Category Archives: Book Reviews

Spoiler Free Book Review: A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder

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A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, by Holly Jackson, is an enticing young adult novel that all mystery loving teens should consider reading.

Earlier this month, while wandering the seemingly endless aisles of my local bookstore, I came across the section which holds my favorite genre of books: murder mystery. Gazing across the shelves, I noticed the novel, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, and decided to take it home since it was previously recommended to me by a friend.  

The book follows an ambitious teen, Pippa Fitz-Amobi, as she attempts to solve a cold case that has impacted her town immensely. Throughout the book, Jackson writes in a captivating and suspenseful tone that makes the book hard to put down.

While I personally loved the story of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, I would not recommend the novel to anyone under the age of 13 as it has some mature themes that are better understood by those who are at least in their teen years. My original desire to read this book stemmed from my interest in criminal justice and a want to see how this theme played out in the characters’ lives; I would recommend the book to anyone feeling the same way. 

The story of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder has also been confirmed to be a made for TV adaptation, so I recommend that anyone interested reads the book first!

–  Taylor O.

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

The Deepest Roots by Miranda Asebedo

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Miranda Asebedo’s The Deepest Roots is a powerful novel that proves that friendship is an unbreakable force.

Rome, Lux, and Mercy are three girls of Cottonwood Hollow, born with magical abilities that seem to only attract evil. Rome is a Fixer—she can repair broken objects and understand mechanisms well, Lux can charm men into believing they love her, and Mercy’s magic conjures up an abundance of any item.

Rome is the main character of the story. She and her single mother struggle to pay the rent in their shabby, run-down trailer. Money is hard to come by and each day is a struggle. The support she receives from Lux and Mercy give her the strength to help her through these challenging times.

I enjoyed reading this book because of its realistic events and obstacles. Rome’s difficulties and responsibilities are authentic and add to her character’s budding independence. Mercy and Lux are two incredible friends to Rome that support her through thick and thin, even though they may not always get along.

This novel was a definite page turner. I enjoyed reading each page. However, throughout the book, there were a few crude concepts; Lux’s Mom’s abusive boyfriend and the unwanted attention Lux receives with her powers. Even in the dark times of Lux’s life, Rome and Mercy were there to rescue her—The hardships Lux faces only strengthen the girls’ bond.

Eventually, the three close friends learn that their powers are no curse rooting them to the ground; They are a precious opportunity to grow.

The Deepest Roots by Miranda Asebedo is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library.

The 39 Clues: The Maze of Bones

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I have many favorite book series, but The 39 Clues is the best. 

If you are a bookworm like me, you’ll know what I’m talking about regarding your favorite books. The book series, The 39 Clues, is an exciting adventure action pack that hooked me from the first page. 

The first book in the series is The Maze of Bones, written by the talented author Rick Riordan. It is filled with action from start to finish. 

It all began when their grandmother, Grace Cahill, was very sick and dying. Minutes before she passed away, Grace changed her will, leaving her descendants a new will with an impossible decision. They have two choices- take one million dollars or a clue from the 39 clues to an immense fortune and power. The Cahills were the world’s most influential family. The most well-known or influential people in the world are related to the Cahills, like Napoleon, Houdini, and even Mark Twain are all Cahills. 

Amy and Dan Cahill are two ordinary kids who suddenly find their family secrets- The 39 Clues. There are also super secrets and ancient societies. And some of their family members will stop at nothing to become the most influential people on earth. 

In this first book, The Maze of Bones, Amy, Dan, and their cousin Jonah dive headfirst into a whirlwind adventure that takes them worldwide. Their mission? To uncover the 39 clues that will lead them to a unique serum with world-changing powers. The hunt is on, and these kids are at the center to discover the Cahill family secrets.

The Maze of Bones is a worthwhile read, packed with action, adventure, family loyalty, and love. You’ll be on the edge of your seat as the plot’s unexpected ending will take you on a rollercoaster of suspense and action. It’s a non-stop, exhilarating read that’ll keep you past bedtime. It did me all summer of my middle school years.

The characters set The Maze of Bones apart. Amy and Dan are relatable characters, typical kids like us, and you’ll find yourself cheering them on every step of the way. 

