Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Published by Razorbill 2007
288 Pages (paperback)

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker - his classmate and crush - who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah's voice tells him that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out why. Clay spends the night crisscrossing his town with Hannah as his guide. He becomes a firsthand witness to Hannah's pain, and learns the truth about himself-a truth he never wanted to face.
I have mixed opinions on this book, however I know what the most prominent feeling I had about this book. Overall it's a really great book that I think a lot of people should read. It gets down to the core of one of my most valued "ideas" I guess you could say. I really feel that it's really important to treat people as best as you can, especially if you really don't know them. I know that sounds weird but people who you are closer to you know their situations but people you don't know real well at all, you have no idea what they're going trough. Now that's not to say that the people you're close to can't "hide" things from you or not share their whole life with you, but you will get some truth from them. Just as Hannah gave the people she was "closest" to the truth, they just didn't see it. I've always felt that way and that's always been an idea that's been held in higher standards for me and it was the biggest thing I got from this book. Hopefully some of you see what I'm trying to say!

Now for the book! I really feel like this book isn't really about the book or the characters but rather the ideas and situations presented in the story. Don't get me wrong the I really felt for the characters and the story was depressing but good, but this book is about the general situations presented. It was interesting to get into Hannah's head and then to get to hear about the characters outside of her stories. It shows how different people can all come together unconsciously to affect one single person to the point where they don't think they can return. I liked Hannah but I personally couldn't connect with how she got to that horrible point. I don't know, I feel bad for thinking that way but the things that sent her towards that cliff just seemed like things that everyone has to deal with. I mean not everything, or in the combination that Hannah dealt with but I just didn't make that connection with her, but I did feel for her. Clay was a good duel narration, but he had nothing to feel bad about with Hannah, at least not like the others. I really liked him as the duel narrator but it would have been interesting to be able to get into the head of one of the other characters, who had more to deeply contemplate then Clay. Other than that this book was a great book that allows us as readers to really contemplate the affect that we all have on other people. It was a great book that I'll be passing around to my cousins!

4.5 Kisses

The Dream Crystal by Mark O'Bannon

The Dream Crystal by Mark O'Bannon (The Dream War Series, #1)
Published by: MEOw Publishing 2011
Pages: Kindle-392
Received for review by Mark O'Bannon (Thank you so much for the awesome book Mark!)
Buy The Dream Crystal for your kindle here- Amazon
Reviewed by Kate
All of the world's dreams are about to die. The Shadow People have come. Always near, they linger in the darkness, ready to devour dreams, hopes, aspirations and desires. . .

Aisling, having lost her dream of becoming a fashion designer, learns that she's a Faerie changeling. Disquieted by the fact that her faerie parents are kidnappers, she has decided to rescue the human child she was exchanged for, but her "sister" is no longer among the faeries, having been taken by the Shadow People. Ith, the Lord of Shadows, is trying to control the dreams of mankind, which are under the protection of the faeries, so they're at war.

Aisling, who doesn't believe in dreams any longer, is falling in love with a handsome, mysterious stranger - one of the Shadow People.

Recommended To- Anyone who loves a fast paced fantasy story with some serious action scenes, a beautiful world, and some romance.

Have you read a serious fantasy book lately? And I'm not talking a paranormal book, I mean fantasy. This book is the epitome of fantasy. O'Bannon creates a beautiful world full of fairies, unicorns, elves, and the dangerous shadow people. Oh, and there's a ton of fashion. Plus a neat Irish spin on the characters and story in general, which was a cool addition to the story. Everything that everyone loves right? But we all know that without a good plot and some great characters that all of these fantasy creatures and characters will be easily forgettable. Mark O'Bannon does a fabulous job to make sure that this story is unforgettable!

We start the story following Aisling, an aspiring fashion designer through her struggle to fulfill her dream. Unfortunately there's been some kinks in her plans, there mostly little until she gets kicked out of fashion school and her best friend is almost killed by something only she can hear and see. Then things get a little more complicated, and send Aisling to a whole new world and life. Something she could have only dreamed of. As I said before, the world that O'Bannon creates  a beautiful world that I want to go live in! Aisling quickly discovers this beautiful world and all the magic that this world holds. There is a lot of amazing magic that I would also love to have. But don't be fooled by the beautiful fairy world and cool magic, these fairies know how to kick some butt. The action starts almost immediately and continues to almost the last page. And I'm talking some serious fighting here, with good old fashion swords and a battle of wills. It's really awesome, and refreshing, to have a character, Aisling, that really can hold her own and doesn't need anyone to do anything for her. She's completely independent. She's a character that we need to see a lot more in books. In fact, O'Bannon really writes great characters! All of Aisling friends were completely loyal and always there for her, which I really admired. They knew when Aisling needed to do something on her own and when they needed to be there for her. Did I mention the loyalty thing yet? They're completely loyal, even when Aisling is kind of shunned by her own people. And they know how to kick some butt too!

