Review: The Merciless - Danielle Vega

Where I got it: Library
Rating: 4 stars  
Cover Rating: 5 stars (Love it!)
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: June 12, 2014
Publisher: Razorbill
Page Count: 279 p.
Add it: Goodreads

Sofia just moved to a new school in order to outrun her past. She meets the popular girls and they take her under their wings. She sees another girl, Brooklyn, making out with one of her new friend's boyfriend and tells them about it. Next thing Sofia knows is she's getting dragged out of her house in the middle of the night and taken to an abandoned housing development by her new friends.  When they get inside one of the houses Sofia sees Brooklyn tied up. She wants nothing to do with this, but since she's there she's already a part of it. Riley informs Sofia that they are going to perform an exorcism on Brooklyn, because clearly she has been possessed by a demon. Then all semblance of control that Sofia thought she had is lost. Will any of them leave this house alive?

Oh my goodness! What an intense read. This is seriously a one sitting kind of book. The beginning starts of a little meh, but as soon as they take Brooklyn things start racing. I could not put this book down and have already made three other people read it and they all devoured it too. So much awesome.

The only thing I didn't like about this book, was something that barely even mattered in this plot-driven thrill ride. The thing is—I didn't care about any of the characters. I wasn't really invested in who was going insane and all that. The characters were simply part of the plot and I sped through it.

I would love to have some companion novels to this that gave more background of the characters. I also feel like there could be a sequel set like five or ten years in the future. I would love that.

If you are looking for a book that you will not be able to put down, I highly recommend this. It is very violent, but it just adds to the story. Seriously, check this one out as soon as you can.

First Line:
"I snag my thumb on the lunch tray's metal edge, and a crescent of blood appears beneath my cuticle."

Favorite Line:
"Her breath smells like blood and smoke."

Review: Shadow and Bone - Leigh Bardugo

Where I got it: Library
Rating: 4 stars  
Cover Rating: 5 stars (So pretty.)
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: June 5, 2012
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Page Count: 358 p.
Add it: Goodreads

Alina is not really good at many things. She's okay at some things though and that's always been alright with her. Then, while crossing the darkness of The Fold, her group is attacked and Alina discovers a power inside her she never knew she had. She's not sure what had happened until she's being whisked away and told that she is one of the Grisha and that she will be trained by the Darkling himself. This is not ideal for Alina, but she has no choice in the matter and if she cares about anyone at all, she will complete her training.

What a great fantasy. I really enjoyed it. Parts of it reminded me of The Bone Season and I really enjoyed that book too.

The Fold sounds terrifying and not like a place I would ever be willing to cross...unless I was making a run for it I suppose.

The Darkling was a hard character to read and I was very intrigued by him. Alina and Mal make a great team and I'm glad that they were both in this story. One without the other would have been less great. The three of these characters really work well together (well not really together, together) and play theirs roles. I can't wait to continue reading this series.

First Line:
"The Servants called them malenchki, little ghosts, because they were the smallest and the youngest, and because they haunted the Duke's house like giggling phantoms, darting in and out of rooms, hiding in cupboards to eavesdrop, sneaking into the kitchen to steal the last of the summer peaches."

Favorite Line:
"When the tears came, he pulled me close and held me, until there was nothing left but ashes."

Review: No One Else Can Have You - Kathleen Hale

Where I got it: My Collection
Rating: 4 stars  
Cover Rating: 5 stars (Love it!)
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: January 7, 2014
Publisher: HarperTeen
Page Count: 380 p.
Add it: Goodreads

A small town in Wisconsin, where everyone feels safe is shook up when a girl is found murdered. Worse yet, she was strung up in a field like a scarecrow. There aren't many murders in Friendship, Wisconsin, so the police are at a bit of a loss as to what to do. Kippy Bushman is determined to solve this case though even though all she has is the dead girls' diary.

First off, that is one very violent and gruesome death. The description of it gave me goosebumps. What a terrible way to go. The killer is clearly an insane person, completely and totally.

I really enjoyed this book though, it was quite fun for a murder mystery. The murderer was kind of a slap in the face. Not wholly unpredictable, but still surprising. The book was so good though that the mystery was only part of the fun.

Kippy was an interesting character. I don't know if I could be friends with her, but it was enjoyable watching her work. She was weird and blunt, which makes her a great character, but possibly not great friend material (actually, that sounds like great friend material).

