Shift by Jeri Smith-Ready

Shift

Author: Jeri Smith-Ready

Pages [hardcover]: 367

Shade #2
Book 1: Shade

Favorite Characters: Dylan & Zachary

Summary:

Aura’s life is anything but easy. Her boyfriend, Logan, died, and his slides between ghost and shade have left her reeling. Aura knows he needs her now more than ever. She loves Logan, but she can’t deny her connection with the totally supportive, totally gorgeous Zachary. And she’s not sure that she wants to.

Logan and Zachary will fight to be the one by her side, but Aura needs them both to uncover the mystery of her past—the mystery of the Shift.

As Aura’s search uncovers new truths, she must decide whom to trust with her secrets…and her heart.

Review:

I was so excited to read this sequel to Shade! The first book was wonderful, and I think I put off reading this for so long because I knew the third and final book in the trilogy wouldn’t be coming out for a while (and past-me was right: It won’t be released until summer 2012. Can I wait that long? No.) Now that I’ve finally gotten around to reading it, I think I may have built up my expectations far too much.

Shift gave me everything I could have wanted-romance, ghosts, running from law enforcement. Yet I expected to have the actual plot, the full mystery of the Shift, furthered much more than happened, instead of the book’s main focus being on the love triangle. Sure, it is an important part of the book, and I can’t say I disliked every aspect of it. But when Aura is supposed to be facing life or death situations, and figuring out her past and future, she’s busy moping because either Logan or Zachary is angry with her. And both boys ended up annoying me at different parts of the novel, something that neither really redeemed themselves from, so that wasn’t helpful, either.

But, other than that, there were really great scenes in there that captured my interest, and other points that hooked my curiosity and dragged me in for good. Now that I can assume that all of the parts that had me doubting whether I would actually enjoy the novel or not were probably solved before the third book, I’m doubly excited to read it. I desperately need to know what is going to happen!

I recommend this book if you like a good paranormal romance, but if you’d like more action and ghosts than love and gushy parts, it’s probably not for you.

DISAPPOINTING BUT WORTHWHILE. 3.5/5 stars

Steel by Carrie Vaughn

Steel

Author: Carrie Vaughn

Pages [hardcover]: 294

Favorite Characters: Henry & Cooper

Summary:

It was a slender length of rusted steel, tapered to a point at one end and jagged at the other, as if it had broken. A thousand people would step over it and think it trash, but not her.

This was the tip of a rapier.

Sixteen-year-old Jill has fought in dozens of fencing tournaments, but she has never held a sharpened blade. When she finds a corroded sword piece on a Caribbean beach, she is instantly intrigued and pockets it as her own personal treasure.

The broken tip holds secrets, though, and it transports Jill through time to the deck of a pirate ship. Stranded in the past and surrounded by strangers, she is forced to sign on as crew. But a pirate’s life is bloody and brief, and as Jill learns about the dark magic that brought her there, she forms a desperate scheme to get home—one that risks everything in a duel to the death with a villainous pirate captain.

Time travel, swordplay, and romance combine in an original high-seas adventure from New York Times bestseller Carrie Vaughn.

Review:

I’m not sure how I feel about this book. There were some points that I really, really loved, and others that I could have done without. Overall, I loved the entire piracy idea, and the plot kept me wanting more.

I’ll start with the negative, because there’s less of that, and it’s good to get it out of the way. I don’t think there was any one point in the story where Jill actually considered the fact that she’d traveled through time to the past. Maybe it’s just me, but I’d have been freaking out about that, instead of immediately accepting it as it was and hiding it so others wouldn’t think I was crazy. Her reactions didn’t make much sense. She kept talking about ‘going home’-but never acknowledged that home was three hundred years in the future, except for one point in the last few pages.

Now that that’s out of the way, I’ll move onto fencing. To be honest, I’ve never really thought about the sport, either way, except that it looks like it’d be a fun thing to try. But Jill is good at it-better than good, because she might be heading for the Olympics. This is one of my favorite things about her. It makes her unique, and also like anyone else-she hates to lose. Plus, it makes her adventures in piracy seem more realistic, because if she hadn’t had this training and picked up a rapier, she’d have been dead in moments. Not much of a story there.

And, see? I learned, without even realizing it. I couldn’t have really told you about what a rapier was before, or a beat, or any fencing terms. The chapters are all named after things and moves in fencing, and there’s a nifty glossary in the back that defines all of them.

The supporting characters were all wonderfully defined and I loved hearing their back stories as they emerged. Jill felt a little bland compared to them at times, but I never stopped rooting for her. Besides, who can really compare to pirates and come out on top?

