Upcoming Book Reviews: Next Week

 

I know I have not posted a lot this week, but I promise that I was reading a ton in order to post a lot next week. Here are all of the books that I will review next week:

 

 

Stung: A dystopia thriller sure to keep you hooked.

 

 

Geek Girl: A hilarious story about a geek becoming something more.

 

Princess of the Silver Woods: A Little Red Riding Hood retelling to conclude the series by Jessica Day George.

 

Spellbound: An enchanting conclusion to the Hex Hall series.

Allegiant Quotes!!!!!!

Here is a roundup of all the Allegiant quotes so far. It makes it so much harder to wait, just a warning, You don't want to hear me any more- so without further blabbing, here are all the quotes.

ALLEGIANT QUOTES

 



Waiting On Wednesday #9

 This was supposed to be posted yesterday. Haven't done one of these in a LONG time..... but here is my Waiting On Wednesday, combined with Top Five Tuesday. So, these are the top ten books I want to read.




Do I even have to say anything about this one? Divergent is my favorite series. Of all time. And I have a lot of books that I really love.



After the stunning ending of Mila 2.0, I can't wait for the thrilling sequel which comes out this March.



Anyone who as read this book understands.



Marissa Meyer is one of my favorite authors. I just love the Lunar Chronicles.



This actually comes out today, lol.

I Love Divergent Day Has Been Moved to October 5th

Due to the fact that NO ONE has sent me things to post for I Love Divergent Day, I have moved it to October 5th.

PLEASE PARTICIPATE!!!!

I Love Divergent Day is all thoughts by you, the Divergent Fans. Here is what you email me at: enchantedbyabook@outlook.com

• Allegiant Predictions
• Favorite Divergent or Insurgent Quotes
• Fanfiction of Allegiant
   What you want to happen in Allegiant
    Your favorite character
    Any Divergent related things
  

FOURTH ALLEGIANT QUOTE

Mila 2.0

Book Title: Mila 2.0
Author: Debra Driza
Number of Pages: 470
Genres: YA Fiction, Sci-fi, Action-Adventure
Books like it: Cinder by Marissa Meyer
My favorite quote: "No two people ever view the world from exactly the same perspective, understand things the same way, human or not. The best we can ever do is try."

Brief Synopsis from Goodreads:
Mila 2.0 is the first book in an electrifying sci-fi thriller series about a teenage girl who discovers that she is an experiment in artificial intelligence.

Mila was never meant to learn the truth about her identity. She was a girl living with her mother in a small Minnesota town. She was supposed to forget her past—that she was built in a secret computer science lab and programmed to do things real people would never do.

Now she has no choice but to run—from the dangerous operatives who want her terminated because she knows too much and from a mysterious group that wants to capture her alive and unlock her advanced technology. However, what Mila’s becoming is beyond anyone’s imagination, including her own, and it just might save her life.

Mila 2.0 is Debra Driza’s bold debut and the first book in a Bourne Identity-style trilogy that combines heart-pounding action with a riveting exploration of what it really means to be human. Fans of I Am Number Four will love Mila for who she is and what she longs to be—and a cliffhanger ending will leave them breathlessly awaiting the sequel.

My Summary:
This book was like seeing that girl in school that always dresses in black pull out a pink fluffy unicorn...... Totally unexpected. It compares this book to the Bourne movies, and as a person who has seen and loves the Bourne movies, I have to agree. Mila 2.0 is a fast-paced book with twists and turns and a whole bunch of unexpected explosions.

Mila is just a regular sixteen year old girl, although she has a completely messed up life. Her dad recently died in a fire, and she suffered memory loss because of it. Devastated, her mom decides to move to a new town and start over. It isn't the perfect dream life, but she has got friends, a cute guy interested in her, and a determination to remember the past.
 

As it turns out, there is no past to remember.

When Mila falls off the back of a truck and lands on her spine, she is sure she must be dead. And then she realizes that where blood should be rushing out of her arm, instead a white ooze gushes out. Horrified and confused, she goes to her mom for answers. The only problem is, the answers she gets are not necessarily what she wants to hear.

Somehow I'd come up with the notion that Hunter could set me free. Like some twisted version of Sleeping Beauty. But instead of saving me from an evil spell, his kiss would save me from the iPod. I'd convinced myself, in the tiny space of time, that Hunter's kiss would make me human.

