Tag Archives: book review

The Apple and the Arrow by Mary and Conrad Buff

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The Apple and the Arrow is a Newberry Honor award-winning book by Mary and Conrad Buff. This book is about the legend of William Tell, from the perspective of his son, Walter. The story is set in medieval Switzerland. Walter enjoys a happy childhood, but his family’s freedom is threatened by a tyrannical Austrian governor named Gessler. Walter’s mother reveals that Gessler is building a castle so that he can exert power over the people. The castle would enable Gessler to imprison anyone who defies him. Walter’s father, William Tell, is planning a daring revolt against Gessler and his soldiers.

One day, Walter and his father go to the town of Altdorf. Soon after they arrive, they see a pole with a hat on top of it.  The hat is the ducal hat of Austria. The townspeople bow to the hat, as a sign of loyalty to their Austrian rulers. A soldier commands William to bow to the hat, but William refuses. This gets the attention of other soldiers, who threaten to harm William if he does not bow to the hat. Despite their threats, William boldly proclaims that he will never bow before the ducal hat of Austria. 

Just then, Gessler himself appears. Gessler learns of William’s rebellion, and he becomes extremely angry. He notices William’s son, who is clinging to his father and hiding his face. In his anger, Gessler commands his soldiers to place Walter against a tree with an apple on his head. If William can use his bow and arrow to shoot the apple from his son’s head, then he and his son will go free. Otherwise, they will both die.

I had heard about the legend of William Tell before I read this book, but I was unaware of the details of the story. Before reading this story, I thought that William Tell shot the apple from someone’s head merely to show off his skills. I was unaware of the bravery of William Tell and his son. The story of William Tell is really a story about the courage to fight for freedom.  I was glad to learn more about this famous legend. This book felt much like a Robin Hood type of story, and I enjoyed it very much. I would recommend it to anyone.

Everless by Sara Holland

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Sara Holland’s Everless was a fresh perspective on time and living life to its fullest.

In the city of Sempura, time is exchanged for blood, and many of its citizens are constantly living in fear of displacement or death.

The main character, Jules Ember, is an audacious young woman who cares deeply for her father and their survival. All her life, he has sheltered her from the process of exchanging blood for money. When her father’s health declines, Jules must forge her own path and do what it takes to survive.

As a child, she was raised on palace grounds alongside the kingdom’s princes, until she and her father were suddenly forced to flee. When Jules begins work at Everless at the princes’ estate, she forms new bonds with them

Everless was a somewhat complex novel, as the realm was intricate and elaborate. As the reader understands Jules and how she perceives her life, reading the novel flows more easily.

Holland also presents the difference in social status and stereotypes in her novel. The contrast between the nobles and commoners are visible in the blithe actions of the nobility and the scrounging lifestyle of those in the streets.

Overall, Everless consisted of a thorough plot, exciting characters, and captivating ideas. This was a great book!

Everless by Sara Holland is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library.

The Outsider by Stephen King Review

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Genre: Horror, Thriller, Mystery

  In the town of Flint City, Oklahoma tragedy strikes when Frankie Peterson, a young child, is found dead. The culprit- Terry Maitland: little league coach and a friendly neighbor. But the question is, did Terry Maitland really commit this brutal act, and if not, then why did several witnesses describe seeing Maitland committing the crime and why was his DNA found on the Peterson boy’s body. 

Terry Maitland constantly shows his innocence and that he did not commit this crime, with his attitude and a strong alibi, however, then how did his DNA get traced onto the victim. Despite everything, the detective Ralph Anderson, refuses to let the case die after this and tries to continue the investigation, moving the question from who to how this case happened.

The Outsider by Stephen King is a suspenseful thrilling novel full of twists and turns: ensuring the reader will want to stay in their seat and not put the book down until they finish.

Review:

I would easily give this book an 8/10, and there are many things to note: 

  1. This book was very dark at points, so to read and understand the book you probably should be a little older.
  1. This novel was very captivating, with many twists and turns, sure to keep anyone who reads it from putting the book down.
  1. This book was very good, while starting out as an investigative whodunnit, but as the story moves on, it becomes more of a supernatural thriller.
  1. One notable thing I liked was how Stephen King creatively lightens the mood of this book with creatively and concise moments of happiness and humor to prevent this book from getting too dark

I liked this book very much and I would easily recommend it to anyone who likes books that are suspenseful and scary. I would consider this an example of Stephen King’s finest work.

The Outsider by Stephen King is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

The Fear: Book Analysis on Setting

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A popular book by Natasha Preston, called The Fear, is about a teenage girl witnessing her peers getting murdered in their most feared ways by a serial killer. The setting is winter in a small fishing town, where everyone knows everyone. The setting plays a major role in the story and plot because if it was set in an urban or suburban area many factors of the story would change.

