Review | The Unnaturalists by Tiffany Trent

  

In an alternate London where magical creatures are preserved in a museum, two teens find themselves caught in a web of intrigue, deception, and danger.

Vespa Nyx wants nothing more than to spend the rest of her life cataloging Unnatural creatures in her father’s museum, but as she gets older, the requirement to become a lady and find a husband is looming large. Syrus Reed’s Tinker family has always served and revered the Unnaturals from afar, but when his family is captured to be refinery slaves, he finds that his fate may be bound up with Vespa’s—and with the Unnaturals.

As the danger grows, Vespa and Syrus find themselves in a tightening web of deception and intrigue. At stake may be the fate of New London—and the world.

The Unnaturalists drew me in because of its beautiful cover. However, I kept reading for the story. I liked the characters and history that went along with the book. The main character, Vespa was very enjoyable to follow. She was headstrong and very saucy, as one of the other characters said. She was a girl stuck in a post apocalyptic future, trying to make a place for herself in a male dominated world. I love all the creatures she interacted with and their unique places in the world. Vespa and the creatures were the best parts of the book. However some parts were very lacking. 

    One was that Vespa was so eager to fall in love, despite her desire to avoid marriage and stay a scientist. Right after meeting the boy, she seems to become infatuated with him. The summary was also very misleading. I thought there would be a relationship between Vespa and Syrus. There is not. Overall, the book was very well written and as good as I expected. I don't think I will be reading the next books though.
  

Review | Poison Princess (The Arcana Chronicles, #1) by Kresley Cole

Series: The Arcana Chronicles, #1

Pages: 369

Date Released: October 2, 2012

    

 She could save the world—or destroy it.

Sixteen-year-old Evangeline "Evie" Greene leads a charmed life, until she begins experiencing horrifying hallucinations. When an apocalyptic event decimates her Louisiana hometown, Evie realizes her hallucinations were actually visions of the future—and they're still happening. Fighting for her life and desperate for answers, she must turn to her wrong-side-of-the-bayou classmate: Jack Deveaux. But she can't do either alone. With his mile-long rap sheet, wicked grin, and bad attitude, Jack is like no boy Evie has ever known. Even though he once scorned her and everything she represented, he agrees to protect Evie on her quest. She knows she can't totally depend on Jack. If he ever cast that wicked grin her way, could she possibly resist him? Who can Evie trust? As Jack and Evie race to find the source of her visions, they meet others who have gotten the same call. An ancient prophesy is being played out, and Evie is not the only one with special powers. A group of twenty-two teens has been chosen to reenact the ultimate battle between good and evil. But it's not always clear who is on which side.


     This woman is a genius. Poison Princess was a completely unique world of art. It belongs in the Louvre. First of all, the plot. Never have I ever read a book that centered around Tarot cards. In fact, I’ve never even thought about it, which is more than I can say about other books I’ve read. She completed the masterpiece by ensuring that the concept was whole-hardly explained and followed through in every wonderful page.
     I loved Evie. She was the most perfect girl for this story ever. I loved her attitude. She was straightforward, but innocent. She accepted things easily and dealt with them accordingly. It was all cut and dry with her. Except when Jack comes into the picture that is….
     Jack was another one of Kresley’s ideas that hit the nail directly on the head. He’s Cajun. Have you ever heard of such a book boyfriend? I haven’t!! Honestly, though, Jack would have totally pissed me off. He was really a jerk. Sometimes he acted like a little girl, insulting Evie when he couldn’t get his way and pointing out her flaws all the time! And there is this part in the book that really brings me to tears with how badly he hurts her feelings! But, God I loved him.
     Along with those great characters, Kresley also has perfect writing skills. The book is mostly a giant flashback with flashbacks within it. Sounds confusing, doesn’t it? It isn’t though! All the scenes happen perfectly. They all aligned in the right place and cause absolutely no confused like other books that do the same. The translations were simple, too. They added to Jackson’s appeal, by letting me hear his voice and understand at the same time, without taking away from all the action.
     In conclusion, I could spend hours talking about a book this great! Just like a beautiful painting, Poison Princess leaves you guessing along the entire journey. But makes you want to scream when understanding of how marvelous it truly is hits you.

