Book Bowl

The Fairy Tales by Jan Pienkowski

2012-01-24T11:05:00.000-08:00

I was at the library yesterday, and I was interested in fairy tales. Now I am not talking about "Beastly" or anything of that sort! I am talking about fairy tales that were told when we were younger. Now, nowadays, people who remake the fairy tales for younger kids, they sugarcoat them. I mean, for example, Disney's "Snow White". They say that she fell to the poison apple. In the true story, Snow White died 2 times then the apple came along. And this book, is actually stories from The Grimm Brothers. So we already know it's the real deal. Besides this, the book is beautifully pictured and it's 185 pages. It also shows how creepy and scary these fairy tales are. I would buy this book, and it's rare that I would buy a book. Plus it's a good read if you want to just relax from school or homework. And I thank Miss Mary for helping me find this book.

The Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature - Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)

2012-01-23T15:17:00.000-08:00

The Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature - Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)

Audition By Stasia Kehoe

2012-01-18T16:05:00.000-08:00

Book or Movie Title:	Audition
Author:	Stasia Kehoe
Type:	Fiction
Review:	This is the book narrated by a newly found ballerina named Sara that\'s on a rare and very much wanted by many girls scholarship to a highly approved dancing school. The problem is that her parent are paycheck to paycheck already and she has to move to a big city to go to her dream school. She lives as a border in one of the teacher\'s homes. She also falls in love with her classmate/teacher that\'s older than her. She\'s confused and she tells her story with her new found passion, writing. The book is written completely in verse, so it\'s a toned down version of Ellen Hopkins. (P.S Who has reviewed the book and really likes it!)
Rating:	4

Willow by Julia Hoban

2012-01-18T15:37:00.000-08:00

Seven months ago, Willow, a girl with only a driver's permit, on a rainy March night, was responsible for driving home her drunk parents. But they never made it, Willow lost control of the car, and both her parents died in that accident. Willow is now seventeen years old, and she's living with her older brother, sister-in-law, and her 6-month-old niece. Ever since the accident, her brother can barely speak to her in a full conversation. Leaving her parents home, her friends, her school all behind. Willow has found a way to torture herself that she's the one that killed her parents- without anyone knowing that she's cutting herself except Guy, a boy that is sensitive as she is. When Guy finds out about Willow's secret, he wants to pull her out of her numb, and torturing world she created for herself. Guy wants to know why she is doing all this, she told him she is doing this because she realized two things. The first is that the emotional pain was going away, it wasn't going to consume her. And the second was that she was stabbing herself, really attacking herself with a screwdriver, a razor, or even a stash and that the physical pain that she was causing for herself was better than the drug they gave to her in the hospital. That pain, that physical pain

Before I Die by Jenny Downham

2012-01-14T10:51:00.000-08:00

Tessa has terminal cancer so she makes a list of what she wants to do before she dies. She is really scared at first but she does the first thing on the list and then goes on to the second. All of them are really dangerous. She just doesn't want to stay wrapped up in a blanket, rest and wait to die. She wants to break rules, to drink, to have fun and to fall in love. Get ready with your handkerchief becuase this sad tearjerker story celebrates what it is to be alive by confronting what it is really like to die.

Beauty Queens

2012-01-03T18:36:00.000-08:00

This book is officially my favorite book, it has girly, romance, humor, and action. All in one! They have that kind of Hunger Games Capital Feel to it though for the Corporation which made you feel like someone was always watching you. There are fifty girls on the plane going to one single place to get judged by beauty, talent, and smarts and one of them to be crowned Miss Teen Dream. They all crash land on a deserted island. Can you imagine what could happen next?

Mermaid's Mirror By L.K Madigan

2011-12-21T20:18:00.000-08:00

I was in a mermaid mood for reading this week. I took outtwo mermaid books this week. I started on this one and I’m just starting thesecond one.

I likedthe way of how the author started the book; she had it stuck in your mind thatshe wanted desperately to surf, but with her dad’s blessing. Her dad won’t gointo the sea after this surfing incident. After she establishes that, she moveson the major plot of the death her birth mother.

Lena,full name Selena is acting strangely. She faints when in high buildings; shesleepwalks to the beach, and finds herself looking for something that shedoesn’t even know what she’s looking for is. She walks around the house humminga strange and staring blankly but not remembering it after. Lena is scaring herfamily. Lena needs something… but she doesn’t know what.

There’sa story that’s waiting to be told to Lena, but no one wants to tell her. Soonenough, the story will tell itself whether Lena or her family wants it or not.Lena will have to stay true to her past.

This was a really good mermaid book. I love romance in anovel, but I don’t like the way it ended. I hope there’s a second book but younever know. Comment, if you read it if you liked the ending or no.

Tiger’s Quest (The Tiger Saga #2) by Colleen Houck

2011-11-15T22:18:00.001-08:00

Tiger’s Quest (The Tiger Saga #2) by Colleen Houck

Hardcover, 457 pages

Published June 7th 2011 by Splinter
Source: Library

Kelsey Hayes is no ordinary college freshman. In fact, the eighteen-year-old girl has just returned from India, where she risked her life—and her heart—to rescue a handsome Indian prince from a terrible curse. Back home in Oregon, Kelsey is determined to move on, despite the lingering feelings she has for the man she left behind. She meets Li, a completely average guy who offers the promise of an ordinary, curse-free life. But just when Kelsey is ready to move on, Ren reenters her life, on a quest to reclaim her heart. Danger threatens their newly rekindled love and to save him, Kelsey must journey with someone else—a man who wants her for himself. The saga begun in Tiger’s Curse continues in Tiger’s Quest, as Kelsey finds herself in an epic battle between good and evil. From the shores of the Pacific Northwest to the jungles of India, the mountains of Nepal and Tibet, and the mystical realm of Shangri-la, this suspenseful tale of love, sacrifice, and redemption is not to be missed. – Goodreads

My Opinion:I have to say that even though i wasn’t in love with Kishan before I am now. I like this coloring more anyways. I like the Black tiger more. If you read my review of Tiger’s Curse you probably saw that pictures I have posted of the two tigers and I have to say, that Kishan looks better.
I have to say that the plot was really interesting. I was a little freaked out that Ren gets kidnapped but it opened up the possibilities between Kishan and Kelsey so thats not bad. We get to learn morea bout Kishan and who is as a person and tiger. I really liked the locations that Colleen Houck used this time around. We talks about the Dalai Lama, and we also visit Tibet and Paradise… it was just amazing. I love this series and can’t wait for the next installment, tiger’s Voyage.
One thing that I really loved was Kishan’s impression of Durga! LOVE IT! He is such a charmer and flirt.
If you want to read the beginning of Tiger’s Voyage, you can do so HERE its on the side of the page but you can read an excerpt of the book and see what to anticipate. Enjoy!
Overall: 5 out of 5!

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks

2011-11-15T22:17:00.000-08:00

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks

Audio CD, Abridged, 5 CDs

Published September 12th 2006 by Random House Audio

Source: Library

“The end was near.” —Voices from the Zombie WarThe Zombie War came unthinkably close to eradicating humanity. Max Brooks, driven by the urgency of preserving the acid-etched first-hand experiences of the survivors from those apocalyptic years, traveled across the United States of America and throughout the world, from decimated cities that once teemed with upwards of thirty million souls to the most remote and inhospitable areas of the planet. He recorded the testimony of men, women, and sometimes children who came face-to-face with the living, or at least the undead, hell of that dreadful time. World War Zis the result. Never before have we had access to a document that so powerfully conveys the depth of fear and horror, and also the ineradicable spirit of resistance, that gripped human society through the plague years.Ranging from the now infamous village of New Dachang in the United Federation of China, where the epidemiological trail began with the twelve-year-old Patient Zero, to the unnamed northern forests where untold numbers sought a terrible and temporary refuge in the cold, to the United States of Southern Africa, where the Redeker Plan provided hope for humanity at an unspeakable price, to the west-of-the-Rockies redoubt where the North American tide finally started to turn, this invaluable chronicle reflects the full scope and duration of the Zombie War.Most of all, the book captures with haunting immediacy the human dimension of this epochal event. Facing the often raw and vivid nature of these personal accounts requires a degree of courage on the part of the reader, but the effort is invaluable because, as Mr. Brooks says in his introduction, “By excluding the human factor, aren’t we risking the kind of personal detachment from history that may, heaven forbid, lead us one day to repeat it? And in the end, isn’t the human factor the only true difference between us and the enemy we now refer to as ‘the living dead’?” Note: Some of the numerical and factual material contained in this edition was previously published under the auspices of the United Nations Postwar Commission.
Eyewitness reports from the first truly global war
“I found ‘Patient Zero’ behind the locked door of an abandoned apartment across town. . . . His wrists and feet were bound with plastic packing twine. Although he’d rubbed off the skin around his bonds, there was no blood. There was also no blood on his other wounds. . . . He was writhing like an animal; a gag muffled his growls. At first the villagers tried to hold me back. They warned me not to touch him, that he was ‘cursed.’ I shrugged them off and reached for my mask and gloves. The boy’s skin was . . . cold and gray . . . I could find neither his heartbeat nor his pulse.” —Dr. Kwang Jingshu, Greater Chongqing, United Federation of China
“‘Shock and Awe’? Perfect name. . . . But what if the enemy can’t be shocked and awed? Not just won’t, but biologically can’t! That’s what happened that day outside New York City, that’s the failure that almost lost us the whole damn war. The fact that we couldn’t shock and awe Zack boomeranged right back in our faces and actually allowed Zack to shock and awe us! They’re not afraid! No matter what we do, no matter how many we kill, they will never, ever be afraid!” —Todd Wainio, former U.S. Army infantryman and veteran of the Battle of Yonkers
“Two hundred million zombies. Who can even visualize that type of number, let alone combat it? . . . For the first time in history, we faced an enemy that was actively waging total war. They had no limits of endurance. They would never negotiate, never surrender. They would fight until the very end because, unlike us, every single one of them, every second of every day, was devoted to consuming all life on Earth.” —General Travis D’Ambrosia, Supreme Allied Commander, Europe. – Goodreads

My Opinion: This was pretty interesting. It sort of reminded me of Resident Evil. If you are considering reading this I definitely suggest listening to it because it is “an oral history” and there are many readers. The readers have different voice and accents that add to the story. This was really cool. I liked that Max Brooks also participated in the reading. I really liked that there were so many different perspectives on how the World War Z happened and how people reacted in a time of crisis.

Something that I found really cool was that this is currently being made into a movie, and Bradd Pitt is one of the main actors for the movie. I thought that was pretty cool. I think more zombie movies need to be made.

Overall: 4 out of 5

Tantalize: Kieren’s Story (Tantalize #1) by Cynthia Leitich Smith, Ming Doyle

2011-11-15T22:16:00.000-08:00

Tantalize: Kieren’s Story (Tantalize #1) by Cynthia Leitich Smith, Ming Doyle

Paperback, 192 pages

Published August 23rd 2011 by Candlewick Press

Source: Library

Illustrated by hot new talent Ming Doyle, Cynthia Leitich Smith’s TANTALIZE is reimagined as a graphic novel— seen through Kieren’s werewolf eyes.As a hybrid werewolf, Kieren is destined to join an urban Wolf pack and learn to master his shift. Soon, he’ll leave everything behind: home, school, his family, and Quincie, his human best friend . . . who’s beginning to be a whole lot more than a friend. For years, Kieren has managed to keep his desires— and his wolf— at bay. But when the chef at Quincie’ s family restaurant is brutally murdered, Kieren resolves to be there for her, even if it means being framed. Even if it means watching Quincie’s beloved restaurant morph into a vampire lair. But when the new chef begins wooing her, how long can Kieren control his claws? How long can he protect Quincie— and himself? In an elegant graphic edition featuring cinematic sequential art by debut artist Ming Doyle and lush, romantic cover art by Sam Weber , bestselling author Cynthia Leitich Smith re-envisions her delicious dark fantasy through wolfish eyes. – Goodreads

My Opinion: This was an interesting read. I haven’t read the book series that this graphic novel is based on but it was interesting. I might read the books now. I though that the art was really cool. The cover is GORGEOUS. I love the hair in the background, it makes Kieren look like he has wings.

Anyways, the novel is about a guy that is a werewolf and about how he tries to figure out what is happening to his town because people are disappearing all over the place. And because he knows some of the victims, he is one of the top suspects. However, everything changes for him when his girlfriend starts acting weird around the new chef at her restaurant and her behavior changes.

The plot was intriguing and interesting. Something that I didn’t like however was that he knew who it was and he didn’t really act on it. Especially when in the end it turned out that he was right and that what he had thought was true and as a result, people and his girlfriend ended up being hurt.

Overall: 3.75 out of 5

Twilight Graphic Novel Volume 2 by Stephenie Meyer and Young Kim

2011-11-15T22:15:00.000-08:00

Twilight Graphic Novel Volume 2 by Stephenie Meyer and Young Kim

Hardcover, 240 pages

Published October 11th 2011 by Yen Press

Source: Library

Having uncovered the dark secret of her enigmatic classmate, Edward Cullen, Bella Swan embraces her feelings for him, trusting Edward to keep her safe despite the risks. When a rival clan of vampires makes its way into Forks, though, the danger to Bella has never been more real. Will she make the ultimate sacrifice to protect the people dearest to her?The second volume of Twilight: The Graphic Novelcompletes the visual adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s worldwide bestselling debut novel and is a must-have for any collector’s library. – Goodreads

My Opinion: The art work was amazing just as in the first volume. I am also really glad the story/plot was kept the same as the book. I even think that it connected the movie to the books very well. The line that James says to Bella when they are at the dance studio is included in here and I thought that was pretty cool. The dialogue flowed and was well written. Most of it was dialogue straight from the book which was pretty cool.
I hope that thy continue with the graphic novels. The are is very beautiful and I would love to see the wedding, not the movie version, but the version in which Stephenie Meyer envisioned it. It would be brilliant to see I think, because we can draw thing that don’t exist.
Overall: 4 out of 5

Isle of Night (Watchers, #1) by Veronica Wolff

2011-11-15T22:13:00.001-08:00

Isle of Night (Watchers, #1) by Veronica Wolff

Paperback, 302 pages

Published September 6th 2011 by NAL Trade

Source: Library

Is life offering fewer and fewer options? Then join the dead.
When Annelise meets dark and seductive Ronan, he promises her a new life-if she has the courage to chance the unknown. Now, she’s whisked away to a mysterious island and pitted against other female recruits to become a Watcher-girls who are partnered with vampires and assist them in their missions. To survive and become a Watcher, Annelise has to beat out every other girl, but she’s determined to do so, because to fail doesn’t mean dishonor-it means death. – Goodreads

My opinion: The plot was interesting it had promise. The only thing I did not like was that Drew kept saying how smart she was over and over again and thinking that being smart made her better than everyone else in a way. Something else that bothered me was that she was so willing to jump into situations. For such a smart girl… she is not very smart. However, I liked her. After all that she has been through in life, she wanted an escape maybe that is why she didn’t really question Ronan.
Anyways, my favorite character had to be Master Alcantara. He is my sort of vampire, alluring, smart. The interesting thing about him was that it appears that he is the chooser of the girls. As well as that he was really smart. I like that.
I also sort of liked how the story ended. I will be reading the second book in the series. Even though the books were about the vampires, it seemed as though the story wasn’t based on the actually vampires. It was basically about Drew and these students and the way that they have to survive. It was an interesting idea, it reminded me a little of Vampire Academy, but more blood thirsty and vicious, with a little more edge.
Overall: 4 out of 5

The Hunger Games Official Trailer 2012 HD

2011-11-15T09:55:00.000-08:00

Once In a Full Moon (Full Moon, #1) by Ellen Schreiber

2011-11-04T21:55:00.000-07:00

Once In a Full Moon (Full Moon, #1) by Ellen Schreiber

Hardcover, 292 pages

Published December 28th 2010 by Katherine Tegen Books

Source: Copy won in giveaway

Beware of a kiss under the full moon. It will change your life forever.
Celeste Parker is used to hearing scary stories about werewolves—Legend’s Run is famous for them. She’s used to everything in the small town until Brandon Maddox moves to Legend’s Run and Celeste finds herself immediately drawn to the handsome new student. But when, after an unnerving visit with a psychic, she encounters a pack of wolves and gorgeous, enigmatic Brandon, she must discover whether his transformation is more than legend or just a trick of the shadows in the moonlight.
Her best friends may never forgive her if she gives up her perfect boyfriend, Nash, for Brandon, who’s from the wrong side of town. But she can’t deny her attraction or the strong pull he has on her. Brandon may be Celeste’s hero, or he may be the most dangerous creature she could encounter in the woods of Legend’s Run.
Psychic predictions, generations-old secrets, a town divided, and the possibility of falling in love with a hot and heroic werewolf are the perfect formula for what happens . . . once in a full moon. – Goodreads

My Opinion: I have to say… the concept of this was interesting… the writing… not so much. Ellen Schreiber had me hooked on Vampire Kisses books, and when I found out that there was going to be a series on werewolves, I was really excited and I have had this on my shelves for a while now waiting for the perfect time when I can read this and just relax and enjoy it. I have been anticipating this. But now I am sad to report that it wasn’t all that. It was just a simple read, REALLY simple. There wasn’t really any thinking involved in this one the only big thing that made me think in the whole story was who was impersonating the werewolf on the news.
Thee really is nothing else to say about the book. I might read the second in the series but it very doubtful. I would most likely read it just to see that it gets better, I am hoping, just hoping that it gets better.
Overall: 2.5 out of 5

The Iron Knight (Iron Fey #4) by Julie Kagawa

2011-11-04T21:49:00.000-07:00

The Iron Knight (Iron Fey #4) by Julie Kagawa

Paperback, 361 pages

Published October 25th 2011 by Harlequin

Source: eARC from NetGalley

My name- my True Name- is Ashallyn’darkmyr Tallyn. I am the last remaining song of Mab, Queen of the Unseelie Court.And I am dead to her. My fall began, as many stories do, with a girl…
To cold faery prince Ash, love was a weakness for mortals and fools. His own love had died a horrible death, killing gentler feelings the Winter Prince might have had. Or so he thought.
Then Meghan Chase- a half-human, half-fey slip of a girl- smashed through his barricades, binding him to her irrevocably with his oath to be her knight. And when all of Faery nearly fell to the Iron fey, she severed their bond to save his life. Meghan is now the Iron Queen, ruler of a realm where no Winter or Summer faery can survive,
With the unwelcome company of his archrival, Summer Court prankster Puck, and the infuriating cait sith Grimalkin, Ash begins a journey he is bound to see through its end- a quest to find a way to honor his vow to stand by Meghan’s side.
To survive the Iron Realm, Ash must have a soul and a mortal body. But the tests he must face to earn these things are impossible. And along the way, Ash learns something that changes everything. A truth that challenges his darkest beliefs and shows him that, sometimes, it takes more than courage to make the ultimate sacrifice. -Goodreads

My opinion: Wow… I think I have a new favorite character in the series. I is not Ash, it is the Big Bad Wolf. I have always been a dog person but this wolf totally rocked. I can’t believe what he was willing to do for Ash, or to have this story told about his part.

