Darby's bookshelf: ya en-US Fri, 18 Oct 2024 02:07:12 -0700 60 Darby's bookshelf: ya 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg The Giver: Graphic Novel 40796210 185 P. Craig Russell 0544157885 Darby 4 4.25 2019 The Giver: Graphic Novel
author: P. Craig Russell
name: Darby
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/18
date added: 2024/10/18
shelves: 2024, childrens, graphic-novel, kindle, library, scifi-fantasy, ya
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Heartstopper: Volume One (Heartstopper, #1)]]> 40495957
Charlie Spring is in Year 10 at Truham Grammar School for Boys. The past year hasn't been too great, but at least he's not being bullied anymore. Nick Nelson is in Year 11 and on the school rugby team. He's heard a little about Charlie - the kid who was outed last year and bullied for a few months - but he's never had the opportunity to talk to him.

They quickly become friends, and soon Charlie is falling hard for Nick, even though he doesn't think he has a chance. But love works in surprising ways, and sometimes good things are waiting just around the corner...]]> 288 Alice Oseman 152722533X Darby 4 4.43 2018 Heartstopper: Volume One (Heartstopper, #1)
author: Alice Oseman
name: Darby
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2024/02/26
date added: 2024/10/03
shelves: 2024, drama-romance, graphic-novel, lgbtq, library, movie-tv, series, ya, neurodivergent
review:

]]> Divergent (Divergent, #1) 13335037
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.]]> 487 Veronica Roth 0062024035 Darby 4 4.13 2011 Divergent (Divergent, #1)
author: Veronica Roth
name: Darby
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2014/04/29
date added: 2024/10/03
shelves: ya, suspense-thriller, scifi-fantasy, 2014, series, movie-tv, neurodivergent
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, #2)]]> 6148028 Sparks are igniting.
Flames are spreading.
And the Capitol wants revenge.

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and her longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol—a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest that she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

In Catching Fire, the second novel of the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, testing her more than ever before . . . and surprising readers at every turn.]]> 391 Suzanne Collins 0439023491 Darby 5 4.34 2009 Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, #2)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Darby
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2009
rating: 5
read at: 2012/09/29
date added: 2024/10/03
shelves: 2012, ya, scifi-fantasy, favorites, own, movie-tv, neurodivergent
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3)]]> 7260188 My name is Katniss Everdeen.
Why am I not dead?
I should be dead.

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans—except Katniss.

The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay—no matter what the personal cost.]]> 390 Suzanne Collins 0439023513 Darby 5 4.10 2010 Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Darby
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at: 2012/10/19
date added: 2024/10/03
shelves: 2012, ya, scifi-fantasy, favorites, own, movie-tv, neurodivergent
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)]]> 2767052
Winning means fame and fortune. Losing means certain death. The Hunger Games have begun. . . .

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.]]> 374 Suzanne Collins Darby 5 4.34 2008 The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Darby
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2008
rating: 5
read at: 2012/08/18
date added: 2024/10/03
shelves: 2012, ya, scifi-fantasy, own, 2013, neurodivergent
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The House in the Cerulean Sea (Cerulean Chronicles, #1)]]> 45047384
Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages.

When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he's given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they’re likely to bring about the end of days.

But the children aren’t the only secret the island keeps. Their caretaker is the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his wards safe. As Arthur and Linus grow closer, long-held secrets are exposed, and Linus must make a choice: destroy a home or watch the world burn.

An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours.]]> 394 T.J. Klune Darby 5 4.37 2020 The House in the Cerulean Sea (Cerulean Chronicles, #1)
author: T.J. Klune
name: Darby
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/12
date added: 2024/10/03
shelves: 2020, drama-romance, favorites, kindle, library, read-again, wishlist, ya, favorite-authors, scifi-fantasy, 2023, audiobook, comfort-rereads, lgbtq, paranormal-magic, 2024, adventure, series, neurodivergent
review:
This book had me right away. I am giving it a standing ovation. Tears, laughter, heart full of joy.
]]> Dear Mothman 61783806 Poet and author Robin Gow’s moving middle-grade novel in verse Dear Mothman is about a young trans boy dealing with the loss of his friend by writing to his favorite cryptid.

Halfway through sixth grade, Noah’s best friend and the only other trans boy in his school, Lewis, passed away in a car accident. Adventurous and curious, Lewis was always bringing a new paranormal story to share with Noah. Together they daydreamed about cryptids and shared discovering their genders and names.

After Lewis’s death, lonely and yearning for someone who could understand him like Lewis once did, Noah starts writing letters to Mothman, wondering if he would understand how Noah feels and also looking for evidence of Mothman’s existence in the vast woods surrounding his small Poconos town. Noah becomes determined to make his science fair project about Mothman, despite his teachers and parents urging him to make a project about something “real.�

Meanwhile, as Noah tries to find Mothman, he also starts to make friends with a group of girls in his grade, Hanna, Molly, and Alice, with whom he’d been friendly, but never close to. Now, they welcome him, and he starts to open up to each of them, especially Hanna, whom Noah has a crush on. But as strange things start to happen and Noah becomes sure of Mothman’s existence, his parents and teachers don’t believe him. Noah decides it’s up to him to risk everything, trek into the woods, and find Mothman himself.]]> 313 Robin Gow 1419764403 Darby 5 4.23 2023 Dear Mothman
author: Robin Gow
name: Darby
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/03/16
date added: 2024/10/03
shelves: 2024, adventure, audiobook, childrens, favorites, lgbtq, library, scifi-fantasy, ya, neurodivergent
review:

]]> The Extraordinaries 52380340 Some people are extraordinary. Some are just extra. TJ Klune's YA debut, The Extraordinaries, is a queer coming-of-age story about a fanboy with ADHD and the heroes he loves.

Nick Bell? Not extraordinary. But being the most popular fanfiction writer in the Extraordinaries fandom is a superpower, right?

After a chance encounter with Shadow Star, Nova City’s mightiest hero (and Nick’s biggest crush), Nick sets out to make himself extraordinary. And he’ll do it with or without the reluctant help of Seth Gray, Nick's best friend (and maybe the love of his life).

Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl meets Marissa Meyer's Renegades in TJ Klune's YA debut.]]> 405 T.J. Klune 1250203651 Darby 5 4.04 2020 The Extraordinaries
author: T.J. Klune
name: Darby
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2023/07/24
date added: 2024/10/03
shelves: 2023, adventure, contemporary, drama-romance, favorite-authors, favorites, lgbtq, library, scifi-fantasy, series, ya, audiobook, neurodivergent
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Perks of Being a Wallflower]]> 22628 offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see
what it looks like from the dance floor.

This haunting novel about the dilemma of passivity vs. passion marks the stunning debut of a provocative new voice in contemporary fiction: The Perks of Being A WALLFLOWER

This is the story of what it's like to grow up in high school. More intimate than a diary, Charlie's letters are singular and unique, hilarious and devastating. We may not know where he lives. We may not know to whom he is writing. All we know is the world he shares. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it puts him on a strange course through uncharted territory. The world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends. The world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that the perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite.

Through Charlie, Stephen Chbosky has created a deeply affecting coming-of-age story, a powerful novel that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller coaster days known as growing up.

(back cover)]]> 213 Stephen Chbosky Darby 4 4.24 1999 The Perks of Being a Wallflower
author: Stephen Chbosky
name: Darby
average rating: 4.24
book published: 1999
rating: 4
read at: 2013/03/18
date added: 2024/10/03
shelves: 2013, ya, contemporary, movie-tv, neurodivergent
review:

]]> Neon Gods (Dark Olympus, #1) 54659771 He was supposed to be a myth.
But from the moment I crossed the River Styx and fell under his dark spell... he was, quite simply, mine.

Society darling Persephone Dimitriou plans to flee the ultra-modern city of Olympus and start over far from the backstabbing politics of the Thirteen Houses. But all that’s ripped away when her mother ambushes her with an engagement to Zeus, the dangerous power behind their glittering city’s dark facade.

With no options left, Persephone flees to the forbidden undercity and makes a devil’s bargain with a man she once believed a myth... a man who awakens her to a world she never knew existed.

Hades has spent his life in the shadows, and he has no intention of stepping into the light. But when he finds that Persephone can offer a little slice of the revenge he’s spent years craving, it’s all the excuse he needs to help her—for a price. Yet every breathless night spent tangled together has given Hades a taste for Persephone, and he’ll go to war with Olympus itself to keep her close�

A modern retelling of Hades and Persephone that’s as sinful as it is sweet.]]> 380 Katee Robert 1728231736 Darby 4 3.68 2021 Neon Gods (Dark Olympus, #1)
author: Katee Robert
name: Darby
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/14
date added: 2024/09/17
shelves: 2022, drama-romance, kindle, library, scifi-fantasy, series, ya
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Better Than the Movies (Better Than the Movies, #1)]]> 55710822 In this rom-com about rom-coms, in the spirit of Kasie West and Jenn Bennett, a hopeless romantic teen attempts to secure a happily-ever-after moment with her forever crush, but finds herself reluctantly drawn to the boy next door.

Perpetual daydreamer Liz Buxbaum gave her heart to Michael a long time ago. But her cool, aloof forever crush never really saw her before he moved away. Now that he’s back in town, Liz will do whatever it takes to get on his radar - and maybe snag him as a prom date - even befriend Wes Bennet.

The annoyingly attractive next-door neighbor might seem like a prime candidate for romantic-comedy fantasies, but Wes has only been a pain in Liz’s butt since they were kids. Pranks involving frogs and decapitated lawn gnomes do not a potential boyfriend make. Yet, somehow, Wes and Michael are hitting it off, which means Wes is Liz’s in.

But as Liz and Wes scheme to get Liz noticed by Michael so she can have her magical prom moment, she’s shocked to discover that she likes being around Wes. And as they continue to grow closer, she must reexamine everything she thought she knew about love - and rethink her own ideas of what happily ever after should look like.]]> 356 Lynn Painter 1534467629 Darby 5 4.28 2021 Better Than the Movies (Better Than the Movies, #1)
author: Lynn Painter
name: Darby
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/17
date added: 2024/08/17
shelves: 2024, audiobook, chick-lit, comfort-rereads, contemporary, drama-romance, library, series, ya
review:

]]> The Outsiders 231804 The Outsiders is about two weeks in the life of a 14-year-old boy. The novel tells the story of Ponyboy Curtis and his struggles with right and wrong in a society in which he believes that he is an outsider. According to Ponyboy, there are two kinds of people in the world: greasers and socs. A soc (short for "social") has money, can get away with just about anything, and has an attitude longer than a limousine. A greaser, on the other hand, always lives on the outside and needs to watch his back. Ponyboy is a greaser, and he's always been proud of it, even willing to rumble against a gang of socs for the sake of his fellow greasers--until one terrible night when his friend Johnny kills a soc. The murder gets under Ponyboy's skin, causing his bifurcated world to crumble and teaching him that pain feels the same whether a soc or a greaser.

Librarian note: This record is for one of the three editions published with different covers and with ISBN 0-140-38572-X / 978-0-14-038572-4. The records are for the 1988 cover (this record), the 1995 cover, and the 2008 cover which is also the current in-print cover.]]> 208 S.E. Hinton 0670532576 Darby 5 4.13 1967 The Outsiders
author: S.E. Hinton
name: Darby
average rating: 4.13
book published: 1967
rating: 5
read at: 2024/05/02
date added: 2024/05/08
shelves: ya, 2024, audiobook, classics, library
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Death and the Girl Next Door (Darklight, #1)]]> 12986492 Sophomore Year Was Never Supposed to be This Complicated

Ten years ago, Lorelei McAlister's parents disappeared without a trace, and she is finally beginning to accept the fact that they're never coming back. Life must go on. She's got her grandparents and the support of her best friends, and high school is not quite as painful as she thought it would be.

But This is What Happens When You Fall for the Angel of Death.

Until the day the school's designated loner, Cameron Lusk, begins to stalk her, turning up where she least expects it, standing outside her house in the dark, tough, sexy Jared Kovach - comes to school. Cameron and Jared instantly despise each other, and Lorelei seems to be the reason for their animosity.

Life as She Knows it is About to Change Forever.

What does Jared know about her parents? Why does Cameron tell Jared he can't have Lorelei? And what will any of them do when Death comes knocking for real? Thrilling, sassy, sexy, and inventive, Death and the Girl Next Door proves Darynda Jones is a force to be reckoned with.

