Review: Don't You Wish by Roxanne St. Claire

Title: Don't You Wish 

Author: Roxanne St. Claire
Publication date: July 10th 2012
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Age group: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary
Cover rating: 4/5
Content rating: 5/5
Buy: Amazon / The Book Depository

Description:

When plain and unpopular Annie Nutter gets zapped by one of her dad's whacked-out inventions, she lands in a parallel universe where her life becomes picture-perfect. Now she's Ayla Monroe, daughter of the same mother but a different father—and she's the gorgeous, rich queen bee of her high school.   

In this universe, Ayla lives in glitzy Miami instead of dreary Pittsburgh and has beaucoup bucks, courtesy of her billionaire—if usually absent—father. Her friends hit the clubs, party backstage at concerts, and take risks that are exhilirating . . . and illegal. Here she's got a date to lose her V-card with the hottest guy she's ever seen.
But on the inside, Ayla is still Annie. 

So when she's offered the chance to leave the dream life and head home to Pittsburgh, will she take it? The choice isn't as simple as you think.

My thoughts:

Wow, I completely devoured this book! I genuinely loved it and hated having to tear my eyes away from the pages. Some parts were so intense and had me feeling nervous for the characters! Don't You Wish is a wonderfully written novel and so much deeper and thought-provoking than I excepted; while still managing to be a light and fun read. I was really intrigued by the description but what I found inside the book was even more interesting.

Annie Nutter is a nobody at her school. She's been deemed unpopular, unattractive and unworthy. Her family's a little crazy and tensions are running high. Annie is sick of being treated badly by the popular kids at her school and, of course, wants out. Her mom has been feeling the same way. She saw an article in a magazine about a man she nearly married- a successful, rich man- and wonders how her life would have turned out had she gone with him instead of Annie's father. Annie's dad is an inventor and one crazy invention ends up transporting Annie to the life she has been dreaming of.

You would think this would be great. She's got everything she ever wished for. But after only a few moments in her new life as Ayla Monroe, Annie has already realized that the grass is not always greener on the other side. Ayla has a nasty personality and now Annie's stuck in her body. I felt so frustrated for Annie and hated the thought of being stuck in her position! It was so sad to see everybody be so shocked at how nice 'Ayla' was being all of a sudden. But it was great to see Annie take the high road and realize she did not have to be the stereotypical, mean popular girl.

Once Annie met Charlie- the 'nobody' of Crap Academy'- the book became so exciting! I loved how open Charlie was to accepting that Ayla was no longer the mean dumb girl he'd known her to be. It's so sweet watching their friendship blossom and to see them opening up to each other. Annie has a huge secret- but Charlie's got his secrets too. And Charlie's a genius who thinks he can get Annie back to her old life- but does she want to go?

It was heartbreaking watching Annie try to make her decision and I was freaking out at times! I was so sucked in to her life and found her really easy to relate to. I myself was agonizing over what she should do and it really made me question what I would do if I were her. This book is all about realizing that everyone has their hardships and even 'perfect' people aren't so perfect after all. I'm giving this book five stars and I don't do that lightly. The moral of the story? Be careful what you wish for!

I was provided with an ARC of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

Review: Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown

Title: Lies Beneath
Author: Anne Greenwood Brown
Publication date: June 12th 2012
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Age group: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Cover rating: 4/5
Content rating: 2/5
Buy: Amazon

Description:

Calder White lives in the cold, clear waters of Lake Superior, the only brother in a family of murderous mermaids. To survive, Calder and his sisters prey on humans, killing them to absorb their energy. But this summer the underwater clan targets Jason Hancock out of pure revenge. They blame Hancock for their mother's death and have been waiting a long time for him to return to his family's homestead on the lake. Hancock has a fear of water, so to lure him in, Calder sets out to seduce Hancock's daughter, Lily. Easy enough—especially as Calder has lots of practice using his irresistable good looks and charm on ususpecting girls. 

Only this time Calder screws everything up: he falls for Lily—just as Lily starts to suspect that there's more to the monsters-in-the-lake legends than she ever imagined. And just as his sisters are losing patience with him.

My thoughts:

On the surface, Lies Beneath appealed to me. The premise sounded wonderful. A murderous mermaid family? A male protagonist? A revenge plot? And not to forget an absolutely beautiful cover. There was no way I could not jump at the opportunity to read this book. It sounded very different and I couldn't wait to dive right in. Needless to say, I started it with very high expectations.

Perhaps my expectations were too high because honestly, I wasn't that impressed by this one. It started out okay, albeit a bit creepy. Our protagonist is a murderous merman- certainly not something you see every day in YA literature! However, it just began to drag on from there. I felt like Calder was a seriously repetitive and he didn't feel all that real to me. His voice just didn't stand out as unique enough for me to really enjoy his character. I also really wasn't feeling the romance. I just didn't think there was a spark there at all! It felt so flat and dead to me and I couldn't bring myself to really care about it.

I think this book just wasn't for me. I know it will appeal to some readers and they'll probably gobble this up! It's a very interesting idea and will certainly stand out amongst the many other paranormal YA books out there right now. Calder's sisters are incredibly interesting characters and I would have loved to have had more of them in the book! They were great! I may have rated this far higher had it been about his sisters, and not him. As it was, I just found it boring.

Would I recommend this? I'm not sure really. I didn't like it and it's made me feel very wary of this new mermaid craze that appears to be taking off. This was just a miss for me but maybe will be a hit for many people. The more time that passes (I read this back in January), the less impressed I am by it. I don't think I will continue with this series but I will probably read something else by this author in the future. Lots of potential there; this book just didn't quite reach it for me. I still adore the cover though- so eye catching!

