Audrey, Wait!, by Robin Benway

Do you ever hear a song on the radio and wonder who it was written about? When Audrey's ex-boyfriend's band comes out with a new hit single called "Audrey, Wait!" Audrey is thrust into the spotlight. Now the music-loving witty teenager is forced to deal with her 15 minutes of fame and all the good and bad that comes along with it while trying to live an ordinary life just hanging out with her best friend and crushing on her cute co-worker.

For the most part, this entire novel was very clever and witty. From the story to the one-liners to Audrey's thoughts, it was very entertaining but perhaps a bit too much so. Don't get me wrong I loved it and how smart it was, but sometimes I felt like it was so smart that it wasn't realistic.

The idea behind this book really was adorable and the characters were all very interesting and life-like (except for their extreme levels of wittiness). What I didn't get was why all of America cared so much about what Audrey was up to. I really enjoyed the book but if the tabloids were going crazy about the subject of a hit song then I would probably just ignore it all. It was nice that Audrey wasn't bitter, as were the heroines of the few other books like this that I've come across. Audrey was happy with who and where she was, she wasn't begging for attention and she wasn't desperate for a guy who wouldn't look at her twice.

4.7 stars
 
 California high school student Audrey Cuttler dumps self-involved Evan, the lead singer of a little band called The Do-Gooders. Evan writes, “Audrey, Wait!” a break-up song that’s so good it rockets up the billboard charts. And Audrey is suddenly famous!

Now rabid fans are invading her school. People is running articles about her arm-warmers. The lead singer of the Lolitas wants her as his muse. (And the Internet is documenting her every move!) Audrey can't hang out with her best friend or get with her new crush without being mobbed by fans and paparazzi.

Take a wild ride with Audrey as she makes headlines, has outrageous amounts of fun, confronts her ex on MTV, and gets the chance to show the world who she really is.

The Grimm Legacy, by Polly Shulman

Elizabeth was just getting accustomed to her new school where she had no friends when one of her teachers offers her a job as a page in a repository that lends out objects like a library lends out books. Hidden in the basement of the repository is the Grimm Collection, where the objects in question are the magical ones from fairy tales like seven league boots, Snow White's stepmother's mirror, and a mermaid comb that makes your hair look awesome. Some of these precious magical items have been disappearing from the Grimm Collection, and when Elizabeth and her fellow pages get mixed up in the danger, it's up to them to find the items and return them safely to the repository.

I absolutely adored this book. It was a completely refreshing take on the fairy tales of old but had a plot that was completely its own and not a retelling of one we know well. Don't get me wrong, I have a very soft spot for fairy-tale retellings, but the originality in this novel was off the charts. The references to various fairy tales and mythologies were incredibly diverse and incorporated into the story very well, and the fantasy and reality parts of the novel meshed comfortably, if you know what I mean. If you don't then think about it and get back to me.

The situations that Shulman put her characters into were utterly hysterical. At some point while reading I looked up and said out loud what was going on and realized exactly how crazy I sounded, but that only made me love it more. The whole idea that this book is based on is so different and unique that the characters never end up in cliche predictable situations. One more thing that I enjoyed was how Elizabeth was no one special. It sounds weird to say that, but having an ordinary girl as the main character was truly refreshing in a world where every teen novel has a hero/heroine who is special because of who or what they are. Elizabeth is a normal girl who finds herself in extraordinary situations and manages to keep her head on straight, and I commend her for that.

5 stars

Elizabeth has a new job at an unusual library - a lending library of objects, not books. In a secret room in the basement lies the Grimm Collection. That's where the librarians lock away powerful items straight out of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales; seven-league boots, a table that produces a feast at the blink of an eye, Snow White's stepmother's sinister mirror that talks in riddles.

When the magical objects start to disappear, Elizabeth embarks on a dangerous quest to catch the thief before she can be accused of the crime or captured by the thief.

Polly Shulman has created a contemporary fantasy with a fascinating setting and premise, starring an ordinary girl whose after-school job is far from ordinary and leads to a world of excitement, romance and magical intrigue.

The Unwritten Rule, by Elizabeth Scott

Brianna is the girl everyone wants to be or be with, and Sara is her best friend. Sara is perfectly fine with living in Brianna's shadow, even though Brianna's new boyfriend is Ryan, Sara's crush. Though Sara tries really hard not to like Ryan, everything gets way worse when they kiss one night after a party. Sara, who has never been anything but loyal to Brianna, is wracked with guilt for what she did and what she wants, but can't help herself from getting closer to Ryan. Yes, it's another one of these stories, but this one is pretty good.

I've read these stories before, and chances are if you're reading this review that you have too. There was no unique twist that made this one completely different from any other book like it, unless you count Sara's selflessness, which I don't since it wasn't important enough to make this book stand out from the other "I'm in love with my best friend's boyfriend" books. However, this book was written well and it really showed all sides of the story well. Somehow I didn't hate Sara, Brianna, or Ryan when I finished the book because Scott managed to show each character perfectly. Brianna was just mean enough that you cheer Sara and Ryan on, but just pitiable enough that you don't consider her a horrible person. I suppose Ryan would be the one to blame but I felt like he was a victim just as much as the other two were.

4.0 stars. Not out-of-this-world incredible, but definitely enjoyable.

 
Everyone knows the unwritten rule: You don’t like your best friend’s boyfriend.

Sarah has had a crush on Ryan for years. He’s easy to talk to, supersmart, and totally gets her. Lately it even seems like he’s paying extra attention to her. Everything would be perfect except for two things: Ryan is Brianna’s boyfriend, and Brianna is Sarah’s best friend.

