be eradicated. In the Wilds, she becomes stronger both physically and mentally. At the beginning of Pandemonium, Lena finds herself in a community in the Wilds after escaping from Portland. She meets new characters such as Raven, the fierce leader of their community. Raven is extremely strong and determined, but she is also compassionate and loving, as we see when Blue dies. She leads her people without having her emotions affect her. I also enjoyed seeing Raven killing Thomas Fineman and saving Julian and Lena. We were able to see her unmerciful and ruthless side for people that deserve it.

Julian is another new character in Pandemonium. He is the son of Thomas Fineman, the president of the DFA. On the surface, Julian seems to have a perfect life, but he has had his struggles. Thomas Fineman played a part in his brother’s death, and Julian is haunted by this. Julian is an affectionate character, and Lena and he eventually become romantic. In my opinion their relationship felt forced though, and it seemed like Julian was only there to replace Alex. I love that Lena sees her mother, and I hope we get to see Lena and her mother get to know each other well in Requiem, the third book in the Delirium series. At the end of Pandemonium, we find out that Alex is alive, and Lena and him meet again. I was definitely not expecting to see Alex again, but I am also very glad. I can’t wait to see more of the older characters like Alex, Hannah, and hopefully Grace in Requiem.

THE NIGHT WE SAID YES by Lauren Gibaldi

TPS Reader gordone19

The Night We Said Yes, by Lauren Gibaldi, is a heartwarming book about two exes who go through many hardships in order to figure out their true feelings for each other. One reason why I enjoyed this book so much was that it was told in a dual perspective, so it was hard to put down the book. One story line told the adventure of a group of unlikely friends who decided to say yes to everything. The other side of the story discussed the life of Ella and her friends a couple months after the eventful night. On the night that they said yes, Matt and Ella met for the first time. They instantly became great friends, which evolved into something more. They eventually started having a relationship, but one day Matt mysteriously disappears. The side of the story in the present tense is describing the hardships and issues that Ella has to go through when Matt secretly returns. I also had the amazing opportunity to meet the author, Lauren Gibaldi, at my school before I had even read the novel. She was very kindhearted and entertaining, which definitely translated into her book. Once I finally was able to start the book I was a little apprehensive. Being a fan of fantasy and fictional stories, I did not know if I would enjoy the book. I was pleasantly surprised, when I started reading, that her characters were comical and had uniqueness to them that most realistic fictions writers cannot achieve. The main two characters, Matt and Ella, had a very realistic and interesting relationship that grew throughout the story. Unlike most realistic fiction, they had unique and amusing adventures that never let me put the book down. The only thing that I disliked about this book was that near the end of the novel, it started to get slow and have some unnecessary scenes that made the ending less interesting and climatic. I thought it was refreshing to have read the first entertaining, heartwarming, and clever realistic fiction novel in a long time. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone who likes realistic fiction and an adorable story about the love and the unexpected.   
I would give this book a 4 out of 5 stars rating.