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Review & Giveaway | Radiance (Riley Bloom, #1) by Alyson Noel

Series: Riley Bloom

Pages: 183

Date Released: August 31, 2010

Riley has crossed the bridge into the afterlife—a place called Here, where time is always Now. She has picked up life where she left off when she was alive, living with her parents and dog in a nice house in a nice neighborhood. When she’s summoned before The Council, she learns that the afterlife isn’t just an eternity of leisure. She’s been assigned a job, Soul Catcher, and a teacher, Bodhi, a possibly cute, seemingly nerdy boy who’s definitely hiding something. They return to earth together for Riley’s first assignment, a Radiant Boy who’s been haunting a castle in England for centuries. Many Soul Catchers have tried to get him to cross the bridge and failed. But all of that was before he met Riley . . .

With only 183 pages, this book was the complete definition of the quick read. However, the entire ride was very enjoyable. Riley started the book as the worst little brat, honestly. She was completely ungrateful of everything being presented to her. As the book goes along, she grows incredibly quickly as she learns that she her own person. She is not defined by Ever and she will never be just Ever's little sister, but so much more. Her skills grow with her awesome guide, Bodhi, which I think will develop into a cute, little romance as the series goes on. 

For some reason, I thought this book was more young adult than it actually was. It has more of a middle grade feel, which was quite obvious with the characters being 12 and 14. For this reason, I don't think I will continue this series, regardless of how much I enjoyed Riley.

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The giveaway will end on December 31, 2013 at 11:59 PM.

Review | Bad Girls Don't Die (Bad Girls Don't Die, #1) by Katie Alender

Series: Bad Girls Don't Die
Pages: 352
Date Released: 2009

     When Alexis's little sister Kasey becomes obsessed with an antique doll, Alexis thinks she is just being her usual weird self. Things get weirder, though, when their house starts changing. Doors open and close by themselves; water boils on the unlit stove; and an unplugged air conditioner blasts cold air. Kasey is changing, too. Her blue eyes go green, she starts using old-fashioned language, and she forgets chunks of time. Most disturbing of all is the dangerous new chip on Kasey's shoulder. The formerly gentle child is gone, and the new Kasey is angry. Alexis is the only one who can stop her sister -- but what if that green-eyed girl isn't even Kasey anymore?


     As you can tell from my blog, I have been in the worst reading slump in my entire life. This year has been an absolute fail with me only reading less than 60 books! That's unheard of for me! Anyway, Bad Girls Don't Die may have risen me from the cemetery of bad books. I liked and disliked Alexis. She was kinda hypocritical. She had opinions about everybody acting like someone they're not, when she was doing the exact same thing. I had an awesome time watching her grow though. I loved her personality of individuality. She was just too quick to judge people.
     Kasey was also a wonderful character. She was a bit....eccentric for a normal thirteen-year old, but normal is overrated anyway. She really felt like nobody liked her which is why she was so susceptible to being possesseed. Her "visitor" was very scary and creepy. I couldn't imagine being in Alexis's shoes.
     The main thing that made this book so awesome was the writing. Katie was incredibly detailed and vivid in her descriptions. She made me feel like I was a fly on the wall during every chapter, getting a firsthand view of everything going on! The action was never-ending, too. The ghost stirred up some major trouble and the plot thickens with every turn of the pages. I loved the complex back story that came out as the story went on. All in all, my expectations went out of the window with this book and I hope to have them flee again when I read the sequels!

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Review | Look For Me By Moonlight by Mary Downing Hahn

Series: N/A
Pages: 198
Date Released: March 1, 1997

     When the mysterious Vincent Morthanos arrives to stay at her father's inn, 16-year-old Cynda is mesmerized. His charm and sensitivity are irresistible. His attentiveness is constant. Cynda's sure she's in love. Daring to hope that the stranger shares her feelings, Cynda is innocently blind to who he really is--or to the terrible danger of coming under his spell.

