Fallen by Lauren Kate

Seventeen-Year-Old Luce is a new student at Sword & Cross, an unwelcoming boarding/reform school in Savannah, Georgia. Luce s boyfriend died under suspicious circumstances, and now she carries the guilt over his death with her as she navigates the unfriendly halls at Sword & Cross, WHERE every student seems to have an unpleasant even evil history.

It s only when she sees Daniel, a gorgeous fellow student, that Luce feels there s a reason to be here though she doesn't know what it is. And Daniel s frosty cold demeanor toward her? It s really a protective device that he s used again . . . and again. For Daniel is a fallen angel, doomed to fall in love with the same girl every 17 years . . . and watch her die. And Luce is a fellow immortal, cursed to be reincarnated again and again as a mortal girl who has no idea of who she really is (barnesandnoble.com).


This book is dark and mysterious. One of the things that I enjoyed most about this book is the mystery. The other thing that I really like about this book is the religion/mythology. The cool thing is that a lot of the religion and mythology is shrouded in mystery.

I enjoyed the setting of the story, a reform-type high school. When I first started reading it I was really intrigued because the other student seemed like lunatics. There are some funny moments.

The love story between Daniel and Luce has been done before but with Kate's writing it doesn't seem to matter. The story reminds me The Immortals series by Alyson Noel.

I'm totally team Daniel. How can you not be team Daniel? Well, he did flip Luce off. That was actually HILARIOUS!

Penn is such a great friend. I want to be friends with Penn. Poor Penn. Arriane is nuts! I love it.

The end totally confused me! I don't entirely get what's going on but that's exciting. I can't wait to read Torment so I can understand what is going on!

The cover is wicked cool.

Overall: 4/5

Delcroix Academy, Book One: The Candidates by Inara Scott

Dancia Lewis is far from popular. And that's not just because of her average grades or her less-than-glamorous wardrobe. In fact, Dancia's mediocrity is a welcome cover for her secret: whenever she sees a person threatening someone she cares about, things just...happen. Cars skid. Structures collapse. Usually someone gets hurt. So Dancia does everything possible to avoid getting close to anyone, believing this way she can suppress her powers and keep them hidden.

But when recruiters from the prestigious Delcroix Academy show up in her living room to offer her a full scholarship, Dancia's days of living under the radar may be over. Only, Delcroix is a school for diplomats' kids and child geniuses--not B students with uncontrollable telekinetic tendencies. So why are they treating Dancia like she's special? Even the hottest guy on campus seems to be going out of his way to make Dancia feel welcome.

And then there's her mysterious new friend Jack, who can't stay out of trouble. He suspects something dangerous is going on at the Academy and wants Dancia to help him figure out what. But Dancia isn't convinced. She hopes that maybe the recruiters know more about her "gift" than they're letting on. Maybe they can help her understand how to use it...But not even Dancia could have imagined what awaits her behind the gates of Delcroix Academy (barnesandnoble.com).

Want something to fill that *insert boarding school YA series title here* void? This is it. This book has hottie boys, an interesting heroine, special powers and is only getting started!

Warning: the excessive use of the word hottie may be used.

There are two hotties: Hottie number 1 is Cam. He's cute and sweet but he's seems very susceptible to following orders. Hottie number 2 is Jack. He's cute and dangerous and connects with Dancia.

Dancia has a good sense of humor but I think she is going for the wrong guy, despite appearances. I really like that she is so protective over the ones she loves. She is only fourteen so I have to forgive her for being naive and for doing things like following Cam around like a puppy because I am sure I was the same when I was 14!

The special powers that Scott has created are intriguing. I want to learn more. I was a little disappointed by the end of the book because I felt like there was so much more that could have been included in the book. It seemed like it was just heating up when it ended.

This is Scott's debut novel and I am excited to see what's next with Delcroix Academy book two: The Watchers. It will be out August 2011.

Overall: 4/5

Mockingjay by Suzanne Colins

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she’s made it out of the bloody arena alive, she’s still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what’s worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss’s family, not her friends, not the people of District 12. Powerful and haunting, this thrilling final installment of Suzanne Collins’s groundbreaking The Hunger Games trilogy promises to be one of the most talked about books of the year (Barnesandnoble.com)






This book JUST came out so I am not giving away any spoilers.

This book is the most painful book that I have ever read (in a good way). My heart was in a choke hold for the entire book. It's incredibly powerful.

Throughout the three novels Collins creates characters that you fall deeply in love with. And then they die. Brutally. My heart has been broken numerous times by these books.

Towards the end I was in tears. After reading the end I still feel off and I think this book is going to stick with me for a while.

I wondered throughout the book what hidden meanings Collins has within this story. What do you think? Does this society compare to ours in any way?

