Review: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles #1) by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Details: Hardcover, 563 pages
Published: December 1st 2009 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Source: I bought it
Buy It: The Book Depository

Summary: Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

My Review: This was another one of those books that I was worried about reading because of all the hype. Just like I was with The Hunger Games. Once again, I am super happy I picked this book up.

I honestly don't think I can say one bad thing about Beautiful Creatures. It is the perfect book. Everything about it is incredible. I love the characters, the plot, the writing, not to mention the cover is gorgeous. I have absolutely no complaints.

I will be recommending this book to everyone I know and if you haven't read it yet, you must. It is one of the best books I have ever read. I can't wait to start reading Beautiful Darkness. And you can count on me buying Beautiful Chaos when it comes out.

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Review: Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr

Fragile Eternity (Wicked Lovely #3) by Melissa Marr

Details: Paperback, 389 pages
Published: May 28th 2009 by HarperCollins Children's Books
Source: I bought it
Buy It: The Book Depository

Summary: Aislinn never expected to rule in Faerie--but that was before Keenan stole her mortality to make her a monarch. Now she faces challenges and enticements beyond any she'd ever dreamed of.

Seth never expected he would want to settle down with anyone--but that was before Aislinn. She is everything he's ever dreamed of, and he wants to be with her forever. Forever takes on a new meaning, though, when your girlfriend is an immortal faery queen.

My Review: I love this series. It is one of my all time favorites. Every single book is incredible and well written. Out of the three I've read so far, Fragile Eternity isn't my favorite, but I still absolutely loved it.

Melissa Marr really brings the story and characters to life. You feel like you are actually there and not just reading a book.

I love how much focus is on Seth in this book. He is an amazing character and it's nice to know more about what he's thinking and feeling.

I honestly can't wait to start reading the next book, Radiant Shadows. Hopefully that will be sometime this summer.

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Review: Ironside by Holly Black

Ironside (The Modern Faerie Tales #3) by Holly Black

Details: Paperback, 336 pages
Published: August 6th 2007 by Simon & Schuster Childrens Books
Source: I bought it
Buy It: The Book Depository

Summary: In the realm of Faerie, the time has come for Roiben's coronation. Uneasy in the midst of the malevolent Unseelie Court, pixie Kaye is sure of only one thing -- her love for Roiben. But when Kaye, drunk on faerie wine, declares herself to Roiben, he sends her on a seemingly impossible quest. Now Kaye can't see or speak to Roiben unless she can find the one thing she knows doesn't exist: a faerie who can tell a lie.

Miserable and convinced she belongs nowhere, Kaye decides to tell her mother the truth -- that she is a changeling left in place of the human daughter stolen long ago. Her mother's shock and horror sends Kaye back to the world of Faerie to find her human counterpart and return her to Ironside. But once back in the faerie courts, Kaye finds herself a pawn in the games of Silarial, queen of the Seelie Court. Silarial wants Roiben's throne, and she will use Kaye, and any means necessary, to get it. In this game of wits and weapons, can a pixie outplay a queen?

Holly Black spins a seductive tale at once achingly real and chillingly enchanted, set in a dangerous world where pleasure mingles with pain and nothing is exactly as it appears.

My Review: Ironside is the third and final book in the Modern Faerie Tales trilogy and it was a pretty good end. Valiant is still my favorite of the three, however I really did like this book.

Ironside was hard to put down. It didn't pull me in as much as Valiant, or even Tithe, but I still wanted to keep reading to find out how it all would end. I have to admit though that I was just a tiny bit disappointed in the ending. It just didn't feel finished.

Holly Black is a fabulous writer. She creates a gripping story filled with friendship and danger. So of course I would definitely recommend this trilogy to everyone. All three books are fast, fun and well written.

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Review: Valiant by Holly Black

Valiant (The Modern Faerie Tales #2) by Holly Black

Details: Paperback, 336 pages
Published: September 5th 2005 by SIMON & SCHUSTER CHI
Source: I bought it
Buy It: The Book Depository

Summary: When seventeen-year-old Valerie runs away to New York City, she's trying to escape a life that has utterly betrayed her. Sporting a new identity, she takes up with a gang of squatters who live in the city's labyrinthine subway system.

But there's something eerily beguiling about Val's new friends. And when one talks Val into tracking down the lair of a mysterious creature with whom they are all involved, Val finds herself torn between her newfound affection for an honorable monster and her fear of what her new friends are becoming.

My Review: Val comes home to a very big surprise, and not the good kind. Deciding to get away from it all she runs off to New York City. While there she meets some kids her age and they start hanging out. This leads her into some new and interesting situations.

