Book Reviews: Mash Up #4

If He Had Been With Me by Laura Nowlin
Kindle Edition
Did Not Finish
Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Coming of Age, Realistic Fiction
Goodreads page

Motivation to Read It: The title of the novel was very intriguing, so I decided to give it a try. Whether or not I read the synopsis, I don't remember.

Review: I was really looking forward to this novel, hoping and thinking that it would be another Hate List or Before I Fall. And it might be, but it didn't grab me enough for me to feel like this was the right time to find out.

The main character, Autumn, was quite mislead in her love for Jamie and reading about it did nothing but sicken me and raise my blood pressure. To the point where I had to put the book my Kindle down because it was starting to depress me.

Maybe at some point in the future, maybe next year, I will remember this book and come back to it, but right now I feel as if it isn't doing anything for me.

________________________________________

My Own Worst Frenemy (Langdon Prep, #1) by Kimberly Reid
Kindle Edition
Did Not Finish
Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Chick Literature, Romance, Mystery
Goodreads page

Motivation to Read It: It just looked like a good Chick-Lit novel. Again, however, I can't remember if I read a synopsis or not. (Honestly, I'm not sure if this would even be considered Chick-Lit, but  it seemed like it to me.)

Review: The first book in the Langdon Prep series seemed much too slow for me. I felt like not enough was happening, and that made it harder for me to get into the story line and actually read it.

Also contributing to my dislike: the genre. I don't think it was the right time for me to be reading a Chick-Lit novel because it just seemed like an overloaded, very annoying amount of drama. Usually, with any other book in this genre, I would be intrigued and just had to know everything about everything. That didn't happen for me with Reid's novel, sadly. Hopefully it was just the timing that was off for me.

I hope that this novel, too, will run across my path again for another try.

Review: The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson

The Last Little Blue Envelope (Little Blue Envelopes, #2) by Maureen Johnson
282 pages, Kindle Edition
Finished in Sept. 2012
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Adventure, Romance, Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age
Synopsis via Goodreads:

Ginny Blackstone thought that the biggest adventure of her life was behind her. She spent last summer traveling around Europe, following the tasks her aunt Peg laid out in a series of letters before she died. When someone stole Ginny's backpack--and the last little blue envelope inside--she resigned herself to never knowing how it was supposed to end.

Months later, a mysterious boy contacts Ginny from London, saying he's found her bag. Finally, Ginny can finish what she started. But instead of ending her journey, the last letter starts a new adventure--one filled with old friends, new loves, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Ginny finds she must hold on to her wits . . . and her heart. This time, there are no instructions.

Motivation to Read It: My school started a new program this year called Reading Scholars, so that influenced me a little bit. Plus I've been wanting to read this one since I finished 13 Little Blue Envelopes.

Review: It took me two whole months to find time to finish this book, but school didn't keep it from being an awesome sequel to 13 Little Blue Envelopes. I'm glad that I got a chance to read this series! It's like travelling to Europe with Ginny instead of just reading about her and her friends going. I also learned some things from Ginny's experiences.

Ginny left us in teh last novel with her backpack being stolen and all the letters, including the unread 13th letter, being in the bag as well. Now Oliver, an Englander, contacts her saying that they should meet so he can give her the letter. She goes and discovers that the last letter requires her to travel across Europe once again. This time, however, she brings along Oliver, Keith (remember him?), and Keith's new girlfriend Ellis. Talk about some good reading!

The characters were even better this time around than they were in the first book. Ginny isn't paranoid anymore, and Keith's mixed feelings are enough to keep anyone interested. Oliver had his moments where he seemed as if he actually cared, but at other times he was just being a smart-alick. Even though, at first, I wanted Ginny and Keith to further their "kind-of-something," Ellis was such a sweetheart. She admired Ginny from the stories Keith had told about her and always tried to be as helpful as she could be the entire time they traveled.

The plot was, to me, more fast-paced than the first book. They went to the European countries so fast, and the trips were pretty much a paragraph long, then they explained what happened while they were there. Not that this was a bad thing of course. I'm not too fond of books that move super slow, so it was nice to travel at top speed. Maureen describes the settings, actions, and characters very well. The way they all interacted with each other and their surroundings was definitely entertaining.

Hopefully -- just maybe -- Johnson will decide to write a third book following Ginny. I'm not sure how she could continue the series with the same concept, but I'm sure she'd come up with something truly spectacular!

