Hollow City | by: Ransom Riggs

*This review will likely contain spoilers for those who have not read Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.

Hollow City is the second installment in Ransom Riggs' Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children trilogy, which fuses strange vintage photographs into the reading experience. Jacob and his peculiar new friends are on an urgent and dangerous mission: They must find a way to help Miss Peregrine return to her human form, and quickly - but that isn't the easiest things to do in 1940s Britain. The Nazi army keeps dropping bombs as monstrous hollow and wights chase after the children. As they move along their journey, they have to make decisions concerning their ethical standards, and ultimately, what they are willing to fight for.

Despite the fact that Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children really impressed me when I read it years ago as well as when I reread it earlier this year,  Hollow City wasn't as easy to appreciate. I read the beginning and ending rather quickly, but the middle took a while for a few different reasons. To be completely honest... I guess I just didn't expect this entire book to deal with trying to save Miss Peregrine. I guess I thought that would take one third of the book and then the plot would get bigger. So there's one issue. And I will freely admit that by the time I reached the halfway mark I was at an exciting time in my personal life that made this novel seem a little dull by comparison (and I think this is the first time in my whole life I can say this lovely phenomena has happened). But perhaps the most prevailing issue is that despite the singular plot goal, I just didn't feel like all the obstacles the children faced truly tied together. It felt less like plotting and more like 'let's put in obstacles to make the book longer' at times. Placing so many moments where Jacob reflects on how everything is so crazy compared to his old life also gave me this vibe.

However, I did not dislike the book overall - my feelings are generally mixed. It certainly had some good qualities. Once again I appreciated the use of old photographs to enhance the story and the fact that it takes place in the dark WWII-era Britain, and even though Jacob and Emma's romance was underplayed in many respects, I liked that Riggs kept it innocent and fluffy. Plus, I think all the abilities are really cool - especially the ones that Emma, Althea, and Olive have. Even aside from their peculiar abilities, some of the characters warm my heart... Olive is just the sweetest thing and I love how motherly Bronwyn is with her friends!

But what truly made me like this book better by the time I reached the end are the twists. A few things are either discovered or occur that I never saw coming - I gasped at a couple moments. And the cliffhanger! It was a bit of a frustrating place to leave us hanging, but I thing Riggs built a solid foundation for the trilogy's conclusion, Library of Souls, which just came out this year. I anticipate that it will be the most action-packed of the series if this is going where I think it's going.

Hollow City, in short, has some prominent good points and prominent not-so-good points. I wish I could have liked it as much as the first installment of Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children, but I'm hopeful for the next book, Library of Souls.

Redeemed | by: P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

*This review likely contains spoilers for those who have not read the first eleven House of Night books. You've been warned.

Despite the fact that everyone seems to hate the House of Night series (I will never understand why people who hate a series continue to read and bash the books, but whatever), I LOVED these books. Go on, judge me; I don't care. The first three weren't the best, but from the fourth book on, I was really impressed. Very few series have been this fun to read. Redeemed is the twelfth and final book, and I must say I'm sad that Zoey Redbird's story has reached its end.  However, I found that Redeemed was quite satisfying. I flew right through it.

The end of the previous novel, Revealed, was a bit crazy, so right away it's apparent that Zoey really has to get her shit together before Neferet and Darkness take over the world. In order to restore balance, she must also be balanced, and she and her friends are running out of time. Once again the Cast women write through multiple narrations to tell the story, so Zoey's resolution isn't the only one to look forward to: Kalona and Aurox/Heath notably take the spotlight at times, and I must admit that the twists revolving around these two characters truly surprised me and had me gasping/OMG-ing. (Anyone catch the 'true love' thing at the end? Anybody?) We also get an interesting new relationship.

Even aside from all this, my favorite aspects of this series are found full force. The characters are humorous and continue their growth quite smoothly, and of course, the magick. I have always loved the spellcasting of the House of Night and how it relies on the elements and circle-casting; it's so interesting and fun! Granted Nyx's vampyres tend to get in on most of the action in this department, but it always made me happy to see the humans get involved in their own way, be it through Aphrodite's visions, Grandma Redbird's smudging, or the nuns' prayers. The House of Night series has always seemed to encourage spiritual unity, and it's quite prevalent in Redeemed.

The afterward/epilogue brings a sense of finality to a series full of chaos, and I thought it was lovely to check in on the Nerd Herd as adults in action and see how they made a difference among vampyre and human communities. I realize that a lot of people hated on this series so hard because the characters are so silly... but what does it matter? It's amusing, and furthermore, there are a lot of silly people in the world. As the Cast women enforce, it's about the purity of one's intentions and whether or not they intend to do good in the world. The House of Night series preaches love and forgiveness, hence the title of the last book being Redeemed, and I'll always hold it in high regard. This long series finished up well.

"Merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again."

Crossing the Threshold | by: Amanda Dirlam and Melanie Overmyer

Crossing the Threshold is the first book of the Changeling trilogy, and it is the debut novel of Amanda Dirlam and Melanie Overmyer. They may be new to the bookish scene, but with a story like this, I think they’re going to fit right in.

Shea is a shy high school girl that hopes to get by without much attention. Her home life with her crazed, New Age-obsessed mother isn’t by any means ideal, so she oftentimes seeks refuge with her beloved grandparents or hangs out with her best friend Ty. But other than that, Shea doesn’t have much of any interaction with others due to her ability to withdraw from being anybody’s focus. However, Quinn is a popular football player that suffers from confusion concerning his identity, and even though they make an unlikely pair, the two of them have to complete a project together concerning Irish heritage. As they discover more and more about changelings and prepare for the project, they also discover that their past biases toward another need not apply any longer.

The truth is that they’re both part of something big. Something that concerns both of them is tying them together, but what will it take to get them to cross the threshold from our world into one that’s full of magic?

While this novel is technically a fantasy, it’s primarily set in the world as we know it with flashes of mysterious moments to unknown characters of a different realm. We don’t dive too deeply into the fantasy element, and because of that, it feels more like a contemporary at times. This is one of its best, most unique qualities; I love how it appeals to both genres and how nature is used to represent something more mystical. It will definitely capture fans of either genre’s attention.

Even so, this debut novel handles both genres in a different way. It’s not every day you run into Irish mythology, at least not in young adult fiction. That in itself adds an interesting new concept for readers. I’ve never read anything about Irish mythology, or changelings, and to be honest, I wasn’t even sure of what a changeling was before reading this. I only read one series about fairies before this (Aprilynne Pike’s Wings) and Crossing the Threshold is much different.

However, I must say that what really made this book as good as it was is the characters. None of them are dull. None. I could relate to Shea in ways that I’ve never been able to relate to any character before. At face value, she’s you’re typical nerdy/shy girl, but there’s so much more than that, and it all creates a vivid picture. She has a strong relationship with her grandmother that reminded me so much of my own grandma and my feelings surrounding her death.

And then there’s Quinn… I definitely have a character crush on him. Just saying. He’s just so nice, and it’s easy to feel sad for him because he’s felt so unloved. But it’s so heart-warming to see how he’s an older brother-like figure to the other kids at the orphanage he lives in, and it’s also heart-warming to see him and Shea interact. They’re such an adorable couple; the sparks of romance are sure to make anyone’s heart flutter! And of course, I was a fan of the snarky dialogue.

Even the secondary characters and their relationships stick out, between Shea’s crazy mom, her flamboyant friend Ty, and everyone in between. They all go through quite a bit of development, which is natural because of all the stuff that goes on in this book. There’s never a dull moment – I mean that in a contemporary sense and a paranormal/fantasy sense too. But it didn’t move too fast either; it wasn’t too rushed.

But like I said, even though the excellent characterization is what really shined, it had a lot of great elements. The plot, the general concept, the writing itself… It’s well worth the read. I definitely feel like fans of YA paranormal books will enjoy this, and of course, covet the next one because there’s one heck of a cliffhanger. Crossing the Threshold is such a solid debut; I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Red Glove | by: Holly Black

Red Glove is the second installment in Holly Black's Curse Workers trilogy, which began with White Cat. I was very surprised with and impressed by White Cat when I read it three years ago, and it's really about time I got to this sequel.

This book takes place a few months after White Cat finished off with its unexpected twist, and though it may initially seem like Cassel won't have as many problems as he did before, White Cat only set him up for more trouble, and in more ways that one might anticipate. Not only does he have some serious issues regarding Lila (who appears to be so close when she's actually so out-of-reach) and his con-loving mother, but a big surprise is coming his way: The Feds. Despite crime families want Cassel to assassinate for them by using his unique curse working ability, the Feds need his help identifying a killer in red gloves. And he'll make some startling discoveries in the process, for Holly Black has crafted another mystery with answers that are shielded 'till the very end.

Sounds intriguing, doesn't it? It is. While Red Glove doesn't offer the most explosive of climaxes, it's definitely a relief to find out who the killer is at the end. Even when Cassel figures it out, Holly Black leaves us wondering for a while because she's excellent and knows how to keep us flipping through pages. Needless to say, Red Glove is a fantastic sequel.