Sarah forces herself to avoid Ryan and tries to convince herself not to like him. She feels so guilty for wanting him, and the last thing she wants is to hurt her best friend. But when she’s thrown together with Ryan one night, something happens. It’s wonderful... and awful.

Sarah is torn apart by guilt, but what she feels is nothing short of addiction, and she can’t stop herself from wanting more...

Dust Girl, by Sarah Zettel

In Kansas during the Dust Bowl, Callie LeRoux is off on an adventure to save her kidnapped mother and long-lost father. She knows her parents are in California so along with Jack, a sweet teenage hobo, she sets off to find her parents and discover the truth about her fairy father and who she really is.

The beginning of the novel was intriguing and got me excited for what was to come. Sadly, the rest of the book did not live up to the beginning. Once Callie and Jack set out, the initial mystery of what was to come was gone and left me trudging through the rest of the book.

I was unsure what to make of this book. On the one hand, it's yet another fairy book, and unlike witches, vampires, and werewolves, I find fairy fantasy extremely tedious and repetitive. Don't get me wrong, the other stuff can be repetitive too, just for some reason I feel like every single fairy book has the same plot. There's usually a girl who is half human and half fairy princess who must set out on an adventure through Fairyland with a cute guy and in the end she learns that fairies can't be trusted. The sad part is, even if a fairy book didn't have that plot, I get so bored with them that it probably wouldn't matter to me. I was hoping that the unique setting (Dust Bowl era) would redeem this one, because I love when fantasy plots are plopped into different time periods (like steampunk), but it only did enough to pull me through to the end.

I wish I could analyze more details of this novel for you, but since I've already forgotten most of it, I am forced to bid you an early adieu.

2.9 stars

 
Callie LeRoux lives in Slow Run, Kansas, helping her mother run their small hotel and trying not to think about the father she’s never met. Lately all of her energy is spent battling the constant storms plaguing the Dust Bowl and their effects on her health. Callie is left alone when her mother goes missing in a dust storm. Her only hope comes from a mysterious man offering a few clues about her destiny and the path she must take to find her parents in “the golden hills of the west”: California.

Along the way she meets Jack, a young hobo boy who is happy to keep her company—there are dangerous, desperate people at every turn. And there’s also an otherworldly threat to Callie. Warring fae factions, attached to the creative communities of American society, are very much aware of the role this half-mortal, half-fae teenage girl plays in their fate.

The Body Finder, by Kimberly Derting

Since she was little, Violet has been able to detect the corpses of murdered people and animals and connect them to their killers. This strange and disturbing talent goes much ignored for many years, until Violet finds a dead girl's body swimming with the fishes while Violet is at a beach party. Soon after, other girls start going missing, and while Violet is on the hunt for the serial killer with her police chief uncle, she knows that she herself can become a target as well. And of course, there's some romance going on between Violet and her best friend, Jay, but it's very corny and I'll get to that soon.

Even though I don't like mysteries, I did like the supernatural twist and I thought the plot was interesting. However, I also felt that the prose was a little too juvenile for me. I wasn't too impressed by the prose in The Pledge, but that book had so much plot that I wasn't disappointed by the immature prose. The sense of immaturity was only furthered by the simplicity of the romance. Violet suddenly has a crush on her best friend when he turns all hot, and when they get together (not a spoiler because totally inevitable) it happens in a snap with only a few pages of discomfort. Life doesn't happen that way, and the assumption that it does did not mesh well with the maturity of the serial killer plot.

I have no plans of reading the sequels to this book, but I will say that it is not a horrible book and I would recommend it to any young teenagers who love mysteries.

3.3 stars.

Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her "power" to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes that the dead leave behind in the world... and the imprints that attach to their killers.

Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find the dead birds her cat had tired of playing with. But now that a serial killer has begun terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he's claimed haunt her daily, she realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.

Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet on her quest to find the murderer—and Violet is unnerved to find herself hoping that Jay's intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she's falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer... and becoming his prey herself.

The Iron King, by Julie Kagawa (The Iron Fey #1)

When Meghan's little brother is kidnapped and replaced with an evil fairy child thingy, Meghan sets off to fairyland, called NeverNever, to rescue him. Upon arrival Meghan discovers that she is the long lost child of one of the rulers, and that finding her brother will be a lot more complicated than she expected. With the help of the mischievous Puck and the handsome prince Ash, Meghan faces an enemy unlike one that anyone in NeverNever had ever heard of before.

For some reason, I don't find YA fantasy about fairies nearly as satisfying as any about other sorts of fantastical creatures. This book didn't defy that expectation, but it was one of the better fairy books that I've read. It did have all the same annoying markings-a half mortal/half fairy main character, dark brooding handsome prince love interest, her long-lost father is king, rescuing a mortal loved one-but it didn't feel as overdone as most other fairy novels. Perhaps because in this book the fairy world had rules that made sense and were easy to follow, as opposed to the ones where random things happen and are explained afterwards.

Was it just me, or did the Ash romance happen too fast? One second they're mortal enemies, and the next they're true love. It happened so quickly that my initial thought was that he was pranking her or part of some elaborate scheme on his mother's part. He may very well might be though, because there are still more books left to the series.

4.0 stars

Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined.

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

Sweet Peril, by Wendy Higgins (Sweet Evil #2)

After the tragic events of the Summit at the end of Sweet Evil, Anna Whitt knows that the Dukes mean business, and she also knows that they must be stopped once and for all. Together with her father, Belial, the duke of substance abuse (I know, it's a little far-fetched, but just go with it), who is not quite as evil as his fellow dukey counterparts, Anna is trying to recruit other Nephilim to her cause. Throughout Anna's junior and senior years of high school, Belial is doing research on which Neph are likely to betray their fathers, and sending Anna and Kopano, son of the duke of wrath (a lot more typical, thank goodness), to go fetch potential allies to their cause. As Anna and Kope start getting closer, Anna can't stop thinking about Kaiden (stupid name, but again, just go with it), son of the duke of lust, but Kaiden has been impossible to reach since the Summit in New York. Anna has to decide whether to settle with the good guy or hold out for the bad guy with the potential to make her heart explode. Gee, I wonder who she chooses.

