Ten by Gretchen McNeil

PHOTO from Goodreads

     Today I am going to be talking about Ten by Gretchen McNeil. The story is that ten teenagers have gone to an island on a three day weekend to have an epic party...or so they think. Mysterious things begin to happen at dinner including finding a homemade dvd with the words, "Vengeance is mine". Slowly one by one they die in "accidents".  Meg soon come to her senses and realizes that they are intentionally being killed. By that time, someone (or something) has turned out the power and cut them off from the rest of the world. Alone. On an island. With a killer. In a dangerous storm. Will they survive the three days until the next ferry comes? 

    I would give this book 5 stars (or should I say ten stars!...I know not funny). From the very beginning when Meg and Minnie got of the ferry onto Henry Island, the frightening occurrences began. McNeil really pulls you in the story and you feel like you are on the island just like the ten teenagers, just waiting for the killer to strike again and another ominous blood red slash to be painted onto the wall. You may know that I am a fan of horror books like this although I hate actually being scared. I just think that horror books have the most interesting plots and I must say that Ten is one of my favorite in this category. I actually had to read it with my door open (which is rare) because I knew that if it was closed I would have to take breaks after the freaky parts and watch funny Youtube videos more often. The ending was really great to tie the story together and actually surprised me quite a bit.
    Anyway, comment with your opinions on this book and if you know any similar books let me know also!

Stolen by Lucy Christopher

260 × 400 - lucychristopher.com

    Today I am going to be talking about Stolen by Lucy Christopher. This is the story of a kidnapped girl, creatively written as the victim, Gemma, to her kidnapper, Ty. After a fight with her parents, Gemma leaves them in the airport waiting area and heads to get coffee. When she needs more money to pay for it and man named Ty covers for her. Gemma thinks he looks familiar but cannot figure out where they have met. They sit together; they talk; he drugs her coffee. The next thing she knows is that she is lying in a bed in a dirty house in Australia, oceans away from her family in England. The house is in the middle of a desert, not even on the map, without any way to communicate and hundreds of miles of barren land between her and civilization. She needs to find away to get back to her old life, where she was happy...but does she want to?

    I would rate this book a 6 out of 10. It is boring and slow at some parts, during which I basically skimmed and barely missed anything, but the rest was quite interesting. The writing is unique because I actually felt bad for the captor Ty most of the story instead of Gemma. He grew up without his mother in a foster care system when he gets a letter from his mother saying she lived in England and wanted him to come see her. He flies to the house, which is down the street from where Gemma lives, to find it full of drugs and alcohol but not his mother. He doesn't have enough money to go back so he stays and works. He, at age nineteen, meets ten year old Gemma in a park and from then on watches her from afar. Eventually he begins to love this girl. Also as Gemma stays with Ty longer and longer she starts to love him too, to understand him. Since the book is written from her perspective, Christopher left it up to reader to decide if Ty was good or evil and if Gemma was blinded to the real madness when she got so much attention. The very ending also leaves the reader wondering...

    This book would be perfect for any young adult reader and I highly recommend it!

    Comment with your thoughts on Stolen.

Nerve by Jeanne Ryan

 

 PHOTO from Goodreads

 

   Today I am going to be discussing the book Nerve by Jeanne Ryan. The story is centered on a girl named Vee, who is used to being what some might call "behind-the-scenes" until she impulsively does a dare for the monthly competition called NERVE. After that is such a hit because of it's embarrassing nature, NERVE asks her to do more dares with another player named Ian. With each dare the prizes get better and better, from an expensive pair of shoes to tuition for the fashion school of her dreams. But they also get riskier and riskier. 

   I think this plot is very unique because it is not very often are teenagers pushed to their breaking points as "dares" for great unimaginable prizes. This kept me enthralled the entire time just asking myself, "Will Vee do another dare?" Also it amazed me how intrusive and creepy the faceless people who run NERVE could be and I couldn't help but wonder what I would do if I was in Vee's place. Would I be willing to hurt my family and friends just to entertain the audience and to win some amazing prizes? Would I be able to clean up the mess afterward? Also I could not believe what the dares came down to in the end. I was, and still am, wondering if NERVE could really put them in so much danger even if their is not an actual human being that could be held accountable, just a computer system. It's kinda horrifying, really. 

   I would give this book 5 stars because of its captivating plot, interesting characters, and its ability to make me scared. This book has something for everyone whether it be romance, action, friend drama, parent drama, et cetera, so I would recommend this book to anyone. 

   Comment what you think about Nerve if you have read it or if you want to read it now!

