Cover 1/5

I really found it confusing and it didn’t really draw me in.   I didn’t even know what I was looking at until about half way through the book.   

Book 3/5

I had never read Chris Beckett’s first novel, Dark Eden, when I began reading Mother of Eden.  That being said, I was pretty confused in the beginning.   I had a hard time understanding what the characters were talking about, but the more that I read the book the more everything started to click.   It was an interesting read that kept me wondering what could possibly happen next, and was a refreshing change of pace from some of the other books I have recently read.   This books was described as a scifi, but I would probably say that it is more of a fantasy novel.   I didn’t really find that anything was described well enough for it to be a scifi, but my opinion may have changed if I had read Dark Eden first.   Overall it was entertaining and there are parts of me that still question what happened after the book ended. 

- Elizabeth

Cover Art – 4/5

 This cover really conveys a lot of the emotions felt by Jessica during the story. Nothing that happens in her life seems very clear. It is all mildly obscured, and always revolves around Aubrey. This cover is just perfect. I didn’t give it full points because I don’t feel like Aubrey has tattoos, and because they recently changed the cover art. If you see something different when you look it up, that would be why.

Book – 4/5

I have a really hard time giving any book full points but if I were to go crazy and do that, it would probably be with this book.

Like I said, it has stood the test of time and grown with me from my preteen-teen-young adult years.

I think what really speaks to me is that Jessica is very confident in herself, even while being aware that there are so many aspects of herself that are a mystery. I’m pretty sure the message speaks to everyone; it is possible to be so self-confident even when you’re not completely sure who you are. You can like who you are through the process of growth and change.

The story itself has some surprises and tension that make the read thoroughly enjoyable. You would never believe that this came from a 16 year old’s head, which as I get older is part of the fun in reading this book.

Really I could ramble on forever with all the little reasons why I like this book, but instead I’ll just suggest you go and check it out for yourself! It’s well worth the read (plus it’s pretty short so it won’t take too long, treat yourself!). 

-Elizabeth

Cover art- 2/5 stars.
This doesn't appeal to me and I don't think that it really captures the feel of the book. I see why they did it, but I picture Evelyn much more pleasant looking, despite her vindictive tendencies.  Perhaps if the book wasn't so great, this cover would please me. But with a book as engaging as this one, I think it deserves a more engaging cover.  And yes, this is a little ridiculous, but there's no way Evelyn made THAT dress. 

Book- 4/5 Stars  
The Revenge Artist may leave some parents wary because of some of its content but let's get real: if your teenager, aka young adult reader, attends high school, they deal with all of this stuff in real life on a regular basis. TRA didn't sugar-coat high school. In fact, the reason I enjoyed it so much is that it managed to touch on all of the complexities that are being a teenager in today's society. School, friends, hormones, temptations, expectations from parents and teachers, wanting to be a good student but wanting to fit in and make friends. I found Evelyn to be a nice balance of irritating and sympathetic. Maybe that's because I saw myself in her.
 But best of all, Philip Hoy did not disappoint us with an ending. No magical solution. No cop-out. Just honest teenager doing her best, coming clean, and guess what...that's all we want. 
The Revenge Artist is an engaging read with some excellent morals particularly relevant to young adults today.
And it's also a modern-day The Crucible. But that's just a bonus. 
-Lara

This cover is nice.  I prefer covers where the faces are obscured so that I can imagine whatever I want to based on the authors descriptions. This cover captures the mood of the book and tells a little of the plot as a hook. 
5/5 stars



Story-
  Spark is a fun read because it captures much of the complexities of being a teenager (balancing sports, romance, family, friends) and adds in extra adventure with an extra-terrestrial.  It's unpredictable and while it's not constantly engaging, it makes you think. 

I found myself ping-ponging back and forth on who to trust in the book, and who to run away from. Gage does a nice job of drawing out suspense long enough for readers to form their own suspicions, but not so long that you stop caring.  Though there are scenes that were not particularly related to the main plot, they were well written so I didn't find myself skipping over them too much.  

Spark is well worth the visit as it is a new take on aliens and the ending will catch you off guard. 
4-5 stars.