The killer murders the victim when not many people are around. This would change in a big city, because places like New York are densely populated. Even if not many people were around there would be at least one person driving a car or walking a dog nearby to see. The small fishing town during the winter is the perfect place for this because at night the roads are dark and filled with snow which would keep people from leaving their houses.

Another way the setting helps the story is the killer’s hideout. They use a farm and another build in the woods to hide many things. In a big city a barn would be very noticeable and would stand out against all the buildings. As described in the book, the killer’s place is not on a map because nobody owned it, in a suburban or urban area the barn would’ve been bought very easily. The small town allows the barn to stay hidden and off the map.

Natasha Preston was smart to choose the setting to be a small fishing town instead of a big city or the suburbs. The town helps hide many things that could be seen in a big city, such as the victims and the killer’s hideout.

The Fear by Natasha Preston is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

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If I Stay by Gayle Forman was actually more meaningful and emotional than I initially thought it would be. I borrowed this book after reading the synopsis and found the idea of experiencing life through a comatose state intriguing.

Mia Hall has a promising path ahead of her filled with Julliard, standing ovation, and her skills as a cellist. After a terrifying car accident occurs and leaves her all alone in the world, she is able to see her own life unfold from afar—as a spectator.

She sees her body transported to a hospital and all the aftereffects of the traumatic event. Her friends and family are all there to support her as she remains in a hospital bed, broken and unconscious.

The times where she goes back into her memories and rediscovers the moments that she had forgotten made me realize just how fleeting life can be and how we must treasure what we have in the present with the people around us.

There were a few sections of the novel that made me tear up, because the encouragement and understanding that her friends and family showed her during their visits made me feel for them, too.

I can’t imagine how hard it must have been for Mia to lose touch with reality and to watch as the people she loves will her to keep living. She has to make a difficult decision: to stay in the world, where she doesn’t know if she can manage every day, or to let herself go and let down everyone she knows.

If I Stay was an eye-opening novel that made me see life differently. The unexpected can happen at any time, and I now know that one should not let life pass them by.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Spoiler Free Review of Lockwood and Company Book 1: The Screaming Staircase

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I read the first book of Lockwood and Company after watching and liking the Netflix adaptation. The first book, written by Jonathan Stroud, is titled The Screaming Staircase. It is an urban fantasy novel with some horror elements.

The world is one where 50 years prior to the events of the novel (which takes place in an unclear time but may take place in a technologically-stagnant early 2010’s) a catastrophe referred to as the Problem caused ghosts to start appearing and killing many people, only requiring a touch to cause a kind of quickly-fatal spreading necrotic toxin. However, the only people that can catch more than a glimpse of a ghost are children, who lose their psychic powers by their 20’s. This, of course, means children have to work.

One such child is Lucy Carlyle, the narrator, who is an expert in hearing ghosts and telepathically communicating with them. She is the newest member of the group and is generally competent, but messes up due to a lack of knowledge on occasion.

The titular company is owned by Anthony Lockwood, who is arrogant but also the only person on the team who can talk to people. He is best at seeing ghosts and places where people died.

The last protagonist is George Cubbins, who is not particularly good at any paranormal power and gets in to fights with the other members over nothing, but he’s also the only one who bothers preparing for anything and do any research.

While Lockwood and Company may seem incompetent, the ghost hunting groups run by adults are even more incompetent, with added bureaucracy and a lack of care for human life. The children end up having to deal with adults who are incompetent but also extremely overconfident and condescending, which drives the half of the conflict in the story that is not caused by Lockwood and Co. themselves. The story is full of mystery and twists which is why I will not spoil it here. Lockwood and Co. is a great read for anyone who likes urban fantasy and can handle injury, death, peril, and horror.

– Alexander U.

Lockwood and Co: The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Animal Farm by George Orwell

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In recent times, people have often underestimated the value in reading classic novels and the lessons that can be learned from them. Animal Farm, by prolific writer George Orwell, is an essential classic that everyone must consider reading in their lifetime. 

Published in 1945, Animal farm tells the story of the farm animals who live on Manor Farm under the brutal restraint of their owner: Mr. Jones. In an attempt to seek asylum from Mr. Jones’ cruel ways, the animals congregate under the influence of an old pig on the farm, staging what’s reminiscent of a coup d’etat against Mr. Jones.

The simplistic diction displayed by Orwell throughout Animal Farm reveals the underlying complexity within his story. Animal Farm is an easy read, yet truly gets one thinking about how they perceive the world around them. 

While reading Animal Farm, I couldn’t ignore the similarity in the interactions of a few of the characters to the relationship between historical figures Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin. Orwell’s representation of these figures in Animal Farm is symbolic of his efforts to encourage the general public to educate themselves and to be cautious about believing everything told by those around them.

While being an older novel, Animal Farm is relevant in its content through an enticing story that has lessons applicable to the world today. I firmly believe that anyone, no matter their age, would appreciate the plot of this story and enjoy the book. Next time you find yourself looking for an interesting and easily digestible book to read, consider Animal Farm. You won’t be disappointed.

