Review: The Truth about Forever

Author: Sarah Dessen
Pages: 374
Format: Paperback
Release Date (of my copy): May 11, 2004
Rating: 5/5

Summery:
Sixteen-year-old Macy Queen is looking forward to a long, boring summer. Her boyfriend is going away. She's stuck with a dull-as-dishwater job at the library. And she'll spend all of her free time studying for the SATs or grieving silently with her mother over her father's recent unexpected death. But everything changes when Macy is corralled into helping out at one of her mother's open house events, and she meets the chaotic Wish Catering crew. Before long, Macy joins the Wish team. She loves everything about the work and the people. But the best thing about Wish is Wes—artistic, insightful, and understanding Wes—who gets Macy to look at life in a whole new way, and really start living it.

Review:
All of Sarah Dessen's books that I've read have a girl in a difficult situation meeting a guy and falling in love, all the while learning things about themselves.  Well, I've read like four of her books that are like that, and it never gets old.

Sarah Dessen is a genius.  That's all I can say.  The way she writes, the way she explains things, the way she tells us the story, it's  just mesmerizing.  I especially loved the way she told us readers about Wes and Macy's past, with a game of Truth.  I thought it was genius and imaginative, and it totally worked.  I have never seen any other author use that kind of thing to explain their characters, and you have to tip your hat to Sarah Dessen for even thinking about doing it.  Other than that, the story was great.  I do believe that you should be smart and driven, but what Macy was doing, it was just nuts.  I'm so glad she changed, but still stayed the same.  She's still smart, she's still going to do well.  I really, really like this book.

I love Macy.  She's smart, she's funny, and she could use some self esteem.  Like I said before, I'm glad she changed, but still stayed the same.
Will *swoon* oh Will.  I need a fire extinguisher here!!!  SMOKIN' hot.  And so artistic.
In all books you need the character that opens the main characters eyes and is funny at the same time.  In this book, that was Kristy, and I absolutely loved her.  She was funny, smart, kick-ass, I can't even describe it.  I just loved her.
I hate, hate, hate, hate the mom.  I'm sure some would feel bad for her, but I don't.  I hate what she made Macy go through, it was horrible.

All in all, one of my favorite Dessen reads.  I'm so glad I own it.

Review: Shiver

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Series: The Wolves of Mercy Falls #1
Pages: 290
Format: Paperback
Release Date: June 1st, 2010
Rating: 5/5

Summery:
the cold.
Grace has spent years watching the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—watches back. He feels deeply familiar to her, but she doesn't know why.

the heat.
Sam has lived two lives. As a wolf, he keeps the silent company of the girl he loves. And then, for a short time each year, he is human, never daring to talk to Grace...until now.

the shiver.
For Grace and Sam, love has always been kept at a distance. But once it's spoken, it cannot be denied. Sam must fight to stay human—and Grace must fight to keep him—even if it means taking on the scars of the past, the fragility of the present, and the impossibility of the future.

Review:
Wow.  What a book.  It is so hard to describe this book, it's unlike any book I've ever read.  This review is probably not going to be very good just because I won't find the right words to describe this book.

The plot is amazing.  I have to say that first and foremost.  The writing is amazing.  The book...gosh, I can't describe it.  Eery, in a good way, sweet, gosh, I don't know.  There was such a tenderness and wildness to it, I just loved it.  I'm usually not a huge fan of werewolf books, but this one was amazing.

There are only a few books that I've read where I want the boys to be real.  Well, this is one of them.  Sam is so cute, so loving and caring, it is so sweet to read about him and Grace.
I also really like Grace.  She's a strong character and she really cares about Sam.
I don't really like Grace's parents, though.  They should pay more attention to her.  But, if they did the book wouldn't have worked out (I have never read a book with this parent/werewolf situation before).

I own this book, and if the rest of the series is this good, Maggie Stiefvater is going to have some extra money because I am totally buying it.

What are your thoughts about this book?

Review: Fire Study

Author: Maria V. Snyder
Series: Study #3
Pages: 441
Format: Paperback
Release Date: March 1st, 2008
Rating: 5/5
Summery:
The apprenticeship is over—now the real test has begun.

