Tuesday, January 31, 2012

A Brief History of Montmaray

Title: A Brief History of Montmaray

Author: Michelle Cooper

Rating: 3  3/4 stars

Summary: “There’s a fine line between gossip and history, when one is talking about kings.”
Sophie Fitzosborne lives in a crumbling castle in the tiny island kingdom of Montmaray with her eccentric and impoverished royal family. When she receives a journal for her sixteenth birthday, Sophie decides to chronicle day-to-day life on the island. But this is 1936, and the news that trickles in from the mainland reveals a world on the brink of war. The politics of Europe seem far away from their remote island—until two German officers land a boat on Montmaray. And then suddenly politics become very personal indeed.


Review: I kept reading 'Montmaray' as 'Montramay,' and it wasn't until the end of the book that I got out of that habit. Except for Sophie announcing the fact that she has a crush, there is no romance. :)  I can't remember the last time I read a historical fiction book, but I saw the second book in the series in my school library and went on a hunt for the first. At the beginning I was a little disappointed; it was pretty boring. But it gradually picked up to the big escape scene at the end. (That's not a spoiler; everyone knew it was coming.) I am currently book-less in a library that has the sequel on its shelves, so be prepared for a review of that one!


Saturday, January 28, 2012

Deadly Little Secret

Title: Deadly Little Secret

Author: Laurie Faria Stolarz

Rating: 2  1/2 stars

Summary: Until three months ago, everything about sixteen-year-old Camelia's life had been fairly ordinary: decent grades; an okay relationship with her parents; and a pretty cool part-time job at an art studio downtown. But when Ben, the mysterious new guy, starts junior year at her high school, Camelia's life becomes far from ordinary.

Rumored to be somehow responsible for his ex-girlfriend's accidental death, Ben is immediately ostracized by everyone on campus. Except for Camelia. She's reluctant to believe he's trouble, even when her friends try to convince her otherwise. Instead she's inexplicably drawn to Ben...and to his touch. But soon, Camelia is receiving eerie phone calls and strange packages with threatening notes. Ben insists she is in danger, and that he can help – but can he be trusted? She knows he's hiding something...but he's not the only one with a secret.

Review: What is it with books in which the main character goes after the boy everyone warns her to stay away from? If someone told me that a guy had a violent streak and probably killed his girlfriend, I'd keep my distance, no matter how hot he is. And of course, Ben likes/loves Camelia but refuses to talk to her because he doesn't want to hurt her. Cue eye roll. Camelia's creepy boss, Spencer, starts hitting on her, and they mention it once, but then ignore it. You can't just turn a character creepy and then pretend like it never happened; either tell us how she told her parents and Spencer got what he deserved, or keep him normal. Oh, and the little journal entries? I totally thought those were from Ben, but then they got really anger and scary, so I was all "Well it's not Ben, so who could it possibly be?"  (SPOILER ALERT) It was Matt, Camelia's clingy ex-boyfriend. Who would have thought? Not me, that's for certain. That surprising twist ending was what earned this book an extra half star.

Friday, January 27, 2012

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

Title: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

Author: Michelle Hodkin

Rating: 4  1/2 stars

Summary: Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.
It can.
She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.
There is.
She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.
She's wrong.

Review: Not a very helpful summary, but I was surprised by how good this book was. Not that I expected it to be bad, it just didn't think I would like it enough to give it five stars. Mara doesn't completely lose her memory, just of the night the asylum collapsed. FYI, that's not a spoiler; they tell you at the beginning.This next part, however, requires the assistance of a SPOILER ALERT! Now that you have been properly warned, Mara discovers she has the power to kill people just by imagining their death. She finds herself falling in love with Noah Shaw, the school slut. Yes, guys can be sluts, too. Mara has some reserves about falling for a guy who sleeps with girls then drops them, and she makes a show of this. Later, she completely forgets all she has been told before about him, and they have a picture-perfect romance. Aside from the fact that Mara can kill people with the power of her mind and that Noah is a psychic, that is. That's why I took off half a star. But a four and a half star book is still a must-read book.