Review: Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (The Grisha #1)

Title: Shadow and Bone
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Publication date: June 5th 2012
Publisher: Henry, Holt & Co.
Age group: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Cover rating: 3/5
Content rating: 4/5
Buy: Amazon / The Book Depository (Hardback) / The Book Depository (Paperback)

Description:

Alina Starkov doesn’t expect much from life. Orphaned by the Border Wars, all she’s ever been able to rely on is her best friend and fellow refugee, Mal. And lately not even that seems certain. Drafted into the army of their war-torn homeland, they’ve been sent on a dangerous mission into the Fold, a swath of darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. When their convoy is attacked, all seems lost until Alina reveals a dormant power that not even she knew existed. She is torn from everything she knows and whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling. He believes that she is the answer the people have been waiting for: the Sun Summoner. Only her power can destroy the Fold. Overwhelmed by luxury, envied as the Darkling’s favorite, Alina struggles to keep her wits about her without Mal by her side. But nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her mastery of her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha—and the secrets of her heart.

My thoughts:
Reading Shadow and Bone was quite an experience. I had big expectations for this one after reading some glowing reviews from fellow readers and was wishing hard that it would live up to them. Thankfully, I was definitely not left feeling disappointed because Shadow and Bone was a masterpiece! I don't think any description or cover could do justice to the journey that's written about in this book. I loved it!

Shadow and Bone had me absolutely captivated from page one. I just did not want to look away! The characters and world that Bardugo has created are so fantastic and unique. I sometimes feel like all the books I'm reading blend into each other a bit but this one really stands out. It's so different and so clever. The ideas, the powers, the names, the descriptions- all wonderful and incredibly memorable. The writing itself is really good and very easy to read and get completely lost in.

I loved Alina and it was so fun getting to know her as the book went on. There are lots of turns in the story and a huge twist that I really didn't see coming. I was left staring at the page for a while as I tried to process where the story was heading. The characters are all very complex and it was great trying to figure them out and see all their layers. There are a lot of dark elements to this book and parts made me wince. However, I found myself laughing out loud several times. There's some very witty dialogue and I especially enjoyed Alina's interactions with Mal.

This novel is one to look out for. It has everything a great story should have and I'm sure it will capture the hearts of many readers. I absolutely recommend it to all YA fantasy lovers, especially ones who are looking for something with a bit more depth and more complex levels to it. It's seriously fantastic and well worth a try!

Review: The Peculiars by Maureen Doyle McQuerry

Title: The Peculiars
Author: Maureen Doyle McQuerry
Publication date: May 1st 2012
Publisher: Amulet Books
Age group: Young Adult
Genre: Steampunk
Cover rating: 4/5
Content rating: 3/5
Buy: Amazon

Description:

This dark and thrilling adventure, with an unforgettable heroine, will captivate fans of steampunk, fantasy, and romance.
On her 18th birthday, Lena Mattacascar decides to search for her father, who disappeared into the northern wilderness of Scree when Lena was young. Scree is inhabited by Peculiars, people whose unusual characteristics make them unacceptable to modern society. Lena wonders if her father is the source of her own extraordinary characteristics and if she, too, is Peculiar. 

On the train she meets a young librarian, Jimson Quiggley, who is traveling to a town on the edge of Scree to work in the home and library of the inventor Mr. Beasley. The train is stopped by men being chased by the handsome young marshal Thomas Saltre. When Saltre learns who Lena's father is, he convinces her to spy on Mr. Beasley and the strange folk who disappear into his home, Zephyr House. A daring escape in an aerocopter leads Lena into the wilds of Scree to confront her deepest fears.

My thoughts:
Well, the Steampunk genre seems to be the next trend in YA fiction. I find the concept of a lot of these books fascinating but I'm not sure if they're really going to be my kind of thing. I was very intrigued by The Peculiars. I loved the awesome cover and the premise sounded different and interesting. I definitely haven't read many books like this so have nothing to compare it with. But really, I didn't find this one all that impressive. It wasn't bad but was missing that extra spark for me.

It started off so well. It's not exactly a very quick read but I still flew threw the first half of it. I was so into this world and the characters. I loved all the little inventions and I couldn't wait to find out more about The Peculiars and Lena's real past. I liked Lena a lot. I could empathise with her easily and could understand why she made the decisions she did. It's only natural to want to find out your own history and where you come from. At the beginning, when she loses her bag, I was freaking out right along with her! The second half didn't quite keep up the greatness, though.

It was just too slow for me. I kept waiting and waiting for awesome things to happen but they didn't really. Things did happen but very slowly. There was so much description about every event that my interest was lost in what was actually happening. Just too much detail about how Lena was putting on her gloves and stuff like that. It just disrupted the flow! The end was too anti-climatic for my liking as I felt it had been building up to something more.

All in all, The Peculiars was okay. I genuinely loved many parts of it and Jimson was by far my favourite character in the book. But as a whole, I didn't love it and felt it could have been so much better. I'd still recommend it to anyone interested in checking out the genre.

Review: The Unbearable Book Club for Unsinkable Girls by Julie Schumacher

Title: The Unbearable Book Club for Unsinkable Girls
Author: Julie Schumacher
Publication date: May 8th 2012
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Age group: Young Adult
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Cover rating: 4/5
Content rating: 3.5/5
Buy: Amazon
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Description:

I'm Adrienne Haus, survivor of a mother-daughter book club. Most of us didn't want to join. My mother signed me up because I was stuck at home all summer, with my knee in a brace. CeeCee's parents forced her to join after cancelling her Paris trip because she bashed up their car. The members of "The Unbearable Book Club," CeeCee, Jill, Wallis, and I, were all going into eleventh grade A.P. English. But we weren't friends. We were literary prisoners, sweating, reading classics, and hanging out at the pool. If you want to find out how membership in a book club can end up with a person being dead, you can probably look us up under mother-daughter literary catastrophe. Or open this book and read my essay, which I'll turn in when I go back to school.

My thoughts:

I'm really into realistic YA fiction this year! It's not a genre I used to read in all that often but I'm really liking what I've discovered so far. My tastes tend to run the opposite way to a lot of peoples- what other people find silly/boring/underdeveloped, I find fun, light and entertaining. I was hoping The Unbearable Book Club for Unsinkable Girls would be one of those light and cute books (the cover certainly suggests it!) and I think it did deliver. 