Mila is not her name, it stands for Mobile Intel Lifelike Android, a CIA experiment designed to help the military's defense. Nicole, a scientist, and the person Mila knows as "Mom" thought that what the CIA had in mind for Mila's future was inhuman and unfair. She escaped with Mila, planted fake memories into her mind, and enrolled Mila in high school.

 Now that Mila no longer believes she is a normal girl, her mom turns on her defense mode, and all the abilities that Mila didn't know she possessed suddenly come to her aid. The CIA hunts Mila down, determined to take her back into the military and train her to be their weapon. The only thing they didn't know that while she was away from them, she gained one thing that will stand in their way.
Mila has emotions.
She gets angry, sarcastic, sad, happy, and she falls in love. Those emotions are one thing that keeps her from being a killing machine: human. As Mila fights to win General Holland's praise to keep her mother alive, she also discovers things about herself and her past that can change her forever.

Despite the undeniable knowledge that I wasn't human- or mostly human, anyway-despite the proof that the computer screen had shown in the repair room, I still pictured my interior just the same as any other sixteen year old girl's. Blood and guts and bones. A brain, and a functioning heart. Hopes and dreams, fears and sorrows.
  This book was sooo hard to put down because it was freaking awesome! As soon as Mila learns she is an android, the story picks up the pace and we are thrown into this action packed adventure story. I'm pretty sure there is also a love triangle, although I guess I'll have to wait and see in the next books. 

Word of advice: don't read this book until 2015 when the last one comes out, because the ending is a total cliffhanger and I am willing to bet that the second book will be the same way. Now I can't wait until the second book comes out in March! This is a great action read.

Pros: This was an action packed book with twists and turns and even a teenage romance. It will please everyone :)

Cons: I thought the start of this book was a little slow, just because nothing is really going on except her normal "human" life. The action picks up around page sixty.

Cautions for Parents: Mild language and violence. Pretty much a good book for age 12 and up.

Rating: 4.5 stars

United We Spy

Book Title: United We Spy
Author: Ally Carter
Number of Pages: 294
Genres: Action-Adventure, Spy and Mystery, Young Adult
Books like it: Heist Society by Ally Carter

My favorite quote: “What is a Gallagher Girl?
She's a genius, a scientist, a heroine, a spy... a Gallagher Girl is whatever she wants to be.”  

Brief Synopsis from Goodreads:
Cammie Morgan has lost her father and her memory, but in the heart-pounding conclusion to the best-selling Gallagher Girls series, she finds her greatest mission yet. Cammie and her friends finally know why the terrorist organization called the Circle of Cavan has been hunting her. Now the spy girls and Zach must track down the Circle’s elite members to stop them before they implement a master plan that will change Cammie—and her country—forever.

My Summary:

PROS AND CONS OF READING THE LAST GALLAGHER GIRL BOOK

(A list by Sarah)

 

PRO: This was possibly the best Gallagher book in the whole series. I probably read it in an hour, I loved it so much.

 

CON: When you get done with the book, you realize that it is the last book in the series.

 

PRO: There is a lot of swooping in and saving by Zach. He says a whole bunch of cheesy romantic lines, and is the kind of romantic guy any super spy girl could ask for.

"I never knew there were this many stars."
"I can't see them," he told me. "I just see you."
"That's one of your cheesier lines," I told him.
"It's the altitude," he told me. "I don't have enough oxygen in my brain."
"I see."

 

CON: While reading the romantic pick up lines that Zach says, you remember he is a fictional character.

 

PRO: Liz has a brilliantly beautiful speech near the end that made me cry.

"What is a Gallagher Girl?
She's a genius, a scientist, a heroine, a spy... a Gallagher Girl is whatever she wants to be." 

 

CON: I am not a pretty crier.
*cries*

 

PRO: This book is worthy of being an action movie. There is never a dull moment. (Minor spoilers ahead.) Cammie finds out that the Circle is trying to start World War Three in order to see a complete collapse in the government. And they start killing off  Circle members who have one thing in common- Cammie has their name on the list. Cammie, Zach, Bex, and Liz must stop the Circle before they create something that could change the world forever. And there is a huge problem-
they are completely alone.

