The Iron King - Julie Kagawa

Modern fantasy, but without cutting apart fantasy to fit it into the modern world. All the classic things from scary faerie tales, a magnificent plot, and characters to adore. The progression is natural, smooth, believable, and some faeries manage to be decent without being human. The main character is not a changeling, as in most faerie stories (I plead somewhat guilty to writing about changelings(elves, though)). Instead, she is part faerie.

Everything about this book is quite original, while playing off of classic, non-Tolkienian fantasy.

I absolutely adored this book. Absolutely. Highly recommended to any lover of fantasy, or to anyone who wonders about it. Wonderful book.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy & The Restaurant at the End of the Universe - by Douglas Adams

These books are hilarious, bizarre, and wonderful. They are a sort of comentary, describing the ways things are done on different planets through the misadventures of some intergalactic hitchhikers. Only hilarious. Witty, sharp, and ironic, these books create there own reality so unbelievable it sounds like truth.

Not for absolutely everyone, but if you don't mind some sci-fi once in a while, this is a fabulous way to go.

Catching Fire & Mokingjay (sequals to the Hunger Games) - by Suzane Collins

I've read fantasies about war before. I'll review them some time, but to my main point. When war books end often I'm left with the feeling that perhaps it's not better. Perhaps the war was better. People got perspective. No matter how well the war was described I could not help but think stopping it really didn't matter.

Authors have a fear of killing off main characters and the people main characters love. Of going all the way. Of destroying half the world and all the main character's family with it. (I know because I am an author, but more on that later).

Not Suzane Collins. No. The world goes down in fire. They try there very best to keep everything peaceful, but it just doesn't work. And so they fight. They fight, and they win, but at such a terrible price and with such incredible tragedy that no one could argue that it was a good thing. From the first book a tone of tragedy is set, but it escalates untill it's unbearable, and then the characters she makes you fall in love with die, and die and die.

And in the end, out of the ashes, life goes on. And it's so beautifully done that it will never occur to you that perhaps it was better before. And it's pulled off so smoothly that anyone could seee there was no other way.

Breathtaking books. I don't care what you like, these books are incredible.

A little violent, a little morbid. For a teenage audience.

Night World (book 1) - by L. J. Smith

I'm not really one for vampire books. Or tragic romances. But this book blows everything else out of the water.

It's really well written. In the beginning, I didn't know if I was going to finish it, but by the end I couldn't put it down. It's not annoying about vampires, and it's not only about vampires, and the tree stories are never formulaic; each is it's own individual thing. The characters are interesting, and hte line is drawn very finely and very well between human values and night people values. They all work out, in one way or another, but not always in ways you could have anticipated. Even when you can tell what's going to happen how it happens is so interesting it doesn't matter.

The pace is unusual, and the mood transitions perfectly from light to heavy and back again. Recommended if you've never read a vampire book you like.

Unwind - By Neal Shusterman

The first thing I will say about this book is that it's bizarre. It really, truly is. The second thing that it's magnificently written. Thirdly, there is something of an opinion in there. An poinion on weather abortion should be legal. But more than an opinion for one side or the other I think he's saying nether way is pretty.

The book is magnificently written, with honest characters who change over the course of the book, and in doing so cause ripples. The book's three hundred pages, a respectable length, but I didn't want it to stop. The back cover will tell you the plot, but it doesn't quite go the way you would expect it to. If you can get over the part of how gross the whole unwinding thing is then the bookk just becomes remarkable.

Recomended if you don't mind something dark and winding. You won't be able to put it down.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians; The Battle of the Laberynth and The Last Olympian - By Rick Riordan

If you liked the first three, you'll like these. If you didn't read the first three, well, read them first.

The last two have everything the first ones did, adventure, mythical beasts, battles, Olympians, but as the books go on, the writing gets, if possible, better. I read the last book in one sitting. The ending is hard won for the characters, but satisfying. Everything turns out basically well, but it gives the illusion of life after it, not a clean ending but much more realistic.

I adore these books.

Marked - By P. C. Cast and Kristin Cast

In the spirit of full disclosure, this is a vampire book. Wait! It's not what you think. No doubt at this point the word vampire trigers thoughts of another book, and I'm just going to say, this book is not like the one your thinking of.

Vampires yes, but a new and creative spin. It's not as dark as you would expect from a vampire book. There's danger in being a fledgling vampire, as the change into a full vamp can kill you, but the book doesn't center around blood lust. In fact, the fact that there vampires seems, in some cases, to be incidental.

Sure, it's creepy and scary, to an extent, but in stead of using the fact that they're vampires as a crutch, it is added to thicken the plot.

Creative, and a hither to unseen approach to vampires.