I really, really liked this book at the beginning! I absolutely adored Adrienne's voice and I thought she was incredibly easy to like. She doesn't really take anything too seriously and her insights on the world around her were really fun to see. She can be quite sarcastic and witty at times which made the book really fun. I liked CeeCee a lot too, even if it was hard to figure her out most of the time. She's more rebellious than Adrienne and starts to drag Adrienne down that path with her. There are a good few things in this book that are not so fun and it does handle darker topics. 

This book is based around a book club that their mothers set up for them during the summer. CeeCee, Adrienne and Jill are being forced into it by their parents but Wallis, who the girls see as a bit odd, decides to join of her own accord. I loved the book aspect of the book! I thought it was really fun to see books I've read being listed and talked about, and it also gave me ideas of other books I'd like to read! I enjoyed seeing their on books such as Frankenstein and The Yellow Wallpaper. 

There are little definitions at the beginning of each chapter and while a few of them were funny, I wasn't entertained by most of them and found them a bit annoying. They were a nice idea but not all of them were fun. There also isn't a whole lot of action in this book so I think that may be off-putting for some readers. I thought it was quite a laid back book but interesting themes running through it. I'm certainly glad I read it and would recommend it to fans of contemporary YA fiction! 

Review: Struck by Jennifer Bosworth (Struck #1)

Title: Struck
Author: Jennifer Bosworth
Publication date: May 8th 2012
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Age group: Young Adult
Genre: Supernatural
Cover rating: 5/5
Content rating: 3/5
Buy: Amazon

Description:

Mia Price is a lightning addict. She’s survived countless strikes, but her craving to connect to the energy in storms endangers her life and the lives of those around her. 
Los Angeles, where lightning rarely strikes, is one of the few places Mia feels safe from her addiction. But when an earthquake devastates the city, her haven is transformed into a minefield of chaos and danger. The beaches become massive tent cities. Downtown is a crumbling wasteland, where a traveling party moves to a different empty building each night, the revelers drawn to the destruction by a force they cannot deny. Two warring cults rise to power, and both see Mia as the key to their opposing doomsday prophecies. They believe she has a connection to the freak electrical storm that caused the quake, and to the far more devastating storm that is yet to come.  

Mia wants to trust the enigmatic and alluring Jeremy when he promises to protect her, but she fears he isn’t who he claims to be. In the end, the passion and power that brought them together could be their downfall. When the final disaster strikes, Mia must risk unleashing the full horror of her strength to save the people she loves, or lose everything.

My thoughts:
Struck is a highly unique book that is sure to stand out in 2012. I was so excited about this one! There are so many of these end-of-the-world books out there at the moment that they sometimes start to blend into each other but Struck is very different and certainly has a unique feel to it. Even the cover is striking and the description makes it sound very intense!

I didn't love this one but I did really like it. Mia Price is a lightning addict- not something you hear about everyday! The place where she's living has been devastated by a terrible earthquake and cults start forming, each claiming their way is the best way to deal with the disaster they believe is on its way. I loved learning about these different groups and the religious group was fascinating. Scary- but fascinating! Mia has no idea what she's going to do; she can't seem to trust anybody and they're all after her.

Not only does Mia have the end of the world to worry about, she's also having family troubles. Her mother is slowly losing her mind and Mia is struggling to find the drugs to help her. She also worried about her younger brother and has no idea how to protect him. Then along comes the mystery guy, Jeremy, just to add to Mia's confusion! I did like Jeremy but I don't feel we got to know him very well until the very end so the reader doesn't really get much of a chance to connect with him so that took the spark out of their relationship for me.

This book is pretty intense but it did move way too slow for me. I felt like I was waiting and waiting for the story to get to the point. A lot of the time, we're just getting Mia's thoughts and nothing else is really happening. I would have loved this one if it had moved faster! I was dying to know what was going to happen but was almost fed up by the time we got there. I do think lots of people will adore this one. It's so different and some parts so possible that it's sure to be a winner with many people.

Review: Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

Title: Graffiti Moon

Author: Cath Crowley
Publication date: February 14th 2012
Publisher: Knopf
Age group: Young Adult
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Cover rating: 3/5
Content rating: 3/5
Buy: Amazon
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Description:

It’s the end of Year 12. Lucy’s looking for Shadow, the graffiti artist everyone talks about. 
His work is all over the city, but he is nowhere. 
Ed, the last guy she wants to see at the moment, says he knows where to find him. He takes Lucy on an all-night search to places where Shadow’s thoughts about heartbreak and escape echo around the city walls. 
But the one thing Lucy can’t see is the one thing that’s right before her eyes.

My thoughts:
Graffiti Moon has hundreds of glowing reviews so I think it's safe to say it has wide appeal and has captivated many readers. The book's description didn't give me much of an idea of what to expect or what kind of tone the book would have so I was really curious as to what I'd find. While I really liked Graffiti Moon, I didn't adore it and it didn't take my breath away. It was a good, quick read that I was done with in a few sittings but not one that will stay with me forever.

Graffiti Moon is the story of a group of young people on the night they finish year twelve. It specifically focuses on Lucy and Ed. Lucy is searching for someone- the graffiti artist whose art she has fallen for after seeing it pop up all over her town. She is really determined to find ''Shadow'' and has definitely romanticized him in her mind. I liked Lucy a lot! I didn't expect her to be so fun. I liked the way she views the world and enjoyed her observations. Her family is a little wacky and so is she. She's independent and I enjoyed that about her.

Ed is hiding secrets of his own. I didn't enjoy his narration as much as Lucy's. It wasn't bad but I just didn't find it very interesting. Some of the phrases he said when contemplating situations were written nicely but for the most part I didn't find him to be an incredibly exciting character. He was however well developed and certainly believable. He's just a regular guy who has a lot of stuff going on in his personal life. I liked that he was so loyal to those around him and willing to forgive peoples' mistakes!

I enjoyed their journey through the night at the beginning but did grow weary of it after a while. There is a lot of talking and contemplating and sometimes I found it hard to concentrate on just wanted to skim it. By the last 50 pages or so, I was just wishing the book would hurry up and end already! It just lost its spark for me and I felt like in the end, the book really hadn't built up to all that much. Overall, I definitely have mixed feelings about this one but I'd recommend it as I can see why many people would love it.

