Guest Review #8 - Leanne

The bestie Leanne is back with another fabulous review! Enjoy :D

This book was amazing. It is the best Historical Fiction book I have ever read. It combines present day Brooklyn/Paris and Paris during the French Revolution so seamlessly,that you can not put it down for one minute, but you don't ever want the story to end. Revolution is so packed full of details and emotions. Andi's love for music is so deep & understandable since she has lost so much, from her brother, the sanity of her mother, and the security of a home. The way she can relate to Alex is obsessive for her, and she cant't stop. She doesnt want Alex to loose Louis-Charles, like she lost Truman. The bond between Alex & Louis-Charles is so touching & adorable. The relationship aspect in the story line is not a major point, but Andi's relationship with Virgil is so sweet, the way they sing to each other and they are so alike. When she is transfered back in time, she meets the man she is researching for a musical DNA project so she doesnt fail school back in Brooklyn, Amadé Malherbeau. He helps her tremendously, and she helps him. She gives him her iPod and he becomes influenced by some of her favorite artists. I still can not fully rely to you how amazing this novel is. I swear, I would recommend this book to anyone, it is so tremendously complex, and enjoyable. This gets 5 pins.

Guest Review #7 - Leanne

This is a book series that has also been challenged to be banned. I started reading this, and got 12 pages in, but never got to finish... Hoping to get ahold of them soon! Here's Leanne's review:

First off, I acually understand why some schools would ban this series. It contains VERY descriptive sexual encounter scenes and some drug use and language. It also contains questionable morals, and other things that some 'young adults' should NOT be aware of. I acually enjoyed the series as a whole and the deep meaning of friendship. It was sort of hard to get into it, since there is not really a backstory and since the series is featured in only instant message conversations. The books can be confusing since it skips a whole year between them. I read them a couple of months ago so I am a tad forgetful about all the details, but some moments in the novels really made you 'LOL'; most things in them teenagers in today's society could agree and relate too. I think the novels are good for an adult trying to show teenagers lives, but she tried to put WAY too much in each book. She easily could have made a longer, more enjoyable series instead of 3 books only. I would rate this 3 pins.

I enjoyed it and would recommend it to other teenagers of the same maturity level. It surprises me none that people would challenge this series.

Guest Review #6 - Leanne

It's been quite a while since my bestie Leanne was on here, but here she is!! She's prepared a review for us today; enjoy!
____________________________________________________

Wow. This book was AMAZING. I have never read anything like it, or similar. The story line was very put together and one of a kind. The world Lauren DeStefano created is amazing, but she didn't really connect the current world to the one she created. The cover art is beautiful and it really pertains to the story. Rhine is so relatable; nobody wants to be a caged bird, or with someone you dont love. I really enjoyed this book and hope to read more from her.

**I have read MANY bad reviews on Goodreads about how bad of a book it was because of the situation, blah blah, but it's a YA book, so I don't really mind that this world is so diffrent and not scientifically possible.

Definitely 4 pins.

Read It With A Buddy #5 - Deadly Little Secret

This book counts toward the following challenges:


__________________________________________________

Deadly Little Secret (Touch, #1)
By Laurie Faria Stolarz
Publisher: Hyperion Books, 2008
705 pages, e-book (iPod Touch)
Date Finished: 11/3/2011
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Coming of Age, Some Mystery, Some Action, Realistic Fiction

Up until three months ago, everything in sixteen-year-old Camelia's life had been fairly ordinary: decent grades; an okay relationship with her parents; and a pretty cool part-time job at the art studio downtown. But when Ben, the mysterious new guy, starts junior year at her high school, Camelia's life becomes anything but ordinary.

Rumored to be somehow responsible for his ex-girlfriend's accidental death, Ben is immediately ostracized by everyone on campus. Except for Camelia. She's reluctant to believe the rumors, even when her friends try to convince her otherwise. She's inexplicably drawn to Ben...and to his touch. But soon, Camelia is receiving eerie phone calls and strange packages with threatening notes. Ben insists she is in danger, and that he can help--but can he be trusted? She knows he's hiding something... but he's not the only one with a secret.
~from goodreads.com~

~First Line: "I could have died three months ago."
~Last Line: "But then he tells me goodbye anyway."

