Review: Rockoholic by C.J. Skuse

Release date: November 1st, 2012
Publisher: Scholastic
Age group: Young Adult

Pages: 358
Overall: 4/5

She's got it bad, and he ain't good -- he's in her garage?

"I'm your biggest fan, I'll follow you until you love me..." 

Gonna have to face it: Jody's addicted to Jackson Gatlin, frontman of The Regulators, and after her best bud Mac scores tickets, she's front and center at his sold-out concert. But when she gets mashed in the moshpit and bodysurfs backstage, she's got more than a mild concussion to deal with. By the next morning, the strung-out rock star is coming down in her garage. Jody -- oops -- kind of kidnapped him. By accident. With a Curly Wurly candy bar. And now he doesn't want to leave. 

It's a rock-star abduction worthy of an MTV reality series...but who got punk'd?!

If you know much about me, you know that I am pretty obsessed with music. I don't really have a favourite genre but realistically the majority of my iTunes library is rock music. It's pretty sad that when I saw this book at B&N I thought that this was something that could happen to me.

Rockoholic starts out with a girl names Jody who is pretty crazy obsessed with this band guy named Jackson Gatlin who is the lead singer of a band called the Regulators. Now I get obsessed, I recently few to Canada to see my favourite band play, but I was a little concerned for Josie's wellbeing, I spent the first few chapters thinking that she really needed a hobby other than the Regulators. But as the book went on I started to identify with her and understand her obsession (not enough where I would kidnap a band member let's be clear about that), but it made me think about myself and my heros and how amazing it would be to talk to them for longer than they give you in a meet and greet line.

When I bought this I was expecting a fluff read but this book actually has a lot of substance to it, Jody is sarcastic and funny, but also a very kind person. She was still mourning the loss of her granddad, who she loved a lot, and so was understandably very confused sometimes, and didn’t know what to do, or which path in life was right for her. I felt a little sorry for her because Jody always felt like she could never compare to her sister Halley, who was the “golden child” of the family. Jackson was much the same; as a jaded rockstar who’d fallen from the pedestal everyone put him on, he too was confused about what he should do with his life. But both Jody and Jackson changed a lot in this book, and they overcame a lot of problems together (it’s amazing how this novel could be so hilarious and yet quite moving at the same time). By the end of the story, Jody was no longer the immature fangirl she used to be, and I grew to love her even more. Jackson was also no longer an unhappy, spoilt brat, and I think being with Jody and Mac helped him so much – he even started playing with Cree, Mac’s little sister, which was a huge change for him. He was actually a lot wiser than I first expected him to be, and was able to help Jody with a few of her problem as well as finally sorting out his own. Even Mac worked up to courage to change a few things in his life, and I have to say, Mac was one of my favourite characters. He was quirky, funny, and very lovable  and was always willing to help Jody, even when it was with something as crazy as looking after a kidnapped celebrity – he truly was the best friend a girl could have.

 The ending of Rockoholic was just perfect in my opinion, and though everything was wrapped up, I was really sad to see these characters go. I had grown really attached to Jody, Jackson and Mac – they were all people I could relate to in some way, and I think I’m really gonna miss them.

Overall, I loved Rockholic – it was a fun, light, wonderful book with a heart-warming underlying message, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good summer read, or for anyone who just feels like laughing their head off.

Writing: 4/5 
Plot: 3.5/5
Characters: 5/5
Ending: 5/5

ps. this is our 100th review! I can't believe we've done this 100 times!

xoxo,
Shelbie

Review: Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs

 Release date: September 6th, 2011
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Age group: Young Adult
Pages: 345
Flirt Factor: Chaste
Overall: 4/5 stars

Grace just moved to San Francisco and is excited to start over at a new school. The change is full of fresh possibilities, but it’s also a tiny bit scary. It gets scarier when a minotaur walks in the door. And even more shocking when a girl who looks just like her shows up to fight the monster.

Gretchen is tired of monsters pulling her out into the wee hours, especially on a school night, but what can she do? Sending the minotaur back to his bleak home is just another notch on her combat belt. She never expected to run into this girl who could be her double, though.

Greer has her life pretty well put together, thank you very much. But that all tilts sideways when two girls who look eerily like her appear on her doorstep and claim they're triplets, supernatural descendants of some hideous creature from Greek myth, destined to spend their lives hunting monsters.