Review: Starters by Lissa Price (Starters #1)

Title: Starters
Author: Lissa Price
Publication date: March 13th 2012
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Age group: Young Adult
Genre: Dystopia
Cover rating: 3/5
Content rating: 4/5
Buy: Amazon

Description:

HER WORLD IS CHANGED FOREVER 
Callie lost her parents when the Spore Wars wiped out everyone between the ages of twenty and sixty. She and her little brother, Tyler, go on the run, living as squatters with their friend Michael and fighting off renegades who would kill them for a cookie. Callie's only hope is Prime Destinations, a disturbing place in Beverly Hills run by a mysterious figure known as the Old Man. 

He hires teens to rent their bodies to Enders—seniors who want to be young again. Callie, desperate for the money that will keep her, Tyler, and Michael alive, agrees to be a donor. But the neurochip they place in Callie's head malfunctions and she wakes up in the life of her renter, living in her mansion, driving her cars, and going out with a senator's grandson. It feels almost like a fairy tale, until Callie discovers that her renter intends to do more than party—and that Prime Destinations' plans are more evil than Callie could ever have imagined. . .

My thoughts:


Starters was a brilliant book that managed to capture my attention from the very first page and hold it until the very last page. I was really drawn into this world that Price has created and wanted to know more all the time. I wasn't really sure what to expect from this one. The cover is a bit creepy and the description sounded even creepier. It turned out to be a riveting read with many unsettling themes throughout!

Callie's parents are dead and now it's just her and her little brother, Tyler. Tyler isn't well and Callie needs money so she can get them proper living arrangements. She decides to rent her body to an ''Ender'' (i.e elderly person) in exchange for a lot of money. I was so freaked out by this idea! It really sucked that Callie felt she had no choice but to do this and I thought she faced it with bravery. You could tell that her brother meant everything to her and that she would do whatever necessary to give him a better life.

Unfortunately, the renting does not go as planned and Callie is stuck pretending to be the person who rented her body! She keeps hearing a voice in the back of her head and things start taking a tasty and weird turn. With every day that passes, Callie learns more and more about what her renter was really up to. I thought it was all dealt with really well and while I thought it might be confusing, it definitely wasn't! I was so scared for Callie throughout this book and she's an incredibly strong character and I found it easy to like her.

Starters is a wonderful dystopian novel that I'm sure fans of the genre will enjoy it. The events that occurred towards the end really took me by surprise and left me eager for more!

Review: Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard

Title: Wanderlove
Author: Kirsten Hubbard
Publication date: March 13th 2012
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Age group: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Cover rating: 4/5
Content rating: 4.5/5
Buy: Amazon

Description: 

It all begins with a stupid question: 

Are you a Global Vagabond? 

No, but 18-year-old Bria Sandoval wants to be. In a quest for independence, her neglected art, and no-strings-attached hookups, she signs up for a guided tour of Central America—the wrong one. Middle-aged tourists with fanny packs are hardly the key to self-rediscovery. When Bria meets Rowan, devoted backpacker and dive instructor, and his outspokenly humanitarian sister Starling, she seizes the chance to ditch her group and join them off the beaten path. 

My thoughts: 

Wanderlove is the first book by Kirsten Hubbard that I have read and it certainly did not disappointment! Even the cover of this book is hard to resist and the novel itself has the same breezy feel to it. Wanderlove is a gorgeous novel that had me captivated from the very first page and I couldn't handle the thought of setting it down! The premise of the book is fun, different and very inviting!

I loved all the characters in this book and found them fascinating to read about. I could completely identify with Bria and how she was feeling about the world. She decides she needs something new in her life so she signs up for a trip to Central America. Sadly, it doesn't end up being at all what she had thought it would be and ends up on a tour with people she has nothing in common with! Bria bumps into some 'real' backpackers and decides to take the plunge and head off with them, because she's ready for some adventure in her life.

I absolutely adored reading this book. Rowan was a really interesting guy to get to know bit by bit and Starling was just plain awesome! I loved that all the characters actually grow and change as the book goes on. The characters are certainly developed well and very believable. This whole book had a very light feeling to it yet at the same time, it dealt with some darker issues, too. And not to forget the descriptions! I felt like I was right there in places I've never even seen pictures of. It was awesome.

Overall, a really great story that I'm sure lots of people will adore and one I'm sure I will re-read.

Review: Goddess Interrupted by Aimée Carter

Title: Goddess Interrupted

Author: Aimée Carter
Publication date: March 27th 2012
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Age group: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy- Mythology
Series: Goddess Test #2 (Review contains spoilers from the 1st book)
Cover rating: 4/5
Content rating: 5/5
Buy (pre-order) : Amazon US, Amazon UK, The Book Depository, Barnes and Noble

Description:

Kate Winters has won immortality. 
But if she wants a life in the Underworld with Henry, she’ll have to fight for it. 
Becoming immortal wasn’t supposed to be the easy part. Though Kate is about to be crowned Queen of the Underworld, she’s as isolated as ever. And despite her growing love for Henry, ruler of the Underworld, he’s becoming ever more distant and secretive. Then, in the midst of Kate’s coronation, Henry is abducted by the only being powerful enough to kill him: the King of the Titans. 

As the other gods prepare for a war that could end them all, it is up to Kate to save Henry from the depths of Tartarus. But in order to navigate the endless caverns of the Underworld, Kate must enlist the help of the one person who is the greatest threat to her future. 
Henry’s first wife, Persephone.

My thoughts:

Goddess Interrupted was simply brilliant! I thoroughly enjoyed The Goddess Test (you can see my review for that here) and was so glad I was able to dive right into the second book immediately! I felt that this one took a bit of time to really get to the action, though. At first I wasn't sure if I was going to like it as much as book one but it quickly picked up and I read the second half without even looking away from the page once! It definitely did not disappoint. 

