Book: Supernaturally by Kiersten White

Book Info: Published by HarperCollins; 352 pages

Source: purchased for my Nook

Genre: YA/Paranormal

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Goodreads Summary: Evie finally has the normal life she’s always longed for. But she’s shocked to discover that being ordinary can be . . . kind of boring. Just when Evie starts to long for her days at the International Paranormal Containment Agency, she’s given a chance to work for them again. Desperate for a break from all the normalcy, she agrees.

But as one disastrous mission leads to another, Evie starts to wonder if she made the right choice. And when Evie’s faerie ex-boyfriend Reth appears with devastating revelations about her past, she discovers that there’s a battle brewing between the faerie courts that could throw the whole supernatural world into chaos. The prize in question? Evie herself.

So much for normal.

I loved Supernaturally!  Evie is cute, as always…but she’s also completely amazing!

Jack was an interesting and new addition to the series.  I wasn’t expecting him to completely manipulate Evie the way he did, and he was a lot more sinister and evil than I expected.  Was he creepy?  Yes.  But I swear I didn’t see that ending coming!  In retrospect, it was sort of obvious.  But he did have his fun, crazy moments.

But anyway, I loved seeing Evie in high school, and how it wasn’t what she was expecting.  What was really interesting was finally learning about her family.  Her dad was a fairie and her mom was mortal, and how she got “lost.”  I can’t wait to see how this plays out in Endlessly.  It was kind of sad, though.  Finding out you’re an empty one because the Unseelie court had Vivian.

And I have to say, I LOVED the awknowledgements.  Absolutely hysterical!  I also love how original the series is, and that she made fun of some of the cliches in the paranormal genre.  Like when Evie was surprised that vampires and fairies were glittery.

I give it a 5 out of 5.  It’s funny, yet sad at times.  And the characters are so fun and refreshing.

Book: 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Book Info: Published by Razorbill; 170 pages

Source: an e-book via the library

Genre: YA/Contemporary

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Goodreads Summary: Clay Jenkins returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers 13 cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker–his classmate and crush–who committed suicide two weeks earlier. On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he’ll find out how he made the list. Through Hannah and Clay’s dual narratives, debut author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers.

I wanted to like this book, I really did.  But I couldn’t.  I found myself getting more irritated as the book went on.

I get feeling like suicide is your only way out, and normally, I’m really sympathetic towards characters who struggle with depression and suicide.  But I couldn’t muster up any sympathy for Hannah.  When she’s narrating her reasons why, she comes across as really angry and intent on blaming everyone around her.  So instead of sympathizing with her and feeling her desperation and pain, I felt like she had this whole “look at what you made me do” attitude.

Her reasons why seemed so simplistic, and I don’t blame people for thinking she had no reason to.  Everyone has their own breaking point, and this just happened to be Hannah’s.  Yeah, stuff happens, like rumors and bullying, but it doesn’t mean it’s okay to spread rumors or anything.

But anyway, Asher made it seem so simple and easy when most of time, it’s not as simple as 13 reasons.  There wasn’t enough context, and had the entire book focused on Hannah, instead of her narrating her reasons and Clay’s thoughts on the tapes, I think we might have gotten more insight into Hannah’s life.  All you get is 13 reasons, and nothing else.  I can’t help but wonder if there is a bigger picture, because I want to believe there is.

I did like the idea of her recording different memories, and the idea of the tapes being passed along.  I try not to be all nit-picky, but where on earth did she find tapes?  And where are a bunch of teenagers going to find a Walkman?  I guess it’s going to be dated in a year or two anyway, no matter what technology is being used.

But Clay’s reaction to Hannah’s narration didn’t work for me, especially when you learn that he didn’t actually do anything to hurt her.  And poor Mr. Porter, who ended up on the list because Hannah didn’t actually tell him what she was really thinking.  She pretty much baited him into giving her the answer she wanted to hear.

Even with all of my complaints about the book, there were a couple things I liked.  One, you never know how your actions and words can affect others.  Yes, you may be joking, but the other person might not see it that way.  And two, if it seems like someone is suicidal, talk to them.  Or tell someone who can help them.

Overall, I give it a 1 out of 5.  So much of the book didn’t work for me, and it can  something that’s already stigmatized much more so.

Book: The Name Of The Star by Maureen Johnson

Book Info: Published by Penguin Group; 384 pages

Source: e-book via the public library

Genre: YA/Paranormal Mystery

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Goodreads.com Summary: The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London marks a memorable occasion. For Rory, it’s the start of a new life at a London boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper events of more than a century ago.

Soon Rippermania” takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him. Even her roommate, who was walking with her at the time, didn’t notice the mysterious man. So why can only Rory see him? And more urgently, why has Rory become his next target? In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, full of suspense, humor, and romance, Rory will learn the truth about the secret ghost police of London and discover her own shocking abilities.

