Review: Inland - Kat Rosenfield

Where I got it: Library
Rating: 2.5 stars  
Cover Rating: 5 stars (I really like this cover.)
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: June 12, 2014
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Page Count: 388 p.
Add it: Goodreads

Callie can't breathe. She hasn't been able to ever since her mother died and her father took her away from the sea. Finally, her father gets a job offer he can't refuse which takes them to the Florida coast. There it is like Callie can take her first real breath in years. Now that they are closer to the sea though, Callie starts to feel it pulling her, calling to her. She knows that the sea is where she belongs, because that's where her mother is.

This was quite disappointing.  I don't know what it was about this novel, but I had the hardest time getting through it. I loved Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone and this one sounded so promising, but then...nothing. It took me almost a month to read this novel, which is crazy. Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood for a Kat Rosenfield novel.

It was an interesting premise, but a bit predictable. Nothing about it was surprising and I figured things out long before Callie even thought to think about them. There's really not much else to say about this novel. It just wasn't right for me.

Review: Great - Sara Benincasa

Where I got it: Library
Rating: 2 stars  
Cover Rating: 3 stars (Meh.)
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: April 8, 2014
Publisher: HarperTeen
Page Count: 263 p.
Add it: Goodreads

Naomi doesn't enjoy spending her summers in the Hamptons with her mother. She'd much rather stay home and study for the SATs. Everyone else is mega rich and while Naomi's mother embraces that lifestyle, Naomi herself shuns it. Then she meets the girl next door, who is anything but the typical girl next door. Jacinta invites Naomi to hang out with her, and even though it's to get closer to Delilah (someone who Naomi's mother forces her together with) Naomi finds herself fascinated with the mystery of Jacinta. But most mysteries don't stay mysteries for too long and worlds can crumble will secrets escape.

I was so excited for this one and was quite disappointed with what I got. I suppose if you haven't read The Great Gatsby you might enjoy this because it will be a while new story for you. I just felt like this was far too close of a re-telling to actually hold my interest. I just guess I wanted the author to do more with this. I wanted this story to be larger than life and it was just regular sized.

There weren't really any characters that I found myself liking and that makes it hard to really enjoy a book.

All in all I just found this title to be a bit lackluster. I enjoyed the big changes that were made, but there were not nearly enough for me to be super excited about this one.

First Line:
"My dad, who did all the heavy lifting when it came to child rearing and was far better suited to the job than my mother, gave me some good wisdom after my first summer away in East Hampton."

Favorite Line:
"She didn't look like the type who could generate scorn, but if she was anything like every other girl I'd met during my East Hampton summers, scorn was her second-favorite feeling, after boredom."

Mini Review: The Isobel Journal - Isobel Harrop

Where I got it: Netgalley
Rating: 2.5 stars  
Cover Rating: 3 stars (It's okay.)
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: November 7, 2013
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Page Count: 208 p.
Add it: Goodreads

This book is a very realistic teen journal. I don't have anything against it, I just don't have anything for it either. It was a little bit boring with no real narration. It's an interesting quick little read. Something you can sit down and breeze through, but it just wasn't for me. I think teens who are very into journaling and art will really enjoy this. It's a good book to have in your teen section for them to flip through, like a magazine. I guess I just wanted there to be more. It was honest and real, but it just wasn't MORE than that. 

Review: Two or three Things I Forgot to Tell You - Joyce Carol Oates

Where I got it: Library
Rating: 2 stars  
Cover Rating: 3 stars (Plain, but not bad.)
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: August 21, 2012
Publisher: HarperTeen
Page Count: 288 p.
Add it: Goodreads

It's senior year and Tink is gone. Tink was the glue that held her friends together. Now they have secrets trapped inside of themselves. The secrets are poisoning them, but who do they have to tell now?

What?! Seriously. I am not really sure what I even just read. It was a jumbled mess of conceited teenage narration. Merissa makes me want to ring her neck...she totally knows what it's like to be hungry because "Merissa could go without eating for hours...". Well congratulations! You don't have to constantly shove food into your mouth every minute of every day! Let me give a a gold star. The girls all just really annoyed me.

I didn't like the structure of this book either. The narration was weird and then it switched to a different character. We were given fragments of a story instead of a whole thing that made any sense. These girls are sheep and completely full of themselves and I had a hard time getting through this novel.

