Bibliophile Support Group

Amber House is a YA supernatural novel by Kelly Moore, Tucker Reed, and Larkin Reed. Arriving at the sprawling, centuries old Amber House in Maryland for the first time to attend a funeral for her grandmother, whom she barely knew or met, Sarah Parsons can’t help but be awestruck. It’s magnificent, and it’s a part of her family’s legacy that apparently her mother has no interest in whatsoever. Yet with help from her sweet baby brother Sam, he and Sarah convince their mom to let them stay at Amber House as she works to sell it for the best price possible. There are mazes to get lost in, revelations to be found, and so many places to explore. Jackson, an enigmatic boy her age that knew her grandmother far better than she, tells tales of hidden diamonds and leads a hunt for them in their downtime. Meanwhile, Sarah’s not minding the company as she grows closer to handsome, wealthy Richard who introduces Sarah to a life of society functions and privilege. However, it doesn’t tak...

Mystic City is a YA romance-oriented futuristic fantasy novel by Theo Lawrence. In the future, Manhattan has been affected by environmental issues and has been essentially held up by mystics, people with special powers and abilities that have come out of hiding. They have assisted in creating the skyscrapers called the Aeries where the rich and powerful live. Like Aria Rose and her influential, political family. Yet thought the mystics provide the energy to keep the city pulsing, after a terrorist attack concocted by their kind many years back they have been drained of their powers on a regular basis, and regulated to the Depths, the squalor where the poor live. All of this is common knowledge to Aria, but on her mind are other things. Such as the fact that she is wildly in love with Thomas Foster, the son of her father’s long held political rival. Such as the fact that their families have shockingly embraced their union and they are now engaged to be married. Such as the f...

The Dragon’s Tooth is a middle grade/YA fantasy adventure, and the start of a series called Ashtown Burials , by N. D. Wilson. Two years ago siblings Cyrus and Antigone’s lives changed completely. After an accident left their father dead and their mother comatose, their older brother Daniel had to leave school to take care of them. To get by, they moved out of their familiar California home into the aged, drooping roadside motel in Lake Michigan their parents owned, in hopes of making some income. It’s not doing all that well. Now their lives are about to change completely… again. An old man with bone tattoos over all his body except for his face arrives, and demands a specific room in the motel. In less than 24 hours, the old man is dead, the motel is in tatters, and Daniel is missing. Not to mention, Cyrus and Antigone are in possession of strange keys and are being hustled to a secret society called the Order of Brendan, who apparently are explorers that have kept the wo...

Romeo Redeemed is a YA paranormal fantasy novel, and the sequel to Juliet Immortal , by Stacey Jay. I was very passionate about Juliet Immortal – which is why my little bibliophile heart will break if you don’t read it before Romeo Redeemed ! If you haven’t had the chance yet, read my review of Juliet Immortal here . Now, for those readers who have delved into the sprawling battle-like epic that the tale of Romeo & Juliet was turned into in the first book – do you really need any details on Romeo Redeemed ? Maybe just a few. Essentially after being a callous psychopath for hundreds of years for the Mercenaries that work to destroy love, Romeo made a momentous decision at the end of Juliet Immortal that has given him a chance to redeem himself. Sent back to an alternate timeline where damaged, withdrawn Ariel Dragland is still alive, by those who try to keep love alive, the Ambassadors, Romeo is tasked with not only keeping her alive – but also with making her fall in ...

Love at Any Cost is the start of a new historical romance series from Julie Lessman called The Heart of San Francisco . In 1902, spunky Texan oil heiress Cassidy McClare is on her way to spend time with her affluent cousins in San Francisco after having her heart trampled on by a low-down, dirty fortune hunter. Soured on men, her run-in with extraordinarily good-looking and charming Jamie McKenna at the train station does nothing to cheer her up – she can tell he’s just another pretty boy womanizer. Finding out that Jamie’s a dear family friend and will be spending an awfully lot of time around the house she’s staying in – and that he’s set his determined eyes on her – doesn’t make her any happier. Resolute to enjoy her time with her cherished kin, Cassie tries to give the charismatic flirt the benefit of the doubt and starts to befriend him. He still wants more though, and a small part of Cass is starting to wonder if she might feel the same… Yet Jamie has worked hard his wh...

Touched is a YA contemporary fantasy novel by Cyn Balog. Nick Cross lives life on a script. Literally. Since he was born he “remembers” his future, the sooner it’ll happen the clearer it is. And if he goes off script, it causes all his future memories to change – and what a painful experience that is. Literally. But Nick cannot ignore someone’s life being in danger. Yet saving one person may mean that he doesn’t save another’s. This adds up to possibly disastrous consequences. For the first time, as the summer in Jersey Shore is winding down, Nick cannot predict what will happen next. Taryn, the girl he decided to save, is… different. When he’s around her, his script quiets down. He feels almost… normal. She holds family secrets that may explain why Nick is the way he is. But their meeting has put Nick on a path that puts him a position of making choices he never wanted to make… Last year I read Cyn Balog’s Starstruck , which I thought was really different and impress...

Etiquette & Espionage is the first novel in the new YA steampunk adventure series Finishing School by Gail Carriger. Only recently have I become aware of the Parasol Protectorate series and actually bought the complete set at a great deal. Alt-Victorian era fantasy steampunk with wit and humor? Um, sign me up! I haven’t gotten the chance to read them yet, though. The Finishing School series takes place in the same universe, just a little earlier apparently. In it, we meet fourteen-year-old Sophronia. As she is always managing to get into trouble and act terribly un-ladylike, her mother jumps at the chance to send her to a finishing school when a representative of Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality appears interested. Not long after entering the odd, large dirigible of a school does Sophronia realize that she won’t be just learning how to perfect her horrendous curtsy here… she’ll also be advised as to how to poison someone most effici...

