Review: Please Remain Calm by Courtney Summers

Title: Please Remain Calm

Author: Courtney Summers (Author Website)

Published: January 2015

Edition Read: Purchased eBook (Nook)

Level Recommended: Young Adult

Series: Sequel of This Is Not A Test (my review)

Overall: Please Remain Calm was a highly anticipated sequel for me. I devoured it's predecessor,   This is Not a Test, even in my sleep deprived state last summer. Please Remain Calm did not disappoint. I had so many feelings throughout this book that it's pretty much cemented Courtney Summers as my next go-to author. 

Summary: (From Amazon) In Please Remain Calm, the gripping sequel to Courtney Summers' This is Not a Test, Rhys and Sloane are headed for a safe haven when they get separated along the way. Rhys is determined to reunite with Sloane until he discovers people who might need him more--people who offer him the closest he'll get to everything he's lost, if they can just hold on long enough. Rhys thinks he has what it takes to survive and find Sloane, but in a world overrun by the dead, there are no guarantees and the next leg of his journey will test him in unimaginable ways...

Review:  This novella picks up right were This is Not a Test leaves off, with Sloane and Rhys in a car, trying to figure out what they are going to do next. The first plan is drive to the safe point that the radio keeps blaring on about. But, once they are attacked by zombies Sloane and Rhys are separated. Rhys finds himself alone, lost, in the woods. He's been saved by a man and his wife and daughter. Understandably, the man has little interest in keeping Rhys around, but something changes his mind, and the man lets Rhys in on a little secret.

There is no safe zone. There is only the dead, and over run cities. The man and his wife offer to walk with Rhys up to a certain point, since they are walking that way anyway, but after that Rhys is on his own.

Summers has a great way of making her books page turners. I'm not quite sure how she does it, but I find myself unable to out her novels down. When I should be sleeping I am not. I always seem to find myself at a point where my eyes are demanding to close and I tell myself 'All right, already, I'll go to sleep!'. Usually this how it ends.

I also always seem to find myself fighting with a character or two in her books. The way Summers gets me to care so darn much about characters in a book! I don't know. I just really, really wanted the happy ending. I really, really wanted Sloane and Rhys to find each other. I wanted the man and his wife and daughter to make it to their safe haven. I wanted everything to be tied up in a neat little bow, because I wanted that for everyone.

This is not Summer's style. No one gets happily ever after, and even though I didn't get what I wanted I still had to tell my husband all about it.

If you are looking for another great zombie read just before Walking Dead comes back on pick up Please Remain Calm. Trust me when I say that you will not be disappointed. 

Review: This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers

Title: This Is Not A Test

Author: Courtney Summers (Author Website)

Series: Sequel to be Published in 2015

Published: June 2012

Edition Read: Purchased E-Book

Level Recommended: Young Adult 

Overall: I read this book when I should have been sleeping. I had to force myself to put it down and get some sleep. It was one of the best zombie apocalypse novels that I've read in quite some time.

Summary: It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up.

As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live. But as the days crawl by, everyone’s motivations to survive begin to change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life–and death–inside. When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?

Review: 

I picked up this book based on Kelly Jensen's (of Stacked Books) recommendation on Twitter. Kelly hooked me with the fact that it was on sale in e-book format, and, oh, it's about zombies. (Let's face it, reading dead tree versions of my books now-a-days? Not very feasible when you have a cute little guy who explores the world with his hands and mouth.) It's not hard to get me interested in a zombie novel. I love books about zombies. I've reviewed quite a few of them on this blog. It is hard to impress me with a zombie novel. Summers was able to truly impress me with her take on the end of the world as we know it.

Like most zombie stories This is Not a Test starts at the beginning of the end of the world. No one knows why, but suddenly the dead are getting back up, chasing the living, and eating them. What makes this story different from most other zombie stories is that Sloane doesn't want to survive the end of the world. She'd be very happy to simply stop existing. Sloane has already lost everything she loved or cared for six months before the rest of the world ever ended. She was already quite content with the idea of ending her life when the world as she knows it turns upside down.

Sloane is the victim of physical abuse from her father. She is quite adapt at making herself as small as possible to escape his kind of discipline. Six months before the end of the world her sister Lily ran away from their childhood home without so much as a goodbye to Sloane. Sloane's life has been reeling from the loss of her sister ever since. Sloane is getting ready to end her life and has already written out her goodbye letter to her sister. Then the entire world falls apart.

Six days later Sloane finds herself hiding out in her high school with several other teenagers trying to survive the zombie apocalypse that has occurred. Sloane fights with the idea of continuing to survive and with the desperate want to end her life. Although she has accomplished the very difficult task of surviving the end of the world and finding a relatively safe place to hide Sloane is still unsure as to why she continues to do so.

What I Didn't Like: I wish we had seen and not been told about the six days after the end of the world. I felt like the jump in time could have been elaborated on better, and could have done a lot to expand on Sloane's state of mind. If all she wanted to do was die then what was she thinking the whole time she was following the others to the high school? It was really the only thing that bugged me.

What I Liked:  Throughout the novel Summers delves into the human aspects of survival. Some of the moral questions Summers brings up in the novel aren't answered, and that's ok. I liked being the dark just like Sloane was. Some of the moral survival questions are answered, and they only serve to highlight the real struggle some of these teens are dealing with to keep some sense of humanity. Time and time again the teenagers are faced with the reality that their continued survival may hinge on the death of another.

This is what I loved about This is Not a Test. The simple truth of the matter is that most people who tend to survive a zombie apocalypse aren't good people. Some people survived because they knew how to step over other people to do it. The teenagers, although faced with the same struggle, still seem to hold onto their humanity. They try to remain moral in their actions, and sometimes the reality of the consequences of their decisions becomes a heavy weight. Despite what their intentions may be the consequences lay heavily on them, and that is what sets them apart--most of the time--from the evil in the world.

The humanity of this novel is what makes this story a great one. No one in this world is all good or all evil. They are all simply trying to survive and trying to continue to find reasons to survive. When the whole world falls apart what would you do? This question makes this book one of the best zombie apocalypse novels that I've read in quite some time.

I can't wait for the next installment Please Remain Calm, an e-novella, set to be released in 2015. 

Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

 Title: The Fault in Our Stars

Author: John Green

Series: No

Published: 2012

Edition Read: Hardback

Level Recommended: Young Adult

Overall: I loved this book so much I had to put it down for quite awhile before I could bare to finish the last one hundred pages. I just couldn't bare to see the characters I love go through heartache.  When I finally braved the last pages I wasn't disappointed. 

