Review: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

• Reading Level: Young Adult 
• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile 
• ISBN-10: 052542381 
• ISBN-13: 978-0525423487
• Received From: I bought it.

From Goodreads:

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. 

My Thoughts:

This books seems to be so great because, to me, the characters are phenomenal! They all really come together and make this book truly wonderful.

Lola is a really flawed/human character. She makes mistakes, is a little bit of a compulsive liar, and is a little selfish as well but she doesn't do it with any malicious intent. I really LOVE Cricket! He is one of the most unique love interests that I have read in YA, this far. His character is a breath of fresh air when it comes to the male love interests. It seems that in most books that you pick up, you will probably find a loner/mysterious/moody/brooding love interest and I'm getting kind of tired of it. Cricket is sweet, the boy next door, and realistic. He wins you over with his charm and how genuinely nice his character is. I cannot say enough good things things about his character!

I wish Calliope's character would have been in the book a little more. I found her character to be very fascinating. I also found Calliope and Cricket's relationship very interesting as well. I would have loved to have been able to learn a little more about their dynamic and how they interacted with each other. However, I didn't really get Calliope and Max as the "villains/antagonist" at all. I didn't hate or wish harm to either of them and their reactions seemed very normal to me.

Usually in books there seems to be a lack of good best friends and parents who are actually aware of what their children are doing but, not in this book. Lola's best friend is great and very loyal to her as well. Lola's parents are also very aware of what she is doing most of the time. When they didn't approve of her boyfriend, Max, they made her bring him over for brunch every Sunday and she had to check-in whenever she was out with him. So you cannot say that Lola's parent's weren't a part of her life because they grounded her quite a lot for disobeying the rules.

I absolutely LOVE this book! It is amazing and I recommend it to just about anyone! It has moved up to my second favorite Contemporary book on my list. Cricked is, also, definitely on my fictional character crush list as well! SA-WOON! ;) Oh, Anna and St. Clair are also characters in this book, so that is definitely a plus! I have nothing but praise for this book and I'm giving it 5 Quills! So go out to your nearest book store and buy it!!

<3 Shannon

Review: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E Smith

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E Smith

• Reading Level: Young Adult 
• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Poppy 
• ISBN-10:   0316122386
• ISBN-13:   978-0316122382
• Received From: I bought it.

From Goodreads:
Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. She's stuck at JFK, late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon to be step-mother that Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's in seat 18B. Hadley's in 18A. 

Twists of fate and quirks of timing play out in this thoughtful novel about family connections, second chances and first loves. Set over a 24-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it.


My Thoughts:
If I saw this book in a book store and just read the title I probably wouldn't have picked it up because I hate "love at first sight". The only reason why I gave this book a chance is because I heard a lot of great things about it, and decided to give it a chance.  This book takes place over the course of 24 hours, but the love story does not feel like insta-love. It feels real and genuine, and there's no doubting that Oliver and Hadley are great together!


I read this book in two days and I enjoyed it very much but it's not all cute, light material; there is some heavy stuff in this book. Oliver and Hadley each have something they have to come to terms with; some of it you know, some of it you find out during the story. 


This book gives you a little bit of everything: love, heartache, sadness, joy, anger, and acceptance. I would recommend it to everyone because it is so much more than a contemporary love story. The growth that Hadley and Oliver go through is what makes this book great. This book has quickly jumped into my favorite contemporary books. So I give this book 5 Quills and I highly suggest that you pick it up and read it.

<3 Shannon

Review: The Queen of Kentucky by Alecia Whitaker

 The Queen of Kentucky by Alecia Whitaker

• Reading Level: Young Adult 
• Paperback:  384 pages
• Publisher: Poppy 
• ISBN-10:   0316125067  
• ISBN-13:   978-0316125062
• Received From: The DAC ARC Tour.

