Review: Lockdown by Alexander Gordon Smith Posted by Michaela at 5:18 PM

Title: Lockdown
Author: Alexander Gordon Smith
Published: October 27, 2009 by Farrar Straus Giroux
Pages: 273
Series: Escape from Furnace #1
Buy: Amazon/ Book Depo
Source: From the publisher through Zeitghost Media
Rating: 2.5/5
Synopsis: Furnace Penitentiary: the world’s most secure prison for young offenders, buried a mile beneath the earth’s surface. Convicted of a murder he didn’t commit, sentenced to life without parole, “new fish” Alex Sawyer knows he has two choices: find a way out, or resign himself to a death behind bars, in the darkness at the bottom of the world. Except in Furnace, death is the least of his worries. Soon Alex discovers that the prison is a place of pure evil, where inhuman creatures in gas masks stalk the corridors at night, where giants in black suits drag screaming inmates into the shadows, where deformed beasts can be heard howling from the blood-drenched tunnels below. And behind everything is the mysterious, all-powerful warden, a man as cruel and dangerous as the devil himself, whose unthinkable acts have consequences that stretch far beyond the walls of the prison. Together with a bunch of inmates—some innocent kids who have been framed, others cold-blooded killers—Alex plans an escape. But as he starts to uncover the truth about Furnace’s deeper, darker purpose, Alex’s actions grow ever more dangerous, and he must risk everything to expose this nightmare that’s hidden from the eyes of the world. (Goodreads synopsis)

Review: There are tons of glowing reviews of Lockdown on Amazon and Goodreads. I hate to say it, but I don't really agree with most of them.


I don't think I'm really in the target audience for this book. It would appeal much more to middle-school boys. The main focus points of the book were the movie-like action scenes (which is why it will probably make a good movie), which was a problem for me because I don't care much for books that get you through only based on action.

The premise of the book was interesting - an underground prison for children? Yes, please! But the descriptions of Furnace (and yes, I say "descriptions" because there were about a thousand) were rambling. Halfway through the book, I nearly quit. Yes, I understand that it's a terrible place. Please move the story along.

The characters felt a little one-dimensional to me. None of the characters really had any depth or motivation, except for escaping the prison. Character depth isn't always necessary in young adult books, but you have to have a VERY good plot for me to overlook it. And this book had a dragging and often boring plot. Some things were hard to believe (for instance, where were the guards during all their little adventures?) but I'm sure I would be more open to these if I were younger.

All in all, I would still recommend this book to some of my friends. My younger brother would probably love it. I would like to know what happens next, but I don't want to waste my precious reading time pushing through tons of boring transition scenes.

Witchlanders by Lena Coakley: Review Posted by Tiffany at 2:32 PM

Title: Witchlanders
Author: Lena Coakley (site)
Published: August 30th, 2011 by Atheneum
Pages: 416
Buy: Amazon/ Book Depo/ Powell's 
Series: Witchlanders #1
Source: GalleyGrab
Rating: 4.5/5
Synopsis: High in their mountain covens, red witches pray to the Goddess, protecting the Witchlands by throwing the bones and foretelling the future.

It’s all a fake.

At least, that’s what Ryder thinks. He doubts the witches really deserve their tithes—one quarter of all the crops his village can produce. And even if they can predict the future, what danger is there to foretell, now that his people’s old enemy, the Baen, has been defeated?

But when a terrifying new magic threatens both his village and the coven, Ryder must confront the beautiful and silent witch who holds all the secrets. Everything he’s ever believed about witches, the Baen, magic and about himself will change, when he discovers that the prophecies he’s always scorned—

Are about him.(Goodreads)