Oftentimes it seems that the second book in a trilogy can typically be more of an important filler before reaching the epic climax and not really worth much on its own. Does Red Glove fall into this category? Not exactly, because Red Glove is not uneventful or unimportant. I just feel like everything Cassel has considered throughout this book concerning whether he's destined to be a good guy or a bad guy is really going to help set everything up for Black Heart, the final installment in the trilogy, especially since nothing too eventful occurred concerning the specific matter despite how often it's questioned. Even though there was nothing boring in Red Glove, I just feel like a lot of these details are going to really fuel the next one than it was in this novel, especially the conversations Cassel had with Zacharov, the mob boss.

I must say, I can't imagine anyone liking White Cat and then disliking Red Glove since my two favorite things about White Cat (that I kept guessing incorrectly as the plot twisted and turned, and Cassel, our main character and narrator) didn't let up in this book. Cassel still had an incredibly unique voice as he pulled me through the story with sarcasm and humor. He's just so cool! It's impossible not to like him! I also developed immense respect for Sam and Daneca; they're quite likeable as well. Really, all the characters are well-crafted; I can't think of a single dull person in this book. And of course, the plot they contributed to was quite fun to read about. I remember being more shocked by the outcomes of White Cat, but still, Red Glove was a fabulous mystery nonetheless.

Also like White Cat, Red Glove has a good ending. It isn't a suspenseful cliff-hanger that made me want to scream, but there's something there to let you know that Cassel's story certainly isn't over. Frankly, I'm happy, because I don't want it to be over. Mixing the mob with paranormal elements turned out to be a fabulous story idea, but I don't think anyone else could pull it off like Holly Black has.

So, The Curse Workers trilogy is two for two so far, and I definitely expect Black Heart to be just as awesome. More people need to get into this trilogy! It's so great!

Tantalize | by: Cynthia Leitich Smith

Quincie's family resturant is undergoing renovations. Not only will it be an Italian resturant, but a vampire-themed Italian resturant. However, that's not the only part of Quincie's life that seems to be changing, either. First of all, a dear friend of hers gets murdered. Kieren, her werewolf love interest, seems suspicious. But Quincie knows he will have to go and find a pack soon, leaving her behind. Though this saddens Quincie, she seems to get her mind off it by getting the new chef ready for the reopening of the resturant.

Somehow, all these things are connected. But will Quincie figure it all out in time?

Tantalize screamed at me in the bookstore when I thought I should pick up something quick and fun to read. Okay, fine, I'll admit that Annette Curtis Klaus' blub on the back of the book helped in my decision-making, but still, Tantalize looked like just the paranormal book I was in the mood for. But, as with many books that are simply meant to delight and entertain, Tantalize had a number of good points and bad points.

Ironically, one thing that stood out about Tantalize is that even though it's paranormal, it flows like a contemporary book. Readers are in the rather realistic day-to-day setting that is Quincie's life, with the exception of her werewolf best friend/love interest and the climax. I liked that. Why is this ironic? Because the only time I've read a paranormal book that was written in a way that reminded me of contemporary novels was when I read Annette Curtis Klaus' The Silver Kiss and Blood and Chocolate.

But, I'm not saying that Annette Curtis Klaus fans are garunteed to love Tantalize, because I'm a fan of her books and I didn't love Tantalize. Sure, it's not terrible, but it's not... not that great.

The typos in the beginning didn't bother me too much, but what really made this book suffer was the plot and characters. Unfortunately, I didn't really like any of the characters, except for one of Quincie's possible love interests. Of course, that guy turned out to be a cliche psycho. As far as the rest of them, Kieren wasn't quite there enough, Quincie's uncle and girlfriend are just too negatively strange, attempts at sexiness from anyone came off as bizarre, and Quincie was just vulnerable.

Worse yet, the plot remained predictable and corny. I predicted the antagonist, and the corny bits often came from the antagonist (once this person had been revealed).

On the bright side, I enjoyed the resturant setting in which the characters were in majority of the time. It was quite refreshing, as I don't even think I've ever read a story in a resturant setting before. And besides, Italian is my favorite. The best part about this resturant, however, is the vampire theme. Plenty of people would go to a resturant like that in real life, so why isn't there one? This element contributed to what made this story fun.

Another thing a bit unusual about Tantalize is the werepeople. No, this book isn't just limited to werewolves and vampires, but it expands to other shape shifters, like cats and opossums! When it came to this aspect, it took me a while to understand that Quincie wasn't the only one who knew about these shape shifters, for they are actually quite commonplace in the world Cynthia Leitich Smith envisions. Usually in paranormal romance, the paranormal elements are some huge secret, so this was different. Although I don't like opossums, let alone wereopossums.

In the end, Tantalize proved itself to be a semi-entertaining novel with ups and plenty of downs. So, I don't reccommend this unless one is seeking a little non-serious vampire fiction that's enough to keep the pages turning.