Thursday, January 26, 2012

Dragonswood

Title: Dragonswood

Author: Janet Lee Carey

Rating: 2 stars

Summary: Wilde Island is in an uproar after the recent death of its king. The uneasy pact between dragons, fairies, and humans is fraying, and a bloodthirsty witch hunter with a hidden agenda whips villages into frenzies with wild accusations. Tess, a blacksmith’s daughter from a tiny hamlet near the mysterious Dragonswood, finds herself caught in the crosshairs of fate when she is accused of witchery and has to flee for her life along with her two best friends.

Not even Tess’s power to see the future can help the girls as they set off on their desperate journey, but she keeps having visions of a man wielding a sword. And when she finally meets him, Tess has no idea how to handle the magnetic attraction she feels for him, or the elusive call she hears from the heart of the Dragonswood.


Review: I got to page seventy-seven before I stopped reading. Usually I love this kind of book, but this one bored me. I read another book by this author, Dragon's Keep, and it was pretty good. It's not a series, but Carey included characters from that book, though they were not major characters. Right before I returned this book, there was a line that went something like: "under the law, the dragon could kick us out." Are you kidding me? Why on Earth would a dragon follow laws? A bad book all around.
 





Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Raised by Wolves

Title: Raised by Wolves

Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Rating: 4 stars

Summary:  Adopted by the Alpha of a werewolf pack after a rogue wolf brutally killed her parents right before her eyes, fifteen-year-old Bryn knows only pack life, and the rigid social hierarchy that controls it.  That doesn't mean that she's averse to breaking a rule or two. 

But when her curiosity gets the better of her and she discovers Chase, a new teen locked in a cage in her guardian's basement, and witnesses him turn into a wolf before her eyes, the horrific memories of her parents' murders return. Bryn becomes obsessed with getting her questions answered, and Chase is the only one who can provide the information she needs.

But in her drive to find the truth, will Bryn push too far beyond the constraints of the pack, forcing her to leave behind her friends, her family, and the identity that she's shaped?


Review: I didn't expect to like this book more than Every Other Day, but I did. Yes, the main character did meet a guy and then right away decided to "bond" with him, but she didn't actually say she loved him until near the end. At the beginning Bryn refers to Ali and the twins as simply Ali and the twins. Later on, though, she refers to them as her family. What changed to make her do that? Maybe I'll find the answer in the next book, Trial by Fire.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Every Other Day

Title: Every Other Day

Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Rating: 3  1/2 stars

Summary:  Every other day, Kali D'Angelo is a normal sixteen-year-old girl. She goes to public high school. She attends pep rallies. She's human.

And then every day in between . . . She's something else entirely.

Though she still looks like herself, every twenty-four hours predatory instincts take over and Kali becomes a feared demon-hunter with the undeniable urge to hunt, trap, and kill zombies, hellhounds, and other supernatural creatures. Kali has no idea why
she is the way she is, but she gives in to instinct anyway. Even though the government considers it environmental terrorism.

When Kali notices a mark on the lower back of a popular girl at school, she knows instantly that the girl is marked for death by one of these creatures. Kali has twenty-four hours to save her and, unfortunately, she'll have to do it as a human. With the help of a few new friends, of course.


Review: I found this book on my Goodreads Recommendations, was drawn in by the cover, read the summary, and knew then and there that I had to read this book. In Kali's world (it's still Earth, mind you) everyone knows about hellhounds, kelpies, griffins, and the like. They're in zoos and some are even on the endangered species list. Kali, when she's not a human girl, hunts them. Once she hold a weapon, she knows how to use it and will never lose it. Her blood is poisonous to the preternaturals (a.k.a hellhounds and such) and she heals crazy-fast, as long as she doesn't turn human too quickly. The chupacabra bite increases her powers, and leads Kali to wonder just what exactly she is. Practically no romance, thank goodness!, but I felt it ended too quickly. Also, the big twist at the end of Chapter 24? I totally called it back when they first introduced the character. All Barnes had to put was the click, click, click of the heels, and I knew it. Only 3.5 stars, but a definite you-should-read-it book.



