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 | 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

Book Haul: Summer Vacation (July 2013)

Today, I went to Booksamillion and Beach Books and I got:

Mama Loves Me, I Can Read, Cinderella, and I Can Read, Snow White for my baby cousin. I also got a dog training book for my spoiled Chihuahua, Action. 

Then I got Article 5 for regular price,but was surprised to see The Gathering, and Burn for Burn on the sale shelf! 

Lastly, Booksamillion was having a "Buy  2 , Get 1 Free" sale so I took advantage of the new location and found some good ones. I bought Catching Jordan, Once, and got Second Chance Summer for free. 

Mission Impossible | Kiss Crush Collide by Christina Meredith

Kiss

  What Leah did—only she really shouldn’t have—one hot night at a country club party.

Crush
What Leah has—only she really shouldn’t have—on the guy with the green eyes, the guy who is not her perfect boyfriend, the guy who does not fit in her picture-perfect life, the guy her sisters will only mock and her mother will never approve of. Not in a million years.

Collide
What happens when everything you always thought you wanted—having cool friends, being class valedictorian and homecoming queen—runs smack into everything it turns out you really do want.

Kiss. Crush. Collide.
For Leah and Porter, summer is only the beginning.

Page Stopped: 61

Why Couldn't I Finish: It was going way too fast for me. Anybody who is not a new reader of my blog knows that I cannot stand cheaters! Leah is a cheater and the worst thing about it is that she is a fast cheater. As she goes on through her day, she seems to feel no regret what so ever. I needed more build-up to her affair, I guess it could be called, and more background about the boy, Porter.

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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Young Adult Books for Sale

I really need to make some room for all my new books on my bookshelf. So......I decided to try to sell them on here! The list should be embedded below!!

 

  If you are interested in purchasing a book, please contact me using the form below. I will respond back with your order total including shipping. If the total is to your liking, your payment can be made through Paypal and with the retrieval of your address, your books can be sent out within two days!!! Thank you guys in advance!!!

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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Medium Box of Young Adult Books | Ebay

Medium Box of Young Adult Books | eBay

Medium Box of Young Adult Books
Retail value: $160+

Hardbacks
Halo (Halo, #1) by Alexandra Adornetto
Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey
Elixir (Elixir, #1) by Hilary Duff
The Dark Divine (The Dark Divine, #1) by Bree Despain
The Lost Saint (The Dark Divine, #2) by Bree Despain
Tantalize (Tantalize, #1) by Cynthia Smith (no book jacket)

Paperbacks
Prom Crashers by Erin Downing
Snow in Love by Claire Ray
Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle
Kissing Tennessee by Kathi Appelt
Killing Britney by Sean Olin
The Twilight Companion by Lois Gresh
Two-Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt

Shatter Me (Shatter Me, #1) by Tahereh Mafi

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.

     Shatter Me burst into my life and shattered my soul. There is just so much, too much, to love about it. Juliette is so wonderful. Extraordinary. She was relatable. She was crazy and fun and caring. She acted like a real girl. Silly and with thoughts like gibberish. Not poised and unreal. She was innocent, but she was better and stronger for it. It made her unafraid to be herself. She and Adam are the ultimate fairy tale. So in love that you can’t stop thinking about each other. Doing anything to be together. Adam is SO my new book boyfriend. He was funny and sarcastic. The first chapters are my favorites as they relearn each other and Juliette shows him her environment. He is adorably surprised about everything. They are wonderful together and made me laugh and smile the whole time. The supporting characters of Shatter Me are awesome, too. Adam’s little brother, James and his friend, Kenji are hilarious and frank about everything. The ending put a smile on my face as Juliette declared herself a superhero because all through the book, that is what I was convinced she was.

