Powerless

Powerless
by Tera Lynn Childs

From the publisher:
"Kenna is tired of being "normal". The only thing special about her is that she isn't special at all. Which is frustrating in a world of absolutes. Villains, like the one who killed her father, are bad. Heroes, like her mother and best friend, are good. And Kenna, unlike everyone else around her, is completely ordinary— which she hates.

She’s secretly working on an experiment that will land her a place among the Heroes, but when a Villain saves her life during a break-in at her lab, Kenna discovers there’s a whole lot of gray area when it comes to good and evil and who she can trust.. After all…not all strength comes from superpowers."

While I enjoyed the plot and characters in this book, I was very surprised and disappointed by all of the bad language in it. I have 3 different series by this author in our library and they are all really clean reads (as far as I know). When I was researching this book, I saw that Booklist had recommended it for grades 9-12 and I thought that was weird because it was Tera Lynn Childs, for heaven's sake! So I ignored Booklist and went with the other reviewers recommended ages (listed below). I'm still glad I got it for our library, but I won't recommend it as much as I would have without all the language. 

Setting the language aside, this book was an exciting ride! It started out with a bang and just kept going. I liked that the main character was "powerless" in a superhero world, but still spunky and able to take care of herself. The secondary characters were exciting and likable. I loved the superhero/villain plot. I know it has been done many times now, but it is still fun. It's actually hard to review this without giving too many things away, but I enjoyed a lot of things about it and it definitely kept my interest from the first page. It checked off several of my YA lit pet peeve boxes, but somehow I still liked it. (Predictability, insta-love, teenagers good - all adults bad...) There is quite a bit of humor in this book. I love the descriptions of Riley, the best friend's brother. He is portrayed as a blonde nitwit with a Superman complex. His superpower is flying and he wears a cape everywhere - but he swears it's just a coat. I could picture him so clearly with his perfectly coiffed hair and his ridiculously straight posture. Kind of a Dudley Do Right with a cape instead of a Mountie hat. It is nice to have that comic relief in it as there are some seriously villainous activities going on throughout. When you finish the book, you should go back and read the preface over again. It will make much more sense. As per usual with YA lit these days, it leaves you with a big cliff-hanger. Let's hope there is no middle-book slump with the next one. 

Areas of concern:
*At least 70 uses of cuss words - the most prevalent being the *s* word used around 30 times. The *f* word is only used in an acronym. There are also a few vulgar British-isms.
*There is a fair amount of violence with a scene of disturbing torture - but it wasn't very graphic.
*A couple instances of pretty intense kissing. 

Suggested Ages:
Booklist - Grades 9-12
Kirkus Reviews - Ages 12-15
School Library Journal - Grades 7-10

Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25

The Prisoner of Cell 25
by Richard Paul Evans

From the publisher:
"My name is Michael Vey, and the story I’m about to tell you is strange. Very strange. It’s my story.

To everyone at Meridian High School, Michael Vey is an ordinary fourteen-year-old. In fact, the only thing that seems to set him apart is the fact that he has Tourette’s syndrome. But Michael is anything but ordinary. Michael has special powers. Electric powers.

Michael thinks he's unique until he discovers that a cheerleader named Taylor also has special powers. With the help of Michael’s friend, Ostin, the three of them set out to discover how Michael and Taylor ended up this way, but their investigation brings them to the attention of a powerful group who wants to control the electric children – and through them the world. Michael will have to rely on his wits, powers, and friends if he’s to survive. "

I have many students who absolutely LOVE this series, and when the new one came out this year they literally shrieked with joy when it came into the library. I enjoyed it and it kept my interest, but I definitely didn't love it. There were some things that bothered me that wouldn't bother the targeted age group (see "Areas of Concern" below). Sensitive readers should wait to read this one. But it was a riveting, fun story and I loved that it was a clean read. Boys and girls both will enjoy this series.

Areas of concern:
*Tons of violence - torture, murder, kidnappings... (Nothing was graphic, it was just talked about.)

