August Teen Book Reviews

Review by Anna: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
Vampires. True love. Possible death from either one. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer has it all. The first book of a 4 part series begins as seventeen year old Bella Swan moves to live with her father in Forks, Washington, where all is not as it seems. The "adopted" family of the local doctor Carlisle Cullen a little strange, not to mention, the most beautiful creatures on the planet. Especially Edward, who Bella can not help but be in love with.

I have seen book-haters become book-lovers when they picked up Twilight. These books are so wonderful, they haven't been off the reserve list for more than two days this summer! So you'd better either buy the book, or get on the reserve list. It's definitely worth the wait.

Review by Carrie:Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

What would happen if you were to fall in love with a vampire? Before her junior school year begins, Bella moves from sunny Arizona to the dull and consistently rainy Forks, Washington. Personally, she hates Forks, but she will do anything to avoid moving to Florida with her mom and her mom's, slightly annoying, boyfriend Phil. Her first day of her new, small school goes as terrible as expected. She is the center of attention at school, which is something she has never been comfortable. However her entire world is turned upside down when she catches the eye of the most beautiful person she has ever seen. He sits across from her in the lunch room and is as pale and smooth as porcelain. He has bronze tinted hair and the grace of an angel. He is surrounded by four other beautiful people. They are the Cullens, and the students at this high school keep their distance because their natural instinct tells them that these four are dangerous. Bella, though, ignores these instincts and slowly brings herself closer to a world of myths, legends and, at the same time, closer to the mysterious and dangerous Edward. Stephenie Meyer weaves an epic and fast paced love story for the ages. Currently a New York Times Bestseller, Twilight is sure to be enjoyed by readers of all kinds, not just fans of fantasy. This book is sure to be a fast read with hardly a dull moment. Unique and compelling, Twilight is sure to leave readers thirsty for more.

Review by Mark: Eragon by Christopher Paolini
Imagine a land ruled by an evil tyrant, his magic, and his dragon. A land where nomadic monsters called Urgals roam the countryside. A land where elves live in fear in the forests, and dwarves and a human resistance group, the Varden, take refuge under the mountains. A land that holds its breath for a rescued dragon egg to hatch, hoping for the dragon and her Rider to overthrow the king. This is the land of magical land of Alagaesia.

Eragon by Christopher Paolini, is an epic tale, filled to the brim with magic, swordfights, and journeys. There are ambushes and torture, and even a dash of romance. As Eragon the Dragon Rider and his dragon Saphira learn the skills they will need to defeat the king, they make new friends and enemies. An elf's life hangs by a thread, and they travel immense distances to try and save her. The excitement doesn't stop at the first book either. The Inheritance Saga will be 4 books long, and each one, if they follow their pattern, will be bigger and better than the last. And that's saying a lot.

Review by Zach: Eragon by Christopher Paolini
Eragon had the simplest of lives. But one magical event was about to change it. You see, when Eragon went hunting in the mysterious spine mountains, Eragon discovered a smooth blue rock. But it wasn’t a rock, it was a dragon egg. With his dragon Saphira and the mysterious storyteller, Brom, they flee the clutches of the evil king Galbatorix; a journey that leads to mysteries, adventure, and their destinies. If you’ve seen the movie, don’t discount the book. Christopher Paolini creates a wonderful world of magic, elves, dwarves, and dragons that a movie could never illustrate. I’d recommend this book to any fantasy lover who’s looking for a great book.

Review by Mary: Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Scott Westerfeld's work has always been a pleasant surprise, considering that a lot of young adult fiction these days is either overwrought melodrama or utterly shallow. His worlds are distinctly futuristic yet plausible to the reader, and his characters have to work for whatever they get. Uglies builds a society where everyone receives cosmetic surgery upon turning sixteen, which creates a face and body based on scientific calculations of perfect beauty. Younger children, the titular Uglies, are separated from these Pretties and raised to hate their appearances and count the days until the operation. Tally, the protagonist, is one such Ugly, waiting to turn so that she can join her friends across the river. Her new friend Shay isn't so keen on the operation, and runs away to a place called the Smoke, a sort of refuge for Uglies who don't want to become just the same as everyone else. Tally is rounded up by the shadowy organization Special Circumstances shortly after, and threatened with never receiving the operation if she doesn't reveal Shay's whereabouts. Tally is sent as a spy to infiltrate the Smoke, and the novel takes off from there. The novel is divided into three sections, the first and last of which move along at a steady clip. Tally's actual time in the Smoke is for the most part interesting, but is dragged down somewhat by a subplot of a love triangle and romantic betrayal. It feels out of place in a story where the possibility of a deadlier betrayal is pushing at Tally (although the reader will guess her decision long before Tally comes to it). Likewise, discoveries about the operation will be little surprise to those familiar with the concept of dystopian future style novels. It is to Westerfeld's credit that he spins these facts in and makes them interesting in spite of that fact. These are minor gripes, soothed by the sympathetic characters and the fascinating universe in which they exist. The author creates that universe subtly, bringing up objects such as hoverboards and the lack of penmanship as if they are everyday occurrences, mentions that everyone should know. In that way it's almost more authentic, and certainly more believable than if he had laboriously laid out every detail of this world. The ending makes no attempt to keep the novel a stand-alone, instead setting up directly for the novel's sequel, Pretties. Flaws aside, this is one reader who will most certainly be there.

Review by Rachel: Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
Tally Youngblood is a 15 year old girl, about to turn 16. Only when Tally turns 16, she doesn’t get a car, she becomes a “Pretty”. In Tally’s world, all of the 16 year old kids undergo an operation to make themselves beautiful, and nearly unbreakable. Only there’s something wrong with these doe-eyed teens—they’re mindless. Tally finds out her best friend is going to run away and stay an “Ugly”. Shay runs away to “the Smoke”, a place where everyone is “Ugly”. Officers know about Shay and they track Tally down to have her go find Shay. Tally has to find out where her loyalties lie in this action packed novel.