I haven't read Perkins previous book, so I can't really say if this one is better or not. I'm reviewing this as a stand alone.
I enjoyed the book, didn't love it, but it was okayish.
Some things bothered me; how relationships where handled for example, they didn't evolve naturally, seemed forced, and just moved the way Perkins seemed fit. Same with characters, one chapter they are sweet and fun, next one they are assholes and jerks, there was no consistency.
I did not like Lola's best friend, that is nothing like a best friend, and Lola's parents never ever trusted their daughter and they didn't work as a parental figure besides telling Lola what not to do.
The plot was kind of simple, the climax being Lola discovering her feelings for this boy.
I may be checking Perkins previous book later, just because most say that one's better, but not because of this book.

What the fuck did I just read?
Review to come.

3.5
I expected so much more from this book, reading so many good reviews about it.
But I just couldn't really empathise with Anna, she was fun sometimes and then turned into a whiny girl.
Miscommunication is the theme of this book, which frustrated me to no end, everyone was always making assumptions of everyone instead of stopping and just asking.
The romance was cute, nothing extraordinary, just cute.

This book lacked something, while reading it I found myself getting bored and checking how many pages I missed to start a new chapter, something I didn't do with the previous books.
And it's not that this book was bad, it's as engaging written as the previous books, but this one lacked action, nothing really happened, and Martin's star characters like Tyron and Dany were missed.
With Robb's death, the war has come to a stall and this book was mostly about the everyday's routines of some characters.

Woah took me long enough, I blame the flu. Working on the review.

This was painful to read. The narrative was confusing. I couldn't care less about any of the characters. The protagonist, Scarlet, was whiny and believed herself a martyr, so annoying. The romance was mostly a distraction from the plot.

Woah.

Read it maybe 2 or 3 years ago, because my sister asked me.
I couldn't get pass the hospital scene. The story was poor, too predictable, and the writing was annoying, Bella is one of the worst narrators I've ever read.

I think I could just stare at the art forever. Kaoru Mori's style is beautiful, full of details and precise.
The story is simple enough, though I guess it's because it's the introductory volume. I'll be definitely be reading the next one.

Anyone can guess how this book ends after the first chapter or two. So predictable.

2.5
I did not really enjoy the book. Some things drove me mad, and I only finished it because I liked Mead's previous series.
I still don't enjoy Sydney's narration, she's boring and I can't sympathise with her.
Some things didn't make sense, like the first time Sonya asks Sydney for a blood example, Sonya, being a Spirit user, couldn't tell Sydney was just not comfortable with it? She didn't notice seeing her aura?
And it drove me mad how Sydney'd go on and on about how perfect Dimitri is, I dare say Mead's still trying to make the reader see what a great guy Dimitri is; or maybe it's just me, being still mad at him for what happened in Last Sacrifice.
The first part of the book was very slow paced, nothing really happened there, and I though once or twice about dropping the book.
The book had no real plot twist, it was all pretty obvious. It didn't blew me away or anything. The only thing I did like was Trey, and I liked Sydney when she was with him, their relationship made more sense to me than hers with Adrian.
I'm starting to think Mead is being forced to write this books, they don't really hit me as well planned.
All in all, I'll be reading the next book, which I think is the last one.

The book is about Evening, our protagonist, who after suffering an accident and almost losing her leg is taken to her mother's top of the line research facility. There she meets Solo, who is planing Eve's mother down fall, and has a lot in common with herthey are both enhanced humans. Obviously the fall for each other.

This book was so promising, but it fell short. The characterization was just okay. I didn't really enjoy Evening, but she didn't bother me. Solo did bother me sometimes, specially when he's all oh-poor-me.

It was entertaining, but not ground-breaking, and it had the chance to be, if only the authors had dared to go on about the whole cloning and DNA manipulating thing.

But they only wrote the premise of that, we are never told if Evening and her mother are going to come clean and talk about all that had been done at the labs, or what they are they going to do about Adam.

The authors decided to only write about the romance part, and that made the books lose its substance.

Revealing Eden won an award? Who in their right minds gave this an award!

Edit 3/11/12

You know, I'm actually wondering what she's going to do in this book. After all the backlash her previous book received. Maybe she'll try to prove she's not racist? That her book's not racist? Mmmmm

One of the most anticipaded reads this year, brought by Jay Kristoff. It got steampunk, Japan, griffins, who wouldn't be excited to read about it!

Well, pity the book did not live up to my expectations.

Stormdancer follows Yukiko Kyuubi, descendant of the Fox Clan, in the impossible quest of finding and capturing an arishitora (basically a griffin), though they are believed extinct.

The phasing was a bit slow, since the author takes a lot of pages to try to explain everything. But once Yukiko finds the griffin the story does take off.

The characterization was good, how Yukiko and Buruu's relationship developed was cute.