Kate has made her choice. She decided she wanted to become immortal and spend six months of the year with Henry, as Queen of the Underworld. A big undertaking for a young girl! Kate's just come back from from spending six months away with James and tensions are running seriously high among the Gods and Goddesses! Henry is annoying and distant for the first part of this book. He's still hung up on Persephone and has gotten the wrong idea about Kate and James. I really don't get why Kate spent so much time begging. I realize that the Gods and Goddesses are all she has now but she did too much begging of Henry at the beginning. It would have been better if she'd just played it cool.

This book was so intense! The whole world is at risk of being completely destroyed and it's up to our characters to save it. Calliope has really started to show her evil side and it was so awful watching her plot against the people she was supposed to care about! It was really interesting to see Kate developing her powers as an immortal and her struggle to get the rest of them to see that she was no longer helpless in their world. She didn't need protecting because she was one of them and needed a chance to use her powers because how else is she supposed to learn? I thought Kate was incredibly brave in this book and I'm glad the other characters realized this. Both Kate and Henry do a lot of growing and developing in this book and that was great to see.

In this book, we get to meet Persephone and see how she interacts with the people who use to be her family. We also get the story from all angles so we can make up our own minds about what happened! I was hooked on this book the way through and the ending nearly killed me. It was such a shock and I don't know how I'll handle waiting for book three! Goddess Interrupted was a really good sequel and I hope the next book will do even better. 

Review: Life is But a Dream by Brian James

Title: Life is But a Dream
Author: Brian James
Publication date: March 27th 2012
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Age group: Young Adult
Genre: Realistic fiction
Cover rating: 5/5
Content rating: 3/5
Buy: Amazon

Description:

Sabrina, an artist, is diagnosed with schizophrenia, and her parents check her into the Wellness Center. There she meets Alec, who is convinced that it's the world that's crazy, not them. But when Alex starts to convince Sabrina that her treatment will wipe out everything that makes her creative, she worries she'll lose hold of her dreams and herself.

My thoughts: 
Reading Life is But a Dream was a very interesting experience for me. I was really intrigued by the description and was interested in seeing how it would be played out. The cover is also just lovely! It's so light and airy, much like the whole tone of this book. I had huge expectations for this one and while it didn't really live up to them, it was still a good read that I'd recommend to anyone with an interest in books dealing with mental health issues.

The writing in this was a bit hard for me to get used to. It's just such a different style and a bit hard to read fluidly, really! I do think it reflected Sabrina's character well but it made the book a bit slow for me. Another thing about the writing that I found hard to get into was the flashbacks. They were so random with no real break between sitting in the therapist's room and thinking back to last year. I suppose this can also reflect Sabrina's mental state but as a reader, I found it confusing.

Other than though, I genuinely did like this book and I'm so glad I read it. It is fascinating to step into a mind so different to a ''normal'' mind and it was really easy to see where Sabrina was coming from. Her world was beautiful and fascinating, all she knew, why on earth would she want medication to make it all dreary and normal? I can imagine how she must have felt and how scary it would be to have it all stripped away when it's all you've known. Alec was really well written and definitely believable. I loved their interactions with each other and their different ways of viewing the world. They understood each other yet at the same time had very different experiences.

There is definite character development throughout this book, with both Sabrina and Alec. It was great to watch them change and grow. They have lots of set backs along the way and the ending was not predictable to me at all. For the most part, I thought this was a good book. I just found it didn't really grip me like I thought it would and was a bit disappointed in that. I think there are a lot of people who will like this one and most people will find something to take from it.

Review: A Greyhound of a Girl by Roddy Doyle

Title: A Greyhound of a Girl
Author: Roddy Doyle
Publication date: May 1st 2012
Publisher: Amulet Books
Age group: Middle Grade
Cover rating: 2/5
Content rating: 3.5/5
Buy: Amazon

Description:

Mary O'Hara is a sharp and cheeky 12-year-old Dublin schoolgirl who is bravely facing the fact that her beloved Granny is dying. But Granny can't let go of life, and when a mysterious young woman turns up in Mary's street with a message for her Granny, Mary gets pulled into an unlikely adventure. The woman is the ghost of Granny's own mother, who has come to help her daughter say good-bye to her loved ones and guide her safely out of this world. She needs the help of Mary and her mother, Scarlett, who embark on a road trip to the past. Four generations of women travel on a midnight car journey. One of them is dead, one of them is dying, one of them is driving, and one of them is just starting out.

My thoughts:

I was very interested in reading this one! I've never read a Roddy Doyle book before but since I live in Ireland, I've obviously heard about him a lot. I know he's renowned for being humorous and that certainly came across in this book! It's a short middle-grade book about a young Dublin girl named Mary, her mom, her grandmother and her great-granny. Mary's granny is dying- and terrified. 

I really enjoyed parts of this book. I thought it started off brilliantly and I was flying through it as I didn't want to put it down! Mary's so sweet and amusing; I was completely captivated. She was such a fun and witty young character and I really enjoyed the parts of the book that involved her. I thought she had an interesting take on the world around her and it was interesting (and sad) to watch her try to navigate her way through her recent troubles. She was definitely a cheeky kid but also very kind-hearted and loving. 

Mary's mother was also hilarious! She acted like a child herself a lot of the time. I thought her grandmother and great-grandmother were good too but honestly didn't really enjoyed the sections that were dedicated to them. I just found them a bit dull and they didn't capture my attention like the bits about Mary! I would have loved the book if it had followed Mary more. I understand why the other sections were in there but I couldn't bring myself to like them. On the other other hand, other reviewers preferred the sections that weren't about Mary so clearly it's very subjective! 

A Greyhound of a Girl is a lovely tale about mothers and the effect they have on our lives even when they're long gone. It's a sweet tale but was acking that extra something to make it great. 

