Linger

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

This is book two of the Mercy Falls trilogy. The first is Shiver. Considered young adult and written with more maturity than most in that category.

Forest of Hands and Teeth

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

I love zombies, and vampires, and supernatural stuff. They're fun to read. So I was drawn to this zombie novel for young adults. It started off really good. The idea of how this town of people had lived for generations was fascinating. As the story wore on I found the main character, Mary, to be terribly self-absorbed. To a point that I wanted to slap her. So it's a decent book, and there are more that follow (although I don't think Mary is the main character in the next one) so I may pick them up down the road. This was an easy and fast read.

Evermore

Evermore by Alyson Noel

Meh. It's not awful, I did read the whole thing. But, I had the distinct feeling I had read this book before. At least in the beginning.

Immortal

Immortal by Gillian Shields

Wyldcliffe Abbey School for Young Ladies is elite, expensive, and unwelcoming. When Evie Johnson is torn from her home near the sea to become the newest scholarship student, strict teachers, snobbish students, and the oppressive atmosphere of Wyldcliffe leave her drowning in loneliness.

Evie's only lifeline is Sebastian, a mysterious and attractive young man she meets by chance. As Evie's feelings for Sebastian blaze with each secret meeting, she begins to fear that he is hiding something about his past. And she is haunted by glimpses of a strange, ghostly girl—a girl who is so eerily like Evie she could be a sister. Evie is slowly drawn into a tangled web of past and present that she cannot control. As the extraordinary, elemental forces of Wyldcliffe rise up like the mighty sea, Evie is faced with an astounding truth about Sebastian, and her own incredible fate. (source)

The Maze Runner

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

In two words: Loved It.

This is the first in a series and I can't wait for the next one. Like most firsts in series' this spent some time with setting up the situation, which can slow a story down. I liked Thomas, the main character. The supporting characters didn't develop much depth, but I think there's still time for all that to unfold. There are two more books after all.

Here's the description:

"When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.

Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind." (source)

Did you read it? Did you like it?

Happy reading.

Peeps

Peeps by Scott Westerfeld

First off, if you're freaked out by germs, rats, or sewers or if you have vivid dreams, read with caution. I am freaked out by rats. However, I don't have vivid dreams (that I remember) and this book gave me weird dreams.

It's no secret that I love vampire stories. I also love Scott Westerfeld's books. Here, vampirism is a virus. Vampires are parasite-positives, or Peeps, and one of the symptoms is cannibalism which is where the vampire legend comes from.

I love the different take on an old theme. I enjoyed the book and it's an easy read. The Last Days is the sequel. I look forward to it.

Keep writing Mr. Westerfeld.

happy reading!

Hush, Hush

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Hush, Hush is the first in a series. It's an easy read with a nice flow to the story. It was easy to pick up and read quite a bit in a short period. Aside from being totally readable, I found Nora, the main character, to be completely annoying. But, most 16-year-old girls are totally annoying.

Patch shows up in her science class mid-year and is assigned to be Nora's partner. He's mysterious, totally aloof, and uncooperative. He seems bent on making Nora uncomfortable and defensive, which she is. Yet, for some reason, she's drawn to him. He feels dangerous to her and she even believes he means her harm. So why WHY does she continually seem to be seeking him out, even if only mentally? She tries to pretend indifference, yet is obviously not. Patch seems to draw her into dangerous (!) situations and she knows it but, for some reason, follows along.

Of course, there is a little mystery that comes along with the story. There are some supernatural events that begin happening once Patch shows up. Nora has weird hallucinations like totaling her best friends car on a dark rainy night, or her bedroom being ransacked. She also begins to hear a voice inside her head. Not "voices" but a voice ...

Nora's best friend, Vee, is a dolt and I don't really understand why they're friends.

The story ends kind of abruptly and it's all wrapped up with a tidy ending. The follow-up, Crescendo, should prove to be interesting how the story moves along. Am I going to read it? I'm not sure yet. But if I do, you'll hear about it here.

Happy reading!

Fallen

Fallen by Lauren Kate

There's something strange about Sword and Cross reform school. When Luce arrives after her boyfriend dies in a mysterious fire she feels out of place. She's new and everybody seems to know each other so of course she doesn't fit in.

