Hourglass by Claudia Gray

Title: Hourglass (Evernight Series #3)
Author: Claudia Gray
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Acquired: Bought
Age Group: Young Adult
Grade: 77% or C+
Buy It: Amazon

Bianca will risk everything to be with Lucas.

After escaping from Evernight, the vampire boarding school where they met, Bianca and Lucas seek refuge with Black Cross, an elite group of vampire hunters. Bianca must hide her supernatural heritage or risk certain death at its hands. But when Black Cross captures her friend—the vampire Balthazar—all her secrets threaten to come out.

Soon, Bianca and Lucas are on the run, pursued not only by Black Cross, but by the powerful vampires of Evernight. Yet no matter how far they run, Bianca can't escape her destiny. Bianca and Lucas have always believed their love could survive anything—but can it survive what's to come?

My Thoughts::

It was so so so long ago that I read Stargazer, the second book in the series. Even though Stargazer ended pretty intensely, and I was really excited for the next book, there were too many things that bothered me that I wasn't in a rush to read the next one. I waited so long to read this book that I had little idea what was going on. I had to read the wikipedia page for Stargazer to get things straight.

The first part of the book was pretty slow. I just kept waiting for something to happen and for them to make their move. I could understand why they were trying to save up money and stuff before they left, but Bianca was in so much danger while she was there. You would think that they would try to escape right away instead of sticking around.

Bianca seemed so slow to realize everything. Her situation was so tenuous that I thought she would pay more attention to what was going on. Her friends bothered me even more. The betrayal part was pretty intense and I couldn't blame Bianca for not seeing that coming. Though she was looking a bit brainwashed..

When it got to near the end I was surprised about what happened, but also a bit annoyed. I guess there are a few things from the books that hinted that this would happen, but it felt more like it was decided while writing this book that this is what would happen. So all developments for this occur super fast when it should have been built up so that it would make more sense.

Overall I think that this book didn't do much for me. It all just looked pushed together and made to work.

Vertigo by Kristina Dunker

Title: Vertigo
Author: Kristina Dunker
Publisher: Amazon Publishing
Acquired: Received free for an honest review
Age Group: Young Adult
Grade: 74% or C
Buy It: Amazon

And this weekend promises to be special, as she and her boyfriend, Julian, will be spending time together at his parents’ house in the country. Nothing could be more romantic and perfect. Except that the journey there goes horribly awry, and Eva’s dream weekend turns into a total nightmare.

After bearing witness to a terrible crime and narrowly escaping the scene, Eva loses her diary, an incredibly personal book that holds all of her secrets — including details of her visits to a therapist. So when she meets a helpful stranger who seems to know a great deal about her, she has to wonder if he is a kindred spirit or something darker.

Vertigo spins a psychologically intense tale of when to walk away…and when to run. 

My Thoughts::
I'm not sure if it was because I knew what the basic plot of the book was, or if it was the writing from the very beginning, but throughout the entire book I felt this creepiness. Like something was off or that something bad was about to happen. It put me in the mood to not trust any of the characters and to be wary of every event.

Even though  I was suspicious for the reasons listed above, Eva had no good reason to be suspicious and paranoid, yet she spent a lot of the book being those things. Eventually those feelings are warranted, but I couldn't help but feel that the author was trying to push Eva into feelings that weren't justified to move the book along. Either that or she's just unnaturally suspicious which just makes me not like her.

The mindset that this book put me in made it much more interesting to read. It made it seem like a psychological thriller instead of just a mystery. But eventually this wore thin and I just wanted them to figure it out already. I mean, seriously. Maybe I just read and watch a lot of mysteries, but usually the first obvious suspect is the criminal in the end. I knew who it would be so it was frustrating that the characters took so long to get it right.

Of course I didn't get every single detail though, so once all was revealed there were a few surprises to be had. Overall I think this was a decent mystery for most, but not so good for me.

Temptation by Karen Ann Hopkins

Title: Temptation
Author: Karen Ann Hopkins
Publisher: Harlequin
Acquired: Received free for an honest review
Age Group: Young Adult
Grade: 77% or C+
Buy It: Amazon

Your heart misleads you. That's what my friends and family say.

But I love Noah. And he loves me. We met and fell in love in the sleepy farming community of Meadowview, while we rode our horses together through the grassy fields and in those moments in each other's arms. It should be ROSE & NOAH forever, easy.

But it won't be.

Because he's Amish. And I'm not.

My Thoughts::
I always get myself into books like this that revolve around an impossible romance that destined to not work out from the start. I hardly ever enjoy books like these, but I can't resist them. I hold out hope that each one will be different. And this one WAS different, which made the outcome a little bit better than usual.

At least with this book about an impossible romance, it had a few things on its side. First, the impossibleness of it all was caused by realistic factors that we don't see a lot of in fiction, very varied social constructs. In this case an famish person trying to date a non-Amish person. Second was that this was very refreshing compared to the usual conundrum faced in these types of teen romance books (Human in love with non-human (VAMPIRE)).

