Review: Offworld

by Robert Parrish

Summary: Commander Christopher Burke is the first man to walk on Mars, and the mission is a success despite the unexplained 18 hours he went missing. But when his crew returns to Earth, something's wrong.

Everyone is gone.

Review: Offworld is an adult novel set in the future. The action is intense (as anyone could guess from the summary). In fact, even though this is an adult novel, Offworld could quite easily overlap into the YA section. The writing is simplistic, the dialogue clever, the premise interesting. I really can not say enough for this book. The pages fly by.

There was no lag in the plot, which was a perfect example of moments of action interspersed with moments of calm, all under one big plot. The ending was, in a word, satisfactory. All is explained well enough, with a little room for our imagination.

The characters were well developed, each with their own personality. A nice addition to a clever plot.

On the negative side, I expected an adult novel to have a more developed sentence structure and a wider vocabulary besides the big words here and there. Parrish quite obviously can write, but I see his writing as more of a YA fit. There are cheesy moments, and the obvious love triangle/unattainable love/happy ending love. But really, it doesn't make the book bad.

People will enjoy this book. It's a nice crossover, has a great plot with a perfect resolution, doesn't drag, and is an easy read.

4.5 Stars

368 Pages

Adult Sci-Fi

Released

*contains no inappropriate material

Props to the cover designer. It's quite simply perfect. AND it's got this nice, soft paper, not that ugly shiny kind...

Review: Once Was Lost

by Sara Zarr

Summary*: Samara Taylor used to believe in miracles. She used to believe in a lot of things. As a pastor's kid, it's hard not to buy in to the idea of the perfect family, a loving God, and amazing grace. But lately, Sam has a lot of reason to doubt. Her mother lands in rehab after a DUI and her father seems more interested in his congregation than his family. When a young girl in her small town is kidnapped, the local tragedy overlaps with Sam's personal one, and the already-worn thread of faith holding her together begins to unravel.

In her third novel, acclaimed author Sara Zarr examines the coexistence of affliction and hope, and what happens when everything you thought you believed---about God, about your family, about yourself---is transformed.

Review: I realize some of you may shy away from a 'Christian' YA book, but Sam's story really is awesome. There's mystery, love, struggling, family issues, kidnapping... everything you could want in a YA book. There's tension and excitement. It's clean, but real.

If you can't tell already, I really liked this book. From the title to the gorgeous cover, Once was Lost is everything I've wanted for a long time. A good, not crappy, not cheesy, christian novel. There's way too many of the crappy ones.

The plot arc is exciting. I was glad Zarr inserted a little something other than just 'spiritual growth' to keep the book going. The kidnapping was great and had a nice twist at the end. The ending was open and left room for thought.

But though I really liked this book, there was no 'wow' factor. Nothing that kept me after I closed the book. Nothing that left me thinking. Really thinking. It might be because I don't struggle anymore with my salvation, and I know I'm saved, but I just wish there might have been something... I don't know... more.

4 Stars

224 Pages

YA

TBR October 1, 2009

*contains no inappropriate material

*Summary taken from Amazon because this book has not yet been released.

Review: Forest of Hands and Teeth

by Carrie Ryan

Summary: Mary never questioned the Sisterhood or Guardians that kept her town safe from the Unconsecrated--those that used to be people, but now gnaw at the gates of the village for blood. Until now. When Mary joins the sisterhood, she comes across things she never imagined--particularly a woman from the Outside, named Gabrielle.

But that was before Mary's village is attacked by the Unconsecrated.

Review: In a word, creepy.

It's a mix of The Village and I Am Legend.

But it's good.

Plot. Mary's story instantly draws you in, and the love triangle keeps us in. Carrie Ryan has it all planned out; she has this huge tantalizing background story (that gets confusing sometimes). The whole story circles around a kind of Catholic church theme, which was really cool as well and added to the creepy feel. I must admit, the story starts out a tad slow and is kind of confusing for the first part of the story, but once you get into the action it gets much better.

Characters. Mary was a good protagonist-- confused but still pretty strong. Her pining after Travis gets a little annoying, but I could deal. I never saw much development in the other characters until the end. It didn't really bother me because the story was so exciting, but now that I think about it, I wish they had been a little more defined.