     For some reason, I expected this to be a romance. I was horribly mistaken. This was a thriller. My heart is still beating fast. I hated Cynda at first because she was so easily captivated by Vincent. The fact that he looked thirty was also quite uncomfortable I and did not earn her any cool points. I was also extremely angry at how unsupportive her parents were throughout the book despite them being under Vincent’s influence also. I loved the Todd and Ebony the best because they saw Vincent for what he was from the beginning. Will was a favorite too because he remained unconvinced no matter how much Vincent complimented his artistry. The ending of LFMBM was an example of wonderful writing! The words flew off the page and I felt so sorry for Cynda and Todd as they struggled to get out of the clutches of that monster. The action was great. The writing was great. The characters were great. Everything, I mean everything, was great.

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Review | Take Me Now (Take Me Now, #1) by Faith Sullivan

Series: Take Me Now

Pages: 111

Date Released: July 16, 2013

How do you survive the internship from hell?

Don't fall in love.

Ivy thought being a reporter-in-training at the Independent Gazette would be her dream summer job. Little did she know, interviewing Eric, a landscaper with a heart of gold, would derail her plans. It turns out Ivy's boss, Lauren, has been eying his chiseled physique for quite some time.

But at twenty-four, Eric already has a tragic past, one that he is still reeling from. Even though his ordeal turned him into some sort of local celebrity, it's been a while since he's shared his bed with anyone. When he comes to Ivy's rescue out of the blue, it's not long before the two of them start seeing each other behind Lauren's back. When they get caught, Ivy's journey toward a college degree is jeopardized and her relationship with Eric is severely put to the test.

Career versus love? In the end, a shocking turn of events provides Ivy with a revelation she never saw coming.

     Take Me Now was certainly not what I expected. It was…..unique. First off, the characters. I couldn't make up my mind whether or not I loved them or hated them. It was probably both. I hated Ivy because she acted like a child at certain times, like letting a cute boy fuddle her mind like she was in middle school and taking all the crap that she did from Lauren. I loved her because she was so realistic for the same reasons. Sometimes boys do happen to make you act crazy even when you know that you are being stupid and Ivy acknowledged it. Also standing up to someone who had so much power over her career would not be so easy. Sometimes she dealt with stuff in ways that would make me frown, but all in all I could appreciate her naivety and her determination to grow up and learn from her mistakes.
     Eric was an awesome love interest. He had a hard life and was more mature than Ivy in a good way, but not in all ways. Sometimes, he blew stuff way out of proportion and overreacted. I still loved him because of his honesty and realistic qualities.
     Take Me Now’s aforementioned uniqueness came from its startling pace within the book and all the twists and turns. The supporting characters were truly psychotic and crazy in ways that were weirdly appealing. They brought drama to the book like I've never read and kept me on my toes while I was reading. This was the icing on the cake and led to a delightful ending and new beginning for Ivy and Eric.

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*This book was provided to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Review | Article 5 (Article 5, #1) by Kristen Simmons

Series: Article 5
Pages: 364
Date released: January 31, 2012

New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., have been abandoned.

   The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes. There are no more police—instead, there are soldiers. There are no more fines for bad behavior—instead, there are arrests, trials, and maybe worse.    People who get arrested usually don't come back.

   Seventeen-year-old Ember Miller is old enough to remember that things weren't always this way. Living with her rebellious single mother, it's hard for her to forget that people weren't always arrested for reading the wrong books or staying out after dark. It's hard to forget that life in the United States used to be different.

   Ember has perfected the art of keeping a low profile. She knows how to get the things she needs, like food stamps and hand-me-down clothes, and how to pass the random home inspections by the military. Her life is as close to peaceful as circumstances allow.

   That is, until her mother is arrested for noncompliance with Article 5 of the Moral Statutes. And one of the arresting officers is none other than Chase Jennings—the only boy Ember has ever loved.

     Article 5 was book written for all the action lovers out there. It’s Mission Impossible on paper! It reminded me very much of Shatter Me. The characters, setting, and plot were all very similar, but uniquely executed. Ember was awesome. She was strong in her own way, but she valued the place that others had in her life. She was logical and reasonable, but when she was taken she never stopped fighting to get away. Her spirit was continuously going even when things were at rock bottom.
     Chase was nice, too. He was the strong but silent type and he sacrificed everything for Ember. She really was his everything. I liked his smart mouth and how he had some sarcasm behind his silence. His golden brown skin and 6”2’ stature certainly didn’t hurt either. He is still kind of a mystery right now though since this book doesn’t delve into much about him being a soldier. I wonder if any of the other books will as the series continues.
     By the time I flipped Article 5 closed I felt a deep-set satisfaction of them being okay and putting their talents to use. Because of this, I don’t know if I will read the next books in fear of ruining my happy ending. But…(Levar Burton voice) you don’t have to take my word for it.

