Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling...

Series: Harry Potter (Book #1)
Published: November 1st 2003 by Scholastic Press
Pages: 309
Rating: 4 stars
Age Recommendation: -

Synopsis:

Harry hates living with his Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and their spoiled-rotten son, Dudley. Harry's room is a tiny closet beneath the stairs, and the entire family treats him with disdain. What's more, Harry keeps getting into trouble for making strange things happen - things he seems to have no control over. But then Harry discovers the truth about himself when a determined messenger delivers an enlightening message. It turns out that Harry's mother was a witch, his father a wizard. And not only is Harry also a wizard, he's a famous one! His survival of the attack by the evil wizard who killed his parents has marked him as a legendary hero - as has the lightning-bolt-shaped scar on his forehead.

Soon Harry finds himself attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he receives training in some magic basics, masters riding a broomstick, and discovers his incredible talent for a game called Quidditch, which is played in the air on flying brooms. And for the first time in his life, Harry has friends who care about him: his fellow students Hermione and Ron and a giant named Hagrid. But all is not rosy when Harry discovers his true destiny and finds he must once again face the evil one who killed his parents. His survival will depend upon the help of his newfound friends, as well as his own wit and powers.

Review:

After many years of looking at this series in the shops I finally got around to getting the full series in a box set. This book I had to admit did let me down a little, I had really high expectations for it with the series being THE most popular children's book series and everyone young and old loving the series so much. This isn't to say that I didn't like this book, I found that I really enjoyed it but it just didn't live up to my expectations.

The plot. I didn't really have any surpises when reading this book just because I had watched all the movies, but I thought it was great how I got to see where the movie skipped a part of the book or changed it slightly. I thought that this book was filled with adventure and suspense and I found myself staying up late because I had to know what was going to happen next but I found the ending to be a little boring as I thought that it would have been written in a way to make it a little more suspenseful.

The charaters. I loved almost all of the characters in the book but the one character that I had the most promblems with was Harry. I found him to be unrelatable and really I found him to be quite anoying. It seemed like at times he was ording around Ron and Hermione rather than them being a group of friends and I felt that his character lacked the personality that I was expecting him to have. I fond myslef really likeing Hermione and Ron's characters and I also loved the Weasley twins I thought that they added a lot of humour to the story. But one character that did suprise me was Nevel, he seemed to be a lot more confident in the book so I am really excited to see what happens to his character.

The art. I think that the artwork that has been put into this particular box set is stunning, Mary Gandpré really has done an amazing job and is an amazing artist. The artwork on the box itself itself is amazing as it is also with the book covers. But the artwork that stood out to me the most was the pictures at the start of each chapter and how detailed they were and how they really showed the main point of the chapter.

Overall I thought that this book was a pretty good start to the series and I am looking foward to starting "Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets" next.

Lola And The Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins...

Series: -
Published: September 29th 2011 by Dutton
Pages: 338
Rating: 5 stars
Age Recommendation: -

Synopsis:

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion . . . she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit -- more sparkly, more fun, more wild -- the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket -- a gifted inventor -- steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

Review:

I had really high expectation for this book when I started reading it because I had read Anna And The French Kiss a short while before and feel in love with that book and I had also seen reviews of people saying that they loved it even more than "Anna And The French Kiss" so I was really hoping that it lived up to all the hype, and it certainly did.

The plot. I loved it! To me it seemed to be similar to "Anna And The French Kiss" with a few differences but for me that really didn’t matter because I thought that it worked for both books. I really love Stephanie Perkins’ writing and how she writes in such a way that you really feel like you are standing next to Lola through every part of the book because her writing is so descriptive and really draws you into the story. Another thing that I really loved about this book was the romance, throughout the book I loved how we got to see Lola and Cricket’s relationship progress and change throughout the course of the book and even though most people will say that the end of the book was cheesy, I thought that it was the perfect way to end the book.

The characters. I really loved all the characters in this book, I really think that Stephanie Perkins has a knack for writing characters and making them feel really realistic and having their own little quirks that makes them unique. I loved Lola’s character, I thought that she was really relatable and unique character who had a great personality and was really believable as a character. I also really loved Cricket. I thought that his character was great, I loved how he would write everything on his hand, I thought that that was something that gave his character a lot of personality and really made me like his character a whole lot more.

Overall I thought that this book was AMAZING and I cannot wait till next year to read "Isla and the Happily Ever After" I think pretty soon I may be counting down the days till its release and I will definitely be pre-ordering my copy soon.

Vampire Academy: A Graphic Novel by Richelle Mead illistrated by Emma Vieceli...

Series: Vampire Academy: The Graphic Novel (Book #1)
Published: August 23rd 2011 by Razorbill
Pages: 144
Rating: 5 stars
Age Recommendation: -

Synopsis:

After two years on the run, best friends Rose and Lissa are caught and returned to St. Vladimir's Academy, a private high school for vampires and half-bloods. It's filled with intrigue, danger - and even romance. Enter their dark, fascinating world through a new series of 144-page full-color graphic novels. The entire first Vampire Academy novel has been adapted for book one by Leigh Dragoon and overseen by Richelle Mead, while the beautiful art of acclaimed British illustrator Emma Vieceli brings the story to life.


Review:

I am a HUGE Richelle Mead and Vampire Academy fan, so normally when something is released by Richelle Mead I pre-order it straight away or I buy it as soon as I know it exists. But when I saw that Vampire Academy was being made into a graphic novel series I was a little bit hesitant to pick it up because I was afraid that this would ruin the characters I already had in my head, but what made me finally go and pick this up was the insert in "Vampire Academy The Ultimate Guide" which I just finished reading a couple of days ago, the characters looked exactly as I had pictured them in my head when reading the book for the first time. So I deceided to go out and finally buy it and I am so glad I did, I loved it!

The plot. I think that this is definitley a graphic novel that wouldn't make sense to you if you hadn't read the series before. I found that the plot did jump quite a bit so it could be quite hard for someone to follow that hasn't read the series before. But if you are someone that has already read the series or atleast "Vampire Academy" then this graphic novel shouldn't be a problem for you. One thing that I really did like about this graphic novel was that even though the story was condensed down it still showed all of the main events that happened in the book which I loved.

The art. I thought that the artwork in this novel was stunning, I thought that the characters looked really life-like and you really could see the emotion on their faces which I thought was great.

