Hazel lives in Fairfold with her brother Ben. Fairfold isn't like other places, because in its woods live the Folk, who coexist with the citizens of Fairfold, but not the tourists. People come from all over the world to see the Folk, but most come for the Faerie prince lying in a glass coffin above the ground, in eternal slumber. Hazel and Ben have grown up making stories about the prince their entire lives. Ben was gifted by the Folk to have musical talent beyond compare, and a daring Hazel went and made a deal with the Folk, he got a scholarship to a prestigious musical school, Hazel lost seven years of her life, but she didn't know how they would be taken. Years later, the same morning the glass coffin was shattered and the prince escaped, Hazel awoke with mud on her feet. Over the next few days she received many written warnings, she meets the prince and finds out he is the son of the Alderking, the king of the forest, who is trying to hunt him down using his monstrous sister, Sorrow. They are all captured and taken to the Alderking. On the way Hazel realized that the person giving her warnings was a version of herself, serving the Alderking at night- serving her seven years- but was secretly trying to overthrow him. Hazel manages to kill the Alderking and save Sorrow from his control. Severin becomes king, Ben stays to learn control over his music, and Hazel returns to an almost normal life.

I like the plot line of this book. even though the beginning was really show more confusing because of all the flashbacks, it really came together in the end. It was really dark, strange, and had a lot of plot twists. That's my kind of book, but I don't know anyone I would recommend it to. It was kind of hard to keep track of all the stuff going on. It could have been better, but was still pretty good. I would rate this book three and a half stars. show less

Warcross is a game to some, and a way of life for others. Hideo Tanaka invented the Neurolink, glasses that allowed you to have your own virtual world and be able to play Warcross. Emika Chen is one of the many Warcross users, her mother left her and her father died a few years before, leaving her with only a debt to pay off. After a rough childhood, Emika became a bounty hunter; since the police were overwhelmed with crime, they sent out notices so people can catch illegal betters on Warcross. Emika is desperate for money by the Warcross Opening Ceremony, soon to be evicted out of her apartment she makes an attempt for some quick cash during the Opening Warcross Game, but accidentally glitches herself into the game. People around the world know who she was overnight, and the next morning she receives a call from Hideo Tanaka himself. She is rushed to Japan, where Hideo offers her a job. He has a security problem with Warcross, and since she is such a good hacker, he wants her to track down whoever is responsible; right now they call him Zero. Emika is entered as a wildcard into the games, and when choosing comes around she is the first picked by the Pheonix Riders. She has to train hard with her team, be victorious in every battle, and find Zero without anyone figuring out who she actually is. All the while she's having a secret relationship with Hideo- who tells her secrets from his past, including his lost brother Sasuke, and discovering that one of her teammates works show more for Zero. Eventually she has to let her teammates in on her secret, so they can help her fight Zero; she had discovered his plan to rig the artifacts and destroy Warcross. Emika succeeds, only to find that Hideo had made the Neurolink with a controlling mechanical something that kept people from committing crime. Zero turned out to be Sasuke, and he wanted to hire Emika as well. Caught in a web of betrayal and distrust, Emika turns to her friends for help.

I really liked this book. I am not a gamer, but this was less to do with gaming and more to do with complex mysteries and plot twists. Even the gaming parts were interesting because Warcross is so realistic and really neat. I would recommend this to my friends and anyone who really likes videogames, mystery, and plot twists.The complexity of it was fascinating. I really enjoyed this book, and can't wait until the second one comes out. I would rate this book four and a half stars. show less

Anne Frank was just another school girl; she had lots of friends, many boys liked her, and her grades were pretty average. But as WWII reigned down she noticed kids and families disappearing and also learned that she was soon to follow them. Her father's old office building had another secret floor where she, her parents, and her older sister hid. Not long after they settled in Mr. and Mrs. VanDaan and their son Peter came to live with them as well. And finally, Mr. Dussel, a single dentist moved in as well. Eight of them lived in the "Secret Annex" for the next two years. They were brought food, books, and supplies from Mr. Koophius, Mr. Kraler, Elli, and others. Staying quiet throughout the day and eating a minimal amount of food was essential to living there. To know what was going on in the outside world they listened to a radio and talked to the people who cared for them. Anne writes all about her school studies, personal problems, family and friend miscommunications, and much more in her diary. What she talks the most about though are the subjects she's learning, the books she's reading-which is a strange and wide variety- her love and relationship with Peter, and how she does not care for the way she is treated. Everyone just seems to wave her off, called her flamboyant and overly talkative, and didn't seem to care how she felt. She took this, her fading relationships with her family, burglaries, starvation, and a lack of pretty much everything with a brave face show more and her head held high. However, an unknown Dutch person gave away their location and the Franks, VanDaans, and Mr. Dussel were hauled away to a train bound for a concentration camp. Otto was the only one who survived, his family was split apart, his daughters and Mrs. VanDaan were transferred to an even worse camp, and his wife died at the first one. Margot died of typhoid, and not long afterword so did Anne, very soon before the war ended. Before she died she did meet an old school friend again, and her suffering was eased slightly.