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Review | Aurelia (Aurelia, #1) by Anne Osterlund

Series: Aurelia
Pages: 246
Date Released: April 17, 2008

   An impressive debut, equal parts commercial appeal and literary prowess.Princess Aurelia is next in line to rule the kingdom of Tyralt, but she would rather be one of the common folk, free to learn and roam and . . . not marry the next tyrannical prince that comes courting. Naturally, the king wants Aurelia to marry for political power. Aurelia wants to marry for love. And someone in the kingdom wants her . . . dead. Assigned to investigate and protect Aurelia is Robert, the son of the king's former royal spy and one of Aurelia's oldest friends. As Aurelia and Robert slowly uncover clues as to who is threatening her, their friendship turns to romance. With everything possible on the line, her life, her kingdom, her heart, Aurelia is forced to take matters into her own hands, no matter the cost.

    Aurelia was a wonderful historical masterpiece. I loved the time and how it was described. Aurelia was very headstrong and feisty. I liked her from the start. She spoke her mind and didn't let anyone walk all over her. She really loved her kingdom and the people loved her as well. Robert was a great love interest because he did not seek to bury Aurelia’s independent qualities. He let her flourish and she loved him for it.

     I absolutely hated her father. He was so neglectful and didn’t even seek to bring punishment on the one who was trying to off Aurelia! He truly chose someone else over Aurelia. I was so angry at him for hurting Aurelia like that, but happy when she handled it gracefully and carried on like the Queen she was.
     Aurelia held a great mystery and an even greater group of characters. It truly put me right beside Aurelia as she went through her days and I cannot wait until I am able to see her again.

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Review | The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg

Series: N/A
Pages: 375
Date Released: February 21, 2012

Summary: Dying of a broken heart is just the beginning.... Welcome to forever. 

    BRIE'S LIFE ENDS AT SIXTEEN: Her boyfriend tells her he doesn't love her, and the news breaks her heart—literally. But now that she's D&G (dead and gone), Brie is about to discover that love is way more complicated than she ever imagined. Back in Half Moon Bay, her family has begun to unravel. Her best friend has been keeping a secret about Jacob, the boy she loved and lost—and the truth behind his shattering betrayal. And then there's Patrick, Brie's mysterious new guide and resident Lost Soul . . . who just might hold the key to her forever after.      With Patrick's help, Brie will have to pass through the five stages of grief before she's ready to move on. But how do you begin again, when your heart is still in pieces?

     THE CATASTROPHIC HISTORY OF YOU AND ME was a uniquely written story of a girl and her journey through death. The main character was Brie, who supposedly died of a broken heart (literally), but unfortunately, I din't like her too much. She was wishy-washy and quick to fling her problems with others onto people who were just trying to help her. She went way overboard with her revenge and didn't seem to know when to stop. She was really out to ruin people's lives. My favorite character was Patrick. He was
  very well-developed and funny. He was always coming up with new nicknames to call Brie and his story was very mysterious and made me want to read more. In my opinion TCHOYAM could have been a five star book, but I felt it could have done without all the drama and the drama queen of a protagonist. I could have felt sorrier for Brie if she wasn't such a mean person. All in all, it was a decent, somewhat lighthearted read about the most unknown thing in life: death.

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Review | Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols

Series: N/A
Pages: 245
Date Released: March 17, 2009
           
HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO?

All Meg has ever wanted is to get away. Away from high school. Away from her backwater town. Away from her parents who seem determined to keep her imprisoned in their dead-end lives. But one crazy evening involving a dare and forbidden railroad tracks, she goes way too far...and almost doesn't make it back.

John made a choice to stay. To enforce the rules. To serve and protect. He has nothing but contempt for what he sees as childish rebellion, and he wants to teach Meg a lesson she won't soon forget. But Meg pushes him to the limit by questioning everything he learned at the police academy. And when he pushes back, demanding to know why she won't be tied down, they will drive each other to the edge -- and over....

