The Locket by Stacey Jay

The Locket by Stacey Jay

Released: February 2011
Publisher: Razorbill
Genre: Young Adult - Contemporary
Pages: 288
Source: Teen Book Scene

Rating: ♥♥♥.5

On her seventeenth birthday, Katie discovers a locket and decides to wear it for good luck. But when her boyfriend Isaac finds out she cheated on him— with their mutual best friend Mitch, no less—he dumps her, leaving her devastated.

And then a miracle happens. The locket burns on Katie's chest and she feels herself going back two weeks in time, to the night she cheated with Mitch. At first, Kate is delighted to be a better girlfriend to Isaac this time around. But as other aspects of her life become inexplicably altered, she realizes that changing the past may have had a dangerous effect on her present.

Can she make things right before the locket destroys everything—and everyone—she loves?


---

Stacey Jay is the first author who gave me zombies. So when I saw she had something completely different coming out, I was pretty interested. I have to say, I think I like her writing more 'contemporary with a twist' better than the whole paranormal world.

I love stories that are based on the what ifs. What if I could go back in time and change a moment where I screwed up? Right now mine would be signing the lease on the apartment I hate. But for Katie, it's going back to the time where she made the mistake of cheating on her boyfriend, Issac, with her and his best friend, Mitch.

Katie was a character that you could easily slip into her voice. My only problem with her was her boyfriend, Issac. I really didn't care for Issac at the beginning, and throughout the novel kept wondering why this chick kept changing the course of events for him. A lot of the book and moments seemed to revolve more around her and her best friend, Mitch, so in some ways I wasn't exactly able to get the chance to like him. The friendship between Mitch and Katie was very genuine and written well.

Regardless of that, I loved how Katie never knew what was going to happen when something changed. Things were sometimes a bit slow paced, but The locket took her wherever it felt the need to take her.  At first it was just little things that started to change around her, but soon she noticed that by trying to change her big mistake she was alternating people's lives. And soon a domino effect happens, and one massive alternation that had my jaw dropping!

I would recommend The Locket for those that like the Groundhound Day effect or are wondering what it would be like to go back and change a mistake they've made.

♥amber

Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting

Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting
(Book #2 in the Body Finder series)


Released: February 2011
Publisher: HarperCollins
Genre: Young Adult - Paranormal - Mystery/Thriller
Pages: 368
Source: Around the World Tours


Rating: ♥♥♥.5

The missing dead call to Violet. They want to be found.

When Violet Ambrose's morbid ability to sense the echoes of those who've been murdered leads her to the body of a young boy, she draws the attention of the FBI. She is reluctantly pulled into an investigation that will endanger more than just her secret...but her relationship and possibly her life as well.

---

Kimberly Derting is a wonderful writer. I'm always amazed by her descriptions and the simplistic eeriness The Body Finder series has. I haven't ran across many good mystery type of books in young adult. I'm sure there are probably a lot out there, maybe I'm just not looking in the right place. But if you love a more mystery thriller then you do need to check this author out.

In Desires of the Dead, we're back in Violet's life after she escaped a near death experience with a serial killer. Even though a bit shaken, Violet is still enjoying her life with her yummy new boyfriend, Jay. I was so excited to see Jay again. Their relationship is such a deep one seeing as these two have been friends since they were children, and truly do care and love one another.

Violet's sense of echoes and the secret she has kept well hidden captures the interested of a woman named Sarah from the FBI after Violet places an anonymous call about a body she had came across. I was all very interested in how this plot would leave, but I didn't really enjoy it as much as I did in the first book.

My main problem was Violet not really telling anyone about what was going on. I know the book gave it explanations and obviously if she would have told Jay or anyone in her family about everything right off the bat then the book wouldn't have been the way it was, but it just seemed out of character. And while the first book had me always guessing, this one didn't as much. It felt more like it was setting up for something a bit bigger to go down in the third installment.

In the end I did enjoy this book, and if you've read the first book (why haven't you read the first book yet?), you'll want to read this one too. I'm very curious of where Kimberly Derting plans on taking this series, and of course, I'm always excited to see more of Violet and Jay.