I am not a very big fan of nonfiction, but this book was pretty good. I am a library-aid and this diary was on my shelf, and every other day I would look at it. So finally I picked it up and read it, figuring it was a must. I will admit, it was kind of slow sometimes, and it took some will power to read it all. However I learned a lot more about her story, and wish to dive deeper by visiting her house in Amsterdam. Despite some boring areas, I enjoyed this book and the incredible story it told. I would rate it four stars. show less

Eros is the god of love, often depicted as a cherub with a bow and quiver of arrows. It is unclear who Eros's parents are, or where he came from, there are many theories surrounding this; however the most popular is that he is the son of Aphrodite, and when she arose from the foam in the sea, he and another cherub were by her side. Eros was mostly known for his mischief and games on Mt. Olympus and on Earth. He was constantly interfering with love affairs, which was frowned upon by his "mother" Aphrodite, except for when she ordered him to do it as revenge. One of the most famous stories involving Eros started with an argument between three goddesses: Hera the queen, Athena the warrior, and Aphrodite the goddess of love. Zeus didn't want to decide- most likely feared the wrath of angry women- and instead asked Paris- a prince of Troy- to make the choice. Hera offered him all of Asia, Athena offered him wisdom, but Aphrodite offered him the chance to marry Helen the "most beautiful woman in the world". He obviously chose the latter- because who wouldn't-but there was a problem. Helen was married to the king of Sparta, so Aphrodite sent Eros to Sparta. When Paris showed up Eros shot Helen and she fell madly in love with Paris and allowed him to kidnap her and take her back to Troy with him. This enraged the king of Sparta and set of the ten year Trojan War into motion. Sparta won, Paris was killed, and Helen went back to Sparta. Eros only fell in love once, by complete show more accident. Aphrodite was complaining about the beauty of a human, and sent Eros down to make her fall in love with the ugliest man on Earth, out of jealousy. Eros did as he was told but upon seeing this maiden he fell in love with her. Not wanting her to know who he was, he only visited her at night and told her not to light her lamp. However, like any sensible person she did light her lamp and realized she had fallen in love with the god of love. When Eros woke up he saw that she had betrayed him. Hurt, he ran back to Mt. Olympus; Psyche-the maiden's name- searched for him, but when she didn't find him she prayed to Aphrodite. At first Aphrodite was reluctant and made Psyche do many things, but eventually gave up and Zeus allowed the two to be married and they lived happily together on Mt. Olympus.

I am not a big fan of nonfiction so I decided to try a nonfiction book about mythology. I'm not really into mythology either, but it was an improvement from a book about GMOs. This book was okay, I wouldn't say it was a real page turner though. I never knew Cupid's backstory, or that he was once called Eros so that was an interesting discovery. It was interesting how they myths were intertwined with real history. I didn't know that Eros had no confirmed parents either. This book was interesting but not something I wouldn't necessarily read again so I will rate it three stars. show less