These three teenage descendants of Medusa, the once-beautiful gorgon maligned by myth, must reunite and embrace their fates in this unique paranormal world where monsters lurk in plain sight. (Summary taken from Goodreads)

I'm definitely a sucker for a good Greek mythology YA book. So when I was looking for something to read and saw Sweet Venom sitting on my TBR shelf I knew that was my next read. Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs is not your standard Greek mythology retelling, either. Tera Lynn Childs took a lesser-known (but still popular) myth and wrote it in an interesting and modern way. Sweet Venom follows the lives of three (unbeknownst to them) sisters who are descendants of Medusa. It's told in first person and alternates between the three sisters: Grace, Gretchen, and Greer.
I was kind of curious to see how Childs would differentiate between the three main characters since they are triplets that share the same fate. However, I thought she did a good job developing all three of them completely. Even Greer, who only narrates a couple of chapters, had her own different viewpoints and opinions.
One of my favorite aspects of the book was how Childs integrated the greek mythology into the novel. Obviously, it wasn't just a Medusa retelling. So rather than reading a traditional retelling you got a fresh, modern spin off of a classic Greek myth. The best part of this was that you got to discover the different parts of the myth the same time the characters did. They're all teenagers, so a big part of the book is discovering their background and their significance to the Medusa myth and guarding the entrance to their world.
However, I felt like at times there wasn't enough action in the book. There would be little significant scenes, but then Childs wouldn't go very far with them. There were also a lot of little sub plots that weren't incorporated very well. Gretchen and Grace both had romantic interests that you saw only a couple of times. Then you were left wondering what happened to them. There just wasn't enough time to develop those subplots. Also, there is a subplot with Grace's brother, but throughout the book you're not entirely sure what it means. However, this is a series, so hopefully that will be explored further in the next book.

On that note, I really liked the ending. I felt like the end was the only part of the book where you really saw a lot of important things happening. It was also very shocking and mysterious and set up for the next book extremely well. Overall, the writing was nice and the book flowed smoothly. There were some parts that were shocking, some were funny, and some were endearing and heartwarming. Even though there are times where there isn't a ton of stuff going on in the book, I felt like there was still enough so you didn't get bored.

I wish there had been a little more action and more exploration of the romances, but overall this was a fun take on a Greek myth and I really enjoyed it. I feel like the next book will explore the different subplots established in this book and I'm looking forward to reading it.

Writing: 4/5
Plot: 3/5
Characters: 5/5
Ending: 5/5

Love always,
Amanda

Review: The God's Wife by Lynn Voedisch

Release date: August 9, 2011
Publisher: Fiction Studio
Age group: Older teens/Adults
Pages: 275
Flirt Factor: Playful
Source: Review copy from publisher - blog tour
Overall: 4/5 stars

This review is part of a blog tour from Pump Up Your Book. Visit www.pumpupyourbook.com for more tour dates and information.

Summary from Amazon: The women of ancient Egypt were the freest of any civilization on earth, until the modern era. In several dynasties of ancient Egypt the God’s Wives of Amun stood tall, priestesses of wealth and power, who represented the pinnacle of female power in the Egyptian state. Many called The God’s Wife of Amun second only to the Pharaoh in dominance. THE GOD’S WIFE follows the adventures of a 16-year-old girl, Neferet, who is thrust into the role of The Gods Wife of Amun without proper training. Surrounded by political intrigue and ensnared by sexual stalking, Neferet navigates the temple, doing her duties, while keeping her family name pristine and not ending up like her predecessor—dead. Meanwhile, a modern-day Chicago dancer, Rebecca, is rehearsing for a role in an ancient Egyptian production and finds herself blacking out and experiencing realistic dreams about life in Egypt. It’s as if she’s coming in contact with Neferet’s world. Are the two parallel worlds on a collision course? They seem to be, for Neferet has just used an old spell to bring protection to her world, and Rebecca meets a mysterious Egyptian man who says he’ll whisk her away to Alexandria. Magic and realism mix for a powerful ending in THE GOD’S WIFE.