Overall I thought that this was a great graphic novel and I am eagerly awaiting the next one to come out next year I will definitley be pre-ordering my copy.

Anna And The French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins...

Series: -
Published: August 4th 2011 by Speak
Pages: 375
Rating: 5 stars
Age Recommendation: -

Synopsis:

Anna can't wait for her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a good job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. So she's not too thrilled when her father unexpectedly ships her off to boarding school in Paris - until she meets Etienne St. Clair, the perfect boy. The only problem? He's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her crush back home. Will a year of romantic near-misses end in the French kiss Anna awaits?

"Perkins's debut surpasses the usual chick-lit fare with smart dialogue, fresh characters and plenty of tingly interactions." - Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Very sly. Very funny. Very romantic. You should date this book." - Maureen Johnson, New York Times bestselling author

"Tantalizing pacing, sparkling repartee, vibrant supporting characters . . ." - Gayle Forman, New York Times bestselling author of If I Stay

Review:

I had really high expectations for this book just because I had read nothing but good things about this book and seeing raving reviews from friends and book bloggers who have the same taste in books that I have. I completely fell in love with this book.

I completely loved the plot. I think that this is the first book that I have read that has been set in Paris, so I loved how by reading this book it really felt like you were there in the city with Anna because everything was described so well that you really got a clear picture of what everything looked like. I also loved the relationship between St. Clair/Étienne and Anna, it felt like it was a real relationship not like in other books where the relationship seems forced just so they can get on with writting the next part of the book. For me this book really felt like it could be a re-telling of a part of someone's life.

The characters. I really loved the characters I thought that they were all written brilliantly, they really all seemed like they could have been real people and people that you would want to hang around with. I thought that Anna was a really relateable and likeable character and I found myself really feeling what she was feeling many times throughout the book and I think that that is what makes a really relateable character. I also loved St Clair's character just like Anna's character I thought that he was a very relateable character and you could really feel how hard it was for him being stuck in the middle of two relationships.

Overall I completely fell in love with this book and this book has put Stephanie Perkins in my top 3 authors of all time. I cannot wait to start "Lola And The Boy Next Door" luckily I have it waiting on my shelf otherwise I don't know what I would do.

Vampire Academy The Ultimate Guide by Michelle Rowan with Richelle Mead

Series: Vampire Academy
Published: December 22nd 2011 by Razorbill
Pages: 305
Rating: 5 stars
Age Recommendation: -

Synopsis:

The official guide to the #1 international bestselling Vampire Academy series

Sink your teeth into the must-have collector's item for every fan of Richelle Mead's totally addicting Vampire Academy series.

Discover the history of St. Vladimir's Academy, explore the dark psychology behind Rose and Lissa's spirit bond, and find out even more illicit secrets about Moroi society. This ultimate guide will feature everything readers want and need to go even deeper into the world of Vampire Academy, Frostbite, Shadow Kiss, Blood Promise, Spirit Bound, and Last Sacrifice . . . every heartache, every betrayal, every sacrifice, and so much more!

Review:

This is the first "guide" book that I have ever read for a book series, so I thought that it was only fitting that my first would be for my favourtie series, and I loved it!

The book re-caps. For a little bit over half of the book there are re-caps of all of the six books which I thought was great as they are all condesed down into about 30 pages each and I found that the re-cap for each of the books was quite in-depth and didn't brush over any of the important parts in the books. Another thing that I loved about these re-caps was that at the start of each new book there was a page of Richelle Mead talking about how she got her ideas for the book, how it was writing the book and the fans response which I really loved and what I was really hoping for when I read this book. when I first saw that there were going to be re-caps after buying this book I thought that I would skip it just because I am so farmiliar with the storyline of each of the book after reading them a couple a times a year for about the past three years, but I am really glad I didn't.

Character Bios. I thought it was great how in the book there war character bios, because this tells you really all you need to know about the character but it also goes into the main events that happened to the character throughout the course of the books so I thought that it was a great way to quickly find out all you need to know about the character.

Q&A with Richelle Mead. I didn't even know that this was going to be in the book and this is something that I really loved about the book because this is where we got to get more insight into what made he write the book the way she did and how she came up with the ideas for certain things in the book.

Overall I completley loved this book and it definitley has all you need to know about the Vampire Academy series in this one book which I love. This is definitley a must-have for all Vampire Academy fans.

The Lying Game by Sara Shepard...

Series: The Lying Game (Book #1)
Published: December 7th 2010 by HarperTeen

Pages: 307
Rating: 4 stars
Age Recommendation: -

 

Synopsis:

 

 I had a life anyone would kill for. Then someone did.

The worst part of being dead is that there’s nothing left to live for. No more kisses. No more secrets. No more gossip. It’s enough to kill a girl all over again. But I’m about to get something no one else does—an encore performance, thanks to Emma, the long-lost twin sister I never even got to meet.
Now Emma’s desperate to know what happened to me. And the only way to figure it out is to be me—to slip into my old life and piece it all together. But can she laugh at inside jokes with my best friends? Convince my boyfriend she’s the girl he fell in love with? Pretend to be a happy, carefree daughter when she hugs my parents good night? And can she keep up the charade, even after she realizes my murderer is watching her every move?
From Sara Shepard, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Pretty Little Liars books, comes a riveting new series about secrets, lies, and killer consequences.
Let the lying game begin.

Review:

I didn't really know what to expect with this book because having just finished "Ruthless" which I really didn;t I was worried that I would feel about the same about this book, but I found that I enjoyed this book quite a lot.

I thought that the plot of this book was pretty good, I thought that it dragged for the first half of the book but then the plot really started to pick up. I thought that there was a lot of suspense in this book once I got about half way through and I found myself trying to figure out who the killer was along with Emma. There was a lot of twists in this book and things that I did not see coming at all and I loved how we got the dual narration and we got flashbacks throughout the book.

The characters. For me the side characters really seemed to fall flat. I found that I had to keep turning back pages and really thinking about who the side characters were whick I really do not like in a book. I thought that all of the main characters were written pretty well, for me Ethan and Emma were the two stand out characters for me, they seemed to be the most relatable and the most likeable characters out of the whole book. I really found myself not likeing the character of Laurel I found that he character got on my nerves a lot so I'm hoping that changes in the next book.

Overall I thought that this book was a solid start to The Lying Game series and the book left on such a cliff hanger that I am dying to get my hands on the next book in the series.

Ruthless by Sara Shepard...