]]> 274 Darynda Jones 0312625200 Darby 3 3.61 2012 Death and the Girl Next Door (Darklight, #1)
author: Darynda Jones
name: Darby
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2024/04/21
date added: 2024/04/21
shelves: 2024, audiobook, library, paranormal-magic, scifi-fantasy, series, ya
review:

]]> The Pit and the Pendulum 2340033 Edgar Allan Poe Darby 4 classics, ya 4.02 1842 The Pit and the Pendulum
author: Edgar Allan Poe
name: Darby
average rating: 4.02
book published: 1842
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/04/10
shelves: classics, ya
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Ruthless Vows (Letters of Enchantment, #2)]]> 127280062 Torn apart by war. Reunited by love?

Two weeks have passed since Iris returned home bruised and heartbroken from the front, but the war is far from over.

Roman is missing, lost behind enemy lines, with no memory of his past, or Iris. Hoping his memories return, he begins to write again � but this time for the enemy.

When a strange letter arrives through his wardrobe door, he strikes up a correspondence with a penpal who seems at once mysterious� and strangely familiar.

As their connection deepens, the two of them will risk their very hearts and futures to change the tides of the war.]]> 420 Rebecca Ross 1250857457 Darby 4 3.99 2023 Ruthless Vows (Letters of Enchantment, #2)
author: Rebecca Ross
name: Darby
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/31
date added: 2024/04/01
shelves: 2024, audiobook, drama-romance, historical-fiction, library, paranormal-magic, scifi-fantasy, series, ya
review:

]]> Speak 39280444
"Speak up for yourself—we want to know what you have to say."

From the first moment of her freshman year at Merryweather High, Melinda knows this is a big fat lie, part of the nonsense of high school. She is friendless, outcast, because she busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops, so now nobody will talk to her, let alone listen to her. As time passes, she becomes increasingly isolated and practically stops talking altogether. Only her art class offers any solace, and it is through her work on an art project that she is finally able to face what really happened at that terrible party: she was raped by an upperclassman, a guy who still attends Merryweather and is still a threat to her. Her healing process has just begun when she has another violent encounter with him. But this time Melinda fights back, refuses to be silent, and thereby achieves a measure of vindication.

In Laurie Halse Anderson's powerful novel, an utterly believable heroine with a bitterly ironic voice delivers a blow to the hypocritical world of high school. She speaks for many a disenfranchised teenager while demonstrating the importance of speaking up for oneself.

Speak was a 1999 National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature.]]> 224 Laurie Halse Anderson 0374311250 Darby 4 4.13 1999 Speak
author: Laurie Halse Anderson
name: Darby
average rating: 4.13
book published: 1999
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/22
date added: 2024/03/22
shelves: 2024, audiobook, classics, drama-romance, library, ya, contemporary
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Tempest of Tea (Blood and Tea, #1)]]> 59406549 Why save the world when you can have tea?

On the streets of White Roaring, Arthie Casimir is a criminal mastermind and collector of secrets. Her prestigious tearoom transforms into an illegal bloodhouse by dark, catering to the vampires feared by society. But when her establishment is threatened, Arthie is forced to strike an unlikely deal with an alluring adversary to save it—and she can’t do the job alone.

Calling on some of the city's most skilled outcasts, Arthie hatches a plan to infiltrate the sinister, glittering vampire society known as the Athereum. But not everyone in her ragtag crew is on her side, and as the truth behind the heist unfolds, Arthie finds herself in the midst of a conspiracy that will threaten the world as she knows it.

From the New York Times—bestselling author of We Hunt the Flame comes the first book in a hotly anticipated fantasy duology teeming with romance and revenge, led by an orphan girl willing to do whatever it takes to save her self-made kingdom. Dark, action-packed, and swoonworthy, this is Hafsah Faizal better than ever.]]> 338 Hafsah Faizal 0374389403 Darby 3 3.49 2024 A Tempest of Tea (Blood and Tea, #1)
author: Hafsah Faizal
name: Darby
average rating: 3.49
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/03/06
date added: 2024/03/06
shelves: 2024, adventure, audiobook, drama-romance, historical-fiction, library, paranormal-magic, scifi-fantasy, series, ya
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Face of a Traitor (Twisted Christmas #2)]]> 37796947 ONE BOY. TWO WORLDS. AN ANCIENT EVIL THAT WANTS THEM BOTH.It’s been a year since thirteen-year-old Toby Thornton found his long-lost family. But already cracks are appearing in his dream life. Forbidden from seeing his magical friends at The Winter Freak Show, he begins to realise how much he misses adventure. So when he gets word that the elves are in danger, that’s all the excuse he needs to run away from home.It isn’t long before he discovers that things are worse than he imagined. Nicko has been kidnapped. And without the ringmaster’s guidance, his elves have descended into chaos. A band of shapeshifting enemies lurk among their ranks. Monsters are on the loose. And the secretive mastermind behind it all is trying to resurrect the most frightening evil the elves have ever faced. Only Toby stands in their way.If he fails, forget Christmas. This time, the human race will fall.Face of a Traitor is the second book in Daniel Parsons’s spellbinding Twisted Christmas Trilogy. If you like vivid magic, fearsome creatures, and a race against time, you’ll love this thrilling fantasy adventure.Pick up Face of a Traitor to discover this exciting series today!]]> 330 Daniel Parsons Darby 4 4.09 Face of a Traitor (Twisted Christmas #2)
author: Daniel Parsons
name: Darby
average rating: 4.09
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/24
date added: 2023/12/24
shelves: 2023, audiobook, childrens, chirpbooks, holiday, own, scifi-fantasy, series, ya
review:

]]> Red Queen (Red Queen, #1) 22328546 This is a world divided by blood—red or silver.

The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change.

That is until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.

Fearful of Mare's potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.

But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance—Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart.]]> 388 Victoria Aveyard 0062310631 Darby 4 3.98 2015 Red Queen (Red Queen, #1)
author: Victoria Aveyard
name: Darby
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/20
date added: 2023/11/15
shelves: 2023, drama-romance, library, scifi-fantasy, series, ya, audiobook, paranormal-magic
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1)]]> 50659467
At least, he’s not a beast all the time.

As she adapts to her new home, her feelings for the faerie, Tamlin, transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie she’s been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But something is not right in the faerie lands. An ancient, wicked shadow is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it, or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

From bestselling author Sarah J. Maas comes a seductive, breathtaking book that blends romance, adventure, and faerie lore into an unforgettable read.]]> 419 Sarah J. Maas 1635575567 Darby 4 4.16 2015 A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: Darby
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2023/09/02
date added: 2023/11/15
shelves: 2023, adventure, drama-romance, library, scifi-fantasy, series, ya, audiobook, paranormal-magic
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Down Among the Sticks and Bones (Wayward Children, #2)]]> 35607056
This is the story of what happened first�

Jacqueline was her mother’s perfect daughter—polite and quiet, always dressed as a princess. If her mother was sometimes a little strict, it’s because crafting the perfect daughter takes discipline.

Jillian was her father’s perfect daughter—adventurous, thrill-seeking, and a bit of a tom-boy. He really would have preferred a son, but you work with what you've got.

They were five when they learned that grown-ups can’t be trusted.

They were twelve when they walked down the impossible staircase and discovered that the pretense of love can never be enough to prepare you a life filled with magic in a land filled with mad scientists and death and choices.]]> 0 Seanan McGuire 1427287015 Darby 4 4.00 2017 Down Among the Sticks and Bones (Wayward Children, #2)
author: Seanan McGuire
name: Darby
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2023/07/28
date added: 2023/11/15
shelves: 2023, adventure, childrens, drama-romance, favorites, lgbtq, library, scifi-fantasy, series, ya, audiobook, paranormal-magic
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Legendborn (The Legendborn Cycle, #1)]]> 50892338
A flying demon feeding on human energies.

A secret society of so called “Legendborn� students that hunt the creatures down.

And a mysterious teenage mage who calls himself a “Merlin� and who attempts—and fails—to wipe Bree’s memory of everything she saw.

The mage’s failure unlocks Bree’s own unique magic and a buried memory with a hidden connection: the night her mother died, another Merlin was at the hospital. Now that Bree knows there’s more to her mother’s death than what’s on the police report, she’ll do whatever it takes to find out the truth, even if that means infiltrating the Legendborn as one of their initiates.

She recruits Nick, a self-exiled Legendborn with his own grudge against the group, and their reluctant partnership pulls them deeper into the society’s secrets—and closer to each other. But when the Legendborn reveal themselves as the descendants of King Arthur’s knights and explain that a magical war is coming, Bree has to decide how far she’ll go for the truth and whether she should use her magic to take the society down—or join the fight.]]> 502 Tracy Deonn 1534441603 Darby 4 4.32 2020 Legendborn (The Legendborn Cycle, #1)
author: Tracy Deonn
name: Darby
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2023/08/31
date added: 2023/11/15
shelves: 2023, adventure, drama-romance, library, scifi-fantasy, series, ya, audiobook, paranormal-magic
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Wizards of Once (The Wizards of Once, #1)]]> 34455798
Perfect for boys and girls who love fantasy adventure ...

Once there was Magic, and the Magic lived in the dark forests.

Wizard boy, Xar, should have come in to his magic by now, but he hasn't, so he wants to find a witch and steal its magic for himself. But if he's got any chance of finding one, he will have to travel into the forbidden Badwoods.

Xar doesn't realise he is about to capture an entirely different kind of enemy. A Warrior girl called Wish.

And inside this book, at this very moment, two worlds collide and the fate of the land is changed forever.

Xar and Wish must visit the dungeons at Warrior fort, and face the evil Queen.

But something that has been sleeping for hundreds of years is stirring ...]]> 393 Cressida Cowell 1444936700 Darby 4 3.91 2017 The Wizards of Once (The Wizards of Once, #1)
author: Cressida Cowell
name: Darby
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2023/09/04
date added: 2023/11/15
shelves: 2023, adventure, childrens, library, scifi-fantasy, series, ya, audiobook, paranormal-magic
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Bloodmarked (The Legendborn Cycle, #2)]]> 59365195
All Bree wanted was to uncover the truth behind her mother’s death. So she infiltrated the Legendborn Order, a secret society descended from King Arthur’s knights—only to discover her own ancestral power. Now, Bree has become someone new: A Medium. A Bloodcrafter. A Scion. But the ancient war between demons and the Order is rising to a deadly peak. And Nick, the Legendborn boy Bree fell in love with, has been kidnapped.

Bree wants to fight, but the Regents who rule the Order won’t let her. To them, she is an unknown girl with unheard-of power, and as the living anchor for the spell that preserves the Legendborn cycle, she must be protected. When the Regents reveal they will do whatever it takes to hide the war, Bree and her friends must go on the run to rescue Nick themselves. But enemies are everywhere, Bree’s powers are unpredictable and dangerous, and she can’t escape her growing attraction to Selwyn, the mage sworn to protect Nick until death.

If Bree has any hope of saving herself and the people she loves, she must learn to control her powers from the ancestors who wielded them first—without losing herself in the process.]]> 576 Tracy Deonn 1534441638 Darby 4 4.31 2022 Bloodmarked (The Legendborn Cycle, #2)
author: Tracy Deonn
name: Darby
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/09/14
date added: 2023/11/15
shelves: 2023, adventure, drama-romance, library, scifi-fantasy, series, ya, audiobook, paranormal-magic
review:

]]> Court (Crave, #4) 55527921
Now war is coming, and we’re not ready. We’re going to need an army to have any hope of winning. But first, there are questions about my ancestors that need answers. Answers that might just reveal who the real monster is among us.

And that’s saying something in a world filled with bloodthirsty vampires, immortal gargoyles, and an ancient battle between two gods.

There’s no guarantee that anyone will be left standing when the dust settles, but if we want to save this world, I have no choice. I’ll have to embrace every part of me...even the parts I fear the most.]]> 720 Tracy Wolff Darby 4 4.06 2022 Court (Crave, #4)
author: Tracy Wolff
name: Darby
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/11/03
date added: 2023/11/14
shelves: 2023, audiobook, drama-romance, lgbtq, library, scifi-fantasy, series, ya, paranormal-magic
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Witch Squad (Witch Squad Mystery #1)]]> 32000191
Upon arrival, Mercy is faced with cheerful smiles, friendly people, and a sticky sweet roommate who has turned their dorm room into an advertisement for the Pottery Barn. Mercy had hoped her fellow witches would be more like her, dark, dreary, and a little bit self-destructive.