Overall. A very good book, with a very good 'wow' factor. The ending was fantastic. I would really reccommend this book if you aren't faint-hearted. Some have complained about it being too graphic/bloody for them, but I really didn't feel it was too graphic except in one part. Even then, it wasn't graphic, it was just horrible to imagine. Ryan doesn't linger.

4.5 Stars

320 Pages

YA

Released

*contains brief sexuality

here's an awesome trailer:

Review: Willow

by Julia Hoban

Summary: Ever since the night when Willow was driving her parents home in the rain.

Ever since crash that followed and killed her two parent with Willow at the wheel.

Willow's been a cutter.

And she's been able to keep it well hidden as she lives at her brother's house, until a guy Willow barely knows accidentally finds out. If he tells, it will destroy Willow's brother, who has already been through enough pain. If he doesn't, if he just leaves Willow, it might destroy him...

Review: Willow's story is heartbreaking, to say the least. It seems like everything that could go wrong, went wrong. But the chemistry between Willow and Guy is charming. Though well over 300 pages, Willow is still a rather quick read and has a nice pace. Nothing really major happens, but the story is still somehow very enticing.

I didn't particularly like Willow's character, however. Granted, her circumstances were awful, and this is the reason she is a cutter, but her complaining every single page got a little old. Guy's character was fantastic, and I would much rather have heard the story from his perspective, as He constantly surprised me. For me, Guy kept the story going.

And finally, my last annoyance.

*SPOILER WARNING*

I really didn't like the fact that everything got better once Guy and Willow slept together. It totally ruined the book for me, and seemed to send out the idea that you can get over anything if you sleep with a guy. I'm really sad that a YA author would even hint at this; it quite depresses me. I think if Hoban wouldn't have had this play a part in Willow, I would easily have suggested it for Teen's Top Ten at my library. However, I really don't think book that promote premarital sex should be promoted at the library.

*/SPOILER*

Okay, so overall: a very good book, a quick read, interesting characters (some annoyingly weak), and sends an awful message.

3.5 Stars

336 Pages

YA

Released

*contains language and sexuality

Review: Bones of Faerie

by Janni Lee Simner

Summary: Liza has been told of the War with the faeries that destroyed the human world. She's been told, like everyone else in her town, to cast out anything that shows remnants of faerie magic. But Liza is haunted by the memory of her sister, cast out and left to be eaten by wild animals as a newborn, because of the color of her hair. That was the night before her mother left.

Now Liza is seeing things, and knows she, too, has been tainted.

If she is to keep the rest of her town from harm, she must flee.

Review: Bones of Faerie is the best faerie story I've read in a long, long time. No shallow characters, no stupid love triangles, no lumps on a girl's back turning into wings, no girl who is really gorgeous that thinks she's ugly... No, this book is real. This book is cold and sharp.

We aren't told much about the War, which some reviewers have said annoyed them. But while it did make me wonder what really happened, I felt like it left something open for me to wonder about. And I like a book where EVERYTHING isn't known and tied in a perfect bow by the end.

Liza was very realistic. You could see the attraction between Matthew and her, and Simner didn't make that too cheesy. She just let it flow. Kudos! There were no really 'big' revelations, but there were some small ones that kind of surprised me a little. The book wasn't a mystery novel though, so I wasn't expecting a big turnaround.

Simner's writing was elegant, somewhat simplistic, but perfect for this story. I couldn't stop reading it. I was planning on just reading a little every night, but that just.. didn't work out. I had to read it during the day too and finished it in two days.

I liked that there wasn't much focus on the faeries, but that Simner focused on Liza and her character and her problems. But the faeries were still worked in. All the imagery around the plants was incredible, too. And making the plants evil in their own way was just wonderfully imaginative.

It's a very quick read, and somewhat short, too.

So in all, I strongly reccommend this if you're looking for a good faerie story, and not another cheesy love triangle. Also, if you want a nice, quick, satisfying read.

Be warned.. I got teary-eyed at the end. (Another bonus! For a short book like this, that's wonderful!)

