Lindsay's Mini Review: Such a Rush by Jennifer Echols

Such a Rush by Jennifer Echols
Series: None
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary
Rating: ♚♚
Pages: 325
Published by MTV Books on July 10th, 2010
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A sexy and poignant romantic tale of a young daredevil pilot caught between two brothers.

When I was fourteen, I made a decision. If I was doomed to live in a trailer park next to an airport, I could complain about the smell of the jet fuel like my mom, I could drink myself to death over the noise like everybody else, or I could learn to fly.

Heaven Beach, South Carolina, is anything but, if you live at the low-rent end of town. All her life, Leah Jones has been the grown-up in her family, while her mother moves from boyfriend to boyfriend, letting any available money slip out of her hands. At school, they may diss Leah as trash, but she’s the one who negotiates with the landlord when the rent’s not paid. At fourteen, she’s the one who gets a job at the nearby airstrip.

But there’s one way Leah can escape reality. Saving every penny she can, she begs quiet Mr. Hall, who runs an aerial banner-advertising business at the airstrip and also offers flight lessons, to take her up just once. Leaving the trailer park far beneath her and swooping out over the sea is a rush greater than anything she’s ever experienced, and when Mr. Hall offers to give her cut-rate flight lessons, she feels ready to touch the sky.

By the time she’s a high school senior, Leah has become a good enough pilot that Mr. Hall offers her a job flying a banner plane. It seems like a dream come true . . . but turns out to be just as fleeting as any dream. Mr. Hall dies suddenly, leaving everything he owned in the hands of his teenage sons: golden boy Alec and adrenaline junkie Grayson. And they’re determined to keep the banner planes flying.

Though Leah has crushed on Grayson for years, she’s leery of getting involved in what now seems like a doomed business—until Grayson betrays her by digging up her most damning secret. Holding it over her head, he forces her to fly for secret reasons of his own, reasons involving Alec. Now Leah finds herself drawn into a battle between brothers—and the consequences could be deadly.

Though at first the cover drew me in, I've come to hate it. The girl looks plastic, mid-twenties, and nothing like the gorgeous, yet hand-me-down Leah in the book. I think this is my first problem.

The plot flowed nicely, however it didn't really feel like this was actually a book. Everything was calculated in a way that through every setback it worked out in favor for the main character Leah. On top of that, the other characters were also very basic. They had stereotypical personalities like brooding, popular, etc. They were only skin deep, and I wasn't very drawn to them.

Such a Rush was a basic read that I would flip through before bed, trying to quiet my mind. It kept me up some nights having to get through a particularly interesting part, however it's easily forgettable and not really full of substance. Things happened too easily, and it was all webbed together too carefully. I did enjoy reading it, but I don't think I'll be picking it up again.

Tori's Review: The Iron Daughter (The Iron Fey #2) by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa
Series: The Iron Fey #2
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance
Rating: ♚♚♚
Pages: 359
Published by Harlequin Teen on January 1, 2010
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Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron fey—ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her.

Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

You know that series that doesn't impress you that much, but you keep reading for the sake of finishing the series and because you have to know what happens or if it gets better? Well, The Iron Fey is that series for me. If you've read my review of The Iron King, then you'd know that I wasn't all that impressed with The Iron Fey's first book. Surprisingly, I liked this one more, hence the extra half star/crown. 

Just like last time, Meghan annoyed me. Someone needs to tell that girl that Ash is not the center of the universe. Primarily, this is the only part of this book series that really annoys me. Obsessing over Ash lost this book 1.5 stars/crowns. The first half was so irritating just because of Meghan's infatuation over Ash. In my opinion (Ash fans, please don't gouge my eyes out), Puck is a much better match for Meghan. They've known each other longer, and I think he compliments her well. He's always there for her when she needs him, despite the fact that she's all for Ash. The thing is that Puck knows patience. He even said himself that he was going to wait for Meghan. Oh, yeah, and there's the fact that he doesn't reject her every 50 pages.

