Rgz Street Team: Priya Reviews Enchanted Ivy by Sarah Beth Durst

The rgz Street Team is a group of teens who bring YA reviews to our blog, led by Postergirl Miss Erin. Find out more.

Today, Priya reviews Enchanted Ivy by Sarah Beth Durst (you can read the Cover Story here!):

"Lily Carter, age 16, just wants to finish high school and get into her dream college, Princeton. As everyone knows, the admissions process can be very difficult - however, her grandfather, a Princeton alumnus, has signed her up for the Legacy Test, which, if she passes, will grant her automatic admission into Princeton. Her task? To find the 'Ivy Key.' What's that? Who knows. As Lily struggles to complete the test, her magical past is revealed and she realizes that the world is nothing like she thought it was.

"Enchanted Ivy was yet another entertaining read from Sarah Beth Durst. With witty writing, a fast plot, and a cast of admirable characters, this book was so much fun to read. I appreciate how closely readers can identify with Lily - college admissions is definitely a big part of high school and it was nice to see a character who finally cared about their education and wasn't constantly off having adventures and not doing their homework.

"However, I felt like Lily was so skeptical whenever she encountered magic..."

Read the rest of this review on Priya's blog.

Rgz Street Team: Priya Reviews Dangerous Neighbors by Beth Kephart

The rgz Street Team is a group of teens who bring YA reviews to our blog, led by Postergirl Miss Erin. Find out more.

Today, Priya reviews Dangerous Neighbors by one of our esteemed authors in residence, Beth Kephart!

"Katherine and Anna are two peas in a pod, two sisters that are so close together than only death can really tear them apart. After Anna's tragic death, Katherine is so filled with sorrow, anger, and guilt that her desire to live fades away; it takes a series of surprises and near-disasters for Katherine to find her way. As we ride through Katherine's memories and current life, the story of her and Anna is slowly unraveled, until the thing that we've all been dying (pardon the pun) to know about is finally revealed.

Dangerous Neighbors is a quietly powerful and poignant novel that kept me enthralled the whole time. It's a lot shorter than I expected it to be - only 166 pages - but I feel that its brevity only enriched the story. Once again, the main thing that stands out in this novel - and all of Beth Kephart's novels - is the writing. All of the words were so deliberately picked, the descriptions were like poetry, and awkward phrases were nonexistent. Kephart can put things into words that the rest of us cannot, and in such a beautiful and touching way as well..."

Read the rest of this review on Priya's blog. (And read the story behind that gorgeous cover here!)

Rgz Street Team: Priya Reviews The Dragons of Noor by Janet Lee Carey

The rgz Street Team is a group of teens who bring YA reviews to our blog, led by Postergirl Miss Erin. Find out more.

Today, Priya reviews The Dragons of Noor by one of the original readergirlz founders, Janet Lee Carey!

"The old and ancient trees of Noor are dying, and the worlds of Noor and Oth are slowly tearing apart. Magic has started to disappear from Noor, and a mysterious and fierce wind has been picking up young children and carrying them away. Miles, his sister Hanna, and his friend Taunier, determined to find out what's going on and save Noor and Oth, travel to the forests of Jarrosh. There, they find the exiled dragons, who aid them in their quest to preserve the trees and 'break beyond the boundaries of self to discover the ancient magic joining all to all.'

"The Dragons of Noor was one of the best books I've read this year. What I love about Janet Lee Carey's writing, and this series in particular, are the imaginative and fantastical worlds that the reader is introduced to. In this book, we get to see more of Noor and Oth as well as explore the ancient history between the two. The scenes are so magically and culturally rich, with original creatures and foreign words, songs, and customs..."

Read the rest of this review on Priya's blog.

Rgz Street Team: Priya reviews Scarlett Fever by Maureen Johnson + A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner

The rgz Street Team is a group of teens who bring YA reviews to our blog, led by Postergirl Miss Erin. Find out more.

Today, Priya reviews two fantastic reads. Up first, one of last month's featured books, Scarlett Fever by Maureen Johnson:

"As Scarlett Martin's rigorous sophomore year begins in New York City, her life takes a turn for the extraordinary. Her eccentric boss' demands are getting weirder and weirder, her brother suddenly becomes a notorious and hated TV villain... and that's just the beginning.

"Scarlett Fever is the sequel to the hilarious novel Suite Scarlett, and it is every bit as witty and exciting as its predecessor, if not more..."

Read the rest of this review on Priya's blog.