Sunday, January 22, 2012

Fallen

Title: Fallen

Author: Lauren Kate

Rating 3 stars

Summary: There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce–and goes out of his way to make that very clear–she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.


Review: Normally I don't like books like this. Books where the main character has two boys fighting over her and she's trying to decide between them (See Born at Midnight review for my full rant on that), where the guys know everything and the girl knows nothing. They annoy the heck out of me. This one was suprisingly okay. I liked that Luce wasn't perfect; she's at a reform school for accidentally killing her crush, but no one believes that it was an accident.  One thing I really didn't like was the scene where Luce first sees Daniel. She stares at him, he flips her off, and she convinces herself that she's in love with him and starts stalking him. He flipped her off. How crazy do you have to be to misinterpret 'f**k off ' as 'I love you?' I'll probably read the next book, anyway.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Liar's Moon

Title: Liar's Moon

Author: Elizabeth C. Bunce

Rating: 1 star

Summary: As a pickpocket, Digger expects to spend a night in jail every now and then. But she doesn't expect to find Lord Durrel Decath there as well--or to hear he's soon to be executed for killing his wife.

Durrel once saved Digger's life, and when she goes free, she decides to use her skills as a thief, forger, and spy to return the favor. But each new clue only opens up new mysteries. Durrel's late wife had an illegal business on the wrong side of the civil war raging just outside the city gates. Digger keeps finding forbidden magic in places it has no reason to be. And for a thief in a town full of liars, sometimes it doesn't pay to know the truth.


Review: No. Just no. I read the first book, Starcrossed, and loved it, but this one was a HUGE disappointment. I forced myself through ninety-five pages before I couldn't take it anymore and returned it to the library. You should read Starcrossed, but skip the sequel. 


Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Blood Red Road

Title: Blood Red Road

Author: Moira Young

Rating: 4  1/2 stars

Summary: Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That's fine by her, as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when a monster sandstorm arrives, along with four cloaked horsemen, Saba's world is shattered. Lugh is captured, and Saba embarks on an epic quest to get him back. Suddenly thrown into the lawless, ugly reality of the world outside of desolate Silverlake, Saba is lost without Lugh to guide her. So perhaps the most surprising thing of all is what Saba learns about herself: she's a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. And she has the power to take down a corrupt society from the inside. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil named Jack and a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks, Saba stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization.

Review: This book was amazing! There was still some romance, but only a little bit so it's okay. Saba began as a girl who cared for no one but her twin brother, who she thought of as more beautiful, smart, and kind than herself. She hated her younger sister, Emmi, and blamed her for their mother's death. Over the course of the book, Saba found out that she's a survivor, that she's beautiful too, that she is an unbeatable fighter. She learns to love Emmi, and that her brother is the only great person out there. The book was written in the way the characters talked: misspelled words and no g's. At first, it annoyed me to no end, but I learned to accept it. This is a must-read for anyone and everyone!  

Monday, January 16, 2012

Wildwing

Title: Wildwing

Author: Emily Whitman

Rating: 3 stars

Summary: 
When Addy is swept back in time, she couldn't be happier to leave her miserable life behind. Now she's mistaken for Lady Matilda, the pampered ward of the king. If Addy can play her part, she'll have glorious gowns, jewels, and something she's always longed for—the respect and admiration of others. But then she meets Will, the falconer's son with sky blue eyes, who unsettles all her plans.
From shipwrecks to castle dungeons, from betrothals to hidden conspiracies, Addy finds herself in a world where she's not the only one with a dangerous secret. When she discovers the truth, Addy must take matters into her own hands. The stakes? Her chance at true love . . . and the life she's meant to live.