     I started this book an hour and a half ago. Literally. No exaggerating at all. I am a huge fan of Jennifer and I loved Such A Rush, which was the first book of hers that I read. Going Too Far was exactly on par with Jennifer's expertise and excellence. I loved, loved, loved Meg. She was a bad girl and not that I've never read about other bad girls, she just stood out. She had reasons for her being a bad girl. She struggled with her panic attacks and she didn't feel that it made her weak. She wasn't doing it to get back at her parents. She did it for herself, to live. I loved all her twists and turns because I didn't find out the clear answer until the middle ending of the book and it was totally not what I expected. I was so surprised! But I loved it.
     I am also a big fan of John, too. Although, I couldn't find anyone who wouldn't be. His Matt Damon body and sleepy brown eyes? No one is immune. I loved him from the start because of how he treated Tiffany at the beginning and shook off Meg's insults. He was deep and his story was also more complex than I originally thought. He was obsessed with the bridge, which I thought was totally loony-toon until I understood the full severity of its importance.
     Going Too Far totally exceed all my expectations and had me giggling all the while at Meg's antics and Johnafter's cop humor. I enjoyed the wild journey from beginning to end and cannot wait to recommend them to my best friend.

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Review | The Boy Recession by Flynn Meaney

Title: The Boy Recession
Author: Flynn Meaney
Series: N/A
Pages: 246
Date Released: August 7, 2012 

Summary: The population of Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, is shrinking as families move to cities and towns with greener pastures, and the local high school is hurting: nearly all of the area's most eligible guys have moved or transferred schools. With little competition, the remaining boys find their stocks on the rise, and even the most unlikely candidates have a good chance at making the team and getting the girl. Guitar-strumming slacker HUNTER FAHRENBACH has made an art of blending into the background, but now desperate coaches are recruiting him and popular girls are noticing his scruffy good looks. With a little help, Hunter might even by boyfriend material... Down-to-earth KELLY ROBBINS has a simple wish for her junior year: "one normal, nice boy to crush on." Kelly and Hunter have always been friends, but is there something more to their platonic relationship? And can Kelly overcome the odds? After all, dating is hard enough without a four-to-one ratio.

     The Boy Recession had one of the most unique plots that I’ve ever read before. It was also very relatable, seeing as I also attend a tiny school that never seems to have enough cute boys to go around. I loved Kelly from the beginning because she was very much like me. She was a Libra and acknowledging of her strengths and weaknesses. She only had a few close friends and she was very comfortable in her own skin. Hunter honestly didn’t seem like he was good enough for her. He was a slacker and a stoner with hardly no priorities. As the book goes on, though, he matures and grows into a boy worthy of Kelly. The supporting characters like their friends and their relationships were also very interesting and detailed. The friendships could be very well felt and were very realistic and thankfully didn’t end in a clichéd girl fight because they all wanted the same guy. The Boy Recession was a well-needed change and incredibly refreshing.

The Boy Recession by: Flynn Meaney $3.97

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Review | Faded Denim: Color Me Trapped (True Colors, #9) by Melody Carlson

Title: Faded Denim: Color Me Trapped
Author: Melody Carlson
Series: True Colors, #9
Pages: 224
Date Released: June 15, 2006

Summary: All of Emily's friends seem so perfect: skinny and pretty and fun and flirty. Emily loathes her slightly overweight body, and as her secret bitterness begins to eat away at her soul, she faces the dark prospect of developing an eating disorder.

    
 Faded Denim, as you can tell from the post title, is a part of a series. For future reference, I think the series is more like they relate to similar things, not that they are undeniably connected, if that makes any sense. Now about the book, it was unlike anything I've ever read. From the book cover synopsis, I could already tell that it would probably be about an eating disorder, a topic I've never read much about. It was also very, very, VERY Christian based, also something I am unused to reading. I was a little hesitant after discovering this for various reasons. Starting the story, I already knew what kind of person Emily was. I liked her, some out of pity and some out of understanding. Emily considered herself the "fat girl." That was the root of all her problems and because of it, her self-esteem was incredibly low. She needed others comments to feel good about herself and every characteristic of herself was just ugly, in her opinion. 

