Anna and the French Kiss

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I didn't realize this was YA, but once you got past the quirky little teenage talk of some characters, it was really a very darling book. It was fun to read and a real page turner. A nice light read.

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The Madman's Daughter

The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I should start off saying the low rating is my own fault! I'm not sure why, but I did not read what this book was about. I saw it was a "mover & shaker" so I put a hold on it at the library. NOTE TO SELF: Read the summary of the book first! This book was a gothic, science fiction horror yet it was labeled young adult. I wouldn't want my teen-aged kids to read this.

Again, not the authors fault, she is a storyteller and I'm sure a good one, I just didn't like this story. I did not like thinking of the grotesque images of animals cut apart to create half human/half animal aberrations. It felt wrong, wrong, wrong to read, just so unnatural and disturbing. It totally grossed me out and honestly I skipped the third quarter of the book and read the last quarter. I was fine with the ending and really didn't give two thoughts to the cliffhanger. It was over for me.

I also did not realize this was a series, DUH, of course it was. Is there any young adult books that aren't series these days? (I find that incredibly annoying.) Needless to say, I will not continue with this series. It simply is not a genre that interests me in the least.

Again, my own fault and I'm sorry if this offends anyone, especially the author, but I gave my honest personal perception of a story I never should have started in the first place.

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Always You

Always You by Kirsty Moseley
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I feel generous giving this book two stars, but if it had been properly edited by a publisher, it might have received a higher rating.

Terribly overdramatic, poorly written, poorly researched story. I suppose every author starts with something and we live in a time of self published books, but this is the kind of junk that leaks into the ebook world and people haphazardly buy for $.99 and feel it was a waste. I know that's incredibly harsh, but I honestly think it could have been good if it had gone through the proper publishing channels.

I just finished reading a phenomenal book, Winter of the World by Ken Follet. He's a Welsh author writing not only about his home country, but Germany, Russia, and the United States. The lesson here? An author really ought to do their homework if they truly want to be a respected author.

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Rapture (Fallen #4)

Rapture by Lauren Kate
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I don't what to rate this, 3 or 4. I was both happy and disappointed with it all at the same time. I'm sad to see the end, but it was getting, I don't know, long, I guess. It was pretty obvious what Luce was through most of the series and what was going to tip the scales. I liked the ending though, that was pretty decent...I wouldn't even mind if there was another book with that ending.

I think it's pretty obvious that Cam will be getting a series. Lauren Kate left that wide open. I would read it, I liked him! Speaking of Cam, I was confused by his place towards the end. It didn't seem to fit into this story, but it very well could be that it was meant to be for his story.

I think the whole heaven presentation was...well...different. No one knows exactly what heaven looks like, everyone has their ideas whether it be from the Bible, from fairy tales, whatever, but I'm not sure I wholly liked her depiction. Not bad, just not how I pictured it.

Rating the series on a whole, I'm still confused. I really liked the first two books, felt let down by the third, and felt just "okay" about this last one. I should just let it go, but sometimes it's hard to! :-)

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Pandemonium (Delirium, #2)

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Umm, a lot of prose in this book. Sometimes a bit much, but could also be beautiful. Most of it was predictable but I still like how the story was written. I'm absolutely going to forget everything about this book except for the last page so I will definitely have to read this again before the next book is released. I am looking forward to how this series will wrap up, I'm completely stumped as to how the situation could be resolved! The big lingering question now is: WHO? :-)





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The Calling (Darkness Rising, #2)

The Calling by Kelley Armstrong
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I pretty much have the same to say about this book as I did the first one except I'm not feeling it as much. Seriously, nearly every creature that has been in a fantasy or paranormal young adult book in the last few years is mentioned in The Calling. Hmm, maybe they haven't mentioned vampires yet, but I would not be surprised if that would pop up in the next book.

I don't mean to discount the authors originality, there certainly is a creative element that stands out from the others that makes me like it. But I will say that when the third book in the trilogy comes out next year, I'm going to be hard pressed to remember the first two clearly.

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The Gathering (Darkness Rising, #1)

The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's like all of the last few years of fantasy and paranormal young adult books all combined into one. Still liked it though! Certainly left you hanging in the last book. Thankfully I had the second book at the ready. Won't be so lucky with the third since it won't be coming out until 2013.

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Cinder (Lunar Chronicles, #1)

Cinder by Marissa Meyer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Hmmm. Not overly impressed by this book. I'm a big fan of young adult science fiction/dystopia, but this one, I dunno, maybe a little too much cheese factor for me. It was also a little bit predictable which seemed perhaps a little too juvenile. I'm being picky, but I just can't put my finger on exactly why it wasn't a hit with me.