Leanne's Review: I was looking for books one day on me iPod and came across Deadly Little Games, the third book in the Touch series. I read a sample of it and bought Deadly Little Secret. I immensely enjoyed this novel. The concept is different than most of the books I have read lately. Like all books, some of the characters were likable, some you just wanted to slap, and others you just didn't know why their motives were. That brings me to Camie's stalker. That whole situation confused me to no end. They were VERY wishy-washy, but I'll admit, I was looking forward to their point of view the whole time :). I am definitely buying Deadly Little Lies and Games. Laurie Fairia Stolarz is an amazing writer, and I can't wait to read some more of her work.



Zakiya's Review: WOW. This book was super-ahmazing! Leanne (who I believe is mentioned at least once in about 3/4 of my post:D) recommended that I read this; she had it on her iPod, so why not?!

I'm really glad that I read this, though. The main character, Camelia, is just your average high-schooler, with average friends, and average problems -- except for the fact that she has a stalker. Enter Ben, the new kid, also a supposed murderer. He has a special gift, which, even when unknown, sets him apart from the in-crowd. Everyone thinks that Ben is the one stalking Camelia, but he isn't. He's trying to help save Camelia's life as much as he possibly can.

I have to say, this novel was pretty darn-tootin' good. LOL. I read through it pretty quickly (yes, I remember what I read); the characters' behaviors weren't cliche at all, which I enjoyed. I haven't read a book with a stalker befor e(that I can remember) so it was something new to read about.

There was a little action near the end, and, as always. we had a little romance. Ben doesn something terribly heartbreaking, for Camelia if no one else, at the end of the book. Everything that happened in this book was somewhat different than others, unquestionably. Camelia's best friends, Kimmie and Wes, were ones that I liked. Kimmie was always trying to be a good friend and listen, but gets fed up at the end with Camelia always standing up for Ben -- a guy that she's not even sure she can trust -- and not even take the time to ask about on-going problems in her friends' lives.

But anyway, everything is really awesome at the end. I'm glad that there is a second and third -- and soon to be fourth -- novel after this one. If you haven't indulged yourself in this bovel, you gotta get it sometime! :P

Read It With A Buddy #4 - How to Say Goodbye in Robot

This book counts toward the following challenges:


__________________________________________________

How to Say Goodbye in Robot
By Natalie Standiford
Publisher: Scholastic, 2009
276 pages, paperback
Date Finished: 18/1/2011 (Leanne), 31/1/2011 (Zakiya)
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Coming of Age

New to town, Bea is expecting her new best friend to be one of the girls she meets on the first day. But instead, the alphabet conspires to seat her next to Jonah, aka Ghost Boy, a quiet loner who hasn't made a new friend since third grade. Something about him, though, gets to Bea, and soon they form an unexpected friendship. It's not romance, exactly - but it's definitely love. Still, Bea can't quite dispel Jonah's gloom and doom - and as she finds out his family history, she understands why. Can Bea help Jonah? Or is he destined to vanish?
~from goodreads.com~

~First Line: "Goebbels [pronounced gerbils] materialized on the back patio, right before we moved to Baltimore, and started chewing through the wicker love seat."
~Last Line: "That's how I imagined it, anyway."

Leanne's Review: The novel How to Say Goodbye in Robot, was truely one of a kind. I read it last year, but I was not as good at reviwing or analyzing books back then. It was my favorite book because it made me cry, until I re-read it. Then I saw the lack of character substance at some points and plot holes. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone, but it bounced around a lot. Bea was a very understandable character, and you just HAD to love Jonah. Everyone wants a relationship like Jonah and Bea's, being able to be in love without having to use titles or show it every five seconds. This book isn't something we all go through, far from it, but it is relatable, which is something we all enjoy. The whole radio show aspect is fun and corky; I really enjoyed this book. Definitely will read more of Standiford's books, she is an amazing writer, who really captures a story.

