Book: The Last Ever After by Soman Chainani

Published July 2015 by HarperCollins|441 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the e-book from the library

Series: The School For Good & Evil #3

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy/Fairy Tale Re-telling

In the stunning conclusion to the New York Times bestselling School for Good and Evil trilogy, everything old is new again, as Sophie and Agatha fight the past as well as the present to find the perfect end to their fairy tale.

Former best friends Sophie and Agatha thought their ending was sealed when they went their separate ways, but their storybook is about to be rewritten—and this time theirs isn’t the only one. With the girls apart, Evil has taken over and the forces of Good are in deathly peril. Will Agatha and Sophie be able to work together to save them? Will they find their way to being friends again? And will their new ending be the last Ever After they’ve been searching for?

Soman Chainani delivers action, adventure, laughter, romance, and more twists than ever before in this extraordinary end to his epic series.

I liked The Last Ever After, and I thought it was a good way to end the series.

There is something about this one, like the previous book, that seemed really confusing, and I’m not sure if it’s because I needed to re-read the first couple of books, or if there’s just something about the story that seems more confusing than it really is.

You really see that balance is important, which is something that you saw a lot in the second book. You really see the consequences of having no balance, and how much we need to have balance. And we learn more about Sophie and Agatha’s mom, and how much that impacted Sophie and Agatha’s story.  Part of me wishes that it came up more, in the previous books, but at the same time, I don’t know that it would have worked anywhere else in the series.  I also liked seeing the friendship between the two girls, and how they both came to realize that they needed each other, and how important friendship is.  That is definitely one of the things I really liked about the series.

There was a lot to wrap up, and it did feel a little more rushed than the other two books.  There were a lot of interesting things in the book, some of which I’ve mentioned.  But I also felt like things, like how you can be your own worst enemy, weren’t explored as well as they could have been.  Maybe a fourth book would have helped with things feeling not so rushed.

It did feel like Good won again, which is slightly disappointing, because I wanted something good to happen for Evil, especially where Sophie is concerned.  But at the same time, I liked that she had to find herself and become happy with herself.  So I guess it happened, just not in a way I wanted.

I really like the League Of 13, and I really want to know more about Cinderella, because what we learned was actually really awesome.  It really added something to her story, and unlike a lot of other characters in the book, it felt like she had a much more developed backstory.

3 stars.  I liked it, and there were some really interesting elements that came up, and I wish they were explored a little more.  Overall, though, it does wrap up things fairly well, even though they were wrapped up in a pretty predictable way.

Book: The Education Of Hailey Kendrick by Eileen Cook

Published January 2011 by Simon Pulse|256 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the hardcover from the library

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

Hailey Kendrick always does exactly what’s expected of her. She has the right friends, dates the perfect boy, gets good grades, and follows all the rules. But one night, Hailey risks everything by breaking a very big rule in a very public way…and with a very unexpected partner in crime. Hailey gets caught, but her accomplice does not, and Hailey takes the fall for both of them.

Suddenly, Hailey’s perfect life–and her reputation–are blowing up in her face. Her friends are all avoiding her. Her teachers don’t trust her. Her boyfriend won’t even speak to her for long enough to tell her that she’s been dumped.

They say honesty is the best policy–but some secrets are worth keeping, no matter the cost. Or are they?

I am so intrigued with stories where the main character seems perfect and has to deal with the fact that they aren’t. I didn’t like it as much as I thought, but it was still an interesting read.

I can definitely relate to Hailey wanting  to be perfect, and to the moment where she does something she wouldn’t normally do.  I really liked the relationship she formed with Drew because of that one moment, and how she started to show and figure out who she really was instead of projecting a particular image of herself because that’s what people expected of her.

I get why she did it, and I can understand why she’d take the fall for a friend.  But that was one of my least favorite parts of the book.  She takes the fall, (understandably) doesn’t want him to say anything because he’ll probably lose his scholarship, and is ostracized by the entire school because the punishment extends to them.  He never says anything, and is assigned to keep an eye on her or whatever.  Which is all kinds of weird because he’s partly the reason why she’s in this situation in the first place.  Not only that, but the entire school not being able to leave campus because it will make her reveal who her partner in crime was.  I can sort of understand it, but at the same time, she’s determined to not say who it was, so it also seems a little pointless.

There are also some really weird things about the book.  Like, the entire school has restrictions, but she ditches school.  While also being someone who was previously set up as someone who doesn’t break rules.  She’s weirdly sheltered, and has never heard of Denny’s, even though one is down the street.

I wish there was a little more to it- it does seem like a pretty shallow look at a girl who’s learning to not blindly follow the rules and to make her own way in life.  And that’s not necessarily a bad thing, a light, fun look at something like this.  I think I just expected something a little more.