Anyways, the plot was really cool, I really liked the village of the Forgotten and the mayor was seriously freaky and the Spider woman. I liked the challenges that Ash had to face on his journey, it kept me on my toes just as he was kept on his toes. It was fun going through everything with him and experience it as he did. I’m glad that he learned what it means to be a human. Another character that I really liked was the Guardian, even though he technically plays an antagonist because he is in the way of Ash and his goal of becoming human, he teaches Ash something that I think is very important.

But overall, I’m glad with who was on the quest with him and I am also very happy that Meghan made a couple of cameos throughout the novel.

Overall: The novel rocked and I give it a 4.75 out of 5 stars!

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

2011-11-01T22:25:00.000-07:00

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Hardcover, 338 pages

Published September 29th 2011 by Dutton

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion . . . she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit — more sparkly, more fun, more wild — the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.When Cricket — a gifted inventor — steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door. – Goodreads

My Opinion: I have to say that although the location was not as interesting as Anna and the French Kiss because this was a suburb and not Paris but I liked Lola. She was quirky and i liked that about her. She was easy to relate to because of her personality, she was just so loveable, I would trade her for Anna. The guy, Cricket, however I would trade for Ettiene. So both books had something I loved about each of them but put together they rock.

I also really liked that Anna and Ettiene made appearances in the novel. It brought the books closer together as a continuation sort because it showed how they were getting more serious and that made me smile and be happy. I liked knowing how the relationship was going. I also really liked Max. Even though he was mean in the end and the relationship ended badly, there was just something about his bad boy image that was very appealing, especially when she talked about what he read and the topics he liked to talk about in the beginning of the book.

Anyways, I loved Lola just because of how fun she is. I love that she dresses. It shows a lot about a person that they are willing to show off their alter egos to the world.

Overall: 4.5 out of 5

Funny, If It Weren’t So True

2011-10-20T16:03:00.000-07:00

Funny, If It Weren’t So True

Celebrate Teen Read Week with Simon & Schuster

2011-10-19T07:02:00.000-07:00

Celebrate Teen Read Week with Simon & Schuster

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #1) by Michelle Hodkin

2011-10-15T20:13:00.000-07:00

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #1) by Michelle Hodkin

Hardcover, 452 pages

Published September 27th 2011 by Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing

Mara Dyer doesn’t think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.
It can.
She believes there must be more to the accident she can’t remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.
There is.
She doesn’t believe that after everything she’s been through, she can fall in love.
She’s wrong. -Goodreads

My Opinion: I really enjoyed this book. Mara was a really cool character and what she was able to do, I haven’t read a book about a character being able to do that before. It was really interesting. The concept f her power and the guys were not bad. Noah and Jamie were awesome. How they both stuck up for her.

I loved how Michelle Hodkin did the amnesia aspect so that as she was discovering what really happened the night her two friends and boyfriend died, the readers were discovering it along with her. I really liked that and wish there were more books out there like that. I was amazed at how much people were led in their emotions, especially Anna. Jealously leading to the point of cruelty. Jamie was a really cool character, I think he was one of my favorite characters. I loved how much he cared about Mara and how he protected her.

This was a really good debut novel. I would definitely recommend this for readers looking for a good romance/paranormal/mystery novel to read.
Overall: 5 out of 5

Wildefire (Wildefire #1) by Karsten Knight

2011-10-15T18:41:00.000-07:00

Wildefire (Wildefire #1) by Karsten Knight

Hardcover, 400 pages

Published July 26th 2011 by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

Every flame begins with a spark.
Ashline Wilde is having a rough sophomore year. She’s struggling to find her place as the only Polynesian girl in school, her boyfriend just cheated on her, and now her runaway sister, Eve, has decided to barge back into her life. When Eve’s violent behavior escalates and she does the unthinkable, Ash transfers to a remote private school nestled in California’s redwoods, hoping to put the tragedy behind her. But her fresh start at Blackwood Academy doesn’t go as planned. Just as Ash is beginning to enjoy the perks of her new school—being captain of the tennis team, a steamy romance with a hot, local park ranger—Ash discovers that a group of gods and goddesses have mysteriously enrolled at Blackwood…and she’s one of them. To make matters worse, Eve has resurfaced to haunt Ash, and she’s got some strange abilities of her own. With a war between the gods looming over campus, Ash must master the new fire smoldering within before she clashes with her sister one more time… And when warm and cold fronts collide, there’s guaranteed to be a storm. - Goodreads

My Opinion: I really enjoyed reading this novel. There were many things that I really enjoyed about ti. One thing was the mystery of who she was. I also really liked the supporting characters, who also happened to be Gods like her. I was really surprised about her love life and at the beginning I really liked her sister for some reason. It might have had something to do with her take no prisoners persona in a way and that was something that I really liked about her. I also liked that she wasn't afraid to say what was on her mind and did not really care about the consequences, (which is something that I think every single one of us, think about on a daily bases). Ash however, even though it appears as though she has a tough exterior and doesn't care about people and consequences, she definitely cares.

The plot was interesting. I really liked how they find out who they are and that they have these missions that they have to complete. What I didn't like was that although there was some resistance as to who they were, because they had experienced all of these things previously, they trusted their "prophet" for all intents and purposes really quickly and gave her credit.

Overall, the characters were interesting and the plot keeps you guessing as to who is who (Godwise and other things (don't want to give it away!))

Overall: 4.5 out of 5
If you want to read an excerpt of Wildefire, here is the first Chapter CLICK HERE!

Fins are Forever

2011-10-06T16:30:00.001-07:00

Fins Are Forever:

Aremermaids real to you? They are to Lily; in fact she’s a walking one. She takeslong hot…saltwater baths. She’s in love with this really hot guy named Brody.They’re perfect together; he’s hot, buff, and a swim team captain. She totallywants to go out with him, except she’s got to get over of the fear to talk tohim. It’s her time to act when he and his long-time cheerleader girlfriendbreak up. She finally gets to courage to ask him to the dance when her annoyingneighbor Quince tells her that he’s going stag for the dance. Lily doesn’tbelieve him and think it’s just a stupid prank to keep her alone forever. Butit’s true; Brody was going to the dance alone. So Quince comes up with a quickplan for Brody and Lily to meet up… and this is where all the action plusromance starts.

I loved this book. I finished it in a day. This book isamazing in both cliffhanging and romance. I love the sequel also. It’s almostimpossible to not love world of Lily and her love.

Speak

2011-10-06T16:30:00.000-07:00

Speak

By:

Laurie Halse Anderson

Speak isabout a fifteen year old girl that is nearly mute, depressive, and alone. Highschool still dances around her taunting her. She’s doesn’t really care, eventhough she doesn’t say much on the outside she has a lot of thoughts on theinside. Melinda is now known as the girl that doesn’t speak nor has friends;she pulls a disappearing act sometimes. She is known as the “Girl that calledthe cops at that last great party”. Whatpeople don’t know is why and why is she so depressed? Last year, people knewMelinda had a friends, she talked quite a lot even if she didn’t have a say ineverything. Something happened that pushed Melinda over the edge, but… what?Melinda won’t Speak.

I read a lot of books but never like this book. It kept meon the edge of my seat. I loved it. I read it more than a couple times. I amnow reading it for a small group assignment. I thought that I would becompletely bored with it reading it, but it was like I just read it for thefirst time.

This is a great book to read at school.

Perfect By Ellen Hopkins

2011-10-04T16:00:00.000-07:00

I thought that this new book was just as great as all of her other books. My number one was identical but I think perfect is a close second.

Don't you just love the cover?

Goodreads
"Everyone has something, someone, somewhere else that they’d rather be. For four high-school seniors, their goals of perfection are just as different as the paths they take to get there.
Cara’s parents’ unrealistic expectations have already sent her twin brother Conner spiraling toward suicide. For her, perfect means rejecting their ideals to take a chance on a new kind of love. Kendra covets the perfect face and body—no matter what surgeries and drugs she needs to get there. To score his perfect home run—on the field and off—Sean will sacrifice more than he can ever win back. And Andre realizes that to follow his heart and achieve his perfect performance, he’ll be living a life his ancestors would never have understood.
Everyone wants to be perfect, but when perfection loses its meaning, how far will you go? What would you give up to be perfect?
A riveting and startling companion to the bestselling Impulse, Ellen Hopkins's Perfect exposes the harsh truths about what it takes to grow up and grow into our own skins, our own selves."

I thought that the book had all the right character and plot along with a perfectly patterned and tied together ending.... Makes you wonder... What would you do to be perfect...?

There's a perfect bookvid on the right http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9917945-perfect

Tell It to Naomi

2011-09-22T18:30:00.000-07:00

This book is about a teenage boy in high school who is struggling. He has a hot older sister in which everyone looks up to, Naomi. Everything goes wrong when his sister Naomi faxes her brother sample advice column to her ex-boyfriend/ her brother's English teacher and Newspaper Teacher. He starts writing advice to high school classmates..... This doesn't sound to bad right? But what if he's posing as his sister while writing all the advice?

Cleopatra Confesses

2011-09-20T16:00:00.000-07:00

Cleopatra Confesses was an interesting book to read. The back of the book with all of the facts and how she researches was something worth to read. I thought that the story itself was good also this fictional story goes a lot along the lines of the Elizabeth Taylor's Cleopatra. But if you really wanted to read about her whole life, I wouldn't read this book. While it was all-together very fascinating. it only delved into your younger years, thirteen though eighteen. I was deeply disappointed that it didn't go very much into her relationship with Marc Anthony.

Be sure to watch Cleopatra Starring Elizabeth Taylor! A wonderful companion to this book.

Kiss in Time By Alex Flinn

2011-09-18T12:09:00.000-07:00

I loved this book. As you should know, Beastly is a book also by Alex Flinn that has made it big by being made into a movie. She has started making classic fairy tales into funny modern novels.
A Kiss in time is a book based on the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty. It is very much the same except the main character in this movie doesn't live in a cottage in the woods for the first sixteen months of her life with fairies. No, no. She is a spoiled brat of a princess because she gets what ever she likes as long as she stays away from the needle of her death.
One day from her sixteen birthday she asks for the most perfect dress in the world for her birthday ball. The king invited all of the finest seamstresses and dress designers to bring their most wonderful dress designs. This is where the princess meets the wicked witch that has cursed her. The next thing she knows. She's being kissed by a boy. A boy in "Old Navy" cloth on him. He tells her that it is 300 years from the year that she fell asleep. This is where the story gets exciting.

Glow (Sky Chasers #1) by Amy Kathleen Ryan

2011-09-09T19:47:00.001-07:00

Glow (Sky Chasers #1) by Amy Kathleen Ryan

Hardcover, 307 pages

Expected publication: September 13th 2011 by St. Martin’s Griffin

What if you were bound for a new world, about to pledge your life to someone you’d been promised to since birth, and one unexpected violent attack made survival—not love—the issue?Out in the murky nebula lurks an unseen enemy: the New Horizon. On its way to populate a distant planet in the wake of Earth’s collapse, the ship’s crew has been unable to conceive a generation to continue its mission. They need young girls desperately, or their zealous leader’s efforts will fail. Onboard their sister ship, the Empyrean, the unsuspecting families don’t know an attack is being mounted that could claim the most important among them… Fifteen-year-old Waverly is part of the first generation to be successfully conceived in deep space; she was born on the Empyrean, and the large farming vessel is all she knows. Her concerns are those of any teenager—until Kieran Alden proposes to her. The handsome captain-to-be has everything Waverly could ever want in a husband, and with the pressure to start having children, everyone is sure he’s the best choice. Except for Waverly, who wants more from life than marriage—and is secretly intrigued by the shy, darkly brilliant Seth.
But when the Empyrean faces sudden attack by their assumed allies, they quickly find out that the enemies aren’t all from the outside. – Goodreads

My Opinion: This was interesting. I think that Amanda was my favorite character. She seemed like someone who had influence but didn’t know how much. Also, that she was willing to right a wrong that was committed, I admire that about her. I also really like Waverly. Kiernan seems to be someone who does’t necessarily understand what others are trying to say because he has always been in a position of power.

At first the plot reminded of Across the Universe and the other cover for this book is VERY similar to that of Across the Universe. However, as I continued to read the book, the book changed and it allowed me to move past the AtU and it became interesting. I really liked the dual point of view, from Kiernan and Waverly and we get to see the world and what is happening to each of them and how their worlds change. Something that really surprised me though was how the New Horizon treated them and how they did what they did. I have to admit though, Anne Mather wanted power and she got it, she is one smart woman. I wonder if she is going to still be in control in the second novel. She seemed like a very powerful character because of her manipulations. It sort of made me wonder whether you can trust anything she was telling the girls, especially about the history of the training, although it is highly probable that she was telling the truth about that.

I really liked Seth as a character as well, he was scared but was willing to step up and help and try to be in charge and keep cool especially when his father died, because of the actions of Kiernan.

Overall it was an interesting read and in the end one question kept popping into my mind, What would you do in space without any adults and only having controlled the space shuttle through simulation? Would you panic?

Overall: 4.5 out of 5

Wolfsbane (Nightshade #2) by Andrea Cremer

2011-09-08T17:43:00.000-07:00

Wolfsbane (Nightshade #2) by Andrea Cremer

Hardcover, 390 pages

Published July 26th 2011 by Penguin Young Readers Group

When Calla Tor wakes up in the lair of the Searchers, her sworn enemies, she’s certain her days are numbered. But then the Searchers make her an offer—one that gives her the chance to destroy her former masters and save the pack—and the man—she left behind. Is Ren worth the price of her freedom? And will Shay stand by her side no matter what? Now in control of her own destiny, Calla must decide which battles are worth fighting and how many trials true love can endure and still survive. – Goodreads

My opinion: I have to admit that i was surprised by this one. Most of the time when new books are published in a series, they aren’t as good as the first. However, I think this might have been better than Nightshade. I really liked the progress between the relationships of the characters. The only disappointment I had was that Ren wasn’t as much in the book as I had hoped. I also had my reservations about the cover, I really really really liked the old ones but now that I see the cover in my hands on the book, its not that bad, in fact its starting to grow on me so that’s good, maybe they should make the covers double-sided. But now lets focus on other things.