The Name Of The Star surprised me.  I was expected a mystery, which you definitely get.  But apparently, I need to read the summaries, because I was surprised by the appearance of ghosts.  I love that this book is a paranormal mystery.

I was quite surprised to see ghosts, because they don’t seem very common in YA paranormal books.  Considering this story is dealing with Jack The Ripper, ghosts really aren’t that surprising.

I like the idea of a Jack The Ripper murder mystery, and I was surprised by the general spookiness.  I loved the facts scattered throughout the novel, and surprisingly, I wasn’t irritated by Rory going to boarding school in England.  It worked really well, because she clearly wasn’t very familiar with a lot of the slang and history over in London, so things were explained to her.  And thankfully, it wasn’t a massive info dump.

It was very suspenseful, and I couldn’t wait to see what happened.

There were a few things I didn’t like.  The story focused very much on Jack The Ripper, so the characters did seem to have the life or personality I expected.  The potential romances didn’t seem all that interesting.  There are hints that she and Jerome could end up together- if they aren’t already- but too much of that relationship happened off-screen, so it’s hard to care.  And I could see Rory and Stephen as a couple.  Either way, I’m sure it’ll be resolved at some point in the series.

The ending was a surprise, and I wasn’t expecting it.  It was a cliffhanger, of course, but it just makes me want to read the next book in the series as fast as I can.

I give it a 4 out of 5 for being a spooky, mysterious Jack The Ripper re-telling.

Book: Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr

Book Info: Published by Little, Brown Books For Young Readers; 217 pages; hardcover

Source: borrowed from the library

Genre: YA/Contemporary

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Goodreads.com Summary: Samara Taylor used to believe in miracles. She used to believe in a lot of things. As a pastor’s kid, it’s hard not to buy in to the idea of the perfect family, a loving God, and amazing grace. But lately, Sam has a lot of reason to doubt. Her mother lands in rehab after a DUI and her father seems more interested in his congregation than his family. When a young girl in her small town is kidnapped, the local tragedy overlaps with Sam’s personal one, and the already-worn thread of faith holding her together begins to unravel. 

In her third novel, acclaimed author Sara Zarr examines the coexistence of affliction and hope, and what happens when everything you thought you believed—about God, about your family, about yourself—is transformed.

I have mixed feelings about Once Was Lost.

I like that Sam’s personal problems are overlapping with the disappearance of a girl she knows from church.  I like the issues that come up, and that Zarr just presents them as they are.  You definitely get to come up with your own conclusions and thoughts about what happen.

But I felt like a personal tragedy overlapping with a larger one was forced, and it just didn’t work for me.  It felt like Zarr heavily relied on stereotypes, because the characters fell flat.  The pastor possibly having an affair with the youth group leader who helps out while Sam’s mother is in rehab after a DUI…the father, unable to communicate with his daughter…Sam having a couple friends, who act differently around her than they do everyone else…definitely predictable.

I think people can relate to Sam questioning her faith, but other than that, it was just hard to connect with any of the characters.  It also moved really slow, and not much happened.  Overall, it gets a 2 out of 5.

Book: The Sacrifice by Kathleen Benner Duble

Book Info: Published by Margaret K. McElderberry; 224 pages; hardcover

Source: Borrowed from the library

Genre: YA/Historical Fiction

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Goodreads.com Summary: In the year 1692, life changes forever for ten-year-old Abigail Faulkner and her family. In Salem, Massachusetts, witches have been found, and widespread fear and panic reign mere miles from Abigail’s home of Andover. When two girls are brought from Salem to identify witches in Andover, suspicion sweeps the town as well-respected members of the community are accused of witchcraft. It isn’t long before chaos consumes Andover, and the Faulkners find themselves in the center of it all when friend turns themselves in the center of it all when friend turns against friend, neighbor against neighbor, in a desperate fight for the truth. At the heart of this gripping story are Abigail and her sister, Dorothy, who together must find a way to persevere during a period marked by terror, adversity, and ignorance.

Told from Abigail’s point of view and based on actual events in the author’s own family histoy, “The Sacrifice” offers a unique perspective of the Salem witch trials by delving into the devestating effects the trials had not just in Salem but throughout Massachusetts.

This book was okay.  It seemed a little younger than I was expecting, but I still enjoyed it a little.

I think I loved the setting and the historical back-drop the most.  It did seem very real and I liked that it was based on the author’s own family tree.  I think I was really surprised by the fact that it was set in a town near Salem, and not in Salem itself.

Duble does a great job of showing just how widespread and crazy the witch trials were, and how limited your choices were if you were accused of witchcraft.  Some of the names seemed vaguely familiar for some reason, and I definitely want to read up on the Salem Witch trials.

Even though there were more than a few things about the novel I really liked, overall, I didn’t like it as much as I was expecting.  Duble only scratched the surface, and it didn’t go into a lot of depth, but it is a good introduction to what things might have been like.  I give it a 2 out of 5.