Yes, there's still time for me to switch ships. I did it with the Shatter Me trilogy, and I can do it again.

Honestly, I wish I could look this aspect over since I'm so engrossed in the Nevernever, but I really can't. I absolutely hate clingy main characters. So much. Although, Kagawa creates such an intricate world, and I believe it. I believe that the fae could be running around the place, disguising themselves at humans. Kagawa's world is very addicting as is her writing. No matter how much I dislike Meghan and Ash, I can't stop reading the books. And this is literally what keeps me coming back for more.

I put the next two books on hold. As well as the novella book. As well as the first two books in the spin-off series. I'm so marathoning the books. As I said, they're so addicting.

I have to say that, yes, the first half of the book is Meghan obsessing over Ash, but after page 60 or so, things got a lot better (for me, anyway), because Puck showed up! I was missing Puck since he got injured in the previous book, but now he's back, and I'm loving him. Meghan's love *cough* for Ash remained while he was gone, and when Ash came back (because Ash always comes back, right?) all of Meghan's progress toward obsessing over Ash less vanished. Back to square one.

In the end, this is a good series. I'm pretty much the only person that's majorly ticked off by Meghan and Ash it seems, and I feel like I'm reading a completely different book than everyone else who's in love with Meghan and Ash. Oh, well. I heard the next book, The Iron Queen is a lot better, and I can't wait to continue on with the series to see what happens with Meghan (and Ash)!

(I just need to clarify that I am not an Ash hater. I like him; I do. I just don't like how clingy Meghan becomes when she's around him.)

Lindsay's Review: Linger (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #2) by Maggie Stiefvater

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater
Series: The Wolves of Mercy Falls #2
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Werewolves
Rating: ★★★
Pages: 368
Published by Scholastic Press on July 13th, 2010
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The astonishing #1 New York Times bestseller.
In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

This book is both amazing and also forgettable to me. I don't know how to explain it clearly, but I'll try my best. It's forgettable because when I think about it, all I see is the main plot through the series about the wolves and Sam and Grace. But when I sit down for a moment and think, little things come to mind that I read that make the book amazing and worth reading.

I think it takes a certain type of reader to read this book. Either one who is experienced in the art of reading (yes, I've declared this a thing) or someone who genuinely likes the flow of a book. I think Stiefvater's writing and the series in general is never about the ending or the climax. I think it's about the road to getting there and all the small moments that you have to read between the lines to let them warm your heart. I know it sounds super cheesy, but it's true. It isn't romance-packed, full of action or even entirely about the werewolves. It's a book I can only explain as, for lack of a better expression, about the path along the way to the destination.

I had only a few problems while first getting into the book, and it was that there were two new perspectives introduced, which I was not prepared for. I find reading two perspectives is enough for me, but switching from that to four upset me at first. Isabel we met in Shiver and although seemed like the bad guy, turned out to be important to the story. This time in Linger I liked her a lot more than I did before, and being in her perspective actually gave us more insight to her and the story. But Cole was hard for me to like throughout the novel, and I didn't actually enjoy reading his perspective until the end. I find it very difficult to read a book when the writer integrates new characters in the middle of the series. The author didn't necessarily fail, but it was a rocky thing to throw into the Linger series.

My second issue was that Sam and Grace need to be more realistic as not only characters, but also a couple. They think they will be together for ever and love each other, but I didn't feel like Stiefvater  succeeded in giving that information to the reader. They just seemed like a regular teenage couple that are obsessed with each other at the start of the relationship instead of truly being in love. I also found that their personal problems were secondary to the story, which I can understand why the author did, but I felt like their problems should have been equals with the story because they were so personal and huge to live day-to-day life with.

Grace and Sam as main characters are not only wonderful, but they find ways to say so much meaning with so little words. They have me thinking about what they say and think, reading in between the lines and applying their thoughts to my own life, even after I've put the book down for a while. Some people might find it slow, but I found Linger to be a good book to curl up in and escape life with. If you've read the first book, this book is a must because I promise, the story gets better. And also, Cole is pretty hot, so that's a definite plus.