The strange stuff about Tink was interesting, but could not save the rest of the mess. This book was simply not for me at all. There were lots of connotations throughout this novel, but I could never get a good handle on them. A good pick for a book discussion, but not enjoyable to read alone.

First Line:
"'Merissa! Congratulations!'"

Favorite Line:
"Overhead the sky was losing its light."

Review: The Truth About You and Me - Amanda Grace

Where I got it: Library
Rating: 2.5 stars  
Cover Rating: 4.5 stars (Sexy. I like it a lot.)
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: September 8, 2013
Publisher: Flux
Page Count: 229 p.
Add it: Goodreads

Madelyn starts attending college at sixteen. She's too smart to stay in regular school especially if she can get a jumpstart on her degree and therefore, her career. This is everything she's always wanted right? She meets Bennett at the college and they just seem to get each other. For the first time she has some one she can talk to and who will listen. A few snags in their relationship are that he thinks she's college-aged...and he's her professor. Madelyn tries to make those things disappear, because she doesn't think they matter. She wants him to know the truth, but she can't stand the thought of losing him. She doesn't know how to proceed without ruining everything, but you can't control everything.

I simply did not like Madelyn. She was manipulative the entire time. I know that she never necessarily lied outright, but it's a big deal. She knew what she was doing was wrong and could destroy Bennett and she simply did not care enough.

This was certainly an interesting take on the student-teacher relationship. A different set of events and all. I just didn't feel it between them. It seemed more like casual dating than the throw-caution-to-the-wind romance that Madelyn had come up with in her head. She was obsessed with him because she clearly had nothing better to do. The very first person to pay attention to her and she's convinced they are meant to be together forever. This could have easily turned into Swim Fan.

I guess the reason I didn't like this book is that it lacked emotion. I didn't like Madelyn and therefore didn't feel for her imagined turmoil. I just wanted her to grow up. The format was nice and the concept was fascinating, but maybe I missed the whole point of the novel. I just wanted more to happen. I wanted consequences, I wanted some FEELING. Mostly though I just felt annoyed. Maybe someone under parental pressure like Madelyn will be able to relate with her and I think that would make a world of difference in enjoying this story. I simply didn't like her and that made the story fall flat.

First Line:
"Dear Bennett, You might not read this, but maybe they will, and maybe somehow that will help you."

Favorite Line:
"You have to be perfect, and if you aren't, well, you better fake it pretty damn well."

Review: The Murmurings - Carly Anne West

Where I got it: Library
Rating: 2.5 stars  
Cover Rating: 5 stars (Totally creepy.)
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: March 5, 2013
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Page Count: 384 p.
Buy it: Book Depository | Indie | Amazon
Add it: Goodreads

The murmurings start and then the shadows start. Are they losing their minds? Or is there something lurking that wants to be heard? Everyone thinks Nell's lost her mind. So they lock her away. But when she disappears from the hospital things start to get really crazy. Sophie wants to believe that her sister wasn't crazy, but how does she know that she's not crazy too?

I expected this book to be much creepier than it turned out to be. I mean, look at the cover and the title. It's sounds creeptastic, but it fell short for me. I think it was a case of telling not showing. I was told that scary things were happening, but I never felt the terror that should have been surrounding the characters. It's a shame, because the story was really interesting and had so much creepy potential.

Another thing that bothered me were the inconsistencies throughout the novel. Like driving to his house and he drives her back...where's her mom's car? There were some little things like that which were never explained. I can deduce what happened, but I think these things could have been caught in a read through.

The story itself was fairly interesting and complex. New scary creature concepts and lots of threads winding around the story. I just really wish it could have been creepier. If I could have gotten inside the story I think it would have been amazing. To feel like if I looked in a mirror I would see shadows staring back at me.

If you've read this or are going to read it, I would love to know how it worked out for you.

First Line:
"I'm supposed to wonder why Gregor Samsa is a cockroach."

Favorite Line:
"Like we're goddamed wizards."

Middle Grade Monday| Review: The Ultra Violets - Sophie Bell

Middle Grade Monday is a feature started right here at Reading Nook. It's a way to share news or reviews of middle grade novels on a blog that doesn't exclusively post middle grade content. Feel free to join any time and link up. 

Where I got it: ARC from publisher

Rating: 2.5 stars  

Cover Rating: 3 stars (They look like
Powerpuff Girls, complete with no real feet. Except Scarlet.)

Genre: Middle Grade

Publication Date: March 5, 2013

Publisher: Razorbill

Page Count: 290 p.

