Operation Teen Book Drop

I have dropped my books off in the town of Dover. I have never participated in this event, so I'm not really sure if I need to write anything else. Some of the books I dropped were "If I Stay", "The Lost Days: Emily the Strange", "Jake Ransom and the Skull King's Shadow", "My Soul to Save", "Ivy", and about 5 more titles.
If you want to learn more about Operation Teen Book Drop, just click here or on the image above.

Review of "Little Miss Red"- Robin Palmer

"Little Miss Red"
Robin Palmer

3

Pub. Date: Febuary 09, 2010
Pages: 272

Synopsis: Sophie Greene gets good grades, does the right thing, and has a boyfriend that her parents— and her younger brother—just love. (Too bad she doesn't love him.) Sophie dreams of being more like Devon Deveraux, star of her favorite romance novels, but, in reality, Sophie isn't even daring enough to change her nail polish. All of that changes when Sophie goes to Florida to visit her grandma Roz, and she finds herself seated next to a wolfishly goodlooking guy on the plane. The two hit it off, and before she knows it, Sophie's living on the edge. But is the drama all it's cracked up to be?

"Little Miss Red" was a cute, quick read. I enjoyed sitting out in the sun today enjoying the nice weather while reading this book. Even though sometimes I wanted to hit Sophie, I found her to be really genuine and enjoyed her as a character. In my twenties I am sitting hear wanting to yell at her because it is clear to me she is being taken advantage of, but then when I think back to some of my relationships in high school, I know that I let one of the guys I dated get away with some of the same things. Once you live through the mistake, you don't let it happen again ;)

Even though I liked Sophie's character, I didn't really care for the rest in the book. The rest fell pretty flat to me, which made me think Sophie should just move away starting off fresh and fabulous in a new town. The reason I enjoyed this book so much is that Palmer showed that love isn't like in a romance book. Relationships are difficult and usually do not live up to our romanticized expectations; however, that doesn't mean that you can't be happy spending your life with someone you love. I also liked that Sophie grew as a character by the end of the book. She made mistakes, but she learned from them and didn't regret what happened.

I thought it was a cute retelling of Little Red Riding Hood that is fully modernized down to Sophie's addiction to her iphone. I like how Palmer was able to keep the sleazy, smooth talking wolf character, but just disguise him in a human body. I would recommend this book to girls who like fun, modernized fairytales or romances.

Review of "The Looking Glass Wars"

"The Looking Glass Wars"
by Frank Beddor

5


Pub Date: September 26th 2006
Pages: 384

Synopsis:
THE MYTH
Alice Liddel was an ordinary girl who stepped through the looking glass and entered a fairy-tale world invented by Lewis Carrol in his famous storybook.

THE TRUTH
Wonderland is real. Alyss Heart is the heir to the throne, until her murderous aunt Redd steals the crown and kills Alyss's parents. To escape Redd, Alyss and her bodyguard. Hatter Madigan, must flee to our world through the Pool of Tears. But in the pool Alyss and Hatter are separated. Lost and alone in Victorian London, Alyss is befriended by an aspiring author, to whom she tells the violent, heartbreaking story of her young life. Yet he gets the story all wrong. Hatter Madigan knows the truth only too well, and he is searching every corner of our world to find the lost princess and return her to Wonderland so she may battle Redd for her rightful place as the Queen of Hearts.

My friend at work was bugging me for months to read this book and I am so glad it finally made its way to the top of my to read pile. I loved Beddor's twist on "Alice in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass", he was able to take a classic world and make it his own, while still keeping the magic of the original texts intact. Beddor was able to recreate the fanciful Wonderland setting upholding it as a realm where the impossible is possible. His characters were vivid with huge personalities, all of them were unique and really helped bring the book to life. I was going to name my favorite characters; however, I would have ended up listing pretty much all of them. I really love how Beddor used white and dark imagination in the book, it was so cool to read about the battles and seeing how each side harmed their enemies. That sounds kind of cryptic, but Beddor was just so inventive in the fighting scenes.

Alyss's quest to find her place in the world, whether it is Earth or Wonderland, and her identity struggles are concepts readers will relate to. Even Alyss's family issues on Earth and in Wonderland will reverberate with audiences. Redd is a tyrant who rules Wonderland as a fascist state telling people what they will believe and how they should act. Her unethical treatment of citizens and Wonderland's ecosystem reflect some of the major conflicts that our own world has gone through in the last century. Beddor is able to add a lot of substance to the book without slowing down the story or taking away from the fantastical world that is Wonderland.