Kimberly Derting lives in the Pacific Northwest, which is the ideal place to be writing anything dark or creepy...a gloomy day can set the perfect mood. She lives with her husband and their three beautiful (and often mouthy) children, who serve as an endless source of inspiration for her writing.






Webpage | Twitter | Amazon | Goodreads

♥amber

Trapped by Michael Northrop

Trapped by Michael Northrop



Released: January 2011
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Genre: Young Adult
Pages: 224
Source: Around the World Tours


Rating: ♥♥♥.5

The day the blizzard started, no one knew that it was going to keep snowing for a week. That for those in its path, it would become not just a matter of keeping warm, but of staying alive....


Scotty and his friends Pete and Jason are among the last seven kids at their high school waiting to get picked up that day, and they soon realize that no one is coming for them. Still, it doesn't seem so bad to spend the night at school, especially when distractingly hot Krista and Julie are sleeping just down the hall. But then the power goes out, then the heat. The pipes freeze, and the roof shudders. As the days add up, the snow piles higher, and the empty halls grow colder and darker, the mounting pressure forces a devastating decision....



---

I don't usually read books or watch movies like this. Why? Because I am naturally an anxious person. My nerves get rattled easily, and seven kids locked into high school for a week trying to survive while the snow keeps piling up outside sounds like it'll rattle me a lot.

Scotty is an average teenage boy with an easy-going voice. He is the one telling you the story in the way that it had already happen. While sometimes his voice could get a bit repetitive, I really liked his narration. He dropped suddle hints that really kept the story moving along.

Don't think this is some snowed in version of Lord of the Flies. This is a mild intense book, but for someone like me, this was a good thing. All the characters were very easy to vision and the plot moved along nicely from day to day. Usually I'm all about learning so much about characters. You do get to know some of Scotty along with some of the other students, but with this type of story it was way more fitting without having to hear everyone's back story. I really enjoyed how smoothly Michael Northrop's writing flowed throughout the pages.

The ending though...I liked it. I really liked how the book came together, but when I hit that closing paragraph, turned the page, and realized that was the end, I thought: What?! I needed more details. I just felt like it was ripped right from me, but at the same time due to how the story was written it did fit. I'm still torn on it.

Overall, I really enjoyed Trapped. I haven't read anything else by Northrop, but I plan on changing that.

♥amber

The Lying Game by Sara Shepard

The Lying Game by Sara Shepard

Released: December 2010
Publisher: Harper Teen
Genre: Young Adult - Series
Pages: 307
Source: Around the World Tours

Rating: ♥♥♥.5

The worst part of being dead is that there’s nothing left to live for. No more kisses. No more secrets. No more gossip. It’s enough to kill a girl all over again. But I’m about to get something no one else does—an encore performance, thanks to Emma, the long-lost twin sister I never even got to meet.


Now Emma’s desperate to know what happened to me. And the only way to figure it out is to be me—to slip into my old life and piece it all together. But can she laugh at inside jokes with my best friends? Convince my boyfriend she’s the girl he fell in love with? Pretend to be a happy, carefree daughter when she hugs my parents good night? And can she keep up the charade, even after she realizes my murderer is watching her every move?


---

This is my first time reading a Sara Shepard novel. I've been watching Pretty Little Liars, but still haven't checked out the series. I had planned to, but when I read the synopsis to The Lying Game, it just seemed a bit more intriguing.

Right at the beginning we know one thing is certain: Sutton Mercer is dead. She's still stuck on Earth though, and having to always stick around her twin sister who never knew even existed named Emma. A big information dump is given about Emma in the first few chapters. I guess it's so the reader gets the down low on her before she transforms into Sutton's life.

One thing that kind of bothered me a bit from the beginning is how Emma just  jumped right into finding her long-long twin sister before she knew she was dead. She saw a snuff video of Sutton, and what looks to be her possible murder then she gets messages from "Sutton" saying she wants to meet up, but even says: Things could be dangerous. Yet, that part of the text doesn't really seem to cross Emma's mind too much. It bugged me that she was more nervous about meeting her twin instead of I dunno being freaked out that things COULD BE DANGEROUS!

