Review-Evermore by Alyson Noel

Evermore by Alyson Noel


Release Date: February 3, 2009
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Pages: 301 
Source: Bought
Series: The Immortals #1 


Rating from A+ to F: A


-Summary-

Since a horrible accident claimed the lives of her family, Ever can see auras, hear people's thoughts, and know a person's entire life story by touch. Going out of her way to avoid human contact and suppress her abilities has branded her as a freak at her new high school—but everything changes when she meets Damen.

Damen Auguste is gorgeous, exotic and wealthy. He's the only one who can silence the noise and random energy in her head—wielding a magic so intense, it's as though he can see straight into her soul. As Ever is drawn deeper into his enticing world of secrets and mystery, she's left with more questions than answers. She has no idea just who he really is—or what he is. The only thing she knows to be true is she's falling deeply and helplessly in love with him.

-Review-

Very good book by Alyson Noel! This is a wonderful start to The Immortals series, and I can't wait to read the next one in the series: Blue Moon. It lived up to my expectations of the book, but it didn't really surpass them. I thought this was a very cool book, and it was interesting to read how Ever can see auras, hear thoughts, and learn an entire life story by touching a person. Doesn't everyone love a good fantasy novel?!

Let me talk about the characters. Ever was a solid, developed character that I could understand well. Damen was an interesting character, and I really want to know more about him! In this book, there wasn't much about his life before meeting Ever, and he is a mysterious character. Can you say suspense? Ever's friend, Haven, had a pretty good background, you could tell her personality well. But, Miles...I couldn't tell what he was: friendly? weird? cool? I didn't know much about his character, except for the fact he was gay. Oh, and Drina, the enemy? Wow, is all I have to say about what happened in the story with Drina, basically around the end of the book. 

Let me just tell you right now: You won't be disappointed in the ending. It is filled with dramatic events, and I couldn't help but finish that book right then and there as soon as I got to the "beginning" of the ending. 

The story had a great plot, and it was a wonderful page-turner. I loved the cover, and I saw the next cover in the series, and it look amazing! I think many young adult book readers will find this series promising, and I can't wait to read the next one! 

RATING ANALYSIS: 

1. Plot- 20 out of 20 points. 

2. Characters- 11 out of 15 points. 

3. Writing- 18 out of 20 points.

4. Creativity- 15 out of 15 points.

5. Originality- 10 out of 10 points.

6. Ending- 15 out of 15 points.

7. Cover- 5 out of 5 points.

Equals: 94! 94-96 is an A

PARENTAL REVIEW:

Violence- Some parts of violence at the ending.

Mild/Excessive Cursing

Mild/Excessive Sexual Content

Drug/Alcohol Use- Ever uses alcohol to drown out people's auras and thoughts. 

Recommended for ages 14 and up. 


ABOUT THE AUTHOR: ALYSON NOEL

Alyson Noel is the author of Saving Zoe and Art Geeks and Prom Queens. She lives in Laguna Beach, California, where she is at work on her next book. 


Visit her website: www.alysonnoel.com
Go to the book's website: ImmortalsSeries.com

Check this book out at: Goodreads | Amazon | Borders | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

Review-Wild Roses by Deb Caletti

Wild Roses by Deb Caletti


Published: September 2005
Publisher: Atheneum
Pages: 320
Source: Library
Series: Standalone book

Rating from A+ to F: A-

-Summary-

You would have never recognized the Dino I lived with in the books that had been written about him before the “incident”. No one had a clue. No one seemed to see what was coming.

Seventeen-year-old Cassie Morgan has a secret: she’s living with a time bomb (A.K.A., her stepfather, Dino Cavalli). To the public, Dino is a world-renowned violin player and composer. To Cassie, he’s an erratic, self-centered bully. Dino has always been difficult, but as he prepares for his comeback concert, something in him begins to shift. He seems more high-strung than ever, set off by any little thing. He stops sleeping, starts chain-smoking. And he grows increasingly paranoid, saying things that Cassie is desperate to make sense of, but can’t. So she does what she thinks she must: she tries to hide his behavior from the outside world. Before, she was angry. Now, she is afraid.

Enter Ian Waters: A brilliant young violinist, and Dino’s first-ever student. The minute Cassie lays eyes on Ian she knows she’s doomed. She tries everything to keep away from him, but is drawn to him in a way she’s never felt before. It should be easy. It should be beautiful. It is not. Cassie thought she understood that love could bring pain. But this union will have consequences she could not have imagined.