Review: Meh. Not particularly good or bad. In the very beginning, I didn't understand what was going on because I thought this book took place in present day. Then I read the little summary on the copyrights page, and it turns out that Addy's time is the year 1913. Huh. Also, I'm getting tired of all the romance. Not just in this book but in what it seems like every single book. I get that romance was the whole point of the book, but still.





Friday, January 13, 2012

Bitterblue

Title: Bitterblue

Author: Kristin Cashore

Rating: 5 stars!!!!

Summary: Eight years after Graceling, Bitterblue is now queen of Monsea. But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on. Her advisors, who have run things since Leck died, believe in a forward-thinking plan: Pardon all who committed terrible acts under Leck’s reign, and forget anything bad ever happened. But when Bitterblue begins sneaking outside the castle—disguised and alone—to walk the streets of her own city, she starts realizing that the kingdom has been under the thirty-five-year spell of a madman, and the only way to move forward is to revisit the past. Two thieves, who only steal what has already been stolen, change her life forever. They hold a key to the truth of Leck’s reign. And one of them, with an extreme skill called a Grace that he hasn’t yet identified, holds a key to her heart.

Review: Thank goodness for ARC's so that people don't have to wait another five months to read a book, and thank goodness for awesome librarians who lend you the ARC's. This book was amazing; I couldn't put it down! I'm so glad Katsa and Po are back, because I missed them in Fire. It wasn't until the last two hundred pages that I stopped picturing Bitterblue as a ten year old. *Semi-Spoiler Alert* Why did Saf have to leave? Why can't anyone in this series have a normal relationship where the people don't keep running off to overthrow evil kings? I hope there's another book. (Please? Please?!?)



Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Ruby Red

Title: Ruby Red

Author: Kerstin Gier

Rating: 4   3/4 stars


Summary: Gwyneth Shepherd's sophisticated, beautiful cousin Charlotte has been prepared her entire life for traveling through time. But unexpectedly, it is Gwyneth, who in the middle of class takes a sudden spin to a different era!
Gwyneth must now unearth the mystery of why her mother would lie about her birth date to ward off suspicion about her ability, brush up on her history, and work with Gideon--the time traveler from a similarly gifted family that passes the gene through its male line, and whose presence becomes, in time, less insufferable and more essential. Together, Gwyneth and Gideon journey through time to discover who, in the 18th century and in contemporary London, they can trust.

Review: I absolutely loved this book! I just wish it was a bit longer; it was over much too quickly. I've read time traveling books before, but never where the time traveling was intentional and there was a gene that was passed through the generations of two different families. But another time traveler book had an important character named Gideon, and took place in England. The second and third book have already been published for a while, but in German, so I have to wait for a translation. :( I don't know how long I can wait.




Monday, January 9, 2012

Awake at Dawn

Title: Awake at Dawn (Shadow Falls 2)

Author: C.C. Hunter

Rating: 2 3/4 stars

Summary:  Now that she’s settled in at Shadow Falls Camp, Kylie Galen’s determined to discover the extent of her supernatural abilities.  But with a ghost insisting someone Kylie loves is about die, a rogue vampire on a murdering rampage, and her sixth sense telling her someone is watching her, Kylie’s quest for answers is quickly put on hold. 
To make matters worse, just when she’s about to give her heart to Derek, a half-fairy, he starts pulling away.  When Lucas, a werewolf with whom Kylie shares a secret past, returns, Kylie’s feels more conflicted than ever. Her weekend with her mom should have been the just the break Kylie needs, but it turns out to be her breaking point.  Someone from the dark side of the supernatural world has plans for Kylie--and it'll take all her resources to get back to Shadow Falls alive...