If you are looking for a satirical murder mystery, than I definitely recommend you check this one out.

First Line:

"A police officer comforts a woman in the shoulder of a rural highway."

Favorite Line:

"He looks great but I'm trying to be practical."

Review: The Distance Between Us - Kasie West

Where I got it: Library
Rating: 4 stars  
Cover Rating: 3 stars (Kind of generic, but a little fun.)
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: July 2, 2013
Publisher: HarperTeen
Page Count: 312 p.
Add it: Goodreads

Caymen and her mom are very under-whelmed by rich people. The only thing they can be counted on for is spending money on things no one needs. Caymen knows Xander is rich and a first wants nothing to do with him. When he keeps showing up though, he starts to grow on her. Caymen knows that her mother will never approve though and she can't really explain why. Honestly she isn't even sure why her mother's hatred for the rich runs so deep. The more Caymen hangs out with Xander the more she realizes that you can always judge a man by his wallet.

I didn't think this one would wow me, but it did. It was a really good story. It was also quite giggle-inducing. I was often chuckling to myself at the exchanges between Caymen and Xander. It was also quite steamy between those two. Nothing too explicit, but definitely enough to make you fan yourself giddily.

It was very interesting finding out the real root of all evil (and it's not money) at least from Caymen's mom's perspective. It was not quite what I was expecting and I'm glad for that.

This novel definitely makes me want to read more by the author, though honestly I just want to re-read this one. Definitely check it out if your looking for something a little steamy, even more funny and a little tiny splash of surprise.

First Line:
"My eyes burn a hole in the page."

Favorite Line:
"Then he takes me by the waist and lifts me onto the counter."

Review: Cold Calls - Charles Benoit

Where I got it: Library
Rating: 3.5 stars  
Cover Rating: 4 stars (I like it.)
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: April 1, 2014
Publisher: Clarion Books
Page Count: 278 p.
Add it: Goodreads

Three strangers all get the same phone call. An anonymous voice stating "I know your secret". What does the person on the other end want? They want each person to bully another specified person and for the grand finale, record it and put it online. The bullying doesn't go so well for any of them though and they end up in counseling. Which is lucky for them, because it brings them together. With all three of them working at it, they might be able to figure out who is blackmailing them before that person shares their secrets with the world.

This was certainly a fascinating read. Mostly I just wanted to learn what everyone's secret was. I didn't think Eric's was all that bad. Definitely not great, but not as bad as the other two. Fatima's is the worst one when it boils down to the truth. Shelly makes hers horrendous, but in actuality it's not really as bad as Shelly makes herself feel.

It was a bit surprising what all the hub-bub was about. It was almost a let down, but it was pretty ingenious and realistic and just worked. This novel will definitely make you think twice about both sides of bullying.

If you're looking for an interesting mystery within a mystery, grab this one.

First Line:
"The phone rang and he answered it."

Favorite Line:
"Eric opened the stairway door and started down the hallway to the cafeteria, where he would share lunch with a stranger."

Review: This One Summer - Jillian Tamaki, Mariko Tamaki

Where I got it: AmazonVine
Rating: 3.5 stars  
Cover Rating: 5 stars (I really like the illustrations.)
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: May 6, 2014
Publisher: First Second
Page Count: 319 p.
Add it: Goodreads

What is usually a getaway for Rose and her family feels less so this summer. Rose's friend Windy is there, but Rose is on the cusp of teenagerdom and Windy is still a pre-teen. On top of that Rose's mom seems to have receded inside herself and always ends of fighting with her husband. Even though she sometimes finds Windy juvenile, she's glad she has her by her side.

I loved this little snapshot of life. The illustrations perfectly matched the whole tone of this novel.

This whole story takes place during one whirlwind of a summer. Rose is growing up and with it comes the realization that not everything in life is fun in games. I feel like this summer is a loss of innocence for Rose and that is shown a bit by all the things that crash around her and the horror movies.

Windy is a vibrant character and she makes the contrast between her and Rose really stand out. Sometimes I found her to be a bit tiring and I imagine that's how Rose sometimes feels too. It's tricky staring teenagehood in the face. On one hand you still feel like a kid sometimes on the other hand your starting to view the world a bit differently.

This is not a happy-go-lucky summer tale. It's dark and a bit crushing. It's hopeful though, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. If you are a fan of realistic fiction and love graphic novels. I recommend this one.