Sweet Evil sucked me in with the idea of a good girl stuck on the bad side, but in Sweet Peril that idea seemed kind of old. I found it a lot more cliche and emotional than Sweet Evil, with a little too much complaining about Kaiden, but still very good. I got so annoyed with her pining for Kaiden that at some point I was transferred to Team Kope. Despite my complaints about Anna's lovesickness, the way that all the Neph's emotions were being toyed with and how they all twisted up into a giant spiderweb was very cool. A little overdone, but cool nonetheless. It made certain parts that would have been a lot more boring intriguing.

My last note will seem sort of odd, but I still think it's valid. The dukes are just too nasty. I know they are supposed to be demons/devils/really really bad fallen angels, but the nastiness of the evil ones is so extreme that it takes away any character from them and makes them simply bad things. The supreme level of evilness that they have risen to has taken away any semblance of personality they may have had and makes them characters who can solidly be relied on to be cruel and bad. I would have loved to see a soft side to several of the dukes who have been declared as purely evil, but I doubt that will happen.

4.2 stars

Anna Whitt, the daughter of a guardian angel and a demon, promised herself she’d never do the work of her father—polluting souls. She’d been naive to make such a vow. She’d been naive about a lot of things.

Haunted by demon whisperers, Anna does whatever she can to survive, even if it means embracing her dark side and earning an unwanted reputation as her school’s party girl. Her life has never looked more bleak. And all the while there’s Kaidan Rowe, son of the Duke of Lust, plaguing her heart and mind.

When an unexpected lost message from the angels surfaces, Anna finds herself traveling the globe with Kopano, son of Wrath, in an attempt to gain support of fellow Nephilim and give them hope for the first time. It soon becomes clear that whatever freedoms Anna and the rest of the Neph are hoping to win will not be gained without a fight. Until then, Anna and Kaidan must put aside the issues between them, overcome the steamiest of temptations yet, and face the ultimate question: is loving someone worth risking their life?

Spellbound, by Cara Lynn Shultz

I almost always finish the books I read. Only when I absolutely cannot stand a book do I put it down in the middle, because even if I don't like what's going on, I don't want to stop without a sense of completion. Unfortunately, this book was so bad that I didn't even go past the third chapter. When I realized how corny, cliche, and superficial it was getting then I flipped to the end to see if maybe it's not worth putting it down. Nope, it was worth it.

The main reason why I hated this book was not the totally cliche story. Don't get me wrong-it was cliche, but I've read so many YA fantasy books at this point that I rarely find one that isn't cliche, and sometimes good prose or interesting characters can make up for that. This story was a typical one of a girl with a tragic past in a new school where she falls for the cool guy and there's some secret magical background connecting them. I was able to predict everything-exactly where all the blow-ups would happen, who she would be friends with and everyone's fate, but I didn't care enough to stick around to see if any of it actually happened.

What really upset me was how nasty the main character was. Emma mentions how she's gone through a lot, and how she doesn't want people at her new school to judge her but she doesn't hesitate in judging them. When the mean blonde girl was rude to her she answered with an excessive amount of unnecessary comebacks. It was slightly overkill. The girl gave her one small insult and she responded back with some nasty and insensitive words. Strangely enough, what pushed me over the edge was when she met Angelique. She took one look at her and decided she'd like her. I am extremely superficial, but even I don't look at someone's outfit and decide that I'm going to be her friend.

2.0 stars. Don't read this. Just don't.

  What's a girl to do when meeting The One means she's cursed to die a horrible death?
Life hasn't been easy on sixteen-year-old Emma Connor, so a new start in New York may be just the change she needs. But the posh Upper East Side prep school she has to attend? Not so much. Friendly faces are few and far between, except for one that she's irresistibly drawn to— Brendan Salinger, the guy with the rock-star good looks and the richest kid in school, who might just be her very own white knight.
But even when Brendan inexplicably turns cold, Emma can't stop staring. Ever since she laid eyes on him, strange things have been happening. Streetlamps go out wherever she walks, and Emma's been having the oddest dreams: visions of herself in past lives— visions that warn her to stay away from Brendan. Or else.

Mad Love, by Suzanne Selfors

Alice is in trouble. Her mother, a romance author crowned the Queen of Romance, is in a psychiatric facility getting treatment for bipolar disorder, and if she doesn't write another book in the next few weeks then they are going to be utterly and completely broke. The only solution Alice can think of is to write the book herself under her mother's name-but what should she write about? Enter Eros, the crazy guy who thinks he's Cupid. Eros keeps bothering Alice and begging her to write his story, about his tragic love with Psyche. Alice has only a few weeks to put together her novel while taking care of her mother and trying not to alienate the cute guy who she's been crushing on for months who she finally met. Can she do it?

This book is a lot more serious than I expected, which is why I included more in my summary than the publishers did in theirs. From the summary I expected a happy-go-lucky love story about a girl biting off more than she can chew, but instead this book was rife with sicknesses of the body and the mind, serious financial problems, and personal blackmail. It was sort of like taking a bite of what you think is cotton candy and getting a bite of chicken instead. You still enjoy the chicken, but you're confused as to what happened to the cotton candy. (I just realized how stupid that sounds, but if you read the book you'd understand what I was talking about.) This also prepared me for the cheesiness of the romance because even though the book was a lot grittier than I thought it would be, Alice and Tony's romance was just as bubbly and superficial as I had predicted. However, this didn't annoy me nearly as much as it usually would, just because I knew it would be like that.