2.5/5 Stars


Leitich Smith, Cynthia. Tantalize
Cambridge: Candlewick Press
2007

Guardian of the Gate | by: Michelle Zink

Finally, I got my hands on a copy of Michelle Zink's Guardian of the Gate, the sequal to her debut novel, Prophecy of the Sisters. I don't know how I ever managed to wait so long before continuing this awesome YA trilogy!

Eight months after Lia left for London, she and Sonia wait for the keys to be found in order to end the prophecy. But, it seems now that as the search for the keys continues, they must travel to find the missing pages of the prophecy in order to learn how to end it forever. Though they do not travel alone, they must keep watch for the Souls trying to get to Lia in order to get her to aid their opposing side in the prophecy.

All the while, Lia's twin sister, Alice, is also a threat to Lia's side. As she grows even stronger, Alice is now intervening with the life Lia left behind in New York; the life that involved James.

Lia and Alice may be sisters, but more than anything, they are enemies.

This tale of rival twins is a dark and adventurous one! As it was with Prophecy of the Sisters the mood is just right. It may be creepy, but it's far from low-spirited. Perhaps this balance is even more evident in Guardian of the Gate because there's so much traveling involved, which helps to build anticipation as one reads. Though the characters often travel, their voyages do not get particularly monotonous as some journies can be. It was all quite eventful with plenty of surprises.

One of those surprises is Dimitri. At first, we get a glimpse of his character, but then BAM - he's important. When I say it like this, I don't mean that the pace wasn't even or anything negative. I was just surprised to see this character really come forth. Well, maybe I did expect that... I guess I just didn't expect to like him so much. When it comes to YA series' anymore, I always expect a new love interest that I don't like as much to be introduced in the second book. Dimitri didn't follow that typical standard. Sure, he's a new love interest. But he's likeable and seems smart thus far. Even in terms of plot, not much is predictable.

Also, I enjoyed reading about Luisa. If I ever laughed during this book, it was because of her. Oppositely, some of the grumpy women on Altus really annoyed me. Especially Ursula. Anyway, I felt for Lia whenever she had to have awkward conversations with these snooty people, no matter how beautiful of a place Altus may be. I really hope that these cranky women don't get in Lia's way or add to her current level of stress in the next book.

Unfortunately, we don't get to see much of Lia's sinister sibling, Alice. This happens due to all of the traveling Lia must do in Guardian of the Gate, bringing her away from her power-crazed sister. Let's face it, Alice is kind of creepy, but that makes her interesting to read about. And obviously, you kind of need her in order to enforce the whole twin enemies concept. This concept is still enforced though her lack of presence made it less potent.

But as with the first book, the general plot and the writing of Guardian of the Gate captured my attention more than any of the other elements, especially now that there are more twists in this stupendous sequal. Although our poor protagonist, Lia, has to deal with all of these new twists, she seems to deal with it all quite well, but not unreasonably. At times she is exhausted and constantly dwells on even the more minute problems, but she's one of the smarter protagonists of YA. She thinks.

I must admit that I adore this trilogy! Reading both books have been such fun! I refuse to wait around too long before finally buying Circle of Fire, the final book of Lia's story. With the first two novels being more than exceptional, I'm sure that I won't be disappointed.

4.5/5 Stars


Zink, Michelle. Guardian of the Gate
New York: Little, Brown and Company
2010

Prophecy of the Sisters | by: Michelle Zink

After a tragedy strikes the family, Lia Milthorpe discovers a peculiar mark on her wrist. Even so, that is not the only strange thing happening within her wealthy home. Her twin sister, Alice, has already grown distant, but the discovery of a mysterious book may explain it all as well as raise more questions.

Odd as it seems, she and her sister are part of an ancient prophecy. Though the parts they are to play within it are quite potent, it seems that their sisterhood will be torn apart as their individual free will turns them against another. Their opposing desires will have them working in opposition of the other as Lia begins to find allies she can trust in this unique and eerie Victorian-based story.

Though this is the second time I've read Prophecy of the Sisters, I may have actually enjoyed it more than the first, which is quite a compliment since I already really loved it.

One of the first things that caught my attention while reading this book was Michelle Zink's writing. It's fantastic! And the characters she created were so natural. Oftentimes, different characters of a novel tend to have rather extreme characteristics that make them stick out in a more forced way, but Michelle Zink is better than this. Prophecy of the Sisters had characters that were well-defined without extreme qualities. Because of this, I loved reading about these characters - even Alice, who creeped me out at times.