   From Goodreads:
Fourteen-year-old Kentucky girl Ricki Jo Winstead, who would prefer to be called Ericka, thank you very much, is eager to shed her farmer's daughter roots and become part of the popular crowd at her small town high school. She trades her Bible for Seventeen magazine, buys new "sophisticated" clothes and somehow manages to secure a tenuous spot at the cool kids table. She's on top of the world, even though her best friend and the boy next door Luke says he misses "plain old Ricki Jo."

Caught between being a country girl and wannabe country club girl, Ricki Jo begins to forget who she truly is: someone who doesn't care what people think and who wouldn't let a good-looking guy walk all over her. It takes a serious incident out on Luke's farm for Ricki Jo to realize that being a true friend is more important than being popular.


My Thoughts:
This book was a very fast and easy read. It was also very adorable and very realistic as well. The main character is fourteen years old so she is a tad annoying but who isn't when they are that age. So when I was reading this book I had to remind myself, a few times, that she was only fourteen and therefore allowed to be a little annoying. Because when you are that young nobody has who they are figured out. 


I enjoyed reading this book and I would probably reread it again sometime in the future. I don't really have any critiques about this book because I think the author did a very good job at realistically portraying a fourteen year old girl trying to fit in at a new school. So overall I give this book 4 Quills.

<3 Shannon

Review: The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan

The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan

• Reading Level: Adult 
• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
• ISBN-10: 0374193681
• ISBN-13: 978-0374193683
• Received From: i bought it.

From Goodreads:
basis, n.

There has to be a moment at the beginning when you wonder whether you’re in love with the person or in love with the feeling of love itself.

If the moment doesn’t pass, that’s it—you’re done. And if the moment does pass, it never goes that far. It stands in the distance, ready for whenever you want it back. Sometimes it’s even there when you thought you were searching for something else, like an escape route, or your lover’s face.

How does one talk about love? Do we even have the right words to describe something that can be both utterly mundane and completely transcendent, pulling us out of our everyday lives and making us feel a part of something greater than ourselves? Taking a unique approach to this problem, the nameless narrator of David Levithan’s The Lover’s Dictionary has constructed the story of his relationship as a dictionary. Through these short entries, he provides an intimate window into the great events and quotidian trifles of being within a couple, giving us an indelible and deeply moving portrait of love in our time.

My Thoughts:
When I bought this book I had no idea that this was an Adult book and I couldn't tell it was when I was reading it either; so the reading level is moot. This book is absolutely FANTASTIC!!! It has now been placed on my list of favorites and my rereading list as well.

This is such a short book and has very little words on each page but that does not hinder the book at all. On page 21, in 45 words, David Levithan breaks your heart when the narrator's girlfriend tells him that she cheated on him. The book may not have a completely happy tone; but it's real and could actually happen in real life. It's amazing that David Levithan can tell a love story in about a 1/4 of what it takes other authors and it is just as good as their books!

I cannot praise this book enough! I would recommend this book to anybody because it is just that amazing. So I give it 5 Quills! :)

<3 Shannon

Review: Possess by Gretchen McNeil

Possess by Gretchen McNeil

• Reading Level: Young Adult 
• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Balzer + Bray
• ISBN-10: 0062060716
• ISBN-13: 978-0062060716
• Received From: Won in a contest at Candace's Book Blog

From Goodreads:
Fifteen-year-old Bridget Liu just wants to be left alone: by her mom, by the cute son of a local police sergeant, and by the eerie voices she can suddenly and inexplicably hear. Unfortunately for Bridget, it turns out the voices are demons – and Bridget has the rare ability to banish them back to whatever hell they came from.

Terrified to tell people about her new power, Bridget confides in a local priest who enlists her help in increasingly dangerous cases of demonic possession. But just as she is starting to come to terms with her new power, Bridget receives a startling message from one of the demons. Now Bridget must unlock the secret to the demons' plan before someone close to her winds up dead – or worse, the human vessel of a demon king.

