An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

An Ember in the Ashes 

By Sabaa Tahir 

     Age Range: 14 & up 

·         Grade Level: 9-12

·         Paperback: 464 Pages

·         Published: April 2015

The Story 

Told in alternate perspectives, the story of An Ember in the Ashes follows two characters namede Laia and Elias. These characters live in a harsh society  where a group called the masks rule. Laia's family is a supporter of the resistance, and Elias is a mask himself. 

One night while Laia is at home with her grandparents and her brother, the masks break into her home. The masks brutally kill her grandparents & place her brother under arrest. Laia is able to get away, but the only people she can turn to for help is the resistance leaders who were responsible for her parent's death. In order to save her brother, Laia works with the resistance and goes undercover as a slave in Empire's greatest military academy. There she meets Elias. 

Elias is a mask, but he would give anything to run away and give it all up. On the day of his graduation to become a mask, it is announced that trails will be held to find the new emperor of the empire. Elias and his graduating class are the only contestants in this trail. In order to find freedom, Elias must compete in the trails to become emperor, but if he fails, he will die. Laia and Elias soon realize that the are each others only hope to becoming free & to getting what they want. 

Review 

With such an overwhelming buzz, I was drawn to this book.  I found the story  to be very action packed and suspenseful. It starts out with Laia's house being invaded and it follows the characters all the way up to the end of the trials. It will leave readers on the edge of their seat.  With the trails, and the idea that Elias has to fight his classmates to the death,  it reminded me of a very grown up hunger games. I think it is key to mention that it is very grown up. With the setting, it naturally has a great deal of violence.  One scene that left me particularity uncomfortable was a scene where Laia is branded as a slave with a knife, and in another scene where Laia is nearly rapped. There were also some  disturbing scenes as Elias tries to overcome the trials as well.  This is just my take on it. Please note that not everyone might feel this way, but I do feel like it is important to note this for reader's advisory.  I feel like this is a great fantasy to recommend to older teens and young 20 somethings, but I would not hand this book to a tween without a great deal of caution.  Overall, I did enjoy this book very much. It took about 100 pages for the story to completely set up, but after those 100 pages I was hooked. I will be on the lookout & hope that this book has a sequel. 

Have you read this book yet? What did you think of it? 


- Pamela

Seconds : A Graphic Novel by Byan Lee O'Malley

It is Young Adult Tuesday! 

I have slowly been working away on The Hub Reading Challenge. One of my favorites from this list so far is: 

Seconds: A Graphic Novel 

The Story 

In this graphic novel, a young woman named Katie is a talented chef. She already has one successful restaurant and is getting ready to open another. One night, a terrible accident happens;one of her employees gets badly burned. Katie goes to bed worried and feeling guilty. If she did something different could it have saved her employee? Just as she is about to fall asleep, a mysterious spirit appears. The spirit gives her some simple instructions to have a second chance & fix her mistake. All she has to do is eat a mushroom, write her mistake, go to sleep, and wake up anew. Just like that, Katie's mistake was undone. Her employee was never burnt, and Katie gets a second chance to redo everything. This opens the door for Katie to think about second chances with other things in her life. If she had done something different with her ex-boyfriend, could it have worked out? Katie begins to take advantage of her second chances. As many chances as Katie has, Katie begins to realize that sometimes things happen for a reason. But she must discover this before her whole world falls apart. 

The Review 

As an inspiring librarian, I hate to admit this but..... this is my first ever graphic novel.

I know, I know, but I always thought graphic novels were odd. I think it is just its set up. I found it intimidating. After I read this, I realized it is just different. Byan Lee O'Malley was a great first graphic novel for me.   O'Malley is best known for his Scott Pilgram vs The World Series, and who doesn't love this story? 

One problem I had was separating Scott out. (It is one of my favorite movies).  Once I got it out of my head that Scott has left the building, I really enjoyed Katie's story.  O'Malley has a lot of humor that he slides in. Which in many ways is why I liked Scott Pilgrim. I also really enjoyed the fate theme of this book. As a reader, O'Mally struck me most when he addressed Katie's worry about finding love and how much she wanted things to work out with her ex. To me, I really connected to that part of the book. I think this is a common worry among many people. 