Unfortunately there were also plenty of things that I didn't like. I know all books aren't supposed to be realistic, but it still bothers me when they aren't and it is obvious that they aren't trying to be unrealistic. Whenever characters fall in love so fast it bothers me. There was no factor in the book that made this seem reasonable at all. It was rushed and because of that I didn't care that much if they ended up together. In fact, since it didn't seem real at all I got annoyed by Rose and Noah because whenever they didn't get to be together it was very tantrum like. I wasn't rooting for them because THEM didn't exist to me.

The shocking reality parts of the novel are what I enjoyed reading the most. The difference between the Amish and myself was startling. Not in a bad way of course, just...very different. And of course seeing how difficult it would be for Noah and Rose to be together with their varying beliefs, family pressures, and lifestyles.

Overall I enjoyed reading this book because it brought new information into my thoughts but it definitely had some downsides that almost overpowered the positive.

Dark Shadows

Title: Dark Shadows

Director: Tim Burton

Writer:  Seth Grahame-Smith, John August, Seth Grahame-Smith, and Dan Curtis

Starring: Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer and Eva Green

Grade: 73% or C-

 

 

My Thoughts::
I went to see this movie with a couple of my friends near the beginning of summer vacation. I only had a slight idea of what the movie was about, but since I knew it was supposed to be a comedy that featured Johnny Depp, I didn't hesitate to see it.

Since I wasn't completely sure what the whole movie was about my expectations were a bit weird. I thought they were all vampires in the family, not just Depp's character. I was disappointed but not completely let down. Even though this wasn't a strong "vampire" movie, it did do well with adding other supernatural elements. This mixed with its comedy, though not parody, made it really refreshing to watch.

The characters were pretty diverse which made it really hilarious to watch them interact. I liked getting the background information about Johnny Depp's character as well as Victoria. A lot of the humor came from Depp's character adjusting to life so far beyond his years and misunderstanding it greatly. The sex scene was also..interesting. And of course the action scenes were full of awesome paranormal abilities.

Unfortunately the good parts of this movie weren't so good when mixed with pretty much the only style of movie making Burton knows. Everything just feels too overdone and wacky and dark. The cast is his usuals which I just wasn't entirely feeling this time around. I wish Burton didn't feel like this is how he has to make movies.

Keys to the Repository by Melissa de la Cruz

Title: Keys to the Repository (Blue Bloods Series Companion)
Author: Melissa de la Cruz
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children
Acquired: Bought
Age Group: Young Adult
Grade: 74% or C
Buy It: Amazon

Lavish parties. Passionate meetings in the night. Bone-chilling murders. Midterms. The day-to-day life of Schuyler Van Alen and her Blue Bloods friends (and enemies) is never boring. But there's oh-so-much more to know about these beautiful and powerful teens. Below the streets of Manhattan, within the walls of the Repository, exists a wealth of revealing information about the vampire elite that dates back before the Mayflower. In a series of short stories, journal entries, and never-before-seen letters, New York Times bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz gives her hungry fans the keys to the Repository and an even more in-depth look into the secret world of the Blue Bloods.

My Thoughts::
I wasn't going to read this book, but since I don't want to miss anything in the series, I decided to pick it up figuring that it would be a fast read. And while it was a fast read, it was better and more fulfilling than I thought it would be.

We are given a little background info and story so far briefing for each character. It was a nice refresher but would have been better if we learned anything new from it. There were some things that were cleared up from inconsistencies in the books, which was nice. And since there have been a good amount of books so far, it was great to go back and review what happened and how each character was involved. It's really easy to forget details or even not realize exactly how something happened, so this was very helpful.

The best part about this book were the very short stories that were spread throughout. We got some added scenes that we haven't seen, as well as scenes that we have scene but told from another character's perspective. So even though we aren't told exactly NEW information I think we get a much better hold on the characters and the important things we are supposed to know so far in the series. I definitely feel better about what I know about the books after reading this.

Overall I think that Keys to the Repository was a good refresher but not worth buying. The little stories were great, but there weren't enough of them to warrant buying it since the book was short as it is. But it was a nice little guide so checking it out is a great idea.

Chernobyl Diaries

Title: Chernobyl Diaries

Director: Bradley Parker

Writer: Oren Peli, Carey Van Dyke, and Shane Van Dyke

Starring: Jesse McCartney, Jonathan Sadowski and Olivia Dudley

Grade: 78% or C+

 

My Thoughts::
I saw this movie not really knowing what to expect. I knew the basic plot and that it was supposed to be scary, but I didn't know how. Was it zombies? Ghosts? Something else really creepy? Plus it was made by the same guy who does the Paranormal Activity movies, and I don't really like those at all. So I went in with very low expectations.