Valiant is such a fast, fun, intense and compelling read. Once I started it, I couldn't put it down. I don't have one single complaint with this book other then I wish it was longer.

Holly Black is a fantastic writer. You get pulled right into the story and feel like you are right there with the characters, experiencing it all with them.

I will definitely be reading this one again.

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Review: Cate of the Lost Colony by Lisa Klein

Cate of the Lost Colony by Lisa Klein

Details: Hardcover, 336 pages
Published: October 12th 2010 by Bloomsbury
Source: I got it from a friend
Buy It: The Book Depository

Summary: Lady Catherine is one of Queen Elizabeth's favorite court maidens—until her forbidden romance with Sir Walter Ralegh is discovered. In a bitter twist of irony, the jealous queen banishes Cate to Ralegh's colony of Roanoke, in the New World. Ralegh pledges to come for Cate, but as the months stretch out, Cate begins to doubt his promise and his love. Instead it is Manteo, a Croatoan Indian, whom the colonists—and Cate—increasingly turn to. Yet just as Cate's longings for England and Ralegh fade and she discovers a new love in Manteo, Ralegh will finally set sail for the New World.

Seamlessly weaving together fact with fiction, Lisa Klein's newest historical drama is an engrossing tale of adventure and forbidden love—kindled by one of the most famous mysteries in American history: the fate of the settlers at Roanoke, who disappeared without a trace forty years before the Pilgrims would set foot in Plymouth.

My Review: Cate was one of Queen Elizabeth's favorite court maidens until she fell for Sir Walter Ralegh and is sent away. She is strong and brave and forced to start a challenging and terrifying life in a new place where she doesn't know if she, or anyone else, will survive.

Cate of the Lost Colony is an incredible and well written story with love and adventure. I was pulled right in from the start.

If you like historical fiction, there is a good chance you will enjoy this book. I will definitely be reading more by Lisa in the future.

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Review: American Vampire by Jennifer Armintrout

American Vampire by Jennifer Armintrout

Details: Mass Market Paperback, 400 pages
Published: February 22nd 2011 by Mira
Source: I got it for my birthday
Buy It: The Book Depository

Summary: HE'S THE GOOD KIND OF VAMPIRE. SORT OF.
Buried in the Heartland is a town that no one enters or leaves. Graf McDonald somehow becomes its first visitor in more than five years…and he was only looking for a good party. Unfortunately, Penance, Ohio, is not that place. And after having been isolated for so long, they do not like strangers at all.

Jessa's the only one to even remotely trust him, and she's desperate for the kind of protection that only a vampire like Graf can provide. Supplies are low, the locals are ornery for a sacrifice and there's a monster more powerful than Graf lurking in the woods. New men are hard to come by in this lonesome town, and this handsome stranger might be Jessa's only hope for salvation.

Even if she has to die first…

My Review: Graf McDonald is a vampire. He is also stuck in a small town with people who haven't been able to leave or have seen anyone new in five years, and they don't like strangers. To make matters worse, there is a monster more powerful than he is somewhere in the woods.

When he first arrives in Penance, Ohio he meets Jessa. Graf saves her life and she takes him in before she knows what he is. Though they argue a lot, Jessa is the only one in the town that trusts him.

I could not put this book down. It's been a very long time since I've been pulled into a story this much. If I did put the book down it wasn't for long because it was all I could think about. I had to pick it back up and keep reading. I needed to know what was going to happen next.

The plot is fast-paced. The Writing is incredible and the characters are very real. Jennifer made being stuck in a small town with a vampire and a monster believable. I will definitely be reading more by her.

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Review: The Misadventures of Phillip Isaac Penn by Donna L. Peterson

The Misadventures of Phillip Isaac Penn by Donna L. Peterson

Details: Paperback, 96 pages
Published: June 14th 2011 by Bonneville
Source: I got it for review
Buy It: Amazon

Summary: Pip, whose real name is Phillip Isaac Penn, feels that the world is against him as he struggles to deal with angry parents, a bossy older sister, a frazzled teacher, and memorable characters such as Bully Bart, Cheater Chaz, Know-It-All Nell, Liar Lizzy, Stealer Steffan, Conman Cody, and Tattle-Tale Tess. Every day of the week brings another challenge that Pip handles in his own endearing way. Yet, no matter how hard he tries, he realizes that it’s just not easy being a kid.

My Review: Pip really dislikes his name and no matter how hard he tries to be good, he always seems to get into trouble at home and at school.

I was smiling the whole time I read this book. It is such a cute, fast read. Pip is a really great character. He reminded me of myself when I was younger. I was always getting yelled at.

I will definitely be recommending this book to everyone. It's a great book for younger teens and kids, but it's so much fun that older teens and adults will enjoy it too.

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