Legend, by Marie Lu

Another dystopian novel, oh man! That was my first reaction to Legend, by Marie Lu, but my feelings soon took a turn for the better only a few pages into the book. Day is a boy from the slums who is at the top of the country's most wanted list and June is girl born to privilege who is at the top intellectually and  physically. Though, from very different worlds they both call the Republic home. This area is made up of the Western United States and has been at war with it's neighbors as far back as anyone can remember.

These lives cross when the life of Metias, June's brother, is taken by Day as he is trying to escape. June is given the task of hunting down this infamous outlaw. After finding out who he is, June, disguised as someone from the slums, befriends him in order to take him down. Everything comes to a head when the police are sent to take Day's family, because they are infested with the plague that is running rampant. In an attempt to lure Day from the roof the threat is made to kill his mother. Before Day can react, that threat becomes a reality.

Day is apprehended by the authorities and June is doing the interrogating. As the interrogation is taking place, June's eyes are opened to the corruption within the Republic's authorities and the fact that the plague may not be uncontrollable, in fact, it may be part of a much larger and much more disturbing picture than she ever imagined. This realization changes June's stance on the crimes that Day has committed and the two come together to try and right the countless wrongs that have taken place.

Beware: drink a small amount of liquid prior to reading this book, because you wont want to peal you eyes away for a second. The story is told in the alternating voices of Day and June. The font in Day's chapters is gold and June's are black. I loved this idea and was surprised that it actually made my feelings changed when I transitioned from one chapter to the next. Lu has masterfully woven together a story that crosses ages and genders.

Beauty Queens, by Libba Bray

"Dreams do come true," is something most pageant hopefuls believe, but nightmares come true just the same. This becomes clear to all of the glitter-clad teenage girls as they find themselves swimming to shore following their plane taking a nose dive into the ocean. At least they were swimming. Some were not so lucky.

For those that do survive, there are still many more trials, but these beauty queens have different priorities than most. No food...what a great way to lose some weight before the competition. No protection from the elements...time to get a tan. No beauty supplies...coconut oil is great for the hair. As each girl slowly, very slowly in fact, comes to terms with the fact that they are probably going to be stuck on this island for a while, maybe forever, since the search was called off, some begin to try and find ways to make do. However, others carry on as usual.

The story is told from the various perspectives of the girls and the reader comes to have a better understanding of what drew each girl to pageants and have made them what they are today. A relationship flowers between two of the girls, one goes crazy, boys are encountered, and a few more die to add to the initial death count. Bray was not shy about using whatever vocabulary she pleased. Thus, this may not be appropriate for all Middle School, though, it was recommended for that age group. There is no doubt in my mind that this tragic tale of glitzy girls would be gobbled up in no time by most teen and preteen girls, though, I would lean toward the older teens.

The Summer I Learned to Fly, b Dana Reinhardt

Drew is a girl who keeps to herself for the most part. She actually enjoys helping her Mom and the gourmet cheese shop, taking care of her pet rat and learning to make the perfect linguine from the perfect surfer Nick that works for her Mom. She doesn't understand the obsession that the other girls at school have with boys, but this soon changes when her rat leads her to Emmett Crane, a boy that is full of mystery and Drew is definitely intrigued. However, when he goes missing for days on end Drew starts to think that boys are just as much a waste of time as she suspected.

When Emmett shows up again at the cheese shop her interest is instantly reignited as she finds out that Emmett is actually a runaway in search of the truth that he found as a boy in the Native American tales told to him by his Father. Drew is also in search of answers concerning her own Father, who died when she was only three. Drew found notebook of her Father's with random lists of his like, dislikes and dreams for his own life that was cut so short.

Drew makes the instantaneous decision to embark on an adventure to San Francisco with Emmett in search of healing waters from one such tale. Uncharacteristically, Drew takes money from the shop and hops on a train with no definite plan in mind. The two find the pond and during the trip also find that Emmett's place is traveling while Drew's is with her Mother.

I felt that this book was  fast read, though, the ending seemed abrupt and much too neatly packaged. While there is a bit of romantic intrigue between Drew and Emmett, nothing is ever acted upon and Emmett comes across as being an older character from a cheesy romance film. I think that the dialogue was realistic and moving at times and that this book would hold the attention of teenage girls who may have their own dreams of running away with a runaway.