Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman (review by Fiona W. '21)

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Richard Mayhew is an average young man who lives in modern-day London with an average life and and average job. One day, he finds a ragged and bloodied girl dying on the side of the road that nobody seems to notice but him. He takes it upon himself to help her and learns that two assassins are chasing her, and a whole city resides underneath London that he never even knew about.

As I have been a fan of many of Neil Gaiman's books, I hoped this book would not disappoint. And it didn't. The character development of all the main characters was unique and fulfilling. The imagery of each scene made me feel like I was right alongside Richard. And the ending still had me in tears.

Gaiman mentions in the introduction that while he is not one to write a sequel, he would love to revisit the world of this book again one day. (And I hope he does, too). As someone who dislikes fantasy novels, this book changed my mind about the genre and I hope it may impact you, dear reader, as well. – Fiona W. ‘21


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Inamorata by Megan Chance (review by Linus L. '18)

Inamorata by Megan Chance
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

One of many novels by Megan Chance, Inamorata depicts the incestuous love between Joseph Hannigan, a skilled artist, and his sister Sophie and their search for a better future. Told in 19th century Venice, the story gracefully flows through the tale of the siblings’ search for fame, unaware of the darkness that takes on the form of Odilé, a powerful succubus. Chance dexterously intertwines imagery and irony to fully capture the attention of the reader, constructing ethereal images of the Italian landscape. A powerful book with an interesting plot, Inamorata’s ending twist blows the expectations of the reader out of the water. I thoroughly enjoyed imagining the scenes of the novel with the aid of its skillfully woven language, and I slowly became further enraptured by the plotline. However, I was somewhat startled by the hinted incest in the beginning of the story. While the author does introduce it with grace, the concept does require a warning for readers who would be uncomfortable with such content. - Linus L. '18

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The October Country by Ray Bradbury (review by Lauren L. '17)

The October Country by Ray Bradbury
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The October Country is a collection of short stories in which Bradbury explores the consequences of reality as we know it brushing against a supernatural world. Each story is different - some characters respond with fear, some a determined naiveté and courage. Through them, he explores the flaws and habits of humanity in general as well as of commonplace qualities of the average person. Not every story is as enjoyable as it might be, and in some ways, the stories are too predictable, not in the unimaginative zombie apocalypse or haunted house sort of way, but in that it’s fairly obvious where the plot is going. Nevertheless, they are worth the read. Anyone who enjoys both the supernatural and horror (even if it’s not all that scary) would enjoy The October Country. - Lauren L. '17

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The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan (review by Catherine H. '17)

The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The fifth and final installment in Rick Riordan's Heroes of Olympus series fails to impress. As the demigods of the prophecy travel on the Argo II to save the world, Reyna, Nico, and Coach Hedge struggle to travel across the world to deliver the Athena Parthenos to the Greeks as a peace offering. The gods are still split into their Greek and Roman selves due to the Romans preparing to attack the Greeks at Camp Half Blood. The Earth Mother, Gaea, is close to waking and the monsters are eager to spill demigod blood to wake her. It has its funny moments, but did not leave a lasting impression on me. In fact, the ending is incredibly cliché and nothing was particularly memorable. The series has dragged on for long enough and I'm glad that it has finally come to an end. The Blood of Olympus is alright and provides a satisfactory ending, but I only recommend it to fans of Riordan's works. - Catherine H. '17

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City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare (review by Catherine H. '17)

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The sixth and final book of The Mortal Instruments is packed with adventure, action, betrayal, loss, and so much more. Sebastian has begun attacking Institutes and using Lilith's Infernal Cup to turn Shadowhunters into Endarkened, stripping away their humanity and willpower. Fearing his imminent attack, the Nephilim retreat to their capital in Idris and leave the Downworld free. Vampires, Faeries, Warlocks and Werewolves are left to their own devices and chaos erupts. Clary, Jace, and their friends go searching for Sebastian and look for the best way to defeat him. I thought this book was a good conclusion to this series, and appreciate how sacrifices needed to be made in order to resolve the conflict. I would recommend this series to anyone looking for a good read. - Catherine H. '17
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The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater (review by Catherine H. '17)

