Possess, by Gretchen McNeil

Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Release Date: August 23, 2011
Hardcover: 279 pages
Genre: YA - Urban Fantasy
Read it in: 8 days
Source: Library
Challenges: YA/MG Fantasy
Rating: ★★★★

Rule #1: Do not show fear.Rule #2: Do not show pity.Rule #3: Do not engage.Rule #4: Do not let your guard down.Rule #5: They lie.
Fifteen-year-old Bridget Liu just wants to be left alone: by her mom, by the cute son of a local police sergeant, and by the eerie voices she can suddenly and inexplicably hear. Unfortunately for Bridget, it turns out the voices are demons – and Bridget has the rare ability to banish them back to whatever hell they came from.
Terrified to tell people about her new power, Bridget confides in a local priest who enlists her help in increasingly dangerous cases of demonic possession. But just as she is starting to come to terms with her new power, Bridget receives a startling message from one of the demons. Now Bridget must unlock the secret to the demons' plan before someone close to her winds up dead – or worse, the human vessel of a demon king.

I'm so glad I was finally able to read this. I added it to my TBR list last year before it had a cover and I remember getting goosebumps when I saw the cover finally. It's beautiful and creepy and fits very well, I think! But anyway, I won a giveaway last year for an awesome bottlecap necklace (You can see a pic of it I found on the net here.). After I got it I fell in love more and knew I needed to read it ASAP. But that didn't happen, sadly. Ha!

This book was so unique and enjoyable! I'm so mad I waited so long to read it, but at the same time I'm glad I waited because I've been in such a reading slump and this really made me want to read. And not only was it unique and enjoyable, but it was suspenseful and creepy as HELL! It made me SO paranoid while reading it at night. I kept waiting to hear whispers from the demons in my room.

There was also one scene that was SO creepy that made me thankful I don't have porcelain dolls anymore. My mom used to buy them all the time (She loves them...*shudders*) and have them in a glass cabinet and she would also buy some for me to put up in my room and I always had trouble falling asleep. Knowing those dead, glassy eyes were staring at me. Watching me. *shudders* I've always been creeped out by them, but this scene in this book REALLY made it that much worse.

The ghost kitty also kind of freaked me out. I was on edge for hours after reading that, ha!

Bridget. The main character. OMG. She was snarky, sarcastic, strong, doesn't need anyone to help her, and just so freaking kick ass. She was hilarious at times and other times I would feel bad for her for having this gift. She's definitely a great character and super fun to read about.

And Matt Quinn, oh God. At first I was kind of iffy about him but it didn't take me long to start talking to Bridget and telling her how stupid she was being with him. I wanted to smack her so many times and tell her to just give in to her feelings for him. He was a jock, yes, but oh so sweet and just...hot. *drools*

There is one guy who creeped me out from the start and I suspected him long before Bridget found anything out. Not going to name his name, though, don't want to give it away. But he was always weird to me. Glad my gut feeling was right!

The writing was amazing as well. I was hooked from the first page. I love how it basically launches right into things. Sometimes its a great thing when that happens. With some back story thrown in there so you can learn about the main character. Loved it.

Overall, this was a great book. The only thing I had a problem with was some parts were just weird to me....Can't really explain them. But other than that this book is amazing and I really hope they make a sequel. I've heard different things about that. Some people say there is a sequel planned, and others say there aren't. Does anyone know if there will be? It could be a standalone, but it does leave a few things left out there where a sequel could be added. I really hope there is, I want to see more Bridget and Matt. <3

I highly recommend this to fantasy lovers! I have never read a book about possession and this one was amazing!
                                                                                                                                                                                                   
Author Info: Website | Twitter | Facebook
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Two Truths and a Lie, by Sara Shepard

Series: Lying Game, #3
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: February 7, 2010
Hardcover: 304 pages
Genre: Young Adult - Contemporary
Read it in: 8 days
Source: Library
Challenge: YA Contemporary
Rating: ★★★★

Sutton Mercer watches from the afterlife as her long-lost twin, Emma Paxton, takes over her identity to solve her murder. But after ruling out her early leads, Emma still hasn’t found Sutton’s killer. A lot of people wanted her dead—but one name keeps popping up: Thayer Vega. When the gorgeous and mysterious Thayer returns to town, Emma has to move fast to figure out whether he’s back for revenge…or if he already got it.
Set in a town where friends can turn into dangerous enemies and everyone harbors dark secrets, The Lying Game is a juicy new series that fans of the #1 New York Times bestselling Pretty Little Liars series—and the hit ABC Family show—will love.

