Tori's Review: The Name of the Star (Shades of London #1) by Maureen Johnson

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
Series: Shades of London #1
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Mystery
Rating: ★★★★
Pages: 372
Published by Putnam Juvenile on September 29, 2011
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The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London marks a memorable occasion. For Rory, it's the start of a new life at a London boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper events of more than a century ago.

Soon “Rippermania” takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him. Even her roommate, who was walking with her at the time, didn't notice the mysterious man. So why can only Rory see him? And more urgently, why has Rory become his next target? In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, full of suspense, humor, and romance, Rory will learn the truth about the secret ghost police of London and discover her own shocking abilities.

The plot (no spoilers): Rory gets to London. Rory is chastised for being a silly American. Rory meets a cute English boy. Rory is in London when Jack the Ripper style murders go on. Rory meets a ghost. Rory meets some other people that can see ghosts. Rory makes friends. Rory is hunted.

Despite the fact that the plot seems very simplistic...okay, well the plot in The Name of the Star is very simplistic. But it's a good simplistic! Johnson's writing is very short and to the point, and I like that about it. It's no nonsense writing. There's only one thing I'd complain about when it comes to Johnson's writing, and I had the same issue with Libba Bray's writing in The Diviners, and that's the fact that yes, Johnson did research on London, and yes Johnson made it seem real (wait. What would I know? I've never been to London. Oh, well), but no Johnson did not have to show me every. single. thing that she learned.

It wasn't as bad as Bray though, who just had to tell me all about the 1920's when I could've cared less. But still. In the beginning, I had a little History Class Taught by Rory about the school's history. Yeah, I really didn't care. I kind of glazed in that part. But after you get past the first hundred pages (for me, it's really easy to get past the first 100 pages in most books. Notice how I say most books and not all books), the plot really picks up and the book takes off.

I really liked the characters in this book. They might not have seemed really real to me and they might not have stood out among other characters I've read before, but I still really liked them. Stephen, particularly. (Except when he told Rory his life story. I like story time and all, but I hate hearing people's back stories. I know that they're necessary though.) Anyway, I wasn't too fond of Jerome though. I know that he was the love interest, but I really just didn't like him all that much. He seemed a bit flaky at times and suspicious as well as reckless.

(Like, no. You do not go to the bar where a body was just found and a murderer is still out there. You just...don't.)

But other than Jerome, I was fine with the other characters. Even Charlotte. She reminded me of people that I know and (would) love (to castrate and/or stab repeatedly). Boo was meh. She was fun and all, but I feel like she was only added to spice up the book a bit, which is fine, but still.

As far as murder/mystery goes, I really don't think this was a mystery. I consider a mystery to be like Bones (the TV program) or CSI or other crime shows like that. Or even Find Me by Romily Bernard where even though the killer may or may not be blatantly obvious, you still have to guess as to who the killer is. In this book, it's just kind of thrown at you. I doubt the author chose the genres, but if you want a whodunit mystery, this isn't it. It's still worth the read though! Creepy enough in some parts, especially when explaining Jack the Ripper's fourth (or was it fifth?) murder.

Overall, I really liked this book and its plot. It was really interesting to me. It took me a while to get around to reading it (I bought it in September '13), but that's fine. I'm glad I did decide to pick it up randomly. I really enjoyed it. I'll be buying the next book really soon.

On a final note, I'm so glad that book three comes out this year. I heard the cliffhanger at the end of book two is killer.

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The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Lindsay's Review: Forever (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #3) by Maggie Stiefvater

Forever by Maggie Stiefvater
Series: The Wolves of Mercy Falls #3
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Werewolves
Rating: ★★★★
Pages: 388
Published by Scholastic Press on July 12th, 2011
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then. When Sam met Grace, he was a wolf and she was a girl. Eventually he found a way to become a boy, and their loved moved from curious distance to the intense closeness of shared lives.

now. That should have been the end of their story. But Grace was not meant to stay human. Now she is the wolf. And the wolves of Mercy Falls are about to be killed in one final, spectacular hunt.

forever. Sam would do anything for Grace. But can one boy and one love really change a hostile, predatory world? The past, the present, and the future are about to collide in one pure moment - a moment of death or life, farewell or forever.

Why do we read? We read to immerse ourselves into a new world, to fall in love with characters we will never meet, and to enjoy ourselves along the way. And that's exactly what I got while reading this series, and especially Forever.

The book started off a bit slower than usual, especially with all the things that went down at the end of Linger, the second book. And despite how much I've defended the pace of the entire series, I think that Steifvater got a bit sloppy in this book with pacing throughout the whole story. The content, for the most part, was perfect, however not only the slow start bugged me, but the timeline in which things were happening.

Now I warn you, from here on out, there will be big and little spoilers alike. Read at your own discretion.

When doing a timeline through a book, I feel like if you're counting down to something bad, you're characters should be stressed, maybe even freaking out - especially freaking out if their friends might die, which in this book, was the case. But as time progressed, I didn't find the tension rising. It wasn't until the very end that there was so much happening all at once, amazing, but jumbled together in a nothing-built-up-to-this-very-much-and-now-all-this-is-happening-at-once kind of way.