If you've read several posts on our blog, you probably know I'm not a huge fan of historical fiction, yet I seemed strangely drawn to this one. The setting switching between ancient Egypt and modern day Chicago was an interesting way to write a historical fiction novel, and I found I enjoyed the book a lot more than other historical fiction that I've read before.
The God's Wife centers around two strong female protagonists. First there is Neferet, a 16 year old Egyptian princess who has just been given the prestigious title of God's Wife. Her job is to perform the sacred rituals that keep the god Amun happy. The other protagonist is Rebecca, a talented dancer in Chicago who has just won the lead role in her dance company's performance of 'Anubia'. As Neferet's position is threatened and strange things happen to Rebecca, causing her world to fall apart around her, Neferet and Rebecca's worlds begin to intertwine. It was very interesting seeing how Rebecca and Neferet 'interact' and affect each other, an aspect I have never seen in a historical fiction novel. The Egyptian details in the book were obviously well researched, and the reader finds themselves immersed in the political ins and outs of Egyptian society. I will admit, it wasn't quite as interesting to read Rebecca's parts, just because she wasn't as strong of a female character and the events surrounding Neferet were much more interesting.

Lynn Voedisch does a wonderful job of world building and her writing draws you in even further. You can tell Voedisch has worked hard on her writing, because it's fluid, has strong word choice, and makes you feel as if you were in the novel. Overall, The God's Wife is a new take on historical fiction that anyone would love. It's full of excitement, romance, and many plot twists and turns that will leave you wanting more.

Writing: 5/5 stars
Characters: 4/5 stars
Plot/Setting: 4/5 stars
Ending: 5/5 stars

Love always,
Amanda

Review: Epic Fail by Claire LaZebnik

Release date: August 2, 2011
Publisher: HarperTeen
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 304
Overall: 4/5 stars

Summary from Amazon:
Will Elise’s love life be an epic win or an epic fail?
At Coral Tree Prep in Los Angeles, who your parents are can make or break you. Case in point:
As the son of Hollywood royalty, Derek Edwards is pretty much prince of the school—not that he deigns to acknowledge many of his loyal subjects.
As the daughter of the new principal, Elise Benton isn’t exactly on everyone’s must-sit-next-to-at-lunch list.
When Elise’s beautiful sister catches the eye of the prince’s best friend, Elise gets to spend a lot of time with Derek, making her the envy of every girl on campus. Except she refuses to fall for any of his rare smiles and instead warms up to his enemy, the surprisingly charming social outcast Webster Grant. But in this hilarious tale of fitting in and flirting, not all snubs are undeserved, not all celebrity brats are bratty, and pride and prejudice can get in the way of true love for only so long.

I bought Epic Fail by Claire LaZebnik on an impulse because I had heard wonderful things about it and because it's a modern day retelling of Pride and Prejudice. So of course, I had high expectations for this book.
Epic Fail starts off with Elise and Juliana Benton moving to a new prep school in LA where their mother is the principal. As soon as Juliana starts hanging out with the popular crowd which includes Chase and Derek, our new Mr. Darcy, there is instant tension/attraction between Elise and Derek. Derek has a guarded and some what jerkish view of the world thanks to his celebrity upbringing, and Elise has her parents' conservative values, leading to some conflicts of interest. But when your sister, whom you adore, loves the jerk's best friend, what are you going to do? Ignore him? So of course, much like in the real Pride and Prejudice, Elise is forced to endure the (incredibly attractive) presence of Derek Edwards.
I thought Claire LaZebnik did an excellent job of creating a cute contemporary romance novel. The plot was wonderful. Full of moments where Elise and Derek couldn't decide if they hated or adored each other, there was plenty of romance. And of course, there were plenty of interesting family members and characters who brought little quirks to the story. LaZebnik did a great job of including all of the chaotic members of the Benton family and the pretentious ones from Derek and Chase's families. LaZebnik artfully showed the themes of pride and prejudice in a new way, still managing to show how vicious our prejudices can make us. She also did a good job of incorporating Webster Grant, Elise's other love interest who isn't exactly as he seems.
While LaZebnik created a fabulously funny contemporary romance, at times I did feel like some of the wording was a bit awkward, like she was trying a bit too hard to make the book modern yet still similar to Pride and Prejudice. Sometimes the banter between the characters was cute, but at other times it was just trying too hard.
For the most part, Claire LaZebnik payed careful attention to detail when creating similarities between Epic Fail and Pride and Prejudice, but sometimes the connections didn't really work. She portrayed the so-nice-they're-naive Chase and Juliana perfectly, and made Elise's little sister Layla and Chase's little sister Chelsea plenty annoying, but there was a bit lacking with Elise and Derek's characters. I felt at times they were a bit too forgiving and weren't as stubborn as the characters in Pride and Prejudice.
However, if I hadn't read Pride and Prejudice before this I don't think I would have minded at all. Overall, Claire LaZebnik has created a cute and insanely funny romantic read perfect for summer, and it definitely wasn't an Epic Fail.
Writing: 3.5/5 stars
Plot: 5/5 stars
Characters: 4/5 stars
Ending: 5/5 stars
Cover: 3.5/5 stars