The FitzOsbornes at War is the third and final novel in The Montmaray Journals by Michelle Cooper. Being that is an epic (in my opinion) three-part story I almost must insist that you read them! Below, my review is going to have practically no synopsis because I want to give nothing away to fans of the two previous books. So, it’ll be safe to read for it’ll contain pretty much just my opinion. Yet, I want to include links to my reviews of the two prior books so you can check them out and READ THEM as soon as you can. What an utterly incredible trilogy! First Book: A Brief History of Montmaray Second Book: The FitzOsbornes in Exile As I said before, I don’t really want to go into detail as to the plot of The FitzOsbornes at War except to point out that it focuses on all the journal entries of Her Royal Highness Princess Sophia and encompasses all the events of the FitzOsborne family during the World War II era during 1939 – 1944. A Brief History of Montmaray introduced us...

Infernal Devices is the third YA sci-fi/dystopia novel in Philip Reeve’s Predator Cities Quartet . As with all series, jumping into the middle of it tends to spoil many plot points of earlier books – not to mention it’s usually confusing! I strongly suggest that if you haven’t read Mortal Engines and/or Predator’s Gold to click on their titles to read my reviews of those books instead. Even a review can ruin stuff for you! At least in the synopsis. So, please be careful! I don’t want to spoil anything for you… I’ll cry bibliophile tears!! A final warning to those of you that still need to turn away… Over a decade ago the engines of Anchorage settled and have not moved since. Now, the city is nestled in the land that was once America – a place that many never believed still existed. Tom Natsworthy and Hester Shaw have settled in, raising their daughter, and reveling in the peaceful life they’ve created. They don’t speak about the past, the terrible things they’ve seen or e...

Every Day is a YA contemporary fantasy novel by David Levithan. Every morning A wakes up and is in a new body. They’re always A’s age, currently sixteen, but they can be male or female, plump or thin. Anybody. It has always been this way. Over the years A has accepted this. A works to make sure the day is seamless in the life of the body A’s inhabiting that day, tries not to get noticed, and definitely does not get attached. That was the hardest part when A was younger. But when A wakes up as Justin one morning he meets Justin’s girlfriend Rhiannon. Something about her changes everything. The rule about staying detached and not reaching beyond the personality realms of the person A’s occupying no longer matter. Here is someone A wants to be with – day in, day out, day after day. Every day. But A has no control over whatever A is. Tomorrow A will be somewhere else… As someone who reads a LOT, I have to say that this premise kind of blew my mind. Not just the initial ...

King of the Dead is the second novel in Joseph Nassise’s Jeremiah Hunt Chronicle , an adult urban paranormal/horror series. The first book, Eyes to See , was one of my Stand-Out Books of 2012 and was a really amazing start to a series! So, you know that I won’t want you spoiling it by reading the review of King of the Dead – that is, if you haven’t yet read Eyes to See ! Instead, you can read my review of Eyes to See here . In other words: Only those who have read Eyes to See are to continue reading this review! Got it?! Okay. I also don’t want to spoil the lot of you by giving you too many details on the new book’s plot – so this will be a bit of a vague, light synopsis. On the run from the FBI, Jeremiah is wanted for years of horrific murders he did not commit. However, it’s hard to combat their belief when just a few months ago a creature called a doppelganger appeared on surveillance committing such an act. Explaining this would not go over well. Instead, Hunt, magi...

The Little Woods is a YA contemporary mystery by McCormick Templeman. Ten years ago, Cally Woods sister and her sister’s friend went missing from a camp at a boarding school named St. Bede’s. Never found, the two girls were presumed dead. Since then, Cally’s home life has gone off the rails. So she jumps at the opportunity for a full ride at St. Bede’s, even if it is the middle of her junior year. It’s a great opportunity, education-wise, if a bit morbid. But she requests that no one be told of her dark history with the place. Suddenly Cally is thrust into a world of parties, secret romances, and that unsettling feeling of being part of crowd inundated with privilege and prestige since birth without speaking the same language. But it doesn’t take long for Cally to feel like maybe she’s making friends – maybe. Quickly she finds out, though, that just a few months ago a gifted student named Iris vanished – and it floods Cally’s mind with memories of her sister. She desperately ...

The Ghost of Graylock is a YA ghost story by Dan Poblocki. Neil Cady and his older sister Bree are new to town – staying with aunts for the time being for reasons they really don’t want to think about. Looking for a way to distract his brain from thinking about what’s going on at home, Neil is all for exploring the supposedly haunted abandoned hospital. Mental hospital, that is. Graylock Hall was a place to treat children and teens for mental disorders – until several young patients died under mysterious circumstances. Legends and rumors swirl about the place – one of which being that the place is very, very haunted. Taking along his new friend, Neil is excited to check it out. He’s got a flashlight with fresh batteries, a camera to catch any legitimate ghost activity, and a mind to explore. But what Neil doesn’t realize is that even after you leave Graylock… it may not leave you… I think we can all agree that abandoned insane asylums are always super creepy – and this ...

Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters is a YA contemporary novel by Natalie Standiford. On Christmas Day, the Sullivan sisters are faced with a big problem. Their wealthy, feared, influential grandmother has announced that she has received a prognosis that she may soon die – and that their entire family has been cut out of her will. Unless, that is, she receives a confession (in writing) by New Year’s Day about something that someone in the family has done that has offended her deeply. She will then consider reinstating their status in the will. If their family is cut out of the will and blocked from the trust accounts their family will be penniless. Issue is, all three Sullivan sisters have been involved in activities that have displeased their grandmother lately. So, the confessions begin. Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters was an pleasant read. Standiford splits the novel into three parts – each section is written in first person voice by one of the three Sullivan sis...