The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

****The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting****

Originality- 19/20

Characters- 18/20

Remembrance- 7/10

Quote-ability- 7/10

Entertainment- 18/20

Ending- 8/10

Recommend to read- 8/10
TOTAL- 85/100

Grade- B

Release Date- March 1st, 2010

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.

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This novel was a truely gripping read. We got so many false fears. Whenever I thought something bad was going to happen it rarely did. My hears would start to beat so fast and then everything would be okay. Finally when you least expect it danger would come out of nowhere.

The plot of the book was very original. It was nice to read about someone who has come to terms with their "gift" and wasn't fighting against it. Violet grew up being able to sense the dead, and was okay with it. Usually while reading a book like this I have to hear about all of the bad things about their ablilty but Violet had few which was refreshing.

Sometimes I got mad at her impulses, but I got even more frustrated when Jay got mad at her. We got to understand that when she felt those urges she could barely control her actions. She was drawn to the senses around her. The ending almost brought me to tears.

Overall I would have to say that The Body Finder was an exciting read that had you jumping at the slightest inclination of danger. Derting did a wonderful job of broadening the fantasy genre.

-Amanda

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a post where I tell you the books that I received this week either by buying them from the bookstore, going to the library or from my mailbox. Check out The Story Siren to learn more!

Diary of a Witness by Catherine Ryan Hyde

Ernie doesn't have a lot of friends at school. Just Will. They have stuff in common—like fishing. But more important, they have common enemies: the school jocks, who seem to find bullying just another sport.

For the most part, Ernie and Will take life at high school in stride. Until Will has one very bad day. Now nothing is remotely funny. Ernie finds himself a witness—to loss, to humiliation, and to Will’s anger—an anger that’s building each and every moment.

Ernie doesn’t want to believe his best friend is changing, but he can’t deny the truth. Soon he has a choice: join or die. Or can he find another way?

Fade to Blue by Sean Beaudoin

Sophie Blue started wearing a black skirt and Midnight Noir lipstick on her last birthday. It was also the day her father disappeared. Or spontaneously combusted. Which is sort of bad timing, since a Popsicle truck with tinted windows has started circling the house.

Kenny Fade is a basketball god. His sneakers cost more than his Jeep. He's the guy all the ladies (and their mommas) want. Bad.

Sophie Blue and Kenny Fade don't have a thing in common. Aside from being reasonably sure they're losing their minds.

Ash by Malinda Lo

In the wake of her father's death, Ash is left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother. Consumed with grief, her only joy comes by the light of the dying hearth fire, rereading the fairy tales her mother once told her. In her dreams, someday the fairies will steal her away, as they are said to do. When she meets the dark and dangerous fairy Sidhean, she believes that her wish may be granted.

The day that Ash meets Kaisa, the King's Huntress, her heart begins to change. Instead of chasing fairies, Ash learns to hunt with Kaisa. Though their friendship is as delicate as a new bloom, it reawakens Ash's capacity for love-and her desire to live. But Sidhean has already claimed Ash for his own, and she must make a choice between fairy tale dreams and true love.

Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink

Sixteen year-old Lia Milthorpe has just recently lost her father, leaving her parentless. But when a strange mark appears on her wrist, she realizes she is being branded with much more than her newfound title of orphan. Lia and her twin sister Alice are part of an ancient prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other.

Lia hides this discovery from Alice and even from her beloved James, but to escape from the burden this secret bestows she must end the prophecy-before her sister. Only then will she understand the mysterious circumstances of her parents' deaths, the true meaning of the mark on her wrist, the lengths to which her sister will go to defeat her, and the impact the resolution of the prophecy could have.

Soulstice by Simon Holt

It's been six months since Reggie first discovered and fought against the Vours, malicious and demonic beings that inhabit human bodies on the eve of the Winter Solstice.

The Vours still haunt Reggie, but only in her dreams-until one night, when an unexpected visitor turns her nightmares into reality.

Alphas by Lisi Harrison

At OCD the losers are tormented.

At Alpha Academy, they're sent home.

Skye Hamilton has scored an invitation to the ultra-exclusive Alphas-only boarding school where beta is spelled LBR . What happens when the country's best, brightest, and hawtest begin clawing and scratching their way to the top?

Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd

Acclaimed authors Holly Black (Ironside)and Cecil Castellucci (Boy Proof) have united in geekdom to edit short stories from some of the best selling and most promising geeks in young adult literature: M.T. Anderson, Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare, Tracy Lynn, Cynthia and Greg Leitich Smith, David Levithan, Kelly Link, Barry Lyga, Wendy Mass, Garth Nix, Scott Westerfield, Lisa Yee, and Sara Zarr.

