Robyn Schneider’s Extraordinary Means is a beautiful story that reminds us why it’s important to take risks and enjoy life to the fullest. It was published in 2015 by Harper Collins, and is a stand alone contemporary. Schneider introduces us to Lane, a seventeen year old who just started his senior year of high school only to find out that he has a drug resistant strain of tuberculosis — therefore he has to be quarantined. He is sent to a sanatorium called Latham House where

Today is the release date for Steen Jones' debut novel, The Door Keeper!!! This is a New Adult, Fantasy novel that revolves around the life of Eden Saunders. She is a single mother, a gallery co-owner, and apparently a Door Keeper. Throughout the novel we get to learn along with Eden what it means to be a Door Keeper and follow her own journey of self-discovery. Typically the theme of self-discovery is something that you see in a Young Adult novel, but honestly we are alway

The Princess, The Scoundrel, and The Farm Boy is a kind of retelling of the beloved first film in the original Star Wars Trilogy. I say "kind of" because it is the exact same story as Star Wars Episode IV, but it has a different way of telling it because - *gasp* - it's a book. This is part of a project that Disney-Lucasfilm Press created and has each of the origial trilogy written by a different author. This one was written by Alexandra Bracken - most well known for her tril

Story Thieves by James Riley is a reader's paradise. What could be better than day dreaming about hopping in and out of our favorite stories? Riley takes us on a journey of 'what if' by showing us what could possibly happen if we had the ability to hop in and out of our favorite stories. Things could go completely awry if we joined our favorite heroes and heroines in their already written stories. Synopsis: Bethany is a half-fictional girl who just wants to see her fictional

Northanger Abbey by Val McDermid is a modernized adaptation of Jane Austen’s only gothic romance of the same title. Overall, I enjoyed this novel. It had the same essence that Austen’s novel had and I still liked and disliked the characters I feel like are meant to fit into those categories. Things I Did Not Like: Catherine Morland being a fan of Twilight. I am by no stretch of the imagination am I a fan of that saga. The fact that that series is how the author chose to po

Prince of Shadows is a retelling of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, but it is told from Benvolio’s perspective. It was published on February 4, 2014 by New American Library. The author, Rachel Caine, gives a story in the dedication of how this novel idea came about. It is cute and amusing and I am glad that Tybalt was just a cat because this novel is wonderfully awesome! Honestly, the novel is more Benvolio’s story than Romeo’s. There are bits and pieces of the play in the s

Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins is great for anyone who enjoys everything a Southern Belle should enjoy with a twist of paladin powers. Plot Summary: Harper Price is your typical high school overachiever. That is until she gets locked in the girls bathroom with the janitor minutes before she is meant to be crowned Homecoming Queen. This janitor was not just your average janitor. He had special powers that he passed on to Harper. Those powers turns Harper’s world upside down. I

The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider is the most allusion filled novel I have ever read. I loved it! Plot Summary: Ezra Faulkner is a teenage boy who believes that everyone has a tragedy waiting for them. His tragedy happened to him the summer between his junior and senior year of high school. Due to his tragedy, his titles of class president and tennis team captain were given to other individuals in his class. Ezra has always known that he did not really fit in wi

The Outcasts is the first book in the Brotherband Chronicles series written by John Flanagan. This series is meant to be a companion series to Flanagan's The Ranger’s Apprentice series. You can find the video that accompanies this post here. Plot Summary: Hal Mikkelson lost his father at a young age, therefore he never truly knew the esteemed warrior. Since then he has never been welcomed by the other members of his community – Skandia. Part of the reason why he is not welco