If You Come Softly (If You Come Softly, #1) by Jacqueline Woodson

I first heard about Jacqueline Woodson last year. One of the great things about following a ton of YA authors on Twitter is that when one of them gets an award, everyone goes crazy. In 2014, Jacqueline Woodson won the National Book Award for her most recent novel, Brown Girl Dreaming. I was eager to read the book that everyone has been talking about, but I'm trying not to buy too many books until my income gets a little more stable (something I'm still failing epically at, since I've bought nine books this month. *cringes*). It has been consistently checked out of the library for months, but I found this book of hers the last time I was there, so I decided to give it a shot.

Let me tell you, I almost closed the book as soon as I opened it. This isn't because it didn't look good. It looked great. However, this is one of those books that opens by pretty much warning you that something bad is going to happen. It tells you, "Hey, get ready. You're probably gonna cry when you read this." I wasn't sure I wanted to cry, so I almost skipped it, but the story sounded too good, so I read anyway. Just letting you know now, I definitely cried.

If You Come Softly, is a love story about a boy and girl living in New York City in the late nineties. Jeremiah (Miah), a black boy, and Elisha (Ellie), a white Jewish girl, both transfer to Percy, a prep school that neither of them are very thrilled about attending. When they meet on the first day, sparks fly and it isn't long before they are both falling head over heels for each other. However, all anyone else seems to notice is the color of their skin and it isn't long before the world starts trying to tear them apart.

This was a pretty short book, but definitely the kind that draws you in and makes the reader feel like they know the characters within the first two or three chapters. I love when books can hook you that quickly. Miah and Ellie were believable characters who felt very human. They made mistakes, they loved each other and were still embarrassed about the way people acted about the two of them being together. They were very three dimensional for such a short book and I found that extremely pleasing.
Like I said, I definitely cried in this book and I cried more than once, so keep your tissues handy.

This was an excellent novel that covered young love and romance, while still confronting racism, racial bias, and deep-seated prejudices that we like to pretend don't still exist in society today. Definitely an amazing book. I cannot wait to read more from this author.

Rating: ★★★★★

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

Piper and Edmond and Isaac and I used to watch this lunatic fringe milling around every day around sunset and then Edmond and I would slip away up to the tiny bedroom at the top of the house or the big storage closet under the eaves or the lambing barn or one of about a thousand places we'd found where we could try and try and try to get enough of each other but it was like some witch's curse where the more we tried to stop being hungry the more starving we got.

It was the first time in as long as I could remember that hunger wasn't a punishment or a crime or a weapon or a mode of self-destruction.

It was simply a way of being in love.

I picked up “How I Live Now” while I was Christmas shopping late last year. It's a pretty well known fact that I can't leave a bookstore without at least one book for myself, so I already knew shopping books for Christmas presents was going to end up with me buying some for myself. Thankfully, I was in charge of stocking stuffers this year, so I could get away with convincing myself I needed it.

I spotted this lovely volume in the Young Adult section at my local (at the time) Half Price Bookstore. I'd been trying to find this novel for a while anyway, but had only ever managed to locate movie cover copies, so you can imagine how I snatched this one up.

In “How I Live Now” we meet Daisy, a fifteen year-old who has been sent to live in England with her cousins after her father marries a particularly foul stepmother. Though she has never met her cousins until now, she immediately fall in step with them and all their endearing oddities.

When her Aunt Penn goes of to give a talk on the impending war many believe England and much of the world are about to face, the children can't help but view it as a blessing. The five of them now have the huge house to do with as they will. Even when war does break out, it certainly doesn't seem real. And with Daisy falling madly in love with Edmond, well, how can she be expected to think of anything else? That is, until the military shows up at their doorstep and Daisy is separated from nearly everyone she has grown to love.

Edmond and Daisy promised each other they would find the other. Now it's up to Daisy to make sure she and her youngest cousin, Piper, make it back to their home before they become casualties of a war they never imagined could touch them.

Forbidden love, World War III, and coming of age all in one story? You can count me in.

Written from the perspective of Daisy as she tells the story long after it has happened, I fell in love with “How I Live Now” almost immediately. The writing style, which is almost like reading the protagonist's journal, fits the material like a glove. There are no word for word quotes, only Daisy's record of what she remembers them saying and, for some reason, that works phenomenally.

