B+ Reviews/ Recommended Reads
angels, demons, Little Brown, Middle East, Paranormal, Prague, reincarnation, war, Young-Adult
Dear Ms. Taylor, Your previous novel, Daughter of Smoke and Bone, was my favorite read of 2011. In it, readers met Karou, a blue-haired art student from Prague who also happened to be the human adopted daughter of monsters. The… more
C- Reviews
poetry, Young-Adult
Dear Colleen Hoover: Even though I was not overly enamored of the first book in this series, Slammed, when I finished it I started Point of Retreat right away. I was interested enough in the lives of the characters at… more
B- Reviews
death, poetry, Young-Adult
Dear Ms. Hoover, I’ve been trying to keep a lookout for new YA books to try, so when NetGalley touted this book and its sequel in an email, I requested the titles. Unfortunately, I don’t think these books are… more
C Reviews
Basketball, Bold Stroke Books, f/f, lgbt, Young-Adult
“Abbey Brooks, Gila High freshman-to-be, never thought a hellish day of shopping at the mall with her best friend, Kate, could change her life. But when she orders French fries from the flirtatious Hot Dog on a Stick Chick, she… more
B- Reviews
death, Random-House, Science Fiction, Time-Travel, Young-Adult
Jia’s preface: The majority of this review is spoiler-free but I would be remiss if I didn’t discuss the end of this novel because I know it’ll be a dealbreaker for many readers. I’ll put that discussion under a spoiler… more
A- Reviews/ B Reviews/ B+ Reviews/ C Reviews/ C+ Reviews/ C- Reviews/ D Reviews
Anthology, Cindy Pon, Malinda Lo, Science Fiction, Young-Adult
Dear authors, When I first heard the premise of this anthology, I was thrilled. Science fiction and dystopia stories about multicultural characters and worlds written by diverse authors? Sign me up! I say science fiction and dystopia because I’m not… more
Letters of Opinion
genre critique, Young-Adult
Recently Publishers Weekly ran an article about a Bowker Market Research study, citing statistics that the majority of YA buyers (55%) are adults, and that most of the time, those buyers are purchasing the books for themselves. According to the… more
D Reviews
Asian heroine, Fantasy, Japan, St.-Martins-Press, Young-Adult
Dear readers, Please tell me I’m not the only person who’s fallen victim to this. You hear a premise for a forthcoming book. It sounds so great that the potential awesome overwhelms everything else. You overlook some crucial details like,… more
C Reviews
ghosts, Harper-Teen, murder-investigation, New York City, Young-Adult
Dear Ms. Cox, The title of your novel caught my eye right away. It’s catchy and I admit the idea of an afterlife detective agency was interesting. The reality, however, was a bit more cute than I think I was… more
B- Reviews
dystopian, Harper-Teen, Young-Adult
Dear Ms. Zhang, When I first saw the premise for your debut YA novel, I was intrigued. Everyone is born with two souls but one gains dominance until finally, the other vanishes in childhood? Interesting yet twisted – my kind… more
C+ Reviews
steampunk, World War I, Young-Adult
Dear Mr. Westerfeld, Your steampunk YA, Leviathan, was recommended to me on Twitter by one of The Book Pushers. I believe it was Lou. Lou loved the book so much that I decided to put it on the list of… more
Interviews
Contemporary, dogs, Harlequin Love Inspired, Harlequin Teen, Interviews, William Morrow, Womens-Fiction, Young-Adult
Three diverse books sharing one common thread: that’s the idea behind the DA³ Interview. All of today’s books include characters who are, or have been, part of the foster care system. First, meet the books: Picture This is Jacqueline Sheehan’s… more
Publishing News
ereader device, paid reviews, Young-Adult
Gartner predicts raft of fake online reviews by 2014 — Tech News and Analysis – One research company suggests that the negative reviews on social media sites will drive companies to hire reputation defenders to put pressure on reviews to… more
C+ Reviews
California, Delacorte Press, murder, Paranormal, psychic powers, Young-Adult
Dear Ms. Littlefield, Your name’s been on my radar for a while now. Alas, I’m teetering on burnout when it comes to post-apocalyptic novels so I’ve consistently given your Harlequin Luna series a pass. This is no fault of your… more
B+ Reviews/ Recommended Reads
black comedy, Paranormal, SourceBooks, Young-Adult
“When your best friend is just a tiny bit psychotic, you should never actually believe him when he says “Trust me, this is gonna be awesome.” Of course, you probably wouldn’t believe a voodoo doll could work either. Or that… more