Review of "Avalon High"

"Avalon High"
Meg Cabot

5

Pub. Date: December 27, 2005
Pages: 304

Synopsis: Avalon High, Ellie's new school, is pretty much what she'd expected. There's Lance, the hunky footballer; Jennifer, the cute cheerleader; Marco, the troublemaker. And then there's Will - the most gorgeous guy Ellie's ever met. She can hardly believe he likes HER. When Will says he thinks he's met Ellie before, things start getting a little weird. A feeling that grows as Ellie discovers the strange bonds that entwine Will, Lance, Jen, Marco - and herself. As darkness turns to danger, can Ellie stop the horrific chain of events that is about the engulf them all…

Another win for Meg Cabot! This is my favorite book by the author that I've read so far. You should keep in mind that I've only read a handful of her books; luckily I am working on remedying this tragedy! I just wish I could get my hands on more of her books on CD! I listened to "Avalon High" in my car and at the gym and had serious problems stopping. I loved the spin of the Arthurian legend and how Cabot was able to make it believable (never doubt her power to make a fantastical plot work). You may think that there are no mysteries to this book and that all the characters are what they seem, but Cabot is able to add a few twists that I didn't see coming. I loved all the character. Lance even grew on me. Cabot created a fantastic villain; he/she was complex and embraced his/her evil side. I know that may sound weird, but I feel like villains can fall short sometimes in books.

I absolutely love the balance between humor and conflict that Cabot is able to bring to her books. I also love the fact that I never feel like her books are dragging with wasted space. Her books always seem to be the perfect length to fit exactly what needs to be there, no more, no less. I know this isn't always the easiest part of writing, but as a reader it drives me nuts when I feel like books could easily be sped up. I worry sometimes about authors who write a lot of books because sometimes I feel like they get lazy, but so far I haven't found this with Cabot. I am hoping that she keeps the spark in her writing for many more years to come!

Review of "Shawdowland"

"The Mediator: Shadowland"
by Meg Cabot

5

Pub Date: December 28, 2004
Pages: 304

Synopsis: Suze is a mediator -- a liaison between the living and the dead. In other words, she sees dead people. And they won't leave her alone until she helps them resolve their unfinished business with the living. But Jesse, the hot ghost haunting her bedroom, doesn't seem to need her help. Which is a relief, because Suze has just moved to sunny California and plans to start fresh, with trips to the mall instead of the cemetery, and surfing instead of spectral visitations.

But the very first day at her new school, Suze realizes it's not that easy. There's a ghost with revenge on her mind ... and Suze happens to be in the way.

After reading "The Shadowland", I realized something, Meg Cabot is AWESOME! I know that most people are probably saying, "Um duh... where have you been?", but I hadn't read anything by her until recently and I am now hooked! Cabot has created another line up of great characters. Suze is strong and stubborn, but she also has a softer side. Even though she need to kick serious ghost butt in certain cases, she is still able to empathize with them. Jesse is mysterious and surprisingly sweet for a ghost haunting a bedroom. Even though Heather's character makes me want to rip my hair out, she brings a lot to the story and I have to admit, she is a great villain.

This book is paranormal, but it deals a lot with the drama of high school and family issues. Suze is moving to California with her mom to live with her stepfather and his sons, this is a big adjustment from New York, New York. Suze may not worry about fitting in, but she does have to find a way to balance her social life between the living and the dead. Not getting into too much trouble is also another priority. I think I would have spent a lot of time worrying about our heroine if the story hadn't been so funny.

Meg Cabot does a fantastic job at creating stories that suck you in with their plot and characters. All the books I have read have been fun reads, but they are able to address serious topics at the same time. Sometimes authors write one good series and the rest of their writing falls flat, but so far I haven't found this problem with the multiple sampling of Cabot's series that I've read.

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!