Book: The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Book Info: Published by Dial; 288 pages; hardcover

Source: borrowed from the library

Genre: YA/Contemporary

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Goodreads.com Summary: Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to center stage of her own life—and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey’s boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie’s own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transfer from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they’re the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can’t collide without the whole wide world exploding. This remarkable debut is perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Francesca Lia Block. Just as much a celebration of love as it is a portrait of loss, Lennie’s struggle to sort her own melody out of the noise around her is always honest, often hilarious, and ultimately unforgettable.

I am so glad I read this book!  It made me laugh, but it also made me cry.  I even laughed through my tears.  It seems like I’ve come across several books dealing with grief over the last year or so, and I think this is one of my favorites.

I really related to Lennie, especially when she and her grandma were talking about how they didn’t know who they were after losing Bailey.  The way someone feels after losing someone close to them is so complex and varies so much from person to person, and I think Nelson captured this so well.  All of the characters have lost someone and are dealing with it in their own way.  While I didn’t always like the choices Lennie made, I still understood where she was coming from.

I especially loved the notes (written by Lennie) that are scattered throughout the book.  It’s a great look at who Bailey was and her relationship with Lennie.  It really made the book a lot more emotional.

And we have to talk about Joe!  I loved him, and it’s easy to see why.  Words cannot express how much I love him.

I just loved this book.  So much, in fact, that I shall give it a 5 out of 5.  And buy a copy for myself.  It’s such a beautiful book.

Book: Undone by Rachel Caine

Book Info: Published by Penguin Group; 320 pages

Source: E-book, via the public library

Genre: Fiction/Paranormal

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Goodreads.com Summary: Once she was Cassiel, a Djinn of limitless power. Now, she has been reshaped in human flesh as punishment for defying her master—and living among the Weather Wardens, whose power she must tap into regularly or she will die. And as she copes with the emotions and frailties of her human condition, a malevolent entity threatens her new existence…

I really liked the first book in the Morganville Vampires series so I thought I’d check out some of her other books.  I was actually surprised to find that the Morganville Vampire books are her only YA books.

It started off a little slow, but by the end, it picked up.  I definitely loved the playlist at the end of the book, and it’s always cool when authors share the music that they listened to while writing the book.  I’ll definitely have to check out that playlist.

Other things I liked?  How she used Dijinn, and the fact that they weren’t the typical genies you’d normally see.  I really liked that Cassiel became human because she didn’t want to kill the entire human race, and the relationships between the Dijinn and the Warden.  There seems to be a long, interesting, and not so good relationship between the two.

So while I got an okay sense of the Warden are and what they do, I can’t help but wonder if I should have started off with her Weather Warden series.  And really, this is the only thing I didn’t like about the book.  It doesn’t seem to be necessary, but it would probably help me understand them and their powers better.

I really liked the characters, and thought they were all really interesting and somewhat complex.  Okay, Luis having ties to a gang, in retrospect, is a little cliche.  Especially since his brother Manny seems to be a good guy.  It’s also an interesting plot, and once things get going, things move pretty well.

I give it a 4 out of 5.  I wasn’t confused by the possible references to her weather wardens series, and I loved reading an adult paranormal novel.

Book: The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams

Book Info: Published by St. Martin’s Press; 213 pages; hardcover

Source: borrowed from the library

Genre: YA/Contemporary

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Goodreads.com Summary: Thirteen-year-old Kyra has grown up in an isolated community without questioning the fact that her father has three wives and she has twenty brothers and sisters, with two more on the way. That is, without questioning them much—if you don’t count her secret visits to the Mobile Library on Wheels to read forbidden books, or her meetings with Joshua, the boy she hopes to choose for herself instead of having a man chosen for her.

But when the Prophet decrees that she must marry her sixty-year-old uncle—who already has six wives—Kyra must make a desperate choice in the face of violence and her own fears of losing her family forever.

The Chosen One is really interesting and I don’t think I’ve read a book that deals with polygamy before.

Once again, I’m not sure how accurate the portrayal of a polygamist sect is, but it did feel real and very accurate.  I thought Williams did a great job of handling the issues with care.  She gets right to the point while still letting the emotions of the characters shine through.  There is something beautiful about the writing.

I really liked the ending, which leaves you wondering about what happens to Kyra and the life she left behind.  You can tell things aren’t over for Kyra, her family, or the comunity but things still felt optimistic and hopeful.  And poor Patrick!  That was definitely sad.

While the book deals with polygamy, it’s not a book about polygamy.  It’s really more about the isolated community and the hold leaders can have on their communities.

Another plus is that Williams kept things moving.  The novel moved fast, but not too fast.  It was a hard book to put down.

I think my rating would be a 4 out of 5.  I didn’t love it, but it’s an interesting look at something I don’t normally think about.