– Taylor O.

Animal Farm by George Orwell is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

BOOK REVIEW (SPOILERS) – Reverie by Ryan La Sala

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(spoilers!) 

I lost my sense of direction when I read this book. 

3/5 stars from me!

Reading Reverie by Ryan La Sala changed my life — in lovely, strange ways. Reverie, a story about superheroes, amnesia, and a DRAG QUEEN FOR AN ANTAGONIST, wasn’t the worst book I’ve read. 

The story follows Kane Montgomery, an out-and-proud gay teenager who recently lost all his memories. Throughout the story (spoilers), he finds out that he was a superhero… who can shoot rainbows out his hands. I mean, I love the representation, but I guess it feels forced. 

Additionally, there were other things that felt off that are included in this lovely, little list:

  1. The writing style wasn’t great. Many lines from the book were outright cringey, not funny, or just placed really strangely. Hard read.
  2. There was a lack of development both in the plot and characters. The start was long and unnecessarily overdeveloped… the end was bland and just strange (La Sala mentioned someone falling in love… and never brought it back up)… etc. 
  3. The novel felt so very close to an inclusive twist on a children’s superhero show. 
  4. I understand Kane, the main character’s confusion! But let’s not make the reader confused, alright?
  5. Cliffhanger after cliffhanger… and no resolutions.

There were positives from this read, however! Few. 

  1. I have to give props to La Sala for coming up with a wonderfully complicated magic system!! But actually, I really enjoyed the concept of Reveries and dreams, but I feel like it was poorly executed. With a new, broad world of magic, execution is key. The novel lacks development with worldbuilding.
  2. Inclusivity! I enjoyed knowing that Kane was gay every few pages. Overall, Kane is a lovely, somewhat 3D character, but the author was trying so desperately hard to show off this book. Overstating that a character is gay feels like you’re just fishing for money and/or fame. 
  3. The cover and the villain are the best parts of this entire story.

Again, 3/5 stars. The idea is cute, yes. The execution was horrendous, yes. 

Reading this book was like mindlessly wandering through a labyrinth. There was no escape with Reverie.

Reverie by Ryan La Sala is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

The Martian by Andy Weir

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*this review may contain spoilers

I had to read this book for my English class and I actually enjoyed it which was surprising because I’m rarely interested in anything sci-fi related. However, I would say it is a generally long book, so I would only read it if you are dedicated to the storyline/plot.

Astronaut, Mark Watney and his crew mates travel to Mars but essentially he is abandoned alone on Mars due to his crew mates believing he had died. This book follows his journey of staying alive and the various challenges he faces on Mars. Through log entries, readers are able to encompass his thoughts and feelings and really feel connected to him throughout the book.

The book is mainly written in Mark’s POV but fluctuates between workers at NASA and his fellow crew mates. The structure that Weir presents, makes the book enticing and urges the audience to continue reading to know what happens next. I found myself continually rooting for Mark to survive and his comedic and witty personality makes him relatable amongst readers and build a connection amongst the protagonist (Mark Watney) and the audience.

I would first and foremost recommend this book to any sci-fi enthusiast because the entire book is pretty much set in the lonely Mars atmosphere. Another thing, a movie about this book has been made which I thoroughly enjoyed because it helped me envision the characters a lot better. I would say to read this book if you plan on branching out to new genres or wanting to get into sci-fi readings.

-Madison C.

The Martian by Andy Weir is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Tangerine by Edward Bloor

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Tangerine is a young adult novel by Edward Bloor.  The story revolves around a middle school-age boy named Paul Fisher.  Paul has just moved with his family into a spacious home in Tangerine, Florida.  Paul always needs to wear thick glasses because of an eye injury he suffered when he was younger.  The injury is mysterious because Paul cannot remember how it happened.  He has an older brother named Erik, but they do not get along.  Erik is a star high school football player, and he receives most of the attention from their parents.  Paul wants to play on the soccer team, but he does not make the team because of his visual impairment.  To make matters worse, Paul suffers from various strange occurrences and flashbacks. He seems to be haunted by his past.

This book had a much darker tone than I expected.  The story deals with some difficult themes, including the mistreatment of young people.  The modern setting is highly realistic, although some events are quite extreme.  I think many teenagers could relate to the characters on a personal level.  The heavy emphasis on sports would be relatable for anyone involved in athletics, although it may be boring for someone less interested in sports.  The story is very dramatic, with various mysterious subplots.

Paul’s gradual recovery of his memory regarding his eye injury is particularly gripping.  I enjoyed the mystery and suspense of this book, even though the overall tone was quite dark.  The book is surprisingly long for a young adult novel, but the story was engaging enough to keep me interested throughout.  This book might not be appropriate for younger readers because of the difficult themes, but I can see how many teenagers could appreciate it.

Tangerine by Edward Bloor is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.