Summary: (Book) Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

Review: I am the last person to read and review this book. Before I start on the actual review, though, I feel like I should say this: I'm not a John Green book nerd. I was assigned to read Looking for Alaska for a Child Lit course around 2006. I don't know if I just didn't like it because I was swamped with course work and having to read and review books for that class or if I just didn't like it. That being said I am a huge fan of John Green. Lots of reasons why, and honestly being a fan of John Green pushed me to give his books another try.

But it's not a cancer book, because cancer books suck. Like, in cancer books, the cancer person starts a charity that raises money to fight cancer, right? And this commitment to charity reminds the cancer person of the essential goodness of humanity and makes him/her feel loved and encouraged because s/he will leave the cancer-curing legacy. 

(The Fault in Our Stars, Pg. 48-49)

I started The Fault in Our Stars around the time it was originally published, but only recently finished it. The reason? Green really pulled on my heart strings. When I was in high school I loved books like The Fault in Our Stars. I believe I read almost all of Lurlene McDaniel's books. Most of which had a central theme of teenangers dealing with life-threatening illnesses. 

John Green managed to make me do something I don't remember ever doing with Lurlene McDaniel's books. It made me put it down and not want to read it. Now, don't misunderstand. This wasn't a "I can't stand this book! I'm going to drop it because it sucks!" kind of put down. It was a "OMG I can't read any further because I just don't want to deal with the heartache that is about hit these characters that I love!" kind of put down. I literally did not want to read what would happen next, because I didn't want to cry over these characters that I had grown to love. 

I, of course, can't tell you what happened or what it was that caused me to say "No." to the heartache. It would give away a huge plot point. But, I can't think of a higher form of praise for Green's book. He made me love Hazel and Augustus. He made me root for them and their sweet teenage romance, and he made me love them so much I almost couldn't bare to pick up the book and read the last almost one hundred pages because I loved them so much. 

Green's writing also reminded me of the kind of writing I loved as a teenager. It was witty and snappy without being overly so. The characters played off each other with chemistry. They conducted conversations that made me laugh and cry. Maybe I wasn't too terribly into Looking for Alaska, but The Fault in Our Stars really made me want to pick up another book by Green.

Issac shot me a look. "Right, of course. But you keep the promise anyway That's what love is. Love is keeping the promise anyway. Don't you believe in true love?" 

I didn't answer. I didn't have an answer. But I thought that if true love did exist, that was a pretty good definition of it.  

"Well, I believe in true love," Issac said. "And I love her. And she promised. She promised me always." He stood and took a step toward me. I pushed myself up, thinking he wanted a hug or something, but then he just spun around, like he couldn't remember why he'd stood up in the first place, and then Augustus and I both saw the rage settle into his face. 

(The Fault in Our Stars, Pg. 61)

I can't promise you'll love The Fault in Our Stars as much as I did, but I can say that even if you do or don't love Green's books give this one a try. You may be pleasantly surprised. Just like me.  

Review: Drama by Raina Telgemeier

 Title: Drama

Author: Raina Telgemeier

Series: One Shot

Published: 2012

Edition Read: Paperback

Level Recommended: Mid-Grade to Young Adult

Overall: Drama was a very sweet and charming story about young love, self-realization, and friendship. 

Summary: (Book) Callie loves theater. And while she would totally try out for her middle school's production of Moon Over Mississippi, she's a terrible singer. Instead she's the set designer for the stage crew, and this year she's determined to create a set worthy of Broadway on a middle-school budget. But how can she, when she doesn't know much about carpentry, ticket sales are down, and the crew members are having trouble working together? Not to mention the onstage AND offstage drama that occurs once the actors are chosen, and when two cute brothers enter the picture, things get even crazier! 

Review: If there is one complaint I really have about my local B & N it's that I have a hard time finding sweet gems like Drama among the manga and super herocomics. In all honestly, I believe that you have to know what you're looking for or be willing to order it before you find something that's just a bit different. 

Raina Telgemeier's first graphic novel, Smile, was published in 2010, but I had come across Raina's work when it was being published online through a web comics site. One that I stopped checking out quite some time ago, and seems to now be gone. (Or maybe I just can't remember what the site name was. Hum.)  Over the summer I ended up coming across Raina's newest publication, Drama, in my local B & N by accident. I recognized Raina's drawing style right away, and was thrilled to see she'd accomplished her goal of publishing her work.

Seriously, Raina's art work, along with the beautiful bright color palette makes this book a lovely work of art. Her drawing style is refreshingly different from the manga style that has kind of taken over graphic novels, but it's also distinct enough that, after several years, I was able to recognize it immediately as work from an artist I am impressed with. I found Raina's pacing of her panels and cleanness of her artwork adds to the readability of her overall story. Too many times I've looked at a graphic novel and found the artwork distracting. This is not true at all for Raina's work.

Drama as a story starts off with main character, Callie, confessing to her crush, Greg, that she was very much interested in a relationship with him. She finds out very soon that Greg just doesn't feel the same way. Callie is, understandably, crushed by the rejection, but soon finds herself immersed in working behind the scenes of her middle school's production of Moon Over Mississippi in special effects. She soon meets twin brothers Jesse and Justin and convinces both of them to become involved with the school's production as well. Callie just doesn't realize how much these twins, coupled with the already growing drama of the production itself, will force her to look at herself and how she feels about romance. 

I found almost everything about Raina's story delightful and sweet. It touches on some complex issues where relationships are involved without losing the charming nature of the storytelling. Callie's awkwardness towards relationships is mirrored in almost all the other characters is really how I remember middle school being. You're more independent, but you're still treading some unsteady waters. Your friends and your life is suddenly becoming complicated when you throw in romance, but at the same time you're finding what moves you. For Callie, it's her love of Broadway style shows, and most notably how they are done. I find Raina's Drama to be a great addition to any library. Now, if only I could get my hands on Smile. 

Grace by Elizabeth Scott

Grace by Elizabeth Scott
(Website)

Young Adult

Received from Around the World Tours

Grace was raised to be an Angel, a herald of death by suicide bomb. But she refuses to die for the cause, and now Grace is on the run, daring to dream of freedom. In search of a border she may never reach, she travels among malevolent soldiers on a decrepit train crawling through the desert. Accompanied by the mysterious Kerr, Grace struggles to be invisible, but the fear of discovery looms large as she recalls the history and events that delivered her uncertain fate.

I loved this book. I can't say how much I loved it beyond saying that that I devoured it even when I was stressed and bogged down by the third week of school. And this book happens completely on a train. 200 pages of a girl on a train, and I could hardly put it down. Amazing and wonderful, sad and tragic, this book hit along the same caliber as Scott's Living Dead Girl, which I have read and cried over twice.