A FUN, SWASHBUCKLING ADVENTURE. 4/5 stars

Everfound by Neal Shusterman

 

Everfound

Author: Neal Shusterman

Book 3 in the Skinjackers Trilogy
Book 2: Everwild

pages: 512

favorite characters: Jix & Mikey

memorable quote:
“Because,” said Mikey. “the Dancing Bear wants us to suffer.”

summary:

While Mary lies in a glass coffin aboard a ghost train heading west, her minions are awaiting her re-awakening by bringing lots of new souls into Everlost to serve her. Meanwhile Jackin’ Jill has met Jix, a fur-jacker—a skin jacker who can take over the bodies of animals, most notably jaguars. Jix serves a Mayan god who collects Everlost coins, and has his own agenda. In the concluding volume of The Skinjacker Trilogy, Neal Shusterman reveals new sides of the characters of Everlost, who are pitted against each other in a battle that may destroy all life on Earth.

review:

I’ve been in love with this series ever since I picked up book one, Everlost, a few years ago, and I didn’t even think then that it’d turn out to be a trilogy. Neal Shusterman is an awesome author-I’ve read other books by him like Full Tilt and Unwind, both equally creepy and fantastic. That’s how the Skinjackers Trilogy turned out to be: Horrifying and exciting.

I love the world of Everlost, down to the vapors of Afterlights and the odd items and buildings that have happened to cross over. Yet Mary, main antagonist in the books, is a great character to read about, while being completely controlling and insane. She’s great in her own way, though I wouldn’t hesitate to sink her into the earth, given the chance. I love a book where even the characters I hate can be completely explored and not just left in the flat bad-guy status.

Every moment I thought I’d figured out exactly where the book was going, it took a completely different direction. These plot twists, coming out of nowhere, kept me on the edge of my seat, hooked until the last page. Every part was filled with action, suspense, humor, romance, tears, laughter . . . I especially liked the “High Altitude Musical Interludes”. Those were hilarious!

The ending…I dreaded. I never wanted it to come to a stop, to have to say good-bye to a bunch of wonderful characters and an invisible world that I can’t say I’d want to visit. But I couldn’t have asked for a better way for it all to conclude. Every minute of it was perfect.

BEST IN THE TRILOGY. 5/5 stars

Stay by Deb Caletti

Stay

Author: Deb Caletti

Pages [hardcover]: 313

Favorite Characters: Finn & Gulliver

Memorable Quote:
If fate is a shape-shifter, then loves is too. It can be, anyway, in its most dangerous form.

Summary:

Clara’s relationship with Christian is intense from the start, and like nothing she’s ever experienced before. But what starts as devotion quickly becomes obsession, and it’s almost too late before Clara realizes how far gone Christian is—and what he’s willing to do to make her stay.

Now Clara has left the city—and Christian—behind. No one back home has any idea where she is, but she still struggles to shake off her fear. She knows Christian won’t let her go that easily, and that no matter how far she runs, it may not be far enough….

Review:

Stay is a book that I never thought I’d end up enjoying. It took me a long while to settle down and force myself to read this, but once I was a few chapters in, I was hooked. The premise seemed too simple, something that would never capture my interest. But the writing style, the beautiful way the story was told, made the plot seem ten times better, and had me wanting to know what was going to happen next.

The chapters alternate between telling about Clara’s past with Christian and present life at the beach with her father. While there was a lot of nothing happening, and things that held great impact over her life weren’t as shocking as they could have been, the words carved an intimate and accurate picture of how she was feeling, while descriptions of emotion and setting alike were at once magical and unreal and stark with reality.

I especially liked the little footnotes Clara added to her own narrative. That was a fun part of the book that I really enjoyed, and it added some really funny parts to the novel, too.

While this won’t be one of my favorite books, it’s still up there, and makes me want to read more by Deb Caletti. She has a wonderful and distinctive voice, and I think that if she has enough skill to make me enjoy something I didn’t really want to read about, I’ll only love her even more if another of her novels is more appealing to me. I give Stay 3.5/5 stars, and recommend it.

Shadowland by Alyson Noel

Shadowland

Author: Alyson Noel

Pages: [hardcover] 339

Book #3 in The Immortals series
Book 2: Blue Moon

Favorite Characters: Ever & Paul

Memorable Quote: So you’ve made a friend. How sad for them.

Summary:

Enter the realm of the Immortals—the #1 New York Times bestselling series that’s been acclaimed as breathtaking, mesmerizing, flawless and extraordinary.

