Reviews written by Kayla Beck

I was a bit "meh" in my review of Rachel Carter's debut novel, So Close to You, but curiosity got the better of me. I requested This Strange and Familiar Place to see if the series would improve. Did it improve? Not really (in my opinion), but this installment in...

Once upon a time there was a book that should have turned me off completely after fifty pages. Its name was PODs. PODs was an interesting little book with teenage naïveté, superviruses, questionable government policy, awful roommates, young love, action, zombies, and cringe-worthy science. Despite the strange formula, I still...

First things first, I want to make sure that you are aware that this review is based on an ARC (advance reading copy) of the book, so there may be changes in the final edition. So, in four and a half months, there may be a completely different book released...

It only seems fitting that the Greek gods are dying in today's world, and Kendare Blake takes that idea and runs with it in Antigoddess. Hermes' body is consuming itself, Athena is growing feathers internally, and the other gods are in equal decline. Even the Greek heroes of old have...

There's not enough deep space science fiction in YA, and I did not realize that I was missing it until I read Starglass by Phoebe North. There are others out there similar to it, namely Across the Universe by Beth Revis, but Starglass had a story all its own. Phoebe...

I read this book over the holidays, and it's fitting. I knew that I had to be the Grinch because my heart grew two sizes the day I finished reading Destiny, Rewritten. It felt as if it would burst right out of my chest because I was felt with such...

I, like many other Marissa Meyer fans, have waited longingly for over a year to read Scarlet . I did not even request an ARC of the novel because it came out a day before my birthday, and it made the perfect gift. (There is no denying that the temptation...

In Dualed, we are brought into Kersh: a city-state in a post-apocalyptic world where humanity has been left infertile. The Board - the governing body - somehow has managed to find a way to create/grow human clones in labs two at a time. Every set of twins (or Alts) are...

Timespell is Diana Paz's debut young adult novel that follows three protagonists: Julia, Angie, and Kaitlyn. We enter the story with Julia and Angie looking for the the third Daughter of Fate, who is necessary to seal their magic, or they will lose it when Angie turns seventeen. Julia and...

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi is probably one of the most beautifully written books that I have ever read. I also almost gave up on it completely after about 10% of it. Kate Simses, the narrator, was definitely Shatter Me's saving grace. Since I listened to the...

Neversink by Barry Wolverton is the story of Lockley J. Puffin and what happens after a nasty little owl goes on a power trip and breaks the peace between Tytonia and the auks' home island of Neversink. The story is set far in the past, as described by the following...

You know that feeling you get sometimes when you start a book, that it will be impossible to put down? My friends, Poison was just that. The world-building was rich, the characters were lovable, and the writing was perfect for readers of all ages. Kyra was one...

In Under the Never Sky, Veronica Rossi builds a thrilling and terrifying dystopian world in which she sets a story of two teenagers who are thrown together after each loses what is held most dear. It is action-packed and will leave you breathless from the start. The...