I know this is sad, but even though I'm on the third book in this series, I STILL have trouble trying to separate the characters and happenings in the TV show and the characters and happenings in the books. I mean, they are mostly completely different. But I do love both.

Sara Shepard really knows how to write a good mystery. She keeps it creepy, but enjoyable and glamorous. If that makes sense.  I love both Pretty Little Liars and this series. TV show and books. She's a fantastic story teller and definitely keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Once again, as with ALL of Sara's books, they give you a suspect and make everything point to them. You start believing it's actually them, but then BAM you're left back at step one by the end of the book. I don't want to go too much into detail about that because I don't want to spoil the book. But gosh....

I'd love to sit here and discuss theories of who the murderer might be and who is blackmailing Emma into keeping quiet about Sutton and herself, but I don't want to give anything away. But if you've read the first three books and would like to discuss, feel free to email me!

I really like Emma. I've always liked Emma better. I mean, c'mon, she's the nice twin. But, you know, it is refreshing to hear Sutton's thought every now and again to spice things up. Which I LOVE the added memories in this book. It really sheds some light on things and makes you able to see her side of what happened.

You also get to know more about Thayer in this book which I liked, though I'm  a bit creeped out by the book Thayer sometimes. But hey, that's good!

Overall, this was a great addition to the series and I'm very excited for the next! I definitely liked this one better than the second one. I hope I'll like the next one even better than this one. If you haven't checked out anything by Sara yet, please do. She may sound like a fluff writer, and parts of that may be true, but she sure knows how to keep you guessing and her books have great mystery.
                                                                                                                             
Author Info: Website | Twitter | Facebook
Buy: Amazon | The Book Depository
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The fourth book in this series is called  Hide and Seek, it was released July 31, 2012. 

Read my other reviews for this series:  

• The Lying Game
• Never Have I Ever

Pretty Crooked, by Elisa Ludwig

Series: Pretty Crooked, #1
Publisher: Katherine Tegen
Release Date: March 23, 2012
Hardcover: 368 pages
Genre: Young Adult - Contemporary
Read it in: 13 days
Source: Library
Challenge: Debut Author, YA Contemporary
Rating: ★★★★

Willa’s secret plan seems all too simple: take from the rich kids at Valley Prep and give to the poor ones.
Yet Willa’s turn as Robin Hood at her ultra-exclusive high school is anything but. Bilking her “friends”-known to everyone as the Glitterati-without them suspecting a thing, is far from easy. Learning how to pick pockets and break into lockers is as difficult as she’d thought it’d be. Delivering care packages to the scholarship girls, who are ostracized just for being from the “wrong” side of town, is way more fun than she’d expected.
The complication Willa didn’t expect, though, is Aidan Murphy, Valley Prep’s most notorious (and gorgeous) ace-degenerate. His mere existence is distracting Willa from what matters most to her-evening the social playing field between the have and have-nots. There’s no time for crushes and flirting with boys, especially conceited and obnoxious trust-funders like Aidan.
But when the cops start investigating the string of burglaries at Valley Prep and the Glitterati begin to seek revenge, could he wind up being the person that Willa trusts most?

When I first read the summary for this 2012 debut, I knew it was going to be an enjoyable read. It's just one of those books you know right of the bat is going to be fun. And it was. It took me a while to read it, nearly two weeks, but that was because I was in a rut. I just didn't want to read at all, but once I did I'd get through some pages pretty fast because it was funny at times and pretty snarky.

Willa was a great character, she lost her way a little bit toward the middle, but fixed it by helping those who didn't have much money. There is your classic mean girls in this book, the "Glitterati", they make it hell for those who are on scholarships and don't have the means to dress up to their standards. Willa thought there was something that needed to be done about that. So she turns into a modern day Robin Hood.