It's the United States in the future, split into the Republic-led by the elector- and the Colonies- a democracy. Day is the most wanted criminal in the Republic, he failed his Trial- a test to see how useful you are to the government- lived through experimentation, lives in the slums in the outer sectors, sabotages Republic property, and his family doesn't know he's alive. June is the Republic's prodigy, the only still living person to have gotten a perfect score on her trial. She's the Republic's baby and has skipped many years of school and training. She lives with her brother Metias and her dog Ollie. Day's brother has caught the plague that's been going around and he breaks into a hospital to try and get some cures. He is unsuccessful and barely manages to escape with his life. During his getaway he had to injure a soldier- June's brother Metias. It wasn't a mortal wound but when June gets to him the blade was in his heart, the government was manipulating her but she didn't know it. June swore revenge, she would hunt down Day and kill him. She goes undercover on the streets and meets a boy that she eventually falls in love with. When she finds out it is Day she has his family and himself taken into custody. Day is being kept in a jail cell with the sentence of execution, his mother was killed, his brother Eden was being shipped along the war front as a biological weapon, and his brother John was also in custody. June has a change of heart, and begs a secret show more organization bent on the Republic's destruction called the Patriots to help her free Day on his execution Day. They agree and barely manage to escape, John sacrifices himself to save his brother. June and Day go into hiding together, but they will return to take down the Republic.

I really enjoyed this novel. It was very interesting and had tons of plot twists. It kept me on the edge of my seat, and I loved book two as well, not yet on book three. If you like action, adventure, romance, plot twists, and overthrowing governments this is a book for you. It's very realistic, and the frightening part is that this future is totally possible. The plot line was very well thought out, you're uncovering mysteries as you go. Although it is a little too descriptive, I liked this book a lot. I would rate this novel four stars. show less

Alexis is your typical high school girl with a bad reputation and no friends. She lives with her parents-who don't really talk to her or each other- and her little sister Kasey, who has a strange obsession with dolls. Alexis lives in an old house, that reminds many people of a haunted house from a horror movie. One night when Alexis is outside with her sister taking photographs of the moon, she sees a strange light in her house, on her lawn, that follows her and her sister. After that night her sister begins to change, she's dives more into her schoolwork, gets worked up really easily, and her eyes change from blue to green, and her personality changes with it. Alexis notices that the house is doing strange things, as is her sister. A cheerleader named Megan, that Alexis despising offers to help her with this problem after seeing her little sister, and Alexis denies her at first-thinking it a joke- but as things get progressively worse in the Warren household, and her father gets in a mysterious car accident, she is forced to accept. Megan and Alexis went to the library and did research on her house and what had happened there, and discover that a young girl-believed to be crazy- was killed by the children that knew her, and had resided in a doll, possessed Kasey, and was going to kill all of those kids children and grandchildren for revenge. With some help from Megan's mom's spirit that had stayed behind to protect her from this crazed child, they manage to drive it out show more of Kasey and back into the doll, which Alexis destroys. Afterword Kasey has to go through a couple months of psychiatric help, but is soon returning home, herself again. Alexis and Megan become good friends, and they're families come closer together.

I normally don't read horror novels, but as far as I can tell, this one was pretty good. It was captivating, kept you on the edge of your seat. I particularly enjoyed the countless twists and turns in the story, you couldn't predict what was going to happen next. For people who do like and normally read horror novels I would highly recommend this book. For others who aren't so into horror but do enjoy action, adventure, and plot twists this would also be a good book for you. Bad Girls don't die was my first horror novel, and I do believe I am off on the right foot. I would rate this book four stars. show less

The kingdom of Ravenspire was a prosperous land with a loving king and queen. However, when their beloved queen dies and a new one takes her place, things start to change. Every evening the castle staff eat apples, the queen cast a spell on these apples and they make whoever eats them want to follow her every command. The only one who isn't affected by this spell is little Lorelei, the future queen of Ravenspire. One night she undoes Irina's spell, and in turn, the queen kills her father and destroys the castle. Lorelei, her brother Leo, and the captain of the guard Gabril barely escape with their lives and go into hiding for nine years. During this time they raid wagons and gain the trust of the people of the kingdom. Meanwhile, in the neighboring kingdom of Elder, Kolvansimir, second in line to the throne, is struck with grief after his parents and older brother are killed in the battlefront against the ogres attacking his kingdom. Once a playful trickster, now a king, Kol knows he has to do something for his people, the Draconi, who have the ability to turn into dragons- also have two hearts. He goes to Irina to make a deal, he will pay to feed the desperate people of her kingdom, and she will seal away the ogres attacking his homeland. On his way, a girl, her brother, and a mysterious man save his life and the lives of his friends. So when the queen twists her words and makes him do whatever she says, he does until he realizes that the princess he's supposed to kill, show more is the girl who saved his life. In a battle of magic and will, Irina and Lorelai fight for the land indirectly at first, but it leads up to the final fight, where Lorelai sacrifices herself to save Kol- who is completely under Irina's control- and Ravenspire from the evil magic within it. Kol saves her and they live in peace and harmony.
I really enjoyed this darker, exciting version of Snow White. It was absolutely awesome, and I'm happy that I got it because it was just a random book off the shelf. I would recommend this book to most of my friends. I personally like dark twists on fairy tales, so I absolutely loved this book. If you like books full of action, adventure, magic, death, and you have a bit of a dark side, this book is for you. Especially if you like other versions of fairytales. I would rate this book five stars. show less

