Ashleigh's Bookshelf

Stalks of Gold by Celeste Baxendell Aurelia is the humble daughter of the village miller who possesses a certain talent for the spinning wheel. Although she does not know many people, her best friend Sandor has always been there for her. But, Sandor has never told Aurelia his biggest secret. Before he can, the king arrests her, locking her in the tower and ordering her to spin straw into gold. While Sandor races to free her, Aurelia turns to the only other person who has shown her friendship, the mysterious stranger who appeared on her doorstep only days earlier. Can he help her to survive? A wonderful blend of Rumpelstiltskin and Rapunzel, this dual-narrative story is an interesting reinterpretation of the classic fairy tales. I especially appreciated how the main characters were constantly acknowledging their own flaws. While I found the characters well-developed and enjoyed watching them grow, there were a few places where I would have liked to see more....

Year 1: Renegade A supernatural academy book for teens by Tamara Hart Heiner Unlike the teenagers who have just arrived at the Guardian Angel Academy, Jez has not just completed her life on earth. She is a transfer student, wingless and bound by chains. While her instructors think she is trying to learn how to become a Guardian, she is actually on a mission from her master. This book is difficult to review without spoilers, but I will do my best. I really enjoyed watching Jez grow throughout the book. In addition to her book knowledge, she learned about relationships and emotions. The story begins a little slow, with a lot of worldbuilding information, but after the first chapter it really picks up. The book could also have used one more proofreading pass, as I found numerous typographical and grammatical errors. However, most of the time they were not enough to detract from the overall story. This story centers around relationships and I liked watchin...

Chase: The Boy Who Hid by Z Jeffries Chase is angry. While everyone believes his grandad is dead, he knows the truth: Grandad is just missing. Since no one believes him, it's up to him to lead the search. Unfortunately, that means taking his spot in a top-secret government game of hide and seek, gaining the trust of the team, and maybe even interviewing the enemy. All without getting himself killed. Piece of cake, right? While I found this book entertaining, the worldbuilding was a little confusing. I understood the need to keep the descriptions of the Lack vague, but there were other elements I would have like to have explained a little more. For example, if the ball was for only the team captains, who were all the other people present? And, I was confused by some of the technology used by other teams during the game. I would have liked if the author had spent a little more time describing that for me. I would have also liked to have seen a little more...

Let It Snow John Green Maureen Johnson Lauren Myracle This book is a compilation of three intertwined novellas. Though they do all work well together, they can also each be read individually. Story #1: The Jubilee Express It's Christmas Eve and sixteen-year-old Jubilee is looking forward to celebrating her one-year anniversary with Noah. Unfortunately, when her parents get arrested, she is sent to spend the holiday with her grandparents instead. What starts as an irritating inconvenience turns into a major problem when the worst storm in fifty years hits. Determined not to let fourteen rowdy cheerleaders ruin her holiday, Jubilee sets off to make the best of the worst holiday of her life. I really enjoyed this story, though I don't have a lot to say about it. I liked watching Jubilee grow. As the daughter of a Christmas Village collector, I found that storyline riotous (pun intended). I could completely relate to Jubilee's irritation with her parent...

The Amateurs by Sara Shepard One minute, Helena Kelly is celebrating the first snowfall of the year with her younger sister, Aerin. The next minute, she has completely disappeared from their sleepy little Connecticut town. Still searching for answers five years later, Aerin seeks assistance from a cold-case message board. Enter Seneca, a college freshman who has been following the Kelly case religiously from the beginning. When her friend Maddie invites her to spend spring break investigating the case, how can Seneca refuse? But, someone seems determined to keep this case cold. This book was so addictive, I could not put it down. While there are ultimately five sleuths on the case, the book is narrated in turn by four of them. As a result, there is the occasional repetition of information, but I didn't mind it too much because it provided a reminder of some key information. As a mystery enthusiast, I love being able to solve the mystery before the main charac...

Dahlia's Backstage Pass Ethan Cobalt Dahlia has her entire life planned. In a few weeks, she and her on-again/off-again boyfriend will go to college. She will become a nurse, he a doctor. Together, they'll volunteer for Doctors Without Borders and see the world. Most importantly, she'll be able to leave the trailer park she calls home. But when an old friend calls out of the blue, Dahlia realizes she can't turn down his offer to work with his band. Suddenly, her world is turned upside-down and she must question everything from her career goals to her relationship. I enjoyed this story, although I did spend much of the book wondering if Dahlia stepped out of one manipulative relationship just to enter another one. I think this was ultimately because I didn't really get to know the character very well. I would have liked to have seen him developed a little more. I also would have liked to know Finn better as well. I saw some potentia...

Worth the Effort: Ella's Story by Kai Strand When Ella encounters a homeless teen behind the coffee shop where she works, she struggles to overcome her fear of him. Curious about how he ended up on the streets, she learns more about herself than his story. I found this story very enjoyable. I liked learning about Ayden and watching Ella grow. I would have liked to have learned a little more about Ella's world. Why was she working at the coffee shop. Did she have any close friends? I didn't get the impression she did. Overall, I found this a cute story and look forward to reading Ayden's side. I would rate this story four quills and place it on my middle shelf.

Switched by Amanda Hocking Seventeen-year-old Wendy has not had an easy life. Her father died when she was five. At her sixth birthday party, her mother decided she was not really her child, but a monster who had assumed her child's life. Her aunt and older brother have done their best to raise her, but she hasn't exactly been the easiest child to live with. Now, a strange boy at her new school has taken an interest in her and the things he says makes her wonder whether her mother was right all along. I found this book while clearing my virtual bookshelf and I couldn't remember anything about it. When I checked goodreads, I found I had rated this book 3 stars in 2015 but left no review (how dare I!), so I decided to reread the entire trilogy. This review is actually for all three books. I have read several stories of changlings and one of the questions I always have is what happens to the human baby that was switched? I was pleased to see that this b...

Caraval by Stephanie Garber Scarlett has one dream: to attend the magical Caraval - a magical interactive performance. But now that her father has arranged for her marriage to a mysterious count, she has another wish: to get her and her sister safely away from their abusive father. One day, tickets to Caraval mysteriously arrive in the mail and she finally sees a way for all her dreams to come true. However, when Caraval turns out to be far more dangerous than she expected, Scarlett embarks on a journey of self-discovery that makes her reevaluate her dreams. This book was selected for my book club and, having heard mixed reviews, I was skeptical about wanting to read it. However, I was surprised to find myself engaged and eager to read more. From the beginning, I doubted Scarlett's fiancee was going to be the knight in shining armor who saved her and her sister from her abusive father. However, I enjoyed watching Scarlett grow to the point where she realized...

Clio at War Peggy Gardner During WWII, Clio's mother decides she needs to visit the front lines as a war correspondent. Since that is no life for an eleven-year-old girl, Clio is deposited in rural Oklahoma with her great-aunts, the two women who raised her mother. After learning about the mysterious disappearances of several young women over the past few decades, Clio is determined to figure out the mystery. This book contained many era-appropriate cultural references that went over my head, making the story difficult to follow. As a result, it took me a while to really get into the story. I also had some trouble determining who was supposed to be the target audience for this book. While the main character is eleven and the writing style is appropriate for upper middle grade or lower young adult, there were more adult themes (inappropriate touching and hints of adult relationships) that would have me believe this was for older teens. As I continued to rea...