Satisfying eBook

(Rating System)

Review: Whisper by Alyson Noel

Whisper (Riley Bloom, #4) by Alyson Noel
215 pages, paperback
Finished on 22/7/2012
Genres: Young Adult, Coming of Age, Some Adventure, Romance, Paranormal
Synopsis via Goodreads:

This time, Riley might really have bitten off more than she’s ready for. After practically begging the Council for a more challenging Soul Catch, she is assigned an actual Roman gladiator—Theocoles, the Pillar of Doom. How is Riley, a skinny twelve-year-old, supposed to get through to him? Then she meets the beautiful Messalina, who convinces her that her only chance is to become part of this world. To accomplish this, Messalina helps Riley through a dramatic, mystical makeover, transforming her into the beautiful and mature teen she’s always wanted to be. Finally, Riley can experience her first boyfriend and her first kiss. With a dream this enchanting, will she ever want to leave?

Motivation to Read It: I really liked the first books in the series, so I jumped at the chance to buy this one! (I'd honestly forgotten all about it; *shakes head* I'm telling you: there are too many books coming out every week.)

Review: Alyson Noel is amazing. What a marvelous end to the Riley Bloom series! Not only was Whisper a quick, fun read, but I felt like it really was a coming of age noel because Riley matured so much in this one.

I realize that I didn't do a review for books 2 and 3 in this series, and for that I'm truly sorry. Believe me when I tell you, however, that they were really good and worth the time!

At the end of Dreamland, Riley has had a talking-to with the Council -- or rather, the Council had a talking-to with her -- and they've given her something to appeal to her wishes: a harder Soul Catch. Off to Rome she flies, discovering when she reaches the Colosseum that she must handle this one on her own. No help from Bodhi (although in the end he does sort of provide her with some).

The characters: wonderful. Riley was still a little short-tempered, but she controlled it for the most part and tried to get her job done. Messalina was a great character to me. Whether she was playing the best friend or the evil person that wanted you to never leave, she made it very believable. Dacian was very sweet; I think he makes a great match for Riley. All the characters have good personalities that make them enjoyable.

The plot carried along nicely. We got to see Riley live in Messalina's world for about what counted as 4 - 6 days. There's a point where it seems like several days might've been skipped, but when you read it, it's pretty obvious what happened during that time period if there were any skipped. It wasn't fast-paced, but it wasn't exactly slow either. I would say that it was at that comfortable in-between place.

I'm so sad to see this series come to an end, but it's given me an incentive to finaly finish the Immortals series. It's about time I did!

Satisfying eBook

(Rating System)

Review: Fallen by Lauren Kate

Fallen (Fallen, #1) by Lauren Kate
452 pages, paperback
Finished on 8/7/2012
Genres: Young Adult, Coming of Age, Romance, Some Action, Fantasy
Synopsis via Goodreads:

There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce–and goes out of his way to make that very clear–she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.

Motivation to Read It: I started reading this last year, and gave up on it near the beginning. I figured it was high time for me to try again.

Review: I really liked this book! I was just really getting into it last year when I stopped in the middle of it, and I hate that I did because I could be reading Rapture right now!

Luce sees shadows, and these shadows come around during the weirdest times -- when she's in dark, creepy places by herself, for example. The last school experience she had ended very badly, so she really wants to fit in at Sword & Cross and forget her past.

The characters were spectacular. I honestly couldn't tell where Arrianne's motives were headed in the beginning, but I'm glad with where they led; her character is very bouncy and happy and carefree. Cam started off as a great charrie. Honestly, even after you learn of his motives you must admit that he was played out nicely. Luce was a good one as well; she was really curious as to what Daniel's problem was. Daniel was very mysterious and, at times, a serious butthole. He honestly was starting to tick me off after a while. His constantly pushing Luce away made me want to know every last thing about him, simply to explain his actions.

The plot was absolutely spectacular. It's really easy to get caught up in it; I was so into it, and I didn't want to have to put the book down. It was like it was one thing after another at Sword & Cross (at least for Luce it was anyway), and those periods of time where Lauren Kate gave her characters a little break, were politely skipped over and summarized in a couple of sentences. I love fast-paced books, and this one definitely hit the spot.

To conclude, I really enjoyed reading Kate's debut novel, and I can't wait to get my hadns on a copy of Torment!