This book would not have worked if the writer did not have a wonderful imagination and was not intimately familiar with both of Lewis Carroll's Alice books. I am so glad that Beddor took the risk of writing this series because he created pure magic. I have already started the second book and am really enjoying it so far. I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of "Alice in Wonderland", as well as to people who enjoy fantasy and adventure.

Review of "The Dead-Tossed Waves"

"The Dead-Tossed Waves"
by Carrie Ryan


5

Pub. Date: March 9th, 2010
Pages: 416

Synopsis: Gabry lives a quiet life. As safe a life as is possible in a town trapped between a forest and the ocean, in a world teeming with the dead, who constantly hunger for those still living. She's content on her side of the Barrier, happy to let her friends dream of the Dark City up the coast while she watches from the top of her lighthouse. But there are threats the Barrier cannot hold back. Threats like the secrets Gabry's mother thought she left behind when she escaped from the Sisterhood and the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Like the cult of religious zealots who worship the dead. Like the stranger from the forest who seems to know Gabry. And suddenly, everything is changing. One reckless moment, and half of Gabry's generation is dead, the other half imprisoned. Now Gabry only knows one thing: she must face the forest of her mother's past in order to save herself and the one she loves.

When I first started reading this book I was kind of bummed out because I found it to be very predictable; however, after getting a few chapters in my entire opinion changed. Between the cult that worships the unconcecrated and a twist that I can't give away, I quickly became hoooked on this book. I really love how Ryan creates characters that are believable. They have flaws and fears that help shape the story. Her characters develop and change as they are faced with difficult situations. Even Mary had some surprises up her sleaves and I was glad she played a role in this book. It was really interesting to see how Gabry's life developed because of the experiences that her mother had in "The Forest of Hands and Teeth".

This book was a page turner because of all the action and suspense. Especially once Gabry goes into the forest following her mother's footsteps. The end of the book left me craving the next installment, which I am dying to read! Ryan left me wanting questions answered and with the desire to know the plight of all the characters. In "The Forest of Hands and Teeth" I at least felt safe at the end, but "The Dead-Tossed Waves" has me unsure about the safety of the characters. I really hope the Dark City is part of the setting for the next book. We are teased by it, but never find out that much. Ryan has taken us through a deadly forest, a quiet seashore, and I hope a bustling city will be the next destination.

I would definitely recommend this series to anyone who likes horror, paranormal thrillers, and romance. Check out Carrie Ryan's website for printable bookmarks, events, news, and more information about the series.

Review of "The Mark"

"The Mark"
by Jen Nadol


2

Pub. Date: January 19th, 2010
Pages: 240

Summary: Cassandra Renfield has always seen the mark—a glow around certain people reminiscent of candlelight. But the one time she mentioned it, it was dismissed as a trick of the light. Until the day she watches a man awash in the mark die. After searching her memories, Cassie realizes she can see a person’s imminent death. Not how or where, only when: today.

Armed with a vague understanding of the light, Cassie begins to explore her “gift,” seeking those marked for death and probing the line between decision and destiny. Though she’s careful to hide her secret—even from her new philosophy-obsessed boyfriend—with each impending death comes the temptation to test fate. But so many questions remain. How does the mark work? Why is she the only one who sees it? And finally, the most important of all: If you know today is someone’s last, should you tell them?

I don't know why, but I found this book to be really slow for such a small book. The book was okay, but I honestly only finished it because it was so short. I didn't feel like the book got interesting for me until the last 50 pages and then it ended. I could have done without all the philosophy and more with the family history. I felt like the philosophizing that went on through the book seemed very predictable. I didn't really like the guy that Cassie was seeing; the whole relationship felt very skeezy to me because of the fact that he was technically her TA. I honestly wasn't sure if I liked Cassie's character until the end of the book, which is weird for me because I usually care too much about the characters that I am reading. I felt a much stronger connection to some of the secondary characters, which I wished had played a larger role in the book.

I feel bad because I feel like I am just tearing this book up, but honestly these are only my opinions. There are a lot of great reviews of this book, but for some reason it just didn't click with me. I am going to leave this review where it is just because 1- I don't want to say more than I need to about my feelings... I think they are pretty clear and 2- I would probably end up giving away some of the plot. If this book sounds interesting to you then definitely check it out because you may really enjoy it, it just wasn't the book for me.