Angel Star (Angel Star #1) by Jennifer Murgia

 Paperback, 251 pages

Published May 18th 2010

 by Lands Atlantic Publishing LLC

series

Angel Star #1

characters Hadrian, Teagan McNeel, Garreth Adams, Brynn Hanson, Claire Meyers

Claire Meyers, Ryan Jameson

 

Seventeen-year-old Teagan McNeel falls for captivating Garreth Adams and soon discovers that her crush has an eight-point star etched into the palm of his right hand-the mark of an angel.
But where there is light, dark follows, and she and Garreth suddenly find themselves vulnerable to a dark angel’s malicious plan that could threaten not only her life, but the lives of everyone she knows.
Divinely woven together, Angel Star takes readers on a reflective journey when one angel’s sacrifice collides with another angel’s vicious ambition in a way that is sure to have readers searching for their own willpower.

 This book to me had the potential to blow you away but it lacked the flow that as a reader I feel you need in order want to keep reading. To me the story felt choppy and rushed even a little confusing at times.  As I was reading the story I kept thinking did I miss something or did I skip a page or paragraph. It just seemed to jump for one event to the next I guess without letting the reader know what was going on in between. Even though the book wasn’t as seamless as I felt it should have been I have to say it wasn’t bad for a debut novel.

 I hate to give a bad review because I do plan to read the next book in the series because I am hoping that Jennifer Murgia can deliver a more clear and to the point novel. Also, I believe that her writing over all was good and the book had great ideas that just need to be executed differently.  I did like the characters and I want to find out what happens to them, I just feel that some of them lacked depth and examination into what was going on with them.  I am one of those people who believe that you don’t need to write down every detail to make a book believable but I do feel that you need to have a balance and that is what is lacking in this book. Sometimes less is more but other times less is just less. Don’t let my review dissuade you from reading the book because even though I may have found it to be a little lacking in areas that doesn’t mean you will and like I said the book wasn’t a bad read it just didn’t live up to my expectations.

 

 

 

 

Jekel Loves Hyde by Beth Fantaskey

 

Hardcover, 282 pages

Published May 3rd 2010

by Harcourt Children’s Books

 

 

 

Jill Jekel has always obeyed her parents rules;especially the one about never opening the mysterious, old box in her father’s office. But when her dad is murdered, and her college savings disappear, she’s tempted to peek inside, as the contents might be the key to a lucrative chemistry scholarship.
To improve her odds, Jill enlists the help of gorgeous, brooding Tristen Hyde, who has his own dark secrets locked away. As the team of Jekel and Hyde, they recreate experiments based on the classic novel, hoping not only to win a prize, but to save Tristen’s sanity. Maybe his life. But Jill’s accidental taste of a formula unleashes her darkest nature and compels her to risk everything, even Tristen’s love just for the thrill of being . . . bad.

 First off, I have to say that Fantaskey is a fantastic writer not only for this novel but also, for her first’s debut novel Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side. It is definitely in my favorites and not just because it has my name in the title! That is why I can’t believe I waited so long to read this one.

I love how  Fantaskey takes well-known stories and puts her own unique twists to them. First off having a character such as the quite and studious Jill Jekel  pair up with the very moody and handsome fellow students Tristen Hyde to win a scholarship is nothing more than pure genius. The fact that she kept the dark side of the story and wove a high school chemistry class, genius students and incorporated the Hyde family legacy all in one made this not only a remarkable but very believable story.

I will say I wasn’t feeling the connection in the story until I read this “I knew that most people would consider us too young to talk about lifelong commitments or marriage, but I couldn’t imagine taking her to bed without that promise. Even if it meant never being with her, I didn’t want to have one desperate, hurried, hidden night. I wanted to put a ring on her finger. I wanted a future—or nothing. I knew, in her heart, that she would want that, too” after Tristen thought that in the book I was sold and nothing but a pile of mush from there on. I mean how may of us would love for the person we cared about to respect us enough to have those thoughts and feelings about us?

Beth Fantaskey did a fantastic job with this book and I personally can wait to see what she has in store for us next time!!!!

Wither (The Chemical Garden #1) by Lauren DeStefano

Hardcover, 358 pages

Published March 22nd 2011

by Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing

Wither series

The Chemical Garden #1

 

 What if you knew exactly when you would die?
Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb — males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.
When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden’s genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape — to find her twin brother and go home.
But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden’s eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant Rhine is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limited time she has left.