This book is about war and survival, falling in love and the breaking of hearts. It captures the helplessness a young person would feel in the midst of a battle they don't know how to fight or win, and it captures the triumph of good and heartlessness of evil one must come face to face with in those circumstances.

I fell in love with Daisy and the way she tells her story. I'm sure you will too.

Rating: ★★★★★

There never were seven more silent human beings in the back of a truck, we were too stunned even to cry or speak. When we reached Reston Bridge our driver, who I knew was a close friend of the Major's, got out of the truck and stood there for a minute trying to get up the courage to go inside and tell Mrs. M what happened, but first he turned to us and said in a voice that sounded broken and full of rage, In case anyone needed reminding This is a War.

And the way he said those words made me feel like I was falling.

Winger by Andrew Smith

Then I saw Casey puffing his chest out, walk straight up to Joey and push him hard, knocking Joey back. And Casey said, “You think you're funny with your song, queer?”

I threw my backpack down and ran as fast as I could.

I knew Joey would fight. He wasn't afraid of anyone. You had to be like that to be a fly half, and I'm sure that Joey had been hit square against his unpadded body at least a thousand times more than Casey ever had. But I wasn't going to let him get gang-jumped by those assholes.

So I ran faster than I did in practice. I had to. And just as Joey was making a fist, Nick was circling behind him, and Casey was in the process of throwing the first punch, I launched myself, head up and shoulder down, right into Casey's knees and wrapped my arms around his legs, driving him, crashing, to the ground.

I love a good fight scene.

Seriously. If a book or movie has a good fight scene in it, I'm much more likely to enjoy it than if it doesn't. Some people like romance, some people like mermaids, some people like pirates. I like violence.* I'm not sure what that says about me (other than the fact that I like to write fight scenes too), but it's true.

It's no wonder, then, that I picked up Winger. I mean, the kid on the cover looks like he's been in some kind of fight and I wanted to know why. After reading the summary (and seeing that there were illustrations scattered throughout – I'm a sucker for art), I had to have this book. I bought it and added it to the hoard of unread books stacked around my room until I finally got around to it a few days ago.

Ryan Dean West, or Winger (as his rugby teammates call him), is a loser. At least, that's what he calls himself almost constantly. He's a fourteen year-old in his junior year, making him the baby of the class, and is in love with his best friend, Anna, though he doesn't have the guts to tell her. Adding to his loser status is the fact that last year he got caught having stolen a teacher's phone, which he only took to call Anna on her birthday, and has now been to Opportunity Hall – the crappy dorms where all the delinquents are sent to live in his boarding school, Pine Mountain.

Ryan Dean is certain this is his death sentence, especially when he realizes he's rooming with the biggest asshole of them all (not counting the football team, whom everyone hates most of all). When Annie tells him he'll have to toughen up, he knows she's right, but even Ryan Dean has no idea what this year has in store for him and it's going to take more than a little toughness if he's going to make it through to senior year.

With its witty sense of humor and realistic portrait of teenage confusion, heartbreak, and cruelty; Winger was a joy to read, even if it did break my heart more than once. I love Ryan Dean as a flawed protagonist who made more than his share of mistakes, but did them with a good heart so that you couldn't help cheering him along.

Intelligently written, laugh-out-loud funny, and heartbreakingly honest, this is one I'd suggest to most teenage boys and girls – especially those that need reminding that just because you make a lot of mistakes and bad choices doesn't mean you're a bad person. We're all just finding our way along as best we can and sometimes the only thing we can do is try.

Rating: ★★★★★

*Not senseless violence. I do have specific standards with what's involved. I just like a good fight, that's all. Particularly when the hero is the winner. But then, what else do you expect from someone who has been in love with DC Comics since the nineties?

And that's probably about the time that Joey seriously considered throwing the old man out too. If it wasn't precisely at that moment, I'm sure he felt like it when Ned started screaming insanely in wild terror.