"I'm finished. And.... and this is your fault." He pointed to me. "You should have had the decency to die when we needed you to."
"Sorry," I admitted.  "I've been going through a bit of a rebellious streak lately. I swear it's almost over."
 

CON: While caught up in the action, you realize you forgot to do a lot of things. Things that are possibly more important than reading this book.

 

PRO: You are reading this amazing book and you come across this quote:

"Fortunately," Macey added with a smile, "I had the foresight to pack Liz's van with various essentials."
Liz blushed. "I might have helped."
"No." I said.
"But.... I brought gummy bears." Liz said, as if that should be enough to neutralize any potential problem.

CONS: While laughing at this quote, you have a sudden craving for gummy bears. 

PROS: This review is almost over and there is only one more quote.

CONS: I know you are probably frustrated with this review, but it is VERY hard to say anything without spoiling it.  Last quote:

"You know, it's okay to admit a little weakness now and then, Cammie. It won't kill you. In fact, I hear it makes you stronger."

Cautions for Parents: NA

Review: 4.5

House of Secrets

Book Title: House of Secrets
Author: Chris Columbus and Ned Wizzini
Number of Pages: 496
Genres: Fantasy, Comedy, Action-Adventure
Books like it: A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snickets, Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

My favorite quote: "Sometimes you can't get your life back. Sometimes you have to take it back."

Brief Synopsis from Goodreads:
The Walker kids had it all: loving parents, a big house in San Francisco, all the latest video games . . . but everything changed when their father lost his job as a result of an inexplicable transgression. Now the family is moving into Kristoff House, a mysterious place built nearly a century earlier by Denver Kristoff, a troubled writer with a penchant for the occult.

Suddenly the siblings find themselves launched on an epic journey into a mash-up world born of Kristoff’s dangerous imagination, to retrieve a dark book of untold power, uncover the Walker family’s secret history and save their parents . . . and maybe even the world.


My Summary:

" A breakneck, jam-packed rollercoaster of an adventure about the secret power of books, House of Secrets comes complete with three resourceful sibling heroes, a seriously creepy villainess, and barrel loads of fantasy and fear."

-J.K. Rowling

 



J.K. Rowling, the queen of all authors, does not lie. This book was a rollercoaster of magic books, a haunted house, and the power of reading. I usually love fantasy books, and this one was just wickedly awesome! I have not read a fantasy this amazing since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. This book was like The Series of Unfortunate Events and Harry Potter mashed into a blender to create something truly epic.


It is about three siblings who are sucked into storybooks; Cordelia, a fifteen year old girl who loves to read, Brendan, a twelve year old boy who loves videogames and speaking the wonderful language of Sarcasm and Witty Comebacks, and Eleanor, an eight year old dyslexic who has a heck of a lot of spirit. The book begins when the Walker family buys an old house after their dad looses his job. It's a creepy old house, once home to a crazy old witch: that comes back for revenge. She needs a book called the Book of Doom and Desire..... and she's going to use the Walker children to get it.

Except the stone angel wasn't there.


DOCTOR WHO! (Only Whovians will understand)

The witch steals the Walker children and transports them to a world where three different stories have come alive. Now, in order to save their parents, Cordelia, Brendan, and Eleanor must fight a sadistic pirate, befriend an English pilot, and discover the dark secrets of selfish desire. Full of humor, magic, action, and adventure, House of Secrets will show you the meaning of "There is no place like home."

"I'm not confusing anything! Dolphins are man-eaters! Killers! Predators!"  screamed Gilliam. But all the other pirates were now looking at one another and mumbling and raising their eyebrows.
"What are yez lookin' at?" Gilliam demanded.
One of the pirates cleared his throat. "We've been meanin' to tell ya, Gilliam."
"What, Scurve?!?!"
"Dolphins are sweet, good natured, intelligent-like creatures. It was a trick Kit and Phenny played on you, to give you that instead of a shark-"

My favorite character in this book would have to be Will Draper. He is a character from one of the books the Walkers are trapped in. He is a British pilot from World War I, and Cordelia has a HUGE crush on him. I do admit he has a little bit of British charm with a touch of sarcastic humor. His bravery and sense of leadership shaped him into a perfect knight in shining armor. (And with a cute accent, too!)

This book was amazing! Riding in a floating house, seeking out an evil spell book in order to get home, this story enchanted me from beginning to end. I would definitely recommend it.