My Thoughts:
Creepy books are usually not my cup of tea so I wasn't really expecting to like it as much as I did. McNeil wrote this book really well, there was one part that had me so creeped out that I wanted to stop reading it but I am glad that I did not. During the middle of the book I was a little bit confused but things eventually came together. The ending of the book really takes off and has you at the edge of your seat. 

The relationship between Bridget and her 8 year old brother Sam is really endearing and softens Bridget's hard edges and makes her more relatable to the reader as well. Bridget's love interest Matt is such a nice guy and their relationship progresses at an actual real pace, even though Matt's over protectiveness was a bit weird at first.. Also Bridget's best friend, Hector, was definitely my favorite character in the book!

All in all this was a pretty good book and it was very well written. McNeil also put a lot of time in researching the demon part of the book and that is what really pushed this book over the edge. So overall I give this book 4 Quills!

Happy Thanksgiving!!
<3 Shannon

Review: The Bronze and The Brimstone by Lory S. Kaufman

The Bronze and The Brimstone by Lory S. Kaufman
*Book 2 of the Verona Trilogy

• Reading Level: Young Adult 
• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: The Fiction Studios
• ISBN-10: 1936558084
• ISBN-13: 978-1936558087
• Received From: Given for review via Pump Up Your Book

From Goodreads:
What could go wrong in the 14th-century for three time-traveling teens? How about – EVERYTHING!
Hansum, Shamira and Lincoln, three teens from the 24th-century, are trapped in 14th-century Verona, Italy. They’ve survived many deadly experiences by keeping their wits about them and by introducing futuristic technology into the past. Principal among these inventions is the telescope, which brought them to the attention to the rich and powerful.
But standing out can get you into unexpected and dangerous situations. The nobles of Verona now believe Hansum is a savant, a genius inventor, especially after he brings them plans for advanced cannons and black powder. Being the center of attention is great, but the potential for trouble is now exponentially greater because people are watching Hansum’s every move.
Meanwhile, artistic genius Shamira has fallen for a Florentine artist with bloody and disasterous consequences. Lincoln, considered an incompetent back home in the 24th-century, has blossomed – at least until he’s shot in the head with an arrow. And Hansum, after secretly marrying his new master’s beautiful daughter, Guilietta, is offered the hand in marriage of lady Beatrice, daughter of the ruler of Verona. To refuse could mean calamity for all the teens.
Amazingly, none of this is their biggest challenge. Because a rash illness is spreading across Verona – and it is threatening to consume everyone. Do they have a future in this past? 

My Thoughts:
In this book the characters matured a lot, so I connected with them a little more than I did in the first book; but, they are still not my favorite characters that I have read about. The plot was also a little bit more gripping as well. The last part of the book really took off and was very intersting.

However, I still had the same problems with this book as I did in the first one. It still took me a long time to read this book, but not as long as the first book. There were a lot of descriptions in this book as well. If the author had condensed all of the information that he put in then it would be a much faster read. I also did not really see the chemistry between Hansum and Guilietta, even though they're married.

Overall I give this book 3 Quills. Still an average read but this one probably isn't going to go in my pile of books that I HAVE to reread.

 <3 Shannon

Review: The Lens and the Looker by Lory S. Kaufman

The Lens and the Looker by Lory S. Kaufman
*Book 1 of The Verona Trilogy

• Reading Level: Young Adult 
• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: The Fiction Studios
• ISBN-10: 1936558025
• ISBN-13: 978-1936558025
• Received From: Given for review via Pump Up Your Book

