Reviews Young Adult

Jeannie Bertens
Never Thought
So a delightful story with many unexpected twists and turns that continually catch you off guard. Well done, a fine young adult, four stars.

Wendy Wenning (Passion for Books)
Nice start
As a reader, the question of what exactly is going on with this house keeps you connected to the book. However, the characters remain somewhat flat and the suspense doesn't quite reach the right level either. It is quite creepy and also suspenseful, but still something is missing for me. The pace is fine, but there is sometimes just too much twisting around the truth, causing some tedium to seep in, which takes the momentum out for a while. Still, that twisting around the truth is what keeps you reading. Wanting to know exactly how everything works is enough to keep you picking up the book. Even though your patience is sorely tested. Even though this book doesn't quite live up to my expectations, the author's evocative writing style makes up for a lot. She manages to portray the grim atmosphere sharply and the fear of the characters is also palpable. For a debut, this is a very nice start and the author certainly shows potential with In the Dark.

Marissa from Auntie Boekie
Emmelie did it again!
I'll be honest. I'm really not a fantasy reader. But when I read The Heart of the Eagle last year, I knew immediately if another book by Emmelie ever came out I really had to read this one. Because she makes fantasy accessible to people like me. Ordinary characters without overly complicated names and worlds that don't get my brain in knots.

Soraya (Soraya's bookshelf)
Imaginative and compelling
Lara Reims has a smooth writing style and describes the most complicated moments and changes in such a vivid way that it is easy for the reader to imagine what the worlds and technical gadgets must look like. This makes the book, despite being set in the future, close to the reader.
Thus, for me, Air was another delightful book by Lara Reims and I enjoyed it immensely from beginning to end! Air is highly recommended for anyone who wants to escape from the here and now.

Magicofbooksnl
A worthy finale to the Overstekers trilogy!
Royal Magic is a beautiful conclusion to The Crossing Trilogy by Petra Doom. The story is well put together, the characters are detailed and you are just pulled into a whole new world. It is original and full of surprises. Royal magic won't leave you once you start reading!

Tessa Vandepoel
This book left me heartbroken.
This was such a realistic and relatable story, a real emotional rollercoaster. It left me with a heart broken into a thousand pieces.
It addresses a lot of important topics such as peer pressure, friendship, love, grief ... yet remains lighthearted.
There was one scene where I would have cried 100% had it been just a little more detailed and longer. I enjoyed this book immensely and I am very sure that many readers are going to recognize themselves in the main character. From me it gets 4.5 stars!

Soraya (Soraya's bookshelf)
Smooth YA with several intense moments
When I got my hands on Cardboard Stars I immediately felt like starting in it. The beautiful cover immediately caught my attention and I got a cozy feeling right away. I started reading this book pretty quickly and finished it within 24 hours. The smooth writing style and short chapters kept me reading.

Ramona festival
well put together
There are many characters featured in this young adult. But all fleshed out enough that I can picture them well. We get to deal with supporters of the no-go congregations, as well as detractors.
Surely the main theme in this book is racism. Which shows itself in different ways. From violence against aid workers to the gangs fighting among themselves. Unfortunately in the last fight an innocent boy is shot. In this scenario, different characters interact with each other.
The person himself was important. Not his origin, not his religion, not his gender, and she was going to fight for that.
page 27
The above quote is from Tamara, she and her best friends started a movement to protest the new law. For me, this is one of my favorite people in this story.
Afifa is also one of the characters in this story that does something to me. She herself notices her shortcomings through her own upbringing....

Pages by Nicole
Dreamworld
April was born half Siren and half Ripper. Of her group of friends, only a few know this about her. Consequently, she doesn't do much with her gifts until she accidentally wakes up a dead person while working in a funeral home.
The awakened dead lead her down a path from which she falls from one surprise into another struggle. Her home world Terr appears to be in danger and she can't just let this happen. April wants to help but can she? And what does this mean for herself?
"With power comes responsibility" (p.206)
Looking at the cover, the veil-covered world immediately stands out. On the one hand, we see a beautiful field of flowers, but in the silhouette of the girl, the broken buildings also stand out quite a bit. The dreamy atmosphere with the golden letters makes the cover very attractive. It is clear that a lot of care was taken on the cover, but the inside also features beautiful details.
The story features many imaginative creatures, some of whom have a sparkling ro...

Ramona
Beautiful story
The cover of this book shows two girls holding each other. It is a beautiful soft cover that immediately appealed to me.
In this young adult, we are introduced to Liv and Emerald. Both have experienced something in the past year that causes their lives to be turned upside down.
On the first day of school, they meet. And then in physics they turn out to be partners on a project. With small steps, their friendship seems to be born.
One thing in this story bothered me. Certain words are printed with a different font. This I find unfortunate.
What strikes me most is the humor in this story. It is a heavy topic being written about, but the humor inserted makes it feel much less heavy.
A nice qoute what I took from the book is the following, one that I certainly used to find myself in many a time.
To the latter I had replied that I could always go to the library with a book, books bring much less....