Since this is a Victorian novel, I would have expected it to fall under a certain mental catagory I have made when reading books that take place in older periods of history. It's not that I have anything against books that take place further back in time, because I actually love that - especiallly the Victorian era in which Prophecy of the Sisters was written for. My problem is the way that some authors handle it. They really want to make sure that the reader gets the correct feel of the time period by babbling nonstop about the time period. It comes to a certain point where I don't want to read about wagons anymore; I want plot. Michelle Zink did not do this. The 1800's felt so natural in this book, and I praise Michelle Zink for this in addition to her other great writing skills.

Prophecy of the Sisters has a generally creepy/mysterious vibe to it, but it isn't generally gloomy either. It's actually quite adventurous and fun as it is evenly paced. That's not to say that there are no dark matters in this book, because their are plenty. The paranormal elements are hair-rising and the times of tragedy are filled with sorrow. Throughout the entire reading experience, something is always happening as Lia tries to solve the mysteries of the prophecy. But, the climax is still ever-present despite the consistent pace.

I was really intrigued by the general concept of this book, with twin sisters battling against the other as well as the prophecy being a mythological version of the Bible's apocalypse. The times of darkness readers will encounter within the plot is kind of scary, and I liked that. Besides, the bits of magic, like all magic, made me happy. But more than anything, I loved the eerie elements, especially the freaky medallion. I can't say much about this without spoiling anything; I'll just tell you it's cool.

Really... there's not much left to say. No complaints whatsoever. Prophecy of the Sisters is an impeccable novel and I will definitely read the next two books in this trilogy, as this first novel has proved to be greatly written and one-of-a-kind.

4.5/5 Stars


Zink, Michelle. Prophecy of the Sisters
New York: Little, Brown and Company
2009

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children | by: Ransom Riggs

Jacob's grandfather has always showed him the most peculiar old photographs and told him strange stories to match, but how could he ever believe fairy tales of such sorts? After all, his grandfather's state of mind was questionable due to experiences during World War II that surely traumatized him. In his need to find the truth about these odd photographs, Jacob takes a trip to an island outside Great Britain, where his grandfather once lived in an old orphanage there. Meanwhile, he finds that there is more to the orphanage than one could ever imagine, that what may seem absolutely crazy is reality. For this is no typical orphanage; it's Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, and while exploring it's remains Jacob finds himself in an otherworldly adventure.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is Ransom Riggs' debut novel, and I must say, it was put together very uniquely. I'm not just talking about the story itself, but the idea of putting in old photographs (some slightly manipulated to fit the story's purposes) throughout the book. As a book lover and a photography lover, I was quite intrigued.

This book is naturally spooky with its rainy, gloomy setting (not to mention the ties to World War II). It probably would have stayed eerie even without the monsters and children with strange abilities. However, the characters themselves didn't really freak me out, I enjoyed them. All of them are capable of wondrous things, each with an ability unique to them. Some are unusually strong, some levitate. I wouldn't want to anger any of them, but they all seemed to be generally nice people. Jacob was a pretty good main character. Even though he was an unhappy rich boy, he came off as very down-to-earth and made me laugh aloud when reading, particularly towards the beginning of the story.

On a darker note, Ransom Riggs wrote about the grieving process that Jacob went through quite impressively. I was so surprised to see how this aspect of death ended up being so reasonably written. From previous reading experiences, I have found that most authors don't do well with describing grieving characters. It seems that they only show a couple of emotional spurts that are written ineffectively, almost like they're not real, giving me little to no effect. Ransom Riggs was an exception because he's a great writer and did his job well.

The only major complaint I've been hearing about this novel is its ending. People claim it doesn't have one. Due to prior reading expereinces I have found that when people say things like that, they aren't looking through the right spectacles. In this case, there isn't a conclusion to the obvious large problem now at hand; however, Jacob comes to a conclusion of the dilemma he'd been facing for a while and finally figures out what he wants to do with his life and where he truly feels he belongs. That, my friends, is an ending. A good ending.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is different. It's a fun adventure filled with mystery that any age group can enjoy.

4.5/5 Stars


Riggs, Ransom. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Quirk Books
2011

Awakened | by: P.C. Cast + Kristin Cast

*Since this is the eighth book in the House of Night series, I cannot garuntee that there will be absolutely no spoilers. The more of the previous books you've read, the less spoilers you will encounter.

Just two years ago I fell in love with this mother/daughter duo's House of Night book series, and it's amazing to see how this story grows and evolves so much.

Zoey and Stark remain within the Isle of Skye, recovering from their life-altering journey which we read all about in the previous novel, Burned. But will they ever really get a break? Chaos still rages at Tulsa's House of Night, especially since Neferet has returned. She seeks to destroy Zoey, and Zoey's friends at the House of Night are not the least bit fooled otherwise.