When Emma tries to tell people that Sutton is dead, confirmed by creepy texts messages she's getting, no one wants to believe her. As the reader and Emma both find out, Sutton is known for her pranks. Her and her "friends" have a sort of club called The Lying Games. For the past years, they've always tried to out-do one another, topping each prank after prank. So when Emma goes around saying her name is Emma, and Sutton is really dead, everyone thinks she's lying. Now Emma knows she has to stick around to find out who really killed her long-lost twin sister.

Sara Shepard's writing style is fast paced. She gives you the basics you need to know about characters, and keeps the questions and the need to know what's going to happen going. Sutton is in a way telling you the story because she can see and feel everything Emma is feeling as she tries to solve this murder. Since Emma's parts are written in third person, sometimes when Sutton's voice popped up, I almost forgot she was the narrator.

You do get the sense of characters, but it seemed to be more built up over the mystery and plot of Sutton's killer, what Emma should do next, and who to trust. Plus many small questions thrown out here and there like the disappearance of a guy named Thayer. The mysterious guy named Ethan who doesn't give anyone the light of day, but does for Sutton. These girls who are supposed to be Sutton's friends, but it seems they all need to just watch their backs from one another instead.

I did like this book, and I do plan to read the next one. The only downfall I saw was at the end of it, I felt kind of cheated. I know this is a series with many different questions crammed into the beginning, but it seemed like there should have been a bit more answers than what was given in the end.

Website | Twitter | Amazon | Goodreads

♥amber

Firelight by Sophie Jordan

Firelight by Sophie Jordan


Released: September 2010
Publisher: HarperTeen
Genre: Young Adult - Paranormal - Fantasy
Pages: 323
Source: We Love YA Tours


Rating: ♥♥♥.5

Marked as special at an early age, Jacinda knows her every move is watched. But she longs for freedom to make her own choices. When she breaks the most sacred tenet among her kind, she nearly pays with her life. Until a beautiful stranger saves her. A stranger who was sent to hunt those like her. For Jacinda is a draki—a descendant of dragons whose greatest defense is her secret ability to shift into human form.


Forced to flee into the mortal world with her family, Jacinda struggles to adapt to her new surroundings. The only bright light is Will. Gorgeous, elusive Will who stirs her inner draki to life. Although she is irresistibly drawn to him, Jacinda knows Will's dark secret: He and his family are hunters. She should avoid him at all costs. But her inner draki is slowly slipping away—if it dies she will be left as a human forever. She'll do anything to prevent that. Even if it means getting closer to her most dangerous enemy.


Mythical powers and breathtaking romance ignite in this story of a girl who defies all expectations and whose love crosses an ancient divide.

----

I've never read much fantasy type novels so dragons are a whole new world to me. The idea of what Sophie Jordan created sounded excellent. The beginning chapters were very engaging and action-packed. I wanted to know more and more about the Draki and their pride. There was something about Jacinda that I really liked off the bat. She was a very curious and had real emotions which made her a realistic character even though she could, you know, shift into a dragon.

After a close call with dragon hunters, her family picks up and moves to the mortal world where the storyline of "new girl with secret meets hot guy with secret" takes over. When she meets Will, who she instantly recognizes as a hunter, she knows she should stay away. That of course cannot happen.  Both of them are drawn to one another. Trust me, it's obvious these two are attracted to one another. The author writes the emotions very well. I could literally feel their attraction, but I wasn't buying this instant love between the two. It was more lust than love.  So those were the two things that really set me back from this book. I'm just tired of seeing that type of plot line in books.

Back to the parts that I did enjoy. I thought the action in this story was great! I loved hearing bits and pieces of what the pride had planned for Jacinda, and her struggle with expecting who she was and what she was. I wished there was more of that because that's what really held my interest. The ending held a nice twist, and I do plan to pick up the next book when it comes out to see what will happen next.

♥amber

Review: Party by Tom Leveen

Party by Tom Leveen

Released: April 2010
Publisher: Random House
Genre: Young Adult
Pages: 240
Source: Around The World Tours

Rating: ♥♥♥.5


It's saturday night in Santa Barbara and school is done for the year. Everyone is headed to the same party. Or at least it seems that way. The place is packed. The beer is flowing. Simple, right? But for 11 different people the motives are way more complicated. As each character takes a turn and tells his or her story, the eleven individuals intersect, and reconnect, collide, and combine in ways that none of them ever saw coming.