Series: Pretty Little Liars (Book #10)
Published: December 6th 2011 by HarperTeen

Pages: 336
Rating: 2 stars
Age Recommendation: -

Synopsis:

 For years scandal has rocked Rosewood, Pennsylvania—and high school seniors Aria, Emily, Hanna, and Spencer have always been at the center of the drama. They’ve lost friends, been targeted by a ruthless stalker named A, and narrowly escaped death. And it’s not over yet.
Aria’s love life is on the fritz. Emily’s exploring her wild side. Hanna’s kissing the enemy. And someone from Spencer’s past—someone she never thought she’d see again—is back to haunt her.
But none of that compares to what happened last spring break. It’s their darkest secret yet and guess who found out? Now A is determined to make them pay for their crime, and the only thing scarier than A is the fear that maybe, just maybe, they deserve what’s coming to them.

Review:

I was really excited when I got my hands on this book a week early, thanks to another glitch from the website that I pre-ordered it from and I was really excited to start to read it because I loved the last book and it had me really wanting to know what was going to happen in this book. Unfortunatley I really did not like this book.

The plot. I thought that the plot was very slow and dragged for most of the book. For me I found that it didn't have any of the mystery and suspense that made this series so interesting, mysterious, enjoyable and fun to read and it ended up taking my about a week to read when all the rest of the books took me about a day or two because they were so great.

The characters. I found that there was really no character development in this book, we didn't get to see any of the characters grow throughout the book and become better in one way or another they just seemed to go along with their lives which I did find a little bit boring.

Overall for me this book was a let-down, but this could have been due to my high expectations for the book. I think that this will be my last "Pretty Little Liars" book that I will be reading or atleast for a while.

Rules Of Attraction by Simone Elkeles...

Series: Perfect Chemistry (Book #2)
Published: January 6th 2011 by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Pages: 326
Rating: 5 stars
Age Recommendation: -

Synopsis:

When Carlos Fuentes returns to America after living in Mexico for a year, he doesn’t want any part of the life his older brother, Alex, has laid out for him at a high school in Colorado . Carlos likes living his life on the edge and wants to carve his own path—just like Alex did. Then he meets Kiara Westford. She doesn’t talk much and is completely intimidated by Carlos’ wild ways. As they get to know one another, Carlos assumes Kiara thinks she’s too good for him, and refuses to admit that she might be getting to him. But he soon realizes that being himself is exactly what Kiara needs right now.

Review:

I completley loved this book! I had really high expecations when I began to read this book just because of how much I loved "Perfect Chemistry" and it definitley did live up to my very high expectations.

The plot. I thought that the plot followed pretty much the same plot that "Perfect Chemistry" did (with a few differences ofcourse) but I really didn't mind that because I loved the plot of the previous book so it didn't really bother me at all because since it was based on Carlos and Kiara it changed the feel of the book completely. I loved that there was quite a lot of action in this book but also romance. Another thing that I really love about these books is how in the epilogue we get to see their life twenty-six years later.

The characters. I really loved the characters in this book, I feel that Simone Elkeles really has a talent for writting characters, they are all written so realistically. I loved the charcter of Carlos and how we got to see what he was like a little but older and how his character changed in the years between when the two books were set. I also loved how we got te see his character develop in this book and how we saw him put his gaurd down. I also loved that character of Kiara. I know that some people would find her annoying but I thought that her character was really relatable and I loved seeing how she got stronger throughout the book and really just grew as a person. And Tuck, I loved his charatcer so much! He made this book so much more funny for me, I think that if he wasn't in this book I wouldn't have enjoyed it as much as I did.

Overall I completley love this book and this series and now I am impatiently waiting for the next book to arrive which won't be here for the next couple of weeks! Because I really can't to see how this series ends!

My Top Five Picks For Christmas!

It's that time of year again! Christmas is just around the corner and I wanted to share with you my top five books that I think everyone would want for christmas. Hope this helps!

1. The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa.

For officail synopsis and other reviews click here

I thought that this book was really amazing and really a great conclusion to the Iron Fey series and I thought that this book was made a lot more interesting coming from Ash's perspective. There were a lot of twists in this book and a lot of emotional moments aswell, overall a great book.

For my full review of The Iron Knight click here

2. Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

For officail synopsis and other reviews click here

I thought that this book was an amazing start to what seems like is going to be a really entertaining and fast-paced series. This book flows on seemlessly from Vampire Academy and I love that this time the story is coming from Sydney's perspective.

For my full review of Bloodlines click here

3. The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

For officail synopsis and other reviews click here

I loved this book! This has definitley become one of my go-to series for summer. I thought that the characters were great and the story was written flawlessly, just an all-around great read.

For my full review of The Summer I Turned Pretty click here

4. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

For officail synopsis and other reviews click here

I thought that this book was great even though it was really the same all storyline I found that there was something interesting about this book and it made me not be able to put this book down. Overall it was a really great read.

For my full review of Perfect Chemistry click here

5. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

For officail synopsis and other reviews click here

If you're looking for a more serious book to read this Christmas this is definitley the book for you. It is a very compelling read and you will be finding yourself having to turn the next page to see what is going to happen next. It is a beautifully written story and a book that every teenage girl should read.

For my full review of Wintergirls click here

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles...

Series: Perfect Chemistry (Book #1)
Published: April 29th 2010 by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Pages: 368
Rating: 5 stars
Age Recommendation: -

Synopsis:

When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year, she has no clue that her carefully created “perfect” life is about to unravel before her eyes. She’s forced to be lab partners with Alex Fuentes, a gang member from the other side of town, and he is about to threaten everything she's worked so hard for—her flawless reputation, her relationship with her boyfriend, and the secret that her home life is anything but perfect.

Alex is a bad boy and he knows it. So when he makes a bet with his friends to lure Brittany into his life, he thinks nothing of it. But soon Alex realizes Brittany is a real person with real problems, and suddenly the bet he made in arrogance turns into something much more. In a passionate story about looking beneath the surface, Simone Elkeles breaks through the stereotypes and barriers that threaten to keep Brittany and Alex apart.

Review:

I had pretty high expectations when I first opened this book just because I had seen and read such great reviews on it, but I really didn't know what to expect but I am glad to say that I LOVED it!

