Keeping The Moon by Sarah Dessen...

Series: -
Published: May 11th 2004 by Speak
Pages: 228
Rating: 4 stars
Age Recommendation: -

Synopsis:

Colie expects the worst when she's sent to spend the summer with her eccentric aunt Mira while her mother, queen of the television infomercial, tours Europe. Always an outcast -- first for being fat and then for being "easy" -- Colie has no friends at home and doesn't expect to find any in Colby, North Carolina. But then she lands a job at the Last Chance Cafe and meets fellow waitresses Morgan and Isabel, best friends with a loving yet volatile relationship. Wacky yet wise, Morgan and Isabel help Colie see herself in a new way and realize the potential that has been there all along.

Review:

I was really excited to read this book because I have been loving Sarah Dessen's writting lately and I had heard really great things about this book, and I loved it.

The plot. I really liked the plot of the book, even though it ran a lot slower than the books that I normally read and there were no real plot twists or anything like that but I still really enjoyed it. I thought it was great how there were flash-backs into Colie's past so we get to see a bit more of why she is so insecure and I also thought that Sarah Dessen tackled the issue of bullying really well in this book.

The characters. I loved all the characters in this book. I think that Sarah Dessen really has a talent for writting characters because in all of her books that i've read so far her charcters have always been so realistic and realateable. I loved Colie's character, I liked how I got to see her grow throughout the book and become more confident within herself. I also really liked Morgan and Isabel's characters, I thought that they were great and it shows how two completely oppisite people can be the best of friends, though admittedly at the start of the book I really didn't like Isabel he character did grow on me throughout the book. Mira was a character that I loved, I thought it was great how she was so strong and confident within herself and she was a really great role model for Colie. And now onto Norman, I completely loved his character! He was a little bit quirky but ultimately he was a great guy and that is what really made me love his character.

Overall I thought that this was a really amazing book and it will definetly be a book that is going on my reading list again for next summer.

Pure by Jennifer L. Armentrout...

Series: Covenant (Book #2)
Published: April 3rd 2012 by Spencer Hill Press
Pages: 281
Rating: 5 stars
Age Recommendation: -

Synopsis:

There is need. And then there is Fate...

Being destined to become some kind of supernatural electrical outlet isn't exactly awesome--especially when Alexandria's "other half" is everywhere she goes. Seth's in her training room, outside her classes, and keeps showing up in her bedroom--so not cool. Their connection does have some benefits, like staving off her nightmares of the tragic showdown with her mother, but it has no effect on what Alex feels for the forbidden, pure-blooded Aiden. Or what he will do--and sacrifice--for her.

When daimons infiltrate the Covenants and attack students, the gods send furies--lesser gods determined to eradicate any threat to the Covenants and to the gods, and that includes the Apollyon... and Alex. And if that and hordes of aether-sucking monsters didn't blow bad enough, a mysterious threat seems willing to do anything to neutralize Seth, even if that means forcing Alex into servitude... or killing her.

When the gods are involved, some decisions can never, ever be undone.

Review:

I was pretty excited to start reading this book straight after reading "Half-Blood" which I really enjoyed because I really want to see how the story progressed, and this book did not dissapoint I thought it was so much better than the first book.

The plot. I really loved the plot in this book, I thought that it had a lot more romance in it, a lot more action and some really unexpected plot twists. When I got about half way through the book I could not put it down and I didn't stop reading until I was finished, it was that good. I also liked how there was a lot more romance in this book and how the story started to come into its own and steer away from the plot of "Vampire Academy" and I really think this book series is going to keep getting better and better with each book that comes out because the storyline has finally become her own and I think that the story is a lot more fun and entertaining because of it.

The characters. I really loved all of the characters in this book. I thought that Alex's characters was written really well, I thought that she was really relateable and her attitude and humor had me entertained and laughing all the way through the book. I also found myself really likeing Seth's character, I thought that he became a lot more real in this book and he seemed to be a really great guy. The character that surprised me the most in this book was Aiden, I really didn't like him in this book I felt that I saw more of the "Pure" side of his character at the start of the book which I really didn't like, though that did thankfully change throughout the course fo the book.