The Sky's the Limit is a very informative book on important discoveries by women and girls. It consists of several short stories on incredible females. People like: Vera Rubin, Jane Goodall, and Klara, Eli, Erin, and Lindsey. Vera Rubin discovered that the black stuff we can't see, and thought was just empty space- in space- is actually matter, this helps us today in many ways including space travel. Jane Goodall discovered how chimpanzees used tools, leading her to the discovery that we came from a monkey species, and evolved using tools. Klara, Eli, Erin, and Lindsey are four girls who made a remarkable discovery for a science fair. They noticed the many complaints and articles in the newspaper about bluegrass burning. They decided to do something about it since it was a danger to citizen's health, so they figured out how to make blue grass into paper that is no different than paper from trees. Many other genius females made discoveries about dinosaurs, ancient but exact calendars, and how to cheaply make drinkable water.

I really enjoyed reading this book and that's saying something because I am not a fan of nonfiction. So I am a bit of a feminist, that definitely contributed, but these were truly amazing people. I'm all about girl power so when I saw this book on the shelf I thought, this is perfect. I didn't think I'd find such important discoveries in it, however. Without Vera Rubin's discovery, where would we be with NASA and such. All of our calculations would be show more wrong. These things don't seem significant, but when you apply them to modern day, how could we know so much without them? I would definitely recommend this to my mother, and a couple of my friends. I rate this book three and a half stars. show less

Otto is a young boy who gets lost in the woods, and comes upon a clearing. He meets three sisters who are under a spell and finds himself in the midst of a prophecy, an enchantment, and a harmonica. These sisters must save a life to return to their family. So they go inside the harmonica and wait. This harmonica is passed on through three children over the years. First, a young German boy who must save his father from the wrath of Hitler. His name is Friedrich; he is musically gifted and has a sister in Hitler Youth. He finds the harmonica in an abandoned warehouse and puts it in a box to ship to America. After he saves his father he becomes a conductor. Mike receives the harmonica next. Him and his brother Frankie lived with their mother and grandmother until both passed away. Mike's grandmother taught him to play the piano. Him and his brother are chosen from a terrible orphanage to be adopted due to their musical talent. However, the woman who adopts them was expecting a girl, not two boys. It takes time, effort, and music, but they finally become a family, and heal the woman's broken heart. Mike found the harmonica in a shop, and practiced with his family. Afterward Mike goes into a harmonica band and later becomes a pianist; his brother Frankie goes to law school. Mike donates the harmonica for poor children of America with music gifts, and it comes into Ivy's hands through her fifth grade teacher, who taught her how to play. Ivy becomes quite gifted with the show more instrument and was chosen for a radio solo, but had to move to a new house in the country a week before it happens. Her older brother Fernando had joined the army and had to get information by letter about everything that was happening. Ivy lived near a rich family who was very kind- their daughter became her best friend- and also a Japanese family who asked them to look after their property until they returned from the camp they were went to. After proving them innocent Ivy made friends with the son- Kenny- who came to sign papers so her family could officially care for the property. Before Kenny went off to the war Ivy gave him the harmonica, and he kept it over his heart. Ivy became a talented flutist and Fernando came home a war hero. Kenny was ambushed, he got shot in the leg and the heart, except the harmonica saved his life. Since they had saved a life the three sisters went back in time to their family. Friedrich, Mike, and Ivy found their way to a concert in Carnegie Hall in New York. All of them were connected by a silken thread of fate through the harmonica.