Grace lives in a world of rebels ready die for a cause against a tyrant that makes everyone's life hellish. All Grace wanted was to be accepted both in the eyes of the Angels and the eyes of her father. After a disastrous event, Grace finds herself in a train station waiting to board and make the perilous and stressful journey outside of her country and away from the tyrants rule. I can't say what I really loved about this book without spoiling it. It was dark and controversial, but I loved it. I'm not a fan of Scott's lighter works, but I've found that her darker works always speak to me in a way that resonates a long time after I've read it. Grace was no different. You can bet I'll be buying Grace to add to my library.

Kiss It by Erin Downing

Kiss It by Erin Downing

(Book Page) (Author Page)

Chastity Bryan has never been shy about going after what she wants. And when sexy, mysterious, so-not-from-this-town Sebastian walks into Chaz’s life, she knows in an instant that what she wants next is him. Chaz has no intention of playing for keeps—but she most definitely has intentions. Who needs true love when you’ve got true lust? Sebastian has no idea what he’s in for—but maybe neither does Chaz...

Chastity, known better as Chaz, is looking for lust. Not love, not even like. She wants to have sex, but knows that the prospects in her small town of Milton, Minnesota isn't much. She makes due having already tasted carnal pleasure--if you can really call it that since it only lasted for less then a minute--by looking for her next fix. Trouble is that she has no idea where it will come from since all the teenage boys in her town are not what she would see as long term, no strings attached, fuck buddies.

Then a new guy walks into her life. Sebastian is in Milton to visit his father on a court mandated Christmas break. Immediately Chaz sees the potential in him. He's cute, not from Milton, and in a mere vacation he will be gone from her life quickly. Chaz pursues Sebastian, and most of the time she's confused with what he really wants from her. (Twisty Note: This doesn't really get easier with age, ladies.) Between Chaz wanting Sebastian, her best friend feeling major guilt over her own sexual relationship with her long-term boyfriend, and one other very sad, very life changing event this book really touches on a whole lot more then just sex.

Lets face it, if Candace Bushnell wrote a book on Samantha Jones as a teenager this would of probably hit pretty close to home. (And I might actually read it. In all honestly Sex and the City the book is nowhere near as fabulous as Sex and the City the series and movies. Also, I'm just so not a fan of hers, and any book I've read by her.) Chaz is so single-minded and focused on sex that Samantha Jones is what popped into my mind almost instantly. Despite what people might think that teenagers can handle this book was hilarious, honest, and I loved that the main character was ironically named Chastity. This book I would offer to lovers of comedy, and slice-of-life books. I could totally see me loving this book as a teenager, and many of my friends from then fitting so well into Chaz's sense of self.

On top of that abortion, teen pregnancy, safe sex, cancer, and so many more topics that are touched on in this book I loved it, and it's definitely being added to the highly recommended list.

Jump by Elisa Carbone

Jump by Elisa Carbone

Received from Around the World Tours

(Author Page) (Book Page)

Jump. That is what P.K. has done. A totally wild, crazy jump from a restrictive life with her family into a life of total adventure—rock-climbing out west with a guy she barely knows. At first, everything’s amazing. Not only are they climbing in awesomely beautiful national parks like Yosemite but they seem awesomely made for one another. P.K. is in heaven. And then the cops show up . . . with an arrest warrant. And P.K. has to decide who to believe: this amazing guy whom she trusts with her life—or the cops, who want her to believe that he may take her life.

What I expected from Jump I'm not quite sure. I've read so many books told in two or more points of view I've come to see some well written books, some good, and some that just ended up confusing me. Which was the boy and which was the girl again? Jump fell into the good category. With names like PK and Critter it took me a bit to remember which was which. PK is a tomboy kind of girl, independent and on her own. She takes crap from no one, and this kind of attitude, I suppose, lands her into trouble. Trouble that makes her parents want to send to her a private boarding school because, I guess, they just can't handle her. However, the longer I spent in PK's mind the I less I could understand just why her parents felt the need to send her away. She seemed adventurous, but a troubled teen? Not really. Her friends didn't choose to go with her when she asked them run away and go climbing together. So bad influences? Hardly. It seemed more to me that PK dressed and acted in ways that her parents had a hard time identifying with, but in no way did PK seem to need to be sent away anywhere.I was confused by this definitely, but for the sake of the story I suppose PK had to have a reason to run away.

The one crazy thing I could see from PK was her need to run away so badly that she takes off with Critter, a boy she just met literally minutes ago, because he's the only one that will go with her on her rock climbing trip. Little does PK know, Critter has just run away from a mental hospital and just so happens to walk into the rock climbing gym right at the moment that she needs a climbing partner. After all she promised her best friend she wouldn't go alone right?

Surprising? Yes. But then, Critter is often surprising. Shocking? Not really, but he seems to think he has shocked me. He clams up, goes to get his sleeping bag, and walks back past me with it like he's going to find his own spot to sleep. I catch his hand on the way by.

"Critter it's not that bad," I tell him.

(...)

He looks at me hopefully. "So you're not totally freaked out?"

I shake my head. "Nope."

He grins. "So... you want to make out?" (pg. 102)

Critter is eccentric, but hardly a bad person. Despite having escaped rather spectacularly from a mental hospital he seems like a regular teenager who meets a girl he thinks is hot. Gets the chance to hang out with her,  and takes it so fast he can't believe other red-blooded males aren't taking PK up on her offer. He seems perfectly fine. Between meeting PK and running off to rock climb Critter seems no more different from any other male I've encountered. I generally enjoyed his point of view. He was just eccentric enough to make me want to know more about his way of thinking, and reading PK's reactions to him was funny, and had me nodding my head in understanding.

The rocks are powerful. I feel them pulling me into their three-hundred-million-years-ago-I-used-to-be-an-ocean-floor presence. I nearly disappear into them, but Dante's chatter yanks me back. New routes to be had. Untouched rock deep in the canyon. Too cold in the winter; now the weather is perfect. His girlfriend is coming to put up a new route with him. All I can think is, Spend the day climbing those amazing rocks, spend the night with a hot girl, what could be better? (pg. 51)

Jump was funny, suspenseful, and enjoyable to read. It was a sweet romantic story about two teens who find each other under the strangest of circumstances. It made me want to rock climb, to see the sights, to be in that car with the apostates, and have a conversation with Critter and PK just to learn more about them. I really enjoyed Jump more then I thought I would, and that is always a pleasant surprise.

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer

Available in full online at BreeTanner.com

In order to read this book and have it make sense you have to have read Twilight at least up to Eclipse. If you're like me and you read Eclipse once oh so long ago that you can't remember who Bree was I'll remind you.

Bree shows up at the end of Eclipse, and has surrendered to the Cullens. She says she doesn't feel the need to fight, and since she is not motivated the Cullens grant her shaky reprieve from dying a second time. Once the Volturi arrive, however, they take Bree and kill her, permanently.

The Second Short Life of Bree Tanner tells of Bree's experiences before the final confrontation between the newborns and the Cullens, and gives an insiders look into what happened in Seattle while the Cullens were preparing for the fight.