Overall I thought that this book was great, and a real vast improvement from "Half-Blood". I am really looking foward to reading "Deity" when it comes out and it will defineitly be a book that i'm pre-ordering. Bring on October!

Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout...

Series: Covenant (Book #1)
Published: October 18th 2011 by Spencer Hill Press

Pages: 281
Rating: 4 stars
Age Recommendation: -

 

Synopsis:

 

The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi-pure-bloods-have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals-well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures. Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden. Unfortunately, she's crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn't her biggest problem--staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck.

 

Review:

 

I was really excited to get my hands on this book, because a friend of mine who has the exact same taste in books as me had reccomended it to me, so I went online (after a bit of research ofcourse) and ordered the two books that are currentky out in the series straight away. And I wasn't dissapointed.

The plot. When I was researching this book I found that a lot of poeple said that it was very similar to Richelle Mead's "Vampire Academy" series which I also found very early on in the book. there seemed to be a lot of the same storylines and just the basis of the book seemed to be the same with only a few name changes for certain things which I did find a little dissapointing. But it was still a really great book. I thought that the plot was a little slow to start but ehrn it did start to pick up I couldn't put it down.

The characters. I thought that the charcters were pretty well written in this book. I liked all the characters in this book and thought that they were all very believeable as characters. I loved Alex's snarky remarks and feisty behaviour throughout the book, it never failed to entertain me. Caleb's character seemed really loyal to Alex all the way throughout the book which was something I really admired about his charcter. Aiden's character I really liked, he had a mysteriousness about him that always made me wonder what he was thinking. The only main character I found myself not likeing was Seth. I thought that he was pretty arrogant which was really the main thing I didn't like about his character.

Overall I found myself really loving this book and I can't wait to start on the second one. If you have been searching for a book series just like "Vampire Academy" (which I have been doing for a long time until now) then this is the book series for you.

This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen...

Series: -
Published: March 8th 2004 by Speak
Pages: 375
Rating: 3 stars
Age Recommendation: -

Synopsis:

When it comes to relationships, Remy doesn't mess around. After all, she's learned all there is to know from her mother, who's currently working on husband number five. But there's something about Dexter that seems to defy all of Remy's rules. He certainly doesn't seem like Mr. Right. For some reason, however, Remy just can't seem to shake him. Could it be that Remy's starting to understand what those love songs are all about?

Review:

I was really excited when I started to read this book because I have really been loving Sarah Dessen books latley, so I guess I was going into this book with pretty high expectations but there was something about this book that made me not like it as much as the other Sarah Dessen books I've read so far.

The plot. I really tried to like the plot in this book but there was something about it that seemed to drag for quite a lot of the book. I found myself putting it down frequently and at times not even focusing on what I was reading and just skimming the lines on the page. I think it's safe to say that the plot of this book just fell flat for me and just didn't interest me.

The characters. Another thing that bothered me about this book was Remy's character. I found myself not being able to relate to her, I thought that her character was to closed off for most of the book, though she did seem to open up a lot more when she was with Dexter which I really Liked. A character that I really liked was Dexter. I thought it was great how he was the complete oppisite to Remy and really brought her out of her shell. I thought that he was really funny and charming and had me laughing the whole way through this book, he was definitely the stand-out character for me in this book.

Overall this book was just not for me. Even though this book was still written extremely well the plot just didn't seem to interest me. But if you're on the fence about if you should read this book I think you should give it a go. You never know, you just night love it.

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen...

Series: -
Published: May 11th 2004 by Penguin Group Inc.

Pages: 374
Rating: 5 stars
Age Recommendation: -

Synopsis:

a long, hot summer...

That's what Macy has to look forward to while her boyfriend, Jason, is away at Brain Camp. Days will be spent at a boring job in the library, evenings will be filled with vocabulary drills for the SATs, and spare time will be passed with her mother, the two of them sharing a silent grief at the traumatic loss of Macy's father.

But sometimes unexpected things can happen—things such as the catering job at Wish, with its fun-loving, chaotic crew. Or her sister's project of renovating the neglected beach house, awakening long-buried memories. Things such as meeting Wes, a boy with a past, a taste for Truth-telling, and an amazing artistic talent, the kind of boy who could turn any girl's world upside down. As Macy ventures out of her shell, she begins to wonder, Is it really better to be safe than sorry?