Hope you enjoyed this review!
Love always,
Amanda

Review: Paradise by Jill Alexander

Release Date: July 5, 2011
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 256
Overall: 4/5 stars

Summary from Amazon: Paisley Tillery is the drummer for a country rock band. If they can make it to the stage at the Texapalooza music fest, then Paisley will be closer to her dream of a career in music and a ticket out of her small Texas town. Drumming and music are what Paisley has always wanted. Until the band gets a new lead singer, the boy from Paradise, Texas. With Paradise in her life, what Paisley wants, and what she needs, complicate her dreams coming true.

Jill Alexander completely blew me out of the water with Paradise. Was expecting your typical quick, fun summer read. Something I could read in a day, be satisfied with, and not dwell over for long. However, that is not something that happened. Yes, Paradise started out as a cute summer romance with the mysterious and insanely attractive newcomer and the girl with a secret dream, but then it changed into something more. Paradise centers around Paisley, a girl who secretly wants to be a musician. However, she has to play in a secret band with some of the people her Mom disapproves most of, because her mother has very specific plans for her future. That is where she meets Paradise, the insanely sexy accordion player and singer who has Paisley and the rest of the band questioning the way they do things.

I thought Paradise was only going to be important to Paisley, but instead he serves as sort of a driving force and a trigger to everyone else making changes for the better. Not only does he bring sexy vocals and a new twist to the band with his accordion, but he slowly pushes everyone else to be more confident and go for what they believe in. Over the course of the novel Jill Alexander uses Paradise to push Paisley and her sister to stand up to her parents, Waylon, the band leader, to grow more confident in his music, and several other big changes throughout the novel.

Alexander does a great job of using all of the characters different problems to weave a storyline about dreams, perseverance, and independence. She also adds several different little spins on the story to make it even better than it was already. She adds spunky characters like Paisley's uncle who provides an interesting adult POV, and incorporates lyrics from one of the band members, Cal, into the story giving you a view from the outside.

Overall, I really liked this book. It told a great story about going for your dreams and keeping your goals in mind. However, there is a reason I only gave it 4 stars. Jill Alexander completely throws you through a loop at the end of the novel. I still can't decide whether or not the plot twist at the end added to the story or just didn't make sense. I don't want to spoil anything, but at the end of the story Alexander pulls the story in a U turn, changes the plot entirely, and leaves you wondering why the heck she just did that.

So... the story was fantastic. Heartwarming, enlightening, and extremely romantic, but I will give you fair warning that you might not like the ending. However, if you're feeling brave and also sort of romantic, give Paradise by Jill Alexander a try.

Writing: 5/5 stars
Characters: 5/5 stars
Plot: 4/5 Stars
Ending: 3/5 stars
Cover: 4/5 stars

Never Have I Ever by Sara Shepard

Release Date: 08.02.2011

Publisher: HarperCollins

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 309

Overall:

***Possible spoilers from The Lying Game***

My perfect life was a lie.

Now I’d do anything to uncover the truth.

Not long ago, I had everything a girl could wish for: amazing friends, an adorable boyfriend, a loving family. But none of them know that I’m gone—that I’m dead. To solve my murder, my long-lost twin sister, Emma, has taken my place. She sleeps in my room, wears my clothes, and calls my parents Mom and Dad.

And my killer is watching her every move.

I remember little from my life, just flashes and flickers, so all I can do is follow along as Emma tries to solve the mystery of my disappearance. But the deeper she digs, the more suspects she uncovers. It turns out my friends and I played a lot of games—games that ruined people’s lives. Anyone could want revenge . . . anyone could want me—and now Emma—dead.

From Sara Shepard, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Pretty Little Liars books, comes a riveting series about secrets, lies, and killer consequences.

I read this book a few days ago. Finished in a couple of hours so it's a reasonable size book.

I enjoyed the book, and we had a few less suspects than we orginally had seen in the first book Lying Game.