5 Stars

256 Pages (well spaced and larger font)

Released

Contains no innapropriate material

Review: Liar

by Justine Larbalestier

Review: Micah has been a liar her whole life, and now she's going to tell you about it. She'll tell you about the murder at the school, her family, her history, her life. This time, she's not going to lie.

At least, that's what she tells us. But how do you know whether to believe a liar?

Summary: I couldn't put Liar down. Micah's voice is compelling and addictive; her stories quirky and original. You feel like there's something you're not grasping, and that keeps the story going.

It started out fantastic. A quick read; a sure success. About half way through Micah gets a little boring (it is a good length book), and Larbalestier must know that because suddenly were back up and down another roller coaster of events.

I must say, I didn't see any of the twists and turns in this book coming. Looking back, I can see some hints, but I totally missed them. Most books you can kind of predict what's going to happen, but with Liar, you think you know where it's going, and then you're surprised.

FANTASTIC.

The characters were starkly realistic, and I almost felt like I was intruding on Micah's mind. She made me uncomfortable, sorry, surprised, and more.

My only two complaints were:

1) The language. I felt like the book could have been fine without it. There was also some mention of homosexuality which was explained, but still just awkward.

2) The cover. While the cover is freaking awesome, it looks nothing like Micah is supposed to look like. She's described as african american, looks like a boy, and with close-cropped hair.

NOT a cute girl with a stylish bang. But the cover is well done other than that, and I would definitely pick the book up based on that.

Overall, an excellent book with strong characters and a brilliant plot, but some unneccessary language that could turn away an audience of readers.

4.5 Stars

384 Pages

TBR September 29, 2009

Review: The Musician's Daughter

by Susan Dunlap

Summary: When the body of Theresa's beloved musician father is found near a gypsy camp, Theresa isn't just distraught. She wants to find out what happened. But how can she when their family has no source of income, her mother is ordering her to visit a matchmaker, and no one will tell her anything?

Theresa sets out on her own to find out what happened, and it brings a whole lot more trouble than she expected.

Review: I had high hopes for Musician's Daughter, because the cover looked decent, it's a murder mystery, it has to do with music, and Theresa is on speaking terms with Haydn. The Haydn. For those of you who don't know, he's a really famous composer.

But honestly, it was kind of slow.

It started out great- murder, creepy necklace no one knew about, cute guy, hot chocolate... you know, just little things that pull you in. And that lasted at the most about 100 pages or so. And then we're left with a creepy rich uncle, a main character that's basically wandering around looking for answers, much confusion, and no solid characters. By solid characters I mean that none of the characters besides Theresa are really developed. They are just there. I felt this most with Haydn, who I was really looking forward to read about. Who cares whether the account is fiction!? I want to see this guy! I got a little bit of him, but there were almost too many characters that Theresa had to jump around too much between them.

So the slow part lasted another 150 pages or so.

And THEN... then we got to the exciting part. Action, revelations, Theresa actually thinking and working things out, murders, people locked in dark places. yaaaay!

But the characters? They remain flat. (spoiler warning...) Theresa kisses boy. Honestly? I didn't feel the pull. I mean, the guy's cool, he comforts her, but they haven't ever had a conversation really. They just *look* at each other and decide they're in love. (I might be taking that too far...)

/spoiler.

All in all, I wasn't really impressed. It didn't have as much as I wanted about Haydn. There were too many characters, so they ended up pretty flat. There wasn't enough about music. The murder mystery was good, but slow during the middle.

It was... okay.

2.5 Stars

336 Pages

Released

Review: The Sorcerer King (Faerie Path #3)

by Frewin Jones

Click here to see my review of Book One: The Faerie Path.

Click here to see my review of Book Two: The Lost Queen.

Summary*: Tania has brought the long-lost Queen Titania back to Faerie from the Mortal World of modern London. But when they cross between the worlds, they find only devastation. The Sorcerer King of Lyonesse—ancient enemy of the Faerie Court—has been released from his amber prison. As the wicked sorcerer regains his power, King Oberon, Tania's father, is imprisoned and the Faerie Court is being destroyed.