3 stars.  I liked it, and I could relate to Hailey a lot, but at the same time, I wish it had a little more to it.

Book: Things We Know By Heart by Jessi Kirby

Published April 2015 by HarperTeen|207 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the e-book from the library

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary 

Quinn Sullivan lost the love of her life when her boyfriend, Trent, died in an accident their junior year. In an attempt to get closure, she reached out to the recipients of his donated organs. Though some answered her letters, the one Quinn feels matters most–the person who received Trent’s heart–has been silent.

Nineteen-year-old Colton Thomas has spent the last several years in and out of hospitals waiting for a heart transplant. Now that he’s finally received a new heart, Colton is regaining strength, and he’s walking away from his bedridden past with no intention of looking back. He doesn’t want to know about the person who had to die so that he could live. He only wants to move forward.

But Quinn can’t let it go. Venturing outside the system to find Colton, Quinn takes a risk in hopes of finally laying her memories to rest. But what begins as an innocent conversation quickly becomes an attraction–and to make matters worse, Colton has no idea how they’re connected. His zest for life pulls Quinn from her months of sorrow but leaves her torn between honesty and utter betrayal. Because no matter how hard she’s falling for Colton, each beat of his heart reminds her of all she’s lost.

I was excited to hear Jessi Kirby had another book, and I’m so glad I read this one!

I really felt for Quinn, and everything she was going through.  I get why she reached out to Colton, and how hard it was for her to let go of her boyfriend and fall for someone else.  You really do feel like she thinks she betraying her old boyfriend by letting her love someone else, and by not remembering how long it’s been since he passed away.

It just didn’t hit me emotionally the way I expected it to.  Jessi Kirby’s books have a way of making me feel everything, and while I did feel really emotional, particularly at the beginning and end of the book, it was nowhere near the emotion I usually feel while reading her books.

I really wish we saw more of Quinn’s previous relationship.  I actually think flashbacks would have worked well here, because I think why I didn’t completely feel her feelings of betrayal over falling for someone else because I didn’t really see what that relationship was like.  I get why Quinn felt the way she did, and while it’s not necessary, I think I still would have liked it.

While we’re talking about relationships, I’m not sure how I feel about her and Colton as a couple. They are cute together, and Quinn, at some point, is going to have to move on with someone else, but I don’t know if I like that it’s Colton.  Maybe her relationship with Colton is her way of starting to let go and move on, and maybe she needs to do it in baby steps, which is perfectly fine.  Everyone grieves and lets go in their own way.  But at the same time, there was something about Quinn falling for the guy who has her boyfriend’s heart that didn’t sit right with me.

It did seem like Colton had some things of his own to work through, and I wish we got to see a little more of that, because the book is as much about Colton living and being healthy enough to live as it is about Quinn moving on from the loss of her boyfriend.

I did love the quotes about hearts that Kirby had for each chapter.  It really drew everything together.

4 stars.  I didn’t love it the way I loved her other books, and I think it’s my least favorite of her books so far, but I still really liked the story!

Book: Avow by Chelsea Fine

Published December 2012 by Smashwords|220 pages

Where I Got It: I own the e-book

Series: The Archers Of Avalon #3

Genre: YA Paranormal

Scarlet remembers. Everything. Her past lives, Tristan, Gabriel, Nate: she remembers it all–including how to get to the Fountain of Youth. But time is running out.

Heather and Gabriel have been kidnapped by Raven, while the curse that has plagued Scarlet and Tristan for centuries has shifted, putting the star-crossed lovers in more danger than ever before. Water from the Fountain of Youth is the only thing that can save Scarlet and her loved ones. But the water comes at a price.

With lives–and hearts–at stake, Scarlet leads her friends on a dangerous journey to the Fountain of Youth. Where eternal life is possible, but death is certain.

I liked Avow!  It’s a pretty good end to the series, and while I didn’t love it like I thought I would, I still liked it!

I think why I didn’t like it as much as the previous books is that some of the magic and mystery those books had weren’t in Avow.  We do see all of Scarlet’s memories, and her past lives, which is interesting but also made the book drag a little, because I really wanted to see what was going on with everyone else.  It was repetitive, and I wish past and present were alternated, instead of being two big chunks.  In some ways, it made me feel like I was reading two different stories.

There is a happy ending, which wasn’t surprising, but what was surprising was that Avow was more predictable than the other two stories.  I was surprised with how Nate’s story was wrapped up, but after thinking about it for a minute, it really wasn’t that surprising.  I really liked Gabriel and Heather in this one, and I’m glad Gabriel was able to move on from his relationship/issues with Scarlet.  I’m also glad that Tristan’s relationship with Scarlet no longer has the angst it used to.  Not being cursed definitely helps with that.

I was surprised that there was no mention of Scarlet’s guardian in this one.  For some reason, I was expecting at least a mention of her, but we never got it.  If getting to the fountain was hard, then how were Scarlet’s relatives able to get there and make a map, and not be able to go back to it? That was never explained, which was kind of weird.  Actually, I can’t remember if they bought the water or if they found it, but either way, that whole part of it was a little weird.

Oh and the end!  Things are wrapped up, but I am intrigued with how the book ended…with a new tree potentially growing.  There’s no possible way for there to be another book in this world (although, it is possible, but I doubt it), but it is very interesting indeed.

3 stars.  I wish past and present were woven together a little bit better, but I’m still glad things worked for the characters, and I really have liked the overall premise of the story.

Book: Bitter End by Jennifer Brown

Published May 2011 by Little, Brown Books For Young Readers|359 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the hardcover from the library

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

When Alex falls for the charming new boy at school, Cole — a handsome, funny, sports star who adores her — she can’t believe she’s finally found her soul mate…someone who truly loves and understands her.

At first, Alex is blissfully happy. Sure, Cole seems a little jealous of her relationship with her close friend Zack, but what guy would want his girlfriend spending all her time with another boy? As the months pass, though, Alex can no longer ignore Cole’s small put-downs, pinches, or increasingly violent threats.

As Alex struggles to come to terms with the sweet boyfriend she fell in love with and the boyfriend whose “love” she no longer recognizes, she is forced to choose — between her “true love” and herself.

I am a huge fan of Jennifer Brown, and ever since I read Hate List (which I loved, and it’s also set a high standard that none of her other books have managed to live up to), I’ve been working my way through her other books.

Brown does have a way of writing characters you care about, and she certainly deals with really difficult things VERY well.  Bitter End is no exception, and her portrayal of an abusive relationship was really well done, especially when you read the author’s  note at the end of the book that explains why she wrote this story.

This is the book you use to talk about abusive relationships with teens- both teenage boys and teenage girls.

I think Bitter End is a great starting point for talking about it because it actually deals with an abusive relationship, and why Alex couldn’t (and wouldn’t) tell anyone what was going on, and what she was thinking throughout her relationship with Cole.  It didn’t have the emotion I thought it would, but Brown painted a really good picture of what was going on.

I have a feeling that a lot of people will be frustrated with Alex, and why she stayed with Cole, even though he abused her.  That’s the point of the book- you see WHY she stays, and what it finally took for her to leave.  There were glimmers of why she loved Cole, and how hard it was for her to leave him.  It’s really easy to say that you’re never going to end up in Alex’s situation, but how do you really know how you’d deal with it, or what you’d do if you were in that situation?

I think what frustrated me the most was that her best friends knew.  They KNEW and did nothing, even though she told them what was going on…and they apparently told her younger sister, who also did nothing.  It also seemed like her boss maybe suspected what was going on.  But as frustrating as it was, I also understand why they might not say anything about it, and while I would like to think I’d do something if Alex was my best friend…I don’t know. Do you really know how you’d react or what you’d do ahead of time?  And I wish we did get why they didn’t seem to go to an adult with it.  Maybe it’s because Alex’s friendships with Zack and Bethany broke down, or maybe they felt like they’d rat her out, and I can understand their frustration with her for ditching them, and not hearing them out when they tried to talk to her about Cole.  Maybe they just gave up.

It was frustrating to see how she wasn’t really willing to hear them them out, but at the same time, you see that they don’t really give him a chance either.  It seems like they have a feeling he’s not a good guy, and if there is something else they know, it’s something we don’t know.  I get why she wouldn’t hear them out, though.  And at the end of the book, it does seem like they’re friends-ish, enough to go on the trip, but not the best friends they were before Cole came into their lives.

I do wish it had been developed a little more- Bitter End felt more rushed than the other books I’ve read by Brown, and the characters didn’t feel as developed as they could have been, but it’s still really easy to understand why they act they way they do.

Even with Cole.  It’s implied that things aren’t great at home, and it’s also implied that his dad abuses/abused his mom.  It’s never said if Cole himself was abused, but based on the one scene we get with his dad, it wouldn’t surprise me.  I’m sure there’s a lot of research out there about why people become abusers, and I get the feeling Cole is a poster child for that.

3 stars.  Brown really painted a picture in tackling abusive relationships, and even though I feel like the book was a little rushed and underdeveloped (more than her other books), it’s still a really good starting point to talk about abusive relationships.