Zakiya's Review: This novel was first recommended to me by Leanne. I'm so glad that she got me a copy for my birthday. It really was a great read!

Beatrice, our main character, is new to Baltimore, and her first friend at her new school is Anne Sweeney. Her first curiousity: Jonah Tate. It was, in my opinion, really fast at how she and Jonah started talking to each other. It was good, though. They were totally in love, and they were almost completely oblivious to their feelings. I mean, they were basically dating, but they never admitted to being together; it was sort of nauseating.

Jonah introduces Beatrice to a wonderful and very appealing late night radio show called Night Lights. I have to say, it's not your regular music station. The callers are all really great, and their personalities are well-represented. They make me wonder: Did Natalie Standiford "create" these characters off of people she knew? Or does she just have a super-good imagination? My inner thoughts are saying probably both :).

This novel was a contemporary romance, but it was sort of a hidden romance; like, it was there, but you had to be into the characters and their actions and feelings. No blood-and-gore action, although they do "fly" on the "magic carpet," which I'm sure was a lot of fun!

Overall, you need to read this spectacular novel. Sadly, it's a stand alone novel, but the ending was so great that you don't really need anymore books with Beatrice and Jonah (although it would be nice). You seriously need to read this book if you haven't already! :D



Quotes from the book:

"I turned a corner and came to a small church. There was a headstone near the path leading to the church's wooden doors. I stepped closer to read the headstone. It said 'For the Unicorn Child.'
That is so cool, I thought. What a funky town this was. I imagined a neighborhood Legend of the Unicorn Child, about a one-horned little boy who'd died tragically, hit by a car or shot by a mugger or maybe poisoned by lawn pesticides. The story of the Unicorn Child was so real to these people they'd erected a stone in his memory.
Then I read it again. The stone didn't say 'For the Unicorn Child.' It said 'For the Unborn Child.' "

" 'She don't want a boyfriend, she don't need to be pushed. She and Ghost Boy will fall in love when they're ready.'
'But they're meant for each other,' Myrna said.
'Sure, like crabcakes and crackers,' Larry said. 'I didn't say they wouldn't get it on sometime.' "

Guest Review #5 - Chloe

Another guest review! This time it's my good friend Chloe from GoodReads. Let's all give her a great-big-butterfly-welcome! :D Here is her review of A Great and Terrible Beauty:
___________________________________________

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Children's Books
Release Date: Dec. 9th 2003
Pages: 403
Reading Level: Young Adult

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

A Victorian boarding school story, a Gothic mansion mystery, a gossipy romp about a clique of girlfriends, and a dark other-worldly fantasy--jumble them all together and you have this complicated and unusual first novel.

Sixteen-year-old Gemma has had an unconventional upbringing in India, until the day she foresees her mother's death in a black, swirling vision that turns out to be true. Sent back to England, she is enrolled at Spence, a girls' academy with a mysterious burned-out East Wing. There Gemma is snubbed by powerful Felicity, beautiful Pippa, and even her own dumpy roommate Ann, until she blackmails herself and Ann into the treacherous clique. Gemma is distressed to find that she has been followed from India by Kartik, a beautiful young man who warns her to fight off the visions. Nevertheless, they continue, and one night she is led by a child-spirit to find a diary that reveals the secrets of a mystical Order. The clique soon finds a way to accompany Gemma to the other-world realms of her visions "for a bit of fun" and to taste the power they will never have as Victorian wives, but they discover that the delights of the realms are overwhelmed by a menace they cannot control. Gemma is left with the knowledge that her role as the link between worlds leaves her with a mission to seek out the "others" and rebuild the Order. A Great and Terrible Beauty is an impressive first book in what should prove to be a fascinating trilogy. (Goodreads)

Review:

***sort of spoiler alert***

This book was really fascinating. I loved that it was set in Victorian England but seemed modern fantasy. It had the feeling of both an old dusty book and a new age classic.