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ever since she was six, Blue Sargent has been told by her family of psychics that if she kisses her true love, he will die. She decided she wouldn't fall in love, but when she's sixteen, she meets and becomes included in a group of boys. Specifically Aglionby boys, called Raven boys. Their quest for something supernatural draws Blue in, and her knack for making supernatural occurrences stronger accelerates their pace. This book introduces us to a great variety of characters, all of them eccentric in their own way. I found that Maggie Stiefvater keeps a good pace throughout the book, picking up towards the end and leaving us at a cliffhanger. Though I originally thought I would be reading a novel filled with romance, it was surprisingly low in the romance and tragedy department. I hope to find more romance, mystery, and action in the next two books in The Raven Cycle. - Catherine H. '17

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The Fall of Five by Pittacus Lore (review by Catherine H. '17)

The Fall of Five by Pittacus Lore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The fourth book in the Lorien Legacies series describes the events after the Garde's unsuccessful battle with Setrákus Ra and follows their story as they regroup and try to form a coherent plan. Sam spent forever dreaming up rescue missions by the Garde and resisting Setrákus Ra's torture sessions until he is finally rescued by two unexpected allies. John spent forever stuck, with no plans until the final member of the Garde, Five, sends a signal to them and the race begins to find Five before the Mogadorians do. Meanwhile, Ella has been having terrible nightmares and eventually ends up hurting John. The Garde try to catch up with each other and train together before the Mogadorians attack but when several people cause trouble from the inside out, the Mogadorians attack. Pittacus Lore has managed to keep the story going and provide some interesting new twists, but the constant switching of perspective can be disorienting, especially because there is usually no indication as to whose perspective we are viewing from. I would recommend this book only if you enjoyed I am Number Four. – Catherine H. ‘17

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The Shadowhunter's Codex by Cassandra Clare (review by Catherine H. '17)

The Shadowhunter's Codex by Cassandra Clare
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Shadowhunter's Codex has no particular plot, but is similar to something such as Harry Potter's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The book explains the various tidbits of Nephilim culture among other things, with amusing notes from the characters of The Mortal Instruments series. A slow, but interesting read, one can learn about the weapons and types of Shadowhunters, as well as how to survive when dealing with Downworlders. I only recommend this book to avid fans of The Mortal Instruments or The Infernal Devices who have already finished the series. - Catherine H. '17

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Moon Called by Patricia Briggs (review by Elisabeth S. '16)

Moon Called by Patricia Briggs
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A solid urban fantasy novel, Moon Called gives readers a healthy dose of independent, headstrong female characters, solid world building, and complex character depth. It succeeds in avoiding the usual tropes of urban fantasy or giving them new twists to keep things fresh. The series details the life of skinwalker Mercedes Thompson, a mechanic who toes the line that divides the society of fae, werewolves, vampires, and other monsters from normal humans. As a skinwalker, Mercedes can turn at will into a coyote--though she is not entirely a werewolf, she was raised by the werewolf community as one of their own until she leaves of her own accord after a decisive incident. Trouble brews when the neighboring pack has one of their children stolen. Overall, I would recommend Moon Called to fans of all fantasy, whether specifically urban or otherwise, for a fast-paced and entertaining read. - Elisabeth S. '16

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Everwild by Neal Shusterman (review by Andrew R. '17)

Everwild by Neal Shusterman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Two near-legendary creatures are raising armies in preparation for their final confrontation, two feared individuals who have risen high in the ranks of the phantom-world known as Everlost. The Sky Witch patrols the clouds in the ghost of a monstrous zeppelin, searching for children to entrap and recruit to her troops, while her nemesis the Chocolate Ogre works to free all the spirits of Everlost by sending them into the final peace of death. The title of the second book in the Skinjacker trilogy is accurate in more ways than one: not only does Shusterman introduce the impassible wilderness of Everwild, he also picks up the pace of the plot. His fantasy realm followed strict rules in the first installment of the trilogy, but in Everwild the world is revealed to be a chaotic whirlwind of ghosts and monsters. This chaos, however, is exciting, suspenseful, and not unbearably confusing. The only difficult part about reading this novel is that the reader must choose a side in the imminent battle—so, to anyone who plans to plunge into this hectic fantasy world: beware, for each side is deeply, terribly flawed. – Andrew R. ‘17

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Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare (review by Kacey F. '15)