The movie was better than I thought it would be. We're able to figure out the dynamic of the group of friends pretty quickly. Knowing this dynamic, especially the one between the brothers, makes this movie more intense. What my friends and I loved was that you weren't quite sure who was going to die and when. In pretty much all scary movies with deaths, it is easy to pick out who is going to die, when, and who will be the last person standing. But with this movie we couldn't do it. Most of our guesses were wrong, or we were tricked into being right.

Instead of just things popping out at us to make us freak out, we were scared in other ways. There is the whole lingering question of what is out there and how it got there. And of course the underlying FREAKING RADIATION THAT NO ONE CARES ABOUT AFTER 45 MINUTES INTO THE MOVIE. They were nervous about visiting and then they're cool with spending the night? Even before they knew about the killing things, you would think they would want out of there as soon as possible.

I have complaints, and really felt totally meh about the movie until the very end. Oh wow. Did not see that coming. So I think I liked it well enough.

The Line by Teri Hall

Title: The Line
Author: Teri Hall
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated
Acquired: Bought
Age Group: Young Adult
Grade: 71% or C-
Buy It: Amazon

An invisible, uncrossable physical barrier encloses the Unified States. The Line is the part of the border that lopped off part of the country, dooming the inhabitants to an unknown fate when the enemy used a banned weapon. It’s said that bizarre creatures and superhumans live on the other side, in Away. Nobody except tough old Ms. Moore would ever live next to the Line.

Nobody but Rachel and her mother, who went to live there after Rachel’s dad died in the last war. It’s a safe, quiet life. Until Rachel finds a mysterious recorded message that can only have come from Away. The voice is asking for help.

Who sent the message? Why is her mother so protective? And to what lengths is Rachel willing to go in order to do what she thinks is right?

My Thoughts::
This was one of those books that I saw all over the place and became very very interested in. But because I rarely have extra money to spend on books, it got pushed to the wayside and lingered a long time in my Amazon wishlist. Eventually though I got Christmas money to spend and used it to buy books, including this one. But since I've wanted it for so long, it was in my wishlist for so long, and it took me so long to read it, I mostly forgot what it was about. This wasn't good.

My mind was all hyped up for this great dystopian book that a lot of people seemed to enjoy, but it kind of fell flat for me. I can usually jump right into books like this and speed through them. They are what I use to pull myself out of a reading slump. But this one was just so dull...almost boring. The world building was great, at least when it was actually mentioned. Thank goodness her mom was so intense with the history lessons, or we wouldn't have learned anything. Nothing really happens until the end of the book. It was pretty short so I thought it would have a faster flow. But mostly it was just a build up for the next book.

Rachel was a fine main character. Nothing she did made me dislike her, but I didn't really like her that much either. She added to the whole "meh" ness of the entire book. I will admit that there were interesting bits here and there where I would get excited, but they were too few and far between. By the time that I was almost finished I didn't want to read the next book. BUT..then there was the ending..And I think the ending intrigued me enough to read what happens next.

Overall I think that The Line had a very interesting world, I just wish that we would have seen a lot more of it. The characters and the plot didn't really do it for me but the ending made it worth it.

It's Our Prom by Julie Anne Peters

Title: It's Our Prom (So Deal With It)
Author: Julie Anne Peters
Publisher: Hachette Book Group
Acquired: Received free for an honest review
Age Group: Young Adult
Grade: 77% or C+
Buy It: Amazon

When Azure's principal gives her the chance to turn the school's traditional (and boring) senior prom into an event that will appeal to everyone, not just the jocks and cheerleaders, she jumps at the opportunity. Soon Azure manages to convince her best friends, Luke and Radhika, to join the prom committee as well.

Facing heavy opposition and admittedly clueless about prom logistics, the three friends are nonetheless determined to succeed — if Luke's and Azure's secret crushes on Radhika don't push the committee members, and their friendships, to the breaking point first.

My Thoughts::
I remember in student council my Junior year playing a large part in planning prom, so I could definitely relate to that part of the book, which was one of the bigger reasons why I requested it for review. Plus, I also shared those feelings about how prom is mostly meant for certain types of people, and agree with the idea of an alternate prom.

The plot of this novel had a lot going on. There were a lot of subplots, which I usually don't mind except this was a standalone novel. It was hard to gauge how important certain information and events were supposed to be, because some of them would be discussed again and expanded, but others would just be dropped. Then the topics we were supposed to care about just kept piling up, which made the book a bit messy. Plus these topics were very underdeveloped. On the other end of things, I always had something to think about and I wasn't bored.

I was very pleased with the characters thrown our way. Well, for the most part. Luke was awesome and I loved everything that came with his chapters. I was thoroughly interested in his life and wanted to know how he would deal with living with his brother and the other stress in his life. Azure was also pretty cool, but I couldn't connect with her like I could with Luke. I don't blame the writing, I just didn't like her personality. I did really like her dad though. Rarely do I encounter a parent in a book that I actually feel some kind of feelings for. Usually I barely think about the parents at all. I didn't like Radhika and I couldn't understand why Luke and Azure were in love with her, which  was frustrating and made everything they thought about her so teenagery and dramatic.

