Renegades by Marissa Meyer

Posted on June 5, 2018 by Esther Huang

Fresh out of futuristically twisted fairy tales embedded with machinery and metals and lights surges a new novel series by bestselling author Marissa Meyer. The debut novel in the series, Renegades, diverges from Meyer’s earlier works like the Lunar Chronicles and Heartless in nature – instead of exploring the illustrious what-ifs of princesses and queens, it encompasses the adventures of superheroes.

Bear with me here – this isn’t your average comic book. Meyer takes a turn from the conventional and places her two protagonists on opposite sides of the good/evil spectrum. Nova, bitter and brimming with vengeance, marks herself as a villain. Adrian, the spawn of righteousness and leader of a pack of do-gooders, is a hero to his core. It is this tension and star-crossed drama that creates an air of edge-on-your-seat, an aura of suspense.

It’s a fun concept to play around with, the syzygy of right and wrong coupled with the punch and action of prodigies and superheroes. There’s a clandestine nature of Nova’s job as a spy that makes it secretive, and a lightness of Adrian’s good that brings sunshine to the novel. Add the fact that every character you meet is eccentric and unique, and you surely have the recipe for a good novel.

Execution, however, is another story. Meyer’s writing lacks a flow and poetry that I love to read, perhaps due to the fight-and-flight air of the storyline, and some of the characters land on the verge of strange. Yet, altogether, Renegades is a fun little read – it doesn’t have too much substance and is full of cute little cliches – and so if you’re looking for a good way to fill in gaps of free time, this is your perfect book.

-Esther H.

Renegades by Marissa Meyer is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library.

You Will Be Mine by Natasha Preston

Posted on June 3, 2018 by niallhoranlover101

This was one of the best books I read. As always I enjoyed Natasha Preston’s book yet again; it was almost better than “The Cellar.” This book started with a scene of pure terror when all of a sudden two dorm mates get a letter signed to Sonny, one of their roommates. Included in the letter is a note that says “Your heart will be mine”, not only is it almost Valentines Day, but the note has no address stating who it came from. Not worrying too much about the note, Layla, Issac, Sienna, Charlotte, Chace, and Sonny go to a party to enjoy their break from college. Following their arrival at the party, they are accompanied with free drinks that were already paid for, but by who? Following the next day, Layla is startled to realize that Sonny never came home from the party, he is one to come home late, but with the startled advancement of the note, her roommates are questioning whether somebody killed him.

This book has the perfect amount of suspense, mystery, and action. This would definitely be a book I would recommend.

-Rylie N.

You WIll Be Mine by Natasha Preston is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library.

Stealing Rose by Monica Murphy

Posted on June 1, 2018 by Skylar N.

Ohmigosh!!! That was such a good book! I loved the first one, but I adored this one.

Okay okay so let’s get started.

As you know, Rose is the baby sister. She is always the one that is undercover and hardly ever in the spotlight. She decides that she wants to get herself out there, at a party she meets a mysterious guy named Caden. She plans to have just a one night stand with him, but she doesn’t even get that far before he runs off, hurt, she goes on with her life. She goes off to London with her sister (if you remember, her sister, Violet got a job there with her fiancee, Ryder). Her sister invites her to a dinner party, which she attends just to please her sister…but mysterious Caden is there.

But thing is, he is with another woman. Rose is surprised, but not totally surprised. She figured he’d be with a a woman if she ever saw him again. But…she wasn’t exactly expecting to see him again, none the less so soon after their last encounter. Eventually she runs off to the bathroom, and Caden follows her there. They talk it out (If I tried to explain it, I wouldn’t do it any justice). But they feel passion for each other. The next day, Rose goes out shopping and finds out that Caden has been following her the entire shopping trip.

But honestly, he doesn’t follow her in a creepy way, I mean, if you want something, you need to pursue it, right? I mean, it eventually get’s the job done, they do get together, but Caden is hiding something from Rose, he has fallen in love though and fears that if her tells her his true background, she won’t want him.

I found Caden’s letter to Rose so sweet
“But I love you. I do. I fell in love with you and I didn’t even know it until today, though really I think I secretly knew It all along. You make me feel like no one else ever has, so all I can say is thank you.
Thank you for teahing me how to love.”

It was such a great book! I would recommend it for anyone, it is that good. But it does have some mature themes, so maybe don’t read it if you are under 16? No, but seriously guys, you need to read this book!

-Skylar N.

Amy Chelsea Stacie Dee by Mary G. Thompson

Posted on May 30, 2018 by niallhoranlover101

This book was far too drawn out. In the beginning, the event of when both Amy and Dee got kidnapped by the same man was interesting. Not only was Dee the only one the man wanted, but additionally the kidnapper, Kyle, didn’t treat either Amy or Dee with respect, and ultimately hit Amy day on, and raped Dee.

Now with Amy being free from her kidnapper, she has to pick up all of the pieces she left behind in her life; but how can you protect a dark secret for so long? Amy remembers the frightful day when she killed her cousin Dee; if it wasn’t for Kyle raping her every night she may have actually loved her own children, but from the day that she recognized she was pregnant all the lights went down on her. In order to save her cousin’s kids, Barbie and Lola, Amy will do everything she can to save the only thing she knows.

-Rylie N.

Amy Chelsea Stacie Dee by Mary G. Thompson is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library.

Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller

Posted on May 26, 2018 by Megan V.

Have you ever thought about the future- what you plan to be and how you plan to get there? Well, unfortunately, this book puts a sad twist to the future and paints it in a gloomy way.

