A book review club/blog created by students at South Columbus High School in Tabor City, North Carolina.

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

March Reviews!



























Synopsis:
A School for Unusual Girls is the first captivating installment in the Stranje House series for young adults by award-winning author Kathleen Baldwin. #1 New York Times bestselling author Meg Cabot calls this romantic Regency adventure "completely original and totally engrossing."

It's 1814. Napoleon is exiled on Elba. Europe is in shambles. Britain is at war on four fronts. And Stranje House, a School for Unusual Girls, has become one of Regency England's dark little secrets. The daughters of the beau monde who don't fit high society's constrictive mold are banished to Stranje House to be reformed into marriageable young ladies. Or so their parents think. In truth, Headmistress Emma Stranje, the original unusual girl, has plans for the young ladies-plans that entangle the girls in the dangerous world of spies, diplomacy, and war.

After accidentally setting her father's stables on fire while performing a scientific experiment, Miss Georgiana Fitzwilliam is sent to Stranje House. But Georgie has no intention of being turned into a simpering, pudding-headed, marriageable miss. She plans to escape as soon as possible-until she meets Lord Sebastian Wyatt. Thrust together in a desperate mission to invent a new invisible ink for the English war effort, Georgie and Sebastian must find a way to work together without losing their heads-or their hearts....

"Enticing from the first sentence." -New York Times Book Review


















About the Author:
"I love adventure in books and in real life. I've roamed the Rocky Mountains, wandered the desert, enjoyed way too many classes in college, was stalked by a mountain lion, lost an argument with a rattlesnake, fell in love at least a dozen times, finally met and married my very own hero, and together we've raised four free-spirited children."

Award-winning author - Kathleen Baldwin has written several award-winning Regency romantic comedies for adults. A SCHOOL FOR UNUSUAL GIRLS is her first historical romance for Young Adults. It is a Junior Library Guild selection, received a starred review from Kansas NEA ‘best of the best’ for High Schools, and is a 2016 Spirit of Texas book. EXILE FOR DREAMERS is the second book in Stranje House series. Scholastic licensed both for book fairs. Ian Bryce, producer of Spiderman and Saving Private Ryan, optioned the series for film.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Meg Cabot calls this romantic Regency adventure, "completely original and totally engrossing."

Title: A School for Unusual Girls
Author: Kathleen Baldwin
Reviewer: Miranda Sibbett

 4 STARS

A School for Unusual Girls is a book about a group of girls with extraordinary physical and mental abilities. It is centered around a young girl with an amazing scientific mind. However, her family does not approve of her abilities. Because of this, they send her to a school that is supposed to "fix" peculiar or strange children. What no one knows is that the school is actually honing the abilities of these girls to use in the war against Napoleon. The protagonist, Georgiana is specially selected because of special Ink. Once inside the school, Georgie will face many dangers and will have to save the life of the one she loves.


I really did enjoy this book. It is excellently written and it kept me on my toes. My only complaint is that I wish it had more romantic scenes between the protagonist and her love interest. I also feel like the story was a bit rushed but it was still very enjoyable.

Amazon Link





























Synopsis:
Money can't buy a good first impression.

Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers learned early that the rich are not to be trusted. And after years of studying them from behind the cash register of her mom's porcelain-doll shop, she has seen nothing to prove otherwise. Enter Xander Spence—he's tall, handsome, and oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and the fact that he seems to be one of the first people who actually gets her, she's smart enough to know his interest won't last. Because if there's one thing she's learned from her mother's warnings, it's that the rich have a short attention span. But just when Xander's loyalty and attentiveness are about to convince Caymen that being rich isn't a character flaw, she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she'd ever realized. With so many obstacles standing in their way, can she close the distance between them?



About the Author:
I write YA. I eat Junior Mints. Sometimes I go crazy and do both at the same time. My novels are: PIVOT POINT and its sequel SPLIT SECOND, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US, ON THE FENCE, THE FILL-IN BOYFRIEND, PS I LIKE YOU, and BY YOUR SIDE. My agent is the talented and funny Michelle Wolfson.

Title: The Distance Between Us
Author: Kasie West
Reviewer: Taryn Priest

5 STARS

Caymen Myers has never trusted rich people, until she met Xander Spence. She met him while working in her mom’s porcelain doll shop. She began to slowly trust him, but that takes a quick turn-around when she learns money has a bigger role in the relationship than she wanted it to.

This book was very enjoyable. The author has a way with words that is easily understandable and appeals to teenage community. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a cheesy, modern read. Some of her characters appear in her other books, yet have nothing to do with the other story. She chooses settings that complement the characters.

Amazon Link