Told through multiple narrations, different stories and different sides are seen clearly, helping us to truly understand what's going on. Espeically with Rephaim and Stevie Rae. Can Stevie Rae convince Rephaim to leave the side of Darkness for the Light? And besides, Stevie Rae doesn't want to lie to her friends as she hides her secret anymore.

I. Love. This. Series! (Thank you, Grandma, for buying me the first four books for Christmas!) I have nothing bad to say about Awakened because it was so awesome!

Throughout my Burned review I mentioned that I'm so amazed by how this series has evolved so much. Honestly, I think it has a lot to do with the multiple narrations. Now, we get to hear the antagonists' point of view and what they go through (like what Kalona truly thinks of Neferet), as well as other protagonists like Stevie Rae. Speaking of Stevie Rae, I remain utterly captivated by her story and how it is completely intertwined with Rephaim. The situation may be kind of messy, but still, sort of beautiful. I loved every aspect of Awakened, but their story made me the most nervous.

Also, Zoey has grown a lot since the first book. Zoey tries so hard to be a great High Priestess and has emerged as a strong leader. It drives me absolutely crazy that Neferet is such an idiot and tries to make her look bad.

Out of all the House of Night novels, Awakened is the most moving. I teared up about five times while reading this, and almost cried. Everyone goes through a lot or has been through a lot, and their Goddess of Night, Nyx, is always enforcing the most important law of life, that love is always the best choice. "Always love." I seem to like Nyx more and more nowadays. Keeps me close to my own religion.

Of course, there's plenty going on for the duration of the entire novel. I can promise that you won't get bored and find yourself unable to put the book down. The twists at the end actually left me gasping, and the cliffhanger really isn't helping my House of Night Anxiety right now. Well, I guess it's some degree of a satisfying cliffhanger, if there's ever such a thing. I guess it could be worse. Anyway, I'm so excited for Destined. I look at P.C. Cast's blog often, and I can assure you she's working very hard on it.

Awakened is a wonderful installment, and I didn't expect it to be this good since the previous novel was so wonderful. It's an action packed novel that'll touch your heart.

"Always love."

5/5 Stars


Cast, P.C. and Cast, Kristin. Awakened
New York: St. Martin's Press
2011

The Reckoning | by: Kelley Armstrong

Finally, I've had time to finish up The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong, the final book in the Darkest Powers trilogy.

Chloe and her supernatural friends seem to have finally found refuge, but nothing is as it seems. Now they have more than Edison Group to worry about; there are more powerful things to fear. It is never certain as to who should be trusted and who they should run from, and the mysteries only become cloudier.

Meanwhile, all of her friends and their relationships are changing. As they make plans to escape, fight, and search for answers, Chloe is also trying to distinguish the difference between her feelings for Simon (a sorcerer), and her feelings for Derek (a werewolf) while she helps him make the Change into a wolf.

All of this chaos makes The Reckoning a page-turner with almost too many twists and turns.

First of all, I'm happy to report that none of the characters annoyed me this time! In result (and many other reasons), this is definately my favorite of the trilogy. I never knew what to expect, and didn't really care if Kelley Armstrong's writing was on the fence at times because I was so into the ever-entertaining storyline.

Yes, The Summoning and The Awakening went along with plenty of action, but that's nothing compared to this. Each time you expect Chloe and her friends to have a working plan, a big roadblock pops into the storyline. I was beginning to wonder if anything was to be resolved by the end of the book, and I was somewhat right to wonder. It's not a perfect happily ever after where everything is resolved. Life never has one of those; life goes on - so why should this trilogy? The ending may not please a large audience because of this, but I really liked and appriciated it. So maybe Chloe's life isn't perfect and still has unresolved issues, but at least she finally looks at her life in a positive way. She finds herself content with everything the way it is, and wouldn't change it for anything. It was the perfect note to end the Darkest Powers trilogy.

4/5 stars

The Awakening | by: Kelley Armstrong

The Awakening is the second installment in Kelley Armstrong's Darkest Powers book series. The debut of the series (The Summoning) was much more impressive than I expected it to be, and I hoped The Awakening would give me a smiliar feel.

Chloe knows what she is now, a necromancer, someone who can raise the dead. She also knows about the other kids that stayed with her at the Edison Group home, a place for mentally disturbed teens. But as the story unfolds, she learns more secrets about the people behind Edison Group - secrets that startle her. Chloe and her friends (a witch, a sorcerer, a werewolf) cannot afford to be too involved with Edison Group's strange studies. They're desperate to get away. That's why they have to keep running, in hope of finding safety, no matter the costs.