Buy it: Book Depository / Amazon

Add it: Goodreads

Four young girls were best friends and their moms all worked as scientists. At a sleepover one night, their babysitter accidentally spilled a substance all over them. The friends had to move away and lost touch. Then one day Iris's hair turned purple, for no known reason. Then the girls end up moving back to attend the same school. After another sleepover, they realize that they are all a bit different. They can now do things that they couldn't before. They need to figure out how to use their powers for good and keep them a secret. Maybe they'll even find out why it happened.

This was a cute novel, but there were just too many things that I didn't like about it. There were way too many puns. There were some puns that were subtle and clever, but then there were some that were just obnoxious. Some of the puns seemed like they would go way over the head of middle school students. Kids just wouldn't get some of the references. For me there were just entirely too many puns and such. They even changed the name of Truth or Dare while referencing Truth or Dare.

The other thing I didn't like was how the mutants were treated in this novel. The girls called the ugly and disliked them and attacked them with little or no provocation from the mutants. I don't think that we should encourage tweens to be judgmental based on how someone looks. Granted these are very crazy mutations, animal/human mixes, but still. I just didn't think this sent the best message. I never really felt like their was a reason for them to be the bad guys, because they never really attacked.

I liked how each of the characters were different, but they were still all friends. They weren't all that nice to Opal though. I think each character gives girls a different person to relate to. It was a cute story, a bit like the Powerpuff Girls. A teeny-booper kind of read. I think middle grade kids will probably enjoy it more than grumpy old me.

First Line:
"It was a dark and stormy morning."

Favorite Line:
"...avoiding Candace's begoggled glare and scanning the digital matrix for sock distress signals instead."

This is a Middle Grade Monday Post feel free to link your middle grade reviews/news below :) 

(doesn't have to be posted on a Monday)

Blog Tour / Review: Escape Theory - Margaux Froley

Where I got it: Netgalley
Rating: 2.5 stars  
Cover Rating: 4 stars (Fitting.)
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: March 12, 2013
Publisher: Soho Teen
Page Count: 288 p.
Buy it: Book Depository / Amazon
Add it: Goodreads

Devon is at Keaton School on a scholarship, so she has a hard time fitting in with the kids there. She manages to find a few friends and get by. For her junior year she decides to be a peer counselor (the only one), which is now a needed position since a student, Hutch, killed himself. Devon is a bit thrown by this, because she has to lend support to the people who cared about him, and she is secretly one of those people too. Based on what she hears while counseling, Devon begins to wonder if Hutch even did take his own life or if it was something more sinister than that. Hutch committing suicide doesn't fit with who she knew, and it doesn't seem to fit the Hutch others knew either. Devon decides it's up to her to figure out what is really going on.

So the first thing that seemed strange to me is the obituary in the beginning of this novel. It mentions that Hutch committed suicide. Usual in obituaries they tend to avoid mentioning cause of death in that case and it seems especially strange since Hutch's parents are high profile people.

The mystery part of the story was pretty good. It kept me guessing, because the evidence only narrowed down some subjects. There were so many factors and that made it a bit trickier to pinpoint what happened. Some things were kept a "mystery" for too long though, and it made Devon seem a bit incompetent.

Also Grant was such a weird guy. I just wasn't sure what was going on with him. What roll did he play? Did he actually like Devon at all? She mentioned them being friends for a while. It seems strange not knowing the relationships between Devon and most of the other characters. Like, really, one night with a kid two years ago and you think you are connected on some super deep level even thought you didn't (maybe) talk at all for the next two years. Like what the hell!? Why didn't Devon and Hutch just hang out? Why weren't they at least friends? What is going on there? Why does Devon have all these sort of friends and no backstory or anything? Why should we care about Hutch? Devon seemed like an okay character. Sort of a Bitch though. A little crazy maybe? Most people in this novel seemed a bit crazy though. Hutch started to be fleshed out as some sort of Charlie Bartlett type.

There was too much that just didn't make sense. There were totally obvious things that Devon couldn't put together and I don't understand how friendship works apparently and why if you really liked the company of someone you would just not speak to them.

I didn't hate reading this book, but I wished that it made a bit more sense. I just had a hard time making connections because nothing seemed to be connected. People came in and out of the story with little more than a name introduction. It was just strange. I will probably read her next book, and hope that the relationships are worked out and explained a bit better.

