Subscribe via RSS Feed

Category: Children’s Books

Review & Giveaway: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

[ 38 ] April 27, 2012

Reviewed by Jennifer Jensen

In the futuristic ruins of Chicago, vampires have entirely taken over after a plague wiped out most of humanity. Desperate to maintain their food supply, the vampires make the humans register themselves and donate their blood. Allie, an orphan, is an Unregistered who lives on the Fringe and thieves to survive with a small band of friends outside of a vampire city. Allie hits the jackpot when she discovers a deserted house containing cans of food that will feed her “family” for months. When she leads them to the food supply in a dangerous area infested with rabids, she loses her family and her mortality in the same night.

Kanin, a mysterious vampire, gave Allie the choice between a mortal death or eternal life as a vampire, the very creature that Allie loathes. Allie would rather survive as a vampire than succumb to death, so she agrees to let him “turn” her. Kanin teaches Allie what she needs to know to thrive as a vampire, including that she must drink blood within a certain amount of time or she will go mad. Soon Allie and Kanin part ways, and Allie falls in with a band of humans who are searching for Eden, a place with the technology they need to find a cure. Allie must guard her secret carefully or they will destroy her, but only if her Hunger does not get in the way first.

Allie is a strong character; in the beginning she is sort of lifeless and empty, and it’s actually when she becomes a vampire that she begins taking emotional risks and thinking with her heart rather than her survival instinct. Her love interest is Zeke, one of the humans who is part of the group looking for Eden. He especially touches the humanity that still remains in her.

At times The Immortal Rules is really slow; toward the beginning Julie Kagawa tosses out too much information all at once via Kanin, and I’d rather she provided that information in bits throughout the novel and in other ways than pages and pages of back and forth dialogue. I enjoyed the characters and the setting enough that I’ll be continuing this series with a few minor reservations.

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

Also by Julie Kagawa: The Iron Queen, The Iron Daughter & The Iron King

Blog | Twitter | Facebook

Jennifer graduated from the University of Utah with a BA in English. She occasionally dabbles with her own fiction writing, particularly with the Young Adult and Paranormal genres. She currently resides in Utah with her husband and daughter.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

View Post

Review: The Selection by Kiera Cass

[ 3 ] April 23, 2012

Reviewed by Megan Saldecki

America Singer is content with her life. Although her boyfriend, Aspen, is in a lower caste, to America, he’s perfect. So when he urges her to join The Selection, an opportunity for one of thirty-five girls to become the wife of Prince Maxon, she is surprised. She’s even more surprised when she’s picked.

Wanting to be with Aspen, but needing the checks that The Selection provides her family with more, America sets off to the palace, heart closed off from the snobby Prince.

But when America meets Maxon, she realizes he’s not who she thought he was. He’s kind and sweet and she realizes that marrying Aspen might not be the best choice she has – and wants.

Plagued by these new found feelings, America has a big decision to make. Will it be Aspen or Prince Maxon?

After hearing about The Selection being compared to The Bachelor, I immediately wanted to read it. Being an unashamed fan of The Bachelor and all the juicy drama it provides, I knew I couldn’t go wrong with The Selection. And it didn’t disappoint.

America was a great character. She has a great head on her shoulders and knows exactly what she wants – except when it comes to love. I really loved her commitment to her family and her kindness towards everyone, despite their castes. I did, however, get annoyed about her indecision when it came to Aspen and Maxon. But unlike most love triangles, The Selection‘s love triangle at least seemed a bit more realistic, because it did not involve instant love.

It was obvious from the get go that the love triangle will play a major role in the series. At the end of The Selection, America had yet to make up her mind on who she wanted to be with. So if you dislike love triangles, romance as a major plot line, or a heroine who cannot make up her mind, The Selection is probably not for you. I, however, enjoyed it, and would recommend it to fans of dystopian fiction, romance, and of course, The Bachelor.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Meghan is a 18-year-old book blogger. She likes to read and write in her spare time and would like to become a published author one day. She plans on going to college soon.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Harper Teen. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

View Post

Review: Glimmer by Phoebe Kitanidis

[ 3 ] April 15, 2012

Reviewed by Megan Saldecki

When Marshall and Elyse wake up in each other’s arms, they don’t know what to think. First of all, they are naked and second of all, they don’t know each other, or even know who they themselves are.

