Struck By Lightning by Chris Colfer

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Rating: 2/5 stars.

Struck By Lightning: The Carson Phillips Journal by Chris Colfer details Carson Phillips’ struggle to gain admission to the school of his dreams: Northwestern University. He absolutely abhors everyone in his small, narrow-minded town – everyone aside from his ailing grandmother and depressed mom. When he realizes that he needs to create a literary journal to bolster his chances of acceptance, he blackmails various people from myriad social groups to write for him.

I empathized with Carson. Trust me, I did. I don’t live in the most conservative, small-minded town ever, but my area is far from New York City or Los Angeles. My yearning for college stems from my need to experience a different setting. In that respect I connected to Carson; his development in the ending spoke to me as well.

However, overall, I detested Carson. Lately I’ve read books with unlikable characters who are unlikable for no reason – like Carson, they’re not fleshed out or written well.

Butter by Erin Jade Lange

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Rating: 3/5 stars.

Here’s my preface: I know some people are naturally heavier than others. I’m aware that some people have medical issues. I know, as cliche as it sounds, that what’s on the inside matters much more than what’s on the outside.

But Butter was just so frustrating. I don’t want to sound insensitive or make it seem like I’m a jerk who hates obese people, but this book had me on the edge.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth

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Rating: 5/5 stars.

Even though she’s a lesbian, I probably wouldn’t have wanted to be friends with Cameron Post in real life. Not like I give friendship preference to homosexuals, but seriously – she does weed and she shoplifts. Keep in mind that the thought of getting a tattoo scares me.

I sympathized with her quickly, though. When her parents die in a car accident, Cameron’s first thought isn’t horror, or denial, or anger. It’s relief. Relief that they would never know she had just kissed a girl a few hours earlier. As a result of the accident Cam moves in with her conservative, super religious Aunt Ruth along with her grandmother. Life floats by smoothly enough in her small Southern town until Cam meets Coley Taylor, a fierce, beautiful, and supposedly straight cowgirl. Cam’s friendship with Coley develops into something intense and unexpected, something that could leave room for more. But when Aunt Ruth finds out about Cam and her “homosexual tendencies”, she sends her away and forces her to find out who she really is – and to confront the demons of her past and her future.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post is unlike any book I’ve read before.

Between Mom and Jo by Julie Anne Peters

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Rating: 4/5 stars.

Although my parents are heterosexual, Between Mom and Jo still spoke to me personally. As someone who wishes to have children with a male partner one day, it was saddening to read about how Nick had to put up with the taunting and teasing of his peers.

Looking at it positively, at least he had two loving parents who supported him through it. All his life, he’s known Mom and Jo would be there for him. They’ve gone through tough times together, battling alcoholism, cancer, and death. Which makes it that much worse when Mom and Jo start having marital problems and Nick’s left with no one to turn to. How can he choose between the two people in his life whom he cares about the most?

Gemini Bites by Patrick Ryan

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Rating: 3/5 stars.

Overall, a cute, funny, not-so-serious story about two siblings fighting for a mysterious guy who might have supernatural abilities. Here’s a quote I liked:

“I stared out at the dark orange field surrounding us, and my heart was in my ears now, whump, whump, whump, and I had this totally moronic sequence of thoughts: Something gay is about to happen here. This spot will forevermore be the place where you had your first gay encounter. People will live here one day, in a nice big house, and never know they’re living on a sacred ground of gayness.”

Judy and Kyle Renneker, sixteen-year-old fraternal twins in a family of nine, have competed with one another throughout their lives. Judy has always been a jerk, and her latest scheme involves seducing an attractive, religious boy by pretending to be Christian. Kyle recently came out to his family and more or less desires a boyfriend. Things get shaken up when Garret Johnson, a strange and slightly vampiric guy their age, decides to reside in the attic of their house for a short amount of time.

Patrick Ryan could have taken Gemini Bites in many different directions.

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

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Rating: 3.5/5 stars.

