Stargazer by Claudia Gray

Stargazer by Claudia Gray

Series: Evernight
Publisher: Harper Teen
Category: Young Adult
336 Pages

Stargazer (March 2009) returns to Bianca's story a few months later. Both she and Lucas will stop at nothing to see each other again—even if it means living a life of secrets and lies. But even as Bianca finds herself torn between two worlds, she soon discovers they aren't the only ones keeping secrets. Will powerful forces within Evernight Academy keep her from deciding her own fate, or claim her forever?

I loved Evernight. Stargazer didn't quiet live up to Evernight for me. The story line just didn't pull me in as much. Also I have some issues with the cover.

The plot is fantastic. In this book Evernight Academy gets new 'guests' - wraiths (ghosts). These ghosts hold the key of Bianca's existence. Also in Stargazer Bianca begins to decide her own fate. More people need to take charge like Bianca does.

Bianca is still a real likable. I can't say much about her this time since it'd spoil the plot. Lucas is a real jerk this time. He seems to be letting other people make his choices for him. Balthazar was awesome this time around. He's such a complex character (and I love me some complex characters!).

While this book was only decent it lets me believe that Hourglass will be amazing. I'm real excited for Hourglass. Look at that cover - gorgeous! If you liked Evernight, make sure you pick up Stargazer.

B-

Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead

Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead

Series: The Vampire Academy
Publisher: Razor Bill
Category: Young Adult
448 Pages

It's springtime at St. Vladimir's Academy, and Rose Hathaway is this close to graduation. Since making her first Strigoi kills, Rose hasn't been feeling quite right. She's having dark thoughts, behaving erratically, and worst of all...might be seeing ghosts.

As Rose questions her sanity, new complications arise. Lissa has begun experimenting with her magic once more, their enemy Victor Dashkov might be set free, and Rose's forbidden relationship with Dimitri is starting to heat up again. But when a deadly threat no one saw coming changes their entire world, Rose must put her own life on the line--and choose between the two people she loves most.

It's only a little over a month until Blood Promise. Shadow Kiss may be the most impressive book in this series so far - and that says something. This book has the perfect pace and plot.

Rose is still growing up in this book. She's grown from hot-headed girl into a woman with a -normally- controlled temper. Dimitri becomes more-developed character in this book. Lissa... Lissa is either really selfish or really stupid.
"It had to be one of the weirdest things in the universe that Lissa had never come close to suspecting my feelings for Dimitri but that Adrian had figured it out." page 36
Keep in mind that by know it'd almost been an entire school year since Rose got a crush on Dimitri. -.-

The plot has several different twists and turns. Everything ties together in the end- something Mead excels at. I plan on picking up other books by her while waiting for Blood Promise.

A+

Frostbite by Richelle Mead

Frostbite by Richelle Mead

Series: The Vampire Adademy
Publisher: Razor Bill
Category: Young Adult
327 Pages

Rose loves Dimitri, Dimitri might love Tasha, and Mason would die to be with Rose…
It’s winter break at St. Vladimir’s, but Rose is feeling anything but festive. A massive Strigoi attack has put the school on high alert, and now the Academy’s crawling with Guardians—including Rose’s hard-hitting mother, Janine Hathaway. And if handto- hand combat with her mom wasn’t bad enough, Rose’s tutor Dimitri has his eye on someone else, her friend Mason’s got a huge crush on her, and Rose keeps getting stuck in Lissa’s head while she’s making out with her boyfriend, Christian! The Strigoi are closing in, and the Academy’s not taking any risks….This year, St. Vlad’s annual holiday ski trip is mandatory.
But the glittering winter landscape and the posh Idaho resort only create the illusion of safety. When three friends run away in an offensive move against the deadly Strigoi, Rose must join forces with Christian to rescue them. But heroism rarely comes without a price…

So it takes a book months to be written, months to be published, and it takes me all of two hours to read. Am I the only person who sees the injustice of this? Eh, I’m just kidding. Kinda.

This is an amazing sequal to the Vampire Academy. In this book, Rose struggles to put her love for Dimitri on hold while trying to become a grade-A strigoi killer – which may or may not be all she thinks it is.