Over all it was intriguing to read a perspective in Twilight that wasn't fawning over another character. Bree does feel a kinship and even a spark of a romance with her fellow newborn Diego. She even grows to love him even though she never says so. The tale of newborn Bree, who hungers for human blood and believes that the sun will kill her, is a refreshing take on being a vampire. Although Bree doesn't love being a vampire the abilities and strength that the newborns display are amazing. The effect that this power has on them is human. While Bree will stand back and keep out of the many fights and power plays that run rampant in the Seattle coven she witnesses on a daily basis just how precarious their immortality really is. She fights for her survival, and is clever in so many ways outside her survival.

It was good to see consequences for their behavior, but I felt bad for Bree. Knowing her fate and getting to know her as a character make you want her to live even though you know she won't. She would of been a great character to get to know more of. She was realistic, unsheltered, and smart. She was many things I wanted in a main character, but she wasn't a flawless character. I think she took a little too long contemplating things and was not catching on quick enough for me. There were times when I wanted to her figure certain things out quicker then she was, but hey that was just me.

Like others I was annoyed at the lack of chapter breaks. I didn't sit down and read the whole book in one sitting, and not having chapters breaks was annoying. The book was a pretty decent length as well. It wasn't too long that you got bored, and it wasn't so short that you wanted or need more. It was a really good balance, and easy to read. I know Twilhards will love this book, and if you are like me and are annoyed by Bella's Mary Sue you will be pleased to read a book were consequences exist. And, a little sad at getting what you want.

Personally I'd love to read something new from Stephenie that isn't vampire related. The Host was pretty good, and I heard long ago there was going to be a second book. But something entirely new would be great to. I know I complain about Bella, but honestly I do enjoy reading Stephenie's books. If I didn't I wouldn't keep picking them up.

The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott

The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott

(Author Page)

Sarah has had a crush on Ryan for years. He's easy to talk to, supersmart, and totally gets her. Lately it even seems like he's paying extra attention to her. Everything would be perfect except for two things: Ryan is Brianna's boyfriend, and Brianna is Sarah's best friend.
Sarah forces herself to avoid Ryan and tries to convince herself not to like him. She feels so guilty for wanting him, and the last thing she wants is to hurt her best friend. But when she's thrown together with Ryan one night, something happens. It's wonderful...and awful.
Sarah is torn apart by guilt, but what she feels is nothing short of addiction, and she can't stop herself from wanting more...(Summary from author page)

This is the first romantic fiction I've read by Elizabeth Scott and my second book overall. The first book being Living Dead Girl which I couldn't put down. Unfortunately I read Living Dead Girl before I started this blog so I didn't write a review entry for it. Still it is one of my top recommended books for teens. It was haunting and sad but one of those books that seemed like it had to be written. Go check it out right now on Scott's site if you've never heard of it.

The Unwritten Rule deals with the lines drawn between girls, guys, and their friendships. I think every girl can pretty much understand Sarah's position when she says she loves her best friend's boyfriend. I think they can understand it even more when she holds herself back and does her best to be there for her best friend even at the cost of her own happiness. Where Sarah is loving and kind outwards she is self-loathing and guilt ridden inside. She knows she shouldn't love her best friends boyfriend. She know she should just forget about him.

But then they kiss. And she can't stop remembering that kiss.

"So are you ready to pay attention to me now?" she says, and kisses him. I stare at my history book and then open it. I'm not on the right page, but it doesn't matter. I'm not looking at it. I'm trying not to think about Brianna and Ryan kissing.

I'm trying not to wonder what he was going to say before she came in.

I'm trying not to think about how I know what his mouth feels like.

Tastes like. (pg. 74)

Sarah is a character I can readily understand. I know what if feels like to think of yourself as plain and unattractive, but while this may be what Sarah thinks of herself it doesn't necessarily make it true. She may be very attractive and Sarah and her best friend can't see it. Brianna is so used to all of the attention she gets and boys fawning over her. It may be hard for her to get that Sarah is attractive as well. I think for most readers Sarah will be easy sell.

Brianna, on the other hand, is really a unique element in this story. You are shown right away that even with all of Brianna's easy beauty and ability to find a date she doesn't have an easy life. She is a child of divorce, and a particularly nasty one at that. Her mother doesn't hesitate to say highly unhelpful things about her appearance, weight, and eating habits that only makes her feel badly about herself. Adversely Brianna treats Sarah in a very similar manner with the assumption that she doesn't see this about herself. And Sarah never tells her about it.

Then there is the relationship between Sarah and Ryan, Brianna's boyfriend and Sarah's love interest. With the unwritten rule of girl friends comes the idea that you betraying a fellow friend for (just) a boy. I think that most people, especially teenagers, only see the betrayal. There is the sense of 'How dare you!' as if, in Sarah's case, she could of helped her feelings. The more you read the book the more you will see that Sarah's supposed betrayal was at the end of a relationship that both Brianna and Ryan saw before that first kiss was ever shared between Ryan and Sarah.

I could completely understand Sarah's need to make it all better. She sees what Brianna is going through everyday and all she wants to do is not be someone in Brianna's life that disappoints her. I thought The Unwritten Rule was a really enjoyable book! I think it dealt with a teenage taboo and friendships really well. Scott didn't seem to try and make Brianna an automatic bad guy or Sarah an automatically horrible friend.

Listen to Elizabeth Scott talk about the book. Then check out other readers reviews of this book.

Boy Toy by Barry Lyga

Boy Toy by Barry Lyga
Paperback Edition
(Author Website) (Author Book Page)

Five years ago Josh’s life changed. Drastically. And everyone in his school, his town—seems like the world—thinks they understand.
But they don’t—they can’t.
And now, about to graduate from high school, Josh is still trying to sort through the pieces. First there’s Rachel, the girl he thought he’d lost years ago. She’s back, and she’s determined to be part of his life, whether he wants her there or not.
Then there are college decisions to make, and the toughest baseball game of his life coming up, and a coach who won't stop pushing Josh all the way to the brink.
And then there’s Eve. Her return brings with it all the memories of Josh’s past. It’s time for Josh to face the truth about what happened.
If only he knew what the truth was . . .

I just have to say bravo to Bookish Blather for recommended this book to me after my review of Prey by Lurlene McDaniel went up. The areas in which I was disappointed in McDaniel's story were answered with Lyga's take on inappropriate student-teacher relationships. The best part of this story was how it was told, and who told it. In Boy Toy Josh is the sole narrator. This works to the novels strength allowing you know, understand, and be in Josh's head.