     Going to a modeling camp/retreat thingy, Emily is surrounded by skinny models and is let in on their weight-loss secret, Binging and Purging. Emily thinks she has found the holy grail and decides to try this "diet" until she loses ten more pounds, or twenty. As the book continues, Emily starts getting dizzy all the time and tired and she swears that its worth it because God wants her to be beautiful and thin, right? Emily and her friend Leah, are camp counselors at a youth camp and Emily is continually thrown into situations that make her question her decisions. Everybody has their challenges and it doesn't matter what they are, it's how you handle them and how much stronger you come out after them. 
     Emily grew so much in this book and she was so inspiring. She reminded myself of me, with my depression. Although, I am personally and admittedly, not as faithful as Emily was, I do believe that God had a big place in my recovery. Everyone should read this book. It targets everyone, struggling or living in the lap of luxury. Lessons can be learned from every page. 

Faded Denim: Color Me Trapped (TrueColors Series #9) by: Melody Carlson $3.97

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Review | Unraveling Isobel by Eileen Cook (ARC)

Title: Unraveling Isobel
Author: Eileen Cook
Series: N/A
Pages: 320
Date Released: October 30, 2012

Summary: Isobel’s life is falling apart. Her mom just married some guy she met on the Internet only three months before, and is moving them to his sprawling, Gothic mansion off the coast of nowhere. Goodbye, best friend. Goodbye, social life. Hello, icky new stepfather, crunchy granola town, and unbelievably good-looking, officially off-limits stepbrother. But on her first night in her new home, Isobel starts to fear that it isn't only her life that’s unraveling—her sanity might be giving way too. Because either Isobel is losing her mind, just like her artist father did before her, or she’s seeing ghosts. Either way, Isobel’s fast on her way to being the talk of the town for all the wrong reasons.

    Unraveling Isobel was so exciting that I read it in 3 hours and it was 3 in the morning when I started it!! I saw the sun come up. Isobel was a wonderful female lead character and I loved her from the start. I felt sorry for her for having such a flighty, easily influenced mother. I could also connect with her for being scared that she is doomed to repeat her father's past and become crazy. Even though she is one of the most sane in the book. I think I would have liked to hear more about her gift because the descriptions of it were a bit lacking. I like the way the plot unfolded and the things that were not apparent until the very end. I loved how much detective work was involved too since I love me some Nancy Drew! Her relationship with Nathaniel was very well paced. He was hurting in his own right and I loved how he stood by her and believed in her. Unraveling Isobel was a wonderful stand-alone novel with wonderful characters that I would love to converse with more.    

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1st Chapter of Unraveling Isobel

Review | Overprotected by Jennifer Laurens

Title: Overprotected
Author: Jennifer Laurens
Series: N/A
Pages: 243
Date Released: April 29, 2011

Summary: Ashlyn: A lonely society princess living in New York City.

Colin: Childhood enemy, now her protector.

Daddy hired him to be my bodyguard. Daddy thought I'd be safe. He thought I'd never fall in love. He thought he could keep me forever. 

Charles: Obsessed with keeping her safe and keeping her his, he hires the one person he knows she could never fall in love with: Colin.

Daddy was wrong.

   Overprotected was a very intense and underrated novel. Ashlyn was a wonderful character who grew a lot throughout the course of the book. Her strength was so admirable and inspirational especially after being so badly incarcerated by her own paranoid father. Every part of the book was filled with a weird or unexpected twist of turn which were my favorite parts of the book. Colin was a great supporting character. He was such a gentleman towards Ashlyn and he took all her issues well. He was there whenever she needed him and stood quietly by her side when she needed to do something on her own. Their relationship was dynamic and one of the most realistic I've read before. The ending of Overprotected was so jam-packed with action and made me feel so much more connected with Ashlyn as she kicked butt and took names.

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Review | So Much Closer by Susane Colasanti

Title: So Much Closer
Author: Susane Colasanti
Series: N/A
Pages: 236
Date Released: May 1, 2012

Summary: When Brooke discovers that the love of her life, Scott Abrams, is moving from their New Jersey suburb to New York City for senior year, she decides to follow hime there. Living with her estranged father and adjusting to a whole new school are challenging--and things get even worse when she finds out that Scott already has a girlfriend. But as she learns to navigate the big city, she starts to discover a whole new side of herself, and realizes that sometimes love can find you even when you're not looking for it.

