Breathe My Name by R.A. Nelson

Summary:(from back of book) "I need to see you. Please come right away. We have to finish." Frances Robinson Can try and forget her birth mother. She can even try to forgive her. But she can never escape their past.
Review: I thought this book was OK. I think a lot of the surprise was taken out of it for me because I read the short summary on the copyrights page and that told the premise of the story in more detail. Had I not known so much to begin with I think I would have enjoyed it a little more. Regardless, there were still some things that surprised me and made it interesting. However, I didn't think the story was all that great. I didn't find the relationship between Frances and Nix all that believable. I didn't think there was enough buildup and just getting to know each other. I didn't really feel all that attached to any of the characters. I didn't find them that relate able. I also thought the alternating between the past and present was interesting. It really let the reader see what was going on instead of just hearing about it eleven years later. The ending chapters were really exciting and there were a few things that took me by surprise. I thought the way it ended was a little bit weird but also kind of fitting. My favorite thing about this book was probably the theme of questioning the blurring line between good and eveil and discovering what that means. Anyway, this book wasn't one of my favorites but I was interested enought that I read it in a day. I want to reccomend this book just hear what other people think about it.

Torment by Lauren Kate

This review may contain spoilers of Fallen.
Summary: (from book jacket) Hell on earth. That's what it's like for Luce to be apart from her fallen angel boyfriend, Daniel. It took them an eternity to find one another, but now he has told her he must go away. Just long enough to hunt down the Outcasts- immortals that want to kill Luce. Daniel hides Luce at Shoreline, a school on the rocky California coast with unusually gifted students: Nephilim, the offspring of fallen angels and humans. At Shoreline, Luce learns what the Shadows are, and how she can use them as windows to her previous lives. yet the more Luce learns, the more she suspects that Daniel hasn't told her everything. He's hiding something- something dangerous. What if Daniel's version of the past isn't actually true? What if Luce is really meant to be with someone else?
Review: I wasn't expecting much from this book when I picked it up because I didn't actually enjoy Fallen all that much. However, I actually really liked this one. It was entertaining and surprising and I was really enjoyed it. I liked some of the issues that were brought up between Luce and Daniel and the surprise as Luce began to discover some of her past lives. I also really liked Shoreline. It was a really interesting setting for the story. Also, Thanksgiving was the best thing ever, It was so funny and awkward and that was before the real fun began. One thing I didn't like though was that some parts of the book seemed kind of repetitive. Luce and Daniel can only do the smae thing so many times before I felt like yelling at them to grow up and get over there problems.
However, I really liked all the new characters that were introduced in this book. Shelby is awesome and Dawn and Jasmine were hilarious and I honestly don't even know what to think about Miles. Another good thing about it was it seemed like all of the old characters from Fallen made at least some brief apperance in this book. The book ended in a giant cliffhanger that makes me super excited to find out where the story goes from here, it's going to get really interesting. Anyone wanting more paranormal romance should read this series. Its worth it with this book.

Soulstice by Simon Holt

This review may contain spoilers of previous books in the series.
Summary:(from back of book). Six months... Since Reggie first discovered the existence of the Vours in a tattered journal. Since her little brother Henry, began to mutilate animals and turn against her. Since she learned to overcome her fear and destroyed a Vour to save Henry. Now as the summer solstice approaches, the Vours still haunt Reggie, but only in her dreams- until one night,  when an unexpected visitor turns her nightmares into reality.
Review: This book was just OK. I mean I liked it but it felt like a big part of the plot wasn't really necessary and once it was over it wasn't mentioned for the rest of the book. I guess you could argue that it was to emphasize Reggie's ability but I think that was done enough. I would have rather learned more about the Vours and how their world operated. I also felt like this book largely followed the same plot line as the last one. Of course there wasn't any build up but parts of it felt repetitive.  On the other hand, there were a few things that were surprising. The ending was particularly exciting. The ending was a cliffhanger that will lead to interesting finale to the series. I also like the way the fearscapes are described. Holt has a great way of showing the fear that these characters have been living in. I think the way the Vours operate is interesting.
I still like the characters But Reggie was kind of annoying in this book. Overall, I like this series and will probably read the last book when I can get my hands on it.

The Devouring by Simon Holt

Summary:(from book jacket) The Vours: Evil, demonic beings that inhabit human bodies on Sorry Night, the darkest hours of the winter solstice. When Reggie reads about the Vours in a mysterious old journal, she assumes the are just the musings of an anonymous lunatic. but when her little brother Henry, begins to act strangely, it's clear that these creatures exist beyond a madwoman's imagination, and Reggie finds out what happens when fears come to life. To save the people she loves, Reggie must learn to survive in a world of nightmares. Can she devour her own fears before they devour her?
Review: I liked this book. I don't read very much horror but I thought this book was really great. It was exciting, scary and entertaining. Of course it was a little bit slow at the beginning because a lot of it was the setup for the rest of the series. However, once Reggie and her friends fully believed in the existence of the Vours things picked up quickly. I found a few things to be predictable. My main problem was that it was a little bit hard to follow sometimes. At a few points in the story it was confusing as to what was going on. Other than that though I liked this book and am excited to read the rest of the series.
 I liked the characters in the book as well. Reggie and Henry were both great characters, but i have to say my favorite was Aaron. He was so unique and cool and that really made him stand out. I also liked his and Reggie's fascination with horror stories.
 Overall, this is a promising start to a new series. Lucky for me the next two books have already been released so I won't have to wait for the sequels (at least not yet). Anyone who wants to read a scary story should start here.

