Book:Changeling

Philippa Gregory. Almost any fan of Historical fiction is familiar with her name. Most famous among teens for the film based off of her novel of the same title The Other Boleyn Girl that stared Natalie Portman.
After seeing the movie Other Boleyn Girl, I was very interested in Philippa Gregory's writing. While the Other Boleyn Girl wasn't my kinda book I found Changeling to be more up my alley.
However much I did enjoy this it did little to thrill me.

The stand feature of the book for me was the way it dealt with the  religion. Religion is always a tough subject to tackle due to its highly personal nature. Which is why it is important to note that I am not a religion person however I did really enjoy the story. I found it very interesting and was handled very well. I think that anyone of any religion would find the book interesting and insightful.
Another part of the book that I did enjoy was the historical aspects of the book. While I can not vouch for how actuate it is to history.
There was only two stand out issues for me in the book. One was the love story. While I'm pleased with the way it was handled through out the book at points I found my eyes rolling skyward.
By the love story aside I was pretty pleased with the characters. I understand that this is the first book in a series so I will go easier on the characters than I would if this was a stand alone.
Over all an enjoyable read if you can look past it's blemishes. Fans of historical fiction however will not be let down.

( YA- 13 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: 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: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: 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: Divergent

I have heard so many wonderful things about this and read so many great reviews about it. But I never felt like it was my kind of book. I thought that like the hunger games I would find it to violent to like it or enjoy it. But when I saw the the movie trailer I knew that I had to read the book.

Reading the book I found myself torn right down the middle. As a reader thought I found it violent and hard to read I still fell in love with the book. As a reviewer I had a hard time looking past how violent the story was. I know that I should not be both reader and reviewer but I feel as a reviewer I can not look past the way that the book seems to justify violence. As a reviewer I always think about how I like the book and how others will like the book. And in doing that I always find myself thinking about how it will affect other people and their lives. A great book should make you want to do good and make you think about something you never have before. 

Where as a reader I'm not thinking about anyone else but myself.  I might think of a friend who would love the book but that's it. I never stop to think if it will change someone for the worsted. 

But as both reader and reviewer I really loved the setting and the world building of the story. I was able to get lost in it fully without every questioning things that the author did ( I only questioned the normal things is what I'm trying to say here).

Tris.I found that I really liked Tris. She was strong but not because she could fight but she was strong because she was willing to give to others. And when she would break she always got right back up again. For me that is what a strong character does. Tris is in many ways the ideal YA main character - female or otherwise. As for the other characters they were all good and added to the story nicely.  But the one character  I did not care for was Jeanine.  There was nothing that made her stand out and I felt like we were never told anything about her. It made a lot of scenes about her and with her fall flat.  

Again as both reader and reviewer I also would have liked the love story to either be cut out or had the timing on it be better. The one of the most important part of the book is happening and all Tris can think about is how hot this one character is! I was like are you joking? If I or anyone I knows was there we would be way to busy thinking about anything but how hot that guy is. It drove me crazy. 

Another think that bothered me as a person was the almost rape/murder scene. Without going in to detail about it pissed me off.  What really got to me was how little was said about it. It was like it was no big deal. No matter if they were only going to kill her. It felt like there was going to happen to her first. This is a really big problem in YA for me. Everyone wants to do a rap scene but they never want to really deal with the problem. People just get over the rap or almost rap the next day like nothing happened.Whatever it is that writer is trying to do is not helping the reader understand what a terrible thing rap really is.   Sorry for the rant there but I feel like this is something that needs to be addressed. 

Over all I really did like the book. It was hard to put down. I got lost in easily, and fell in love with many points to it. I felt like the flaws with this book are never talked about. I know that this review seems like I did not but I wanted to point out the flaws in the book. Because I did feel that those things stopped me from giving it a higher review and from wanting to tell some of friends to read it. 