The plot surprises and clever puzzles will challenge your brain to solve them before the characters in the book do.

So, if you’re in the mood to read an adventure mystery book, I highly recommend The 39 Clues: The Maze of Bones for you. It’s an absolute page-turner and you will experience all the actions and adventures alongside these relatable characters and feel like you are solving the clue yourself. So buckle up and prepare yourself for a non-stop action-solving experience with Amy and Dan that will capture your imagination as they navigate a world full of secrets, where each decision means victory or defeat. 

Happy Reading!

Bella H.

The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Gone: An Awesome Book That Doesn’t Get Enough Fame

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In a post-apocalyptic world called the FAYZ, kids battle each other and a rising threat called the gaiaphage to try and stay alive.

This is the basic concept of Gone written by Michael Grant. Gone is the first book of a six-book-long series in which a bunch of kids have to cope with extreme hunger, looming danger, and confronting their greatest fears.

Gone starts off with the coming of an impenetrable barrier, called the FAYZ (or Fallout Alley Youth Zone) by its occupants. This barrier traps all kids under the age of fifteen in a certain area in southern California, cutting them off from the rest of the world. Their parents, teachers, older siblings, and even the police officers and firefighters that keep them safe have disappeared mysteriously, leaving the children to fend for themselves. A few brave youngsters–Sam Temple, Edilio Escobar, Caine Soren, and Diana Ladris–step up to try and keep the conditions inside the FAYZ under control, but their methods differ in drastic and dangerous ways. Groups begin to form within the barrier, causing tensions to spring up and fights to break out. The once-peaceful world of southern California turns savage and corrupt as every FAYZ occupant tries to find the best method of survival for his or herself.

The main issue of the first book (and the one I’m reviewing) is the possible disappearance of two of the main characters. In the FAYZ, once you turn fifteen, you disappear, and no one knows where you go. Maybe you go to the outside world, maybe you die. The two boys–Caine and Sam–try to find a way to fight the disappearance, to say no to the temptation of a possible way out of their new, war-torn world. In the meantime, however, each boy has to deal with other problems–fighting fires, trying to keep the FAYZ kids under control, stopping battles from ending in deaths. And of course, the other characters inject their own issues into the mix. Drake Merwin, a troubled and sadistic kid of fourteen, keeps trying to gain power within the FAYZ–doing anything to achieve his goal . . . including killing anyone who stands in his way. Conspiracies develop, causing seemingly loyal kids to turn evil.

The reason why I love this book so much is that it has great, lovable characters (such as Edilio Escobar) and a compelling plot. It draws me in because the characters are kids, everyday kids. The story shows that something this horrible could happen to people like me. This is what makes the characters so relatable. This book is up there with my favorites, and I’d recommend it to any lover of science fiction. It keeps readers asking the same question over and over: Which side will prevail in the end? What sacrifices will the characters make to keep their loved ones alive? Want to know the answers to these questions? Read the book to find out!

Gone by Michael Grant is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Book Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

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Genre: Young-Adult, Dystopian, Science Fiction

In the not so distant future, in a place once called “North America” lies a not so distant country named Panem. Divided into 13 districts, with an uber rich Capitol, much of Panem lives in poverty and is there to serve only the uber rich. Every year the Capitol, where the country’s most rich and powerful people live, hosts a large, televised event called the Hunger Games: where 2 people from each district are chosen to fight to the death.

In District 12, Primrose Everdeen is chosen, until her sister, Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her spot, along with a boy named Peeta. Once Katniss makes it to the Capitol, her eyes are opened to how the other side lives as everyone is well fed and healthy, showing her the unjust reality of life in the districts.

Once in the Hunger Games, Katniss must try and survive the harsh conditions of the environment while also trying to survive against her competitors who all also want to survive. From the twisting terrors that Katniss goes through, to the emotional challenges she faces, The Hunger Games is a truly enjoyable page turner.