Review: I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter

Title: I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You
Author: Ally Carter
Publication date: April 2006
Publisher: Hyperion
Age group: Young Adult
Genre: Romance
Cover rating: 2/5
Content rating: 4/5
Buy: Amazon

Description:

The Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women is a fairly typical all-girls school, that is, if every school taught advanced martial arts in PE, the latest in chemical warfare in science; and students received extra credit for breaking CIA codes computer class. So in truth, Gallagher Academy might claim to be a school for geniuses, but its really a school for spies. Cammie Morgan is a second generation Gallagher Girl, and by her sophomore year she's already fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man in seven different ways (three of which involve a piece of uncooked spaghetti.)

But the one thing the Gallagher Academy hasn't prepared her for is what to do when she falls for an ordinary boy who thinks she's an ordinary girl. Sure, she can tap his phone, hack into his computer, and track him through a mall without his ever being the wiser, but can she have a regular relationship with a regular boy who can never know the truth about her? Cammie may be an elite spy in training, but in her sophomore year, shes beginning her most dangerous mission; she's falling in love.

My thoughts:

 I think that overall, this may be more like 3.5 stars but it kept me amused and made me laugh several times so I'll give it 4 stars for that! I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You is a fun and light book about a school for female spies. I love the idea behind the book and was really excited to get started on it. 

This book is full of strong, independent girls who can look after themselves. Not really something you see all too often in young adult literature, sadly! That's certainly what I liked most about this book and what makes me want to continue on with this series. I liked Cammie at times but she did such stupid things at other times! Cammie's friends, teachers and her mother were great characters and I really look forward to getting to know them more. 

It wasn't all great though. A few portions of the book were so incredibly boring I have to wonder why they were even in there! It would just drag for about twenty pages but it did always pick up pace again. However, it was light and entertaining and not a bad start at all to the series. I'm very interested in reading book two! 

Review: Someone Else's Life by Katie Dale

Title: Someone Else's Life
Author: Katie Dale
Publication date: February 14th 2012
Publisher: Delacorte Books For Young Readers
Age group: Young Adult
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Cover rating: 3/5
Content rating: 4/5
Buy: Amazon

Description:

When seventeen-year-old Rosie’s mother, Trudie, dies from Huntington’s Disease, her pain is intensified by the knowledge that she has a fifty-per-cent chance of inheriting the crippling disease herself. Only when she tells her mum’s best friend, ‘Aunt Sarah’ that she is going to test for the disease does Sarah, a midwife, reveal that Trudie was not her biological mother after all... Devastated, Rosie decides to trace her real mother, hitching along on her ex-boyfriend’s GAP year to follow her to Los Angeles. 

But all does not go to plan, and as Rosie discovers yet more of her family's deeply-buried secrets and lies, she is left with an agonising decision of her own - one which will be the most heart-breaking and far-reaching of all...

My thoughts:
Wow, Someone Else's Life completely blew me away. It was so good! The premise is really excellent- and sad! Rosie's mum has died from a disease called Huntington's. I'll be honest and say I knew nothing about Huntington's before I read this book. I'm sure I've heard the name before but I didn't know what it really was what it did to people and their families. This book was incredibly informative about the disorder and I definitely feel like I learned something from reading it. Besides losing her mum, Rosie is also dealing with the terrifying 50/50 chance of having inherited Huntington's herself.

As you can imagine, Rosie world is pretty crazy. But it doesn't stop there. At the beginning of this novel, she finds out that she does not, in fact, have Huntington's. Not because of luck- but because her mother was not actually her mother. Rosie was switched with another baby at birth. She is of course in shock and determined to find out the truth about her past. In the midst of her grief, she throws herself head first in to this task.

Rosie's journey is a scary one. She goes off with her ex-boyfriend Andy to the US because that's where her birth mother is. I was completely captivated by this story and gripped the whole way through! The writing is excellent and nice to read. There are a lot of twists thrown into this book. Some of them were predictable but some of them took me completely by surprise. I never knew what was going to happen next and was really worried for all the characters. Every step of the way, Rosie's situation becomes more complicated and I couldn't wait to see how it was going to end up.

My only problem with this book is its length. It's almost 500 pages and while this would be fine if the book warranted it, I really don't think it did. The two POVs probably made this book much longer than it really needed to be. Other than that though, Someone Else's Life is a beautiful and educational story about family, loss and ethics. I would certainly recommend it!

Review: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

Title: Me, Earl and the Dying Girl
Author: Jesse Andrews
Publication date: March 1st 2012
Publisher: Abrams
Age group: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary, Humour
Cover rating: 3.5/5
Content rating: 4/5
Buy: Amazon

Description: 

Up until senior year, Greg has maintained total social invisibility. He only has one friend, Earl, and together they spend their time—when not playing video games and avoiding Earl’s terrifying brothers— making movies, their own versions of Coppola and Herzog cult classics. Greg would be the first one to tell you his movies are f*@$ing terrible, but he and Earl don’t make them for other people. Until Rachel.

Rachel has leukemia, and Greg’s mom gets the genius idea that Greg should befriend her. Against his better judgment and despite his extreme awkwardness, he does. When Rachel decides to stop treatment, Greg and Earl make her a movie, and Greg must abandon invisibility and make a stand. It’s a hilarious, outrageous, and truthful look at death and high school by a prodigiously talented debut author.

My thoughts: 


Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is a fantastic book that I read in about one sitting. I just did not want to put the book down and was so intrigued by how different it was. I'm really into YA Contemporary books right and this was incredibly enjoyable! I never would have thought a book about a teen dying from cancer could actually manage to be funny but... it did. Pretty dark humour at times but it certainly made me laugh out loud which is a serious accomplishment, I think! I love any book that can actually make me laugh.

I was drawn into this one from the first page. Greg's voice is so unique and I wanted to know more about him! What I loved most was how he was just honest. He doesn't sugar coat his thoughts. He just tells it like it is and I loved him for it. Greg is definitely not a popular kid and really only has his one friend, Earl, for company. He's pretty much just trying to get through high school without drawing any attention to himself.

Rachel has cancer. Greg's mom decides Rachel needs a friend so Greg is pushed into hanging out with her. He's reluctant and not afraid to say it. He's not really friends with Rachel but feels an obligation now since she's so sick. I liked that Greg was honest about how he just didn't want to do this (who would? it's a sad situation to put yourself in!) but he still went in open minded and definitely learned a thing or two.