With illustrated interstitials from comic book artists Hope Larson and Bryan Lee O'Malley, Geektastic covers all things geeky, from Klingons and Jedi Knights to fan fiction, theater geeks, and cosplayers. Whether you're a former, current, or future geek, or if you just want to get in touch with your inner geek, Geektastic will help you get your geek on!

-Amanda

Create A Cover!

Saw this on The Story Siren and decided to try it out!

CREATE YOUR DEBUT YA COVER
1 – Go to “Fake Name Generator” or click http://www.fakenamegenerator.com/
The name that appears is your author name.
2 – Go to “Random Word Generator” or clickhttp://www.websitestyle.com/parser/randomword.shtml
The word listed under “Random Verb” is your title.
3 – Go to “FlickrCC” or click http://flickrcc.bluemountains.net/index.php
Type your title into the search box. The first photo that contains a person is your cover.
4 – Use Photoshop, Picnik, or similar to put it all together. Be sure to crop and/or zoom in.
5 – Post it to your site along with this text.

-Amanda

Gorgeous by Rachel Vail

****Gorgeous by Rachel Vail****

Originality- 18/20
Characters- 18/20
Remembrance- 8/10
Quote-ability- 8/10
Entertainment- 18/20
Ending- 8/10
Recommend to read- 8/10
TOTAL- 86/100
Grade- B

She's looking good...but Allison Avery can't believe it. Growing up with beautiful, blond sisters, Allison has always been the dark-haired, "interesting-looking" Avery. So when the devil shows up and offers to make her gorgeous, Allison jumps at the chance to finally get noticed. But there's one tiny catch, and it's not her soul: The devil wants her cell phone.

Though her deal with the devil seems like a good idea at the time, Allison soon realizes that being gorgeous isn't as easy as it looks. Are her new friends and boyfriend for real, or do they just like her pretty face? Allison can't trust anyone anymore, and her possessed phone and her family's financial crisis aren't making things any easier. Plus when she finds out that she might be America's next teen model, all hell breaks loose. Allison may be losing control, but how far is she willing to go to stay gorgeous forever?

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Although Lucky was funny, and overall enjoyable, I think that Gorgeous had a lot more depth to it.

In Lucky Phoebe always talked about how beautiful she thought Allison was, so it was interesting to view Allison's point of view, which was feeling "okay" about her appearance. There were a lot of these point of view parts that I found amazing. Like in Lucky, Phoebe thought her sister's were always hiding things from her and that Allison was mean to her. Actually while reading Lucky Allison was my least favorite of the sisters. But in Gorgeous we discover that Allison isn't really being mean. It was just fun to see how different someone's interpretations of one event can be.

I really can not wait for the third book to come out. It seems as if the third Avery sister might have the biggest surprise for me yet. Overall I would say that Vail did a great job of re-writing the same dates in these sister's lives but making us realize that everyone sees things in a different way.

-Amanda

Killer (Pretty Little Liars #6) by Sara Shepard

****Killer (Pretty Little Liars #6) by Sara Shepard****

Originality- 18/20

Characters- 17/20

Remembrance- 9/10

Quote-ability- 8/10

Entertainment- 20/20

Ending- 10/10

Recommend to read- 9/10

TOTAL- 91/100

Grade- A

In picture-perfect Rosewood, Pennsylvania, ash-blond highlights gleam in the winter sun and frozen lakes sparkle like Swarovski crystals. But pictures often lie—and so do Rosewood's four prettiest girls.

Hanna, Aria, Spencer, and Emily have been lying ever since they became friends with beautiful Alison DiLaurentis. Ali made them do terrible things—things they had to keep secret for years. And even though Ali was killed at the end of seventh grade, their bad-girl ways didn't die with her.

Hanna's on a mission to corrupt Rosewood's youth, starting with a very attractive sophomore. Aria's snooping into her boyfriend's past. Spencer's stealing—from her family. And pure little Emily's abstaining from abstinence.

The girls should be careful, though. They thought they were safe when Ali's killer was arrested and A's true identity was finally revealed. But now there's a new A in town turning up the heat. And this time Rosewood is going to burn.

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These books just continue to get more amazing. First I would like to say that if you haven't had the pleasure to read this series now would be a great time to start. The language can get a little inappropriate but other than that most teens, especially girls, will love this series.

Killer picks up where Wicked left off. The girls are just getting themselves in deeper and deeper and we get to watch it all go down. We're all wondering what's going on. Even with clues being thrown every which way we don't know what to believe. The ending leaves us even more confused than we began.

Overall I would say that Killer is a great continuation of the series that will give you and your friends a lot to talk about.

-Amanda

Waiting On Wednesday

The book that I am waiting on this week is...