Cautions for Parents: A few fatal stabbings, including a stabbing to the eye. Mild language. Recommended age: 9 and older.

Review: 4.5 stars

NEW ALLEGIANT QUOTE!

Evil laugh...... here is the THIRD Allegiant quote!!! Freaking out. Deep breaths. Now all I want is for October to come faster. Please please please!!!!! Veronica Roth, please release some more quotes! I am in AGONIZING pain!!!

 

Anyway, here is the quote!

 

Fantabulous Friday Book Review

This Fantabulous Friday Book Review is by one of my bestest, most terrifical friends ever, Makayla. She gave me two, and I couldn't decide which one to do, so this is a combined book review of Old Yeller and Dare to Dream: Life as One Direction. Makayla is probably the biggest One Direction fan that I know. So, I will stop this blabbering and post her reviews.

 

Dare to Dream by One Direction

This book is FANTASTIC!!!! But only if you are a Directioner or you love learning about nonfictional, dramatic, life changing boy band books. This book is hilarious and will make you appreciate One Direction a lot more if you read it. I could not put it down! I find it so interesting how a teenage boy can have that dramatic of a life change just by being an amazing singer (and good looking). If you're a Directioner you don't even have to read this review to know that you HAVE to read this book. If you're not really sure if you like One Direction or who they are, just read the book and I can almost guarantee that you will become a Directioner after you read this book.

(BTW...... Harry is MINE ;) )

 

 

Old Yeller by Fred Gibson

 

This is an old time favorite! It's actually one of my favorite books. It starts out with a fourteen year old boy named Travis. His dad is leaving on a cattle drive but doesn't think that Travis is old enough to go with him. His dad puts him in charge and tells him he'll get Travis a horse if he is good and watches their house. So days go by and Travis keeps seeing this old yellow lab come on to their property. Travis's family falls in love with it, but Travis thinks the dog is a waste of time. Later on things get pretty busy at their house and Old Yeller (the lab) is there to help. Travis decides that Old Yeller isn't so bad after all. Time goes on and they go through some really intense stuff. The ending is a REAL shocker but it is AMAZING.  You will love this book if you like old, intense, and sweet animal books. Even if you don't like those things, you should still give this book a try 'cause I fell in love with it, and hopefully, you will too!

September Newsletter: Divergent World

With Allegiant coming up in one month, I decided to devote this ENTIRE Newsletter to the Divergent movie and Allegiant. Stay tuned for insiders from the movie, Allegiant teasers, and more!

Trailers:

 

 

 



 Teasers:

 

 

News from Author:

 

In case you haven’t heard already, I confirmed on Thursday that Allegiant will be written from two POVs (points of view), Tris and Four’s. This is obviously a departure from how I chose to write the first two books, which has a lot of people excited (yay!) and some concerned, so I thought I would say a little more about it here.
So: why two POVs? Well, I tried repeatedly to write Allegiant in just Tris’s voice, but it didn’t work; her perspective, her way of seeing things, was a little too limited for the story I needed to tell. I wanted to do two things with it: A. let two characters experience different things, and B. let them react differently to the same things, so that I (and eventually, the reader) would get a better sense of the whole story, the whole picture.
I’ve said before that I’ve always seen Four (increasingly, as the series goes on) as a plot-mover alongside Tris, so he was the obvious choice for the second POV (though not the only one I tried). Exploring him and his choices and his assumptions about the world was incredibly interesting to me.
It was a big challenge, it took me a really long time, and I did my very best with it. I feel confident about the way it turned out, and I hope you enjoy it! On October 22nd! AHH!

Read more: http://www.divergentfans.com/profiles/blogs/allegiant-to-be-told-from-tris-and-four-s-perspective-and-veronic#ixzz2eiZSRJ00

 

I Love Divergent Day

 

I love Divergent Day will be one month from the Allegiant release, September 22nd. Here was the info I posted on Goodreads:

Hello to everyone in the Goodreads world!