Gemma was a lovable character, and her unique views on the world were fun to read. She did not seem to fit in with the girls at Spence until magic came along and created a strong bond between her, Felicity, Pippa and Ann.

The Realms were both enchanting and disturbing, and I found myself wanting to go explore them along with the girls. The shock and surprise about who Mary Dowd really is sent my mind whirling, and when Gemma has to face up against Circe I was on the edge of my seat, trying to take it all in.

I think Libba Bray has really created a fantastic novel and I cannot wait to read the rest of the series!

5 wings

Guest Review #4 - Leanne

I invited Leanne back to do another GR! Here's her review of Fire by Kristin Cashore!

--------------------------------------------------

I think this was an amazing novel. It takes place before Graceling because Leck is a boy. Fire is an outstanding creature, who can control the minds of others. She is like a Graceling but diffrent in many ways. There are parts that make you want to scream and parts that make you want to cry, but that just adds to the depth of the book. My favorite characters, other than Fire, are Archer and Hanna. Cashore is a beautiful writer and this novel shows that. I could not put it down. I liked this better than Graceling for some reasons but they are very diffrent, so you can't really compare them. I will be reading this in the near future. It is something you have to read! I would rate it 5 wings.

Read It With A Buddy #3 - The Mind Readers

Leanne and I recently received The Mind Readers from Lori Brighton to read and review. Thought I should make an "occassion" out of it :). Enjoy! **I have to warn you that this isn't one of my best reviews; one because I'm rushing a little, and two because I don't want to include spoilers for fear of telling the entire book :).**

-------------------------------------------------------------

The Mind Readers
By Lori Brighton
Publisher: Smashwords - Dec 2010
170 pages, Google Docs
Date Finished: 27/12/2010 (Zakiya), 23/12/2010 (Leanne)
Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance, Fantasy, Coming of Age, Action

Synopsis: Cameron Winters is a freak. Fortunately, no one but her family knows that Cameron can read minds. When Lewis Douglas arrives, he tempts her with possibilities of freedom. Determined to embrace her hidden talents, Cameron heads to a place where she meets other Mind Readers. But when the Mind Readers realize the extent of Cameron’s abilities, they want to use her powers for their own needs.

~First Line: "The man sitting across from me at the cafe was thinking about murdering his wife."
~Last Line: " 'Whether you believe me or not, Sweetheart, I'm pretty much the only thing standing between you and death."

Ms Brighton did not pay nor bribe us to review this novel.

Zakiya's Review: OH MY GOSH!!!!!! For 2 or 3 months, I thought The Last Song was the best novel out there. I have been proven wrong! Lori Brighton's YA novel was filled with action, emotional pains, characters that I wanted to hurt -- physically. Once I got closer to the climax, I was practically yelling at the charries for doing stupid .... stuff :). The story's somewhat-hero, the one I yelled at the most, describes Cameron as a "sitting duck" while trying to persuade her into going back with him to Aaron's hosue to train her powers. Yeah, she agreed. So she was, what, a swimming duck? Something to ask the author :). I have honestly never read anything like this. If I could change anything, I might make it a little longer, but I LOVE the cliff hanger at the end. With that steep of an ending, there has to be a sequel. So many ends were left untied. This novel definitely gets 5 wings!!


Leanne's Review: Lori Brighton outdid herself. This novel was short (170 pages) was amazing!!!!! I read it through GoogleDocs and could not stop. This book was completly amazing. It is the best one I have read in a while. It had everything you would want in a book, but it was very short. There was a lot going on. You never know what will happen next. Cam is just trying to find a place in the world. She is diffrent than others in more ways than one, but the most dominate is that she is a mind reader. So is her grandmother. She doesn't think anyone else is, because her grandmother has shielded her from all of that. I personally loved this book. You couldn't just skip a few pages like on other books; instead of focusing on a bunch of unnessasary details, it just gets straight to what's happening. The time in it jumps around a lot, but it isn't that hard to keep up. I would reccomend this to everyone. It is a light read between books and very interesting. I would rate this 5 pins.

