The Naturals

Barnes, Jennifer. The Naturals. Disney, 2013.

Cassie is very good at reading people.  She is chosen for an elite group that assists the FBI in solving cold cases, but soon her very life and those of her group mates are in danger, and it's hard to know whom to trust anymore.

This is yet another in a series of books about serial killers, but this one has a different twist with the group of Naturals fighting the killer. I enjoyed getting to know the different characters and watching them interact with each other.  I eagerly turned the pages to discover who the killer was, and I was genuinely surprised at the ending.  This book is excellent!

Recommended for: teens, fans of thrillers/mysteries

Red Flags: language, violence

Overall Rating: 5/5 stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley for the purposes of review.

Inhuman

Falls, Kat. Inhuman. Scholastic, 2013.

A corporation that was attempting to create weapons accidentally unleashed a virus on the United States.  Now everything east of the Mississippi is wilderness and a great wall spans the United States from Canada to Mexico.  Lane's father is a Fetch; he ventures into the wilderness to obtain priceless paintings and other objects for people.  But when he doesn't return by his scheduled time, Lane has to venture over the wall to find him and complete his mission.

Wow.  This book is unbelievably suspenseful.  It's at least as good as The Hunger Games, and it's clearly going to require at least a sequel, if not several other books.  Kids who enjoyed The Hunger Games will love this book; I have a sneaking suspicion that I won't be able to keep this one on my shelves.

Recommended for: teens, fans of dystopian novels, fans of The Hunger Games

Red Flags: epic violence, descriptions of human/animal hybrids

Overall Rating: 5/5 stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley for the purposes of review.

Asher's Fault

Wheeler, Elizabeth. Asher's Fault. Bold Strokes Books, 2013.

Asher is hiding in a bathroom, having his first kiss, when his little brother drowns.  After that, Asher has to deal with his grief, his parents' separation, and a whole lot of secrets that are being revealed.

I liked that, like Coda, this is a book about a character who happens to be LGBT, but the book isn't really about the kid coming out.  Instead, he's trying to deal with his little brother's death, his mother's grief, his jerkweasel "friend," and all the twisted secrets that come out about his family.  I liked that Asher had his old-fashioned camera and that he enjoyed using it, but didn't like taking pictures of people.  The story kept me going even though Asher's friend is irritating to the point that I wanted to punch him and Asher's dad tries to buy his love.

Recommended for: teens, fans of mysteries,

Red Flags: language

Overall Rating: 3/5

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley for the purposes of review.

Coda

Trevayne, Emma. Coda. Running Press Kids, 2013.

Anthem and his family live in the Corp, a society where music carries addictive powers and the government tightly controls everything, even the songs people are allowed to hear.  Anthem is trying to keep his family together, caring for his ailing father, preventing his siblings from becoming music addicts, and creating music on his own with a group working very much outside of the law. But when the government begins to tighten its grip, what will Anthem sacrifice to save himself and his family?

I didn't think I'd like this book.  The author does very little world-building, so it takes a while to understand what's going on.  The ending of the story is intense, although unsurprising. I can imagine this book being very popular with teens, especially those who have read The Hunger Games and all the other dystopian novels. Also, I really appreciated the fact that the main character is bisexual, but it's not a big deal.  The book isn't about him being bisexual; it's about other things and the reader figures out that he's bisexual.

Recommended for: fans of dystopia; young adults

Red Flags: the whole book is about drug addiction; some violence

Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

Cameron and the Girls

Averett, Edward. Cameron and the Girls. Clarion Books, 2013.

Cameron has schizophrenia, but he's only in junior high, so he and his family are hoping that his disorder will disappear as he grows up. Cameron decides to quit taking his medication; soon, his head is filled with various voices. He doesn't like all the voices, but he does like one of them, and he wants to know if he can keep that voice.

I do not think this is a good book for kids. Cameron and his buddy from school don't have any redeeming qualities at all. She encourages Cameron to skip school and not take his meds, which leads to him making some very dangerous choices. She also goes off of her meds, with disastrous results. The only thing I got from this book is that most 14-year olds are probably not mature enough to make their own decisions when it comes to taking medication. Cameron frequently lies about taking his meds, both to his parents and to his doctor.

I would be hesitant to put this book in my library's collection, even though it covers an illness not frequently found in YA books, because the main character goes off his meds, has some scary adventures, and comes home relatively unscathed. It's almost as if the author is encouraging children not to take medication prescribed to them, and that's. just. dangerous.

Recommended for: teens, those interested in books about mental illness

Red Flags: Cameron is 14, so his language isn't always the best and he starting to think about girls a lot.

Overall Rating: 2/5 stars