Book Review

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas

Crown of Midnight further follows the wonderful and mysterious Celaena Sardothien on her many adventures and travels around the continent. 

She has become the royal assassin to the King and when she’s not off on business, she’s training, or strolling around in her magnificent gowns. During her stay at the castle her relationship with Chaol and Dorian becomes stronger and more trustful. However, a tragic loss causes everything to come crumbling down on top of her. 

Trying to get over her grief, Celaena uncovers a dark mystery that the King is hiding, which explains all the bloodshed continuing throughout the continent. 

This book ends in the truth of the past revealed and guides the whole series in a different direction.  

It’s both heartbreaking and wonderful all at once.
Izabella Yr 11

I love Brandon Sanderson. He is one of my favourite authors. Final empire is a really good book and has a lot of action. The story is about a girl called Vin who is one of the very few people who can use all 12 metals. She meets Kelsair and they build a rebellion against the Lord Ruler. She infiltrates the higher court to get information and starts a bit of romance with Elend Venture. In her journey she soon finds the truth and discovers the mysterious 13th metal.

I rate this book a 5/5 because there are 2 other books, but the first book is fine by itself. I was really satisfied with the ending and didn’t need the second book. The plot of the book is really good - not too slow or too fast and always keeps you entertained. I had a lot of emotions in this book and will never regret reading it.

I recommend this book to everyone. It will change your life . The book may seem big and you will never finish it but in the end it will be worth it

Mai YR11

12 Nights by Andrew Zurcher:

This was an amazing, action packed book! 

It was full to the brim, of adventure, excitement and drama. This book centers around a young girl, Kay, her younger sister, and their mother. The book starts off quite normal, when Kay’s father is late home. Her mother, Kay and her sister drive to the Cambridge College to pick him up. However, a startling surprise awaits them when they enter. The staff all claim that nobody of that name had ever worked there. Shocked and confused, they go back home, but more surprises and adventures await Kay when she returns. She meets ‘removers’ named Will and Flip, who may have something to do with her missing father. The only problem is, they aren’t human, and Kay shouldn’t be able to see them, but she can. Kay goes on a crazy adventure in new lands and learns new things on who she really is.


I really enjoyed this book, although it got a bit drawn out towards to the  
end. Other then that, I really liked the book and the magical aspect in it.
I recommend this book for ages 12-15 and give it ⅘ stars.

Great book, full of mystery and adventure and new discoveries about a  
amazing character!

Cassidy Borst Year 8

Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas

In the book Throne of Glass, we meet Celaena Sardothien, the continents greatest assassian. 

After being imprisoned for a year, she befriends the most unlikeliest of people, The Crown Prince, Dorian Havilliard, and The Captain of the Royal Guard, Chaol Westfall. She is to compete for the Prince in a royal competition, trained by the Captain himself and is to win. Her friendship with Dorian, Chaol and a Princess from another kingdom helps her regain the strength that she desperately needs after her time imprisoned. Celaena’s journey during the book raises many questions about her past and what it holds for her future. 

The book is an excellent read and shows the power of friendship and strong minded people are able to  
accomplish.

Izabella Momi Yr 11

Book Review

The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J Maas

The Assassin’s Blade is the prequel to the series Throne of Glass. 

Here we discover the life before Celaena Sardothien was sent to the prison camp. In a range of short stories, we get to know her soft side for an unlucky maiden, like herself, her compassion for the 200 slaves she rescued, her caring nature when it comes to new friends, and her loving attitudes and undying loyalty towards her oldest friend and closest companion. This book gives different perspectives of Celaena and her actions towards different situations, how her bravery and fearlessness always help her achieve greatness. It has the right amount of friendship, rivalry, love and loss.  

The book is a perfect beginning to a wonderful series.

Izabella Momi Yr 11

Book Review

More Than This by Patrick Ness

This book utterly destroyed me. I cried like a baby. It’s my favourite.

More Than This is an incredibly touching story about a boy named Seth who,  

for all intents and purposes, dies. Then he wakes up alone and dishevelled.  

It takes you on a journey through the perspective of a teenager who doesn’t  

understand anything that’s happening. Nor, more importantly, why it’s  

happening.

The beauty of this book is that yes, it is confusing, yes, you may not be  

satisfied, but it conveys a deep message about our humanity and what  

we’re capable of. It’s heart wrenching and heartwarming all at once.

I suggest reading this book if you find yourself asking, ‘what am I doing here?’

Maybe More Than This will help you answer that question.

“Real life is only ever just real life. Messy. What it means depends on how  

you look at it. The only thing you’ve got to do is find a way to live  

there.”