The ending was sweet, but maybe too sweet. It wrapped up in a pretty little bow with everybody happy and getting what they want. This is nice..but not very powerful.

Henry Franks by Peter Adam Salomon

Title: Henry Franks
Author: Peter Adam Salomon
Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd.
Acquired: Received free for an honest review
Age Group: Young Adult
Grade: 72% or C-
Buy It: Amazon

One year ago, a terrible accident robbed Henry Franks of his mother and his memories. He can’t remember anything: the accident, his mother, his life. The past sixteen years have vanished. All Henry has now are scars and a distant father—the only one who can tell Henry who he is. If only he could trust his father.

Henry tries to piece together his past with help from Justine, his only friend. Could his nightmares—a sweet little girl calling him Daddy, murderous urges, dead bodies—hold clues? While a serial killer stalks their small Georgia town, Henry unearths the bitter truth about his mother—and himself.

My Thoughts::
This book just sounded so odd and different when I read the description that I just had to request it. So many theories about what would happen, or did happen, were going through my head right away before I even started the book. I wanted see what the actual plot and drive of the story would be.

The book wasn't really going anywhere until halfway through, which disappointed me. Henry is getting to know a girl..so is it a romance? But he was in an accident and doesn't have his memory of before, so it is a healing journey? But his dad is acting weird, is it an abuse story? But then it is kind of none of those. The plot was kind of all over the place and didn't get me excited or prepared for what was to come. The actual truth of it all came out of nowhere and it would have been so much better if there was some kind of buildup. A lot of the stuff said and done earlier one seemed kind of like useless filler. Then when things are finally happening, it is all rushed out at the end.

Henry was the only character that we see any development in. The others mostly fell flat and just fulfilled their role without contributing much to the story. His father was interesting and played a large part, but that all happened in the past, Henry might as well have read the information in a diary. Justine is even worse. She does give the story a little bit of a push in the right direction though. Actually, my favorite part of the book was the what happens next bit at the end, which takes place several years later. And that little section was just about more interesting and captured my interest more than the entire book.

Overall, I really liked the idea of the story, but it didn't come through for me very well. It was very hectic and didn't grab you into the mystery that it was supposed to be.

Tomorrow Land by Mari Mancusi

Title: Tomorrow Land
Author: Mari Mancusi
Publisher: NLA Digital Liaison Platform LLC
Acquired: Received free for an honest review
Age Group: Young Adult
Grade: 76% or C
Buy It: Amazon

Imagine finding your first love, only to be ripped apart by the apocalypse. Peyton Anderson will never forget the day she was forced to make a choice--between her family--and Chris Parker, the boy she'd given her heart. Now, four years later, as she steps from the fallout shelter and into a dead and broken world, he's the only thing on her mind.

All Chris "Chase" Parker wanted was to take Peyton away and keep her safe from harm. But he waited for hours in the rain on judgment day and she never showed--breaking his heart without ever telling him why.

Now the two of them have been thrown together once again, reluctant chaperones to a group of orphan children in a post-apocalyptic world where the dead still walk...and feed. As they begin their pilgrimage to the last human outpost on Earth, can they find a way to let go of old hurts and find the love they lost--all while attempting to save what's left of the human race?

My Thoughts::
This book caught my interest right away because I rarely see apocalypses that are obviously set in the future. I love both of those things so much, so mashing them together seemed like perfection. The cover is less than desirable, but I didn't let that stop me, as covers usually don't.

It was really interesting to read about the character's past from four years ago. The world was so much different. I loved reading about the crazy awesome technology, but I also liked reading and thinking about the consequences that the technology had on society and how it even played a part in the whole apocalypse thing.

I usually enjoy it when books switch character point of views, and I also enjoy when books go back and forth from past to present. But mixing the two together? There was some confusion, but you can easily get used to the pattern. You are wondering the majority of the book why she left him in the rain, and slowly with the flashbacks you find out why. This might sound tedious and slow going, but to me it felt much more like an anticipated reveal.

The characters weren't very steady. Whenever I thought I had them figured out, they would do something that seemed out of character. But I suppose this made them more interesting and unpredictable. They were both so frustrating at times though. I hate all of the "self sacrifice without informing the person who I love" stuff. Ugh! When they weren't annoying me, I really liked them. Especially Chase. The flashback nerdiness was awesome!

Overall I think this was exciting story with pretty good world building and decent characters.

Ship of Souls by Zetta Elliott

Title: Ship of Souls
Author: Zetta Elliott
Publisher: AmazonEncore
Acquired: Received free for an honest review
Age Group: Young Adult
Grade: 73% or C-
Buy It: Amazon

When 11-year-old Dmitri (“D”) loses his mother to breast cancer, he finds himself taken in by an elderly white woman, Mrs. Martin. D loves to watch birds and, while in the park, is amazed to find an injured bird that can talk. He takes it home and soon learns there are malevolent forces inhabiting the region beneath Prospect Park and they are hunting for the bird; Nuru is a life force that has been kept hostage by the earthbound spirits who are ghosts of soldiers that died in the Revolutionary War. Nuru’s mission is to guide the ship that will carry the souls of the dead back to her realm. D has been chosen as Nuru’s host, and must carry the bird from Brooklyn to the African Burial Ground in lower Manhattan where the dead await deliverance.