First Line:

Favorite Line:

Review: Half Bad - Sally Green

Where I got it: Library
Rating: 4 stars  
Cover Rating: 4 stars (I like it.)
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: March 4, 2014
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Page Count: 380 p.
Add it: Goodreads

Nathan is a witch, this they can tell. What they aren't sure about is if he is a white witch or a black witch. He's half of each, but they aren't sure if that makes him good or not. Nathan has been raised by white witches, but this doesn't put the council at ease. When Nathan turns fourteen the council decides that he is more likely to be dangerous and they take him away and lock him in a cage. He is then held prisoner by a woman who is trying to keep him in line. Nathan knows he must escape though. It's his only chance. He has to escape before his seventeenth birthday.

Definitely a fan of this one. Such an interesting witch story. Yes there were themes that we've all seen a million times before, but there was a lot of new and fascinating details in this novel that make it well worth the read.

Sally Green creates a lot of new witch mythos and I for one, love it. Nathan is an interesting narrator for the tale too. He's not great at a lot of things that others are good at, but he's excels in other areas. He is incredibly strong-willed and that's a great thing to see in a character forced to endure such nonsense.

Nature versus nurture plays a large role in this novel, it's pretty much the thing the council is trying to decide on. Nathan is raised as a white witch, but they are worried that his father's blood will infect him and cause him to go dark. This is only mildly amusing seeing as what the white witches seem to be capable of. They seem far more terrible than any black witch, because they pretend to take the high road.

I'm very eager to see where Nathan's journey takes him in the next book. I would definitely recommend this if you're looking for a novel about witches that has action to it.

First Line:
"There's these two kids, boys, sitting close together, squished in by the big arms of an old chair."

Favorite Line:
"Never underestimate the enemy."

Review: Golden Jessi Kirby

Where I got it: Library
Rating: 3.5 stars  
Cover Rating: 4 stars (It's fitting and a bit more elaborate than just a plain picture, so I approve.)
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: May 14, 2013
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Page Count: 278 p.
Add it: Goodreads

Parker is a good girl and has always had her life mapped out for her. She leads a safe--if boring--life and doesn't cause her mother any grief. But then she finds something, something that causes her to break out of her good girl mold a little. She finds the journal of a girl who died ten years ago and she takes it to read it. She just wants to know more about the girl who was half of the Golden Couple of Summit Lakes High. What she finds out is more then she bargained for, and Parker wonders if there could be even more to the story that isn't contained on those lined pages. With the help of her best friend and a boy she has a crush on Parker might finally start living her one wild and precious life.

I really enjoyed this novel. The mystery wasn't too hard to figure out, but it was a little different than I first suspected. There were enough twists to make me not lose interest. I fell like Parker is the slowest reader in the world though. Unless we didn't see everything she read. I feel like what we saw was like an hours worth of reading. I was dying for her to get a move on and finish reading it.

Parker was a really good girl and so it's surprising to see who her best friend and crush were. They certainly didn't seem like the top of the class types. I guess it's a case of different people gravitating towards each other.

I really enjoyed the journey in this novel. Parker's and the physical one. Parker comes a long way by the end of the book and to think that if she hadn't found that journal it may never have happened is astonishing. Such small moments can change the course of life so dramatically.

Definitely check this one out if your looking for a gentle mystery that isn't full of murder and mayhem. It was a great story.

First Line:
"Life is made of moments."

Favorite Line:
"He sat on the log next to me, dripping ice cold water, bare skin covered with goosebumps, and the biggest smile on his face."

Blog Tour and Giveaway : Torn Away - Jennifer Brown

Where I got it: Netgalley
Rating: 4 stars  
Cover Rating: 3 stars (Kind of plain.)
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: May 6, 2014
Publisher: Little Brown and Company
Page Count: 288 p.
Add it: Goodreads

Jersey is ready for the tornado. They've practiced it every year since she was little. She knows that you go to the basement and ride it out. She isn't too keen on having to go through it alone and she's nervous about her mother and sister who are at the dance studio. What Jersey wasn't ready for the noise and the aftermath. Jersey loses everything to the tornado and is shipped off to live with her alcoholic father. When that doesn't work she goes to live with her grandparents that she didn't even know existed. Jersey isn't sure where home is anymore now that she doesn't feel like she belongs in any of the places she's shipped to. She'll slowly realized that you sometimes have to make the most of it and redefine what losing of everything really means.