However, despite the pacing, the content was excellent as always, and I couldn't help but get sucked right into Mercy Falls, knowing the place so well with the pictures in my head that I felt like it was a place I actually visited in real life.

The series, as a whole, is one I'm really glad I got around to reading. It was cute and sad and wonderful all at once. The Sam-Grace moments, the angry Grace moments, the Cole-Isabel moments and the Sam-Beck ones. Every one touched me and I really felt like I knew these people.

And even though I was unsure about Cole, I fell in love with him as a character who was lost but redeeming himself. In the end - huge spoiler here- when I thought he was dead, I was so close to bawling that I felt like I wasn't breathing. I hate to admit it, but I speed-read just to find out what happened to him and when he was alive, I wanted to cheesy fist pump freeze-frame in the air like all those 80's movies. So yes, if this book can make me do that, it is definitely worth a read. But I must warn you, do not have expectations, or it will ruin your read. Go in knowing nothing, and I can promise it will be a great read.

Review: Bloodlines (Bloodlines #1) by Richelle Mead

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead
Series: Bloodlines #1
Genre: Vampires, Young Adult, Paranormal
Rating: ★★★★
Pages: 421
Published by Razorbill on August 23, 2011
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Blood doesn't lie...

Sydney is an alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of human and vampires. They protect vampire secrets - and human lives. When Sydney is torn from her bed in the middle of the night, at first she thinks she's still being punished for her complicated alliance with dhampir Rose Hathaway. But what unfolds is far worse. Jill Dragomir - the sister of Moroi Queen Lissa Dragomir - is in mortal danger, and the Moroi must send her into hiding. To avoid a civil war, Sydney is called upon to act as Jill's guardian and protector, posing as her roommate in the last place anyone would think to look for vampire royalty - a human boarding school in Palm Springs, California. But instead of finding safety at Amberwood Prep, Sydney discovers the drama is only just beginning... 

Thank you, Lindsay, for shipping this to me for my birthday! Now you just need to hop on that shipping and get me The Golden Lily by Christmas. (;

 

Note: There are Vampire Academy spoilers in this review. Actually, I don't know. Just don't read this review without reading Vampire Academy. Yes, all six of dem Vampire Academy books. Hop to it, you little bunnies. It's so worth it. Heck, go freaking buy Vampire Academy. It was so good.

 

Anyway, I finished this book a week ago, so hopefully I can conjure up the feelings that I had after finishing that book. Let's just start with the obvious: this was not as good as Vampire Academy. I hate saying this, since I did love this book, it's just that Bloodlines is a bit--okay a lot--slower than Vampire Academy. And a lot less romance. But I mean, even though it's slow, it's the kind of slow that you can just read and still enjoy. I'm just saying that it's not toe-curling, seat-gripping, hair-ripping worthy.

 

Basically, this book is just about Sydney, who helped Rose in the Vampire Academy Series, and about how she needs to redeem herself as an Alchemist since working with a vampire is kindofsortof illegal and frowned upon in their Alchemist society. Sydney goes to a new town to room with a vampire (Lissa's sister, Jill Dragomir) and keep her hidden since the Strigoi are looking for her to kill her since she's pretty much the heir to the throne. During her visit, Sydney makes friends: Adrian, Eddie, Lee, that roommate dude, and those girls. I was extremely intrigued by Trey, and it was a shame that his character wasn't elaborated on much.

 

Honestly, the first plot twist was so predicatble it was almost laughable. I'm usually horrible at predicting plot twists and surprises, but this one was just so apparent that I was surprised it was even considered a plot twist. The second one though. That ending. The ending, holy crap. The ending was what got this book four stars, in my opinion. It was shocking, and I didn't expect it at all, which is what a good ending should me. The last line though left me dying to read the next book, The Golden Lily.

 

The characters are alright, I guess. Obviously, Adrian is pretty fleshed out, but that's because he was in Vampire Academy. I think Sydney was a bit boring, to be truthful, as well as Jill and the others, but it wasn't so horrible that I wanted to gouge my eyes out. Keith was just an asshat. I'll leave it at that.

 

Adrian was definitely my favorite, and think that's because of his snarkiness and sarcasm. I definitely recommend this to those who have read Vampire Academy. I put this book off for three years, but now that four books are out, I have no excuse. I just hope the cliffhanger in The Fiery Heart doesn't kill me, because you know, two more books to go.



Review: Flat-Out Love (Flat-Out Love #1) by Jessica Park

Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park
Series: Flat-Out Love #1
Genre: Romance, Young Adult, Contemporary
Rating: ★★★★★
Pages: 389
Published by Jessica Park on April 11, 2011
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He was tall, at least six feet, with dirty blond hair that hung over his eyes. His T-shirt read Nietzsche Is My Homeboy.

So, that was Matt. Who Julie Seagle likes. A lot. But there is also Finn. Who she flat out loves.

Complicated? Awkward? Completely.

