Reviews written by Samantha Randolph

Clementine and Logan are now with the rebels, eager and ready to take down Commander Charlie. Clementine’s current mission is to go into the work camps and weaken the infrastructure. But as determined as she is, the enemies surround everyone, and it may prove impossible to make it out safe....

Clementine has always wanted to go the Core: the place where life is safer, people aren’t dying around her, and she has a chance to do something other than hard labor. When she is one of the very few chosen to be “Extracted,” she is happy for a better chance...

Silly vaguely remembers a time with her mother was better, but lately, her mother only seems to be getting worse. She sleeps often, drinks frequently, and has unpredictable moods. Silly hopes to find comfort with her three sisters, but it becomes clear they are keeping a secret from her. When...

Jenna’s Great Aunt Tannie isn’t doing so well. After a series of accidents, Jenna’s mom decides to ask Tannie if she will move in with them, where she can help Tannie out. Tannie is reluctant at first but agrees, and Jenna’s household will have to get used to the new...

Rufus doesn’t want to have a typical lemonade stand. Instead, he’s decided to make a story stand, giving out stories in exchange for a few small treasures. What I Loved: The premise of RUFUS THE WRITER is adorable. I love how creatively encouraging it is...

Bren Owen is bored of his small town, Map. He wants excitement, adventure, and to sail the seas. When a dying sailor gives Bren a strange coin of sorts, Bren’s journey launches into danger, mystery, and more excitement than he ever bargained for. What I Loved:...

I absolutely adored Rebel Mechanics. The voice is so strong throughout the story, and there is a perfect amount of details and descriptions to imagine the characters, machinery, and setting. Verity is a wonderful protagonist, a perfect balance of someone who has had to mature quickly due to her circumstances...

Ronan Truelove and gang return in this sequel to The Blood Guard. This time, they are instructed to take a test, called the Glass Gauntlet, at a mysterious school. Once arriving at the school, they discover all is not what it seems, and there is danger around every corner. ...

Ronan Truelove always knew his mother was a little strange. She did enroll him in extracurricular activities ranging from fencing to karate to dance lessons. He had no idea she was part of the Blood Guard, a secret society dedicated to watching over the 36 Pure, or noble souls, in...

In this sequel to Messenger of Fear, Mara continues her training to become the Messenger. She discovers more about this dark and complex world to which she now belongs, and she learns the depth of the burden she must carry. Nothing appears in black and white anymore as she and...

What I Loved: While I was initially intrigued by the premise for A Riddle in Ruby, I did not expect to it to be so completely fascinating and cool. Alternate histories are an interesting concept, and I love the focus on colonial Philadelphia for this one. There are mixtures...

While I love fairy tale retellings, I haven’t read many about Jack and the Beanstalk. This take on the tale by Liesl Shurtliff does a wonderful spin on the original (plus some parts of Jack the Giant Killer). The voice stands out as my favorite part of the novel. Jack’s...

What I Loved: Full of adventure and excitement, The League of Beastly Dreadfuls is a fast-paced and highly entertaining read. The story mixes the perfect amount of dark and quirky with comic relief and enjoyable characters. The writing flows wonderfully and pulls the reader in expertly, making...

Even if twelve-year-old Molly doesn’t look like a Wicked Witch, she is indeed one, and she is ready to fulfill the vacant witch spot at Castle Hangnail. Once there, she must convince the staff that are slowly becoming family as well as the Board of Magic that she is fit...

While the superhero excitement continues to flourish in pop culture, there are wonderful opportunities to take a hero, a lover, a sidekick, or a villain and turn present them in a new light as Gwenda Bond has fabulously done with LOIS LANE: FALLOUT. Many may recognize Lois’s name as the...