Reading this book came at a hard time for me. I had just lost someone that I was fairly close to and so this book made me quite emotionally distraught. I think I still would have been distraught regardless of that.

This was such a raw and honest novel. Jersey was all over the place emotionally and it was totally realistic. Her situation just kept getting worse and worse and worse. Since this book takes place over only a short time, there is no real happy ending. Things start to look up though, so that's a nice thing.

I didn't really care much for most of the secondary characters, they all fell a bit flat. I did like Kolby and wished he played a bigger part in this novel. I feel like this novel took place in the moment. There was no past and there was no future, we were thrust right into the moment with Jersey. I think this is why some of the story and characters were underdeveloped.

This was an intensely emotional read just like all of Jennifer's other novels. I enjoyed it though and learned a lot about tornadoes from it. I would definitely recommend this if you like heart-wrenching reads.

First Line:
"Marin wanted to teach me the East Coast Swing."

Favorite Lines:
"If what he said was true, the story of my life was a lie."

"Meg's pink mouth had been replaced by a much larger red one."

"'Hold your breath. You don't want to breathe in judgment. Oppression is contagious.'"

"I'm wondering if it's even possible to lose 'everything' or if you just have to keep redefining what 'everything' is."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 
Two-time winner of the Erma Bombeck Global Humor Award (2005 & 2006), Jennifer's weekly humor column appeared in The Kansas City Star for over four years, until she gave it up to be a full-time young adult novelist. Jennifer writes and lives in the Kansas City, Missouri area, with her husband and three children.
www.jenniferbrownya.com | Twitter | Facebook

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Review: Through the Zombie Glass - Gena Showalter

Where I got it: Amazon Vine
Rating: 4 stars  
Cover Rating: 5 stars (I love how gorgeous these books are.)
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: September 24, 2013
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Page Count: 480 p.
Add it: Goodreads
Sequel to: Alice in Zombieland

Alice has lost a lot and now just has her Nana...and maybe Cole. She goes out zombie hunting with the others one night and gets bitten and things start to get weird. She tries to bite Cole moments after being bitten. The zombie virus shouldn't have spread that quickly. Afterwards, things keep being weird. Her reflection isn't of her, not really. She also keeps getting hungry...very hungry...for souls. Soon after she starts noticing these things Cole disappears from her life and the other slayers lives too. Now she has to try to fight the darkness in herself by herself. If she can't manage to figure out what's wrong and how to fix it the few people she has left might be in danger...from her.

A very nice sequel. I had forgotten a lot of what happened in book one, but I feel like this book did a good job of reminding me without just retelling the whole first book again. Now I'm just dying to find out what happens next.

Alice's inner battle is fantastic and I'm intrigued to see what will happen with it. I still didn't really care too much for Cole in this story. He was still a jerk for most of it. Nearer the end he started to be more tolerable though.

There was a ton of action in this novel too and lots of twists and turns. There were a lot of unknowns, mostly about who Alice could trust. It was not made more clear when Cole abandons her and turns sullen.

This was a good sequel in which a lot happens and I'm super excited to see what happens with Anima and everything in the next book. If you liked the first novel this one will not disappoint.

First Line:
"Where should I begin?"

Favorite Lines:
"If they decided to play Animal Planet, I'd...let them, I decided. Both would end up unconscious and I would no longer be trapped in this tug-of-war. Sure, I'd have to clean a pool of blood, but just then that actually seemed like the better choice. We had plenty of baking soda and vinegar."

Review: How to Love - Katie Cortugo

Where I got it: Library
Rating: 4 stars  
Cover Rating: 4 stars (Lovely.)
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: October 1, 2013
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Page Count: 389 p.
Add it: Goodreads

Reena has loved Sawyer since she can remember, so it's strange when her friend starts dating him. Reena and Sawyer and drawn together and then just as swiftly swept apart. Their relationship is anything but uncomplicated. Then Sawyer disappears. What he doesn't realize is that Reena is pregnant. A few years later Sawyer shows back up and Reena is thrown for a loop. She doesn't know what she's supposed to do now. She thought she had moved on from being that girl who was hopelessly in love with Sawyer, but apparently she's not. Some love doesn't come easy and ends up making your life a complete mess.

