I Am Traitor YA

Zach is back and he has two objectives and nothing and nobody will get in his way.  He wants to find out the truth about his father, and he wants his friend Howard back, and Zack is prepared to give everything he has to get these things from the Program.

This the third book in the Assassin series, and is jammed packed with high octane, non stop action, this story just keeps on coming.  The characters, old and new, are awesome and very believable.  Since this is the third book in the series the characters have had time to build and evolve, it has been great to watch them grow.  This is a great young adult series for anyone who loves action and suspense.  The only bad part is having to wait for the next book to come out to see what happens next.

5 STAR

EKHO (Evil Kids Hunting Organization) MG

This is a awesome book about a diverse group of friends that are tired of being bullied and tired of seeing others in their school being bullied, so they decide to use their talents to make a stand.  But when DEKE (Destroy EKHO Kids Everywhere) shows up, things change for EKHO. But who will come out on top after the big field day clash between the two factions.

This is a really great book that not only shows great diversity among the children and adults, but also in the way it handles the problem of bullying.  Yes, the school has a no bullying policy, and yes, the school had a anti-bullying assemble, but when the EKHO kids first brought the problem to the principal it was kind of swept under the carpet probably like a lot of schools still do.  That is why Elvis and his friends decided to take a stand and formed EKHO, a peaceful way to deal with the bullies, through sound and video recordings (to use as proof), and sheer number members to show up at the scene of the bullying to defuse the immediate situations.

I found the whole concept of this book just so cool I wanted to know where EKHO was when I was being teased in elementary school, I would have joined right up!  I really can't wait to see what 5th grade brings for Elvis and his friends, and of course EKHO.

5 STARS!!!

Masterminds MG

The town of Serenity is serene or is it? Eli has never left Serenity, why would he, everything in Serenity is perfect.  All the adults have jobs, everyone has a place to live with a pool (that is important in New Mexico), there is no crime, and only thirty kids in the whole town.  But the day Eli's best friend, Randy, talks him into biking just outside of the town limits to a barn where Randy and his dad had seen a alfa romeo, things change for both of them drastically.  What are the adults of Serenity trying to hide, and how do the purple people eaters fit in?

This is a well played, and strategically crafted adventure.  Masterminds has many twists and turns that will keep you guessing but surprise you just the same.  You will cheer for these very real characters while laughing at the same time.  Be prepared to sit for awhile because you will not want to put this book down.

5 STARS

Rogue YA

What an awesome sequel to the book Talon, this series is a bit of a different direction for Julie Kagawa to my enjoyment and hopefully yours too.  This series has dragons, and plenty of them, and dragon hunters, the Order of St. George, don't worry there are plenty of them as well.  The dragons are taught at a young age (in dragon years) to coexists with humans by masquerading as humans.  Learning their final lessons as humans by living as a human teenagers among humans for the first time right before their final dragon tests.
Rogue picks up right where Talon left off, and it is even more action packed, if that is even possible.  So much happens, albeit slow at first, so if you haven't read Talon you will still understand what is going on.  But it is still best to start at the beginning, that way you can see for yourself how the characters grow and evolve with each other.
I really liked this book a lot, the characters even though dealing with very grown up problems still have very real teenage issues, sometimes they can be humorous, at other times you feel for them and the pain they are each going through.  Julie Kagawa is able to make so much of their world feel so very real as you read her book, sometimes you just won't want to leave.

Fury YA

WOW! When you thought a series couldn't get any better, along comes Fury.  Steven James really out did himself in this sequel, Daniel won't be the only one doubting what is real and what isn't by the end of this book.  The suspense is so thick you will need a knife and fork to get to the end.

Daniel's blurs have started again, and resurfaced long repressed secrets, secrets that might help him find his father.  But as before deciphering what is real and what isn't can be very problematic, but his friend are there to help, but will they have enough time?

This was a awesome book!  The action and suspense is non stop.  I really did not put the book down, it sucked me in and trapped me until I was finished.  There where times I wasn't sure what to believe and what not to believe so I think I was just as confused as Daniel at times.There is so much going on in this book I wasn't sure how it could possibly get wrapped up by the end of the book, but it was and the best part is you can't guess who did it in the middle of the book!  Readers of the series will get some questions answered from the last book, but a few more asked going into the third and final book of the series, rumored to be named Curse (Spring 2016).

5 STARS

Blur YA

This is a great murder mystery/paranormal thriller for the young adults and the young at heart.  Daniel is a real enough character to suck you right on to the story as is you to lived in Belden Wisconsin and where part of Daniel's circle of friends. 
When Daniel starts having strange visions of a freshman classmate who has just died, he starts to question everything including his sanity, trying to figure out why he is having these visions, but in the mean time follow what the visions tell him and looking into the girls death.
It was nice to see that Daniel asked for help with this monumental problem and that everyone took his problem seriously, including his sheriff father.  It is also refreshing that this was a clean book even though the main focus was about a bunch of teens, but was written in a way that the language and such was not missed at all.
I really like this book and can't wait to start book two.  My only disappointment is that they have already classified this series as a trilogy, so there will only be three books.  :(

5 STARS

Seven Wonders: The Curse of the King MG

Oh my gosh, can it be true that we are already up to book four in the Seven Wonders series, and I have to say the book left me wanting the next one now! Peter Lerangis you have done it again with your fast paced, high octane, surprise around every corner style of writing for middle graders, it is awesome!!!

Jack and his friend are in a life and death battle for the Loculi hidden in the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World so they can hopefully reunite them and save their lives before the genetic mutation G7W kills them on their 14th birthdays.  But now they find out if they do that and it will raise the lost city of Atlantis and possibly set off a massive chain reaction that could kill millions of people and change the face of earth, so what will it be?  The tailor must once again stitch together the sailor, tinker, and soldier back together along with more friends now and see what happens.

Like I said this is a exciting fast paced book that is sure to keep you guessing.  The characters also keep it fresh and playful as you never know exactly what to expect from them as well, one minute the stone cold killer can be stalking its prey, than stop and help a little defenseless animal, or befriend the island monkeys, you just never know.  The adventure and suspense will draw you in and you will be stuck until you are done and yelling for the next book. Don't stay up to late past your bedtime. :)

5 STARS