You know, there's something especially frightening when you're stuck in the darkest depths of hell, in the middle of a raging torrent of mud, and the insane old lost guy in the front seat starts screaming like he's going to die. I mean, I figured Ned had probably stared Death in the face more than a few times in just the past four of five hours, let alone since the discovery of fire, so when you hear a guy who you know has gone through as much shit as Ned has – in a lifetime that was undoubtedly measured by geological periods as opposed to calendars – screaming like that, well . . . you just know you're going to die too.

Cold Spell by Jackson Pearce (Fairytale Retellings, #4)

"You think the fact that you love Kai means you'll win?"
"No," I saw slowly. "I think the fact that I love Kai means I'll fight for him."

[Click here to check out my review of book 1: Sisters Red, book 2: Sweetly, and book 3: Fathomless]

I adore fairytales and modern retellings that fit the old legends and make them even better are hard to come by. If you're looking for a good series that fits that criteria -- look no further.

After falling in love with each of the books in this series, one after the other, I was admittedly a little upset when I found out that this would be the last of the series. After all, I had all these ideas about how I wanted a final showdown to take place (and I cannot be the only one who was already beginning to ship Scarlett and Ansel, though they technically hadn't met). However, Jackson Pearce hadn't let me down thus far, so I knew I would be pleased however it turned out. I tore into it as soon as my preordered copy arrived in the mail.

When we first meet Kai and Ginny, they're skipping class to sit up on the roof of their apartment building and talk about their future. Kai, a extremely gifted musician, will be going to New York for a music program and Ginny intends to follow him. Extremely devoted to her young love, Ginny doesn't have much of a plan for her future. All she knows is that it absolutely involves Kai. Both look forward to the time away in the summer, especially Ginny, who is always happy to get out from under the loathing eye of Grandma Dalia, Kai's grandmother.

Grandma Dalia has hated Ginny since the day she and her family moved into their apartment building. She didn't like Kai playing with a girl and seemed to take every precaution to keep them away from each other, but even that couldn't stop the two from falling in love. Grandma Dalia loves her grandson and only him. She has dedicated her life to keeping him safe from the beasts and the dangers that she knows are lurking just around the corner. Most of all, she yearns to keep him safe from the snow queen.

Both teens have always assumed that these delusions were just a part of who Grandma Dalia was, that she was missing a few marbles. Ginny, though, always wondered if maybe there was a bit of truth to her words. What if there really was a real danger out there?

It seems her suspicions are confirmed when Kai disappears with a girl whom Ginny can only assume is the snow queen Grandma Dalia had warned them about. Now it's up to her to save the only love she's ever known and the only person she can't live without.

I may not have gotten the exact ending I was hoping for, but Jackson Pearce gifted her readers with exactly the kind of stunning end to a great story that we were all hoping for. Cold Spell ties up the story told within the series in the masterful way that only she could. Every character was complex and unique, while the story itself kept me glued to the pages.

Cold Spell is a chilling conclusion to a stunning tale that will leave the reader feeling satisfied, yet wishing they could continue reading anyway. I fell in love with it and can't wait to recommend it and its predecessors to as many readers as I can coax into reading them. Definitely the perfect holiday pick for your last minute Christmas shopping.


Rating: ★★★★★

She's already figured out what she does--she steals boys. But right now, I can do everything. If Mora can steal boys, I can bring them back.

Into the Woods by Lyn Gardner [Illustrated by Mini Grey]

"I'm frightened, Storm. I am frightened fo Dr. DeWilde, of Mother Collops, of the mountains, of everything."
"Well, I'm sorry, Aurora," snapped Storm, "but you're just going to have to get used to being frightened. We're going to save Any, even if it kills us."

 I picked up Into the Woods because the cover caught my eye while I was perusing the local library. I picked it up, turned it over, and after reading the back, added it to my stack of books I was checking out that day. I thought it looked deeply interesting, but I still wasn't sure I would find the time to read it. After all, it was a rather large book and, though it looked good, I didn't think I'd have much time to read it. (As much as I adore reading, I only have so much time in which to do it, so I try not to get stuck on larger books that will take me so much longer to get through.)

However, this one kept screaming at me from my shelf, so once I finished City of Ashes, I decided to follow it up with a middle grade novel that I would almost certainly enjoy.