Armed with nothing to go on but each other, they start to piece together clues. They’re in Summer Falls, the ultimate tourist trap next to the mountains. Everyone seems beyond happy to be here, but Marshall and Elyse soon find out the truth. The people of Summer Falls have no bad memories.

So who or what is making these people happy? And why can’t Marshall and Elyse remember anything? The secrets they uncover could spell out death for them and everyone else in Summer Falls.

I was excited for Glimmer even before I got done reading the whole synopsis. And while this page-turner had some flaws, it didn’t disappoint.

I liked Elyse and Marshall fairly well. The only problem was that their personalities sort of blended together for me. They had alternating first-person chapters, so sometimes I forgot who was talking, as they didn’t really seem to have personalities that stood out from one another. This is not to say they weren’t enjoyable, just not as developed as I would have liked.

The romance wasn’t too developed either. There’s a good reason for their almost instant attraction for each other, but it isn’t uncovered until much, much later. I would have liked a bit more romance, nonetheless. If I woke up with no memory along with another person, I’d rely heavily on that person while we figured it out. While they said they trusted each other and would protect each other, it seemed a bit forced to me.

The plot is the best part of Glimmer, and it’s worth it if you can get around a few flaws with the characters. I really enjoyed the mystery of Summer Falls, it was creepy and kept me on my toes. The explanation, while a bit far-fetched, was satisfying. Glimmer is a standalone book, so everything gets wrapped up neatly and I couldn’t find any major loose ends.

A warning to those that are sensitive to talk of sex and swearing: there are both in Glimmer. There is more talk of sex (not detailed) than actual sex. The swearing is a bit harder to overlook, as there is quite a bit of it and it’s “heavy” swearing such as the F- and S-word.

Overall, I really enjoyed Glimmer. It kept me turning pages and had me creeped out a few times. I would recommend this to fans of the thriller genre or someone wanting a quick, fun mystery to read.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Meghan is a 18-year-old book blogger. She likes to read and write in her spare time and would like to become a published author one day. She plans on going to college soon.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Balzer+Bray. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

View Post

Review: Starters by Lissa Price

[ 4 ] April 10, 2012

Reviewed by April Kirkland

The Spore Wars have left the United States in shambles. The young known as starters and the elderly known as enders were the first to receive the vaccinations to fight the spores. As a result, citizens between the ages of 20-60 were wiped out. The “no minors working” legislation meant to protect enders from being pushed out of the workplace by more able bodied starters has made it nearly impossible for unclaimed minors to survive. With no living relatives to claim them,they are forced to squat in abandoned buildings and hide from Marshals to avoid being taken to the institution.

Callie is one of these unclaimed minors running and hiding with her sick younger brother Tyler and their friend Michael. Callie hears about a place called Prime Destinations where you can get paid under the radar by renting out your body to enders. Desperate to save her brother, Callie agrees to rent her body for a huge amount of cash that she plans to use to start a new life. All she has to do is get through three rentals. But when things take an unexpected turn, Callie wakes up in her own body but can now communicate with her renter in her mind. The things Callie finds out from her renter change everything and now she must find out how to survive.

Compelling from beginning to end, Lissa Price has built an eerily realistic dystopian world full of suspense and intensity. Starters is dark and fascinating, and I feel that Price has put a unique spin on dystopian societies. Her writing is superb with perfect pacing and momentum. The characters are interesting and strong.

Starters is full of action, technology, romance, and intrigue. I was constantly engaged wondering what twist would happen next and where this story might lead. I truly loved this book and can’t help but to linger on some of the questions I hope will be answered in the next book. I am eagerly awaiting the release of the sequel.

I highly recommend Starters to dystopian fans and young adult readers. I feel that this book also has great crossover appeal for adults. It is definitely my top read for 2012 so far!

