Young Adult

reunited in secret and meet for years, secretly training and growing their bond and gifts. When Biancabella meets and falls in love with the King of Naples, everything changes as Samaritana feels betrayed. When the sisters are separated, misfortune – rather than blessings – befall them. Until they can trust their bond again, they will constantly face trials and hardships.

This is a retelling of an Italian fairytale steeped in old Italy and fantasy. Marchioness Lamberico in the beginning is easy to relate to, and her struggles with decisions are well written and developed. However, when Biancabella enters as the main character, she is very naı̈ve, blinded by her goodness. Her twin sister, the snake, Samaritana, is very different. Her mission has always been to protect her sister, but Samaritana is jealous and controlling. The character development of the sisters is lacking in this fairytale. This is not a romantic love story, but a story of the love between two sisters. With more attention to the characters’ growth, this story could have evolved into a great tale of love and redemption.

Cara Cieslak

Against the Pack

Khristina Chess future – and survival. What relationships will survive and who they will each be afterwards will come down to time they don’t have.

Melender is facing a difOicult decision: leave home, her mother, and her boyfriend of several years to attend Harvard and become a doctor, or stay home and possibly fail to live up to her potential? When an emotionally charged walk with her mother on a rural road becomes a Oight against a pack of dogs, Melender is faced with a new, more immediate choice. Leave her injured mother on a narrow ledge and hike out of the ravine to Oind help, or stay and hope someone realizes they are missing in time. Within twentyfour hours, Melender and her friends each make some difOicult decisions that will affect their

A tense coming of age tale, “Against the Pack” shows the events of a single weekend from the rotating perspectives of Melender, and her friends, Wayne and Viney. Each of them are faced with tough choices about one another and their individual futures as the story continues. Readers will become engrossed in the teen’s thoughts and decisions as they race to save Melender and her mom, and come to terms with who they are and what they want. A light romance threads throughout the story, but the primary focus is on the individual friendships and family relationships they have, while Melender determines what she really wants in life. Agree or disagree with her Oinal decision, the journey she takes to get there is a wild and thrilling one readers won’t be able to put down!

Sarah E Bradley