I mentioned that this story is fast paced, it really is! Even though it's almost 400 pages it's an easy and fast read. All the action and suspense keeps you reading until the end to know what's happening. Oh, the end, well, let me just say that I thought O'Bannon was brilliant with the ending he gave us. The saying "It only gets worse until it gets better" comes to mind, but I'm not going to elaborate much more. It just wasn't your typical ending which I really liked. And it leaves a whole lot more that's going to happen in the second Dream War book. I can't wait for the next book! Until then, this book was definitely a good read!

4.25 Kisses!

Are You Going To Kiss Me Now Review

Are You Going To Kiss Me Now by Sloane Tanen
Published by Sourcebooks Fire May 2011
Paperback 355 pages

High school junior Francesca Manning is an outsider, an aspiring writer and secret devourer of celebrity gossip mags. A fake essay to Seventeen wins her the celeb-schmoozing opportunity of a lifetime, but after the plane crashes, she's stranded on a desert island with five of the most clueless, self-involved headcases to escape Hollywood. Happily skewering their foibles in witty observations on her iPhone proves surprisingly educational for Francesca. The group must work together to survive-if they don't insult each other to death first.

Recommended for: If you are looking for a light read that will have you laughing so hard that should not read it in public, (Unless your good with having people stare at you, I know that's not something I'm good with but if you're good with that go for it!), then this is your book! A great fun overall enjoyable summer read!

I hope you all like my new recommendation part of the review. Since I tend to be a little bit of a rambler I hope this will give everyone a shorter piece of what I'm trying to say. Back to the book. I really enjoyed this book and will recommend it to everyone who loves a good laugh. This book had me laughing so hard that I really couldn't read it in front of everyone because I knew they would look at me and it would just be weird. And yes, it did happen once and I learned from that one time. I honestly think that this is one, if not, the funniest book that I have ever read. Every single character had me laughing my head off and they were all relate able, okay maybe not everyone and if you ever read the book you will know why. But seriously, the funniest book ever! The only problem I had with this book is the ending. It felt rushed and not complete to me. I would have liked to have known what happened after everything, I mean we get an epilogue, but it was short and personally I didn't feel that it gave me much of an ending, or at least the closure I wanted. (This review is starting to feel more like a relationship than a book huh?) Back on track, it just didn't feel complete to me and wish there would have been more of a satisfying ending. I wasn't 100% satisfied! The beginning took up a decent portion of the book and I just wish that Tanen would have given us more of definite ending and a few details of what just happened. I just felt like with the beginning we deserved more of an ending. Besides the end I also didn't like one of the characters 180, and it's not because of the obvious change but his change in personality. He was such a strong and assertive guy before and then became this big ball of whiny and moping and......I just did not like the change in his personality. Okay I rambled a lot about the ending, but do not let it determine whether or not to read this book. Overall, an enjoyable read. It really is a great comedy story that I think everyone can get a good laugh out of. Read it if you love, like, or even hate to laugh! But either way I promise that you will laugh.

4 Kisses

The Goddess Test Review

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter
Published by Harlequin Teen 2011
Paperback 293 Pages

It's always been just Kate and her mom—and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall.
Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld—and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he's crazy—until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess.

Recommended to (And this is based off my opinion of the book): Anyone who can wait for a somewhat predictable but still good ending.

Not Recommended to: Anyone who loves the traditional Greek mythology, this book seems to really stray from the traditional Greek mythology

One Word Feeling About This Book: FRUSTRATED

This book really threw me for a loop. *Warning this may be a longer review.* First, something no one can miss, the gorgeous cover! The book companies these days are really getting creative and going above and beyond to create beautiful stop in the bookstore with five people directly behind you covers, so you all crash but it was well worth the dirty looks to be able to look at those beautiful covers! (So is the next one, which I will add near the end of this post.) The Goddess Test cover is no exception, it is so beautiful and really captures the books synopsis. The cover was exciting and so was the synopsis, it sounded so good and I'm really excited that YA is taking a Greek Mythology turn! I've been waiting for a Greek Mythology book for a while and this was my first YA Greek Mythology which made me even more excited to being reading.

