Infinity Ring: Divide and Conquer

Author: Carrie Ryan

Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.

Dak, Sera, and Riq recently were thrown into a world of time-traveling to change major events in history and restore order to their chaotic world. The SQ has taken over most of their world and lots of natural disasters are threatening to end the earth. With the help of the Infinity Ring, a time-traveling device, they must go back in time and change different events the were changed by the SQ. And, the only help they have is their SQuare, a computer that gives them cryptic clues to finding the next discrepancy in history.

Any fans of Infinity Ring: A Mutiny in Time will definitely like Divide and Conquer, the next book in the series. Readers who enjoy action-packed books will enjoy this read because the the lots of action and adventure that Dak, Sera, and Riq face.

Divide and Conquer was one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. It really pulled me in and kept me wanting to read more. Unfortunately, the book was very short and didn’t really include many details, which only would’ve helped this novel. Another thing I would change about the overall series which I noticed was that whenever they were in a very tight situation, the same thing always got them out of it. I think it would’ve been much better if there was a bit more variety to their problems and their various solutions. 

Author: Kerstin Gier
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company

Gwen’s life was turned upside down when she realized she carried the gene in her family that allowed her to travel back into the past. After learning much about her family, the Circle, and the past, she begins to do more trips back in time. Not to mention Gideon, the adorable time traveler from a different family, who Gwen finds herself in love with...

Anyone who enjoyed Ruby Red, the book before Sapphire Blue in the trilogy would definitely enjoy reading this as it continues telling the reader about Gwen’s struggles. Since the book mixes lots of genres together-–fantasy, historical fiction, comedy, and romance–-I believe that lots of readers would enjoy this.

Sapphire Blue has one of the best and most original main ideas that I’ve read in a long time. But unfortunately, the author doesn’t do the plot justice. Throughout much of the story, it found myself not really believing in anything the characters were doing. It just seemed fake. Another thing that would improve Sapphire Blue would be adding more action. There is a lot of dialogue and scenes where nothing is happening, yet they are drawn out.

Under Wildwood

Author: Colin Meloy

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Life has returned to normal...until Prue finds herself with her life at risk once again. She will have to return to Wildwood, where she sees Curtis and joins him to try to save Wildwood from ruin. All the while, in an orphanage on the edge of Wildwood, Curtis’s sisters are working in a machine factory...until the unthinkable happens.

Anyone who read Wildwood would definitely fall in love with its stunning sequel, Under Wildwood. Readers who enjoy fantasy and also just normal life would like this book. Readers who also like fairy tales or folk stories would like this because the author writes in a way which makes Under Wildwood seem like a folk story.

I definitely enjoyed Under Wildwood. It blends my two favorite genres together into a fairy tale that is hard to forget. Unfortunately, some scenes in the book seem forced and awkward, and the characters don’t seem like themselves. But the author makes up for that in the many descriptive paragraphs that really make Under Wildwood what it is.

The Raft

Author: S. A. Bodeen

Publisher: Feiwel and Friends

The plane you are on just crashed, and you and a boy are the only survivors. The only things you have? A raft. Some flares. No food, except a bag of Skittles. And no fresh water. Robie’s plane crashes flying to her home from Honolulu and she has to fight for survival with Max, the only other survivor. As things get worse and worse, Robie begins to realize things about herself she never knew and will ultimately survive–-or perish in the middle of the ocean.

Even though The Raft is a pretty easy read, the ideas it presents would be better understood and thought over by readers in late middle school. Readers who have read and enjoyed other books, such as Hatchet, would like this book because of the survival plot.

Overall, The Raft was very good. However, the book was rather repetitive and very similar events continued to happen. In addition, it seemed as though some of Robie’s thoughts were too old for her, as though she was much older and wiser. And in other parts, her thoughts seemed to be coming from a five-year old. If the plot could have newer events and Robie could have more relevant thoughts for her age, this book would be amazing.