Shelf-Worthy

(Rating System)

Review: Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer

Eighth Grade Bites (The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, #1) by Heather Brewer
182 pages, paperback
Finished on 5/7/2012
Genres: Young Adult, Coming of Age, Fantasy
Synopsis via GoodReads:

Junior high really sucks for thirteen-year-old Vladimir Tod. Bullies harass him, the principal is dogging him, and the girl he likes prefers his best friend. Oh, and Vlad has a secret: his mother was human, but his father was a vampire. With no idea of the extent of his powers, Vlad struggles daily with his blood cravings and his enlarged fangs. When a substitute teacher begins to question him a little too closely, Vlad worries that his cover is about to be blown. But then he faces a much bigger problem: he's being hunted by a vampire killer.

Motivation to Read It: I've had this book for either two years or going on two years; I've been meaning to read it, so I'm glad I finally got around to it.

Review: This book series has a lot of potential! EGB wasn't exceptionally wonderful or anything, but there's  room for the next books to make it really awesome.

Vladimir Tod is a vampire, and what really struck me as unique with this novel was that regular humans knew he was a vampire. Usually they can't tell anyone but other vampires about their true nature. I liked that he had this aunt to help him get food, rather than having to hunt for himself.

The plot was good; it traveled smoothly, and I wasn't confused at any point with what was going on. The characters were great! Aunt Nelly was so caring and loving that you couldn't help but love her just as much. Henry made me laugh; he brought the corny vampire jokes to the story. Mr. Otis was a really good teacher, although a little creepy. I wanted to be in his classes just because they seemed really fun. He could be a confusing character neat the end, though. Our main charrie Vlad was smarter than I thought he would be. He knew pretty quickly that he should be careful around Mr. Otis. He didn't know exactly what Otis wanted with him, but he was cautious.

Overall, this book was pretty good. Like I said, it's not amazing, but it was enjoyable; I plan on getting the next couple of books in the series to see where Heather Brewer's writing leads us. As I stated at the beginning, the series has potential, so we'll see if it lives up to it.

Library Grab/Satisfying eBook
(Rating System)

Review: Serial Hottie by Kelly Oram & Interview w/Kelly!

Serial Hottie by Kelly Oram
374 pages, Kindle Edition
Finished on 29/6/2012
Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age, Action, Romance
Synopsis via Goodreads:

Ellie’s sweet sixteen is a summer of firsts. First car. First kiss. First boyfriend. First serial-killing stalker?

Hockey-obsessed tomboy Eleanor Westley has never been the object of a guy’s affection before. So when the hottest boy she’s ever seen moves in across the street and starts treating her like she’s the center of his universe, naturally she’s going to be a little skeptical. But everything starts to make sense when girls who look just like Ellie start dying all around the city. Obviously the new guy is the killer, and of course he only likes her because he wants to slice her into tiny pieces. Right?

The more Ellie gets to know Seth the more she’s convinced he’s a psychopathic killer. The problem is he’s the sweetest psychopathic killer she’s ever met. Not to mention he’s brutally hot. No matter how hard she tries, she can’t help but fall for him. Will Ellie find true love, or will her summer of firsts turn out to be a summer of lasts?

Motivation to Read It: Kelly contacted me asking if I would like to read it, and being that I'd heard how good Being Jamie Baker was, I was all for it!

Review: This novel was ahmazing! As soon as possible, I'm going to get a copy of Being Jamie Baker to indulge in.

Ellie was a really great character; she's a complete tomboy to the core -- the absolute opposite of her older sister Angela. She was known for punching people and being a seriously good hockey player. Seth has just moved in across the street, and for him it's love at first sight when he sees Ellie. His timing for moving in, however, is not exactly making everything between them honky-dory. Especially when you add in the creepy things he says sometimes. Yeah, kinda scary.

The plot was really great! It sucked me in from the beginning and just wouldn't let go of me. I wasn't really able to predict anything with this book, which I really liked. It's one of those where you think the characters will do one thing, and they do the complete opposite. I have to say, when they revealed who the killer was, I had a hunch that it was going to be that person, but even still, it wasn't just a "I'm totally sure" hunch. The novel keeps you guessing until the end.

The romance that Oram mixed in with everything was really good, too. You had the annoying guy that needs to stop being a player, the guy that was a good friend and somehow ended up trying to get her a girlfriend. In the middle of her sister trying to play matchmaker, Ellie is constantly drawn to Seth. Even while she's worrying that he's going to kill her as soon as he can, she can't help but be fascinated by him at the same time.

