{"id":7524,"date":"2024-01-24T17:00:08","date_gmt":"2024-01-25T01:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/?p=7524"},"modified":"2024-01-25T16:32:55","modified_gmt":"2024-01-26T00:32:55","slug":"spell-hacker-teen-book-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2024\/spell-hacker-teen-book-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Spell Hacker &#8211; Teen Book Review"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Reviewed by Hailey Chen, age <span data-sheets-root=\"1\" data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:16}\" data-sheets-userformat=\"{&quot;2&quot;:513,&quot;3&quot;:{&quot;1&quot;:0},&quot;12&quot;:0}\">16<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong><em><span data-sheets-root=\"1\" data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;Boys of the Beast&quot;}\" data-sheets-userformat=\"{&quot;2&quot;:513,&quot;3&quot;:{&quot;1&quot;:0},&quot;12&quot;:0}\">Spell Hacker<\/span>\u00a0<\/em>by <span data-sheets-root=\"1\" data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;M.K England&quot;}\" data-sheets-userformat=\"{&quot;2&quot;:513,&quot;3&quot;:{&quot;1&quot;:0},&quot;12&quot;:0}\">M.K England<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Diz is like any other 18-year-old girl her age living in Kyrkarta. Tight-knit group of friends? Check. Living in a crappy apartment? Check. Running an illegal Maz siphoning gig, therefore stealing from a major corporation? Check. Magic, more commonly known as Maz, used to be a natural resource that anyone could access. But after an earthquake released a magical plague, killing thousands, Maz wound up in the tight grip and regulation of MMC Corporation. It has also become extremely expensive which is why Diz and her crew of three steal and sell it to make a living. The group of friends is ready to go out with a bang, one last job, and then that\u2019s the end of it. But when it quite literally blows up in their faces, they\u2019re drawn into the truth hiding behind the seams, and they quickly discover what secrets have been lurking this whole time.<\/p>\n<p>Spell Hacker is an entertaining, fast-paced book filled with witty comments and retorts. The characters are real and raw, the bantering between Diz and her group of friends is immensely fun to read about, and of course, a little romance never hurt anyone. But while I know that the main character, Diz, is supposed to be flawed, her unwillingness to share her true thoughts and her insanely bad cover-ups can get a bit out of hand at times. It\u2019s realistic given her past and I really do understand that thoughts are not easy to voice but I also wonder if it was just me that felt like she was making things a way bigger deal than they needed to be in terms of communicating. I also wish that the author delved deeper into more gray character types. There was really only one example I could think of throughout the book, even that not really being fully explored, but I had hoped for something other than one big defining villain that was just evil and only evil. Of course, it\u2019s a fast-paced book that isn\u2019t a series, but I had hoped nonetheless. Other than that, if you\u2019re interested in fun dialogue, disastrous queers, conspiracy, and a quick read, this is it for you. It just wasn\u2019t really it for me. \u2157 stars.<\/p>\n<p>3 stars of 5 stars<\/p>\n<p>Find this book in our catalog:\u00a0<span style=\"color: #0000ff\"><em><a style=\"color: #0000ff\" href=\"https:\/\/pasadena.ent.sirsi.net\/client\/en_US\/youth\/search\/detailnonmodal\/ent:$002f$002fSD_ILS$002f0$002fSD_ILS:226354\/one?qu=spell+hacker&amp;te=ILS\">Spell Hacker<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Catalog Number:\u00a0<span data-sheets-root=\"1\" data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;YA FIC ABIKE-IYIMIDE,F&quot;}\" data-sheets-userformat=\"{&quot;2&quot;:513,&quot;3&quot;:{&quot;1&quot;:0},&quot;12&quot;:0}\">YA SF ENGLAND,M<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-sheets-root=\"1\" data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:402}\" data-sheets-userformat=\"{&quot;2&quot;:513,&quot;3&quot;:{&quot;1&quot;:0},&quot;12&quot;:0}\">402<\/span> pages<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Reviewed by Hailey Chen, age 16 Spell Hacker\u00a0by M.K England Diz is like any other 18-year-old girl her age living in Kyrkarta. Tight-knit group of friends? Check. Living in a crappy apartment? Check. Running an illegal Maz siphoning gig, therefore stealing from a major corporation? Check. Magic, more commonly known [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":7525,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[120,54],"tags":[172,171,162],"class_list":["post-7524","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book-reviews","category-teen-reviews","tag-friendship","tag-magic","tag-romance"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2024\/01\/36501255.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5ZwbD-1Xm","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":364,"url":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2013\/the-sweetest-spell-teen-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":7524,"position":0},"title":"The Sweetest Spell &#8212; Teen Review","author":"Teen Blogger","date":"November 20, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"--review by Stacia, teen reviewer The Sweetest Spell by Suzanne Selfors Scorned in her Flatlands village because of a deformed foot, Emmeline Thistle's life changes when she is taken in by Wanderlands dairy farmers and discovers her magical ability to make chocolate, which is more precious and rare than gold\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Teen Reviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Teen Reviews","link":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/category\/teen-reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"http:\/\/www.syndetics.com\/index.aspx?type=xw12&isbn=0802723764\/LC.GIF&client=pasap&upc=&oclc=","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4208,"url":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2017\/the-best-kind-of-magic-teen-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":7524,"position":1},"title":"The