Review:

I would give this book a 9/10 because it was a very interesting read that any teen or adult could enjoy. Here are some of my notes that though when I read this book:

  1. I really enjoyed this book because while it was interesting and mainly serious and dark, I liked how it was lightened with friendships and relationships that grew in the competition and throughout the book.
  1. I thought that the concept of this book was a very interesting one because, it sort of relates the past with the future as I thought that the games were similar to gladiator battles in Ancient Rome
  1. I thought that this book was a very captivating book that will make you never want to put it down until you finish it.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

The Only Road by Alexandra Diaz

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The Only Road by Alexandra Diaz was a book I found while roaming the library. I impulsively threw it in my basket and am so happy I did that. I love this book and its sequel! It is absolutely amazing and one of my favorite books. The main topic of this book is immigration and the hardships it takes to immigrate safely. I actually found this topic really interesting and Alexandra Diaz immersed the reader very well.

The book centers around tween Jaime (Hay-meh) Rivera and his older cousin Ángela (An-juh-luh). After Jaime´s cousin (and Ángela´s brother), Miguel, gets viciously murdered by the local gang, they are forced to leave their home, family and life in Guatemala and travel to the United States of America, illegally. The Riveras sacrifice many things, but scrape up enough money to send their children in as much comfort as possible. Jaime and Angela get smuggled by a friend across the Guatemala-México border and have to embark on their journey through the giant Hispanic country.

Along the way, they meet some friends who are attempting the same journey, but they are from different countries. I really liked how Alexandra Diaz included immigrants from various Central American countries, including El Salvador and Honduras. Back to the point, Jaime and Angela meet their friends and continue getting farther into México. As more obstacles occur, Jaime and Angela fight and learn who they really want to be and who they are traveling for. They also continue to mourn Miguel as the book goes on, understandably.

This book is so good that I don’t want to spoil it at all, hence the short and vague summary. I especially like how Alexandra Diaz includes Spanish words, even if it’s just one here or there. I recommend this book for anyone whos parents, or themselves, have immigrated here and its sequel too. I hope you enjoy The Only Road by Alexandra Diaz!

The Only Road by Alexandra Diaz is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library.

Book Review: Life of Pi by Yann Martel

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This Summer, I read Life of Pi, an extraordinary story detailing the adventures and survival of Pi Patel, a young Indian boy who fell victim to a shipwreck, and was stranded on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger. This book was definitely a interesting one from my perspective, as it involves a diverse amount of characters, as well as plenty of symbolism to go with it.

I’ll try my best to avoid spoiling the book, although in describing the story, sometimes I can’t, so be aware, Spoilers Ahead! With that out of the way, the book begins with an author’s note, explaining how he was inspired to write the book because he met a mysterious man who would tell him a story that would make him “believe in god” However, it is later implied this is all part of the story.

At the start of his story, Pi would explain how he was brought up near a zoo owned by his father, as well as how he was always ridiculed for his original French name, the boys at school would often mispronounce “Piscine,” calling him names. to prevent this from happening in the future, he just told everybody to call him Pi. Later, he explains how he adheres to multiple religions, even asking to be baptized and to get a prayer rug at the same time, which is in my opinion one of the most interesting and unique parts of the book

As the years passed the family realized they couldn’t stay in India any longer. it was 1977, and the “emergency” declared by the government had no end, with traces of tyranny being shown through the leaders of Tamil Nadu, the Patels’ home state, being quietly placed into “house arrest”. Because of this, Pi’s family decided to make the decision to sell the animals and move to Canada.

Shortly after the Patels board the cargo ship Tsimtsum, it sinks, leaving Pi the only survivor along with a 300-pound Bengal tiger named Richard Parker, a wounded zebra, a hyena, and a female orangutan. during the first week, the zebra and orangutan fall one by one to the hyena, which is shortly after killed by Richard Parker. Pi learns to coexist with Richard Parker, eventually training him to some degree, making it relatively safe for them to be on the same boat. they pass trial after trial together, braving massive storms at sea, and eventually a man-eating island. after they leave the island, Pi “turns to god” and survives the rest of his long and arduous journey at sea.

I won’t spoil the ending of the book, because the story ends with another author’s note, structured like an interview between Pi and some investigators in an extremely unexpected way. All in all, this was a great book that will make anyone interested in reading the whole thing after a few pages!

Life of Pi by Yann Martel is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Queen Of The Tiles: Book Review

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Imagine, on a cold, rainy day sitting down in the family room, bundled up in a cozy blanket and playing a friendly game of Scrabble. To you Scrabble is an unopened box on a shelf, maybe a gift from a friend or something your parents thought you would like, nevertheless Scrabble is not something you ever think of until this rainy day moment arrives and you decide you want to play. 