(From both of us; these are Leanne's "pins." Cute, huh?!)

Our Favorite Quote!!!! :

"The guard grabbed my left arm and jerked me up the steps. My heart plummeted. Maddox might be some sort of secret agent, but unless he was Harry Freaking Potter, there was no way he could get us out of this situation."

Guest Review #3 - Leanne

Finally got another Guest Review coming to you! I have been really busy lately, so I wasn't able to get it together until now. This week, my beautifully-winged classmate Leanne :D. She has a book blog over @ Tales of the Mockingjay, and her life blog is @ Another Day In My 8th Grade Paradise.

Anyway, Leanne wants to tell you all a little bit about herself:

I love to dance and read books. I am also some one who lives life to the fullest, so I intend to go to college. I don't know where yet. So, I like writing reviews and things, but my life's hectic. Well, and I read reallly fast;) By the way, my name's Leanne.

Well, now that we know about her, let's enjoy her review of A Match Made In High School.

----------------------------------------------------------

I finished the book A Match Made In High School by Kristin Walker. It is a pretty interesting book. I would probably say it is an average Young Adult (YA) novel. It has a lot of "dirty" jokes in it, which I personally find hilarious. But, this book would definitely be rated 13+. It is about a girl who has to take a marriage-ed class. She is paired up with an obnoxious jock who helps her through out the way, compliments her, torments her, and, ultimately, is a good friend, you might say. She has ups and downs with every other charachter in this story. This novel also is good because it has love, secrecy, heartbreak, rude people, good friends, and understandable concepts. There aren't many stories like this out there, but for Kristin Walker's first book, I'd say she did a pretty good job! I would recomend it to people who like YA books who don't mind cursing, dirty jokes, and the real, true way teenagers think. I would rate it 4 wings.

Guest Review #2 - Jen

Our next Guest Reviewer goes by the name of Jen; and her nickname? The bibliophile -- which means "a lover of books." Check out her blog @ In The Closet With A Bibliophile as soon as possible; it's ah-mazing! Jen, why don't you introduce yourself a little?

I live in Arizona, the valley of the sun, and I love it! No, I have not met Stephenie Meyer, although that would be awesome (don't judge me people!). I am a mother of 2 crazy children, and I own my own business. In any spare time I can find, whether it's midnight or 4 in the morning, I read. I'd read all day, every day if I could, but alas, I cannot. I love to blog and write up my feelings on books, so I hope you all enjoy this guest review, it's the very first one I've done - guest review that is.

Awesome, Jen! It sounds like you have a very exciting, yet busy life :). And readers, now that you know a little about her, read her review for Prophecy of the Sisters.

Hope you enjoy it,
--Zakiya, the walking butterfly and Jen, the bibliophile

-------------------------------------------------

Title: Prophecy of the Sisters
Author: Michelle Zink
Pages: 343
Published: August 1st, 2009 by Little Brown & Co.
Genre: Young Adult, Fiction, Paranormal, Some Romance, Mystery, Coming of Age
Overall Rating:

Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Lia Milthorpe and her twin sister Alice have just become orphans, and, as Lia discovers, they have also become enemies. The twins are part of an ancient prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other. To escape from a dark fate and to remain in the arms of her beloved boyfriend James, Lia must end the prophecy before her sister does. Only then will she understand the mysterious circumstances of her parents' deaths, the true meaning of the strange mark branded on her wrist, and the lengths to which her sister will go to defeat her. Debut novelist Michelle Zink takes readers on an unforgettable journey where one sister's fateful decision could have an impact of Biblical proportions. Prophecy of the Sisters is the first of three books.