Suggested Ages:

Publisher's Weekly - Ages 12+

School Library Journal - Grades 5-9

The Cloak Society

The Cloak Society
by Jeramey Kraatz

From the publisher:
"The first in a thrilling, action-packed middle grade trilogy, which School Library Journal declared "will likely find the same wide appeal as Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson books.

The Cloak Society: An elite organization of supervillains graced with extraordinary powers. Ten years ago the Cloak Society was defeated by Sterling City's superheroes, the Rangers of Justice, and vanished without a trace. But the villains have been waiting for the perfect moment to resurface. . . .

Twelve-year-old Alex Knight is a dedicated junior member of Cloak who has spent years mastering his telekinetic superpowers and preparing for the day when Cloak will rise to power again. Cloak is everything he believes in.

But during his debut mission, Alex does the unthinkable: He saves the life of a Junior Ranger of Justice. Even worse . . . she becomes his friend. And the more time he spends with her, the more Alex wonders what, exactly, he's been fighting for. "

This is an awesome start to a middle grade series about young supervillains and superheroes. I read it because some of my students are crazy about this series, and I can see why. I bet the second and third books of the trilogy are even better because you would know the characters and what was happening. There is quite a bit of set-up, but it is necessary to understand both worlds and what the two sides are fighting for. Our main character was raised to become the greatest supervillain of all time and to eventually rule the world. Early on he buys into that, but after being part of a bank robbery where he saves the life of one of the young superheroes, he begins to question The Cloak Society and what they stand for. Central to that are his parents - both supervillains and part of The Cloak Society's High Council. This book had fun characters, a very cool plot, and a lot of action. Middle school kids should eat this up!

Areas of concern:
*A very evil mother - I kind of hate that.
*Superhero violence...however, the characters don't necessarily get killed, they get thrust into something called "The Gloom", which is a darkness just outside of the world.

Suggested Ages:

Kirkus Reviews - Ages 11-13

School Library Journal - Grades 5-8

Red Queen

Red Queen
by Victoria Aveyard

From the publisher:
"The poverty stricken Reds are commoners, living under the rule of the Silvers, elite warriors with god-like powers.

To Mare Barrow, a 17-year-old Red girl from The Stilts, it looks like nothing will ever change.

Mare finds herself working in the Silver Palace, at the centre of
those she hates the most. She quickly discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy Silver control.

But power is a dangerous game. And in this world divided by blood, who will win?"

Whew, what a roller coaster of an ending! I am completely mentally exhausted. This was an awesome book. I have read several reviews that have been critical because it was too similar to another book called Red Rising . I have never read that book, but I was reading Snow Like Ashes at the same time as I was reading The Red Queen , and there were definite similarities there. However, I really liked them both. This one had flavors of a bunch of different books, including Steelheart , but why does that matter? I read somewhere that every romance book ever written is somehow a knock-off of a Jane Austen book because she covered every plot device possible in a romance. And, quite frankly, I'm one that likes to stick to what I like anyway. So if you enjoy a good fantasy/dystopian/superpowers/light romance, who cares if it is similar to another book? 

Things I liked:
*Romance was there, but it wasn't like other YA books where the couple become so involved with each other that they don't care that the world is ending, or whatever. This romance takes a back seat to the drama of the world they are living in and the causes they are fighting for. 
*The heroine is very conflicted about the violence of the revolution she is fighting for. She believes in the cause, but isn't fanatical about it and realizes the cost. The people who are dying on both sides are sons, daughters, fathers and mothers. 
*Loved the superpowers! These people aren't just ninjas or good warriors, they can summon fire, water, control metal, control minds, freeze things (even the blood inside of someone's body)... How do you defeat that? 
*The world building was fabulous. Glass/diamond walls? Bowl of Bones? A city built all on stilts? A sort of secret, homemade subway system? I could go on and on, it was fascinating. Is there going to be a movie? I need one!
*The twists! Oh my goodness, the twists!

I definitely recommend this one, with the following concerns:

Areas of concern:
As with all dystopians, there is quite a bit of violence. 
Disturbing torture.
Disturbing deaths and murders.
There was a handful of cuss words.
A few mild kisses.