First Line:
"Jason Reed Hutchins 1996-2012
Jason Reed Hutchins, 16, of Marin County, died Wednesday, September 5th, 2012, of an apparent suicide at the Keaton school in Santa Cruz, California."

Favorite Line:
"He finished and looked to Devon with that crooked smile of his. She now understood that this is the face Hutch made when he was proud of himself."

Margaux Froley is a Southern California native and a boarding school grad. She spent the last few years working her way through the Hollywood ranks to become a television writer on CW's Privileged. She then moved to New York to become a development executive at MTV Networks. Escape Theory is her first novel.
Follow her:
http://www.margauxfroley.com/
@MargauxFroley

Review: Saving June - Hannah Harrington

Where I got it: Library
Rating: 2.5 stars  
Cover Rating: 3 stars (I don't mind it.)
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: Novemeber 22, 2011
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Page Count: 322 p.
Buy it: Book Depository / Amazon
Add it: Goodreads

Harper's sister June has killed herself. No one is sure why. She didn't seem unhappy and she was always the good daughter. Now Harper is left in the wake of this tragedy. June had always wanted to go to California, so when Harper hears that her parents are planning on splitting up the ashes she steals them. Now all she needs is a road trip crew. Her best friend Laney is in, but her car dies before they can even really think about California. That's when Jake appears. Jake knew June too, though Harper isn't sure how. Now though, they have an entire road trip to find out that and about themselves and about life.

This is a great book if this is exactly the topic you like to read about. It was cliche and predictable at times. Most of my drive to keep reading it was so that I could figure out why June would kill herself.

I don't really have a lot to say about this one, it was typical. The writing wasn't anything special, so it didn't really stand out against other books. Each person was a caricature of the character they were playing. I mean the young rebellious daughter who's always asked "Why can't you be more like your sister?". The best friend who ends up needing help. The cute rebel/mysterious boy. The road trip (now don't get me wrong I love a good road trip story, but...). The relationships, the drama...Maybe I'm getting to old for YA ;-P

It wasn't a bad story, but I know it will fade in my memory with all the others like it. I don't mind the same story as long as there is something that sets it apart. There were even some great parts to it. I enjoyed the music conversations, which I guess could set it apart. This book almost seemed to mash two perfectly good books into one and the result was less than amazing. If you enjoyed The Sky is Everywhere and don't mind the same story but with a road trip instead of grief, check it out.

First Line:
"According to the puppy-of-the-month calendar hanging next to the phone in the kitchen, my sister June died on Thursday, exactly nine days before her high school graduation."

Favorite Line:
"'You'd have to have no soul to not like Johnny Cash,' he says."

Movie Review: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

Where I got it: Library
Rating: 2.5 stars 
Cover Rating: 5 stars (Absolutely delightful.)
Rating: Rated R
DVD Release Date: October 23, 2012
Run Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Buy it: Amazon

For a summary of this movie, check out my review of the book version here.

So you often find that the movie is not nearly as good as the book. For one reason or another it just doesn't meet expectations. Things get dropped and the can make the movie just plain not as good. What strikes me funny about how bad this movie was is the fact that the author of the novel wrote the screenplay for this. Despite this fact the movie seemed like a loosely based version of the novel. I suppose the movie was more entertaining, the book would probably be more closely similar to a documentary than a blockbuster. It seemed like too many things were changed and dropped though.

Another point that bugged me was Abe's superhuman strength and the disregard for the laws of physics. So many scenes in this movies suspended belief. Why did Abe have to have superpowers in the movie? He didn't in the novel and it was perfect, it made sense. Then to watch the movie it just seemed crazy. Why couldn't Abe have just built up his strength? Why the magical?

I was very disappointed in this movie. Maybe I would have enjoyed it slightly more if I hadn't read the book? Still the physics and superhuman strength bugged me quite a bit. Watch it if you dare.

Review: Monstrous Beauty - Elizabeth Fama

Where I got it: Arc from publisher
Rating: 2.5 stars  

Cover Rating: 3.5 stars (I don't really love any of the covers they've had for this one.)
Genre: Young Adult

Publication Date: September 4, 2012

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Page Count: 294 p.

