May 27-June 18

Mare Barrow’s world is divided by blood—those with common, Red blood serve the Silver-blooded elite, who are gifted with superhuman abilities. Mare is a Red, scraping by as a thief in a poor, rural village, until a twist of fate throws her in front of the Silver court. There, before the king, princes, and all the nobles, she discovers she has an ability of her own.



To cover up this impossibility, the king forces her to play the role of a lost Silver princess, and betroths her to one of his own sons. As Mare is drawn further into the Silver world, she risks everything and uses her new position to help the Scarlet Guard—a growing Red rebellion—even as her heart tugs her in an impossible direction. One wrong move can lead to her death, but in the dangerous game she plays the only certainty is betrayal.



This sweeping story of palace intrigue, class hierarchy, and deception will keep readers hurtling along, desperate to find out Mare’s fate. Her honesty and determination, quick wit, and no-holds-barred attitude will surely make readers fall in love with her.


Review : This book was so good this is set in a dystopian world where you're blood defines you're worth Red is below the silvers . Mare is close to turning 18 and her best friend kilorne is going to have have to go into the war she's trying to find a way to stop it from happening so she has her sister help her go into silver world . A terrorist group called the Scarlet Guard are trying to take over and when leaving the Silver world gisa pickpockets a silver and she gets her hand smashed . When out again Mare pickpockets someone name Cal and he gets her a job at a silver palace but then something happens Mare finds out she has powers lightning powers .Mare finds out Cal is the prince and to hide her the queen fakes her as some lost princess and she is to be engaged to Cal brother Maven who is find to be an interesting character his father doesn't think Maven is not a good as Cal who is a soldier. Mare is able to visit her family with the help of Cal who hears one of her brothers is dead . Mare starts getting trained by Julian who is the brother of the former queen . Mare joins the Scarlet Guard and we find out Maven is also in the guard and they help Farley with giving her names . But at a party Maven and Mare are set to get certain people killed an explosion happens the guard is taken in . Mare has Julian help her get them released. They are traveling away from the Silver castle and Julian gave mare a note there were others like Mare some dead some still alive and she gives the names to Farley . With their plan executed Mare tries to convince Cal but it doesn't work and Cal brings Mare and Maven in but then we learn the queen and Maven have been working together and they kill the king and now Maven is the king because the put the blame on Cal . They are to be executed and put in to fight but then the Scarlet Guard comes to save them and we learn Mare brother is still alive.

Quotes
“The gods rule us still. They have come down from the stars. And they are no longer kind.”


“I will never make the mistake of loving you ever again."
"So you choose him?"
That's all this ever was. Jealousy. Rivalry. All so shadow could defeat the flame.”

“I'll make the other scream for you, Mare, every last one. Not just your parents. Not just your siblings. But every single one like you. I'm going to find them, and they will die with you in their thoughts, knowing this is the fate you have brought them. I am the king and you could've been my Red Queen. Now you are nothing.”


The truth is what I make it. I could set this world on fire and call it rain.”

May 11-14

A funny and timely debut YA about the toxic masculinity at a famous improv comedy camp

Seventeen-year-old Zelda Bailey-Cho has her future all planned out: improv camp, then Second City, and finally Saturday Night Live. She’s thrilled when she lands a spot on the coveted varsity team at a prestigious improv camp, which means she’ll get to perform for professional scouts—including her hero, Nina Knightley. But even though she’s hardworking and talented, Zelda’s also the only girl on Varsity, so she’s the target for humiliation from her teammates. And her 20-year-old coach, Ben, is cruel to her at practice and way too nice to her when they’re alone. Zelda wants to fight back, but is sacrificing her best shot at her dream too heavy a price to pay?

Equal parts funny and righteous, Unscripted is a moving debut novel that Printz Award winner Nina LaCour calls "a truly special book, written at exactly the right time."