Storm Eden is nearly in her teens when she and her sisters become almost orphans. Their mother died after giving birth to the youngest Eden girl, Any, and their father soon abandoned them afterwards. Aurora, the eldest of the three, takes over. After all, it wasn't like her parents did much to take care of them before that. Aurora has long been in charge of the house, the cooking, and even Storm's education.

On her deathbed, Storm's mother presented her with a tin pipe. It hung on a chain that kept it around her neck and Storm listened in rapt attention as her mother cautioned her to use the pipe well and keep her sisters safe. At first, Storm is enchanted with the idea that the pipe is something special, but it isn't long before the doubt creeps in and she feels cheated, wondering if her mother was laughing at her by playing such a strange joke.

But when Dr. DeWilde, a menacing older man with a pack of wolves at his disposal, arrives at the girls' home in search of the pipe, Storm is quick to realize that there's more to the story that what her mother told her. Soon the girls are on the run in search of safety. When Dr. DeWilde gets his hands on Any, though, it soon becomes apparent that only Storm has the gumption and the fire necessary to save them all from Dr. DeWilde's evil schemes.

Into the Woods is a wonderful mashup of fairytales mixed up with an entirely new story, bringing with it a freshness and excitement that I was totally unprepared for. I really did love everything about this. Storm is a wonderful heroine, but then so are Aurora and Any. In an age where many take the easy route in making cookie-cutter heroines, I really appreciated having that contrast in each of them. (Aurora gets to be girly and scared, but still loyal and protective. Storm gets to be brave and the plucky tomboy, while still appreciating her sister's more feminine tendencies.) They all make mistakes and they all have their own brand of heroism, but they're in this together and each sister will do anything to protect the others.

The story itself was fabulous and kept me guessing the whole way through. It's whimsical, yet dark, and kept me engrossed from page one. And of course, the little dashes of illustration sprinkled throughout only heightened my enjoyment. Mini Grey does a fabulous job at giving us these lovely illustrations that let us peer into the story in another way without overwhelming us.

Altogether, it's a very well done book and definitely one I'll be introducing to my nieces and nephews once they're a tad older and able to handle longer books like this. It's a wonderful story for all ages and one I'd suggested adding to your Christmas list before you close this page!

Rating: ★★★★★

"Leave?" said Aurorora, staring wildly at Storm. "Leave, and let you face Mother Collops alone? What kind of sister do you think I am? I will never, ever abandon you. Whatever the circumstances. I'd die first!"

The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson & the Olympians, #3)

"In each case, your loved ones have been used to lure you into Kronos's traps. Your fatal flaw is personal loyalty, percy. You do not know when it is time to cut your losses. To save a friend, you would sacrifice the world. In a hero of the prophecy, that is very, very dangerous." 
I balled my fists. "That's not a flaw. Just because I want to help my friends-" 
"The most dangerous flaws are those which are good in moderation," she said. "Evil is easy to fight. Lack of wisdom . . . that is very hard indeed."

I swear, the further I get in this series, the more addicting it becomes.

In the third installment of the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series, The Titans Curse starts off with Thalia, Annabeth, and Thalia answering yet another call for help from Grover, who has put his search for Pan on hold while the satyrs go on high alert in search of half-bloods. It turns out that Grover has found two young half-bloods of unknown parentage, but they aren't the only ones who have discovered the di Angelo siblings. A monster attacks the school and the demigods and satyr are pitted against an enemy they're not sure they can handle.

When Annabeth is taken in the battle, Percy immediately volunteers to lead the quest in search of her. He's eager to help his best friend and terrified of losing her.

There are more things going on than just Annabeth's kidnapping, though. Other demigods have been disappearing and now Artemis is involved. She sends her hunters to Camp Half-Blood, causing an uproar among the campers, who have no love to spare for the girls. When Artemis too goes missing, all Hades breaks loose.

However, when the quest commissioned, Percy is overlooked in favor of Thalia, Grover, and three of Artemis's hunters. Percy isn't usually one to break the rules, but with Annabeth's life on the line, all bets are off. It might just be up to him to break out of camp and create a quest of his own.

I am consistently impressed with authors who can track the progression of the ages of their heroes and heroines in tales like this and keep them accurate. One of the many things I keep finding myself admiring about this book series is how I can see the growth and maturity of each character continue to progress as time goes by and these heroes/heroines experience more of what their danger-riddled life has to offer. However, that's certainly not the only thing I admire about Percy Jackson & the Olympians.