Forget You by Jennifer Echols

Summary:(from back of book) Why can't you choose what you forget... and what you remember? There's a lot Zoey would like to forget. Like how her father has knocked up his twenty four year old girlfriend. Like Zoey's fear that the whole town will find out about her mom's nervous breakdown. Like darkly handsome bad boy Doug taunting her at school. Feeling like her life is about to become a complete mess, Zoey fights back the only way she knows how, using her famous attention to detail to make sure she's the perfect daughter, the perfect student and the perfect girlfriend to ultra popular football player boyfriend. But then Zoey is in a car crash, and the next day there's one thing she can't remember at all- the entire night before. Did she go parking with Brandon, like she planned? And if so, why does it seem like Brandon is avoiding her? And why is Doug- of all people- suddenly acting as if something significant happened between the two of them? Zoey dimly remembers Doug pulling her from the wreck, but he keeps referring to what happened that night as if it was more, and it terrifies Zoey to admit how much is a blank to her. Controlled, meticulous Zoey is quickly losing her grip on the all important details of her life- a life that seems strangely empty of Brandon, and strangely full of Doug.
Review: I had mixed feelings about this book. I liked the fact that the reader is slowly discovering what really happened slowly along with Zoey. This led to a few surprises and some that were more predictable. I also liked the romance aspect although there were a few scenes that were a little more graphic than I would have liked. However, I though this was a really sweet yet somewhat intense story. One things got more intense in the second half of the book I was hooked and couldn't put it down.
I thought the characters were really cool. I liked them and thought the story was relate able but for some reason I wasn't completely connected to the characters. Maybe it was because i spend the entire book slightly annoyed at at least one of them. Despite that though, Doug is awesome he is definitely my favorite character. There were a few things that bugged me. First, Zoeys dad's reaction to her crash and memory loss. It's made clear that he isn't the best father in the world. But the way he acted was downright mean and it bugged me. The other thing that bothered me and was a little bit more important to the story line was Zoey's definition of "boyfriend". I don't want to give anything away but it was annoying that she seemed to use the term a little loosley. i think this is part of the reason I didn't realate to her very well.
Overall, I thought this book was a nice romantic read. Although I did have a few small complaints as a whole i did like it and will probably read some of Echols other writing.

Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld

This review may contain spoilers of previous books in the series.
Summary:(from book jacket) The behemoth is the fiercest creature in the British navy. It can swallow enemy battleships with one bite. The Darwinists will need it, now that they are at war with the Clanker powers. Deryn is a girl posing as a boy in the British Air Service, and Alek is the heir to an empire posing as a commoner. Finally, together aboard the airship Leviathan they hope to bring the war to a halt. But when disaster strikes the Leviathan's peacekeeping mission, they find themselves alone and hunted in enemy territory. Alek and Deryn will need great skill, new allies and brave hearts to face what's ahead.
Review: I really liked this book. It was full of action and excitement and there was a cliffhanger ending. I don't know if I can't wait to see how this story will end. There were surprising twists that kept my attention through the slower parts of the book. I don't really have any knowledge of what really went on during the war but that didn't really matter as far as getting into the story. I also really like the illustrations scattered throughout the book. I think it would be harder to imagine this alternate world without them.
 I really like the characters in this story. The characters and story are richly detailed and so believable. I think that's what makes the story so great. I think Alek is my favorite character. He can be stubborn and foolish at times but overall, he is just so awesome. I also like Volger he is so funny sometimes. All the characters are so believable and great.
 Anyway, I recommend this book to anyone who wants an awesome alternate version of history. This series is great and i can't wait to see what happens next.

Entice by Carrie Jones

This review may contain spoilers of previous books in the series.
Summary:(from book jacket). Zara and Nick are soul mates, meant to be together forever. But that's not how things have worked out. For starters, well, Nick is gone. He's been taken to some mythic place for warriors called Valhalla, where Zara and her friends might be able to get him back. It's not going to be easy. Meanwhile, Bedford needs its warriors more than ever, since a group of evil pixies is devastating the place, with teens going missing every day. An all out war seems imminent. But even if Zara and her friends can find the way to Valhalla, there's the other small problem: Zara's been pixie kissed. When she finds Nick, will he even want to leave with her? Especially considering she hasn't turned into just any pixie... She's Astley's queen.
Review: I thought this book was just OK. I like this series and was really excited to read this at the end of Captivate, but it just fell short for me. First of all, I thought the pixies kidnapping all the boys throughout town wasn't a big enough part of the story. Throughout most of the book the focus was rescuing Nick. Which isn't a bad thing, but the other two books dealt a lot  with protecting the innocent people in the town from the evil pixes. I felt like this book didn't have enough of that and it made it not really fit with the rest of the series. I guess I should have expected it after the way things ended in the last book I didn't. My only other problem was the fact that the plot seemed a little bit repetitive in some parts. I don't want to give anything away but it got a little old.
Despite that though, there were things I did like. I enjoyed Zara dealing with her new found status as a pixie queen and what that really means. She also had to deal with regaining the trust of those around her and proving that she is still the same person on the inside. Zara's struggle with becoming pixie was probably one of my favorite elements of the story.
 I also really like all of the characters in the book. Zara is so awesome. She seems like someone I would want to spend time with(apart from her being a pixie). All of Zara's friends are also really great and entertaining. I liked Astley a lot more than I expected, he is really sweet. And of course I already loved Nick. I have heard a little bit about teams for these two guys forming among fans but to me it seems like Zara has already chosen. Honestly though, after reading this book I can't say how I really feel about that.
Anyway I really like this series this book just wasn't my favorite. I am really excited to find out what happens next.