Before I go on I'd like to point why I read this book, and why I was so intrigued by the story line. Yes, it is a ripped-from-the-headlines tale, but it also a form of abuse many people don't see as abuse. When an adult male sleeps with his adolescent female student everyone is ready to call it abuse. When an adult female sleeps with her adolescent male student most people write it off with the idea that he's "a boy" and this somehow negates the abuse. This kind of thinking is flawed. Abuse is abuse no matter who it happens to. This is why I wanted to read this book. I wanted to see how this form of abuse was handled in fictional form. I wanted to know where a male author would take the subject matter.

That being said not only does Josh take on a similar mind set towards his abuse, but so do others in school and around him. Josh doesn't understand why everyone treats him differently. In many parts of the book Josh thinks "I got laid on regular basis, and that wins me sympathy?" It's clear that even with therapy and years between him and Eve Josh still doesn't understand what was so wrong with his relationship with her.

Then there is Rachel and her insisting on being a part of his life. It was very interesting to see how Josh's words always seemed to conflict with his emotional and physical responses to a relationship with a girl his own age. How their relationship evolves throughout the book shows so much about the consequences of a sexual relationship between a 12 year old student and his 25 year old female teacher.

In all I was very impressed by this book and how Lyga handled the very real situation of a female sexual predator and the stereotypical ideas behind it. He explored how that kind of relationship effected not only the victim, but his friends and family as well as the abusers own family. It is not a simple situation. It is complex and harmful, and this book handled the subject matter respectfully.

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

(Author) (wg.com)

Eighteen-year-old Lia is dealing with the death of her best friend Cassie. She's living with her father, stepmother and stepsister while trying to finish her last year of high school. Things wouldn't be so bad if she could just loose ten pounds. Then maybe ten more. No matter how skinny Lia gets it won't change how she sees herself in the mirror. Lia has anorexia, and sadly her best friend Cassie dealt with bulimia. Both are eating disorders that cause the girls to become dangerously thin among other physically and mentally harmful consequences. Lia can't help the way she feels about her body, and she feels that no one can understand her. When Cassie dies Lia has to take a good long look at her life, her family, and her body issues before they end up killing her.

I have to say I'm always impressed with the way Anderson creates such vivid voices for her characters. Lia is not a cookie cutter teen girl who happens to have issues about her weight. Lia is dealing with real psychological problems which manifest in the form of her weight. She doesn't understand why no one else can see what she sees, whether its her weight or Cassie's ghost, and she knows that if anyone did know they'd send her to "the nut house". So everything Lia feels and thinks stays with Lia. This causes frustration and anger with her family, especially her Neurosurgeon mother, who just wants Lia to eat.

I'm late again, and dreaming halfway out the door (99.00! 99.00! 99.00! Tomorrow will be 98.00!) when the red blinking light catches me. The answering machine. Not my problem. Jennifer will get it when she comes home.

But what if it is Jennifer, asking me to pick up Emma after school again? Or my dad, needing some important papers he forgot. Or Cassie---

Well, no. Not Cassie. (pg. 53)

The real strength of this novel is in the way Anderson depicts the repercussions that occur when someone is anorexic. Anorexia doesn't just hurt the person with it. Anorexia hurts everyone that loves that person. It causes tension in Lia's fathers second marriage, it causes her younger sister to deal with what Lia is experiencing and doing to herself, and it pushes her mother to sheer anger at the fact that her daughter is slowly starving herself to death. What anorexia and bulimia do, physically, to the body is also addressed and all of these elements give a real-life understanding to it.

I applaud Anderson for writing a book and dedicating it to all the readers that have contacted her over the years who deal with problems concerning their body weight and/or cutting. I would highly recommend this book to YA readers. I'm sure it will touch more men and women of all ages then I could possibly know.

Prey by Lurlene McDaniel

Prey by Lurlene McDaniel

(Author Page) (Google Books)

Paperback Edition

A teacher is supposed to impart a love of learning and a thirst for knowledge. It’s a bit different with Ms. Lori Settles. All the kids are talking about how hot she is–and she is especially interested in Ryan Piccoli. When she starts giving Ryan extra attention, he’s feeling more than happy–at first. He’s used to being the class clown, but really he’s a loner. One day after school, the friendship with Lori Settles goes farther than he ever expected. She’s his teacher. She’s at least twice his age. Intimacy with a teacher is wrong, yet it feels so good in every way. Soon, Lori is making demands and Ryan begins to feel overwhelmed, but Ryan refuses to even admit anything is going on. Something immoral is going on and before too long the choices made will change lives forever.

Prey was a definite must read for me. When it finally hit paperback I scooped it up and read it pretty quickly. Considering that the book is less then 200 pages long this wasn't exactly speed reading. The main story is very intriguing to me, because I remember when Mary Kay Letourneau was arrested for sleeping with her 13 year old student. She ended up marrying him when he was of legal age, and had already birthed two of his children almost seven years before.

Lori and Ryan's relationship in this fictional account is built on a similar encounter. The reader learns from the alternating points of view between Ryan, his friend Honey, and Lori that Lori had always decided that Ryan would be "the One". Eventually Lori asks Ryan to her house to move furniture, and eventually seduces him and starts a sexual relationship.

Lurlene McDaniel makes the purpose of the book very clear from the beginning. This book is to show what kind of effects a sexual relationship between a teacher and student can have on both parties. Why a teacher would cross that line with a student? And, how most people outside of the relationship will view it. In this way McDaniel accomplishes her task, but I still felt that story was missing something.

Because the book is so short and only encompasses the immediate events leading up the affair, the affair, and the immediate aftermath both Lori and Ryan are left with lacking backgrounds and histories. Most of the story is recounted through Ryan and Honey, and very little about Lori is reveled. I would have liked to have known more about Lori. Where she came from and why she hated her parents so much. I would have liked to know more about Ryan's own history, and even more about his transition between 16 to 18 at the end of the story.

I still enjoyed the book, but I believe that it was a good idea that could have gone further.

Other reviews:
The Compulsive Reader
The Well-Read Child
Teenreads

The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan

The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan

(Author Page) (Author Blog)

Gabry lives a quiet life, secure in her town next to the sea and behind the Barrier. She's content to let her friends dream of the Dark City up the coast while she watches from the top of her lighthouse. Home is all she's ever known, and all she needs for happiness.

But life after the Return is never safe, and there are threats even the Barrier can't hold back.

Gabry's mother thought she left her secrets behind in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, but like the dead in their world, secrets don't stay buried. And now, Gabry's world is crumbling.

One night beyond the Barrier...

One boy Gabry's known forever and one veiled in mystery...

One reckless moment, and half of Gabry's generation is dead, the other half imprisoned.

Gabry knows only one thing: if she is to have any hope of a future, she must face the forest of her mother's past.