Review: Bruiser by Neal Shusterman

Bruiser by Neal Shusterman
Series: None
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal
Rating: ★★★
Pages: 328
Published by HarperTeen on June 29, 2010
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"There’s a reason why Brewster can’t have friends – why he can’t care about too many people. Because when he cares about you, things start to happen. Impossible things that can’t be explained. I know, because they're happening to me."

When Brontë starts dating Brewster “Bruiser” Rawlins – the guy voted “Most Likely to Get the Death Penalty” her twin brother, Tennyson, isn’t surprised. But then strange things begin to occur. Tennyson and Brontë’s scrapes heal unnaturally fast, and cuts disappear before their eyes. What at first seems like their good fortune turns out to be more than they bargained for…much more.

The Bruiser is a strange boy--ahem, more like man, but still. He's secluded as well as excluded. He doesn't have friends. He doesn't like anybody. He's always the butt of the joke. Until Bronte. While working as a library assistant, Bronte assists the Bruiser in finding a poetry book. Not for a school assignment, but to read for fun. This is what intrigues Bronte the most. It isn't long before they're going on their first date that Tennyson, Bronte's older brother, dutifully ambushes with his girlfriend Katrina.

It seems as though Bronte is the only one who can see past the Bruiser's cold, rock-hard outer-self and to the soft-hearted boy on the inside. Tennyson, at first, believes the rumors and thinks that the Bruiser is just bad news. But once he really starts to get to know the Bruiser, he comes to realize that there's a real person beyond the rugged front that the Bruiser puts up to protect himself from the world.

"He's quiet," says Bronte. "He's inscrutable, but that doesn't mean he's a bad person. You know what they say: still waters run deep--"
"--and are full of missing persons."

At first I thought this book was really weird, but then it got real interesting real fast and it appealed to me more. Tennyson was my favorite character. Despite the fact that he is a hot-headed meathead ("meathead" being Brew's word), he's extremely loyal, and I love that about him. He started getting freaky in the end, but side effects are side effects.

Bronte, Tennyson's sister as well as Brew's sister, was alright. She'd be that one girl in my class that was nice to everybody, and I'd swear that it was fake. For Bronte, it's real. I just wouldn't really like her. I'd most likely make snide remarks about her and what she does. I would criticize her every move, thinking that there were underlying intentions in each one. I think that makes me somewhat insufferable, but I just wouldn't like her all that much judging on how she acts in Bruiser. We wouldn't be friends if she was real and I knew her in real life.

The reason I gave this book three stars and nothing higher is because it really didn't do much for me. It didn't teach me any important life lesson (although I think it should) nor did it teach me about character or anything of that sort. I liked it, but it didn't "move mountains" for me so to speak.

The first thing that really perturbed me about this book was that Brew's power. The extent of his healing wasn't all that shocking toward the end of the book, and I feel like this idea could've been explored a bit more in terms of the paranormal aspect of Bruiser. Also, it bugged me how Brew just submitted to his uncle's words and actions. He had to know that what his uncle was doing was wrong, and yet he never went anywhere. I know that he faced the foster care system, but...still.

Also, I didn't really like Brew's young brother Cody. He always expected Brew to heal all his injuries and he didn't seem to care that his older brother was in a lot of pain at his expense. I don't care if he was a kid; he was majorly insensitive toward his older brother and had no right to blame Tennyson for his attachment to Brew and his power, because that just made him [Cody] a hypocrite. Cody had no regard for his own well being because he believed that Brew would always heal him, which was partly true. I sort of wished that Brew just let Cody deal with his injuries from time to time, but that clearly wasn't an option for him at the time.