----

Party is one of those type of books that reminds me of a 90's teen movie. You know the type of movie you watched before high school that was based on this one epic night that brought all these people from different sterotypes together and something crazy, fun, disastrous, and everything in between happened. And the entire time you're watching you think to yourself woah - I want a night like that!

I know this read isn't for everyone. It has a lot of language, and I know a lot of readers who just aren't into these types of stories. For those that love a handful of characters who intertwine each others lives and like a book that cuts the bull and gets to the point - this is your read. While I did really enjoy it, I didn't love-love it. My main problem was I didn't like a few characters, but their purpose seemed to be the fillers anyways. But there were a few characters such as Beckett, Morrigan (love to hate her), Tommy, Max, and Ashley that I could not get enough of. I was so glad a lot of the book was focused on them. All in all, this was an entertaining read that gave me some good laughs. I'll definitely look out to see what Tom Leveen puts out in the future.

♥amber

Review: The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, & June by Robin Benway

The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, & June by Robin Benway


Release Date: August 3, 2010
Publisher: Razorbill
Genre: Young Adult
Pages: 256
Source: Around the World Tours


Rating: ♥♥♥♥

Three sisters, three extraordinary, life-changing powers!


 Around the time of their parents’ divorce, sisters April, May, and June recover special powers from childhood—powers that come in handy navigating the hell that is high school. Powers that help them cope with the hardest year of their lives. But could they have a greater purpose?


April, the oldest and a bit of a worrier, can see the future. Middle-child May can literally disappear. And baby June reads minds—everyone’s but her own. When April gets a vision of disaster, the girls come together to save the day and reconcile their strained family. They realize that no matter what happens, powers or no powers, they’ll always have each other.

Because there’s one thing stronger than magic: sisterhood.

---

Since my blog is no way a professional site, I'm just going to come out and say it:

If Robin Benway is anything like the characters she writes then I think she'd be a blast to get drunk with!

In her second novel,The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, & June, Benway has nailed it again! This book is definitely going to be one of my favorites for the year. Each chapter is told by a different sister going in order from oldest to youngest. Like many novels that have alternating view points, I'm always a bit weary. Some authors can pull it off while others cannot, but this one was done very well.

I really couldn't pick a favorite between the three girls. Each of them had their own voice, personality, but yet, they were all so much alike. I'm curious if Robin herself has two sisters because she wrote their relationship so realistically. That's possibly why I enjoyed it so much because I do have a sister and her daughter might as well be the youngest of us. All the bickering, the concern for one another, the 'sisterhood' - it just fit together perfectly. No moments ever seemed forced. One of my favorite parts of the book was right at the beginning the moment the three girls realized they had powers. I laughed so hard, I could have rolled off the bed!

Benway writes my type of humor. No doubt this book has many hilarious moments, but it was also so much more when it came to a story about family. Not to mention a great story about being a teen. It has a mix of having divorced parents, moving to a new school, first boyfriends, first crushes - everything. The slight mystery of what the oldest sister, April, had a vision of kept me glued. I was dying to know how it would be played out that I almost finished this in one sitting. While it didn't have a big punch like I thought it would, it still kept me on my toes.

I know this book doesn't come out until August, but if you were a fan of Audrey, Wait! or just wanting to read an great book - keep this one on your radar. It's wonderful and I don't think you'll be disappointed.

♥amber

Shadowed Summer by Saundra Mitchell

Shadowed Summer by Saundra Mitchell


Released: February 2009
Publisher: Delacorte Books
Genre: Young Adult - Ghostly Paranormal
Pages: 192
Source: 1 Arc Tours

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Iris is ready for another hot, routine summer in her small Louisiana town, hanging around the Red Stripe grocery with her best friend, Collette, and traipsing through the cemetery telling each other spooky stories and pretending to cast spells. Except this summer, Iris doesn’t have to make up a story. This summer, one falls right in her lap.


Years ago, before Iris was born, a local boy named Elijah Landry disappeared. All that remained of him were whispers and hushed gossip in the church pews. Until this summer. A ghost begins to haunt Iris, and she’s certain it’s the ghost of Elijah. What really happened to him? And why, of all people, has he chosen Iris to come back to?

