Shatter Me, by Tahereh Mafi

I read about Shatter Me on figment.com - it was one of their spotlight books and the premise was intriguing.

Shatter Me is about a girl named Juliette who's living in a world where things are wildly different than they are now. The government has been overthrown and redeveloped. It is now run by the "Reestablishment" which has divided the world up into "sectors".  Food and supplies are scarce, and animal species are disappearing.

Juliette is imprisoned in a psychiatric ward because she's special - for some reason, she can't touch anything without hurting it. Severely hurting it. She's been there for three years, but this all changes when one day she gets a cell mate, a boy named Adam. Juliette knew Adam when she was younger, and is really curious about why he's coming back in her life now. Eventually, she learns that Adam works for the government, and the leader has requested to free her in order to use her as a weapon. Juliette has a huge problem with this, and soon learns that Adam's on her side. They plan to escape from the leader's grasp, but will they be able to?

Thinking back over the book, there was a lot of action and a lot happened. However, as I was reading, I just kind of felt like it was dragging on. It didn't feel like much was happening. There was one part of the book that I really liked, though. It was written from Juliette's perspective, and certain lines/sentences would be crossed out as Juliette tried to change her mind or think of what was more 'suitable' to say or think. I found that stylistic element interesting.

I think there are a few students who will enjoy this book, but I don't think I'll be recommending it too heavily.

Also Try: The Legend series, by Marie Lu; Witch and Wizard, by James Patterson; Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins; Matched, by Ally Condie

Shadowlands, by Kate Brian

I read the second book in the Shadowlands series, called Hereafter, this summer on Netgalley, not realizing it wasn't the first in the series. It was AMAZING and I couldn't wait to read the first installment.

Honestly, Shadowlands was not as awesome as I was expecting it to be, which is kind of disappointing - I'm worried that some of my students would be bored with Shadowlands and not want to read the rest of the series; they'd really be missing out because Hereafter was so good!!

Anyway, the novel is about a girl, Rory Miller, who is targeted by a notorious serial killer, who just happens to be her high school math teacher. Rory is able to escape his clutches, but after several days of FBI protection, it is discovered that the killer - Mr. Nell - has infiltrated Rory's family's home. So, they are sent to an FBI safe house in the elusive beach town of Juniper Landing. Rory's family quickly settles into the community, but Rory can't help but notice that something's slightly "off" about the town. Everyone seems to know everyone, yet no one seems to care when a teenage girl (Rory's friend) goes missing. Rory can't shake the feeling of strangeness, and is determined to figure out what's really going on in Juniper Landing.

Also Try: Tumble and Fall, by Alexandra Coutts; If You Find Me, by Emily Murdoch; "Private" series by Kate Brian

Another Little Piece of My Heart, by Tracey Martin

Another Little Piece of My Heart is about a girl named Claire who's got a lot working against her. She's just graduated high school and recently lost her mom to cancer; the details of her first break-up have been dramatized and broadcast to the world via best-selling album by her now-famous ex; her dad's lost his job, gone off his rocker, and is dating his secretary who happens to be obnoxious; with the losing of the job comes the loss of her college fund; and, Claire's an aspiring musician who can't seem to get a decent song together.

As you can imagine, her family's month-long escape to her aunt and uncle's house in New Hampshire comes as a welcome retreat to Claire. However, she's not there long before the Claire-bashing ex, Jared (now a hot, famous, sought-after rock star) shows up in the same small beach town. Claire's cousins and new friends are fawning over Jared, and Claire's just trying to keep their history under wraps so that no one realizes that she's the one his songs are about. In the end, though, Claire realizes that maybe Jared wasn't such a bad guy after all.

I did find Martin's writing clever and her characters endearing, but overall, I just found the novel a little predictable. I felt like I knew what was going to happen before it did, and I don't really like that in a novel. It was a quick, easy read though, and I can think of several students who would enjoy it.