Hereafter

Title: Hereafter

Author: Tara Hudson

Rating: 2 1/2 stars

Summary:
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.

Review: Meh. I got bored with this book pretty quickly, and was on auto-pilot for most of it. The relationship between Josh and Amelia, while a major part of the story, annoyed me because it didn't really make sense. The only human being she can affect is Josh, and Josh is a 'Seer'? How absurdly convenient.

Plain Kate

Title: Plain Kate

Author: Erin Bow

Rating: 2 stars

Summary: Plain Kate lives in a world of superstitions and curses, where a song can heal a wound and a shadow can work deep magic. As the wood-carver's daughter, Kate held a carving knife before a spoon, and her wooden talismans are so fine that some even call her “witch-blade”: a dangerous nickname in a country where witches are hunted and burned in the square.

For Kate and her village have fallen on hard times. Kate’s father has died, leaving her alone in the world. And a mysterious fog now covers the countryside, ruining crops and spreading fear of hunger and sickness. The townspeople are looking for someone to blame, and their eyes have fallen on Kate.

Enter Linay, a stranger with a proposition: In exchange for her shadow, he’ll give Kate the means to escape the angry town, and what’s more, he’ll grant her heart’s wish. It’s a chance for her to start over, to find a home, a family, a place to belong. But Kate soon realizes she can't live shadowless forever -- and that Linay's designs are darker than she ever dreamed.

Review:

	I had no clue as to what Kate looked like, and only a general guess as to her age. At first I was interested, but as the book went on I found that I alternated between either not understanding what was going on and dragging myself through, or understanding what was going on and dragging myself through.

Starcrossed

Title: Starcrossed

Author: Josephine Angelini

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

Summary:
How do you defy destiny?
Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task on an island as small and sheltered as Nantucket. And it's getting harder. Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. At school she's haunted by hallucinations of three women weeping tears of blood . . . and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they're destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history.
As Helen unlocks the secrets of her ancestry, she realizes that some myths are more than just legend. But even demigod powers might not be enough to defy the forces that are both drawing her and Lucas together—and trying to tear them apart.

Review: Truth be told, I skimmed the last two chapters. It started off really good; I liked the humor, but I got bored with the story about half-way through. I loved how instead of falling in love with Lucas when she first sees him in the hall, Helen tried to kill him. The cousin factor was weird, though. When Daphne said she was married to Ajax, I figured that Helen and Lucas would never work out. Don't read this book unless you enjoy being disappointed.

The Seer and The Sword

Title: The Seer and The Sword

Author: Victoria Hanley

Rating: 3 stars

Summary: Legend states that there exists a mighty sword that makes its possessor invincible to his enemies. But there is a curse on anyone who lifts the sword for conquest. King Kareed of Archeld goes after this sword anyway, winning it from the King of Bellandra. When he returns home from battle, he brings his daughter, Princess Torina, two special gifts. One is a unique crystal, in which she can view visions of the future. The other gift is the defeated king’s son Landen, who is to be her slave. Torina immediately releases Landen, who becomes a member of the King’s army and her close friend.
But trouble is lurking in the kingdom of Archeld and people are accusing Landen of plotting against the King. Torina refuses to believe he would hurt her family. Then Torina begins seeing deadly visions in her crystal. Can she save her father’s life and the future of her kingdom?

Review: One of my best friends has been trying to get me to read this book since the fifth grade, but I waited until now to read it. It's not amazing, but it's a beloved classic you'll want to re-read over and over again. A book like this I would normally give 4 stars, but I couldn't really connect with the characters. They were like some distant relatives you know exist, but don't actually know.

Always A Witch

I finished Always a Witch this morning. 5 stars! I read the first book, Once a Witch, back in February, when I also gave it 5 stars. They're both just all around awesome, funny, and I love the time travel aspect. I hope that there are more books in this series, but I don't see what Tamsin can do anymore that can fill an entire book.

Angelfire

Not amazing, but you should definitely read it. The second book comes out mid-2012, and the third one is released in 2013. Moulton's (the author) take on angels and reapers is not only original and exciting, but also a refreshing change from all the vampire/werewolf/paranormal monsters hype. (There's no cover for the third book yet.)

Book 1

Book 2

Theatre Illuminata

I read Eyes Like Stars about a year and a half ago, and waited forever to finally get my hands on a copy of the second book, Perchance to Dream. By the time I got the second book, the third book had come out, so yay!! :) Throughout the trilogy I was "Bertie should be with Nate." About half-way through the second book, though, "Bertie should be with Ariel!" Then back again. My favorite characters are the fairies, with their lovable antics, witty banter, and how they're always thinking of food!

                                                  Favorite cover!

The Leviathan Trilogy

I finished the final book, Goliath, yesterday afternoon. The romance? So obvious that it was going to happen. But that's okay. The Uglies series was definitely better, but I'll give the whole trilogy 3.75 stars.

Web of Air

So I finished A Web of Air a long time ago, and since then I have read the three books in the rest of the series. I haven't read the fourth one and am not planning on doing so beccause I read the summary and it seems pointless.