In conclusion, I enjoyed this book, but I didn't love it. It definitely had its flaws and things that could be improved. It's very different from Shusterman's other novel that I've read Unwind. It's hard to read another one of his books, because I want all of them to live up to Unwind, which was just amazing. I wouldn't recommend this book, but I wouldn't not recommend it either. It would be worth the money in my opinion if you want to buy it. Just don't get your hopes up for something amazing after reading Unwind. The two books are nothing alike in terms of being mind-blowingly awesome.

"Life," my father once said, "is all about settling." Unfortunately, he'd said that right in front of Mom, who proceeded to serve him a peanut butter and onion sandwich for dinner that night.

"Life is all about settling," she reminded him as she slipped the plate in front of him.

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Review: Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Series: None
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Rating: ★★★★
Pages: 260
Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers on October 26, 2010
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“I’ve left some clues for you.
If you want them, turn the page.
If you don’t, put the book back on the shelf, please.”

So begins the latest whirlwind romance from the bestselling authors of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?

Rachel Cohn and David Levithan have written a love story that will have readers perusing bookstore shelves, looking and longing for a love (and a red notebook) of their own.

This festive, split perspective, co-author written, quirky novel is best read in the wintertime. Not only does it take place during the end of the month December, but it shows readers that spending Christmas with someone you love does happen to make an impact on your life. Or at least that's what I got out of the book.

In this book, Lily is quite the interesting character. Written by Rachel Cohn, she has the mind of a girl no doubt--a girl that doesn't quite fit in with the teenage population in her city. She's been nicknamed Shrilly for her shrill-like responses to drastic situations. Her parents have gone off on a Christmas vacation holiday...without her and her brother. Fed up with Lily, her brother decides to find her a guy for Christmastime by having her write up a book of dares and putting it on a shelf in the bookstore.

Now there's Dashiel, or as he likes to be called, Dash. He's the polar opposite of Lily, being that he is a diehard misanthrope. Levithan's writing reminds me of John Green's writing. I know that this comparison has been made a lot in the YA literature word, especially since the two authors wrote a book together. Nonetheless, I've come to realize that both authors have an MO--misanthropy characters. But just like Dash hates humankind, he also hates Christmas. (What a shame.) So he spends his days before Christmas in a bookstore. When he comes across Lily's book of dares, he figures that it shouldn't be to hard to do them. And what started off as a way to get Lily a companion for the holiday season turned into a budding relationship between opposites.

But you know what they say: opposites attract.

Despite my past reviews, I quite enjoyed the spit POVs (point of view) in this particular book, and the fact that two different authors (make and female) wrote those two different POVs made the whole reading experience seem even more real. I never confused Dash and Lily for one another, not only because of the different writing styles, but also the two different monologues. Dash and Lily had two distinctive voices, and I liked that about them. I'm sure many readers out there would appreciate that as well, which is why I think this would be a good book for just about anybody.

Also, I liked Dash the most out of the entire book. I can relate to him in some ways. Although my parents are happily together, I can't help but admire his snarky attitude. I consider myself to be extremely sarcastic, which is pretty much the definition of Dash. His anti-people personality and responses make me laugh even if he can be a bit harsh. Dash may come off as a jerk to some people, therefore I'm not exactly sure how to write about him in this review. Some people may like his characters, others might not. I was obviously apart of the former.

I wasn't particularly too fond of Dash's ex-girlfriend Sofia. She wasn't the jealous time rather than the type that thinks they know what's best for their ex. Sure, she gave him advice, but it was crappy advice. She told him that Lily wasn't the perfect girl that Dash was imagining in his head. So what if she isn't? That's up to Dash to decide. Also, Sofia wasn't exactly a gem either when it came to being Dash's girlfriend.

I don't understand why YA characters these days always need a gay companion. I get it--you're [the author] not homophobic. Now, I'm perfectly fine with homosexual people, but I don't understand why it's such a big deal in YA these days. I swear, nearly every book I read contains a gay character. It's just something that I've noticed. Obviously, it's mostly in contemporary.