 

Ever and Damen have traveled through countless past lives—and fought off the world’s darkest enemies—so they could be together forever.  But just when their long-awaited destiny is finally within reach, a powerful curse falls upon Damen…one that could destroy everything.  Now a single touch of their hands or a soft brush of their lips could mean sudden death—plunging Damen into the Shadowland.   Desperate to break the curse and save Damen, Ever immerses herself in magick—and gets help from an unexpected source…a surfer named Jude.

 

Although she and Jude have only just met, he feels startlingly familiar.  Despite her fierce loyalty to Damen, Ever is drawn to Jude, a green-eyed golden boy with magical talents and a mysterious past.  She’s always believed Damen to be her soulmate and one true love—and she still believes it to be true.  But as Damen pulls away to save them, Ever’s connection with Jude grows stronger—and tests her love for Damen like never before…

Review:

Oh, boy. I really don’t know what to think about this book. Because I’ve grown to love this series, wanting to desperately know what’s going to happen with Damon and Ever. I already have the next book sitting on my TBR pile. And while Shadowland doesn’t make me regret getting into the series, it’s definitely giving me doubts as to where this is going. While there were some good points to the story, I feel like nothing actually happened the entire time. Things were hinted to that might hold significance in the future, but they don’t make anything interesting now. There were long stretches of no action, just weak plot building, with some character decisions that made no sense.

I loved the introduction of Jude, who definitely made everything brighter for a while, because of his new importance. Yet his entire relationship with Ever barely registered with me, and she seemed to do some completely stupid things while claiming she wanted nothing to do with him.

On the other hand, Roman definitely fell flat. All of that ‘I don’t need to do anything, you’re already doing what I want you to do’ attitude may be creepy, but it takes away from the suspense. The action. The what-could-possibly-happen-next. He was just . . . boring. As the main villain, that’s something you never want. Fear, not indifference.

This book seemed like build up for later in the series. Nothing of real significance happened except for a smattering of incidents, and the entire novel could have been a lot shorter. If some pages were taken out, it probably would have been better. I’ll still keeping reading the Immortals series, but I need to regain my enthusiasm. Here’s hoping Dark Flame will be amazing. I give Shadowland 3/5 stars.

That Summer by Sarah Dessen

That Summer

Author: Sarah Dessen [also wrote Along for the Ride, Lock and Key, What Happened to Goodbye and The Truth About Forever]

Pages: [hardcover]: 240

Memorable Quote: Everyone can reach back to one summer and lay a finger to it, finding the exact point when everything changed. That summer was mine.

Favorite Characters:
Haven & Sumner

Summary:

For fifteen-year-old Haven, life is changing too quickly. She’s nearly six feet tall, her father is getting remarried, and her sister—the always perfect Ashley—is planning a wedding of her own. Haven wishes things could just go back to the way they were. Then an old boyfriend of Ashley’s reenters the picture, and through him, Haven sees the past for what it really was, and comes to grips with the future.

Review:

 I loved this book just as much as every other Sarah Dessen novel I’ve read, though this book takes a different route than the easy summer romances I’ve become used to. That Summer is more about a girl growing comfortable with herself and her own skin than her finding the perfect guy. That makes this book stand out more, and is exactly why I liked it.

Once again, a book by Sarah Dessen has supporting characters that are just as amazingly thought out as the main character. Sumner is brilliantly off the wall, doing things the opposite way that anyone else would do them. Haven’s sister, Ashley, who could get very annoying at times, was still interesting and stuck true to her personality. I easily fell in love with this cast of characters.

Although when I first started this book, I expected something different from what was given to me, I ended up loving the story all the same. Haven has insecurities just like every other teen girl. Hers take form in her height, which at 6 feet tall, isn’t exactly typical for a girl her age. So she hates it. I think this makes her easily relatable, because everyone I know hates something about themselves that they have absolutely no control over, and eventually have to learn to accept.

I give That Summer 5/5 stars. It was an awesome read that wasn’t too hard, perfect for the beach or a long car ride. I’ll be reading this one over and over, and I hope fans of Sarah Dessen as well as other young adult readers give this a chance.

The Candidates by Inara Scott

The Candidates

Author: Inara Scott

Pages: [hardcover] 293

Delcroix Academy #1

Memorable Quote: I blinked and tried to focus on what he had just said. My heart slowed abruptly. Apparently he hadn’t pulled me aside to ask me to be his one true love.