When word that Yelena is a Soulfinder—able to capture and release souls—spreads like wildfire, people grow uneasy. Already Yelena's unusual abilities and past have set her apart. As the Council debates Yelena's fate, she receives a disturbing message: a plot is rising against her homeland, led by a murderous sorcerer she has defeated before....

Honor sets Yelena on a path that will test the limits of her skills, and the hope of reuniting with her beloved spurs her onward. Her journey is fraught with allies, enemies, lovers and would-be assassins, each of questionable loyalty. Yelena will have but one chance to prove herself—and save the land she holds dear.

Review:
Wow.  That's all I can say.  Wow.  I have mixed feelings about this book.  On the one hand, I'm sad.  Sad because this is the final book in this AMAZING series.  And happy, because I was given the privilege of reading this amazing series.

I love, love, love the plot.  Every time, Maria V. Snyder comes up with a new, exciting plot and wows me again and again.  And this time Yelena was in even more trouble than usual.  I loved the twists and turns, the battles, the action, the magic, everything.

I love Yelena.  She's strong, fearless, and she can take care of herself.
I love Valek.  He's so sexy.
I like Cahil and teensy-tiny bit more, but I still hate him.

All in all, this is one really bad review for a really good book.  This review does not do the book justice, so if you decide to read a book based on a review, ignore mine.  Words just can't express how much I love this series.

Review: Angelfire

Author: Courtney Allison Moulton
Series: Angelfire #1
Pages: 453
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: February 15th, 2011
Rating: 5/5

Summery:
First there are nightmares.
Every night Ellie is haunted by terrifying dreams of monstrous creatures that are hunting her, killing her.

Then come the memories.
When Ellie meets Will, she feels on the verge of remembering something just beyond her grasp. His attention is intense and romantic, and Ellie feels like her soul has known him for centuries. On her seventeenth birthday, on a dark street at midnight, Will awakens Ellie's power, and she knows that she can fight the creatures that stalk her in the grim darkness. Only Will holds the key to Ellie's memories, whole lifetimes of them, and when she looks at him, she can no longer pretend anything was just a dream.

Now she must hunt.
Ellie has power that no one can match, and her role is to hunt and kill the reapers that prey on human souls. But in order to survive the dangerous and ancient battle of the angels and the Fallen, she must also hunt for the secrets of her past lives and truths that may be too frightening to remember.

Review:
I have wanted to read this book so bad and I'm so happy I finally have.  And boy, was it ever worth the wait.

WOW.  That's all I can say.  This is going to be a very bad, very short review because I can't describe it.  It was just amazing.

The story line was amazing.  The plot was awesome.  There were times when I was reading so fast, so caught up in the story, I actually didn't know where I was.
I loved the fighting scenes.  I'm so glad that Moulton described them with such detail.

And OMG.  WILLL!!!!  SO HOT!!  I can't get him out of my head.  He is hot, he's nice, and he's a bad-ass fighter.  Wow.  I think I may be in love.
I loved Ellie.  She was such a strong character.  And I love the role she played.

All in all, MOULTON BETTER RELEASE THE SECOND BOOK ASAP OR I WILL EXPLODE!!!

Review: XVI

Author: Julia Karr

Series: XVI #1

Pages: 325
Format: Paperback
Release Date: January 6th, 2011
Rating: 4/5

Summery:
Every girl gets one.
An XVI tattoo on the wrist--sixteen.

Some girls can't wait to be sixteen, to be legal. Nina is not one of them. Even though she has no choice in the matter, she knows that so long as her life continues as normal, everything will be okay.

Then, with one brutal strike, Nina's normal is shattered; and she discovers that nothing that she believed about her life is true. But there's one boy who can help--and he just may hold the key to her past.

But with the line between attraction and danger as thin as a whisper, one thing is for sure...

For Nina, turning sixteen promises to be anything but sweet.