The characters were really just spectacular. They all had really defined personalities, and none of them were cliche to me in the least. I think my favorite charrie might'be been Seth, but Ellie wouldn't be too far behind. Seth was just so determined to prove to Ellie that she shouldn't be scared of him, and he was always trying to make her trust him and protect her. That's what I loved the most: him wanting to keep her safe so bad. He totally deserves an award for that.

Overall, get this book. It's amazing, and I'm really glad I had the chance to read it! I'll definitely be on the lookout for Oram's next novel, V is for Virgin.

Shelf-Worthy

___________________________

Help me give a big warm Butterfly welcome to Kelly Oram!!!

Q: What gave you the idea for Serial Hottie?
A: Honestly I can’t remember what first made me think “serial killer.” It was more the tone of the book that I set out to write. I wanted to do something a little offbeat and funny. I was also in love with the idea of that “one crazy summer.”


I’d read so many YA novels that had all the same scenes—new town, new high school, mean girls, cafeterias, lockers, lab partners… (I’d even just written one of those in Being Jamie Baker.) I wanted something totally different, with not a single scene that took place at school. That meant summer break. Summer breaks when I was in high school meant running around the neighborhood unsupervised, playing street hockey, and spying on hot boys with my best friend The next thing I knew New Hot Boy lived across the street and had a definite mystery too him. (Ellie totally gets her overly active imagination from me.) The plot then grew from there.

Q: What's your favorite part about being an author?
A: Being able to tell stories! I always have so many ideas floating around in my brain. I love being able to make all those crazy ideas and daydreams come to life. Even when I thought no one would ever read my stories but me, I still wrote them. I will always write them. I need the creative outlet.

Q: What do you like to do when you're not writing?
A: I am a reading addict! I probably read one-two books a week on average. I’m a sucker for YA. (Sci-fi, fantasy, contemporary, you name it.) The more romance the better! Aside from that my life is pretty much consumed with my children. I have four of them and I love the little monsters to pieces!

Q: What are some of your favorite authors of all-time?
A: Meg Cabot for sure tops my list, with Jennifer L. Armentrout coming in a close second. Meg & Jennifer = Love! I’m also a huge fan of Kelley Armstrong, Scott Westerfield, Simone Elkeles, Sarah Dessen, John Green, and now Josephine Angelini.

((I must interrupt my own interview to try to tell you how happy this makes me that I've found another John Green fan. *swoons* I love his work. SO much. You cannot believe. I can't even explain. Okay, back to the questions.))

Q: What would you say is the best book you've read so far this year?
A: I absolutely fell in love with Josephine Angelini’s Starcrossed and Dreamless this year. These books are so wonderful I could gush all day. They’re a modern spin on the Helen of Troy mythology. Awesome characters, great writing, super fun story, exciting, and home of my newest YA crush. *Cheers for Team Orion!*

Q: What advice would you give people who are aspiring to be an author?
A: READ! Anything and everything you can get your hands on. Reading other’s work is honestly the best tool you have in improving your own writing. Also, that very first manuscript is the hardest one to finish. If you’re having trouble completing it, forget your delete key exists. Disable it if you have to. Just get the book finished first and then go back and worry about rewriting.

Q: Just for the fun of knowing, do you prefer your chicken grilled or fried?
A: Grilled on the BBQ. Dark meat. Mmm, now I’m hungry.

Q: Can you tell us a little bit about your upcoming work, V is for Virgin? When can we expect to see it on the shelves?
A: V Is For Virgin is about a girl who gets dumped for her decision to stay virgin until she’s married. After a bit of a public breakdown, she gets tired of the ridicule and decides to start a school-wide campaign to rally support for her cause. The controversy catches the entire nation’s attention when a famous rock star learns about Valerie and decides to take her abstinence as a personal challenge. Good times.

Hopefully this book sparks a little bit of thought from those who read it. It’s about knowing who you are, making choices for yourself, and standing up to peer pressure. (In a fun, sexy, getting-chased-by-hot-rockstars kind of way…)

I think it’s a little more risqué than my first two books, (with the subject matter being sex, that was sort of inevitable) but it’s still relatively clean. Hopefully people really enjoy it because I had a lot of fun with it, and am very proud of it.