I thought it was really cool to read about bipolar disorder because I had just learned about it in my abnormal psychology class before reading the book. When Alice described her mother's symptoms and actions I was able to reference my notes in my head and see how they matched up, which they did perfectly.

The main reason why I would recommend this book to anyone is because of how original it is. There are many takes on the Cupid and Psyche romance, but this one was different than the others because the main character was not Cupid or Psyche but someone else totally. 

4.7 stars

When you're the daughter of the bestselling Queen of Romance, life should be pretty good. But 16-year-old Alice Amorous has been living a lie ever since her mother was secretly hospitalized for mental illness. After putting on a brave front for months, time is running out. The next book is overdue, and the Queen can't write it. Alice needs a story for her mother-and she needs one fast.

That's when she meets Errol, a strange boy who claims to be Cupid, who insists that Alice write about the greatest love story in history: his tragic relationship with Psyche. As Alice begins to hear Errol's voice in her head and see things she can't explain, she must face the truth-that she's either inherited her mother's madness, or Errol is for real.

Sweet Shadows, by Tera Lynn Childs (Medusa Girls #2)

Gretchen, Grace, and Greer are finally united and determined to fight the monsters heading their way while they attempt to face their destiny. This requires finding out what their destiny is, as all they know is that they are the Key Generation. The people who do know, Eurydale and Sthenno, have been kidnapped and taken to either the Abyss or the dungeons of Olympus, two equally dangerous places. The girls need to rescue their mentors while dealing with their own increasingly messy lives. Greer is trying to keep up with her rich, high-society peers and plan some elaborate tea while keeping her monster-killing hobby a secret. Grace is excited because her crush, Milo, likes her back, but how can she start a relationship when she's got a secret life she's keeping from her family? Grace is also getting increasingly worried about her (adopted) brother Thane who ran away from home without explanation. Meanwhile, Gretchen, the only sister who isn't leading a double life, has her own troubles in the form of Nick, the cute guy who called her in the last moments of Sweet Venom and saved the sisters' life by warning them about the house blowing up. Gretchen knows Nick is hiding something, but can she let her guard down a little and let him in?

This was a fantastic sequel. I said in my review of Sweet Venom that it felt more like an prologue to a novel than an actual novel, and Sweet Shadows was good enough that it made the first book worth the time, if only to get to book 2. Again, I was not a fan of the Greek stuff and I think the novel would have worked just fine without being based on mythology, but it was so far off from the Greek mythology usually incorporated into teen novels that it was easy to forget the connection at times. The story moved pretty fast, which was good because if it hadn't then I would have given up pretty fast. My patience was worn through after completing Sweet Venom, and if Sweet Shadows had continued at the same slow pace then that would have been it for me.

I don't remember if I wrote this in Sweet Venom's review, but the characters, especially the triplets, all seemed flat and one-sided. Each of the girls had a stereotype, and each stuck to her stereotype throughout. Although one could argue that Gretchen softened a bit, which went against who she was supposed to be, I think the whole point of having a character so tough and closed-off is to later open her up. She let everyone in too quickly, much quicker than a real person with that personality would, which made her seem even more one-sided in my opinion. My favorite character was Greer, because she even when she does feel gooey and emotional, she puts on a stoic face and says sarcastic things. Greer is the most real, despite her cliche rich girl attitude.

 
I remember having a conversation with some friends a few years ago about seeing full faces of characters on the covers of books. Seeing their faces had always helped my imagination along, but my friends claimed that seeing the entire face ruined the possibilities of who the heroine could be and what she could look like. I never really agreed with that opinion until now. When I look at the cover, I know that the girl represents either one or all of the girls, but since they all dress so differently, it makes me wonder which sister it is, or whether she is supposed to represent all of them. Any ideas?
 
Spoilers Ahead*******************************

My favorite scene in the novel was the one in the Abyss where Gretchen discovers that not only monsters live there, and that not all monsters are evil. It was especially cool because it messed with Gretchen's head and made her rethink everything she's done for the past four years. It also complicated the girls' non-plan, because it made them realize that there is no way to save the good guys without saving the bad guys, and no way to kill the bad guys without killing the good guys.

Is it just me, or was there something between Greer and Thane at the end? Not quite love at first sight, but definitely something at first sight. Which is really nauseating when you realize that Greer looks exactly like Grace, who is Thane's little sister. Thane was definitely shocked to see Greer because of her resemblance to Grace, but Greer definitely has a bit of a crush on her sister's brother. The incestuousness here is a tad uncomfortable, but since they technically aren't related, I guess it's okay? I think the only element of this that makes it disturbing is how Greer and Grace look alike, so if Greer and Thane were to get together, he'd be dating a girl who is the spitting image of his sister. Another reason for not wanting Thane and Greer to hook up is that as of now, Greer is the only single sister. The point of a novel such as this is that the author wants you to believe that this is happening in your universe, or in an alternate one, but in no universe does every person end up with a great boyfriend at the end. For Greer and Thane to end up together, one of the other couples would have to break up/die, which strangely doesn't bother me and I find myself inclined to wish Milo or Nick dead. What's happening to me? Where's the sweet girl who wants happy endings??????

4.1 stars.
 

