To Read or Not To Read

We never learn from stories if we're not surprised by them. Luckily, with The Heir , fans of The Selection series received another royal role model who resembles an interesting combination of her parents (whose classic story we all love) with her own individualistic traits. Fans were shocked with the release of The Heir  -- America's story had ended, we thought. Yes, but Eadlyn's story had just begun. In this novel (which can be read as either a continuation of the first three novels, or the first in a Selection-themed duology), we have a strong yet insular princess, a country fraught with discrimination following the elimination of an unpopular caste-style system, and 35 vastly different suitors. Expect to learn on this thrilling Selection adventure, with a whole new story and a whole new cast. Enter Eadlyn Schreave's world and join her as she tries to make the choice of a lifetime. Kiera Cass, #1 New York Times bestselling author, is the author of the Selection seri...

Don't let this frilly cover fool you. This novel is full of rebels, fighters, and believers in hope. There's love, secrets revealed, and tragic loss. There's a strong main female heroine and a love-triangle-centric plot that pushes the bounds of the stereotypes that description brings to mind. And at the end of it all, there's a force to be reckoned with, one that will not be broken by something as small as a bullet.  The One is by far the best of The Selection series, full of courage, heart and mystery as America's journey comes to an unforgettable close. Kiera Cass, #1 New York Times bestselling author, is the author of the Selection series which has gained a wide fanbase and is soon to be adapted for the  screen . Cass graduated from Radford University with a B.S. in History. After growing up in South Carolina, she now lives in Virginia with her husband and two kids. In addition to the Selection series, Cass has written a standalone fantasy novel,  The Siren ,...

The Elite  brings The Selection series to life. Readers start to get a fuller picture of what it's like living in Illéa, the dystopian world with a monarchy and caste-system. America now grapples with the knowledge that she has feelings for both Aspen and Maxon, and asks for time to deal with them. A beautiful friendship is born and built upon that has time to shine in this sequel. The second novel in The Selection series is when the competition begins to heat up, and the stakes are higher than before. The competition is fierce, but the girls are fiercer, and nothing is as it seems in Kiera Cass's The Elite.  Kiera Cass, #1 New York Times bestselling author, is the author of the Selection series which has gained a wide fanbase and is soon to be adapted for the  screen . Cass graduated from Radford University with a B.S. in History. After growing up in South Carolina, she now lives in Virginia with her husband and two kids. In addition to the Selection series, Cass has w...

The Selection is my go-to beach read. It's fun, it's light -- what else do you need? In bright beach lighting, this is exactly the kind of novel I can finish with maximum enjoyment within a day so I can finish the whole series before the vacation ends. The pages of my copies are practically yellow with how many times I've read it (and how many times my sister has read it). Why is that? Why does a book with only average writing and average world-building have millions of dedicated readers, myself included? I've been thinking a lot about these questions before I sat down to write this review, and I think I've found the answer: the ease of reading that comes with the average prose and uncomplicated world lets the relatability of the characters shine, so we are finally able to fall in love with a prince, too. I would describe this novel as the combination of The Bachelor's contestant format, Divergent 's dystopian caste-type system, and characters reminiscent of...

This much has become clear: characters in the late 18th and early 19th centuries will do anything for their families. Whether that's making a profitable marriage match, or saving their family's reputation, or both, these characters are all of strong moral, familial-oriented character. They attend elegant balls and look to fictional characters for advice, but in the end, most of them let their hearts lead the way. Enter Lady Victoria Aston and Lord Halworth (better known as Tom Sherbourne), who are inspired by the characters of Jane Austen. In this beautifully crafted novel, these characters are faced with difficult choices, confusing dilemmas, and, most importantly, the decisions that could save them all. Thrilling and heartwarming, Dangerous Alliance takes readers on the adventure of a lifetime, where we fall in love with Austen-inspired characters who always stay true to themselves. Jennieke Cohen studied English history at Cambridge University and has a master's degree...

A plot is a chronicle of love. Any book, any plot, any characters: you will be able to explain exactly what is happening because of love. Everything can be explained by love, whether that's a love for adventure, the love of helping others, or the love for stories that aren't your own. This novel is no different, and yet it completely changes the game. Enter the world of January Scaller, who's curiosity for Doors (yes "Doors") and love of stories takes her on a thrilling adventure through the life of someone else and then, eventually, of her own. Alix E. Harrow has been a student and a teacher, a farmworker and cashier, an ice-cream-scooper and a 9-to-5 office dweller. She's lived in tents and cars, city apartments and cabins, and spent a summer in a '79 VW Vanagon Westfalia. She is now a full-time writer living with her husband and 2 kids in Berea, Kentucky. This Hugo Award Winning ex-historian has also had her short fiction nominated for the Nebula, and...

We might have just entered spring, but autumn-lovers anywhere will find that any time of the year is the best time to read this graphic novel. Full of friendship, adventure, and sugary snacks,  Pumpkinheads  fulfills all of our reading needs. So grab a lemonade, apple cider, or a hot chocolate: any time of the year is the best time to read Rainbow Rowell's and Faith Erin Hicks's Pumpkinheads . Rainbow Rowell is a critically acclaimed, New York Times  bestselling contemporary author of novels Eleanor & Park, Fangirl, Attachments, Landline, Carry On , and Marvel's Runaways comics. If you're interested in more of my reviews of Rainbow Rowell's work, you can find them all here . Rowell, who lives in Omaha, Nebraska, teamed up with Canadian writer and artist Faith Erin Hicks to create the graphic novel, Pumpkinheads . Hicks started in writing and drawing comics in 2008, and has published numerous graphic novels, including  Friends with Boys . She won an Eisner Awar...

It is always difficult to decipher between what is easy and what is right. It is even more difficult to understand that the cause you might be fighting for is more complex than you once thought, where you aren't always in the right. Justice is not black and white. In this vibrant fantasy novel, inspired by Bolivian politics and history, all motivations are called into question as the people of Inkasia hunt for their rightful leader. One character in particular seizes the night in her fight for what she believes, until dawn breaks and she realizes what her fight is truly about. Ibañez weaves a tale of courage and heart, in which nothing is truly as it seems. And maybe Ibañez herself says it best: "words empowered by justice can never be silenced." Isabel Ibañez was born in Boca Raton, Florida, and is the proud daughter of two Bolivian immigrants. A true word nerd, she received her degree in creative writing and has been a Pitch Wars mentor for 3 years. Isabel is an avid ...