Title: Tempted

Author: P.C. Cast, Kristin Cast
Release Date: October 27, 2009

So…you’d think after banishing an immortal being and a fallen High Priestess, saving Stark’s life, biting Heath, getting a headache from Erik, and almost dying, Zoey Redbird would catch a break. Sadly, a break is not in the House of Night school forecast for the High Priestess in training and her gang. Juggling three guys is anything but a stress reliever, especially when one of them is a sexy Warrior who is so into protecting Zoey that he can sense her emotions. Speaking of stress, the dark force lurking in the tunnels under the Tulsa Depot is spreading, and Zoey is beginning to believe Stevie Rae could be responsible for a lot more than a group of misfit red fledglings. Aphrodite’s visions warn Zoey to stay away from Kalona and his dark allure, but they also show that it is Zoey who has the power to stop the evil immortal. Soon it becomes obvious that Zoey has no choice: if she doesn’t go to Kalona he will exact a fiery vengeance on those closest to her. Will Zoey have the courage to chance losing her life, her heart, and her soul? Find out in the next spectacular installment in the House of Night Series, Tempted.

-Amanda

The Treasure Map of Boys by E. Lockhart

****The Treasure Map of Boys by E. Lockhart****

Originality- 18/20

Characters- 19/20

Remembrance- 8/10

Quote-ability- 9/10

Entertainment- 19/20

Ending- 9/10

Recommend to read- 8/10

TOTAL- 90/100

Grade- B

Ruby is back at Tate Prep, and it’s her thirty-seventh week in the state of Noboyfriend. Her panic attacks are bad, her love life is even worse, and what’s more:

Noel is writing her notes, Jackson is giving her frogs, Gideon is helping her cook, and Finn is making her brownies. Rumors are flying, and Ruby’s already-sucky reputation is heading downhill.

Not only that, she’s also: running a bake sale, learning the secrets of heavymetal therapy, encountering some seriously smelly feet, defending the rights of pygmy goats, and bodyguarding Noel from unwanted advances.

In this companion novel to The Boyfriend List and The Boy Book, Ruby struggles to secure some sort of mental health, to understand what constitutes a real friendship, and to find true love—if such a thing exists.

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I love the Ruby Olive books so much already since they are the books that got me hooked on reading, but this one took my loving to a whole new level.

Ruby is a hilarious and relatable main character. Her personality just spills off of the page. Some of the characters do get a bit annoying. You want to force them all into a room and talk things out with each other. But in reality that doesn't happen. I absolutely adore the notes at the bottom of the pages and the witty dialogue between the characters.

There is just something about these books that make me want to BE like them. To pass funny notes, or just be more random.

The Treasure Map of Boys was a short and funny read that will keep you completely entertained. Just don't read this books in class or you'll be interrupting with your continuous laughter.

-Amanda

Hunger by Michael Grant

****Hunger by Michael Grant****

Originality- 20/20

Characters- 18/20

Remembrance- 8/10

Quote-ability- 8/10

Entertainment- 19/20

Ending- 9/10

Recommend to read- 9/10

TOTAL- 91/100

Grade- A

Food ran out weeks ago. Everyone is starving, but no one wants to figure out a solution. And each day, more and more kids are evolving, developing supernatural abilities that set them apart from the kids without powers.

Tension rises and chaos is descending upon the town. It's the normal kids against the mutants. Each kid is out for himself, and even the good ones turn murderous.

But a larger problem looms. The Darkness, a sinister creature that has lived buried deep in the hills, begins calling to some of the teens in the FAYZ. Calling to them, guiding them, manipulating them.

The Darkness has awakened. And it is hungry.

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These books just keep getting better and better. There are several problems going on in this books that have to be dealt with. The food, the darkness, kids fighting, and new mutations. Grant does a wonderful job of bringing out the importance and urgency of which these issues need to be resolved.

Each character brings there own point of view into the story. I love how we have the main characters, but we also get to hear from the other kids in the FAYZ. They all have different problems and solutions.

This book has me brainstorming all different possiblities. Hunger kept me guessing and at the edge of my seat. There is no way that anyone would be able to see anything coming. Each twist and turn is welcomed and appreciated.

I absolutley can not wait for the next book to come out because this series brings my thoughts to life. I can't help but love a book that's so creative and different that I feel awed.

-Amanda

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a post where I tell you the books that I received this week either by buying them from the bookstore, going to the library or from my mailbox. Check out The Story Siren to learn more!

Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston

For seventeen-year-old actress Kelley Winslow, faeries are just something from childhood stories. Then she meets Sonny Flannery, whose steel-gray eyes mask an equally steely determination to protect her.

Sonny guards the Samhain Gate, which connects the mortal realm with the Faerie's enchanted, dangerous Otherworld. Usually kept shut by order of icy King Auberon, the Gate stands open but once a year.

