Teen Book Reviews

The Swan sisters arrived in the town of Sparrow, Oregon in 1822. The sisters, charged with witchcraft, were drowned in the harbor. Every year for the next two centuries the Swan sisters inhabit the bodies of three girls who enchant boys, drowning them in the harbor to take their revenge. This year when Penny, a local, meets a strange new boy, Bo, they might have found a way to break the curse haunting Sparrow.

I recommend The Wicked Deep because it is a very good mystery book that makes you want to keep reading. The book starts off very fast, and it continues with many different unexpected plot twists. It shows the hysteria of the town as many people try to blame girls of witchcraft, and it reminds me of a modern version of The Crucible. I especially like the change between the Swan sisters' experience in Sparrow in 1822 and Penny’s perspective. Penny and Bo believe they have found a way to lift the Swan sister’s curse over the town, but it comes at a price they are not sure they are willing to make. This book has a lot of emotion in it, and it shows sacrifice for love.

Alizeh is keeping a big secret that no one knows about. She is working as a lowly servant in the quarters when in reality she is the heir to the ancient Jinn Kingdom. While navigating being a servant and hiding her secret, she meets Kamran, the prince of Ardunia. Kamran has this instant curiosity toward her and wants to find out what she’s hiding. However, that may be the downfall of him and their Kingdom.

I highly recommend This Woven Kingdom. Mafi does an incredible job from the detailed world-building to incorporating Persian mythology into the story. It made it 10x better than I expected it to be. Mafi’s writing is lyrical but not confusing as it still flows with the plot. It’s slower at the start but I think that keeps you on your toes wanting to find out what will really happen to Alizeh living in Ardunia where she is wanted. I usually like books more focused on the plot than the characters themselves, but This Woven Kingdom does a good job of having a happy medium with both factors. I loved all of the characters especially when some of them showed development throughout. Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a good fantasy that includes a little bit of everything!

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Book 1 The Lightning Thief is a New York Times bestselling book by Rick Riordan. It’s about a teenage boy called Percy who finds out he’s the son of a Greek god; Poseidon, also called a demigod. Percy finds himself at a strange place called camp half-blood where he makes many friends, and enemies. He embarks on a journey to find the entrance to the Underworld, and more importantly, stop a war between the gods. Blurb I think that I would definitely recommend this book to kids 10 years of age and older.

Percy Jackson is a very thrilling story with lots of suspense and action! To all you parents out there who are concerned that there are no good books for your child's age, Percy Jackson is the perfect book for your child! It's not that bloody or violent, either, so it's definitely appropriate, and has absolutely no language or cuss words! But it's not boring, it always keeps you on your toes! This book is also the best way to introduce yourself to the world of Greek mythology! Once you start to read, you won’t be able to stop! This tear-jerking story will make you want to laugh, cry, and shout all at the same time! I would definitely give this book the rating it deserves! 10 out of 10!

The Red Pyramid is about two siblings, Carter and Sadie Kane, who find out they are descended from ancient Egyptian pharaohs and that their parents are secretly Egyptian magicians. They found out that the god of evil Set has malicious plans. Other magicians however think they are the enemy because the leader is rivals with the Kane family. Together Carter and Sadie have to stop Set by embarking on a perilous journey throughout the world.

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan is one of my favorite myth-based books. Many people may not read this book because they think that they will not be able to understand the mythology in it, but in reality you don’t need to know anything to do with Egyptian mythology prior to reading this story. The main characters are funny and smart and the book is action-packed and has an intriguing plot with twists, a good story, and humor on every page. Simply said, I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in mythology, enjoys humor, or simply enjoys well-written stories.

Once Upon a Broken Heart is a magical story about a young girl trying to navigate the ups and downs of her world. Evangeline is a hopeless romantic who one day finds her own true love… that is before he decides to get married to another. After Evangeline finds out the terrible news, she goes to the Prince of Hearts to convince him to help her. He does indeed help her, but it comes with a price.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to escape to a fantasy world that has a few mysteries sprinkled in. I loved the whole magic system and world-building. The pacing was a little bit weird for me because it goes fast then slow then fast again, but I was able to overlook it. I will say that it seems as if this book’s purpose is to set up for the next one. I don’t mind that at all, but the second one will most likely have more action and plot. Once Upon a Broken Heart also had a cliffhanger which left me wanting more! The characters were great too, I enjoyed the friendship dynamics and of course, I liked the Prince of Hearts and how he was involved in the plot.