I really liked the new characters. Calla improved and so did Shay. There was good background information on who/what Shay is but not enough to make the readers not want to know more. It was just the right amount of information. I really liked the action in the story. Although it wasn’t that much, the whole book seemed to be filled with tension because the The Seekers and the Wolves didn’t know whether they could trust each other or not and the tension was so great that you could feel it, Andrea Cremer did a GREAT job expressing that.

Overall, the book kept me interested in it and I kept wanting to read it. It was a fast and easy read because of how fast paced it was and the book only covers a couple of days/ maybe a week after the ending of Nightshade.

Overall: 4.75 out of 5

To read the first chapter of Bloodrose (Nightshade, #3) click HERE

A review of John Green's "An Abundance of Katherines"

2011-09-03T11:28:00.000-07:00

A former child prodigy named Colin only dates girls named Katherine, and every time he does, they seem to spurn him. He has dated nineteen of them so far, and is starting to despair after the nineteenth of them rejected him after 6 months of being together. In his dejected self pity, he accompanies his best friend Hassan on a road trip across America, and ends up finding laughs, love, and math in the tiny hamlet of Gutshot, Tennessee. The author of this book, John Green, has made many books along these same lines (an erudite, but highly neurotic Woody Allenesque character with a gratingly snarky best friend obsesses over an equally intelligent/neurotic, but inaccessible girl, and learns valuable life lessons along the way), including Paper Towns, Looking for Alaska, and this book, but I chose this one for its happier ending. It was less sad, and awkwardly erotic than Looking for Alaska, was less existentially postmodern than Paper Towns, and was less disparate in tone than Will Grayson, Will Grayson. It was laugh out loud funny at points, and disenhearteningly sad at others. The main character was so annoying that I wanted to stop reading, but the less irritating side characters lessened my urge to play discus with the book. Over all, quite entertaining and emotionally resonant, even with its flaws, and is my favorite of Green's oeuvre.

Sea By Heidi R. Kling

2011-08-30T19:18:00.000-07:00

Sea was a wonderful book that gave me a lot of insight of how it is to live in Indonesia. This book had a lot of romance, just my type of book.

Review on Goodreads:

Still haunted by nightmares of her mother's death, fifteen-year-old Sienna Jones reluctantly travels to Indonesia with her father's relief team to help tsunami orphans with their post traumatic stress disorder-something Sienna knows a lot about. Since her mother's plane went missing over the Indian Ocean three years before, Sienna doesn't do anything if it involves the ocean or planes, so this trip is a big step forward.

But the last thing she expects is to fall for Deni, a brooding Indonesian boy who lives at the orphanage, and just so happens to be HOT. When Deni hears a rumor that his father may be alive, Sienna doesn't think twice about running away with him to the epicenter of the disaster. Unfortunately, what they find there could break both their hearts.
A compelling summer romance, Sea marks the arrival of a stunning new voice in YA.

She does have an amazing way of writing and I enjoyed reading it a lot. I think it just might be one of my many favorite books. One of the interesting things that I learned is that people in Indonesia don't have toilet paper, so they eat with their right hand when they eat, it's disrespectful to point your toes at somebody,they aren't very sanitary since the country is in poverty, and I learned many more customs in this book. Heidi really did her research!

Uncommon Criminals (Heist Society, #2) by Ally Carter

2011-08-03T21:59:00.000-07:00

Uncommon Criminals (Heist Society, #2) by Ally Carter

Hardcover, 298 pages

Published June 21st 2011 by Hyperion Book CH

Katarina Bishop has worn a lot of labels in her short life life. Friend. Niece. Daughter. Thief. But for the last two months she’s simply been known as the girl who ran the crew that robbed the greatest museum in the world. That’s why Kat isn’t surprised when she’s asked to steal the infamous Cleopatra Emerald so it can be returned to its rightful owners. There are only three problems. First, the gem hasn’t been seen in public in thirty years. Second, since the fall of the Egyptian empire and the suicide of Cleopatra, no one who holds the emerald keeps it for long, and in Kat’s world, history almost always repeats itself. But it’s the third problem that makes Kat’s crew the most nervous and that is simply… the emerald is cursed.
Kat might be in way over her head, but she’s not going down without a fight. After all she has her best friend—the gorgeous Hale—and the rest of her crew with her as they chase the Cleopatra around the globe, dodging curses, realizing that the same tricks and cons her family has used for centuries are useless this time.
Which means, this time, Katarina Bishop is making up her own rules. – Goodreads

My Opinion: This was a quick read for me. I love Ally Carter and I especially love Katarina. She is one of my favorite characters to read about. I loved her even more in this one because of how she is. Hale is also a favorite of mine and I am very glad that Nick made another appearance in this novel. The Cleopatra Emerald sounds really cool. I wonder if its actually part of real history.The plot had me going. I was full of adrenaline just like Katarina and Hale and the rest of the team. I just could not put the book down. It was just powerful.

I really liked the mission. The twists were amazing. I really thought that Katarina and her team failed, but they rocked it. Ally Carter did an amazing job with the plot for this. She had me guessing the whole time about what the actually plan was and how they were going to do it. I really hope there is another book in the series but honestly the way the book ended I would be happy with the ending of the series.

Something that I really enjoyed was the beginning of the book. How is describes the job Katarina did in Moscow. It’s just amazing. I also really enjoyed the different perspectives we get from the other characters on how they perceive Katarina. It made her seem more real and tangible. Ever since the Gallagher Girls series, I have been a huge fan of Ally Carter and I haven’t been disappointed by her, if anything she exceeds my expectations every time. I can’t wait to see what else she is going to write.

Overall: 5 out of 5

Anne Of Green Gables

2011-07-31T15:37:00.000-07:00

I started reading Anne of Green Gables because of High School Entrance Exam. I thought Anne of Green Gables was going to be a dreadfully boring book that talks in confusing Old English. I was wrong. Anne of Green Gables is a wonderful series that I now enjoy reading. Anne is highly amusing to read about. Anne is the stereotype redhead though. She has a temper to match with her hair, but she's also very imaginative and comes from a interesting background. She's a orphan ever since she was a baby when both of her parents die. She was raising by a neighbor with three sets of twins and two more children. Anne in return was forced to help raise and take care of these children. Mrs. Thomas can't take care of her anymore so she is sent to an aslyum, which is an orphanage in the old days. Anne finally accidentally lands in the loving hands of Marilla and Matthew. The Anne series is about Anne growing up, meeting kindred souls, and falling in love. This is a great book and so great that there are television shows about the series and movies.

My rating: ***** out of 5
Comments: Most enjoyable old book I've read yet.

Die For Me (Revenants, #1) by Amy Plum

2011-07-16T20:05:00.001-07:00

Die For Me (Revenants, #1) by Amy Plum

Hardcover, 341 pages

Published May 10th 2011 by HarperTeen

In the City of Lights, two star-crossed lovers battle a fate that is destined to tear them apart again and again for eternity. When Kate Mercier’s parents die in a tragic car accident, she leaves her life–and memories–behind to live with her grandparents in Paris. For Kate, the only way to survive her pain is escaping into the world of books and Parisian art. Until she meets Vincent.Mysterious, charming, and devastatingly handsome, Vincent threatens to melt the ice around Kate’s guarded heart with just his smile. As she begins to fall in love with Vincent, Kate discovers that he’s a revenant–an undead being whose fate forces him to sacrifice himself over and over again to save the lives of others. Vincent and those like him are bound in a centuries-old war against a group of evil revenants who exist only to murder and betray. Kate soon realizes that if she follows her heart, she may never be safe again.In this incandescent debut, newcomer Amy Plum has created a powerful paranormal mythology with immortal revenants. The Paris setting comes enchantingly alive as a relentless struggle between good and evil takes place in its streets. Rich with romance, atmosphere, and thrills, Die for Me will leave readers breathlessly awaiting its sequel. – Goodreads

My Opinion: this was an interesting read. I really liked the different ways that Vincent’s supernaturalness is described and it was just different. However something that bugged me a little was that it was a little similar to Twilight. For example the way the relationship started out, about how Kate became obsessive about Vincent reminded me of Bella and Edward. But other than that I think that the story was unique.

I really enjoyed the ending. It just worked really well I think. I can’t wait to see what the next one in the series is going to be like. I also really enjoyed the setting. I wonder if the locations in the book are there in Paris. Like the out door market that Vincent showed Kate.

Plus the cover is GORGEOUS! I really like the dress. I think its supposed to be like the one that she gets from Vincent.

Overall I think the story was cute and sweet and a great read.

Overall: 4 out of 5

The Vampire Stalker by Allison van Diepen

2011-07-16T20:04:00.000-07:00

The Vampire Stalker by Allison van Diepen

Hardcover, 272 pages

Published June 1st 2011 by Point

What if the characters in a vampire novel left their world–and came into yours?
Amy is in love with someone who doesn’t exist: Alexander Banks, the dashing hero in a popular series of vampire novels. Then one night, Amy meets a boy who bears an eerie resemblance to Alexander. In fact, he IS Alexander, who has escaped from the pages of the book and is in hot pursuit of a wicked vampire named Vigo. Together, Amy and Alexander set out to track Vigo and learn how and why Alexander crossed over. But when she and Alexander begin to fall for each other, Amy wonders if she even wants him to ever return to the realm of fiction. – Goodreads

My Opinion: this was definitely a unique read. There were lots of great things but i have to say that this is the first book where I have read that does the whole relationship with a character from a book. It was just interesting to keep reading to see what Vigo would do and how Alexander would react and if finally Amy and Alexander would go anywhere with their relationship.

My favorite character was Katie. Not just because she has my name, but also because she is tiny and can do A LOT of damage, physically. But we also share some similar qualities and she seems like a great friend to have in a time of crisis.

I also really enjoyed that I was on my toes the whole entire time wanting to know when Vigo’s next victim would come and who they would be especially when he started threatening Amy and her family and friends. It was interesting watching the development between all the characters. I really also enjoyed how the police reacted to the “vampire murders” and how they were willing to accept the impossible. I don’t think that would happen in real life. But I also really enjoyed that they were willing to work with Amy on how to defeat him.

The ending was interesting as well. I don’t want to spoil it but I really hope that there will a second or third book to this novel. But I haven’t heard anything about it. Plus the cover is really interesting.

Overall: 4.75 out of 5

Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury

2011-07-16T20:02:00.001-07:00

Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury

Hardcover, 320 pages

Published May 24th 2011 by Atheneum

Agnes Wilkins is standing in front of an Egyptian mummy, about to make the first cut into the wrappings, about to unlock ancient (and not-so-ancient) history.Maybe you think this girl is wearing a pith helmet with antique dust swirling around her.Maybe you think she is a young Egyptologist who has arrived in Cairo on camelback. Maybe she would like to think that too. Agnes Wilkins dreams of adventures that reach beyond the garden walls, but reality for a seventeen-year-old debutante in 1815 London does not allow for camels—or dust, even. No, Agnes can only see a mummy when she is wearing a new silk gown and standing on the verdant lawns of Lord Showalter’s estate, with chaperones fussing about and strolling sitar players straining to create an exotic “atmosphere” for the first party of the season. An unwrapping.
This is the start of it all, Agnes’s debut season, the pretty girl parade that offers only ever-shrinking options: home, husband, and high society. It’s also the start of something else, because the mummy Agnes unwraps isn’t just a mummy. It’s a host for a secret that could unravel a new destiny—unleashing mystery, an international intrigue, and possibly a curse in the bargain.
Get wrapped up in the adventure . . . but keep your wits about you, dear Agnes. – Goodreads

My Opinion: This was a fun read. It was an interesting mystery and I liked the historical aspect. It was fun to see the mix of Egyptian history put in with the British/French war. It was fun to see how Napoleon was viewed by the British at that time period. I really liked the whole espionage aspect as well. It was interesting to see how Agnes and her partner would try to lose the person who is following them to see who the actual double agent is.

Agnes was also a really interesting character because of how restricted her life would have been had she actually wanted to follow the norms for women at the time. I love that she spoke so many languages and had all of these dreams and hopes to see the world. The setting was also pretty interesting because what she had to do for the time, all the sneaking around and the fun I think she was having with that.

Overall, I really hope that this will be a series because the ending was amazing and left an opening for a series in my opinion that could lead to a popular series.

Overall: 4.75 out of 5

A review of "Be More Chill" by Ned Vizzini

2011-06-24T08:34:00.000-07:00

How would I describe this book? Probably as "a satirical social critique disguised as a John Greenesque high school sex comedy." With a narrative voice straight out of a Woody Allen film, Ned Vizzini tells the story of a typical neurotic teenaged schmuck named Jeremy Heere, who inhabits a very atypical plot. He, wanting to be more cool, swallows a pill called a "squip" which is a supercomputer in pill form that begins to inhabit his brain and control his life. This makes him cool, but at the same time takes a toll on his personal life. Did I like Be More Chill? That's a hard question. Often the tone of the book was too arch-snobbish for me, and the wannabe-Byron protagonist often grated, but the little complexities (e.g. the implied fact that the book is set in an alternate reality) and the dry, sarcastic sense of humor that the squip (who speaks with Jeremy throughout the entire book) itself has pushes past those small disputes I had before. Over all, Be More Chill is a flawed, but entertaining book.

Enclave (Razorland, #1) by Ann Aguirre

2011-06-21T22:58:00.001-07:00

Enclave (Razorland, #1) by Ann Aguirre

Hardcover, 259 pages

Published April 12th 2011 by Feiwel & Friends

WELCOME TO THE APOCALYPSE In Deuce’s world, people earn the right to a name only if they survive their first fifteen years. By that point, each unnamed ‘brat’ has trained into one of three groups–Breeders, Builders, or Hunters, identifiable by the number of scars they bear on their arms. Deuce has wanted to be a Huntress for as long as she can remember.
As a Huntress, her purpose is clear—to brave the dangerous tunnels outside the enclave and bring back meat to feed the group while evading ferocious monsters known as Freaks. She’s worked toward this goal her whole life, and nothing’s going to stop her, not even a beautiful, brooding Hunter named Fade. When the mysterious boy becomes her partner, Deuce’s troubles are just beginning.
Down below, deviation from the rules is punished swiftly and harshly, and Fade doesn’t like following orders. At first she thinks he’s crazy, but as death stalks their sanctuary, and it becomes clear the elders don’t always know best, Deuce wonders if Fade might be telling the truth. Her partner confuses her; she’s never known a boy like him before, as prone to touching her gently as using his knives with feral grace.
As Deuce’s perception shifts, so does the balance in the constant battle for survival. The mindless Freaks, once considered a threat only due to their sheer numbers, show signs of cunning and strategy… but the elders refuse to heed any warnings. Despite imminent disaster, the enclave puts their faith in strictures and sacrifice instead. No matter how she tries, Deuce cannot stem the dark tide that carries her far from the only world she’s ever known. – Goodreads

My Opinion: I really really really liked this. It reminded me of Aftertime by Sophie Littlefield and also of Resident Evil. It has a lot of action and the characters are fantastic. Duece is awesome and so is Fade. They have a really amazing partnership and I’m surprised that they didn’t get together. Stalker and Tegan were also interesting characters but I think that Fade was my favorite just from the little history that is kept a history. My second favorite was a tie between Duece and Silk. Silk is supposed to be a leader for the Hunters but she can also tell when the leaders of the Enclave are doing something and she doesn’t speak up because she knows that if she does… they will exile her and she wont be able to protect them anymore.

Something that really confused me was that after they meet with the Gangs and are in the city they find out that the Enclaves underground are called colleges and they stop calling it the Enclave and it becomes known as the College. That confused me a little, and then I got a little mad because Enclave sounded so much cooler than College, but whatever that was just my little rant. Anyways, the world was similar to the world of Aftertime. There are both these mutant Freak people a.k.a Zombies that have been made that way after a “disease”(or is it?) hit sometime ago. I’m not exactly sure as to where the book’s setting actually is but my guess would be somewhere in or near New York.

The plot was pretty cool as well. Duece changes a lot. She learns to not follow blindly and to protect better and learn more about her partner. Overall it was a fun and easy read that was quite enjoyable and action packed. You wont want to put it down!

