This book was a miraculous roller coaster. The Way I Used to Be is a young adult fiction novel by Amber Smith that explores mature themes of sexual violence in an incredibly personal and intimate way. The novel follows Eden, a young girl in high school, and the adversities she faces when trying to speak up about being a victim of assault. Normally, I'm not the type of person that gets emotional about books, but the way Amber Smith approaches serious themes is truly inspiring.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey is by far one of my favorite books I’ve read. It explores life within a psychiatric hospital utilizing comedic undertones. The book highlights a power struggle between McMurphy (the cowboy-esque patient) and Nurse Ratched (the tyrant ward nurse). The book is incredibly unique because it presents unreliable narration and forces the reader to continuously guess what’s upcoming.
Dim Sum of All Fears is a murder mystery novel by Vivien Chien. The Ho-Lee Noodle House is a place of serenity, familiarity, and great food. But not for very long. Just after Lana Lee solved her first murder case, she’s thrown back in the chaos. Soon after newlyweds Isabelle and Brandon open a store next to the restaurant, Lana and Isabelle become friends. They bond over their love of murder mystery novels, but not long after, they are found dead. Will Lana be able to solve this mystery too?
Slaughterhouse-5 is an incredibly well-written novel and one of my favorite works by Kurt Vonnegut. In his novel, he explores the meaning of life (and no, I’m not kidding), World War II, time travel, and more. Slaughterhouse-5 is brilliant and complex, but not hard to understand. Vonnegut introduces serious themes of war and violence and approaches them in his writing with a humorous tone.
The Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a dystopian thriller by Suzanne Collins. Set after the Civil War between the Capitol and the Districts, the book follows a young President Snow as he is given the task to mentor a tribute from District 12. Unfortunately for him, he is given Lucy Gray Baird, a tribute from the most impoverished district. Slowly, him and Lucy hatch a plan to manipulate the Games in her favor. This leads to the formation of a tyrant.
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo is set in the world of Ravka, a nation split into two because of The Fold, an area covered in darkness and filled with monsters. This land is ruled by the Grisha, who are born with magical powers. Alina Starkov, an orphan, is revealed to have powers of her own when her regiment sent into The Fold is attacked and her friend goes missing. Alina is sent to live with the Grisha, and be trained by the Darkling. Alina meets friends and foes while
All In, the third book in the Naturals series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, is about Cassie Hobbs and the Naturals going to Las Vegas to investigate three brutal murders. This killer changes method, with his identifying mark being a tattoo of numbers on his victim’s wrist. Cassie’s mother’s case has also had a breakthrough, and Cassie must juggle her personal issues with the case the Naturals have to solve.
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is the tale of Hester Prynne, a woman in the 1600s who is accused of cheating on her husband, who has been missing for years. After the birth of her child Pearl, Hester is branded with the Scarlet Letter to remind her and her fellow townspeople of her misdeed. Hester refuses to reveal her lover’s identity, and throughout the novel has to face the shame of committing adultery, a major sin.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is the story of Elizabeth Bennett and her family. Lizze and her sister Jane are of age to find husbands, and Jane has taken an interest in Charles Bingley, the new rich man in town. Bingley’s friend Mr. Darcy comes along, and immediately dislikes Lizzie. Soon, the two are rivals, and must overcome their pride and prejudices to get along and fall in love.
When Call comes home from the Magisterium for Summer Vacation he thought that it would be a normal one with him, his dad, and Havoc. However, what he didn’t know was that his dad might have been secretly trying to destroy him and Havoc. Call runs off after learning this and returns back to the Magisterium. However, he learns that a powerful magical weapon that can destroy chaos magic users called the Alkahest has been stolen, and the key suspect is his own father, Alastair Hunt. Tamara, Aaron, Call, and Jasper go on a mission to try and stop his father