The original characters are still awesome in the book. They’re growing and evolving as time progresses, which is what every character in a story should do. There’s three new solid additions this time around: Christian’s aunt Tasha, Adrian, and Rose’s mom Janine (dun dun dun!) Tasha is an awesomely sweet character that wants to add progress into moroi ways. Adrian is awesome. I love his character and how he always goes “Hey little dhampir”. Janine is a piece of work – as well she should be. Rose and her’s relationship both made me happy and sad all at once by making me think of my father…

Anyway, this book lives up to its expectations. It’s got a sad ending that will break your heart, but it will leave you hungry for more. The plot is deeper then before since every answer Vampire Academy came up with just leads to more questions. This books has more action, more romance, and more heartbreak. So do yourself a favor and pick up this book.

A

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead


Series: The Vampire Academy
Publisher: Razor Bill (Penguin)
Category: Young Adult
332 Pages

From Razor Bill:
St. Vladimir’s Academy isn’t just any boarding school—it’s a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They’ve been on the run, but now they’re being dragged back to St. Vladimir’s—the very place where they’re most in danger. . . .

Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy’s ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi—the world’s fiercest and most dangerous vampires—make Lissa one of them forever.

Somewhere down the line, I became addicted to vampire books. Only the good ones of course! ;) The Vampire Academy is definitely one of the good ones. I'm sure the idea of a vampire school was used before this book (which was published in 2007) and I'm sure it'll be redone. But no one will be able to do it with the twist that Mead has given it.

The vampire mythology in this book is stunning. Most vampires are Moroi - vampires tied to one specific element that are also mortal. The Strigoi are the vampires of our nightmares - ruthless creatures that can't stand sunlight and are hard to kill. Then there are Dhampirs - half human and half vampire that can only breed with Moroi, so often become guardians of the Moroi. The best of both worlds, for the most part.

The pace of this story is perfect. You'll never guess who the villain is. Since this was my second time reading it I caught some of the hints, but if you've never read it I doubt you'll pick up on it. It's a delicious read, it really is. While there is a lot of important choices in this book there's also a lot of normal high school stuff like, let's say, destroying reputations, flirting, and gossiping.

Rose was a badass character. I wanted to be her throughout this entire book. She has a sharp tongue and plans on being one of the only Dhampir women to become a guardian. What's not to like? Lissa, who is the last of her royal line, was really likable. Her story is interesting. I don't want to ruin anything, but it's not just hormones making her go crazy. I loved the three main men too: Dimitri, Christian, and Mason. Mason is such a great character. So is Christian (who might just be a male version of Rose). These two really add to the story. And Dimitri? Dear God, can I have a Dimitri? Please?

I hope that in the fourth book (I've already read the three that are out before) to learn even more about shadow-kissed Anna. Does this cover make anyone else think of Anna?


This book is worth a read. Completely. If you don't own it and want to or if you want to pre-order the fourth installment Blood Promise order it from the University Bookstore in Seattle and you can have it signed by Richelle Mead! This site explains how.

A+

Swoon by Nina Malkin

Swoon by Nina Malkin

Publisher: Simon Pulse
Category: Young Adult (leans toward adult!)
421 Pages

Sin is Coming...Prepare to Swoon!

Torn from her native New York City and dumped in the land of cookie-cutter preps, Candice is resigned to accept her posh, dull fate. Nothing ever happens in Swoon, Connecticut...until Dice's perfect, privileged cousin Penelope nearly dies in a fall from an old tree, and her spirit intertwines with that of a ghost. His name? Sinclair Youngblood Powers. His mission? Revenge. And while Pen is oblivious to the possession, Dice is all too aware of Sin. She's intensely drawn to him—but not at all crazy about the havoc he's wreaking. Determined to exorcise the demon, Dice accidentally sets Sin loose, gives him flesh, makes him formidable. Now she must destroy an even more potent—and irresistible—adversary, before the whole town succumbs to Sin's will.

Only trouble is, she's in love with him.


I wish I could say Swoon blew my mind. That I loved it. Truthly, I didn't. Malkin had an amazing plot bunny which dropped acid and hopped all over the place. Some of her chapters were really jumpy. I ended up lost a couple of times and went "WTF?" a couple of times too. I'm still scratching my head over about three chapters.

Malkin did have an amazing idea. The story itself is good. Dice was a fun leading lady. I didn't like her at first, but she grew on me. I hated Sin. I understand his reason for wanting vengeance, but waiting two-hundred years to do it? Really now. Why Dice loves him is beyond me (and if anyone knows why she loves him please tell me why). I didn't like Pen either - but that's probably just because of Sin's influence.