Suggested Ages:

Publisher's Weekly - Ages 13+

School Library Journal - Grades 9+
*Mrs. Duke thinks that the violence in this book isn't any worse than The Hunger Games, so if your child has read that, this one should be okay.*

Illusive

Illusive
by Emily Lloyd-Jones

From the publisher:
"The X-Men meets Ocean's Eleven in this edge-of-your-seat sci-fi adventure about a band of "super" criminals.

When the MK virus swept across the planet, a vaccine was created to stop the epidemic, but it came with some unexpected side effects. A small percentage of the population developed superhero-like powers. Seventeen-year-old Ciere Giba has the handy ability to change her appearance at will. She's what's known as an illusionist...She's also a thief.

After a robbery goes awry, Ciere must team up with a group of fellow super-powered criminals on another job that most would consider too reckless. The formula for the vaccine that gave them their abilities was supposedly destroyed years ago. But what if it wasn't?

The lines between good and bad, us and them, and freedom and entrapment are blurred as Ciere and the rest of her crew become embroiled in a deadly race against the government that could cost them their lives."

I'm really conflicted about this book. There were some things I disliked intensely, but other things were enjoyable.

Things I disliked:
~ The main characters name - Ciere Giba. Personally, I like to be able to pronounce the names of the characters I'm reading about, so I found that name incredibly annoying. We find out later the name has some sort of meaning that totally confused me and it is pronounced like Sierra without the a on the end.
~ The book starts out with an incredibly hung-over teenager naked in a hotel bed with a boy passed out on the floor next to her clutching a bottle of tequila.
~ Bad language with the *f* word jarringly thrown in 5 or more times. I say "jarringly" because there really wasn't any bad language at all until suddenly the *f* word pops out of a character's mouth. Later in the book there was a handful of uses of the *s* and the *a* words.
~ The main character did incredibly stupid things over and over again that affected all the people around her. I like my heroines to have a little bit of commonsense.
~ One of the main crew members is a male prostitute. That fact is referenced several times and not explained.
~ The author mixed tenses in the same paragraph several times. Now, I tend to do that all the time, but I expect better in published authors.

Things I liked:
~ I thought it was a really unique premise.
~ It was exciting
~ There was a twist at the end that completely surprised me

Bad things outweigh good things for me on this one and I very much doubt I will read a sequel.   

Areas of concern:
I addressed a lot of concerns above.  One other major concern is massive law-breaking, including murder.   Quite a bit of violence, as well.

Suggested Ages:
Kirkus Reviews - Ages 12+
School Library Journal - Grades 7-10
*Mrs. Duke disagrees and thinks this should be for older readers.

Steelheart

Steelheart
by Brandon Sanderson

From the publisher:
"Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary men and women extraordinary powers. The awed public started calling them Epics. But Epics are no friend of man. With incredible gifts came the desire to rule. And to rule man you must crush his wills.

Nobody fights the Epics...nobody but the Reckoners. A shadowy group of ordinary humans, they spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then assassinating them.

And David wants in. He wants Steelheart - the Epic who is said to be invincible. The Epic who killed David's father. For years, like the Reckoners, David's been studying, and planning - and he has something they need. Not an object, but an experience.

He's seen Steelheart bleed. And he wants revenge."

Here I am playing catch-up on books I read over the summer but never blogged about. 

I waited way too long to review this, so I'll just touch on some of my feelings while reading. This is definitely not a book I would normally read, but I wanted to find some more books to recommend to my middle school boys. I'm very glad I read it, because it was really unique and clever. What if superheroes used their powers for bad and not for good? What an exciting concept for a book. I really liked it, and I think middle school boys will love it.  And after 3 or 4 months, I still find it a fascinating concept and think of it whenever I watch a superhero movie.   Well done, Brandon Sanderson! Areas of concern: Once again, hard to do this after so much time has elapsed since I read it.  I don't remember any bad language.  No sexual situations.  There is a great deal of violence (obviously), and a young boy witnesses his father's murder. Suggested ages: Publisher's Weekly - Ages 12+ School Library Journal - Grades 8+