Once again, Rick Riordan has offered the reader a new look at the ancient Greek myths, presenting gods and goddesses as they might have become in our day and myths that translate into wonderful stories for our favorite demigods to navigate.

In The Titan's Curse, Riordan draws the reader into another action-packed adventure filled with rich mythology, angry gods, and new obstacles at every turn. He creates a stunning world that draws you in and holds you captive even after the final page has been turned.

Not many books can give me a reading hangover (where the reader has trouble starting a new book because he/she can't get the last one off the brain), because of how much I read, but these books certainly do. If that isn't reason enough as to why you should pick up this book, I don't know what is.

Rating: ★★★★★

"Percy, as much as I want you to come home"--she sighed like she was mad at herself--"as much as I want you to be safe, I want you to understand something. You need to do whatever you think you have to do." 
I stared at her. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, do you really, deep down, believe that you have to save her? Do you think it's the right thing to do? Because I know one thing about you, Percy. Your heart is always in the right place. Listen to it."

Vivian Versus the Apocalypse by Katie Coyle

"Hey, man," says Peter after a moment. "I know I'm just going by what I'm seeing here, but what you're describing is a Viv I don't know yet. The Viv I know- and again, not an expert, because I only officially met her within the last five minutes- is a sledgehammer-wielding badass. She's the only person I've met in the last two months who's said, 'I don't know what's going on here; let's find out.' You know it's a lot easier not to try, right? It's a lot easier to just curl up in a ball and let the world end."

I ordered Vivian Versus the Apocalypse after hearing the fabulous reviews by people like Sanne who reviewed it and couldn't stop raving about just how wonderful the book was. (Here's a link to her Youtube review: Vivian Versus the Apocalypse by Katie Coyle.) Of course, I had to get my hands on it and, once I did, it quickly moved to the front of my "to be read" list.

In Katie Coyle's debut novel, we are introduced to a society where many believe the end of the world is rapidly approaching. The members of the Church of America, followers of the Book of Frick, have been told a set date that they will be raptured and that, just a few short months later, the world will come to an end. Vivian Apple never believed any of this was even remotely possible. She thought her parents were insane for believing it could possibly be true. But then the day of the Rapture comes and there are two holes in the ceiling above her parents' bedroom. They're gone.

Suddenly thrust into a world that is spiraling into chaos, Vivian is lost and deeply confused. Hundreds of people have gone missing, including the parents of her best friend and countless other members of her neighborhood. Vivian still thinks all of this is fishy, though. Faced with a world that seems on the brink of collapse, Vivian sets out in search of answers.

Flanked by Harp and a new friend named Peter, she sets out across country to California, where she believes she might find the family she so recently lost. It's only a hunch, but she has nothing to lose. After all, if she's wrong about the apocalypse, she'll die in a few months anyway. Together the three teenagers set off on a road trip that very well might claim their lives.

As mentioned before, I heard a great deal about this book before I managed to get my hands on it. Let me tell you right now: it is absolutely worth the hype.

In Vivian Versus the Apocalypse, Katie Coyle sets up this amazing novel about finding yourself and believing yourself while setting it up in this near-dystopian America that is slowly killing itself. It's a story about friendship and beating the odds, while still managing to be a social commentary on the dangers of the kind of fanaticism that makes you forget that the people around you are just as worthy of life as yourself. And though the author set it up to be open to a sequel, I honestly am not sure whether I want one, because I'm not sure it can surpass the first.

There's so much about this book that I loved that I hardly know where to start. I don't often come across books that I want to reread as soon as I finish, but this one would definitely count as one of those. I cannot praise it enough.

If you haven't read Vivian Versus the Apocalypse yet, you need to find it and dive in as soon as possible. Kudos to you, Katie Coyle, for creating such a stunning first novel. I hope I get the chance to read plenty more from you in the future.

Rating: ~★★★★★ ~

"The way we live our lives is not sustainable. I don't just mean recycling and turning off the faucet while brushing your teeth. I mean the way we treat each other. The way we pick and choose whose lives are important, who we actually treat as human. There is nobody on this Earth whose life is not of value."