Woe the tales of predestination and agency. Do we have a choice of what we will make of ourselves, or are our lives already decided for us? This is the underlying story in Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink. Two sisters - twins - and their younger brother Henry are all that remain of the Milthorpe family. They are watched over by their Aunt Virginia, the sister of their long dead mother. The book starts us off on a rainy day in 1890 New York where Zink sets the scene of her debut novel's macabre storyline with an undeniable sense of foreboding.

Our main character, Lia, guides us through her story of the prophecy surrounding her and how it has changed her life. Lia happens to be one of the twins, as I'm sure you know already, but of course she is the elder of the two. She seems to be a very loving soul who wants nothing more than to be with her family and have her father back home and not dead in the ground.

I keep trying to decide what I should say concerning her, I don' t know if I really feel much for her as a character other than she does seem to be a good person. She seems kind and caring and I do like that about her, but other than that she seems to be sort of weak. Meaning that she is always leaning on others to help her and guide her in her decisions. It's not that she isn't willing to help, just that she is too meek to actually do what she must. Now, of course, there is some character development that helps her towards the end grow into herself and find her strength, but still she doesn't seem like a strong enough character to be the lead.

However, there are some characters that I do love much better. Sonia and Luisa, Lia's partners in crime, are so different from one another, but lovable nonetheless. Sonia, although soft spoken seems very strong and knowledgeable. Luisa is fun, loud and has the force of an ox if necessary. I think I actually can relate to Luisa the most because she does what she must and still does not let it deter her. Her personality calls to me in the most interesting ways.

Interestingly enough, one of my most favorite characters would have to be Edmund, the old employee of her father. I would imagine him in his late 30's, but I've always carried a love for the quiet souls in books who look after those they care about, but don't make too big a scene about it. I think it is their hidden personalities that intrigue me so.

All the characters have their place in the story, they all have the ways that they affect one another and of course the menacing prophecy that looms over their heads. It is quite fascinating the turns the book takes and where it leads us at the end. I mean, what could be better than two twin sisters at war with one another in the fight for good versus evil?! Might we say a fight of biblical proportions? Well, maybe not, but there does seem to be quite a bit of talk throughout of the Bible and of the Beast aka, Satan. Even if our main character isn't really religious, the undertones cannot go unnoticed.

As a whole, I greatly enjoyed this book. I highly appreciated how it made me think and grasp for concepts that I might not ponder all that much. I found it interesting and rather well versed. It's always nice to find a good author. The only thing I would have wished for would have been a stronger main character and a whole lot more of James, her best friend and love. He really wasn't in it that much and he was such a sweet, wonderful character. He was hardly developed into the book, so quite a few of the references to him almost seem out of place, but those were mostly at the end.

However, I still give it a very high rating because the author painted a dark story of the past with alluring words and lovely characters. She gave me two funerals and several cryptic stories for deciphering - I always love a good intrigue. As the book does leave us, of course, with a cliffhanger, I am very excited for the release of the sequel Guardian of the Gate on August 1st of this year.

(4 out of 5 Flowers)

Quotes:

" I recall his somber eyes during that last, private conversation. His eyes and his words, far too wise for a boy of ten: only time will tell, Lia.
In the end, I suppose it will."

"I am embarrassed at the effect of his touch. I don't want him to feel my heart striking against the bodice of my gown or to hear my catching breath, so I pull away, eying him playfully. "

Here is the book trailer for this book if you'd like a peak. :D

Read It With A Buddy #2 - Betrayed

Hello again! So Elyssa and I have finished our reviews for Betrayed, but I noticed that we had different ratings. Because of this, I will just post our reviews seperately. Hope you enjoy them,

--Zakiya, the walking butterfly [and Elyssa!]

-------------------------------------------------------------

Betrayed (House of Night, #2)
By P.C. and Kristin Cast
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin, 2007
310 pages, paperback
Read: 7/17/2010
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Coming of Age, Romance

First Line of Book: " 'New kid. Check it out,' Shaunee said as she slid into the big, boothlike bench we always claim as ours for every school meal served in the dining hall (translation: high-class school cafeteria)."
Last Line of Book: "I'll go back for you, Stevie Rae."