I honestly believed that this book would be one of my all time favorites before I started reading. Maybe that's why my opinion of this book was not quite what I thought it would be, too high expectations. The book just left me frustrated and confused. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a horrible book it just, well, it left me frustrated and confused. So we'll start with our main character Kate. (Again, I really wanted to love this book and the characters.) Well if I'm being completley honest, I didn't really care for her. Now I really appreciate a sarcastic character but with Kate the sarcasm made me feel more that she was just a mean girl. Now in her situation I can understand some sarcastic aganst and being a little mean to people but to me it felt that she was mean to everyone she came across. Again I can understand in her situation but it her character just wasn't for me. That said I really admire that she was there for her mom and how much she truley loved her and how well she took care of her. It was a small redeeming factor for me, but didn't overshadow how she was with everyone else. She did get better throughout the book, once she got to know people but she still didn't shine through to me as a character. Now for the character I think all the girls want to hear about, Henry. Unfortunatly I can't say many great things about him either. He fell flat for me, he was always so gloomy and either cold or charming. One word to describe his character for me is, eh. That's it, he wasn't terrible but he's not on my list of YA guys I love, and it's kind of hard to not make that list. Again, he was okay. I didn't love him and I didn't hate him. He was just kind of there and he had his moments but mostly he was just, eh. So while the main charcters didn't really work for me I did like a few or the minor-main characters, Ava, Ella, and Calliope. They had flaws, which I kind of missed in Kate, she seemed a little self-rightous to me, not in the obvious snobby way. I can't really explain it but something in her character felt like that to me, maybe it was that she always kind of thought she knew what was best. I still can't exactly put my finger on it. But back to Ava, Ella, and Calliope. They had personatily and I liked their personailties. Those three shined for me whereas the main characters were lacking for me. They made me keep reading and I really enjoyed them.

So after all my bioplar thoughts on the characters in this book, I really wish I could say that the plot was a redeeming factor for me but it wasn't. Now it wasn't bad but it was kind of strange to me. First off, the book didn't really go anywhere. I mean, nothing really happened except for the begining and then kind of at the end. I can't say much about it without giving things away. One of things was the tests Kate had to overcome, they were a little weird. I understand why Carter chose what the tests were, it's an interesting spin but for me it didn't work. I just didn't get how what the tests were matched up with Greek Mythology at all, in fact the Gods and Goddesses from Greek mythology should have failed all the tests I mean we all have the knowledge of how scandolous the Gods and Goddesses are. What kind of throws me is the fact that the tests are specifically made to see if Kate can handle the Goddess statues, it made sense but not in Greek mythology standards. Although, the Gods and Goddesses in this book are very different than in Greek mythology, but more on that later. I have to give Carter credit, it was an interesting idea but again, for me it didn't really work. Also, I really thought that the tests were going to be a lot different than what they were, Kate never even knew they were going on except for one. It was kind of strange since all the other girls died trying to pass these tests, they made me think they would be action packed and really life threatening but they were just, blah. Not super exciting or even romotley interesting, they were a little dull.