But really, how was this freshly-minted Boston transplant and newbie college freshman supposed to know that she would end up living with the family of an old friend of her mother's? This was all supposed to be temporary. Julie wasn't supposed to be important to the Watkins family, or to fall in love with one of the brothers. Especially the one she's never quite met. But what does that really matter? Finn gets her, like no one ever has before. They have connection.

But here's the thing about love, in all its twisty, bumpy permutations—it always throws you a few curves. And no one ever escapes unscathed.  

This book literally single-handedly seems like the most clichéd book I've read, but it's not. I swear to you, it's not. This is not one of those books that I read on a whim and only liked because there's a hot guy (well, there is, but that's beside the point). At first I only bought this book because it was a Kindle Daily Deal, but then I decided to actually read it, and honestly, it's one of the best contemporary books that I've read since John Green. The characters are so real throughout the entire novel, and I love them so much. Their anger and their sadness--I can relate to it.

Especially the protagonist, Julie. She's so real. At first, I thought she was shallow for judging Finn and Matt so quickly, but then I came to realize that I would've done the same thing too. The same for Celeste. Julie judged that little girl so quickly, but I probably wouldn't have made it as far as Julie.

Then there's Matt and Finn. The brothers. The two amigos. Okay, not really, but both of them were so real, and I loved it so much. The plot in this book was great. It wasn't too slow and it wasn't too fast. Everything about this book just awed me to pieces (is that possible?). I can't decide who my favorite character was because they're all my favorites.

I never would've guessed the ending of this book, and I really don't know how to review it without giving away the ending. The third person writing, I admit, is a bit detached and awkward at first, but I quickly got used to it. The conversations between the characters--their interactions--are so goddamn real. I keep saying that over and over, but it's so true. Everything about this book screams real life, and I love it.

This is easily my new favorite book, and I can tell that it's just one of those books that I'll read over and over like Divergent and The Fault in Our Stars.

I honestly have no idea what to say about this book anymore without being any more repetitive than I already am. I just...this book...I'm speechless... Heartwarming isn't even the right word to describe this book. I can't find anything better, and I don't know what word to make up. I just...so good. Go read it. Now. I swear. Oh my god.

Tori's Review: Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor
Series: Daughter of Smoke & Bone #1
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal
Rating: ★★★★
Pages: 418
Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers on September 27, 2011
Date Read: September 11, 2013
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Around the world, black hand prints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.
In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.
And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal other wordly war.
Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real, she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands", she speaks many languages - not all of them human - and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.
When beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

Tori's Review: Eve by Anna Carey

Eve by Anna Carey

Series: Eve #1
Genre: Dystopia, Young Adult, Romance
Rating: ★★★★★
Pages: 336
Published by HarperTeen on October 4, 2011
Date Read: September 4, 2013
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The year is 2032, sixteen years after a deadly virus—and the vaccine intended to protect against it—wiped out most of the earth’s population. The night before eighteen-year-old Eve’s graduation from her all-girls school she discovers what really happens to new graduates, and the horrifying fate that awaits her. 
Fleeing the only home she’s ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. Along the way she encounters Caleb, a rough, rebellious boy living in the wild. Separated from men her whole life, Eve has been taught to fear them, but Caleb slowly wins her trust...and her heart. He promises to protect her, but when soldiers begin hunting them, Eve must choose between true love and her life.

Lindsay's Review: Angelfall by Susan Ee

Angelfall by Susan Ee
Series: Penryn & The End of Days #1
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Angels
Rating: ★★★★★
Pages: 283
Published by Feral Dream on May 21, 2011
Date Read: September 6th, 2013
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It's been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.
Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.
Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.
Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels' stronghold in San Francisco where she'll risk everything to rescue her sister and he'll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.
Recommended for ages 16 and up

Lindsay's Review: Forgotten by Cat Patrick

Forgotten by Cat Patrick
Series: None
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Paranormal
Rating: ★★★★★
Pages: 304
Published by Little, Brown Books on June 7th, 2011
Date Read: August 30th, 2013
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Each night at precisely 4:33 am, while sixteen-year-old London Lane is asleep, her memory of that day is erased. In the morning, all she can "remember" are events from her future. London is used to relying on reminder notes and a trusted friend to get through the day, but things get complicated when a new boy at school enters the picture. Luke Henry is not someone you'd easily forget, yet try as she might, London can't find him in her memories of things to come. 

When London starts experiencing disturbing flashbacks, or flash-forwards, as the case may be, she realizes it's time to learn about the past she keeps forgetting-before it destroys her future.

Lindsay's Review: Tiger's Voyage

Tiger's Voyage by Colleen Houck
Series: The Tiger Saga (#3)

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance

Rating: ★★★★★
Pages: 560

Published by Hodder & Stoughton on November 1st, 2011

Date Finished: July 20, 2013

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With the head-to-head battle against the villainous Lokesh behind her, Kelsey confronts a new heartbreak: in the wake of his traumatic experience, her beloved Ren no longer remembers who she is. As the trio continues their quest by challenging five cunning and duplicitous dragons, Ren and Kishan once more vie for her affections--leaving Kelsey more confused than ever.