The plot. I though that the plot was so interesting I had never really come across something like it before. I mean, sure I had come across the whole star-crossed lover plot before but there was something about this book that made the whole plot and story of the book feel different. I thought that the book was written in such a way that it really made the plot of the book seem real and like this really could have happened, which I completley loved because I know that with book with simalar storylines they sometimes seem really fake and unrealistic, another thing that I really loved about this book was that therer was dual narration, so we got to see into the minds of both Brittany and Alex.

The characters. I completley loved the characters I thought that they were all written brilliantly and that they all seemed like they could actually have been real people and even the side characters were written great. For me Alex was really the star of this book I thought that his character really went through the most development throughout the book and we really got to see him evolve throughout the book. But I also found myself really likeing Brittany's character I thought that she was really relatable and I really found myself feeling sorry for her throughout the book for what she was going through.

Overall I thought that this book was a really great start to the series I am so glad that i picked up the first two books in the series because now I don't have to wait to read about Carlos and Kiara.

Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen...

Series: -

Published: May 11th 2004 by Speak

Pages: 281
Rating: 4 stars
Age Recommendation: -

Synopsis:

Halley has always followed in the wake of her best friend, Scarlett. But when Scarlett learns that her boyfriend has been killed in a motorcycle accident, and that she's carrying his baby, she's devastated. For the first time ever, Scarlett really needs Halley. Their friendship may bend under the weight, but it'll never break--because a true friendship is a promise you keep forever.

Review:

I don't really know how I feel about this book, I had pretty high expectations going into reading this book because I had heard really great things about it but it ended up not really living up to the expectations that I had for it.

The plot. I thought that the plot was really good, predictable but still really good. It was maybe a little bit slow in parts but it did keep my attention the whole way through and most of the time had me turning the next page to see what was going to happen next.

What I really loved about this book though was the characters! I thought that they wer all written really well and they all seemed really believeable and realistic, really I can't even pick a favourite character. I thought that Halley's character was amazing! She seems like she would be a great best friend to have because she's so supportive and pretty much just an all-round good person. Scarlett's character I also loved, she seems like she would be a really fun person to be around. And I found myself really likeing Cameron's character, I thought that he was so supportive of Scarlett and was really there for her when she needed him.

Overall I thought that this book was pretty great and a really great book for summer. I am really glad I picked it up.

We'll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han...

Series: Summer (Book #3)
Published: April 26th 2011 by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Pages: 291
Rating: 5 stars
Age Recommendation: -

Synopsis:

It's been two years since Conrad told Belly to go with Jeremiah. She and Jeremiah have been inseparable ever since, even attending the same college-- only, their relationship hasn't exactly been the happily ever after Belly had hoped it would be. And when Jeremiah makes the worst mistake a boy can make, Belly is forced to question what she thought was true love. Does she really have a future with Jeremiah? Has she ever gotten over Conrad? It's time for Belly to decide, once and for all, who has her heart forever.

Review:

This book was amazing! I had to admit I was a little bit hesitant to read this book just because I didn't know where the book would go, but this book was great and it was the best way to end the series.

The plot. I thought that the plot was great! This book was really an emotional rollercoaster one minute you were really happy and really happy about how everything was working out for everyone in the book and the next you were on the verge of crying! But I've found lately that I have come to love those types of books. another thing I loved about this book was that we got to see Conrad's perspective this time instead of Jeremiah's and I love how throughout all of the books we got to see into all of the teenagers minds, Belly's mostly but I think that the story wouldn't have worked as well if we didn't get those glympses into the minds of the boys.

The characters. I found myself really loving all the characters in this book and I know that in the last book I couldn'y stand Conrad and I think if I didn't get to read those chapters from Conrad's perspective in this book my feeling about him would sti;; be that same, but since I did and I got to find out why he acted the way he does I found that I actually came to like his character. As always I loved the Jeremiah's character he really makes me laugh and just makes the story really funny and I love his character for that, he did make a few mistakes in this book but you could tell that he completely loves Belly. I found myself throughout this series having trouble with Belly's character but in this book I found myself really coming to like her character, she had some hard decisions to make and in the end she made the right one for her.

Overall I thought that this book was the perfect end to a perfect series, these are characters that I am going to be thinking about for a really long time and I am always going to be wanting to know what happened to them, these book are definitley books that I am going to be reading every summer for years to come, a completley amazing series.

It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han...

Series: Summer (Book #2)
Published: April 27th 2010 by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Pages: 288
Rating: 5 stars

Age Recommendation: -

 

Synopsis:

 

Can summer be truly summer without Cousins Beach? It used to be that Belly counted the days until summer, until she was back at Cousins Beach with Conrad and Jeremiah. But not this year. Not after Susannah got sick again and Conrad stopped caring. Everything that was right and good has fallen apart, leaving Belly wishing summer would never come.
But when Jeremiah calls saying Conrad has disappeared, Belly knows what she must do to make things right again. And it can only happen back at the beach house, the three of them together, the way things used to be. If this summer really and truly is the last summer, it should end the way it started--at Cousins Beach.

Review:

I had really high expectations for this book after just finishing "The Summer I Turned Pretty" which I completly fell in love with, I am glad to say that this book did stack-up to those high expectations.

The plot. The one thing that really stood out to me with the plot of this book was that we got to see Jeremiah's point-of-view a few times throughout the book which I loved I thought that it was refreahing to get another characters perspective throughout the book and I really liked that. Overall my thoughts on the plot are pretty much the same as the previous book, I thought that the plot was really interesting and it kept me having to turn the page to see what was going to happen next and I also thought that there was a lot more tension in this book that really enhanced the story even more.

The characters. I found myself not likeing the charatcers as much in this book. I found that I still loved Jeremiah's character he still made me laugh thoughout the book and just made the book fun to read, but I found myself really having problems with Belly and Conrad's characters. I couldn't get over Belly's obsession for Conrad, it really started to get on my nerves at times but I'm hoping that it might change in the last book. Conrad's character really annoyed me pretty much the whole way through this book I just thought that he was really rude.

Overall I thought that this book was really good, the story kept making me turn the page to see what was going to happen next and I thought that it was a great edition to the series and I am definitley going to be picking up the next book straight sfter this is posted, I have to see how this great series ends.

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han...

Series: Summer (Book #1)
Published: May 5th 2009 by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Pages: 276

Rating: 5 stars

Age Recommendation: -

Synopsis:

Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer--they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one terrible and wonderful summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.