My name is Sarah, and I am the blogger at Enchanted By Books. I love Divergent so much that I am making September 22, a month before Allegiant is released, I Love Divergent Day. On this day I will post anyone’s feelings about the whole series. Email me at enchantedbyabook@outlook.com and I will post your thoughts. I will include your first name before I write your thoughts. It is open to anyone as long as you DO NOT SWEAR and are completely appropriate.
Here are some ideas on what to include:
- Favorite moments in Divergent or Insurgent. It doesn’t matter how long the scene is.
- Allegiant predictions
- Fanfiction of Allegiant
- What you want to happen in Allegiant
- Your favorite character
- Any Divergent related things
Thanks,
Sarah
www.enchantedbyabook.blogspot.com    



Divergent Official Faction Look

 

The Transfer

 
 
Book Title: The Transfer
Author: Veronica Roth Number of Pages: 50
Genres: YA Fiction, Dystopian, Action-Adventure
Books like it: Free Four, Allegiant, Divergent by Veronica Roth
My favorite quote: “You're the one who has to live with your choice, everyone else will get over it, move on, no matter what you decide. But you never will.” 
Brief Summary from Goodreads:

More Four! Fans of the Divergent series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth will be thrilled by "The Transfer," the first of four new short stories told from Four’s perspective. Each brief story explores the world of the Divergent series through the eyes of the mysterious but charismatic Tobias Eaton, revealing previously unknown facets of his personality, backstory, and relationships.

My Summary:

Wow. This book was so amazing I just want to cry! #feeling emotionally stressed.

My name is Four,” I say. “Call me ‘Stiff’ again and you and I will have a problem.
This book was a short and sweet story about the beloved Tobias Eaton, aka Four, from our favorite, the one the only Divergent series. Although it was longer than Free Four and well worth the two dollars I had to spend on my kindle, I wish it had been longer. The Transfer is part of the four book short story series about Four. The next ones will not be out until December 17th, when The Initiate is released, and then the Son on January 21st, and finally, the Traitor on February 11. I am not sure why the others will not be released until after Allegiant, but I am guessing that they might provide answers to questions that we have at the end of Allegiant.

But there is something appealing about it here too, a freedom, a refusal to belong to these arbitrary categories we've made for ourselves.

The Transfer explores Four's fear of his father a little bit more and shows a more innocent, softer, and less, well, fearless version of him. We learn more about the horrors of his home life with Marcus, and the thoughts that go through his head as he enters the Choosing Ceremony. Then, at the very near end of the book, we experience his fear landscape from his point of view and also learn where he got his name.

The story starts off with Tobias's aptitude test, and we get to see Tori! Anyway, Tobias lies about being aware during the aptitude test because his father told him to lie, which makes me think Marcus is Divergent. (If it mentioned he was in the book, then I'm just a dumb brunette that doesn't know what she is talking about.) If that is the case, I am pretty sure that Divergence is genetic, because Tris's mother was Divergent just like Tris. I am going way off subject now..... back to the summary. After the aptitude test, Marcus gives Tobias a beating at home for being "selfish." That is when Tobias realizes he needs to get away from his father.

Don't worry about me handling pain, I say. I've had a lot of practice.

As he considers what his life would be like in each faction, he realizes that he would be best off living as a Dauntless. They might be wild and crazy, but have his same impulses to run, fight, and be free. In this book we see a little less of Four, and a little more of Tobias Eaton, a boy who needs to escape his father and fight for a better future.

This book was satisfyingly fantabulous, (which, for those that are new to reading my reviews, is a word I use a LOT that means fantastically fabulous) especially since there are still 42 long days left until Allegiant is released, and a long time until the movie comes out. This book is short and leaves you longing for more. Fellow Divergent fans should read this book.

Pros: This book is great to read while waiting for Allegiant.
Cons: When you've finished it, you want to read Allegiant.
Cautions for Parents: NA

The Transfer Released

I have the BEST news to share with all of you. For all of those who keep themselves updated in Divergent World, you should know that Veronica Roth announced she is writing four different short stories about, well, Four. Here is the official information.

The Transfer: OUT NOW
The Traitor: February 11
The Initiate: December 17th
The Son: January 21st

For those of you who can read (and I assume all of you can otherwise there would be no point in visiting this blog) you will notice that the first of the four is OUT NOW!


　



 　

Fantabulous Friday Book Review!

I am starting a new feature called Fantabulous Friday. In this feature, I will have one of my friends or some other totally fantabulous person review a book that they love. This week is my wonderful librarian, Mrs. Hall. She is so awesome that I knew I just had to ask her to review her favorite book. She picked a book called Paperboy, a genre different than what I usually read, but a book that looks totally awesome! Without further blabbering, here is Mrs. Hall's review of Paperboy by Vince Vawter.