This is one book that you do not want to miss out on.

Overall:5/5

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It’s gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie’s estranged father—an elusive European warlock—only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it’s her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.

By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect.

As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her (barnesandnoble.com).



Rachel Hawkins has got it goin' on! This is her debut novel and what a way to start! I ate this book up and am hungry for more!

From the very beginning I liked the MC, Sophie. She starts the book out by doing something nice for someone, only to have it backfire. Poor girl. Then she has to go to a run-down reform school for other "gifted" teenagers. I love Sophie's sense of humor and I really love that she would rather be friends with a vampire because the vampire is a good person than chose to be apart of the "In" crowd just to be cool.

I really like Archer's character but I kept wanting to suddenly find out that he was dating Elodie for some other reason than he liked her. I was in the same boat as Sophie on that one.

Cal...sigh. How can I like a character that was hardly in the book? Well, I keep thinking he is going to play a major role in the future. I think he might be the one chosen for Sophie to marry (remember the arranged marriage convo?). Am I crazy? Maybe. But, I definitely think he is at the school to protect Sophie. I can't wait to see what comes of that!

Speaking of what's to come...What's going to happen with Archer? What about the ending? The ending is crazy good.

The writing is really great, each chapter's end makes you beg for more, the mystery keeps things interesting and Sophie's personality and love intrigues make the book memorable. Can't wait to read the next book in the series, Demonglass!

Overall:5/5



Fabulous cover also!

Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder

So far, I've managed to survive. You would think after being kidnapped as a child, imprisoned in my teens and released to become a poison taster, I would have endured enough. But no. The discovery of my magical abilities—powers forbidden in Ixia—has resulted in an execution order. My only chance is to flee to Sitia, my long-lost birthplace.

But Sitia is unfamiliar. I'm treated like an enemy—even by my own brother. Plus I can't control my powers. I want to learn about my magic, but there isn't time. A rogue magician has emerged and I'm targeted as his next victim.

Will my magical abilities save me…or be my downfall (barnesandnoble.com)?

I must say that I was a little disappointed with this one. This is the second book in the Study trilogy. It is still a good book but not nearly as good as Poison Study.

In this book Yelena is in Sitia. One majorly bad thing, for me at least, is that Valek is missing for most of the book. When he shows up it gets a lot better. New characters are introduced, one being Cahil. I think that he is supposed to be "into" Yelena but I am just not felling it. The interactions between them are not all that great.

Yelena also meets her family in this story but I felt like those interactions were weak as well. I didn't really like the character development of her brother either. Shouldn't we have spent more time getting to know him? They are in the same place for most of the story but he is hardly mentioned.

I don't really like where Yelena's character development has gone. She was locked in a dungeon and tortured for years in the first book. Now all of the sudden she is saving the world, over and over again? I am just glad that Snyder didn't make her a master magician right away (maybe in the future she will). That would be laying it on a little thick. Maybe by the third book Yelena will be Queen of both world's? I will have to read on to find out...

All-in-all this is a sequel and definitely worth reading if you liked Poison Study but don't expect it to be as good as Poison Study.

Almost a four! But overall: 3/5

Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

About to be executed for murder, Yelena is offered an extraordinary reprieve. She'll eat the best meals, have a room in the palace--and risk assassination by anyone trying to kill the Commander of Ixia.

And so Yelena chooses to become a food taster. But the chief of security, leaving nothing to chance, deliberately feeds her Butterfly's Dust--and only by appearing for her daily antidote will she delay an agonizing death from the poison.

As Yelena tries to escape her new dilemma, disasters keep mounting. Rebels plot to seize Ixia and Yelena develops magical powers she can't control. Her life is threatened again and choices must be made. But this time the outcomes aren't so clear...(barnesandnoble.com)

This book is enthralling! I was hooked from start to finish and could not put it down! My favorite things about the book are: the time setting, the world created, Valek, Yelena, Ari and Janco.

The time setting is awesome. I love when a book is set when there is no electricity. Don't ask me why, I just do. The world that Snyder created is really cool. I get really excited when a book starts out with a map that the author created, like this book did. I don't think I could ever be creative enough to create an entire world and a map to go along with it.

Valek is hot. Throughout the book Valek is such a great male character. Sigh. He is stoic, smart, a fighting machine. I really love how he loves Yelena. Yelena's character is so strong and smart I can't help but loving her too. She has gone through so much and I really like how she fesses up to what she's done and doesn't rat anyone out. She want's to take care of things on her own. My favorite thing about her is that she wants to learn and she's hardworking.

Ari and Janco are the brother you have always wanted! They teach Yelena so much and protect her and are there for her when she needs them.

This book is truly great.

Overall: 5/5

City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

To save her mother’s life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters—never mind that entering the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight.