Gretchen may have known she was a descendant of Medusa long before her sisters--after all, she's spent her life fighting the monsters that escape the abyss--but that doesn't mean it will be easy to teach the other girls the ropes. Can she rely on Grace and Greer, or even trust herself to keep them safe?Greer has pressing social commitments on her plate and precious little time to train in her newfound powers. But that wretched second sight won't leave her alone, and her fabled heritage seems to be creeping into her fashionable life.

Grace has worries closer to home--like why her brother, Thane, has disappeared. He's hiding something. Could it possibly be related to the secret heritage the triplets share?

With the warring factions among the gods of Olympus coming for them, the creatures of the abyss pushing into their world, and the boys in their lives keeping secrets at every turn, the three girls must figure out where their fate will take them and how to embrace the shadows of their legacy.

Sweet Venom, by Tera Lynn Childs (Medusa Girls #1)

On a night out with her brother and his new (hot) friend, Grace starts seeing monsters everywhere. Then a girl who looks just like her heaves her over her shoulder and out of the club. Gretchen was shocked to find someone else who could see the monsters, and even more shocked to find her long lost sister. After joining forces, the two sisters find out that they weren't twins-they were triplets. However, Greer loves her life and has no interest in joining the monster-fighting gang with her sisters. Monsters are starting to appear in multitudes in San Francisco and the sisters need to do something about it-but will Greer step up?

My summary is nothing like the publisher's. From their summary I expected the triplets to find each other in the first 3 chapters and move on from there, but it took half the book for Grace and Gretchen to meet and Greer didn't make her entrance until almost 3/4 way through. Instead of being about descendents of Medusa fighting monsters, this book was about three sisters finding each other and living their normal lives. The events in Sweet Venom could have happened in a third of the space and words, but if I like the next book, then I'll acknowledge Sweet Venom as a good introduction.

I'm a huge fan of the Percy Jackson books, but I have one friend who refused to read them because she claimed that they would totally contradict Greek mythology. I have to say, I totally disagree with her about Rick Riordan's books because if anything, I think they extend Greek mythology into our century. However, I think what she said about those books can be perfectly applied here. Not only was there a whole thing about Medusa being good and Athena being bad, but they didn't even give the Medusa girls snake hair!! This story would have been much better had there still been long lost triplets with magical monster fighting powers, without any mention of Greek mythology.

What annoyed me about the girls was how they each took their stereotypes to the extreme. Grace was sweet and bubbly the entire time, Gretchen was strong and hard with a little bit of softie for Grace, and Greer was the snooty rich girl. They had nothing else to them and it got very irritating.

3.6 stars. Maybe the sequel will redeem it?

Grace just moved to San Francisco and is excited to start over at a new school. The change is full of fresh possibilities, but it’s also a tiny bit scary. It gets scarier when a minotaur walks in the door. And even more shocking when a girl who looks just like her shows up to fight the monster.

Gretchen is tired of monsters pulling her out into the wee hours, especially on a school night, but what can she do? Sending the minotaur back to his bleak home is just another notch on her combat belt. She never expected to run into this girl who could be her double, though.

Greer has her life pretty well put together, thank you very much. But that all tilts sideways when two girls who look eerily like her appear on her doorstep and claim they're triplets, supernatural descendants of some hideous creature from Greek myth, destined to spend their lives hunting monsters.

These three teenage descendants of Medusa, the once-beautiful gorgon maligned by myth, must reunite and embrace their fates in this unique paranormal world where monsters lurk in plain sight.

Trial by Fire, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Raised by Wolves #2)

If you haven't read my review of Raised by Wolves, click here.

Trial by Fire finds human Bryn settling into her role as alpha of a pack mostly made up of little girls. She sees the actions of other alphas and is determined to treat her pack well, but she is forced to make an uncomfortable decision when a wolf from a rival pack shows up on dying on her doorstep. Lucas tells Bryn that he was tortured by his alpha, Shay, and that he wants to join Bryn's pack. Bryn has to uncover the truth about Lucas's origins before Shay comes to claim him and takes some of Bryn's girls or an even more dangerous unknown enemy gets to her first.

For someone involved in such a cutthroat world, Bryn is way too nice. When she had the choice to give Lucas back or potentially start a war which would end with all her girls taken captive, I thought that a good leader would send Lucas back to save her pack. I know it sounds horrible to say something like that, but Bryn had never met Lucas before and for all she knew, the torture he experienced could have been punishment from his alpha for a crime which Bryn herself wouldn't have forgiven. It was incredibly naive and shortsighted of her to accept Lucas right away and I think it only proved even more so how inexperienced and unfit she was to lead her pack.

On a brighter note, this book did have a really fascinating ending, and is definitely a good read for younger readers. And as far as sequels go, this one is pretty good.

4.6 stars

There can only be one alpha.

Bryn is finally settling into her position as alpha of the Cedar Ridge Pack—or at least, her own version of what it means to be alpha when you’re a human leading a band of werewolves. Then she finds a teenage boy bleeding on her front porch. Before collapsing, he tells her his name is Lucas, he’s a Were, and Bryn’s protection is his only hope.

But Lucas isn’t part of Bryn’s pack, and she has no right to claim another alpha’s Were.  With threats—old and new—looming, and danger closing in from all sides, Bryn will have to accept what her guardian Callum knew all along. To be alpha, she will have to give in to her own animal instincts and become less human. And, she’s going to have to do it alone.

Bryn faces both the costs, and the rewards, of love and loyalty, in this thrilling sequel to Raised by Wolves.