Review: The Demon King (The Seven Realms , #1) by Cinda Williams Chima

Summary

This novel marks the first giant step in a momentous fantasy journey orchestrated by Cinda Williams Chima, the author of the popular Warrior Heir series. Its two chief protagonists are ex-thief Han Alister, an impoverished commoner, and Raisa ana'Marianna, the headstrong Princess Heir of the Fells. The Demon King brings them together, creating part of a volatile mix of action, magic, and danger. Empathetic characters; wizardly attacks. (Goodreads)

Review

     The Demon King was a great adventure, it was! It took me awhile to get into it and get use to the old slang and way of speaking, but after a few chapters, the speakers voices were as clear as my own inside my head. It follows two people, Han and Raisa. They are both going through some things and are both more than they think. Their worlds intertwine as the set out to discover their true power and save their world.
     Han Alister nicknamed Cuffs because of the silver cuffs he wears around his wrists. Han has worn them for as long as he can remember and he is just beginning to see what they really do. I liked Han and his adventures. He had awful luck and was continually in trouble. He had a sort of funny, self-deprecating voice and a courageous spirit that made him instantly likable.
     Raisa is the princess heir of the Fells and she is tired of being told what to do. She has her own ideas about marriage and the war, but her mother has other ones. Raisa was so interesting. She was confident in her abilities from queening to kissing. She is determined to set her own path and run the kingdom better than her mom. Raisa wanted to be a warrior and like Han was always into trouble. Her voice was fast-paced and she was constantly thinking and having ideas. I liked Raisa's independence and envied her confidence and will hurriedly read the next book to witness her fate.
     In the bookstore, I couldn't tell which Seven Realms book came first and so I just picked the best sounding summary and was pleasantly surprised to end up with this wonderful story. I can't wait to buy and read the next one and suggest you do the same.

Review: If I Stay (If I Stay, #1) by Gayle Forman

In the blink of an eye everything changes. Seventeen-year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall what happened afterwards, watching her own damaged body being taken from the wreck. Little by little she struggles to put together the pieces - to figure out what she has lost, what she has left, and the very difficult choice she must make. Heart-wrenchingly beautiful, Mia's story will stay with you for a long, long time. (Goodreads)
I should be beaten.
Really.

I... Don't know what to say. If I Stay was...... Incredible. I cried and laughed and enjoyed it more than I ever thought was possible. Again I let myself be the barrier between me and an awesome book. Now I feel stupid because I can't even remember why I didn't want to read it in the first place. I thank whoever did the My Book Boyfriend post on Adam because that was what pulled me into this story. I can't even describe how it affected me. I had to stop reading because I almost started crying in Algebra. I couldn't stop thinking about the story and Mia and Adam and Teddy until I finished it. It was indescribable and if you only take one thing from this lacking review, take this, Read. It.

Extraordinary by Nancy Werlin

Summary from Goodreads

     Phoebe finds herself drawn to Mallory, the strange and secretive new kid in school, and the two girls become as close as sisters . . . until Mallory's magnetic older brother, Ryland, shows up during their junior year. Ryland has an immediate, exciting hold on Phoebe, but a dangerous hold, for she begins to question her feelings about her best friend and, worse, about herself. Soon she'll discover the shocking truth about Ryland and Mallory: that these two are visitors from the faerie realm who have come to collect on an age-old debt. Generations ago, the faerie queen promised Phoebe's ancestor five extraordinary sons in exchange for the sacrifice of one ordinary female heir. But in hundreds of years there hasn't been a single ordinary girl in the family, and now the faeries are dying. Could Phoebe be the first ordinary one? Could she save the faeries, or is she special enough to save herself?

EXTRAORDINARY was less than extraordinary to me. Phoebe was a wonderful character in the beginning of the book, but was too easily led astray by Mallory. She was way too much of a pushover and just totally ignorant of the power Mallory and Ryland had over her. Her lack of a backbone made for a very boring plot and made most chapters feel like fillers. Mallory was a very good and easy person to hate. I admit that my feelings for her were kind of conflicted because she did show a bit of compassion. Ryland was not an attraction to me at all in the story. He seemed strange enough that even a Daredevil's senses would've been tingling. He was six years older than her and always treated her like a child. He was way worse than Mallory because it was obvious that it was a game to him in the start. Benjamin was a very good love interest, but I would've liked him better if he had been included from the very beginning of the story. EXTRAORDINARY was not what I expected, but it was certainly not what I wanted.