Don't expect to find out who killed Sutton in this book, if you have read Pretty little Liars then you know we only found out the killer in the last 8th book, the first 7 was a build up to the point of where the 8th book revealed the whole truth. So Sara Shepard is following that style so I can only assume that the first 3 books will be where suspects and the innocents are revealed with more secrets uncovered.

I liked the book but I felt it concentrated too much on "twins" character, I just felt that plot was dragged on too much that it was like the whole book revolved around, did they? or did they not? moment.

Also I felt the charcters were not explored enought, they seem more flat. We only get to see the personality but not to much on character development. I can only see one charcter developement as we found out more about her family and missing brother. I suppose this is because as there is only a 4 part book so maybe we don't get to see more character development than we liked.

Also sometimes I would get confused seeing who was speaking, was it Emma or Sutton or a 3rd Narrator but you get used to the style of writing.

We didn't see more of Emma past or the mystery surrounding her family especially her mother but I liked how Emma character has slighted evolved from a "woe" me character to a person who can stick up for herself more though I wished the book had more snarky responses.

I hope we get to delve more in Sutton past becuase we only see her as this rich spoilt girl who seems to live on the edge, trouble personality and insecurity, I hope we see more to her character than this and we find out some secrets that has been hinted in the first 2 books but not revealed. Also more on Why Emma's mom had left, was there a reason for this and the mystery surrounding the twins births, we only heard from Emma POV, but Emma was young so maybe we didn't find the whole truth.

With an ending fitting for a Sara Shepard book, it will have you tirelessly waiting for number three. All in all, a thoroughly enjoyed Never Have I Ever.

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xoxo,

Shelbie

Review: Misfit by Jon Skovron

Release Date: August 1, 2011
Publisher: Amulet Books
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 384
Source: Netgalley ARC
Overall: 4/5 stars

Summary from Amazon: Jael Thompson has never really fit in. She's changed schools too many times to count. The only family she's ever known is her father, a bitter ex-priest who never lets her date and insists she attend the strictest Catholic school in Seattle. And her mother--well, she was a five thousand year old demon. That doesn't exactly help.

But on her sixteenth birthday, her father gives her a present that brings about some unexpected changes. Some of the changes, like strange and wonderful powers and the cute skater boy with a knack for science, are awesome. But others, like the homicidal demon seeking revenge on her family? Not so much.

I hadn't heard much about Misfit by Jon Skovron, but I'm glad I got the opportunity to read it. I thought Misfit was an interesting take on the ever-so-popular demon theme in books. Misfit had an excellent blend of action, urban fantasy, teen issues, and romance. It centers around Jael, a misfit not only because she never lives in a place for long but also because she is a half-demon going to a Catholic school. Jael's issues in this book were excellently portrayed. Skovron did a fantastic job of portraying Jael's complicated relationships with her father and friends, and recording her journey as she discovered what it meant to be half-human and half-demon. Jael constantly goes through ups and downs as she learns to control her demon powers, fights with her dad, and explores a new romance with Rob. Skovron did a fantastic job of providing background information that covered all the demon, Hell, and religion related topics in the story. It may be a bit heavy on the religion side for some people, but I think most people, religious or not, will like seeing the little connections Skovron and his characters make. His characters were also all very well developed. I liked Jael's little tifts with her father, her budding romance with Rob, and her strong friendship with Britt. However, I did have a few gripes with the characters. First, sometimes I found Jael would do things a bit out-of-character for her, like being really gutsy at times (with average girl situations, not the demon ones). Also, although Rob was adorable, I found that he was just a bit too nerdy and likeable, making him a bit unrealistic at times. However, I did enjoy the adventures the characters went through. There was plenty of action as Jael explored her demon powers and fought evil demons from Hell. However, I must warn you that some of the action scenes and scenes with creatures from Hell are a bit gory/graphic. Most of the demons do behave how you'd expect them to behave: like bloodthirsty, selfish, brutal monsters. Be warned, there is lots of blood and swearing where the demons are involved. If you're not squeamish though, you will thoroughly enjoy every part of this book, especially the action packed ones. Overall, the whole story was well thought out and had several shining moments (especially towards the end between Jael and Britt), and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants a new take on demons and likes lots of action.

Writing: 4/5 stars
Characters: 4/5 stars
Plot/Setting: 4.5/5 stars
Ending: 4.5/5 star
Cover: 3.5/5 stars

Love always,

Amanda

Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

Release Date: 07.12.2011
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 386
Overall:

*** Spoilers from the first two books Shiver and Linger ***

The thrilling conclusion to #1 bestselling Shiver trilogy from Maggie Stiefvater

then.