Buy it: Book Depository / Amazon
Add it: Goodreads

A mermaid falls in love with a man and forsakes her underwater life and immortality for the love she feels. Once on land though, there are consequences she must face, for life above is not like life below. Hester meets a stranger who guesses things about her she hasn't dared to speak aloud. In her family death and birth seem to be linked. The stranger urges her to explore her family's history and figure out why the women all seemed to be cursed. What starts out as small curiosity grows into something larger than Hester could imagine. Her love for the stranger grows and things seem to start trying to tear them apart. It's up to Hester to solve the mystery though and save her own life.

This was a very interesting story. Quite a few parts were obvious to me though, so that made the novel easy to put down. I really liked how the mermaids were described though. There weren't Ariels singing about in their seashell bras. These ones were much more sinister, with sharp fins on their wrist and long, strong tails. I really loved the mermaid part of the story, and wish there was a bit more of that and a bit less land. Hester just seemed kind of dumb for not realizing the things that were right in front of her. Maybe if I was in her situation instead of seeing it from the outside, I would have done the same thing—not realized the same things. Alas though, I am a reader and it bothered me how clueless Hester was. I liked seeing all the pieces fit together and spelled out and it was an interesting plot. I just felt like I was sitting around waiting for Hester to catch up though. I would like to find a dapper man named Ezra by the sea though, that sounds fantastic. I wish Peter was in this book more. He seemed like a great guy too, but we rarely got to see him. Hester was a complete jerk to him all the time, which was kind of like kicking a puppy. Her was so hopelessly in love with her, and she just didn't care about his feelings. If Hester was a bit more empathetic and more intelligent, I think I would have liked this story a whole lot more. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it if you've read and loved it. It just wasn't for me.

First Line:
"Syrenka wanted Pukanokick."

Favorite Line:
"And then he examined him under the lamplight: the young man's lips were blue-purple, his breath was shallow, and his skin was cool to the touch."

Review: Boy Proof - Cecil Castellucci

Where I got it: My collection
Rating: 2.5 stars  

Cover Rating: 4 stars (It's fairly eye-catching despite it's muted colors. Makes me curious.)
Genre: Young Adult

Publication Date: February 17, 2005

Publisher: Candlewick Press

Page Count: 203 p.

Buy it: Book Depository / Amazon
Add it: Goodreads

Egg used to be called Victoria, until she become obsessed with the movie Terminal Earth. Now Egg dresses like the kick-ass heroine along with adopting her name. Egg just wants people to know she's different and smart. Egg's mother tells her she's making herself boy proof but Egg doesn't care. That is until she meets Max. At first Egg hates him, but after getting to know him a bit better she starts to think that maybe he's not as bad as she first thought. Egg slowly warms up to the idea of being friends with another person, but there are complications. Can Egg get over herself in order to make people see that she can be a friend.

I did not care much for Victoria (Egg). She was pretty bitchy most of the time and had a very superior air about her. She just seemed like she was trying too hard to be different, when really she was just a boring smart kid. She also was terrible to her mother. I understand that sometimes kids are brats and act out. I mean, I've done it. Victoria was rude all the time though, and it was a bit much. The other characters were interesting though.

This was a really short read, so some of the characters were never super fleshed-out. I got a good feeling from some of them though. Next to Victoria it was easy to impress me though. I like Max, though he did seem a little phony. He was really political, but he also is quite a bit worldly so I guess those things go together.

The sci-fi addiction part was pretty fun. I wish that any of these were really movies so that I could watch them and be on the in. It was pretty fun anyways though.

The way Max and Victoria's relationship developed wasn't surprising. Victoria was full of herself and shut people out and Max was friendly. Victoria had a hard time keeping any friends. If she didn't have some brains about her, nobody would talk to her, because she's prickly.

This was an interesting read, but nothing really caught me as amazing. It may have just been too quick for it's own good. Or maybe I was just another person who didn't like Victoria's personality.

First Line:
"Monday. Janusry 5. 6:59 A.M.
Cyberspace.

REUTERS: DOOMSDAY CLOCK MOVES CLOSER TO MIDNIGHT
A.P.: DOUBT AND SHOCK GREET FIRST HUMAN CLONING
SPACE.COM: ASTEROID ON COLLISION COURSE WITH EARTH
SCIENCE: SIXTH MASS EXTINCTION HAS BEGUN

'Great, another stellar day,' I say."

Favorite Lines:
"I am making out with Zach Cross. It is out of this world."

Review: 52 Reasons to Hate My Father - Jessica Brody

Where I got it: Arc from publisher
Rating: 2.5 stars  

Cover Rating: 3 stars (The girls perfect, this cover is perfect but oh how I loathe her.)
Genre: Young Adult

Publication Date: July 3, 2012

Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux

Page Count: 352 p.