Isabella Year 10

Scarlet and Ivy: The Whispers in the Wall by Sophie Cleverly

This book is a great continuation of the amazing Scarlet and Ivy series. In this book, new challenges and adventures arrive, as the twins are reunited.But not all is fun and games. Miss Fox may be gone, but someone equally as sinister and evil has returned, the headmaster, Mr Bartholomew, who is making things difficult for the twins at Rookwood. Things at going missing at the Rookwood school and Scarlet and Ivy are suspected of being the culprits. The twins need to clear their name, and get to the bottom of what really is happening. During their searches, they uncover secrets held in the walls, and vital information, including some about their mother that they never even thought was true!

I really enjoyed this book. It was great to learn more about the twins, and uncover big secrets that will change them forever! I loved how this book was a thrilling adventure, full of twists and turns that I never expected! 

I recommend reading the first book first, so readers can get to know the characters, and what took place before the book.
 
I recommend this book to ages 10-14.
5/5 stars!

Great book of the series, it is great to read about the twins and have unanswered questions about the first book, answered!

Cassidy Borst Year 7

Book Review

Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J Maas

Kingdom of Ash is a book that I loved very dearly.

I felt that it had the right amount of sadness and happiness all throughout the book. 

This book is the conclusion to the Throne of Glass series and it was amazing to see  everyone’s story slowly come to together and form an ending in the best way  possible. 

The story is about friendship, and how it can be strengthened in times of sadness, how people will come together and give up everything for the love of their people and their friends. Aelin and Rowan embark on their greatest adventure yet, alongside everyone who has travelled the journey  
with them.

Izabella Year 11

Book Review

Fantastic beasts and where to find them by J K Rowling

The book’s action is set in New York in 1926, where the dark wizard Grindelwald, wanted for multiple murders across Europe, is thought to have shifted. Newt Scamander, our bumbling hero, has arrived in New York with a case full of fantastic beasts. Newt is a more sophisticated version of Hagrid in that he is a magizoologist who wants to teach the wizarding community that the subjects of his study should be protected, not feared. 
 
It should surprise no one, then, that within hours of his arrival, many of the creatures escape and run amok over the city.In his quest to recover them, Newt gets three companions—a No-Maj (American for “muggle”), an ex-Auror with a heart of gold and her sister who can read minds. Add to that the American version of the ministry of magic, struggling to keep the community hidden from Muggles, and a group that is determined to unearth witches, and you have a rollicking story that barely gives the reader time to breathe.

Rowling’s prodigious imagination is hard at work, conjuring up one fantastical creature after another. Swooping Evil, Occamy, Diricawl and other names are accompanied by descriptions no less magical in nature. Some, like the Bowtruckle and Niffler, are familiar to us from Potter’s Care of Magical Creatures lessons. Fitting, considering Newt writes one of the textbooks assigned to Potter in his first year at Hogwarts.

It may take more than a few pages to settle into the story, given that it is written at the pace of the movie, but Rowling knows better than most how to draw her readers in. For this reader, the entry of the endearing Queenie, the aforementioned mind-reading sister, did the trick. From that point, pages were turned faster than the Niffler pockets shiny things.

It will surprise no one that Rowling has penned yet another thrilling tale.

Sofia Year 9

Book Review

Scarlet and Ivy The lost twin by Sophie Cleverly

Scarlet and Ivy: the lost twin was a really good book. I enjoyed it very  
much and I think it is one of the best books I have read.

It tells us a story about how a girl called Ivy goes to Rookwood School to  
fill in her sisters' place after she apparently died. Ivy looks under her  
sisters old bed and finds a hole in the mattress with her sisters diary  
inside. After Ivy reads the diary she finds out that Scarlet knows about  
why Ivy is here and is giving her clues.

In the end, Ivy works out where Scarlet is and goes to look for her. The  
story ends in a way that makes me want to read the next book because it  
ends with Ivy at the place Scarlet is at and someone telling Ivy what is  
going to happen next.

It is a book about mystery and adventure.

Recommended for people aged 10 to 15 and like to read mystery novels.

Isabella B 7U

Book Review

Inside the Tiger by Hayley Lawrence

Inside the tiger is one of my favourite books all the time.

It tells us about Bel -a sympathetic character- who writes to a Death Row  prisoner to get out of an assignment. Now the prisoner [Micah] has written  back and tells her about his life inside a Thai prison. Slowly and slowly  she begins to fall for the person who has no future.  Will Bel lose him?   

This is an epic book that is well written, and my rating is 5 stars!   

Inside the tiger is a book about love, loss and hope. 
14/15+ Recommended (death row is no joke) and it may disturb some  sensitive readers. It has explicit scenes!!

Louciana 7S

Book Review

The Witch's Tears by Elizabeth & Katherine Corr

The sequel to 'The Witch's Kiss', Merry is struggling with the aftermath of a certain loss. Her brother Leo is also struggling and Merry is doing all she can to help him, but everything Merry does seems to make things worse for Leo. 