Tania and her true love, Edric, must travel the Realm to try to find and rescue King Oberon, who is their only hope for defeating the evil Sorcerer King. And Tania must prepare for battle . . . and to fight a war that she may not survive.

Review: I didn't really like this as much as the other Faerie Path books, but I think perhaps it is because I'm getting tired of them. You can only drag something out for so long. Yes, it was good. Sure, it could be exciting in parts. But even though the characters were the same as in the other books, I got tired of them, even annoyed. Tania seemed really blond most of the time. The scenes with her and Edric made me want to cry from annoyance. It was fairly predictable. The language of Tania's sisters still seems forced.

And yet, it could be pleasant to read as well. The adventure to Ynis Maw was very inventive. The story had a good ending. Frewin didn't bring any dead people back from the dead. The writing was fair. Nothing really changed that much from the first two books, so I'm trying to grasp what it was about this one that I didn't really like, and I think it's just that the story is getting old. I need something new and shocking.

Perhaps we'll find it in the next one.

3 Stars

336 Pages

Clean

Released

*summary taken from amazon

Reviews: Velvet Bag Memoirs [Books 1 and 2]

by Hannah Greer

Illustrations by Tica Greer

The Magic Cottage: Book 1 [Velvet Bag Memoirs]

Summary: In this first installment, sister and brother Asa and Prentiss Fallmark find a magical land called 'Serendipity' while on vacation at their grandparents' house. The land is full of all kinds of magical things--talking dogs, an obsessive rabbit, a beautiful butterly. But most of all, it's filled with their imagination.

And imagination can get you into all kinds of trouble.

The Lighthouse Summer: Book 2 [Velvet Bag Memoirs]

Summary: In the second installment, the twins take off on another adventure (this time with their grandparents), and end up face-to-face with cousins they never knew they had. These cousins claim that, like themselves, Asa and Prentiss are sprites. Asa and Prentiss aren't quite sure what to think of this, but when the cousins lead them to a lighthouse, all that that is certain is that another adventure is about to begin...

Reviews:

I must confess I'm not quite sure what to think of these. While possessing a fairly large amount of excitement and adventure, neither of the books really have a main 'purpose' or climax. It's more a bunch of short stories. Because of this, I would suggest them as a read-aloud for younger children. They are great for children going into school because Hannah Greer sneaks in a bunch of educational information (very cleverly, may I add!) that will undoubtedly make it easier for children to remember.

The illustrations are very cute, but unfortunately in black in white. I think they would be more attention-grabbing in color, but we can't have everything, can we? They aren't 'professional', per se, but I think younger children would like them :)

Velvet Bag Memoirs could appeal to both boys and girls. I suggest them as a read-aloud (as I said before) for children.

Review: Wintergirls

by Laurie Halse Anderson

Summary*: Lia and Cassie were best friends, wintergirls frozen in matchstick bodies.

But now Cassie is dead. Lia's mother is busy saving other people's lives.

Her father is away on business. Her stepmother is clueless. And the voice inside Lia's head keeps telling her to remain in control, stay strong, lose more, weigh less. If she keeps on going this way - thin, thinner, thinnest - maybe she'll disappear altogether

Review: After all the 5 star reviews, it seems almost pointless to review Wintergirls, but I will share my thoughts as well.

Gutwrenching. Horrifying. Terrifying. Coarsely Addicting.

So many adjectives to describe it, but none do Wintergirls justice. Anderson has a way with words that's unmistakable, and a gift of twisting them into a story with passion and meaning. Lia's story isn't just about Lia, and I think Anderson made that point clear. There are so many others suffering from annorexia that hide it very well, and it's easy to hide because our society accepts and applauds stick-thinness. In all, Wintergirls is very real, and very descriptive of a scary reality.

But just looking at the book-- the arc of the story is well plotted. Rather than chapters, Anderson used something more like 'sections' that were a bit shorter, but kept the mood of the story and my attention. It didn't annoy me at all, and wasn't choppy.