I also really enjoyed that she liked to cook. At one time, I wanted to be a baker, but it must have been fate I didn't because I have Celiac Disease. Not being able to touch flour would have made me a terrible baker! Reading about Katie's passion for it, however, reminded me of my passions though. I think that aspect of the book is really important too. Overall, I was really surprised by how much I connected with this book. I wasn't expecting much and walked away with a "everything is meant to be" lesson. I hope other reader's will connect to it in the same way as I did. As far as star ratings go, I would have to give it four. 

I am really thankful for The Hub Challenge 2015 for opening my eyes to this genre. It made me take a chance on book that I wouldn't have normally read. I would love it if you joined me! There is still time. Here is a link to that information: 

The Hub Book Challenge 2015

Also here are the list of books to read for the challenge: 

Book List

You have to read 25 of the books on the list before June 21st. 

This list contains a lot of wonderful need to know YA lit & you get rewarded for reading them. 
It is just that awesome! 

Until next time, 

Pamela

The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

It is Young Adult Monday! 

When it comes to working in Youth Services, you have to read a little bit of everything. One of my favorite young adult authors is Sarah Dessen. I fell in love with her books after reading the book This Lullaby.  I even named my cat Dexter after one of the characters in the book. Meet my awkward cat Dexter. 

To mix things up a little bit, I had to read one of her most recent books The Moon and More.  

Age Range- ages 12 and up 

Pages- 448 

Release Date- June 2013 

Quick Summary 

Emaline lives in Colby. Colby is a small tourist spot. She has the perfect boyfiend and she is getting ready to go off to college. When her biological father comes into town, her life is shaken up. Her biological father wants more for her then the little town of Colby. Shortly after her father arrives, Emaline and her longtime boyfriend break up, and Emaline immediately rebounds with a visiting tourist. As the summer quickly passes by, Emaline must balance what she wants with what she already has. 

Review

I am a huge Sarah Dessen fan. I recommend her stories about change to my older tweens and teens, but this was the first book by her that I really didn't like. Maybe it is just because I am getting older and I cannot relate to her books anymore. I don't want to give away too much, but one thing that really bothered me was the plot holes! The biggest plot hole was having to do with her tourist boyfriend named Theo. Dessen never wraps up what happens to him. He was a major character in the book, and it was a loose end that left me tied in knots. I also didn't love some of the characters in the book. I might hold off on recommending this particular Dessen book. I would have to give this one only three stars. It was good, but not a must read like her previous titles. 

I must say, I am really excited for Dessen's new book though.  

Check out her new book Saint Anything . 

Look for it to come out on May 5,2015. 

Are you a Dessen fan? Which one is your favorite? 



-Pamela 

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga

Young Adult Monday! 

I am participating in the Hub Challenge. 
This is the first book that I decided to read from the challenge. 

Pages - 384

Age Range- 14 and up 

Release Date- April 3rd 2012 

The Story 

Jasper Dent's father is the world's most notorious serial killer. As his father hunted for his next kill, he took Jasper with him & trained in ways to kill.  After 120+ kills, his father is finally caught and taken to jail. Four years later, Jasper is trying to live a normal life & shake off his father's disturbing lessons, but something happens in his home town of Lobo's Nod that doesn't allow that to happen. Dead bodies start to show up. Jasper's dad is in jail, could the sleepy town of Lodo's Nod have another serial killer on their hands? To help prove that Jasper is not like his father, he is determined to help to solve the case. Jasper teams up with the police to find the killer, but this case might have more connections to Jasper then he knows. 

My Review 

When this book came out, I was in my Jr. year of college. With school work piling up, I had no time to read it. I am happy to report that I finally got to it! As dark and disturbing as this book was, I could not tear myself away from it. It was the first book I have read in a long time that I stayed up late telling myself "...just one more chapter!" Jasper is a unique character. The mystery of the book itself was compelling. At one point, I suspected everyone as the killer. It was the perfect psychological thriller, but at times I wonder if this might have been a better adult book? Since it is dealing with serial killers, the book contains a lot of violence, sex, and gore. Even though it was wonderful book, I would only recommend it to my mature young adults.  

I have to give this book 4 stars! 

If you aren't already participating YALSA'S The Hub Book Challenge, you should! Here is the information on the challenge: 

The Hub Book Challenge 2015

Also here are the list of books to read for the challenge: 

Book List

You have to read 25 of the books on the list before June 21st. 

This list contains a lot of wonderful need to know YA lit & you get rewarded for reading them! YALSA is just that awesome. I would love it if you joined me in this challenge!