When the murder of a local teenager takes place on the first day of class, Sorceress Stone, headmistress of the college for wayward witches, takes the class on a consulting job to help the Aspen Falls Police Department solve the murder. Mercy and her mismatched classmates find themselves in the heart of the murder investigation and when the body of the murder victim suddenly goes missing and her roommate turns up abducted, Mercy must put aside her feelings of resentment about her gift and put her paranormal abilities to good use.

Throw in a smokin� hot cowboy wizard, a black cat that seems to be stalking her, and a Black Witch and you’ve got the first book in the new Witch Squad Cozy Mystery Series where the twists and turns just don’t stop!]]> 262 M.Z. Andrews 1537847384 Darby 4 4.09 2016 The Witch Squad (Witch Squad Mystery #1)
author: M.Z. Andrews
name: Darby
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2023/10/30
date added: 2023/11/14
shelves: 2023, crime-mystery, drama-romance, scifi-fantasy, series, suspense-thriller, ya, audiobook, paranormal-magic
review:

]]> London (Shadowseer, #1) 56617943
When Kaia, arrested, faces an even worse punishment, Detective Pinsley, 45, notices a strange marking on her arm and thinks she might be the key in solving a peculiar, mysterious case. Bodies are turning up dead in London, and Pinsley wonders whether it’s the work of a deranged serial killer, or of something� else. The methods of murder seem impossible, as does the murderer’s ability to escape death.

Kaia is given a choice: help solve the case, or be shipped off to Bedlam, the notorious insane asylum.

Unlikely partners, each mistrusting the other, Kaia and Pinsley embark to scour the dark corners and cobblestone streets of 19th century London in search of clues.

Yet what they find may shock and horrify even them.]]> 187 Morgan Rice Darby 3 3.86 2021 London (Shadowseer, #1)
author: Morgan Rice
name: Darby
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2023/04/18
date added: 2023/11/02
shelves: 2023, crime-mystery, own, paranormal-magic, scifi-fantasy, series, suspense-thriller, ya, audiobook, chirpbooks
review:

]]> King's Cage (Red Queen, #3) 30226723
Mare Barrow is a prisoner, powerless without her lightning, tormented by her lethal mistakes. She lives at the mercy of a boy she once loved, a boy made of lies and betrayal. Now a king, Maven Calore continues weaving his dead mother's web in an attempt to maintain control over his country—and his prisoner.

As Mare bears the weight of Silent Stone in the palace, her once-ragtag band of newbloods and Reds continue organizing, training, and expanding. They prepare for war, no longer able to linger in the shadows. And Cal, the exiled prince with his own claim on Mare's heart, will stop at nothing to bring her back.

When blood turns on blood, and ability on ability, there may be no one left to put out the fire—leaving Norta as Mare knows it to burn all the way down.]]> 520 Victoria Aveyard 0062310712 Darby 4 3.91 2017 King's Cage (Red Queen, #3)
author: Victoria Aveyard
name: Darby
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2023/07/02
date added: 2023/11/02
shelves: 2023, drama-romance, library, paranormal-magic, scifi-fantasy, series, ya, audiobook
review:

]]> War Storm (Red Queen, #4) 27188596 Victory comes at a price.

Mare Barrow learned this all too well when Cal’s betrayal nearly destroyed her. Now determined to protect her heart—and secure freedom for Reds and newbloods like her—Mare resolves to overthrow the kingdom of Norta once and for all� starting with the crown on Maven’s head.

But no battle is won alone, and before the Reds may rise as one, Mare must side with the boy who broke her heart in order to defeat the boy who almost broke her. Cal’s powerful Silver allies, alongside Mare and the Scarlet Guard, prove a formidable force. But Maven is driven by an obsession so deep, he will stop at nothing to have Mare as his own again, even if it means demolishing everything—and everyone—in his path.

War is coming, and all Mare has fought for hangs in the balance. Will victory be enough to topple the Silver kingdoms? Or will the little lightning girl be forever silenced?

In the epic conclusion to Victoria Aveyard’s stunning series, Mare must embrace her fate and summon all her power� for all will be tested, but not all will survive.]]> 662 Victoria Aveyard 0062422995 Darby 4 3.80 2018 War Storm (Red Queen, #4)
author: Victoria Aveyard
name: Darby
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2023/07/06
date added: 2023/11/02
shelves: 2023, drama-romance, lgbtq, library, paranormal-magic, scifi-fantasy, series, ya, audiobook
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles, #1)]]> 36381037
She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.]]> 400 Marissa Meyer Darby 4 4.11 2012 Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles, #1)
author: Marissa Meyer
name: Darby
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2023/08/12
date added: 2023/11/02
shelves: 2023, drama-romance, library, scifi-fantasy, series, ya, audiobook
review:

]]> Crush (Crave, #2) 52778479
Just when I start to feel safe again, Hudson is back with a vengeance. He insists there are secrets I don’t know about, threatening to drive a wedge between Jaxon and me forever. But far worse enemies are at our doorstep.

The Circle is caught in a power play and the Vampire Court is trying to drag me out of my world and into theirs. The only thing Hudson and Jaxon agree on is that leaving Katmere would mean my certain death.

And not only am I fighting for my life, but now everyone else’s is at stake—unless we can defeat an unspeakable evil. All I know is that saving the people I love is going to require sacrifice.

Maybe more than I’m able to give.

The Crave series is best enjoyed in order.
Reading Order:
Book #1 Crave
Book #2 Crush
Book #3 Covet
Book #4 Court]]> 704 Tracy Wolff Darby 4 4.18 2020 Crush (Crave, #2)
author: Tracy Wolff
name: Darby
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2023/08/29
date added: 2023/11/02
shelves: 2023, drama-romance, library, paranormal-magic, scifi-fantasy, series, ya, audiobook
review:

]]> Covet (Crave, #3) 53426743 not been intense?

And the hits just keep coming. Jaxon's turned colder than an Alaskan winter. The Circle is splintered over my upcoming coronation. As if things couldn’t get worse, now there’s an arrest warrant for Hudson’s and my supposed crimes—which apparently means a lifetime prison sentence with a deadly unbreakable curse.

Choices will have to be made...and I fear not everyone will survive.]]> 680 Tracy Wolff 1682815811 Darby 4 4.15 2021 Covet (Crave, #3)
author: Tracy Wolff
name: Darby
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2023/09/20
date added: 2023/11/02
shelves: 2023, drama-romance, library, paranormal-magic, scifi-fantasy, series, ya, audiobook
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Invisible Library (The Invisible Library, #1)]]> 21416690 Irene must be at the top of her game or she'll be off the case - permanently...

Irene is a professional spy for the mysterious Library, which harvests fiction from different realities. And along with her enigmatic assistant Kai, she's posted to an alternative London. Their mission - to retrieve a dangerous book. But when they arrive, it's already been stolen. London's underground factions seem prepared to fight to the very death to find her book.

Adding to the jeopardy, this world is chaos-infested - the laws of nature bent to allow supernatural creatures and unpredictable magic. Irene's new assistant is also hiding secrets of his own.

Soon, she's up to her eyebrows in a heady mix of danger, clues and secret societies. Yet failure is not an option - the nature of reality itself is at stake.]]> 329 Genevieve Cogman 1447256239 Darby 5 3.71 2014 The Invisible Library (The Invisible Library, #1)
author: Genevieve Cogman
name: Darby
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2023/09/08
date added: 2023/10/04
shelves: adventure, kindle, own, paranormal-magic, scifi-fantasy, series, ya, 2022, 2023, booksaboutbooks
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Story of My Life (Enriched Classics)]]> 51914
Left blind, deaf, and mute after an illness in infancy, Helen Keller overcame her disabilities with the help of Anne Sullivan, her inspired teacher. Her classic autobiography, first published in 1903, covers her first twenty-two years, including the memorable moment at a water pump when she first made the connection between the word “water� and the cold liquid flowing over her hand. She also discusses her friendships with Oliver Wendell Holmes and other notables, her education at Radcliffe, her joy at learning to speak, and above all, her extraordinary relationship with her teacher. This deeply moving memoir, full of love and compassion for others, offers an unforgettable portrait of one of the twentieth century’s most remarkable women.

Enriched Classics enhance your engagement by introducing and explaining the historical and cultural significance of the work, the author’s personal history, and what impact this book had on subsequent scholarship. Each book includes discussion questions that help clarify and reinforce major themes and reading recommendations for further research.

Read with confidence.]]> 304 Helen Keller 1416500324 Darby 4 3.85 1902 The Story of My Life (Enriched Classics)
author: Helen Keller
name: Darby
average rating: 3.85
book published: 1902
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2023/09/22
shelves: classics, memoir-truestories, ya
review:

]]> The Miracle Worker: A Play 22327 NO ONE COULD REACH HER Twelve-year-old Helen Keller lived in a prison of silence and darkness. Born deaf, blind, and mute, with no way to express herself or comprehend those around her, she flew into primal rages against anyone who tried to help her, fighting tooth and nail with a strength born of furious, unknowing desperation. Then Annie Sullivan came. Half-blind herself, but possessing an almost fanatical determination, she would begin a frightening and incredibly moving struggle to tame the wild girl no one could reach, and bring Helen into the world at last....]]> 120 William Gibson 0743457587 Darby 4 4.20 1959 The Miracle Worker: A Play
author: William Gibson
name: Darby
average rating: 4.20
book published: 1959
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2023/09/22
shelves: classics, drama-romance, memoir-truestories, ya
review:

]]> Where the Red Fern Grows 10365 Billy, Old Dan, and Little Ann—a boy and his two dogs...

A loving threesome, they ranged the dark hills and river bottoms of Cherokee County. Old Dan had the brawn, Little Ann had the brains—and Billy had the will to train them to be the finest hunting team in the valley. Glory and victory were coming to them, but sadness waited too. And close by was the strange and wonderful power that's only found...

Where the Red Fern Grows—An exciting tale of love and adventure you'll never forget.

(from the back cover)]]> 272 Wilson Rawls 0375806814 Darby 4 classics, ya 4.11 1961 Where the Red Fern Grows
author: Wilson Rawls
name: Darby
average rating: 4.11
book published: 1961
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2023/09/22
shelves: classics, ya
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Magicians (The Magicians, #1)]]> 6101718
Quentin Coldwater is brilliant but miserable. A senior in high school, he’s still secretly preoccupied with a series of fantasy novels he read as a child, set in a magical land called Fillory. Imagine his surprise when he finds himself unexpectedly admitted to a very secret, very exclusive college of magic in upstate New York, where he receives a thorough and rigorous education in the craft of modern sorcery.

He also discovers all the other things people learn in college: friendship, love, sex, booze, and boredom. Something is missing, though. Magic doesn’t bring Quentin the happiness and adventure he dreamed it would. After graduation he and his friends make a stunning discovery: Fillory is real. But the land of Quentin’s fantasies turns out to be much darker and more dangerous than he could have imagined. His childhood dream becomes a nightmare with a shocking truth at its heart.

At once psychologically piercing and magnificently absorbing, The Magicians boldly moves into uncharted literary territory, imagining magic as practiced by real people, with their capricious desires and volatile emotions. Lev Grossman creates an utterly original world in which good and evil aren’t black and white, love and sex aren’t simple or innocent, and power comes at a terrible price.]]> 402 Lev Grossman 0670020559 Darby 4 3.53 2009 The Magicians (The Magicians, #1)
author: Lev Grossman
name: Darby
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at: 2023/07/28
date added: 2023/07/28
shelves: 2023, adventure, contemporary, drama-romance, kindle, library, scifi-fantasy, series, ya
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Every Heart a Doorway (Wayward Children, #1)]]> 25526296 Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children
No Solicitations
No Visitors
No Quests

Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere... else.

But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children.

Nancy tumbled once, but now she’s back. The things she’s experienced... they change a person. The children under Miss West’s care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world.

But Nancy’s arrival marks a change at the Home. There’s a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it’s up to Nancy and her new-found schoolmates to get to the heart of the matter.

No matter the cost.]]> 176 Seanan McGuire 0765385503 Darby 5 3.81 2016 Every Heart a Doorway (Wayward Children, #1)
author: Seanan McGuire
name: Darby
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2023/07/22
date added: 2023/07/22
shelves: 2023, adventure, childrens, drama-romance, favorites, kindle, lgbtq, own, paranormal-magic, scifi-fantasy, series, ya
review:

]]> Carry On (Simon Snow, #1) 32768522
That's what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he's probably right.

Half the time, Simon can't even make his wand work, and the other half, he starts something on fire. His mentor's avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there's a magic-eating monster running around, wearing Simon's face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here � it's their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon's infuriating nemesis didn't even bother to show up.