Review:

I had such high expectations for this book after reading such great things about it and I am so happy to say that it lived up to my expectations and manybe even exceeded them. I couldn't put this book down, and thats a really bad thing when you're meant to be studying.

The plot. I thought that the plot of this book was great I loved the idea of both the families going to the same place every year, having their traditions and I really loved the flashbacks in the book to all the previous summers I found that it really enhanced the story and I got to learn a little bit more about what was going on.

The characters. I loved all the characters, but the two that stood out for me were Belly and Jeremiah I thought that they were the most relateable characters for me. The one character I found that I didn't really care for was Cam I found myself being pretty bored with his character. But overall I thought that the characters were great and they were all written really well.

Overall I thought that this book was great and it really does get you in the mood for summer and the ending of this book was so good that after I finish writting this I am going to have to start reading the next one because I have to know what happens! I can tell that this is going to be a series that I am going to be re-reading every summer for a long time.

The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa...

Series: Iron Fey (Book #4)

Published: October 25th 2011 by Harlequin 

Pages: 386

Rating: 5 stars

Age Recommendation: -

Synopsis:

My name—my True Name—is Ashallayn'darkmyr Tallyn. I am the last remaining son of Mab, Queen of the Unseelie Court. And I am dead to her.
My fall began, as many stories do, with a girl…

Review:

I mangaged to get my hands on this book five days before it was meant to release thanks to a glitch with the website I ordered it off, and I am so happy that happened! This book was pure perfection it left me completeley speechless, around the last 150 pages I found myself reading a lot slower because I didn't want the book to end!

The plot of this book was absolutley amazing! I had to keep turming the page to see what was going to happen next the story was completely action-packed and fastpaced. It was definitley an emotional roller coaster I found myself on the verge of tears a few times in this book and I never really come close to crying in books so that is saying a lot, and for me, the ending of this book was absolutley perfect and completley warmed my heart.

I loved that this book was from Ash's point-of-view, Ash has probably been my favourite character throughout all of the books even though I have come to love all of the characters in the series. I love that we finally got to see what is going on inside Ash's head instead of just getting to see what he wants the world to see and we get to see that he really isn't as hard and cold as he likes everyone to think. But overall I loved all the characters in this book and I love how we got to see them all develope a little bit more in this book.

Overall I think that this book is a work of art and a complete masterpiece! This would definitley have to be the best book that I have read all year it completely blew me away and left me speechless.  An amazing end to an amazing series, Julie Kagawa.

Quick Update...

Hey guys!

I just wanted to write this quick update to say that I will not be reading for the next two months as I have my final exams in November and since this is my last year of high school these exams are really important for me to get into University, and I am also going to be doing work experience that will help me get into university aswell. But come December I will be back into reading and there will be a whole lot more reviews up for you guys.

So I hope you are all doing well and I will talk to you soon!

Sophie.

Succubus Revealed by Richelle Mead...

Series: Georgina Kincaid (Book #6)

Published: September 15th 2011 by Bantam

 Pages: 320

Rating: 5 stars

Age Recommendation: 16+ (Due to mature content)

Synopsis:

Georgina Kincaid has had an eternity to figure out the opposite sex, but sometimes they still surprise her. Take Seth Mortensen. The man has risked his soul to become Georgina's boyfriend. Still, with Lucifer for a boss, Georgina can't just hang up her killer heels and settle down to domestic bliss. In fact, she's being forced to transfer operations… to Las Vegas.

The City of Sin is a dream gig for a succubus, but Georgina's allies are suspicious. Why are the powers-that-be so eager to get her away from Seattle—and from Seth? Georgina is one of Hell's most valuable assets, but if there's any way out of the succubus business she plans to take it—no matter how much roadkill she leaves behind. She just hopes the casualties won't include the one man she's risking everything for...

Review:

This book was amazing! to be honest I have so many things going on in my head right now I really dont know what to write about this book. When I finished reading "Succubus Shadows" in February I was quite disapointed with what happened in the book and so I was a little worried about what was going to happen in this book. But I really wonder why I doubted this book, I mean come on! Richelle Mead wrote it and she is a genius!

First off the plot. To begin with I felt that the plot was a little slow but then the book definitley picked up and from them on in I couldn't put it down I ended up finishing it in a day because it was just that good, I had to keep turning the page to find out what happened next, there were so many things in this book that I wasn't expecting to happen, something that happened between Georgina and Seth that happened around the middle of the book I was expecting but apart from that everything else in this book was a suprise which made it so much more addicting to read.

The characters. I loved all of the characters in this book, I thought that we got to see Georgina grow a lot in this book and really I found myself likeing her a lot more in this book because I thought that she seemed to annoy me in the last book, I found that I really felt for her character and what she was going through. Now this is where I have my dilemma about what to write for this review, it was with the Males in this book, I loved them all! They all seemed so genuine toward Georgina and what they were doing for her thoughout the book. I found myself really likeing the charatcer of Carter, for some reason I remember not likeing him very much when reading the other books, but in this book I really liked his character for me he would of had to have ben my favourite Male character in the book.

Overall I thought that this book was amazing and I am so glad that I chose to finish my 50 book challange with this book, as I won't be reading any books for about 2 months because I have exams coming in November, This book was absolutley AMAZING and I thought that it was the perfect was to end the series and this may just be the best book I have read all year.

Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow...

Series: Strange Angels (Book #1)
Published:  May 14th 2009 by Penguin Group
 Pages: 293
Rating: 2 stars
Age Recommendation: -

Synopsis:

Dru Anderson has what her grandmother called "the touch." (Comes in handy when you're traveling from town to town with your dad, hunting ghosts, suckers, wulfen, and the occasional zombie.)

Then her dad turns up dead - but still walking - and Dru knows she's next. Even worse, she's got two guys hungry for her affections, and they're not about to let the fiercely independent Dru go it alone. Will Dru discover just how special she really is before coming face-to-fang with whatever - or whoever - is hunting her?

Review:

This book definitley was not for me. I had really high hopes for this book because I had seen really great reviews on it and it was also reccommended to me by a friend who has the same taste in books as me, but sadly I found that I could only get through about the first 100 pages.

The plot. Really I don't have much to say on the plot because really nothing had happened in this book yet really it just seemed to drag on and to be honest I found it to be pretty boring, but I'm thinking that it must have picked up along the way for it to get so many good reviews but I didn't really feel like reading another 100 pages to get to it.