   From Goodreads:
There's hope for the future, but what about the past? It’s the 24th century and humans, with the help of artificial intelligences (A.I.s) have finally created the perfect post-dystopian society. To make equally perfect citizens for this world, the elders have created History Camps, full sized recreations of cities from Earth’s distant pasts. Here teens live the way their ancestors did, doing the same dirty jobs and experiencing the same degradations. History Camps teach youths not to repeat the mistakes that almost caused the planet to die. But not everything goes to plan.
In this first of a trilogy, we meet three spoiled teens in the year 2347. Hansum almost 17, is good looking and athletic. Shamira, 15, is sassy, independent and an artistic genius. Lincoln, 14, is the smart-aleck. But you don’t have to scratch too far beneath the surface to find his insecurities.
These three “hard cases” refuse the valuable lessons History Camps teach. But when they are kidnapped and taken back in time to 1347 Verona, Italy, they only have two choices; adapt to the harsh medieval ways or die. The dangers are many, their enemies are powerful, and safety is a long way away. It’s hardly the ideal environment to fall in love – but that’s exactly what happens. In an attempt to survive, the trio risks introducing technology from the future. It could save them – or it could change history.

My Thoughts:
This book was a very very slow read for me. I could not quite figure out the direction the plot was heading and so that also made it a little harder for me to read as well. The author also put a lot of descriptions in the book. Most of them were unnecessary; I could skim two to three paragraphs and still be able to follow the storyline just fine. I also found the sudden setting switch from 2347 to the History Camp to 1347 Verona, quite jarring and abrupt.

The characters were not easy to connect with either, it took me awhile to get used to Lincoln's personality and I still don't quite know Shamira's at all. There was one character that I didn't like at all and that was Ugilino. Throughout the book I was repulsed by him and I couldn't get over it.  I liked Hansum's character better than the others but he's not on my favorite character list.


The story did pick up and get better at the end of the book. I also really like the idea of this plot a lot. So overall, I give this book 3 Quills because it was an okay book. I probably won't be rereading it but it was still an average read.

<3 Shannon

Review: Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
*Book 1 of The Infernal Devices Series

• Reading Level: Young Adult 
• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: McElderry Books
• ISBN-10: 1416975861
• ISBN-13: 978-1416975861
• Received From: Checked out from my library.

   From Goodreads:
When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos. Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own. Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by--and torn between--two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length...everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

My Thoughts:
This book is fantastic!! When I first read the synopsis of this book I thought it sounded like it would be similar to her Mortal Instruments series, but it is very different. There are some themes that are similar but if they were they had their major differences. 

For example there are the three teenage shadowhunters, two boys and one girl, but the characters couldn't be different from each other. Isabella and Jessamine couldn't be different; Jessamine wants nothing more than to get out of the shadowhunter life and get married, while Isabelle seems to thrive in it. Alec and Jem are very different as well; Jem is welcome and inviting but holds just enough back to be mysterious, while Alec is cold and closed off to anyone but his family or Jace. Jace and Will have more traits in common than any of the other characters, they both keep people at a distance but for different reasons (though Will's isn't revealed yet). Finally the main characters Clary and Tessa; Tessa lives her world according to the books that she has read and proper etiquette, while Clary is more defiant and obviously more current.

Another thing that I liked about Tessa is that she was a little less damsel-in-distress than Clary was in the first book.She seemed to handle herself better with the new world that she was thrust into. Henry is by far my favorite character that Clare has thought up so far. He's a little ditzy and clueless but when it really counts he makes it work. It is also very endearing how Tessa's knowledge of the world comes from books. Jessamine's character is very fascinating. She's fighting her heritage of being a shadowhunter with everything that she has, she would rather go shopping than even go near a weapon. But there has been a few situations when she's pushed to it she will kick some ass. Oh and Charlotte's fantastic, much better than Hodge!

This book also has a very dark feel to it; that the Mortal Instruments series doesn't have. The book is more intense and has less humor but it has a few quotes that have you laughing to break up the tension. I also like how she sticks with the etiquette of the time period and doesn't make them go completely against it. The shadowhunters are a little more relaxed but they still use it. And holy crap does it have a twist at the end!! Another plus is that it wraps up one of the main problems of the book but it nicely lays out another problem for the second book. It's not some; BOOM! cliffhanger ending.