Now I have to mention something about the Gods and Goddesses, as I said before, they are some pretty scandoulous characters. Somewhere along this book, the whole Greek mythology and Gods and Goddesses got lost for me. I feel like you could definitely take out all the Greek mythology and Gods and Goddesses and the book would still pretty much stand on it's own. What I mean by that is it didn't seem like this book was really based on Greek mythology. By reading the synopsis you would think this book is completley formed around the Greek mythology, that it's essentially the skeleton of the story. Really, the Greek mythology seemed a little bit of an after thought. Or it could have been that Carter changed what I think most people know about Greek mythology and made it her own. If I remember correctly, even the story of Presophene was changed a little, at least from the versions I have heard and read. Now without giving too much away, all the Gods and Goddesses are in the book, but they were dissapointing for me because there wasn't much personality to them. They seemed like another flat after thought, for example * super small spoiler* Poseidon works with the horses, among being God of the Seas he is the God of Horses. I mean that was pretty much all we got, really super small things that told us who was who and other than that there wasn't much more to them. Some of the Gods and Goddesses went into a little more depth but not too much. There were some that I liked but even they were not the Gods and Goddesses that we know from Greek mythology. It's probably an interesting take for some people, but I wanted more scandolous drama from these powerful people, not mellow people with good morals that were somewhat flat. That just doesn't say Greek Gods and Goddesses to me at all. The one major redeeming factor for me, and why I bumped up my rating for this book was the end. It was the best part of the book for me. It was interesting and, while I did see most of it coming, it was good. If it weren't for the end I don't think I would be reading the next book. So to end all this long review madness, I really wanted to love this book but I just didn't. Some of it left me confussed and most of it just left me plain frustrated. I wanted this to be such an amazing book with characters I loved, and I really thought it was going to be but it wasn't. Now what I think and what other people think can be very different and this book can really work for you, as I'm sure it has for some of you who have already read it. It just didn't for me. The Greek mythology was changed a lot, most of the characters were flat for me and just too good for who they are supposed to be, the tests, while I can see the reasoning behind it, were off for me and the association with Greek mythology, and the plot, while it was okay, the last forty pages or so were the best. I will read the next book because of those last forty pages but I don't know if I will spend my money to buy it, it will probably be a go to the good ole' library for. The next book, Goddess Interupted sounds really good and unique, and I'm hoping for a better book that lives up to it's synopsis.

2.5 Kisses

Goddess Inerupted Cover:

Water For Elephants Book Review and Movie Review

Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen

Published by Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill 2006

Paperback 331 Pages

Though he may not speak of them, the memories still dwell inside Jacob Jankowski's ninety-something-year-old mind. Memories of himself as a young man, tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. Memories of a world filled with freaks and clowns, with wonder and pain and anger and passion; a world with its own narrow, irrational rules, its own way of life, and its own way of death. The world of the circus: to Jacob it was both salvation and a living hell.

Jacob was there because his luck had run out - orphaned and penniless, he had no direction until he landed on this locomotive 'ship of fools'. It was the early part of the Great Depression, and everyone in this third-rate circus was lucky to have any job at all. Marlena, the star of the equestrian act, was there because she fell in love with the wrong man, a handsome circus boss with a wide mean streak. And Rosie the elephant was there because she was the great gray hope, the new act that was going to be the salvation of the circus; the only problem was, Rosie didn't have an act - in fact, she couldn't even follow instructions. The bond that grew among this unlikely trio was one of love and trust, and ultimately, it was their only hope for survival.

Recommended To: Anyone who is interested in how circuses were back in the 1930's, this book is no encyclopedia but for a fiction story really painted an amazing picture in my head of what circuses were like. If you are looking for a story with a really great plot line with some twists along the way then this is your book!

Content One Should Know: I thought to include this because this is an adult book and therefore adult themes. The first thing I will say is that this book is a darker book, not super dark and depressing but it does have its' moments. The second thing is, like I said, adult book equals adult themes. (More details towards the end of the review)

What can I possibly say about Water For Elephants? I mean there seemed to be a little bit of a Water For Elephants craze once the movie trailer came out, now I am not talking about a craze like the Twilight books but still, a lot of people wanted to see the movie, the bookstores started to "showcase" the books, and a movie-tie-in version of the book came out. I am proud to say that I had the opportunity to get that version but passed and am very happy with my choice. So as I was saying, the craze. It was not as huge as I thought it might be, at least not by me, but I knew that I still had to go and read the book before I saw the movie. So I will start from the beginning, I had actually heard from National Novel Writing Month, or Nanowrimo as many call it. Link here - http://www.nanowrimo.org/. So Ms. Gruen wrote this book for one of her nanowrimo seasons and the first year I tried it out I heard about the book. At the time I had only just begun to know the world of YA, I did not even know that YA existed at that point. So at that point I was not exactly looking for an adult novel to read. So over the years this book kept popping up in places, woman who I babysat for, the bookstore (duh), an older teacher at my school, she is the sweetest lady I have ever met, but anyway I never took the hint to actually pick it up and read it. Finally the I found out the movie was coming out, insert big craze, or lack there of, here, and I wanted to see the movie so I knew at some point I would have to pick up the book. As it turns out I made a few plans to see the movie with my friends, a few times, but it never worked out. So finally I was at the bookstore getting a book for my little sisters birthday and, while I never really got the hint from the aligning stars to just pick up the dang thing, I picked it up.