Scarlet (Lunar Chronicles #2), by Marissa Meyer

Scarlet's grandmother has been missing for over two weeks and she is willing to do anything to bring her back alive. After her alcoholic father gives her a clue to her grandmother's kidnappers that leads to a street fighter named Wolf, Scarlet sets off on a journey to Paris with Wolf as her guide. Scarlet knows Wolf is hiding things from her, and as his secrets start to unfold Scarlet learns that she and her grandmother are in a lot more danger than they ever would have imagined. Meanwhile, in Asia, Cinder is planning her escape from prison and has found a partner in crime who happens to have a ship. Cinder wants to find out what happened to her during the missing years before her adoption and how she got her magnificently wired brain. Her journey takes her to France, where she and Scarlet cross paths on quests with seemingly different yet similar goals.

As is the case with many second books (I think I've used that line before) this book did not live up to the first one. With that said, I will remind you, if you've read my review of Cinder, that the only reason Cinder got a five-star rating was because the plot shone through the mediocre prose. Unfortunately for Scarlet, the plot took a long time to get good and even once it did it was only for a few short pages before the story returned to the unexciting once more. However, I will admit that despite my dislike for Scarlet's point of view, the connection to the first book was very good and it continued the story well while still retaining its independence as its own book and not merely a continuation of the first one.

4.2 stars.

The fates of Cinder and Scarlet collide as a Lunar threat spreads across the Earth...

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

Boundless, by Cynthia Hand (Unearthly #3)

(Here are links to my reviews of books 1 and 2 in this series if you haven't read them yet: Unearthly and Hallowed)


In the final part of Clara's tale, she finds herself at Stanford with Christian and Angela. She is still heartbroken about leaving behind Tucker, her first love, but knows she has to get over him and move on with her life (which Christian is more than willing to help her with). However, Clara doesn't get much time to be a typical college student, because there is unrest in the battle between good and evil and Clara is right in the center of it. And the fact that a depressed fallen angel in love with her dead mom is following her around is not exactly helpful.



**************SPOILERS AHEAD******************

I liked Christian from the beginning and was really hoping that Clara would choose him in the end. Tucker is great and all and I understand why she chose him, but even in the first book, I liked Christian better. His ending was kind of sad, but it is nice to know that he has a successful career and a family, even if that family is his sister and her kid. It was also sweet that Angela and Christian were related and didn't know it. I had wondered since Unearthly why there were absolutely no sparks between the two, but now it all makes sense. I have to say though, I thought that ending was a cop-out. Tucker becoming a prophet-really? To me it seemed like the author stuck in a new concept last minute just to make a happy ending because she realized Clara couldn't end up with Christian as was originally planned. Nevertheless, this book was a satisfying ending and I recommend this series to anyone who hasn't read it. Even though you know the ending now if you've read this review.

4.6 stars. 


The past few years have held more surprises than part-angel Clara Gardner could ever have anticipated. Yet from the dizzying highs of first love, to the agonizing low of losing someone close to her, the one thing she can no longer deny is that she was never meant to live a normal life.

Since discovering the special role she plays among the other angel-bloods, Clara has been determined to protect Tucker Avery from the evil that follows her . . . even if it means breaking both their hearts. Leaving town seems like the best option, so she’s headed back to California - and so is Christian Prescott, the irresistible boy from the vision that started her on this journey in the first place.

As Clara makes her way in a world that is frighteningly new, she discovers that the fallen angel who attacked her is watching her every move. And he’s not the only one. . . . With the battle against the Black Wings looming, Clara knows she must finally fulfill her destiny. But it won’t come without sacrifices and betrayal.

In the riveting finale of the Unearthly series, Clara must decide her fate once and for all.

Shadowspell, by Jenna Black (Faeriewalker #2)

Dana has had nothing but excitement during her time in Avalon, and everything is about to get a little bit crazier. After her aunt's attempted murder on her life, Dana's father locked Dana up in a safe house to protect her from everyone who would like to kill/use Dana's unique fairiewalker talents. Unfortunately, that's a lot of people. When the mysterious Erlking, a fairie hit-man of sorts, comes to Avalon on a mysterious mission, Dana's dad gets extra terrified for Dana's safety. The Erlking and his minions, the Wild Hunt, want something from Dana and he's willing to resort to the most disturbing of tactics to get it from her.

Most of the time I love the first book, hate the second, and am somewhat ambivalent about the third, but Shadowspell and Glimmerglass were exceptions. I only somewhat liked Glimmerglass, but I gave Shadowspell a chance because the ending was cut off in a way that was solid, yet left me desperate for more. I'm surprised I even bothered with Shadowspell, but I'm happy I did. Glimmerglass was more of an introduction, while Shadowspell actually got the story started, and Sirensong will complete it.

I don't have much to say about Shadowspell because anything I had to say I probably said by Glimmerglass's review, but I will acknowledge two things I appreciated. The first is that the novel was filled with twists and turns. There were multiple climaxes and I liked how everything kept moving. The second was how Dana was a real teenager. She was extremely smart and sensible at times, and extremely stupid and self-centered at other times. She managed to keep cool during crises, yet she insisted on leaving her safe house while the Erlking was around. Though the latter made me want to yell at her, I have to admit that it was nice to read about a heroine who seems mildly realistic.

5 stars.

 On top of spending most of her time in a bunkerlike safe house and having her dates hijacked by a formidable Fae bodyguard, Faeriewalker Dana Hathaway is in for some more bad news: the Erlking and his pack of murderous minions known as the Wild Hunt have descended upon Avalon. With his homicidal appetite and immortal powers, the Erlking has long been the nightmare of the Fae realm.

A fragile treaty with the Faerie Queen, sealed with a mysterious spell, is the one thing that keeps him from hunting unchecked in Avalon, the only place on Earth where humans and Fae live together. Which means Dana’s in trouble, since it’s common knowledge that the Faerie Queen wants her – and her rare Faeriewalker powers – dead. The smoldering, sexy Erlking’s got his sights set on Dana, but does he only seek to kill her, or does he have something much darker in mind?