Overall: 5 out of 5

Born at Midnight (Shadow Falls, #1) by C.C. Hunter

2011-06-18T12:23:00.000-07:00

Born at Midnight (Shadow Falls, #1) by C.C. Hunter

Paperback, 416 pages

Published March 29th 2011 by St. Martin’s Griffin

Don’t miss this spectacular new series that will steal your heart and haunt your dreams, Welcome to Shadow Falls camp, nestled deep in the woods of a town called Fallen…
One night Kylie Galen finds herself at the wrong party, with the wrong people, and it changes her life forever. Her mother ships her off to Shadow Falls—a camp for troubled teens, and within hours of arriving, it becomes painfully clear that her fellow campers aren’t just “troubled.” Here at Shadow Falls, vampires, werewolves, shapshifters, witches and fairies train side by side—learning to harness their powers, control their magic and live in the normal world.
Kylie’s never felt normal, but surely she doesn’t belong here with a bunch of paranormal freaks either. Or does she? They insist Kylie is one of them, and that she was brought here for a reason. As if life wasn’t complicated enough, enter Derek and Lucas. Derek’s a half-fae who’s determined to be her boyfriend, and Lucas is a smokin’ hot werewolf with whom Kylie shares a secret past. Both Derek and Lucas couldn’t be more different, but they both have a powerful hold on her heart.
Even though Kylie feels deeply uncertain about everything, one thing is becoming painfully clear—Shadow Falls is exactly where she belongs… – Goodreads

My Opinion: This had some downs… mostly in the beginning of the book were I felt like nothing was happening and that I was becoming a little bored. I wanted a little more action and more mystery maybe. Kylie seems like a good girl gone a little crazy but that is understandable because her whole life practically is falling apart right in front of her and she can’t do anything about it. I really liked the mixture of supernatural creatures/monsters that were thrown into the mix of this book and I really liked the idea of the camp.
Something that I REALLY liked that was that we didn’t find out what she is. So that just keeps the mystery going. I can’t wait for the next book in the series. I seriously hope that we find out then because I don’t think that I can wait that long to find out what she is. I have a couple of ideas but maybe I”m wrong. Anyways the characters were pretty interesting and entertaining. The setting awesome… what more could you ask for?
Overall: 4 out of 5

The Dark Divine Series

2011-06-18T09:07:00.000-07:00

I love this series. This is the second book in the Dark Divine Series. I finished it about last week. It's a fabulous book just like it's predecessor. This book goes more into the history behind the book. I can't wait for the third book. I would tell you about it but then there would be spoilers. So summary of first book below:

(P.S A MUST READ for werewolf lover and Jacob Fans like myself.)

The first one:
This is the beginning of Grace Divine. Wonder why she has such a pure name, and not a regular name? She the daughter of a pastor. She lives in a small town outside of city. She's the perfect student, pastor's daughter, and the role model for all of the girls in the town. Everything changes when Daniel comes back, a childhood neighbor friend that was so close to the Divine family that they called him family comes back to Grace's art class, school, and heart. Incindentally he's still as hot as ever but when she brings him home, the family freaks. Troubling events happen like when her baby brother James disappears, but Daniel comes to save the day. Grace is completely frighted when he started sniffing to find James and has supernatural speed to catch James before he falls. Daniel tries to convince her that she's tired and sleepy from trying to find Baby James all night. Do you believe him?

Don't you just love the covers? The author is trying to get nail polish to come out in these colors.

Sarah Dessen talks about her new book What Happened to Goodbye (video)

2011-06-16T15:21:00.000-07:00

PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER

2011-06-09T10:28:00.000-07:00

PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER

Another YA book in movie production.

Forever - a stop motion book trailer

2011-06-07T13:58:00.000-07:00

Desires of the Dead (The Body Finder, #2) by Kimberly Derting

2011-05-31T21:09:00.000-07:00

Desires of the Dead (The Body Finder, #2) by Kimberly Derting
Hardcover, 368 pages

Published February 15th 2011 by HarperTeen

Violet can sense the echoes of those who’ve been murdered—and the matching imprint that clings to their killers. Only those closest to her know what she is capable of, but when she discovers the body of a young boy she also draws the attention of the FBI, threatening her entire way of life.As Violet works to keep her morbid ability a secret, she unwittingly becomes the object of a dangerous obsession. Normally she’d turn to her best friend, Jay, except now that they are officially a couple, the rules of their relationship seem to have changed. And with Jay spending more and more time with his new friend Mike, Violet is left with too much time on her hands as she wonders where things went wrong. But when she fills the void by digging into Mike’s tragic family history, she stumbles upon a dark truth that could put everyone in danger. – Goodreads

My Opinion: This was a good continuation. Violet and Jay are together but are a little rocky and that surprised me because in the first book they were all lovey-dovy in the end of the book. My favorite characters in this one though was Rafe. He was just quiet and observant and I think there will be a love triangle happening in the next book between Rafe, Violet and Jay.

The plot was pretty cool too, although it sort of reminded me a little too much of the first because of the scenes not to be spoilorish was that Violet feels like someone is watching her in the woods while she is running. I also thought that Megan was a little similar to someone else in the previous book.

Overall: 3.5 out of 5

Jane by April Lindner

2011-05-18T20:38:00.000-07:00

Jane by April Lindner

Hardcover, 373 pages

Published October 11th 2010 by Poppy(first published September 23rd 2010)

Forced to drop out of an esteemed East Coast college after the sudden death of her parents, Jane Moore takes a nanny job at Thornfield Park, the estate of Nico Rathburn, an iconic rock star on the brink of a huge comeback. Practical and independent, Jane reluctantly becomes entranced by her magnetic and brooding employer, and finds herself in the midst of a forbidden romance. But there’s a mystery at Thornfield, and Jane’s much-envied relationship with Nico is tested by a torturous secret from his past.Part irresistible romance and part darkly engrossing mystery, this contemporary retelling of the beloved classic Jane Eyre promises to enchant a new generation of readers. – Goodreads

My Opinion: I have never read Jane Eyre but, this book is making it so that it is moving up on my To-be-read list. I liked Jane, even though she was really old fashioned. I thought that even with all of her experiences with her family, she would at least listen to some type of modern music and not classical as she does, or at least not only classical.

I also really enjoyed the setting. I liked the idea of Thornfield Park. I even liked Bibi and all her craziness. My favorite character is Brenda though. Just because she is so mysterious and you don’t really find out who she is until the end.

I also enjoyed the complexity of Nico. He seemed like an interesting character.

Some of the plot did not make sense like how she agree to marry him after technically being “in a relationship” with him. It just surprised me because, it wasn’t realistic, and it just didn’t seem to fit the character of who Jane was. It fit Nico perfectly because that was how his marriage to Bibi was, but with Jane it was after one night. It was just surprising. I also really love the cover. Its just the simplicity of it is amazing.

After reading this, I can’t wait to read Jane Eyre and go see the movie.

Overall: 4 out of 5

Angelfire (Angelfire #1) by Courtney Allison Moulton

2011-05-18T19:37:00.000-07:00

Angelfire (Angelfire #1) by Courtney Allison Moulton

Hardcover, 453 pages

Published February 15th 2011 by HarperCollins / Katherine Tegen Books

This debut, the first novel in a trilogy, is achingly romantic, terrifying, and filled with blistering action.When seventeen-year-old Ellie starts seeing reapers – monstrous creatures who devour humans and send their souls to Hell – she finds herself on the front lines of a supernatural war between archangels and the Fallen and faced with the possible destruction of her soul. A mysterious boy named Will reveals she is the reincarnation of an ancient warrior, the only one capable of wielding swords of angelfire to fight the reapers, and he is an immortal sworn to protect her in battle. Now that Ellie’s powers have been awakened, a powerful reaper called Bastian has come forward to challenge her. He has employed a fierce assassin to eliminate her – an assassin who has already killed her once.
While balancing her dwindling social life and reaper-hunting duties, she and Will discover Bastian is searching for a dormant creature believed to be a true soul reaper. Bastian plans to use this weapon to ignite the End of Days and to destroy Ellie’s soul, ending her rebirth cycle forever. Now, she must face an army of Bastian’s most frightening reapers, prevent the soul reaper from consuming her soul, and uncover the secrets of her past lives – including truths that may be too frightening to remember. – Goodreads

My Opinion: This was interesting. I don’t think that it was as interesting as it was made to seem. However, I enjoyed the plot and the characters were interesting. Will was interesting but I wanted him to answer all her questions. I think it would have made the bok shorter but the reactions that it would have casued, I think might have made the book more interesting.

Ellie was fun. I loved that even though she was having all these weird things happening to her and all the crazy stuff she has to deal with, she still tried to maintain her normal life to some extent. It sort of reminded of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, except with angels. It was interesting if anything and added to the story. I also really liked the idea of the reapers and how they look. It just sounds like a great monster.

I also really liked that it was fast-paced and that made it easy to read.

Overall: 4 out of 5

Maze Runner

2011-05-18T15:21:00.000-07:00

Grade 6–10—Thomas wakes up in an elevator, remembering nothing but his own name. He emerges into a world of about 60 teen boys who have learned to survive in a completely enclosed environment, subsisting on their own agriculture and supplies from below. A new boy arrives every 30 days. The original group has been in "the glade" for two years, trying to find a way to escape through a maze that surrounds their living space. They have begun to give up hope. Then a comatose girl arrives with a strange note, and their world begins to change. There are some great, fast-paced action scenes, particularly those involving the nightmarish Grievers who plague the boys. Thomas is a likable protagonist who uses the information available to him and his relationships (including his ties to the girl, Teresa) to lead the Gladers. Unfortunately, the question of whether the teens will escape the maze is answered 30 pages before the book ends, and the intervening chapter loses momentum. The epilogue, which would be deliciously creepy coming immediately after the plot resolves, fails to pack a punch as a result. That said, The Maze Runner has a great hook, and fans of dystopian literature, particularly older fans of Jeanne DuPrau's The City of Ember (Random, 2003), will likely enjoy this title and ask for the inevitable sequel.—Kristin Anderson, Columbus Metropolitan Library System, OH END

I loved this book. It does have a pattern of Survival, Crazy Scientists and the End of the World like The Carbon Diaries, Maximum Ride, City of Ember or the series Gone. It has crazy machine monsters that they have to battle with the confusion of a always changing maze with memory loss. They have slang that subs for swearwords. It's quite funny actually. There are no swear words... at all. It was all boys and a newbie or "Greenbean" would arrive every month. Then all these strange things start happening when a girl with a message in a coma arrives. The "doors" that close every night to protect them from the monsters or "Grievers" don't close. The Grievers take a boy every night now. Thomas and Teresa or the comatose girl have gifts. They find out things that they really didn't want to know.

READ THIS BOOK! I give it 5 stars and I can't wait to read the next one.

Hamlet by William Shakespeare

2011-05-16T21:12:00.000-07:00

Hamlet by William Shakespeare

Mass Market Paperback, 342 pages

Published July 1st 2003 by Washington Square Press(first published 1603)

“Hamlet” is the story of the Prince of Denmark who learns of the death of his father at the hands of his uncle, Claudius. Claudius murders Hamlet’s father, his own brother, to take the throne of Denmark and to marry Hamlet’s widowed mother. Hamlet is sunk into a state of great despair as a result of discovering the murder of his father and the infidelity of his mother. Hamlet is torn between his great sadness and his desire for the revenge of his father’s murder. – Goodreads

My Opinion: I have to say that out of all the Shakespeare plays that I have read, I enjoyed this one the most. This is only the second Shakespeare play that I have read by the way, Macbeth, being the first. I liked Hamlet, I don’t like the way he acted, but I did like sort of what he stood for. He wants honesty and honor. I think that that’s something that everyone should stand for. I didn’t like his method of revenge though, and some of the methods that Shakespeare used in the writing of the play sort of bugged. I like details and the way that Hamlet died, was not very detaily, at least correctly detailed. Hamlet is hit with the poison first and lives longer, yet Leartes, who is hit second dies, faster… that just doesn’t make sense to me. But whatever… I get that Shakespeare was making this a tragedy about Hamlet and not Leartes, but details like that bug me. I think its just me though.

Anyways, I liked the setting, there were some interesting themes that were portrayed in the play. Revenge, Betrayal, Love, the whole internal life vs. the external life in the castle. My favorite character had to be Young Fortinbras. He is just cool. I enjoyed reading the last lines of the play and I think that the end worked really well, so cudos to Shakespeare. My second character has to be Horatio. He sort of reminds me of me. I am not afraid to say that I tend to be a little naive around people because I like to believe in the good of people, Horatio was a little more naive than little, I think, but he was a powerful character that shows the difference in the people that live in the castle and those that don’t.

Overall: 4.25 out of 5

If you want to watch the movie version of the book, watch this version. It follows the script of the play to the word however the only difference is that it takes a more modern setting.

The Gathering (Darkness Rising, #1) by Kelly Armstrong

2011-05-15T08:39:00.000-07:00

The Gathering (Darkness Rising, #1) by Kelly Armstrong

Hardcover, 359 pages

Published April 12th 2011 by Harper (HarperCollins), New York

Sixteen-year-old Maya is just an ordinary teen in an ordinary town. Sure, she doesn’t know much about her background – the only thing she really has to cling to is an odd paw-print birthmark on her hip – but she never really put much thought into who her parents were or how she ended up with her adopted parents in this tiny medical-research community on Vancouver Island.Until now. Strange things have been happening in this claustrophobic town – from the mountain lions that have been approaching Maya to her best friend’s hidden talent for “feeling” out people and situations, to the sexy new bad boy who makes Maya feel . . . . different. Combine that with a few unexplained deaths and a mystery involving Maya’s biological parents and it’s easy to suspect that this town might have more than its share of skeletons in its closet. – Goodreads

My Opinion: Hmm this is a difficult review to write because, technically and literally nothing happened in the book other than in the last 30 or so pages. That just bugged me, I kept reading the book because I was expecting something to actually happen and nothing kept happening. The whole book was pretty much Maya learning about herself and what/who she is. There was nothing else for 320 pages and I was just summarizing this story for a friend and I told her main part of the story in 5 sentences. It was just a lot of words.

Now for the setting. The setting was interesting. I mean Kelly Armstrong could have done a little more with it. Especially with some of the theories that Maya and Daniel were coming up with about the stories that Reporter would be willing to write. A medical research town owned by a medical engineering company has many possibilities. I HOPE that Armstrong uses that more in the continuing of the series.

Characters were overly developed and under developed. We know a lot about Maya. A lot. But almost nothing on Rafe, Annie, Daniel, Sam, and Nicole. It would have been so much better if we didn’t only get a dose of Maya. I would also love to learn more about Serena. My favorite character was Annie, she was warm and nice and not afraid to say what she wanted to say.

Overall: 3 out of 5

Teeth: Vampire Tales by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling

2011-05-14T17:58:00.001-07:00

Teeth: Vampire Tales by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling

Hardcover, 272 pages

Published April 5th 2011 by HarperCollins

Sink your teeth into these bite-sized tales exploring the intersections among the living, dead, and undead. The vampires in these stories range from romantic to chilling to gleeful—and touch on nearly every emotion in between. The one thing they have in common? Their desire for blood…. – Goodreads

My Opinion: Some of these stories were amazing and it was great to see the take of some authors have on vampires especially some well known authors like Neil Gaiman, Melissa Marr, Cassandra Clare, Garth Nix and more. Some of the stories were fun and interesting.
I really enjoyed the poem by Neil Gaiman. There were some stories that weren’t as great as the others but they still rocked.

Plus the cover is gorgeous.

Overall: 3.75 out 5

Vesper (Deviants #1) by Jeff Sampson

2011-05-14T17:56:00.001-07:00

Vesper (Deviants #1) by Jeff Sampson

Hardcover, 304 pages

Published January 25th 2011 by Balzer + Bray / HarperCollins

Emily Webb is a geek. And she’s happy that way. Content hiding under hoodies and curling up to watch old horror flicks, she’s never been the kind of girl who sneaks out for midnight parties. And she’s definitely not the kind of girl who starts fights or flirts with other girls’ boyfriends. Until one night Emily finds herself doing exactly that . . . the same night one of her classmates—also named Emily—is found mysteriously murdered.
The thing is, Emily doesn’t know why she’s doing any of this. By day, she’s the same old boring Emily, but by night, she turns into a thrill seeker. With every nightfall, Emily gets wilder until it’s no longer just her personality that changes. Her body can do things it never could before: Emily is now strong, fast, and utterly fearless. And soon Emily realizes that she’s not just coming out of her shell . . . there’s something much bigger going on. Is she bewitched by the soul of the other, murdered Emily? Or is Emily Webb becoming something else entirely— something not human?
As Emily hunts for answers, she finds out that she’s not the only one this is happening to—some of her classmates are changing as well. Who is turning these teens into monsters—and how many people will they kill to get what they want? – Goodreads

My Opinion: This was interesting. I don’t think that I have read a werewolf book similar to this in a long time so that’s a plus and it was interesting how Sampson portrayed them. I also love the title of the series, Deviants, it definitely fits sort of the image that the author is trying to create. I was sort of disappointed by the ending because it was such a big leap from how Emily’s account of the events that happened and the last report done by the Vesper company. It was weird and then also with what Amy can do. But hey that just leaves room for the next book, doesn’t it? Anyways it was an interesting read and it was entertaining some of the things that Emily would do during the night.