     So Much Closer was a unique book with an even more unique plot. Brooke decides that just because of a feeling she calls The Knowing, to move to New York because of a boy. That was the first thing that made me not like her. The choice was rash and just plain stupid. The boy, Scott, has hardly ever spoken to her at all. This action and decision makes Brooke come off as a little self-centered. As the book went on, I discovered why Brooke was so angry. However, the fascinating thing about Brooke was that despite her anger, she was still able to find beauty in the world around her. In So Much Closer, Brooke grows tremendously. She figures out what she wants out of her life, learns who her real friends are, and finally sees what is right in front if her.

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Review | How to Ruin Your Boyfriend's Reputation by Simone Elkeles

 
Title: How to Ruin Your Boyfriend's Reputation
Author: Simone Elkeles
Series: How To Ruin, #3
Pages: 257
Date Released: November 8, 2009

Summary: Amy Nelson-Barak, 17, is back in this third installment about a Jewish-American teen learning how to live and love in peace. She signs up for 10 days of training with the Israel Defense Force as soon as she finds out that her long-distance boyfriend, Avi, will be on base as well. But things turn out to be different from what she'd hoped for. She sleeps in a bunk bed underneath coils that look ready to give way, she's being worked to the bone, and the bathrooms are hardly up to her standards. Worst of all, Avi doesn't seem remotely thrilled that she's there. Is something going on between him and a fellow soldier? Strong, beautiful, and able to be with Avi all the time, Liron is everything Amy wants to be. Even though the plot is predictable, readers can't help but get drawn in by Amy's fun way of telling her story, and they learn a lot about Israeli teens' mandatory military service. Elkeles catches new readers up to speed in no time. 

     Unbeknowst to me, this was the third installment in this series, however that did not take away from the book at all. In fact, I had no idea until I saw the last page. Elkeles is awesome at reviewing Amy and Avi's relationship history without me knowing that I was missing anything at all. I liked Amy's character because she was strong and opinionated. The times that I did not like her was when she was being childish and playing games with Avi. Avi was an awesome boyfriend, all tanned and hot Israeli soldier. He was sweet and treated Amy so well even though he tried to be objective during boot camp. I kinda disliked most of the supporting characters because it seemed as if sometimes they were just there because Amy needed someone else to interact with instead of Avi. Overall, I give this book five stars because it had wonderful main characters, great plot, and a bittersweet ending.

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Review | Katana (Katana, #1) by Cole Gibson

Title: Katana

Author: Cole Gibson

Series: Katana, #1

Pages: 375

Date Released: March 18, 2012

 

Summary: Skater girl or supernatural samurai? Rileigh Martin wants to believe that adrenaline gave her the strength to fend off three muggers in the mall parking lot. But adrenaline doesn't explain the voice in her head giving her battle tips and warnings. While worrying that she's going crazy (always a reputation ruiner), Rileigh gets a visit from Kim, a handsome martial arts instructor, who tells Rileigh she's harboring the spirit of a five-hundred-year-old samurai warrior. Relentlessly attacked by ninjas, Rileigh has no choice but to master the katana--a deadly Japanese sword that's also the key to her past. As the spirit grows stronger and her feelings for Kim intensify, Rileigh is torn between continuing as the girl she's always been and embracing the warrior inside her.

For some reason, despite being almost 400 pages, Katana took me a fairly short time to read. In my opinion, it was a nice book, but nothing to phone home about. I liked Rileigh okay enough, but her voice was a little bit drab to me. Her reactions are a bit dramatic and overdone. I actually liked the supporting characters better then I liked her. Quentin, her best friend, was awesome. The action scenes of the book are wonderful and incredibly vivid. One thing I especially did not like about Katana was the whirlwind romance. I understand that Rileigh and Kim were soul mates, but as stated in the book, the people aren’t exactly the same. Still, it only took Rileigh and Kim a few chapters to proclaim their love for each other. All in all, Katana has potential. There is a sequel and I am looking forward to see what adventure they’ll go on next.

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Other Works

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