This year, as the time approaches when the Samhain Gate will swing wide and nightmarish Fae will fight their way into an unsuspecting human world, something different is happening . . . something wondrous and strange. And Kelley's eyes are opening not just to the Faerie that surround her but to the heritage that awaits her.

Now Kelley must navigate deadly Faerie treachery—and her growing feelings for Sonny—in this dazzling page-turner filled with luminous romance.

Forget-Her-Nots by Amy Brecount White

When someone leaves three mystery flowers outside her dorm door, Laurel thinks that maybe the Avondale School isn't so awful after all -- until her own body starts to freak out. In the middle of her English presentation on the Victorian Language of Flowers, strange words pop into her head, and her body seems to tingle and hum. Impulsively, Laurel gives the love bouquet she made to demonstrate the language to her spinster English teacher. When that teacher unexpectedly and immediately finds romance, Laurel suspects that something -- something magical -- is up. With her new friend, Kate, she sets out to discover the origins and breadth of her powers by experimenting on herself and others. But she can't seem to find any living experts in the field of flower powers to guide her. And her bouquets don't always do her bidding, especially when it comes to her own crush, Justin. Rumors about Laurel and her flowers fly across campus, and she's soon besieged by requests from girls -- both friends and enemies -- who want their lives magically transformed -- just in time for prom.

-Amanda

Paper Towns by John Green

****Paper Towns by John Green****

Originality- 18/20
Characters- 19/20
Remembrance- 9/10
Quote-ability- 10/10
Entertainment- 20/20
Ending- 9/10
Recommend to read- 10/10
TOTAL- 95/100
Grade- A

Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life—dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge— he follows. After their all-nighter ends, and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues— and they're for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees the girl he thought he knew.

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I absolutely loved the whole concept of the book. It starts off really fun with Quentin finally able to hang out with a childhood friend and realizing that she was all he thought she was. Then later when Margo disappears he slowly comes to terms with knowing that Margo is many different peoples interpretations of her rolled into one.

John Green wrote an amazing story that I couldn't get enough of. I was constantly laughing and having a great time. All great things in a story were mixed together. It was nice to even get a little bit of a mystery. Also I can't help but connect Paper Towns with Looking for Alaska. I don't think I could choose a favorite.

If you haven't read this one do it soon. Paper Towns is hilarious, and meaningful, and amazing. You and all of your friends will adore it.

-Amanda

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

****Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen****

Originality- 17/20

Characters- 20/20

Remembrance- 8/10

Quote-ability- 9/10

Entertainment- 18/20

Ending- 9/10

Recommend to read- 9/10

TOTAL- 90/100

Grade- A

It’s been so long since Auden slept at night. Ever since her parents’ divorce—or since the fighting started. Now she has the chance to spend a carefree summer with her dad and his new family in the charming beach town where they live.

A job in a clothes boutique introduces Auden to the world of girls: their talk, their friendship, their crushes. She missed out on all that, too busy being the perfect daughter to her demanding mother. Then she meets Eli, an intriguing loner and a fellow insomniac who becomes her guide to the nocturnal world of the town. Together they embark on parallel quests: for Auden, to experience the carefree teenage life she’s been denied; for Eli, to come to terms with the guilt he feels for the death of a friend.

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Along for the Ride was such a great read. As usual Dessen created characters with depth and back stories. I loved everything about this book; the plot, the characters, and the setting. I just couldn't get enough.

Each character is crafted so carefully, I'm able to feel each and ever thing they are. As all Dessen fans do, I enjoyed the cameos from characters from her other books in this one.

I just can't say enough good things about this book..Auden and Eli are fantastic characters. We got to get to know them so much, I feel like I could recite a short biography.

There is just something about Dessen novels that make me want to read more because they are written so beautifully. Overall I would say that Along for the Ride was great but not as great as a few of Dessen's other books.

-Amanda

In My Mailbox + I'm Back!!

I am SOOOO sorry for not posting. Our charger started sparking and melting so I had to wait until today to get a new one.

I am now aware that I have over 100 followers! Thanks sooo much! Expect lots of good things soon.

Here are all of the books that I received since I've been gone not including what I got so far this week.

Paper Towns by John Green

Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life—dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge— he follows. After their all-nighter ends, and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues— and they're for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees the girl he thought he knew.

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

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.

Darklight by Lesley Livingston

Much has changed since autumn, when Kelley Winslow learned she was Faerie royalty, fell in love with changeling guard Sonny Flannery, and saved New York City from a rampaging Faerie war band. When a terrifying encounter in Central Park sends Kelley tumbling into the Otherworld, her reunion with Sonny is joyful—but cut short. For they’ve been plunged into a game of Faerie deception and wavering allegiances in which the next move could topple a kingdom…or part them forever.

-Amanda