Here, There Be Dragons by James A. Owen

Hey hey everybody happy New Year! Cassia here! I finally have another review for you all, and one of my--well, my only--New Year's resolutions is to re-read the books I picked to review (all of which I haven't read in a while). So, here you go!

Here, There Be Dragons by James A. Owen

John, Charles, and Jack never knew another world existed besides their own, England during World War I. They find out that there is, and that they have to keep the atlas to it safe pretty quick when they find themselves being chased by a pack of Wendigo. And they don’t even know what Wendigo are, just that they better follow a peculiar man named Bert to safety to avoid being killed by them. They soon find themselves in the Archipelago of Dreams, where every tale they’ve ever been told is real, and they’re caught in the middle of a dark battle for control over the Archipelago.

The first thing that hooked me with this book was the title: Here, There Be Dragons. I’ll admit that I don’t know much about maps and sailing, but I do know that the phrase “Here, there be dragons” is a phrase used by early mapmakers to indicate that they have no idea what’s beyond the edge of their map, as it’s uncharted territory.

14 Books to Look Forward to for 2014

14 Books to Look Forward to for 2014

A huge part of the book community is patience. The problem is that we read faster than authors can write. It takes a couple days to read a book, but it an author takes over ONE YEAR to publish their next book. This is extremely difficult to deal with, so we invented coping methods. The most common one is fangirling. Obsessing over every detail of a book until the next one comes out is an accepted practice. To help with your fangirling experience, I have composed a list of the most anticipated books to be published in 2014.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Hey everybody! Cassia here! So, the Catching Fire movie came out last night, so I thought I would review The Hunger Games. I did not go last night, but I am going tomorrow, opening weekend again like the first movie. ;) Without further ado, here's the review!

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Katniss Everdeen is disgusted by her society. Not necessarily the people, but the way it’s run: everyone is poor, taken advantage of, the favorites are treated special, and the Hunger Games. Every year, one male and one female from the ages of 12 to 18 are forced to compete in a fight to the death. On live TV. What could possibly be more horrific? The people of the Capitol enjoy it. It is accepted as a fact, but for people like Katniss, people that fight just to survive, who are starving, it is the worst possible fate, especially if you’re from District 12. When her sister Prim is picked to basically go to her death, Katniss volunteers to save her. Does Katniss have the heart to kill 23 other teenagers, in self defense or not?

Alright, everyone’s heard of this book. Or the movie. Or something. However, I am still going to keep it spoiler-free. Now, I have read better books, but something about Collins’ style and storytelling drew me in.

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

Unwind

Author: Neal Shusterman
Series: Unwind Dystology #1
Release Date: November 6, 2007
Pages: 335
Review by: Max

“You can't change laws without first changing human nature.”

“You can't change human nature without first changing the law.”

It's after the Second Civil war and a heck of a lot has changed.

Unwinding: A completely LEGAL procedure targeting thirteen to eighteen year-olds that basically takes out all of their organs and spreads them out to people who 'need' them.
Storking: Leaving your baby on someone else's front steps. Completely legal as long as the house owner doesn't catch you.

In case you can't tell, Neal Shusterman's future is Fudged. Up.

At least, Connor, Risa, and Lev think so.

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Hey everybody! Cassia here! Umm I don't really have an intro for today, so here's another review for you all!

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Puck and her brothers live alone.  Their parents are dead, and for money, they do odd jobs--painting teacups, fixing things, anything to get food on the table.  When the Scorpio Races come around, Puck realizes that this is her chance to save her family.  But is she brave enough to ride one of the wild, carnivorous capaill uisce?

Sean Kendrick is known all over the island of Thisby as the boy whose father died in the Races, who has an incredible connection with all horses, and has won the Scorpio Races five times.  When he sees a girl on his beach, he has to know why.