Book Battle | Alive by Scott Sigler vs. Messenger of Fear by Michael Grant

Welcome to Book Battles, a feature here at Crazy for YA where I put two books in the battle ring and have them fight it out to see which one is better.

Today's fight is between Alive by Scott Sigler and Messenger of Fear by Michael Grant. 

Alive is a science fiction thriller about a girl who wakes up in a coffin without a clue where or who she is. 

Messenger of Fear is a thriller that leans more on the urban fantasy side of the spectrum about a girl names Mara and her exploits, or more like terrors, with her new nightmare, the Messenger of Fear. 

Since both of these novels are thrillers, it is best if I do not reveal a lot about the nature of the plot. I want to keep the mystery and suspense intact.

Review | The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Naturals

Picture Courtesy of Goodreads

Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Series: The Naturals #1

Release Date: November 5, 2013

Pages: 308

Review by: Tessa

Cassie cannot forget being at her first crime scene--her mother's.
Cassie is a natural at profiling people. Just by looking at the clothes you wear she can practically read your mind.
When the FBI finds out about Cassie's talent, they want to recruit her for their new program, The Naturals. She would be given the opportunity to work with others like her and help to solve cold cases that have been dead for years.
All Cassie wants is to avenge her mother's death-- by finding the murderer.
Soon, Cassie is caught up in a flow of murder cases. The killer is slowly escalating and Cassie needs to work with the other Naturals to find the solution to a seemingly dead case, before the killer strikes them next.

Elixir by Ted Galdi: Review and Author Interview

Hey everybody! Cassia here! On Goodreads, through The YA Book Club, Ted Galdi offered to send a free copy of his debut novel to anyone who would write an honest review in return. So of course I offered to review it. Once again, thank you Mr. Galdi! Here's my review, and he has kindly offered to do an author interview, so that's after the review. Enjoy!

Elixir 

by Ted Galdi

Released on July 31, 2014
259 pages
Young Adult, Thriller, Action

Sean Malone is a genius. At age 11, he was the champion of Jeopardy!, winning over one million dollars. At 14, he comes up with a dangerous formula and becomes tangled in a deadly plot with the NSA. Unable to do anything else, he flees the country. Years later, he falls in love. But his girlfriend contracts one of the world’s worst diseases. Sean believes he can cure her, but to do that would mean to return to the demons of his past. Elixir follows Sean as he fights against the world in an effort to save the life of the girl he loves.