---

Off the bat I completely fell in love with the setting of Shadowed Summer. Saundra Mitchell did a fantastic job with writing Louisiana, the people, and not making the whole southern accent or anything seem forced. I felt like I lived in this small town with Iris.

I liked how while this book was about the ghost of Elijah Landry, it was also about one summer where Iris grows. The friendship between her and her best friend, Collete, is so realistic. Iris is still wanting to stay the same while Collete is chasing after boys and what seems like growing up way faster than Iris. I loved how it brought me back to that age where the world starts to change without you even realizing it.

The ghostly aspect of the story was done well. I loved the sudden twists of events towards the end. If this book was out when I was a younger teen, I know it would have been one of my favorites. I'm not saying you have to be a younger teen to enjoy this. I think this is the type of book all ages can read and will enjoy. When I was younger,say 11 or 12, ghost stories and messing with that sort of thing was what I loved to do. Because it brought me back to those days, I actually envisioned Iris to be around that age. My only fall back on this book was how slow paced it was. Lately I've been wanting a faster read. Besides that, it's still one I would recommend.

♥amber

Beautiful by Amy Reed

Beautiful by Amy Reed


Released:October 2009
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 240
Genre: Young Adult 
Source: Other Shelf Tours


Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars


When thirteen-year-old Cassie moves to a suburb of Seattle, she is determined to leave her boring, good-girl existence behind. She chooses some dangerous new friends and is quickly caught up in their fast-paced world of drugs, sex, secrets, and cruelty.


Cassie's new existence both thrills and terrifies her. She embraces the numbness she feels from the drugs, starts sleeping with an older boy, and gets pulled into a twisted friendship triangle that is tinged with violence and abuse. Cassie is trapped in a swift downward spiral, and there's no turning back.

---

The first word that pops into my mind about this book is that it was bold. The writing, the characters, and all the events that happen are right there in your face. I'm not a big fan of reading about younger teens so I was surprised how easily I connected with Cassie being as she was thirteen. Still a little surprised that the author made her that young, but at the same time it is very realistic.

By the style that Amy Reed writes, I felt myself being just as foggy as Cassie's life started to be. Right from the get go you watch her start to go downhill. She's slowly destroying herself and you're just waiting for someone or anyone to jump in and stop it. The story was good - haunting even and I did enjoy it. But (yes, there is a but) I felt as if I had already read this story before. I can't really explain it besides that it didn't feel new to me. Still, I think Amy Reed has an excellent and powerful voice, and I am looking forward to seeing what she'll come out with next.

♥amber

Review - You Are So Undead to Me by Stacey Jay

You Are So Undead to Me by Stacey Jay


Released: January 2009
Publisher: Razorbill
Genre: Young Adult - Paranormal - Zombie
Pages: 272
Source: Won in a giveaway from Book Chic


Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Q: HOW MANY ZOMBIES DOES IT TAKE TO RUIN A SOCIAL LIFE?
A: NOT MANY.
Megan Berry is a Zombie Settler by birth, which means she's part-time shrink to a whole bunch of semi-dead people with killer issues. All Megan really wants is to go to homecoming, but when you're trailed by a bunch of slobbering corpses whenever you leave the house, it's kinda hard to score a date. Let's just say Megan's love life could use some major resuscitation.


Megan's convinced her life can't get any worse - until someone in school starts using black magic to turn average, angsty Undead into scary, hardcore flesh-eating Zombies. Now it's up to Megan to stop the Zombie apocalypse. Her life - and more importantly, the homecoming dance - depends on it.

---

I've never been a huge zombie fan. The whole undead-moaning-slobbering thing has never been my cup of tea. Like many reads over the past year, I'm reaching outside my comfort zone and giving zombies more of a try. I thought this book would be a little darker and a little more serious, but it turned out to be an actual fun, witty, and light hearted one that I enjoyed.

Megan has a great young teenage voice. She just wants to live a normal life, but it's kind of hard when the undead keep showing up on your doorstep. The beginning of the book had me laughing and completely loving everything about it. You can tell Stacey Jay took some time in creating this whole world of Settlers. The system of their world was explained very well and you learned more as Megan went through more of the training process. I also enjoyed the author's writing style. Everything played out nicely where I could picture it all in my head. I could really see this being a TV show.

