The Odyssey by Homer (review by Sachi B. '21)

The Odyssey by Homer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Written by Homer, The Odyssey, is an epic covering the journey of the hero Odysseus to reach his home, Ithaca. Odysseus constantly faces hardships due to a multitude of reasons such as the gods being against him and the urges of women to have him as a husband. Despite being gone for twenty years due to the Trojan War, he continuously perseveres to reach his home, utilizing his trickery and strength. He is heavily assisted by divine intervention from numerous gods like Athena and Hermes, allowing him to fulfill his journey. I thoroughly enjoyed the epic as Homer painted his journey in such a detailed way, making us sympathize for our hero. The only reason I gave the epic four stars was because although Homer wants Odysseus to be our hero, there were many poor decisions that Odysseus made that seemed to challenge his hero status. Overall, I would definitely recommend this epic, which gave me a wide understanding of the ancient Greek mythology. - Sachi B. '21

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A Line in the Dark by Melinda Lo (review by Sofie K. '20)

A Line in the Dark by Malinda Lo
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Jess Wong and Angie Redmond are best friends, but Jess wishes they could be more. The two are practically inseparable... until a pretty girl named Margot Adams walks in to the Creamery Angie works at and practically steals Angie from Jess. In an instant, Jess’s world is torn to shreds when Angie falls for Margot and the two start dating. If that wasn’t enough, Jess attends an art program at the same boarding school Margot goes to. As Margot worms her way into both Jess and Angie’s lives, Jess discovers some dark secrets she is hiding- secrets that she knows Angie won’t be able to handle. And despite her unrequited feelings for Angie, Jess doesn’t know if she’ll be able to help her when that time comes.

This book started out really well. Malinda Lo did an outstanding job painting the friendship between Jess and Angie, and I found myself growing attached to Jess’s character. With a diverse main character and a good amount of suspense, I was entertained the entire way. However, towards the end, the story felt detached from the first part to the point where I felt like I was reading a different book. All in all, however, A Line in the Dark was quite enjoyable to those who need a little mystery. - Sofie K. '20

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Timekeeper by Tara Sim (review by Sofie K. '20)

Timekeeper by Tara Sim
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Timekeeper is set in an alternate version of Victorian era England, where clocktowers (like Big Ben) in each city control the passage of time. As long as the clocks are running smoothly, so does everything else. However, if they were to stop working... that would spell trouble for the poor souls who live in that area.

Danny Hart is a clock mechanic: he is in charge of making sure the clock in Enfield is working as it should. Plagued by an event that happened to him in the past (or whenever the past is in this book), he is incredibly wary about his job. But when the mysterious apprentice he was assigned to, Colton, turns out to be the spirit of the clock he is supposed to work on, everything he think he knows about his life, career, and family changes.

With outstanding character development, a compelling diverse romance, and, hey, time travel, this book kept me hooked onto every last sentence. The storyline was incredibly unique, and Tara Sim executed it to near perfection. I look forward to following the story of Danny and Colton through the rest of the trilogy. - Sofie K. '20

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You by Austin Grossman (review by Tasha M. '20)

You by Austin Grossman
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Austin Grossman’s You promises a fresh perspective on video games, with emphasis on how they are created and how they affect players, but ultimately fails to deliver. Russell, the protagonist, begins working as a game designer and attempts to find a bug in the code by playing through other games by the company, Black Arts Games. The writing is mostly descriptions of Russell’s experiences with the games, and almost nothing significant happens in the book’s reality.

The storyline started out a little far-fetched and rapidly devolved into a baffling wandering between several video games (each of which had enough description to bore but not enough to fully immerse the reader), Russell’s imagining of the characters in the video games, and Russell’s attempt to fix the bug. Also disorienting are the many sudden time and point-of-view shifts, and the incredibly blurred distinctions between the games, Russell’s imagination, and reality. The characterization was not much better. The reader learns almost nothing about Russell; the supporting characters, while very cookie-cutter, at least had definable personality traits.

In short, You spectacularly failed to live up to the high expectations it established, leaving me disappointed and at a loss as to what the purpose was. - Tasha M. '20


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A Highly Unlikely Scenario, or a Neetsa Pizza Employee's Guide to Saving the World by Rachel Cantor (review by Fiona W. '21)

A Highly Unlikely Scenario, or a Neetsa Pizza Employee's Guide to Saving the World by Rachel Cantor
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Leonard is a man who works for the international fast-food chain Neetsa Pizza’s customer support hotline. He takes his job oddly too seriously, to almost an occultish extent. One day, Leonard gets a call from a man who claims to be from the 13th century, and soon falls deep into the rabbit hole of ancient cults and time traveling.

I really wanted to like this book. The concept felt like a parody version of 1984, and I was all for it. However, the execution was just wrong. Halfway through the book, the plot began to fall apart, and by the end of it, I was completely lost. It pained me to read it all the way through, and I felt like I was just reading a random string of words rather than a coherent story. It was as if the author woke up in the middle of the night and furiously wrote out a dream she had in one go while she was still half-asleep. I’m not sure how this book got published, but it definitely serves to show authors what they shouldn’t do. - Fiona W. '21

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