But all is overshadowed by Kristoff's poor research, because reading Wikipedia and some manga is NOT research; the story was good, the characterization was good, but the cultural mistakes were disastrous, and I don't even know that much about Japanese culture, yet even I know that -sama is a suffix, hai is not literally yes, that 'I love you' in Japanese is Aishiteru, and that bowing got different "degrees". Sometimes he even confused Japan with China!

I hope Kristoff does some real research for his next book, otherwise I don't think I'll keep reading this trilogy (it's a trilogy, hai?)

Did NOT expect to like it this much! I'll be writing a proper review later.

Technically skimmed the last 20 or something pages, but I don't think I really missed anything of great importance.

The Little White Horse, by Elizabeth Goudge, may be a children's book, but the characterization and the plot border on ridiculous.

This is the story of Maria, a little girl who after her father's death is shipped to her closer relative who lives secluded in the magical land of Moonacre.

Here she discovers she's got a destiny to full fill to lift the curse that has hurt her family so much.

One of the things that bothered me was the way most adults behaved, and the way everyone did everything Maria ordered no questions asked, and how everyone always did the right thing, among other stuff. It just seemed unrealistic, not magical but silly.

The plot wasn't really impressive, was predictable; but the narrative was rich and careful with little details, though that just couldn't save this book for me.

I haven't watch the movie, so when I picked it up I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy this read. But I'm happy I gave this a try, because Ned Vizzini did an amazing job in this book.

Craig is a New York City boy, and he has set some high goals for his future, like getting into the best school in the city. When he gets in, he is really proud of himself and believes he is different, he is special; and all is burnt to the ground when he realizes that maybe he is not the best. He finds school overwhelming.

Craig is a very down to earth boy, and he ends in a place he did not expect to end into: a mental hospital.

Vizzini's characters were more than enjoyable, I loved each and everyone of them. They were all so different, had their own story and way of seeing life. All of Craig's struggling was easy to relate to.

The plot wasn't a complex maze or anything, but it was deep and thought provoking.

This is the sequel to Juliet Immortal, by Stacey Jay, and picks up the story right where we were left, just that now Romeo takes centre stage, and he does a better job telling his story than Juliet did telling hers.

All the book's events take time in three days, which seems like a short time (and it is) but the author does a good job squeezing said time, though the end still felt a little bit crowded.

As I mentioned before, this book follows Romeo, he's been condemned to spend the rest of his days like a repulsive monster, the result of all his evil-doing, but Juliet's protector from the previous book appears to him with an offer: get Ariel to fall in love with him, and he'd be saved.

Romeo thinks this is an easy job, but something he did not consider happens. He falls in love with Ariel. The way the romance developed was fast, obviously because it happens in only three days, but it didn't really bother me as I thought it would since when I read it I could feel the connection between then, it felt natural. It was sweet and cute and sometimes over the top, but still enjoyable.

My only problem is how most of the important stuff happened during the final chapters. The story climax was a bit confusing as to who was playing whom, and a lot of important stuff was told instead of shown.

Romeo and Ariel were really strong characters, and were able to provoke so many emotions while reading them. They had flaws, and had made mistakes, but eventually learnt from those. And they made each show more other stronger and better. show less

Behind the Mask tells the story of a young girl, Juliet, and how she meets Jamie, who she believes is the love of her life, but he is not what he pretends, and she ends in an abusive relationship.

I didn't expect the book to be as good as it was, I thought Juliet was going to be a naïve and silly girl, but I was completely wrong! Juliet was smart, she knew what she wanted, was independent and I could totally see myself in her; so, what happened? She fell in love.

Jamie, at the start of their relationship is the perfect, dedicated boyfriend, so charming he even deceived Juliet's parents. He starts taking control over Juliet's world she doesn't even notice until is almost too late.

Juliet did an amazing job telling this story. While reading this book I couldn't help but wonder what I'd have done under the same circumstances, and even if I didn't know if I would not have made the same choices, I understood the reasoning behind them. I think everyone could learn a thing or two from reading this book.

I remember since being a kid not liking Wendy very much, I preferred Tiger Lily, so when I heard of Jodi Lynn Anderson's Tiger Lily I knew I had to get a copy.

This is a retelling of Peter & Wendy, from Tinkerbell's point of view, which is perfect since she has the ability to sense people's thoughts and true feelings, and Tiger Lily is not really open about hers.

Tiger Lily is a lonely girl, a really lonely girl who is secluded from her own tribe because they believe she's cursed; she finds it hard to trust others, even the few that try to be her friends and her father. She's eager for adventure, which is one of the things that draws her to Peter Pan. He's different from everything she's been made believe, he's a boy, a boy as lonely as her.

Their romance was beautiful and heartbreaking, it was not childish or sweet, it was wild and sad. And the way it flows with the story is sublime.

