"Clockwork Angel" Release Day!

"Clockwork Angel", the first book in the Prequel series to "The Mortal Instruments Series" by Cassandra Clare, was released today! I am 160 pages in and loving it. If you are a fan of fantasy or paranormal then you MUST read this series. Adults and teens alike can't get enough. I also just read that Clare will be adding 3 new books to "The Mortal Instruments Series"! The covers haven't been released yet, but you can learn more about her books by checking out her website here.

I have to get back to the book now... I am going through withdrawal!

Review of "The Chosen One"

"The Chosen One"
Carol Lynch Williams

5

Pub. Date: May 12, 2009
Pages: 224

Synopsis: Thirteen-year-old Kyra has grown up in an isolated community without questioning the fact that her father has three wives and she has twenty brothers and sisters. That is, without questioning it much—if you don’t count her visits to the Ironton County Mobile Library on Wheels to read forbidden books, or her secret meetings with Joshua, the boy she hopes to choose for herself instead of having a man chosen for her. But when the Prophet decrees that Kyra must marry her sixty-year-old uncle—who already has six wives—she must make a desperate choice in the face of violence and her own fears of losing her family forever.

"The Chosen One" is a book that I wouldn't have normally picked up, but it was available in audio so I thought I would give it a shot. I absolutely loved this book! Kyra is a fantastic character, Williams was able to portray the struggle Kyra felt between what her religion tells her is correct and what she feels in her heart. Most people may think the decision to leave a situation like this is an easy one, but Kyra doesn't want to lose her family, which loves her unconditionally. She worries about what the repercussions for her family will be if she leaves, she has heard the stories about what happens when people disagree with Prophet Child and the God Squad.

One of my favorite things about this book was Kyra's family. I didn't expect them to be so loving, each of Kyra's mothers love her equally, even though they aren't all her real mother. They all are concerned about her situation and try their best to give her the wisdom to get through the difficult times. Kyra's father does everything in his power to create a healthy family environment. He doesn't agree with the practices of many of the other members on the compound and loves all of his family equally.

"The Chosen One" made me really think about what it would be like to grow up in a situation like this. There are parts of the story where Kyra goes to town and it is really interesting to hear what she thinks about the town’s people. She can't believe how revealing people are dressed and feels threatened by them. I found this really interesting because the people looking at Kyra and her family would notice her clothing and may fear her as well.

I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy realistic fiction, especially people who like Jodi Picoult. “The Chosen One” does talk about abuse and other difficult subjects, so it may not be for everyone. I am so glad my library had the audio of this book because I would have missed out on a truly touching book.

Review of "Mockingjay"

"Mockingjay"
Suzanne Collins



6

Pub. Date: August 24th, 2010
Pages: 400


Synopsis: Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she’s made it out of the bloody arena alive, she’s still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what’s worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss’s family, not her friends, not the people of District 12. Powerful and haunting, this thrilling final installment of Suzanne Collins’s groundbreaking The Hunger Games trilogy promises to be one of the most talked about books of the year.

After reading "Mockingjay", "The Hunger Games" series is definitely my favorite teen series and is at the top of my All-Time Favorites list. Like the first two books, I could not put "Mockingjay" down. The only time I stopped reading it was when I fell asleep. I woke up extra early because I just HAD to finish the book before going to work. This is the only series where each book has captivated me equally throughout. There is plenty of action in the book, but it also gets you thinking about the society that Katniss is a pawn in. I feel like this series does a great job commenting on some of the dangers of living in a society where politics rule everything. It gets you thinking about human nature, and I almost feel like the series is a warming of where our society could go if governments become too strong.

I have to admit that I was expecting more Peeta and Katniss romance than was actually in the book, but this didn't disappoint me at all. I think Collins made the right choice by focusing the story on the revolution that was happening, it made the book much more powerful. I honestly don't have a single criticism for this book. The characters were fantastic, and I love how characters that we thought we knew had a different side to them in this final book. I don't think I could have thought of a better ending for the book. Even though it was tragic for numerous reasons, I felt like it fit perfectly with the other two books in the series. There were surprises, but they were calculated and felt organic.

I guess my only complaint is that I can't believe there will be no more books in this series. I love Katniss and Peeta; I guess I'll just have to find new characters to fall in low with. I probably could go on for pages about how amazing this book is, but I will let you discover the rest of the book’s awesomeness for yourself.

"Mockingjay" Release Day!

Happy "Mockingjay" release day! I just finished it and can't wait to write my review... although lack of sleep might make it difficult to write it tonight. I will say the book was awesome and I couldn't put it down! It was worth the wait!
Enjoy everyone!

Review of "Airhead" by Meg Cabot

"Airhead"
By Meg Cabot



5

Pub. Date: May 13, 2008
Pages: 340

Synopsis: EM WATTS IS GONE.

Emerson Watts didn't even want to go to the new SoHo Stark Megastore grand opening. But someone needed to look out for her sister, Frida, whose crush, British heartthrob Gabriel Luna, would be singing and signing autographs there-along with the newly appointed Face of Stark, teen supermodel sensation Nikki Howard.

How was Em to know that disaster would strike, changing her-and life as she'd known it-forever? One bizarre accident later, and Em Watts, always the tomboy, never the party princess, is no longer herself. Literally. Now getting her best friend, Christopher, to notice that she's actually a girl is the least of Em's problems.