Review:
Wow.  This book is really, really complex.  The plot is so good.  Zarr did such a good job writing this book to make it look like Nina had no way to make all the problems right, but I was really impressed with how she did it.

When I started reading it I thought, Wow, I'm not going to like this book very much, because Zarr came up with all these new abbreviations for everything, like PAVs and feLS, I had no idea what they were.  But as the story progressed and grew I finally figured them out and started to really enjoy it.  The plot is simply amazing.  There were so many elements and things going on, I don't know how Zarr kept track of it all.

When Zarr first introduced Sal I didn't really like him at all, but towards the end he started to show his sensative, caring side and he grew on me.
I love that Nina's mom was a strong, defiant woman that saw through the facade the goverment had put up.
I hate, hate, hate, hate, hate Ed.  That guy is a slime-ball.
I felt so bad for Sandy at the end (not telling what happens).  Although she was completely swept up in being a sex-teen, I kind of liked her and really hoped Nina would make her come to her senses.

All in all, a really good dystopian novel, and I can't wait to read the second one.

What do you think about this book?

Review: Fateful

Author: Claudia Gray

Pages: 325
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: September 13, 2011
Rating: 5/5
Summery:
Eighteen-year-old maid Tess Davies is determined to escape the wealthy, troubled family she serves. It’s 1912, and Tess has been trapped in the employ of the Lisles for years, amid painful memories and twisted secrets. But now the Lisle family is headed to America, with Tess in tow. Once the ship they’re sailing on—the RMS Titanic—reaches its destination, Tess plans to strike out and create a new life for herself.
Her single-minded focus shatters when she meets Alec, a handsome first-class passenger who captivates her instantly. But Alec has secrets of his own. He’s in a hurry to leave Europe, and whispers aboard the ship say it’s because of the tragic end of his last affair with the French actress who died so gruesomely and so mysteriously. . . .
Soon Tess will learn just how dark Alec’s past truly is. The danger they face is no ordinary enemy: werewolves exist and are stalking him—and now her, too. Her growing love for Alec will put Tess in mortal peril, and fate will do the same before their journey on the Titanic is over.

Review:
Wow.  Before I read this book I never thought I would like reading about the Titanic, but did Claudia Gray ever prove me wrong.

This book is amazing.  The plot was so complex, and the characters were so good.  If Claudia Gray had picked a single other historical event and had the same paranormal stuff going on, I don't think it would have worked half as well.  The plot was amazing, all the events happening and flowing together and leading up to one another.  The way Gray wrote Tess's situation, it was like she was pretty much guaranteed to be killed, but somehow, she always managed to survive and keep her cool.  If I had been in that situation, with some lunatic werewolf coming after me, I would have freaked. :p

I love Tess.  I love her name, I love her strong will, and I love her defiance.  She is the kind of strong female character that all books like this need, and she's so sweet to Mr. Marlowe and Miss Irene.  She is the perfect character for this book.
I hate Mikhail.  Hate, hate, hate him.  But in a way I also like him because his evilness and ruthlessness was what made this book as good as it is.  He is the perfect villain.
I really, really wanted Tess to take Irene with her when she quit her job, because I just felt so bad for her.  Her mother is so mean, and Irene is so kind and different from the rest of her family.
Alec *swooning*.  OH MY GOSH!!!  I love Alec.  He is so cute!  He is so kind and gentle, and he really feels bad about what he does when he is "different". (I won't say anything more because I would give away the story.)

All in all, this is a really sweet romantic fantasy that I think everyone will love.  And you also learn about the Titanic :P

OTHER COVER EDITIONS:

  

Which cover is your favorite?  And what do you think about this book? (:

Review: Hooked

Author: Catherine Greenman
Pages: 276
Release Date: August 9, 2011
Format: Hardcover
Rating: 4/5
Cover Rating: 4/5