I really enjoyed this story. The narration alternates between the past and present which I feel really worked for this story. It helped to be able to like Sawyer in small bits because sometimes he seemed insufferable. He was just really into himself and his needs in the past, but present day Sawyer is slightly more tolerable.

Reena was a mess. Her emotions were all over the place and I think this made her very realistic. She was looking forward to getting out of town and then got pregnant by a guy she doesn't see for years and then he wanders back into town and wants to be a part of her life. They both had a lot of crap going on in their lives and it showed. They didn't have it together, and that's okay because they can work on figuring it out.

I wasn't a huge fan of the very end. I was all pumped and cheering for Reena and then she made a decision I didn't care for. It was terrible, but a little less empowering.

I would definitely recommend this if you're looking for a love story that is rough. Their love did not come easy and a lot of unfortunate things happened to both of them. I really enjoyed their story though and I'm looking forward to more books by Katie Cortugo.

First Line:
"I've been looking for Sawyer for half a lifetime when I find him standing in front of the Slurpee machine at the 7-Eleven on Federal Highway, gazing through the window at the frozen, neon-bright churning like he's expecting the mysteries of the universe to be revealed to him from inside."

Favorite Line:
"His hands were like white spiders in his hair."

Review: Some Quiet Place - Kelsey Sutton

Where I got it: Egalley from Netgalley
Rating: 3.5 stars  
Cover Rating: 4 stars (Strange. Very, very strange.)
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: July 8, 2013
Publisher: Flux
Page Count: 331 p.
Add it: Goodreads

Elizabeth doesn't feel emotions. She can see them though and they try to get her to feel their presence, but she simply can't. She sees her friends and family affected by these feelings, but she doesn't even feel the slightest bit of emotion. Fear takes a liking to her, he wants to be the one that makes her feel. Fear is always trying new nightmares and illusions to trick her feelings to the surface, but nothing he does seems to work. There's something strange in the air though and Elizabeth can feel that. Elizabeth has been having dreams of a boy and a girl and they seem so real, but they can't be...can they? Not every emotion is harmless though, even if Elizabeth can't feel them. Something wicked is coming and if Elizabeth can't unlock what's inside of her she has no hope of surviving.

What a fascinating story. I love the idea of emotions being physical beings that come by to afflict you. I also really enjoyed Fear. He's charming but creepy. Exactly as you would picture that emotion. It was really fascinating seeing all the different emotions manifest and it would be strange to be able to see them in real life.

The thing that makes this book tricky is Elizabeth not feeling. It makes her a shell of a character. She's nearly impossible to relate to, because I feel things (sometimes too many things). It's tricky to care about a character who doesn't really care about anything. She's fairly decent at pretending though. She seemed to be a good friend even if she didn't feel any affection towards people.

I feel like Elizabeth's home life is the ideal situation to feel nothing in. I imagine that that situation would make anyone feel a little numb or at least wish they were. It sucks that some people are broken like her father.

I really enjoyed the mystery aspect of the story too. Trying to unravel what is wrong with Elizabeth. It was very fascinating and believable (within the story). I would definitely checking this out if you're looking for a slightly different perspective on a story brought to you by some unique characters. It's tricky to feel for Elizabeth, but it almost makes her a more reliable narrator, because she doesn't care to lie to you.

First Line:
"Fear is coming."

Favorite Lines:
"Just being near him makes my own world seem unreachable and surreal. Surreal is dangerous."

"I laugh, a sound that he cuts short with a kiss that tastes like strawberries and terror."

Review: Liv, Forever - Amy Talkington

Where I got it: Library
Rating: 3.5 stars  
Cover Rating: 5 stars (LOVE IT!)
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: March 11, 2014
Publisher: Soho Teen
Page Count: 278 p.
Add it: Goodreads

Liv has never belonged anywhere in her life, she's simply bounced from foster home to foster home. Liv thinks that Wickham Hall might finally be a place where she can belong...it isn't. She soon finds that she is not the same as the people in this school. Wickham Hall is steeped in tradition and secret societies and ghosts. Liv soon meets Malcolm Astor one of the golden boys at the school and they strike up and unlikely relationship. She also meets Gabe who is a kindred spirit and can see and talk to the dead. When things change for Liv, Gabe is the only one who can help her and time is running out. Liv has to figure out what is going on at Wickham Hall and why there are so many ghosts haunting it. Her future depends on what she can find out, but she may need to trust more people then she wants to in order to unlock all the mysteries of Wickham Hall.

