A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley

SYNOPSIS:  Flavia de Luce is back, and this time she may be in over her head.  She almost burns down a gypsy's tent, and later, she comes upon a grisly scene that proves to be too much for her.

AUNT SHARON'S TAKE:  I love the Flavia De Luce novels.  They're smart and well-written, and I can't get enough of conniving, witty Flavia.  Aside from some violence, which is a little graphic, and some language, it is also relatively mild in the content department.

RATING:  PG13 for violence

AUDIENCE:  Adult and Young Adult

STARS:  4

BOOKS LIKE THIS:  Sherlock Holmes Series, And Then There Were None

Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien

SYNOPSIS:  Gaia is a midwife, following her mother's footsteps.  But when her mother and father are mysteriously taken by the government, she is left to untangle the mysteries surrounding their lives.

AUNT SHARON'S TAKE:  I thought this book was OK.  It brought up interesting questions, such as:  what would we give away to keep the peace?  However, I felt the writing was a little subpar, and there were some segments that were a little graphic and disturbing.  I would reserve this book for older readers.

RATING:  PG13 for some graphic childbirth scenes and violence

AUDIENCE:  Young Adults

STARS:  2 1/2

BOOKS LIKE THIS:  Matched, Divergent

To read about the second book in this series, click here.

Sever by Lauren DeStefano

SYNOPSIS:  We rejoin Rhine's story as she is in the hospital recovering from her father-in-law's "treatments."  Her once-husband now knows that she does not love him, and they come to terms with their new relationship as aquaintances.  However, Rhine still needs to find her brother, and everyone is desperate to discover the cure to the disease afflicting them all, before it is too late.

AUNT SHARON'S TAKE:  I kept with the trilogy, hoping to find out how the story ended, but I was disappointed with the finale in the trilogy.  I felt like the story was dragging on throughout the first half of the novel, then rushed at the end.  Plus, I kind of felt some of the characters had changed in nature throughout this novel.  I won't include any spoilers, but it felt like some characters changed from "bad" to "good," or vice versa, just for convenience.  For me, it didn't feel like the ending was worth reading all three novels.  Also, reading it reminded me of some content issues in the series, with sensuality and violence.  All in all, I might just skip the whole series.

RATING:  PG13 for violence and graphic segments

AUDIENCE:  Young Adults

STARS:  2

BOOKS LIKE THIS:  Delirium, Divergent, Wither