Book Review: Queens of All Earth by Hannah Sternberg

Title: Queens of All Earth

Author: Hannah Sternberg

Publisher: Bancroft Press

Publication Date: 2011

Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone

Softcover: 158 pages

How I got this book:  Sent to me from the author

Why I chose this book: When I read what this book was about, I was very exicted to read it.  (I love all books where the setting is another country!)

Synopsis:

As her freshman classmates move into dorms at Cornell University, Olivia Somerset suffers a nervous breakdown. When months of coaxing and analyzing fail to rouse Olivia from her stupor, big sister Miranda decides the sisters should fly off to Barcelona for some “vacation therapy.”
When a mistake at their Barcelona hostel leaves the Somersets in a large co-ed dorm room, Olivia and Miranda are saved by kindly Mr. Brown and his son Greg, who happily volunteer to surrender their private room. But while Olivia feels an instant connection with brooding Greg Brown, Miranda sides with fellow guest and cocky American travel writer Lenny:
The Browns are just plain weird, and must be avoided at all costs.
 Review:

Lyric-like in the writing style, Hannah Sternberg’s Queens of All Earth was completely addicting.  Perfect for the YA audience, the story of Olivia, a girl battling what she doesn’t like to refer to as depression, will relate to many teens and adults alike, myself included.  Sometimes confusing in its descriptions, the story has a new ring to it that I have yet to see in the YA genre.  (And I read many a book…)  Set in Barcelona, the adventure of sisters Olivia and Miranda is an unforgettable one.  Throw in a cute boy, Greg; his calm father Emory; and you’ve got a story to read again and again.