Favorite Characters:
Hennie & Jack

Summary:

Dancia Lewis is far from popular. And that’s not just because of her average grades or her less-than-glamorous wardrobe. In fact, Dancia’s mediocrity is a welcome cover for her secret: whenever she sees a person threatening someone she cares about, things just…happen. Cars skid. Structures collapse. Usually someone gets hurt. So Dancia does everything possible to avoid getting close to anyone, believing this way she can suppress her powers and keep them hidden.

But when recruiters from the prestigious Delcroix Academy show up in her living room to offer her a full scholarship, Dancia’s days of living under the radar may be over. Only, Delcroix is a school for diplomats’ kids and child geniuses–not B students with uncontrollable telekinetic tendencies. So why are they treating Dancia like she’s special? Even the hottest guy on campus seems to be going out of his way to make Dancia feel welcome.

And then there’s her mysterious new friend Jack, who can’t stay out of trouble. He suspects something dangerous is going on at the Academy and wants Dancia to help him figure out what. But Dancia isn’t convinced. She hopes that maybe the recruiters know more about her “gift” than they’re letting on. Maybe they can help her understand how to use it…But not even Dancia could have imagined what awaits her behind the gates of Delcroix Academy.

Review:

I’ve heard mixed reviews about this book, ranging from gushing recommendations to people telling me to never pick it up. Of course I had to read it and decide for myself, although I was marginally disappointed. It was an alright read, though not as good as the summary and amazing cover made it seem like it would be.

Dancia was an okay character, who was easily overshadowed by more minor roles. Her two friends, Ester and Hennie, each have something interesting about them that really drew my attention, whereas Dancia really only has her powers to set her apart, and nothing more definitely than that. Jack had to be my favorite character, because I loved seeing his reactions to everything throughout the book, seeing how he changed with what was happening. He really held it together for me.

The plot was generally pleasing, with enough mysteriousness to keep me hooked and I wanted to know how different things were going to turn out. It did lag a bit in parts, and I’m just hoping that in the sequel, now that most of the things I’ve been looking forward to have been cleared up, there can be more action, more interest. The last few scenes in the book were some of the best, I think. Hopefully that means the next will be a continuation of that.

I give The Candidates 3.5/5 stars. It was an okay read that I probably won’t pick up again, but I’ll continue with the series to see how it will go. Hopefully I’ll start to like it more, but only time will tell.

Real Mermaids Don’t Wear Toe Rings by Helene Boudreau

Real Mermaids Don’t Wear Toe Rings

Author: Helene Boudreau

Real Mermaids #1

Pages [paperback]: 224

Favorite Characters:
Jade & Luke

Summary:

Freak of nature takes on a whole new meaning…

If she hadn’t been so clueless, she might have seen it coming. But really, who expects to get into a relaxing bathtub after a stressful day of shopping for tankinis and come out with scales and a tail?

Most. Embarrassing. Moment. Ever.

Jade soon discovers she inherited her mermaid tendencies from her mom. But if Mom was a mermaid, how did she drown?

Jade is determined to find out. So how does a plus-size, aqua-phobic mer-girl go about doing that exactly? And how will Jade ever be able to explain her secret to her best friend, Cori, and to her crush, Luke?

This summer is about to get a lot more interesting…

Review:

I loved this book so much. I read it in a day, not only because it was a short book, but because I couldn’t get enough of it. It was fun, fierce, and fantastic. Yes, I meant to use all of those ‘f’ adjectives.

Jade is such a unique and interesting character, I liked her immediately. She’s a bit on the chubby side, a bit socially awkward, and crushing hard on a guy, though she has no idea what to do about that. I loved how her insecurities were portrayed so beautifully without getting too exaggerated or overly dramatic. Actually, all of the characters stayed true to themselves the entire time.

There was never a dull moment. Even when Jade was avoiding the mermaid issue, she had to struggle through the problems of the average teen. Bullies, friendships, what to think of the guy that keeps bumping into you everywhere. There were some hilarious moments between her and her dad, especially the mall incident, and I found myself laughing out loud. Then there would be a sweet or serious moments that would make the plot even better.

I’d love to gush on and on about everything that was wonderful about Real Mermaids Don’t Wear Toe Rings, but I’m afraid I’d probably have to mention the entire book, it was that good. Perfect in that pleasantly surprising way, where I thought it would be a silly little book I’d enjoy then promptly forget about. I’m so happy I was wrong. I loved this book, and wanted to dance with joy when I saw that there will be a sequel, but it will take much too long to come out. Despite the anticipation killing me, I give Real Mermaids Don’t Wear Toe Rings 5/5 stars.

Fractured: Happily Never After? by Joanna Karaplis

Fractured: Happily Never After?