This book was stupid. The only clever part was having the frog surf the waves on her lily pad at the end, otherwise it was a total flop.  The art wasn't great. The story made no sense. How did the moon transport the frog from sea to pond and back again? What was in the vial from the random fisherman? Was the frog actually taking to the fisherman, or just thinking of a reply? These aren't the sort of questions I should be asking at the end of a children's book.
1/5 stars

Cover:  This cover is awesome. I find it easy to read. I love that you can't see her face. The color scheme matches the tone of the book. What shes' wearing makes sense for the story. 
5/5 stars

This book was good. 5/5 stars.  Not 5+.  It's not Harry Potter, but nothing is. I liked it. Great word building. Lack of purple prose but great descriptions.  Fun character development.  Some of the reveals at the end weren't my favorite, but it was engaging and creative and unpredictable.  

It's a story of family love, budding romance, subversive adventure. I recommend it. 
-Lara

Okay so, book covers. I'm not an art expert. I never studied art. Maybe that means I shouldn't critique art. It probably means that I often overlook meaningful and artsy covers because I don't appreciate them. I'm sure there are lots of art people out there who would disagree with my assessments on covers. That's just fine. Actually, that's great.
See, the only reason I feel qualified to give my opinion on covers is this : I'm a reader.  
I read and 90% of the time I picked the book based on the cover. It's unfair to say the least, since authors have little to no say in the covers of their published works. I'm fairly confident it was an author displeased with their cover art who first said, "Don't judge a book by its cover."
Unfortunately we do. I do. You do. We can't help ourselves.

And that's what I'm basing my opinion on. My opinion. :)  

Young adult is a huge age range. We're talking 12-18-year-olds and even if the age span isn't tremendous, the maturity and experiences differ drastically. Not only that, but I know a great many grown adults who don't read anything but YA fiction. Therefore, it's not really a big surprise that YA books vary so much. Some YA books are great for like 13-year-olds. Other's are excellent for adults but probably not ideal for a younger audience. When I review books, I'll try to comment on which age I feel the book is most appropriate for. 
I mean, I gave Firelight and God's Play both 3 stars for vastly different reasons.  God's Play is for an older, more mature audience. Firelight was a little too young for my tastes.
And therein lies the beauty of opinion blogs. My tastes. My opinion. Isn't it great that I can rate a book on a scale of 1 to 5 based soley on my opinion of what I think and what I think other's will think?  
Yes, yes it is.

When you read my reviews it's probably important to note that these are the thoughts of a 24-year-old mother who reads YA because I don't want the content of adult books, but I'm not really into mermaids, fairies, and dragons any more. 

Here is how I give my stars away-

One Star- I didn't like this book. Probably didn't finish it because it was so bad. How did this get through the intense publication process?
Two Stars- It was fine. I read it, didn't I?  If there are sequels I won't read them.
Three Stars- Good book. I liked it. 
Four Stars- This book was great. This author will not disappoint you and you should trust the lives of your characters in their hands. I rather enjoyed it and I imagine that you will too.
Five Stars- MUST READ. (I'll specify which age MUST READ.)  Either way, 5 stars are far a few between. I mean. I didn't even give my own published work 5 stars. I strive to be a reliable source. :)  

Let's talk covers. This cover is cool. It's interesting and not overwhelming and the concept isn't overdone. I'll say it now and I'll say it again, I ALWAYS judge a book by it's cover.  So far as covers go, I give this 4/5 stars

Now the book. The meat. The story. I'm 40% done with this book and while the writing is really good, descriptive and visual, I'm afraid I have to stop for one simple reason: Too much swearing.
I can handle some language in my books, but my curiosity regarding the outcome of the story is outweighed by my discomfort. 
Maybe I'll try to finish it later, meanwhile, I'm starting a new book. 
Also, the POV switches are a little bit much, though I think POV changes tend to be that way, and all things considered LYNN does a fantastic job. 
If swearing doesn't phase you and you like shape-shifter stories, you'll probably love this book.  It's well-written and I just wish the language was a little toned down.

Disclaimer: I read an e-copy of this book. I hate reading e-copies in general so it's likely that had I been reading it in print, I would have 1- finished it and 2- liked it more. 
3/5 stars
-Lara