As the novel crashes through two irreparable events and speeds toward its powerful end, one thing becomes clear: in the world of insanity, nothing is sacred. Not talent, not spirit, not love.

-Review-

I thought Wild Roses was a pretty good book. I wouldn't say it is the best I've ever read, but it was still a good novel. I would say that the characters in this book were believable by many people, which is a good thing, and are likable by readers. I don't think many people could say they hated any character in the book, except for Dino. Well, at least I did. Not as a character, but as a person. Deb Caletti did a great job showing his true personality, and that was the only thing that I hated about him, his personality: cruel and hateful. I thought that the characters of Cassie and Ian were relatable and true. 

It was a really good story of how Cassie deals with her horrible stepfather, Dino, who doesn't treat people the right way. Another thing I enjoyed about the story was the music and how Deb describes it and what it does to Cassie. Dino is a famous musician who is training Ian, and Cassie learns things about both of them, that surprises her a lot. I liked reading the book when Cassie could be herself around Ian and actually have a great time and not a horrid time with Dino and all of his troubles. That was the best thing about the book, Cassie around Ian and how she can live without always being scared to be around Dino. 

I think this was an enjoyable read, and many people will like it! 

RATING ANALYSIS: 

1. Plot- 18 out of 20 points.

2. Characters- 15 out of 15 points.

3. Writing- 19 out of 20 points. 

4. Creativity- 14 out of 15 points.

5. Originality- 9 out of 10 points.

6. Ending- 14 out of 15 points.

7. Cover- 3 out of 5 points. 

Equals: 92! 90-93 is an A-

PARENTAL REVIEW:

Violence- Small parts of violence with the character of Dino. 

Mild/Excessive Cursing

Mild/Excessive Sexual Content

Drug/Alcohol Use

Recommended for ages 14 and older. 

Review-The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson


Release Date: March 19, 2010
Publisher: Dial
Pages: 275
Source: Library
Series: Standalone book

Rating from A+ to F: A+


-Summary-

Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery sister Bailey.  But when Bailey dies suddenly, Lennie is catapulted to center stage of her own life—and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, finds herself struggling to balance two.  Toby was Bailey’s boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie’s own.  Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent.  For Lennie, they’re the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it.  But just like their celestial counterparts, they can’t collide without the whole wide world exploding.


-Review-


I thought The Sky is Everywhere was a fantastic book. Jandy Nelson is a wonderful and creative author and I really enjoyed this book. This is a book dealing with love and grief: Lennie's older sister, Bailey, just passed away, and Lennie is learning to cope with it, with help from Toby, Bailey's boyfriend. Joe, a new boy in town, falls in love with Lennie and Lennie can't help from falling in love back with beautiful Joe. Lennie can always count on them to help her with her sorrow, but this gets difficult when she begins to fall for Toby. 


The characters were also well-developed and I thought Jandy did a beautiful job in helping readers understand what was happening in the book. What I thought was very creative was that Jandy would put in the book little notes from Lennie who wrote about what was happening in her life at random moments and leave these things wherever she was at the time. It was really cool to see things like that in each chapter of the book. Nothing disappointed me in the story, and I recommend this to people who love a grief story with people who make it better with love and friendship. 


Overall: A great and creative book by Jandy Nelson! 


RATING ANALYSIS: 
1. Plot- 20 out of 20 points.
2. Characters- 15 out of 15 points.
3. Writing- 19 out of 20 points.
4. Creativity- 15 out of 15 points.
5. Originality- 10 out of 10 points.
6. Ending- 15 out of 15 points.
7. Cover- 4 out of 5 points.
Equals: 98! 97-100 is an A+


PARENTAL REVIEW:
Violence
Mild/Excessive Cursing
Mild/Excessive Sexual Content
Drug/Alcohol Use
Recommended for ages 14 and up. 


ABOUT THE AUTHOR: JANDY NELSON

Jandy Nelson received a BA from Cornell, an MFA from Brown in poetry, and another MFA from Vermont College in writing for children and young adults. A literary agent for many years, she is also a published poet. The Sky Is Everywhere is her first novel. Jandy lives in San Francisco. 


Check out her website: www.jandynelson.com
Go to the book's website: theskyiseverywhere.com


Check out this book at: Goodreads | Amazon | Borders | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound 

Review-Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta


Published: September 2008
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 419
Source: Library
Series: Standalone book
Rating from A+ to F: A+


-Summary-

Taylor Markham is not a popular choice. She is erratic, has no people skills and never turns up to meetings. Not to mention the incident when she ran off in search of her mother and only got halfway there. But she's lived at Jellicoe School most of her life and as leader of the boarders that's her greatest asset. Especially now the cadets, led by the infamous Jonah Griggs, have arrived. The territory wars between the boarders, townies and cadets are about to recommence. 