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Clockwork Angel breaks little new ground beyond Clare’s equally unimpressive first series, The Mortal Instruments. Flung into the realm of Shadowhunters and Downworlders after failing to reunite with her brother, Tessa Gray discovers she harbors unusually powerful magical abilities. From there, Clare has her heroine set off on a path long beaten into the ground by more proficient fantasy fiction authors, where Tessa must use her talents to outwit a mysterious villain known as the Magister. Convoluted love triangles, overused plot devices, and character inconsistencies bog down what otherwise might be considered crisp and fast-paced writing. Although the characters are witty, dangerous, and endearing at all the right moments, they only revolve in tedious circles around their respective personality stereotypes. Half-hearted background details injected into the storyline fail to convince or immerse the reader in the book’s Victorian steampunk setting. While the dialogue and plot twists make for a fun read and obvious movie fodder, Clockwork Angel ultimately never experiments enough beyond the tropes of commercial teen fantasy to leave a worthwhile impression. – Kacey F. ‘15

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Insatiable by Meg Cabot (review by Anika J. '17)

Insatiable by Meg Cabot
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Insatiable is a fantasy tale that brings vampires to life, making readers to empathize with the blood-sucking creatures. Meena Harper may seem like an average person at first sight, but she has a power that not many people know about: She can predict how someone will die when she makes eye contact with them. When she meets Lucien Antonescu at her neighbors’ party, life as she knows it is taken out of her control. A thrilling novel about the lives of the supernatural, Meg Cabot sends readers on a roller coaster of love, death, and unimaginable situations. I would strongly recommend this precisely written novel to someone looking for a fun and intense story. Be sure to follow up with Overbite, the sequel! – Anika J. ‘17

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City of Bones by Cassandra Clare (review by Lavinia D. '17)

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

When Brooklyn teenager Clary Fray goes with her best friend Simon Lewis to a nightclub, the last thing she expects is to witness a murder - and to be the only one who sees it. Seeking answers, she meets Jace Wayland at the club, but suddenly, she is thrown into an unknown world fraught with danger, followed up with the news that her mother, Jocelyn, has been kidnapped by a man named Valentine in his search to find an object known as the Mortal Cup. Along with Jace and his adoptive siblings, Alec and Isabelle Lightwood, Clary starts to search for her mother and uncovers the truth about herself: she, along with Jace, Alec, and Isabelle, are part of a race called Shadowhunters - half-angel and half-human. In order to save her mother from Valentine's evil clutches and retrieve the Mortal Cup, Clary must master her powers before it is too late. City of Bones was extremely riveting and had comedy thrown in at the perfect time. However, an overwhelming number of characters introduced in a short amount of time, made following along a bit difficult in the beginning. – Lavinia D. ‘17

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Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead (review by Tiffany Z. '17)

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead is the first book in a series that explores the life of Rose Hathaway, the guardian and loyal friend of royal vampire princess Lissa Dragomir. Rose and Lissa are just returning from an escape from their school for vampires, St. Vladimir's Academy. Upon arriving, however, they face not only trouble with the school clique but also potential boyfriend problems. The conflicts heighten when Rose falls in love with her mentor Dimitri Belikov and discovers dangerous secrets about Lissa's powers. Finally, the friends are suddenly faced with imminent danger from the evil Strigoi. The plotline is intriguing; circumstances and events flow together seamlessly, and characters are depicted fairly realistically, though near the end loose plot ends are tied up very hastily. Some elements of the book are bland or predictable. However Vampire Academy is a thrilling friendship drama and romance combined with plenty of action, and this first installment promises an exciting series. – Tiffany Z. ‘17

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Fire by Kristine Cashore (review by Anushka D. '15)

Fire by Kristin Cashore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When I first picked up Fire, I was expecting a typical story dealing with a girl with magical powers who is suddenly embroiled in an action-packed plot to fight evil with a gorgeous male by her side. However, although the book does feature a girl with magical mind-reading powers, Cashore manages to create a wonderful and unique fantasy world of her own full of princes, dragons, and magic. In the land of Dells, Fire, a monster in the shape of a beautiful woman, is forced to face hatred and jealousy because of her supernatural abilities. When asked to help the king defeat his enemies, Fire must face her fears and prove herself, not as a monster, but as a human. The plot grasps the reader with its innovative and emotional personality, and the characters each find their own space in the reader’s hearts. Although there is a gorgeous male, Cashore sprinkles in just the right amount of romance to keep the readers entertained. This book is a companion book to Cashore’s debut novel, Graceling, and definitely a worthy sequel. Fans of fantasy, magic, and mystery will enjoy both books! – Anushka D. ‘15

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