Lola and the Boy Next Door, by Stephanie Perkins

Anna and St. Clair are back!!!!! In Lola and the Boy Next Door, their friend and coworker Lola is a creative dresser (that was an understatement) with great parents and a hot musician boyfriend. But when the Bell twins, including her childhood crush and lifelong nemesis, return to the house next door, and Lola's mother reenters her life, everything is turned upside down. I would elaborate more but I can't really think of anything else to say.

Lola and the BND was very similar to Anna and the French Kiss, except it was the girl with the boyfriend with a guy pining after her instead of the guy with the girlfriend and the girl pining after him. All other differences in the two stories rely on individual details and emotions, but in some way I did feel like this was Anna and the French Kiss just from St. Clair's perspective.

Strangely enough, I would recommend any prospective readers to read Anna and the French Kiss first even though Lola is more parallel to it than a sequel because Anna isn't the main character. However, the relationship between Anna and St. Clair would have been annoying had I not known the story behind it. It was also cool to see Anna from someone else's perspective. From her own personal description and things that others said in Anna and the FK I had a picture of her in my head, but Lola finished that off and made Anna seem like a real person to me. St. Clair still seemed to good to be true.

**********spoilers ahead**************

I was about to post this when I realized that I've only talked about Anna and said barely anything about Lola, Cricket and co. so here goes. I didn't think Max was as bad as he was in the end. I guess that's because the story is told from Lola's point of view which skewed Max's portrayal a bit, but I really didn't see it. I thought it was incredibly sweet that he actually came to brunch once a week with her parents. Yes, he could have been a lot nicer to Lola's friends, but he's way older than Lola so I understand how he found what's-her-name annoying. Also, what was up with the whole waiting around after the break-up thing? They were so desperate to be together and he clearly wouldn't have been a rebound, so why'd she have to keep both their hearts in pieces for weeks and weeks? I thought it was a bit masochistic but since I've never been in that position I probably shouldn't judge.

5 stars.

 Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion...she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit--more sparkly, more fun, more wild--the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket--a gifted inventor--steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

Anna and the French Kiss, by Stephanie Perkins

If you have spoken to me in the past week you will have already heard of Anna and the French Kiss, as it is my new favorite book. I'm pretty loose with giving out 5 stars, and right now I'm upset about that because it makes this 5-star rating more unimpressive.

When Anna's father decides he needs a more cultured family he sends Anna off the School of America in Paris, or SOAP, to clean off all the American dirt with some Parisian suds (sorry, couldn't help it). Upon arrival Anna is lucky enough to be adopted by a clique which happens to include her dream guy, Etienne St. Clair, who also happens to have a girlfriend. There isn't much else to say about the plot because it just follows Anna's year in France and the ups and downs of her relationships and friendships.

At first I thought Anna and the French Kiss was just a fun light romance but once the drama started I redefined it as more of a happy Sarah Dessen type novel. It was fun, but still serious, which made it extremely life-like. Sometimes these sorts of YA novels get too serious and too involved and forget to show the happy parts of life, or at least don't show them well enough to brighten it up significantly, but in Anna and the French Kiss the happy outweighed the sad.

I don't want to say too much about this book because in this case I think less is more, but there were two details I loved that I must share with you. The first was that Etienne is shorter than Anna. I know, it's stupid, but I loved how no one cared. The love interests in these books are usually everything Etienne is plus tall and Etienne set himself apart from all of those losers by actually being unique. The other thing I loved was how the author made fun of Nicholas Sparks by modeling Anna's father after him. The stupid overly-detailed plots involving cancer and an inevitable unhappy ending for somebody were clearly him but what I really liked was how she pointed out how he totally sold out by writing something stupid that sells. My opinion on Nicholas Sparks is that he probably sits there counting his money and laughing at the gullible women who enjoy the emotional trash he writes. It's refreshing to hear that someone else came to the same conclusion I did.

To end on a happy note: READ THIS NOW IF YOU HAVEN'T YET

5 stars

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris--until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend.

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?

Raised By Wolves, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Bryn was only four when her parents were killed by a rogue werewolf and she was taken in by the werewolves who rescued her. She has lived with the pack for 11 years as one of their own, but when Bryn discovers a boy locked up in chains in the basement of the pack's alpha, everything starts to change. Chase was bitten by a rogue werewolf and Bryn is convinced that he holds the answers to the mysteries of her parents' deaths. Working together with Chase, Bryn goes on a mission to make sure the rogue wolf who killed her parents and tried to kill Chase will never harm a hair on her head. (Or huff and puff and blow her house down.)

In all of Jennifer Lynn Barnes' books that I've read there's been a headstrong, no-nonsense heroine and Bryn fit that description perfectly. Bryn is mischievous and self-assured and it was a pleasure to read the book from her point of view. She had enough personality that I could picture her as I read but I was still able to put myself in her place. Bryn wasn't one of those narrators who describes herself and doesn't live up to the description; she is who she says she is plus so much more.

I don't know why but I loved this book. I think werewolves may be my favorite supernaturals to read about, and this book did not disappoint on that front. Raised by Wolves was innocent enough for younger readers but it wasn't immature or ignorant as many other books are. All in all, I couldn't put it down and I recommend it to anyone looking for a satisfying read.

4.9 stars

 
Adopted by the Alpha of a werewolf pack after a rogue wolf brutally killed her parents right before her eyes, fifteen-year-old Bryn knows only pack life, and the rigid social hierarchy that controls it.  That doesn't mean that she's averse to breaking a rule or two. 