Greg's just hilarious. He's honest and raw and tells his tale (and Rachel's) so well. Some parts were just so sad! Greg tried to stay detached from the situation but you could tell it was killing him too. He talks about how he just hates talking about this. Greg has a no-nonsense attitude towards life and makes some pretty funny observations. This isn't your regular YA book about dying kids and I liked that. It focused far more on Rachel as a person than on her disease. Most YA books seem to have female protagonists so this was a refreshing novel told through the eyes of a witty guy just trying to make a girl happy. I highly recommend it.

Review: Stolen Away by Alyxandra Harvey

Title: Stolen Away
Author: Alyxandra Harvey
Publication date: January 17th 2012
Publisher: Walker Children's
Age group: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy- Fairies
Cover rating: 4/5
Content rating: 4/5
Buy: Amazon

Description:

When a cute guy dressed like a Victorian pirate kneels in front of Eloise the day after her seventeenth birthday, she knows that something strange is going on-and that's before he vows to be her champion and mentions her flaky aunt, Antonia, who's gone incommunicado once again. But this appearance isn't a coincidence, and when Eloise is attacked and pushed into an alternate world called Faery, she becomes embroiled in the underground politics of this world. Her captor is Lord Strahan, the ruler of Faery who is desperately clinging to his throne and will do anything to keep it. The only one who can break his power is his wife, Eloise's aunt Antonia-and Eloise has become his bargaining chip. 

Now Eloise must find a way to save her aunt from Lord Strahan, and she'll need the help of her best friends Jo and Devin, along with the other Fae captives of Strahan's hall, including his son, Eldric. With a whole world of Faeries out to get her, Eloise must stop Strahan both worlds are thrust into complete chaos.

My thoughts:

Finally, a fairy book that I was actually able to enjoy! I have read a whole bunch of fairy books and was contemplating just giving up on them as I figured they just weren't for me. I often find them confusing and hard to follow. Stolen Away has certainly changed my mind on that front, though! I actually really loved this book and it has made me more willing to try fairy books in the future. It was so well written and I liked every second of it. 

Alyxandra Harvey is a brilliant writer. Her writing flows really well and it's so easy to just forget your surroundings and get caught up in the world she has created! She describes everything really well without overdoing it and the book comes to life before your eyes. I was able to get into the book from the very start and new I would enjoy the rest of it! 

All the characters are well developed and Eloise is really likeable. She's smart and brave and just a great character all round. And Jo was just awesome! I loved following her and I thought her POV was a great addition to the story. I am picky about alternate POVs and probably would have preferred if this one didn't contain two but it wasn't bad. Both Eloise and Jo were characters I wanted to know more about. Eloise is strong-willed but not the most out-going person and Jo is different and a bit quirky. I enjoyed both characters. 

The story is easy to follow and the fey are explained in a way that's easy to understand and there is no info dumping. I liked the plot and found it very exciting to follow. Overall this was a good book that has made me eager to read more of Harvey's work. 

Review: The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe

Title: The Way We Fall
Author: Megan Crewe
Publication date: January 24th
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Age group: Young Adult
Genre: Science Fiction- Dystopia
Cover rating: 3/5
Content rating: 4/5
Buy: Amazon

Description via Goodreads: 

When a deadly virus begins to sweep through sixteen-year-old Kaelyn’s community, the government quarantines her island—no one can leave, and no one can come back.

Those still healthy must fight for dwindling supplies, or lose all chance of survival. As everything familiar comes crashing down, Kaelyn joins forces with a former rival and discovers a new love in the midst of heartbreak. When the virus starts to rob her of friends and family, she clings to the belief that there must be a way to save the people she holds dearest.

Because how will she go on if there isn't?

My thoughts: 

The Way We Fall is a captivating and scary novel told through letters. Kaelyn's island has fallen victim to a deadly virus that is quickly sweeping its way through the population. Kaelyn tells this story with letters to an ex-friend of hers who now lives off the island. I thought the letters were heartfelt and well told, but I didn't find Kaelyn's voice all that convincing. She just seemed so much younger than sixteen to me though this did get slightly better towards the end of the book. Other than that, I loved it! I was completely drawn in from the very first page and dying to know what was going to happen to Kaelyn and her community. There is a lot of description in the book- though not too much- and Kaelyn's world is really brought to life. I could easily picture this terrifying situation in a regular setting. This book isn't a happy one... it's quite depressing and dark, actually. But that is simply the reality of an island being destroyed by an illness. The world was very convincing. It was fascinating to watch how differently everyone reacted to the situation- some people did everything they could to help out others, and some just went crazy and prefer to take a destructive route to ending it all. There is a huge level of distrust within the island, between the islanders themselves and of the government which basically abandons them and lets them fend for themselves. The romance was believable and the friendships and family relationships very sweet! I didn't want to set this book down and was so eager to find out how everything was going to go. I'm not sure how I feel about it being series. It would be nice for a YA novel to be a standalone for once but I will certainly be reading the sequel whenever it is out!

Review: Welcome Caller, This is Chloe by Shelley Coriell

Title: Welcome Caller, This is Chloe
Author: Shelley Coriell
Publication date: May 1st 2012
Publisher: Amulet
Age group: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Cover rating: 4/5
Content rating: 5/5
Buy: Amazon

Description: 

Big-hearted Chloe Camden is the queen of her universe until her best friend shreds her reputation and her school counselor axes her junior independent study project. Chloe is forced to take on a meaningful project in order to pass, and so she joins her school’s struggling radio station, where the other students don’t find her too queenly. Ostracized by her former BFs and struggling with her beloved Grams’s mental deterioration, lonely Chloe ends up hosting a call-in show that gets the station much-needed publicity and, in the end, trouble. 

She also befriends radio techie and loner Duncan Moore, a quiet soul with a romantic heart. On and off the air, Chloe faces her loneliness and helps others find the fun and joy in everyday life. Readers will fall in love with Chloe as she falls in love with the radio station and the misfits who call it home.