Anderson wove an incredibly bitter-sweet tale, with such a diverse cast, from magical Tik Tok trapped in a man's body, to sweet Wendy Darling with no idea of the world. Each and everyone of them were enjoyable, and had a story which made them feel real.

It's really hard to put into words how inspiring this book was. Anderson's words are powerful.

Better than the last one, though the beginning was still a bit flat. Victor seems like an interesting addition to the group.
And I still can't buy the Gert/Chase relationship, Gert calling Chase stuff like "Honey" or "Darling" just feel so out of character from her, and I don't understand why they like each other.
Nico is doing a good enough job as the team leader, but she does not seem as fit for the job as Alex was.

As much as I love Cloak and Dagger, this volume's plot was lacking. There were some funny parts, like Molly with Wolverine and Gret and Victor with Spiderman; but besides that it's so forgettable.

The Marriage Bargain by Jennifer Probst is a cliché smutty fanfiction that no matter what fandom you read, exist.

Alexa needs money, and fast, so she marriages Nick, who needs to marry because (wait for it) he can't inherit his uncle's corporation unless married.

Yes. Read it before.

Not even the characters make the story any different.

Alexa's passion is the literature, she writes poems and paints. And shelters animals from time to time. And is more of a giver than a taker. I couldn't stand her. She's hot, by the way. And she doesn't know it.

Nick is hot. He got a supermodel ex-girlfriend. That's about all I remember about him.

They don't behave like adults, and instead of dealing with their problems or saying whatever is happening they behave like teens and pout and sulk.

That said, it wasn't such an awful book, it was entertaining and the author's writing is good, but the story just couldn't keep me interested.

Whatever you think And All the Stars by Andrea K. Höst will be about, you are probably wrong (or you are a seer). The book is full of plot twists and you never know what is going to happen next.

And it's hard to write a review without spoiling parts of the book, but I'll try.

The book follows Madeleine, and she's not your typical YA protagonist, she's insecure, shy, and more of a follower than a leader. Madeleine is an artist, very passionate about painting and drawing, and when she's on her way to her cousin's home she finds herself knee deep in some weird dust. She rightfully fears the worst.

Madeleine meets a group of teens who are developing the same strange dark blue with stars patches in their skin, and the circumstances force her to join forces with them in order to survive the apocalypse.

The cast is one of the most diverse I've ever read, though not every character was as developed as the protagonist throughout the story, and their bonds did not seem nearly as strong as I think we are supposed to imply (it was more like they were together only because of what they were going through).

The only exception being Madeleine's relationship with her love interest, which was handled perfectly, and the slow and almost timid way they fell for each other felt genuine.

The setting can be a bit confusing for people not familiar with Sydney, and the beginning too.

After basics of what is happening are explained, the plot really takes off and never slows down until the very ending.

Loved it.

Volume 5 and I still don't warm up to Haru. It's just that he's so aggressive! And he's also so possessive about Mizutani, and they aren't even dating! Something I liked about this volume was that an issue I had with Haru's "love" was addressed (Thanks Sasayan).
It was fun, but still not really an original story to set it appart from other shoujo's.

The first book of the Velveteen trilogy, by Daniel Marks, must have been one of the most anticipated books of the year. Sadly, it did not meet my expectations.

The book is about Velveteen, a girl who was kidnapped and then murdered, and is now trapped in purgatory. She's eager to get her revenge, while trying to save some souls from the hands of witches and the likes. But the story is not as exciting as it sounds.

The narration is heavy, full of unnecessary scenes. Marks tries to explain this world, but falls short, it's confusing and sloppy.

The characters were underdeveloped, we are told they are this way and they stay like that through the story. Our protagonist, Velveteen, is supposed to be some bad-ass heroine, but it was hard to empathize with her, and she was a cliché. Most characters were a cliché though, we got a hot jock and the mean cheerleader.

Romance was as subtle as a shark bite, from the moment the guy (whose name I can't even remember because he was so remarkable) stepped in, it was painfully obvious he was going to end with Velveteen. The way it developed was awkward, and I couldn't understand why they liked each other.

Storytelling was slow, and I kept waiting for Velveteen to do something about her murderer until I realized the true plot was the revolution in purgatory, and even that was not handled well.

The origami guy being the mastermind was not a surprise either.

I feel like, if the book was edited, some parts reorganized or rewritten, the story could show more have been better. show less

The newest book by J. K. Rowling, The Casual Vacancy, is not something many would have expected from the Harry Potter writer; the story has no wizards and most protagonist are adults, but that does not mean it was not an interesting read.

Rowling's story is about a pretty small town, everyone knows everyone, and how the death of one of their political representatives affects their lives.

The story is like a picture made out of dominoes, one event that brings another until the whole story gets to its great finale.