This book is honestly one of the best books I have read this year! (Although I have only read about 8 so you can interpret what that means to you) Anyway I really enjoyed this book! I loved the whole setting of the circus, and honestly I think that's what really made the book for me, but more on that later. The setting was perfect and Gruen really took me into that time with this book, I was just pulled in and it all felt so real to me. I felt like I had an insiders look in the circus, one with glamour, scandals, and dark secrets. I can easily tell you that this is not anything like to the circuses I have been to. I was so drawn in by the circus aspect, but that is not enough for a book to be written on, and I got so much more. The characters blew my mind. They were so glamorous and rugged but at the same time they all had their secrets and deceptiveness. The antagonists were really my guilty pleasure, I love a good antagonists and these characters were downright evil and cruel, yet at the same time they could be charming and collected. They were really awesome bad guys that had motive, not like some characters that just seem to do things for the heck of it. They were genuinely bad guys with motives and were very entertaining to read about, as were all the characters but damn, can Gruen write a bad guy.

On to some other parts of the book, before you all think I am crazy for loving the bad guys. I really liked Jacob and Marlena as well, I feel that even though Jacob is a guy, he was still easy to relate to. I did not like him as much when I was reading those chapters with him in the nursing home. He was crabby all the time, but I guess in his situation I would feel the same. Marlena, she was a glamour girl that's for sure, but with a good heart and while she was not always the most bright person I really liked her. The only thing I did not like about Jacob and Marlena's relationship was when Jacob first said he loved her, I stopped reading for a bit to think about this. Yes he has said that he likes her, they have talked and had some good conversations, he thinks she's beautiful. Yes all that is true, but I am not seeing anything that does not point to just friendship. I mean, do all those things equal love? I do not think so and, therefore, was really surprised when he said that, there just needed to be something a little more, for me, to feel the love. Overall the circus really was amazing and definitely made up for these small flaws in the books. I loved how Guren described all the acts and animals and how the reader can actually experience the acts, and experience more than one. However, this book is dark so not for anyone who wants a light read. There is also a lot of sexual references and content. The book goes just as close as you can to having an....ahm....scene without doing just that. So not for the faint hearted in that area either. It was something I was not expecting at all but I lived to tell you all about it! And I was actually fine with it. It was not a huge deal to me but I know for some people it might be so I thought I would give a fair warning. But none of this should lead you not to read this book. I loved picking up this book and reading it and will definitely re-read it again many times!



Now a quick movie review!

So if you spent a good amount of time reading my review you will know that I love this book! I have to say that I am glad that something made my plans with friends to see the movie not work out so I had to read the book. So before you see the movie READ THE BOOK! I cannot stress this enough. The movie was great but there were some differences that I did not like as much. The movie is great though and I would definitely recommend going to see it. The acting was amazing! I loved Reese Witherspoon and Christopher Waltz, who played Marlena and August did an AMAZING JOB! Seriously amazing! Reese did such an amazing job bringing Marlena to life and she even was so amazing as to bring even more to Marlena than in the book! Her emotions and acting were so sincere and diverse, and I thought she was fabulous. As for Mr. Waltz, it was probably a hard part to play but he was also amazing. He was the perfect antagonist portraying August perfectly! They both did such a great job and I already love Reese and now I will be looking for more from Christopher Waltz. As amazing as they were I wish I could say the same for Rob Pattinson, and I have nothing against him so don't hate me, but it seemed like he had two expressions/ sides to him. There was the serious side and then the smiling/laughing/giggling side. And really, those were the only two sides of his character I really saw. It wasn't terrible but I remember saying to my friend "So are we only going to see Rob giggling like a young preteen guy or as serious as a rock?". I wanted a little more variety from him. I wanted more Jacob. Like I said, Rob was not terrible or even bad, just limited.