I should have a cover to share soon. I saw the mock-up recently and totally love it, and I’m working on getting a short teaser posted on my blog in a few days.

Q: How can we keep up with you and your books?
A: Well, I try to keep my blog updated. The website is www.kellyoram.com. You can also find me on Facebook and Twitter. And I am hopelessly addicted to Goodreads, so you can always find out what I’m up to on there. (I love friends!)


Thanks, Kelly, for stopping by! It's been fun getting to know you a little :D

Review: Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz

Blue Bloods (Blue Bloods, #1) by Melissa de la Cruz
302 pages, paperback
Finished on 20/6/2012
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Coming of Age
Synopsis via GoodReads:

When the Mayflower set sail in 1620, it carried on board the men and women who would shape America: Miles Standish; John Alden; Constance Hopkins. But some among the Pilgrims were not pure of heart; they were not escaping religious persecution. Indeed, they were not even human. They were vampires.The vampires assimilated quickly into the New World. Rising to levels of enormous power, wealth, and influence, they were the celebrated blue bloods of American society.

The Blue Bloods vowed that their immortal status would remain a closely guarded secret. And they kept that secret for centuries. But now, in New York City, the secret is seeping out. Schuyler Van Alen is a sophomore at a prestigious private school. She prefers baggy, vintage clothes instead of the Prada and pearls worn by her classmates, and she lives with her reclusive grandmother in a dilapated mansion. Schuyler is a loner...and happy that way. Suddenly, when she turns fifteen, there is a visible mosaic of blue veins on her arm. She starts to crave raw food and she is having flashbacks to ancient times. Then a popular girl from her school is found dead... drained of all her blood. Schuyler doesn't know what to think, but she wants to find out the secrets the Blue Bloods are keeping. But is she herself in danger?

Motivation to Read It: I'd wanted to read it for quite a while, and Leanne let me borrow it. She gave it to me a LONG time ago, but hey -- I read it, right?

Review: This book has been on my shelf forever. I'm glad I finally read it, but I must say that it wasn't amazing for me.

Schuyler Van Alen goes to a private school, is at the bottom of the scoial food chain, and is nowhere near changing anything about it. She really didn't strike me as anything but cliche: she's not a part of the popular kids circle, discovers she's a vampire, and then finds out she must save the Blue Bloods population from their own ignorance -- cliche to the max. I felt like she had a lot of potential that wasn't tapped into.

The plot didn't capture me that much either. The whole time I was reading the novel, I kind of floated along the words: it was interesting because of the Blue Bloods concept, but I wasn't intrigued. One minute she thinks Grandmother is hiding something, she tries to be the sleuth and find out what, finds out the truth about vampires, finds out what her best friend really does with his freetime. There just wasn't really anything in the line of events that shot out at me and made me want to keep reading because I was oh-so-curious.

I will be honest: I'm glad I borrowed this one. I would like to read the next book in the series to see if it gets any better, but it's not a must read.

Library Grab
(Rating System)

Review: Hourglass by Myra McEntire (SPOILERS!)

This review has huge spoilers (which I apologize for), so if you haven't read it yet, you might just want to peek at the last paragraph and the rating.
_______________________________________

Hourglass (Hourglass, #1) by Myra McEntire
400 pages, Kindle Edition
Finished on 17/6/2012
Genres: Young Adult, Coming of Age, Fantasy, Romance
Synopsis via GoodReads:

One hour to rewrite the past . . .

For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn't there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents' death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She's tried everything, but the visions keep coming back. So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson's willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may change her past.

Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he's around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should have happened?

Motivation to Read It: When it came out everyone was buzzing about it, and I saw it at the library and really wanted to catch up. It worked in my favor, because Timepiece came out while I was reading it.

Review: This novel was absolutely wonderful. Between this and Shatter Me I'm honestly not sure which one I loved more.

Emerson was almost a completely normal girl. She could see people from the past; she'd been institutionalized and put on serious meds (which she stopped taking). Her brother Thomas has been trying to find someone who can help Emerson; like, actually help her and not just be another poser. Being that no one has been successful yet, Emerson isn't expecting Michael to be of much help. However, the fact that he works for an actual group sparks Em's curiousity.

The powers, if you will, that the characters have are really unique so that definitely eaerned awesomeness points. I mean, time travel is one of those topics that hasn't been thoroughly explored yet and still has tons of potential. I also liked how not everyone had time-traveling abilities (Cat, for instance). The powers, if nothing else, kept me interested throughout the entire novel.