With the help of a new friend, she learns how to pick pocket and break into lockers and cars and eventually houses and steal things from those who have enough money to buy a million more of the things she stole. When she was on a "job" it really made my heart beat. My heart was pounding so hard thinking she was about to get caught. And then I'd exhale my held breath in relief.

Other than Willa, my other favorite characters were Cherise, Tre, and Aidan. Especially Aidan, he was so funny and all of his scenes made me smile. He's pretty different than the other rich kids. I can't decide who I want Willa to be with, though. I really like Aidan and she does too, but theres parts of me that see Tre and I'm like, "Noo Willa!". Maybe we'll see in the next book what will happen.

Overall, this is just an overall enjoyable book. The writing flowed well and I'd fly through pages when I was reading. This is definitely a debut to read this year! And a new author to add to my watch list. If you like Robin Hood and fashion, you should definitely give this book a try!
                                                                                                                                    
Author Info: Website | Twitter | Facebook
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The sequel, Pretty Sly, will be released on March 12th, 2013. 

My Soul to Keep, by Rachel Vincent

Series: Soul Screamers, #3
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: June 1, 2010
Paperback: 296 pages
Genre: Young Adult - Urban Fantasy
Read it in: 3 days
Source: Library
Challenge: ABC Reading
Rating: ★★★★

Kaylee has one addiction: her very hot, very popular boyfriend, Nash. A banshee like Kaylee, Nash understands her like no one else. Nothing can come between them.Until something does.Demon breath. No, not the toothpaste-challenged kind. The Netherworld kind. The kind that reallycan kill you. Somehow the super-addictive substance has made its way to the human world. But how? Kaylee and Nash have to cut off the source and protect their friends—one of whom is already hooked.And so is someone else…

For some reason every time I pick up a book from this series and start it, it takes me a while to get into it! Not sure why that is, but once I finally do get into it I can't stop! I get dragged in and all I want to do is sit there and read and figure out what kind of mess Kaylee, Nash, and Tod are going to get themselves into next.

And 99% of the time it's because Kaylee can't stand by and not HELP whoever is in trouble. She HAS to help them. She feels it's her duty, and I love that about her. Sometimes I really do want to smack Kaylee, but most of the time she's a great character to be reading about. She's smart and very loyal to her friends and family.

 I also really like Nash and Tod. I remember in the beginning of the first book I didn't like Tod much, but with each book I love him just that much more. He's hilarious. And Nash, I've loved him since the start, if I remember correctly. Though in this book he disappointed me a bit. He always seems to perfect, but he definitely proves you wrong in this book. I'm not going to go into details, but he gets himself into a bit of trouble. He completely broke my heart in this book. =( Though I do still feel bad for him.

My other favorite characters are Harmony, Kaylee's dad and her Uncle Brendon. They are great to have around and they seem the type of people I'd love to have in my own family. Especially Harmony, as she's always nice and ALWAYS baking something nice. =) I do love me some food, and looove me some sweet stuff.

If you've read book two (You better have if you're reading this review!) you've learned about Demon's Breath. In the third installment you get to learn more about it and get a little more deep into it. It makes a great plot and very interesting, but also very scary! I was sighing so much in this book because I was worried about Kaylee, Nash and Tod.

Overall, as always Rachel Vincent has done it again. I'm DYING to pick up book four from the library, but I've made a new rule to finish the ones I have before picking up new ones...Boo! I definitely liked this one a lot better than the second book, they are just going to keep getting better and better I can just feel it. And this third installment had the most twists out of the series so far, at least in my opinion.

If you haven't started this series yet, you should definitely check it out. It's definitely unique and Rachel is an amazing writer. This is her second series that I've fallen in love with. She's definitely one of my top favorite authors. So watch out for her!
                                                                                                                             

Author Info: Website | Twitter | Facebook

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The fourth book in this series is called My Soul to Steal. It was released on January 4th, 2011.  