As Clary uncovers more about her family’s past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadowhunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadowhunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he’s willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her newfound powers to help save the Glass City—whatever the cost?

Love is a mortal sin and the secrets of the past prove deadly as Clary and Jace face down Valentine in the third installment of bestselling series the Mortal Instruments (Barnesandnoble.com).

So I am pretty sure this was supposed to be the last book in The Mortal Instruments series but there are now going to be at least three more books in the series. Book four will be out in 2011, book five in 2012 and book six in 2013. I am kind of excited to see how the rest of the series goes!

I thought that this was the last book when I was reading it and some things happened leaving it open for another book in the series so I am really happy there is going to be another book. Book four is called City of Fallen Angels. I read the sneak peak and it is awesome!

Back to City of Glass...It was intense, it was awesome. I really need some new adjectives.

Spoiler Alert:

We find out that Clary and Jace really are not brother and sister. Yay! But she still did kiss her brother. I hate to say this again but what's up with that? Did she really have to kiss her brother? He knew he was her brother too. I think he is love with her or something but not in a brother and sister kind of way. It's a little demented. I guess he is part demon...

End of Spoiler Alert.

This book has action, romance, some humor and great characters. I really like Jace, Isabelle, Alec and Magnus. I like Clary's character but I get kind of annoyed how she can't ever really fight. She does have some other abilities that are cool but I like a main character that can fight. That's just personal preference though. Oh, and I like Simon too. He's turning into a little player.

I am expecting to see more of the Downworlders in the next books. More of the faeries and vampires. It's going to be great.

This book is rad (working on my adjectives) and if you haven't read this series you definitely should!

Overall:5/5

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what's normal when you're a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires, and faeries? If Clary left the world of the Shadowhunters behind, it would mean more time with her best friend, Simon, who's becoming more than a friend. But the Shadowhunting world isn't ready to let her go—especially her handsome, infuriating, newfound brother, Jace. And Clary's only chance to help her mother is to track down rogue Shadowhunter Valentine, who is probably insane, certainly evil—and also her father.

To complicate matters, someone in New York City is murdering Downworlder children. Is Valentine behind the killings—and if he is, what is he trying to do? When the second of the Mortal Instruments, the Soul-Sword, is stolen, the terrifying Inquisitor arrives to investigate and zooms right in on Jace. How can Clary stop Valentine if Jace is willing to betray everything he believes in to help their father?

In this breathtaking sequel to City of Bones, Cassandra Clare lures her readers back into the dark grip of New York City's Downworld, where love is never safe and power becomes the deadliest temptation (Barnesandnoble.com).

I totally love this cover, cool hair. So this is the second book in The Mortal Instruments (TMI) series and it was awesome. I would say that it wasn't quite as good as City of Bones but still really good.

Clary and Jace are still torturing us in this one as they are still bro and sis. What's up with that? Some really interesting thing happen because of it though! And we meet Valentine in this one. For some reason I really want him to be good. I know that he's done bad things but he's Clary and Jace's dad. I want it to be some mistake that he seems so evil. Just like I keep trying to figure out some way for Jace and Clary not to be brother and sister.

The ending had me in a vice and I had to immediately read City of Glass. This series really reminds me of the Harry Potter series but more adult. It's really good. It'll suck you in.

Overall: 5/5

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder—much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It’s hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing—not even a smear of blood—to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary’s first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It’s also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace’s world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . . (Barnesandnoble.com)

I have something really huge that I must say but before I do I'm gonna give a SPOILER ALERT.

WHAT!?! They are brother and sister!??! No flipping way! I can't believe this part of the plot, I refuse to believe it even. I am holding onto hope that Jace and Clary are not bro and sis. Come on!! How can you do this to us Clare? They tongue tangoed!! This is utterly unnerving. It's wrong and on top of that I just...ugg.

END OF SPOILER ALERT

Now that my rant is over...I thought the book was really awesome. I love how Clare set up the first chapter. I thought that blue haired demon was going to be one of the main characters and then he wasn't. I also really liked how the book started out with all these words and made up things that Clare created that I had no idea about until I got more into the book and thought, oh I get it. I would rather an author start a book out assuming I will catch on rather than taking it slow like I am in grade school.

One other thing that I really loved about this book is that when the characters decided to do something...they did it. Imagine that. I don't like it when I am reading a book and the characters decide that they are going to do something and then go off into a million tangents and then eventually they do what they originally started to do in the first place. Or they don't even accomplish what they started out to do until three books into the series. Come on! A little more action and a little less talking please.

I can't wait to read City of Ashes to see what happens next. The plot, characters and writing are all really well done. This is a great start for the series and I am hooked.

Overall: 5/5