The Split: A Young Adult Book Review Podcast for Readers and Writers

Will Brandon Sanderson "steel" a great review from Bryan and Robert? Yes, yes he will. Check out B&R's review of Steelheart today! 

The Epics changed humanity for good. Imbued with incredible powers, they stole, and killed, and they conquered. David Charleston was there the day Steelheart took over. He was the only survivor in an attack that left his father dead. He was also the only one who saw the supposedly immortal epic bleed. When David hunts down the Reckoners, a shadowy group of humans bent on leveling the playing field, he'll find that the true heroes don't come from the sky.

Will Bryan and Robert agree to disagree on The Here and Now by Ann Brashares? Only time will tell. 

Prenna James is a time traveler. Her, her family, and others from her time live on the outskirts of the present day after escaping from a future where a mosquito-borne illness has taken the form of a plague. Prenna and the others follow strict rules to never interfere with history, never reveal their origin, and to never, ever be intimate with the time natives. When Prenna falls for Ethan Jarves, all rules go out the window, and a race to stop a catastrophe is thrown into action.

Just a boy and his girl... and his horse?! Read Robert and Bryan's take on Maggie Stiefvater's The Scorpio Races. 

Sean Kendrick is the returning champion of the Scorpio Races, an annual competition in which riders try to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Not all of them make it through alive. When Puck Connolly, the first girl ever to enter, joins the race to keep her family intact, both Sean and Puck could never be prepared for what happens next. One race will decide their fate or kill them in the process.

Who will survive in this battle of good vs. eevil?! Check out Bryan and Robert's thoughts on Angelfall by Susan Ee. 

Penryn has always taken care of her young, disabled sister, even before the angels of the apocalypse descended upon the earth. When Penryn and her family make a run for it, warrior angels snatch her little sister, setting the teenager on a dangerous quest. She'll make a deal with a handsome and powerful angel named Raffe to travel toward the angels' stronghold in San Francisco. If all goes well, she'll get her sister back, and he'll get the chance to be whole again. The apocalypse may have other plans for them both ...

If you love horny, hungry grasshoppers, then you'll love Bryan and Robert's review of Andrew Smith's Grasshopper Jungle! 

Ealing, Iowa doesn't have much, but it does have a phosphorescent mold that could cause the apocalypse real quick. Austin and his best friend Robby do everything together, so it's no surprise that they'd accidentally unleash an unstoppable army during a late night break-in. As the horny, hungry, six-foot-tall praying mantises ravage their small town, Austin and Robby may be the only ones who hold the key to Earth's salvation. As long as a confusing love triangle and Austin's hornyness don't get in the way.

What's your favorite color? Listen this week to hear if Robert and Bryan see red when they review Red Rising by Pierce Brown. 

Darrow is a Red, the lowest caste in a color-coded society of the future. He works all day in the mines so his descendants can live a better life. Or so he thinks. When he learns the Reds have been betrayed by the top level Golds, Darrow must sacrifice everything to infiltrate the Institute, a proving ground for the Golds. With blood on his hands and in his past, Darrow will do anything to bring down his enemies: even if he has to become one of them to succeed.

Is Robert a criminal mastermind? Is Bryan the Republic's greatest recruit? No to both, but you can listen to them review Marie Lu's Legend. 

Teenagers June and Day were born on different sides of the track. While June is a perfect-score prodigy being groomed for the Republic's highest military circles, Day was born into the poorest of slums, and his Robin Hood acts of bravery have made made him the country's most wanted criminal.

When June's brother is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect, their paths cross in a deadly cat and mouse game. Little do they know that the Republic has been hiding secrets from them both. Uncovering the dark truth could end their game well before a victor is crowned.

Rain Reign, don't go away, stay here for another review day! This week, Robert and Bryan take on the short, endearing book Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin. 

What fifth grader Rose Howard lacks in social skills and normal behavior, she makes up for with homonyms. She's proud of her own homonym name, and the name of her dog, Rain. Not everyone understands Rose's obsessions, rules, and the other things that make her different, especially not her teachers, classmates, and her single father. When a storm hits their rural town and Rain goes missing, Rose must leave her routines behind to bring her dog back home.

Well, harvest our organs! Wait... is that not a common phrase? Bryan and Robert will ask that and the other great questions of the universe as they review Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. 

From their youth, Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy were special. At least, that's what their teachers in the secluded Hailsham boarding school always used to tell them. As the years go on, Kathy begins to understand the truth behind their deadly purpose. Will love be enough to save them from their predestined fate?

Get your tissues ready for one of the best and saddest books we've reviewed so far! Check out Bryan and Robert's review of All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven.

Theodore Finch is obsessed with death, constantly wondering all the ways he might kill himself. Violet Markey aches with grief and counts down the days until graduation and escape from her small Indiana town. When Finch meets Violet on the ledge of their school's bell tower, the boy known as "the freak" saves the popular girl, even though the papers think it's the other way around. The two are paired on a project to discover the "natural wonders" of Indiana, but before the assignment is over, they'll learn more about each other, what they're capable of, and both how much love can heal and how little it can do to stop the inevitable.