Carry On - The Rise and Fall of Simon Snow is a ghost story, a love story and a mystery. It has just as much kissing and talking as you'd expect from a Rainbow Rowell story - but far, far more monsters.]]> 522 Rainbow Rowell 1250135028 Darby 5 4.17 2015 Carry On (Simon Snow, #1)
author: Rainbow Rowell
name: Darby
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2023/06/15
date added: 2023/06/15
shelves: 2019, contemporary, drama-romance, kindle, library, scifi-fantasy, series, paranormal-magic, ya, lgbtq, 2022, favorite-authors, favorites, 2023
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Howl’s Moving Castle (Howl’s Moving Castle, #1)]]> 6294 An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here

Sophie has the great misfortune of being the eldest of three daughters, destined to fail miserably should she ever leave home to seek her fate. But when she unwittingly attracts the ire of the Witch of the Waste, Sophie finds herself under a horrid spell that transforms her into an old lady. Her only chance at breaking it lies in the ever-moving castle in the hills: the Wizard Howl's castle. To untangle the enchantment, Sophie must handle the heartless Howl, strike a bargain with a fire demon, and meet the Witch of the Waste head-on. Along the way, she discovers that there's far more to Howl—and herself—than first meets the eye.]]> 329 Diana Wynne Jones 006441034X Darby 5 4.30 1986 Howl’s Moving Castle (Howl’s Moving Castle, #1)
author: Diana Wynne Jones
name: Darby
average rating: 4.30
book published: 1986
rating: 5
read at: 2023/03/21
date added: 2023/03/21
shelves: library, 2023, childrens, favorites, kindle, scifi-fantasy, ya
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Spindle Splintered (Fractured Fables, #1)]]> 56179356
Her best friend Charm is intent on making Zinnia's last birthday special with a full sleeping beauty experience, complete with a tower and a spinning wheel. But when Zinnia pricks her finger, something strange and unexpected happens, and she finds herself falling through worlds, with another sleeping beauty, just as desperate to escape her fate.]]> 119 Alix E. Harrow 1250765358 Darby 4 3.58 2021 A Spindle Splintered (Fractured Fables, #1)
author: Alix E. Harrow
name: Darby
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2022/07/28
date added: 2022/07/28
shelves: 2022, contemporary, drama-romance, kindle, lgbtq, library, scifi-fantasy, series, ya
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Any Way the Wind Blows (Simon Snow, #3)]]> 52190991 Carry On, Simon Snow and his friends realized that everything they thought they understood about the world might be wrong. And in Wayward Son, they wondered whether everything they understood about themselves might be wrong.

In Any Way the Wind Blows, Simon and Baz and Penelope and Agatha have to decide how to move forward.

For Simon, that means deciding whether he still wants to be part of the World of Mages -- and if he doesn't, what does that mean for his relationship with Baz? Meanwhile Baz is bouncing between two family crises and not finding any time to talk to anyone about his newfound vampire knowledge. Penelope would love to help, but she's smuggled an American Normal into London, and now she isn't sure what to do with him. And Agatha? Well, Agatha Wellbelove has had enough.

Any Way the Wind Blows takes the gang back to England, back to Watford, and back to their families for their longest and most emotionally wrenching adventure yet.

This book is a finale. It tells secrets and answers questions and lays ghosts to rest.

Carry On was conceived as a book about Chosen One stories; Any Way the Wind Blows is an ending about endings. About catharsis and closure, and how we choose to move on from the traumas and triumphs that try to define us.]]> 579 Rainbow Rowell 1250254337 Darby 4 4.11 2021 Any Way the Wind Blows (Simon Snow, #3)
author: Rainbow Rowell
name: Darby
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2022/07/20
date added: 2022/07/20
shelves: 2022, drama-romance, favorite-authors, kindle, lgbtq, library, paranormal-magic, scifi-fantasy, series, ya
review:

]]> Wayward Son (Simon Snow, #2) 44017627
Simon Snow did everything he was supposed to do. He beat the villain. He won the war. He even fell in love. Now comes the good part, right? Now comes the happily ever after�

So why can’t Simon Snow get off the couch?

What he needs, according to his best friend, is a change of scenery. He just needs to see himself in a new light�

That’s how Simon and Penny and Baz end up in a vintage convertible, tearing across the American West.

They find trouble, of course. (Dragons, vampires, skunk-headed things with shotguns.) And they get lost. They get so lost, they start to wonder whether they ever knew where they were headed in the first place�

With Wayward Son, Rainbow Rowell has written a book for everyone who ever wondered what happened to the Chosen One after he saved the day. And a book for everyone who was ever more curious about the second kiss than the first. It’s another helping of sour cherry scones with an absolutely decadent amount of butter.

Come on, Simon Snow. Your hero’s journey might be over � but your life has just begun.]]> 356 Rainbow Rowell 1250146070 Darby 4 3.89 2019 Wayward Son (Simon Snow, #2)
author: Rainbow Rowell
name: Darby
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2022/07/17
date added: 2022/07/17
shelves: 2020, contemporary, drama-romance, kindle, library, scifi-fantasy, series, paranormal-magic, ya, lgbtq, 2022
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Magic Kingdom for Sale/Sold (Magic Kingdom of Landover, #1)]]> 15547 324 Terry Brooks 1857232569 Darby 4 3.92 1986 Magic Kingdom for Sale/Sold (Magic Kingdom of Landover, #1)
author: Terry Brooks
name: Darby
average rating: 3.92
book published: 1986
rating: 4
read at: 2022/03/28
date added: 2022/03/28
shelves: 2022, adventure, childrens, kindle, library, scifi-fantasy, series, ya
review:

]]> Looking for Alaska 99561 Before. Miles “Pudge� Halter is done with his safe life at home. His whole life has been one big non-event, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave “the Great Perhaps� even more (Francois Rabelais, poet). He heads off to the sometimes crazy and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young. She is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart. Then. . . .
After. Nothing is ever the same.]]> 221 John Green 1435249151 Darby 3 3.97 2005 Looking for Alaska
author: John Green
name: Darby
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2005
rating: 3
read at: 2020/02/14
date added: 2022/02/03
shelves: 2020, contemporary, drama-romance, kindle, library, ya
review:

]]> Eleanor & Park 15745753 "So did Jerry Lee Lewis," Eleanor answers.
"I'm not kidding," he says.
"You should be," she says, "we're 16."
"What about Romeo and Juliet?"
"Shallow, confused, then dead."
"I love you," Park says.
"Wherefore art thou," Eleanor answers.
"I'm not kidding," he says.
"You should be."

Set over one school year in 1986, Eleanor & Park is the story of two star-crossed misfits—smart enough to know first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try.]]> 328 Rainbow Rowell 1250012570 Darby 5 3.92 2012 Eleanor & Park
author: Rainbow Rowell
name: Darby
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2019/09/23
date added: 2022/01/11
shelves: 2019, drama-romance, kindle, library, ya, favorite-authors
review:

]]> The Christmasaurus #1 56244063 360 Tom Fletcher Darby 5 4.48 2016 The Christmasaurus #1
author: Tom Fletcher
name: Darby
average rating: 4.48
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2020/12/31
date added: 2021/11/18
shelves: 2020, childrens, holiday, humor, kindle, library, scifi-fantasy, ya
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Revealed (House of Night, #11)]]> 16096873 The spellbinding eleventh and penultimate installment in the #1 New York Times bestselling vampyre series.

Drastically altered after her fall at the end of Hidden, Neferet is now more dangerous than ever—and her quest for vengeance will wreak havoc on humans, as well as Zoey and her friends. Chaos is loosed in Tulsa, and the House of Night is blamed. Can Zoey stop Neferet in time to prevent her anger from escalating to full-on war? Or will someone else have to step in to take the fall?

The House of Night series is an international phenomenon, reaching #1 on U.S., German, and UK bestseller lists, and remaining a fixture on The New York Times Children’s Series bestseller list for nearly 150 weeks and counting. With more than 12 million copies in print, rights sold in thirty-eight countries to date, and relatable, addictive characters, this series is unstoppable. Now, in the eleventh and penultimate installment of the series, the action is more intense and the stakes even higher as Zoey and her friends battle to protect their school and home from devastating evil—all while balancing romances, precarious friendships, and the daily drama of the House of Night's halls.]]> 306 P.C. Cast Darby 4 3.87 2013 Revealed (House of Night, #11)
author: P.C. Cast
name: Darby
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2020/10/16
date added: 2021/04/07
shelves: 2020, drama-romance, kindle, library, scifi-fantasy, series, paranormal-magic, ya, lgbtq
review:

]]> Hidden (House of Night, #10) 7933615
With the seeds of distrust sown and Darkness breeding chaos at the House of Night, everyone must band together—but that's proving to be more difficult than ever before. The twins are barely speaking, and the House of Night's former enemy, Kalona, has now become their warrior, pushing their trust to the limit.

To top it off, Zoey is pretty darn sure she might be losing her mind. She saw something when she looked at Aurox through the Seer Stone that she can hardly explain to herself, let alone her friends. Is it possible that Heath has come back in a different form? Is that why Zoey's so intrigued by Aurox, when it's so obvious that he's dangerous? And who would believe her if she told them?

Zoey knows that following her instinct about Aurox might be just what they need to defeat evil... but if she's wrong, it could cause the destruction of those closest to her. With the tension at a breaking point and friendships on the line, can the nerd herd come together to stop the spread of Darkness before it's too late?]]> 302 P.C. Cast 0312594429 Darby 3 4.00 2012 Hidden (House of Night, #10)
author: P.C. Cast
name: Darby
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2020/10/14
date added: 2021/04/07
shelves: 2020, drama-romance, kindle, library, scifi-fantasy, series, paranormal-magic, ya, lgbtq
review:

]]> Destined (House of Night, #9) 7933617 But is Zoey really safe? Does she truly know those who are closest to her? And will love win when it is tested by the very soul of Darkness?]]> 325 P.C. Cast 1905654871 Darby 4 4.04 2011 Destined (House of Night, #9)
author: P.C. Cast
name: Darby
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2020/10/12
date added: 2021/04/07
shelves: 2020, drama-romance, kindle, library, series, paranormal-magic, ya, lgbtq
review:

]]> Tempted (House of Night, #6) 6262365
Zoey Redbird, now High Priestess of the shattered House of Night, is doing her best to hold everything together while dealing with her beloved, injured grandmother, her moody boyfriend, her secretive best friend, and the aftermath of the victory over her former mentor and a terrible, beautiful dark angel.

But Neferet and Kalona have only been banished, not defeated, and everyone knows they're heading straight for the Vampyre High Council, where Zoey must follow.

Zoey might be a High Priestess, but she's still just a teenager. And she's the only hope the world has.]]> 319 P.C. Cast 1905654588 Darby 3 3.96 2009 Tempted (House of Night, #6)
author: P.C. Cast
name: Darby
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at: 2020/09/24
date added: 2021/04/07
shelves: 2010, ya, paranormal-magic, scifi-fantasy, 2020, drama-romance, kindle, library, series, lgbtq
review:

]]> Untamed (House of Night, #4) 2866718 338 P.C. Cast 0312379838 Darby 4 3.95 2008 Untamed (House of Night, #4)
author: P.C. Cast
name: Darby
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 2020/09/06
date added: 2021/04/07
shelves: 2009, scifi-fantasy, paranormal-magic, ya, 2020, drama-romance, kindle, library, series, lgbtq
review:

]]> Chosen (House of Night, #3) 1326258 307 P.C. Cast 0312360304 Darby 3
But all in all I will still read the next so I can see what happens to Zoey Redbird and her friends. The books are a good story line and an easy read. ]]> 3.92 2008 Chosen (House of Night, #3)
author: P.C. Cast
name: Darby
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2008
rating: 3
read at: 2020/08/22
date added: 2021/04/07
shelves: 2008, ya, scifi-fantasy, paranormal-magic, 2020, drama-romance, kindle, library, series, lgbtq
review:
Really reading my reviews of the first 2 books (Marked and Betrayed) could sum up this one too. I am not liking the lingering plot lines. I wish they would wrap the story up more and then move on to a new plot line in the next book. But this book ended where the other left off hanging to what would happen and this book did the same. I couldn't stand the sex/sexual scenes in this book. They seemed a little too grown up for someone just experiencing sex.