Emily was also an interesting character because it was fun going through her transformation with her. It was an fun watching her go from timid to wild and then back to timid and her freaking out about it and the theory that she comes up with it interesting if nothing else. It would have been interesting if that was what actually happened.

Overall: 4 out of 5

Abandon (Abandon, #1) by Meg Cabot

2011-05-04T22:36:00.001-07:00

Abandon (Abandon, #1) by Meg Cabot

Hardcover, 320 pages

Published April 26th 2011 by Scholastic Inc.

New from #1 New York Times bestselling author Meg Cabot, a dark, fantastical story about this world . . . and the underworld.
Though she tries returning to the life she knew before the accident, Pierce can’t help but feel at once a part of this world, and apart from it. Yet she’s never alone . . . because someone is always watching her. Escape from the realm of the dead is impossible when someone there wants you back.
But now she’s moved to a new town. Maybe at her new school, she can start fresh. Maybe she can stop feeling so afraid.
Only she can’t. Because even here, he finds her. That’s how desperately he wants her back. She knows he’s no guardian angel, and his dark world isn’t exactly heaven, yet she can’t stay away . . . especially since he always appears when she least expects it, but exactly when she needs him most.
But if she lets herself fall any further, she may just find herself back in the one place she most fears: the Underworld. – Goodreads

My Opinion: Meg Cabot is one of my all time favorite authors and I have to say that I wasn’t disappointed. the Persephone/Hades myth has been one that I have been interesting in since my Language Arts class in 8th grade did a unit on Greek myths. I liked the way that Cabot wrote the story with the plot that it had with the flashbacks of the “incidents” that have happened since Pierce death.

Pierce and John seemed like very interesting characters. Pierce seems to be a character that has hardened since her experience with death and everything that has happened since then, but she has also retained what made her unique and what attracted her to John in the first place. John seems to be equally interesting because of who he is and what he is willing to do to protect her. However, my favorite character was the cemetery sexton. He just seemed like a very nice person that was trying to look out for Pierce and John.

The plot I think might be close to genius. I loved the idea of the Isla Huesos and what it represents to the Underworld and its history with John is pretty interesting. I can’t wait to read the next in the series. If you are looking for a good and fast read (I read this in about 3 hours) this is definitely a book that you should pick up because you will not want to put it down, especially if you a Meg Cabot fan.

Overall: 4.25 out of 5

Red Glove (Curse Workers, #2) by Holly Black

2011-05-01T21:36:00.000-07:00

Red Glove (Curse Workers, #2) by Holly Black

Hardcover, 320 pages

Published April 5th 2011 by Margaret K. McElderry

Curses and cons. Magic and the mob. In Cassel Sharpe’s world, they go together. Cassel always thought he was an ordinary guy, until he realized his memories were being manipulated by his brothers. Now he knows the truth—he’s the most powerful curse worker around. A touch of his hand can transform anything—or anyone—into something else. That was how Lila, the girl he loved, became a white cat. Cassel was tricked into thinking he killed her, when actually he tried to save her. Now that she’s human again, he should be overjoyed. Trouble is, Lila’s been cursed to love him, a little gift from his emotion worker mom. And if Lila’s love is as phony as Cassel’s made-up memories, then he can’t believe anything she says or does.
When Cassel’s oldest brother is murdered, the Feds recruit Cassel to help make sense of the only clue—crime-scene images of a woman in red gloves. But the mob is after Cassel too—they know how valuable he could be to them. Cassel is going to have to stay one step ahead of both sides just to survive. But where can he turn when he can’t trust anyone—least of all, himself?
Love is a curse and the con is the only answer in a game too dangerous to lose. – Goodreads

My Opinion: Why is it that sequels are almost never as exciting as the first in a series? This is the sequel to White Cat and it seemed as though Cassel was was sort of whiny he loved Lila so much but that she didn’t because she was just cursed to love him. It sort of got a little tedious and repetitive of him saying or implying it. I get that he was trying to do the right thing but it felt like a filler for when there wasn’t anything important to say.

In this novel, Cassel is more worried about figure out who he killed and how to cover it up so that the FBI don’t find out that he did as well as he has to figure out who killed his brother. I have to say that Holly Black did a good job disguising the murdered, I never even thought that the murderer would even be that person that it was possible.

I feel as though some of the characters were a little more complicated in this book. But it was only some of them, like Daneca and Sam.

But overall, it was a good mystery and it was less of a conning/mob thing than the first.

Overall: 4.25 out of 5

Darkness Becomes Her (Gods and Monsters, #1) by Kelly Keaton

2011-05-01T21:34:00.001-07:00

Darkness Becomes Her (Gods and Monsters, #1) by Kelly Keaton

Hardcover, 288 pages

Published February 22nd 2011 by Simon Pulse

Ari can’t help feeling lost and alone. With teal eyes and freakish silver hair that can’t be changed or destroyed, Ari has always stood out. And after growing up in foster care, she longs for some understanding of where she came from and who she is.Her search for answers uncovers just one message from her long dead mother: Run. Ari can sense that someone, or something, is getting closer than they should. But it’s impossible to protect herself when she doesn’t know what she’s running from or why she is being pursued. She knows only one thing: she must return to her birthplace of New 2, the lush rebuilt city of New Orleans. Upon arriving, she discovers that New 2 is very…different. Here, Ari is seemingly normal. But every creature she encounters, no matter how deadly or horrifying, is afraid of her.
Ari won’t stop until she knows why. But some truths are too haunting, too terrifying, to ever be revealed. – Goodreads

My Opinion: I have to say that I am really enjoying the Greek Myth theme happening in books. I love the Greek myths especially the one that this story consists of. Kelly Keaton definitely put a very interesting story in a modern setting.
The book kept my attention the whole time and it was hard to put it down. You are always finding out something new. It kept me guessing the whole entire time who/what was trying to kill her and what she was. I didn’t figure it out until she did. That’s amazing. What I didn’t really like about it is how trusting Ari was and how quickly she started calling the house in New 2 home. That was surprising and unrealistic.
My favorite character had to Sebastian though. He was just someone that had the power to do something and he new how to control it. Another of my favorite characters is Violet. She is so cute and I understand her fascination her Ari. She is most likely some sort of reptilian shifter, because of her relationship with Pascal.
I also really enjoyed the setting. New Orleans has a lot of history and I love how it was incorporated into the novel. I can’t wait to read the next one in the series is set to come out in 2012. Can’t wait!
Overall: 4.5 out of 5

Read for a Lifetime 2011-2012 | Niles Public Library District | BiblioCommons

2011-04-19T10:34:00.000-07:00

Read for a Lifetime 2011-2012 Niles Public Library District BiblioCommons

ABE AWARD LIST 2012 | Niles Public Library District | BiblioCommons

2011-04-19T10:15:00.000-07:00

ABE AWARD LIST 2012 Niles Public Library District BiblioCommons

White Cat (Curse Workers, #1) by Holly Black

2011-04-17T22:50:00.000-07:00

White Cat (Curse Workers, #1) by Holly Black

Hardcover, 310 pages

Published May 4th 2010 by Margaret K. McElderry

Cassel comes from a family of curse workers — people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they’re all mobsters, or con artists. Except for Cassel. He hasn’t got the magic touch, so he’s an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail — he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.
Ever since, Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade starts crumbling when he starts sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He’s noticing other disturbing things, too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him, caught up in a mysterious plot. As Cassel begins to suspect he’s part of a huge con game, he also wonders what really happened to Lila. Could she still be alive? To find that out, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen.
Holly Black has created a gripping tale of mobsters and dark magic where a single touch can bring love — or death — and your dreams might be more real than your memories. – Goodreads

My Opinion: I did not think that a book could be this interesting. What has been stopping me from picking this up before and reading it? (Well time really, but WOW.) The book was great.

Cassel was an interesting character especially since everything that had happened to him and who was that cause of it. It can really mess up a person and it even messed him up but he got over it which is empowering.

The plot was also very interesting. There was suspense and action and mystery. There were many times where I was just like Cassel waiting to see what happened and trying to solve it with him. That is something the Holly Black did very well. She made it so easy for the reader to fall into Cassel’s way of thinking and to think of the story as though it was happening right in front of. There aren’t that many book that actually make me read the book as though it’s a movie, at least not lately. I love it when that happens, it makes the reading go faster and easier and FUNNER.

Overall: 5+ out of 5

Sanctuary (Wicked Lovely: Desert Tales #1) by Melissa Marr

2011-04-16T13:55:00.001-07:00

Sanctuary (Wicked Lovely: Desert Tales #1) by Melissa Marr

Paperback, 192 pages

Published May 1st 2009 by The Bowen Press

Discover Melissa Marr’s mesmerizing world of Faerie . . .
The desert is far away from the schemes of the Faerie Courts—and that’s how Rika likes it. Once a mortal and now a faery, Rika seeks isolation and revels in her ability to appear invisible to humans. Then, she meets him. Artistic and kind, Jayce is the last person Rika wants to hide from.
But change is coming, challenging Rika’s freedom and her new romance, as her past pursues her, even into the heart of the desert. . . . – Goodreads

My Opinion: This is a manga of the series and the art is well done in my opinion. It starts off with the main character, Rika, and she is a solitary fae that Keenan wants in his court. However, she doens’t want that because she used to be a Ice Princess, one of the girls that had the winter’s chill in her thanks to picking up the staff. The story is set in the desert.

Rika falls in love with a human and she tries to protect him. Its a short story that has two more volumes in the series, Challenge and Resolve. This is what the story is basically.

Overall: 3 out of 5

River Marked (Mercedes Thompson, #6) by Patricia Briggs

2011-04-16T13:54:00.001-07:00

River Marked (Mercedes Thompson, #6) by Patricia Briggs

Hardcover, 326 pages

Published March 1st 2011 by Ace Hardcover

Car mechanic Mercy Thompson has always known there was something different about her, and not just the way she can make a VW engine sit up and beg. Mercy is a shapeshifter, a talent she inherited from her long-gone father. She’s never known any others of her kind. Until now.
An evil is stirring in the depths of the Columbia River-one that her father’s people may know something about. And to have any hope of surviving, Mercy and her mate, the Alpha werewolf Adam, will need their help… – Goodreads

My Opinion: I have to say that this wasn’t as interesting as the other books in the series. There were moments that were action packed and crazy with suspense but it was mostly based on Mercy finding out more about herself and who/what she is. The plot moved quickly which is a plus because you don’t get stuck with one point where you are actually bored and just waiting for something to happen.

Adam didn’t have as big of a role as in the other books I feel like. He was just there in the background wanting to protect her all the time. And then he was just wolf thanks to Wolf. There were some characters that weren’t in the story at all such as Sam. He was mentioned maybe twice the whole book but that was it. Something else that sort of bothered me was that we never actually find out what river marked means. It’s open to interpretation from the reader, I guess. Some of you might like that.

The crazy monster this time was actually interesting. And all the background of the myths and legends of the Native Americans actually inspired me to go look up some legends that they have and I will be doing that. It was interesting overall and I think this is the best cover so far in the series. Can’t wait for the next one to come out!

Overall: 4 out of 5

More HUNGER GAMES Roles Cast

2011-04-11T13:26:00.000-07:00

More HUNGER GAMES Roles Cast

Falling Under (Falling Under, #1) by Gwen Hayes

2011-04-10T20:28:00.000-07:00

Falling Under (Falling Under, #1) by Gwen Hayes

Paperback, 324 pages

Published March 1st 2011 by New American Library

Theia Alderson has always led a sheltered life in the small California town of Serendipity Falls. But when a devastatingly handsome boy appears in the halls of her school, Theia knows she’s seen Haden before- not around town, but in her dreams. As the Haden of both the night and the day beckons her closer one moment and pushes her away the next, the only thing Theia knows for sure is that the incredible pull she feels towards him is stronger than her fear.
And when she discovers what Haden truly is, Theia’s not sure if she wants to resist him, even if the cost is her soul. – Goodreads

My opinion: This was definitely interesting. It was different from what I have read before. I loved the background story and that Ms. Hayes used sleep paralysis and the story behind it as the background. I loved the love story between Hayden and Theia. I loved it.

I also loved the supporting characters, Donny and Ame. Even Madame Varnie was interesting. I feel as though the author thought out everything and made a lot of effort into it and made it flow. It just kept me wanting to read it and not stop. I will admit though that the beginning was very interesting and the ending was interesting however there were parts in the book the were a little slow moving. However most of the book was VERY enjoyable.

Overall: 4 out of 5

A review of Cory Doctorow's "Little Brother"

2011-04-08T14:20:00.000-07:00

"An entertaining thriller and a thoughtful polemic on Internet-era civil rights, “Little Brother” is also a practical handbook of digital self-defense. Marcus’s guided tour through RFID cloners, cryptography and Bayesian math is one of the book’s principal delights. He spreads his message through a secure network engineered out of Xbox gaming consoles, to a tech-savvy youth underground."

--The New York Times

My opinion:

I have to say it. Take a deep breath, Bobby. Little Brother is an immensely weird book. There! I said it! Any young adult novel that's a techno thriller and a coming of age story at the same time is probably a pretty odd book, right? Well, imagine this: take that YA tech thriller and throw in a couple of highly intelligent discourses on complicated scientific, philosophical, and historical concepts, and you'll have Little Brother: an entertaining, action packed novel of ideas. Three terms that don't seem to have ever successfully coexisted. Then again, this is by the writer that also made a novel about a labor union of online gamers. It tells the story of a kid named Marcus, an erstwhile hacker, and follows his attempts to overthrow a dystopian regime placed on San Fransisco by the U.S. government. Along the way, he gets a girlfriend, is kidnapped, and probably clocks in more hours on his Xbox than is necessary. This book was a rare glimpse into the life of that fabled character archetype the "California Hacker", and was also a sort of "Gödel, Escher, Bach" for the smartphone generation, which made it equal parts entertaining and informative. A very entertaining book.

A review of Frank Portman's "King Dork"

2011-04-08T13:43:00.000-07:00

"High school is the great, universal American experience, and even decades later there are few subjects I warm to more quickly than a juicy account of that traumatic rite of passage. None has made me laugh more than King Dork, the brainy, multilayered, outrageous, and compassionate first novel by Frank Portman."

--Entertainment Weekly

My opinion:

I agree. I recently read King Dork, by Frank Portman, and I had a great time doing so. Imagine if you took the quasi-mystery plot line of John Green's Paper Towns and the archetypal YA novel first person interior monologue, and mixed it with the quiet, enigmatic rhythms of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami, and you'd have this book. It's about a jaded high school sophomore named Tom Henderson who goes to terrible school. He has to deal with the trials and tribulations of being a creative soul in school full of dunces, his new step father, an elusive woman named Fiona and his teachers' obsessions with The Catcher in the Rye.

Oh, yeah, and on top of that, there's a murder mystery involving his late father going on as well. This book has the culturally literate first person discourse/narration that we've come to expect from a genre (disaffected young adult realistic fiction) that arguably originated in The Catcher in the Rye, but is more serenely jaded and bemused, and less pugnaciously neurotic than some of Holden Caulfield's other spiritual descendants (*cough cough* every single stinkin' book by Meg Cabot, John Green, and a host of others *cough cough*). Those other books may capture the teen psychosis better than King Dork, but I still find King Dork to be a better book. The writing is hilarious, the characters (the heroes, at least) are likable, and the plot is intricate, yet easy to follow. Over all, a great read.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Betrayal (Haunting Emma, #2) by Lee Nichols

2011-03-30T14:58:00.000-07:00

Betrayal (Haunting Emma, #2) by Lee Nichols

Paperback, 304 pages

Published March 1st 2011

Emma Vaile is the most powerful ghostkeeper in centuries. Which is great when she’s battling the wraith-master Neos, but terrible when she’s flirting with fellow ghostkeeper (and soul mate) Bennett. When ghostkeepers fall in love, the weaker one loses all power, and that’s not something Bennett can handle. Heartbroken and alone, Emma tries to lose herself in school with fellow ghostkeeper, Natalie. When a new team of ghostkeepers arrive—one a snarky teen
boy, the other a British scholar—Emma finds solace in training for the battle against Neos. But as the team grows stronger, they are threatened by an unknown force. One they thought was good.
As chilling and page-turning as Deception, this sequel will grab readers and hold them to the last page. No one is safe from suspicion as Emma closes in on the traitor. – Goodreads

My Opinion: This wasn’t as good as the first in the series. However, there was a little more looking into things and we find some more background into how unique Emma is and not just Emma but her family as well. Betrayal had me going there. There was a line in the novel that said something similar to, Betrayal is a hard thing to bear, and who the person was talking about I was thought no way but then, when I started thinking about it, it was plausible.
We are also introduced to the Knell, let me just say… wow, take off the dragon’s head and it all comes crashing down.
The plot was different because now that Bennet and Emma are together, they can’t be together.
I have to also add that the idea of the ghostkeepers is really cool. I almost wish I was one. Almost, but ya the story was interesting and kept me reading it.
Overall: 4 out of 5

Steel by Carrie Vaughn

2011-03-29T23:56:00.000-07:00

Steel by Carrie Vaughn

Hardcover, 304 pages

Published March 15th 2011 by HarperTeen

It was a slender length of rusted steel, tapered to a point at one end and jagged at the other, as if it had broken. A thousand people would step over it and think it trash, but not her.
This was the tip of a rapier.
Sixteen-year-old Jill has fought in dozens of fencing tournaments, but she has never held a sharpened blade. When she finds a corroded sword piece on a Caribbean beach, she is instantly intrigued and pockets it as her own personal treasure.
The broken tip holds secrets, though, and it transports Jill through time to the deck of a pirate ship. Stranded in the past and surrounded by strangers, she is forced to sign on as crew. But a pirate’s life is bloody and brief, and as Jill learns about the dark magic that brought her there, she forms a desperate scheme to get home—one that risks everything in a duel to the death with a villainous pirate captain.
Time travel, swordplay, and romance combine in an original high-seas adventure from New York Times bestseller Carrie Vaughn. – Goodreads

My Opinion: What is up with all the good books coming out? I knew that this was going to be good because Voices of Dragons was amazing but this was great! You can really learn a lot of great things about this. You can learn about pirate life, boating/sailing in the 18th century, and FENCING. Each chapter is named after a fencing move. How cool is that. There is a glossary at the end of the book that says what each chapter heading/fencing move means. And don’t let me get started on the COVER… again just like with Clarity, this cover really draws you in. Okay now to the book.