Read my other reviews for this series: 

• My Soul to Take (#1)
• My Soul to Save (#2) 

Suite Scarlett, by Maureen Johnson

Series: Scarlett, #1
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Release Date: May 1, 2008
Genre: Young Adult - Contemporary
Read it in: 2 days
Source: Own
Challenge: Off the Shelf
Rating: ★★★★
Badges:

Her new summer job comes with baggage
Scarlett Martin has grown up in a most unusual way. Her family owns the Hopewell, a small hotel in the heart of New York City, and Scarlett lives there with her four siblings - Spencer, Lola, and Marlene.
When each of the Martins turns fifteen, they are expected to take over the care of a suite in the once elegant, now shabby Art Deco hotel. For Scarlett's fifteenth birthday, she gets both a room called the Empire Suite, and a permanent guest called Mrs. Amberson.

My first thoughts on starting this, was that it was definitely interesting. The first page is the start of the first "ACT", there are four acts in the book and each page begins with something that was taken out of a book about the hotel that Scarlett, the main character, lives in. So it added to the story and definitely drags you in curious about the hotel Scarlett lives in, and her family owns.

I've been wanting to read this for a long time, I've read a couple of Maureen's books before and I've either really liked or loved each one. So I knew I wouldn't be disappointed. And I wasn't! It wasn't "OHMYGOD" good, but it was definitely intriguing and fun to read.

Scarlett lives in a hotel that her family own, it's been passed down through the Martin family. It's not the most famous hotel in New York, it's actually one of the lesser ones. Normally they only have a total, if even, of five guests! But Scarlett still loves it. She lives there with her mom, dad, and siblings; older brother Spencer, Older sister Lola, and younger sister Marlene. She is most close with Spencer.

Scarlett was a fun character, at times I wanted to smack her for being so stupid, but she was overall a good and genuine character. I loved her relationship with her family, especially Spencer. I really wish I had an older brother like, Spencer. There would be no frowns around him, as he's an actor and pretty goofy. I know I cracked up a lot at Scarlett and Spencer being around each other. 


I also liked Eric, though times I was suspicious of how nice he was being, and for good reasons. WATCH OUT! But I still do love him. =D He was so nice and gentleman-y. 


Amy, Scarlett's eccentric boss was...eccentric. Very interesting. She bugged me a lot of the time, but she was funny and a great, unique character. I'm looking forward to learning more about each and every one of these characters in the sequel. 


Overall, this was a fun read. It wasn't my favorite, but it is definitely recommendable. It made me smile a lot and really too me out of my head for a while. Scarlett and Spencer get into a lot of trouble and it's fun watching them work it out and then fall head first into yet again another problem. If you haven't read this, you should if you like enjoyable contemporaries that are mostly for fun, no anything too "deep".
                                                                                                                                   

Author Info: Website | Twitter

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The sequel is called Scarlett Fever. It was released on February 1, 2010. 

Anna Dressed in Blood, by Kendare Blake

Series: Anna, #1
Author Info: Website / Twitter / Facebook
Publisher: Orchard Books (UK) / Tor Teen (US)
Release Date: July 5th, 2012 (UK) / August 30, 2011 (US)
ARC: 367 pages
Genre: Young Adult - Paranormal
Buy: Amazon
Read it in: 10 days
Source: Publisher
Challenge: TBR Pile, Book Blogger Recommendation
Rating: ★★★★

Just your average boy-meets-girl, girl-kills-people story...
Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead. 
So did his father before him, until his gruesome murder by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father’s mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.
When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn’t expect anything outside of the ordinary: move, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he’s never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, but now stained red and dripping blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.
And she, for whatever reason, spares his life.

I've been wanting to read this for a long time, so once I saw it on the review list from Orchard Books I knew I had to get it!  I'm so glad I had the opportunity to review this, even though it took me forever to read it once I started it. That had nothing to do with the writing or anything either, more the fact that I was a chicken and wouldn't read it at night if my hubby was working and I was also reading an eBook at the same time. So it took me ten days!