The book Queen Of The Tiles by Hanna Alkaf takes Scrabble to another level, by going into the mind of a Scrabble player named Najwa Bakri. 

Fresh out of recovering from the traumatic death of her best friend, Trina Low, Najwa is back in the Scrabble competition that decides who is the ‘Queen of The Tiles.’ The story follows Najwa as she tries to uncover Trina’s mysterious death while also trying to become the Queen of The Tiles, herself. 

Hanna Alkaf created a story that not only vividly describes what Scrabble means to the contestants, but also dives deep into the strategy and intelligence that is needed to play Scrabble.

I loved all the characters in the story (even if they did kinda suck sometimes) and I think Hanna Alkaf definitely developed them in the proper way. I especially liked how she made the antagonist so lovable until the reader finds out what the things they have done to get in Najwa’s way.

This book has many suspenseful moments and a mysterious twist ending I did not expect. By the end of the book it made sense how everything played out and the motives for each character to do what they did. I was very satisfied with the ending and give this book a 10/10 rating.

The Serpent and the Wings of Night Review:

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I REALLY REALLY enjoyed this book! It is actually one of the few books that I have stayed up late at night reading, desperately trying to finish the book. But first, a quick summary:

This book is about the main female protagonist character named Oraya, who was picked up from a very young age by the Vampire King, Vincent when her entire village burned down. They have a very interesting relationship in the story. You can see Vincent clearly loves Oraya very much, however, he can’t express his love for fear of Oraya (who is a human) as a weakness seen by others.

Oraya is a very strong main character. She is bold, courageous, absolutely fearless, and was trained from a young age to kill, maim others, and hide her emotions in order to protect herself from her father’s court. She decides to enter a trial of sorts in which if she wins, she will get a goddess’s blessings, which will give her power so she will never be afraid again.

As she continues to compete in the trials, which last four months, she is always close to death. This part of the story was the most complex and heart-pounding because it was so interesting to see how resilient she was when handling pain and the thoughts that torture her from her past.

Also, the enemies to lovers trope present in the book was very light, but perfect to the extent that the author did not overdo it. I really loved how their relationship bloomed from being really not sharing anything with one another to trusting each other with their lives. I thought that was very cute!

The book’s plot line was difficult to guess as well which made it all the more interesting to see the plot twists! Overall it was a really great book!

*Be advised this book best suited is for older readers*

The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library.

Book Review: Mrs. Dalloway

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Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf follows Clarissa Dalloway, a woman in her 50s, as she prepares to host a party. A seemingly simple plot turns into an emotional rollercoaster as Mrs. Dalloway and a diverse, unique cast of characters experience wide character arcs and learn essential themes. Despite this novel only spanning one full day, Woolf has taken this story to a depth I’ve rarely seen elsewhere.

Although the book is written in a stream-of-consciousness writing style, which I admit I often feel can be confusing and dull, I didn’t notice that at all throughout the story. In fact, in my opinion, the writing style enhanced the book’s flow, rather than slowing it down or making it feel choppy.

If you choose to read Mrs. Dalloway, You’ll quickly learn the novel is written almost entirely in prose. Virginia Woolf is one of the most poetic fiction writers I have ever had the privilege of reading. There were many lines in this novel that held great depth and weight to me, even taken out of context. For the most part, her sentences carried a kind of rhythm that made it very satisfying to read. I really loved this and thought it made the story more pleasant.

These beautiful proses, however, come at a cost. Because the language is so flowery, it got a little difficult to understand what was actually happening at any given moment. There were some parts in which I felt like I had to power through the prose to really comprehend what was happening to who. This took quite a bit of work, although I personally experience this with most classic literature I read.

I would recommend this book to everyone, regardless of preferred genre. I think the over-arcing theme is a very thought-provoking one, and it’ll be sure to stick with you. I would especially recommend this book to aspiring writers, as I believe it is a brilliant example of a perfect story structure, with very clear examples of plot points.

“Mrs. Dalloway is always giving parties to cover the silence.” -Mrs. Dalloway, Virginia Woolf

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.