Teen Book Reviews

You’ve probably heard of Hercules, son of Zeus. This story is not about him, but about 12-year-old Hercules Beal. His parents recently passed away, so he lives with his older brother. He then meets his seventh-grade history teacher, an ex-Marine, who assigns each student individualized year-long projects, and Hercules’ project is to perform the Twelve Labors of Hercules in his own life. In this book, he undertakes these labors and learns a lot while doing it.

I would highly recommend this book to all middle-grade readers. The Labors of Hercules Beal is a wonderful story that will have you bawling your eyes out one minute and smiling with all of your teeth the next! Bestselling author of this book, Gary D. Schmidt, has garnered a Newbery Honor and was a National Book Award finalist, and for good reason. You should definitely check out this book if you get the chance!

Legend is a dystopian novel set in futuristic North America when teenagers June Iparis, the Republic's prodigy, and Day, the Republic's most wanted criminal, are turned against one another when June’s brother is murdered, and she is in charge of catching Day, the main suspect in the murder. But, when June learns a shocking truth about the secrets of the Republic, she questions if everything she's been told about Day and her brother are a lie.

I highly recommend Legend because it is a very interesting book that is fast paced and never boring. Also, I really liked the characters, especially Day because he is always funny and is constantly caring about the people around him. June is also super smart, strong, and brave which makes me really admire her. Additionally, there are multiple antagonists in the novel that I strongly dislike, but they are very well written to make people hate them which makes the book better by having strong personal feelings towards a character. My favorite part about the book is the emotion you get from it. You almost feel like you are in the book sometimes because you feel personally connected to the characters and plot. I recommend this book to everyone because it is a book that is hard to put down and very well written to elicit strong emotions from people.

Mark of Athena is the third book in the Heroes of Olympus series. The book follows the journey of seven demigods. The chosen seven embark on a quest to save the son of Hades, Nico, and to find the Mark of Athena. The demigods face many challenges during their journey to Rome. In Rome, they battle giants to save Nico and one demigod ventures alone to complete her part of the quest.

Mark of Athena is one of the best books in the Heroes of Olympus series. It relates to all sorts of readers. There is action, mystery, mythology, romance, and comedy. From beginning to end, there wasn’t a boring chapter. It is one of my favorite books that I have read because of the plot twists. The character development in the book was amazing and it connected all the characters together. It was interesting to see how the two camps worked together during the quest. Although they had their difficulties, everyone played a key role in the book. My favorite part of Mark of Athena is the ending, the cliffhanger made me immediately want to read the next book in the series. Personally, I haven’t read a better cliffhanger before, the ending will shock you. Mark of Athena is well written and a great read for almost all types of readers.

Samurai Rising tells the captivating story of the samurai, Minamoto Yoshitsune. His father, who was a samurai, kidnapped the emperor of Japan. The emperor of Japan had mercy on them and sent the boys to be raised by monks. At fifteen he left to be a samurai. Soon, he heard a rebellion his half-brother, Yorimoto, had made against their opposing clan, the Taria. Yoshitsune joined them and led the Minimoto clan in the Samurai Civil War.

Samurai Rising has easily taken its spot as one of my favorite nonfiction books. I was left speechless at every twist and turn. Turner made a breathtaking book through her effortless quality of writing and the equally amazing story. It's a beautiful story, however I wished the pacing of the battles could have been more engaging. I would strongly recommend it if one wants to read it for the story and not the action. However, there is no doubt the battles were ingenious. Yoshtisune's innovation left me on the edge of my seat every time he squeezed a win. My other critique was how definitive everything was stated in the story. I found myself unimmersed in the story from how often I questioned if it was just speculation. Overall, the “underdog rising up” part of it made it a very satisfying read and her writing made it even more enjoyable.

Divergent follows a girl named Beatrice who lives in a dystopian world that divides people into five separate communities based on a fundamental trait they possess. She must make a decision that will decide the course of her life, which faction she will choose. However, she realizes that she doesn’t want to be just one thing, causing her to be seen as a threat. Along the way, she makes friends, discovers more about herself, and finds someone who makes her feel like she belongs.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the dystopian world, especially as an introduction into the dystopian genre. The main character is able to determine how to interpret the world without the constraints of disappointing her family or her faction. Divergent gives an interesting perspective on conformity and the negative aspects that result when others try to be someone they are not. Beatrice, also known as Tris, must navigate being a natural non-conformer in a world where conforming is the norm. If you enjoy book series, I would recommend this book as well as Insurgent and Allegiant.