Buy it: Book Depository / Amazon
Add it: Goodreads

Lexington Larrabee has everything she wants. She doesn't even have to lift a finger to get it. New cars, huge house and tons of money for shopping. If she totals a car, she can just get a new one. When she drunk drives her brand new car into a connivence store right before her eighteenth birthday though, her father decides he has had enough. It's time for Lexington to learn what it means to grow up and earn money, and she's not going to like it. When she turns eighteen and heads to see Bruce for her trust fund check she is informed that before she can have her money, she has to complete the task her father has decided on. She must work 52 jobs over the next year. Each week she will have a new low-paying job to suffer through. Lexington can't even believe it. She's never had to do anything for herself, let alone other people. She has a choice though, she can do the work and get the money or figure out how to live on her own without her father's billions.

This was a tricky book to rate. On one hand it was a light fast read and I enjoyed reading it. On the other hand though, there were a some major flaws that really bugged me. The top thing that annoyed me was how unrealistic Lexington was. In the beginning of the book she's all bling-bling, spoiled-brat, heiress and then by the end she's supposed to be super smart and not such a sucky person? I didn't see anything that would call for this change. She could have been a bit better of a person, but the whole 360 turnaround kind of threw me off. Of course, I've never known anyone that rich and spoiled, so...

Her father and all her brothers aren't complete idiots, so maybe she was just playing her part. It seems weird that she would keep the same friends though if she's a completely new person. They must be very loving and adapting friends. Then there's the very obvious love interest. I saw that coming as soon as he was mentioned. Then there's Rolando. Lexi and him are supposed to be BFFs, but he's only mentioned a few times. What!?


The other thing that bugged me was that "could care less". Lexi used it a couple of times in thought and  dialogue. It's "couldn't care less"!!!! I mean, it fits the person I'm picturing well, but I don't think that person could solve a big mystery.


I wish there were any other characters to really talk about, but everyone was just a brief mention really. Once again proving that everything is all about Lexington Larrabee.  I did like that there was mention of other Jessica Brody characters in this novel. It was brief, but if you are paying attention, you'll catch it. This was a quick fun read with a lot of funny parts. If you like reading about rich snobs who end up turning their lives around, this is exactly the book for you. I just find it all a bit unrealistic. Maybe someday, someone will prove me wrong.

First Line:
"My father is going to kill me."

Favorite Line:
"Come Monday morning I'm a frazzled mess."

Review: Kiss Crush Collide - Christina Meredith

Where I got it: ARC from AmazonVine
Rating: 2.5 stars  

Cover Rating: 3 stars (What's with the crappy photoshopped tattoo?)
Genre: Young Adult

Publication Date: December 27, 2011

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Page Count: 313 p.

Buy it: Book Depository / Amazon
Add it: Goodreads

When Leah starts roaming around outside of the country club, she meets Porter. They take a fast ride which leads to making out in the grass. Now Leah can't get him off her mind. They never call each other and they never make plans. Porter just shows up on the road with a car to whisk her away. Soon Leah's going to have to make some decision though, because she can't have everything. Leah is going to have to decide whether to follow the easy path for her, laid out by her sisters and mother or the path that she wants to take.

I feel lukewarm about this novel. There was nothing particular that I disliked, but I didn't really like it all that much. The one thing I did like was the feeling that Leah got with Porter. It's understandable because he's pretty mysterious. He just shows up and that's that. Leah was very self-absorbed though. She also felt liked she deserved everything that she got. Really things just fell to her, because it was family tradition. Leah never had to make hard decisions, but was always complaining about her life. I would have liked it a lot more if she was more of a rebel. She did what she was told and fit in perfectly. She barely even changed throughout the whole novel. Most of this book is Leah complaining about and observing her family. I want more heat. I mean, "kiss" is in the title! All we get is scrapes of a sort-of relationship. None of the characters even stick out. Everyone fits in their confusing roles, without any personality beyond what Leah seems fit to stick them with. Her mother is psychotic and Valerie is confusing. I don't even get how she went from annoying leech to best friends with Leah. It didn't really make sense to me. I don't regret reading this book, but it wasn't really for me at all I guess.

First Line:
"'Leah!' My mother rolls her eyes, sounding completely exasperated as she steps down the three thick stone slabs at our front door, her heels clacking."

