Cress

Meyer, Marissa. Cress. New York, New York: Feiwel and Friends, 2014. Print.

Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy

Intended Audience: Ages 12 and older

Personal Reaction: The first two books in the Lunar Chronicles were so well written I couldn't help but read Cress.  Many of the characters in this series are loosely based on fairy tale characters, Cress being Rapunzel.  She has been trapped on a satellite for most of her life by the queen's right hand Sybil Mira.  Cress escapes the satellite with the help of Cinder, Thorne, and goes with them to find her father, Dr. Erland. 

This book was such a great and exciting, fast paced novel.  There was adventure and romance and above all, hope for the people of Luna.  Meyer successfully told another wonderful story of adventure and friendship.  She leaves a cliff hanger where we find Princess Winter keeping Scarlet in her palace, now waiting for Winter to be published next year.

Author Facts: One of Marissa Meyer's first words was story and her favorite childhood toy was a book so it is no wonder she became an author.  She and her husband have three cats.  Se also loves playing dress up, watching Firefly reruns and eating Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. 

Author Website: http://www.marissameyer.com/

The Selection

Cass, Kiera. The Selection. New York: HarperTeen, 2012. Print.

Genre: Dystopia

Intended Audience: Ages 12 and older

Personal Reaction: The Selection is a chance for young women in Illea to win the heart of a the prince and the crown.  America Singer is the star of our novel and despite not wanting to originally enter into the selection she enters and is selected as one of the thirty five girls so seek the hand of prince Maxon.  America is a snarky girl who falls for Maxon and while it seems as though he wants to marry her, she gets jealous of him spending time with the other women as well.  Add in an ex boyfriend, Aspen and America's life is turned upside down.

I was practically forced to read this book by a friend.  While I love chick lit novels, I don't usually gravitate toward books with pictures of girls in dresses on them, but I'm so happy I tried this one.  Cass wrote a beautiful book written with heartache and anticipation and of course, love.  Once I started it I could not put it down and cannot wait to read the rest of the series.

Author Facts: When growing up Kiera Cass wanted to be a performer, she taught theater at a camp and majored in musical theater.  She followed a boy to Radford University where she changed her major many times before settling on History and working on staff at a campus church.  Eventually Mr. Cass wooed her and married her and realized she loved writing and is now a well known author.

Author Website: http://www.kieracass.com/

Four

Roth, Veronica. Four. New York, NY: Katherine Tegen, 2014. Print.

Intended Audience: Ages 13 and older

Genre: Dystopian Fiction

Personal Reaction: For those who have read the Divergent trilogy I highly recommend reading Four.  It is a series of short stories following the life of Tobias, one of the main characters in the trilogy.  I loved seeing how Tobias became Four and how he realized he was divergent and became Dauntless, despite his home in Abnegation. These stories gave extra life to the relationship between Tobias and Tris, something that is appreciated by many readers.  It could be well read after reading Divergent before reading Insurgent. 

Author Facts:This past July Veronica Roth went to Framingham, MA discovering it was a square dance.  She has a dog she loves very much and grows herbs at her home.  Roth also went to the San Diego Comic Con in July.

Author Website: http://www.veronicarothbooks.com/

The Maze Runner

Dashner, J. (2009). The Maze Runner. New York, NY: Delacorte Press.

Genre: Science Fiction/Dystopia

Intended Audience:  Ages 13+

Personal Reaction: When I saw The Maze Runner was on the list of required reading for my class I was quite excited.  I found myself drawn into the characters and setting, unsure, as Thomas what exactly was happening.  This was a fast-paced novel with likable characters.

As a general rule I aim to not watch the movie before the book, however, I failed to do so with The Maze Runner.  Therefore, many of my reactions are in relation to how it compared to the film adaptation.  I was annoyed at how the adaptation changed the maze to not having an exit, to having one and Alby not wanting to give the Gladers hope.  In addition to changing the maze, they lacked the telepathic communication between Teresa and Thomas, taking away from the depth of their relationship. As usual, I found the book to be better than the film version, and was quite impressed with the storyline Dashner gave.

Author Facts: James Dashner began his career in accounting and later decided to become an author, he does not miss the numbers game and now writes full-time. He lives with his wife and four children and watches movies when he doesn't know what to write about. He now believes he has the best job in the world and is the luckiest guy on the planet. 

Author Website: http://jamesdashner.com/