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

Can Bryan and Robert return to a matching opinion with their latest YA dystopian review? Check out their thoughts on Matched by Ally Condie. 

Everything in Cassia's world has been chosen. What she can read, what to believe, and who she'll love. A seeming glitch in the choice of her perfect match has Cassia unsure if her mate to be is Xander, a lifelong friend, or Ky, a boy who's been forbidden from the matching system. As Cassia leans toward the more impossible of the two choices, she doubts the society's purported perfection, and wonders if there's a world out there where she can finally choose for herself.

Kick back on your porch with some sweet tea and listen to this southern-fried review! In this episode, Robert and Bryan take on the Gatlin, South Carolina-set Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. 

Ethan Wate's only escape from the oppressively normal life of Gatlin, South Carolina has been the haunting girl from his dreams. Or are they nightmares? Regardless, Ethan's normalcy is lost for good when Lena Duchannes, the actual girl from his dreams comes to town. As the two of them fall for each other, Ethan must help Lena cope with a horrible curse that could count down the days until she's lost to the darkness. Can love conquer all when magic and evil are conspiring to destroy it?

Why read Thirteen Reasons Why? Why not? Check out Robert and Bryan's review of the painfully good book Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. 

Clay Jensen never expected the tapes. 7 tapes with 13 stories told by Hannah Baker, Clay's crush and a victim to suicide. Each story holds a clue as to why his classmate ended her life. And Clay is one of the unknowing culprits. Only by listening to each of the tapes will Clay know the truth behind Hannah's life, Hannah's death, and the role he played.

If Robert had to pick between 36 books to find a lifetime companion, The Selection wouldn't be anywhere near the top! Check out Bryan and Robert's review of The Selection by Kiera Cass. 

America Singer lives in a world where everyone is born into live that's chosen for them. There's only one way up the rigid caste system, and that is The Selection. 35 girls will compete for a chase to win's the Prince hand in marriage and a shot at changing their entire family's fate forever. When America beats incredible odds to be chosen as one of the 35, her heart remains with Aspen, her secret love in a caste below her. When she meets Prince Maxon, America realizes that her future may hold much more than she bargained for.

Bryan and Robert are feeling super today. With or without metabands! Check out our review of Meta by Tom Reynolds. 

Connor Connolly is a loser, an orphan, and literal dead meat until a mysterious pair of wristbands gives him magical abilities. He goes from nothing to meta overnight, a super-powered being that many thought were extinct. With the help of a masked vigilante named Midnight, Connor must keep his identity secret and his city safe from a new wave of villainy.

Are Bryan and Robert shadow-kissed enough to read each other's feelings? Find out how they felt about the first book in the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead. 

Rose Hathaway and her best friend Lissa lead a relatively normal life. Aside from the fact that Rose is a Dhampir bodyguard and Lissa is a Moroi Vampire Princess. Oh, and the fact that they're on the run from St. Vladimir's Academy, a boarding school for vampires. When St. Vlad's drags them back to school, Rose and Lissa encounter a deadly mystery, forbidden romance, and a secret hundreds of years in the making. If the deadly Strigoy don't kill them, the Academy's ruthless social scene surely will.

How will two non-criminals view a book about the best fictional thief of our time? Check out Robert and Bryan's review of Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer. 

Artemis Fowl is a brilliant criminal mastermind, and he's just turned 12. When he learns of a magical realm full of real, live fairies that's also happens to be rich, he puts his brain to his most dastardly scheme of all. When he succeeds at capturing a fairy, his effort to ransom her off may put him and the entire world at more risk than he ever bargained.

Robert and Bryan are glad they aren't competing for best reviewer. Check out their thoughts on Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. 

Celaena Sardothien was the most feared assassin in the world at the age of 17. At least, until she was caught and enslaved to a lifetime of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier. When the Crown Prince Dorian rescues her from her fate, she's forced to compete for the position of royal assassin and her freedom. When the other competitors begin turning up dead, Celaena must play a deadly game and tap into an ancient power to keep herself and her friends alive.

Feel free to re-live this episode as many times as you want! In Episode 15, Bryan and Robert take on Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. 

Samantha Kingston is at the top of the popularity food chain, running her high school with an iron fist, along with her best friends. At least, until a horrible accident leaves her dead. When she wakes up the next day without a scratch on her, Sam realizes that only she can choose how to live her final 24 hours. The changes she makes could affect many more lives than her own.

Can you survive the 14th wave of Bryan and Robert? Listen to our review of The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey!

Humanity never expected aliens quite like this. After four unexpected waves of attacks exterminate most of humanity, Cassie is one of few humans left on earth. When the malicious visitors take on human form, Cassie must rely on a mysterious hunter to save her brother and preserve whatever scraps remain of civilization.