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

She said that I must always be intolerant of ignorance but understanding of illiteracy. That some people, unable to go to school, were more educated and even more intelligent than college professors. She encouraged me to listen carefully to what country people called mother wit. That in those homely sayings was couched the collective wisdom of generations.

I picked up I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings off of one of the "Summer Reading" tables at Barnes & Noble. It had a gorgeous cover and I recognized the name Maya Angelou from about a thousand different sources. I figured it was about time that I read something of hers that wasn't just a single poem I happened upon once in a library. Besides, I usually comb the "Summer Reading" tables at bookstores because I know I missed out on a lot of Teen Read classics that most kids read in their high school English classes and I try to make sure that I get the chance to check out as many of those as I can.

I wasn't aware until I was a good few chapters in that the book was autobiographical, but that merely added to the intrigue. I'm always hearing people say that real life is stranger than fiction and, looking at my soap opera of a life, I'm rarely surprised by it. However Maya Angelou has quite the story to tell and it's one that would seem quite insane and too crazy to be true, only it really did happen.

Maya Angelou grew up in the South at a time when slavery was a thing of the past, but racism was booming. She lived in a time where it was common for white men to kill black men for looking at their women and where a white woman could "rename" her maids because she felt like it and they had no say because they were black and lower class.

But Maya grew up in a time of change and, though she lived through more hardships than many might be able to stand, she stood. She pushed through everything that blocked her way and came out the stronger for it. Her story is a hard one, but it's a tale of triumph and never backing down in the face of fear.

I really enjoyed this book. There's just something about getting to hear about a person's life by looking through their eyes that really gets to me. This is especially true in the case of Maya Angelou. Getting to peer into her life through her eyes and see how she triumphed over evils that are much greater than the ones I am currently battling reminds me that there's always hope and there is always beauty to be found from the ashes.

The author is known for her stunning poetry and her prose is no less impressive. I cannot tell you how many times I had to go back and reread sentences and paragraphs just to inhale the beauty of her words a little more deeply. The ability to create such intense beauty in the span of a few sentences is a talent that will always impress me (as well as make me deeply jealous).

If you're looking for a good read, this is definitely a book to consider. It's worth your time, if only to remind you that, though life can be far darker than we ever hoped, there is always something beautiful just around the horizon if we choose to fight for it.

"Your grandmother says you read a lot. Every chance you get. That's good, but not good enough. Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with the shades of deeper meaning."

Purity by Jackson Pearce

Maybe no one can understand what this feels like but me. I touch my neck, the spot where the cross charm hangs on Mom's neck. No one can understand because . . . they really don't know any better than I do. No matter what they think, how sure they are they've got everything figured out, they're as in the dark as I am.

I chose to read Purity when I realized it was the only one of Jackson Pearce's books that I hadn't yet dug into. As a pretty huge fan of her Fairytale Retellings series (of which, book 4 is on the way!), I knew I needed to get my hands on this one and ordered it straight off the Book Depository once I found it.

Shelby lost her mother when she was a child. Cancer stole her away and left Shelby with her father, a man who loved she and her mother very much, but wasn't exactly prepared to raise a daughter all on his own. Perhaps this was the reason her mother made Shelby vow to keep the three rules. After all, one of them was to obey her father. Whatever her motivation behind the promises, Shelby agreed to them and has been doing her absolute best to obey each of them, no matter what the cost.

Though she obeys her father's every rule, Shelby feels like she hardly knows her father. Perhaps he feels the same way, because soon finds himself running the Princess Ball, a dance held by the local church where, at the end, each daughter pledges herself to a life of purity. Shelby knows that if she makes the pledge, she has to keep it- unless she can find a loophole.

It isn't long before Shelby finds her loophole: if she has sex before the night of the Princess Ball, her vow will be void. She will no longer be pure and therefore cannot live a life of purity. As the Ball approaches, Shelby has to juggle her time between helping her father put the Ball together and finding a suitable guy who is willing to help her break the vow before she takes it.

I'll admit, I was not immediately captivated by this book. It took me a few chapters to get into it, and even then it was a thin line for me between putting it down and dragging my feet through the rest of the narrative. I am happy to report, however, that I did eventually get into it and honestly enjoyed it through to the end.