This novel takes place almost three months after the events of the first book. I'm surprised by the difference and improvement from the first book - which was uneventful. Although this novel felt like a filler story and the beginning felt like it didn't go anywhere, it still had the magic that made the book interesting. The characters progressed into strong and more mature people and new characters are introduced as well.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this second instalment. This was an improvement from the first book, except for the cliffhanger ending. The ending bothered me, however, it drew my interest to continue to read the next instalment.

Strongly recommend reading the first book, even though it's a dull story.

Rianna Yr 10

Goodreads Choice Awards

The Goodreads Choice Awards are up to the semi final round. You are able to have your say on which books make it to the finals by casting your vote now. 

Have a look at the following categories to cast your vote.

Best Graphic Novels and Comics

Young Adult Fiction

Young Adult Fantasy

Middle Grade and Children's

Book Review

Switched by Amanda Hocking

Seventeen-year-old Wendy Everly lives with her aunt and brother in an attempt to control the chaos of her life. Her mother tried to kill her on her 6th birthday, and since then her life has been nothing but disastrous. But with the help from Finn Holmes, she uncovers a world she never knew existed - a world both beautiful and frightening.

I wasn't able to connect with the character that well, Wendy is whiny and annoying. It felt as if she was never the heroine in this story. The plot was a bit disappointing, it was inconsistent and weak. The progression of the character was slow and somewhat uneventful. There were scenes that weren't really necessary. The most interesting parts were the last few chapters of the book and some suspenseful parts but there's nothing really to it.

Overall, I wouldn't read this book again. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy cliches and troll stories.

Rianna Yr 10

Book Review

Scarlet and Ivy - The lost twin by Sophie Cleverly

Scarlet and Ivy The Lost Twin was a great introduction to the Scarlet and Ivy series. This book centres around Ivy, who has been told she was to join Rookwood School, a creepy boarding school for girls, in place of her twin sister Scarlet, who is believed to be dead. But there's a catch, Ivy has to pretend to be Scarlet, act like her, think like her and become her. At Rookwood, she meets unlikely friends and finds her sisters diary. In it lays entries from her sister, telling Ivy to look for clues Scarlet has left for her. Is Scarlet really dead? If not, where is she? Ivy goes on a thrilling adventure to solve the riddle of why her sister disappeared so suddenly and during it, proves to herself that she is much braver than she ever knew.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it had a great plot full of mysteries and adventure, with a few creepy, thrilling parts added in!

I loved how Ivy was a twin, and how as a reader, I shared the same hope with her that her twin might be alive? But is she? Read the book to find out!


I recommend this book for ages 10-14


I give this book 5 stars.

Amazing book full of mysteries, friendship and secrets! I couldn't put it down!
Cassidy Borst 8C

Little Brother by Alan Baillie

Little brother is a book full of inspiration and hope. This story starts off with Vithy, who is separated from his elder brother whilst attempting to flee the  Khmer Rouge in Cambodia.

They run away, trying to escape from the soldiers. They manage to get away, but not for long. Mang has advice for getting away: "Follow the lines... to the border". Suddenly they are separated as they run for their life and Vithy is left alone in the forest.

Vithy searches for food that night and starts travelling to Cambodia's border. As he is travelling he meets a boy called Ang. They form and friendship and go on an adventure to find Vithy's older brother.

This book is a well-written story and is suitable for 13 years and up. Little brother creates lots of suspense and I found it quite interestingly. I mainly enjoyed the perspective of the characters. I thought that the main character Vithy was really inspirational. My favourite part was when Vithy saved Sorei a young girl in the forest.

Louciana 7S

Book Review

Love, Simon by Becky Albertalli

Love, Simon is an amazing book which pulls at your heartstrings throughout all 300 pages! I truly believe anyone of any age will love this humorous romance.

Simon Spier is your average 17-year-old boy who drinks way too much iced coffee with his best friends except he is hiding something big that once it comes out can’t be taken back, Simon is gay. Simon is content with being gay but he is scared that everything around him will implode if he says it out loud but when a mysterious boy called “Blue” comes out through email on the school blog Simon finally believes he can have a great love story.

As I read through the novel I loved how Simon was not only dealing with school and family but he was also trying to figure out what his feelings meant to him because it added depth to the story and characters. I particularly liked the ending of the novel because it felt like Simon had finally accepted himself because Simon reveals that even though he thought he was being himself he really wasn’t and that just makes the end of the novel so much better! This novel is fantastic because its main focus is that Simon is Homosexual and in a world where sexual prejudice is still a very prominent topic it is at the forefront of every novel about the LGBTQ+ community. This novel portrays how far society has come with its acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community perfectly and I loved that aspect of the book. I really do love this book it is a clever coming-of-age story about the stress of acceptance and love, an amazing read for anyone in search of a romantic- comedy!

A well-deserved rating of 5/5!

Erin Year 8