When Sam met Grace, he was a wolf and she was a girl. Eventually he found a way to become a boy, and their love moved from a curious distance to the intense closeness of shared lives.

now.

That should have been the end of their story. But Grace was not meant to stay human. Now she is the wolf. And the wolves of Mercy Falls are about to be killed in one final, spectacular hunt.

forever.

Sam would do anything for Grace. But can one boy and one love really change a hostile, predatory world? The past, the present, and the future are about to collide in one pure moment - a moment of death or life, farewell or forever.

I'm really conflicted on this one guys.

I think I liked this book the least out of the series, because I'm a pretty die hard Cole fan, but he wasn't introduced until Linger, so part of me thinks that if I reread Shiver than that would be my least favourite... but I don't know.

This might get a little rant-y or I might (probably will) ramble... so sorry if this review is hard to follow.

My crazy alter ego Shelby is in this book. Which is exciting because you never know what psychotic thing she'll do next, and there's just something really exciting when your name is in a book you read!

So, basically everyone in this book starts out really depressed. Sam can't seem to function without Grace, Cole is working trying to find a cure for the wolves. But somehow it was still really boring to me. I don't know why, because almost every review on GoodReads loved it, I don't know why I just didn't really.

I think it might be because I don't really like Sam and Grace, at least as much as I like Cole and Isabel, and the story (at least the relationship part) was about them.

Other than that, I think the plot was good and the writing was good, even though there were a few slow parts.

If you’ve read the rest of the series, you will probably read this one no matter what I say about it, and I would encourage you to do so anyway due to the overwhelming response of people who loved it.

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as always I ask you to leave a comment below with your opinion, and possibly a link you your review.

xoxo,
Shelbie

Twelve by Nick McDonell

Release Date: 05.25.2003

Publisher: Atlantic Books

Age Group: Young Adult (Mature though)

Pages: 256

Overall:

Nick McDonell's electrifying novel tells the story of a fictional drug called Twelve and its devastating effects on the beautiful rich and desperate poor of New York City. A bleak Manhattan midwinter and a group of wealthy teenagers, left to their own devices by disregarding parents, delve into the excesses of drugs, sex and the most chilling acts of violence imaginable. Hunter ----- falsely accused of murder after a fight on the basketball courts; White Mike - a straight-A student who makes a fortune selling illegal substances; Jessica - gorgeous but obsessed with a fabulous new designer drug called 'twelve'; and Claude - whose trips into the shadier corners of Chinatown have fuelled a macabre fascination with deadly weapons...From page one, this novel pulsates towards its apocalyptic climax. Cool and cruel and utterly compulsive, TWELVE is the debut novel of 2002.

I recently saw the movie trailer for this, and it looked really good, so I looked it up on GoodReads, but the reviews were very mixed, some hated the book, some loved it.

I for one really enjoyed it, the writing style was different and cool, it was an extremely quick and easy read that I really couldn't put down.

I have to say I was disappointed with the ending. I thought it ended abruptly and was kind of a cop-out. I'm not going to ruin it with a spoiler; but I will say that, although you knew Claude was a freak, you really didn't get into his mind enough during the story to understand why he did what he did at the end.

Then I remember again, this was written by a 17-year old, and well, he did everything a standard novel writer should do, so you can't really fault him for the ending that was built up well enough on the surface. I did get the sense that the author just learned many of these characteristics of a "good novel" in school, though, and thus his honing of the craft was a little to fresh. He could use some more practice to provide greater depth to some of his characters and to the story as a whole. I do look forward to reading his future work, maybe something he writes in another 5 years.

Overall, I think that this would be a good book to check out from the library if you are looking for a more adult (It is a very adult book with mature content), darker read.

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xoxo,

Shelbie

The Demon's Surrender by Sarah Rees Brennan

Release Date: 06.14.2011
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 400
Overall:

Spoilers from the first books The Demon's Lexicon and The Demon's Covenant

The Goblin Market has always been the center of Sin’s world. But now the Market is at war with the magicians, and Sin’s place is in danger. Thrown out of the Market she loves, Sin is thrown together with brothers Nick and Alan—whom she’s always despised.