I don't know where to begin with this book. It was downright creepy. I looove creepy things, but this nearly gave me nightmares! Which, of course, I did love! This is such a unique idea and I fell in love with it. Sometimes I have trouble getting into reading through books that have male point-of-views, but I didn't have an issue with this book at all. I got dragged in from the start.

Cas, the main character, is sarcastic and such a great guy. Yes, his occupation/hobby isn't normal for someone his age, but that makes him so interesting. He doesn't have a lot of friends, but he knows how to make his way to the top if he has to. Which really helps when he's looking for information on the "ghost stories" around his new town.

Cas makes two new friends when he comes to Thunder Bay: the beautiful popular girl, Carmel, and the scrawny outcast Thomas. When Carmel came into the picture, I thought she'd be the stereo-typical annoying popular cheerleader, but after a few events happen in the book she becomes a lot more than that and you actually see real personality there and I really liked the REAL side of her.

I really liked Thomas' character and his grandfather, Morfran. They added a lot to the story and Thomas is very helpful and a great guy. Him and Cas are hilarious together.

Anna was really creepy at first and I didn't like her. I just wanted her gone so we could continue with the story. But she WAS the story, which even though the title IS after her, I thought that by the end of the book she'd be dead and boy was I wrong! By the end of the book she wasn't as creepy, she could have her moments, but she was a great character and I'm glad we got to know her a bit.

Overall, this was a great book and I'm dying to read the sequel. I definitely recommend this to those who love a great story and a great creepy type novel. There is even a little bit of romance in it! I'm definitely adding Kendare Blake to my author watch list because she definitely knows how to write and definitely knows how to creep someone out. Great job Kendare Blake! I love your name too, by the way!

The sequel to this is called Girl of Nightmares. It will be released in the US on August 7th, 2012. 

Note: A lot of people got confused when I kept putting up the UK information for Anna Dressed in Blood. I live in the US, but I do reviewing for Orchard Books which is in the UK. Anna Dressed in Blood has already been released in the US by Tor Teen and is now newly released in the UK by Orchard Books. 

Torment, by Lauren Kate

Series: Fallen, #2
Author Info: Website / Twitter / Facebook
Publisher: Delecorte Books for Young Readers
Release Date: September 28, 2010
Paperback: 452 pages
Genre: Young Adult - Paranormal Romance
Buy: Amazon
Read it in: 6 days
Source: Own
Challenge: TBR Pile, ABC Reading
Rating: ★★★★

Hell on earth.
That’s what it’s like for Luce to be apart from her fallen angel boyfriend, Daniel.It took them an eternity to find one another, but now he has told her he must go away. Just long enough to hunt down the Outcasts—immortals who want to kill Luce. Daniel hides Luce at Shoreline, a school on the rocky California coast with unusually gifted students: Nephilim, the offspring of fallen angels and humans.

At Shoreline, Luce learns what the Shadows are, and how she can use them as windows to her previous lives. Yet the more Luce learns, the more she suspects that Daniel hasn’t told her everything. He’s hiding something—something dangerous.

What if Daniel’s version of the past isn’t actually true? What if Luce is really meant to be with someone else?

 I'm so happy I was finally able to read this! I read Fallen in 2011, but never moved on to read Torment. So this year I re-read Fallen and FINALLY dove into Torment. Though Torment wasn't as good as Fallen, it was still amazing and gave you a lot more history on things and Luce was able to find out a lot more about her past lives than she knew in the first book.

Daniel, unfortunately, wasn't in it as much as I was hoping. Boo! BUT after starting the book and learning about the truce, he was in it more than I expected after all that. Which I was happy for. I love Daniel! I'm starting to like Cam again after all the crap at the end of Fallen, but I'm still team Daniel!

I know a lot of people think that this series is a "Been there, done that." series. But I don't think so. Yes, some parts have been done before, but a lot of it is unique and extremely addicting. EXTREMELY. So much that I went ahead and ordered Passion and Rapture.

You meet a lot of new characters in this book as well. Miles and Shelby, whom I absolutely ADORE! At times I was getting mad at Miles, since I'm team Daniel, but at other times I was all "Awww..." and falling under his spell. He's a great guy. =) Shelby is a great friend, at first I was a little annoyed by her, but as soon as she started opening up and being nice to Luce, I started really liking her.