Rating: ★★★★★ 

April is a stay at home mom and wife. She lives in a small county in Alabama famous for its peaches. She loves to write poetry, read, and paint, and is also an aspiring author.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Delacorte Books for Young Readers. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

View Post

Review: The Calling by Kelley Armstrong

[ 1 ] April 8, 2012

Reviewed by Grace Soledad

The Calling is the sequel to The Gathering, and starts up where the previous book left off. After Maya and her friends witness a strange group of people lighting fires in the Vancouver Island woods, they are evacuated from their isolated town via helicopter. Maya and her friends don’t understand why these things are happening to them, but have some unique abilities. Maya – with her Native heritage – has a small faded paw print birthmark on her hip, and has recently discovered that she is a skin-walker, or can change into a cougar. Daniel senses things about people, and they start to wonder if the town might have a more sinister purpose for keeping them isolated from the rest of the world. After the events in the previous book, they start to wonder which side to take.

When their helicopter crashes in the middle of the Vancouver Island wilderness, the group of teens is stranded without food or water, trying to find their way back to their families against a ticking clock. Their enemies are still after them, trying to pick them off one by one and they don’t know why. Secrets are uncovered. The people that they have known their entire lives have started to turn against each other, wondering who to trust. The main question is: who is the enemy?

I was having a bit of deja vu at the beginning of The Calling because it almost reminded me of Flight 29 Down or Beauty Queens, without the satire. Everything was at first very abrupt. Maya is as likable a character as always, and we learn more about each character as the story line progresses. One of the strengths and one of my favorite parts of the book is Kelley Armstrong’s ability to change my perception of a character with only a few sentences. I enjoyed hearing more about the backstories and it added to the twists that came. Maya was a bit of an unreliable narrator because she struggled with how she judged people, but it worked with the book.

The action and paranormal aspects of The Calling book were incredible. It was cleverly written and everything started to knit together and make sense, although every once in a while something would happen that would turn things upside down all over again. I tore through this book in less than an hour – it was filled with action and intrigue, while still featuring all the character development and cleanliness that I enjoy in all my books. It’s hard to capture both qualities, and Armstrong made it look effortless. I loved it.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Also by Kelley Armstrong: Spell Bound & Waking the Witch

Grace Soledad is a teenage bibliophile who runs the blog Words Like Silver. She is described as “antisocial” because she constantly has her nose buried in a book or a notebook. When not reading, she can be found dancing, writing, or at the beach.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by HarperCollins. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

View Post

Review: Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler

[ 3 ] April 1, 2012

Reviewed by Grace Soledad

I had never read anything by Sarah Ockler before but she’s the author of Twenty Boy Summer - a book everyone is always insisting that I read. So when I got the opportunity to read Bittersweet, I jumped at the chance.

One of the most endearing things about Bittersweet is the protagonist, Hudson. Hudson has always been an ice skater, destined for greater things. Her parents, especially her dad, supported her dream. But three years ago, Hudson found evidence of her dad’s affair, the one that tore their family apart. Now she can’t imagine trusting him again, or even trusting the people around her.

After abandoning her life on the ice and going through her parents’ messy divorce, Hudson finds herself inventing cupcakes at her mother’s diner and coaching a boys’ hockey team. She doesn’t let anybody get too close to her, and quietly yearns to get back on the ice, missing its familiarity. With her mother’s diner going under, Hudson learns of a skating competition that could save her family, but could also reopen a lot of old wounds. But with her mother’s livelihood on the line and with Hudson falling in love with a boy who is perfect for her, will her trust problems cause her to miss her chance?

It’s rare for me to read a book where the main character is incredibly passionate about one thing. For me, it’s dance. For Hudson, it’s ice skating. Her passion comes through on every page and and the terminology is easy to pick up and understand even for readers unfamiliar with the sport.

The best and most important parts of Bittersweet are the relationships between Hudson and the people around her. She has trouble with her friends, with her mom and dad, and even with the boy who she is falling for. These relationships are bittersweet because Hudson truly loves the people involved, but allows the doubts and sadness over her family to take over. She is a strong character who is thoughtful and interesting to read about, but her problems truly make her memorable.