My thoughts:

Welcome Caller, This is Chloe is the first book I've given five stars to this year and it earned every one of those stars! I was first drawn to this book by the interesting colours used on the cover and I just had to know more. The description sounded so unique and unlike anything I'd read before- I'm always on the look out for an idea that is different to everything I've read before and this book certainly delivered on that! 

I will admit that I was not totally impressed by the first few chapters. I found them slow going and I really wasn't liking the main character, Chloe! However, things really really turned around at about chapter four and after that, I literally could not put the book out of my hands. I do not give out five stars lightly- they only go to books that I really hated to set down and this is one of those books. I was completely drawn into Chloe's world and felt just as frustrated with her life as she did! 

On the outside, Chloe may look like she has it all. The perfect family, the perfect personality, the perfect friend. But this year, things have started to take a turn for the worse for Chloe and she's struggling to cope. Her best friends suddenly turn against her for a reason she was oblivious to and her family life isn't as great as it once was. She's terrified about her grandmother's illness and having a tough time trying to deal with the conflict between her mother and grandmother. To top it all off, her counselor has decided her independent study project isn't good enough- and that she has to start all over again!

While Chloe's problems may not be as huge as other peoples', they are very real to her and definitely shaking her up. But what I loved was how Chloe handled it all. Not for one second did she let it get her down and she never gave up. Instead, she throws herself head first into her project- reviving the school's radio station. Here, Chloe meets some very interesting characters and finds herself a whole bunch of new friends.

Chloe is a strong character who believes in herself and her abilities. I find it is rare to find female characters with so much confidence and guts and I definitely liked that about this book! I loved the whole story and hung on Chloe's every word. It's an easy and somewhat light read but it still deals with many darker issues and the characters all develop well throughout the book. I liked it a lot and I'm very interested to see what Coriell has to offer in the future! 

Review: Fracture by Megan Miranda

Title: Fracture
Author: Megan Miranda
Publication date: Jan. 5th 2012
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's Books
Age group: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Cover rating: 4/5
Content rating: 4.5/5
Buy: Amazon

Description: 

Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine-despite the scans that showed significant brain damage. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it?

My thoughts:

I'm finding this one hard to rate. It was not perfect but it was really, really good and definitely had me on the edge of my seat. It had a few minor things that irritated me though so I think 4.5 stars is the most accurate rating I can give it. I was so excited for this book and it definitely did not let me down. 

Fracture is a gorgeous novel about a young girl who, medically speaking, should not be alive. Delaney drowned while out on the lake with her friends, and her best friend managed to save her and bring her back to life- after 11 minutes. The doctors are baffled as Delaney seems perfectly healthy. Her brain scan shows signs of damage yet she can walk and talk just fine. But the doctors don't know about the creepy feelings Delaney is experiencing and her 'pull' towards certain people in her community. 

Then along comes this mysterious guy who keeps popping up everywhere she goes. And her best friend Decker who's being weird with her. And her parents who hardly recognize who she is since the accident. Delaney's got a lot going on and her brain is rebelling against her. I was utterly captivated by the story and did not want to put it down! I found it so easy to identify with all the characters and was rooting for Delaney all the way. 

The writing in this book had me captivated from the very first page! It flowed amazingly well and was a pleasure to read. I was caught up in Delaney's life and felt like it was all happening right in front of me. All the characters are so well developed. Delaney was an easy protagnoist to like, Decker was lovely and even Carson was interesting, especially towards the end! I really enjoyed following them as they all tried to navigate their way through the mess and I must say, it wasn't at all predictable. A lot of things happened that shocked me and it certainly kept me on my feet. 

I wasn't too excited by how it ended. It was too abrupt for my liking and I would have loved to find out how things went after! Other than though, it was a quick, emotional read and I would certainly recommended it.

Review: New Girl by Paige Harbison

Title: New Girl
Author: Paige Harbison
Publication date: January 31st 2012
Publisher: HarlequinTeen (an imprint of Harlequin)
Age group: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Cover rating: 4/5
Content rating: 4/5
Buy: Amazon

Description:

They call me 'New Girl'... Ever since I arrived at exclusive, prestigious Manderly Academy, that’s who I am. New girl. Unknown. But not unnoticed—because of her. Becca Normandy—that’s the name on everyone’s lips. The girl whose picture I see everywhere. The girl I can’t compare to. I mean, her going missing is the only reason a spot opened up for me at the academy. And everyone stares at me like it’s my fault. Except for Max Holloway—the boy whose name shouldn’t be spoken. At least, not by me. Everyone thinks of him as Becca’s boyfriend…but she’s gone, and here I am, replacing her. I wish it were that easy. Sometimes, when I think of Max, I can imagine how Becca’s life was so much better than mine could ever be. And maybe she’s still out there, waiting to take it back.

My thoughts: 


Paige Harbison's book Here Lies Bridget was one of the best books I read in 2011 so of course I was dying to get my hands on New Girl and incredibly eager to start reading it. I can safely say that I am now a huge fan of Harbison and can't wait to see what she can give us next! New Girl completely lived up to my expectations and it was a thrilling read.

New Girl follows the life of a girl whose name we aren't give at the beginning. I thought this might make me less able to connect with the character but it worked perfectly. New Girl has moved to a new school after a spot opened up- the only problem is that spot used to belong to a popular girl who has since gone missing. The whole school appears angry at New Girl for 'taking Becca's place' and she starts to regret having ever wished to go to this school.

It's not all bad though as New Girl's personality shines through. She refuses to live in Becca's shadow and faces the new school with great confidence. This wins her a few fans and an added complication- the affection of Becca's ex-boyfriend Max. Max and New Girl struggle with their feelings throughout the book and I loved that New Girl was so headstrong and dignified about the whole thing. She had respect and pride in herself and it made this book very refreshing!

The book alternates between New Girl's present life and Becca's past life. It worked really well and the reader definitely gets to know both girls inside out. I was completely drawn into New Girl's world and could hardly look away from the page! I genuinely enjoyed this book and would certainly recommend it- along with Here Lies Bridget!