So now I need to say what I did not like as much. The first thing was there are two antagonists right, one being the owner of the circus, Uncle Al, and the other being the animal director, August. Well in the movie there is no Uncle Al and I did not like it. They were decisions and things that Uncle Al did that added to the story and August's character. Things that brought August and Jacob together that lead to things that were in the book. That was confusing, basically I wish that they would have had someone as Uncle Al, he's not even in the book that much but an important part. So August was left to be the bad guy alone and it did not feel as authentic to me. And lastly, as we all know when books are made into movies, all the scenes in the book cannot be in the movie. They actually did a very good job with that but they didn't have the scenes in a consecutive order. Now you have to understand that I literally just finished the book the day before I saw the movie so it was all fresh in my mind and maybe that is why I'm being a little picky but I just did not like the scenes being out of order. It did bother me a bit. But anyway the movie was still amazing! But READ THE BOOK FIRST!!! You will appreciate it so much more and I promise the movie will still be really good! (Okay so not so quick)

Saving Juliet by Suzanne Selfors

Saving Juliet

by Suzanne Selfors

Published by: Walker and Company

Published: 2008

Pages: Paperback 242

Genres: Adventure, Comedy, Romance, and YA

Reviewed by Kate

Mimi Wallingford, of the famous Wallingford actors, wishes to be anywhere but onstage for the final performance of Romeo and Juliet. Acting isn't for her, even if her family's future relies on it. Being transported to Shakespeare's Verona wasn't what she had in mind either, but when the magical ashes clear, she's suddenly not in Manhattan anymore---her heartthrob coaster, Troy Summer, is along for the ride.

After Mimi befriends the real Juliet Capulet, she just can't allow the play to reach the tragic end that she and Troy have acted out countless times before. But if saving Juliet means changing the greatest love story of all time, will Mimi and Troy ever make it back to Broadway?

Well first off, and very quickly, I'm back! Sorry for being gone so long, unfortunately everything got a little overwhelming, as being a junior in high school does for everyone, I'm sure, and blogging had to take a back seat to everything else. But I'm finally back and ready to review with lots of books ready to go! And finally the review:

This book is a retelling of Romeo in Juliet in a very unique way. I love retelling so this was right up my alley. I had read Romeo and Juliet freshman year and was ready to compare the two. Both are great and this was just as good as the play but even more entertaining and hilarious with a whole new twist on the tale. Mimi and Troy travel to Verona and start their adventure with the Juliet and Romeo beings. The real twist on this story is the characters in Verona. They are all very different from the play but not in way. They all have some qualities from the original play with some of those qualities enhanced to create a hilarious time for the characters and readers. I think most people find the plays characters a little dramatic, well if you thought those characters were dramatic wait until you read about these characters! I loved the characters in the book, they make this book so entertaining and funny! If you need a good laugh you should pick up this book. It's entertaining and super cute, overall a good light read. I really can't think of anything that I didn't like about this book. Except the plot, it was a little predictable in the long run but their were parts all throughout the book that I certainly wasn't expecting, and that comes from the new unique characters. As I said before the characters really make this book and are certain to make you laugh. A great retelling telling or Romeo and Juliet for 2008!

Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott

Living Dead Girl By Elizabeth Scott
Published by Simon Pulse, 2008
Pages: 170
Genres: Kidnapping, Rape, Stockholm syndrome

Reviewed by Kate

Summery: Once upon a time, I was a little girl who disappeared.
Once upon a time, my name was not Alice.
Once upon a time, I didn’t know how lucky I was.

When Alice was ten, Ray took her away from her family, her friends her life. She learned to give up all power, to endure all pain. She waited for the nightmare to be over.
Now Alice is fifteen and Ray still has her, but he speaks more and more of her death. He does not know it is what she longs for. She does not know he has something more terrifying than death in mind for her.
This is Alice’s story. It is one you have never heard, and one you will never, ever forget.

Wow, this book was so dark and disturbing, yet so enlightening on a very serious subject. I'm a strong believer in knowledge and learning about things, I think it's very important to be knowledgeable about the world around us, even if it's a really bad dark thing that we do not want to know about, it's still important. This book is one of those books that I believe all "older" teens should read. This book was so well written. The writing flowed very well and the way Scott wrote her characters was truly amazing to me. I think that some of the hardest characters to write are characters like this, Alice, a kidnapped girl forced to be a victim in a sick sexual game and Ray, the sick sadistic man that kidnapped her. Now I'm not sure what went into writing these characters but I feel like they could easily been made not believable, not at all in the case of this book. I really felt Alice and her feelings, I started to understand better what goes into living with an abusive, especially sexually abusive, captor for years and why that "Alice" made the choices she made and felt the things she felt. Once Ray's story is told in the book it's understandable why he is the way he is, it is definitely wrong but you can see the events that lead up his decision to kidnap "Alice". Overall this book was amazingly written, it was a very dark and disturbing book but I would read it again. I really think that all older teens should read this, it does contain sexual references and implies sexual things but does not go into to much detail. It is weir but I actually felt dirty after finishing every time after I finished reading a part, I actually wanted to go wash my hands. I know it is weird but that's the feeling I had. This book is that impacting. A Definite read!