Best Kind of Magic &#8212; Teen Review","author":"Teen Blogger","date":"November 25, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"review by\u00a0Alicia Zhang, age 13 The Best Kind of Magic\u00a0by\u00a0Crystal Cestari \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In the novel The Best Kind of Magic by Crystal Cestari, teenager Amber Sand is overwhelmed by the intensity of the two worlds she straddles\u2014one of magic, which is not as glorified as one may think\u2014and the other regular\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Book Reviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Book Reviews","link":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/category\/teen-reviews\/book-reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2017\/09\/the-secret-of-a-heart-note-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6123,"url":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2020\/kingdom-of-souls-teen-book-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":7524,"position":2},"title":"Kingdom of Souls &#8212; Teen Book Review","author":"Teen Blogger","date":"December 19, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Review by Jasmine Sov, 14 Kingdom of Souls By Rena Barron Arrah, unlike many other people her age, does not yet possess magic. Despite her father\u2019s reassurances that her magic will come, she\u2019s losing hope. After all, her high-ranking priestess mother already all but shuns her. That surely means that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Book Reviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Book Reviews","link":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/category\/teen-reviews\/book-reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2020\/12\/91WmolJ4xCL.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2020\/12\/91WmolJ4xCL.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2020\/12\/91WmolJ4xCL.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2020\/12\/91WmolJ4xCL.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2020\/12\/91WmolJ4xCL.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2020\/12\/91WmolJ4xCL.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2185,"url":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2015\/legacy-of-kings-teen-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":7524,"position":3},"title":"Legacy of Kings &#8212; teen review","author":"Teen Blogger","date":"October 12, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Review by Kara Eng, teen reviewer Legacy of Kings by Eleanor Herman \u00a0 This is a retelling of Alexander the Great as a\u00a0youth. Before Alexander conquered the world, he was still living in the shadow of his father, a one-eyed \u201cbarbarian\u201d conqueror. The book also follows other people: one hopeful\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Teen Reviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Teen Reviews","link":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/category\/teen-reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"23569428","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2015\/08\/23569428-197x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6977,"url":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2022\/edie-in-between-teen-book-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":7524,"position":4},"title":"Edie in Between &#8212; Teen Book Review","author":"Teen Blogger","date":"June 25, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Reviewed by Jasmine Sov, age 16 Edie in Between by Laura Sibson All Edie Mitchell wanted to do after her mom died was to forget that she ever had magic\u2014but it's not that easy when it's been in her blood for generations. After she discovers her mom's teenage journal, it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Book Reviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Book Reviews","link":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/category\/teen-reviews\/book-reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2022\/06\/Edieinbetween.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7433,"url":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2023\/improbable-magic-for-cynical-witches-teen-book-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":7524,"position":5},"title":"Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches &#8211; Teen Book Review","author":"Nathan Wang","date":"November 29, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Reviewed by Jasmine Sov, age 17 Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches by Kate Scelsa For \u201cSalem\u2019s biggest skeptic and non-witchy person\u201d, Eleanor deals with a lot of witchy things. After a traumatic year of lost friendship and broken hearts, she\u2019s been working at a family friend\u2019s witch-themed gift shop to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Book Reviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Book Reviews","link":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/category\/teen-reviews\/book-reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2023\/12\/56197346.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2023\/12\/56197346.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2023\/12\/56197346.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2023\/12\/56197346.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2023\/12\/56197346.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7524","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7524"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7524\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7527,"href":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7524\/revisions\/7527"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7525"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7524"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7524"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7524"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}