The Ship We Built by Lexie Bean

 

The Ship We Built by Lexie Bean

Ellie starts fifth grade feeling as if she is alone.  She lost her friends over the summer when she accidentally let out a secret.  Now she goes through school silently not really talking to anyone.  Instead she pours out her feelings in letters she releases with balloons in the hopes of finding a friend.  Little does she know that a friend is closer than she realizes.

I read this book as I wanted to see if it should go in the kids or teen section of the library.  It deals with many issues including being transgender, experiencing incest, and feelings of depression.  Although it is a very uncomfortable book to read I think it is an important book for the library to have.  I also think that it belongs in the children's section as that is the intended audience (it also never goes into graphic detail about anything) and who would be helped the most by the book.

Ghost Diary, v. 1-3 by Seiju Natsumego

Ghost Diary, v. 1 by Seiju Natsumego - 180 pages
Ghost Diary, v. 2 by Seiju Natsumego - 180 pages
Ghost Diary, v. 3 by Seiju Natsumego - 180 pages

Sukami is desperate to find his older sister Hanaichi who disappeared while out on an exorcism job.  When he meets Chloe, a grim reaper who claims to be Haniachi's friend, they work together to complete the Ghost Diary, recover Chloe's memories, and find Hanaichi.

I am not really sure if I liked this series or not.  The characters were interesting.  However, the ending seemed rushed.  I also did not care for the direction the story took.  Although it was set up from the beginning I found some of the character motivations very disturbing.

Identical by Ellen Hopkins

Identical by Ellen Hopkins, 565 pages

In Identical, Ellen Hopkins writes about a very taboo subject: incest. Kaeleigh and Raeanne are identical twins who were in a horrific car accident when they are younger that turned their lives upside down. Kaeleigh and Raeanne are exact opposites in personality.  When their mom decides to run for Congress, their Dad becomes their main caregiver. Shocking and disturbing at times, this book is written in verse which keeps the story moving and enthralls the reader.  I knew nothing about this book when I started and towards the end, a surprise twist is thrown out there that makes this one of the best books for young adults.

Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers

Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers, 387 pages
(2nd book in His Fair Assassins series)

Dark Triumph focuses on Sybella's life more so than the historical facts of the time. Sybella has been raised by a monster of a father and has experienced all forms of abuse at his and her brothers' hands. Her story grips you to the soul as you experience the madness that touches her mind from being forced back into the life she thought she was free of upon becoming one of Death's handmaidens -- an assassin for the god Mortain. The abbess of Mortain has sent Sybella back to the very hell she came from. Her mission - to discover what her cruel earthly father is up to and how it can harm/help the cause for Duchess Anne. We first met Sybella in the first book Grave Mercy. I'm thrilled that this book was dedicated solely to her though we did get to visit with all the characters from the first book. From Sybella's cruel past to her most awesome future, this was a fantastic read. I have to be careful to not give too much away. The romance, mystery, murder, cruelty, compassion and loyalties that Sybella discovers in her story are well worth the read. I was very thrilled that the Beast had a role to play in Sybella's story as well. He was a very strong and like-able character in Grave Mercy -- deserving of some attention to his own story.

Holiday in Death by J.D. Robb

Holiday in Death by J.D. Robb - 326 pages

It is Eve Dallas's first Christmas with husband Roarke.  She doesn't know how to do Christmas.  She's never really celebrated it before.  On top of the stress of trying to figure out what gifts to buy and having to attend holiday celebrations, there is a serial killer murdering people based on the Twelve Days of Christmas.  Will she be able to stop the killer before he reaches number twelve?
I enjoyed this book even though the mystery was pretty easy to solve.  A quick fun read.