Untamed by P.C. and Kristin Cast

Title: Untamed: A House of Night Novel
Author: P.C. and Kristin Cast
Location: YA Cast
Reading Level: Young Adult

This 4th House of Night novel begins just minutes after Chosen left off, Zoey’s friends are ticked at her and her best friend is a possibly evil, undead dead vampire. Things begin to get much worse once Zoey’s figures out Neferet’s secret weapon in her malicious war on humans. Zoey must reunite with her friends and gain new allies if she hopes to counter the rising evil in this intense, exciting installment from P.C. and Kristin Cast.
The writing is not stellar in this series, but fans read it for the exhilarating storyline and appealing characters. Zoey’s confidence continues to grow as she embraces her role as a leader. All of her awesome friends return in this book as well as some new intriguing characters. Fans will particularly appreciate the climactic ending, but they might have to re-read it to absorb it all.

The Bottom Line: Fans will love this book! I loved this book! It is by far, the best yet in the House of Night series. New fans will want to start with the first book, Marked, before sinking their teeth into this one.

The God Box by Alex Sanchez

Title: The God Box
Author: Alex Sanchez
Location: YA Sanchez
Reading Level: Young Adult

Paul is not gay! He prays every night for God to take away the attraction he feels for guys and transfer it to his long-time girlfriend Angie. So far, Paul has done a pretty good job keeping his feelings in check, but then he meets Manuel. When openly gay Manuel comes on the scene, he challenges everything in which Paul and his conservative high school believe. Will Paul decide to suppress his feelings for Manuel and live the Christian lifestyle? Or can he choose to be both gay and Christian?
Alex Sanchez has written a thought-provoking story that demonstrates the struggles of gay religious teens. Paul is a likable character and the reader will cheer for him to find peace with his issues and learn to love himself. I think this is a wonderful book for all teens, but particularly for gay and straight religious teens who would find Sanchez’s reconciliation of sexual identity and religiosity encouraging.

The Bottom Line: I loved this book. It was a quick read with relatable characters. It presents well researched, intriguing arguments against the Christian position on homosexuality.