We follow a large cast of characters, each very unique and different from the other; at the beginning I found it a bit hard to remember everyone, a chapter would start and I would be like: Who's this dude again?

And it wasn't the only problem with it, the book was so hard to get into, sometimes even a tad confusing. But once into it, it was a fluid read.

Rowling's writing is as fantastic as ever, her ease with words makes it effortless for the writer to picture what was happening.

The plot is not ground-breaking, and the ending not unpredictable, but it was enjoyable.

The second book of The Mortal Instruments series, City of Ashes, written by Cassandra Clare, continues the story of our heroine Clary, as she tries to stop her evil father, Valentine.

My major issue with this book was how nothing really happened. Two thirds of the book are just teen angst (Jace's mostly) and the last third is a mess.

Clare's characters also lack personalities; they all feel the same, they all sound the same. Specially her protagonist, Clary, who has as much personality as a carboard. Clary has no voice, and the only thing she brings to the story is a love triangle.

And the love triangle! Let me tell you about the love triangle. It's painful, and not in a good way. Jace and Clary are supposed to be siblings (though it's obvious they are not, I mean, Jace is blond with golden eyes that shine like the sun at 11 am so he looks nothing like his "parents") but still! I just kept reading their scenes together and couldn't stop wondering HOW? How can someone have the hots for other knowing KNOWING they are siblings! HOW?

My other problem was Jace. Jace is a jerk. No matter how sad you say his story is, he's still a jerk. And I still feel like hitting him. He walks over everyone, and expect people to be thankful for being allowed in his presences. Prick.

The other characters are pretty much irrelevant, even though they are supposed to be important. Alec is supposed to be Jace's parabatai, but they worked together a grant number of zero times, Alec is mostly Jace's show more cheerleader. Then we have Magnus, great wizard of NYC or something like that, who is basically the team nurse. Izzy, who is supposed to be badass, but doesn't do a thing. Simon, who's job is to pretend to die to make Clary show some emotion (he dies like four times I think, at the end I was rolling my eyes, because Clare obviously is not killing her characters). The useless parents and the mean authoritative figure and I think that's it.

The way most behave is unrealistic, and the way they talk just doesn't feel right.

By the way, Clare needs a Spanish counselor if she wants to keep writing latin characters because: "El no es muerto" is grammatically incorrect and it makes me think she's using Google Translate.

I did find some parts interesting, like the world she has created, and I wished she would try to explore it more, instead of shoving Jace's perfection down our throats. show less

Third book of Cassandra Clare's series, City of Glass, wraps up the Valentine story.

The book works as a good conclusion to the series, if you don't feel like reading the following three books. Most relevant plot lines are explained, and the truth "unravelled".

Like with the previous book, I had issues with the characters. Clare keeps on pushing down our throats how sad Jace's past is. She's trying so hard to make us feel bad for her favourite character, but telling it so many times just makes me annoyed, and makes me stop caring; I had enough of that by the middle of the book, so I started skimming pages whenever someone started talking about it.

Jace basically got two moods: whiny and jerk. If he isn't drowning in his pool of misery because of his past or because he can't have anything with Clary, he's being an ass to everyone.

Our heroine, Clary, is less of a cardboard than in the previous book, but she's more like Jace now, walking over everyone, and doing anything she wants no matter how it affects others. I found both, Clary and Jace, pretty selfish. When the Cherub asked Clary what she wanted, she sacrificed world peace, just so she could have Jace. What?

The only character that I did enjoy was Simon. Specially now that he isn't following Clary around, like a lost puppy. Simon is more of a hero than Jace, which I think Clare wasn't really planning on. Simon isn't whining every chapter about how he got turned, or how he missed being human, or how he got a sad past too show more (he's father is dead I think), or how Clary doesn't love him. He just dealt with his problems and moved on. Simon was selfless, and thought of how stuff he did would affect others, like the Lightwoods, or the vampires, that he doesn't even like. And he was funny. And Clare isn't constantly describing how hot he is, unlike with Jace; it was mentioned just once I think. So I liked him.

And when Jace was with Simon, I was able to stand him. The boys have a better dynamic. When Jace was with Clary it was always chaotic, and weird.

Another thing I had issues with was how Max's death was dealt with, it was like no one really cared! Jace was making jokes after his funeral! And Isabelle trying to have sex with Simon to "relieve" her pain. There's something wrong with that family.

I found it silly calling the Monteverdes senhor and senhora, like there's no equivalent for the words in English. Mr and Mrs not exotic enough for Clare?

The "plot twists" weren't shocking, everything was pretty predictable. There was nothing mind blowing or anything.

Finally, I wish Clare had explained her world better. It's the third book, and I still don't understand the runes, is there a limit of how many a shadowhunter can have? I don't understand the parabai thing, Jace and Alec never fought like a team or anything, what makes them different from shadowhunters with no parabai? show less