As a warning, Anderson branches out from the regular writing with strike-throughs and other new ways of showing inside a person's head. But it works. I was a bit worried at first, but came to love this new style. I applaud Anderson for branching out like this and succeeding.

Wintergirls is very, very deep though, and I really suggest reading it with someone so you can talk about it if you are planning on reading it. It didn't bother me quite as much as other people I know, but I think reading Wintergirls with someone really would provide good conversation and keep you from getting too creeped out :)

Nevertheless,

5 Stars

288 Pages

Released

*Summary taken from front flap

Review: Watersmeet

by Ellen Jensen Abbott

Summary: Abisina has been an outcast since birth because her dark skin, dark hair, and green eyes are so different from the Vranille ideal--blond hair, blue eyes, and fair skin. Children like her are thrown outside city gates to die, but Abisina was spared because her mother, Sina, is the village healer. But the life she lives is disparaging, and when a legendary ruler comes back, Vranille turns on Abisina and other outcasts.

Before Abisina escapes, her mother gives her directions to Watersmeet.

And to her unknown father.

Review: Watersmeet is a bit slow at the start and a tad long, but man is it worth it! Abisina's tale is unique and imaginative, in the fashion of Lord of the Rings. Centaurs, dwarves, fairies and more light it up brilliantly, and the human characters are delightfully woven in. I really have not read a book this imaginable in a long time.

Abisina's time in Vranille was touching and realistic. I felt what it was like to be her, and could easily see the cruelty of the town and the love of her mother, all the while sense the mystery lying behind everything. Abisina battles what she's been taught to fear against the reality of her fears.

The climax is well developed, not too short or too long, and just complicated enough to keep me guessing. The story nicely builds throughout and finishes with a content flourish.

My favorite part (besides the fantasy aspect.. of course. Am I prejudiced?) is that Watersmeet is entirely clean and written brilliantly. It can be done. Bravo, Abbott.

I would definitely buy Watersmeet in hardcover. Several of my friends said the cover was 'creepy', but I don't think it's creepy at all :) I love it, and think it fits the story nicely.

5 Stars

341 Pages

Already Released

Review: Severed Ties (Vol. 1)

by Kevin Krohn

(isn't that last name awesome? I think so...)

Summary: Nyne Harper has been on the run with her father ever since she can remember. She's trained hard--she can plan, fight, defend, and kill. She wants to avenge her family's death, but it's getting harder all the time.

You can't question yourself when you're a murderer, unless you want to get caught.

Review: Severed Ties (Vol. 1) is officially my first thriller about murder and the what-not. To tell the truth, I was worried. The cover's cool, and it sounded neat, but... let's face it, I'm a girl who reads fantasy.

But I couldn't put Severed Ties down. It defines the term 'action-packed'.

To make it even better, the pages were kind of small and well-spaced, so I felt like I was reading really fast. Which is a plus when I'm choosing between that and a 350 paged single-spaced book looming at me. It's just easier to pick up the quick read.

Nyne was suprisingly well developed, and I liked the insight into her head. Krohn did an excellent job getting inside the female mind. The little bit of romance will attract us girls to read it, but there isn't so much that it will annoy guys. And trust me, because too much romance sickens me as well.

The plot. The plot. The plot.

THE ACTION. was fantastic. It definitely built tension (--oh wait, I already talked about this didn't I? eh... let me talk some more) and excitement the whole way through. There was no 'slow section' and the killing didn't get old and wasn't too gruesome (now I sound cold-hearted..). It was just emotional enough.

My only complaint would be that some of the formatting messed up in places, and got a little distracting.

4 Stars

PG for violence and some language

178 Pages

Already Released (Vol. 2 Released 6/30/09)

Review: Betraying Season (Leland Sisters, Book 2)

By Marissa Doyle

Summary*: Penelope (Pen) Leland has come to Ireland to study magic and prove to herself that she is as good a witch as her twin sister, Persy. But when the dashing Niall Keating begins to pay her court, she can’t help being distracted from her studies. Little does Pen know, Niall is acting upon orders from his sorceress mother. And although it starts as a sham, Niall actually falls deeply in love with Pen, and she with him. But even if he halts his mother’s evil plan, will Pen be able to forgive him for trying to seduce her into a plot? And what of Pen’s magic, which seems to be increasingly powerful?