The story follows Cinder, a cyborg (part human, part robot) who lives with her step-mother and step-sisters in New Beijing. Yes, very much like Cinderella except in the future and she likes one of the step-sisters. Anyway, there is a plague that is killing scores of people around the world. In order to find a cure, the government has started a draft for the cyborgs to be guinea pigs to find the cure for the disease. Cinder pushes her step-mother too far and her step-mother volunteers Cinder to be a plague-curing-subject. Cinder of course doesn't want to but when her sister contracts the plague, Cinder realizes it is her duty to help her sister anyway she can.

Cinder discovers many secrets within the empire and that the Lunar queen (yes, as in the moon) wants to marry the emperor so that she can rule the world. Cinder befriends the emperor who does not know of Cinders real identity. He likes her but Cinder knows that this is a match that cannot be made. Meanwhile, many people are searching for the long lost niece of the Lunar queen who is the rightful heir to the Lunar throne but of course the queen wants to find her first and eliminate her. It just all sounds so corny to me. I don't know how better to describe the book, to make it sound more appealing. It is a little cheesy.

This was a book that didn't hold my interest throughout all of it. I could go a day or two without picking it up. But to it's credit, there were also pages that I flew through trying to figure out what was next.

It is good enough that I will read the other books in the series when they come out...but that is along ways away.

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Delirium (Delirium #1)

Delirium by Lauren Oliver
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Excellent! I'm loving all these dystopian young adult books coming out. This one may lead the pack out of all that I've read this year. There are similarities to other popular YA dystopian books out there, but the major plot stands out on it's own.

Way in the future the government decides that it can cure the disease, amor deliria nervosa, also known simply as...love. They figure a simple procedure now deemed safe for 18 year olds, can solve the problems of the world. If there is no love, then there can also be no hate and that is what the government decides is the problem with the world. One simple procedure will make the world a better place.

Lena Halloway is the main character in this book and is 95 days away from her procedure. She is excited to essentially have her feelings removed, to forget her family's past and move on to the mundane but secure life on being cured of the "disease".

There are hold outs, the sympathizers, the Invalids who live in the Wilds and oppose the procedure, those who fall ill to the "disease" before their procedure. Lena's best friend, Hana, decides she wants to live a little before her procedure and Lena is opposed. One night Lena goes to a party she knows Hana is at to warn her of the raids by the Regulators to catch sympathizers and rule breakers. Lena may be angry with her best friend, but she doesn't want to see her hurt or in trouble. Lena makes it to the party only to have it raided within minutes of her arrival.

From there her world is turned upside down after she escapes the raid with the help of Alex, a handsome boy whom she thinks is already cured and is safe. But is he? Is she falling victim to the disease? Is it possible that it's not really a disease? After all, how can something that's supposed to be so horrific...feel so good...

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Insurgent (Divergent #2)

Insurgent by Veronica Roth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ack! This is why I hate reading current series. What a cliffhanger! What an incredible ending that has me thirsting to read the next...oh man, how long will that be!?!?!?

GREAT BOOK!

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The Book Thief

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ay yi yi, I don't know what to give this book. There is no denying that narrating a book by Death was both creepy but ingenious! He narrated the book during WWII, in Molching, Germany about an orphan girl named Liesel Meminger who is sent to live with foster parents during the height of Hitlers reign. She was not Jewish nor were her foster parents, but they were sympathetic towards them. Her story starts and ends with Death but this book focuses mostly on her few years with her foster parents. From dealing with being an orphan, making friends, protecting a Jew, discovery of books, Hitler youth, bombs, she deals with a lot in her youth; a side of WWII that I had not yet read about.

I tried reading this book a year or two ago and was so confused at the beginning that I stopped reading it. It's so highly rated that when I saw an audio book version was available, I borrowed it from the library.

Once I got over the initial weirdness that started with Death's narration and what he meant by the colors of the sky upon people's deaths, then I started following it just fine. Well, I mostly understood it, but I still got lost a time or two because it jumped around so much in time and place and characters. I couldn't remember what the current topic was and would have to scan backwards to figure it out.

The narrator was fantastic. I really enjoyed his voice, the books emotions were clearly conveyed by him. But oh my stars, I was getting annoyed by all the "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph" and "Crucify Christ" exclamations. It was almost a little offending. That's the book for you though, it had a lot of swearing. It fit for the theme of the book though.

I guess as far as how much I personally liked this book, I'd give it a three. For the creativity, I'd give it a five. So I guess averaging that out, I'll give it a four. Such a strange, strange book.

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Partials (Partials #1)

Partials by Dan Wells
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Very scientific. Not much romance. I really liked it! Trying to find a cure to a virus that has wiped out 99.9% of the human race, not too hard to believe in the future and the author made it that more believable. I really enjoyed the detail of the virus and how the Partials were created and their purpose. Pretty neat concept.

I don't have much more to say, I started another book between now and when I finished it. I am really excited to read the next books in the series.

I'd say I liked this book more than Insurgent (which I'm now currently reading).

