Monday, December 27, 2010

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson...

WintergirlsSeries: -
Published: March 19, 2009 by Speak
Pages: 278
Rating: 5 stars

Synopsis:

“Dead girl walking,” the boys say in the halls.
“Tell us your secret,” the girls whisper, one toilet to another.
I am that girl.
I am the space between my thighs, daylight shining through.
I am the bones they want, wired on a porcelain frame.


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 step-mother 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.

In her most emotionally wrenching, lyrically written book since the National Book Award finalist Speak, best-selling author Laurie Halse Anderson explores one girl's chilling descent into the all-consuming vortex of anorexia.

Review:

In my oppinon all the books that Laurie Halse Anderson writes are amazing and really eye-opening, and this book "Wintergirls" is no exception. I thought the character of Lia was very well written and even though I have never suffered from anorexia I still found Lia to be very relateable, I also liked the other characters in the book like her stepsister Emma and I also liked Elijah. I found that this book really did tell a realistic story-as do all her other books-about the disease of anorexia and how it doesn't just affect the person suffering from the illness but also the people around them. Over all I thought this book was amazing and it should definitley be on your To-Read list along with another of her books called "Speak" which is the book she is most known for and that is definitley for a good reason.

Sunday, December 26, 2010

For All You Vampire Academy Fans...

If you're a fan of the "Vampire Academy" series like I am you would have already picked up "Last Sacrifice", read it, and have been left wanting more...

Well I have some information for you on the upcoming VA book:

-It's going to be about Sydney the Alchemist but Jill will also play a big role in the book
-It's set in the human world at a human high school
-The main male character is a love interest from VA

I know it's not much but I thought I would share it with you anyway... Any thoughts on who the main male is? Because apparently it's unexpected... I kind of think it might be Jesse... Your thoughts?

"Bloodlines" due to release August 2011

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer...

Series: Nightshade
Published: October 19, 2010 by Atom
Pages: 453
Rating: 5 stars

Synopsis:

Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she'll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters' laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything— including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice?
(Goodreads)

Review:

Like Paranormalcy this book was slow to start but when it started to pick up it was AMAZING! This book is definitley in the top 10 best books I've read this year. The thing that makes this book for me anyway is the love triangle, Ren and Shay are complete contrasts which makes this book so good. One downside I found with this book is that there were so many characters, even after reading the book i still don't really get who the adult pack characters are, but for me it didn't really matter as I was more focused on the younger packs. Throughout the book I really didn't like Ren but then at the end of the book I found myself starting to like him.... This book has really good twists and will always keep you guessing. I thought this book was amazing and it is an awsome start to what seems like a really cool series

Wolfsbane due to release July 26, 2011

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

My Top 5 Picks For Christmas...

1. Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead (Vampire Academy #6)

Rose Hathaway has always played by her own rules.

She broke the law when she ran away from St. Vladimir’s Academy with her best friend and last surviving Dragomir Princess, Lissa. She broke the law when she fell in love with her gorgeous, off-limits instructor, Dimitri. And she dared to defy Queen Tatiana, leader of the Moroi world, risking her life and reputation to protect generations of dhampir guardian to come.

Now the law has finally caught up with Rose- for a crime she didn’t even commit. She’s in prison for the highest offense imaginable: the assassination of a monarch. She’ll need help from both Dimitri and Adrian to find the one living person who can stall her execution and force the Moroi elite to acknowledge a shocking new candidate for the royal throne: Vasilisa Dragomir.


2. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Since the beginning of the school year, high school freshman Melinda has found that it's been getting harder and harder for her to speak out loud: "My throat is always sore, my lips raw.... Every time I try to talk to my parents or a teacher, I sputter or freeze.... It's like I have some kind of spastic laryngitis." What could have caused Melinda to suddenly fall mute? Could it be due to the fact that no one at school is speaking to her because she called the cops and got everyone busted at the seniors' big end-of-summer party? Or maybe it's because her parents' only form of communication is Post-It notes written on their way out the door to their nine-to-whenever jobs. While Melinda is bothered by these things, deep down she knows the real reason why she's been struck mute...

Laurie Halse Anderson's first novel is a stunning and sympathetic tribute to the teenage outcast. The triumphant ending, in which Melinda finds her voice, is cause for cheering (while many readers might also shed a tear or two). After reading Speak, it will be hard for any teen to look at the class scapegoat again without a measure of compassion and understanding for that person--who may be screaming beneath the silence.

3. The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

Her parents' divorce left 17-year-old Veronica Miller embittered and confused. Three years later, "Ronnie" still seethes with anger toward her father, a musician and teacher who has abandoned hectic New York City for the quiet beach town of Wilmington, North Carolina. Nevertheless, she reluctantly agrees to her mother's altruistic plan that for the good of all concerned, she should visit her estranged father in his new home. As the story of The Last Song unfolds, novelist Nicholas Sparks weaves his magic, threading together the intricate story of three very different people tied inextricably together.





4. Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick (Hush Hush #2)

Nora Grey's life is still far from perfect. Surviving an attempt on her life wasn't pleasant, but atleast she got a guardian angel out of it: a mysterious, magnetic, gorgeous guardian angel. But, despite his role in her life, Patch has been acting anything but angelic. He's more elusive than ever and even worse, he's started spending time with Nora's arch-enemy, Marcie Millar.

Nora would have hardly noticed Scott Parnell, an old family friend who has moved back to town, if Path hadnt been acting so distant. Even with Scott's totally infuriating attitude Nora finds herself drawn to him - despite her lingering feeling that he's hiding something.

Haunted by images of her murdered father, and questioning whether her nephilim bloodline has anything to do with his death, Nora puts herself increasingly in dangerous situations as she desperatly searches for answers. But maybe some things are better left buried, because the truth could destroy everything - and everyone - she trusts.


5. Paranormalcy by Kiersten White (Paranormalcy #1)
Evie’s always thought of herself as a normal teenager, even though she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she’s falling for a shape-shifter, and she’s the only person who can see through paranormals’ glamours.
But Evie’s about to realize that she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.
So much for normal.






 I know this list is a little late but I hope this will help you with last minute Christmas gifts... Hope you all have a wounderful Christmas!

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White...

Series: Paranormalcy
Published: August 31, 2010 by HarperCollins
Pages: 335
Rating: 4.5 stars

Synopsis:

Evie’s always thought of herself as a normal teenager, even though she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she’s falling for a shape-shifter, and she’s the only person who can see through paranormals’ glamours.
But Evie’s about to realize that she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.
So much for normal.

Review:

I have to admit when I started reading this book I was almost going to give up on it, for the first 100 pages or so I found the storyline to be very slow and confusing, but once you get through those first pages you will not be dissapointed. I really love the character of Lend, I thought he was really sweet and definitley a constrast to Reth, who is a faerie who definitley knows what he wants and he will stop at nothing to get it. I thought there was also a bit of action in this book which I liked, but overall I though this was a very strong start to a series and I can't wait for the next book "Supernaturally" is due to come out Autumn 2011.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Wanted by Sara Shepard...

Series: Pretty Little Liars
Published: June 8, 2010 by Harperteen
Pages: 271
Rating: 4 stars
 
Synopsis:
 
In Rosewood, majestic estates sprawl for acres, and Tiffany toggle bracelets dangle from every girl's wrist. But not all that glitters is gold, and the town harbors secrets darker than anyone could imagine—like the truth about what really happened the night Alison DiLaurentis went missing. . . .
Back in middle school, Ali plucked Emily, Hanna, Aria, and Spencer from obscurity and turned them into the beautiful, popular girls everyone wanted to be. Ali was the best friend they ever had. But she also made them do terrible things and taunted them with their worst secrets. Now, three years later, all their questions about Ali have finally been answered and they can put this awful chapter of their lives behind them. Or so they think.
Not every story has a happy ending, especially when four pretty little liars have done so many wicked things. In the dramatic conclusion of Sara Shepard's bestselling Pretty Little Liars series, Emily, Hanna, Aria, and Spencer could get everything they've ever wanted—unless A has one more horrifying twist in store.

Review:

Orginally this was going to be the last in the series but due to the popularity of the show in America there is going to be another book released called Twisted which is scheduled to be released July 5th, 2011, which I am definitley looking foward to. Anyway onto the review. I though the main storyline in the book was pretty far fetched, but it was still a good storyline. There were a lot of twists in this book and it kept you entertained the whole way through so it was definitley worth while reading. Overall i think that this was definitley a strong book and it works as the original end of the series but it also works as another edition to the series where another book is going to follow so I am definitley looking foward to reading the next book in this series.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Heartless by Sara Shepard...

Series: Pretty Little Liars
Published: January 19, 2010 by Harperteen
Pages: 288
Rating: 3 stars

Synopsis:

The newest installment in Sara Shepard’s bestselling Pretty Little Liars series is packed with juicy drama and delicious surprises that will keep readers guessing to the very end.
Hanna, Aria, Emily, and Spencer have been telling some outrageous tales; only, the proof always seems to go missing. The friends insist they’re telling the truth, but all of Rosewood thinks they’re just out for attention—and nobody likes a girl who cries wolf. So when the big bad killer comes after them, will anyone believe the girls. . . or will they be the next to disappear?
(Goodreads)

Review:

To be honest I though this book was the worst out of the series so far I found it quite boring in parts but there were also some really good parts and also you find out BIG things in this book so it is definitley worth the read. "A" is still torturing the girls with secrets they told Ali in past. I can't really say anything about this book because so much happened in it that it would probably spoil something for someone, so all I can really say is that this book is definitley worth the read... It may take you a while to get through but if you are a fan of the PLL series this is definitley the book you want to read.