Review: I adored the first book in this series, Bewitching Season, for its fairy-tale like magic and romance. The second book was wonderful as well (not quite as good as the first I personally thought, though I'm sure some of you will disagree). There was a bit more sexuality in Betraying Season, which turned me off a little even though they don't end up sleeping together (yes, I'm one of those that goes for the clean, good stories).

I absolutely must applaud Doyle for her research, however. Check out her blog. She knows so much about the time period she's writing in, which is the mark of a very good writer, and what will make a very successful writer.

The characters were absolutely and completely believable, as far as fantasy books can make them. Pen was sweet and likable, but also witty and clever. Niall could be weak at times, but was suave and fun.

But the circumstances of the "love" between the two seemed a little unrealistic, regarding Pen's ability and Niall's family. Definitely possible in real life, but really? Two completely gorgeous people happen to have important magical similarities and happen to fall in love on the spot and neither happens to be spoilt rotten? It's possible, but just that.

The ending was fairly predictable, and I like a good twist, so that was a bit of a let-down, though there were a couple of neat twists within the plot.

Because of that, I feel like I must give Betraying Season 3 stars, even though it was a spectacularly fun read. I recommend it if you're looking for something light, romantic, and fantasy.

3 Stars

PG for brief sexuality and some language

336 Pages

TBR September 29, 2009

Review: Prophecy of the Sisters

by Michelle Zink

Summary*: Twin sisters Lia and Alice Milthorpe has just become orphans. They have also become enemies. As they discover their roles in a prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other, the girls find themselves entangled in a mystery that involves a tattoo-like mark, their parents' deaths, a boy, a book, and a lifetime of secrets.

Lia and Alice don't know whom they can trust.

They just know they can't trust each other.

Review: I absolutely adore fantasy book about riddles and prophecies and such, so obviously I have quite high standards for books in that genre. Prophecy of the Sisters quite easily topped my list of To-Be-Reads, and has also quite easily found its place among my favorite fantasy books. Michelle Zink's writing skills are phenomenal, especially considering the time period the book is set in. I've read books set in a different time period that had the language seem almost a little too different, but Prophecy's language slid in quite nicely.

The plot was wonderful, and Lia's emotions expressive. It's obvious Lia's position is uncomfortable for her, and she struggles to know which "side" she is on. James definitely added a nice touch, and I have no doubt many of us will be thinking about him for a while after reading the book. ;)

My only teeny-tiny (miniscule. almost non-seen.) annoyance was that everyone seemed to be pretty. I know, I know. We are all beautiful. But it just seemed like everyone was exceptionally pretty. But as I said, the book completely makes up for that tiny little thing I, personally, found odd. And it's not like we have lavish descriptions on every page of how tiny their waists are and how their perfect heart-shaped faces just cause men to fall over at the sight of them (are you catching my Luxe illusion here?). Haha, in any case...

If you like fantasy, read this book!

And who wouldn't want to pick it up with a cover like that anyway? *drools*

5 Stars

PG for some witchcraft

352 pages (it does read that long, just a warning)

TBR August 1, 2009

*Summary taken from Amazon since this book has not been published.

Review: North of Beautiful

by Justina Chen Headley

Summary: Terra would be beautiful if she didn't have that port wine stain across half her face. She knows it; everyone tells her so. It's why she has to have a perfect body, why she's lucky to be with shallow boyfriend Erik, and part of the reason her jerk Dad is able to cut her down every single day. But one icy drive and a gothic Chinese stranger later, Terra starts to learn more and more about herself, about the girl behind the mask of makeup.

*note: this summary sucks. It's way better than that, I'm just awful at summaries... but I'm practicing, so stick with me here!*

Review: If you're anything like me (a fantasy geek), you'll take one look at the cover of a girl's face with her blond hair cascading down over half of it, and think... pretty, but no thanks.

And if you're anything like me you'll have a best friend who loves books like this, and tells you time and time again to read it.