4.5 Kisses!

Kissed by an Angel by Elizabeth Chandler

Kissed by an Angel by Elizabeth Chandler
Published by Simon Pulse
Pages: 668 (3 Book Bind-up)
Genres: Angels, Mystery, Suspense, and Romance


Summery: Kissed by an angel is about a grill named Ivy. Ivy's mother is just getting remarried to the richest guy in the town, who's son is in the very popular crowd. Ivy meets Tristan, I'm not going to say much and spoil it but Ivy has a thing for angel statues. She's not a church religion loving person she just likes the idea that angels are watching over her, which is huge with the book. They, Tristan and Ivy, date and fall in love but on one night driving to a restaurant there's an accident and Tristan dies but isn't gone for good, he becomes and angel. He's not sure what he's supposed to do, as no angel really is. Ivy has a hard time copping with Tristan's death but finds comfort in her stepbrother and friends. But something is wrong. Someone is out to get Ivy and she doesn't no why. Tristan figures this out as well and wants to save Ivy and let her know that he's there. It's a mystery mixed with a love story.

I probably read this book about 2 years ago but I remember really liking it. One of my best friends mom's, who loves to read, actually saw me with this and she was reading it at the same time so we discussed it. (I love discussing books with physical in-person people) It wasn't really weired because she is kind of an easy person to talk to a relate with. Anyway we both loved it. The plot was good. If you don't like total romance stories than this could be a book for you because it has a lot of mystery and suspense to it. It was a bittersweet book that I liked a lot. I admit to falling in love with Tristan, not the type of guy I would normally go for in real life or a book but his character was very sincere, and just a good character. I like Ivy, she was another really good character/person. She's one of those people at school who, if you need one word to describe them, would be nice and loyal, ok so that's two words but they really describe her. The other characters are also good. But Tristan was my all time favorite in this book. The plot was good and kept me reading not through the night but I still finished in about a week. There were lots of surprises at the end some good some bad. Overall I did enjoy it but the end was bittersweet for me, more bitter than sweet. What's really exciting is there's going to be another book in the series! I really hope in this book I get the ending I wanted so bad!I will definitely read it again! A really good angel book!

4.5 Kisses!

Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright

Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakley Cartwright
Published by Poppy (Little Brown and Company) 2011
329 Pages
Genres: Action, Horror (Light), Mystery, Romance, and YA

Reviewed by Kate

Valerie's sister was beautiful, kind, and sweet. Now she is dead. Henry, the handsome son of the blacksmith, tries to console Valerie, but her wild heart beats fast for another: the outcast woodcutter, Peter, who offers Valerie another life far from home.

After her sister's violent death, Valerie's world begins to spiral out of control. For generations, the wolf has been kept at bay with a monthly sacrifice. But now no one is safe. When an expert Wolf hunter arrives, the villagers learn that the creature lives among them-it could be anyone in town.

It soon becomes clear that Valerie is the only one who can hear the voice of the creature. The Wolf says she must surrender herself before the blood moon wanes...or everyone she loves will die.

This was one of the most frustrating books that I have ever read! And this will be one interesting review as I really can't say to much about this book without giving anything away, or not away. Don't get me wrong, it was a great book, but so unbelievably frustrating. This book blew my mind. It was not at all what I was expecting. I was expecting a little horror version of Red Riding Hood, one that would probably have all the answers and an ending that was, maybe not happily ever after, but one where the characters end up together. Well, I was right about the horror part at least.