Favorite Line:
"It seemed he preferred to communicate nonverbally through erratic gearshifting and sudden, violent breaking."

Movie Review: Battle Royale the movie

Where I got it: AmazonVine for review
Rating: 2 stars 
Cover Rating: 5 stars (The packaging for this DVD is really great. If you go to the Amazon link below, you can check out pics of the packaging.)
Rating: Not Rated
DVD Release Date: March 20, 2012
Run Time: 1 hour 54 minutes
Buy it: Amazon

For a summary click here to check out my review of the book.

So there are a lot of reasons that this movie did not meet my expectations. The biggest thing was that it seemed to be loosely based on the book instead of being a movie adaptation of the book. Pretty much the only similarity were the people died in nearly the same order. There were a few other plot points that matched up, but sometimes I felt like I was watching a brand new story with no knowledge of what was going to happen next. This would have been fine if the movie made any bloody sense. Unfortunately it seemed to be just a gore flick, and not a great one at that. A lot of what I loved about the novel, like the background of the characters and the distaste for the government, were completely left out of this movie. One school was chosen to battle, and it was their old teacher instead of Sakamochi that was the director of the events.  I just didn't think you got a chance to realize why the kids were the way they were. There was just chaos and then strange pedophilia dreams between the teacher and Noriko. I'm not quite certain where these came from, but didn't think they added anything to the movie at all. I can't recommend this movie to anyone, unless you just want some chaotic action with hardly a plot and no real character development.

Review: Jenna & Jonah's Fauxmance - Emily Franklin & Brendan Halpin

Where I got it: My collection

Rating: 2.5 stars  

Cover Rating: 4.5 stars (Super fun and cute!)
Genre: Young Adult

Publication Date: February 1, 2011

Publisher: Walker Childrens

Page Count: 229 p.

Buy it: Book Depository / Amazon

Jenna & Jonah are really Charlie and Fielding, but there contract states otherwise. Not only do they have to pretend to be in love on set, but off set too. They don't really get any choice in who they hang out with, what they eat or do. They are trapped by their contract until the show is over. Things are manageable until someone starts a rumor that Fielding is gay. They both have to escape for awhile and let this rumor runs it's course while they are out of the public eye. Fielding owns a ramshackle cabin in the middle of nowhere, so that's where they hide out. Away from all the paparazzi and cameras they can both relax and be themselves, but they aren't sure who they are anymore without their Jenna & Jonah personas. They can't even tell what they are feeling, because they are so use to having to pretend. Without someone telling them what to do and how to feel at all times, things might just fall into place. Charlie is still too worried about her career though and Fielding is ready to escape the business entirely. They may have to stick each other out for a while longer though, but now it might not seem like so much work.

This was a cute story and I'm sure if you like High School Musical, you definitely would watch Jenna & Jonah. You may even love this novel more than I did too. It was a fun, cute read, but the characters were just to shallow. Even when they were being deep, it was like ditzy girls saying profound things. I could never fall in love with the characters. I was interested enough in how they would end up in the end, but it was sort of obvious what conclusion we'd be met with. If you like cutesy stories than this one is right up your alley, plenty of teeny-bopping for all. I liked it well enough, it was something light to read. There's great revelations about how to be yourself, all versions of yourself, so a good message is always welcome in a teen novel. Like I said though, I just couldn't picture the characters as being deep, which is probably because of their Jenna & Jonah characters. It happens all the time. I know each of you have an actor that starred in a role and you will always think of them as that character, instead of anything else. I mean, how hard is it to watch Water for Elephants, without expecting Robert Pattinson to start running superfast, or scowl at Reese Witherspoon in a love/hate way. (Water for Elephants was a fantastic movie by the way ;)) Anyways, that's just how it works. If you need a light and fun read, check this one out.

First Line:
"I will never like a boy like Fielding Withers (and, yes, I know I used the word "like" twice in one sentence, but meaning different things)."

Favorite Line:
"I grab a spreading knife as though I can butter an intruder to death."

Review: Fix Me - Rune Michaels

Where I got it: Library

Rating: 2 stars  

Cover Rating: 4 stars (Interesting, I like the broken mirror and the creepy feel of it all.)
Genre: Young Adult

Publication Date: December 6, 2011

Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Page Count: 149 p.

