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Transcendent by Lesley Livingston student book review by Nicole

Resuming immediately after the cliffhanger of the second novel of this trilogy, Transcendent is action-packed from the start. Haunted by the prophecy surrounding Ragnarok, both intentional and unintentional choices make the destruction of everything more of a reality. Despite the grim future, the daring protagonist Mason Starling is determined to prevent her world from going to its end. She pushes through adversity alongside her transformed romantic interest, the Fennrys Wolf, in order to thwart what the fates and her father has deemed inevitable. Throughout this book there is constant danger and the plot’s twists and turns are plentiful. All in all, the plot rose to a wonderfully crafted climax for the final novel in this series which lead to an unexpected but well-thought out resolution. 

In general, I agree with the majority of the reviews throughout other sources such as GoodReads. The action picked up right at the beginning and never stopped. There is a huge connection to Norse mythology and that truly added to the amount of action that Livingston wrote. Saying that, I believe that my interest in mythology helped my reading of this book. I would recommend this series to a lover of Rick Riordan’s novels or other YA fantasy/mystery books. The mythology used was good but I believe that the integration of multiple mythologies such as Greek could have been done better. I believe it could have been improved if a singular mythology was used in order to be true to that culture. With the heavy reliance upon mythology, the characters follow in suit violence-wise. In addition, there is mild language but nothing that the general YA population hasn’t read in other novels. 

Other than that it is a generally clean novel. Within the classroom or the library this novel would fit right alongside the Percy Jackson or Mortal Instruments series. A mythology themed month containing these novels would be a great addition to the bookshelf. One last important thing to note, it is vital to read this novel as the last book of the trilogy. Without the prior knowledge of the rest of the books, Transcendent is confusing and almost unreadable. 

Lies I Live By (Lauren Sabel) student book review by Alyssa

Callie’s life is a little bit strange; on the outside, she might just seem like any normal teenager, with a loving boyfriend, super nerdy mom, and just getting ready to go to college. But unbeknownst to those closest to her, she is actually a secret government psychic, saving lives by seeing future disasters and helping the government prevent them. It is something her family can never know, lest they get put in danger; but what happens if her mom gets involved in some secret agency no one seems to know about, Callie’s boyfriend is seen injured in a vision, and she finds herself falling for another guy against her will?

Lies I Live By starts out a little bland, but once the action begins, the captivating mystery involved will keep the reader wanting more. My first impression of the book was that it was going to be another one of those cheesy romances; girl has perfect boyfriend, hot guy comes into her life, and suddenly she is cheating on him. I was a bit turned off by this assumption, but as soon as the action came in around halfway through the book, I couldn’t put it down. The different aspects of Callie’s visions kept me guessing the entire way through, and although the whole “end of the world” aspect came off as kind of cliche, I found myself pleasantly caught off guard by the plot twist at the end of the book - and hoping for a sequel.

The book does contain mild violence and some death, so there is that to be aware of, but it also teaches good lessons of loyalty and doing what is right for others, rather than for yourself. It is the perfect book to pick up on a boring, rainy day and enjoy a captivating read. Would be recommended for readers of a higher age group, just because of the more sophisticated themes, but it is specifically good for those in a late high school level in order to relate to the characters, who are around that age. Overall,the book is certainly enjoyable.  Definitely recommended for teens!

My Lady Jane student book review by Alyssa

Have you ever wanted to read a book that was a mixture of British history, Monty Python, The Princess Bride, Shakespeare, and a touch of fantasy? Then My Lady Jane is definitely the book for you. As strange as that combination sounds, My Lady Jane pulls it off seamlessly - focusing on a twisted, fantastical, and almost completely-changed version of the story of Lady Jane Grey’s nine-day long rule of England with sarcastic humor to match that of Monty Python and the Princess Bride, and with Shakespeare references slipped almost un-noticeably into the text.

Edward VI knows he is dying; but he also knows that neither of his sisters are fit to be queen. That’s why, on his deathbed, he names the first son of his cousin Lady Jane Grey as his heir, and marries his cousin off to a horse. (Well, not literally a horse; Lord Gifford Dudley, in actuality, who is a horse by day and human by night, not that Jane needs to know - she would likely be too buried in a book to notice anyway). These three protagonists will be thrown knee-deep in a huge conspiracy when Edward’s sister, Bloody Mary, takes the crown, and will risk all of their lives in this daring adventure to get it back.

The perfectly timed humor makes the whole book totally worth it. I found myself laughing my head off at least twice a chapter at the numerous references and jokes I caught, and could not put the book down. It would help for people reading the book to have experience with Monty Python, The Princess Bride, and some Shakespeare in order to catch the numerous references, but the humor can still be appreciated without that foreknowledge. Aside from the humor, the book does contain some more serious themes such as love and prejudice, as well as what it means to be a good leader and help those who have need of it. There is a little bit of blood and death, but not enough to be a concern for the high school level. All in all, My Lady Jane has quickly become one of the most entertaining books I have ever read, and I would highly recommended to anyone who loves sarcastic humor.