The world in this book was great! I really loved the setting and the town and how it was described. I liked the characters a lot, but I wished there was more with Valerie, Henry, and Peter. It just seemed like everything between them happened so suddenly. I wish there would have been more in depth relationships between Valerie and the guys. Other than that the characters were really great and can represent people and relationships in real life. This story was so much more than I thought it would be. There was so much that went on over a series of about five days, but it kept me reading continuously and really not wanting to put the book down. There was always something going on that made me look at the clock at 1:20 in the morning and think "Nah, I have time to read another chapter." I just loved the story and the plot. There were so many twists and turns and every page kept you guessing who the Wolf was and what was going to happen. I honestly guessed at the beginning and then I just stopped, it was just one of those books that you will never figure out until the end. Oh, and I thought that I'd read the book before the movie came out so I would appreciate it more, since it was written based on the screen play, interesting huh? Anyway, I'd still recommend it but not until March before the movie comes out, I'm not going to say why but if you read this book before then I know you will be feeling what I'm feeling right now, having just finished the book tonight. So before I'm tempted to say anything more about that, it's really killing me, I just want to let you know that this book does have a bit of blood and gore, I mean there is blood on the cover kind of warning you right off the bat. I liked it, I thought it brought a new edge to the classic fairytale and made it more intense. This book is a really edgy and mature version of the classic fairytale. And I loved it, and am so unbelievably frustrated with this book that if I did not love the cover so much, I would have thrown it across the room, but that would have damaged it. So I loved this book and definitely recommend it, but closer to the movie's release date. Again, for reasons I really don't want to say, I know I know, that does not help at all huh? Well I'm just as frustrated as you guys. I apologize for taking any frustration on this review. But seriously , Read It! Just sometime in March!

4.5 Kisses/ Moons for this book!





Red Riding Hood (March 11th 2011)

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
Published by Walker and Company 2009
Pages 357
Genres: Gangs, Family Issues, Romance, and YA
Reviewed by Kate

At Fairfield High School, on the outskirts of Chicago, everyone knows that south siders and north siders aren't exactly compatible elements. So when head cheerleader Brittany Ellis and gang member Alex Fuentes are forced to be lab partners in chemistry class, the results are bound to be explosive. But neither teen is prepared for the most surprising chemical reaction of all-love. Can they break through the stereotypes and misconceptions that threaten to keep them apart?

I'm honestly really reluctant to review this book, the reason being it is one of my absolute favorite books in the world and I really want to be able to do it justice. I've always loved reading but this book was one of the first that got me into reading YA and making an enormously insane hobby out of it. So this book is one of my first loves and continues to be. I've read tons of books since then and I can only name a few that are as passionate and real as this story. The love, the characters, the family issues, are all so real. I think for a lot of readers it would be hard to relate to a person in a gang or a rich cheerleader, who seems perfect, but somehow Elkeles does a fabulous job of making you feel for the character so much that it's like you can relate to them. While Alex seems like a hardcore gang member and Brittany a rich cheerleader who has everything, they aren't what they seem. They are so much deeper, and the way Elkeles writes let's you know that almost instanlty. Right away you feel their emotions and you care about the characters so much, and it only gets even more so throguhtout the book, it's like...uh...I don't even know how to describe it but I was so emotionally involved with these characters it was carzy! I have never wished so much that two characters would be together, and you never really know what will happen in their relationship until the very end. Let me tell you it was torture! At times I was laughing other times I wanted to go into the book and smack someone and then throw the book across the room in hopes the characters inside would feel it. This book had me on an emtional rollercoaster, okay yes, I even cried. (By the way, these were all good emtions, evening the smacking someone. It needed to be in the book to make it that powerful.) It had me complelety invested. I remember this was the first book I finished in two days. It would have been sooner but starting the book at 9 at night and it being a school night and all and with me being a slow reader, well, that eqaution doesn't add up to finishing in one night. But I would have if I could have!

Like I said, the characeters are really AMAZING! Going through what they went through and learning about themsleves and other people around them and the deeper meaning of everything, was just such a great reading experiance for me . And they seem like high schoolers! They are more mature, but in their cercumstances I can see why. And probably the most imporant part, the romance is so STEAMY and HOT! It was like the pages were actually on fire! I don't know how Elkeles does it but everytime I read this book it's like that first experiance all over again. Sometimes I'm done with the chapter I think 'Wait? That wasn't me with Alex?' It's really that good! If you love a badboy, ALEX FUENTES will fill your every desire and fantasy. In my book, (haha, no pun inteaded) Alex is THE badboy, and he's mine ladies! And I am not sharing! :) The plot was so deep and amazing! The events that occur in this book make it seem like you are living them. All the moments are so real and intense. It's not just about love and romance either but the challenges that Alex and Brittany face at home and with their peers. The experiances are so real and I think that everyone can relate to something in this book. Though I think Alex and Brittany's love was the best part! So this book is one of my absolute favorites and it NEEDS ot be on YOUR reading list! One of the BEST books I have ever read!

How could this book not be 5 Kisses!