Review: I loved this book it was a very emotional read but it was funny to . This is about Zelda she is going to a improv camp with her brother and his boyfriend. She meets her bunkmates and they are all very different but awesome girls . Zelda has to deal with a coach who is abusive asshole and her teammates are Jerks who don't think girls are funny . A lot goes on in this book Zelda also meets some great boy scouts Jesse namely is my favorite he is actually kind to Zelda and respects her. Ben is a monster he assaults her she kicks him to get away he yells at her tells her the only reason she's on the team is cause she's hot and she's a girl but he's 20 and she's 17 she's a minor yet he touched her inappropriately many times and when she tries to tell the two Paul's in charge they don't listen. She goes on a hike with Jesse and she tells him she likes him and then when she gets back at camp Ben is there and he hits Jesse and then she hits Ben where the sun don't shine and she gets kicked out of camp yep thats logic but she ends up staying with Karen the nurse at boy scout camp. And the police officer asks her if she wants to press charges she thinks about it for a second and then the Paul's say if she doesn't press charges she can come back to camp what a bunch of assholes so she presses charges. They ended up sneaking her back onto camp so she could meet Nina and they do her sketch she wrote . Everyone needs to read this book.

Quotes:

The situation should be if you two are happy together, everyone else should be happy for you. And not gross-happy.”

Lady doctor? I guess that makes you my gentleman patient.” I looked down at his “chart.” “Ah! I see you’ve had a series of brain injuries that make you say inappropriate things.

I was relying on books by Rainbow Rowell and Nicola Yoon and Maurene Goo and on movies like The Princess Bride and Love, Simon 

Hey, Ellie. Come on,” Ben said. “Smile.” “She doesn’t have to smile if she doesn’t want to.”

Is that what you want, Zelda-girl?” Hanna asked. She pushed my knee. “Someone who’s only nice to you sometimes?”

If I leave, they’ll have won.” “If you stay,” Sirena mused, “doesn’t that excuse their behavior?


Will stopped walking. “You know, I’m offended by that. Guys everywhere should be offended. ‘Boys will be boys’? What—we’re so out of control we can’t be kind? Thoughtful? Human? ‘Boys will be boys’ aligns us with wild animals. I can think about what I say before I say it. I can anticipate how someone else might feel before I do something. I can keep it in my pants.”

Date Published: August 6, 2019

Format: Kindle

Source: Library

Date Read: November 4-5, 2019

Review

A fast paced story that did not skimp on characterization, this is the story of Lena's and Campbell's chaotic and scary night. Lena is an African-American high schooler who has a strong network of family and friends and dreams of being a high-profile stylist. I loved Lena which is why I hated that she let Black skip out on rescuing her where she was at rather than meeting him where he was at. But Black came through as a solid boyfriend at the end of the story, so I can't be too mad at him. Campbell was the new girl and the reader sees how the neighborhood/area of Atlanta has the tension among residents and the government (police) rising. Campbell was forced to move in with her dad because her mom took a job in another country and wouldn't let Campbell go with her. Her family wasn't really there to support her at all and she didn't really have a support structure before the night went sideways; she did, however, have a certain inborn privilege that helped her and Lena survive the riot and get home. 

Everything about this book was pitch perfect and I highly recommend it.

This was for my Ghost Story bingo square.

There's a lot a liked about this book. Its central theme is time, and how stories persist or change over time. In that sense, I liked that it covered a lot of ground (from the 1860s to the present) and that the ending was left so open: things don't end neatly wrapped up. We're left with new discoveries, but what the characters will do with those remains to be seen.

However, the sprawling nature of the novel also works against it. I felt throughout that it could have used a bit of editing to tighten up some sections (I'm thinking especially of Ada's childhood in India: it was beautifully written, but quite a detour). There were so many characters and side stories (even though they were all related to each other) that I would often forget who certain people were, or why they were important. It diluted the central story - that of Birdie's tragic life and death - when it could have been so much more powerful. I also wasn't crazy about the framing story (Elodie's); I just didn't find her that interesting, and her final discovery of the buried box felt very deus ex machina.

And speaking of Birdie, our resident ghost, I never understood how she knew so much about modern technology. Her visitors are few and far between over the years, and yet she's well acquainted with the ins and outs of mobile phones and emails.

But the story did keep me hooked, so I can definitely recommend it.

This was such a lovely, moving story, and much more complex than it seems at first glance. It was only once I had a few hours to think about it, after finishing it, that the full scope and repercussions of the events became clear for me. And I won't say any more, so as not to spoil it for anyone wanting to read it. Definitely recommended.