Alan has been marked by a magician and is being tortured so that the magicians can get to Nick. As Sin watches Alan struggle to protect the demon brother he loves, she begins to see him in a new light—but she and Mae are locked in a fierce rivalry over who will inherit the leadership of the Goblin Market, and a decisive battle with the Aventurine Circle is looming. Mae’s brother, Jamie, is holed up with the magicians, his loyalties in question. And Nick—well, who knows what a demon might do to save his brother? How far will Nick go to save Alan—and what will it cost them all?

I've been putting off this review because I'm still not really sure what I thought of this book. So this might turn a little rant-y. So beware!

First off, I think this was my least favourite of the series. But I was total fangirl over the rest of the series so I don't know if you should judge the book based on that.

This book was Sin's point of view, and from the beginning I thought that was kind of random because she hasn't really been a part of the books before. Then I realized there wasn't going to any Mae & Nick togetherness and I was all kinds of upset.

So throughout the book I went through being bored, to pissed off to loving it to I don't even know what. Trust me, if you follow me on twitter you were subjected to some pretty wicked mood swings that day.

That being said, I still really enjoyed this book. The plot was more twisted than ever, and the Ryves brothers were back and badder than before. I really liked Alan in this book (though Nick will forever be my favourite Ryves brother – he’s so hilarious) and think we got to see a little more of how his mind worked, and why he was so secretive all the time. I also liked the build-up of his relationship with Sin, and I thought they worked very well together (though he seemed to get over Mae rather quickly). It also meant that Nick and Mae could finally work on their relationship, which I was ecstatic about seeing as they were my favourite pairing in the series (though the amount explored was limited due to the fact they were no longer the focussing characters, which was a shame). I also liked reading about Sin’s opinions on everyone, especially her rival Mae, because it helped give a completely different viewpoint on the characters, which I found very interesting. But, by far, the best part of this book (apart from the wonderful characters) was the dialogue.

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xoxo,

Shelbie

Review: Bumped by Megan Mccafferty

Release Date: April 26,2011
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 336
Overall: 4/5 Stars

When a virus makes everyone over the age of eighteen infertile, would-be parents pay teen girls to conceive and give birth to their children, making teens the most prized members of society. Girls sport fake baby bumps and the school cafeteria stocks folic-acid-infused food.

Sixteen-year-old identical twins Melody and Harmony were separated at birth and have never met until the day Harmony shows up on Melody’s doorstep. Up to now, the twins have followed completely opposite paths. Melody has scored an enviable conception contract with a couple called the Jaydens. While they are searching for the perfect partner for Melody to bump with, she is fighting her attraction to her best friend, Zen, who is way too short for the job.

Harmony has spent her whole life in Goodside, a religious community, preparing to be a wife and mother. She believes her calling is to convince Melody that pregging for profit is a sin. But Harmony has secrets of her own that she is running from.

When Melody is finally matched with the world-famous, genetically flawless Jondoe, both girls’ lives are changed forever. A case of mistaken identity takes them on a journey neither could have ever imagined, one that makes Melody and Harmony realize they have so much more than just DNA in common. (Amazon.com)

Megan McCafferty's Bumped didn't start out exactly how I thought it would. When I heard about Bumped I had a vision in my head of a Lauren Oliver Delirium-esque novel; a book that would focus on the struggles of dealing with a dystopian society. Boy was I wrong about this book. Its not to say that this book was a disappointment, but it was considerably different than I imagined. The novel is centered around two sisters separated at birth, Harmony and Melody. I thought the book would be about their resistance to society, but it ended up centering around their resistance to each other. McCafferty's dual-narrator style made it easy to understand what the twins were going through. Although the twins weren't very eloquent (they are teenagers after all), their stories clearly drew a picture of their struggles with moral values, family, and independence. As the twins become entangled in each others' lives, McCafferty crafts an ever-changing plot that will have you on the edge of your seat. The characters were developed wonderfully, and I enjoyed how the smaller characters like the hunky Jondoe and best friend Zen created intricate subplots. This was my first time reading a Megan McCafferty novel, and I look forward to reading more of her work. I strongly recommend this book for anyone who likes romance, controversy, and friendship mixed into a dystopian novel.

love always,

Amanda

Writing: 4/5 Stars

Characters:4/5 Stars

Plot/Setting: 5/5 Stars

Ending: 5/5 Stars

Cover: 5/5 Stars

XVI by Julia Karr

Release Date: 1.6.2011

Publisher: Puffin/Speak

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 325

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Nina Oberon's life is pretty normal: she hangs out with her best friend, Sandy, and their crew, goes to school, plays with her little sister, Dee. But Nina is 15. And like all girls she'll receive a Governing Council-ordered tattoo on her 16th birthday. XVI. Those three letters will be branded on her wrist, announcing to all the world—even the most predatory of men—that she is ready for sex. Considered easy prey by some, portrayed by the Media as sluts who ask for attacks, becoming a "sex-teen" is Nina's worst fear. That is, until right before her birthday, when Nina's mom is brutally attacked. With her dying breaths, she reveals to Nina a shocking truth about her past—one that destroys everything Nina thought she knew. Now, alone but for her sister, Nina must try to discover who she really is, all the while staying one step ahead of her mother's killer.