The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe

308 × 475 - thebooksmugglers.com

 

    This book is about a girl named Kaelyn who lives on an island where a fatal disease breaks out. First you begin to itch all over, then uncontrollable sneezing and coughing, next you are blabbing your deepest feelings to random people, and finally you hallucinate that something, or someone, is trying to get you...and then you die. It starts with her friend Rachel's dad, then Rachel, then everyone has this disease that can be spread by air. Once the death's begin to pile up their island is quarantined and seemingly forgotten. Kaelyn and her family must fight to stay healthy and help those who aren't.

    I really loved this book and would give it a 10 out of 10! Since the story is written as a journal of Kaelyn talking to her old friend Leo who, fortunately, left the island just before the quarantine, the writing really made me feel for the struggles and tragedies the young girl had to go through. I actually wanted to cry at one point, which is quite rare, because of one of the effects of the outbreak (by the way this book reminds me very much of the movie Outbreak). Also, I liked that the author was able to incorporate a sort of teenage romance into all of the disaster between the characters Kaelyn and her new friend Gav. Hope is present in her because of him, in a way, they metaphorically hold each other up. 

   I would recommend this wonderful young adult novel to those who like disaster stories but do not mind sad stories, not that you would expect this to be joyful in any way. So everyone should give this book a try. 

   I am looking to forward to reading book two of this trilogy called The Lives We Lost as soon as I can get it!! Comment below what you thought of The Way We Fall or if you hope to read it soon! 

                                                                                           

Reality Check by Peter Abrahams

264 × 400 - goodreads.com

 

    This book is the story of a boy named Cody, who is a junior in high school. He plays football and has a great girlfriend named Clea. All of a sudden he is injured in a game and can no longer do his favorite thing in the world and on top of that Clea's dad sends her to an expensive boarding school in Vermont, forcing them to break up. Weeks after this Cody sees an ad in the paper saying Clea has gone missing from her new school and police are searching for her. Cody, after receiving a letter from Clea written the day she disappeared, goes up to Vermont to look for Clea. 

   I would rate this book 6 out of 10 (yeah I'm doing number ratings now). I thought the beginning was slow and semi-uninteresting (if that makes sense) because it is focused on football. The plot turns interesting when the Clea disappears and the mystery begins. This book would be wonderful for people who like suspense (like me!) or for people who enjoy the sporty high school books. 

   Comment below with your opinions of this book!

                                                                            Goodbye for now,

                                                                                          A

Ashfall by Mike Mullin

309 × 475 - goodreads.com

   This is my one of my favorite books at the moment because of the scary plot and the realistic characters. The story is that a volcano erupts at Yellowstone (which, as if it wasn't horrifying enough, could actually happen) which causes disaster in Iowa and Illinois where the main character, Alex, is. Now, this occurs just after Alex's parents and sister leave for Illinois so this kid is basically left to fight for himself as the toxic ash steadily falls upon him. He decides he must find a way to walk all the way to where his parents are but must manage to find food and water, find warmth, and just see a few feet in front of him. On the way he meets Darla and together they struggle to survive. 

    Being the fan of post-apocalyptic stories that I am, I really loved this book. I did not want it to ever end. It is surprising the means that people would go just to survive or feed their families. Also, the book is a very nice love story between the character Alex and the girl he meets Darla. They, in a way, need each other to survive. I highly recommend this book to those who like disaster books! 

   Please leave comments saying if you have read Ashfall and what you thought or if you hope to read it soon!  

                                                                                           Goodbye for now

                                                                                                    

Quarantine: The Loners by Lex Thomas

  This book is about a high school in which a disease deadly to all adults and children, so only the adolescents are immune, has infected all of the inhabitants. Because of this disease that got into the school, the government has quarantined it which is now full of only students as the teachers have all died gruesome deaths due to the outbreak. The main characters David and Will must fight within the school for food, supplies, and must stay alive in a setting where almost everyone is a part of a gang. Those left to fight for themselves, just as David and Will are, are at a disadvantage when the food drops and fights begin.

   For someone who enjoys post-apocalyptic and creepy young adult novels, I really loved this book. The characters are very easy to relate to such as the character of David who is determined to keep his younger brother Will, who struggles with epilepsy, safe from harm. Also, the book was very captivating overall because I kept wondering "Who will die next?" or "What is in store for these poor abandoned students?" I guarantee that this book will keep you at the edge of your sit (that is if you are sitting in a chair of some sort) until that puzzling twist ending that I am still thinking about. 

   Also, the next book in the Quarantine series by the writing team of Lex Thomas actually comes out tomorrow! Can't wait! It is called Quarantine: The Saints! Anyway, next I am going to be reading Reality Check by Peter Abrahams. Please leave a comment if you have read Quarantine or hope to after reading this (could you call it a review? kinda).  (PHOTO from Goodreads)

                                                                                   Goodbye for now!