But all in all I will still read the next so I can see what happens to Zoey Redbird and her friends. The books are a good story line and an easy read.
]]> Betrayed (House of Night, #2) 676924 Also see: Alternate Cover Editions for this ISBN [ACE]
ACE #1

Zoey, High Priestess in training, has managed to settle in at the House of Night and come to terms with the vast powers the Vampyre Goddess Nyx has given her. Just as she finally feels she belongs, the unthinkable happens: human teenagers are being killed, and all evidence points to the House of Night. While danger stalks the humans from Zoey’s old life, she begins to realize that the very powers that make her so unique might also threaten those she loves.]]> 310 P.C. Cast 0312360282 Darby 3 The Time Traveler's Wife and I had been reading reviews of how people didn't like all the "name" dropping -- of bands, art, architecture and so on. But I am not sure I understand that because it is all past great things that the characters enjoy. But in Betrayed, I feel like it is more name dropping to show "hey we can relate to the teens of today." And as I said in my review of Marked - it feels like that is going to date the book fast.

I also feel this story could have been tacked on to the first book or maybe the next because of how this 2nd book ended. It wasn't much of a book to me and read more like a short story.

I think Betrayed set up some interesting plots lines for the continued series. I like the premise of the books as whole. I like the magic and earth elements mixed in with the story of vampires. I really like Zoey -- how she has been written. She wants to live her life with honesty and integrity and with all she is going through that could be challenge but she handles it well.

I will be interested in reading the 3rd book even though I feel the 2nd book felt short. I want to see where this goes.

]]> 3.93 2007 Betrayed (House of Night, #2)
author: P.C. Cast
name: Darby
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at: 2020/06/14
date added: 2021/04/07
shelves: ya, 2008, scifi-fantasy, paranormal-magic, suspense-thriller, 2020, drama-romance, kindle, library, movie-tv, series, lgbtq
review:
I am working on a review to The Time Traveler's Wife and I had been reading reviews of how people didn't like all the "name" dropping -- of bands, art, architecture and so on. But I am not sure I understand that because it is all past great things that the characters enjoy. But in Betrayed, I feel like it is more name dropping to show "hey we can relate to the teens of today." And as I said in my review of Marked - it feels like that is going to date the book fast.

I also feel this story could have been tacked on to the first book or maybe the next because of how this 2nd book ended. It wasn't much of a book to me and read more like a short story.

I think Betrayed set up some interesting plots lines for the continued series. I like the premise of the books as whole. I like the magic and earth elements mixed in with the story of vampires. I really like Zoey -- how she has been written. She wants to live her life with honesty and integrity and with all she is going through that could be challenge but she handles it well.

I will be interested in reading the 3rd book even though I feel the 2nd book felt short. I want to see where this goes.


]]> Burned (House of Night, #7) 6917952 323 P.C. Cast 1905654944 Darby 4 3.98 2010 Burned (House of Night, #7)
author: P.C. Cast
name: Darby
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2020/09/26
date added: 2021/04/07
shelves: 2010, ya, paranormal-magic, scifi-fantasy, 2020, drama-romance, kindle, library, series, lgbtq
review:

]]> Marked (House of Night, #1) 30183 Also see: Alternate Cover Editions for this ISBN [ACE]
ACE #1

After a Vampire Tracker Marks her with a crescent moon on her forehead, 16-year-old Zoey Redbird enters the House of Night and learns that she is no average fledgling. She has been Marked as special by the vampyre Goddess Nyx and has affinities for all five elements: Air, Fire, Water, Earth and Spirit. But she is not the only fledgling at the House of Night with special powers. When she discovers that the leader of the Dark Daughters, the school’s most elite club, is misusing her Goddess-given gifts, Zoey must look deep within herself for the courage to embrace her destiny—with a little help from her new vampyre friends (or Nerd Herd, as Aphrodite calls them).]]> 306 P.C. Cast 0312360266 Darby 3 Marked though has some things in it that hit that immature/high schoolish feel that I was worried about with reading ya fiction. The story/plot/premise of the book -- really interesting. It is about a society where some people just have a gene/dna that become active at a certain age and makes them start the transition from human to vampyre (their spelling of the word vampire). They are marked at a certain age to show what they are becoming. When that time hits, they go to vampyre school to learn about the changes that they will go through and help them get through the change. The feelings of what happens when you are marked how society treats them -- made me think of the AIDS epidemic in the mid-1980 and how people treated those infected with AIDS. It was like they were instantly horrible people. I could see a lot of potential with the plot of the book but they have things in it - speech, just books and music they talk about that will date the book fast. Someone 5 years from now will go who are the gossip girls. This book is the first in a series and although I wasn't thrilled with some aspects of the book, I most likely will read the rest of the series. ]]> 3.82 2007 Marked (House of Night, #1)
author: P.C. Cast
name: Darby
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at: 2020/05/15
date added: 2021/04/07
shelves: ya, 2008, scifi-fantasy, paranormal-magic, suspense-thriller, 2020, drama-romance, kindle, library, series, lgbtq
review:
This is a young adult book. When Twilight came out, I didn't want to read it as I feared it would be too high schoolish and immature for me to enjoy but I was very wrong about that. Meyers did a good job in creating a timeless book that was about a high schooler but not immature. Marked though has some things in it that hit that immature/high schoolish feel that I was worried about with reading ya fiction. The story/plot/premise of the book -- really interesting. It is about a society where some people just have a gene/dna that become active at a certain age and makes them start the transition from human to vampyre (their spelling of the word vampire). They are marked at a certain age to show what they are becoming. When that time hits, they go to vampyre school to learn about the changes that they will go through and help them get through the change. The feelings of what happens when you are marked how society treats them -- made me think of the AIDS epidemic in the mid-1980 and how people treated those infected with AIDS. It was like they were instantly horrible people. I could see a lot of potential with the plot of the book but they have things in it - speech, just books and music they talk about that will date the book fast. Someone 5 years from now will go who are the gossip girls. This book is the first in a series and although I wasn't thrilled with some aspects of the book, I most likely will read the rest of the series.
]]> <![CDATA[Redeemed (House of Night, #12)]]> 16136599 as well as the ability to wield Old Magick. Only Zoey Redbird is heir to such power…but because of the consequences of using Old Magick, she is unable to help.ĚýFind out who will win and who will lose in this epic battle of Light versus Darkness.

Ěý

The House of Night series is an international phenomenon, reaching #1 on U.S., German, and UK bestseller lists, and remaining a fixture on The New York Times Children’s Series bestseller list for nearly 160 weeks and counting. With more than 12 million copies in print, rights sold in thirty–eight countries to date, and relatable, addictive characters, this series is unstoppable. Now, in the final installment of the series, Zoey and her friends face the ultimate battle with evil which will determine the fate of the world, both human and vampyre.


]]> 310 P.C. Cast 0312594445 Darby 4 3.99 2014 Redeemed (House of Night, #12)
author: P.C. Cast
name: Darby
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2020/11/01
date added: 2021/04/07
shelves: 2020, drama-romance, kindle, library, scifi-fantasy, series, paranormal-magic, ya, lgbtq
review:

]]> Hunted (House of Night, #5) 4134071 336 P.C. Cast 031237982X Darby 3
Will I read the next one? Yes. Do I think this is a series I need to own? No.


]]> 3.93 2009 Hunted (House of Night, #5)
author: P.C. Cast
name: Darby
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at: 2020/09/26
date added: 2021/04/07
shelves: 2009, suspense-thriller, scifi-fantasy, paranormal-magic, ya, 2020, drama-romance, kindle, library, series, lgbtq
review:
Well I haven't thought this series is great. But they have made me want to see where it ends. Because these books are not stand-alone books so they just don't end enough to leave the series alone to me. If you read them out of order I think you might find yourself lost and annoyed because each book kind of ends on a cliff hanger. Thankfully this book really didn't. I felt the plot in this one was more fleshed out then it has been in the rest. I liked the story and Zoey better in this book then any of the others really. I feel the subordinate characters like Damain and the Twins lost a little something in this book. But I really enjoyed some the newer characters such as Darius and Stark.

Will I read the next one? Yes. Do I think this is a series I need to own? No.



]]> Awakened (House of Night, #8) 8652190 290 P.C. Cast 0312650248 Darby 4 4.01 2011 Awakened (House of Night, #8)
author: P.C. Cast
name: Darby
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2020/10/02
date added: 2021/04/07
shelves: 2020, drama-romance, kindle, library, scifi-fantasy, series, paranormal-magic, ya, lgbtq
review:

]]> Lovely War 44107480
Aubrey Edwards is also headed toward the trenches. A gifted musician who's played Carnegie Hall, he's a member of the 15th New York Infantry, an all-African-American regiment being sent to Europe to help end the Great War. Love is the last thing on his mind. But that's before he meets Colette Fournier, a Belgian chanteuse who's already survived unspeakable tragedy at the hands of the Germans.

Thirty years after these four lovers' fates collide, the Greek goddess Aphrodite tells their stories to her husband, Hephaestus, and her lover, Ares, in a luxe Manhattan hotel room at the height of World War II. She seeks to answer the age-old question: Why are Love and War eternally drawn to one another? But her quest for a conclusion that will satisfy her jealous husband uncovers a multi-threaded tale of prejudice, trauma, and music and reveals that War is no match for the power of Love.

A sweeping, multi-layered romance with a divine twist, by the Printz Honor-winning author of The Passion of Dolssa, set in the perilous days of World Wars I and II.]]> 471 Julie Berry Darby 4 4.23 2019 Lovely War
author: Julie Berry
name: Darby
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2021/02/14
date added: 2021/02/14
shelves: 2021, drama-romance, historical-fiction, kindle, library, scifi-fantasy, ya
review:

]]> The Darkest Corners 25639296 The Darkest Corners is a psychological thriller about the lies little girls tell, and the deadly truths those lies become.

There are ghosts around every corner in Fayette, Pennsylvania. Tessa left when she was nine and has been trying ever since not to think about it after what happened there that last summer. Memories of things so dark will burn themselves into your mind if you let them.

Callie never left. She moved to another house, so she doesn’t have to walk those same halls, but then Callie always was the stronger one. She can handle staring into the faces of her demons—and if she parties hard enough, maybe one day they’ll disappear for good.

Tessa and Callie have never talked about what they saw that night. After the trial, Callie drifted and Tessa moved, and childhood friends just have a way of losing touch.

But ever since she left, Tessa has had questions. Things have never quite added up. And now she has to go back to Fayette—to Wyatt Stokes, sitting on death row; to Lori Cawley, Callie’s dead cousin; and to the one other person who may be hiding the truth.

Only the closer Tessa gets to the truth, the closer she gets to a killer—and this time, it won’t be so easy to run away.]]> 336 Kara Thomas 0553521462 Darby 4 3.80 2016 The Darkest Corners
author: Kara Thomas
name: Darby
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2021/01/02
date added: 2021/01/06
shelves: crime-mystery, kindle, library, suspense-thriller, ya, 2021
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor, #3)]]> 46113778
But a strange and frightening illness has taken hold of Nevermoor, turning infected Wunimals into mindless, vicious Unnimals on the hunt. As victims of the Hollowpox multiply, panic spreads. And with the city she loves in a state of fear, Morrigan quickly realizes it's up to her to find a cure for the Hollowpox, even if it will put her - and everyone in Nevermoor - in more danger than she ever imagined.]]> 471 Jessica Townsend 1510105301 Darby 5 4.47 2020 Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor, #3)
author: Jessica Townsend
name: Darby
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2020/11/25
date added: 2020/11/25
shelves: 2020, childrens, kindle, library, scifi-fantasy, series, ya
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Breaking Dawn (The Twilight Saga, #4)]]> 1162543 "Don't be afraid," I murmured. "We belong together."
I was abruptly overwhelmed by the truth of my own words.
This moment was so perfect, so right, there was no way to doubt it.
His arms wrapped around me,
holding me against him....
It felt like every nerve ending in my body was a live wire.
"Forever," he agreed.

WHEN YOU LOVED THE ONE WHO WAS KILLING YOU, IT LEFT YOU NO OPTIONS. How could you run, how could you fight, when doing so would hurt that beloved one? If your life was all you had to give, how could you not give it? If it was someone you truly loved?

TO BE IRREVOCABLY IN LOVE WITH A VAMPIRE is both fantasy and nightmare woven into a dangerously heightened reality for Bella Swan. Pulled in one direction by her intense passion for Edward Cullen, and in another by her profound connection to werewolf Jacob Black, a tumultuous year of temptation, loss, and strife have led her to the ultimate turning point. Her imminent choice to either join the dark but seductive world of immortals or to pursue a fully human life has become the thread from which the fates of two tribes hangs.

NOW THAT BELLA HAS MADE HER DECISION, a startling chain of unprecedented events is about to unfold with potentially devastating, and unfathomable, consequences. Just when the frayed strands of Bella's life - first discovered in Twilight, then scattered and torn in New Moon and Eclipse - seem ready to heal and knit together, could they be destroyed... forever?