All in all I think I like this book a little more than I like City of Bones. The characters seem to have more layers to them than IMS' do and I can't wait to see the direction that Clare takes them in! I give this book 5 Quills!!

<3 Shannon

Review: Tris & Izzie by Mette Ivie Harrison

 Tris & Izzie by Mette Ivie Harrison

• Reading Level: Young Adult 
• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: EgmontUSA
• ISBN-10: 1606841734
• ISBN-13: 978-1606841730
• Received From: netGalley

   From Goodreads:
A modern retelling of the German fairytale "Tristan and Isolde", Tris and Izzie is about a young witch named Izzie who is dating Mark King, the captain of the basketball team and thinks her life is going swimmingly well. Until -- she makes a love potion for her best friend Brangane and then ends up taking it herself accidentally, and falling in love with Tristan, the new guy at school

My Thoughts:
I saw this book on netGalley and it was the cover that drew me in and then the synopsis is really good as well, so I had high hopes for this book. However, sadly this book most definitely did not live up to my expectations. When I got to page 4 and I read this line: "Mark told me that if I really disliked him he would 'exile' him, which meant that no one would speak to him without Mark's permission.", it was a total *headdesk* moment! That is the moment when I started to get a bad feeling about this book but I kept reading  hoping that it was a fluke.


Reason #1: The characters in her book are just downright annoying, absolutely none of them had any redeeming qualities about them. Izzie, to put it simply she's a moron, a hypocrite, and someone who thinks that she knows it all. Branna, I think I actually hated her more than I did Izzie. These girls claim to be best friends but they have no consideration for each other at all. Izzie decides that since Branna doesn't have a boyfriend that she is going to use one of her mom's love potions even though Branna said that she didn't want one. Then Branna decides to break her promise, of keeping the secret that Izzie's mom can do magic, because she "loves" Mark (who is Izzie's boyfriend) and wants to prove to him that Izzie has lied to him while she hasn't. Mark, is a freaking douche bag and very flaky, end of story! Tristan,  isn't even a main character. Mark gets more time in the book than he does even though it's his name is in the title.

Reason #2: The plot is a problem as well. The first part of the story you spend reading about the immature characters living their life as high schoolers and then all of the sudden a two-headed dog tries to kill Izzie. This is also when she finds out that there is a giant serpent trying to kill her and she has to kill it to free the place where she was born from his evil dictatorship. The magic just felt so out of place in the book and wasn't very well executed either.

Reason #3: I just didn't care. I didn't care if Izzie got killed by the serpent or if she killed the serpent. I didn't care who ended up with who. If for someone reason all of her characters mysteriously died, I would have been fine with that as well. The only reason that I finished the book was because it would have annoyed me to not have.

Overall, I give this book 1 Quill. I wouldn't even check this book out from the library. The plot had the potential but it was just a flop.
<3 Shannon

Review: The Water Wars by Cameron Stracher

The Water Wars by Cameron Stracher

• Reading Level: Young Adult 
• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
• ISBN-10: 1402243693
• ISBN-13: 978-1402243691
• Received From: I bought it.

   From Goodreads:
Vera and her brother, Will, live in the shadow of the Great Panic, in a country that has collapsed from environmental catastrophe. Water is hoarded by governments, rivers are dammed, and clouds are sucked from the sky. But then Vera befriends Kai, who seems to have limitless access to fresh water. When Kai suddenly disappears, Vera and Will set off on a dangerous journey in search of him-pursued by pirates, a paramilitary group, and greedy corporations. Timely and eerily familiar, acclaimed author Cameron Stracher makes a stunning YA debut that's impossible to forget. 

My Thoughts:
I had really high expectations for this and unfortunately I was let down. I did not connect with the characters at all! They didn't really seem to have personalities at all. The only think I know about Vera is that she likes Kai. Why she likes Kai, I have no idea. Their "love" just came out of nowhere. The only character that I really felt like I knew who they were was, Ulysses the pirate, and I really liked his character! The author of this book spent so much of the story telling us how the world came to be that it was a information overload!!