My Thoughts::
I haven't heard anything about this book before I read it, and most of the time I like that. It's sort of cool to read a book when you have no idea how others felt about it or if they liked it. Then knowing that when you write about it, all your thoughts are fresh and you know they all have to be your own because you know no one else's.

This book was so short that I didn't get to build a solid connection to any of the characters. This is always disappointing because you WANT to build that connection, not only to get to know the character better, but because it makes the book that much more emotional. When something happens to the character you care a whole lot more because you actually care about that character. Instead, I realized the character was in danger, but I didn't really have any strong feelings about what happens to them. This makes for some dull moments that are supposed to be suspenseful.

There was also a lot going on in the book. You're trying to get a sense of whats happening, which was exciting but also a bit confusing. And since the book was so short, everything, including the friendships, seemed rushed and just packed together.

Despite these things, the book was fast paced and a decent book to read in one sitting. The plot was creative and the book discussed things more serious than just boyfriend troubles. Even though it was short, I couldn't help feeling afterward that I read something heftier.

This Means War

Title: This Means War

Director:  McG

Writer: Timothy Dowling (screenplay), Simon Kinberg (screenplay), Timothy Dowling (story), and Marcus Gautesen (story)

Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine and Tom Hardy
Grade: 76% or C+

 

My Thoughts::
I went to see this movie with two of my friends. I'll just admit this now..it wasn't our first choice. It was our fourth. The first movie wasn't in our theater, and one of them saw the other two. We knew it would be a romantic comedy but we didn't think it would be very good.

Holy cow were we wrong. Sure, I probably would have liked the other movies better, but I was still definitely entertained. The movie has a lot going for it but especially very attractive actors. I hate it admit it, but when I'm watching a romance about adults? I need some very attractive guy to make it worthwhile, and this movie had two, ONE being British. How awesome and swoon worthy is that?

I felt like I was on this ride with Reese Witherspoon UNTIL she got mad at the guys for knowing each other and acting like it was all a "game" I mean, come on Reese! You were dating two guys at once! You were all being horrible. Also, the choice that Reese made in the end was not the choice me or my friends would have made. Get it together Reese!

But since this is a Hollywood romance things worked out for everybody in the end. The very end, in fact, was just downright awesome. I was a little agitated that it all ended so perfectly, but the little plane scene at the end?  Oh wow. Oh. Wow. That just made the entire movie for us.

Overall I think that this movie was pretty funny in obvious ways and sometimes in clever ways. There wasn't much substance but there never is in romantic comedies since they are easy to predict.

At Season's End by Eric Hendershot

Title: At Season's End
Author: Eric Hendershot
Publisher: Cedar Fort, Incorporated
Acquired: Received free for an honest review
Age Group: Young Adult
Grade: 79% or C+ 
Buy It: Amazon

Hit hard by the Great Depression, Sal’s family loads up an old Buick and heads out to find work wherever they can. Driving from place to place, living off the little they can make, they soon realize they’ll never be able to afford to settle down again.

Then, when tragedy strikes, Sal and her brother must learn to fend for themselves. In a world of harsh realities, there’s no room left for romance. But that can’t stop Sal from dreaming of a life with Ben—a boy from another migrant family—even though she knows she may never see him again.

My Thoughts:: 
I've recently been enjoying books that take me to a different time period. In fact, I've loved shows like Little House just for that purpose alone. There is just something so fantastic about immersing yourself in another time in history, and feeling like you're living first hand with their struggles and the social trends.

This book brings us to The Great Depression. I knew that many families packed up and left home to find work, but I had no idea that they made it into an entire different kind of lifestyle! The author did a great job of REALLY taking us back. There was talk about what people thought about the Great Depression, how different types of people lived, how much things cost, and the kinds of things that people bought. It was fun and interesting comparing life back then, to life now.

The novel gave us plenty of background information about the family. Throughout the book we get little anecdotes that give us a better insight on how they got where they are and about who they are. Though I really enjoyed reading these...I do have a complaint about the book. It was just wayyy too jumpy. Whole months, and even a year are just cut out. The book isn't very long, so length couldn't have been an issue. I suppose the author just wanted time to go by without anything happening? It was hard for me to imagine the characters getting older and growing up when I've barely gotten to know them yet.

Overall I think that At Season's End was a read that can really bring out back in time and help you better understand some of the struggles of America's past. I'd recommend this book to any historical fiction fan who doesn't enjoy going too far back.

Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler

Title: Why We Broke Up
Author: Daniel Handler
Publisher: Hachette Book Group
Acquired: Received free for an honest review

Age Group: Young Adult

Grade: 78% or C+

Buy It: Amazon

Min Green and Ed Slaterton are breaking up, so Min is writing Ed a letter and giving him a box. Inside the box is why they broke up. Two bottle caps, a movie ticket, a folded note, a box of matches, a protractor, books, a toy truck, a pair of ugly earrings, a comb from a motel room, and every other item collected over the course of a giddy, intimate, heartbreaking relationship. Item after item is illustrated and accounted for, and then the box, like a girlfriend, will be dumped.

My Thoughts::
This book's premise was a surprising jolt to Young Adult Literature. I can't tell you how many books I've read essentially being about why or how a couple got together, but knowing what we all do about relationships (They aren't usually going to last forever when you're my age), but we rarely get to see why and how they end. Now we do.

I really love that this actually reads like a novel. I didn't expect is to tell the story of their relationship, and why it failed, through these items. I just thought each item would be brought up separately and different stories would be told about them. Instead we can actually see the timeline of the relationship with the objects placed where they happened in the relationship.

I'd like to say now how much I loved Min and of course her best friend as well. Min was just about as average or "different" as me and my friends are, as most girls are who like to spend their time reading and whatnot. And of course most of us have been in bad relationships, and she handles everything SO WELL!! Like, she's my hero. Sure, at times she did that annoying thing that some girls do, when they have a boyfriend and start avoiding all of their friends. But still! I had to hand it all back to her when she handled the end of their relationship. Wooah!

The ending of the novel was really nice and I'm glad that as a reader I get some closure about Min, since you know, I liked her and all. The pictures didn't make or break the novel for me, but I am liking how books with pictures are popping up more and more in YA lit. It's making the reading experience even better.

Notes to Self by Avery Sawyer

Title: Notes to Self
Author: Avery Sawyer

Publisher: Avery Sawyer, via Smashwords
Acquired: Received free for an honest review
Age Group: Young Adult

Grade: 73% or C-

Buy It: Amazon

Robin Saunders is a high school sophomore with an awesome best friend, a hard-working single mom, and a complicated relationship with a sweet guy named Reno. She's coasting along, trying to get through yet another tedious year of high school, when Em suggests something daring. They live in Florida-- tourist central--and Emily wants to sneak into a theme park after midnight and see what they're made of.

When things get out of control, Robin wakes up in a hospital bed and Emily doesn't wake up at all. Just getting dressed becomes an ordeal as Robin tries to heal and piece together the details of that terrible night. Racing to remember everything in the hopes of saving Emily, Robin writes a series of notes to herself to discover the truth.

My Thoughts::
Unsurprisingly, I accepted the request to read and review this book. The concept seemed pretty simple, but the main character looked like I'd want to get to know her, and I wanted to see how her journey would end up.

I thought the notes that Robin was supposed to be leaving to herself would play a much larger part to the story, but it actually was just like the end of a flashback. The flashbacks were probably my favorite parts of the book. Since Robin doesn't really know herself anymore, this is our way of getting to know her and for her to get to know herself. But let me be honest here, I really did like post accident Robin, but not the Robin from before. Most of the times that she flashed back, I didn't like the person that she was and was extremely glad that she was changing.

The book was interesting for sure, but it wasn't very exciting. I kept waiting for something to happen, and I can only think of a couple of times where we get any kind of action at all. The second half of the book stepped up its game, and woaah, I was about to go crazy on that almost HUGE twist. Just woaaah. My head would have exploded.

I wish we could have gotten to know some of the other characters more and get some resolution with her father. There were so many little story and relationship strings flying everywhere and I feel like they were left hanging and weren't tied up.

Overall I think that Notes to Self was a book good for exploring personal growth, but if you're into something with more excitement, you might want to pass.

Replication by Jill Williamson

Title: Replication: The Jason Experiment

Author: Jill Williamson
Publisher: Zonderkidz
Acquired: Received free for an honest review
Age Group: Young Adult

Grade: 76% or C

Buy It: Amazon

Martyr---otherwise known as Jason 3:3---is one of hundreds of clones kept in a remote facility called Jason Farms. Told that he has been created to save humanity, Martyr has just one wish before he is scheduled to 'expire' in less than a month. To see the sky.

Abby Goyer may have just moved to Alaska, but she has a feeling something strange is going on at the farm where her father works. But even this smart, confident girl could never have imagined what lies beneath a simple barn. Or what would happen when a mysterious boy shows up at her door, asking about the stars.

As the reality of the Jason Experiment comes to light, Martyr is caught between two futures---the one for which he was produced and the one Abby believes God created him to have. Time is running out, and Martyr must decide if a life with Abby is worth leaving everything he's ever known.

My Thoughts:: 
It's getting to the point that any book that's strange or different than the "normal" world, I have to read. Once I read the description for this book, I requested it right away. I can't resist book like this and I was excited to get into it.