Jill was an interesting character. The book starts off adrenaline pumping and you feel her energy because she is fencing or dueling I should say for the third spot in a national competition. My favorite character had to be Captain Cooper though. She was interesting and the whole mystery of her past was intriguing.

The plot was okay. It sort of reminded of the series Vampirates by Justin Somper, because its similar. Two children fall into water and they are transported back in time to a pirate ship and one falls in love, but that’s about where it ends. What made the book interesting were the characters and the reader thinking about what pirates would have gone through at that time. It was just interesting.

Overall: 4 out of 5

Deception (Haunting Emma, #1) by Lee Nichols

2011-03-29T19:13:00.000-07:00

Deception (Haunting Emma, #1) by Lee Nichols

Paperback, 310 pages

Published June 8th 2010 by Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books

When Emma Vaile’s parents leave on mysterious business trip, it gives her the perfect excuse to be a rebellious teen. Throw some parties, get a tattoo (or maybe just a piercing), and enjoy the first few weeks of her junior year. Then her best friend stops talking to her, the cops crash her party, and Emma finds herself in the hands of a new guardian—her college-age “knight in J.Crew armor,” Bennett Stern—and on a plane to his museum-like mansion in New England.
After enrolling at Thatcher Academy, Emma settles in by making friends with the popular legacy crowd. But she can’t shake the strange visions that are haunting her. She has memories of Thatcher she can’t explain, as if she’s returning home to a place she’s never been. Emma doesn’t trust anyone anymore—except maybe Bennett. But he’s about to reveal a ghostly secret to Emma. One that will explain the visions . . . and make Emma fear for her life. – Goodreads

My Opinion: This was a very interesting read. I’m surprised at myself that I hadn’t pick this up yet! Emma seems like your regular teenager except the part where she can see ghosts. I think that this was very well written, you can feel everything that Emma feels her confusion and suffocation she feels when she first has the vision at her new school.
Emma is also someone that seems real. My favorite character though had the be Edmund a.k.a the Rake. He was hot! and I mean sizzling. The plot was interesting and kept me going. I read it in less then 4 hours. The second book this week! How amazing is that. I love it when there are books just grab your attention like this and this book is definitely an ATTENTION GETTER. Love it Love it Love it! I am starting Betrayal, the second book in the series, and I can’t wait to find out what happens with Emma and Bennet!
Overall: 5 out of 5

Before I Die by Jenna Downham

2011-03-28T21:24:00.001-07:00

Before I Die by Jenna Downham

Hardcover, 336 pages

Published July 5th 2007 by David Fickling Books

Tessa has just months to live. Fighting back against hospital visits, endless tests, drugs with excruciating side-effects, Tessa compiles a list. It’s her To Do Before I Die list. And number one is Sex. Released from the constraints of ‘normal’ life, Tessa tastes new experiences to make her feel alive while her failing body struggles to keep up. Tessa’s feelings, her relationships with her father and brother, her estranged mother, her best friend, and her new boyfriend, all are painfully crystallised in the precious weeks before Tessa’s time finally runs out. – Goodreads

My Opinion: This was very sad. I listened to this on audio and the reader really showed the emotions that Tessa was going through. I also thought that what Tessa was doing was acceptable because if she had been able to live she would have probably done all the things on her list at least once in her life. She was a pretty cool character. I also love that she left a little message for all her friends and relatives on how to get over her death and embrace the living.

I also really liked that the reader had an English accent it made the story more authentic because of the language used. I also just enjoyed the perspective of Tessa her self.

Something that I didn’t enjoy, however, was that we didn’t get to hear a last chapter from one of her friends or her dad, I think that would have made the story have a better ending. It would have been interesting to see how they react at the end of her death because we don’t really find out due to the whole book being Tessa’s perspective.
Overall: 3.75 out of 5

Clarity (Clarity, #1) by Kim Harrington

2011-03-28T00:50:00.000-07:00

Clarity (Clarity, #1) by Kim Harrington

Hardcover, 242 pages

Published March 1st 2011 by Scholastic Point

When you can see things others can’t, where do you look for the truth?
This paranormal murder mystery will have teens reading on the edge of their seats.
Clarity “Clare” Fern sees things. Things no one else can see. Things like stolen kisses and long-buried secrets. All she has to do is touch a certain object, and the visions come to her. It’s a gift.
And a curse.
When a teenage girl is found murdered, Clare’s ex-boyfriend wants her to help solve the case–but Clare is still furious at the cheating jerk. Then Clare’s brother–who has supernatural gifts of his own–becomes the prime suspect, and Clare can no longer look away. Teaming up with Gabriel, the smoldering son of the new detective, Clare must venture into the depths of fear, revenge, and lust in order to track the killer. But will her sight fail her just when she needs it most? – Goodreads

My Opinion: Unbelievable! I LOVED LOVED LOVED this. I read this in 3-4 hours. I love Clare. She is such a great character. Ms. Harrington, THANK YOU! for writing this amazing piece of art. This was an amazing read and even though the plot is based on the murder of a girl named Victoria and then two more people, it focuses more on Clare and her ability and the type of person she is.
And the COVER! can anyone say gorgeous? I know I can. I’m getting a little tired of all the dark covers appearing. I’m starting to like the lightness and cover contrast in this one. More covers should be coming out lighter I think.
But my favorite character after Clare had to be Madame Maslov. She was just so quirky and fun, I think. And she totally proved to be the impossible. (Was that a little spoilorish? I hope not.) Anyways you guys should definitely read this. A GREAT READ!
Overall: 5 out of 5

The Adoration of Jenna Fox (Jenna Fox Chronicle, #1) by Mary E. Pearson

2011-03-26T21:02:00.000-07:00

The Adoration of Jenna Fox (Jenna Fox Chronicle, #1) by Mary E. Pearson

Hardcover, 266 pages

Published April 29th 2008 by Henry Holt and Co.

Who is Jenna Fox? Seventeen-year-old Jenna has been told that is her name. She has just awoken from a coma, they tell her, and she is still recovering from a terrible accident in which she was involved a year ago. But what happened before that? Jenna doesn’t remember her life. Or does she? And are the memories really hers?
This fascinating novel represents a stunning new direction for acclaimed author Mary Pearson. Set in a near future America, it takes readers on an unforgettable journey through questions of bio-medical ethics and the nature of humanity. Mary Pearson’s vividly drawn characters and masterful writing soar to a new level of sophistication. – Goodreads

My Opinion: This was very interesting, there are many themes and Jenna is a very interesting character. I listened to this on Audiobook. The book talks about bio-medical ethics because of how advanced the technology is and what they can do with it in medicine. The reader was I think really good because she read in a way that showed how confused Jenna was and how she would have been feeling.
I thought that idea of how there was a Organization in the government(?) that decided how many organs people can have after being injured. I think that that’s pretty smart because then people would be getting hurt if they knew of how Jenna changes and her senses. But something that bugged me was that it was based on such a low point system. Or at least lower the point values of the organs so that people that actually need them, can get them.
Something that was really interesting was that at the end of the audiobook, that there is an interview with the author, Mary E. Pearson. I think its definitely a book to read.
Overall: 4.5 out of 5

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, an Eclipse Novella by Stephenie Meyer

2011-03-20T22:55:00.001-07:00

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, an Eclipse Novella by Stephenie Meyer

Hardcover, 178 pages

Published June 5th 2010 by Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Fans of The Twilight Saga will be enthralled by this riveting story of Bree Tanner, a character first introduced in Eclipse, and the darker side of the newborn vampire world she inhabits.
In another irresistible combination of danger, mystery, and romance, Stephenie Meyer tells the devastating story of Bree and the newborn army as they prepare to close in on Bella Swan and the Cullens, following their encounter to its unforgettable conclusion.
Bree Tanner can barely remember life before she had uncannily powerful senses, superhuman reflexes and unstoppable physical strength. Life before she had a relentless thirst for blood… life before she became a vampire.
All Bree knows is that living with her fellow newborns has few certainties and even fewer rules: watch your back, don’t draw attention to yourself and, above all, make it home by sunrise or die. What she doesn’t know: her time as an immortal is quickly running out.
Then Bree finds an unexpected friend in Diego, a newborn just as curious as Bree about their mysterious creator, whom they know only as “her”. As they come to realize that the newborns are pawns in a game larger than anything they could have imagines, Bree and Diego must choose sides and decide whom to trust. But when everything you know about vampires is based on a lie, how do you find the truth? – Goodreads

My Opinion: This was very well written. When I saw the movie, Eclipse I didn’t think that the girl being killed was so unique and observant. I never thought that all that was happening in that moment was so intense and interesting. I really liked this story it had suspense and loneliness as well as isolation. I really liked Bree’s story that even though she was changed, Bree still kept apart of herself and didn’t let herself be fooled (or did she?). Just listening to Bree’s thoughts was amazing. All these things that were happening with the newborns is just amazing.
I listened to this. The reader was Emma Galvin and she wasn’t that great of a reader. Her voice was very monotonous and it was easy to lose concentration and I had to repeat some of the tracks again. Other than the reader though I really enjoyed the book.
Overall: 5 out of 5

Wicked Lovely (Wicked Lovely, #1) by Melissa Marr

2011-03-20T13:46:00.001-07:00

Wicked Lovely (Wicked Lovely, #1) by Melissa Marr

Hardcover, 328 pages

Published June 12th 2007 by HarperTeen

Rule #3: Don’t stare at invisible faeries.
Aislinn has always seen faeries. Powerful and dangerous, they walk hidden in mortal world. Aislinn fears their cruelty—especially if they learn of her Sight—and wishes she were as blind to their presence as other teens.
Rule #2: Don’t speak to invisible faeries.
Now faeries are stalking her. One of them, Keenan, who is equal parts terrifying and alluring, is trying to talk to her, asking questions Aislinn is afraid to answer.
Rule #1: Don’t ever attract their attention.
But it’s too late. Keenan is the Summer King who has sought his queen for nine centuries. Without her, summer itself will perish. He is determined that Aislinn will become the Summer Queen at any cost—regardless of her plans or desires.
Suddenly none of the rules that have kept Aislinn safe are working anymore, and everything is on the line: her freedom; her best friend, Seth; her life; everything.
Faerie intrigue, mortal love, and the clash of ancient rules and modern expectations swirl together in Melissa Marr’s stunning 21st century faery tale. – Goodreads

My Opinion: I listened to this on audio. The reader read really slowly… I probably would have finished the book faster if I had read it my self. However the reader did do all the voices and it was interesting. I really liked that whole she and her family being the only ones that can see the faeries but I’m not sure I liked Seth. Seth just seemed way to accepting of the fact that faeries are stalking her and that they exist. I don’t think that if someone said that in real life that it would be very believable. I like books that have that element where if it was possible in real life… there would be some questioning at least. But with Seth, it was okay you can see faeries, that’s cool. I have already read Ink Exchange and I liked that one so much better than this one. Now I’m on the fence of reading the 3rd in the series because it is a continuation of this story. I will try to see if I can get it on audio again but it might be a while before I check it out from the library and review it.
Something else that I didn’t like about this was that it moved very slowly. There wasn’t really any mystery or adventure or action or really woeing on the part of Keenan to get her to go out with him.
However something that I did enjoy was the cover… I really like the flower covered in ice… I wonder what its significance is. Danya (?) was my favorite character though and maybe Baira (?) also.
Overall: 3.5 out of 5

The Anti-Prom by Abby McDonald

2011-03-19T16:11:00.000-07:00

The Anti-Prom by Abby McDonald

Hardcover, 288 pages

Expected publication: April 12th 2011 by Candlewick Press

Three unlikely allies team up for a night of rebellion, romance, and revenge in a high-stakes dramedy from acclaimed young author Abby McDonald. They’ve spent years at the same high school without speaking a word to one another, but that’s all about to change. Popular Bliss was having the perfect prom until she found her BFF and boyfriend making out in the back of a limo. Bad girl Jolene wouldn’t be caught dead at the prom, yet here she is, trussed up in pink ruffles, risking her reputation for some guy – some guy who is forty minutes late. And shy, studious, über-planner Meg never counted on her date’s standing her up and leaving her idling in the parking lot outside the prom. Get ready for The Anti-Prom, Abby McDonald’s hilarious, heart-tugging tale about three girls and one unforgettable prom night. – Goodreads

My Opinion: This is a very fun book. It was a quick read and its basically about learning about friendship and how it can grow form nothing. At first when I read the summary of this book I thought that it would be similar to the movie John Tucker Must Die but in the end it was different all thought the ending itself was similar because all three of the girls, Meg, Jolene, and Bliss turned out to become very good friends.

I really enjoyed the aspect of getting revenge. I thought that it added such a huge spike it in being

appealing because usually when girls are targeted by boyfriends and abandonment from parents that they sort of play the victim and I thought that the whole running around made this so much fun and adventurous. I almost sort of wish my prom to be like that although I plan on being there for it.

This was a fun and amazing read about a new and real friendship.

Overall: 5 out of 5

Orchards by Holly Thompson

2011-03-17T22:25:00.001-07:00

Orchards by Holly Thompson

Hardcover, 336 pages

Expected publication: February 22nd 2011 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

After a classmate commits suicide, Kana Goldberg—a half-Japanese, half-Jewish American—wonders who is responsible. She and her cliquey friends said some thoughtless things to the girl. Hoping that Kana will reflect on her behavior, her parents pack her off to her mother’s ancestral home in Japan for the summer. There Kana spends hours under the hot sun tending to her family’s mikan orange groves.
Kana’s mixed heritage makes it hard to fit in at first, especially under the critical eye of her traditional grandmother, who has never accepted Kana’s father. But as the summer unfolds, Kana gets to know her relatives, Japan, and village culture, and she begins to process the pain and guilt she feels about the tragedy back home. Then news about a friend sends her world spinning out of orbit all over again. – Goodreads

My Opinion: This is one of the best poetic verse novels I have read in a very long time. I love the way the book is written and the message that it sends out I think is a great one. It talks about suicide and how it affects everyone that was connected to the person committing suicide. I really liked the characters as well.

Kana has just experienced a traumatic event and blames herself and her friends for that experience. There are many things that happen. Her parents send her to Japan to live with her grandmother for the summer. There she experiences a closer connection to family and learns more about herself and what type of person she wants to be.

The writing itself is very eloquent and it uses many rhetorical figures. I love the use of the anastrophes in verse it helps to create the perfect image to follow with your imagination.

Its a great story, told in an amazing way.