Waiting for You - By Susane Colasanti

If there's one thing I absolutely adore in a book, as I've said before, it's a smart main character. Smart supporting characters too, but especially the main one, and Marisa fits the bill pretty well, as do her friends. She makes mistakes, sure, but isn't made out to be an idiot because of them. In some situations, she brinks on obliviousness, but never stupidity. She handles things well, but not unrealistically well, and it all turns out in the end. She's strong, whatever she may think, and she knows what she wants. Her relationship with her best friend is sweet, and realistic, which makes a nice combo. And don't let the seeming theme fool you. The cover and the info on the back and in the panel make it seem as though it should be Sarah Dessen. Wether you like her or not, know Susane Colasanti is a totally different author.

Plus, Marisa has stuff going on. She's not shallow, like so many heroins.(Fear not, I didn't see this problem in anything I've given a good review)

it's 300 pages, but an easy read.

City of Bones - By Cassandra Clare

I liked it at the beginning, I did. The characters are smart, sarcastic, and generally great. The plot leaves nothing to be desired. There's even tension between the main character's childhood friend and the boy she likes. She's an artist, and a book lover, and I loved her perspective. If I could make a recommendation, it would be to quit while your ahead, at the werewolves, and imagine the end, because once you've fallen in love with Clare and Jace as a couple, you may not much like the unrealistic ending.

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City of Bones - By Cassandra Clare
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He's her long lost brother, the one everyone had thought died. And so suddenly, in stead of making out, they're perfect siblings. Unrealistic and horrid. If you don't mind, read it, but it bothered me.
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City of Bones - By Cassandra Clare
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Goose Girl - By Shannon Hale

Goose Girl is a lovely faerie tale, there's nothing really like it, and yet it stands perfectly well on it's own. It's a marvelous faerie tale, and while magic is an integral part, it doesn't take over, and it's style is unique. Some people are born with the power of animal speaking, the ability to learn any animal language, while others have the power of people speaking, and their words carry special weight for those who hear them. Some, it is said, have the power of nature speaking, the ability to communicate with wind or fire or tree, but that's just a legend. The heroin is possesses the first of these, a self reliant person with common sense, the value of which cannot be underestimated.

She is a princess, betrayed and hiding under the guise of a goose girl, and she and the guard of the prince she was going to have married begin to fall in love. Then he leaves and doesn't come back, and though she knows he's alright, she misses him. Meanwhile, she has her own problems having to do with her usurper.

It works itself out magnificently in the end, with plenty of suspense on the way, and the truth wins out, which I just love. One of my favorite books.

The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

It was dark. Super duper dark. Almost everyone died, though it wasn't a tragedy. It had it's high points and it's low points, and was an exciting read. The plot plowed forward in a consistent way, yet it didn't become monotonous. Relationships where delicately woven in, and the entire story was artfully written.

Ultimately, it was about survival, both in the wild, and by skirting around masked tyranny.

Highly recommended if you don't mind something dark and violent. Not recommended for an audience too young. There is death, but it never gets too too gory for most.

The Book of a Thousand Days - By Shanon Hale

I'm not going to rate books anymore. I think I love all the books I read too much for it to be fair. I'm good at finding ones I'll like.

It was wonderful. I do adore fantasy, and this one was mild, unassuming. A tale of deception, yes, but benign deception, and showing the power of the truth, once it's told. I like how even though Dashti lies (Isn't that a wonderful name?), because she does it unselfishly, and for the safety and benefit of others, they find a way to save her. Her intentions where true, and that had value. Isn't that lovely? And she managed to make everything to work out in the end. There is lovely suspense, and her writing (Dashti's)is unique and nice. Between that, her fascinating life, and her lovely drawing scattered through the book, it's a lovely must-read. I recommend it highly.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians; The Lightning Theif, The Sea of Monsters, The Titans Curese - By Rick Riordan

Five Stars

It's hilarious. It's packed with Greek mythology, action, and quests. Seriously, what's not to like?

Funny, original characters with unique powers. And it all works out, barely, in the end, while still leaving a plot to be continued.

Fast paced, interesting, and smart. Utterly non-formulaic in a fabulously chaotic way. If by the ned of the series every myth and monster has not been crammed in I will be surprised, and yet there is still plot.

Not a hard read, and they will keep you wanting more.

Highly recommended.

The Princess and the Hound - By Mette Ivie Harrison

Four Stars

It was not what I expected. Even if you've read the back cover and the front inside one, it won't be what you expect.

It was fantasy, and I loved the wildness of the magic.

It takes a turn for the strange around the middle, but it's all solved within reason by the end.

It's a startling fantasy, and in some ways it reminds me of Goose Girl (Cometary Coming Soon). But even with the similarities, this book stands on it's own story. A unique, interesting one. I've never read anything quite like it.

