Dystopia by Janet McNulty

[Dystopia] by [Janet McNulty] is a modern version of [1984] and example of when good intentions get caught up in greed and people are too lazy to care. The characters were very well developed as well as their relationships. The whole idea struck me as what people in the old Soviet Union must have felt like. (I am a history nerd.) I feel the message is that no matter what if people are apathetic they will lose what means the most to them and sometimes standing up for what is right can be really hard.

Raven Boy by Kateryna Kei

[Raven Boy] by [Kateryna Kei] was a classic adventure tale. The use of Norse names and, to an extent, mythology added a creative twist to the novel that is often not found in this genre. I would recommend this book to any of my students to read especially if they like adventure and romance.

War of the Gods, Book 1: Kanati by Jonathan Penroc

I enjoyed the character relationships in [War of the Gods, Book 1: Kanati] by [Jonathan Penroc]. There were points that could have been clarified more but overall it was a good book. I will read the next one in the series.

This is How I Find Her by Sara Polsky

[This is How I Find Her] by [Sara Polsky] was a different take on dealing with mental illness for YA. Instead of the teen struggling with her own mental illness she is struggling with her mom who suffers from it. [Polsky] does a good job showing the struggles of those who love someone who has a mental illness in all different ways. I will be adding this book to my classroom library.

Mirrorfall by Grace McDermott

[Mirrorfall(Require:Cookie Book 1)] by [Grace McDermott] was incredibly fun to read. There were so many side references to other things that some people might not get it was like having an inside joke with the character. Even the title [Require: Cookie] you will not get until you read this book. It is an action adventure for nerds. My favorite by the way was the "Avenue Q" reference. 

War Stories: New Military Science Fiction edited by Jaym Gates and Andrew Liptak

As a military fiction fan and a sci fi fan this was the best of both worlds in one. I loved how most of the stories were from either a LBGT perspective or a female one. Also the various views of war from authors(and in a lot of cases soldiers), from not only different branches but different countries. There were one or two stories that were very difficult to read because their wordiness caused them to be pretentious and drag on(one in particular). Over all though I would recommend this book and would like to see some authors turn the short stories into full length books.

In The After by Demitria Lunetta

This had a twist I did not see coming! It was a well written YA post apocalyptic story but not what I expected. Since I read A LOT of this genre that is saying something. Well done! It was like the revenge of soylent green for us old or nerdy people(of which I am both). 

Once Upon an Ever After by Angela N. Blount

The amazing adventure of Angeli continues. After her road trip to explore half of America and meet some people from online face to face she returned to Minnesota with a new sense of self, a stronger sense of faith, and a new long distance boyfriend. In [Once Upon an Ever After] [Angela N. Blount] shows that nothing worth having is easy but it doesn't have to be hard as long as you stand by what you know and believe. This is an incredibly well written and well told coming of age novel for today. I highly recommend everyone read [Once Upon A Road Trip] and [Once Upon an Ever After].

Zone One by Colson Whitehead

I really wanted to like this book but it just wasn't there. The concept was good and there were glimmers of great character development but it seemed too much like "World War Z" and "I Am Legend", the movie versions which were not that good. Also the structure of the writing was more ADD than me....KITTY!...Oh, sorry but proves my point. With more structure and personality this books would have been much more enjoyable.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

As a person who reads as much as I do and loves dystopian fiction it is surprising that I had not read [The Giver] by [Lois Lowry] before now. It has been in my classroom for years and on "my list" but I never got around to it. Now with it coming out as a movie(which I will never see because the book is ALWAYS better), I decided to read it. 

It reminded me of [Fahrenheit 451] by [Ray Bradbury]. The concept of a sterilized society without creativity has been around for a long time. [Lowry] puts the reliance of society's memory on a child. It becomes his responsibility to remember and protect them from their own history. The Sameness is their protection but at what cost?

Overall I enjoyed [The Giver] and hope all my students read it.