The writing in this book was impeccable. I never expected Sarah Ockler’s writing to touch me so deeply. It was all the little things that made it memorable: the cupcake descriptions at the beginning of each chapter that made my mouth water, the natural and clear dialogue, the blossoming romance, and Hudson’s sense of self.

With talented writing and a sweet story line, Bittersweet is not a book to miss.

Rating: ★★★★★ 


Grace Soledad is a teenage bibliophile who runs the blog Words Like Silver. She is described as “antisocial” because she constantly has her nose buried in a book or a notebook. When not reading, she can be found dancing, writing, or at the beach.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Simon Pulse. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

View Post

Review: Perception by Kim Harrington

[ 2 ] March 29, 2012

Reviewed by April Kirkland

Clarity, a.k.a. Clare, is not a typical teenage girl and she definitely does not come from a typical family. Each member of her family has a special gift: her mother Starla is telepathic, her brother Periwinkle “Perry” is a medium and Clare’s gift is retro-cognitive psychometry. In layman’s terms, that means that she can sometimes get visions of actions or emotions from the past when she touches an object some else has touched. Her gift comes in very handy in the family business, “Readings By The Fern Family”. But, one thing, or person, that Clare cannot see is the one who is stalking her…

Clare has to find out who this secret admirer is and exactly what their intentions are. They obviously know about her and her gift so how can she find out who has been lurking in the shadows?

Perception was well written and kept me on the edge of my seat. It had just enough twists and turns to keep me guessing without feeling overly done.

Perception is the second book in the Clarity series by Kim Harrington. That said, I did not read the first book and did not feel that I was missing any key essentials to the story. There were a few descriptions of past events that let me know just enough to be able to follow this story correctly.

I really loved Perception and will probably go back and read the first novel just to find out some of the past behind one of my new favorite characters. I highly recommend the book to any fans of YA novels with mystery and suspense.

Rating: ★★★★½ 


April is a stay at home mom and wife. She lives in a small county in Alabama famous for its peaches. She loves to write poetry, read, and paint, and is also an aspiring author.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Point. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

View Post

Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

[ 3 ] March 28, 2012

Reviewed by Sara Drake

First I need to admit that I love fairytales and fairytale retellings. Despite the predictability inherent in retelling classic tales, I can’t seem to break my addiction to them. A science fiction retelling of the Cinderella tale? Of course I had to read it! From the moment a friend told me about Cinder, I knew I had to get my hands on a copy. Having admitted my bias to the genre, I will proceed with my review.

The setting: a future where cyborgs exist but get treated as second class citizens. The basic plot: Cinder, a cyborg, struggles to earn money to support her step-mother and step-sisters. She lives the Cinderella life which includes a handsome prince and an anticipated ball. Within the basic outlines of the familiar tale, Marissa Meyer weaves a complex tale that includes an incurable disease, interplanetary politics, and one young woman’s growing knowledge of herself.

I enjoyed Cinder from beginning to end. Even with the predictability of the story, Meyer worked in numerous surprises which kept me guessing (including the ending). The main characters jump from the pages as real people which quickly engage the reader’s affections. The world building impressed me, which is fairly hard to do; Meyer provided details that created a consistent and believable environment.

My first reaction to Cinder was mixed but after a few days, I found myself still thinking about it. I decided I would reread it. I found I enjoyed it even more on the second reading. The elements of the plot that annoyed me as being unnecessarily predictable struck me the second time around as intentional on the author’s behalf so that the reader felt increased tension waiting for the characters to figure it out.

I enjoyed reading this book more than I expected. I recommend it for anyone who enjoys a good fairytale retelling or a good science fiction.

Rating: ★★★★★ 

Sara Drake has been an avid reader since a young age. She has both a Master’s in Mental Health Counseling and a Master’s in History.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Feiwel & Friends. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

Related Posts with Thumbnails
View Post
Page 2 of 2812345...1020...Last »