Sleeping Freshman Never Lie - By David Lubar

Five Stars

This is possible my new favorite book. It's about a guy who reads! Reads, and reads, and reads, and if this weren't enough, he has an enormous vocabulary! I was challenged!

The characters are full, and the plot is a hilarious blend of classic high-school drama, and nonconformist fun.

I read it in one night.

Here's the thing. I like smart characters. I really, really do. And the main one fits the bill. I also like busy characters. Check again.

It follows Scott trying (and failing) to follow the girl he likes. But when he finally catches up to her, he's found that he loves someone else, not in a shallow way this time, but for real.

Happy ending! Who doesn't like those?
{If you don't, see previous review}

A Series Of Unfortunate Events; The Bad Begining - By Lemoney Snicket

Four Stars

It is certainly not a happy story, as it says in the front cover, on the back, at the beginning, around the middle, and close to the end. If you just must have that happy ending, don't read it.

Otherwise, get on with it. The vocabulary in the book is refreshingly full, and in each instance it explains the word's intended meaning in the sentence, for young readers and those who don't know the word.

The villains are delightfully evil, and truly everything seems to go wrong, until they save things in the nick of time. I expect similar themes for the next books.

It's the good characters with whom I have my only small complaint. They came off in some instances as ether rather dispassionate or mildly flat. Flat as in shallowly developed, could use more fleshing out.

Suite Scarlett - By Maureen Johnson

Three Stars

I don't like that they lie to there parents. If you like books where kids lie to there parents, this book's for you.

The characters are pleasant, for sure, but not singular.

Scarlett's voice was impersonal, and though I liked her on the surface, in the end, she mostly came across as one of those girls in books who thinks she's a writer even though she doesn't, actually, you know, write anything. I'm not asking for a book within a book, but some mention of her plot or characters would authenticate.

Not that parts of it didn't make me laugh, at the time. Sometimes Scarlett or her siblings where unexpectedly hilarious.

The setting is fun, right in the middle of a hotel in new york city, and the snippets for guidebooks give it a layer of truth, even though it's fiction.

Come to your own conclusion.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth - By Carrie Ryan

I'm not going to rate it, because I didn't finish it.

It was not a bad book, really, but post apocalyptic, which was not made clear in the about I read.

Not that there's anything wrong with post apocalyptic. It's just not my flavor.

The book was dark and scary, so if that's what your looking for, go for it!

Jinx - By Meg Cabbot

Four Stars

The characters are interesting, and relatable. The magic is interestingly pressented, and the story is multi-facited. Also, unlike in many books, they get deeply into motivation.

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_HIGHLIGHT TO READ REVIEW_
- Jinx - Meg Cabbot -
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The book centers around a girl named Jean but nicknamed Jinx, who has to leave her home town in Ioah after a love spell she performed went vastly awry.

She goes to live with her aunt and uncle in New York City, where she has two little cousins, Alice and Teddy, and her cousin her age Torry.

But Torry has changed since they last saw each other, and now, among other things she is new obsessed with witchcraft.

And not the focusing the energy of the universe, religious-type witchcraft. She's trying to manipulate people.

Due to a long series of events, Tory viciously reveals Jean's past magical mistake, then blames Jean for hers, all at a school dance, in front of the whole school, the boy Jean accidentally manipulated, and the boy they both like(Zack), who Tory tried to manipulate.

Then, she tries to tries to get Jean's blood to drink to take her magic, but Zack saves her.

Bippaty boppaty boo. Happily ever after.

Who doesn't love a happy ending?

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- Jinx - Meg Cabbot -

Maximum Ride; Saving the World and Other Extreem Sports

Five Stars

This and my first review are going to stand for all the Maximum Ride books, because, really, I don't think I need to go on about it. If there is a book I don't like, I'll review it, and I'll say something about the last one, but that's it.

There are a few more things I have to say before I sign off, though. The first is;

Plot holes. Yup. I said what you think I said. There are plot holes. Not big ones. Not by any stretch of the imagination big ones, but they are there.

___Mild Spoiler___
-Won't Ruin the Plot-
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For instance:
In the first book, they don't explain how they get food to their house.
In the second book and the third book, they don't say how they get money for food.
There are more, but now you get what I'm saying, you'll see.

___Mild Spoiler___
-Won't Ruin the Plot-
__Highlight to see__

___SPOILER ALERT___
_HIGHLIGHT TO SEE DETAIL_
-Maximum Ride Book 3-

I just have to say, and I know it's not enough to really put up a spoiler alert to put it here, but I just have to say; really, really, really sweet relationship between Fang and Max. Really, really sweet.

