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

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

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

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

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

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

 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

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