Echo is wondrous mixture of fantasy, reality, history, and music. The mysterious twists and turns, and sudden surprises keep you on the edge of your seat. I think the author did an amazing job in bringing this book together, and the way they described music was truly fantastic. A friend of mine recommended this to me, and at first I was kind of eh about it, but it truly is a masterpiece. I would recommend this book to just about anyone, it seems to fit a lot of personalities. Adventure, mystery, and music fill those pages in an exciting story that you can't put down. I would rate this book five stars. show less

This book talks about a number of interesting things. GMO's obviously, but also things like cloning and altered animals. It also talks about how scientists create crops, make medicine, and possible new uses for GMO's like wonder cells which take stem cells from the blood of the umbilical cord, and use them to repair damaged organs and nerves. Another interesting thing I read in this book is that GM science is only 30 years old. Which is quite shocking seeing how far we've gotten. They also believe in the future we will be able to replace our own organs with those of a pigs. Although one of the most interesting thing of all, in my opinion, is being able to make crops that make their own pesticides.

I found this book very interesting. It had tons of crazy facts, and I honestly didn't know how far we have gotten in this area of science. If you like nonfiction, and science this book is for you. Especially if you like genetic science. It is absolutely mind blowing. I would probably recommend this to my mom, but being a dietitian she probably already knows most of it. I would rate this book three and a half stars.

Violet Lasting lives in the Marsh, one of the five circles of a city. After a DNA test she is taken to a training camp to learn the Auguries, a genetic quirk that give you the power to change colors, shapes, and control growth. Violet is training to be a surrogate. When her day comes, she and her friend Raven get their lot numbers and are taken to the center of the city, The Jewel. There they are sold in an auction, to bear the royalty's children. Violet is bought by the Duchess of the Lake, who is desperate for a daughter to engage to the Elector's son. Making friends and enemies, Violet figures out her place in the Jewel. She meets an unlikely lady-in-waiting who is a man, who has a way to get her out. She falls in love with a companion who is meant for a royalty, and she tries to save her friend Raven, who was bought by a cruel woman, who likes to experiment.

I would recommend this book to those who like forbidden love, plot twisters, and dark stories. I myself just picked it out at the library randomly, but it turns out it was quite good. I enjoyed the mystery and plot change. It is a trilogy, so if you like this you should read the rest. It is a cliffhanger, so you really would want the next one. It was a bit mushy, but a lot better than Twilight so I would have some of my friends try it. I would rate this book four and a half stars.

It is 1939 in Nazi Germany when little Liesel Meminger's brother dies on a train -to a foster home- after coughing, her and her mother must get to the nearest stop. A grave digger and his apprentice bury him in the snow and Leisel can't help but notice after sitting in the snow for hours, that the apprentice had dropped something. A book called "The Grave Digger's Handbook". She couldn't read but Liesel picked it up anyway and was taken to her foster home in the poorer part of Munich. 33 Himmel Street was her new home, she resisted at first but was eventually coaxed through the door. Her foster parents were Hans and Rosa Hubermann. Rosa earned money by doing the washing and ironing for the richer, and Hans was a painter who played the accordion. Leisel soon learned more about them, Rosa was constantly cussing and yelling, and Hans was gentle and quiet. She made a few friends Tommy and Rudy- who was obsessed with Jesse Owens and many called him that after he painted himself black and raced on a track at night. Each night Liesel would wake up screaming- probably wet the bed as well- with nightmares of her dying brother. Each night Hans would come and comfort her, which slowly led into him teaching her how to read. He taught her the letters and words and she would paint them on the basement walls. Leisel got better in school, went to Hitler Youth, and stole many more books. But the bombings were getting worse, people getting scared. Rosa lost customers and Hans was out show more painting people's blinds. Now Hans had a past in the war, with a man who saved his life, so naturally Hans put himself in debt of the family, and that is how a Jew ended up on their doorstep. His name was Max. They took him in, kept him in the basement. He and Leisel became good friends and he wrote two books for her. He left saying they had done enough after Hans had given bread to a Jew being marched down the street and gotten whipped. They were many siren alarms over the months, bomb warnings. None of them came to Himmel Street for a while, but when they did, Leisel was the only survivor. She got adopted by the mayor's wife and continued with her life. She saw Max again, but she never forgot her life on Himmel Street.
I think this is a fantastic book! It should be a classic. People who like tragedy, history, adventure, and suspense would like this book. It was a great read with twists and turns, book thievery, and excitement. I honestly think that no one could not enjoy this book. My aunt recommended it to me and let me borrow her copy and bring it overseas, just so I could read it. I would rate this book five stars. show less