Girl, Serpent, Thorn, by Melissa Bashardoust

I found this book while on vacation, expecting a fun summer read. As I turned the pages, I discovered a universe I longed to exist in forever. This is not a story, but a lush mountain whose river runs blood red. Hiding in this landscape is a girl torn between her two sides, princess, and monster. Poison runs through her veins, but royalty is in her blood.

Soraya is the sister of the Shah, king of Golvahar. While her family parades around the provinces, she reads in the solitude of her bedroom and wanders the endless tunnels beneath the palace. Cursed at birth, Soraya is deadly to the touch.

Girl, Serpent, Thorn is a wicked fairytale of manipulation and deceit but also of mercy and love. Bashardoust writes with such beauty and skill that anyone can become lost in the forest and feel the dirt of Soraya’s garden between their fingers. You will cry with Soraya over characters who betrayed your trust. You will smile alongside her when everything seems ok, and you will ride the wave of anger from the other side of the page when the poison inside of you can no longer be subsided.

I adore this novel for the raw and original look into the depths of human emotion it displays. Read this book and follow Soraya on a dangerous and beautiful journey to self-acceptance. I highly recommend this book to all readers looking for an escape into a gorgeously complicated universe, especially anyone who has ever felt they do not belong in their own skin, who has a poison in their veins.

-Reviewed by Anneliese

A Game of Thrones, by George R.R. Martin

A Game of Thrones is the first book in the series. I love this novel because it always had me wanting to read more and not wanting to put the book down. The author describes the scenario so clearly that it almost feels as if you were there. The characters' feelings and thoughts are described so thoroughly it makes them seem lifelike. A Game of Thrones is a science fiction book which also includes the political system of lords and lordships. I highly recommend this book to those of you who have liked the books in the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series by Rick Riordan, and the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, and the book Eragon by Christopher Paolini . -Reviewed by Olivia

Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card

Ender’s Game , the first novel of the Ender-verse series, is a futuristic story written by American novelist Orson Scott Card. Andrew “Ender” Wiggin, who may be the military prodigy that Earth exceedingly needs in a war against an alien assailant, competes in a no-gravity game created by the instructors at the Battle School (a large space-school orbiting earth). Yet unknowingly, Ender is involved in something far crueler and desperate. As the story progresses, so do the themes of human atrocity and symbolism, utilized by Orson Scott Card to offer the reader an extraordinary environment entrenched in the science-fiction world. Ender’s Game presents meaningful and lucid imagery that our world does not offer, ethics expressing that there is no right or wrong decisions, and unpredictable plot twists. Orson Scott Card, by writing Ender’s game, displayed many literacy techniques in the universe of Ender Wiggin – creating an entire series of books worth reading. This series is recommende...

Life As We Knew It, by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Life As We Knew It is a fictional diary about a 16-year-old girl named Miranda who lived in Pennsylvania. When she first heard warnings about an asteroid hitting the moon, she easily dismisses them, just like everyone else. But when a fatal event causes the moon to knock closer into orbit, altering Earth’s climate, Miranda’s life drastically changes. Grocery stores run out of food, gas prices go up, and everything else is completely closed. Miranda witnesses catastrophes like mass tsunamis, weather changes, and more, all while writing in a diary almost every day. She writes about struggles between her family, friends, and how hard it is to survive. But just as everyone may seem to get used to this apocalyptic world, another catastrophe happens completely sending life out of control once more. I would recommend this book for people who enjoy science fiction or apocalyptic books. -Reviewed by Vivienne

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