I loved the plot idea for the book, it has so much potential but it just fell short. I'm not sure if this book is a part of a series or not, but if the sequel came out then I would definitely buy it because I still think that it can be redeemed. Also the cover of this book is absolutely phenomenal! Overall, I give this book 3.5 Quills!

<3 Shannon

Review: Go Ask Alice by Anonymous

 Go Ask Alice by Anonymous

• Reading Level: Young Adult 
• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Simon Pulse
• ISBN-10: 0689817851
• ISBN-13: 978-0689817854
• Received From: I bought it.

   From Goodreads:
This groundbreaking classic is more compelling than ever for today's readers. A sensation when it was first published and a perennial bestseller ever since, this real-life diary charts an anonymous teenage girl's struggle with the seductive--and often fatal--world of drugs.

My Thoughts:
I'm not exactly sure how I feel about this book. I thought that I would like more than I did because my friend, who has similar book tastes as me, recommended it. Overall I am basically 'meh' about the book. I didn't particularly care for the MC of the book because she was so flaky, and it really got on my nerves. I didn't get anything literary from this book but it did reinforce my ABSOLUTELY NO drugs policy!!!

This is a banned/challenged book and I have no idea why. Yes, it is a little 'woah!' when it comes to the drugs, but if one person wants to start taking drugs after reading this book then there is something wrong with them. The descriptions of what happened when the MC accidentally took acid freaked me the heck out!!! So honestly you think the parents would want their children to read this book to scare them AWAY from drugs!!

***WARNING!: I would not recommend this book for anyone under 18. I'm 20 and one part of this book was a little bit too much for me and I had to quickly skim/skip that section so that I wouldn't get sick to my stomach!!

Overall, I'm still 'meh' about this book. I'm not going crazy for it nor am I absolutely hating it, but it was definitely interesting to say the least. So I am giving it 3 Quills!

 <3 Shannon

Review: The DUFF by Kody Keplinger

The DUFF by Kody Keplinger

• Reading Level: Young Adult 
• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Poppy
• ISBN-10: 0316084239
• ISBN-13: 978-0316084239
• Received From: Rachel as an RAK (Random Acts of Kindness)

 From Goodreads:  
Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn’t think she’s the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She’s also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her “the Duff,” she throws her Coke in his face.
But things aren’t so great at home right now, and Bianca is desperate for a distraction. She ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him. Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn’t such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she’s falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this book; it was a very fast and easy read. I really liked all of the characters that Kody Keplinger created. I loved Bianca’s character, of course one of my best friends has the same exact personality (she’s cynical, doesn’t tell people stuff, etc) so saying that I hated Bianca is like saying that I hate my friend. However, even if one of my best friends wasn’t like Bianca I still would’ve liked the character. I also like Jessica as well, which was surprising because usually ditzy/clueless characters get on my nerves. When I started middle school, I had a best friend who joined the cheerleading team and I got put in the GT classes (gifted and talented) we tried to remain friends but we eventually grew apart and made new friends in our separate groups. So, I really liked the fact that Casey kept Bianca as her best friend, especially since she was a cheerleader and Bianca wasn’t. Because usually in high school when your friends develop different interest than you they make more friends and you tend to grow apart. I of course liked Wesley as well. In the words of Sarah Dessen, “Sa-woon”!

I also like the plot as well. It is very realistic, especially in today’s society with shows like 16 and pregnant and Teen Mom. I don’t think that it is giving teens a bad message. Just because a character in a book is doing something doesn’t mean that your child/relative/friend is going to do that, and if they do then you need to have a talk with them. It’s like the age old quote “If your friend jumped off a bridge, would you?”

I did however feel really skeevy reading the sex parts. Especially when Wesley was going down on Bianca! That part was just a little bit too much for me. At the very end it seemed to get a little too preachy for me. The story was a good message but the way that it was worded had me doing a little bit of an eye roll. 