THE ASTONISHING, BREATHLESSLY anticipated conclusion to the Twilight Saga, Breaking Dawn illuminates the secrets and mysteries of this spellbinding romantic epic that has entranced millions.]]> 756 Stephenie Meyer 031606792X Darby 4 New Moon and Eclipse quickly and twice also. So I was looking forward to Breaking Dawn. But I am not sure what to say about this book. I waffled between 3 and 4 stars. When I first started reading the book and saw the plot line of the wedding and honeymoon were happening so quickly -- I had an idea of where the story was heading and I was hoping I was wrong. But I wasn't. It bothered me that it went that direction. Then the name -- oh my what a horrible name. The book could have been 2 stars for me if it weren't for the end of the book. The other vampires -- learning about them all. Seeing Bella's powers as a vampire come into play were all good plot lines to me. And the end is what made me wonder if I should give it 4 stars but -- I decided I was disappointed enough to only give it 3 stars.

All that said...if she writes a 5th book I will read it. I liked the series and will keep hanging on. And actually felt the end left it open enough that it made me want another one. ]]> 3.74 2008 Breaking Dawn (The Twilight Saga, #4)
author: Stephenie Meyer
name: Darby
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 2020/11/25
date added: 2020/11/25
shelves: 2008, wishlist, ya, scifi-fantasy, paranormal-magic, 2009, 2020, drama-romance, kindle, library, movie-tv, series
review:
I was a reluctant reader of Twilight. But once I did I read it two times within days. I read New Moon and Eclipse quickly and twice also. So I was looking forward to Breaking Dawn. But I am not sure what to say about this book. I waffled between 3 and 4 stars. When I first started reading the book and saw the plot line of the wedding and honeymoon were happening so quickly -- I had an idea of where the story was heading and I was hoping I was wrong. But I wasn't. It bothered me that it went that direction. Then the name -- oh my what a horrible name. The book could have been 2 stars for me if it weren't for the end of the book. The other vampires -- learning about them all. Seeing Bella's powers as a vampire come into play were all good plot lines to me. And the end is what made me wonder if I should give it 4 stars but -- I decided I was disappointed enough to only give it 3 stars.

All that said...if she writes a 5th book I will read it. I liked the series and will keep hanging on. And actually felt the end left it open enough that it made me want another one.
]]> <![CDATA[The Lost Colony (Artemis Fowl, #5)]]> 37586 Alternate Cover Edition for ISBN: 9780786849567

Ten thousand years ago, humans and fairies fought a great battle for the magical island of Ireland. When it became clear to the fairy families that they could never win, they decided to move their civilisation underground and keep themselves hidden from the humans. All the fairy families agreed on this, except the eighth family, the demons.

The demons planned to lift their small island out of time until they had regrouped and were ready to wage war on the humans once more. However, the time spell went wrong, and the island of Hybras was catapulted into Limbo, where it has remained for ten thousand years.

Now, the tainted time spell is deteriorating and demons are being sucked back into the present space and time. The fairy Council are naturally concerned about this and are monitoring any materialisations. When the spell’s deterioration accelerates, the materialisations become unpredictable. Even the fairy scientists cannot figure out where the next demon will pop up.

But someone can. Artemis Fowl, the teenage criminal mastermind, has solved temporal equations that no normal human should be intelligent enough to understand. But Artemis Fowl is no normal human.

So when a confused and frightened demon pops up in a Sicilian theatre, Artemis Fowl is there to meet him. Unfortunately, he is not the only one. A second, mysterious party has also solved the temporal equations, and manages to abduct the demon before Artemis can secure him.

This is a disaster for the fairy People, because this demon was no ordinary fairy. He was the last demon warlock, and as such held the key to the survival of the entire demon race.

It is up to Artemis and his old comrade, Captain Holly Short to track down the missing demon and rescue him before the time spell dissolves completely and the lost demon colony returns violently to Earth.]]> 385 Eoin Colfer Darby 4 4.01 2006 The Lost Colony (Artemis Fowl, #5)
author: Eoin Colfer
name: Darby
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 2020/11/23
date added: 2020/11/23
shelves: 2020, childrens, kindle, library, scifi-fantasy, series, ya
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Eclipse (The Twilight Saga, #3)]]> 428263 "BELLA?"
Edward's soft voice came from behind me. I turned to see him spring lightly up the porch steps, his hair windblown from running. He pulled me into his arms at once, just like he had in the parking lot, and kissed me again.
This kiss frightened me. There was too much tension, too strong an edge to the way his lips crushed mine - like he was afraid we had only so much time left to us.

As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob - knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death. But which is which?

READERS CAPTIVATED BY Twilight AND New Moon will eagerly devour Eclipse, the much-anticipated third book in Stephenie Meyer's riveting vampire love saga.]]> 629 Stephenie Meyer 0316160202 Darby 4 3.73 2007 Eclipse (The Twilight Saga, #3)
author: Stephenie Meyer
name: Darby
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at: 2020/10/27
date added: 2020/10/27
shelves: favorites, ya, 2008, scifi-fantasy, paranormal-magic, 2009, own, 2020, drama-romance, kindle, library, movie-tv, series
review:
I am 40 years old and I so enjoyed the Twilight series. There is something about these characters that just got to me and I don't want to give them up. I know I will be pining for the next book in the series.
]]> <![CDATA[The Opal Deception (Artemis Fowl, #4)]]> 114954
After his last run-in with the fairies, Artemis had his mind wiped of his memories of the world belowground. But they have not forgotten about him. Once again, he must stop the human and fairy worlds from colliding—only this time, Artemis faces an enemy who may have finally outsmarted him.]]> 528 Eoin Colfer 1423103998 Darby 4 4.06 2005 The Opal Deception (Artemis Fowl, #4)
author: Eoin Colfer
name: Darby
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at: 2020/10/23
date added: 2020/10/23
shelves: 2020, childrens, kindle, library, scifi-fantasy, series, ya
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Twilight / Life and Death (The Twilight Saga)]]> 26877697 Twilight! This special double-feature book includes the classic novel, Twilight, and a bold and surprising reimagining, Life and Death, by Stephenie Meyer.
Packaged as an oversize, jacketed hardcover "flip book," this edition features nearly 400 pages of new content as well as exquisite new back cover art. Readers will relish experiencing the deeply romantic and extraordinarily suspenseful love story of Bella and Edward through fresh eyes.

Twilight has enraptured millions of readers since its first publication in 2005 and has become a modern classic, redefining genres within young adult literature and inspiring a phenomenon that has had readers yearning for more. The novel was a #1 New York Times bestseller, a #1 USA Today bestseller, a Time magazine Best Young Adult Book of All Time, an NPR Best-Ever Teen Novel, and a New York Times Editor's Choice. The Twilight Saga, which also includes New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn, The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella, and The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide, has sold nearly 155 million copies worldwide.


]]> 752 Stephenie Meyer Darby 4 3.63 2015 Twilight / Life and Death (The Twilight Saga)
author: Stephenie Meyer
name: Darby
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2020/10/16
date added: 2020/10/16
shelves: 2020, drama-romance, kindle, library, movie-tv, series, paranormal-magic, ya, scifi-fantasy
review:
I thoroughly enjoyed the reimagined take of Twilight. I liked the Twilight story with added little differences well as the flipping the gender of the characters. Almost all females are now male and males are female. Bella being Beau and Edward being Eydth, but it still was enjoyable. I think it would have been better with LGBTQ spin, but liked this too. I enjoyed hearing some added back stories of the characters.
]]> <![CDATA[The Eternity Code (Artemis Fowl, #3)]]> 227865 329 Eoin Colfer 0141321318 Darby 4 4.05 2003 The Eternity Code (Artemis Fowl, #3)
author: Eoin Colfer
name: Darby
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2003
rating: 4
read at: 2020/10/14
date added: 2020/10/14
shelves: 2020, kindle, library, scifi-fantasy, series, ya
review:

]]> <![CDATA[New Moon (The Twilight Saga, #2)]]> 49041 There is an alternate cover edition for ISBN13 9780316160193 here.

I knew we were both in mortal danger. Still, in that instant, I felt well. Whole. I could feel my heart racing in my chest, the blood pulsing hot and fast through my veins again. My lungs filled deep with the sweet scent that came off his skin. It was like there had never been any hole in my chest. I was perfect - not healed, but as if there had never been a wound in the first place.

I FELT LIKE I WAS TRAPPED IN ONE OF THOSE TERRIFYING NIGHTMARES, the one where you have to run, run till your lungs burst, but you can't make your body move fast enough.... But this was no dream, and, unlike the nightmare, I wasn't running for my life; I was racing to save something infinitely more precious. My own life meant little to me today.

FOR BELLA SWAN THERE IS ONE THING more important than life itself: Edward Cullen. But being in love with a vampire is even more dangerous than Bella could ever have imagined. Edward has already rescued Bella from the clutches of one evil vampire, but now, as their daring relationship threatens all that is near and dear to them, they realize their troubles may be just beginning....

LEGIONS OF READERS ENTRANCED BY THE New York Times bestseller Twilight are hungry for the continuing story of star-crossed lovers Bell and Edward. In New Moon, Stephanie Meyer delivers another irresistible combination of romance and suspense with a supernatural spin. passionate, riveting, and full of surprising twists and turns, this vampire love saga is well on its way to literary immortality.]]> 563 Stephenie Meyer 0316160199 Darby 4 ]]> 3.61 2006 New Moon (The Twilight Saga, #2)
author: Stephenie Meyer
name: Darby
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 2020/10/08
date added: 2020/10/08
shelves: ya, 2008, scifi-fantasy, 2009, own, paranormal-magic, 2012, 2020, drama-romance, kindle, library, series
review:
New Moon is the sequel to Twilight. The sequel is not as good as the first, but still made me want to continue with Edward & Bella. And I did enjoy the story about Jacob that is introduced in New Moon.

]]> Into the Wild (Warriors, #1) 111332 288 Erin Hunter 0061284203 Darby 4 4.33 2003 Into the Wild (Warriors, #1)
author: Erin Hunter
name: Darby
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2003
rating: 4
read at: 2020/10/01
date added: 2020/10/01
shelves: 2020, childrens, kindle, library, scifi-fantasy, series, ya
review:
I loved this story and look forward to reading the others.
]]> <![CDATA[Twilight (The Twilight Saga, #1)]]> 41865
First, Edward was a vampire.

Second, there was a part of him - and I didn't know how dominant that part might be - that thirsted for my blood.

And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.

Deeply seductive and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight is a love story with bite.]]> 498 Stephenie Meyer 0316015849 Darby 4
I wasn't going to read it. I knew it was YA and I just thought okay it will be too high schoolish/immature for me to enjoy but after seeing several friends rave about it, I decided to give in. I enjoy vampire books and movies so I am not sure why I held back so long because it was such a good read. I read it 2 times right away. I want to own the series as they will be books I will keep coming back too.

Meyer's made me care about Edward & Bella and every other character in the book. She created an interesting story with compelling characters.

Warning: Have the 2nd book ready to go after reading the first!]]> 3.66 2005 Twilight (The Twilight Saga, #1)
author: Stephenie Meyer
name: Darby
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at: 2020/09/08
date added: 2020/09/08
shelves: ya, 2008, scifi-fantasy, paranormal-magic, 2009, own, 2012, 2020, drama-romance, kindle, library, movie-tv, series
review:
Teenagers Bella and Edward are star-crossed lovers because he has is a vampire and she is a human. But they can't fight their attraction. She is like a drug to him. As Eward says to Bella, "Exactly my kind of heroin." The story then unfolds into another vampire becoming fixated on Bella and Edward and his family trying to protect her.

I wasn't going to read it. I knew it was YA and I just thought okay it will be too high schoolish/immature for me to enjoy but after seeing several friends rave about it, I decided to give in. I enjoy vampire books and movies so I am not sure why I held back so long because it was such a good read. I read it 2 times right away. I want to own the series as they will be books I will keep coming back too.

Meyer's made me care about Edward & Bella and every other character in the book. She created an interesting story with compelling characters.