The characters. When I put the book down I had only been introduced to three characters and they were Dru, her dad and Graves. I found myself not being able to relate to any of these characters which I think is another reason why i decided to put this book down, I found that Dru's character just seemed to get on my nerves.

Overall I thought that this book was alright from the 100 pages of it that I read and I do have the sequal which is "Betrayals"n so I will probably be picking it up again, so there may be an updated review soon but right now this book just really was not for me.

Wings by Aprilynne Pike...

Series: Wings (Book #1)
Published:  August 6th 2009 by Harper Collins Children's Books
Pages: 360
Rating: 5 stars
Age Recommendation: -

Synopsis:

Laurel was mesmerised, staring at the pale things with wide eyes. They were terrifyingly beautiful - too beautiful for words. Laurel turned to the mirror again, he eyes on the hovering petals that floated beside her head. They looked almost like wings.

In this extraordinary tale of magic, romance and danger, everything you thought you knew about faeries will be changed forever.

Review:

To be honest I didn't really know what to expect from this book so I didn't really have high expectations for it, really the only reason I picked it up from my high school's library was because I had bought the sequal "Spells" for cheap. But I am so glad I did, this book completely blew me away.

The plot. All I can say is wow. The concept of this book was nothing that I have ever come across before and I thought that it was really interesting and made for a great story. But it was really the storyline itself that kept me hooked reading this book and had before I knew it I had read it in a couple of hours. I thought that the story was captivating and it was full of suspense and mystery and really it just had everything that I looked for in a book.

The characters. I really loved all the characters in this book, but I especially loved Laurel and David I thought that their characters were very realistic and there was good character development throughout the book and we get to see how they get stronger throughout the book, but most of all I loved the relationship between them.

Overall I thought that this book was amazing and it was a great start to the series I can't wait to pick up my own copy! And this book was left on such a way that I'm just waiting to read the next one.

Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder...

Series: Insider (Book #1)
Published:  January 1st 2011 by Mira Books
Pages: 320
Rating: 2 stars
Age Recommendation: -

Synopsis:

Keep Your Head Down.
Don't Get Noticed.
Or Else.

I'm Trella. I'm a scrub. A nobody. One of thousands who work the lower levels, keeping Inside clean for the Uppers. I've got one friend, do my job and try to avoid the Pop Cops. So what if I occasionally use the pipes to sneak around the Upper levels? The only neck at risk is my own…until I accidentally start a rebellion and become the go-to girl to lead a revolution...

Review:

This book definitley was not for me. I was really looking foward to this book when I first got it because I had heard such great things about it, but sadly I was let down. I have picked up this book many times before but have never been able to get past the first few pages, this time I managed to get through about a third of the book before I decieded to put it down for good,

I was really excited to read this book because the plot seemed like it was going to be very fast paced and full of lots of susupense and action but sadly the third of the book that I managed to read was pretty slow I have to say, I felt that there was nothing really going on in the story and it didn't really seem like the plot was going to pick up any time soon so I decided to put it down.

I thought that the character of Trella was relatable but then again there was hardness to her that made me not like her character as much which I think may have been part of the reason why I could't get into the story of this book. I found myself really likeing the character of Cogan and I found him to be a lot more relatable than Trella, I thought that his character was very caring and I thought that his character had a lot of good in him.

Overall this book definitley was not for me, but I think that if you have been wondering if you should try this series or not I think that you should give this series a chance, there are a lot of rave reviews about this book which means that a lot of people must like it.

That Summer by Sarah Dessen...

Series: -
Published:  July 2nd 2009 by Puffin
Pages: 230
Rating: 4 stars
Age Recommendation: -

Synopsis:

For fifteen-year-old Haven, life is changing too quickly. She's nearly six feet tall, her father is getting remarried, and her sister,the always perfect Ashley,is planning a wedding of her own. Haven wishes things could just go back to the way they were. Then an old boyfriend of Ashley's reenters the picture, and through him, Haven sees the past for what it really was, and comes to grips with the future.

Review:

This book I really enjoyed. I knew I would though after reading "Along For The Ride" because most of these types of books always seem to follow the same storyline with a few differences which is fine with me. But I also found that with this book there was also an element of what it's like to be a sister which I really loved.

The plot I found to be a little slow to start but when Sumner came into the story things really started to pick up and getting really good and I really loved seeing everything that Sumner and Haven got up to.

I really loved the character of Sumner I thought that he was witty and kind and really just an all-around good guy. I really did feel that I related to Haven's character and I felt that she was a little childish for my liking but her character was definitley written well for her age. The one character I really didn't like thoughout the whole book was Ashley I found her to be really self-absorbed, but towards the end of the book I found myself actually liking her.

Overall I thought that this book was great and I really am looking foward to reading all the rest of Sarah Dessen's books over the summer.

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead...

Series: Bloodlines (Book #1)
Published:  August 23rd 2011 by Razorbill Fiction
Pages: 421
Rating: 5 stars
Age Recommendation: -

Synopsis:

BLOOD DOESN'T LIE. Sydney is an alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of human and vampires. They protect vampire secrets - and human lives. When Sydney is torn from her bed in the middle of the night, at first she thinks she's still being punished for her complicated alliance with dhampir Rose Hathaway. But what unfolds is far worse. Jill Dragomir - the sister of Moroi Queen Lissa Dragomir - is in mortal danger, and the Moroi must send her into hiding. To avoid a civil war, Sydney is called upon to act as Jill's guardian and protector, posing as her roommate in the last place anyone would think to look for vampire royalty - a human boarding school in Palm Springs, California. But instead of finding safety at Amberwood Prep, Sydney discovers the drama is only just beginning...

Review:

All I can say is wow... This book left me speechless. I had really high expectations for this book considering that "Last Sacrifice" was such an amazing book. But Richelles Mead's writting was as flawless as ever enjoyable book to read.

First, the plot. I have to admit that the plot was a little slow to begin with when all the new characters were being introduced and the main plot was being set out but when you got about 150 pages in things really started to happen. I loved all of the mystery in this book and then all of the shocking things that you were not expecting at all.

Next, the charaters. Intially when I found out that the spin-off series was going to be about Sydney I was worried, because I never really liked Sydney's character in Vampire Academy, but with reading this book I found that I came to really like Sydney. I really liked how we got to see a lot more of Adrian in this book and I found that I understood him a whole lot more from reading this book and I have also come to like his character a whole lot more aswell.

