Where, oh where should I start with this one? Cinder… the book that tore me apart and thrilled me. Cinder by Marissa Meyer is about Cinder, a 33.65 % cyborg mechanic who lives with her step-mom and step-sisters. In this ‘dystopian-fantasy’, there are people called ‘Lunars’ that live on the moon. There is (of course) a charming Prince Kai that is heir to the throne and who (of course) likes Cinder. I liked this novel. And I love how Marissa Meyer based the entire the thing on the story of Cinderella but gave it a very interesting twist. I liked Cinder (the character). She was such a brave and well played character. Her curiosity is both interesting and lethal. And to have her as a cyborg made me love this book even more. The very fact that this novel takes place in a ‘plague-era’ made me read on. I find every book plague related very interesting. (EX- Cinder and the Mark of the Plague) The plot twist at the end wrapped everything nicely together, but I do have to say that I saw it coming. At the end, I really appreciate this novel. It was so interesting and fun. I am proud to say that I started my summer with a bang... Oh, and how many times did I say ‘interesting’ in this review? Very interesting. Five stars!

This is a fluffly fantasy that everyone should read. It's not like the ordinary. Sure it has magical creatures and a hero at the end, but there are twists and turns that I have never seen in a middle-grade fantasy novel before. This novel is about Rump, a boy who finds out that he can weave straw into gold. But every time he does so, he weaves himself into a curse. The entire plot just speaks to me. Fractured-fairytales have this, this thing that just attracts me to read it. Rump was this goofy character that was the, "Butt of everyone's joke." He keeps making these mistakes that his friend, Red (Little Red Riding Hood), keeps warning him about. And this Rumpelstiltskin meets Little Red Riding Hood concept going on is too much for my heart to handle. So yes, I love this book. And yes, I will read the rest of Liesl Shurtliff's fractured-fairy tale books.

I had high hopes for this one and it let me down. It started off fine; it was actually near perfect in like the first two pages. But then it got incredibly boring and a character was very cliche. When I first saw Without Refuge, I respected it. A book about a Syrian refugee who is stuck in a devastating war and escapes? Yes please, we need diverse books. But then it went in a slow pace with a character that really irritated me. For example- Ghalib (the main character) burned both his feet when a bomb was sent out by terrorists. His father cared for him while he was recovering. His older sister, Bushra, apparently hates him for some reason. “‘Bushra, we need fresh water,’Dapir says. ‘The container is empty.’ ‘Why is it always ‘Bushra, we need this’? ‘Bushra, we need that’?’ my sister says. ‘Am I the only one in this house?’ She snatches up the container and gives me one of her looks.” -Without Refuge, pg. #36 Now just add an ‘O-my god’ and this would be complete. See, that really annoyed me. I feel like the author just wanted to add a sister-brother rivalry just so the book would appeal to all sorts of different people. If I wanted to read something like that, trust me, I would find a cliché book. Or maybe five. Please, I don’t prefer books that feature characters like that. *** Another aspect that made me give it a two-star rating is the pacing. It was annoying-ly slow and boring at some parts. I am disappointed. Love the idea, but the execution was lacking. This book had a really bright future, but... well. I received a finished copy of Without Refuge from DogoBooks, this has not influenced my opinion.

Where, oh where should I start with this one? Cinder… the book that tore me apart and thrilled me. Cinder by Marissa Meyer is about Cinder, a 33.65 % cyborg mechanic who lives with her step-mom and step-sisters. In this ‘dystopian-fantasy’, there are people called ‘Lunars’ that live on the moon. There is (of course) a charming Prince Kai that is heir to the throne and who (of course) likes Cinder. I liked this novel. And I love how Marissa Meyer based the entire the thing on the story of Cinderella but gave it a very interesting twist. I liked Cinder (the character). She was such a brave and well played character. Her curiosity is both interesting and lethal. And to have her as a cyborg made me love this book even more. The very fact that this novel takes place in a ‘plague-era’ made me read on. I find every book plague related very interesting. (EX- Cinder and the Mark of the Plague) The plot twist at the end wrapped everything nicely together, but I do have to say that I saw it coming. At the end, I really appreciate this novel. It was so interesting and fun. I am proud to say that I started my summer with a bang... Oh, and how many times did I say ‘interesting’ in this review? Very interesting. Five stars!

I would really love to win this novel!

I knew this would kill me but I went for it anyway. Why oh why do I do this to myself? Well.. it was SO worth it. The Mark of the Plague by Kevin Sands was wonderful. It had everything you need in a book, humor, action, and mystery. It’s about Christopher, an apothecary-in-progress, who is his own master. He is now in the middle of the ‘plague-age.’ He has to, now, use clues and hints left by his old master to figure out the cure for the plague, with a few obstacles on the way. This book was a definite yes for me. And I say this once again, Kevin Sands’ writing is P.E.R.F.E.C.T.I.O.N The entire plot, characters, and setting complement each other SO PERFECTLY. *Characters* Christopher was the absolute best. He is so smart and funny that you got to love him. He is such a caring and clever character that rarely makes it in Middle-grade novels. Tom was one of those ‘side-kick’ characters that aren’t really ‘side-kicks.’ The very fact that Tom is technically a side-kick doesn’t get acknowledged in the novel. Christopher, who is the main character, doesn’t treat Tom like just a person that wants to help. No. He treats Tom like his equal. Like a true friend. And that is beautiful. The friendship in this book is just..beautiful This book, This series, Kevin Sands, Are the ABSOLUTE best! So thank you for making me satisfied with such great writing and therefore killing me. Five stars from me!