Release Date: September 18th, 2012
Genre: Dystopia
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Pages: 304
Rating:
Amazon Link*: Click here
Goodreads Page: Click here
Summary:

Radley just wants to get home to her parents in Vermont. While she was volunteering abroad, the American People's Party took power; the new president was assassinated; and the government cracked down on citizens. Travel restrictions are worse than ever, and when her plane finally lands in New Hampshire, Radley’s parents aren’t there.

Exhausted; her phone dead; her credit cards worthless: Radley starts walking

Blurb: The quickest and most simplistic way I can sum this book up is to say that it's a slightly less depressing, more feminine version of "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy-- with the added bonus of pictures.

Review: I didn't dislike the book. In fact, I kind of liked it. But it wasn't a "wow" book-- it wasn't different. Hesse seemed to recognize this while writing it, and decided to try and differentiate it from all the other post-apocalypse novels by supplementing the simple plot line with pictures she'd taken herself. The thing was, the pictures didn't always fit the story. At first, the pictures were pretty, artsy and in some places, invoked a moment of deeper consideration when they actually seemed to juxtapose nicely with the story. After the first few chapters though, the pictures only served as a reminder that the book was actually several dozen pages shorter than I originally thought. It took me a solid hour to sit down and read a 300-something page novel due to the full page pictures.

Even if I hadn't read it through in one sitting, the book was short enough that it didn't allow me time to get into the characters, or the setting. I was merely an emotionless observer in a story that had the potential to grip me. However, although my review is pointing towards failure, the book did redeem itself in the last twenty or so pages when it made me bawl. Up until the end of the book, the feel had been off. It had been relatively calm and for the most part, everything that happened to the two main characters was pretty lucky. Let me just tell you though, that book got REAL in the last twenty pages in a way I should have expected, but didn't. And I cried hard. I curled up in bed and cried, mostly because I felt like the author had betrayed me in setting up a nice, cozy little world, but had then bashed it all in the head in the last chapter.

Few books make me cry, and the ones that do nearly always earn a spot on my bookshelf, however, I passed the book onto my little sister instead. In the end, despite a few adult circumstances the main characters deal with, the book was somewhat juvenile in it's length and content. When my twelve year old sister read it, her only comment was that the pictures were distracting to her. She also has the emotional capacity of roadkill, so I doubt she did much crying at the end, either. If you're looking for a short, easy and interesting enough book for a road trip to Grandma's house for Christmas dinner, you probably couldn't go terribly wrong with this book. And when you get car sick and throw up all over it and render it unreadable, you won't even be that upset.


*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.

Release Date: August 31st, 2010
Genre:  Paranormal [Romance]
Publisher: Margaret K McElderry
Pages: 476
Rating:
Amazon Link*: Click Here
Goodreads Page: Click here
Summary:

Magic is dangerous--but love is more dangerous still.

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.

Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by--and torn between--two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length...everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all

Blurb: Even though there are some things about Clare's writing and characters that bug me, it's not a bad story.

Review: I've never been a superbig fan of Cassandra Clare, but I read her books so that I can stay on top of the hot books. After reading this book, I'm still not a superbig fan of Cassandra Clare. Do I like her books? Sure, they're fine. But I do have a few serious issues with them.

For one, her writing is VERY difficult for me to read. One of the things people always seem to praise Clare about is how her words seem to flow and are easy to read. I guess I'm abnormal. I always find myself re-reading her sentences because the first time through they don't make ANY sense. Around page 75 (before the story picked up) I was about ready to drop the book just because it was taking me FOREVER to read.

Secondly (and this is the bigger issue), is her leading men. I'm going to be blunt here: I hate the type of boy that is arrogant, aloof, and abusive. Clare's main love interests (Jace & Will) always seem to fit this stereotype. My goodreads update on page 300 read:

"Story is VERY good now, but I have no idea what people see in either Jem OR Will. Especially Will. I think he's a scum bag."

Sure, the men always redeem themselves somehow and show their "soft side." But I just can't stand them. Luckily, that status update received a comment from the lovely author Zoe Marriott who said:

"I really feel I have to put my hand up and say that I don't find rude and demeaning (and sexist!) at all attractive. And I don't write heroes who are that way, despite *some* people telling me that my male characters aren't 'strong' or 'sexy' enough. You know what I find sexy? Kindness, a good sense of humour and someone who listens when I freaking talk. Hmmph."