But when her curiosity gets the better of her and she discovers Chase, a new teen locked in a cage in her guardian's basement, and witnesses him turn into a wolf before her eyes, the horrific memories of her parents' murders return. Bryn becomes obsessed with getting her questions answered, and Chase is the only one who can provide the information she needs.

But in her drive to find the truth, will Bryn push too far beyond the constraints of the pack, forcing her to leave behind her friends, her family, and the identity that she's shaped?

Glimmerglass, by Jenna Black (Faeriewalker #1)

It's all she's ever wanted to be, but it couldn't be further from her grasp...

Dana Hathaway doesn't know it yet, but she's in big trouble. When her alcoholic mom shows up at her voice recital drunk, again, Dana decides shes had enough and runs away to find her mysterious father in Avalon: the only place on Earth where the regular, everyday world and the captivating, magical world of Faerie intersect. But from the moment Dana sets foot in Avalon, everything goes wrong, for it turns out she isn't just an ordinary teenage girl, she's a Faeriewalker, a rare individual who can travel between both worlds, and the only person who can bring magic into the human world and technology into Faerie.

Dana finds herself tangled up in a cutthroat game of Fae politics. Someone's trying to kill her, and everyone seems to want something from her, from her newfound friends and family to Ethan, the hot Fae guy Dana figures she'll never have a chance with...until she does. Caught between two worlds, Dana isn't sure where she'll ever fit in and who can be trusted, not to mention if her world will ever be normal again.

Dana is fed up with dealing with her alcoholic mother and wants to be a teenager for once. So she runs away from home and heads to Avalon to find her long lost fairy father. Upon arrival in the magical city Dana is kidnapped multiple times because of her mysterious Faeriewalker capabilities. As a Faeriewalker, Dana has the power to bring magic into the human realm and technology into the Faerie realm. Dana is the most valuable pawn in the complicated game of politics between Faerie and Avalon and everyone wants to control her.

Faerie stories tend to bore me because I feel like they're all the same. Glimmerglass took the typical and twisted it with the unique city of Avalon. The faeries in Avalon are no secret, in fact everyone knows about them. Avalon is the bridge between the two worlds. It was nice to read a faerie story that was acclimated to the 21st century.

For once there was a heroine who was not completely insipid! Dana was responsible and had the perfect blend of attitude and vulnerability. In a situation where she had almost no control Dana didn't sit down and let everyone toss her around like a piece of cattle but stood up and tried to take care of herself. The complete opposite of Dana is Kimber. At the beginning Kimber seemed to be the ultimate ice queen but she melted way too quickly and instead of giving off the impression of a girl with a hard exterior and soft interior I felt she was just fickle. I do regret not seeing more of the relationship Dana has with her mother because I feel like that would have rounded out her character a bit more and would have explained certain plot elements that confused me slightly.

4.1 stars. This wasn't an amazing book, but a good start to a series.

The Iron Witch, by Karen Mahoney

Freak. That's what her classmates call seventeen-year-old Donna Underwood. When she was seven, a horrific fey attack killed her father and drove her mother mad. Donna's own nearly fatal injuries from the assault were fixed by magic—the iron tattoos branding her hands and arms. The child of alchemists, Donna feels cursed by the magical heritage that destroyed her parents and any chance she had for a normal life. The only thing that keeps her sane and grounded is her relationship with her best friend, Navin Sharma.


When the darkest outcasts of Faerie—the vicious wood elves—abduct Navin, Donna finally has to accept her role in the centuries old war between the humans and the fey. Assisted by Xan, a gorgeous half-fey dropout with secrets of his own, Donna races to save her friend—even if it means betraying everything her parents and the alchemist community fought to the death to protect.


When Donna was little, her father died and her mom lost her sanity while protecting their daughter. Donna's arms are covered in iron tattoos that were put there to heal her after the attack. Now, teenage Donna must come fact to face with the same dark fairies that killed her father all those years ago when they start reappearing and eventually kidnap her best and only friend, Navin. Donna is a social outcast because of her weird arms and Navin is the only person her own age who doesn't know her secret who stood by her. Helping her rescue Navin is a hot new guy, Xan, whose got some fairy blood in him and would like to discover more about himself and his past. I think you can figure out the rest of the story from those totally unoriginal details I have provided.

I thought the whole thing was pretty cliche and pathetic. There are so many fairy books out there and I felt like this one didn't stand out. It was completely average. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone but I wouldn't stop anyone from reading it. It wasn't horrible-just not as good as many other books I could have read in its place. It is very possible that this all stems from the fact that it is meant for younger readers, but even books meant for kids or younger teenagers can be appreciated by adults if they're good.

One would think that in a book where the characters know there are dark evil fairies running around wouldn't be that trusting. One would be wrong. Donna and Xan reveal their secrets to each other after knowing each other for around five minutes which is pretty quick, especially when you consider that it took her years to confess the truth to Navin. I don't care how good-looking he is-when you have a giant secret like that you don't give it away that easily! Donna acted like a know-it-all brat the whole book and her naivete was anything but charming.

Halfway through the book I looked up and realized nothing had happened yet. The action didn't start until the last couple of pages. The beginning contained some minor incidents, drama, and romance, but I wanted more action and fairies. I understand the need for an introduction-the reader needs to know what's going on-but I felt like I was being introduced to the story and the characters for most of the book.

When a girl and guy are best friends in a novel (and both are straight) it is practically a given that at least one of them must have romantic feelings for the other. I always thought that was typical and overused, but I actually missed it in The Iron Witch. While it can be annoying in books that are already stuffed with drama, I felt like a love triangle would have really added to the overall story. Just imagine Donna enlisting her crush's help to rescue her other maybe-crush. The emotional turmoil would have been tortuously amazing to read.

2.7