But of course, there was something else. In this case it was most definitely the characters. I fell head over heels for Michael. It isn't often I have a book boy crush, but he's definitely one of them. Even though there was the no-dating rule with the Hourglass and Thomas, he couldn't help his feelings for Emerson, and she obviously couldn't help how she felt about him either. When Michael died I was so depressed; all I could think was "Why did this have to happen? While they were in the past of all times!" It hit me pretty hard because I had fallen in love with Michael as well. I think I might've been happier than Emerson once she got him back.

Hourglass was seriously amazing. Spectacular. Marvelous. Wonderful. Fabulous, fantastic, magnificent. I loved it beyond words. It would make me so happy if everyone could just see the beauty of the story from the cover, or have some sort of intuition that told them they just had to read it. 'Cuz they really do.

Look out for a review of Timepiece soon!

Shelf-Worthy
(Rating System)

Review: Bewitching by Alex Flinn

Bewitching (Kendra Chronicles, #2) by Alex Flinn
338 pages, Library Book (hardcover)
Finished on 16/6/2012
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Some Historical Fiction, Some Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age
Synopis via GoodReads:

Bewitching can be a beast. . . .

Once, I put a curse on a beastly and arrogant high school boy. That one turned out all right. Others didn’t.

I go to a new school now -- one where no one knows that I should have graduated long ago. I’m not still here because I’m stupid; I just don’t age.

You see, I’m immortal. And I pretty much know everything after hundreds of years -- except for when to take my powers and butt out.

I want to help, but things just go awry in ways I could never predict. Like when I tried to free some children from a gingerbread house and ended up being hanged. After I came back from the dead (immortal, remember?), I tried to play matchmaker for a French prince and ended up banished from France forever. And that little mermaid I found in the Titanic lifeboat? I don’t even want to think about it.

Now a girl named Emma needs me. I probably shouldn’t get involved, but her gorgeous stepsister is conniving to the core. I think I have just the thing to fix that girl -- and it isn’t an enchanted pumpkin. Although you never know what will happen when I start . . . bewitching.

Motivation to Read It: I've loved everything I read by Flinn, so there wasn't really much hesitation. That and the cover had "Beastly" on it. It was a done deal before it even started.

Review: Beastly and Cloaked were really good, so I knew when I saw Bewitching that it would most likely be just as awesome. I can say without faltering that this was better than both of them

Honestly, I'm not sure who the main character was supposed to be -- Kendra or Emma. I would think it ws Emma, but Kendra wasn't as MIA as she was in Beastly. Emma lives with her mother and her stepfather, who she doesn't even think of as a stepfather because they are so close. All of a sudden, insert Lisette: the biological daughter of Emma's stepdad who is coming to stay with them now that her mother has passed away. From the beginning Emma's told her daughter to be careful around Lisette, that the girl only wanted to take her stepdad away from them. Emma should've listened to mother's intuition.

The book actually begin with Kendra telling part of her own historu, which was really interesting. Also, there were points where Kendra would interrupt and tell a little about her previous not-so-successful bouts of generosity. I liked Emma's part a little better, though, because it was quite longer (as it was supposed to be). There were a lot of times when I was wondering how Emma could be so blind as to Lisette's intentions once she had gotten settled into her new home. I mean, they were obvious. But everything was really great! I was always wanting to know how Emma was going to handle each situation.

The charries were awesome as well; I think Travis was mt favorite even though he wasn't mentioned that much. He was barely present at all once he was introduced to readers, even after he and Emma got together. However, he was so sweet, and even though all the girls wanted him and he was a big shot, he wanted the girl that was reading the most unlikely thing (which he had surprisingly read, too) at his party. I just wish there were more guys like him.

I really liked this book, and I seriously believe that if you have ever read Beastly or any of Flinn's other books, you would really enjoy this one as well.

Satisfying eBook

Review: Bumped by Megan McCafferty

Bumped (Bumped, #1) by Megan McCafferty
323 pages, Library Book (hardcover)
Finished on 12/6/2012
Genres: Young Adult, Futuristic, Coming of Age, Romance
Synopsis via GoodReads:

In 2036 New Jersey, when teens are expected to become fanatically religious wives and mothers or high-priced Surrogettes for couples made infertile by a widespread virus, 16-year-old identical twins Melody and Harmony find in one another the courage to believe they have choices.

Motivation to Read It: I've been wanting to read it since it came out. It was a new book at the library, so I grabbed it as soon as I saw it.

Review: This was the first of Megan McCafferty's books that I've read, and I must say that she's a gret writer.

Bumped revolves aoround a set of twins that were separated at birth. Melody grew up in Otherside, and her parents have been preparing her her entire life to do her "civic duty," if you will -- have a baby for a couple that can no longer conceive. Harmony was taken to Goodside, a church-oriente, secluded civilization where the rules are quite strict and the people don't have the virus.

I have to admit that from the very beginning I didn't like Harmony. She was just so annoying to me. She was one of those people that's hellbent on turning everyone to her religion and thinking how she thinks. She was also too nosy for her own good. She was interefering with stuff from the beginning of the book, and with every wrong decision she made I just really wanted to rattle her bones. However, the fact that I connected to the story that well enough to dislike her so much -- that's some really good writing, wouldn't you say?

The plot was amazing, spectacular, marvelous. It wasn't necessarily fast-paced, but it wasn't slow either. You got to see how Otherside operated and went about life everyday because they go several different places between both Harmony's and Melody's perspectives. Everything really flowed as well. There was nothing that was choppy, even when you switched between the two girls. You pretty much start u pwherever you left off.

All in all, this was a great novel, and I can't wait to read Thumped!

Shelf-Worthy

Review: Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber

This review has some mild spoilers. They don't give away everything explicitly, but they hint at some things that somewhat give away a little of the book.
_____________________

Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber
190 pages, Library Book (hardcover)
Finished on 6/6/2012
Genres: Young Adult, Adventure, Action, Some Romance, Coming of Age
Synopsis via GoodReads:

Perry Stormaire is a normal high school senior—he is busy applying to college and rehearsing with his band—until he agrees to go to the prom with the Lithuanian exchange student who is staying with his family. It turns out that Gobi Zaksauskas is not the mousy teenager that she seems but rather an attractive, confident trained assassin. Instead of going to the prom, Perry finds himself on a wild ride through the streets of New York City as Gobi commandeers the Jaguar his father lent him for the prom in order to take out her targets. Perry learns a lot about himself—and ends up with some amazing material for his college application essays.

Motivation to Read It: I saw that someone added this to their to-read shelf on GoodReads, and the title alone was enough to pull me in and make me want to read it. I saw it at the library, sat down, and read the book in one sitting.

Review: I have to say, during the first maybe 30 pages of this book I was this close to putting it down. It wasn't that it was just utterly repulsive, just a bit strange. Quite strange actually. As you keep reading, however, it turns into this really fun book that's easy to read.

Perry is a senior in high school, has a foreign exchange student (Gobi) living with him and his family, and pretty much does whatever his dad tells him -- no questions asked. Over the course of one night he and Gobi do things that I'm pretty sure no other high school senior can say they did the night of the prom. Fast-paced thrills for pretty much the entire book.

The plot was pretty good. The first couple of chapters give you a summary of the past year with Gobi living in their house. Then, they go to their prom, leave the prom. That's when the real fun begins. Let's just say the Gobi everyone thought they knew is definitely nawt the real Gobi. Once we were informed as to what the reason was for their leaving the prom, I wanted to know what happened next through every chapter, page, and word. This plot pulls you in to where you feel like you're the one driving a Jaguar through the streeets of New York City.

The charries were good as well. Perry was what I imagine I would have been like if I'd been in his place: freaked out, rebellious, trying not to give Gobi a reason to do something treacherous. He was a character that I think anyone could relate to; he just wanted to make his parents happy and get into a great college and do something worthwhile that brings in money. Gobi was a really great character as well. She was just doing what she thought was right; you could tell that, after living with them for so long and getting to know him and his family, she hated to have to ruin her facade for Perry. But it was necessary, and she didn't think twice when it meant she would avenge a loved one. I have to respect her for that.

Overall, I have to say: this was way better than I thought it was going to be. I'm glad Leanne found it at the library or I never would have even known they had it. Worth the time :).

Review: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Shatter Me (Shatter Me, #1) by Tahereh Mafi
338 pages, Library Book (hardcover)
Finished on 31/5/2012
Genres: Young Adult, Some Adventure, Romance, Coming of Age, Futuristic
Synopsis via GoodReads:

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war-- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

In this electrifying debut, Tahereh Mafi presents a world as riveting as The Hunger Games and a superhero story as thrilling as The X-Men. Full of pulse-pounding romance, intoxicating villainy, and high-stakes choices, Shatter Me is a fresh and original dystopian novel—with a paranormal twist—that will leave readers anxiously awaiting its sequel.