Overall: 5 out of 5

Heart of Darkness and Selections from the Congo Diary by Joseph Conrad

2011-03-17T17:59:00.001-07:00

Heart of Darkness and Selections from the Congo Diary by Joseph Conrad

Paperback, 176 pages

Published: August 10th 1999 by Modern Library

‘Heart of Darkness,’ which appeared at the very beginning of our century, ‘was a Cassandra cry announcing the end of Victorian Europe, on the verge of transforming itself into the Europe of violence,’ wrote the critic Czeslaw Milosz.
Originally published in 1902, Heart of Darkness remains one of this century’s most enduring–and harrowing–works of fiction. Written several years after Conrad’s grueling sojourn in the Belgian Congo, the novel tells the story of Marlow, a seaman who undertakes his own journey into the African jungle to find the tormented white trader Kurtz. Rich in irony and spellbinding prose, Heart of Darkness is a complex meditation on colonialism, evil, and the thin line between civilization and barbarity. This edition contains selections from Conrad’s Congo Diary of 1890–the first notes, in effect, for the novel which was composed at the end of that decade.
Virginia Woolf wrote of Conrad, ‘His books are full of moments of vision. They light up a whole character in a flash. . . . He could not write badly, one feels, to save his life.’ – Goodreads

My Opinion: This is definitely a book that a person should read. Its all about your own inferences as to what the main point of the book was. For me it was about how the wild can change a person. Its basically about a guy named Marlow and he tells the story of a guy named Kurtz. Kurtz is this “remarkable” person and everyone seems to know about him and what type of person he is. It amazes me how much people admired this guy.

I really enjoyed the way that the jungle was portrayed. It was like its own character. I would also have a dictionary along side you as you are reading. There are a lot of big words and words that we already know that have multiple meanings. Other than that it was interesting and something different.

Overall: 3.5 out of 5

Angel (Maximum Ride #7) by James Patterson

2011-03-15T21:20:00.001-07:00

Angel (Maximum Ride #7) by James Patterson

Hardcover, 320 pages

Published February 14th 2011 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

In the seventh book in the bestselling series, evil scientists are still trying to convince Max that she needs to save the world, this time by providing the genetic link in speeding up the pace of evolution. Worse, they’re trying to convince her that her perfect mate is Dylan, the newest addition to the flock. The problem is that, despite herself, Max is starting to believe it.Fang travels the country collecting his own gang of evolved humans, but the two separate flocks must unite to defeat a frightening doomsday cult whose motto is Save the Planet: Kill the Humans. And this time, the true heroine, for once, might just be little Angel. – Goodreads

My Opinion: ANGGGEEEELLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! okay I’m done. I really liked this one. I think that its better than the last 2-3 books of the series and it was quite enjoyable. I really enjoyed learning more about Dylan and Max. I really enjoyed the mystery of who the Doomsday Cult is and that even at the end the mystery of what is happening to Angel. I can’t wait to see what the next book is going to be very, very interesting. I also hope that the next one is going to be the last because I think it would be a great full circle with the first book in the series.
I really enjoyed the different perspectives of Angel, Max, Fang, and Dylan. I thought that Angel grew a lot as a character and also Max II aka Maya grew as a character as well. I was a little suspicious of her but she grew on me. I also really hope that the puppeteer is a character that was introduced as the spokesperson but then spokespeople are never the people behind the curtain.
Some other things that I really enjoyed were the action and fight scenes as well as the emotional turmoil/ love triangle happening between Max, Dylan, and Fang.
I also really enjoyed the different locations visited. I love Paris and I want to go there someday.
Overall: 4.25 out of 5

The Lover’s Dictionary by David Levithan

2011-02-26T12:02:00.001-08:00

The Lover’s Dictionary by David Levithan

Hardcover, 211 pages

Published January 4th 2011 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux

A sweet and touching modern love story, told through dictionary entries. basis, n.
There has to be a moment at the beginning when you wonder whether you’re in love with the person or in love with the feeling of love itself.
If the moment doesn’t pass, that’s it—you’re done. And if the moment does pass, it never goes that far. It stands in the distance, ready for whenever you want it back. Sometimes it’s even there when you thought you were searching for something else, like an escape route, or your lover’s face.
How does one talk about love? Do we even have the right words to describe something that can be both utterly mundane and completely transcendent, pulling us out of our everyday lives and making us feel a part of something greater than ourselves? Taking a unique approach to this problem, the nameless narrator of David Levithan’s The Lover’s Dictionary has constructed the story of his relationship as a dictionary. Through these short entries, he provides an intimate window into the great events and quotidian trifles of being within a couple, giving us an indelible and deeply moving portrait of love in our time. – Goodreads

My Opinion: This us definitely that you guys should read. Its short and easy and FUNNY. A lot of the story is funny and some of the words that I read I never imagined could be used with love. Very good read and the I definitely recommend it to you guys! All the words and stories are based on one relationship.

Overall: 5 out of 5

Stork

2011-02-26T08:21:00.000-08:00

This is the first in the series of Stork. The teenage daughter of divorced parents move her out of California to Minnesota with her grandfather. Her name is Katla, her nickname Kat and is of the Icelandic descent. She soon finds out that there are family secrets, lost memory, and secret ability. She is drawn to a group of women to deliver souls to pregnant women called the "Storks". It has romance, high school drama, nature-inspired magic, and a great story!
I loved this book. This was also inspired by Norse mythology which makes it even more interesting. There is a sequel coming out in fall 2011!!

Author's website: http://www.wendydelsol.com/books She's a new author but she writes GREAT STORIES!!!

(I love her hair don't you!?)

Kerley, Willems Win 2010 Cybils

2011-02-22T09:02:00.000-08:00

Kerley, Willems Win 2010 Cybils

Tiger’s Curse (Tiger Saga, #1) by Colleen Houck

2011-02-20T13:48:00.000-08:00

Tiger’s Curse (Tiger Saga, #1) by Colleen Houck

Hardcover, 416 pages

Published January 1st 2011 by Sterling

Passion. Fate. Loyalty.
Would you risk it all to change your destiny?
The last thing Kelsey Hayes thought she’d be doing this summer was trying to break a 300-year old Indian curse. With a mysterious white tiger named Ren. Halfway around the world.
But that’s exactly what happened.
Face-to-face with dark forces, spell-binding magic, and mystical worlds where nothing is what it seems, Kelsey risks everything to piece together an ancient prophecy that could break the curse forever.
Tiger’s Curse is the exciting first volume in an epic fantasy-romance that will leave you breathless and yearning for more. – Goodreads

My Opinion: I don’t have words to describe this book. This was just AMAZING. I loved this. The plot line was different and it sort of reminded me of Beauty and the Beast except that Beauty this time figured out that she could help him with the curse. Kelsey is a great character and I love how noble she is in the end. I loved the ending. It just worked so well with how the story is going. I can’t wait for the second book, Tiger’s Quest, to come out in June.

: Hampi, India

I loved the setting. There are so many locations that are amazing in this story, so why don’t I share some of them with you guys?

First off is Hampi, India.These are ruins are isolated and located close to jungles and forests. There are lots of amazing building and it was an important trade center back when it was created in the 3rd century BCE and until the 16th century.

Some of the animals mentioned int his book are amazing… Tigers for one are my favorite animals and it was fun learning some new tidbits about them. For example, I never imagined that a black tiger existed and I still don’t but I found this great image for you guys to look at. The Black tiger in the book is Kishan and the white tiger is Ren.

Ren

Kishan

Now back to the story, the characters were all very lovable, even Yesubai. Lokesh had his faults but he is looking for power.

This was a great book that I definitely recommend for you guys to read. I think you will enjoy it greatly.

Overall: 5 out of 5

Life as We Knew It (Last Survivors, #1) by Susan Beth Pfeffer

2011-02-19T19:02:00.001-08:00

Life as We Knew It (Last Survivors, #1) by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Hardcover, 337 pages

Published October 1st 2006 by Harcourt Children's Books
(I listened to this: Read by: Emily Bauer)

Miranda’s disbelief turns to fear in a split second when a meteor knocks the moon closer to the earth. How should her family prepare for the future when worldwide tsunamis wipe out the coasts, earthquakes rock the continents, and volcanic ash blocks out the sun? As summer turns to Arctic winter, Miranda, her two brothers, and their mother retreat to the unexpected safe haven of their sunroom, where they subsist on stockpiled food and limited water in the warmth of a wood-burning stove.
Told in journal entries, this is the heart-pounding story of Miranda’s struggle to hold on to the most important resource of all--hope--in an increasingly desperate and unfamiliar world. - Goodreads

My Opinion: This was an amazing story about survival. Miranda was annoying for about the first half of the book because she kept whining about how she was hungry and cold all the time but then she got it together and got a hold of herself. My favorite character had to be Matt because he knew what was actually happening and was asked for his opinion by their mom. Another favorite was Mrs. Nesbit, she was realistic about their circumstances and knew that she wouldn't survive for long and in the process did whatever she could to help Miranda and her family.

So the story is pretty much about the effects of what would happen if the moon was hit by an asteroid and was brought closer to the Earth and what its effects would be. Its very interesting because some of the things that Miranda and her family go through as very difficult. I'm surprised that she didn't give up faster.

I loved how the book ended. It brought back hope. I think that the electricity turning off and coming back on was symbolic for the good and bad things coming. I really enjoyed this.

Emily Bauer was also not a bad reader. She helped me create a better picture in my head of what Miranda was talking about by providing her with a voice. I would definitely listen to a book read by her again.

Overall: 4.75 out 5

Aftertime by Sophie Littlefield

2011-02-13T17:01:00.001-08:00

Aftertime by Sophie Littlefield

Paperback, 384 pages

Expected publication: February 22nd 2011 by Luna

The world’s gone.
Worse, so is her daughter. Awakening in a bleak landscape as scarred as her body, Cass Dollar vaguely recalls surviving something terrible. Having no idea how many days—or weeks—have passed, she slowly realizes the horrifying truth: Ruthie has vanished.
And with her, nearly all of civilization. Where once-lush hills carried cars and commerce, the roads today see only cannibalistic Beaters—people turned hungry for human flesh by a government experiment gone wrong.
In a broken, barren California, Cass will undergo a harrowing quest to get her Ruthie back. Few people trust an outsider, let alone a woman who became a zombie and somehow turned back, but she finds help from an enigmatic outlaw, Smoke. Smoke is her savior, and her safety. For the Beaters are out there. And the humans grip at survival with their trigger fingers. Especially when they learn that she and Ruthie have become the most feared, and desired, of weapons in a brave new world….- Goodreads

My Opinion: This was interesting. It has a little bit of The Book of Eli (the movie) and a little bit of Resident Evil and it all mixed so well together. Cass was interesting. I love that as we learn more about her we see her flaws and that she is like a normal person. I love that she is also a great mother. Something that was really interesting to see was the progression in her relationship between herself and Smoke.

Something I also really liked about the story was that, if an apocalypse did happen, it would probably happen like in the book and that eventually people will see it as an opportunity to start controlling others. And that religious zealotry will try to take over. The Order was really extreme and it wasn’t even that people wanted to follow it, it just kept them safe. I think that that is one of the reasons people become manipulated so easily.

The plot was ingenious. There were so many things that were just different from other Zombie books that I have read that it was awesome. (Not that I have read many zombie books). The zombies were a lot like those of Resident Evil, changed due to something released (a terrorist attack of some sort) and they feed on people, but only their skin and they want the people to be alive as they’re feeding on them.

This was definitely an enjoyable read, read in about a day, and I couldn’t stop reading it.

Overall: 4 out of 5

All Just Glass (Shattered Mirror Sequel) by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

2011-02-12T11:50:00.000-08:00

All Just Glass (Shattered Mirror Sequel) by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Hardcover, 256 pages

Published January 11th 2011 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Sarah Vida has given up everything for love. From a legendary family of vampire-hunting witches, Sarah was raised to never trust a vampire, to never let her guard down, and to avoid all tricky attachments of the heart. But now Sarah IS a vampire—changed by the boy she thought she loved. Her family has forsaken her, and Sarah herself is disgusted by her appetite for blood.
Aida Vida is Sarah’s older sister, the good, reliable sibling who always does her family proud. But when Aida’s mother insists that Sarah be found and killed, Aida is given the one assignment that she may not be able to carry out.
Taking place over just twenty-four hours, ALL JUST GLASS tells the story of a game-changing battle that will forever change the world of the Den of Shadows. And at its center is the story of two sisters who must choose between love and duty. Dark, fully-imagined, and hard to put down, ALL JUST GLASS will thrill Amelia’s fans—old and new. – Goodreads

My Opinion: I know that a lot of people have said that this one was confusing but I’m my opinion it was okay in wasn’t what I expected it to be. I wanted more action and it just wasn’t that actiony. However something that i really enjoyed was the ending. I loved that twist that the author put in. I also loved the observations that Sarah made about Kristopher and Nikolas. But my favorite character had to be Kendra, even though she was only in a couple of scenes in the book it just worked and she was just someone I felt like I really enjoyed because of all the stories she told Sarah.

Something else that I really liked and didn’t like at the same time was the different perspectives of Sarah, Nikolas, Dominique, Adia, Michael and some other characters. I liked to see their perspectives but there were just too many of them set up into this one book. I also didn’t like that you had to figure out whose perspective you were looking through a couple of times, it was just a little confusing. However, If you haven’t read Shattered Mirror, I think it would be okay to just jump into read this one because there wasn’t really much talk about what happened Shattered Mirror and I don’t think you would be lost. The characters were also easy to keep up with because after a new character was mentioned there was a little description of who that character was/is.

The plot was okay. Sarah is conflicted about what she wants to do and with Dominique calling the Rights of Kin, she doesn’t know what to do and she doesn’t want other people to get hurt. That basically it. Sarah becomes closer to Nikolas in this novel and sorta loses a little of her relationship with Kristopher, but otherwise it was an easy read.

Overall: 3.75 out of 5

V For Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd

2011-02-09T17:07:00.001-08:00

V For Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd

Paperback, 286 pages

Published April 1st 1995 by Vertigo

A powerful story about loss of freedom and individuality, V For Vendetta takes place in a totalitarian England following a devastating war that changed the face of the planet. In a world without political freedom, personal freedom and precious little faith in anything comes a mysterious man in a white porcelain mask who fights political oppressors through terrorism and seemingly absurd acts. It’s a gripping tale of the blurred lines between ideological good and evil. – Goodreads

My Opinion: This was definitely interesting. The movie, V For Vendetta is based on this graphic novel and the art in this was interesting, especially the special article that was posting in the end of the book about the interview that Alan Moore did when the story was still in progress. Those pictures are amazing. If you have seen the movie and liked it I would definitely recommend that you read it because in the book, you find out a little more about V and his background as well as about Evey. I love the plot of this.
Some favorite lines that I could find:

page 14 – “Remember, remember the fifth of November, the gun-powder treason and plot. I know of no reason why the gun-powder treason… Should ever be forgot”
page 41 – “Her name is ANARCHY and she has taught me more as a mistress than you EVER did! SHE has taught me that Justice is meaningless without freedom. She is HONEST . She makes no promises and breaks none. Unlike YOU, Jezebel.”
page 177 – “To pick a flower is not a large thing. It is easy as it irrevocable. understand what is being offered here, and do as thou wilt.”

Overall: 4.5 out of 5

Outside In (Inside Out, #2) by Maria V. Snyder

2011-02-05T15:59:00.000-08:00

Outside In (Inside Out, #2) by Maria V. Snyder

Paperback, 320 pages

Expected publication: February 22th 2011 by Harlequin Teen

Me? A Leader? Okay, I did prove that there’s more to Inside than we knew. That a whole world exists beyond this cube we live in. And finding that led to a major rebellion – between worker scrubs like me and the snobby uppers who rule our world. Make that ruled. Because of me, we’re free. I thought that meant I was off the hook, and could go off on my own again – while still touching base with Riley, of course. He’s the one upper I think I can trust. But then we learned that there’s outside and then there is Outside. And something from Outside wants In. – Goodreads

My Opinion: oh my gosh!!!! I think that this might have been better than the first in the series, Inside Out. There was definitely more mystery and more running around trying to figure out what is going on and who is doing the things that are endangering the lives of Inside. Trella grows so much as character and Riley just rocks. Trella finally learns what it means to be a leader and in the end we don’t find out if she will be the leader yet. I’m hoping for a third book in the series. The Controllers return and they want things their own way. My favorite character was definitely Jacy in this one. He was not naive and oblivious as some of the characters in the beginning of the novel. I loved that he kept his head.

I loved the CRAZY ideas that Trella comes up with. Some of them made me laugh and other made me smile. There were some that even made me scared, but in a good way. This was definitely a great installment to the series.