Review: We have our answer: this series stays semi-okay. Nothing really changed from the first book except for even more boy problems. About half of this book was about Kylie trying to decide between Lucas and Derek. Ugh. Super-short summary of this book: Kylie can't decide between Lucas and Derek, but she's leaning toward Derek. Half-way through the book, Derek dumps her. For about five pages, Kylie is close to getting forcibly engaged to a vampire. Lucas is there for the entire book. I am thoroughly annoyed.

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Born at Midnight

Title: Born at Midnight

Author: C.C. Hunter

Rating: 3 stars

Summary:
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, shapeshifters, 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-fairy 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…

Review: Another eh book. Also another Texas book. I wonder if there's a connection...? The amazing book streak has finally come to an end; it is now the era of okay books. Kylie is trying to decide between two guys, one of whom is a werewolf. Time for... Twilight reference. There's this Twilight parody called Literal Twilight Eclipse Trailer. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJK7n_wcSsM) Every time Kylie mentioned Lucas and/or Derek, I was reminded of this part of the video:


Okay, that was fun.
I was glad Hunter included witches and faeries in the camp, and that we don't know what Kylie is, but she's definitely not a vamp or werewolf. Time for another different-book reference: Kylie sees ghosts, she's not a fairy, vamp, werewolf, or witch, one of the guys is named Derek, and one is a werewolf.
It's The Summoning!!!

Which makes Kylie Chloe the necromancer. I loved the Darkest Powers series.

Near the end this book turned into a kind-of supernatural Nancy Drew, what with the mystery of the dead animals and all the who-dunnit. I'm currently reading the second book, so we'll see if this series stays okay, becomes better, or plummets to horrible-ness.

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Alien Invasion and Other Inconviences

Title: Alien Invasion and Other Inconviences

Author: Brian Yansky

Rating: 3 stars

Summary: A polite race of telepathic killer aliens, a ten-second world conquest, and one teenage boy collide in this wry, gutsy adventure.

Jesse is in history class when a formidable, efficient race of aliens quietly takes over the earth in less time than it takes him to brush his teeth. Most humans simply fall asleep and never wake up. In moments, everyone Jesse knows and loves is gone, and he finds that he is now a slave to an inept alien leader. On the bright side, Jesse discovers he’s developing telepathic powers, and he’s not the only one. Soon he’s forging new friendships and feeling unexpectedly hopeful. When a mysterious girl appears in his dreams, talking about escaping, Jesse begins to think the aliens may not be invincible after all. But if Jesse and his friends succeed, is there anywhere left to go?

Review: Eh. It started out too quick; in the middle of the first page the invasion happened. I would have liked to learn more about that main character guy, whatever his name was. Also, if Lindsey was a smoker, aren't there side-effects to quitting cold-turkey? She seemed totally fine. But I have to give it points for taking place in Austin, Texas. There were some good jokes, too. Overall, it was an okay book for one about aliens.

Friday, January 6, 2012

The Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Title: The Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Author: Laini Taylor

Rating: 4 stars

Summary:  Around the world, black handprints 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 otherwordly 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 one of the strangers--beautiful, haunted Akiva--fixes his fire-colored 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?

Review: AAAAUUUUUGGGHHHH!!!!!! This book was amazing right up until the last twenty pages, then I got bored. Not with the book itself, mind you, but the last twenty pages. And then, of course, came the cliff-hanger ending. No one likes cliff-hanger endings unless the next book has already been published and one can go get said book. Sadly, the second book doesn't come out until September of this year, and that is only an estimate! Sadness has taken over. *sniffle*

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Drink, Slay, Love

Title: Drink, Slay, Love

Author: Sarah Beth Durst

Rating: 4 stars

Summary: Pearl is a sixteen-year-old vampire... fond of blood, allergic to sunlight, and mostly evil... until the night a sparkly unicorn stabs her through the heart with his horn. Oops.