Yup. I couldn't have said it better myself, Zoe.

HOWEVER, I will say that I did still very much enjoy the story. I will read the other books because I want to know what's going to happen IN TERMS OF PLOT. I couldn't care less about the love story.

So... this review kind of turned into a rant. As always, my rant is more directed at that TYPE of boy (which you can find in dozens of books) not specifically in Ms. Clare's characters. Not trying to be mean. Just felt like it had to be said.



*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.

Release Date: February 9th, 2010; June 21st, 2011
Genre:  Action, Teens, Romance
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Pages: 287, 298
Average Rating:
Amazon Link*: Book One (bargain priced!), Book Two
Goodreads Page: Book One, Book Two
Summary: 

The Heist Society novels star brave Katarina Bishop. We follow her adventures to Paris, Moscow, London, Monaco, Paraguay, and more! She isn't alone, though. With the help of her stunningly beautiful cousin Gabrielle, the brilliant Simon, the goofball Bagshaw brothers, the mysterious Nick, and the dashing W. W. Hale, we watch one of the world's youngest theives pull of the most amazing feats.

Blurb: Non-stop action makes readers forget they are reading a book, and feel like they're watching an action movie.


Review: This series reads like an action/heist movie. Seriously. While I was reading it I could literally see all of the different split-screens and hear th dramatic music.

In fact, this book reminds me a lot of a summer movie. Funny, action-packed, cute/hot characters, and relatively... fluffy. Yup. Don't go reading this series if you're wanting a mind-bender. Everything is pretty straight forward. Which is fine for a summer read! Take this one down to the beach, set out a towel, and get ready for a good laugh. You'll probably finish the book by the time you start to get a sunburn.

My only complaint with the series is that I felt like I was missing things. I read Heist Society in one sitting, so I told myself that I missed things because I was going so fast. But I read Uncommon Criminals over three days, and still felt like I was missing stuff. The characters seemed to jump to conclusions that I didn't understand. And all of a sudden they'd be flying across the country and I didn't know why. Maybe I just wasn't paying close enough attention, or maybe it was written in a jerky-style that made it hard for me to process everything. Not sure.

I will end by saying that overall I really liked this series, and will look forward to the next books. They're great if your brain needs a little break, but your funny bone still wants a tickle. Also, Ally is one of the cutest people ever! First of all, she has a super-cute accent, and she's SO NICE! She answered all of my crazy questions with 100% of her attention. Loved it! If you get the chance to go hear her speak DO IT.



*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.

 Release Date: November 19th, 2009
Genre:  Fantasy
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Pages: 288
Rating:
Amazon Link*: Click Here(Currently bargain priced!)
Goodreads Page: Click here
Summary: 

Han Alister was once a street thief and gang leader, nicknamed Cuffs for the magical silver cuffs he's worn for as long as he can remember. Now that he's reformed, he can't seem to escape from his past, and he spends much of his time hunting in the mountains with his clan friends. When he and his friend Fire Dancer meet a group of young wizards, Han comes into possession of a magical amulet linked to the legendary Demon King, not knowing that it will bring danger to him and his family. Meanwhile, Princess Raisa is soon to turn 16 and be named heir to her mother's throne. She becomes aware of intrigues that surround the queen, who seems to be strongly influenced by their country's High Wizard. Soon they will discover that nothing is as it seems.

Blurb: Full of intrigue and mystery, The Demon King is a great read for someone wanting to get lost in a fantasy world.

Review: This book came SOOOOOOO highly recommended. People couldn't stop raving about it. I was told it was the "epitome of high fantasy."

Apparently I don't know what high fantasy is. I thought that would involve action and adventure. I really wish people hadn't hyped this so much for me, because as a result I thought that This book was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO boring.

After 100 pages I thought, surely NOW the adventure will begin. But no. Certainly by 200 pages? No. I DESPERATELY hoped it would begin around page 300. But again, nothing. Eventually I realized that there wasn't going to be any grand adventure. It was just going to be a bunch of people talking and thinking and not doing much else.

Granted, there was some action in the last 50 pages, and I have hopes (and the testimonies of people who have read it) that the second book will be more the action that I expected in this one.

If this book hadn't been so hyped, I think I would have really liked it. But as it was, this was NOT what I was expecting at all, and I therefore didn't like it.

Still gave it three flowers because the story was good (if boring), writing was great, and [most] characters were well developed.