Warning: Have the 2nd book ready to go after reading the first!
]]> Beast 25167846
Dylan vows to say nothing and zones out at therapy—until he meets Jamie. She’s funny, smart, and so stunning, even his womanizing best friend, JP, would be jealous. She’s also the first person to ever call Dylan out on his self-pitying and superficiality. As Jamie’s humanity and wisdom begin to rub off on Dylan, they become more than just friends. But there is something Dylan doesn’t know about Jamie, something she shared with the group the day he wasn’t listening. Something that shouldn’t change a thing. She is who she’s always been—an amazing photographer and devoted friend, who also happens to be transgender. But will Dylan see it that way?]]> 305 Brie Spangler 1101937173 Darby 4 3.51 2016 Beast
author: Brie Spangler
name: Darby
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2020/08/28
date added: 2020/08/28
shelves: 2020, drama-romance, kindle, lgbtq, library, ya
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Arctic Incident (Artemis Fowl #2)]]> 114955
The world that Colfer creates is as vivid and fantastical as any shire, gotham, or galaxy far, far away in recent memory. Grade: A-.]]> 398 Eoin Colfer Darby 4 3.96 2002 The Arctic Incident (Artemis Fowl #2)
author: Eoin Colfer
name: Darby
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2002
rating: 4
read at: 2020/08/21
date added: 2020/08/21
shelves: 2020, childrens, kindle, library, movie-tv, scifi-fantasy, series, ya
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Selection (The Selection, #1)]]> 10507293
But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself—and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.]]> 336 Kiera Cass 0062059939 Darby 3 4.07 2012 The Selection (The Selection, #1)
author: Kiera Cass
name: Darby
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2020/08/18
date added: 2020/08/18
shelves: 2020, drama-romance, kindle, library, scifi-fantasy, series, ya
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Prince Caspian (Chronicles of Narnia, #2)]]> 121749
Narnia . . . where animals talk . . . where trees walk . . . where a battle is about to begin.

A prince denied his rightful throne gathers an army in a desperate attempt to rid his land of a false king. But in the end, it is a battle of honor between two men alone that will decide the fate of an entire world.

Prince CaspianĚýis the fourth book in C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia, a series that has become part of the canon of classic literature, drawing readers of all ages into a magical land with unforgettable characters for over fifty years. This is a stand-alone novel, but if you would like to see more of Lucy and Edmund’s adventures, readĚýThe Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the fifth book in The Chronicles of Narnia.]]> 240 C.S. Lewis 000720230X Darby 3 3.99 1951 Prince Caspian (Chronicles of Narnia, #2)
author: C.S. Lewis
name: Darby
average rating: 3.99
book published: 1951
rating: 3
read at: 2020/08/10
date added: 2020/08/10
shelves: 2020, childrens, christian-fiction, kindle, library, movie-tv, series, ya
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor, #2)]]> 36260006 Wunder is gathering in Nevermoor ...

Morrigan Crow may have defeated her deadly curse, passed the dangerous trials and joined the mystical Wundrous Society, but her journey into Nevermoor and all its secrets has only just begun. And she is fast learning that not all magic is used for good.

Morrigan Crow has been invited to join the prestigious Wundrous Society, a place that promised her friendship, protection and belonging for life. She's hoping for an education full of wunder, imagination and discovery - but all the Society want to teach her is how evil Wundersmiths are. And someone is blackmailing Morrigan's unit, turning her last few loyal friends against her. Has Morrigan escaped from being the cursed child of Wintersea only to become the most hated figure in Nevermoor?

Worst of all, people have started to go missing. The fantastical city of Nevermoor, once a place of magic and safety, is now riddled with fear and suspicion...]]> 467 Jessica Townsend 0734418221 Darby 5 4.47 2018 Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor, #2)
author: Jessica Townsend
name: Darby
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2020/07/27
date added: 2020/07/27
shelves: 2020, childrens, favorites, kindle, library, scifi-fantasy, series, ya
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Horse and His Boy (Chronicles of Narnia, #5)]]> 84119 The Horse and his Boy is a stirring and dramatic fantasy story that finds a young boy named Shasta on the run from his homeland with the talking horse, Bree. When the pair discover a deadly plot by the Calormen people to conquer the land of Narnia, the race is on to warn the inhabitants of the impending danger and to rescue them all from certain death.]]> 224 C.S. Lewis 0439861365 Darby 3 3.92 1954 The Horse and His Boy (Chronicles of Narnia, #5)
author: C.S. Lewis
name: Darby
average rating: 3.92
book published: 1954
rating: 3
read at: 2020/07/25
date added: 2020/07/25
shelves: 2020, childrens, classics, kindle, library, scifi-fantasy, ya
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Artemis Fowl (Artemis Fowl, #1)]]> 249747 Artemis Fowl is a riveting, magical adventure.]]> 396 Eoin Colfer Darby 4 3.86 2001 Artemis Fowl (Artemis Fowl, #1)
author: Eoin Colfer
name: Darby
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2001
rating: 4
read at: 2020/07/25
date added: 2020/07/25
shelves: 2020, childrens, kindle, library, movie-tv, scifi-fantasy, ya
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor, #1)]]> 34219873
Morrigan Crow is cursed. Having been born on Eventide, the unluckiest day for any child to be born, she's blamed for all local misfortunes, from hailstorms to heart attacks--and, worst of all, the curse means that Morrigan is doomed to die at midnight on her eleventh birthday.

But as Morrigan awaits her fate, a strange and remarkable man named Jupiter North appears. Chased by black-smoke hounds and shadowy hunters on horseback, he whisks her away into the safety of a secret, magical city called Nevermoor.

It's then that Morrigan discovers Jupiter has chosen her to contend for a place in the city's most prestigious organization: the Wundrous Society. In order to join, she must compete in four difficult and dangerous trials against hundreds of other children, each boasting an extraordinary talent that sets them apart - an extraordinary talent that Morrigan insists she does not have. To stay in the safety of Nevermoor for good, Morrigan will need to find a way to pass the tests - or she'll have to leave the city to confront her deadly fate.]]> 465 Jessica Townsend 0316439959 Darby 5 4.32 2017 Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor, #1)
author: Jessica Townsend
name: Darby
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2020/07/23
date added: 2020/07/23
shelves: 2020, childrens, favorites, kindle, library, scifi-fantasy, series, ya
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia, #1)]]> 100915
Lucy is the first to find the secret of the wardrobe in the professor's mysterious old house. At first her brothers and sister don't believe her when she tells of her visit to the land of Narnia. But soon Edmund, then Peter and Susan step through the wardrobe themselves. In Narnia they find a country buried under the evil enchantment of the White Witch. When they meet the Lion Aslan, they realize they've been called to a great adventure and bravely join the battle to free Narnia from the Witch's sinister spell.]]> 206 C.S. Lewis Darby 5
A book I highly recommend for adults as well as children. ]]> 4.24 1950 The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia, #1)
author: C.S. Lewis
name: Darby
average rating: 4.24
book published: 1950
rating: 5
read at: 2020/07/07
date added: 2020/07/07
shelves: childrens, 2008, 2020, christian-fiction, classics, kindle, library, ya
review:
I read this as a young girl and now again as adult. And I still enjoyed it just as much. This is a story of Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie entering the world of Narina through a wardrobe. In the world of Narnia they end up being key figures in a fight to free Narnia from the reign of the White Witch. With Aslan's help the children set out to help in the fight for Narnia. The story of their fight is the classic good versus evil struggle.

A book I highly recommend for adults as well as children.
]]> <![CDATA[The Magician’s Nephew (Chronicles of Narnia, #6)]]> 65605
Narnia... a land where the woods are thick and cold, where Talking Beasts come to life—an entirely new world where adventure begins.

One cold, wet summer in London, Digory and Polly meet and become fast friends. Their lives take a sudden turn when Digory’s Uncle Andrew, who fancies himself a magician, sends them hurtling to... somewhere else. They arrive in Narnia, just as it is born from the song of the great Lion, Aslan. Along the way, they encounter the evil sorceress Jadis, whose dark magic threatens everything. After a whirlwind adventure, they finally find their way back home.]]> 221 C.S. Lewis 0060764902 Darby 4 4.06 1955 The Magician’s Nephew (Chronicles of Narnia, #6)
author: C.S. Lewis
name: Darby
average rating: 4.06
book published: 1955
rating: 4
read at: 2020/06/13
date added: 2020/06/13
shelves: 2020, christian-fiction, classics, kindle, library, movie-tv, scifi-fantasy, series, ya, childrens
review:

]]> Slayer (Slayer, #1) 34723130
Nina and her twin sister, Artemis, are far from normal. It’s hard to be when you grow up at the Watcher’s Academy, which is a bit different from your average boarding school. Here teens are trained as guides for Slayers—girls gifted with supernatural strength to fight the forces of darkness. But while Nina’s mother is a prominent member of the Watcher’s Council, Nina has never embraced the violent Watcher lifestyle. Instead she follows her instincts to heal, carving out a place for herself as the school medic.

Until the day Nina’s life changes forever.

Thanks to Buffy, the famous (and infamous) Slayer that Nina’s father died protecting, Nina is not only the newest Chosen One—she’s the last Slayer, ever. Period.

As Nina hones her skills with her Watcher-in-training, Leo, there’s plenty to keep her occupied: a monster fighting ring, a demon who eats happiness, a shadowy figure that keeps popping up in Nina’s dreams�

But it’s not until bodies start turning up that Nina’s new powers will truly be tested—because someone she loves might be next.

One thing is clear: Being Chosen is easy. Making choices is hard.]]> 404 Kiersten White 1534404953 Darby 5 3.71 2019 Slayer (Slayer, #1)
author: Kiersten White
name: Darby
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2020/02/10
date added: 2020/05/03
shelves: 2020, contemporary, drama-romance, kindle, library, scifi-fantasy, paranormal-magic, ya, lgbtq
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Star Wars: Rogue One - A Junior Novel]]> 34007021
Relive the excitement of of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story with this action-packed retelling!

The Rebel Alliance has learned of the existence of a terrifying Imperial weapon, capable of destroying entire planets: the Death Star. The fate of the galaxy rests on the courageous young woman Jyn Erso and her band of unlikely companions as they race to steal the plans to the Death Star before time runs out. Author Matt Forbeck recaptures all the thrilling adventure of this tale of ordinary people who choose to do extraordinary things, and, in doing so, become part of something greater than themselves.]]> 0 Disney Lucasfilm Press 1504752120 Darby 2 3.64 2017 Star Wars: Rogue One - A Junior Novel
author: Disney Lucasfilm Press
name: Darby
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2017
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2020/04/22
shelves: 2019, kindle, library, scifi-fantasy, ya, movie-tv
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter, #3)]]> 5 435 J.K. Rowling 043965548X Darby 5 4.57 1999 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter, #3)
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Darby
average rating: 4.57
book published: 1999
rating: 5
read at: 2019/09/11
date added: 2020/04/21
shelves: 2011, childrens, scifi-fantasy, wishlist, ya, 2012, 2019, kindle, library, series, movie-tv
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter, #4)]]> 6 734 J.K. Rowling 0439139597 Darby 5 4.56 2000 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter, #4)
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Darby
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2000
rating: 5
read at: 2019/10/21
date added: 2020/04/21
shelves: 2011, childrens, ya, scifi-fantasy, wishlist, 2019, kindle, library, series, movie-tv
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5)]]> 2
Harry has had enough. He is beginning to think he must do something, anything, to change his situation, when the summer holidays come to an end in a very dramatic fashion. What Harry is about to discover in his new year at Hogwarts will turn his world upside down...]]> 912 J.K. Rowling Darby 5 4.50 2003 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5)
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Darby
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2003
rating: 5
read at: 2019/11/05
date added: 2020/04/21
shelves: 2011, childrens, ya, wishlist, scifi-fantasy, 2019, movie-tv
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter, #7)]]> 136251
In this final, seventh installment of the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling unveils in spectacular fashion the answers to the many questions that have been so eagerly awaited.]]> 759 J.K. Rowling Darby 5 4.61 2007 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter, #7)
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Darby
average rating: 4.61
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at: 2020/01/10
date added: 2020/04/21
shelves: 2011, childrens, scifi-fantasy, wishlist, ya, 2020, favorites, kindle, library, series, movie-tv
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter, #6)]]> 1 652 J.K. Rowling Darby 5 4.57 2005 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter, #6)
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Darby
average rating: 4.57
book published: 2005
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/04/21
shelves: 2011, childrens, scifi-fantasy, wishlist, ya, 2019, kindle, library, series, movie-tv
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Ready Player One (Ready Player One, #1)]]> 9969571 Librarian's note: An alternate cover edition can be found here

IN THE YEAR 2044, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he's jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade's devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world's digital confines, puzzles that are based on their creator's obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them.