Apathy is such an ugly word. We should always connect with the characters we read about, even if it’s not in a positive way – or we should fall in love with the author’s writing, or the setting of the story. In Under the Never Sky, none of that happened. Instead, I felt it: apathy.

A synopsis of the plot would probably pique readers’ interest. In Under the Never Sky, humans live in sheltered Pods where, through technological advances, they access the Realms – virtual realities in which one can do almost anything without fear. Aria grew up in a dome called Reverie, safe from the Aether storms that threaten the lives of all in the Pods. But a reckless choice and an unfortunate consequence causes Aria to be thrown out of her home and into the Outside, a dangerous place full of savages and empty of the comforting pleasures Aria has always known. There she encounters a gifted savage named Perry, and embarks on a journey to find her mother, Lumina.

It’s not like this was a bad book.

Legend by Marie Lu

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Rating: 3/5 stars.

June has always loved the Republic. Encompassing what used to be the west coast of the United States, it thrives on its trial system – all ten-year-olds must take a test that determines their fate. June is the only person to receive a perfect score of 1500. Day, on the other hand, failed his trial. Born into a slum sector of the Republic, he’s always had a defiant streak. A fierce care for his family keeps him grounded, and when his brother Eden contracts the Plague, he’s forced to steal some of the Republic’s cure. This action ties him and June together in a way that will make them question the true intent of the Republic.

I liked Legend.

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

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Rating: 3.5/5 stars. I almost cannot believe that I am giving less than 4 stars to a book by Maggie Stiefvater.

The Raven Boys revolves around Blue Sargent, the daughter of a clairvoyant mother. Blue herself cannot see the future, but she amplifies the powers of those around her – and, ever since she was young, she’s been told that if she kisses her true love, he’ll die. After seeing a shocking vision one night, Blue finds herself entangled in a group of academically and financially superior guys from Aglionby Academy. Known as the Raven Boys, Blue knows that she shouldn’t get caught up in their conquests – but, inevitably, she’s drawn deeper and deeper into their dangerous, mysterious circle.

I have terribly missed reading Maggie Stiefvater’s writing. It’s still beautiful, and her decision to write about the supernatural, prophecies, and Glendower shows that she’s not afraid to try new things in the realm of young-adult fiction.

The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson

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Rating: 5/5 stars.

Females! Young-adult females! And males, too, I suppose – drop what you’re reading and check this series out. Or finish what you’re reading and then check it out, as Rae Carson has come into her own with The Crown of Embers. Similar to the Mortal Instruments trilogy, the first book in the Fire and Thorns trilogy (The Girl of Fire and Thorns) didn’t win me over, but its sequel did. Boy, it did.

In The Crown of Embers Elisa continues her quest to fulfill the duty given to her by her Godstone. As queen of her kingdom, one might expect this to be easy – but it is anything other than that. Riots begin to break out as some are dissatisfied with her rule, enemies emerge from inside and outside of her palace, and her confidence wavers as even her allies seem to conspire against her. After a failed attempt on her life, Elisa decides to embark on a journey to redeem herself and revitalize her country – before it is too late.

Elisa has earned her spot amongst my favorite female protagonists.

The Lost Girl by Sangu Mandanna

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Rating: 4/5 stars.

“If you pretend you love a boy, maybe after a while you start to care. If you spend months with the traces of someone else’s love and memories inside you, maybe those traces become a part of you. Or perhaps Amarra has nothing do with this. Perhaps I care because I’m jealous of what she had. That kind of love. That kind of freedom to love.”

As an echo, Eva’s sole purpose is to study someone else’s life and eventually replace her if she dies. Amarra, Eva’s “other”, happens to pass away after an unfortunate car accident. But when Eva leaves what she’s known for sixteen years to take the place of another girl, she finds that what she wants to do and what she was designed to do are two wildly different things.

The Lost Girl is almost a young-adult version of Frankenstein, with more sentimentality and slightly sweeter prose.