This book was very good. It was spooky and just really awesome. The mystery kept me tangled up for quite awhile. It's quite what I was expecting and I always love a good boarding school story especially set in New Hampshire!

The only thing I didn't like about this novel was all of the art references. I realize that Liv is an artist and knows a lot about art, but comparing every single thing she observes with a piece or art or an artist was distracting and annoying. I could see a few references thrown in to establish how she views things, but four or five references on nearly every page seemed excessive. I knew some of the artists, but a lot of them I had no clue about and I'm not going to sit with my computer open so that I can Google every single reference. It just got absurd fast. I was sick of having every sight weighed down with a handful of artistic references. Maybe if you're really into art and art history this would appeal greatly to you, but I just found it tedious.

Beyond the over establishing that Liv was arty though I quite enjoyed this story. It was a creepy enough to freak me out while reading before bed and the mystery was suspenseful enough that I didn't want to stop reading. I just had to know what happened. Were these girls murdered and by who?

The characters weren't too developed, but I didn't find that they were underdeveloped either. As we spend more time with them we start to unravel more about their personalities and lives. Malcolm and Astor were great sidekicks for Liv and it was interesting seeing them interact.

I would definitely recommend this novel if you're looking for a quick, somewhat spooky mystery. I quite enjoyed it despite it's shortcomings.

First Line:
"Chances of a girl like me ending up at Wickham Hall were next to nothing."

Favorite Lines:
"We are not stars. And if we were, we'd be distant, immaterial. Alone."

Review: Firecracker - David Iserson

Where I got it: Egalley from Netgalley
Rating: 4 stars  
Cover Rating: 4 stars (Bright. Not exactly how I pictured Astrid to dress though.)
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: May 16, 2013
Publisher: Razorbill
Page Count: 336 p.
Add it: Goodreads

Astrid was kicked out of her elite boarding school and she knows that she was set up. She's not too concerned until her parents announce that she has to go to public school. Astrid doesn't like public high school, she doesn't like the kids and she doesn't like the smell ["Just hearing the words "public school" out loud made my mouth taste like urine (which, not coincidentally, is exactly how the public school smells)."]. Astrid know that if she's going to get back at the person who betrayed her she's going to need to find people with skills that can help her. She might find that there is more to people than what they're good at though, regardless of how much she doesn't want to believe it.

Astrid was a terrible person. I mean really, she just used people to get what she wanted. That's what her grandfather taught her though. She loves her grandfather and wants to be just like him. Her grandfather is a lonely person though, because when you never make friends, you don't seem to have a lot of them.

It was really fascinating watching her interact with people. She was very amusing, though I'm sure she was not trying to be. There are a lot of ups and downs with Astrid as she tries to fight against her nature to be the person she thinks her grandfather wants her to be. Then she faints.

And then there's Noah. Noah is the boy whose desk Astrid fainted on. He takes her to the nurse and I think her heart started to melt a little. Seeing someone care for her in such a basic way changed her just a teeny tiny bit.

There were some surprises and a lot of moments that made me laugh. This book is 100% worth the read. It's funny and sad and just a really entertaining and interesting read.

First Line:
"My grandfather liked to say, 'The only time you are ever truly alone is when you are dead.'"

Favorite Lines:
"It's called history. Go to the library and read a book about it. People lived and they died."

"If someone wants to win me over, they should give me something useful, like juice boxes or a boat."

Review: The Clockwork Scarab - Colleen Gleason

Where I got it: Egalley from Edelweiss
Rating: 4 stars  
Cover Rating: 5 stars (Very pretty.)
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: September 17, 2013
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Page Count: 356 p.
Add it: Goodreads

Evaline Stoker and Mina Holmes. Two highly intelligent and skilled girls brought together due to their family names. Both girls would rather work alone but this job calls for them to combine their strengths. Girls are going missing and turning up dead and the only clue connecting the girls is a small Scarab amulet near each of the victims. Mina and Evaline are thrust into secret societies and society life. They must blend in and blend together to make everything work.

What an exciting book. If you are a fan of Sherlock Holmes, you will love this book. It was a nice mystery with a hint of Egyptian mythology woven in and a dash of time travel to make things interesting.