*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.

Release Date: May 1st, 2010
Genre:  Fantasy, Romance
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 232
Rating:
Amazon Link*: Click Here
Goodreads Page: Click here
Series: Animal Magic Book #3 (Review of #1, Review of #2)
Summary: 

She is the headstrong daughter of the hound and the bear, heir to all her royal parents' magic and able to transform at will into any animal she wishes.


He is an outcast, a boy without magic, determined to make his way in the forest beholden to no one.


Though Liva and Jens are as different as night and day, from the time their paths first cross they are irresistibly drawn to one another. Each wrestles with demons: Liva with the responsibility that comes with the vast magic she's inherited, Jens with the haunting memories he's left behind. Separately, they keep a lookout for each other and for the immense snowbird whose appearances signify a dark event on the horizon.


When a terrible threat surfaces, Liva and Jens set out in an attempt to protect all they hold dear. Much is at stake—for while their failure could spell an end to all magic, their success could bring them together at last.

Review: This is certainly my least favorite of the series. Too short, and WAY too confusing. I think I might have liked this one better if I hadn't read them all so close together. I LOVED the second book so much that this couldn't measure up.

The biggest problem I faced in this book was that it jumped some unmeasured/unmentioned time into the future, and everything was different. All of a sudden there were new words, and there was no mention of "animal magic" at all. I felt like this book was not even a part of this series. I kept waiting for the author to explain things, make connections from the previous books, but she never did.

I don't understand time in this series AT ALL. Doesn't seem like this would be a time-travelling kinda series, but it is. And it totally confuses me.

Luckily, though, this book is short. I 100% recommend you read this series (including this book), but I also recommend that you don't read them back-to-back.

This review is part of Utah Author Month. (was read in May)



*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.

Release Date: May 10th, 2008
Genre:  Romance, Paranormal
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 352
Rating:
Amazon Link*: Click Here
Goodreads Page: Click here
Summary:

My life had always been blissfully, wonderfully normal. But it only took one moment to change everything.

Suddenly, my sister, Georgia, and I were orphans. We put our lives into storage and moved to Paris to live with my grandparents. And I knew my shattered heart, my shattered life, would never feel normal again. Then I met Vincent.

Mysterious, sexy, and unnervingly charming, Vincent Delacroix appeared out of nowhere and swept me off my feet. Just like that, I was in danger of losing my heart all over again. But I was ready to let it happen.

Of course, nothing is ever that easy. Because Vincent is no normal human. He has a terrifying destiny, one that puts his life at risk every day. He also has enemies . . . immortal, murderous enemies who are determined to destroy him and all of his kind.

While I'm fighting to piece together the remnants of my life, can I risk putting my heart—as well as my life and my family's—in jeopardy for a chance at love?

Review: Y'all are smart people. And as smart people you have probably noticed that this is the first book review I posted since my rant. Does that mean that this book is the inspiration for that rant? Oh yes.

That is not to say that this book is the only reason for for the rant, but it was the final straw. (If you have not yet read the rant, you should probably do so. Otherwise this review may be a little confusing)

This book had SUCH POTENTIAL! When we were introduced to the paranormal element I gave a little "squee" of delight! I've never read anything like that before. What an amazingly original idea! I was so excited to read on about how this paranormal phenomenon would affect the characters and the world they lived in.

And then I read 300 pages about teenage angsty romance. BLARGH! Where was this awesome plot I was expecting? Is it buried somewhere under the hormones? I can't see it!

Oh, naturally there was a very dramatic, action-filled ending... which lasted about 20 pages. Other than that it followed this basic formula:

GIRL: "I think I like him. Does he like me?"
BOY: "I like her. I want her to like me."
GIRL: "I'm going to be incredibly nosy and stalker-ish"
GIRL: "Oh my! I want to like you, but now that I know this thing, I dont' know if I can."
BOY: "Please try."
GIRL: "Okay!"
GIRL: "Wait, no! I changed my mind. Goodbye."
BOTH: "I can't live without you! Let's be together again."
BOY: "I'll protect you! I'll kill the evil!"
GIRL: "Oh no! BOY is not here to protect me! What will I do?"

THE END.

Now, as always, I am not trying to be rude when I post this. This formula is NOT based solely off of Die For Me. Off the top of my head I can list *quickly lists in head* at least four books that follow this EXACT formula (perhaps with some genders changed).