Just like in The Summoning, The Awakening doesn't have dull moments. Chloe and her friends are on the run, and it's hardley smooth sailing for them. There's a lot of elements for them to deal with: A missing person ad, people from Edison on guard, dealing with finances, finding places to sleep, and trying to find the one person they know they'll be safe with - who happened to disappear. To top it all off, the four of them don't get along well a lot of times. So I never lost interest.

I have mixed feeling about the actual writing in this book. Kelley Armstrong writes clearly and I understand everything she's trying to say, but there's nothing fantastic about her style. One definate good thing about Kelley Armstrong's writing style (besides writing in a way that makes us understand clearly) is that she isn't overly dramatic. She speaks soley through Chloe's point of view, and it matches Chloe's personality. However, as mentioned, this is not the best written book in the world.

Again, this series is very unique in the lack of romance, which is a good change for YA books. This leads me to characters (and relationships): In the first book, Chloe irritated me. In The Awakening, she still does, but not as much. It seems she has a tighter grip on reality, and not quite as whiney. But now I have a problem with another character: Simon. He annoys me, despite he is somehow the most likable, and I'm getting vibes that he and Chloe will have a relationship beyond friendship, but I hope I'm wrong... because I still really like Derek! If this turns into a romance thing, I want it to be different. I want Chloe to pick what some would consider to be the less attractive one. This series has proven twice to be different, why stop?

Even though this book didn't have a completely sudden stop (thank you, Kelley Armstrong, for giving me an ending where I'm hanging off a cliff), I hope to read the third installment, The Reckoning, soon!

All in all, The Awakening is unique and a lot of people will enjoy it, since it doens't follow the typical Young Adult book suit. It is a great follow-up that matches the eldest of the series, The Summoning. It does the series justice, as well as the book in itself. To my surprise, I really like this series.

4/5 stars

White Cat | by: Holly Black

In the world created by Holly Black, there are curse workers - people who have the magic in their touch to affect others. They can change their memories, luck, emotions, and even more if you're touched by one. Because of their amazing advantages over people, a lot of them become con artists. Cassel comes from an entire family of con artists, of curse workers, yet he has no magic. It seems the only thing he has that the rest of his family doesn't is the horrid guilt of killing his best friend years ago.

Since his family are curse workers, they have power over him, but family is everything to all of them, so they never con another. But Cassel is starting to question this, as secrets unfold. And it all started with the appearance of a white cat.

I was hesitant to pick up White Cat, but I'm more than glad I did. This story is so intricate, it's difficult for me to explain. It's one of the most unique books I've ever read in my life. I don't really know where to begin.

With a one of a kind storyline, you get a main charecter that lives up to the hype. (Thank you, Holly Black!) Cassel is a very likeable charecter. His narrations are very interesting to read. He's sarcastic at times, down to earth, yet sometimes he can seem deep, and when his heart aches, you ache with him. I had no difficulty to take him seriously. An complex charecter for a complex story.

I've never read any of her books before, but from White Cat, I can tell Holly Black is a great writer. Sometimes, I'd have to go back and reread sentences, only to find that she's written the statement too well. Her writing will leave an effect on you, as if she's a worker herself, cursing us with her wonderful choice of words. She also has some serious creativity. Curse workers? How did she come up with this concept? There were so many twists and turns in this mystery-filled book, I don't know how she could have kept track of everything. I would have lost my mind trying to write this novel! When you expect things to flow like a typical book, don't. White Cat is far from typical. I was surprised and filled with complete shock over and over again.

White Cat is mysterious, suspensful, and even a bit romantic. I was completely into this book, and I'll never forget this one. In some way, each element in this story falls into the perfect places, but you'll never see what's coming.

The ending will freak you out a bit, and you'll want the next book to appear on your bookshelf. I know I can't wait.

4.5/5 stars

The Summoning | Kelley Armstrong

I never wanted to read The Summoning. I didn't think it would be my sort of thing, so I never picked it up - until a few days ago. Halfway through the book, at the skeloton's appearance, all of that changed.

Chloe has been sent to a group home. After an incident at school, many think she's going crazy, or has some sort of mental problem, to put it nicely. All of a sudden, she can see ghosts and they can see her. Or can she? The doctors say she has schizoprenia, and if they're right, this is all part of her illness. None of it being real. But what about the other teenagers at the group home? Are they crazy, or do they just have uncontrollable special abilities? Chloe doesn't uncover the secrets about what she is and the group home by herself, she makes friends along the way, as well as enemies, kicking off Kelley Armstrong's Darkest Powers series.

The beginning of this book didn't float my boat. However, unlike a lot of YA books, the beginning was interesting. Things were always happening. What I didn't like was that I couldn't relate to Chloe and I didn't care for the bland writing style. I wasn't fascinated.