Overall: 5 out of 5

To read CHAPTER ONE OF OUTSIDE IN CLICK HERE

For the review of Inside Out (Inside Out, #1) by Maria V. Snyder CLICK HERE

Will Work For Prom Dress by Aimee Ferris

2011-02-03T12:32:00.000-08:00

Will Work For Prom Dress by Aimee Ferris

Paperback, 240 pages

Expected publication: February 8th 2011 by EgmontUSA

Quigley Johnson has, reluctantly, given up the rest of her last year of high school to take part in her best friend Ann’s Betterment Plan, which will turn them into the best-dressed, most sought-after, most admired girls at their senior formal. Because – hey – who doesn’t want the perfect prom, complete with a dream dress and a devastatingly handsome date?
But the prom costs money – lots of money – and even though the girls could easily have Ann’s mom design their dresses (she’s only Victoria Parisi, one of the most famous designers in the world), Ann insists that they pay their own way. And that’s how Quigley gets stuck making artistic topping masterpieces on frozen pizzas canvases, before becoming a live model for Ms. Parisi’s fashion design class, where she meets Zander.
He’s cute, and cool, and funny, with a killer design sensibility (even if he can’t sketch). But is he too good to be true? And what about David, the hot, talented artist at school, who’s also kind of a jerk, but won’t leave Quigley alone? And Ann – she started the Betterment Plan to improve Quigley and herself, but it seems like it’s ripping their friendship to shreds.
This road to the prom dream may just end in disaster. – Goodreads

My Opinion: I really enjoyed this book. There were so many moments where I laughed and though “Oh my gosh, that so true.” Quigley is just like your average student. I know because I still don’t know to which college I want to go to and just choosing is super hard because of all the pressure. I loved that she changes in little steps because of how she learns little things and I love the loyalty she feels towards Anne. Quigley is a great character. However, my favorite had to be The Spikester (Lance) because of all the things that he had to go through to be the type of person he is today especially with all the obstacles.

I also really enjoyed how the novel progressed and the growing up that the characters went through. It was a great book that made me read it in in less than 24 hours. Loved it!!!

Haha my favorite part had to be the Elvis pizza!!!

Overall: 5 out of 5

Cover Reveal: Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter

2011-02-03T09:40:00.000-08:00

Comes out on June 21st, 2011

Cryer’s Cross by Lisa McMann

2011-02-02T21:06:00.000-08:00

Cryer’s Cross by Lisa McMann

Hardcover, 240 pages

Expected publication: February 8th 2011 by Simon Pulse

The community of Cryer’s Cross, Montana (population 212) is distraught when high school freshman Tiffany disappears without a trace. Already off-balance due to her OCD, 16-year-old Kendall is freaked out seeing Tiffany’s empty desk in the one-room school house, but somehow life goes on… until Kendall’s boyfriend Nico also disappears, and also without a trace. Now the town is in a panic. Alone in her depression and with her OCD at an all-time high, Kendall notices something that connects Nico and Tiffany: they both sat at the same desk. She knows it’s crazy, but Kendall finds herself drawn to the desk, dreaming of Nico and wondering if maybe she, too, will disappear…and whether that would be so bad. Then she begins receiving graffiti messages on the desk from someone who can only be Nico. Can he possibly be alive somewhere? Where is he? And how can Kendall help him? The only person who believes her is Jacian, the new guy she finds irritating…and attractive. As Kendall and Jacian grow closer, Kendall digs deeper into Nico’s mysterious disappearance only to stumble upon some ugly—and deadly—local history. Kendall is about to find out just how far the townspeople will go to keep their secrets buried. – Goodreads

My Opinion: This was not as good as the Dream Catcher series but this was unique in and of it self because of who Kendall is and how she sees things. I liked that she figured out a way to overcome her OCD and how she can use it to her advantage. The book starts off with an adrenaline rush of a search party for a girl named Tiffany who has disappeared, Kendall is upset but not really that affected by it because she distances herself off. However, another person disappears and this time its someone that she really cares about. She begins to become depressed and worried and scared. At the same time as all this is happening, she starts to spend more time with Jacian and Marlena, two new students that come to live in Cryer’s Cross. Cryer’s Cross is a town in Montana that has a little over 200 people. These disappearances cause a lot of unrest. And Kendall becomes so obsessed with Nico’s disappearance that she sets off the disappearance of another person.

Jacian is AWESOME! I loved him, he was my favorite character in the novel. I loved that he was smart and athletic but at the same time caring and sensitive. I also thought that it was interesting, how everything seemed to be going wrong for him and then it all righted itself.

Overall: 3.75 out of 5

The Fledgling Handbook 101 (House of Night) by P.C. Cast with Kim Doner

2011-02-02T08:53:00.000-08:00

The Fledgling Handbook 101 (House of Night) by P.C. Cast with Kim Doner

Paperback, 176 pages

Published October 26th 2010 by St. Martin’s Griffin

Merry meet, fledgling. I trust this guide will serve you well. Every vampyre fledgling who arrives at the House of Night receives a copy of “The Fledgling Handbook 101″, and now, fans can have one, too, with this gorgeous must-have edition. Inside you’ll find original stories, the complete vampyre history, inside info into rituals, vamp biology, and the Change, and much more. – Goodreads

My Opinion: This was an interesting read. I really liked that it explained the different elements and how who is which element is chosen. I also liked that the book went into the histories of powerful vampyres in in certain elements (the first of the first, you can say) and I also really liked that there were allusions to people in our actual history. From Egypt to Greece and many others. Another aspects that I really liked were the illustrations/images that were created for the book. Kim Doner did an amazing job. I wish I could find some more of the images in the book to share with you guys. They were amazing done, especially the ceramics (I know how hard it can be to make it into certain shapes).

Overall: 4 out of 5

Some Images:

Across the Universe (Across the Universe, #1) by Beth Revis

2011-02-02T08:49:00.000-08:00

Across the Universe (Across the Universe, #1) by Beth Revis

Hardcover, 398 pages

Published January 11th 2011 by Razorbill

A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder.
Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.
Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone-one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship-tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn’t do something soon, her parents will be next.
Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed’s hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there’s only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming. – Goodreads

My opinion: This was definitely something that was different, although it sort of reminded me of Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder and those of you who have read it, can see the similarities that I won’t mention. The book has two narrators, Amy and Elder. They are both teenagers, only difference is that one is from space (a spaceship) while the other was cryogenicaly frozen on Earth. Elder is trying to figure out how to be a better future leader than Eldest, while Amy is trying to figure out who wants the other “frozens” dead and who is trying to murder them.

The plot of this book was pretty interesting, we are out in space in a ship that is about the size of a Japanese island (I believe it was said in the book), lets just say that the ship is HUGE. The mystery back-up to the story makes the whole experience of Amy being a place/location that is so completely different from what she is used to. I really liked that Beth Revis made it so that in the beginning when Amy was still frozen, we know what she is feeling and thinking. I thought that was a great point to make in the novel. I also really liked that Elder admits to his mistakes and that he regrets it and feels sorry for it. I also really liked how the characters change as the story continues. Elder learns what a real leader is supposed to be like and Amy learns the truth and she wants to improve the condition of the ship and its people. I also really liked that Amy was an individual on the ship, because she was so completely different from the people on it (from the inside to outside looks). It makes the whole experience that she goes through more real for us, the readers.

And the cover… can you say gorgeous?

Overall: 4.5 out of 5

Selfish Elf Wish by Heather Swain

2011-02-01T12:44:00.000-08:00

This is an awesome book about an elf family that moves from their world of Averland to Brooklyn. The novel features two cousins who attend high school, fall in love for the first time and celebrate their first Thanksgiving. A twist occurs when two bad elves cast bad spells on the cousins so they can locate Averland.Take my advice and read this awesome book. This is the second book in a series but you do not need to read the first book to understand the action in the second book.

Winter Reading Review by Massera

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

2011-02-01T12:36:00.000-08:00

When Grace was little she was pulled off a tire swing and dragged into the woods by a pack of wolves.One wolf with captivating yellow eyes turned human to save her.Now Grace looks out her window hoping to see her yellow eyed wolf. When a local boy disappears the town decides that it is time to kill the wolves once and for all. Grace stops them from shooting at the wolves but when she comes home discovers a boy who has the same eyes as her wolf, bledding all over. She helps the wolf, he tells her that he changes into a wolf when it starts to get cold and both of them try to keep their love alive, despite many troubles. This supernatural romance covers the themes of coming of age and self-confidence. During parts of the book I couldn't help but smile nonstop since the moments were so pure and I could feel the warmth of the moment in the pit of my stomach. This book expresses that if you truly love someone even though he changes physically you shouldn't stop loving them. This is an amazing and captivating book. If you love this book read the second book in the trilogy, Linger. The third book will be coming out next summer.

Winter Reading Review by Aimee

Absolute Brightness

2011-02-01T12:08:00.000-08:00

Girls will love this novel. It shows that it is ok to be different. It also alerts us to be more forgiving and loving.

Winter Reading Review by Sherlina

Faery Rebels Spell Hunter by R.J. Anderson

2011-02-01T11:51:00.000-08:00

This novel gives an insider's look on the less beautiful aspects of the faery realm. Knife is a spunky, young heroine ready to sacrifice for love. I give it four out of five stars.

Winter Reading Review by Grace

Blank Confession by Pete Hautman

2011-02-01T11:39:00.000-08:00

I liked how the story was told by different people so that the the reader experiences various viewpoints of the story line.The novel starts off in a confession room with a teenage boy with a disturbed nervous face confessing to the police. The reader will find out that there is much more behind that face. Never judge a book by its cover. This is a beautiful book full of mystery and action.

Winter Reading Review by Alina

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

2011-02-01T11:25:00.000-08:00

Amazing! This book will keep you on the edge of your seat. I was unable to put the book down! I couldn't stop reading and every page lured me in with new suspense. Great book for guys and girls with a perfect balance of fighting and emotion.

Teen Winter Reading Review by Sherlina

Superheroes for the Uninitiated

2011-01-31T15:46:00.000-08:00

Superheroes for the Uninitiated

Revolution

2011-01-29T12:07:00.000-08:00

Jennifer Donelly's Blog (The author)

"Two girls, two centuries apart. One never knowing the other. But when Andi finds Alexandrine’s diary, she recognizes something in her words and is moved to the point of obsession. There’s comfort and distraction for Andi in the journal’s antique pages—until, on a midnight journey through the catacombs of Paris, Alexandrine’s words transcend paper and time, and the past becomes suddenly, terrifyingly present."

A very long book, and I loved it that way! It was really good.I'm almost done. I was taken inside the book almost instantly. She describes depression and loss perfectly. She puts in scientists, french history, teen confusion of where they stand in live and love.

I thought that since in was in Teen Vogue and Seventeen in ads everywhere I looked that it wouldn't be the greatest French History Fiction ever ; But it is. It's seriously good. My best friend almost stole the whole dang thing out of my hands while I was reading it.

The author is Jennifer Donelly has other books and she's won a few major awards. She has a wonderful imagination. She won a award for "A Gathering Light" which I have not read yet but plan to.

The Passage (The Passage, #1) by Justin Cronin

2011-01-17T18:38:00.000-08:00

The Passage (The Passage, #1) by Justin Cronin

Hardcover, 766 pages

Published June 8th 2010 by Ballantine Books

“It happened fast. Thirty-two minutes for one world to die, another to be born.”
First, the unthinkable: a security breach at a secret U.S. government facility unleashes the monstrous product of a chilling military experiment. Then, the unspeakable: a night of chaos and carnage gives way to sunrise on a nation, and ultimately a world, forever altered. All that remains for the stunned survivors is the long fight ahead and a future ruled by fear—of darkness, of death, of a fate far worse.
As civilization swiftly crumbles into a primal landscape of predators and prey, two people flee in search of sanctuary. FBI agent Brad Wolgast is a good man haunted by what he’s done in the line of duty. Six-year-old orphan Amy Harper Bellafonte is a refugee from the doomed scientific project that has triggered apocalypse. He is determined to protect her from the horror set loose by her captors. But for Amy, escaping the bloody fallout is only the beginning of a much longer odyssey—spanning miles and decades—towards the time and place where she must finish what should never have begun.
With The Passage, award-winning author Justin Cronin has written both a relentlessly suspenseful adventure and an epic chronicle of human endurance in the face of unprecedented catastrophe and unimaginable danger. Its inventive storytelling, masterful prose, and depth of human insight mark it as a crucial and transcendent work of modern fiction. – Goodreads

My Opinion: I think that this book is definitely something that takes time because of how long it is. Even if you listen to it on CD like I did. The plot was something to be reckoned with. The book starts with Amy’s mother and ends with massacre. There are many locations and it multiple perspectives. We see the perspective of Amy’s mother, Lesley, Peter, Amy, and many others. I thought that added to the story because we see more things of the setting and we see things that other characters don’t see.I also like the unique view of how the monsters were created.

Some of the character were really awesome. I think my favorite was Amy. Even though she doesn’t talk in almost 99% of the novel, she observe everyone and makes a decision for them. Plus the whole because of who she is she can save everyone. Lisha is also really awesome. I love female protagonists that are self sufficient and reliable and can protect and handle themselves.

Something that I didn’t like about the audiobook was that sometimes it was difficult to distinguish when a new location/ character’s perspective started. in the book there are probably spaces or other paragraphs that distinguish it but in the audiobook… there was nothing.

This was a great novel and I can’t wait for the next one to come out. I would definitely recommend it.

Overall: 4 out of 5

The second novel in the series called The Twelve and it will come out on in 2012

Here Lies Bridget by Paige Harbison

2011-01-17T01:01:00.000-08:00

Here Lies Bridget by Paige Harbison

Paperback, 208 pages

Expected publication: February 1st 2011 by Harlequin

“Heroine, Bridget Duke, rules her high school, but when she crashes her car and ends up in limbo, she must confront the people she has wronged, all of whom want her to go to hell. The outcome of these meetings will decide her final destination.” – Goodreads

My Opinion: Wow. Okay the novel starts off right away with Bridget thinking about committing suicide and she is driving erratically and crying, and thinking about how everyone would be super sorry about how they acted towards her and how they would blame themselves for her death. And then she gets into a car accident. It was a great start, I was feeling the adrenaline that Bridget was experiencing.

I think that a theme in this book is that our actions have consequences and that Bridget looks back on her actions and tries to change the way things are in her life and the lives of those closest to her. I thought that she was a great person because she realized when she was wrong and tried to fix things.

I totally understand where she is coming from. But it felt as though all she cared about was herself until she “saw the light” and fixed it all. I loved the effect the flashbacks had on the novel and saw how she changed because of them in the process.

Something else that I really liked that was that the story only takes place in a manner of one to half a day. And I loved that because the novel’s time was so short we see a drastic change in Bridget’s personality because of the event that she goes through. And in real life, its the same. People need only a single moment to make them change.

Overall: 4 out of 5

Hunger (Horsemen of the Apocalypse #1) by Jackie Morse Kessler

2011-01-16T14:12:00.001-08:00

Hunger (Horsemen of the Apocalypse #1) by Jackie Morse Kessler

Paperback, 180 pages

Published October 18th 2010 by Harcourt Graphia

“Thou art the Black Rider. Go thee out unto the world.” Lisabeth Lewis has a black steed, a set of scales, and a new job: she’s been appointed Famine. How will an anorexic seventeen-year-old girl from the suburbs fare as one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?
Traveling the world on her steed gives Lisa freedom from her troubles at home: her constant battle with hunger, and her struggle to hide it from the people who care about her. But being Famine forces her to go places where hunger is a painful part of everyday life, and to face the horrifying effects of her phenomenal power. Can Lisa find a way to harness that power — and the courage to battle her own inner demons? – Goodreads

My Opinion: This was an interesting and unique concept. I think that its interesting how the Horsemen are selected. I loved that the characters understood the what their roles were. I loved that because Lisabeth was anorexic she became Famine and I love that she actually understood food.

I really liked how the Lisa grew as a character and how she was willing to fight for herself and how she realized what it means to be hungry because she saw all the people that lived without food. I also really loved that she figures out how to use her power to help.

The plot is just awesome. The book starts with Lisa trying to kill herself and Death stopping her. from there we meet a lot of other characters, her friends who are healthy and trying to help her to a friend who is bulimic and trying to manipulate her. This was a good book and I would definitely recommend reading it because of the unique concept.

Overall: 4 out of 5

The second book in the series is called Rage and a review is coming soon.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

2011-01-14T06:48:00.001-08:00

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Hardcover, 372 pages

Published December 2nd 2010 by Dutton

“Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris—until she meets Étienne St. Claire: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he’s taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.
As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near-misses end with the French kiss Anna—and readers—have long awaited?” – Goodreads

My Opinion: I have to say that I was surprised. I think that from all the reviews that I had read about this and how much buzz has been happen for the book that I automatically assumed it must have been really good. However, the book seemed to be a little superficial. But it was a cute book.

Anna seem very oblivious to her friends and it seemed as though she was trying to help her friends always resulted with her losing them and alienating her self. Especially with her friends. She also appears to be naive, especially with her relationships with Toph and Bridgette.

The Plot: I liked France, I also loved the St. Claire knew all these little facts about it and that there were certain French historical buildings in the scenes, instead of just at the boarding school. I also loved the drama between everyone. What I didn’t like about the drama was that it was only about love.

Overall: 4 out of 5