Overall I thought that this book was a great start to the new series we got to meet a whole lot of new character and learn more about the one's we already knew. Richelle Mead is such a great author and this book just highlights how great of an author she is, I am defintley going to be pre-ordering "The Golden Lily" after the cliff hanger the book was left on, just an all around amazing book

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray...

Series: -
Published: June 1st 2011 by Allen & Unwin 
Pages: 396
Rating: 3 stars
Age Recommendation: -

Synopsis:

Teen beauty queens. A lost island. Mysteries and dangers. No access to email.

And the spirit of fierce, feral competition that lives deep in the heart of every girl, a savage brutality that can only be revealed by a journey into the heart of non-exfoliated darkness.
The horror, the horror!

Only funnier. With evening gowns. And a body count.

Review:

I had really high expectations for this book as I had heard nothing but good things about it, I heard that it was funny and witty and really it just sounded like my kind of book and I was really looking forward to reading it. But sadly I was let down.

Now for the review.

First, the plot. I thought that the plot was definitely and original idea and I had never heard anything like it, but I felt that the plot just dragged and really nothing really happened even when the characters had their own chapter. One thing I completely loved about this book though was the footnotes and commercials I thought that they were great.

Now the characters. To be honest I didn’t get to know the characters at all. I thought that there were way too many and really I didn’t have a clear idea about which character was being talked about throughout the whole book so it got pretty confusing, I did manage to work out about three of the characters but I really just felt that there were too many characters in this book, but I did like how we got to see each of their different points of view throughout the book.

Overall I thought that this was alright, I thought that the idea had such great potential but it just didn’t live up to what I thought it would be.

Before I Die by Jenny Downham...

Series: -
Published:  July 5th 2007 by David Fickling Books
Pages: 336
Rating: 2 stars
Age Recommendation: -

Synopsis:

Tessa has just months to live. Fighting back against hospital visits, endless tests, drugs with excruciating side-effects, Tessa compiles a list. It’s her To Do Before I Die list. And number one is Sex. Released from the constraints of ‘normal’ life, Tessa tastes new experiences to make her feel alive while her failing body struggles to keep up. Tessa’s feelings, her relationships with her father and brother, her estranged mother, her best friend, and her new boyfriend, all are painfully crystallised in the precious weeks before Tessa’s time finally runs out.

Review:

I had pretty high expectation for this book because it had been reccomended to me by my english teacher and also by a friend of mine but I still had no idea what to expect because I have never really read a book like this, but to be honest I found the pace to be pretty slow and decided to stop reading when I was about half way through as nothing was really happening in the book.

The plot. I don't really know what I can say about the plot really the first half of the book is just about what Tessa wants to do before she dies and has made a list of all the things she wants to do and the first half of this book is her completing all the things on that list, well this is what has been happening upto the halfway point. I think I got up to number four.

The characters. I didn't really feel like I could relate to any of the characters in this book I think that this might have been why I decided to put it down. I didn't really like the way that the characters of Tessa or Zoey had been written either.

Overall I thought that this book was a bit of a let down, I thought that how Tessa carried out the list could have been made a whole lot more fun but I did think that from what I read of it that it was an ok book.

Unbelievable by Sara Shepard...

Series: Pretty Little Liars (Book #4)
Published:  June 1st 200 by HarperTeen
Pages: 368
Rating: 5 stars
Age Recommendation: -

Synopsis:

Four pretty little liars' charmed lives have turned into living nightmares.
Emily's been shipped off to Iowa to live with her überconservative cousins. Aria's boyfriend is behind bars—because of her. Spencer's afraid she was involved in Ali's murder. But Hanna's fate is far worse: She's clinging to life in the hospital because she knew too much.
If these girls don't start listening to me, Hanna's going to look like the lucky one.

Review:

I had super high expectations for this book after reading "Perfect" and I am very glad to say this book does not dissapoint.

The plot was great! Just like all of the other books it was full of a whole lot of suspense and mystery and twists and turns that you were not expecting and it was a book that I couldn't put down and you find out quite a few things in this book and things didn't turn out like I was expecting them to.

I thought that the charcters were great in this book and with every book in this series that I read I find myself being able to relate to the girls a whole lot more and understanding the side characters a lot better.

Overall this book was a great book in the series and is definitley worth reading it was a really great book

Perfect by Sara Shepard...

Series: Pretty Little Liars (Book #3)
Published:  September 1st 2007 by HarperTeen
Pages: 298
Rating: 5 stars
Age Recommendation: -

Synopsis:

In a town where gossip thrives like the ivy that clings to its mansions, where mysteries lie behind manicured hedges and skeletons hide in every walk-in closet, four perfect-looking girls aren't nearly as perfect as they seem.
Three years ago, Spencer, Aria, Emily, Hanna, and their best friend Alison were the girls at Rosewood Day School. They clicked through the halls in their Miu Miu flats, tanned in their matching Pucci bikinis, and laughed behind their freshly manicured fingernails. They were the girls everyone loved but secretly hated—especially Alison.
So when Alison mysteriously vanished one night, Spencer, Aria, Emily, and Hanna's grief was tinged with . . . relief. And when Alison's body was later discovered in her own backyard, the girls were forced to unearth some ugly memories of their old friend, too. Could there be more to Alison's death than anyone realizes?
Now someone named A, someone who seems to know everything, is pointing the finger at one of them for Ali's murder. As their secrets get darker and their scandals turn deadly, A is poised to ruin their perfect little lives forever.

Review:

This would definitley have to be my favourite book in the series along with the 9th book that has just been released I loved this book so much and ended up finishing it in a couple of hours the first time I read it, I couldn't put it down.

First off the plot. The plot in this book was so fast-paced and suspenseful I couldn't stop reading and before I knew it I was half way through and then the book was over. Everything happens in this book and I think that is what makes it such an faced and enjoyable book to read and the book ends on a great cliff-hanger!

Next the characters. I thought that you got to see a whole lot more emotion from the characters in this book and I found that I felt like I could relate to the characters a whole lot more and I felt that I knew the characters a whole lot more aswell.

Overall I thought this book was really great and definitley worth the read.

Flawless by Sara Shepard...

Series: Pretty Little Liars (Book #2)
Published:  March 15th 2007 by HarperTeen
Pages: 330
Rating: 5 stars
Age Recommendation: -

Synopsis:

 Spencer stole her sister's boyfriend. Aria is brokenhearted over her English teacher. Emily likes her new friend Maya . . . as much more than a friend. Hanna's obsession with looking flawless is making her sick. And their most horrible secret yet is so scandalous that the truth would ruin them forever.

And why shouldn't I tell? They deserve to lose it all. With every crumpled note, wicked IM, and vindictive text message I send, I'll be taking these pretty little liars down. Trust me, I've got enough dirt to bury them alive.

Review:

When I first read this book I had really high expectations because I loved Pretty Little Liars so much and this book really did not dissapoint. And reading the book for a second time made me love this book even more and I managed to pick up on a whole lot of thinggs that I missed before.

First the plot. I thought that the plot was amazing! I didn't think that you could improve on Pretty Little Liars but this book definitley proved me wrong. there was a whole lot of suspense and mystery in this book that I loved and overall just a very interesting plot.

Now the characters. I loved the characters in the first book but with reading the second book I found that I understood them a whole lot better and found myself getting more attached to the characters and really just being able to relate to the charcters a whole lot more because I found that I knew them better.

Overall I thought that this book was a really great edition to the series and if you liked Pretty Little Liars you will love this book.

Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard...

Series: Pretty Little Liars (Book #1)
Published:  October 1st 2006 by HarperTeen
Pages: 286
Rating: 5 stars
Age Recommendation: -

Synopsis: 

Three years ago, Alison disappeared after a slumber party, not to be seen since. Her friends at the elite Pennsylvania school mourned her, but they also breathed secret sighs of relief. Each of them guarded a secret that only Alison had known. Now they have other dirty little secrets, secrets that could sink them in their gossip-hungry world. When each of them begins receiving anonymous emails and text messages, panic, sets in. Are they being betrayed by some one in their circle? Worse yet: Is Alison back? A strong launch for a suspenseful series.

Review:

After reading "Twisted" the 9th book in the series, I found myself still thinking about the characters and the plot that happened in that book even though it had already been a few weeks after I read it and I decided that I really wanted to read the series again.

Onto the review.

I found that reading the book for a second time just made me love everything about the story even more and also picking up on things that I had missed before and also because I had already finished the series I found that the things that the girls did made a lot more sense then it did to me when I read the book for the first time.

I thought that the plot was really amazing. This is such an original concept for a book and I have never come across anything like it before I read this series. The book is filled with a whole lot of suspense and twists and turns and a whole lot of things that you just didn't see coming at all.

The characters in this book were so relatable and written so well that you really felt like you knew them and that you were apart of their circle of friends aswell, I really loved all of the characters and reading the book for a second time really helped me understand the characters a whole lot more.

Overall reading this book again made me love the characters and the series even more then I originally did and I think that this is a book that almost all YA fiction readers would enjoy.

Blood Promise by Richelle Mead...

Series: Vampire Academy (Book #4)
Published:  August 25th 2009 by Razorbill

Pages: 503
Rating: 5 stars
Age Recommendation: -

Synopsis:

Rose Hathaway's life will never be the same.

The recent attack on St. Vladimir's Academy devastated the entire Moroi world. Many are dead. And, for the few victims carried off by Strigoi, their fates are even worse. A rare tattoo now adorns Rose's neck, a mark that says she's killed far too many Strigoi to count. But only one victim matters . . . Dimitri Belikov. Rose must now choose one of two very different paths: honoring her life's vow to protect Lissa—her best friend and the last surviving Dragomir princess—or, dropping out of the Academy to strike out on her own and hunt down the man she loves. She'll have to go to the ends of the earth to find Dimitri and keep the promise he begged her to make. But the question is, when the time comes, will he want to be saved?

Now, with everything at stake—and worlds away from St. Vladimir's and her unguarded, vulnerable, and newly rebellious best friend—can Rose find the strength to destroy Dimitri? Or, will she sacrifice herself for a chance at eternal love?

Review:

When I read this book for the first time I was really excited to read it because "Shadow Kiss" ended on such a cliff hanger, and this book definitley did not dissapoint.

First off the plot. I thought that the plot was amazing I thought that the story line was great and even though it was a littleow to start off with when it got to about half way through the book really started to pick up and then I couldn't put it down! The plot in the second half of the book is so fast paced and suspenseful that I found myself staying up really late telling myself that I would only read one more chapter but then reading about another five. The plot is seriously amazing and the ending... wow is all I can say.

Next the characters. We are introduced to a lot of new characters in this book and I think that that did add to the story. We get to meet Dimitri's family which I thought was great because we got to learn a bit more about him and what he was like when he was younger. We also get introduced to Abe, to be honest I found his character to be kind of annouying and pushy, but he was nessasary for the story. Then we are introduced to Avery, who I really really did not like but again she was nessasary to the story. Last but definitley not least we got to knoe Sydney the alchemist, at the start of the book I found myself really not likeing her but then I found that her character grew on me throughout the book.

Overall I thought that this book was a really good edition to the Vampire Academy series and carries on seemlessly from Shadow Kiss and really does show how great of an author Richelle Mead is.

Marcelo In The Real World by Francisco X. Stork...

Series: -
Published:  February 1st 2011 by Scholastic
Pages: 320
Rating: 4 stars
Age Recommendation: -

Synopsis:

Marcelo Sandoval hears music no one else can hear--part of the autism-like impairment no doctor has been able to identify--and he's always attended a special school where his differences have been protected. But the summer after his junior year, his father demands that Marcelo work in his law firm's mailroom in order to experience "the real world."

There Marcelo meets Jasmine, his beautiful and surprising coworker, and Wendell, the son of another partner in the firm. He learns about competition and jealousy, anger and desire. But it's a picture he finds in a file -- a picture of a girl with half a face -- that truly connects him with the real world: its suffering, its injustice, and what he can do to fight.

Review:

I really didn't know what to expect from this book as I have never read anything like this book before, but I did have pretty high expectations for this book just because of all the great things I've heard about it.

For me I found the plot to be very slow, but I think that this was because we were seeing the world through Marcelo's eyes and that he finds the world a difficult place to be in. I also thought that seeing the world through Marcelo's eyes really did enhance the story and made the story so much more memorable then if it was told from anyone else's point of view.

I thought that Marcelo's character was amazing, he was a very genuine person and you got to feel what it was like to be in his position and what it was like to see the world in a very literal way.

Overall I thought that this book was really good. I think that it really makes you look at your life and see how you can change it for the better. I thought that this was a really moving story and something that everyone should read.