Author: Joanna Karaplis

Pages [paperback]: 128

Summary:

Everyone knows a fairytale or two. They’re the kind of stories that seem to stick with you. Maybe it’s the magic. Maybe it’s the handsome prince. Or maybe they’re just the absolute perfect place to lose yourself for a little while.

But what would happen if Snow White were around today? Would Cinderella still need a fairy godmother? And would the Little Mermaid show up on YouTube?

Joanna Karaplis has put an unexpected spin on Snow White, Cinderella, and The Little Mermaid; she’s quietly fractured the stories and then reassembled them for the 21st Century. So, while there may not be a whole lot of horse-drawn carriages and magic potions, you can be sure that there will be at least one evil witch and maybe even a handsome prince (or two)…

Review:

I am in love with any and all retold fairy tales. I’d give any of them a try. Thankfully this very quick read was not a waste of time, but rather a delightful way to revisit three well-known tales (Snow White, Cinderella, and The Little Mermaid) in new and different ways.

The first story in the book is “Snow White and the Seven Dorks”, and I think you can figure out what tale that is based on. This was quick and smart. I loved reading about Yuki, how she was trying to figure out her life and find where she fit in. The seven dorks were adorably geeky, Kevin most of all. And while the new ‘Evil Queen’ wasn’t as impressive as they could have been, it all worked. I really liked this version of Snow White.

Second came “Cyberella”, which has to be my favorite of the three. It’s written completely in blog posts and instant messaging. At first I assumed the story would be a train wreck because of this, but it actually worked, and made it better. The entire thing was hilarious, had me laughing to myself, and wondering what could happen next. Very well done!

The final story was “Swan Song”. I’ve no idea why it was called that-it doesn’t make me think of mermaids at all. Nevertheless, the story was good enough, until the end. It held great impact, was jarring, but seemed rushed. Perhaps a few more pages would have smoothed it out and done some good.

Overall, I loved Fractured. It’s a very fast read that I’ll turn back to again and again, if I’m looking for something to pass the time. I give it 4/5 stars, and really recommend it to those looking for something short to blaze through or who love fairy tales.

Peter and the Shadow Thieves by Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson

 
Peter and the Shadow Thieves

Authors: Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson

Peter and the Starcatchers #2
Book 1: Peter and the Starcatchers
Book 3: Peter and the Secret of Rundoon

Pages [hardcover]: 576

Memorable Quote: The boys had asked why, if it acted slowly, was it called quicksand. The Mollusks had replied that, as far as they were concerned, most English names for things were silly. The word that they used for quicksand was a deep grunt that translated roughly to “uh-oh”.

Favorite Characters: Peter & Tink

Summary:

The sequel to Peter and the Starcatchers grabs you by the collar and pins you against a wall. In this exciting novel, Peter abandons the calm of Mollusk Island to pursue a dangerous mission in the dark, distant streets of London. With Tinker Bell as his companion, Peter searches through the unfriendly great city even as the slithering man/beast called Lord Ombra hovers nearby, plotting to unleash his dreaded powers.

Review:

I really loved the first book in this series, Peter and the Starcatchers, as well as the classic it is based on, Peter Pan. This sequel was not a disappointment, continuing the magical fun with Peter hiding on a ship bound for England, determined to save Molly from a horrible fate, a jealous pixie-excuse me, bird-girl-named Tink, and a band of orphaned boys who loyally follow Peter, but are steadily growing older, as he remains young.

This book wasn’t as fast paced as the first, or as gripping, though it didn’t lack for that. It was sort of expected, and not entirely worrisome. I loved reading about Peter, who is an awesome character in these books, trying to figure out his relationship with Molly, the boys, and himself. He knows he can never live like a normal person, but that doesn’t keep him from wanting to.

The evil characters keep getting better and better. Lord Ombra was the epitome of creepy, slinking around and making me cringe every time he came near someone else. Even though he was awesome, I would not want to run into that guy. A familiar foe returns in Shadow Thieves and plots against the flying boy and his friends.

There was never a dull moment, never a time when I questioned why on earth I was reading this book. I’m just thankful it was labeled as young adult in my library, as I wasn’t sure if it would slip away into the children’s shelves. There are several things that bring the level up-deaths and things like that-but I think that anyone could really enjoy it, if they love a good, adventurous fairy tale, and have the mind of a child in their hearts.

I give Peter and the Shadow Thieves 5/5 stars. I’ve already rented the 3rd installment from the library-that’s how excited I was to continue this series. I can’t wait to see what these authors come up with next!