Review:

I am really loving Sarah Dessen books lately, I decided that I would buy all of Sarah Dessen's books that I didn't have (which was all but one) to read over the summer and I am really glad I did. In the past three days alone I have read two Sarah Dessen books that I have to read and I am now starting the third. I can't get enough.

The plot. I loved the plot. I thought that it was really orginal and for me it was kind of like an emotional rollercoaster. For me the book was written in such a way that I could really see what was happening in my head and feel what Macy was going through, which I really liked. Another thing that I liked about the plot of this book was how I got to know more about Macy and Wes through the game "truth" I thought that it was a really fun and orginal way to show more about the charcters.

The characters. I think that Sarah Dessen really has got the art of writting really realistic and funny characters down to a science because she does it extremely well. I loved all the characters in this book, but especially everyone in the catering company, they had me laughing the whole way through this book. Ofcourse I loved Macy and Wes's charcters, I loved how I got to see their relationship grow throughout the book and I also liked how I saw Macy really come into her own and stand up for what she wanted. I also really loved Kristy and Bert's charcters they were the really standout side charcters for me, Bert always had me laughing and Kristy seemed like a friend that would be completely loyal to you and someone really worth having around.

Overall I really loved this book and I can't wait to start reading my next Sarah Dessen book.

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen...

Series: -
Published: February 28th 2008 by Puffin Books
Pages: 371
Rating: 5 stars
Age Recommendation:

Synopsis:

Last year, Annabel was "the girl who has everything"—at least that's the part she played in the television commercial for Kopf's Department Store.This year, she's the girl who has nothing: no best friend because mean-but-exciting Sophie dropped her, no peace at home since her older sister became anorexic, and no one to sit with at lunch. Until she meets Owen Armstrong. Tall, dark, and music-obsessed, Owen is a reformed bad boy with a commitment to
truth-telling. With Owen's help,maybe Annabel can face what happened
the night she and Sophie stopped being friends.

Review:

I went into this book expecting not to like it and having to put it down (which seems like what I have been doing with all the books that I have been reading lately) But I was plesantly suprised with this one and found myself finishing it within a day I couldn't put it down.

The plot. I thought that the plot of this book was a little slow to start which I have found with the other three Sarah Dessen books that I have read and just like with all the other books once I get about a thrid of the way through, the story really started to pick up and I couldn't put the book down until I was finished. I loved everything about this book, I loved the flashbacks to some of the events that happened in Annabel's past and how those events really effected her, how we got to see the relationship between Annabel and Owen grow throughout the book and also how that this book tackled more than one issue within the story.

The characters. I thought that all the charcters were written really well in this book including all of the side characters, I thought that they were all written to be very relateable and also in such detail that I could really have a clear picture of what they looked like and how they acted in my head when I was reading the book. There were four really stand out characters to me, ofcourse there was Anabel and Owen. I thought that their charcters were written so well and I found myself being really fascinated by Owen's character, and how he was so obsessed with music and i loved how his character was the complete oppisite to what the world saw him as. Thought I thought to start with Annabel's character seemed like a pretty normal person, I loved how over the course of the book I got to see Annabel's character grow into this strong minded indepedant person which I loved. The other two characters which I found myself really likeing towards the end of the book were Clarke and Rolly. I found that Rolly's charcter always made me smile and Clarke seemed like a really loyal person and someone who would be a really great friend to have.

Overall I thought that this book was great and it was the book that finally got me out of my book rut which was a complete bonus. This a book that I will defineitly be reading next summer and I can't wait to start reading more of Sarah Dessen's books.

Quick Update...

Hi there Everyone,

I just wanted to do this really quick update and apologize for the lack of reviews lately, the truth is is that I just really have not been in the mood to read. But thats not to say I haven't been trying, it just seems that every time I sit down and try and read I just don't feel interested in the book or I can't emerse myself into the book like I normally do, and that is one of the things that I really love about reading, that you can be transported to a really cool world and just really enjoy the plot and the characters. I guess im just in a book rut but hopefully that will change soon.

I'm sure I will have a review for you guys soon and as always thank you for all your support.

Sophie.