 

Paperboy

Zombies.  Fallen angels.  Superheroes.  Girl robots.  Apocalyptic scenes of fire and fury.  These are pieces of books that I read and LOVE.  So, it is pretty surprising that my new favorite, beloved, chosen, I-want-to-read-this-over-and-over-again book has none of those elements. In fact it’s a piece of historical fiction.  Being a librarian, I usually look at the historical fiction books with pity and cry fat tears of sorrow.  After all, these books teach us so much, but they will never be as fascinating as zombies using their own arms to brutally kill off mankind.  Hold on:  the aforementioned book—Paperboy—stands its ground. Paperboy can take on zombies, girl robots and even fallen man-angels with perfectly sculpted chests.  And I daresay, Paperboy can win that fight.

The most endearing element of Paperboy is the setting. Memphis-1959.  Need I say more?  The Civil Rights Movement, the way people treated and mistreated each other, and the courage displayed in that time are completely fascinating. Add in a young boy with courage, integrity, and the ability to laugh at himself and you have the recipe for an amazing story.  

So, on with an actual review. . . . the main character of Paperboy is a 12-year-old boy.  You don’t actually get to know his name until the very end of the book.  But he rocks.  A lot.  And by that I mean, he has this intense stutter; he can’t say his own name because the beginning sound causes him to break into a string of stuttering and that in turn makes him feel dumb.  But nothing could be further from the truth.  This boy is smart as a whip.  He comes home from school every day and types on his type writer so he can remember his day and express his feelings.  It’s from these writings that you can see how smart, witty, and observant he is.  I expected him to have these monsterly, overbearing parents, but no—his parents are really supportive and have tried to get him help with his speech problem for years.  His greatest champion is Mam, the African-American maid who has cared for him since he was a baby.  Mam IS kindness.  She is supportive and knows just what to say and when to push people and when to let go.  

Dealing with a severe stutter is horror for this main character. He chooses his words carefully and has strategies for saying certain sounds.  In short, he has figured out how to deal with his lot in life the best way he knows how.  His world is rocked when he agrees to be a substitute paperboy for the summer.  Throwing papers onto doorsteps?  No problem.  Going door to door to collect the paper money each Friday evening?  Huge problem.  He is worried about talking to (and stuttering to) people he has never met before.  Like so many challenges in life, he faces this head-on and that’s when the plot really gets great.  If you think you have strange people who live in your neighborhood, you can identify with this boy.  He meets many different kinds of people.  Some are nice, some are indifferent, and some are drunk—all the time.  

I could rave (in a good way) about this book all day long. . . I know because I’ve actually done it.  The plots are fantastic.  The characters are inspiring.  The time period feels real.  I love this book and I think there is a chance other people might love it too.  So take a couple of days and stop running from zombies and girl robots (even though we acknowledge that we love them and they are a staple in young adult literature) and read this book.

Hex Hall

Book Title: Hex Hall
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Number of Pages: 323
Genres: Magic, Witchcraft, YA Fantasy, Romance
Books like it: Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
My favorite quote: “I heard the man and woman cry a warning as I frantically racked my brain for some sort of throat-repairing spell, which I was clearly about to need. Of course the only words that I actually managed to yell at the werewolf as he ran at me were, 'BAD DOG!'

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I caught a flash of blue light on my left. Suddenly, the werewolf seemed to smack into an invisible wall just inches in front of me....

"You know," someone said off to my left, "I usually find a blocking spell to be a lot more effective than yelling 'Bad dog,' but maybe that's just me.”  

Brief Synopsis from Goodreads:

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 student 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.

My Summary:
Sophie Mercer is like Cammie Morgan, Hermione Granger and Jace Wayland rolled into a blender. She's a super not-so-cool girl that has a talent for a big mouth and sarcastic comebacks. Oh, and she's a witch. Yes, witch. Like, spells of doom and darkness and.... okay, not so much. Sophie is a newbie to all of this, and because her dad is head of the Council, none of the students and teachers like her much.
Jenna shook her head. "Let's just say you may regret that second piece of cake."
Oh my gosh. Regret cake? Whatever was about to happen must be truly evil.