I only have one really size-able complaint about this book, and it's the same as some other people have had. This would be the religion pushing. I really understand how it would come into play in the book, because the ethics part always goes with religion when it comes to cloning and testing on people. But this book took it pretty darn far. It added to the book and made me think to a certain point, but then it just got annoying and a bit bible thumpy. Especially when Abby brings her belief into Martyr. I don't know..it was just a bit much.

Besides that, I found the book very interesting. From one moment to the next there were a million things that could go wrong or happen that would ruin everything, so I was at the edge of my seat waiting and hoping for everything to turn out all right. This book was definitely a page turner. There were points when I wanted to scream because they were in such a horrible situation, and it seemed very unlikely that anyone would believe them or help them.

Martyr was adorable. He reminded me of Kyle from that show Kyle XY. He was just so sweet but had no clue about most things. So much innocence. I really liked his character, which was a bit strange for me. I usually lean towards the witty tough guys. But Martyr was irresistible. Abby was okay as well, but I couldn't connect to her like I could with Martyr.

Overall I think that Replication was a creative read even if it pushed to hard with the religion. I'd recommend this book to someone who is interested in cloning or just those who want a book featuring an adorable boy.

Destined by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

Title: Destined (House of Night Series #9)

Author: P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Acquired: Received free for an honest review
Age Group: Young Adult

Grade: 75% or C

Buy It: Amazon

Zoey is finally home where she belongs, safe with her Guardian Warrior, Stark, by her side, and preparing to face off against Neferet – which would be a whole lot easier if the High Counsel saw the ex-High Priestess for what she really is. Kalona has released his hold on Rephaim, and, through Nyx's gift of a human form, Rephaim and Stevie Rae are finally able to be together – if he can truly walk the path of the Goddess and stay free of his father's shadow…

But there are new forces at work at the House of Night. An influx of humans, including Lenobia’s handsome horse whisperer, threatens their precarious stability. And then there’s the mysterious Aurox, a jaw-droppingly gorgeous teen boy who is actually more – or possibly less – than human. Only Neferet knows he was created to be her greatest weapon. But Zoey can sense the part of his soul that remains human, the compassion that wars with his Dark calling. And there’s something strangely familiar about him…

My Thoughts::
I have really mixed feelings about this series. One minute I'll be bored out of my mind noticing how all of this could have happened 3 books ago and the next I'll be boggling my mind for clues to whats going to happen next or at the edge of my seat because something huge just went down.

This time I will admit that Destined brought back some of my old appreciation of this series. There was less focus on crap drama (though there was still too freaking much), and more focus on the actual storyline. For once I feel like things are getting RESOLVED for once instead of just growing, changing, or even being ignored. We're figuring things out finally and the story is moving along nicely. I can't imagine having to read more than one or two more books.

The characters for the most part, don't do anything for me. The way they talk is nothing like anyone I know, or read of, talks like. The Casts seem to be living in some kind of alternate universe, because even on iCarly they can talk like normal human beings. This adds nothing to their character and just annoys me. It makes them much harder to relate to. This is probably why my favorite characters are Damien, Kalona (yeah...crazy, right?), Grandma Redbird, and the warriors. Plus most of the adult non evil characters. They talk and I can...wait for it...understand them!

Most of what I predicted about the books cam true so far, but that ending was just crazy awesome! When I squint I can actually see deeper meaning to these books and it makes me happy. The series isn't bad...unless you don't want to read 9 books that only should have been 4. I usually wish for more books in a series, but only when substantial things are consistently occurring. I'm tired of this plot being drawn out for all that it's worth. But after reading this book I have hope again.

Overall Destined proved that this series hasn't become a waste of time and I can't wait to read what happens next.

My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody

Title: My Life Undecided

Author: Jessica Brody
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Acquired: Received free for an honest review
Age Group: Young Adult

Grade: 72% or C-

Buy It: Amazon

Here’s the deal. My name is Brooklyn Pierce, I’m fifteen years old, and I am decisionally challenged.

Seriously, I can’t remember the last good decision I made. I can remember plenty of crappy ones though. Including that party I threw when my parents were out of town that accidentally burned down a model home. Yeah, not my finest moment, for sure.

But see, that’s why I started a blog. To enlist readers to make my decisions for me. That’s right. I gave up. Threw in the towel. I let someone else decide which book I read for English. And whether or not I accepted an invitation to join the debate team from that cute-in-a-dorky-sort-of-way guy who gave me the Heimlich maneuver in the cafeteria. (Note to self: chew the melon before swallowing it.) I even let them decide who I dated!

Well, it turns out there are some things in life you simply can’t choose or have chosen for you—like who you fall in love with. And now everything’s more screwed up than ever. 

My Thoughts::

Here we go again guys. My worst nightmare has been brought up to another level. I did not misread the summary. The summary mislead me. I was seriously excited to read this book, I really was. Though..it wasn't all it could be or was trying to be.