Overall, this is a great series. The writing and plot is addicting and the characters are well developed and you find yourself flipping through pages faster than you think you can even read. You go through so many emotions as well, at least I do. I'll be happy and then I'll be heart broken and it's just so emotional with Luce and Daniel and heart-wrenching at times and sometimes I really need a box of tissues sitting beside me when it involves them.

Read my review of the first book:

Yes, I'm aware this is the Australian book trailer, but I couldn't find a US one. Still the same book, so who cares? Ha!

Slated, by Teri Terry

Slated, by Teri Terry
(Slated, #1)
Author Info: Website / Facebook / Twitter
Publisher: Orchard Books
Release Date: May 3, 2012
ARC: 446
Genre: Young Adult - Dystopian
Buy: Amazon
Read it in: 5 days
Source: Publisher
Challenge: Debut Author, Dystopian
Rating: ★★★★
To learn more about my rating badges, click here! 

Kyla’s memory has been erased,her personality wiped blank,her memories lost for ever.
She’s been Slated.
The government claims she was a terrorist, and that they are giving her a second chance - as long as she plays by their rules. But echoes of the past whisper in Kyla’s mind. Someone is lying to her, and nothing is as it seems. Who can she trust in her search for the truth?

To be honest, when I first saw this book I thought the summary sounded intriguing and I wanted to read it, but the cover just didn't do anything for me. Then when I got it for review, I was happy, but was also groaning inside. I kept putting it off and putting it off for review because I was worried that the summary sounded better than it probably actually was. But I was wrong! I'm so happy I was wrong!

The book was way better than the summary lets on. Don't let the weird cover fool you, though I do admit that now after reading it I get the cover. It does fit it, though I would still like a different cover. But I do love the eyes!

I'm not sure if this is going to be out in the US yet, but I did get it from the UK. It's a debut novel and a great one! This is a fresh dystopian that will have you at the edge of your seat. Some things were weird, but it was still intriguing and had me flying through the pages.

At first, I was a little worried by the main character Kyla. Due to her memory being erased, she was basically like a child. She had to learn everything all over again. She was also put into a family's home who wasn't hear "real" family. She was expected to call the woman "mum" and the man "father". It was just...normal in their situation, if that makes sense. In the home is also another slated girl named Amy. She was kind of annoying at times, but she was funny too at times.

My favorites were Kyle and Ben. Kyle is a lot different than the "normal" slateds. They are supposed to do what they say until they turn 21. They wear "levos" that tell their mood and if their mood levels get near the low 3's or to the 2's, they blackout. Slateds are those who have done something wrong and instead of locking them up in jail or killing them, they wipe their mind clean and give them another chance.

Kyla starts remembering things though. Snippets of things. She doesn't know if they are real memories or things that are just made up in her mind from things she sees.

Ben, who is also a Slated, is a bit different too. But only because Kyla draws that out of him.

The dad kind of creeped me out. He was weird. The mom was pretty nice though after a little while, you can tell she kind of has a rebel side. She doesn't fully agree on everything the government thinks.

Overall, this story was great. I don't want to get too into detail because I'll start rambling on and give away the whole story. I'm definitely looking forward to book two, this time with a full intention on reading it immediately. No worries! If you love Dystopians, you definitely don't want to miss this one!

The sequel, Fracture, will be released in May 2012. 

Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink, by Stephanie Kate Strohm

Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink, by Stephanie Kate Strohm
Author Info: Website / Twitter / Facebook
Publisher: Houghtin Mifflin Harcourt
Release Date: May 8, 2012
Paperback: 204 pages
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Buy: Amazon
Read it in: 3 days
Source: Publisher
Challenge: Debut Author, YA Contemp, ABC Reading
Rating: 
To learn more about my rating badges, click here!

A story of crushes, corsets, and conspiracy

Libby Kelting had always felt herself born out of time. No wonder the historical romance-reading, Jane Austen-adaptation-watching, all-around history nerd jumped at the chance to intern at Camden Harbor, Maine’s Oldest Living History Museum. But at Camden Harbor Libby’s just plain out of place, no matter how cute she looks in a corset. Her cat-loving coworker wants her dead, the too-smart-for-his-own-good local reporter keeps pushing her buttons, her gorgeous sailor may be more shipwreck than dreamboat — plus Camden Harbor’s haunted. Over the course of one unforgettable summer, Libby learns that boys, like ghosts, aren’t always what they seem.

 When I first read the summary for this book, I was like, "This sounds like a fun, quick contemporary!" and added it to my list. When I got it in the mail for review, I was happy, but not OMG YAY! happy. Once I started reading this, I got sucked in. It was so dang hilarious! The main character was so crazy. She was REALLY into fashion, and had her high standards, but she was also an aspiring historian and a nerd!

So many people underestimates her upon meeting her. They thing she's just your average dumb blonde, but she's not! She has a deeper layer that you realize once you start talking to her. Which made her seem that much more real!

At first, I was worried that she WAS that typical dumb blonde. But after a couple of pages I started to like her and knew there was a deeper layer. I'd really like to read more about her! And gosh, I never thought about working for a history museum for the summer when I was in school! That would of probably been quite fun! I love the old time dresses like she had to wear and would of loved to learn how to do some of the colonial cooking and things!

It was such a fun read, I wish it were bigger! At first I grabbed it from my TBR pile on my nightstand of books I want to get to ASAP and just wanted it for a quick contemporary read, but now I'm really sad it's over with. I really would have read 100 or even 200 more pages of it!

I really liked Garrett as well, right from the start! And I did like Cam as well, but was really suspicious of the way he acted. He was just...too weird. Too "perfect". That's always trouble! Okay, not always, but mostly.

Overall, if you're looking for a quick, fun, contemporary that has  some historical points in it (i.e she went to a history museum for the summer to live in the "colonial times") you should definitely check this out! And this is Stephanie debut novel for this year!  I will definitely be adding her to my author watch list!

The Springsweet, by Saundra Mitchell

The Springsweet, by Saundra Mitchell
(The Vespertine, #2)
Author Info: Website | Twitter | Youtube
Publisher: Harcourt Children's
Release Date: April 17, 2012
Hardcover: 275 pages
Genre: Young Adult - Historical Fiction
Buy: Amazon
Read it in: 3 days
Source: Publisher
Challenge: None
Rating: 
To learn more about my rating badges, click here!

Heartbroken over the tragic death of her fiancé, seventeen-year-old Zora Stewart leaves Baltimore for the frontier town of West Glory, Oklahoma, to help her young widowed aunt keep her homestead going. There she discovers that she possesses the astonishing ability to sense water under the parched earth. When her aunt hires her out as a "springsweet” to advise other settlers where to dig their wells, Zora feels the burden of holding the key to something so essential to survival in this unforgiving land. Even more, she finds herself longing for love the way the prairie thirsts for water. Maybe, in the wildness of the territories, Zora can finally move beyond simply surviving and start living.

I was really excited to spring back into this world after reading The Vespertine, even though I didn't absolutely love the first book. Also, with the ending, I was kind of upset when I found out that Amelia wouldn't be the narrator in this book, but also a bit intrigued. I really liked Zora in the first book.

After a while, I got sucked in. Zora changed a lot since the first book, due to her loss, but I really like the change in her. I was really sad for her in the beginning of the book, but after a while she met two guys who could potentially be the one after Thomas.

When I wasn't reading this book, I was thinking about it. Historical Romance is definitely one of my favorite genres now. I've liked what I've read of Historical Romance, but I haven't read that much of it, but I definitely will be now! I love the late 1800s, with all the courting and seasons. It's so romantic! Imagine if we were back in that time period and a kiss was either a ruin or a way of marking someone as your own. Sealing your fate with a kiss! It's so romantic! Gah!

The writing and descriptions were so beautiful. They painted a vivid picture in my mind and I was so sucked in that I didn't even see anything in the world around me! The chapters are so long it seems, but so much happens and the book seems longer than 275 pages, which isn't a bad thing. It as really good with this book!

I want more! I want more Zora and Emerson, and I'm so happy with the last line on the book! But at the same time I was like, "IT CAN'T END LIKE THIS!!". I'm really looking forward to what is going to happen in the third book. There isn't a summary or anything yet on it, so I'll definitely be looking out for that, but I really hope it's with Amelia and Zora! If it's another narrator, I think I may cry and be very upset.

Zora is definitely my favorite of the two! And gah, I'm so intrigued by these random magics that are in these books. In the first book, Amelia has a gift of seeing into the future at sunset, and in this book Zora finds an infinity for water, which is AWESOME. And another special someone, I'm not saying who, has an infinity for the earth and can make flowers, and gardens grow!

Overall, this was a really great book. I really enjoyed it and I'm very eager to find out about the third book. I wish it was out. I don't have the luxury of finishing one and starting on the next anymore. If you like historical romance, this is definitely the series for you! =)

The third and final book in this series is called Aetherborne, it is set to release in 2013. 

Read my review for the first book in this series:

Born at Midnight, by C.C. Hunter

Born at Midnight, by C.C. Hunter
(Shadow Falls, #1)
Author Info: Website|Twitter|Facebook
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Release Date: March 29, 2011
Paperback: 398 pages
Genre: Young Adult - Paranormal
Buy: Amazon
Read it in:13 days
Source: Library
Challenge: TBR Pile| ABC Reading
Rating: 
To learn more about my rating badges, click here!

One night Kylie Galen finds herself at the wrong party, with the wrong people, and it changes her life forever.  Her mother ships her off to Shadow Falls—a camp for troubled teens, and within hours of arriving, it becomes painfully clear that her fellow campers aren’t just “troubled.”  Here at Shadow Falls, vampires, werewolves, shapshifters, witches and fairies train side by side—learning to harness their powers, control their magic and live in the normal world.
Kylie’s never felt normal, but surely she doesn’t belong here with a bunch of paranormal freaks either.  Or does she?  They insist Kylie is one of them, and that she was brought here for a reason.  As if life wasn’t complicated enough, enter Derek and Lucas.  Derek’s a half-fae who’s determined to be her boyfriend, and Lucas is a smokin’ hot werewolf with whom Kylie shares a secret past.  Both Derek and Lucas couldn’t be more different, but they both have a powerful hold on her heart. 
Even though Kylie feels deeply uncertain about everything, one thing is becoming painfully clear—Shadow Falls is exactly where she belongs…

First off, I want to start by saying that despite the fact it took me 13 days to start AND finish this book, it was a fun, quick read. I've had some issues with my health, so I haven't been reading much. But I couldn't stop thinking about this book! It was unique! I mean, a camp for paranormals? I was intrigued, and very curious about Kylie!

This was a great start to the series, I wish I had grabbed the sequel when I saw it, but wanted to wait. And now I'm kicking myself majorly! I really want to know what happens next!

Kylie was a great character. I had some issues with her at times, sometimes she seemed really whiny. Which she definitely has a right to be! But with her finding out she's different--as in paranormal different--and that she didn't want to be "different", it kind of bugged me. But she was definitely snarky and funny, which I love in a character.

At times it seemed to just be "I woke up, I ate lunch, I did camp activities, my roommates were fighting, again, and I went to bed". But it was kind of in hat way where you didn't really care all that much. I kept waiting for something to happen.

Overall, not a lot happened, the way I wanted it to, but it was still intriguing and it definitely kept me reading. All the characters were fun to read about, even Fredericka (Ick!). There were two, almost three, guys that Kylie was interested in. She bounced back in forth depending on the time. But it was fun to read! I can't figure out which guy out of the main two (D & L) I like more. Fun & safe fae (Who is also kind of...shady?), or sexy, light-you-on-fire, werewolf (Who is also kid of...not safe?)?

If you love paranormal, I definitely recommend this book. I'm dying to read book two. I've been getting a bit burnt out on paranormals lately when I see new books because they are all starting to sound the same, but this is definitely different!

The second book in this series is called Awake at Dawn. It was released on October 11, 2011.