Although I didn't fall in love with Mina as I have with Sherlock she was still a good character. Her age shows many times when she makes some rash decisions. Evaline does not play well with others so it was interesting watching her and Mina interact. Mina certainly did not make it easy to get along with her (as so happens when people think they are smarter than you).

I was not expecting the time traveling aspect in this novel and it was a welcome added mystery. I was also a very big fan of the Steampunk feel for the novel. It added an extra element to the atmosphere of the novel.

If you're looking for an exciting mystery I would highly recommended checking this one out. The only problem is that it's the first book in a series and book two doesn't come out until October 2014. You'll be dying to read book two, but won't regret having read this one!

First Line:
"Tonight, I ask, on behalf of Her Royal Highness, the Princess of Wales: will you do what no other young women are called to do, and place your lives and honor at the feet of your country?"

Favorite Line:
"They looked so very different than we women do, with their broad, square shoulders and bulging arms. And the muscular ripples on their torsos."

Review: Princesses Behaving Badly - Linda Rodriguez McRobbie

Where I got it: Library
Rating: 4 stars  
Cover Rating: 4 stars (It's fitting and elegant looking, until you look closer.)
Genre: Adult
Publication Date: November 19, 2013
Publisher: Quirk Books
Page Count: 288 p.
Add it: Goodreads

Not all princesses have fairy-tale lives...or endings.

This was a very fascinating book, probably something I will add to my home collection. It was nice to be able to read about a couple of princesses, move on to something else, and then come right back to read about a few more.

I love the interesting parts of history, and these stories are fascinating. I really loved how the author presented the information. She included information that was rumor and speculation too. She stated that it might not be true before hand and I appreciate that it was included. Through the years I'm sure most history has been skewed. It's skewed depending on your global location too. I love that she presents all the information and leaves it up to the reader to form their opinions on the worthiness of the stories.

There were quite a few people that I had never even heard of, so it was nice to be introduced to these stories. I highly recommend this to anyone who is interested in history and wants something that isn't dry.

First Lines:
"'Every girl pretends she is a Princess at one point.'
Lindy, from Alex Finn's Beastly
Every little girl? Not quite."

Favorite Princesses:
Malinche
Olga of Kiev

Review: Fracture Me - Tahereh Mafi

Where I got it: ebook from library
Rating: 4 stars  
Cover Rating: 5 stars (These covers are so pretty.)
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: December 17, 2013
Publisher: HarperCollins
Page Count: 68 p.
Add it: Goodreads
Sequel to: Shatter Me, Unravel Me and Destroy Me

Starting near the end of Unravel Me this book is from the perspective of Adam Kent.

So the reason this book received only 4 stars is because I'm not a fan of Adam Kent. I'm sure he means well, but he just rubs me the wrong way. He's a little bit too well meaning I think. He's always holding Juliette back under the guise of protecting her. Adam just need to grow up. It was interesting seeing things from his perspective, instead of just watching him brood around. Now I'm just dying for Ignite Me even more though because I need to know what happens and who lives and who dies!!!!

First Line:
"Addie? Addie, wake up. Addie--'"

Favorite Lines:
"And those are the moments that kill me a little."

"In an instant the horizon is lit on fire, flames roaring in the distance."

Review: Love in the Time of Global Warming - Francesca Lia Block

Where I got it: ARC from AmazonVine
Rating: 4 stars  
Cover Rating: 4 stars (It's very nice. I wish the house on the front was pink though.)
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: August 27, 2013
Publisher: Henry Holt & Co.
Page Count: 240 p.
Add it: Goodreads

Pen's whole world dissolved around her and washed away with the waves of a tsunami. Now she must seek out others in order to survive and find out where her home really is.

Francesca Lia Block again crafts a beautiful tale. This is very clearly a re-telling of The Odyssey (it's stated many times). I think it worked very well with Francesca Lia Block's writing style. This was such a beautiful journey. There's a supernatural element to it that I really enjoyed.

This was a really quick read and every page was lyrical. I really enjoyed watching Pen discover new people and form her little band of riff-raff. This reminded me a lot of Francesca Lia Block's first novel Weetzie Bat.

I will always and forever love Francesca Lia Block and recommend that you at least try her once. Her writing is certainly not for everyone, but if it's for you then you'll fall in love.  I would recommend this one to start with too. I really loved this one. There were some parts that were a bit off, but as a whole it was wonderful.