And if you're like me, you'll say 'Okay, sure.' and put it on your shelf under books about faeries and talking animals and ghosts and stuff. Because it's big. And it has a cascade of blond hair across the front.

And then if you're like me, your friend sees that the book is on the bottom of the pile and says, 'Really! It's so much more than that blond cascade of hair down the front! Just try it!'

And if you're like me, you finally sigh and put down your other books and open it to please her.

So did I close it after the first 10 pages, and say 'No thanks, chick flick?'

NO!

North of Beautiful is. absolutely. fantastic.

The writing is enough to make your draw drop, if it hasn't already with the heart-wrenching dialogue and tension between Terra and her family. Headley intertwines the theme of maps and compasses with surprising ease and creativity. And then there's the characters that are spontaneous and sweet and fun and adorable and...um, hot?

And the surprise trip out of the country! Yay for scene changes that work!

Really, this book feels. You feel everything. And it's actually a breeze to read through, which really surprised me.

I don't think I'm conveying how much I loved this book.

IT WAS FANTASTIC! PERFECT! WONDERFUL! ASJF AOWIE JFALS;KDFJAS;LD!

Did that work for you?

5 Stars

Rating: PG

384 pages

Released.

Review: Skeleton Creek

by Patrick Carman

Summary: Strange things are happening in Skeleton Creek . . . and Ryan and Sarah are trying to get to the heart of it. But after an eerie accident leaves Ryan housebound and forbidden to see Sarah, their investigation takes two tracks: Ryan records everything in his journal, while Sarah uses her videocam to search things out. . .and then email the clips for Ryan to see.

In a new, groundbreaking format, the story is broken into two parts -- Ryan's text in the book, and Sarah's videos on a special website, with links and passwords given throughout the book.*,

Review: In the complete opposite with the previous book I reviewed (Shadowed Summer), I thought Skeleton Creek was going to be... cool. Okay. Neat. But no- it was fantastic. Definitely the best book I've read in a long time. Ryan's journal was realistic, like it really was a journal (ever read those books where you were like... no way someone would write like that in a journal? Yeah, this isn't like that.) Even though the jounal was personal, it felt like it was meant to be read.

Sarah's videos. The most important part. The part that made people debate whether Skeleton Creek was really a book since there were (heaven forbid) movies intertwined with it. It took me all of 5 minutes to get used to Sarah. For a minute it seemed kind of fake to me, but then I realized that I would probably sound the same way on a video. Sarah didn't try to make it over-dramatic. She made it kind of creepy, but Ryan tells us in the journal that she's just like that. So I thought Sarah had personality. She wasn't annoying, and the videos seemed so real. (I FREAKED over the last one... pathetic, I know.)

Which brings me to the ending, which left my jaw dropped for 5 minutes, while I texted my friend and paced my room, because Skeleton Creek was the best 'haunted' story I think I've ever read. Action-packed, mysterious, quirky, tense, and even with some depth, Skeleton Creek by Patrick Carman deserves the 5 stars I'm giving it.

5 Stars

Rating: PG for some frightening images ;)

Length: 144 Pages (yes, a quick read. Even more reason to dive in!)

Released: February 10, 2009

p.s. don't kill me if you don't like it because you don't like ghost stories. But I bet you will.

* Summary From Amazon

Review: Shadowed Summer

Summary: Summer in Ondine would have been boring as any other if Iris and her friend Collette hadn't been able to make up stories in the graveyard about the disappearance of the 'Landry Boy' years before. But when Iris claims she sees his ghost, things get tricky.

And then they just get dangerous...

Review: I was really excited for Shadowed Summer, but honestly, it let me down. There was a good amount of witchcraft and kind of a 'horror' aspect, rather than a honest-to-goodness ghost story. But that's my preference speaking. The witchcraft aspect just creeped me out in a not-good kind of way.

It was, however, rather well-written. You could place the characters easily by the way they spoke, and I really felt the 'aura' of the story. I just didn't like the aura.

Shadowed Summer is definitely a quick read, and pretty tense throughout. There isn't really a dramatic climax, it just kind of... comes. And there was one part of the 'revelation' that threw me. And definitely creeped me out more than anything else.

