Friday, June 29, 2012

Extraordinary by Nancy Werlin

Summary:(from goodreads) Phoebe finds herself drawn to Mallory, the strange and secretive new kid in school, and the two girls become as close as sisters . . . until Mallory's magnetic older brother, Ryland, shows up during their junior year. Ryland has an immediate, exciting hold on Phoebe-but a dangerous hold, for she begins to question her feelings about her best friend and, worse, about herself. Soon she'll discover the shocking truth about Ryland and Mallory: that these two are visitors from the faerie realm who have come to collect on an age-old debt. Generations ago, the faerie queen promised Pheobe's ancestor five extraordinary sons in exchange for the sacrifice of one ordinary female heir. But in hundreds of years there hasn't been a single ordinary girl in the family, and now the faeries are dying. Could Phoebe be the first ordinary one? Could she save the faeries, or is she special enough to save herself?
Review: This book was an ok read for me. I liked the paranormal element but it took to long for the paranromal aspects to be revealed. The book is written so that the reader knows more about what's going on than the characters do, which takes away the element of surprise. I was drawn in to the story from the beginning. I just wish it had played out faster. The last few chapters were good and I was happy with the way it ended. The characters were just ok. Pheobe was a good narrator but I didn't really think she was anything special. Mallory and Ryland were very intriguing characters and I enjoyed getting to know them. I also thought the way the title played into the story was cool. I like when book titles really mean something to the story. Overall, this is a good paranoraml story and fans of Nancy Werlin will enjoy this one.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Destined by P.C Cast and Kristin Cast

This review may contain spoilers of previous books in the series.
Summary: (from goodreads)  Zoey is finally home where she belongs, safe with her Guardian Warrior, Stark, by her side, and preparing to face off against Neferet – which would be a whole lot easier if the High Counsel saw the ex-High Priestess for what she really is. Kalona has released his hold on Rephaim, and, through Nyx's gift of a human form, Rephaim and Stevie Rae are finally able to be together – if he can truly walk the path of the Goddess and stay free of his father's shadow… But there are new forces at work at the House of Night. An influx of humans, including Lenobia’s handsome horse whisperer, threatens their precarious stability. And then there’s the mysterious Aurox, a jaw-droppingly gorgeous teen boy who is actually more – or possibly less – than human. Only Neferet knows he was created to be her greatest weapon. But Zoey can sense the part of his soul that remains human, the compassion that wars with his Dark calling. And there’s something strangely familiar about him… Will Neferet’s true nature be revealed before she succeeds in silencing them all? And will Zoey be able to touch Aurox’s humanity in time to protect him – and everyone – from his own fate? Find out what’s destined in the next thrilling chapter of the House of Night series.
Review: This is the ninth book in the House of Night series and I thought it was a fairly good addition to the series. This book mostly dealt with the emotional fallout from the last book as well as some new problems. The last few chapters were really action packed and exciting and the ending made me really exctied to read the next book. As always the characters were awesome. I really like Zoey and her friends. I felt like this book also contained a lot of character development. Several of the characters in this book are dealing with their own personal problems and I think it added to the story and made the characters seem more real. The one thing I didn't like was how many character perspectives the story was told from. i don't usually mind switching perspectives in a book but this was just to many. Almsot every character had at least one brief section. Although, there were some that added to the stroy i don't think all of them were necessary.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

The Latte Rebellion by Sarah Jamila Stevenson

Summary:(from goodreads) Our philosophy is simple: Promote a latte-colored world! —from the Latte Rebellion ManifestoWhen high school senior Asha Jamison gets called a "towel head" at a pool party, the racist insult gives Asha and her best friend Carey a great money-making idea for a post-graduation trip. They'll sell T-shirts promoting the Latte Rebellion, a club that raises awareness of mixed-race students.Seemingly overnight, their "cause" goes viral and the T-shirts become a nationwide fad. As new chapters spring up from coast to coast, Asha realizes that her simple marketing plan has taken on a life of its own-and it's starting to ruin hers. Asha's once-stellar grades begin to slip, threatening her Ivy League dreams, and her friendship with Carey is hanging by a thread. And when the peaceful underground movement turns militant, Asha's school launches a disciplinary hearing.Facing expulsion, Asha must decide how much she's willing to risk for something she truly believes in.
Review: This book was just an ok read for me. It was good premise and while I thought it played out fairly well it seemed a little bit drawn out and long during some parts of the book. i liked that the chapters switched back and forth between present day and when this was happening. The alternating time frames made the story more excitng as the reader already knew that trouble was coming but they didn't really know the full story. I liked the characters in this book but I didn't really connect with them at all. Asha and Carey were interesting characters but neither one was anything outstanding. I did think this was a good contemporary read and I know lots of people will enjoy it , it just wasn't my favorite.