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Fallen In Love (Fallen #3.5)

Fallen In Love by Lauren Kate
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Meh. This is why .5 version novella's aren't a good idea. It wasn't very good, I only liked Miles and Shelby's story as it seemed like the most realistic and could be a story on it's own. Even then it wasn't that great.

My guess is that this book was published for a few extra dollars for the author and to tide fans over until the next book comes out. Meh.

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Legend (Legend #1)

Legend by Marie Lu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Is this a young adult book? Wow, it was pretty awesome! I seem to be on a young adult dystopian kick. This very well could have been better than Divergent, I'm not sure. I think Divergent was a bit more descriptive, I felt like I could "see" more of the book by the authors description, but Legend was pretty kick-a**, full of action. Pretty gruesome for a young adult too, but certainly tolerable.

I'm tempted to give this 5 stars but I just can't because like I mentioned, it wasn't as descriptive as I would have liked. I know what the hero of the book looks like, but I still can't picture the heroine in my mind.

So excited to continue on in this series!

June is a young, wealthy military prodigy living the Republic is at war with The Colonies and a group of people who call themselves The Patriots. The Republic clearly has a sector for rich and poor. The poor are constantly battling the plague while the rich get vaccines. June scored 1500 on The Trials and quickly mastered her education and was promoted to an agent at 15 years old. Her parents died when she was younger so she was being raised by her brother. After a hospital break in her brother is killed by the notorious criminal, Day. June is determined to track Day down and avenge her brothers murder. June goes undercover in the poor sectors and thinks she has found him, but not before Day helps her after being injured in a Skids fight and not before they share an attraction leading to a kiss. When June discovers this boy is actually the infamous Day, she reports to her superiors and a plan is hatched to capture Day. Things go wrong, Day's mother is shot by June's superiors and Day is captured. June is torn between an inner trust she feels for Day after he tells her there is no way he could have killed her brother. June makes more discoveries from secret messages that her deceased brother had left in case he died. The more she looks into the goings on of the Republic, she realizes that her parents were killed and so was her brother, it was no accident...they knew too much. June knows she that if her superiors suspect she is learning the truth, she will be killed as well. June must help Day escape and asks the Patriots for help. They assist, the plan is executed and they escape. However, Day's brother, John, saves his brother by when the escape hits a snag and John sacrifices himself to save Day. At the end of the book, June and Day are alone together on the outskirts of Los Angeles, wondering what their next step will be, where they will go, they are now the two most wanted people in the Republic...

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Divergent (Divergent #1)

Divergent by Veronica Roth
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What an awesome, action packed book. I couldn't put it down. This is what dystopian themed book are all about. It's as good and daunting as Mocking Jay but in a different way. Perhaps not as gruesome, but pretty darn close! I have a feeling this series could be bigger than Mocking Jay. But I don't think a movie could do this book justice. No way!

Beatrice Prior lives in a very futuristic seemingly post apocalyptic Chicago. Lake Michigan is now a marsh, no longer a lake. Many of the buildings are in ruins. The area is now populated by five factions, each one representing a different responsibility and way of life.

Beatrice Potter must make a choice of which faction she will choose to live the rest of her life. A choice that will sever ties with her family and her past way of life. Choosing the faction she is drawn to, Dauntless, is a choice that leads to terrifying secrets. While dealing with her own deadly secret she is learning to deal with love, beatings, fears and learning that she really is not a fit for any of the factions. She is Divergent. She is on her own with others who want to avoid war and others that are also Divergent.

There is so much to this book I'm hard pressed to find the right words to give it justice. If there is one thing I hate about this...it's that I have to wait for the rest of the series to release!!!

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Crossed (Matched #2)

Crossed by Ally Condie

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It just didn't feel like a great follow up to Matched. Matched was cool and thrilling from start to finish and while it felt similar to other books I've read, it had it's own sci-fi spin. Most of this book lacked depth. It was poetic but not necessarily in a good way. I didn't feel like I understood what the characters looked like or truly felt. It wasn't until the second half of the book that I started to understand the characters and their purpose. Thankfully the second half of the book felt like something was finally happening!

After reading it, I'm left with more questions and I'm excited to see it all come together in the next book.

I wish I could remember more of what happened in Matched because I struggled a bit with all that occured between Xander and Cassia, Cassia and Ky. Did I miss any signs of what Xander really was?

I still feel like I don't fully understand what the Farmers are, who the Society is, who started the Rising? Perhaps I could call the Farmers hippies or maybe even Freemen? I wish I could understand more about the start up of the Society. Who really runs it? How long has it been around? How many Rebels actually are planted in the Society? And who the heck is the Enemy???

I'm really hoping all of these burning questions are answered in the FINAL book of this trilogy. And man-oh-man I sure hope she does end this series as stated with a third book. Nothing ruins a series like adding more books to a trilogy.