I had a feeling early on that there was something unusual about the school. Luce sees Daniel and feels inexplicably drawn to him. He is rude and dismissive but she can't stay away. At one point she asks him if they know each other from someplace else. Cam is gorgeous and uber nice, but she can't stop thinking about Daniel. Daniel and Cam seem to hate each other. Strange love triangle.

Then the shadows arrive. Luce has seen them most of her life and they always leave her with a sense of foreboding. She has strange and vivid dreams. The "strange" begins to spill over into her waking life. I began to wonder if the people around her know what's happening, or if maybe she was a little crazy.

Usually when reading the first book in a series I grant a little leeway to the story, knowing that there will be more to come. I really love the concept of this one. I am hoping that the plot tightens up a bit and we don't spend quite so much time in Luce's head filled with self-doubt.

Torment is book two, out now. Passion comes out this summer. I am certainly checking them out.

I Am Number Four

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

I love alien/sci-fi/supernatural/futuristic stories. The premise of this story is good: Number Four arrived on Earth when he was a child, a refugee from his home planet of Lorien. He's on Earth accompanied by his protector, Henri. There are eight others like him. They do not know each other. They are all protected by a charm to shield them from being killed by the Mogadorians; the species who destroyed Lorien. The Mogs are on Earth searching for the nine because they are the only ones who can defeat them.

In a nutshell.

I enjoyed the story and the characters were likable. It was a fast read and entertaining (the film is a totally different story, however). There were a couple places in the middle when the pace slowed a bit and it took most of the book to establish the characters and their "situation." The final climax of the story didn't last long and seemed to end kind of abruptly. So I feel the delivery was a little clumsy, but, overall, it was a worthy read.

The next one, The Power of Six, comes out in Aug. 2011. I'll probably tune in. Hopefully the writing will be a little tighter.

What about you, did you read it? Any recommendations?

Ruined

Ruined by Paula Morris

New Orleans ghost story.
Need I say more?

I read this very, very quickly. I liked it. But I love a ghost story.

Rebecca is a New York City girl and she gets sent to New Orleans for a few months because her father has to work overseas for a bit.

Of course, she doesn't fit in. She has a teenagers curiosity and immediately does that which she's told not to. She begins to have more questions than there seems to be answers for.

I don't want to give away anything so I won't say much more. You'll figure it out as you're reading, it's not deep mystery, but she's a good character.

Thumbs up.

Any thoughts? Any recommendations for me? I'd love to hear!

Leviathan

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

This is book one in a new series from the author of the Uglies trilogy (which sort of has four books) and the Midnighters trilogy. Both of which I really enjoyed, which is why I picked this one up. It's a departure from the other two series, I would put Leviathan in the Steampunk sci-fi category. It takes place at the beginning of World War I but the technologies are at times advanced. There are the Clankers and the Darwinists. The Clankers have machines like the walkers which are like piloted walking tanks. The Darwinists have created living creatures that are created from several animals (splicing and cloning) using "life threads" (DNA). They call them hydrogen breathers because they use hydrogen as fuel. Leviathan is actually a flying whale creature.

I love reading "what if" stories so I really enjoyed this one. It's imaginative and the characters are fun, smart and interesting. The mix of historical fact and science fiction is fun. It took a bit for the story to build, probably because the reader had to be introduced to these technologies and the world the characters live in. It's a quick read but it felt like it peaked and ended rather quickly.

I am intrigued enough to read the next story, Behemoth.

Have you read this one? Can you recommend any books I might enjoy?

Happy reading!

The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: book 2

Ninth Grade Slays is book two in the Chronicles of Vladimir Tod.

I enjoyed the first book in the series, Eighth Grade Bites, which I read a short time ago. Vladimir Tod is half human, half vampire, is one-of-a-kind and is not without enemies. His father broke vampire law by marrying his human mother and many believe him to be an abomination. But, he's still just a teenager trying to survive adolescence and high school.

It's in the teen-lit genre, which I love. I wish "they" wrote books like this when I was a teenager. He's a good character and I'm enjoying "getting to know" him.

I think I'm going to order me some Minion Bling.

Happy reading!