Summery:
Thea Galehouse has always known how to take care of herself. With a flighty club-owner mom and a standoffish, recovering-alcoholic dad, Thea has made her own way in her hometown of New York, attending the prestigious and competitive Stuyvesant High School. But one chat with Will, a handsome and witty senior, and she's a goner—completely hooked on him and unable to concentrate on anything else.
Always worried that she loves Will more than he loves her, Thea is pleasantly surprised when their romance weathers his move to college and Will goes out of his way to involve her in his life. But then, Thea misses a period. And that starts Thea and Will on a wild ride that neither of them could have possibly prepared for. When they decide to keep the baby, their concerned parents chip in what they can to keep Will in school and give both teenagers a comfortable place to raise their child. But when a freak accident leaves Thea shaken and threatens to upend their little family altogether, Thea is forced to turn to the last place she would have chosen for comfort: her stiff, uncompromising father.
This smart, touching first novel brims with realistic, beautifully drawn characters, and reminds us that love is never as easy or predictable as we might like it to be.

Review:
I know this is totally random and weird, but I got this book out of the library, and I think I may have been the first to read it.  That has never happened before and I'm really excited about it. :p
Ok, enough with the creepy statements and to the review.

Although I really enjoyed this book, there were some things I didn't like about it.  The romance was too quick.  They meet, talk, whatever.  That's fine.  But then they go on a date, have their first kiss, fall in love, in one evening.  And then soon after they do "it" all the time.  Thea was kind of easy.

Will was kind of creepy, and I didn't completely like him, even in the beginning.  And it wasn't just his eye; it was the things he did and the people he hung out with  He just wasn't what I would call "good boyfriend material."

I like and admire Thea for sticking with Ian and taking such good care of him and having him in the first place.  Although, I do think she messed up getting pregnant in the first place, I think she did the best that she could with the following situation.

Ian sounds so cute and perfect to me.  Which, I will admit, isn't saying much since I love babies and think they are the most adorable things ever.  Even animal babies. (Pandas are the cutest ;p)

You've just got to love characters like Carmen and the dad, and I guess the mom as well, although I didn't like her.
Carmen was so nice to Thea, helping her and all, and I really liked her.  I also really like the dad.  I thought he was a real jerk in the beginning, but after Ian was born, he started to soften up, and that's when I really started to like him.

What are your thoughts on this book?  Leave comments, I love them. (:

Review: The Iron Thorn

Author: Caitlin Kittredge
Series: The Iron Codex #1
Pages: 492
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: February 20, 2011
Rating: 4/5
Cover Rating: 4/5 (a bit raunchy)

Summery:
In the city of Lovecraft, the Proctors rule and a great Engine turns below the streets, grinding any resistance to their order to dust. The necrovirus is blamed for Lovecraft's epidemic of madness, for the strange and eldritch creatures that roam the streets after dark, and for everything that the city leaders deem Heretical—born of the belief in magic and witchcraft. And for Aoife Grayson, her time is growing shorter by the day.
     Aoife Grayson's family is unique, in the worst way—every one of them, including her mother and her elder brother Conrad, has gone mad on their 16th birthday. And now, a ward of the state, and one of the only female students at the School of Engines, she is trying to pretend that her fate can be different.

Review:
To be perfectly honest, I am very disappointed with Caitlin Kittredge's young adult debut.  NOT!!

The story is just amazing, to have the complex plot it has, it's just mind blowing.  The science, the "necrovirus", the monsters, the faeries, the whole shebang, it's amazing how Caitlin Kittredge managed to keep track of it all.
I don't usually like books with romance/adventure, but Caitlin wrote it in such a way that you don't really notice the romance, and when you did it was some huge event in the book.

I love that Aoife is a strong, smart-mouthed character who can take care of herself and is brave and selfless.
In the beginning I hated Cal because he was always calling her crazy and claiming everything she said was a result of the necrovirus.  I liked him more in the end when he saved them (I'm not going to tell you how so you'll have to read the book :p).
And Dean.  OH MY GOD DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED!!  I love Dean!!  I mean, really love him.  I can't really explain it.  He's really sassy, rebellious, smart-mouthed, and really nice, and as I read more and more I fell more and more in love with him.

All in all, I can't wait for the next book to come out because Caitlin Kittredge left this book on the biggest cliffhanger you could imagine, AND I WANT TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!!