In conclusion, Die for Me came at a really bad spot in my reading career. If I had read any other paranormal romance right now, it would have gotten the same response. As I said before, I'm tired of saying this over and over. I'm done. And Die for Me wasn't a bad book to end on. It had a really great paranormal twist/element, but it got buried under the romantic debris.

I hope and pray this is the last review I'll ever have to write like this.



*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.

Release Date: August 31st, 2010
Genre:  Romance, Paranormal
Publisher: Harlequin
Pages: 572
Rating:
Amazon Link*: Click here
Goodreads Page: Click here
Series: Intertwined #2 (Review of #1)
Summary: (Spoilers, highlight to view)

Since coming to Crossroads, Oklahoma, former outcast Aden Stone has been living the good life. Never mind that one of his best friends is a werewolf, his girlfriend is a vampire princess who hungers for his blood, and he's supposed to be crowned Vampire King—while still a human! Well, kind of.


With four—oops, three now—human souls living inside his head, Aden has always been "different" himself. These souls can time-travel, raise the dead, possess another's mind and, his least favorite these days, tell the future.


The forecast for Aden? A knife through the heart.


Because a war is brewing between the creatures of the dark, and Aden is somehow at the center of it all. But he isn't about to lie down and accept his destiny without a fight. Not when his new friends have his back, not when Victoria has risked her own future to be with him, and not when he has a reason to live for the first time in his life….

Review: This book was a HUGE disappointment. I love, love, LOVE the first in this series. I thought it was original, and I love how it focuses more on the plot than the romance.

This book didn't do that.

If I had to read ONE MORE TIME about someone cleaning/tickling/exploring another person's TONSILS I was going to die. This book was definitely ROMANCE with a little paranormal. Which made me very sad. Granted, it was still an interesting story, despite the fact that there was some serious sequel-bloat. It took FOREVER for anything interesting to happen, and then it wrapped up super-quick.

All in all, I love the first book so much that I'll definitely read (and purchase) the third. I hope it goes back to the style of the first, because Unraveled was almost just like every other paranormal book that's out currently. Not bad, but nothing special.



*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.

Release Date: February 22nd, 2011
Genre:  Romance, Paranormal
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 416
Rating:
Amazon Link*: Click here
Goodreads Page: Click here
Summary:

One month into her junior year, sixteen-year-old Violet McKenna transfers to the Winterhaven School in New York’s Hudson Valley, inexplicably drawn to the boarding school with high hopes. Leaving Atlanta behind, she’s looking forward to a fresh start--a new school, and new classmates who will not know her deepest, darkest secret, the one she’s tried to hide all her life: strange, foreboding visions of the future.

But Winterhaven has secrets of its own, secrets that run far deeper than Violet’s. Everyone there--every student, every teacher--has psychic abilities, 'gifts and talents,' they like to call them. Once the initial shock of discovery wears off, Violet realizes that the school is a safe haven for people like her. Soon, Violet has a new circle of friends, a new life, and maybe even a boyfriend--Aidan Gray, perhaps the smartest, hottest guy at Winterhaven.

Only there’s more to Aidan than meets the eye--much, much more. And once she learns the horrible truth, there’s no turning back from her destiny. Their destiny. Together, Violet and Aidan must face a common enemy--if only they can do so without destroying each other first

Review: *sigh* Another paranormal romance. From the summary I was expecting this book to be different. After all, there aren't a whole lot of books that can pull off the "super power" idea. And this book wasn't bad. My Internet went out Friday night, so I read the whole thing in one sitting. The writing was good, the story was interesting, the characters were fun.

It didn't move particularly fast. Someone on GoodReads (I forget who) commented that after the "big reveal" things were boring. I wouldn't say that it was boring but it did get a little mundane until the climax.

But the biggest problem?

It just wasn't very original. You could easily see half-a-dozen already published books and in Haven. I don't mean to be mean. I just mean that this book fits perfectly into the "paranormal romance" mold. In fact, it's extremely similar to a certain book. But I can't tell you what book it is for fear of giving it away.

Therefore, if you're the kind of person who LOVES all of the paranormal releases out so far and you just CAN'T GET ENOUGH, then Haven is a great book for you. Some people have said that this book "stands above" other PRs, but I thought it was just one in the crowd. So if you've had your fill of paranormal romance, I'd say skip it.



*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.