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.

Eon: Dragoneye Reborn by Alison Goodman...

Series: Eon (Book #1)
Published:  August 31st 2010 by Firebird
Pages: 576
Rating: 2 stars

Age Recommendation: -

 

Synopsis:

 

Eon--the award-winning crossover fantasy that soars!

Sixteen-year-old Eon has a dream, and a mission. For years, he's been studying sword-work and magic, toward one end. He and his master hope that he will be chosen as a Dragoneye-an apprentice to one of the twelve energy dragons of good fortune.

But Eon has a dangerous secret. He is actually Eona, a sixteen-year-old girl who has been masquerading as a twelve-year-old boy. Females are forbidden to use Dragon Magic; if anyone discovers she has been hiding in plain sight, her death is assured.

When Eon's secret threatens to come to light, she and her allies are plunged into grave danger and a deadly struggle for the Imperial throne. Eon must find the strength and inner power to battle those who want to take her magic...and her life.

 

Review:

 

I found myself really looking foward to reading this book, so I had quite high expectations for this book after reading really good reviews on this book and I was sad to say I was let down...

I only managed to get about halfway through this book and then I had to put it down, I thought that this book had a good idea behind it but I found that the pace of the book wasn't picking up and that nothing was really happening.

Now onto the characters. I found myself not being able to relate to any of the characters, I don't know if that is because of the customs that the book revolves around or just that the characters were not relatable. I also found that there were way too many side characters for this book (even though I'm sure that they will have a purpose throughout the book)snd I just found it all to be way to confusing and I couldn't really figure out who the side characters were.

Overall I thought that this book did show promise in the pages that I read but I just couldn't really get into the story of Eon. But if you are debating wheather or not to read this book, I would say that you should atleast give it a try, I have seen so many good reviews for this book so there must be something special about this book and I just must have missed it.

Twisted by Sara Shepard...

Series: Pretty Little Liars (Book #9)
Published:  July 5th 2011 by HarperTeen
Pages: 307
Rating: 5 stars

Age Recommendation: -

Synopsis:

It’s been a year since the torturous notes from A stopped and the mystery of Alison DiLaurentis’s disappearance was finally put to rest. Now seniors in high school, Aria, Spencer, Hanna and Emily are older, but they’re not any wiser. The Pretty Little Liars have more secrets than ever - twisted secrets that could destroy the perfect lives they’ve worked so hard to rebuild.

Aria’s jealous of her boyfriend’s new exchange student. Spencer’s getting a little too cozy with her soon-to-be-stepbrother. Hanna’s one scandalous photo away from ruining her dad’s Senate campaign. And Emily will do anything to get a swim scholarship.

Worst of all: Last spring break in Jamaica, they did something unforgivable. The girls are desperate to forget that fateful night, but they should know better than anyone that all secrets wash ashore … eventually.

Review:

To be honest I found myself not having very high expectations for this book as I found the last book really confusing and unrealistic. I also was really nervous about what Sara Shepard would do in this book as the series had really already concluded and we had already found out everything that there was to find out in the series. Boy, was I wrong, I was completley blown away.

Now onto the review...

Firstly, the plot. I thought that the plot was amazing and just as fast paced and exciting as the last 8 books, it was still filled with a wholle lot of twists and turns and mystery, and after not reading the series for about 6 months I found that you got caught up in the first chapters anyway. I found myself really liking what was happenin in the book and really liking the main storline, although it was definitley unrealistic I found myself enjoying it, and the ending of this book left you on a cliff hanger and difinitley wanting more.

Next, the characters. I found myself connecting with the charcters just like I did in the last 8 books and still being able to really relate to the charcters. I was also suprised to find that I really liked Spencer in this book. In the previous books I found myslf really liking Aria's character and I found that even though I felt sorry for Spencer, she really seemed to annoy me.
Now I find myself really liking Spencer's chacacter and Aria annouys me.

Overall I thought that this book showed just how great of a writer that Sara Shepard is and that she can still come up with a great book that continues on seemlessly with a series that had already come to an end. This book was a great editon to the series and definitley a great read, and anyone who is a fan of the series will love it and it will leave you wanting more. I know that I will definitley be pre-ordering the next book for when it comes out in December.

Cracked Up To Be by Courtney Summers...

Series: -
Published:  December 23rd 2008 by St. Martin's Griffin
Pages: 214
Rating: 5 stars
Age Recommendation: -

Synopsis:

Perfect Parker Fadley isn’t so perfect anymore. She’s quit the cheerleading squad, she’s dumped her perfect boyfriend, and she’s failing school. Her parents are on a constant suicide watch and her counselors think she’s playing games…but what they don’t know, the real reason for this whole mess, isn’t something she can say out loud. It isn’t even something she can say to herself. A horrible thing has happened and it just might be her fault. If she can just remove herself from everybody—be totally alone—then everything will be okay...The problem is, nobody will let her.

Review:

To be honest I wasn't expecting that much from this book I had tried to read it once before and I couldn't read it, but I guess that was because I wasn't in the mood for it, because when I picked it up this time I couldn't put it down. This book really left me speechless.

I loved the plot in this book I found myself wondering about what happened to make Parker so damaged all the way until the end. I also found that the story really made me apprectiate what I have, and appreciate the friends I have and just realise that nothing should be taken for granted.

I found that the character of Parker was really relatable and I found myself feeling sorry for her and really feeling her depression.

Overall I thought this book was absolutly AMAZING and this is definitley one of those books that every teenage girl needs to read.