But Taylor has other things on her mind: a prayer tree, the hermit who whispered in her ear, and a vaguely familiar drawing in the local police station. Taylor wants to understand the mystery of her own past. But Hannah, the woman who found her, has suddenly disappeared, leaving nothing but an unfinished manuscript about five kids whose lives entwined twenty years ago on the Jellicoe Road. 

-Review-

I thought Jellicoe Road was an AMAZING read! The beginning was kind of confusing, but about 100 pages in, believe me it is worth it to keep reading. Melina Marchetta is a wonderful writer and I absolutely loved this book; it is probably one of my favorites now. The writing is beautiful and the characters are great. Especially Jonah. What a cutie! 

This tells the story of Taylor, whose mother abandoned her and her father is gone. She lives with Hannah, who found her the day her mother abandoned her. Hannah writes a manuscript, which Taylor secretly reads, about five children who were gathered together one day and stayed that way for many years after. But, Taylor is suddenly elected leader of the boarders at her boarding school, and she soon meets a familiar person, Jonah Griggs, the leader of the cadets. Jonah and Taylor are forced to work together and compromise with each other, along with the leader of the Townies. When Taylor learns new and surprising things about her life, she feels drawn to finding out the real truth in her life and finding her abandoning mother.

This book is fantastic and I recommend this to all young adult readers, and even adults! This was AMAZING and you won't regret reading it!

RATING ANALYSIS:
1. Plot-20 out of 20 points.
2. Characters- 14 out of 15 points.
3. Writing-20 out of 20 points.
4. Creativity-15 out of 15 points.
5. Originality- 10 out of 10 points.
6. Ending- 15 out of 15 points.
7 Cover- 5 out of 5 points.
Equals: 99! 97-100 is an A+


PARENTAL REVIEW:
Violence
Mild/Excessive Cursing
Mild/Excessive Sexual Content- It is probably in the middle of Mild and Excessive.
Drug/Alcohol Use
Recommended for ages 14 and older. 

Review-Beastly by Alex Flinn

Beastly by Alex Flinn


Release Date: October 1, 2007
Publisher: Harper Teen
Pages: 294
Source: Bought
Series: Standalone book

Rating from A+ to F: A-


-Summary-


I am a beast. A beast. Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog, but a horrible new creature who walks upright – a creature with fangs and claws and hair springing from every pore. I am a monster.

You think I’m talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now. It’s no deformity, no disease. And I’ll stay this way forever – ruined – unless I can break the spell.

Yes, the spell, the one the witch in my English class cast on me. Why did she turn me into a beast who hides by day and prowls by night? I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you how I used to be Kyle Kingsbury, the guy you wished you were, with money, perfect looks, and a perfect life. And then, I’ll tell you how I became perfectly beastly.


-Review-


Beastly is the modern retelling of the story: Beauty and the Beast. I thought Alex Flinn definitely did a great job retelling a classic story. The only problem I had with the story was that at some parts it was kind of slow and I couldn't get into it well. But still, this book is worth people's time to read! (Unless story retellings aren't your thing)


This book tells the story of Kyle Kingsbury, a beautiful and handsome teenage boy who is conceited and cocky. A witch casts a spell on him to show him how he truly is on the inside: a beast. The spell can only be broken if he kisses a girl who he loves and she loves him back. When Kyle finds a girl that he falls in love with, trouble still comes along the way, and he becomes worried that he will never be a human again, since the spell can only be broken after two years. And if it isn't...Kyle can be a beast forever. 


So, like I said I thought Alex did a great job of retelling the Beauty and the Beast. The characters were well developed, but I still had problems with reading it smoothly. Nothing really made me want to keep reading it. If you're a person who loves retellings, go get this book, because it still is a fantastic novel! 


RATING ANALYSIS: 
1. Plot- 17 out of 20 points. 
2. Characters- 15 out of 15 points. 
3. Writing- 19 out of 20 points. 
4. Creativity- 15 out of 15 points.
5. Originality- 9 out of 10 points.
6. Ending- 14 out of 15 points.
7. Cover- 4 out of 5 points. 
Equals: 93! 90-93 is an A-


PARENTAL REVIEW:
Violence- Small parts of violence. Not very much. 
Mild/Excessive Cursing
Mild/Excessive Sexual Content
Drug/Alcohol Use


ABOUT THE AUTHOR: ALEX FLINN

Alex Flinn loves fairy tales and made her two daughters sit through several dozen versions of Beauty and the Beast while she wrote this book...then quizzed them on how they thought a beast would meet girls in New York City. She is the author of six other books, including Breathing Underwater, an ALA Top 10 Best Book for Young Adults; Breaking Point , an ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers; Nothing to Lose, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults; Fade to Black, an ALA Best Books for Young Adults nominee; Diva, and A Kiss in Time. She lives in Miami. 