Review: I was pleasantly surprised to start this book and realize that the main characters are guys. I love good books with male leads, you just don't see that many of them in YA these days. These guys aren't the overdone, romantically brooding or sensitive type of guy that you see a lot in books aimed at teen girls. They felt like real guys: stubborn, intolerant of drama, and a bit slow to catch on to the machinations of the fairer sex. (At least, that's the way my three brothers have always been.) There isn't any romance in this one, either- and I'm not pointing out a flaw. This book is perfectly whole without any romance. In fact, it didn't even occur to me until I'd finished it that there was a lack of love interests for the boys. I feel like a lot of the YA books I've read lately are all about the romance. If you take out the romance, you don't have a lot left. I'm not complaining, I love a good romance, but sometimes I feel like there needs to be a bit more to the story. I want the romance to be more of a side plot, no the thing that the whole book revolves around. A girl can get along just fine without a guy in here life and I'm starting to feel like that message needs to be reinforced a bit in YA literature today. Then again, I keep devouring those sappy love stories so I guess I'll get off my soapbox. Witchlanders was a fantastic read....literally. It feels more like the older fantasy authors that I used to love, which is funny because her list of influences (on her website) is almost an exact copy of my reading list in the 90s. The world is richly imagined, there is much more going on outside of the main character's corner of it. They may play a big part in the story, but overall they're just pawns. The Witchlanders and the Baen went to war and their countries ended up severing all ties. Anyone with Baen blood was ejected by the Witchlanders, leaving both sides bitter and angry. Falpian is sent by his father to the border between the two lands for a reason he's not privy to and Ryder, on the other side of the border, is beginning to discover that The Covens who rule the land are not what they seem. I loved the way the two main characters interacted. There was bickering, mistrust, and plenty of standoffishness, but they came through for each other when things got tough. All in all, a very good book and an author I'll be keeping an eye on. I would definitely recommend this to fans of fantasy, especially guys. I'll be adding it to the pile of books I've been sending my brother's way.

The Abused Werewolf Rescue Group by Catherine Jinks: Review Posted by Tiffany at 8:07 PM

Title: The Abused Werewolf Rescue Group
Author: Catherine Jinks (site)
Published: April 4th, 2011 by Harcourt Children's Books 
Pages: 416
Price: $11.46 Amazon $12.74 Book Depository (PRE-ORDER)
Series: sequel to The Reformed Vampire Support Group
Rating: 5/5
Source: NetGalley
Synopsis: I still hadn't fully absorbed the terrible possibility that I might actually be a werewolf. A werewolf. I kept stumbling over that word; it made no sense to me. How could I be a werewolf? Werewolves didn't exist.

When Tobias Richard Vandevelde wakes up in hospital with no memory of the night before, his horrified mother tells him that he was found by the police. At Featherdale Park. In a dingo pen. 

As if that isn't weird enough, suddenly a very menacing looking guy and a priest show up at his door. 

As the mystery unfolds, Toby finds himself keeping company with some very strange and sickly looking people - members of a suburban vampire support group. And when he's abducted in broad daylight, he will need all their help to break free ... and to come to terms with his own incredibly rare condition.

Initial Thoughts: I was drawn to this one initally because of the amazing cover. It's dark, dangerous, and a bit comic-book like. It seemed like it would be a different take on the whole werewolf story.


Review: The characters in this book were great. I loved the main character. He wasn't a soulful, broodingly romantic hero. He just seemed like any other guy at that age, idiotic and thrill-seeking. He and his friends did stupid things to pass the time (home-made bombs, over-the-door buckets of slime). It was so refreshing to read about a character that was completely realistic. I remember what guys were like when I was 13 and they were idiots, not brooding young Byrons. I'll admit that I like to read about those kinds of characters as much as the next girl, but sometimes it's nice to read about types of guys that you actually encounter in the wild. Toby wasn't just some idiot, though. He did quite a bit of growing up in the book and, even before then, he had doubts about his friends' schemes. The friends were pretty typical guys as well; the Pushy Leader type and the Wussy Follower type. Some of the other supporting characters felt a bit half-sketched, but this was probably just because I hadn't read the first book (in which they play a much larger role.)

This book was full of action right from the start. As I was reading, I kept thinking to myself this would be great for [Anonymous 12-year-old brother]. The characters are very relatable (especially to young boys), there is plenty of action and no romance, and there aren't any lengthy philosophical discussions. Perfect for your typical guy. I loved it as well, it was nice to take a break from the sometimes emotionally draining YA books that are full of drama and romance. This one was a nice, fast, entertaining ride. I don't know if there's a follow-up book in the works, but it tied things up well enough that I'm happy to wait- or even to leave the series after this installment.


Quick Review: This book was a very fun, fast-paced, action-filled werewolf adventure. I would recommend it to anyone who likes supernatural or just YA books, especially boys. I'll be getting a copy for my younger brother. You don't need to have read the first book in the series to enjoy this one.