But after the half point, it kept getting better and better! Many scenes from this book had suspense and kept me intrigued. Sometimes, it was all I could do to put it down! I found the other charecters to be really interesting with their odd idiosyncrasies and powers, which helped me a lot in this novel, because Chloe just isn't my type of charecter for whatever reason.

Like I mentioned, The Summoning is a lot different than most YA novels. But do you know what I love most? There's little to no romance. Talk about something different for a change! But, there are a couple of guys in here that I'm thinking maybe Chloe will end up with. And I'm happy with that, because honestly (and I can't believe I'm saying this after wanting a non-romance book), I wish there were more sparks flying between Chloe and Derek. You know why? Because I like Derek. He's my favorite charecter of the whole thing. I think she should be with him because he's not Pretty Boy, Bad Boy like all the other YA guys. He's not hot, okay? He has some serious acne and a bit of a BO problem. He's not very nice either; he's grouchy 24/7. So, I'm hoping for romance, but different.

Whether or not you're looking for a Young Adult novel that's different than most (but still paranormal) and suspensful, The Summoning is the book for you. It's the first in its series, and you'll be begging for more after the last page.

4/5 stars

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella | By: Stephenie Meyer

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner is indeed a short story of only 178 pages. It is about a newborn vampire, Bree Tanner, who already appeared in Stephenie Meyer's Eclipse, and all that she faces with the coven of vampires she lives in. She tries to stray far from the wild, untamed vampires she lives with, for she is much different than them. But just as she is starting to see the truth of the world of vampires, her creator (whom she does not even know the name of) and their coven's leader is preparing the little army for a stand-off against the Cullens.

Throughout The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, it is not hard to stay interested. Stephenie Meyer is just a writer that can make you want more. Bree is quite a different vampire in comparison to the others that surround her, as well as different from the Cullens that we know so well from the four novels of the Twilight saga. To be honest, the bulk of this book, though interesting, was dull.

But, it IS Stephenie Meyer. Since when has she ever disappionted her fans?

Twilight readers (like me) know the outcome of this story. They know ahead of time that it is tragic. Reading this book will make you even more sad, and feel even more for Bree; because that is what Stephenie Meyer does to us - she makes us care. In the end, you will suddenly care so much more for Bree that you want the story to end differently, and the whole book is suddenly worthwhile. Incredible.

5/5 stars

The House of Night, Books 1-6 by: P.C Cast + Kristin Cast (Brief Reviews)

*Note from Critica: For whatever odd reason, this is the most popular post by far on this blog, and it is a terrible representation of my review style. So, check out my full-length reviews for the newest House of Night novels:

Burned by P.C. Cast + Kristin Cast
Awakened by P.C. Cast + Kristin Cast

I started reading this book series around the time the fifth House of Night novel, Hunted, was first released. (I know, I got a late start.) I'm not very good at reviewing at critiquing after its been awhile since I've read the book, or saw the movie, etc. So, since the seventh installment in this series, Burned, is coming out soom I've decided to breifly post what I thought of the first six. Chances are, I'll put out a normal extended review of them individually after I reread them.

So, here goes.

Marked - I think the first thing that caught my attention was all of the humor from the leading charecter, Zoey. It was a rather pleasent reading expirience, but nothing too over the top, let alone too near the top. It wasn't bad, it wasn't good. But, it was good enough, or I liked it enough, to give this one a 3.5/5 star rating.

Betrayed - Better than the first, but not by a remarkable amount of betterness (is that a word?). What happens in the plot with Stevie Rae is what really made intrigued. But, though it's a bit better than its big sister book, Marked, I still give it the same rating. (3.5/5 stars)

Chosen - The worst book in the House of Night series, to my belief. I could not take Zoey seriously. Three boyfriends at once, Zoeybird, is indeed a problem. This whole story is a bit of an orginized mess. Everything works out somewhat okay in the end, but the middle just broods on and on about Zoey's boyfriend problem. Since it still managed to entertain me, which is what a book should do, but isn't exactly that wonderful, I gave it 3/5 stars.

Untamed - Great save! Brilliant save! Now, that's what I'm talking about! After Chosen, I was wondering if this one was going to bomb, but it ended up being my favorite of the series. The action starts right away and it ends in a great way, and I found what was going on to be much more interesting and more my thing. I enthusiastically grant Untamed 4.5/5 stars!

Hunted - The Cast women are really keeping it going. This one might have been as good as Untamed if they didn't keep remind us readers of everything that's happened 24/7. Excellent follow-up to Untamed, 4/5 stars.

Tempted - Three House of Night novels in a row that haven't recieved a rating lower than a four! The writers change things up a little with narration changes. Sometimes, like in the rest of this series, Zoey is narrating (first person). In Tempted, there is also third person narration, following multiple other charecters. 4/5 stars.