( YA - 14 and up - for violence) 

Book: * * * 3.8           Level: Read With A Thoughtful Mind

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: The Boy On The Bridge

This book got my interest because of the cold war russia setting. And I'm happy to say that as far as the setting went it was a very good book. I have never been to russia and was not around during the cold war but I felt that the book gave me a very realistic and truthful point of view on the time.  I was shocked at how though the book was in third person it felt like it was in first person which was really nice.  Laura I felt could have been more interesting she was a lacking that something that makes her stand out from the other characters in the book and in YA over all. At times the things she did were very.... for lack of a better word stupid. I felt like she could have been a little smarter at times. And it bothered me that when she was weighing why she loved Alyosha the only things that she could think of was how he looked. That really bothered me and made it hard for me to like Laura or the love story.
As for the love story of the book I had a love/hate thing going with it. It did but it didn't work for me. At some points it felt a little weird and it didn't make sense always.
 But I did love reading about the differences about between the americans and the russians. But most of all seeing were there were little to  no differences. But I did like the ending and how things were left.
Over all it was really good. I think  it is one that many of my readers will like more than me. Natalie Standiford's makes the ups and downs of the book feel so heartfelt and real that at times I had to to put the book down and breath for a moment.  Despite the fact that there are many pros and cons to the book.

( YA - 14 and up )
Stars: * * * 3.2

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

Book: The Dark Unwinding

This book is yet again one of the those books that I just had to pick up because of the cover. I feel in love with the clockwork,Downton Abbey like house and beautiful blue dress.

Though the book had it's bumps and little problems over all I think that it had lots of good points and was worth reading.  Some of the bumps was the way things at times that I felt should have been made more clear were not. And thing about them being made clear was it felt like either Katie was not smart or that we had to read between the lines on everything. And I myself found that to tiresome very fast. At other points the passing of the book was a little off. To fast then to slow. And up until the end those were the only problems - I will go over the end of the book in minute - that I had. 

The characters were over all pretty realistic for the time. I really liked Katie and found that for the most part she kept a good blance in the book of being smart without pushing it. And there were little things here and there about her that were different from so many of the girls in YA. She was more level headed and pulled together. In someways it made me think of Nancy Drew - in the way that she was so pulled together and thought things through. 

Also one of the biggest pluses of the book ( which I sadly did not know until the end) was how much of it was based/inspired by a real life duke! Which just adds to the coolness of it all. 

The thing that has me still a little mixed on the book really is the end. It's hard for me because some parts of it I liked and others I would really have liked to seen done differently.  But over all I think that the book was pretty good and that fans of The Sweetest Dark and Downton Abbey as well if that makes any sense.

( YA 13 and up)
Stars: * * *  3.4

Book:The Time-Traveling Fashionista: At The Palace Of Marie Antoinette

 I first feel in love with  The Time-Traveling Fashionista ( on board the Titanic). It was once of the best Young Teen books I have ever read. And this book was much the same I'm happy to say. It was full of so many things that Young Teen books are missing these days. One of those things is how Louise is caught between being a tween on her way to being a teenager and still feeling like a little kid. Though I'm 16 I still remember really clearly how hard that was for me. And I loved how in this books Louise still wants to play with dolls but is afraid of being made fun of. That was really hard for me when I was Louise's age. Lucky for me I had a few friends and my mom who still would play with me and never made fun of me. I wish that I would have had these books around when I was going through it. They would have not only been one of my favorite books but they would have been a big help in getting me through that time.

Beautiful art from the book

As many of you know I loved
And as far as the history goes it might not have been 100% right but it made me want to learn more about Marie Antoinette.
Over all a really fun read. It's worth getting the book from the library just to look at the art to tell the truth.  If you know a tween or young teen girl that has even a little bit of interest in fashion or history it's a must read.