Shelby is an interesting character and, while I had trouble with the plausibility of her adhering so closely to the promises, I really did like the way the story went. I loved seeing the way her mind worked and how she dealt with all the chaos that was cluttering her life. I especially loved that she didn't only concern herself with the struggles that were in her immediate future. She worried about all kinds of things and we even got to watch her struggle with the concept of faith and religion, which made her that much more accessible as a protagonist and even more believable as a person.

Though the story wasn't all I hope it to be, that may just be because I was hoping for something fully on par with her fantasy novels. However, Jackson Pearce still manages to prove that she is a wonderful and fascinating author through and through. I cannot wait to continue reading as many books as she is willing to put out.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

I remember understanding what love really was. It didn't hurt; it didn't ignore your prayers, didn't seem not to care that your mom was dying. It didn't leave you wondering what you did wrong. Love tried to make you happy, even if it was useless. Love would do anything to make you happy.

GNW: Drinking at the Movies by Julia Wertz

In this gritty and honest graphic novel by Julia Wertz, readers get the chance to follow the adventures (and misadventures) of the author as she recounts her somewhat rash move to New York in her mid-twenties. Written as an autobiographical work, Drinking at the Movies is a collection of events in the life of Wertz. It follows the chaotic movements of her life and times as a new inhabitant of New York City.

Dealing with everything from a brother that slips in and out of rehab like a favorite pair of shoes, to her own inability to hold a job or keep herself from visiting the liquor store every other day, Wertz tells her story from the perspective of someone who knows how insane and unfair life can be. She tells her story with startling honesty and a hilarity that keeps you turning the pages long after you promised yourself you would stop.

I'm not sure I've ever read an autobiographical graphic novel before, but I can definitely say I'm a fan after reading this one. The art brings that much more reality to the story and keeps the reader engaged at every level.

Wertz spares us no detail or embarrassing point of view. She doesn't sugarcoat or whitewash anything, instead telling the story of her struggles and triumphs through the lens of someone who knows what it's like to battle uncertainty and fight to keep going, even while constantly asking herself whether or not she's lost her mind.

If you're looking for something real, filled with adult humor and uncomfortable truths, this is definitely the novel for you. I know I'll be revisiting this graphic novel more than once in the near future. Maybe you ought to do the same.

Valkyrie Rising by Ingrid Paulson

They were all waiting for me to do something- to lead them. And that thought made me want to laugh and cry and crawl under the nearest bench to die.

Valkyrie Rising was one of those lovely books you spot on the shelf at the library and read the back, decide it looks decent enough, and check out. It was one that I wasn't sure I would bother reading, but checked out of the library anyway because it had mythology in it and I am quite the sucker for mythology. Admittedly, almost all of my "expertise" is in Greek mythology; I have almost no knowledge of Norse mythology. Still, I added it to the stack of books I always leave the library with and took it home with me.

When I did crack open Valkyrie Rising, I couldn't have been more surprised by how much I loved it. If I hadn't started reading so late at night, I could have easily read the entire volume in one sitting. (And not because the book is short- it's a hefty 345 pages.) I was hooked and had to force myself to go to bed so I would stop falling asleep with my face on the pages. Still, I woke up and finished it off in a matter of hours.

In Valkyrie Rising, we meet Ellie, a girl from California with an overprotective big brother, Graham, and some deep roots in Norway. Summer has finally arrived, which means Ellie and her brother will be headed to Norway to visit their grandmother for a few weeks. And Graham's infuriating best friend, Tuck, will also be coming along for the ride.

However, when Ellie arrives, she isn't greeted with the usual hospitality and friendliness the small town of Oslo. Instead, she's regarded with suspicion and even her fair share of violence. Reports of the disappearance of young, strong boys has been enough to scare the townspeople into hostility, especially because, for some reason, her grandmother is the prim suspect- and least in the eyes of the public.

It isn't long before Ellie is also being accused to being a Valkyrie, one of those mythical beings whom people believe are snatching up their boys. As much as she wants to deny it, when she saves a friend from being taken by the Valkyries, she sees them for herself and they call her one of them. Even as they say it, she can feel the tug within her, the call to join them.