Right when we jump into it I like Brooklyn. Sure, she's kind of irrational and a bit too much of the stereotypical teen, but so what? She has her good points and she makes me laugh. But as the book went on she just deteriorated. I began to find her less and less interesting and her problems less and less important. Her bad points began to override her good points, which is when we know something isn't working. Also, I was really bothered that she felt soooo convinvced that NOT running her own life was the best way to make her life good, but challenges almost all of the choices made for her. Isn't it obvious that since she wouldn't make those choices herself, hence the asking other people to, she wouldn't agree with them!!

No let's move on to the blog. The concept seemed really interested and I was excited to see how someone can have their life ran by strangers, but it was mostly a fail. Sure, the choices that she made because of them changed her life in some ways, but in no way was it effective as the original idea seemed.

Did it annoy anyone else that the lesson that Brooklyn learned by the end of the novel was learned by the readers halfway through the book? By the end it just seemed pounded in. Whooooa making your own decisions and mistakes is a good thing? Big surprise.

Overall, even though this review had it's fair share of negative comments, the premise was interesting and Brooklyn wasn't all bad. I'd recommend this book to those interested in how strangers can effect your life or just to people who need to know that mistakes can happen, and often.

If I Tell by Janet Gurtler

Title: If I Tell

Author: Janet Gurtler
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Incorporated
Acquired: Received free for an honest review
Age Group: Young Adult

Grade: 72% C-

Buy It: Amazon

Jasmine Evans knows one thing for sure... people make mistakes. After all, she is one. Jaz is the result of a onenight stand between a black football player and a blonde princess. Having a young mother who didn't raise her, a father who wants nothing to do with her and living in a small-minded town where she's never fit in hasn't been easy. But she's been surviving. Until she sees her mom's new boyfriend making out with her own best friend. When do you forgive people for being human or give up on them forever?

My Thoughts:: 
I'm not sure what made me decide to request this book for review after I reread the summary and then again after reading the book. Once again I misinterpreted the summary and thought that the kissing/secret was going to be with someone much more scandalous, like a teacher and an underage girl. Not sure why. By now I should really start to read summaries more carefully.

This book not only dealt with the topic of secrets, betrayal, and relationships but also of race. I've noticed that authors rarely breach this topic anymore, maybe assuming that it's old news and overdone. However, I didn't feel that way while reading it. It was obvious that race is still an issue and not everyone is as accepting as the people are where I live. Just because we don't see an issue doesn't mean that it's not there. The other topics also played a role in this book to a degree, but the obvious center was race.

Gurtler was trying to display some real issues in real life situations but I couldn't help but feel annoyed. Jasmine was a ridiculous main character. I love characters with personality flaws because I know that they will most likely grow and change or they will be overshadowed with something positive. But Jasmine just had a horrible attitude. I could not handle her excuses or reasoning behind her freaking out about things all of the time. It was so frustrating for her to act so erratically and back away from every possible solution. The only redeeming thing about her was how she acted after her brother was born.

Overall I think that If I Tell addressed many issues that I feel aren't touched upon enough in YA lit, too bad not much positive feedback can be given to the main character. I would recommend this book to those who are interested in the topic of race or just into keeping...or telling..secrets.

Cyberbully

Title: Cyberbully

Director: Charles Binamé

Writer: Teena Booth
Starring: Emily Osment, Kay Panabaker and Meaghan Rath
Grade: 78% or C+

My Thoughts::
When I first saw the previews for this movie on abc family, I was interested but our cable situation at the time was sketchy, and I didn't care enough to concoct a scheme to be able to watch it. Instead, I totally forget about it until I'm flipping threw the new arrivals on netflix.I was tired of trying to choose a movie, so I picked this one.

I wasn't expecting the movie to be that good because of the fact that it's a made for tv movie, but I often enjoy lifetime movies, so I wasn't too down on it. After about 30 minutes in, I was hooked. There were no more bathroom breaks for me. Taylor was such a real and average character that I think any teenage girl, or even boy, could relate to in some way. She was nice, funny, and funny, but also insecure and found herself lingering on what other people thought of her. If you didn't identify with Taylor, then you most likely identified with one of her friends...or even the bullies. The writers of this movie obviously wanted the viewers to see all kinds of people in this situation.

We all know that cyber-bullying occurs, but it's easy to ignore it and pretend that it doesn't. This movie was a real eye opener. Sure, at times it got a little to lecture and lesson intense. It was obviously trying to give teens ways to solve the problem, and the mom was running around talking about the law. That stuff got a bit annoying, but it was probably helpful to those who needed to hear it. Even though I really liked the characters and who they were, the actors did a less than stellar job. The emotions felt pretty false and the "mean girls" were laughable. Only Taylor and her mom seemed to pull it together.

Overall I liked the movie for what it was trying to do, even if they rubbed it in too hard and the acting could have been better. I would recommend this movie to people who think bullying is a thing of the past.