Overall I thought that this was a very good book and I give it 4.5 quills!

 <3 Shannon

Review: City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

*Book 5 of The Mortal Instruments Series

•   Reading level: Young Adult
•   Paperback: 432 pages
•   Publisher:  Margaret K. McElderry
•   ISBN-10: 1442403543
•   ISBN-13: 978-1416995562
•   Received From: I bought it  

From Goodreads:
The Mortal War is over, and sixteen-year-old Clary Fray is back home in New York, excited about all the possibilities before her. She's training to become a Shadowhunter and to use her unique power. Her mother is getting married to the love of her life. Downworlders and Shadowhunters are at peace at last. And—most importantly of all—she can finally call Jace her boyfriend.
But nothing comes without a price.
Someone is murdering Shadowhunters, provoking tensions between Downworlders and Shadowhunters that could lead to a second, bloody war. Clary's best friend, Simon, can't help her. His mother just found out that he's a vampire and now he's homeless. Everywhere he turns, someone wants him on their side—along with the power of the curse that's wrecking his life. And they're willing to do anything to get what they want. Not to mention that he's dating two beautiful, dangerous girls—neither of whom knows about the other one.
When Jace begins to pull away from her without explaining why, Clary is forced to delve into the heart of a mystery whose solution reveals her worst nightmare: she herself has set in motion a terrible chain of events that could lead to her losing everything she loves. Even Jace.
Love. Blood. Betrayal. Revenge. The stakes are higher than ever in City of Fallen Angels.

My Thoughts:

One of the great things about Cassandra Clare is that her books always have the perfect amount of humor in them, and this book is no exception. To be honest I thought the series was over with the third book because everything ended, all of the problems in the first two books were fixed and all of the loose ends were tied up, so I was really surprised to hear that there was going to be three more books in the series. 

In this book Jace and Clary seem to take more of a backseat to the other characters in the book, but that still doesn’t stop them from having another problem as to why they can’t seem to be together and happy at the same time. Clary’s character is a semi-strong female character. In this book she is starting to learn to defend herself against demons and we do get to see her put some of her new skills to the test, and she does kick some butt; she also stood up to Jace and his “punishing himself”. I am so glad that she did this because she would just let him do it because “that is what he does and he would talk to her when he was ready”, and when she would do I would want to throttle her, so I’m very glad that she (sort of) put a stop to this. 

This book seemed to focus more on Simon and his life than any other character. Clare also introduced a new character, Kyle, and I’m excited to read about him and his female counterpart [telling would be giving too much away ;)]. We also got to see the more vulnerable side of Izzy as well! I’m really glad that she is starting to give the other characters some more attention and that we get to learn about them. However, I hope that she perfects the balance of all the characters getting the right amount of time in the book, because she just barely missed it in this book in my opinion. I have faith in her though because at the very very end of the book she adds another little twist that should bring Jace and Clary back on equal ground with Simon and the others!

Overall this was a fantastic book and I really enjoyed reading this book so I’m going to give it 5 quills!

<3 Shannon

Review: It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han

It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han

*Book 2 of the Summer Series

•       Reading level: Young Adult
•       Paperback: 304 pages
•       Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
•       ISBN-10: 1416995560
•       ISBN-13: 978-1416995562
•       Received From: I bought it

From Goodreads: 
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.

My Thoughts:

This is a really good teen contemporary book and I have enjoyed the series so far. I love both Conrad and Jeremiah as characters; they each have something very special about them. Jeremiah is that super sweet boy that would make the perfect boyfriend and nobody has a bad thing to say about him. Conrad, oh how I love him! He’s super smart and yes he can be annoying but he’s the type of person who you have to earn his trust for him to open up to and I can totally understand that because I am the exact same way. I have a love/hate relationship with Belly; sometimes she can be so childish and I just want to shake her but every once in a while she does do something to redeem herself. Belly gives up too easily, if she really tried she could break down Conrad’s defenses but she doesn’t. Instead she basically throws a tantrum trying to get him to give in but it never works. Also at the end of this book, I do not like her decision because she takes the easier option and that irks me. Oh and Laurel is freaking bad ass when she wants to be!