First Line:
"The building has gold columns and a massive doorway, a mural depicting Giants, with small bodies sticking out of their mouths like limp cigarettes."

Favorite Line:
"The clouds in the sky look as if they are made of brick because the white paint cracked over time."

Review: The Time-Traveling Fashionista and Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile

Where I got it: Netgalley
Rating: 3.5 stars  
Cover Rating: 5 stars (So pretty.)
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: December 3, 2013
Publisher: Poppy
Page Count: 256 p.
Add it: Goodreads
Sequel to: The Time-Traveling Fashionista and The Time-Traveling Fashionista at the Palace of Marie Antoinette

Louise is once again super excited about the upcoming vintage sale even if the rest of her life isn't going so great. Her best friend has a boyfriend now and isn't spending as much time with her. Louise also still isn't loud and proud about her love of vintage and gets picked on at school a bit for her attire. She has stumbled upon some interesting information about her mother though that makes her suspect that there's more to her time-traveling than her mother lets on about. She's very excited to see where she'll end up this time, and she sees just the dress to take her there. 

THERE WERE NO ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE E-GALLEY!!! That was very disappointing, but luckily the book is out now, so I can go buy a copy and look at the gorgeous color illustrations. 

I was a bit disappointed when Louise first arrived at her location, because I was expecting full-on Egypt times and was met instead with Hollywood. Not that old Hollywood isn't fabulous in its own way, but EGYPT! So I was quite relieved to see that everything was not how it appeared to be, yet again. This was a really great addition to Louise's time-traveling. I also am really enjoying watching her current day relationships expand. There should be lots of fun to come with the next books in this series. 

This is seriously a perfect gift for a teen/tween who's a bit quirky. I think Louise is a realistic character that girls who are starting to shape their personalities can really relate too. Louise is a fun character and her adventures make me jealous of her vintage clothing sales. The illustrations alone make this book a must read, so make sure you check these out soon.

First Line:
"'Louise, what are you doing awake at this hour?'"

Favorite Line:
"She opened the creaky old trunk, tossed her secret stash of Barbie and Ken dolls onto the hardwood floor, and pulled out the poodle necklace."

Review: The Paradox of Vertical Flight - Emil Ostrovski

Where I got it: Library
Rating: 4 stars  
Cover Rating: 4 stars (Pretty nifty.)
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: September 24, 2013
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Page Count: 256 p.
Add it: Goodreads

Jack has made some mistakes in life, but in his defense he's young and a romantic, so his ideas are little bit off. The morning of his eighteenth birthday he is contemplating suicide, but then his cell phone rings. This call will bring him to the complete opposite side of suicide. His ex-girlfriend's has just given birth to a child, that he helped create and she wants him to come. At the hospital Jack finds out that she's giving the baby up for adoption, but Jack isn't ready for that and ends up kidnapping him. Jack just wants to instill some wisdom to his son before he is no longer "his son". Although Jack might be the one gaining wisdom on this wacky road trip that ends up dragging a few more people along in it's winds. Jack's friend, Tommy and Jack's ex both end up on this strange trip to show Socrates the world and find out what all this means for them.

I wish there were books like this when I was in high school. If there were, I certainly couldn't find them. I loved the philosophical aspect of this novel. The great debates about existence and the meaning of everything. These are the kind of conversation my friends and I would have (not always under the influence of alcohol). Jack's head was a strange place and he just wasn't sure where he was going in life. It's hard to understand that not many people know what they are doing, they just go along for the ride.

This was a short read but chock full of philosophical quandaries like: why? and why? and WHY? This was a story about growing up and what that means. About choosing a path and being okay with the changes you have to make on the way. A story about responsibilities and how they change as your life goes on and how you aren't responsible for the world. It's okay to ask for help and it's okay to not know the answer to everything, as long as you're willing to try. In the end, the main goal for everyone should always be to be happy.

First Line:
"The rain blurs the world outside the diner, turns it into a mirage that shifts in the wind and the water and the lights."

Favorite Lines:
"'Could be a trap,' he says, and even in the dark, I know we're both thinking of the same thing, Admiral Fish-Face in Revenge of the Jedi going, 'IT'S A TRAP.'"

"Our border crossing is pretty anticlimactic, as Vermont looks exactly like New Hampshire."