Night School (Blood Coven Vampires, #5) by Mari Mancusi

Summary from Goodreads

     After their parents' shocking revelation about their fae heritage and an attack on their lives, the McDonald twins are forced to hide out deep in the Swiss Alps at Riverdale Academy, a secret vampire slayer training facility. And with no way to contact their vampire boyfriends for rescue, they're going to have to play nice with the locals.

But when Sunny starts acting strange, Rayne realizes that there's more to fear at Riverdale than getting staked by the student body-leading to a showdown in Fairyland that may cost the twins their lives.

Filled with funny quips and interesting banter, Night School was a cool addition to the Blood Coven family to read. It was short and to the point, but overall an awesome story. Rayne and Sunny have two different personalities and make every chapter humorous and energetic. It certainly is unlike any vampire book or series I've ever read. Rayne is the most unique vampire/vampire slayer/fairy princess ever. I also like that it includes all kinds of fairy tales. It was surprising and brought back a lot of memories. I was a bit crestfallen when I realized that it was a book in a series. I had read the first book, but not any of the others. I was worried I would be lost having missed 3 books. I had no reason to worry because Rayne updated me at the beginning of the book. Usually, I find these decals annoying, but I definitely grateful for them this time! In fact, I think I will go back and read the other books just because I want more of Rayne and Sunny!

Graceling (The Seven Kingdoms Trilogy #1) by Kristin Cashore

Summary from Goodreads

    Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight—she’s a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king’s thug.

    When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change. She never expects to become Po’s friend. She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace—or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away . . . a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.

    With elegant, evocative prose and a cast of unforgettable characters, debut author Kristin Cashore creates a mesmerizing world, a death-defying adventure, and a heart-racing romance that will consume you, hold you captive, and leave you wanting more.

Sometimes when I read a book over, I find it to be only a flipping through of the best parts, but this time I read the book again. I also found the story to be all the more fascinating. I captured and remembered moments that were to awesome to be flipped through. I also noticed that Katsa reminds me of the lead female in another series that I just recently finished. They have similar names and and even more similar personalities. Katsa and Katniss are alike in the way that they fight to survive, in the the way that they refuse to be controlled and in the way they are totally oblivious to the men that love them. Although similar to Katniss and The Hunger Games, Katsa and Graceling are wonderfully unique in its own way.
    Katsa is an independent, strong girl and she is very hurt to be saddled with her particular talent, or grace. I love the way handles the fact that she is a killer and that she recognizes that she is not in control. She identifies the problem and goes to solve it and doesn't just sit around whining about it. But here is where Po comes in. I think Po had a lot to do with Katsa's remarkable growth in the story. He had a great grace also and has seen more than Katsa. He pushes her to acknowledge that she is always in control and he inspires her to set out the journey to finally finding herself.
    There is one thing that is unique to Graceling and it is the thing I've had the most difficulty understanding. Katsa's refusal to marry. I am one of those girls who dreams of a big white wedding and to me, when Katsa had a man like Po, I don't see why she wouldn't want to marry him. She claims to be at risk of losing herself if she marries him, but I don't think that is what marriage is. In the end, Graceling deals with the situation gracefully, but I still think that Po gets the short end of the stick.

Tantalize (Tantalize #1) by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Summary from Goodreads

CLASSIFIED ADS: RESTAURANTS SANGUINI'S: A VERY RARE RESTAURANT IS HIRING A CHEF DE CUISINE. DINNERS ONLY.

APPLY IN PERSON BETWEEN 2:00 AND 4:00 PM.

     Quincie Morris has never felt more alone. Her parents are dead, and her hybrid-werewolf first love is threatening to embark on a rite of passage that will separate them forever. Then, as she and her uncle are about to unveil their hot vampire-themed restaurant, a brutal murder leaves them scrambling for a chef.

    Can Quincie transform their new hire into a culinary Dark Lord before opening night? Can he wow the crowd in his fake fangs, cheap cape, and red contact lenses — or is there more to this earnest face than meets the eye? As human and preternatural forces clash, a deadly love triangle forms, and the line between predator and prey begins to blur. Who’s playing whom? And how long can Quincie play along before she loses everything? TANTALIZE marks Cynthia Leitich Smith’s delicious debut as a preeminent author of dark fantasy.

I read the second book in this series without knowing it because, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think they have nothing to with each other. With Tantalize, there were things that I liked about it and thing that I didn't. I liked the beginning. I liked Quincie's character as a strong and reliable person. She also smart, but to a point. I gradually started to think dislike her when she blatantly started to ignore certain things. To me, at least one perpetrator was obvious. She drank wine and started to change and hangout with him. There was more suspicious thing going on than flirting. She was just horribly naive. I then thought that she had a good relationship going for her too, even if he was going to have to leave, I mean they'd come up with a solution and they do or I imagine they do with the ending. Overall, Tantalize had a gullible lead character and was vague in romance, but at least it was a decent mystery.

Once in A Full Moon by Ellen Schreiber

Summary from Goodreads

Beware of a kiss under the full moon. It will change your life forever.

Celeste Parker is used to hearing scary stories about werewolves—Legend's Run is famous for them. She's used to everything in the small town until Brandon Maddox moves to Legend's Run and Celeste finds herself immediately drawn to the handsome new student. But when, after an unnerving visit with a psychic, she encounters a pack of wolves and gorgeous, enigmatic Brandon, she must discover whether his transformation is more than legend or just a trick of the shadows in the moonlight.

Her best friends may never forgive her if she gives up her perfect boyfriend, Nash, for Brandon, who's from the wrong side of town. But she can't deny her attraction or the strong pull he has on her. Brandon may be Celeste's hero, or he may be the most dangerous creature she could encounter in the woods of Legend's Run.

Psychic predictions, generations-old secrets, a town divided, and the possibility of falling in love with a hot and heroic werewolf are the perfect formula for what happens ...once in a full moon.

ONCE IN A FULL MOON was a very different kind of werewolf story. It had a lot of bittersweet attributes. I liked Celeste and I think that maybe she did see the good in everybody, but she was a bit of a pushover. She did what she needed to do about her inattentive boyfriend, but she just dealt with her fake friends. I think that Brandon was very understanding and caring, maybe more than he should have been. All in all, Once in a Full Moon was a wonderful beginning to a series and I look forward to the sequel.

Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

Summary from Goodreads

And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting

On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;

And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming,

And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;

And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor

Shall be lifted - nevermore!

-- from "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe

      At once an homage to one of America's greatest writers and a page-turning psychological mystery that is equal parts horror, humor, and romance, NEVERMORE is the story of Varen -- a Poe-fan and Goth -- and Isobel -- a cheerleader and unlikely heroine. When a Lit. project pairs the two together, Isobel finds herself steadily swept into Varen's world, one that he has created in his notebook and in his mind, one where the terrifying stories of Edgar Allan Poe come to life. Isobel slowly learns that dreams can be much more powerful than she'd ever expected, and that pain and despair come in all sorts of shades. As labels of "Goth" and "cheerleader" fade away, she sees more in Varen than a tall, pale outcast, and a consuming romance is braced against the ever-clearer horror that the most terrifying realities are those within our own minds.

     When Isobel has a single chance to rescue Varen from the shadows of his own nightmares, will she be able to save him -- and herself?

Mysterious, scary and heartbreaking, Nevermore has exceed all expectations. Ridiculously researched, this book brings incredible life to Poe's melancholy poems and questionable death. Isobel, a blonde cheerleader defies all stereotypical status quos. She is not at all stuck-up and has her own thoughts. She is not thrilled to be working with Varen at first, but he quickly grows on her. The minute he wrote his phone number on her hand was the moment that connected them forever. Varen hides behind a hard mask and I enjoy seeing him open up to Isobel and them defy the odds.
     The most unexpected and memorable parts of the book were the most gruesome. Bird eating Nocs and phantom men are the least of Varen and Isobel's problems. I was expecting paranormal, but Kelly Creagh's writing is extraordinary. The effort and time put into the book really shows through in the narration. My tip, though? Read all the poems, even when you're tempted to skip through them, because you'll miss some really important parts.