But when Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade's going to survive, he'll have to win—and confront the real world he's always been so desperate to escape.]]> 480 Ernest Cline 030788743X Darby 4 4.21 2011 Ready Player One (Ready Player One, #1)
author: Ernest Cline
name: Darby
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2019/09/20
date added: 2020/04/21
shelves: 2019, contemporary, kindle, library, scifi-fantasy, suspense-thriller, ya, movie-tv
review:

]]> Extras (Uglies, #4) 493456
Fifteen-year-old Aya Fuse is no exception. But Aya’s face rank is so low, she’s a total nobody. An extra. Her only chance at stardom is to kick a wild and unexpected story.

Then she stumbles upon a big secret. Aya knows she is on the cusp of celebrity. But the information she is about to disclose will change both her fate…and that of the brave new world]]> 417 Scott Westerfeld 1416951172 Darby 3
This book does include characters from the first 3 books but they aren't the main characters of the book. The central character is Aya Fuse. The society is set in Japan post-bubblehead. Fame is the most important thing. One way to get high "face ranks" (fame) is to "kick" a story to become known. And Ayay is trying hard to rise up and become famous. And with that fame of course comes other consequences that aren't all that fun.

The Uglies series is a very quick read with an interesting plot line.]]> 3.60 2006 Extras (Uglies, #4)
author: Scott Westerfeld
name: Darby
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at: 2019/12/30
date added: 2020/03/29
shelves: 2008, scifi-fantasy, ya, 2019, kindle, series
review:
I know I am probably going to be in the minority in saying this one was one of my favorites in the series. This 4th book can be a stand-alone as well as spin-off from the Uglies series. And I think Westerfeld did a good job at making it both. But I do think it will be enjoyed better if you read the Uglies series.

This book does include characters from the first 3 books but they aren't the main characters of the book. The central character is Aya Fuse. The society is set in Japan post-bubblehead. Fame is the most important thing. One way to get high "face ranks" (fame) is to "kick" a story to become known. And Ayay is trying hard to rise up and become famous. And with that fame of course comes other consequences that aren't all that fun.

The Uglies series is a very quick read with an interesting plot line.
]]> <![CDATA[The Ten Thousand Doors of January]]> 43521657
Then she finds a strange book. A book that carries the scent of other worlds, and tells a tale of secret doors, of love, adventure and danger. Each page turn reveals impossible truths about the world and January discovers a story increasingly entwined with her own.]]> 374 Alix E. Harrow 0316421995 Darby 4
Good character development, good theme and plot, excellent writing, and amazing story. A book I would read again.]]> 3.99 2019 The Ten Thousand Doors of January
author: Alix E. Harrow
name: Darby
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2020/03/23
date added: 2020/03/23
shelves: 2020, historical-fiction, kindle, library, scifi-fantasy, ya
review:
I enjoyed this book so much. I started and put it down for a bit and picked it up again and read it in 2 days. These books aren’t the same, but I often thought of His Dark Materials series when the door ways were mentioned.

Good character development, good theme and plot, excellent writing, and amazing story. A book I would read again.
]]> Specials (Uglies, #3) 24765
And now she's been turned into one of them: a superamped fighting machine, engineered to keep the uglies down and the pretties stupid.

The strength, the speed, and the clarity and focus of her thinking feel better than anything Tally can remember. Most of the time. One tiny corner of her heart still remembers something more.

Still, it's easy to tune that out -- until Tally's offered a chance to stamp out the rebels of the New Smoke permanently. It all comes down to one last choice: listen to that tiny, faint heartbeat, or carry out the mission she's programmed to complete. Either way, Tally's world will never be the same.]]> 384 Scott Westerfeld 0689865406 Darby 3 3.76 2006 Specials (Uglies, #3)
author: Scott Westerfeld
name: Darby
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at: 2019/11/28
date added: 2019/11/28
shelves: ya, scifi-fantasy, 2008, 2019, kindle, library, series
review:
Special starts off just a few months after Pretties with Tally a Special. Also known a cutter. A group of Specials cut themselves. And in cutting themselves they get clarity - ICY. Which is basically the opposite of bubbly. The cutters find Diego where there limits to what the pretties can and can't do to themselves - new surge. There ends up being a war. And in the end there is a message from Tally to the Pretties. I really enjoyed this book better then Pretties.
]]> <![CDATA[I'm Not Dying with You Tonight]]> 43352274 I’m Not Dying with You Tonight follows two teen girls—one black, one white—who have to confront their own assumptions about racial inequality as they rely on each other to get through the violent race riot that has set their city on fire with civil unrest.

Lena has her killer style, her awesome boyfriend, and a plan. She knows she’s going to make it big. Campbell, on the other hand, is just trying to keep her head down and get through the year at her new school.

When both girls attend the Friday-night football game, what neither expects is for everything to descend into sudden mass chaos. Chaos born from violence and hate. Chaos that unexpectedly throws them together.

They aren’t friends. They hardly understand the other’s point of view. But none of that matters when the city is up in flames, and they only have each other to rely on if they’re going to survive the night.

This book is perfect for:

Sparking conversations about prejudice and the racial tension that exists in America Parents and educators looking for multicultural and African American books for teens Fans of Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, and Jason Reynolds

]]> 249 Kimberly Jones 1492678899 Darby 4 3.65 2019 I'm Not Dying with You Tonight
author: Kimberly Jones
name: Darby
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2019/11/10
date added: 2019/11/10
shelves: 2019, contemporary, kindle, library, ya
review:

]]> The Poet X 33294200 Fans of Jacqueline Woodson, Meg Medina, and Jason Reynolds will fall hard for this astonishing New York Times-bestselling novel-in-verse by an award-winning slam poet, about an Afro-Latina heroine who tells her story with blazing words and powerful truth.

Xiomara Batista feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighborhood. Ever since her body grew into curves, she has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking.

But Xiomara has plenty she wants to say, and she pours all her frustration and passion onto the pages of a leather notebook, reciting the words to herself like prayers—especially after she catches feelings for a boy in her bio class named Aman, who her family can never know about.

With Mami’s determination to force her daughter to obey the laws of the church, Xiomara understands that her thoughts are best kept to herself. So when she is invited to join her school’s slam poetry club, she doesn’t know how she could ever attend without her mami finding out. But she still can’t stop thinking about performing her poems.

Because in the face of a world that may not want to hear her, Xiomara refuses to be silent.]]> 368 Elizabeth Acevedo Darby 5 4.37 2018 The Poet X
author: Elizabeth Acevedo
name: Darby
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2019/09/27
date added: 2019/09/28
shelves: 2019, contemporary, drama-romance, inspirational, kindle, poetry, ya
review:
Felt the words as if they were written on my skin. Beautiful words vibrating in my head.
]]> Hunted 24485589 New York Times bestselling author Meagan Spooner spins a thoroughly thrilling BeautyĚýand the Beast story for the modern age, expertly woven with spellbinding romance, intrigue, and suspense that readers won’t soon be able to forget.

Beauty knows the Beast's forest in her bones—and in her blood. After all, her father is the only hunter who’s ever come close to discovering its secrets.

So when her father loses his fortune and moves Yeva and her sisters out of their comfortable home among the aristocracy and back to the outskirts of town, Yeva is secretly relieved. Out in the wilderness, there’s no pressure to make idle chatter with vapid baronessas…or to submit to marrying a wealthy gentleman.

But Yeva’s father’s misfortune may have cost him his mind, and when he goes missing in the woods, Yeva sets her sights on one the creature he’d been obsessively tracking just before his disappearance. The Beast.

Deaf to her sisters� protests, Yeva hunts this strange creature back into his own territory—a cursed valley, a ruined castle, and a world of magical creatures that Yeva’s only heard about in fairy tales. A world that can bring her ruin, or salvation.

Who will the Beauty, or the Beast?]]> 384 Meagan Spooner 0062422308 Darby 3 3.87 2017 Hunted
author: Meagan Spooner
name: Darby
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2019/09/18
date added: 2019/09/22
shelves: 2019, drama-romance, historical-fiction, kindle, library, scifi-fantasy, ya
review:

]]> Pretties (Uglies, #2) 24768 Gorgeous. Popular. Perfect.

Perfectly wrong.

Tally has finally become pretty. Now her looks are beyond perfect, her clothes are awesome, her boyfriend is totally hot, and she's completely popular. It's everything she's ever wanted.

But beneath all the fun -- the nonstop parties, the high-tech luxury, the total freedom -- is a nagging sense that something's wrong. Something important. Then a message from Tally's ugly past arrives. Reading it, Tally remembers what's wrong with pretty life, and the fun stops cold.

Now she has to choose between fighting to forget what she knows and fighting for her life -- because the authorities don't intend to let anyone with this information survive.]]> 370 Scott Westerfeld 0689865392 Darby 4 3.84 2005 Pretties (Uglies, #2)
author: Scott Westerfeld
name: Darby
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at: 2019/09/22
date added: 2019/09/22
shelves: ya, scifi-fantasy, 2008, 2019, kindle, library, series
review:
Pretties is the sequel in the Tally Youngblood series. Tally is a part of New Pretty Town. She is going to parties and trying to get into cliques....just trying to fit in. I liked the characters especially Zane and Tally and Zane interaction. But the big plot lines were kind of laid plainly to see before they even happened. Westerfeld writes to a good story that makes you feel like you have doing this all with them.
]]> Uglies (Uglies, #1) 24770
But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to become a pretty. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world—and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally a choice: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. Tally's choice will change her world forever....]]> 425 Scott Westerfeld 0689865384 Darby 4
She then meets a new friend in Ugly Town and surprised when her friend Shay doesn't want to be pretty. Shay ends up running away to a mysterious secretive town where others have run to avoid the operation and live free. Shay leaves directions for Tally and Tally does go but under strained circumstances. Once there she founds out something about the pretties that changes her mind about being pretty. ]]> 3.85 2005 Uglies (Uglies, #1)
author: Scott Westerfeld
name: Darby
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at: 2019/09/17
date added: 2019/09/17
shelves: ya, 2008, 2019, kindle, library, scifi-fantasy, series
review:
I liked this book. It is probably not one that I would need on my bookshelf but it is one that I might read again. And I do want to read the rest of the series. It is a young-adult book set after an apocalyptic-sized disaster has reshaped how things are done. Tally Youngblood is 15 about to turn 16. She anxiously awaiting that day because then she will become pretty. In their society when you turn 16 you get an operation that make you pretty and you move to New Pretty Town. There in New Pretty Town everyone parties and has fun all the time. But when you are under 15 you are one of the Uglies and stay in Ugly Town waiting to become 16.

She then meets a new friend in Ugly Town and surprised when her friend Shay doesn't want to be pretty. Shay ends up running away to a mysterious secretive town where others have run to avoid the operation and live free. Shay leaves directions for Tally and Tally does go but under strained circumstances. Once there she founds out something about the pretties that changes her mind about being pretty.
]]> If I Was Your Girl 26156987 A new kind of big-hearted novel about being seen for who you really are.

Amanda Hardy is the new girl in school. Like anyone else, all she wants is to make friends and fit in. But Amanda is keeping a secret, and she's determined not to get too close to anyone.

But when she meets sweet, easygoing Grant, Amanda can't help but start to let him into her life. As they spend more time together, she realizes just how much she is losing by guarding her heart. She finds herself yearning to share with Grant everything about herself, including her past. But Amanda's terrified that once she tells him the truth, he won't be able to see past it.

Because the secret that Amanda's been keeping? It's that at her old school, she used to be Andrew. Will the truth cost Amanda her new life, and her new love?

Meredith Russo's If I Was Your Girl is a universal story about feeling different and a love story that everyone will root for.]]> 280 Meredith Russo 1250078407 Darby 4 3.97 2016 If I Was Your Girl
author: Meredith Russo
name: Darby
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2019/08/18
date added: 2019/08/18
shelves: 2019, drama-romance, kindle, library, ya
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter, #2)]]> 15881
And strike it does. For in Harry’s second year at Hogwarts, fresh torments and horrors arise, including an outrageously stuck-up new professor and a spirit who haunts the girls� bathroom. But then the real trouble begins � someone is turning Hogwarts students to stone. Could it be Draco Malfoy, a more poisonous rival than ever? Could it possibly be Hagrid, whose mysterious past is finally told? Or could it be the one everyone at Hogwarts most suspects� Harry Potter himself!]]> 352 J.K. Rowling Darby 5 4.42 1998 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter, #2)
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Darby
average rating: 4.42
book published: 1998
rating: 5
read at: 2019/07/26
date added: 2019/07/26
shelves: 2011, childrens, scifi-fantasy, wishlist, 2012, ya, 2019, kindle, library, series
review:

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