In conclusion, like I said above, I think any lover of the young adult genre will most likely enjoy this book. It's fun, fast, humorous, and has character. This is definitely a book that I will be recommending to everybody next Christmas!

Review: The Iron King (The Iron Fey #1) by Julie Kagawa

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
Series: The Iron Fey #1
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance
Rating: ★★★
Pages: 363
Published by Harlequin Teen on February 1, 2010
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Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined.

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil, no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

Meghan Chase is just an ordinary girl. But wait. That's not right, is it? Every book starts out like that! No, Meghan Chase is not an ordinary girl. She's half fey, which basically means she's half faery. Faeries thrive simply off human imagination, which is an interesting aspect. I haven't read more than one or two faery books, and The Iron King is definitely a nice start. Meghan and her best friend Robbie go on an adventure after Meghan discovers that Robbie's a little more than just her typical, red-haired best friend that likes to prank and joke around. He's actually Robin Goodfellow, aka Puck. And Robbie's true identity isn't even touching the base of what this book has to offer.

Don't let my star rating fool you! I wish I could give this book five stars; it's just that based on my rating scale and all the problems that I have with The Iron King, it wouldn't be fair in comparison to my other reviews and ratings. This book was enjoyable to an extent, and I'm glad that I finally got around to reading it. I have to admit that I probably wouldn't have read this book for another year or so if it hadn't been for the email recommendation that I got from a viewer of this book, which I was ecstatic about. I'm sorry I don't have that much nice to say about the book that this person recommended to me. I wish I liked it more than I did!

Julie Kagawa is one of my favorite authors after The Immortal Rules series. The Immortal Rules and The Eternity Cure are beautifully written and the characters are amazing and the plot and everything is just great and the romance was done amazingly and just that series is so good. So naturally, I thought that The Iron King would be just as great. Yeah, well, it wasn't. I think that there are three components in this novel that convince people that they're in love with it.

1. Ash and Puck. (Do not mistake this with Ash and Meghan.)

2. Grimalkin.

3. Action.

Notice that Meghan Chase is not on that list. That is because Meghan Chase is an annoying little brat that only cares about herself. In short, I think Meghan Chase is stupid. Her actions may seem valiant at first, but then when I really think about them, they're stupid. She refuses to leave Ash behind just because he's fighting for her when she's supposed to be saving her brother? Like, ohmygodno. How stupid can she get? I mean, Meghan, your brother might be dying! You've traveled all this way to kill the Iron King! And then you get close--so close--and oh god the hot prince is dying you must give up your whole quest just to watch him die because you can't do anything to help him because you're helpless.

Yeah, not buying it.

And this leads me into my next point. (I'm not even going to talk about how she completely disregards Puck the entire book. Liiiike, bitch, no. He's amazing, okay?) Ash and Meghan's relationship. They don't deserve a ship name. And I ship everyone! Anyway, Ash and Meghan's relationship was so fake. I honestly thought that Ash was going to be the sexy one out while Meghan made out with Puck. I would've been totally fine with that. But instead, after days of knowing each other, Meghan is already sucking face with Ash.

And that kiss? What was that? It was so...random. I didn't feel anything for the two while reading it. I had no desire for them to kiss. Their relationship--or lack of--seemed so inconvenient for Kagawa, like she forced it or something because, hey, YA needs romance. I would've liked this book a lot more if Kagawa just used this book to build tension between the two rather than rush them into things. That's what series are for--to gradually build up, not to rush into with a blindfold on.

Grim, Ash, Puck, the action, and the imagery is what saved this book for me. The plotting was okay, I suppose. Things were way too predictable for me. All the "plot twists" were clear as day even without foreshadowing. The "twists" that Kagawa added were just basic plot twists that every knows to avoid. The other thing that I liked about The Iron King was the dialogue. It was realistic in my opinion, which is a big deal to me. And Puck. He was hilarious. I'll show you one of my favorite lines (from Puck, obviously).