For me, dystopian novels are either hit or miss. I really like high emotion books and sometimes that's where the dystopian books fall flat, well either that or I am so annoyed with the government I do everything but throw the book at the wall (which I did do at some points in Mockingjay, btw).

Anyway, this book definitely had emotions running high, like the whole time. I loved Nina, she was a great central character. Sal, Nina's love interest was okay I hope we get to know him a little more in the next book.

The plot was really new and fresh. There were a lot of suspenseful scenes that even got my blood pumping a little bit faster.

Overall very good. If you are looking for a dystopian novel with high emotions I recommend XVI!

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xoxo,

Shelbie

The Julian Game by Adele Griffin

Release Date: 8.26.2010
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 200
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All new girl Raye Archer wants is a way into the in crowd, so when ice-queen Ella Parker picks her to get back at her ex, the gorgeous Julian Kilgarry, Raye is more than game. Even if it means creating a fake Facebook identity so she can learn enough about Julian to sabotage him. It's a fun and dangerous thrill at first, but Raye hadn't counted on falling for Julian herself and igniting Ella's rage. As Raye works to reconcile the temptress Elizabeth with her real-life self, Ella serves up her own revenge, creating an online smear campaign of nasty rumors and trashy photographs. Suddenly notorious, Raye has to find a way out of the web of deceit that she's helped to build, and back to the relationships that matter. Adele Griffin's riveting novel explores the issues of generation Facebook: the desire to be someone else, real versus online friends, and the pitfalls and fallouts of posting your personal life online for all the world to judge

*This review has some spoilery-ness in it*
This story follows Rae Archer as she maneuvers her way through a new school where all she wants is to get into the IT crowd, with the popular folks. She finally gets her in when the most popular girl in school, Ella Parker, asks her for help with Chinese. One crazy study session puts into place a revenge plot that has Rae squirming in her seat at the same time that she's totally curious about how everything will play out. The revenge is on Ella's ex boyfriend, Julian Kilgarry.

The one character in this book that I wanted to run over in my car and then back up over was Julian. What a d-bag! I mean, goodness, I hated how two faced he was. I, unlike Raye, did not fall for his innocent act and hated him from the start.

I totally adored Henry Henry and thought he was a great addition to the story and my only complaint where he was concerned was that there wasn't enough of him in the story. The whole story revolves around the revenge that Ella and Rae started on Julian and the drama that unfolded from there so that explains why Henry wasn't around for it all but still, I adored him from the first time he came into the story.

Overall, it was alright. I would reccommend it :)

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Hope everyone's having a good weekend!

xoxo,

Shelbie

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Release Date: 10/26/2010
Publisher: Knopf Books
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 240
Overall:

“I’ve left some clues for you. If you want them, turn the page. If you don’t, put the book back on the shelf, please.” So begins the latest whirlwind romance from the New York Times bestselling authors of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions? Rachel Cohn and David Levithan have written a love story that will have readers perusing bookstore shelves, looking and longing for a love (and a red notebook) of their own.

So I was in the mood for a fuffily romance, this was on my to read and I'm glad I picked this one to read! It was so cute!

I loved the characters, both characters wanted to be with someone during Christmas and they found each other through a red notebook in Strand (a bookstore I've always wanted to go to!) I loved how real they both were, Lily was sensitive and sweet, Dash was outgoing and funny. Shoutout to the supporting characters too because they were also awesome :)

I loved the plot, and how Dash and Lily got to know each other through these dares (My favourite was the Santa one hahahha) and the writing was great, I love when books switch POV between the main characters, and I especially love when the characters have such different voices. It makes them so much more believable.

Overall if you are looking for a cutesy fun read, I highly recommend Dash and Lily's Book of Dares!
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xoxo,
Shelbie