Beastly

Beastly by Alex Flinn. I started this book thinking it was going to be some lame retelling of one of my favorite fairytales. Boy, was I wrong.

I LOVE Flinn’s modern retelling, enough so that this is, by far, my favorite modern rendition of any fairytale. She successfully pulls together a nasty teen-turned-beast, a not-so-ugly witch who turned the kid, a poor girl with a jerk for a dad, and a blind guy who takes firm claim over his seeing-eye dog. And then there’s Magda, the maid, who’s a bit on the odd side. You wouldn’t get what I mean unless you’ve read the book through. Although I felt the ending was a little rushed, I loved the epilogue. My absolute favorite part was Adrian putting together Lindy’s room. The entire time I was thinking, “awww!”

My rating: 5/5

 

XVI

XVI by Julia Karr. Dystopian novels are probably my second favorite type of books, right behind anything with magicalness in it.

I don’t if it’s only me, but I found the world XVI is set in to be completely plausible. I believe it could truly happen. And, of course, then I think, “would I be smart like Nina and (the totally awesome) Wei? Or would I be a brain-washed sex-teen like so many others in this book’s world?” I could only hope for the first. Anyway, good book, interesting plot, but I felt it could have ended with a little more “oompf,” if you know what I mean. I felt a little dissatisfied with the last chapter, the exception being the final paragraph, which left me a bit more satisfied.

My rating: 4/5

 

I Am Number Four

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore. I want the sequel. Now.

I lost so much sleep over this book, it was that good. Hell, even my boyfriend couldn’t put it down after I forced him to read the prologue. I had to take the book away at chapter four before he got farther than I did. Needless to say, this is one damn good book. Completely captivating, funny, and with a cool idea, it can even make someone who reads a book a year want to bump that up to two books a year, if only for this year.

My rating: 5/5

 

The Dead & The Gone

The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer. The sequel to Life As We Knew It.

I liked this books so much more than the first, and I thought I really liked the first. It has a more depressing story-line, but I think that it better fits the situation of the plot better. I would’ve thought Julie would have been the one to get on my nerves, but surprisingly, it was Brianna that I felt needed the wake-up slap. What I especially liked was that this book wasn’t what happened after the events in Life As We Knew It, but rather what was happening at the same time, in a different place. Worth reading, in my opinion, but not for the light-hearted, as this sequel has a much sadder storyline than the first.

My rating: 4/5

 

The True Story of Hansel and Gretel

The True Story of Hansel And Gretel by Louise Murphy.

This book was positively horrifying on multiple levels, as expected of a Holocaust story. Horrifying as it was, it was an absolutely remarkable tale. It’s scary watching the children grow up so fast. Gretel was already fairly mature for her age, but Hansel? It was like watching a 7-year-old grow to a 17-year-old in a matter of months. If you can stand gruesome, graphic, and depressing tales with a happy ending, then I highly recommend this book.

My rating: 5/5

Recommend 18+

 

Life As We Knew It

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer.

What would you do if the moon was hit by a meteor and pushed closer to Earth, changing your life completely, and possibly even ending it? I have no idea what the hell I’d do. Survival stories always interest me, and I end up thinking, “maybe I could do this if it ever happened.” Of course I can’t though, this is fiction, not a guide on how to survive the moon getting too close to home.

Nonetheless, the story was good. Miranda was a bit bratty, but towards the end she gets better. I liked the book, but not enough to put it on my favorites list.

My rating: 3/5

 

Little Bee

Little Bee by Chris Cleave.

I wasn’t overly fond of this book. It was okay, but not worth more than two stars. Little Bee’s story was the only part that really interested me. Sarah’s was hard for me to get through. Not just because it was a little confusing, but because it was sad. Her husband also pissed me off somewhat, but meh. Whatever. Other people find this book to be a masterpiece, but I’m not one of them.

My rating: 2/5

 

Still Sucks to Be Me

Still Sucks to Be Me by Kimberly Pauley. The sequel to one of my favorite vampire books, Sucks to Be Me.

In this one, Mina and her family move to a tiny town in Louisiana, and Mina is not thrilled. I particularly liked this one because it kept going with the whole Raven thing. I had wondered what happened to her, and what do you know, the freak is brought back and she certainly makes her contribution to the storyline. I don’t like Raven, if you can’t tell, but that’s just me. Good sequel.

My rating: 5/5

 

Sucks to Be Me

Sucks to Be Me by Kimberly Pauley.

The title is actually much longer, but I’m lazy, so I only put what I call it by when I recommend it to my friends. Which I do a lot. This is one of my favorite vampire books (out of the bazillion currently published) because it’s not one of those vampire-bites-me-and-I-fall-in-love-with-him kind of vampire books. And I love that about it. I also love Mina, she’s funny, a little ditsy, and just the kind of 16-year-old I can stand reading about.

My rating: 5/5

 

Jekel Loves Hyde

Jekel Loves Hyde by Beth Fantaskey. This time, I’ll start out with the cons and then go to the pros.

Cons: The book wasn’t set quite the best, and at the end of one chapter I’d find myself wanting to know what happened, but forgetting once I got myself absorbed in the next chapter, which normally was about something different. It was also just a tad scattered.

Pros: It was a really good story, with cute moments that I ate up like cake (I love cake) and moments where I HAD to read the next chapter or I’d spend the lecture, which I’d been reading while waiting for it to start, thinking about what could happen. There was a big twist near the end, with a pretty awesome ending.

My rating: 5/5