 

I was blown away by Lauren DeStefano’s intense and vibrant world that she created, in what has to be one of the best dystopian debut novels I have read this year.  Her writing talent is that of a seasoned pro. She has a way of drawing you in and not letting you go which, will place her among the best authors that YA have to offer.. 

This book deals with so many different taboos in our society such as polygamy, teen pregnancy, rape, kidnapping and death. Yet I believe DeStefano did a wonderful job of keeping within the realm of this world and the harsh realities she is trying to portraying in this novel. Even though this is a disturbing world every thing comes across as believable for a world trying to survive and find a cure for past mistakes.

 Her characters were extremely believable, none more so than Rhine the lead protagonist. She is strong and has the force of will not to give up on her hopes and the belief that she will be free. Rhine will not let herself succumb to the fate that she has been dealt unlike the other  two sister wives.  I have to say I loved Jenna and I wished we could have learned more about her and her life before coming to the mansion. There was so much more behind all of her aloofness and you knew that she looked after Rhine  in away that she would have probably did for her own sisters. Although she chose a different path than Rhine I still felt that she was an amazing character because she chose to face her fate and accept it. She chose to play a role in order to not die alone, hungry and with out the comfort that this lifestyle could give her. I can not say that given the same options that I myself would not have done the exact same thing.

 I am eager to continue the journey with Rhine and I am anxiously awaiting the next book in The Chemical Garden Trilogy.

Darkest Mercy by Melissa Marr

Hardcover, 327 pages

Published February 22nd 2011 by

HarperCollins(first published 2010)

Darkest Mercy (Wicked Lovely, #5)

series Wicked Lovely #5

The Summer King is missing; the Dark Court is bleeding; and a stranger walks the streets of Huntsdale, his presence signifying the deaths of powerful fey.

Aislinn tends to the Summer Court, searching for her absent king and yearning for Seth. Torn between his new queen and his old love, Keenan works from afar to strengthen his court against the coming war. Donia longs for fiery passion even as she coolly readies the Winter Court for battle. And Seth, sworn brother of the Dark King and heir to the High Queen, is about to make a mistake that could cost his life.

Love, despair, and betrayal ignite the Faery Courts, and in the final conflict, some will win . . . and some will lose everything. The thrilling conclusion to Melissa Marr’s New York Times bestselling Wicked Lovely series will leave readers breathless.

 I have to say what a thrilling way to end a series. I am very sad to see it end, but the ride was worth the wait. Every book in this series made you crave the next and you could hardly wait until for the next one to be released. I am sad that not everyone got a happy ending and there were several character deaths.  although  without the deaths the book wouldn’t have been as dramatic and then the need to keep reading wouldn’t have been so dire.

Marr did such a great  job of  getting these books to flow into each other and not seeming forced. I hate when you read a sequel and the author introduces a bunch of different characters that seem to just be hanging out with no real purpose or they have so many characters that you can’t or don’t feel a connection with. Marrs characters made you feel like you knew them and you wanted the best for them, even the secondary characters. I can’t even tell you how I felt when something bad happen to one of them it was so devastating to that at times I would almost start to cry, that is how I knew that these books had something special and I wanted to be apart of it until the very end.

Again, I am very sad to see it end but I loved it and I will keep these books on my shelf to revisit from time to time. I hope that other people will take this epic journey and discover how wonderful Melissa Marrs’  writing is. I dare you to try not to fall in love with these characters and this story as much as I did.

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Release Date: October 19, 2010

Publisher: Philomel

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 454

Interest: Debut author

 Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she’ll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters’ laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything— including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice?

 

Wow, is the only word I could use to sum up this book. I mean I am a cover snob and it happens to have one of most beautiful covers that I have ever seen. So that right there hooked me but the story was with out a doubt  so packed with everything you could want in a novel. It has a love triangle and I am a sucker for a good love triangle. It is full of passion, fighting, magic and of course sexy paranormal people. I mean what more could you want from a book. I am just so glad that I waited to read it because I am one of those people that I obsess about a book when it is this amazing and I drive everyone around me crazy until the next in the series comes out. If  you would like to read spoilers for the this book check out goodread you will find me and various others with great comments and reviews.