But what Em's pretty sure she'll never be able to accept might just turn out to be the one thing that's going to make her dream come true . . . .

NIKKI HOWARD IS HERE TO STAY.

I can't really explain why, but Meg Cabot books never really appealed to me that much. Maybe the covers don't speak to me like other books, but I just never felt a draw to pick them up. Luckily, my library carries a bunch of her book on audio, so I thought I would give it a shot. I am so happy that I did, because I absolutely love her writing style. I found "Airhead" to be really funny and I found that I could really relate to Em Watts. Even though the plot to the book is completely bizarre, Cabot makes it work. I feel like she is able to write paranormal and sci-fi themed books that people who may not enjoy these genres will still enjoy.

Even though some of the characters are really annoying, I still enjoyed them. Nikki's best friend does some pretty obnoxious things, but she does them out of love. She may not be smart, but her heart is in the right place. I have to admit, I kind of have a crush on Gabriel Luna... a singer with a heart of gold... what girl could resist?!

On top of all of this, the book deals a lot about the topic of the modeling industry. I found it really interesting to see it from both sides. You get Em Watts's perspective of it from an outsider, as well as what it is like working in the industry as Nikki Howard. This really took the book to another level to me, but Cabot didn't do it in a way that made the book less fun or entertaining.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys fun books. I enjoy serious books that help me think about situations I may not have considered before, but I was still able to love this book. I have read a couple more of Cabot's books and loved them both. I will definitely be continuing with this series and I will be reading more Meg Cabot!

Review of "The Ghost and The Goth" by Stacey Kade

"The Ghost and The Goth"
by Stacey Kade


3

Pub. Date: June 29th, 2010
Pages: 288

Synopsis: After a close encounter with the front end of a school bus, Alona Dare goes from Homecoming Queen to Queen of the Dead. Now she’s stuck as a spirit (DON’T call her a ghost) in the land of the living with no sign of the big, bright light to take her away. To make matters worse, the only person who might be able to help her is Will Killian, a total loser outcast who despises the social elite. He alone can see and hear (turns out he’s been “blessed” with the ability to communicate with the dead), but he wants nothing to do with the former mean girl of Groundsboro High.

Alona has never needed anyone for anything, and now she’s supposed to expose her deepest, darkest secrets to this pseudo-goth boy? Right. She’s not telling anyone what really happened the day she died, not even to save her eternal soul. And Will’s not filling out any volunteer forms to help her cross to the other side. He only has a few more weeks until his graduation, when he can strike out on his own and find a place with less spiritual interference. But he has to survive and stay out of the psych ward until then. Can they get over their mutual distrust—and the weird attraction between them—to work together before Alona vanishes for good and Will is locked up for seeing things that don’t exist?

I enjoyed "The Ghost and the Goth", but it kind of fell flat for me. Alona was an interesting character, but I couldn't get over her attitude and ego. She got better towards the end of the book and it helped me to enjoy the book more, but I felt like it just took too long for me to start to enjoy her character. I did like how she was able to help Will to learn to use his ability and that did show that she wasn't as heartless as she seemed, but it came a little late for me. It also bothered me how Will would complain about Alona so much but then he was constantly staring at her legs. I guess that's just a guy thing, but the whole relationship didn't really make much sense to me. Both characters only seemed physically attracted to one another.

I think I would have liked the book better if the story had focused on Will's abilities more. I did enjoy hearing the story through both characters' perspectives. Sometimes I find this jarring, but both characters had unique voices that made it easy to follow. Overall the book was enjoyable and funny, I just wish I could have connected to the characters more. I know that other people have enjoyed this book a lot more than me, so I think it comes down to whether or not you can accept Alona's character.

Review of "Linger" by Maggie Stiefvater

"Linger"
by Maggie Stiefvater


5

Pub. Date: July 17th 2010
Pages: 246

Synopsis:
In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love - the light and the dark, the warm and the cold - in a way you will never forget.

I loved "Shiver" and I was excited when "Linger" came out, the second book in the “Wolves of Mercy Falls” series did not disappoint me. Grace and Sam's love continues to grow as they break rules to be together. Grace's parents come out of hiding and decide to enforce rules of their household that they were happy to let slide in the past. This was an interesting change from the first book that causes lots of conflict. The introduction of a new wolf, Cole, also brings new tension to the story. Cole's past is sorted, but he will not be able to disappear like the others. He will be missed and people will come looking for him.

I have to say that my favorite part of the book was the end. I don't want to give anything away, but Grace has been keeping a secret from Sam. Part of me is surprised that she would keep such a big secret from the man she loves, but I felt like Stiefvater was able to make it realistic because of all the other problems going on at the same time. Sam was too distracted to notice what was going on with Grace and she was doing her best to hide it. Even though some people may not like the way the book ended, I think it was perfect. It gave the series more room to grow and brought more questions about the lives of the wolves. I am surprised there is only one book left in the series, but I can't wait to see how it all comes together.

"Linger" brings a new depth to the series allowing for new twists. Before I was never too worried about the werewolves being discovered by outsiders, but I can see this being a major problem in the series. Beck's latest wolf decisions don't seem to be the best for the pack, so it will be interesting to see where things go in future books. I wonder if Beck will come back, or if he is in wolf form for good. I like where Stiefvater is taking the series and I can't wait for the final book, "Forever".