( 11 and up - though it's marketed to 9 and up I disagree with this)

Stars: * * * * 4.0

Book: Forevermore

will start off by saying that the storyline of the book seemed right up my alley from the get-go. A girl in scotland with a ghost. Sounds like my kinda read.
And as I started to read the book my first thoughts on it proved to be even more true than I thought they would be.  I took this book for what it is. And that it a fun ghost love story for the younger YA readers and taking it as that it's a very good book. I like Ivy and felt that though she was a lot like the other main characters I see in YA it worked. And the same thing goes for the other characters in the book. They are not that different. But they made the story fun and gave it a light feel. I really liked how Ivy did not make a big deal about her stepdad or the family. She just took it as it is and tried to think about more useful things.IT did seem a little odd how she was never really scared of anything . Maybe it was the writer trying not to creep the reader out I don't know. But I think it would have been more realistic if she had been just a little more scared and freaked out by the whole thing.
Also I would have liked to feel a little more of her passion for music. But after reading Revolution ( a must read)  it will always be hard for me to find a book that has music in it that I feel is truly has passion.
What was different about this book and really made it worth the read for me was the setting. The creep castle and it being in Scotland was the biggest seller for me. I would have liked the book a little better to tell the truth if I got to read more about the castle and scotland. It was nice to see Ivy learning about it and trying to fit in.
The only real down side to the book was that the ending. I would have liked that to have been rewritten to seem a little more realistic.But over all I found this to be pretty good. I would say that this is a read that some of the younger YA fans.

( YA -12 and up)
Stars: * * * 3.4

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: Magic Under Stone

I could not wait to read this book! Finally there came a small break in my reviews for me to read this. 

At first I could not wait to jump right back in to the story and I had some pretty high hopes set up for this. 

This book started off really well and went on they way for a while. I found myself yet again lost in the magic of the world. But then as I was reading somewhere in the middle the story just seemed to have hit a wall.  It stopped moving along and the whole feel of the story changed. It lost its wonderful fairy tale epic feel and just became a little old fairy tale. And I found myself over all let down with the book. 

It seemed that everything I had loved about the first was not here. The ending to the book was the biggest let down of all. I read both books leading up to something that was rapped up all nice and pretty in 15 pages.It was rushed and half put together. Trying so hard to be a happy -ever- after that it was just a flop of an ending. And  I was very hurt with that. I wanted more.  I had been very in to the book and it just ended! Leaving me with nothing really to think about or hold on to. It had me feeling pretty glum about the book.

So all the characters from the first book were wonderful and really stayed true to who they were while still growing and changing in believable ways. As for the new characters that were added ? I did not care for them much at all. They felt half made. Like something was missing.  I could honestly not have cared what had happened to them. Violet I felt should have been rewritten or pretty much cut from the book. Her character was just a pill to read about and I did not care what happened to her at all.

Over all only read this if you want to see how the story ends.  What could have been done to make this book better? Epilogue! I would have added another 15 -30 pages to clean up the end give us some action and show us how all the characters had changed from when we had started the book. 

( YA - 13 and up ) 

Stars: * * 2.9

Book:Beta

I am a big Si-Fi fan. And I think that robots and clones make for really good stories. So when I saw this beautiful cover I knew I was in for something good. And i have to say it was very good. I was worried that the book would be lame and rip off of al kinds of si-fi stuff. But this did not really do that.
There were many things that i really liked about this book. First of all the main character. I found her not only interesting but it was so cool to read about her trying to figure out if she was really feeling things. And watch her grow and find her way was very well done. I also loved the other characters.Each one felt very really.Everyone played there part in the best way. Also all the little twists in the book. I did not see a few of them coming which was really nice for a change.
And the way that Rachel Cohn makes every little detail count is wonderful. It makes for a very deep read. One that pulls you in and has you up all night reading.I had a very hard time putting the book down.And when I was not reading it  I was thinking about it.
Plus the ending of the book? It was pretty dang awesome!

( YA - 15 and up - Warning to those who are sensitive to  rape,murder, and bombings )

Stars: * * * 3.8