Reviews written by Elisha Jachetti, Staff Reviewer

SNOWBIRDS by Crissa-Jean Chappell is a contemporary young adult drama set in the world of an Amish community in Pinecraft, Florida. The book sheds light on an otherwise secretive and mysterious society and offers an unprejudiced look at this way of life, one that I knew very little about prior....

WAIT FOR ME by Caroline Leech is an historical fiction set during World War II. The book follows Lorna, a young Scottish girl who lives and works on her father’s farm. When her dad accepts a German prisoner of war as an extra farmhand, Lorna must confront all of her...

EVERYDAY MAGIC by Emily Albright in many ways is a modern day fairytale. The protagonist, Maggie, comes from a wealthy, high profile Hollywood family. Her dad is a prolific director, known for his films and bad behavior, and her mother is a sought-after director of photography. As a result, Maggie...

METALTOWN by Kristen Simmons is a young adult dystopian. However, it has a certain timeless quality to it, which feels as though this story could have played out in the past, in the present, or in the future as is written. The book is narrated by shifting perspectives between three...

SOMEONE I WANTED TO BE by Aurelia Wills deals with the darker sides of the high school experience. The teenagers of the book grapple with a multitude of issues including dead and dying parents, divorced parents, stepparents, single parents, alcoholism and other addictions, bullying, rape, bad friends, good friends, boyfriends,...

BETWEEN WORLDS by Skip Brittenham harkens back to many classical fantasies in that there is a secret, seemingly mundane portal ready to transport people to another dimension. In this case, it is a large aspen tree that sends two young teenagers to Nith, a place full of dangerous creatures who...

THE FAERIE GUARDIAN by Rachel Morgan is the first of a series. The story follows the lead character, Violet Fairdale, a faerie guardian in training. While she isn’t human, she behaves just like a normal teenager -- that is one who has supreme fighting skills and can pull weapons out...

IMPYRIUM by Henry H. Neff is the first book in a brand new fantasy series sure to knock your socks off! This YA novel boasts a hefty 585 pages of pure excitement and adventure. Neff creates a very complex world, and as a result, the story starts out slow. At...

THE WAY BACK TO YOU is a new Contemporary Young Adult novel, team written by Michelle Andreani and Mindi Scott. This is the first time I have ever read a book that has been co-authored and the execution is amazingly flawless. There is not a single moment in the story...

WEARILAND by Mary Shotwell is a reimagining of ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND, by Lewis Carroll. However, rather than recrafting the original story, Shotwell sets her book a few generations later. Now Wonderland is not Wonderland at all, but instead Weariland, a place controlled not by the Queen of Hearts, but...

AGE OF MYTH is the first installment in the new Legends of the First Empire series by Michael J. Sullivan. It is perhaps the first fantasy novel I have ever read that begins with an Author’s Note detailing his particular writing style. Sullivan claims that before publishing his first book,...

Recoil by Joanne Macgregor is the first book of a series that plans to cash in on the recent dystopian trend in young adult literature. However, rather than a war changing society as we know it, in this novel, it is a plague that does the damage. The disease element...

The Last Time We Were Us by Leah Konen has such a catchy title and beautiful cover that I am sold on the book before I even turn a page. The story is set down South, which gives those unfamiliar with the particular lifestyle of sweet tea, small towns, and...

Kingdom of Ash and Briars is a specular debut for Hannah West. This Young Adult Fantasy novel is the perfect blend of familiar and original stories, making the read both beloved and exciting. West claims to draw inspiration from Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Jane Austen’s Emma, and the Chinese legend of...

Swan Boy by Nikki Sheehan made me incredibly angry. When the lead character, Johnny, moves with his family, he is forced to attend a new school. There, he becomes the fascination of the hall bully, Liam, and his cronies, Jonas and Lola. Together, they make it their duty to ruin...