Buy it: Book Depository / Amazon

Leia is an orphan, and her brother beats on her almost daily. She lives with her aunt, who simply tells her that siblings fight. Leia wants to escape, needs to find someplace better. That's how she's ends up at the zoo. It's her own sanctuary and she never wants to have to leave it. She can't stay in the zoo forever though, and she must face her fears so that she may move on.

This book sounded amazing and super edgy. What I was left with was fragments of a story, pieces missing and there was a lot of guess work involved. In some stories, leaving things to the imagination works. In this story though, it does not. It either happened or it didn't. There are too many things that are never laid out and didn't make the story better, but rather took away from it. I did like the zoo. It was great that she could find this place with the elephants that made her feel better. But we never knew why she was so messed up. She just seemed like she was completely crazy. She remembered a stranger from a dream about the zoo. Then she goes to the zoo to escape it. That doesn't make a whole lot of sense. If I had a dream about some creep and in the dream he cornered me at the zoo near the elephants, I am not going to go straight there to hide from him. That is simply ridiculous. The violence with her brother never seemed that bad. Leia barely ever used self-injury to feel better. There was just a lot in this story that were unfinished and misplaced. I won't rule out reading another Rune Michaels, but I'll be weary. Luckily this was a very short read, so I didn't have to trudge through too many pages to get to the unsatisfying end.

First Line:
"The wood is splintered around the lock, where he wedges a knife to force it open."

Favorite Line:
"And I feel the wall of air between us, compressed air teeming with poison."

Review: Luminous - Dawn Metcalf

Where I got it: ARC from Publisher for review

Rating: 2 stars  

Cover Rating: 5 stars (Gorgeous!)  

Genre: Young Adult

Publication Date: June 30, 2011

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile

Page Count: 367 p.

Buy it: Book Depository / Amazon

"Know Thyself" Consuela hears these words whispered out to her from a changing room mirror. This is when her life starts to change. She goes home to take a bath and when she wakes up everything it different. She finds herself in a place called the Flow. Here are people that are somewhere between life and death and are called upon to save others from death. Consuela finds that to help with her saving people, she can remove her own skin and make a new one out of practically anything; fire, feathers, air, all become her wardrobe. Everyone in the Flow is happy and helpful, and though she misses home, she doesn't totally mind being in the Flow. Then the murders start and everything spins into chaos. No one knows what is happening or who is doing it. If they aren't stopped though, the Flow could be completely destroyed along with everyone in it.

This was a very interesting concept, it is a nice take on near-death experience. It would be fantastic to change and create skins as Consuela does, so much freedom and adventure. So there are a couple of reasons I had to rate this low. One thing that bugged me was that Dawn Metcalf tends to repeat herself a lot throughout the whole novel. It is an ARC, and maybe all the repeats are cut out in the finished copy, but I doubt it. There just seems to be a tendency to reiterate things that had already been said within the same chapter, page or paragraph. "He wasn't here, yet, but like a shark with blood in the water, Tender could smell betrayal in the Flow. Wish knew—Tender wasn't here, but would be soon. And, like a shark, Tender was made for killing." That sort of thing happened more often than I would have liked. Characters would come to a conclusion and then come to that conclusion a few pages later and so on and so forth. The book could have been much shorter if the unnecessary repetition was removed.
The names were fairly odd, but lent to the whole weird dream-like world. After a while of reading this I had to put it down. It was just taking me forever to get through it and I never wanted to read it. I read a few more books, and then picked this one back up. I did love the descriptions. The flowery part of the writing was awesome, which is what kept me reading for so long. I wouldn't have finished this if I hadn't already gotten so far into it. I did thing about not finishing it a few times, but decided to just get it done with. There was a lot of world building, without too much happening in the beginning, and then the conflict and resolution seemed rushed. All of a sudden lots of stuff was happening and nothing was throughly explained. I felt like the ending was disappointing and mostly left me feeling a bit confused. I'm not really sure what happened to most of the characters, as it was never properly explained. Some explanations were alluded to, but nothing definitive. This book had a fantastic cover and some great descriptive writing, I may pick up another novel by this author, but I'm not excited about it.

First Line:
"Consuela wrestled with an armload of jeans, trying to catch the hangers on insufficient hooks."


Favorite Lines:
"Consuela knew that if she tried on a skin again, felt the rush of powerful freedom-thought, she'd understand; but the seduction was like a drug."


"Everything in her room was cold, but the candlewicks along the bath shimmered, whispers of wanting—light called to light, two flames become one—as simple as two magnets kissing with a click."