Next, Priya reviews A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner:

"A Conspiracy of Kings is the fourth book in The Queen's Thief series, and in my opinion, it's the best one. This book focuses on Sophos (one of the minor characters in the previous books) and his dangerous adventures and epic rise to power as the king of Sounis.

"There were three main things that made me enjoy A Conspiracy of Kings: the characters, the writing, and the plot. I really liked Sophos' character in this book - he was easier to sympathize with than some of the other characters. I felt that he was more accessible to readers and more people would be able to connect with him and understand his actions.

"The writing was wonderful as usual - suspenseful and fast-paced. The plot was also fabulous, with several twists and turns. Megan Whalen Turner has this amazing ability to completely fool the reader and take them on this journey only to reveal some secret or something..."

Read the complete review on Priya's blog.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Trailer

Just saw this on rgz Street Team Priya's blog! What do you all think?



What do I think? Well, obviously, I need more Snape. :~)

Rgz Street Team: Priya reviews The Heart is Not a Size by Beth Kephart

The rgz Street Team is a group of teens who bring YA reviews to our blog, led by Postergirl Miss Erin. Find out more.

Today, Priya reviews The Heart is Not a Size by our former Author in Residence Beth Kephart!

"The Heart is Not a Size is, by far, Beth Kephart's best YA novel yet. It's an incredibly lovely story about finding out who you really are. The plot was terrific and moved at a good pace, and the writing was stellar -- beautiful and poetic, yet simple and heartfelt.

"One wonderful thing about this book was that it was mostly set in Juarez, Mexico. Reading about life in places like Juarez really opened my eyes to poverty and living conditions around the world. I had no idea that there were communities like Anapra, where there were no bathrooms and just sand stretching on and on. That aspect of the story made it quite interesting and educational as well, and it was really touching to read about how hopeful the children there were, despite their surroundings.

"What I most enjoyed about this book was the recurring theme of friendship... "

Read the rest of this review (where she shares her favorite part!) on Priya's blog.

(This one's out today. Run to the bookstore!)

Rgz Street Team: Enna and Priya Review My Soul to Save by Rachel Vincent

The rgz Street Team is a group of teens who bring YA reviews to our blog, led by Postergirl Miss Erin. Find out more.

Today, both Enna and Priya review My Soul to Save by Rachel Vincent (read the Soul Screamers series Cover Stories here!):

Enna's review:
"This book was pretty good, when it wasn't focusing on the sexual tension between the two main characters. Whenever it got to those parts I just found myself skimming. Luckily, it wasn't a HUGE part of the book, though it was prevalent.

"Another thing that bothered me was what they called the banshee's bean sidhes. But I don't really want to talk much about that, since I understand why the author wanted to do it.

"But, all in all, those were the only things that bothered me. I liked the story, but didn't love it. It's nothing that will WOW you, but it's not bad either. Note that it is about demons and death, and I know that bothers some people.

"It worked really well as a stand-alone book. This is the second in a series, but I didn't feel like I was missing anything (I haven't read the first). That's one of the biggest compliments I can give to a book." --Enna

Priya's Review:
My Soul to Save (the sequel to the thrilling novel My Soul to Take) is book 2 of the Soul Screamer series. As the synopsis says, "When Kaylee Cavanaugh screams, someone dies." However, when a pop star dies onstage at a concert and Kaylee doesn't scream, she knows that something's wrong. She soon finds out that several girls are giving up their souls in order to achieve fame - even though they'll be forced to spend eternity in torture. With a few friends, Kaylee embarks on a journey to get the girls' souls back and find out who's behind this soul trade. (Go here for the official synopsis.)

"My Soul to Save was a fantastic sequel, full of action, suspense, and great characters. The writing was fast-paced and descriptive, and the plot was exciting. Although I felt like Kaylee had a little too much luck in some places (whenever she's in trouble, something always comes up to get her out of it), overall, I enjoyed this book very much. It's labeled as paranormal, but it's much more than that - I would definitely check it out if I were you!

"Here's the book trailer for My Soul to Save.

"You can also learn more about Kaylee by downloading the free Soul Screamers prequel My Soul to Lose here!" --Priya

Priya goes American Idol Adam-tastic!

Squeeeeee! Book Crumbs, Priya, just posted her fabbity fantastic photos of the American Idol Live Tour. Look!


Just thought you'd like to head over to her site for more great photos and her awesome commentary. And there are so many of Adam. YAY, PRIYA!