What are you thoughts about this book?  Leave comments, I love them. (:

Review: Firelight

Author: Sophie Jordan

Series: Firelight #1

Pages: 323
Format: Hardcover

Release Date: September 7, 2010

Rating: 4/5
Cover Rating: 4/5 (I love the red hair and the scales around her eyes)

Summery:
A hidden truth.
Mortal enemies.
Doomed love.
Marked as special at an early age, Jacinda knows her every move is watched. But she longs for freedom to make her own choices. When she breaks the most sacred tenet among her kind, she nearly pays with her life. Until a beautiful stranger saves her. A stranger who was sent to hunt those like her. For Jacinda is a draki—a descendant of dragons whose greatest defense is her secret ability to shift into human form.
Forced to flee into the mortal world with her family, Jacinda struggles to adapt to her new surroundings. The only bright light is Will. Gorgeous, elusive Will who stirs her inner draki to life. Although she is irresistibly drawn to him, Jacinda knows Will's dark secret: He and his family are hunters. She should avoid him at all costs. But her inner draki is slowly slipping away—if it dies she will be left as a human forever. She'll do anything to prevent that. Even if it means getting closer to her most dangerous enemy.
Mythical powers and breathtaking romance ignite in this story of a girl who defies all expectations and whose love crosses an ancient divide.

Review:
I was actually very impressed with Sophie Jordan in this novel.

She got right into the action on like page five, which I love, and she explained everything, like Jacinda's history and all, so that we could understand the story.  It was a very complex plot, sometimes confusing.

When you are a girl falling for a guy, the guy has to be cute and likeable.  I don't think Sophie Jordan did as great a job in this area.  Will came across as too tough and buff and I just didn't like that.  A guy should have muscle, yeah, but he should also be kind, soft, and caring, and I don't feel like Will was like that.

In the middle of the story I got a bit confused with all the drama--do I stay with Will or run away?--I'm in love with Will--Oh, I'm not anymore--Oh wait, I'm in love again.  It was confusing and a bit unnecessary.  I know you have to have suspense and drama, but you also have to write it so that the reader can keep up, and I just couldn't.

I feel like Will did soften up towards the end, which I like, but I can't help liking Cassian better than Will because he seems nicer.

Plus, I love this cover.  The scales and glitter and red hair work perfectly together.

What are your thoughts on the book?  Leave comments, I love them. (:

Review: Paranormalcy

Author: Kiersten White
Series: Paranormalcy #1
Pages: 335
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: August 31, 2010
Rating: 4/5
Cover Rating: 3/5
Add this book to your to-read shelf on Goodreads
Summery:
Weird as it is working for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, Evie’s always thought of herself as normal. Sure, her best friend is a mermaid, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she's falling for a shape-shifter, and she's the only person who can see through paranormals' glamours, but still. Normal.

Only now paranormals are dying, and Evie's dreams are filled with haunting voices and mysterious prophecies. She soon realizes that there may be a link between her abilities and the sudden rash of deaths. Not only that, but she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

So much for normal.


Review:
For a debut, Kiersten White did a very good job.  I loved the story line, loved the writing, loved the characters.

I usually don't like book with institution-like story lines, but it worked out for this book.  There were twists and turns and climaxes everywhere, and it was fast paced and funny throughout.

It's always important to have good, strong characters in a book, and I think Kiersten White did a great job in this area.  She made you fall in love with them, from mermaids, to supervisors, to werewolves, you found yourselves feeling for them.  And Lend--OH MY GOD DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED!!  Totally swoon-worthy, and he sounds like the sweetest guy ever.  Lish was so nice and sweet, and Raquel was the motherly figure Evie never had.  And Evie, I LOVE Evie.  She was funny, smart, care-free, cool, and didn't care what she said.  I love the cast in this book, it's one of the best.

The writing was connected and flowed without a hitch, and sometimes I couldn't even tell I was reading a book, I actually thought I was there.
I can't wait for the next books in this series, and I'm sure they'll be just as good.



What are your thoughts about this book?  Leave comments, I love them. (: