Hex hall review

Reading Level:Young Adult
Publisher:Hyperion
First book in a trilogy

Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father--an elusive European warlock--only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters. 

Hex Hall


This book has a Harry Potter feel to it. I really like books about boarding schools and this is one of my favorites. Sophie thinks she's the worst witch ever when really she's one of the strongest demons created. I like how there's all kinds of creatures in this. There's so much variety.


Sophie has an obvious crush on Archer Cross but he has a girlfriend who hates her for no reason. Surprisingly enough I kinda liked Elodie . Jenna is the funniest vampire I've ever read about. She reminds me of Marissa with her creepy love of pink. Archer Cross is the love of my life. I love his sarcastic remarks all the time. Him and Sophie are a perfect pair.


The storyline of this is extremely exciting something is always happening. This has and will always be one of my favorite books :) .
5/5 stars
Jasmine :)

By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire student on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect.
As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.

Review: Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: Harper Teen
First in the Unearthly trilogy

In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees . . . .

Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.
Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place—and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.
As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make—between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?
Unearthly is a moving tale of love and fate, and the struggle between following the rules and following your heart.

Despite the fact that she’s a quarter angel she has a fairly normal life but when she starts getting visions of her angel 'purpose' she, her mom and her brother move from California to Wyoming When she gets there she meets Christian and immediately knows that it’s the boy from a her visions the one she is supposed to save from a forest fire but after that things don’t really go according to plan. Christian has a girlfriend and when Clara starts to fall for him he goes to New York for the summer and so does Clara’s two best friends Wendy and Angela. Knowing Clara is basically alone for the summer and her birthday Wendy decides to give Clara her brother for a present. Insert Tucker Avery :) Tucker and Clara’s relationship doesn’t start out the way you would expect. He’s Clara’s best friends brother and he’s constantly teasing her and she teases him right back. Classic boy tugging on girls pony tail situation and I thought that was adorable. So when he shows up on her doorstep on her birthday with a pair of hiking boots and a note from Wendy she’s kind of apprehensive but she gives it a try. They spend the summer hiking and swimming and fishing and they fall in love and they are so freaking cute. But even thought she might want to she can’t ignore her purpose and when that time comes along she has to make a huge choice.

I’ve read a lot of angel books. Even though there all different sometimes the guy is the angel or the girl is or their fallen or not. But this one reminded me why I’ve read so many of them. I love this genre. Even if you’re like me and kind of getting tired of angels I would highly recommend Unearthly. I loved it. It took me a while to get into it (maybe beacause I started it right before Clockwork Prince came out not the best idea) but then I picked it up and I was at maybe page 200 and I finished it that night and it's over 400 pages guys. I mean come on a cowboy named Tucker who smells like Oreo’s? You know you want too.

5/5 stars.
-Marissa <3

Clockwork Prince joint review

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Second book in The Infernal Devices Trilogy

In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa's powers for his own dark ends.
With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister's war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move and that one of their own has betrayed them.
Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, though her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will; the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?
As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.

I bought this book the day it came out and finished it at 4 in the morning the same day it was that good. People are always saying that they love The Infernal Devices more than The Mortal Instruments and I didn`t but now they’re pretty equal in my mind.


Cassandra Clare is without a doubt one of my all time favorite authors but she really knows how to torture her readers. First with The Mortal Instruments and now with The Infernal Devices. She creates these characters that are not just one dimensional place holders for the plot to develop around their real and they stick with you. Then once you love them she puts them in these horrible situations that you could never imagine yourself being in and getting through.


Speaking of characters I love Tessa she`s an amazing heroine. She`s not whiny or shallow she`s incredibly strong despite all the stuff she`s going through with Will and Jem and her brother and not knowing what she is. Oh Will sigh. You learn a lot about him in this book and you figure out why he tries so hard to push people away and it made me love him even more. I guess I just love my Herondale boys :) and Jem oh Jem he`s such a sweetheart and I`m so conflicted. I`ve never really liked love triangles and I didn`t understand it when people couldn`t decide who they wanted the girl to end up with I always knew who the girl should be with and really didn`t like the other guy but it wasn`t like that with this book. You have two amazing guys who are best friends and are in love with the same girl and they both deserve her and I just kept going back and forth. I loved the new characters like Gideon and his creeptastic dad and I loved how cute Henry and Charlotte were. :)


Overall I thought this book was amazing it had me crying on one page and laughing on the next. I absolutely hate how long we have to wait for Clockwork Princess as it always is with Cassie's books I have no idea what`s going to happen next.

-Marissa <3


Cassandra Clare is very good at ripping out your heart and stomping all over it.As much as I loved this book it was torture . This book has one of the most epic love triangles I`ve ever seen.I don't really like to compare books I somewhat liked Mortal Instruments better for awhile but their completely different and both extremely amazing.I really like books that you cant put down and this is one of the best I bought it the day it came out and 8 hours later I was done.

Tessa is one of my favorite female main characters in anything I`ve ever read.She knows how handle herself and she always has someone else's feeling in mind.In Clockwork Angel Will was my favorite I liked Jem but I liked Will better.Now I don't know who to chose and its breaking my heart.I'm happy about some of the stuff revealed in this it answered the questions Ive been curious about for awhile.

As with any book when its over you want more and most of the time you have a very long wait.Clockwork Angel left me extremely curious and now I'm even more curious with that cliffhanger ending.I loved how the old characters and the new mixed Cassie pulled that off perfectly.

The wait for Clockwork Princess will be grueling.This review was kinda hard to write because its hard to explain how amazing this book was.All I can say to explain my feelings for this is read it for yourself you wont regret it.

5/5 Stars
Jasmine <3

Waiting on Wednesday: Rapture by Lauren Kate

                                                
Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Rapture by Lauren Kate
Hardcover 432 pages
Publisher: Delacorte
Expected Publication: June 12 2012
Forth and final in Fallen series

 The sky is dark with wings. . . .

In RAPTURE, the highly anticipated fourth and final novel in the FALLEN series, Luce and Daniel are together . . . but for how long? Can history be rewritten? Or are some punishments eternal?


I'm a fallen angel freak :) so this is one of my favorite series's.Its sad that this is gonna be the last book.There's a lot of fallen angel books out there but none like this . This series is one of the cutest I've read Luce and Daniel are adorable with the whole undying love thing they got going on.All fallen angel books are cool but the storyline of this book is fascinating it keeps you guessing.Summer of 2012 is going to be exciting with all the new releases. I am impatiently waiting for this one :) .

Jasmine :)

Divergent review

 
Reading level:Young Adult
Publisher:HarperCollins
First book in a trilogy
Beatrice "Tris" Prior has reached the fateful age of sixteen, the stage at which teenagers in Veronica Roth's dystopian Chicago must select which of five factions to join for life. Each faction represents a virtue: Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity, and Erudite. To the surprise of herself and her selfless Abnegation family, she chooses Dauntless, the path of courage. Her choice exposes her to the demanding, violent initiation rites of this group, but it also threatens to expose a personal secret that could place her in mortal danger. Veronica Roth's young adult Divergent trilogy launches with a captivating adventure about love and loyalty playing out under most extreme circumstances.
Review
Some people say every dystopian book is the same. That's not true every author has a different way with words they may have the same concept but that doesn't make them the same. This book screams courage and adventure. It almost makes you wanna go jump onto a moving train or jump from the top of a building of course the real world isn't that exciting. Beatrice chooses to leave her boring old life for a fresh start in the dauntless faction which personally is what I would chose. She doesn't exactly fit in but she is determined to make sure people remember her. This is one of those books that makes you wish it was real. It's exciting and the suspense keeps you turning the pages to see what's gonna happen next. Tris and Tobias are like two halves of a whole they fit together perfectly. One of the reasons I love this book so much is because I love adventure and trying new exciting things so I can relate to it. Veronica Roth keeps you on your toes with this one . I am extremely glad this isn't a standalone and am eagerly awaiting the sequel insurgent due to come out in May of 2012.
5/5 Stars

Jasmine :)

Hereafter review

First book in a trilogy
Publisher:HarperCollins
Reading level:Young Adult

Can there truly be love after death?
Drifting in the dark waters of a mysterious river, the only thing Amelia knows for sure is that she's dead. With no recollection of her past life—or her actual death—she's trapped alone in a nightmarish existence. All of this changes when she tries to rescue a boy, Joshua, from drowning in her river. As a ghost, she can do nothing but will him to live. Yet in an unforgettable moment of connection, she helps him survive.
Amelia and Joshua grow ever closer as they begin to uncover the strange circumstances of her death and the secrets of the dark river that held her captive for so long. But even while they struggle to keep their bond hidden from the living world, a frightening spirit named Eli is doing everything in his power to destroy their newfound happiness and drag Amelia back into the ghost world . . . forever.
Thrilling and evocative, with moments of pure pleasure, Hereafter is a sensation you won't want to miss


Review
Not your average ghost story that's for sure. There's something about this book it's like magical. I've read a fair share of ghost stories but none compare to this. I could read this a million times and never get tired of it .The storyline keeps you guessing what's gonna happen next.The cover is beautiful. I love the name Amelia so pretty. Amelia and Joshua have that storybook romance like nothing in heaven or on earth could come between them. Can i just say Joshua is so very swoon worthy .Ruth is mean :( she doesn't even know Amelia and she hates her. Jillian kinda reminds me of myself she's hilarious. I have a feeling we will be seeing Eli again. Overall I adore this book and am highly anticipating the sequel which is due to come out in June of 2012 and titled Arise.
5/5 Stars


Jasmine :)

Review: Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
First in a trilogy

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone - one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship - tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now, Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

Review:First off isn`t the cover gorgeous? It`s so shiny :). 
I`ve never read sci-fi before but if all of them are like this I might start. The setting of this book it was so interesting but as much as I love space I would not want to live on Godspeed. The ship really is built of secrets. There was so many twists sometimes I couldn`t tell what was true and what wasn`t. The only thing I figured out in the beginning was who the murderer was so the foreshadowing of that could have been a little better but other than that I thought this book was amazing. I loved the characters the plot didn`t outshine them and they were all different and unique. Amy was a very strong main character and wasn`t whiny or annoying and Elder was super cute even though some of his thoughts about Amy were very uh boyish some of them were really cute. I had a hard time writing this review because I couldn`t explain why I loved it so much. This book kind of had the feel of a standalone but luckily it`s not I`m super excited for the second one A Million Suns to come out next month.
5/5 stars

-Marissa <3