Her Family thinks she was attacked by a vampire hunter (because, obviously, unicorns don't exist), and they're shocked she survived. They're even more shocked when Pearl discovers she can now withstand the sun. But they quickly find a way to make use of her new talent. The Vampire King of New England has chosen Pearl's family to host his feast. If Pearl enrolls in high school, she can make lots of human friends and lure them to the King's feast -- as the entrees.

The only problem? Pearl's starting to feel the twinges of a conscience. How can she serve up her new friends—especially the cute guy who makes her fangs ache—to be slaughtered? Then again, she's definitely dead if she lets down her family. What's a sunlight-loving vamp to do?


Review: I don't usually go for vamp books, but there are a few exceptions. This one, for instance. I liked how Pearl didn't start out with a conscience; it wasn't about her deciding all of a sudden that drinking blood was wrong. Also, that there was a reason for not killing the humans they (Pearl's Family) drank from that wasn't the Family was merciful because they felt bad about what they were doing. It didn't hurt that this book had a pretty cool cover, too. *Tiny Spoiler Alert* Oh, and were-unicorns? Truth be told, the name is pretty silly, but come on! Wouldn't it be awesome if you could turn into a unicorn and had a giant unicorn horn for use as a sword that you could make come out of your wrist? Yes. Yes it would be. ;)



Monday, January 2, 2012

Gimme a Call


Title: Gimme a Call

Author: Sarah Mlynowski

Rating: 4 stars

Summary:  Devi's life isn't turning out at all like she wanted. She wasted the past three years going out with Bryan—cute, adorable, break-your-heart Bryan. Devi let her friendships fade, blew off studying, didn't join any clubs . . . and now that Bryan has broken up with her, she has nothing left.

Not even her stupid cell phone—she dropped it in the mall fountain. Now it only calls one number . . . hers. At age fourteen, three years ago!

Once Devi gets over the shock—and convinces her younger self that she isn't some wacko—she realizes that she's been given an awesome gift. She can tell herself all the right things to do . . . because she's already done all the wrong ones! Who better to take advice from than your future self?

Except . . .what if getting what you think you want changes everything? 


Review: I really liked this book! A quick guilty pleasure I indulge in every so often. Of course, when 17 year old Devi tries to change her past, it doesn't work out exactly how she planned. Everyone saw that coming. Still, I was hooked; I stayed up really late reading it. 14 year old Devi and 17 year old Devi switch off every chapter, and near the end the chapters got shorter and shorter, all suspenseful and such. The last page was kind of weird, but overall a satisfying ending. :)




Sunday, January 1, 2012

Guardian of the Dead

Title: Guardian of the Dead

Author: Karen Healey

Rating: 1 star

Summary: Set in New Zealand, Ellie's main concerns at her boarding school are hanging out with her best friend Kevin, her crush on the mysterious Mark, and her paper deadline. That is, until a mysterious older woman seems to set her sights on Kevin, who is Maori, and has more than just romantic plans for him. In an effort to save him, Ellie is thrown into the world of Maori lore, and eventually finds herself in an all-out war with mist dwelling Maori fairy people called the patupaiarehe who need human lives to gain immortality.

Review: Ugh. I was seriously dissapointed by this book. The summary intriuged me, so I checked it out of the library (obviously). In the middle there was about twenty pages where I was totally confused and had no idea what was going on. Also in the very middle was this major fight scene that should have happened near the end of  the book. Then I had to suffer through another one hundred-fifty pages all the while thinking to myself, "Why hasn't this book ended yet?" Ellie didn't really do anything; she just followed other people around and complained. Mark annoyed me; he was always saying, "I love you, but I can never touch you or be near you. I am a monster and I hate myself." Seriously, Mark? Get over yourself.

2012 Reading Challenge

See the box on the right that has "2012 Reading Challenge" on it? Well, this year my goal is to read 150 books. In 2011 I read 139 books, and I want to break my record. How many books are you going to read this year?