Motivation to Read It: GoodReads, then the Library. They tease me constantly.

Review: First thing I'm gonna say: WOW! Second: The synopsis is right-- I'm anxiously awaiting the sequel. 'Nuff said, right? This book was absolutely ahmazing.

Juliette has been locked away where she can't hurt people; she believes herself to be a monster. She's never had any friends that were truly there for her. The day that Adam comes to her cell is the day that everything really does change. The way Juliette distances herself from him and doesn't even respond when she's super tempted to, it's just intriguing. I constantly found myself waiting for the moment when she would open up even a sliver and say something, anything.

The characters were all really good. Adam is probably my favorite male character ever. He has this facade that looks like he doesn't care, but whenever he and Juliette are alone, he's the sweetest guy. Warner was also a good charrie. Obviously (for those of you that have read the book), he wasn't going to be my favorite character, but I like the way he was set up. He's the son of somebody important, and he's trying to live up to expectations. Gotta respect that.

From the moment Adam entered Juliette's cell, I just didn't want to put the book down. As you get farther into the pages, time passes a little faster, and you keep wondering when they'll make their move against Warner, etc. It keeps your nose in the pages for sure.

You MUST get this book. I'm telling you, it's completely worth it to buy a bound copy. You'll thank me later :)

Review: Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev

Eyes Like Stars (Theatre Illuminata, #1) by Lisa Mantchev
352 pages, Library Book (hardcover)
Finished on 29/5/2012
Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Fantasy
Synopsis via Shelfari:

All her world’s a stage.

Bertie Shakespeare Smith is not an actress, yet she lives in a theater.
She’s not an orphan, but she has no parents.
She knows every part, but she has no lines of her own.
That is, until now.

Enter Stage Right

NATE. Dashing pirate. Will do anything to protect Bertie.

COBWEB, MOTH, MUSTARDSEED, and PEASEBLOSSOM. Four tiny and incredibly annoying fairies. BERTIE’S sidekicks.

ARIEL. Seductive air spirit and Bertie’s weakness. The symbol of impending doom.

BERTIE. Our heroine.

Welcome to the Théâtre Illuminata, where the actors of every play ever written can be found behind the curtain. They were born to play their parts, and are bound to the Théâtre by The Book—an ancient and magical tome of scripts. Bertie is not one of them, but they are her family—and she is about to lose them all and the only home she has ever known.

Lisa Mantchev has written a debut novel that is dramatic, romantic, and witty, with an irresistible and irreverent cast of characters who are sure to enchant the audience.

Open Curtain

Motivation to Read It: I've been wanting to read this since it came out, and I saw it at the library and just had to have it.

Review: Eyes Like Stars first attracted me to it because of the beautiful cover. Then when I read the synopsis and figured out that it was revolving around a theatre setting, I was completely intrigued. I have to say that it definitely lived up to my expectations.

Beatrice Shakespeare Smith, aka Bertie, has been at the Theater as long as she can remember, and causes quite a lot of mischief. To earn her keeps, she decides she will direct the Hamlet cast, but the play (as in the dialogue, etc.) will be in Egypt this time. There isn't a lot of belief that she will be able to pull it off, but Bertie is determined to show that she isn't just a troublemaker.

One character that they don't have in the synopsis (above) that I think is really important is Ariel. He's the bad boy of the story, and some of the authority figures at the Theater have told to stay away, which made him all the more captivating to me. Nate was also a pretty good character. I loved how he was so protective of Bertie; that really made me enjoy him being around Bertie. All the characters were great, though, not just those two. You could really enjoy them and what they had to bring to the story.

The plot was awesome. Point blank period. I was pulled into it from the very beginning. I didn't want to put the book down once I'd gotten about 50 pages in. The whole time I was trying to guess at what would happen. Amazing, just ahmazing. The fairies -- Peaseblossom, Mustardseed, Moth, and Cobweb -- are too funny. They had me laughing through several parts of the book. I would love to have me some fairies. Anyone know where I could buy some?

I totally recommend this book to anyone that's looking for a little humour, a little romance, and lots of storytelling :).