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.