Checkers

Checkers
written by John Marsden



There are lot of complaints I can give about this book. The plot is too narrow. There are not enough sub-plots to make it interesting, and it just seemed like it was the one story; reading about even the other patients would have been interesting. Everything in this book was sickeningly predictable. You knew exactly what was coming at the end, which didn't make it any less horrible, but did make it quite a dull read. I was glad to see a tone that was real and honest, with very powerful writing, but overall, it's just a dull book. Nothing happens. It's a flat read, and in the end, an unnecessary one. It would have served its purpose in a short story just as well.

Rating: 1.5/5

Burned

Burned
written by Ellen Hopkins



I made the mistake of reading two incredibly scary books one right after the other, so this was additionally chilling as I had just finished Endgame. But really, I have no idea how Ellen Hopkins does it. As usual, the writing is phenomenal and unique, as is the revolutionary plot, featuring a rebellious Mormon. Hopkins' writing style is just something else, and her tone is realistic, speaking to teens everywhere even though the words are spoken by a Mormon teenage girl. Ellen Hopkins gets into all these dark places, and it really makes one wonder how much effort and pain it takes for her to find them. I found some of the issues extremely predictable (pregnancy, guns), and definitely knew there was a huge climax at some point, but without a clue how it would all fit together. There were some statements of awkward foreshadowing, particularly foreboding statements regarding the future at the ends of chapters. I end my notes with this statement, and feel it is an accurate way to end this review as well: "OH SWEET AMBIGUITY!!!"

Rating: 5/5

The School for Dangerous Girls

The School for Dangerous Girls
written by Eliot Schrefer



When I first heard of this book and saw it making the rounds through the book blogs, I seriously thought it was yet another Twilight ripoff, with your cast of supernatural girls at school or something. Wow, was I wrong. The School for Dangerous Girls is unlike anything you've ever read and probably ever will read. It's set in an entirely new and unique place, despite the fact that it is at first glance, a teen boarding school, but it's so so much more. Even more astounding than all this is that it is a male who wrote this, came up with this amazing, downright spooky and somehow surrealistic world of teen girls. The plot held no predictability and was simply fantastic. You could never imagine where it would go next. It's emotionally charged, powerful, and extremely raw, and the only thing you really knew (...mostly) is that the main character lives, since she's the narrator (but even so, who knows, she could have been a ghost or zombie or something, I suppose). It's all about the primal instinct of survival. While the title is slightly pathetic and could definitely have been better, this is one book I would very strongly recommend you read if you're looking for a thriller that will haunt your thoughts for days after reading.

Rating: 5/5

Surrender

Surrender
written by Sonya Hartnett



Surrender was a pretty great book for anyone who's looking for some great plot twists. While there were parts that were Deathly Hallows-esque, lots of sitting around waiting for stuff to happen, there were some parts that were absolutely shocking. The narration itself is gorgeously done, and I adore Hartnett's writing style. It's a little unclear at first what's going on, until you realize that it's in several different points of view. The emphasis on arson was a bit much, I thought. There was a time when I was just sitting there going "Okay, he's into fires, we get it." The end revalation is a complete shock. I knew something was up, but the eventual explanation--never could have seen it coming! It'll leave your heart pounding.

Rating: 4/5