The Dead-Tossed Waves is apart of a trilogy, and is not a sequel but a companion book to The Forest of Hands and Teeth. If you remember I loved FHT so much that I gave it a glowing review last year. I was so excited to read this book that it's been talked about almost to death on my blog. (Yeah, sorry about that.) Unfortunately I can't really give Dead-Tossed as glowing a review. Not because I didn't like the story, but because I just didn't love it. Don't get me wrong, ever since I purchased the book I haven't been able to put it down. I brought it with me to work to read during lunch. When I came home I ate quickly so I could read it, and would spend my whole evening reading it. This book is just as gripping, just as engrossing as the FHT. I do not think anyone will be disappointed with the book.

The nit-picky things about this novel was that it felt like not much had changed from the FHT. Let me elaborate. The main character, Gabry, is the daughter of Mary. The same Mary as FHT, and thus this story is years after FHT. Unlike Mary, Gabry is not a brave character. She is constantly afraid of breaking the rules, and if she could she would have lived her entire life in the sea-side town of Vista and never looked for more. She, almost unwillingly, goes to the amusement park because of a boy. Gabry's world is constantly in flux. Consequences are constantly resulted by the one decision she, and the other teenagers, made in going beyond the Barrier. I loved this element of the story. Very NOT like Twilight where everything is wonderful for Bella and she gets everything she wants.

However, it seemed like every time some little bit of good occurred in Gabry's life a huge amount of bad would happen in return. Gabry experiences her first kiss. Immediately afterward a Breaker attacks the entire group. Infecting and killing several teenagers. I can't really say anymore without spoiling the story, but for every good thing a huge amount of bad occurred. No wonder the poor girl was so damn scared. If every time something good happened to me someone died I'd want to curl into a ball on the floor. ( For the record no, I'm not saying every time something good happens someone dies I'm just saying things to that effect happened all through out the book. I'm just using the introduction and summary as an example.)

Also even though I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this book is over 400 pages long it felt like some stuff could have progressed faster or been left out. Although I was almost always intrigued and wanting to read more. There are events in the book that could of taken less time and words to occur. Not often, but enough for me to look at the pages left and think "when is this book going to end?" Also the love triangle and Gabry's affections, which were wishy-washy at best, and constantly annoyed me. I wanted to scream at her to pick a guy and stick with him. I could excuse Mary's love-triangle wishy-washy antics in FHT a little bit, but after a while it got old. With Gabry her wishy-washy antics really got to me. Especially when she was pledging her love and devotion to one boy and then a chapter or two later doing so again with another boy.

Now these are really nit-picky things about the book. Over all the story was really well thought out and written. You could really see the work Ryan put into surprising her readers and keeping them guessing. Events happened in the book which seemed inconsequential at first but eventually came to mean a lot more down the line. Again I won't say what, but Ryan surprised me more then once. Even with one particular character who was quite minor but whose presence is a big catalyst in events that occurred later on.

Questions left at the end of book one were answered in DTW, and even the mythology was well explained and expanded throughout this book. Which is great, because a lot of people were complaining that not enough of the history was explained or mapped out in FHT. In DTW you are given two histories. One that Gabry was told since she was a child, and a second history that she learns later on. It's really up to the reader and the character to wonder which history is the right history, and what has been altered throughout time and personal perspective.

Finally, the thing that Ryan has also excelled at in this book as well as with FHT was the human element. All of the characters may have acted selfishly or unselfishly at times, but I could really understand the reasons why they did. Plus, the mother-daughter interactions between Gabry and Mary are amazingly real and sweet. This part of the story I truly loved, because you really could feel the love that Gabry and Mary have for each other in this book.

Overall if you liked the first book you'll enjoy the second. I can't wait to see how the trilogy ends.

Edit:
The Boy would like to add that the author used the word "possibility" a bit gratuitously. Which I hadn't really noticed until he started to read the book and pointed it out. It was funny though!

Airhead by Meg Cabot

Airhead (Series) by Meg Cabot
(Goodreads) (Author Page)

Emerson Watts, 16 and female, loves playing video games, and hanging out with her best friend, Christopher, who she is also secretly in love with. Of course. During a Stark superstore opening Em is involved in a serious accident which leads her to wake up as Nikki Howard, teen supermodel. Em finds that she has to get used to being so physically desirable while at the same time hold onto her feminist ideals.

Which isn't easy. Not when you're used to being judged for your brain rather then your looks.

When Em decides to go back to school and finish her high school degree she has to balance the stresses of fulfilling Nikki Howard's contractual obligations along with homework. She also quickly realizes that she is being watched. She's not sure why, but she's willing to put a stop to it. And she's pretty sure the spy-er is the head of Stark enterprises.

Now, I'm a huge Meg Cabot fan. I think I can say that I easily enjoy about 80 % of Meg Cabot's books, both YA and Adult. Sometimes I don't like her books for whatever reason. I just don't instantly love them. Take Airhead for example. While I thought there was an really good premise of a girl whose brain is transplanted into a super model's body I felt that this book moved along rather slowly. I mean, how extremely interesting to see what it's like to be a celebrity, and even more interesting that Nikki is being spied on for some reason by, probably, Stark enterprises. Most of this first book, however, was focused on Em easing into Nikki's life with no real focusing on the most interesting part of the book. WHY is Nikki Howard being spied on? WHY isn't Em more interested in figuring out that mystery then the mystery of why her best friend, and secret love, Christopher has changed so much after her "death"?

I suppose you'd need to read book 2 (book three coming out in May 2010), but I don't think I'll be finding out any time soon. Since I'll be waiting for the paperback release of book 2, Being Nikki, in order to continue the series. Although it does sound like, from the summary, things are heating up greatly for Em Watts, now Nikki Howard. Sounds like you will find out just why Stark is spying on her, and just why Nikki's family is so absent in her life. I believe that this book is still well received by fans of Meg Cabot's books. So don't take my review as a reason not to read it. Even though I didn't love book one it certainly hasn't made me not want to read the second book.

Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah

Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah
Young Adult, Memoir

Summary (from author website)
A riveting memoir of a girl’s painful coming-of-age in a wealthy Chinese family during the 1940s.
A Chinese proverb says, “Falling leaves return to their roots.” In Chinese Cinderella, Adeline Yen Mah returns to her roots to tell the story of her painful childhood and her ultimate triumph and courage in the face of despair. Adeline’s affluent, powerful family considers her bad luck after her mother dies giving birth to her. Life does not get any easier when her father remarries. She and her siblings are subjected to the disdain of her stepmother, while her stepbrother and stepsister are spoiled. Although Adeline wins prizes at school, they are not enough to compensate for what she really yearns for — the love and understanding of her family.
Following the success of the critically acclaimed adult bestseller Falling Leaves, this memoir is a moving telling of the classic Cinderella story, with Adeline Yen Mah providing her own courageous voice.
All I can really say about this book is that it really opened my eyes. Not just to life in China during the 1940's and 50's, but how deeply the culture and traditions of China played such a huge part in ostracizing a little girl and her brothers and sisters from her step-family. Chinese Cinderella was one of the most moving memoirs I've ever read. I cried reading this book for the life that this little girl, obviously now a grown women, lead simply because of the circumstances of her birth.
I also snapped up her adult memoir Falling Leaves which continues her story not completely told in her YA book. The way her adult life continues and how she continues even as an adult to try and be accepted by her family is heartbreaking and true to life. I could completely relate to Adeline's desires to be loved by her step-mother. I highly recommend this to readers who love stories where someone has everything against them still raise above her circumstances.
Read an interview with Adeline Yen Mah on Writer's Write.
Or read a book review of Falling Leaves on Book Whisperer.