Willy Loman, your typical, average man, is down on his luck. He isn’t getting enough salary even though he has been with his company for 35 years, despite his brother in law being in a different company for the same length of time, and somehow is so much richer than him. While his son hates him, Willy sometimes blames it on his son’s laziness, and the other times the fact that his son is working too hard and doesn’t know what he wants.

So what does he do? Well, he’s a traveling salesman, so he sells the only thing he has left. Guess.

There are a couple of things to note about this novel. First, it’s a play, so the dialogue is easy to stand out, and one can know who’s talking. And thankfully, unlike Shakespeare’s plays, this play is only two acts long, which was just over a hundred pages in the copy I had, so it was easy to read.

Second, the theme. I won’t even talk about the fact that the author considers the American Dream fading, or even his interpretation of capitalism. No, I will instead talk about the other characters. Willy’s wife, Linda Loman, is down on her luck too, as although she gives Willy everything, including her undying loyalty no matter what he does, he still treats her without love. The son that hates Willy, Biff, is just a man like us teenagers (except he’s 34) that tries to talk to Willy, but gives up because Willy wouldn’t listen to him. And Willy’s second son, who is often forgotten about by Willy, has to face abandonment issues not only from his father, but from his mother too, in which not even him saying that he was getting married made them happy.

Overall, Miller claims that we all know a Willy Loman, and although his story ends in tragedy, it does not have to be this way for us.

-Megan V, 12th grade

Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library.

A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen

Posted on May 24, 2018 by Anmol K.

A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen is a story that takes place in late 19th century Norway. The main character of the novel is Nora Helmer, and she is married to her husband, Torvald Helmer. She is treated like a doll by her husband, and has no say into any decisions that are made. She is there as a plaything for her husband, and has been molded by society to not have own identity as a person. Despite her characterization as a dim-witted doll, she is hiding a big secret. Nora borrowed money without any permission from either her husband or father in order to help her family while Torvald was sick. This kind of action was unheard of for a woman to do at this time, so she never told her husband from where she got her money from. Once her secret is threatened to be revealed, the course of the novel changes from the depiction of a typical, happy family of the Victorian time to something modern, but not normal for that time.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, even though it was not a typical read for me because it was a novel assigned to me by school. It was an easy read, but the story kept me hooked from the beginning. Initially, I was a bit wary of the way Nora was treated, and just thought of her as silly. However, when her secret was revealed, my opinion of her changed. The rest of the novel was now on a different, more interesting course of action. The ending was not only surprising, but very controversial for that time. I would recommend this novel, regardless if it is assigned or not, for anyone in order to see the importance of this kind of novel at this period in history.

-Anmol K.

Henry Ibsen’s A Doll’s House is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library.

Eggs by Jerry Spinelli

Posted on May 22, 2018 by kotlcbooklover

Best friends can have close relationships and still fight with each other. David and Primrose knew this firsthand. It seemed odd they formed a friendship with David at the age of nine and Primrose thirteen. Yet when the pair met, they formed an almost instantaneous bond.

Primrose and David had both been through hard times. Primrose and David came from damaged families and endured challenging childhoods. After they met, they would stay up all night walking to the 7-Eleven and their friend Refrigerator John’s house. They went on many exciting adventures to places like the city of Philadelphia and to events like the library movie party.

I really enjoyed reading this book about two good friends. I loved reading about their crazy antics, the sad parts, and the touching parts about true friendship.

-Kaitlyn S.

Eggs by Jerry Spinelli is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne

Posted on May 20, 2018 by kotlcbooklover

I rejoiced when I heard there would be an eighth Harry Potter book as I’m sure the rest of the Harry Potter fandom did. It definitely delivers the same thrills, adventure, and fun as the other seven.

The story centers around Albus Severus Potter, Harry Potter’s youngest son. He doesn’t fit in as well at Hogwarts, but finds a friend in Draco Malfoy’s son Scorpius. Albus and Scorpius are both sorted into Slytherin and Albus’s relationship with his father worsens over the years. Then, everything changes as the pair meet Delphi, Amos Diggory’s niece, and set off to change the past with the help of a Time-Turner and save Cedric Diggory. The rest of the story lies within the book…

This was an interesting read because it isn’t written like a conventional book; it’s written like a script with descriptions of the surroundings, acts and scenes, and the character’s names before their dialogue. I loved seeing Harry, Ron, and Hermione all grown up with families. It makes you feel like you’ve grown along with the characters. This book was a great addition to the series and I recommend it to everyone who loves Harry Potter and magical, fantasy adventure books!

-Kaitlyn S.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It can also be downloaded for free from Overdrive.

Untitled

Posted on May 19, 2018 by Sabrina C.

The sun shone through the window. It was a new day, a fresh start. The brightness made it easy to forget the dark events of the previous night. Horrified images began to take over her mind. The screaming echoed in her ears. It was a mistake, she cried to herself. She knew she wouldn’t be able to forget it, that all she could do was find a way to live with it. No one would ever know her secret. This new day was her chance to become someone else, someone incapable of the horrible truth that was her mind.

She stared at the rays of light, imagining this, when a spot of red on the wall caught her eye. It was small enough to go undetected, but she knew its source. Tracing her eyes along the wall, more spots appeared, forming larger and messier streaks of red. There she could see it clearly, as if the color was the very paint on the wall, the color she would now wake up to every morning. It dripped down, drying at the bottom, collecting together to create a puddle.

Even with all her strength, she couldn’t pull her eyes away from the scene. It was all her fault. No amount of paint would ever cover up her pain from last night, no amount would make the tragedy disappear. It was forever stained in front of her.

In her own blood. Who would do such a thing?

Mission Viejo Library Teen Voice

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