Zakiya's Review: Betrayed was even better than Marked. More guy drama, more fun with friends, Zoey's big moment as the head of the school (sort of). It was just a giant step up from the series debut that I was glad I continued the series. Hopefully, Chosen will be even better!

In this book, Zoey and her friends take over the Dark Daughters -- the House of Night's prestigious group of students. Zoey has also taken the position pf High Priestess in Training, a big deal to Neferet (the "principal"). Her first Full Moon ritual is coming up soon, but things always seem to get in the way.

Betrayed was an ah-mazing sequel. IT had some great kick-butt action near the end, which I really enjoyed. Something good (and bad) happens to Heath, but I'm not telling what :). Zoey's vampyre friends are defined just a little bit more, and they have some cool stuff going on with them. Meanwhile, Stevie Rae catches hell, and Zoey just might be able to trust Aphrodite now, even though Neferet is encouraging her not to.

I loved this book, the characters, and the plot. Basically every single letter! I can't wait until I can get ahold of Chosen!

Rating:


Quotes from the Book:

"Cats do roam free all over the school. They often followed "their" kid to class. Nala, in particular, liked to find me several times a day. She'd insist I scratch her head, complain a little, and then take off and go do whatever catrs did with their free time. (Plot world domination?)"

" 'What's wrong with you?' Stevie Rae said.
The attention that the four of them had been focusing on trying to figure out if there was a hair in Erin's salad or if it was just one of those weird strings of celery shifted instantly to me."

" 'We don't do ugly,' Shaunee said.
'Yeah, and pot's ugly. Plus, it makes you eat for no good reasom. It's a shame the hottie football players are into that,' Erin said.
'Makes them less hottie,' Shaunee said.
'Okay, hottie-ness and pot are not really the point,' I said."

"The cat was as fat as a Butterball turkey. I mean, her tummy looked like she had a pouch and could hide a herd of baby kangaroos in there. That's probably why she wheezed. Carrying around all that cat fat couldn't be easy."



Elyssa's Review: I enjoyed this second book of the House of Night Series more then the first time I read it. Probably because last time I did not get to read Marked before I received Betrayed from the hold list at the library.

I was a bit put off by the language that this mother and daughter team used. I was shocked at how much they used slut, skank, and hag bitch. What is with the tossing of these terms? And why is it that when a female is bad she is an automatic slut. Really. I think we could be better then that. All of the pop culture talk is also over done. Plus it really dates the book even though it really is not that old.

Zoey is now the head of the Dark Daughters and sons (a special group on campus) as priestess in training. The detail surrounding by their religion and her priestess duties was well done. Asking for guidance from her Goddess, Nyx, and receiving help must have felt amazing. The religion and Goddess offers some hint of humanity into the assumed horrible existence of vampires. I am just sorry for Zoey that she starts to question her mentors true intentions.

Zoey should really learn to trust the people she calls friends. It is hard to read and enjoy a character if they keep making the same mistakes over and over. For me it is more like banging my head against a wall (or telling my kids to pick up their toys).

Personally, I really loved how entertaining it was to read about her desire for blood. It is all apart of becoming a vampire. The change does not usually include this desire so soon. A fledgling does not also make it through a change. One of Zoey's friends did not make it through the change. It was absolutely a shock for me and I cannot image how she felt. Damion did say the darnest things and they were nearly almost always funny. It was too sad to watch her friends try to cheer her up without much luck.

Another part that I enjoyed was the fact that Zoey is now questioning herself over three different men. Her boyfriend, Erik, is absent from House of Night doing a monologue for a competition for most of the book. Zoey ends up meeting Loren Blake who is a part time professor whom she believes is very interested in her. We can not forget Heath, her human boyfriend/ex-boyfriend.

Overall this book was a fun read. However, you will find flaws in the book. But who picks up a urban fantasy paranormal romance for a literary masterpiece? I'm looking for a read that will transport me to another place that I can enjoy for a few hours. This book did just that.

Rating: 3