In the first day alone, she becomes best friends with the only vampire in the school, Jenna, develops a crush for the school hottie, and manages to become enemies with his cute girlfriend, Elodie. It seems like this school might actually work out for her after all. Well, not so much.
Soon deaths start happening all over school, and all evidence points to Jenna. As the Council takes her friend away for questioning, Sophie must find out who the real killer is, and fast. The killer has been picking all the dark witches in the school, and Sophie is the next target.

"Sophia Mercer," Elodie intoned, "we have come to induct you into our sisterhood. Say the five words to begin the ritual."
I blinked at her. "Are you freaking kidding me?"
Anna gave an exasperated sigh. "No, the five words are 'I accept your offer, sisters.'"

I loved this book! After all the sci-fi I have been reading lately, it was nice to just settle down and read a magical fantasy book. I haven't read a good witches and wizards book since Harry Potter, and it was kind of refreshing. I never saw the end coming, and neither will you. And that's always a good quality to have in a book.

Pros: Cute cover, awesome characters, and one heck of a story.
Cons: NA
Cautions for Parents: A few a** and OMG and even a d*** or two. Overall, pretty clean. I would say twelve year olds can read this.
Review: 4 stars

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The Uprising

Book Title: The Uprising
Author: Lisa M. Strasse
Number of Pages: 400
Genres: YA fiction, Dystopian, Romance
Books like it: Legend by Marie Lu, Starters by Lissa Price
My favorite quote:
“Maybe I need to find a new myth
to get me through each day.”

Brief Synopsis from Goodreads:
In this dystopian sequel to The Forsaken, Alenna has survived the brutality of life on the wheel—and now she’s going back for more.
Alenna escaped. It was expected that she would die on the wheel, the island where would-be criminals are sent as directed by the UNA—the totalitarian supercountry that was once the United States, Mexico, and Canada. But Alenna and her boyfriend, Liam, made it to safety. Except safety, they will soon learn, is relative.

In order to bring down the UNA, they must first gain control of the wheel. If the mission succeeds, the wheel will become a base of revolution. But between betrayals, a new Monk leading a more organized army of Drones, and the discovery of a previously unknown contingent, Alenna, Liam, and their allies might be in over their heads. One thing Alenna knows for sure: There will be a reckoning. And not everyone she loves will make it out alive.

My Summary:
Reading this book was like watching Percy Jackson and the Olympians movie. Disappointing and definitely not living up to its full potential.

I better start off with some positive things, because this isn't going to be the nicest review. Strasse still has her way with words and she describes every detail very vividly. I only wish the picture she painted had been more interesting.
I loved Forsaken, and therefore I was expecting a sequel that was just as good with an intense fight with the UNA, butt kicking and some awesome action packed scenes. What I was not expecting was a hot Twilight-worthy romance and a lot of boy obsessing. A lot. Alenna has turned from a fighting machine into a romantic goey mess. Her head is so caught up in fantasizing about Liam that she is not focusing on the dilemmas at hand. Her friends are back at the wheel, and there are hundreds of kids that need to be unfrozen.

But now is not the time for romance. 

You think, honey? 

Alenna actually says that in the book. She is in the middle of a fight with the drones and the new Monk, whose identity was definitely not a surprise to me, and I would think cunning Alenna could have figured it out. Anyway, she is in the middle of this fight and she kisses Liam. In fact, she is so distracted she actually stops to say I love you and stare into his eyes. Why don't you just have a tea party right then and there and all the drones that want to kill you will stop and wait.

The start of this book was so boring. I almost couldn't push through it, and the only reason I did was because I loved Forsaken. It had some "action scenes" but most of them were not even a page long and did not even spark my interest.
The action finally picks up near the end, and soon the book has ended.

This was probably the worst sequel I have ever read. Alenna totally switched her personality and Liam was the worst romantic character ever. 

The end of the book kind of freaked me out. It was sort of disturbingly strange, and I didn't expect it. It was one of the interesting parts, though. 

Anyway, I totally recommend Forsaken, but definitely not this book. If you are a person who likes romance and not action packed books, you might like this book. I just thought some parts were very unrealistic and quite boring.

 

Pros: Pretty awesome cover.
Cons: Read the summary. Says it all.
Cautions for Parents: Mild swearing, h***s and d***s and OMGs.
Review: 1 star
Reading next: Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza