Book: Best Friends ( Until Someone Better Comes Along)

This book grabbed me right away with its title. It sounded like something I had not read in a while.
First off the book is fun but a little over the top which is the only real down fall of the book. The main character was so over the top and such a brat that I found myself losing interest in her at many points through out the book.  I myself have a hard time when it's the main character in books for younger readers that are so... well mean brats seems to be the only way to sum this up. So much so that I almost stopped reading the book twice because I could not take it.
But I do have to say once the karma started to kick in the book got really good.  Say whatever you like about me but i love it when the nasty people get what is coming to them.  I mean that there is some really nasty things that Izzy does in the book and she should get kicked in the pants. I really hope that people read this book and learn how to be good friends and that friends don't say mean things to each and are still honest. I did however really come to like the book by the end. It had a lot heart and a good message to it. It also did not play out way I would have thought. Which was really nice. Over the pretty good and I could see a lot of the young teens or tweens having a lot of fun reading it.

( Kids -11 and up )
Stars: * * * 3.4

Book: Her Dark Curiosity

After finishing The Madman's Daughter I could not wait to get my hands on this book.  Also with such a beautiful cover this book was kinda hard to say no to.

When I first started reading the book I was totally in love with how with it. I liked where the story picked up and what had happened. And as the murders started I got even more into it. 

Sadly as the story started to reach the turning point ( somewhere around the point when Juliet went to Lucy's party) the book lost me. 

Everything I had loved about the first book was gone.  I found that this book was pretty much just Juliet torn between two guys. yes it was like that a little in The Madman's Daughter, but that book had so much else going on and going for it. 

However I kept reading hoping that it would get better. It sadly did not.  What really has me let down about all of this is I know that the author has the power to do something wonderful. She can weave such great stories. Set up great characters, plant little clues and twist and turn it all about until you have a can't miss book. 

This book did none of that.  I found that were in the first book that I liked  Juliet, while in this book she rather got on my nerves at times. 

The two characters I liked most in this book was of course Elizabeth and Lucy. I felt that they made the most sense and did their part to balance the story while adding a little life to it all. 

 Over all the book was good but it was still a let down something I am still trying to get over. 

I'm praying as hard as I can that the next book will be more like The Madman's Daughter and therefore can not wait to get my hands on it. 

( YA- 15 and up)

Stars: * * * 3.4                                 LEVEL:HATBOX 

Book: The Madman's Daughter

I'd like to start off this review by stating that i have not read many gothic novel's and therefore do not know to much about them.  And I would also like to state that before reading this review it's very important to understand that this book is meant for the older YA readers ( somewhere from 15 or 16 and up). 

That being said this book was beyond my wildest dreams. While I have not read The Island Of Doctor Moreau myself, I know the plot and story very well, along with many of the social topics that it has.  Still the book took me by surprise. First of all with its very dark tones and gruesome details. But than the pace,setting, and characters took me all by surprise. 

This was a book that I myself am shocked that I liked so much.  I read this book in less than 24 hours- I think this is the fastest I have ever read book that was a little over four hundred pages long (Now yes, I also got lucky and had the time to just sit and read it all)! This was the first book in a long time to have me curled up in bed reading way late into the night. And it was the first book to ever make me jump while reading. That's how drawn in I was. 

As for the characters they were pretty interesting and kept the story moving a long. Juliet was fairly standard but she did have little twists to her that made her memorable. 

And truth be told this was the first love triangle I have liked in a really long time.  Mostly because the two guys were more interesting than most. 

The only draw back to the book? Well clearly the story is very gruesome - it could have been worse and the author did a wonderful job, however it still turned my stomach at many points.

Over all if you can stomach the novel I say it's a must read. 

( YA 15 and up) 

Stars: * * * * 4.0              LEVEL: TWISTED

Book: Etiquette & Espionage

This is a book that has long been on my To Read list. So when I saw it at the library I knew I had to grab it. As soon as I opened the book I was drawn in by it. The steampunk setting, humor, and of course the vastly interesting Sophronia made the book a delightful read.

Was there flaws with it? Yes, of course. However I felt that the level of enjoyment I got out of the book was so high that I hardly saw them. 

The first flaw was of course the writing. It was very standard ( other than the humor and character crafting of course).  At other points in the story things as far as the setting didn't add up or make sense. While some of the steampunk elements felt a little off.  It felt like the author was having a hard time getting the image she saw in her minds eye on paper. It always felt like at the least one or two key details were missing. Maybe it was that she forget to fill the reader in on details that had already been stated in her other series ( which I have not had the pleasure of reading yet).  But as far as the rest of the writing I found it clever, charming and as stated before a joy to read. 

As for everything else I was very pleased with it all. The book was full of sass and spunk. 

The thing I loved most about the book was how creative the book was. Things like the vampire and werewolf details were fun and refreshing. 

The characters were a very nice mix and blend. Sophronia was great hero. She had so many things going for her, and she never once let me down in the book. 

The thing that younger readers will like best about this book is of course the pace of the book. I found that it moved quickly and before I knew what happened it was over. 

Over all I think that is a charming book that I would highly recommend for many of the younger readers or readers that want a nice change of pace. 

( YA 12 and up) 

Stars: * * * 3.8        LEVEL: FLYWAY MEN

Book: Elusion

I wanted to read this book right as soon as I saw the cover. But when I heard that it had already been picked up by I believe Warner Brothers for a film adaptation; I knew I had to read it!
When I first started the book I was totally drawn in! One thing that I loved the most about this book was the pace. Before I knew it I was almost done with the book.
However there was a hand full of things that I displeased.  First was while I Regan alright I found her to  very 2D. And was quite let down by that.  The world around Regan was so well built and went much deeper than I thought it would, I was hoping for the same from Regan. I wanted to see the differences in her that were caused by the world around her and the events that took place within the book itself.
Now that's not to say that was wasn't a good character - she was just very standard- but I felt like the author played it very safe with her and all the other characters.  The character I liked best was Patrick or Regan's Mother. Something about the two characters even though they were small characters something about them was just so interesting, and makes them stand out.
However what I found the most interesting about the whole book was the world of course Elusion ( Elusion i the book is like a this virtual reality).  While it all really reminded me of Into The Still Blue.
So over all I found the book to be good it's biggest plus was the pacing but everything else seemed to be very standard and pretty much your normal  YA Sci-Fi.
I think that many of my readers will adore this book and find it to be a favorite. But I think that other will be sadly let down with it.
I can't wait to read the next book and am interested to see if/when things move forward with the film.

(YA-13 and up)
Stars: * * * 3.2                                   LEVEL: WAIT FOR PAPER BACK




I was given a copy of the book by the publisher for an honest review. 

Book: Edge Of Falling

At first I was very interested in this novel.  As I read the book i realized that while I liked many parts of it, its greatest done fall was how it lack the new and fresh feeling.  It felt almost as though the author was being lazy. " I'm not going to waste my time with details" the book seemed to scream at me. And for me this was the major down side of the book and what had me for so long with holding my review. I like the thing that makes so many books wonderful is the details. It lets the reader enter that word, and makes the book hard to put down. It is also the thing that has us rereading books.
And While I said I loved many other parts of it and it had many wonderful moments, and best of all a very strong ending. Thought I " I do not see myself rereading this book". and While I know that many of my readers will love this book, I could not see myself telling my friends to go out and read it right away.
Over all the book did have some very good parts and if you are interested in go give it a shoot. If not move along to the next review so that you can find something more your style.

( YA -14 and up)
STARS:  * * * 3.3                             LEVEL: JEFF BRIGDES 




I was given a copy of the book by the publisher. This did not in anyway effect my review or thoughts on the book

Book: Univited

So when I started this book I had sadly forgotten what it was about. So the first few chapters did through me a little bit.  But needless to say I was totally into it.
I really liked Davy and found her to be a pretty believable character given her lifestyle and upbringing.
For the first 50 pages of the book I really liked. the first 150 as well. But soon after I started to feel myself drifting. The spark just wasn't there. And while the book was well thought out and had many great points something in the story was missing. The ideas are all good. But there was nothing to the way that things played out. All really great YA books and books over all really need that swift grace. that ease that carries the readers flawlessness into the next word. This book did not have that. It felt at times very man made.
As I read on the many good points like the people and the set up of the laws and all the moving parts around Davy was very good things like the world building fell sort. By the end of the book I had very little idea what the word around Davy looked like. Also I found many things by the end of the book very hard to believe * SMALL SPOILER* I'm sorry but it felt like they would have spent a lot more money on camera's and had people spying on the computers. * SPOILER DONE* 
Also how gruesome the book got by the end bothered me to no end. I'm sorry but I found that the author had so many different ways and place she could have taken things that she really cheeped out in the end.
With so much going for the book I found that the last 100 pages of the book really made it hard for me to give it a positive review. Is it a good book? sure in many ways it is, but that does not change the fact that I don't want to read any more books like this. Authors stop using gruesome details to shock the reader. It only shows a lack of real talent on your behalf.
Over all it had many great moments even though I was ultimately let down, I still look forward to reading the next book in the series.


( YA - 15 and up)
STARS: * * * 3.2          LEVEL: KILL ME GENE 



I was given a copy of the book by the publisher. This did not in anyway effect my review or thoughts on the book

Book: Fangirl

As some of you may remember I read the book Eleanor & Park and feel head over heels in love with it! So when I found out that Rainbow Rowell had another book out, I did everything in my power to get my hands on it right away. First off this book is very different from Eleanor & Park.  THis book over all is a much happier kinda of love story. And having read ( and even thought about writing ) fanfiction I loved what a big part that played in this story. Though I would like to make it clear that I was not big in the fanfic world I just kinda pasted through it when I found a link on tumblr.  Reading this book shone some new light on it for me. I have always been on the fence about fanfic. Part of me thinking that it's fun to dream and share all the things you would have done differently - because that is how I got into writing in the first place. While the part of me is always thinking how I'm not sure if I would like someone to fanfic about my own stories. That I would not want them touching my characters. My characters who to me are family. But reading this book I saw a whole different side to fanfic. And I'm really grateful for that. 

Now the whole book was not about fanfic that was just a part of it. The book was about so many other things. Like growing up. Like family and what that truly means and the time old battle of knowing when to forgive someone, and knowing when you have been hurt to many times. 

It also dealt with the hard battle of going forward. Facing the future and all of the changes it holds. Of letting go not just of bad of the past but also letting go of good. Knowing when you those memories as joyful as they are, are holding you back. 

 THis book also has a super sweet love story that I felt I could totally relate too. 

Which brings me to Cather. I really feel in love with her because I felt that in so many ways she was like me. Something I'm sure all the readers of fangirl will feel at some point or another. 

I think that the most powerful I could say about this book was that I did not want it to end. I turned the last page and kept looking for the next one.  I did not want it to end. 

  Though very different from Eleanor & Park this book yet again shows us all how truly wonderful Rainbow Rowell is as a storyteller. I can't wait to read whatever she is cooking up next for us. 

( YA - 14 and up) 

Stars:  * * * * 4.0       LEVEL: PLEASE DON'T END

Book: Kingdom Of Little Wounds

 I'm sure that you can see why I could not wait to read this book. This cover is by far one of my favorites of 2013.
This book started off a little rough for me. I was not sure of what was going on or the writing style. Though beautiful my reviewers copy had many errors with front and format. Something that I hope they have since fixed.   The writing of the book is at times beautiful. I was very happy with that. The story matched the writing. And the characters add a very colorful layer to the book. Making it a very strong read.  The historical side to the book was cream of the crop. I was very happy with it and even felt like I learned many things from the book, such as basic facts about the time and also a great understanding of what living in that time might have been like. It was not one of those historical books were I sat around thinking " oh that's not right. Or oh that is no way true". So rather or not the book was truly right on the mark historically it felt that way to me.
 The one area I was rather let down in was the fact that I felt the book was really YA. I felt that it might have been better off under new Adult or just adult. Sure YA readers might like it better than some adult readers do but truly the topic and many of the events of the book are very mature.  And for me that was something that really had me let down. While this does not take away from the story,writing or over all plot of the book it did take a lot out of the enjoyment for me.  When I see YA on a book as both reader and blogger I plan on getting a YA book. Getting something that is very clearly not YA bothers me greatly. I found that while 16 years could read this it was really a book that 17 and up might enjoy better.  I feel that on the book it should say 18 and up because really that's what it felt like to me the read the book was written for.
Now as a blogger this bothered me greatly because I felt that is was just another case of saying the book was YA so as to sell more copies of the book. Because publishers see that there is a lot of money to be made in YA. There is only money to be made in YA if the book is truly YA.
Over all I did like the book many of its points.

( New Adult/ Adult - 18 and up)
Stars:   * * *  3.6           LEVEL: NOT YA!

Book: North of Nowhere

I was a little hesitant about reading this book. When I was a kid I tried reading some of Liz Kessler's other books but I never could get into them.  Over all I have to say that I was pretty impressed.
I found that the writing and the story much better than I thought.
The pace was very quick. Some times to fast. But I think it will be great for younger readers who have a hard reading will like this book and will have a hard time putting it down. The story with it's little twists and tricks will be sure to be a hit.
 Also add to it interesting and well layered characters. The characters all of them were surprisingly life like. Over all I think that this is a book that many young writers will like and find worth to be worth the time.  Great way to keep the kids busy this winter without using video games and TV.


( 10 and up)
Stars: * * *  3.3                
LEVEL: TIME TRAVEL+BOAT= Good reading 

I was given a copy of the book by the publisher. This did not in anyway effect my review or thoughts on the book

Book: Percy Jackson and the Olympian: the Titans curse ( #3)

First off this book has the same pros as the first two; fast paced almost from the beginning, has good humor, good character development and is another fun but short look at what Greek mythology would look like in the modern world. though some things are different it is set in the winter not summer, and is darker than the first two, but keeps it's good sense of humor. This book does what the second did take away a main character and put in a new one or in this case three. The new characters are good some more the others. At first I was upset about this but it adds good variety to the book. Though I will say Grover does not get as much character development as Annabeth got in the last book and he seems only there to be comic relief. Also the ending to this book is far better then the last two overall. This is definitely the best in a series that keeps getting better and better.
(9+)



Stars:*** 3.8          Level: listening to Percy's dam jokes FOR ETERNITY


The B team

Book:The Elite

I loved and adored The Selection. It was one of the most enjoyable  YA books I have read over all.
THis book was not like that. I was so let down with this book on the whole.
I felt like nothing really happened.  Two much of the book was spent on things that didn't matter. What would have been much better is if more of the  book had been on the been spent on the politics of the book. I would have liked to have learned more about the world. Or more about the the other girls. That would have been awesome. I would have liked it much more than america trying to find out who she loved and how she felt about things.
But stil there was something too the book that I liked. I did like how we learned more about some of the characters and how points in the plot got deeper. I did like the things that we learned about some of the characters. The added details about them really helped bring the world alive.
 But still I would loved so much more from the author. After being blown away by The Selection I was let down with this book.
Over all it could not live up to the selection but still was a good read and left me very excited for The One.

( YA - 13 and UP)
Stars: * * * 3.4                                   LEVEL: Reality TV

Book: Eleanor And Park

There are some books that everyone you know is reading and in love with. Eleanor and Park is one of those books.  You can't go on Tumblr without seeing a quote or fan art from/do to with this book.
This was one book I had no choice but to read.
And after reading it I see now why everyone is so in love with it. It is the kind of book that steals our hearts and makes us stop.
In this book I found so many much needed lessons. and saw things in life more clearly.
Trying to find a place to start when talking about how good this book is...is almost impossible.
 Eleanor. Lets start off with her. I think the best way for me to put it was that she was thing that made this book. The reason I say that is without her none of the wonderful things would have come into play.
Now I will not go in to to much detail in because it might spoil the book. But I feel like Eleanor's story had so many things to teach us. The first being never judge a book by its cover. Or in this case a person by their clothes.
The next it told us was that everyone is fighting their own battle so don't be so fast to jump on them. You never truly know what is going on.  And it reminded us just how many teens boys and girls have hard family lives.  It's something that we hear about all the time but very few of us ever do anything about.
The last thing I love about Eleanor is that she is not a girl who thinks she isn't beautiful but really she is. She is beautiful in the natural everyday way. She is beautiful with her imperfections. And I love that.  When the rest of the world is telling girls to be little sticks here is a girl who falls madly in love and is beautiful just not in the way that girls online or in adds are.

Alright that went on a little long but there is so much to still I want to say on Eleanor.
Anyway on to Park. I love him because compared to Eleanor he lives life pretty normal but there are still some small things in his life that pop up.
What I love most about Park was here was a guy in YA that was real. He felt human. He thought at many points like a teenage guy does. And I loved it!
Another thing I loved about this book was the love story. How it was not a right away thing. How it was slow and awkward and natural. How it was open and fragile at times.
This is a book that I feel everyone should read because it is breathe taking and beautiful. Please take the time to read it.

( YA- 15 and up - Swearing and some fighting and abuse.)

Stars: * * *  * 4.9               LEVEl: As Sad As It Is Hopeful
 
I had to share this beautiful art.

Book: Sideshow of Merit

I was really looking forward to reading this book.  The Story sounded really interesting.
But sadly this was not something that I can say I really liked or enjoyed reading.
 For me the book had it's good points when you looked hard enough. It was not terrible and I'm sure that  author did put a lot of time into it. The best way to start off the review was is by saying that had i not been reviewing this I would have stopped reading it all together.  However that being said I could not read a book that I did not like the main characters, and that had so much choppy writing. First off though the book is said to be YA I disagree with this. In many ways. I think this is more new adult myself. But I will hold it up to other YA while writing the review.
 I do had a very hard time with the gay love story in this book because it felt so... out of place. Like the writer was not sure about the love story. Which lead to me being unsure about it.
Now let me stated I gay love straight love to me it's love. I enjoy reading "gay" YA books and when i find a good one I love it.  But in this book it felt like it was done as a trick.  A cop out.
That bothered me. THis is not some trend in YA books. And just because you have a gay love story in it does mean that it will sell. And I think that the lack of going over many of the problems that they would have faced at that time in history being gay and such topics as abuse and etc.
I feel that if you are trying to have that as a key part in your story you have to write about. I would much rather have a write stated their thoughts on these matters than not say anything at all.  Because why are we reading about if not to learn something. Even if we don't agree with it.
So than add to this the fact that the book was slow moving and had choppy writing.
After reading up on Nicole I really do hope that her next book is better. And I would be more than willing to give her a second chance.  I also hope that next time her book is put in the right age group.

( YA NEW adult - 17 and up)

Stars: * 1.8                                 LEVEL: Better Luck Next Time



I was given a copy of the book by the publisher. This did not in anyway effect my review or thoughts on the book

Book: Timepiece

So for those of you who read the  Hourglass review know how much I loved that book. And while this book was good it did not have the same spark to it that Hourglass did. 

One high light of this book was that it was not from Em's point of view but from Kaleb's. Now while I did not like Kaleb all the time and I found that his character  flawed.  I liked how he was broken and because of that he spent a lot of time feeling for other people. I know it was part of his power but he spend much of his time thinking about other people. When things were hard for him he focused on the people around him rather than himself.  Did he lack something that makes him stand out from the other boys in YA.But what I liked was seeing Em from someone else's point of view and getting to know Lily better.  And I also really like to read books from the male point of view.

I liked how Kaleb's and Lily's story. Though it felt that things were a little weird with how Lily did not pick up on Kaleb having a crush on Em.  Being a girl and knowing what good friends Lily is with Em, I'm pretty sure that Em would have told Lily, that Kaleb was crushing on her. 

I had very mixed feelings on the rest of book over all. I liked the story of this book but found the pacing  to slow and to fast at the same time. It moved to slow for 3/4 of the book. Then at the very end right when I was getting in to it everything moved way to fast giving me way to little of what I really cared about. Without giving anything way I found the end twist, and then the finale scene/part with Kaleb's family moved way to fast. There are so  many things that I cared about and wanted to know from Kaleb's point of view! But the author did not give them to me! 

Over all the book was a bit of a let down but I'm still keeping my hopes up for the book.

( YA- 13 and up ) 

Stars: * * * 3.4                          Level: TIME RIP. 

Book: Contaminated

I try my best to write honest reviews that are fair. I do my best to try to find the book in a book and not to go hating on it because a lot of work was put into it. Doing that with this book is going to be very hard but I will try to do my best.

First off the book was made up of mostly back story. About 3/4 of the book was back story. Backstory is okay a lot of writers could use more of it. But having backstory over power your whole book to the point where I can no longer see the plot is a major problem.
The next problem was Velvet. While I did like how strong she was, there was just so much to her that was missing. And I found the love story in the book to be just like everything else. Nothing new was brought to the table. And with a book like the this you need strong, well crafted characters to bring it up, and make it readable.
At times the way that the book did not follow the norm of most zombie books there were many points while reading it that I wish it did. A zombie book needs acton and horror. This book had none of it. It just kept going endlessly. I found that I had to talk myself in to picking up the book to read it. I really don't want to be a rude and nasty reviewer but had I not been reading this book to review it, I would not have finished it.
One thing that was good was the author's writing. I have a feeling that is why the book got published because the story and the characters fell very flat. I hope that in the future the writer of the book can keep up the points  of her writing and fix the problems with the characters, story, plot, and setting.
Over all I can not recommend this book when there are so many other great ones out there to be read.

( YA 13 and up)

Stars: * 1.3                      Level: Rather Be ZOMBIE 


I was given a copy of the book by the publisher. This did not in anyway effect my review or thoughts on the book

Book: Rock And A Hard Place

Clearly I had no idea what I was getting into when I started this book. Like I did not know that the name of the book would have more meaning to the story than just of that of an everyday metaphor.
At many times through out reading this book I really did come to love Libby (even if she was a little freaky at points). She had been through a lot of a lot and is going through a lot in the book.  But at times I did find that her story was so much like the other sad young adult romance books.  But at the time when that was not bothering me. And yes, how crazy and silly she was at times did force me to take breaks from reading the book. But on the whole I liked Lily and her story.
As for Peter he was pretty good. Did it sometimes get on my nerves? Yes, but when taking this book for what it is there are many things about it that are good. First of all it's fun. And after your done reading it you feel good about life. You feel hopeful. Which is something that I don't feel a lot of times with poplar young adult books.
Over all not a lot to be said about this book other than I think fans of this book will like and happily ignore it's flaws.

( YA 14 and up)
Stars: * * *  3.0                                          Level: Sweet Summer Love



I was given a copy of the book by the publisher. This did not in anyway effect my review or thoughts on the book

Book: Find Me

This book had a wonderful start giving me much hope that it would be something wonderful and memorable.  The writing drew me in right away. I have never read anything else by  Ms Bernard but her writing was very strong. In moments of action she really pulled you in and knew the timing and pacing of it very well.  It was her story telling that needed work. There is so much to the story that was just... off. Nothing about the story seemed to be coming from the heart.  The forced love story drove me mad! Most people think that you have to have a love story to get YA readers or else your story will be totally unsellable. But in the case of this book I feel that if the love story was cut out all together you would have a much better chance at getting readers.
Also if the book had know felt like a rip off of all the other poplar YA books out there I would have liked it.  If you are going to rip off other poplar books that pretty much everyone has read then you need to at the very least do it with a good character leading the story. I did like somethings about Wicked but the fact that she did not go and get help at some points in this book drove me crazy. And the fact that she stayed pretty much the same person from start to finish. Also though I did love the hacking part of the story it felt pretty weak at times. and I found it hard to believe that Wicked was this great hacker. A lot of what she did seemed to be on the more basic side of hacking.
But what I did like about Wicked was how she was a nice mix of being that strong- kick-butt main character and the softer sweeter main character. In that sense she felt real. And since so many YA authors seem to miss that when writing a main character it was really nice to see that Ms. Bernard got that right.
 But there are many things I did like in the book. Like some of the twist even if I did kinda see them coming. Or Lily. I really liked her.  And the mystery part of the story was great.  The way the diary was worked into the story was awesome.
Over all I think fans of Mysteries or readers who need a break from the fluffy reads ( but who don't want to jump in to really hard heavy stuff ) will like this. Is this book flawed yes - but the flaws do not take away from the points of the book.

( YA - 14 and Up)


Stars: * * *  3.0                            Level: Read At Your Own Risk

I was given a copy of the book by the publisher. This did not in anyway effect my review or thoughts on the book

Book: Under The Never Sky

I have heard many really good things about this book. Things like finally a girl in YA who can hold her own. A love story that did not over power the story.
These to things I am happy to say are very true. Aria was a strong main character that also had a soft side. She was a very well thought out character with many layers.  Her character development was very well done and one of the best that I have seen from a YA author in a long time.
I also  liked how it was not love at first sight. The love story and friendships took a lot of time.  They came from two different worlds and they did not like one other at first. But they slowly had to learn to be open to the other one and their different ways  of life.  And the love story for one had a more natural feel to it. Things went a little fast at the end, but worked with story I felt.
So as far as the characters go the book was really really well done.
As for the story I was much more mixed and let down over all.  The idea and the setting were good. As for the way things played out and how much gore there was I was not happy. Yes, I did say gore. I got every tired of the killing and fighting.  The savage ways that many of  the characters had or gain through out the course of the book. I would have liked it toned down or not as harsh. At times many of the savage actions over powered the characters and at times even seemed a little out of character.
Over all I felt that the book is strong read as far as characters go. As for some of the actions or  choices the characters make, I did't like them. But I feel that fans of Graceling and Breathe will love this Dystopian novel.
Also I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

( YA 14 and up )
Stars: * * * 3.4

Book:Percy Jackson and the olympians book two: the sea of monsters

This book is a fine sequel to The Lighting Thief and does little wrong. It follows the same pattern ( which for me is a plus).Percy gets a quest and has to travel, but this time to the sea of monsters to save grover  which is located in the bermuda triangle. Which of course Rick gave is own spin on.
Also like the first book every encounter an or with a monster(s) is not to long or too short so the book keeps a nice brisk pace once it gets going it keeps moving along. I have to say that the pace of the book is one of its best feature, and great for keeping some of the younger readers interested. The book also brings in a new character tyson who at first i did not like but grew on me. another thing like the first book is the modern version of the gods and monsters this time stand out  being Hermes the chacter development is good as well. This book is a great seaquel on par with the first one. I think that fans of the first book will be far from let down with this.

(  9+ )
Stars:  * * * 3.7
By The B Team