The only real problem that I have with this book is that the love triangle is pitting two brothers against each other. I hate that I have a terrible relationship with my own sister so this unnecessary conflict between Conrad and Jeremiah just gets under my skin. However, I enjoyed reading this book and I read it in 6 hours and overall I give it 4 quills.

 <3 Shannon

Review: Fallout by Ellen Hopkins

Fallout by Ellen Hopkins
*Book 3 of The Crank Series

•   Reading level: Young Adult
•   Hardback: 672 pages
•   Publisher: McElderry Books
•   ISBN-10: 9781416950097
•   ISBN-13: 978-1416950097
•   Received From: Borrowed from Friend

From Goodreads: 
Hunter, Autumn, and Summer—three of Kristina Snow’s five children—live in different homes, with different guardians and different last names. They share only a predisposition for addiction and a host of troubled feelings toward the mother who barely knows them, a mother who has been riding with the monster, crank, for twenty years.
Hunter is nineteen, angry, getting by in college with a job at a radio station, a girlfriend he loves in the only way he knows how, and the occasional party. He's struggling to understand why his mother left him, when he unexpectedly meets his rapist father, and things get even more complicated. Autumn lives with her single aunt and alcoholic grandfather. When her aunt gets married, and the only family she’s ever known crumbles, Autumn’s compulsive habits lead her to drink. And the consequences of her decisions suggest that there’s more of Kristina in her than she’d like to believe. Summer doesn’t know about Hunter, Autumn, or their two youngest brothers, Donald and David. To her, family is only abuse at the hands of her father’s girlfriends and a slew of foster parents. Doubt and loneliness overwhelm her, and she, too, teeters on the edge of her mother’s notorious legacy. As each searches for real love and true family, they find themselves pulled toward the one person who links them together—Kristina, Bree, mother, addict. But it is in each other, and in themselves, that they find the trust, the courage, the hope to break the cycle.
Told in three voices and punctuated by news articles chronicling the family’s story, FALLOUT is the stunning conclusion to the trilogy begun by CRANK and GLASS, and a testament to the harsh reality that addiction is never just one person’s problem.

My Thoughts: 

I have been a fan of Ellen Hopkins' books since I was 15 (so 5 years) and I was so looking forward to when the FINAL book in the Crank series was to come out. However, when I found out that it was going to be from Kristina’s children point of views I was a little disappointed. At first I had a hard time getting into the story because I didn’t know where she was going to take the plot of the story. It also felt like there was all this build up, towards the end, about the siblings being reunited and there wasn’t very much interaction between the three of them, which was a huge let down for me.

I also found myself skimming Autumn’s and Summer’s part of the story just so that I could get back to Hunter’s story. So more than once I had to make myself go back and actually read their part so I wouldn’t miss out on any information. The reason why I was doing this was because Hunter was a character in the first two books, so I was more invested in his character than I was in Autumn’s or Summer’s. I really wish she would have added another book between Glass and Fallout that dealt with the events that lead up to Kristina having Autumn and Summer. I feel like I missed a lot of information and I have a lot of questions as well.

My all time favorite thing are the newspaper clippings that update you on the characters from the first two books. I also really enjoyed the Brendan and Hunter meetings; I was wondering if that was ever going to happen and I’m happy with the way that they turned out!

I think that most of my disappointment came from the fact that I was expecting a story about Kristina and while Ellen Hopkins did answer all the major questions, she didn’t go into enough detail for me. So I am going to give this book, 5 quills because overall it was a really good book and I’m probably going to re-read it multiple times in the future.

<3 Shannon