Visit her website: www.alexflinn.com

Check the book out at: Goodreads | Amazon | Borders | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

Review-The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han


Published: April 2010
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 288
Source: Library

Rating from A+ to F: I gave this book an A+! See why in my rating analysis!

-Summary-

Belly measures her life in summers.  Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August.  Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad.  They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer--they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between.  But one summer, one terrible and wonderful summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.


-Review-


I really liked The Summer I Turned Pretty! Jenny Han is a very good writer and I fell in love with the book the moment I started reading it. Belly is a girl who measures her life in summers when she hangs out at a beach house in the summer with her mother's friend and her two sons: Jeremiah and Conrad. Belly, Jeremiah, and Conrad have always just been good friends, but this summer it is different. Belly feels pretty, and believes that this is the summer she turned pretty when Jeremiah and Conrad REALLY notice her. 


I loved the relationship between the characters: you just really felt it as you read the book! It is a phenomenal book by Jenny Han and I advise everybody to buy or borrow this book and you will definitely not regret it! 


This story is basically about Belly's love to the two boys, and how she feels toward them. The plot of this story is great: there really isn't any unnecessary events in the story or slow moments. The characters were very well developed, you could mostly understand the personalities of all the characters except one or two. The writing was also amazing by Jenny Han. The creativity was excellent: I loved how Jenny used the months of summer (June, July, August) in the book, and also she would have "flashbacks" from previous summer in the book, which I thought was very cool. Very good ending and I absolutely love the cover! Overall, a very good book!


RATING ANALYSIS: 
1. Plot- 20 out of 20 points.
2. Characters- 14 out of 15 points.
3. Writing- 20 out of 20 points. 
4. Creativity- 15 out of 15 points. 
5. Originality- 10 out of 10 points.
6. Ending- 15 out of 15 points.
7. Cover- 5 out of 5 points. 
Equals: 99! 97-100 is an A+


PARENTAL REVIEW:
Violence
Mild/Excessive Cursing
Mild/Excessive Sexual Content
Drug/Alcohol Use
Recommended for ages 13 and older. 

Review-This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen

This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen


Published: June 2002
Publisher: Viking
Pages: 352
Source: Library
Series: Standalone book


Rating from A+ to F: I gave this book an A! See why in my rating analysis at the end of the review.


-Summary-


When it comes to relationships, Remy doesn’t mess around. After all, she’s learned all there is to know from her mother, who’s currently working on husband number five. But there’s something about Dexter that seems to defy all of Remy’s rules. He certainly doesn’t seem like Mr. Right. For some reason, however, Remy just can’t seem to shake him. Could it be that Remy’s starting to understand what those love songs are all about?


-Review-


This Lullaby was a very good book by Sarah Dessen. I loved the characters and how well Sarah wrote the book. This is the story of Remy, who breaks up her relationships whenever she feels in love with her boyfriend. After all, she has learned most of her ways from her mother, who is currently on her fifth marriage. But, when she meets Dexter, he's different from everybody else. She isn't able to break up with him, and my thoughts were that she truly loves him. 
There are a few dramatic events in the book, which were great page-turners, and I thought that it is one of the best books by Sarah Dessen. This is a fabulous read, and I recommend it to all young adult readers, because you won't be disappointed by it. Go out and get This Lullaby!...right now! 


RATING ANALYSIS: 
1. Plot- 19 out of 20 points. Great plot! 
2. Characters- 14 out of 15 points. Understood most of the characters well. 
3. Writing-20 out of 20 points. Always wonderful writing from Sarah Dessen.
4. Creativity-15 out of 15 points. 
5. Originality- 9 out of 10 points. Basically an original book
6. Ending- 15 out of 15 points.
7. Cover- 4 out of 5 points. 
Equals: 96! 94-96 is an A


PARENTAL REVIEW:
Violence
Mild/Excessive Cursing
Mild/Excessive Sexual Content
Drug/Alcohol Use- some alcohol use in this book
Recommended for ages 14 and up.