The Fifth Wave by Rick Yancey

A book review by Madeline Soucie

                 

The first wave knocked out all the lights and electronics. The second wave brought in tsunamis that wiped out the coasts. The third wave brought in disease. In the fourth wave they killed. Now the fifth wave is coming and very few are left.

    

Trust no one. That's what the alien invasion has taught sixteen year old Cassie. The aliens look like humans, so one can't be sure who's alien and who's human. What's left of the world is in chaos. Over seven billion are dead and the survivors are struggling. Cassie is one of those on the run from place to place trying to find some temporary place to rest, always looking over her shoulder.

    

Then she meets Evan Walker -- a mysterious boy who she befriends against her better judgment. Evan may just be the key to finding Cassie's brother.

    

This was a really good page-turner about an alien invasion of a different kind and humanity's fight to overcome the intruders.

Find it in APL TEEN Fiction YA FIC Yancey, R.

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

A book review by Madeline Soucie

Samantha Kinston has it all -- she's popular and has great friends, a great boyfriend, and she is at the top of the school social ladder. 

February 12th is just another day to go to school with her friends and enjoy life. Or so Sam thought. Then she dies and wakes up to a second chance at life. Then another and another; seven chances actually. Seven redo days, no one else knows about, to change her life and death and to realize little things she never noticed.

Read this page-turning book to find out how Sam chooses to change her life and, in doing so, realizes how much the little things really mean. 

Find it in APL TEEN Fiction YA FIC Oliver, L.

Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira

A book review by Madeline Soucie

Laurel is just starting high school and her first English assignment is to write a letter to a dead person. She ends up writing to a lot of people- Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse, Amelia Earhart, and more. She tells them about high school and her life growing up. How her sister died, and the trouble she has been having with her divorced parents. New friends and crushes and such.

   

As Laurel writes her letters and the year progresses, she slowly starts to come to terms with what happened to her. As she comes to terms, she can finally accept her sister's death. Laurel also accepts that she's not mad at her sister, and can move on and find her own path to discover who she is.

   

In this nice and sweet story the reader is introduced to Laurel through her letters. This is a good book for anyone who liked The Fault in our Stars.

Find it in APL TEEN New Books YA FIC Dellaira, A.

Sleepless by Thomas Fahy

A book review by Madeline Soucie

This is a quick read for anyone who likes horror.

   

Students of Saint Oppurtuna High have been turning up dead lately.  Emma Montgomery has been having nightmares, as has her group of friends. And to make matters worse, no one wakes up where they should be; they've been sleepwalking. On top of that, the bodies only turn up when Emma or her friends were sleepwalking the night before.

   

Emma and her friends must team up to keep each other from sleeping until they can figure out what it is that's making them kill. 

Find it in APL TEEN Fiction YA FIC Fahy, T.

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga

A book review by Madeline Soucie                           

Jasper just wants to be normal -- hang out with his girlfriend and survive high school -- but can't because he is held back by his father's past. Jasper's father was one of the world's most notorious serial killers, whose murders numbered in the triple digits. Not to mention he took Jasper along with him sometimes and showed Jasper the ropes.

Now, four years later, Jasper is still looked at as his father's son and feels like the town is waiting for him to turn into his father. Sometimes, Jasper himself feels like he is going to crack. It isn't exactly easy having your serial killer father to raise you to be the next best serial killer.

Recently, bodies have been showing up in Jasper's small town. Jasper believes it could be a serial killer, but the police aren't sure at first. As the bodies pile up, Jasper is determined to find and stop the killer -- whether the police ask for his help or not. It's a test of faith on whether a son can overcome his father's legacy.

This is a good series for anyone who likes horror stories and doesn't mind a bit of blood. Nothing too graphic, though.

Find it in: APL Teen Fiction YA FIC Lyga, B.

The Enchanter Heir by Cinda Williams Chima

A book review by Madeline Soucie                      

The Enchanter Heir is the fourth book in the Heir chronicles series. In this book the reader is introduced to Jonah Kinlock and Emma Greenwood. Both are survivors of the Thorn Hill Massacre -- the brutal killing of a peaceful Weir (magically gifted) community.

Jonah grew up in the magical world and works/lives in a home for survivors of the Thorn Hill Massacre. Like many of the survivors, Jonah wasn't left unscratched -- he was cursed with the ability to kill anyone or anything he touches.

    

Emma grew up in the normal, but musical world of Memphis, Tennessee with her grandfather making guitars for a living. Growing up in Memphis, music is what Emma knows until she finds her grandfather dying, clutching a note telling her to run. Run Emma does -- into Jonah's life. The two meet unexpectedly and under unusual circumstances.

    

As wizards are being killed off, Jonah and Emma must work together to find out the truth about Thorn Hill and who's behind the murders.

    

This is a great new installment in the Heir Chronicles and a great summer read. The first three books are in order: The Warrior Heir, The Wizard Heir, and The Dragon Heir.

Find it in: APL Teen New Books YA FIC Chima, C.

The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

A book review by Kat Seevers

(Book 2 of The Maze Runner series)

Thrown into the action right from page one, The Scorch Trials is far better than The Maze runner. The main character, Thomas, can’t catch a break even when he thinks he’s safe. Although this book reads more like a zombie story with the ‘Flare‘ disease, I enjoyed the action after the slow, easy pace of life in the Maze.  

This book kept me reading with its constant danger and lack of conveniences, which was something that had really annoyed me in the first book.

Find it in APL TEEN Fiction YA FIC Dashner, J.