Prada and Prejudice

Prada and Prejudice By Mandy Hubbard

(Amazon) (Author Page)

Callie finds herself on a class trip to London alone and feeling ostracized by her fellow classmates. One night Callie overhears classmates of hers, the popular girls, plan to sneak into a nightclub. Callie decides that she must be one of those girls, and decides that she needs real Prada heels to do so. After spending more then a small fortune on Prada heels and clothes Callie leaves the Prada store feeling empowered. Until she falls head over heels and cracks her head on the pavement.

Callie wakes up in 1815 London, lost, bewildered, and out of her element. She happens across a duke's house, becomes mistaken for a girl named Rebecca, and finds herself a fake guest in their house. Now Callie must not only try to find her way back, but not out herself as a girl from the 21st century.

This book is not a book that should be taken seriously. If I sat here and wrote all the time travel problems this book has I'd kill the book. If I thought about it too much I'd have nit-picked the book to death. This is both good and bad, and for me I enjoyed the book enough to let my nit-picks go. I believe that everyone will like or hate the book because of this though. So I will understand if people will pick out problems with this book and dislike it.

This book is more a long the lines of a fluffy teen read. If you liked books like The Princess Diaries or just in general a romance teen read you will like this book. When Callie starts off hating Alex, the Duke, you know what that hatred really means. While so much of this book predictable, and questionable it is still a good book. It is still a lot of fun to read, and that is why I was willing to over look some things.

I found that Callie was very relate-able. She was a real, normal teenaged girl who cares about what she looks like, and what other people think of her. She cares about other people and she finds her own voice when it comes to defending what she thinks is right. I found Mandy Hubbard's writing fun and light, and I can definitely see this book become a favorite for teenaged girls. I can't compare it to Pride and Prejudice, however, since I've never read it. Still you don't have to be a Jane Austin fan to enjoy this book.

If you like romance, and you like historical settings then this book is for you.

Girl In The Arena

Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines.
(Amazon)
(Author Webpage)

Lyn is a neo-gladiator’s daughter, through and through. Her mother has made a career out of marrying into the high-profile world of televised blood sport, and the rules of the Gladiator Sports Association are second nature to their family. Always lend ineffable confidence to the gladiator. Remind him constantly of his victories. And most importantly: Never leave the stadium when your father is dying. The rules help the family survive, but rules—and the GSA—can also turn against you. When a gifted young fighter kills Lyn’s seventh father, he also captures Lyn’s dowry bracelet, which means she must marry him...

The whole time I was reading Girl in the Arena I was intrigued by what kind of arena the author was trying to portray. For one there is the arena that fame, which has been trusted upon Lyn by the decisions of her mother, the family arena, and then there is the physical arena that Lyn's fathers have entered into and died over and over again. I felt that Lyn's story was one of being torn. Torn between her family and duties to her younger brother, Thad, and torn by her duties to the world that she has been raised in. She is expected to do as she is told. When she is told to marry Uber Lynn finds herself torn between duty, family, and herself.

Haine's book had me thinking, a lot. I was intrigued by the fairy tale-like world that the GSA is trying to create for entertainment and monetary purposes. The lengths to which the faceless association will take in order to keep making money of off the gladiators and their family is astounding. The dehumanizing, and violent way in which the GSA uses people constantly surprised me. This plus Uber and Lynn's relationship in contrast to Lynn's relationship with her best friend Mark almost had the potential for a love triangle. Thankfully Haines didn't go with this. While I like a good love triangle there was too much for the story to be weighed down with too much romance. I felt this was a good call by Haines. The purpose of the story, I felt, was to show humanity in a cruel light based on the idea that entertainment can become boundary-less simply because viewers are able to so aptly detach from the reality that there are real people in the arena.

With that said there were things that bothered me about the book. The dashes in place of quotation marks was more then annoying. Apparently other authors have done this little trick with success, but I have yet to personally read these works. I found the style useless to the story, and at the beginning I was very close to giving up on the story because at times it was confusing at times for me to figure out when a character was still talking or had finished talking. Next time I truly suggest that Haines not do this. It distracts from the story and character development.

Next, the story dragged. It was overly long, and Haines could have told a crisper, cleaner story by cutting out about 100 pages of world building and character background. There was a little too much information without enough action to propel the story forward. For a story about gladiator fighting as a main sport there surprisingly little gladiator fighting, and the fights seem too short to really project the violence.

With all that said I still found this book noteworthy. I still found myself thinking over the plot and picking at the world that Haines built in an effort to understand it better. For this I have to say pick up the book. Read it. Hopefully you'll find yourself mulling over it as much as I did.

The Dust of 100 Dogs

The Dust of 100 Dogs by A.S. King (author website)

Emer Morrisey was about to run away and live a quiet life as a good Irish women when the love of her life was killed, and she along with him. However, this was not before she was cursed to live the life of 100 dogs as punishment for killing another man's lover. Over the next 300 years Emer lives the lives of various dogs with all her memories intact, before finally being born again as the human, Saffron Adams. Saffron is considered a genius by her parents, and she goes through most of her life waiting to turn eighteen. She dreams of leaving to Jamaica and finding the treasure Emer buried there before her untimely death. She also has violent daydreams that include inflicting horrible, violent actions on others.

Saffron wishes to be free. Free from her parents, free from her brother, and most of all free to get what rightfully belongs to her.

The Dust of 100 Dogs is a fairly violent and graphic novel. However, this doesn't not detract from the wholly original and intriguing story of both a female pirate and three hundred year old soul trapped in the body of a modern young girl. The most interesting storyline, for me, was Emer's first life. Emer was a child during the time when Oliver Cromwell invaded Ireland, and killed thousands of people. Essentially Cromwell commited genocide, and Emer is left without her father, mother, and brother. I won't write anymore since I don't want to spoil anything. I simply wish to say that this storyline was amazing, and I truly loved it.