The relationship between Megan and Ethan fit perfectly.  (And yes, I did develop a character crush on Ethan. I can't help these things. Boys in books always seem to be better.) These two bounced off one another nicely, and I'm hoping that maybe in the next book we get to read more on their past together.

By the time I got to the middle, I wouldn't quite say I became bored, but I wasn't as into it as I had been. It just kind of slowed down for me. I also figured out who the villain was around this time. That's my main reason for rating this 3.5 instead of a 4 because I really wanted to be surprised, but wasn't. The whole time I kept thinking why isn't Megan seeing who the villain is! Now the reasons behind why the villain did what they did was good, but like I said, I really wanted to be more surprised.  Overall it was still a good read and I'm looking forward to the next book.

♥amber

Review - Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood

Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood by Eileen Cook

Release Date: January 2010
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 272
Genre: Young Adult
Source: Around the World Tours


Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

In the final weeks of eighth grade, Lauren Wood made a choice. She betrayed her best friend, Helen, in a manner so publicly humiliating that Helen had to move to a new town just to save face. Ditching Helen was worth it, though, because Lauren started high school as one of the It Girls--and now, at the start of her senior year, she's the cheerleading captain, the quarterback's girlfriend, and the undisputed queen bee. Lauren has everything she's ever wanted, and she has forgotten all about her ex-best friend.


But Helen could never forget Lauren. After three years of obsessing, she's moving back to her old town. She has a new name and a new look, but she hasn't dropped her old grudges. She has a detailed plan to bring down her former BFF by taking away everything that's ever been important to Lauren—starting with her boyfriend.


Watch out, Lauren Wood. Things are about to get bitchy.

---

Three years is a long time to find a way to bring down your ex-bfff. At times I was raising my eyebrows wondering if Helen was really just on a revenge hunt or if she might have a few screws loose.

I was a little weary on how this was all going to be pulled off. Helen is supposed to have changed so much in the past three years that no one will recognize her and she even enrolls in school by a completely different name. My first thought was: Can she really look so different that no one in this school would remember her? It was kind of a stretch, but then I remembered people I went to school with who look completely different so yea, I can buy into that. But even at the end of the story, I still think Lauren would have caught on after at least a week considering the author did put some good backstory friendship between them into the read.

I couldn't help but cheer Helen on through the story because Lauren really wasn't someone I liked. She's definitely 'one of those girls' - you know the type if you went to high school. But I did like how Helen still kind of kept who she was even while she was playing out her alter ego Claire. The writing flows so easy with all these quirky and comical moments that it does make for a quick read. The only thing was after I was done reading the book, I felt a little disappointed. I thought some of the revenge tactics were a bit mild and I guess I just assumed this book would have more of an umph to it. All in all though, it was still a good read and one I would recommend.

♥amber

Review: The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan


Released: March 2009
Publisher: Gollancz
Genre: Young Adult - Paranormal - Zombie
Pages: 310
Source: Library

Rating: ♥♥♥.5

Mary lives in a world unlike ours. She knows the rules - that the Sisterhood knows best, the Guardians will always protect and serve, and that the Unconsecrated will never relent. Still she can't stop herself from believing that that beyond the fence that separates her village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth, the stories her mother has told her about the ocean and what life was like before the Return are true.

Mary's life would be much more simpler if she didn't believe those stories. Or if she would follow the rules and not question everything she has been told. Things would also be easier if she wasn't put between two boys - one she loves and one she doesn't.

You know that saying, be careful what you wish for? Mary curiosity soon becomes a reality when the fences are breached and the Unconsecrated take over. Now Mary and the other must face what is beyond their village. Is there life? Or is there only death?

Carrie Ryan delivered an excellent thriller. I have never read a zombie book before and by the middle of the story I was completely hooked. There were a few things I questioned in the beginning. What was the appeal to Mary? At first I didn't really get what Travis and Harry saw in her because I found some of her actions selfish. By the end I became protective over her in a way. I think what draws you to her is that in the world that she lives in, she still has hope. She still has faith, and if I was living in what remained of a Zombie Apocalypse, I think I would want to have the same dream she did. This book did not turn out how I thought it would be, but that's not a bad thing either. I like being surprised. There were parts where I was holding my breath, looking a little bug eyed, and not being able to read fast enough to find out what happened next.