"Oh, we're playing nice now?" Puck remained seated, looking anything but compliant. "Shall we have tea first? Brew up a nice pot of kiss-my-ass?"

Gotta love Puck!

In conclusion, this book was worth the read. I may seem like I'm bashing it, but really, I'm not the best at pointing out a book's strengths without raving. I'm better at finding the things I don't like and complaining about them, which is pretty much what all my reviews consist of. Like I said, I liked Grim, Ash, Puck, the action, and the imagery; I just didn't like Ash and Meghan's relationship and the predictability of the plot. It's not a waste of money, if that's what you're thinking about reading this review. I just don't have many strong feelings about this book other than ASH AND MEGHAN, LIKE THAT WAS JUST SO WRONG NO.

Married With Zombies by Jesse Petersen

Series: Living with the Dead #1
Pages: 244
Release Date: September 1, 2010
Publisher: Orbit
Rating: ★★★

A heartwarming tale of terror in the middle of the zombie apocalypse.

Meet Sarah and David.

Once upon a time they met and fell in love. But now they're on the verge of divorce and going to couples' counseling. On a routine trip to their counselor, they notice a few odd things - the lack of cars on the highway, the missing security guard, and the fact that their counselor, Dr. Kelly, is ripping out her previous client's throat.

Meet the Zombies.

Now, Sarah and David are fighting for survival in the middle of the zombie apocalypse. But, just because there are zombies, doesn't mean your other problems go away. If the zombies don't eat their brains, they might just kill each other.

 

There are only three things that Married With Zombies has got going for it--humor, zombies, and David. Other than that the characters were pretty generic and the ending wasn't as great as it could've been. Everything leading up to the end was great, until the actual end. This book probably could've managed to get a four star rating out of me if it hadn't been for that ending. 

Married With Zombies was just action-packed and fun-filled. There was constant action, and zombies were popping up everywhere, and the time it took for the infection to spread was fairly reasonable. The other thing I absolutely adored about this book was its humor. Seriously. I would read an autobiography by this author (if she's as funny in real life as she is in this book) because there were just so many modern-day references, and I loved it. Usually I don't like references to modern stuff, but in this case it just made it all the more hilarious. The last thing that I absolutely loved was David. I loved his laid back attitude. He just wanted to go through life and make it the best he possibly could. His too-cool-for-you attitude added a splash of fun into the novel.

Now for the things I didn't like. Wow, this is going to be quite the list. Good thing the good things outshines the bad a lot otherwise this review would be a one star review. 

Firstly, I didn't like Sarah. At all. She was so annoying. She was a neurotic neat freak (until the zombie brains were splattered onto her white blouse for the third time) that constantly nagged David and was always on his case. Honestly, I didn't blame her one bit for wanting to divorce her. She was just too uptight. I also didn't like Sarah's relationship with David. At first, I understood why she wouldn't like David's sister. I didn't blame her for not liking David's sister. And once we met David's sister, I understood her feelings even more. But at the end, when all hell broke loose, I completely lost sight of my understanding of their (nonexistent) relationship. I have to side with David on this one and say that Sarah didn't seem to try too hard to be nice with his sister. 

Also, the way the beginning started off was great, but once it got into chapter two, I was like yeah, no. I have this problem with every zombie book that starts off with no zombies and then--BOOM--in chapter two there are three billion zombies. Literally. How in the world can Sarah and David (no forgetting Amanda and the Asian girl who saves their ass and then tries to spring a knife on Sarah) just jump into the zombie routine so quickly without fault? No offense, but it just seems like Sarah would end of dead. She's a neat freak and needs to keep things in order. In a zombie apocalypse, there is no order. Honestly, it just seems like she's sort of weak in the beginning, but then all of a sudden zombies start popping up and she becomes this hardass. David is more of the survivor type, you know? This wasn't a huge issue since this is basically in every book (and I can't exactly be mad at this and call it wrong, because I don't know what would happen in a real zombie apocalypse since we're all, in fact, human) but still. Sarah sure does learn how to use a gun pretty quick in one night, doesn't she? 