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_HIGHLIGHT TO SEE DETAIL_
-Maximum Ride Book 3-

Maximum Ride; The Angel Expiriment and School's out forever - By James Patterson

Five stars

Almost all of it is from Maximum Ride's point of view, and her busy mind is a fun place to be. Max is the leader of the flock, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel.

Fast-paced and well written, it combines several kinds of books. Mutants, saving the world, friendships, and the family relationship of a hodge-podge of kids.

The books aren't super short, but there fast to read, and definitely fun. A must read.

___SPOILER ALERT___
_HIGHLIGHT TEXT TO READ REVIEW_
-Maximum Ride books one and two-
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Six genetically altered mutant children(They have wings); Max, Iggy, and Fang, all 14. Max is a girl. Nudge, 11, a girl. Gazzy, 8, a boy. And angel, 6. In the second book they have a talking dog called Total.

Basically, there on the run from the henchmen of the lab where they where made avian(Called the School). These henchmen are called Erasers, and are almost like werewolves, only they can chose when they transform. Max has super flying speed. Iggy, because of being blind, has excellent hearing and touch. Iggy and Gazzy have talent with explosives. Angel can read minds, speak with fish, breathe under water, and to a certain extent, control minds.

As if that isn't enough for anyone to deal with, the six(Or seven, in the second book) of them are on there own, fending for themselves in the wild and trying to lay low.

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_HIGHLIGHT TEXT TO READ REVIEW_
-Maximum Ride books one and two-

The Pretty One - By Cheryl Klam

Three Stars

It's a nice book, very realistic, and written fairly well. The small cast and true characters make it real, and the pace keeps you reading. The balancing act the main character has to figure out between beauty and personality, and which attracts people to her, and what makes them keep talking to her, is interesting.

Fun book.

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_HIGHLIGHT TEXT TO READ REVIEW_
-The Pretty One - Cheryl Klam-.

The story centers around a girl of less than average looks and a very pretty sister just a year older than she is.

It a freak accident, her face gets destroyed, and she has to have plastic surgery.

She ends up, well, pretty. This is what she's always wanted, but it doesn't go exactly how she hoped. Her best friend says that he has to be her boyfriend or nothing, her sister turns on her when she finds out they both like the same guy, and that guy seems to like her sister, even though he cast her as the lead in his play.

The underlying tone being; A pretty face catches the eye, but weather or not it works out is down to personality.

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_HIGHLIGHT TEXT TO READ REVIEW_
-The Pretty One - Cheryl Klam-

East - By Edith Pattou

Four Stars

It rang of beauty and the beast; the bear man and the girl, and a carefully balanced curse, but it was presented in a very creative way. The second half of the book was utterly origional, a complex, fascinating work of fantasy.

She creates her own world, drawing on real life, but spinning her projection of reality into a marvelous fantasy realm.

One thing I loved was that they where friends before she even knew he was human. Also the balance of importance with names; her mother naming them after the directions in which they where born, and her not even knowing Charles's name until the very end.

Highly recommended.


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_HIGHLIGHT TEXT TO READ REVIEW_
-East - Edith Pattou-
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Set in Norway in a slightly alternate universe.

A family with a superstitious mother. She is obsessed with birth direction, the direction your mother was facing when you where born. She decides to have seven children: One fore every point of the compass except North. She believes north borns to be rash, wild, adventurous, violent, everything she doesn't want in her children.

It goes well. She has a child for every point of the compass. And then her east daughter dies. So she has another daughter, another East.

Only, Rose isn't east, as she was supposed to be. She was north. So, her mother lied. Said she was east, and tried to fit her into the mold of her east sister who had died. She was a bit wild, though. Always wandering off.

When she was a child, a white bear saved her from drowning, and it comes back when her south sister is ailing, saying that if Rose went with him, he would help there family out of poverty and save her sister.

Her father says no, her mother says yes.

Rose finds out she's not East, but north, and, hurt, she goes with the bear. She travels for a long time on his back to a castle in a mountain. It is nice there, and even though the bear can barely talk, they become friends.

She goes for a month to visit her family.

When she comes back, curiosity gets the better of her, and she uses a strange candle her mother gave her to see who the being she's noticed at night is.

The second she finds out, the castle disappears. It was a man, one who during the day was a white bear.

He says that he's being taken off to be 'her' husband forever, because she saw him, and so his curse was not broken.

This starts her wild, powerful adventure, and his forgetful one.

One thing I loved was that they where friends before she even knew he was human. Also the balance of importance with names; her mother naming them after the directions in which they where born, and her not even knowing Charles's name until the very end.

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_HIGHLIGHT TEXT TO READ_
-East - Edith Pattou-
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