There are still a lot of unanswered questions that I am very much looking forward to being answered (or hopefully answered) in the next book, The Dead-Tossed Waves. Unfortunately it doesn't come out until the spring of next year. Basically you need to read this book. Even if you're not into zombie stories or thrillers (because I've never have been), you should still pick it up and indulge yourself in the wonderful writing that Carrie Ryan delivers.

♥amber

Double Review - Need by Carrie Jones

Need by Carrie Jones (Book 1)


Released: December 2008
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Genre: Young Adult - Paranormal - Series
Pages: 306
Source: Library/Bought

Zara collects phobias the way other high school girls collect lipsticks. Little wonder, since life’s been pretty rough so far. Her father left, her stepfather just died, and her mother’s pretty much checked out. Now Zara’s living with her grandmother in sleepy, cold Maine so that she stays “safe.” 


Zara doesn’t think she’s in danger; she thinks her mother can’t deal. Wrong. Turns out that guy she sees everywhere, the one leaving trails of gold glitter, isn’t a figment of her imagination. He’s a pixie—and not the cute, lovable kind with wings. He’s the kind who has dreadful, uncontrollable needs. And he’s trailing Zara.


♥Amber's Review

This will probably be the most bi-polar review I've done so far. I was very interested in this book - not just for the cover alone, but the story sounded very mysterious like and something that I would love. From the beginning it didn't grab me like I expected it too. Zara's character wasn't one that I really cared for at first. And yes, I get it, you're in Maine and it's cold. The writing structure of the book was another thing that I really didn't care for. One moment things would flow together and then everything got super choppy.

And Sentences.

That Were Like This.

Drove Me.

Friggin' Nuts.

Now this is where the bi-polar part comes in. I really liked the whole phobia thing and was able to identity a few that I had of my own. Such as the fear of the dark. The mystery behind who is stalking Zara really held my interest. The supporting characters were great. Issie even with her be-bopping self was quite enjoyable. Devyn is a sweetie and Nick...oh that boy just makes me smile. I loved Betty - she's one kick butt Grandma. The suspense to the story made it where I didn't want to put it down.

I've debated all day on what to rate this book since I was so back and forth about it. Since I did enjoy the plot and the surprises, I'm giving this book:

Rating: ♥♥♥.5

Cheryl's Review

I’m definitely a girl who is attracted by book covers. And I’m happy that I caught a glimpse of this one.

Zara, right off the bat was someone that not only can I relate to, but really was interested in learning more about. Her way of “coping” was so unique and interesting and completely cool! Carrie’s characters were typical in a not-so-typical sort of way, which was enjoyable.

There’s the grandmother, Betty, who I really wish I could steal and keep her as my own. She’s fun, energetic and really lets Zara be Zara and deal with her issues on her own terms. Plus she was kick ass funny!!

Then there’s Issie and Devyn. Issie, who I just loved, made me want to hug her and ask her to be my friend. She was sweet, innocent and thoughtful. Her friendship was genuine, that was obvious, and every time I think of her, I think of bunnies. When you read the book, you’ll get that lol. Devyn’s character (without saying too much) just was happy, no matter what situation was given. I really liked that.

Now the best saved for last….Nick. *sighs* Mysterious, gorgeous, athletic and a heavy hero complex. What more would you possibly ask from a guy? I know I wouldn’t ask for anything more!! Nick brings something to this story that was completely unexpected. That’s all I’m saying on him. Otherwise, I’ll give too much away! =D

I do have to agree with Amber about the short sentences. I know they are good and even needed at times, but it was a bit overdone in this book.

And what is this comparison to Twilight? I don’t get why every book that involves paranormal or some type of fantasy that happens to involve teens and possible attractions always gets compared to Twilight. I so far have not found one book--vampires involved or not--that even remotely reminded me of Twilight (which by the way, I’m totally over the hype). But that’s just my opinion, I guess. I didn’t mean to offend anyone--so sorry if I did. =(

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