And for my own recollection... Cassia is in the Outer provinces and meets Indie at the work camp. Cassia sneaks onto an air ship to go to the villages to try to find Ky but ends up a decoy. When she gets there she realizes this is the same camp that Ky was at. She learns that he has escaped with two others. With Indie and another boy who knows the direction they went, they escape at night toward the Carvings. The boy goes his own way and dies. Ky is with Vick and Eli. Vick was the unofficial leader at the camp/village, but he died when someone? dropped poison into the river he was fishing at. Vick was a citizen who Contracted with an Anomaly and was reclassified and was made work as a decoy. Ky and Eli (who is the youngest and Ky feels protective of him) start to head out but then they see Cassia in the distance. They are reunited. Cassia learns that Ky wants nothing to do with the Rising. He wants to be a Farmer. He saw that his father was part of the rising and saw that it only kills people. Indie figures out that Ky has other reasons for not wanting to join the Rising. She figures out that Xander is also part of the rising and if Cassia were to figure out that her original match, and life long best friend were part of the Rising, that Cassia might realize she is meant to be with Xander after all, and not Ky. Cassia does not know this but knows that there is some secret about Xander but that he will have to be the one to tell her. Cassia and Indie are dead set on joining the Rising when it comes time to decide to rebel or join the Farmers. Eli, and the Farmer they came across, Hunter, head to join the escaped Farmers while Cassia and Indie head towards the Rising. Ky is torn but realizes he needs to be with Cassia. He would do anything for her. Cassia and Indie make it to the Rising first. Cassia is basically made to go back to the Society as a spy for the Rising. Ky is to be a pilot for an air ship in Camas. They do not get to say goodbye but both know where the other is. Ky is excited about Camas, though sad that he is apart from Cassia again, because it's where he believes the girl Vick loved, Laney, lives. He hopes to meet Laney? I'm not sure where Indie was sent, but Ky thinks that Indie will somehow bail on the Rising too. Hopefully the next book can resolve so many of the questions I have! I am truly excited for it.

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Passion (Fallen #3)

Passion by Lauren Kate

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I didn't like this book as much as the other two in the series. The little gargoyle guy was strange and I didn't like that he was in the story at all. I realize that the author had to go back in time to explain the past lives, it just wasn't the best method in my honest opinion. I think Luce could have traveled through time and learned about her past self with Daniel another way, it could have been better. Once I got towards the last quarter of the book it got a little better because things finally started coming together. The book just felt disconnected from it's series. I have high hopes for the next book though, the FINAL book.

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Envy (luxe #3)

Envy by Anna Godbersen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Dang! This is truly more a three than a four merely because of the ending. It was so good up until the end, it just felt fake and rushed and too much going on. I'm now reading the last book and I have to say I'm eagerly awaiting it to be over (resolved). I have, as a whole, mostly liked the series though.

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The Luxe

The Luxe by Anna Godbersen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm really torn between and 3 and 4 star for this book. I liked the book but it was a little slow to start with. I'll write out my review and come up with a final number by the end!

The book starts off at the funeral of Elizabeth Holland, a beautiful, prim and proper socialite in Manhattan from the late 1800's. We are set up with a few of the main cast of characters at the funeral including Elizabeth's sister, Diana, her best friend, Penelope Hayes and her future husband, the dapper Henry Schoonmaker. Not attending the funeral but are thoroughly entwined in this story are Elizabeth's personal maid, Lina Broud and the family coachman, Will Keller.

The book moves on to the events leading up to the funeral for Elizabeth Holland. It starts off a little slow but picks up about half way through the book as we start to understand what might have lead to the funeral for Elizabeth Holland. We read about affairs of the heart, social enemies, the rich and lavish life with luxurious parties, gossip, betrayal, familial obligations, heartache and on and on.

This story shows that there are a lot of layers beneath the finely polished exterior of the rich and debonair families with proper manners that are mostly for show. Beneath there are dark secrets that threaten the way of life they are so greedily accustomed to. Are they willing to risk their heart or are they willing to risk the riches they have been afforded? And who will they bring down to get what they want?

Okay, I'll give it 4 stars! It was mildly juicy but I really liked the setting of the book. Very nice. :)


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Torment (Fallen #2)

Torment by Lauren Kate

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Excellent! I found this second book to be better than the first. Perhaps I better understood the characters and the plot more this go around.

I'm fascinated by the tangled web of Daniel and Luce's long and ongoing love story. Probably one of my favorite love stories to date, so much mystery and intrigue.

In this book there are many twists and turns and even though there is a major cliffhanger at the end leaving one thirsting for more, I'm pretty sure I know where its going. And I think I know what Luce really is which makes Daniels past actions for Luce and his good vs. evil decision that much more important and universe shattering than I initially thought! So, so, so good!

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