Reviews written by Christina Franke

What I Loved: Can I just say that Laurie Halse Anderson is the best? Actually, don’t answer that, because I don’t care what you think, because she just is the best and I refuse to argue that point. The Impossible Knife of Memory is my third Laurie Halse Anderson...

What I Liked: I’m going to keep this short (and for once I think I won’t just say that and then type on for the usual length of review), as the Al Capone at Alcatraz series is quite consistent in quality and subject matter. If you liked the previous...

What I Liked: Abigail Haas effectively makes use of unlikable characters. There truly isn't a single person in this book that I liked. The teens are the popular crowd, and, even though their friends, they snipe at and backstab one another. Plus, they're little rich kids whose parents will...

What I Liked: Just One Year moves at a very slow pace, lacking the excitement of the “one day” that Allyson and Willem spent together. We pick up after that, going approximately one minute past the events of Just One Day. Though Willem does a lot of interesting things,...

What I Loved: Racing Savannah is Miranda Kenneally’s fourth novel and, thus far, she’s not written a single book that I do not like and/or love. That, my friends, is an accomplishment. In some ways, all of the Hundred Oaks books are really consistent and similar to one another,...

What I Liked: When I finished reading Enclave, I sat it aside, waiting to see how the rest of the series would go before putting it back on my shelves. Space in my collection is somewhat limited at the moment, unless I buy another bookshelf and I wasn’t sure...

What I Liked: Falcon in the Glass takes place in fifteenth century Murano, a small island off the coast of Venice. Renzo, short for Lorenzo, is the man of the house, ever since his father died in disgrace after Renzo’s uncle dared leave Venice, taking the secrets of glassblowing...

What I Liked: Though I like to flatter myself that I’m a brave reader, one willing to step outside her comfort zone and try new things, often I don’t. If you look through my very favorite books, most of them share an introverted, sassy, strong-minded heroine. These are the...

What I liked: Maggie’s a spy born and raised. She’s an expert safe cracker and travels the world with her spy parents being a spy. At 16, she finally has her first solo mission and she is excited. Of course, her mission involves enrolling in high school and befriending...

What I Liked: Obviously, A Monster Calls came to me HIGHLY recommended from friends with great taste. That’s always exciting, but also a wee bit terrifying. What if I don’t like this book so many people told me was absolutely amazing? What if I have to be the black...

What I Liked: In Jane Austen’s Persuasion, Anne Elliot allows her friends and family to talk her out of an imprudent marriage to the poor Frederick Wentworth, even though she loves him, and then spends her life regretting that decision. Oddly enough, the graphic novel The Cute Girl Network...

What I Liked: Though I generally hate comparisons to other books, I can’t resist it here. The Creature Department has a lot in common with Roald Dahl’s Charlie in the Chocolate Factory. Elliot and Leslie get a tour of the R&D department of DENKi-3000, headed up by Elliot’s uncle....

What I Liked: When I received a review request for Masks, I was a bit hesitant. The cover’s not all that appealing and I’m pretty busy right now. However, the blurb had enough to make me curious. The fantasy world sounded unique in the way that Brandon Sanderson’s tend...

What I Liked: Perhaps I shouldn't have been surprised to really enjoy Of Beast and Beauty, since I enjoyed the two prior Stacey Jay books I read, in spite of the subject matter being less aligned with my interests. Anyway, Of Beast and Beauty perfectly fits what I've been...

What I Liked: Emma grew up in Japan. Though not born there, she considers herself Japanese, no matter what her skin color conveys. She spoke Japanese before English, and Japan has always been home. After her mother is diagnosed with skin cancer, the family moves back to the US...