Monday, June 25, 2012

Zero by Tom Leveen

Summary:(from goodreads) For aspiring artist Amanda Walsh, who only half-jokingly goes by the nickname Zero, the summer before college was supposed to be fun—plain and simple. Hanging out with her best friend Jenn, going to clubs, painting, and counting down the days until her escape. But when must-have scholarship money doesn't materialize, and she has a falling out with Jenn that can only be described as majorly awkward, and Zero's parents relationship goes from tense to relentless fighting, her prospects start looking as bleak and surreal as a painting by her idol Salvador Dali. Will life truly imitate art? Will her new, unexpected relationship with a punk skater boy who seems too good to be real and support from the unlikeliest of sources show Zero that she's so much more than a name.
Review: The main reason I was so excited to read this book is because I really enjoyed Party and wanted to see if this one could be as good. I have to say that is was. The plot was wasn't to intense as this is definitely a character driven story. My favorite thing about this book is the characters. Zero is fun quirky character that I think tons of people can relate to. Mike and his friends were also really cool characters that I enjoyed getting to know. The fight between Zero and Jenn added a certian complexity that the bff sidekick character is sometimes lacking in these types of stories. Another great thing about this book was the character development that happened over the course of the book. Zero really grew up alot by the end of the book and the ways she had changed made me really like her. Also, I can think of a few ya characters who would not have made the same choices she did. If you are looking for a good contemporary read I highly reccomend this one.

Friday, June 15, 2012

Fever by Lauren Destefano

This review may contain spoilers of previous books in the series.
Summary:(from goodreads) Rhine and Gabriel have escaped the mansion, but danger is never far behind.Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago - surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness.The two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine’s twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous - and in a world where young women only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can’t seem to elude Rhine’s father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion...by any means necessary.
review: I have mixed feelings about this book. I thought the plot was kind of slow during some parts of the book. It started to get annoying after a while. The last third of the book was by far my favorite and because of that I am definitely looking forward to reading the next book in this series. The way it ended made me really interested in the way this series will end. I liked Rhine and Gabriel as characters and enjoyed getting to know them both. my only problem was that I didn't really find their chemistry to be all that believable. I felt like Rhine loved and cared about Rowan more than Gabriel. overall, this book was just an okay read for me but I will be excited to see how this stroy continues.

Friday, June 8, 2012

Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer

This review may contain spoilers of previous books in the series.
Summary:(from book jacket) Calla has always welcomed war. But now that the final battle is upon her there's more at stake than fighting. There's saving Ren, even if it incurs Shay's wrath. There's keeping Ansel safe, even if he's been branded a traitor. There's proving herself as the pack's alpha, facing unnameable horrors, and ridding the world of the Keeper's magic once and for all. And then there's deciding what to do when the war ends. If Calla makes it out alive, that is.
Review: This is the third and final book in the Nightshade trilogy and I think it was a really great conclusion to the series. Even though this book is four hundred pages it never felt slow or boring. The plot was very well paced and was very action packed. A lot happened over the course of this book and all the loose ends were wrapped up nicely. I have to applaud Andrea Cremer because she did something that most authors wouldn't dare to do. I can't say anything else because it is a major spoiler, but I was pleasantly surprised by the plot twists. My only problem was the way things were left at the end. It seemed just a little bit unnecessary to end things that way. I also love all the characters. Calla is a great main character and I loved her many friends that played a role in this book. Shay and Ren are both awesome and I think they are both really strong and loving characters. Finishing this book made me really excited to read Rift which is the first book in the prequel series.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Desires fo the Dead by Kimberly Derting

This review may contain spoilers of previous books in the series.
Summary:(from book jacket) 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 that 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.
Review: This is the second book in the Body Finder series and I thought it was a pretty good book. It was somewhat similar to the first book but different enough to keep things interesting. The ending was climatic and had me hooked on reading until I was done. This book definitely has the same creepy and haunted tones to it that Body Finder does, which I liked alot. my main problem with this book was the brief chapters that were not from Violet's point of view. Although, they were interesting to read it spoiled the surprise of finding out who was behind the things going on in this book. I had things figured out long before any of the characters did. Of course this doesn't really take away from how awesome the ending is. Jay is probably my favorite character in this series. He is so sweet and adorable. I liked Violet as a main character as well, but she did some things that were really annoying to me. I wanted to yell at her to get over herself and move on. i am also really curious about Rafe, hopefully more will be explained in the next book.