The way that King interweaves all three storylines, yes there is another storyline besides Emer and Saffron's lives, are so well done that I was enthralled by the book. I had to finish it and talk about the story to someone else. I have noticed that quite a few other reviewers and readers become hung up on the rather bad language and some graphic events that occur in the novel. If you are a person who wishes not read a book with bad language and violent scenes this book may not be something you'd wish to read. If these kinds of scenarios are things that may not bother you then read this book. It is an excellent debut, and I for one look forward to reading more by A. S. King. Visit the author's website to watch a trailer for this book, read her blog and learn more about Dust of 100 Dogs.

Many reviewers have also commented on how this book might not necessarily belong in the Young Adult genre because of the very adult situations and bad language brought up. The author also states that when she wrote the book there wasn't a specific genre in mind. So in essence it was not originally written with a young adult audience in mind. However, I am a reader who thinks that just because a book has the label of Young Adult doesn't mean that it should be censored to fit a certain idea of what young adult readers should be reading. Every reader is different, and some YA readers can handle this kind of book.

The Van Alen Legacy

The Van Alen Legacy: A Blue Bloods Novel

by Melissa De La Cruz

Blue Bloods was a series I came into contact with fairly recently. Around the time the third book, Revelations, came out I was browsing for Christmas presents for my friends. For one I was looking for a vampire book since Twilight was such a huge hit for her. I saw the covers of Blue Bloods and thought, hum, why not? Eventually I became a fan of the book and she, I believe, never really got into the stories. I have all four books now with The Van Alen Legacy being my most recent addition. (Copied from an earlier entry of mine. To continue reading it and learn more about the Blue Bloods series click here.) The rest of this review will spoil earlier volumes so tread carefully.

The Van Alen Legacy picks up directly where the third book, Revelations, left off. Lawrence Van Alen, Schuyler's grandfather, is dead, and the Conclave believes that Schuyler played a part in his death. They do not believe her when she says that Lawrence was killed by Leviathan. So Schuyler and her best friend Oliver do the only thing they can think of; they run. Legacy starts one year after Lawrence's death, and continues to cover, at best, a few months of time and is narrated by the three girls; Schulyer, Bliss and Mimi.

Some good things about this book:

A lot was answered. Schuyler's true feelings towards Oliver and Jack, Mimi's feelings about Jack and Schuyler, what has taken over Bliss, and what the Visitor is planning to do. The fact that it starts off almost a year after the last books gives the characters a chance to get past the utter shock that they may be feeling. I even believe that narrating with three different characters allowed De La Cruz to successfully tell the reader about events happening that still moves the story forward at a quick pace.

The way that De La Cruz (seemingly) gave the love triangle between Oliver, Jack and Schuyler a very realistic (supposed) ending. I say 'seemingly' and 'supposed' because this series is still on-going and has plenty of time for this love triangle ending to change. I know that many people are tired of love triangles, and there is only so far you can go with one before fans become bored of it. Thankfully De La Cruz has (apparently) realized this and ended it. I won't tell you which way either. You have to read it for yourself.

Somethings I didn't like: Quite simply De La Cruz's story is becoming very big. She did very will with the Van Alen Legacy and managed to continue to make the reader enjoy and become sucked into the story. I was disappointed at the explanation of what the Van Alen Legacy was. It was done so quickly and some what forced that I had to re-read the page it was explained on to get it. My first reaction was "what?" and then after re-reading the page "oh that's it?". This is one of the reasons why I didn't enjoy the fourth books as much as I did the first three. So much was tied up and so much was started that this book felt more like a filler then a real addition to a great series.

I'm definitely looking forward to the next two books slated to come out in 2010 and 2011, but I can tell you I'm pretty sure werewolves will make a debut into the Blue Bloods world by the next book. I hope De La Cruz treads carefully. If she tried to over-extend herself too much with Angels, Vampires, and now the entire Rome story by adding in werewolves she might just end up jumping the shark! I really hope she doesn't!

The Blue Bloods Series

The Van Alen Legacy: A Blue Bloods Novel

by Melissa De La Cruz

Blue Bloods was a series I came into contact with fairly recently. Around the time the third book, Revelations, came out I was browsing for Christmas presents for my friends. For one I was looking for a vampire book since Twilight was such a huge hit for her. I saw the covers of Blue Bloods and thought, hum, why not? Eventually I became a fan of the book and she, I believe, never really got into the stories. I have all four books now with The Van Alen Legacy being my most recent addition.

To be completely honest, with this series it took a bit for me to really get into it. Blue Bloods starts off with Schuyler Van Alen a loner who attends an elite school in Manhattan. She is a part of an ancient family line that helped found Manhattan, and, in effect, makes her completely wealthy. (Side note: It took me forever to realize that her name is pronounced like Skylar. The odd spelling kept throwing me off.) Although Schuylar is an outcast in her school she has more in common with the popular, beautiful crowd than just her human ancestry: they are all also blue bloods.

Now here is where it gets a bit tricky and confusing. Once the young blue bloods reach the age of fifteen they start to change. They begin to crave raw meat, have nightmares set in different times in history, and prominent blue veins begin to appear. The blue bloods act like vampires and they walk like vampires, and even De La Cruz calls them vampires. Schuyler, and the reader, soon learn that these changes are because she, and all blue bloods alike, are fallen angels living on Earth as part of their punishment for trying to overthrow heaven. But honestly can you be both a vampire and a fallen angel? It's a confusing element of the story.

The mixing of two fantasy-type elements into one hybrid monster made me almost check out of this book. Add into that the whole, to me, unnecessary fashion elements of this series. ( To De La Cruz's credit fashion is her thing. She is very much apart of the fashion world and all the famous designers that exist in it.) However, I was never someone that into fashion, and to be honest I believe fashion in teen reads is becoming overdone. When I sat down to read this book I did not expect the fashion shows, but it is one thing I can at least overlook. It's a part of the story, of the characters, so my personal preferences need to take a back seat here. Besides I'm sure there are plenty of teen girls who love fashion much more than I.

One thing I find very odd though is the love triangle between Jack Force, a very popular and handsome boy, his twin sister Mimi Force, and Schuyler....well it gets pretty hairy. They are all immortal fallen angels. They are all reborn into human bodies, and none of them are really related to one another, but it's still damn creepy when a twin brother and sister are actually ancient lovers. It's almost on the same level of creepy as Twilight's imprinting.

All of that aside I really enjoyed a lot of what Blue Bloods had to offer which was a story about a girl who falls for the popular, handsome boy and learns so much more about herself than she ever thought possible. The most interesting parts of the book are when Schuyler learns about her fallen angel heritage, and how many of the seemingly random elements of her life are all actually intertwined with what she is. The romance and mystery deepens with each new volume, and if I am this far into the series and still grabbing the hardcover De La Cruz is doing something right.

Look for my review in the near future. For now I leave you with the official book trailer for The Van Alen Legacy.