The Eternity Key (Into the Dark #2) by Bree Despain

Bree Despain has yet to write a story that I don't like.  I didn't even read the first book in this series, but I didn't feel as if I couldn't read this one without it.  The characters are great, the plotline twists excellent ways, and I'm really looking forward to the next installment.  Despain is a talented writer who can fully immerse you in the drama of her stories and need to know what happens next.

The Eternity Key (Into the Dark #2) by Bree Despain: 4 out of 5 stars.  Available May 12, 2015 at booksellers and libraries.

Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer

This is an interesting story, generally speaking.  The idea of one semester of potentially having a do-over for an event in your life is intriguing.  However, in execution this book falls flat. 

We get to know each character only through his or her tragedy.  Because of this, we know only the moments they long to change in their lives, and nothing else.  There is almost no development at all, even for Jam, who is our narrator. 

The entire story feels shallow and forced.  The big, massive, huge, twist-y secret isn't even really that impactful.  There are much deeper issues at play in Belzhar, ones that each character needs to resolve,  Until then, this book can only be quantified as okay, and not exceptional- in my opinion, anyway.

Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer: 2 out of 5 stars.

The Silence of Six by E. C. Myers

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

An intense thriller of teen hackers on a mission to save the world as we know it.  Max and his merry band of "hacktivists" need to clear the name of their friend and show everyone the evils one corporation is inflicting on a global level. 

The Silence of Six is full of tech-speak, but fear not: everything is explained well and concisely.  There is never a dull moment in this story, which is full of chases, cyber spying, espionage, and excellent writing.  The plot is well-developed with a few twists and the characters are richly drawn- none more so than Evan, who we only come to know through Max's memories.

I've never read anything by E. C. Myers before The Silence of Six, but if anything else is as good as this, I'll be clamoring to get my hands on it, too. 

The Silence of Six by E. C. Myers: 4 out of 5 stars.  Available at booksellers and libraries November 2014. 

Curse Breaker: Guild Assassin by Berley Kerr

I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I intensely disliked this book. I didn't finish it for numerous reasons, the foremost being my extreme irritation with Wendy as the narrator and protagonist. While the first chapter of the book is full of action, the majority is rife with boring details leading her up to the action that takes place in that first chapter. I couldn't relate to Wendy at all. She didn't seem to have any narrative emotion and came across as more of a neutral recording of events, even though some pretty traumatic things happened to her throughout the story.

The writing leaves a lot to be desired. There is so much description that I often forgot what was happening around whatever scenery was being discussed. The cover leads one to believe that this will be an steampunk story, but I was surprised to find out that it takes place on several different planets and involves quantum physics in addition to magic.

Overall the premise of this book was good, with an intriguing backdrop. Unfortunately, the narrator and the writing put me off of the story and leave me with no desire to find out what happens at the end of Guild Assassin, let alone what waits in the next installment.

Curse Breaker: Guild Assassin by Berley Kerr: 1 out of 5 stars.        

H2O by Virginia Bergin

The driving force behind H2O is rain that carries a vicious, transferrable virus that devastates the entire world at the same time is a brilliant concept.  Sadly, Ruby, the narrator, makes this book almost impossible to read.  She's incredibly self-centered, shallow, and even though she knows first-hand the perils of the virus-ridden rainfall, she can't seem to think about anything other than getting her cell phone (which no longer works, anyway). 

I know some of you are thinking that it's narrated by a teenager so what did I expect?  Well, I expected her to be a little less concerned with her gadgets and a little more concerned with the fact that, although they don't get along well all the time, her stepfather is the only person left in her world who truly cares about her.

 Her distracted, stream-of-consciousness recap of events is so wildly documented that I often forgot the point of the story while she was on one of her many tangents.
I couldn't finish this book.  Ruby's voice made me want to beat my head against a wall. 

H2O by Virginia Bergin: 1 out of 5 stars