So in conclusion, though I did like the mysterious characters, love triangle, and I think Saundra Mitchell did a good job writing this story, I didn't feel much for the story itself. I wanted a ghost story. And this was... a story about a ghost. Does that make sense? Probably not.

2.5 Stars

Rating: PG for witchcraft and some frightening elements

Length: 183 Pages

Released: February 10, 2009 (yes)

Review: A Crooked Kind of Perfect (Linda Urban)

Zoe knows she's a prodigy, or at least knows she's going to be, once she gets a piano. But her dad doesn't buy her a piano.

He buys her a Perfectone D-60. An Organ.

Zoe is doing her best to cope with the Perfectone, her strange dad, workaholic mom, and ex-bestie Emma Dent, but its hard being a piano prodigy with an organ in tow. 

A Crooked Kind of Perfect was a quick, adorable read. It really hit me with all the musical stuff, because I play flute and sometimes feel like I deserve to be amazing without practicing, so it was very affecting as well. Zoe had some dimension, but as this is a children's book she doesn't need to be really developed. There wasn't really one point I could call the 'climax'. Rather than a mountain of a story arc, it was more a little hill. The ending was cute and realistic, but a little disappointing for me. 

Overall, Urban has written a great book for children, musically inclined or no. 

And the title and cover are just brilliant and fit perfectly.

Star: 5 (Children)/3 (YA)

Rating: G

Length: 224 Pages (reads like 150)

Released?: Yes

Read-a-like: Umbrella Summer (coming this summer)

Review: Storyteller by Edward Myers

Summary: All Jack every wanted to do was tell stories, and now he's left his poor family to seek his fortune out in the Royal City. And once he's there, he tells stories to anyone who will listen--That is, until the King takes him and his bird, Loquasto, captive. Through an incredible turn of fates, Jack becomes the Royal Storyteller. But that job entails more than he could have imagined, because Jack's storytelling could change the future of the kingdom.

Storyteller is full of mystery, fights, beautiful princesses and unruly princes. And most of all, it's full of stories.

Review: I liked it, I really did. It was really original and everything, but there was just something missing. There was no emotional attachment really. The only way I can explain it, is that it seems like it was written to be read aloud. This is the first book I've read that I think would be better as an audiobook.

It was fairly predictable at first, but did get more mysterious as it went on. There were some things left unexplained at the end (particularly about a character named Zephyrio), but not annoyingly so. 

The whole 'grandfather telling grandson story' was entirely too reminiscent of Princess Bride. That annoyed me more than anything.

But the story itself... I kind of liked it. It was different. But I would reccommend it for a bit younger audiences.

Stars: 3.5

Rating: G

Length: 288 Pages

Released: Yes

(p.s. there's one available used on Amazon for $2... just so you know)

Thoughts: Harry Potter 3 Audiobook

Click to see my thoughts on Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Audiobook.

Click to see my thoughts on Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets A/B.

Thoughts:

-Need I say it? Brilliant.

-The ending was my favorite out of all of them so far. I actually went, "Awwwww" and couldn't stop smiling for 5 minutes.

-I remembered one thing that bugged me: whenever someone says "uh-oh", it sounds really strange. And Hermione's voice was kind of weird again, but I'm getting used to it.

-I can't get over how amazing the voices are. I let my sister listen to a little bit of it (she's already read them all but the last one) and she thought it was incredible too. Now she wants to go get the last book on audio. Score.

So then I watched the movie; thoughts:

-Harry grew up! :( sigh. He was so cute when he was little

-I really do like the old Dumbledore better, but McKellan was okayyy. You could tell he's gay though, more than in other movies. Something about his voice... ehh.

-Radcliffe(harry)'s acting really improved as he aged, which I was happy about. I'm not saying he was a bad actor in the previous movies, but some people lose it when they get older. Haha, I loved the beginning scene.

-Even though I'd already seen the movie, it was really neat seeing it again because I'd forgotten quite a few things, and I liked comparing it to the audiobook. It wasn't annoying at all.

Has anyone else tried the audiobook?

By the way, incase you were wondering, Jim Dale narrates it. Just so you know.