There is a LOT of sex, drugs, and a little bit of alcohol. I know Swoon's a small town, but surely these kids had better things to do besides getting high and screwing. There is an orgy in this book - which made me wonder why this was in the teen section of my library. I'm no prude, but it was a little to much sex. Although I have to give Malkin applause for not shying away from the drugs and the sex and doing so in a non-judgmental point of view.

I'll probably read another one of her books, but I won't be picking this one up again. I just didn't enjoy this book.

C-

Wings by Aprilynne Pike

Wings by Aprilynne Pike

Publisher: HarperTeen
Category: Young Adult
294 Pages

From Pike's website:
Laurel was mesmerized, staring at the pale things with wide eyes. They were terrifyingly beautiful--too beautiful for words.

Laurel turned to the mirror again, her eyes on the hovering petals that floated beside her head. They looked almost like wings.

Wings wasn't what I was expecting. I was expecting just a romance, not the action that took place at the end. I loved how Pike took a mythological creature and put her spin on it. Her faeries aren't like most mainstream ones. They are plants, basically. This could upset some fairy lovers, but I thought it was a very unique.

Pike's descriptions were so vivid in this story. My biggest hope is that in the sequel the characters become less cut-and-dry. Laurel is a very well developed character - but the others aren't as developed. David just seems to nice at this point. I wanted some jealously, not him turning a blind eye toward Tamani. Speaking of Tamani, I can't wait to learn more about him. I kept picturing him as a taller Pip from Fern Gully- minus the wings.

Overall, this is a stunning debut novel. Even if the subject isn't your favorite, you will love Pike's writing style. I have a feeling that this novel will push Pike towards becoming a huge name in the business.

Ratings (Out of 10):
Plot: 7
Characters: 7
Romance: 6
Writing style: 8
Originality/Memorable: 10
Total: 38/50 (C)

Evermore by Alyson Noel

Evermore by Alyson Noel

Series: The Immortals
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Category: Young Adult
301 Pages



Since a horrible accident claimed the lives of her family, Ever can see auras, hear people's thoughts, and know a person's entire life story by touch. Going out of her way to avoid human contact and suppress her abilities has branded her as a freak at her new high school—but everything changes when she meets Damen.
Damen Auguste is gorgeous, exotic and wealthy. He's the only one who can silence the noise and random energy in her head—wielding a magic so intense, it's as though he can see straight into her soul. As Ever is drawn deeper into his enticing world of secrets and mystery, she's left with more questions than answers. She has no idea just who he really is—or what he is. The only thing she knows to be true is she's falling deeply and helplessly in love with him.

I want to start by saying this is one of my favorite book covers ever. It's gorgeous!

I thought this was a good book that has a ton of potential. Only three things keep this from being a fantastic book. The first being the Immortals themselves. I think Noel should have fleshed them out a little bit more and given us more of an idea about what they are. The second being how jumpy the writing is at times. There's one scene toward the end that really bugs me, but I don't want to spoil anything. The final thing that bugs me is how, before you really get to know Ever, she seems mary-sue like with how she ended up able to read minds, see auras, and talk to the dead.

With those three things aside, I did really like this book. While it took a while for the climax of the story to finally show up, it was worth the wait to see who was messing with everyone. Most of the characters are interesting.

I had a love/hate relationship with Ever. She made a good narrator for most of the book, but at other times I felt like I wanted to strangle her. I didn't like Noel's choice to make her a mild alcoholic at all. My dad's an alcoholic himself so the way Ever was able to push past it with barely blinking an eye bugged me. I mean, I've seen what it does to people. I loved Ever's little ghost sister Riley. She was probably my favorite character with how much she had to deal with. What about Ever's love interest,Damen? I have nothing to say on him since he was so guarded I couldn't really get a sense of who he was.

This book was pretty good. It seemed a little Twilight-esqe in a way. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy or just wants to try something a little different. I can easily see how some people could love this book, but it didn't quite appeal to me in the right way. In a few minutes I'll start Blue Moon to see what happens next.

Ratings (Out of 10):
Plot: 6
Characters: 7
Writing style: 6
Romance: 6
Originality/Memorable: 7
Total: 32/50 (C)