Most of my problems are with Sarah, you'll learn quickly. 

This wasn't really a huge issue for me either since this was a short read for me and I wasn't too serious about it, but the 2D characters. Seriously. The only two names I remembered were David and Amanda. I didn't even remember the protagonist's name. That's sad. Here's a summary of why I thought these characters were very 2D and cliched. 

Sarah - Had no soul
Amanda - Dumb as a brick then all of a sudden becomes as smart as ever. Like what.
Asian Girl Who's Name Escapes Me - Typical Asian girl that is all independent and shit. Like fuck no. If I was offered to go on a little road trip with adults and get away from my dead parent's and boyfriend's bodies, I'd say hell yes and wouldn't let them retract their offer. 
Conrad Or Whatever The Hell His Name Was - He was cool until the very end. 
David's Sister Or Whatever Her Name Was - Just didn't like her. Because seriously. Wow. She's the typical older sibling that had their life all figured out with the younger sibling that was a mess. Sorry. I just wasn't feeling it. And then the very last part before the very, very last part. Yeah, no. Again, not feeling it. 

Lastly, the ending. Like fuck no, okay. Just fuck no. Petersen just totally ruined her whole book with the ending. I don't know how to explain my anger at the ending with you guys without completely spoiling this book for you. I mean, it's not really a large spoiler, but you know. Let's just leave it with do not expect great things with the ending because nothing is great about it whatsoever. 

Nevertheless, I'm still going to read the second book, haha. Petersen's writing is hilarious, and I do want to see what the zombie apocalypse brings David. (I also hope that Sarah dies in the second book. That would be cool. Sorry, Petersen. I just didn't like her. But don't feel offended. Rarely do I ever like main female characters. I'm a h8r.)

Tori's Review: Once by Anna Carey

Once by Anna Carey
Series: Eve #3
Genre: Dystopia, Young Adult, Romance
Rating: ★★★
Pages: 354
Published by HarperCollins on July 3, 2012
Date Read: September 16, 2013
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When you're being hunted, who can you trust?
For the first time since she escaped from her school many months ago, Eve can sleep soundly. She's living in Califia, a haven for women, protected from the terrifying fate that awaits orphaned girls in The New America.
But her safety came at a price: She was forced to abandon Caleb, the boy she loves, wounded and alone at the city gates. When Eve gets word that Caleb is in trouble, she sets out into the wild again to rescue him, only to be captured and brought to the City of Sand, the capital of The New America.
Trapped inside the City walls, Eve uncovers a shocking secret about her past--and is forced to confront the harsh reality of her future. When she discovers Caleb is alive, Eve attempts to flee her prison so they can be together--but the consequences could be deadly. She must make a desperate choice to save the ones she loves . . . or risk losing Caleb forever.
In this breathless sequel to "Eve," Anna Carey returns to her tale of romance, adventure, and sacrifice in a world that is both wonderfully strange and chillingly familiar.

Lindsay's Review: You Wish by Mandy Hubbard

You Wish by Mandy Hubbard
Series: None
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Rating:  ★★★
Pages: 304
Published by Razorbill on August 5th 2010
Date Read: September 1, 2013
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Kayla McHenry's sweet sixteen sucks! Her dad left, her grades dropped, and her BFF is dating the boy Kayla's secretly loved for years. Blowing out her candles, Kayla thinks: I wish my birthday wishes actually came true. Because they never freakin' do.Kayla wakes the next day to a life-sized, bright pink My Little Pony outside her window. Then a year's supply of gumballs arrives. A boy named Ken with a disturbing resemblance to the doll of the same name stalks her. As the ghosts of Kayla's wishes-past appear, they take her on a wild ride...but they MUST STOP. Because when she was fifteen? She wished Ben Mackenzie would kiss her. And Ben is her best friend's boyfriend.