Yet when Graham is taken next, Ellie knows she'll do anything to save him, even if it means taking down the Valkyries and losing her life in the process. Tuck joins her, eager to save his best friend and keep Ellie safe; but, considering who they're up against, they might as well be running toward death itself.

Like I mentioned above,  I was pleasantly surprised by just how much I enjoyed this book. Ellie is a great heroine who experiences her fair share of self-doubt, yet is too focused on saving the people she cares about to let it conquer her. She's strong and fierce, yet profoundly human, and I love that. Tuck is wonderfully protective, even knowing that Ellie could easily take him out, and perfectly comedic. His comments had me laughing out loud more than once.

The Norse mythology peppered throughout the novel was deeply interesting and definitely pushed me into wanting to learn more about it, and the story itself was fast-paced and left me wanting more. I think this is the first time I've read a stand-alone novel and wanted to bang my head against a desk when I realized there would be no sequel.

Oh well, I suppose I'll just have to be happy with what I was given. After all, at least I'll have plenty of opportunities to reread it.

Rating: ★★★★★

Then Tuck stepped right into the middle of that mess, shielding me completely. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" He shoved the ringleader in the chest. While Tuck definitely had a temper, it always came out sideways through jokes. It took me a second to recognize the look on his face as absolute fury. "I don't know what happens in this hick town, but where I'm from, we don't push girls around." He knocked the boy back one more time, driving his point home.
"She's not a girl," Margit said, glaring at me with so much hatred that it almost hurt. "Filthy Valkyrie."

The Journey by Kathyrn Lasky (Guardians of Ga'Hoole, #2)

"Hope is never a foolish thing -although others will tell you it is. But I don't need to tell you that, Soren- look at yourself. You were snatched and you taught yourself to fly and you escaped from that awful St. Aggie's. You flew straight out of those deep stone canyons and right into the Yonder. Anyone who flies out of a stone hole into the Yonder knows about hope."

Soren, Gylfie, Twilight, and Digger are a band of owls (joined by Mrs. P, a snake and Soren's old nursemaid) who are traveling together in search of the Great Ga'Hoole tree. Each of the young owls have been deeply affected by the goings on at an institution called St. Aggie's and each is determined to do what they can to put an end to the evil within its borders. In order to do this, the band must find the Great Ga'Hoole tree and warn them of what they've seen at St. Aggie's. Only those owls of mythos who are said to fight evil and protect owls everywhere  can possibly save them from the pervasive evil.

Yet even their journey to find the Ga'Hoole tree is fraught with many dangers and plenty of doubt. After all, few have ever laid eyes on the Great Ga'Hoole tree and many believe it is just legend, an old tale passed around for years. And once they reach the Great Ga'Hoole tree, if ever, will that be the end of their journey? Or will it simply be the next step in a tale they never dreamed of stepping into?

I am loving everything about this series so far. I have all but fallen in love with Soren and Gylfie and the other members of their band of owls. Each has their own unique personality and gifts to bring to the table and, even though they fight often enough, they always have each other's backs.

The story itself continues to be breathtaking and keeps the reader hooked from page one. Walking alongside the group through each and every trial can be both hilarious and heartbreaking. You just can't help being addicted to the page. I have to admit, the fact that it is also a pretty clear World War II analogy also adds to the appeal and keeps me that much more interested.

This is a wonderful children's series of which I cannot wait to read more. If you haven't checked it out yet, I highly suggest you do.

Rating: ★★★★☆

"No! No! This can't be!" Soren wailed. He felt his legs collapse under him and he crumpled beside her. "Eglantine! Eglantine!"
"Get Mrs. Plithiver, quick!" Gylfie rasped.

GNW: Drama by Raina Telgemeier

Drama is the story of seventh grader, Callie, as she tries to figure out how to navigate school, theater, and (most confusing) her love life.
Calli loves theater. She has been in love with it since she was a child and was wowed by a production of Les Mis her parents took her to see. Though she can't act or sing, that doesn't bother her. Her real passion is in stage design.
For this year's production of "Moon Over Mississippi," she is chosen to be head of set design: a dream come true. She immediately sets to work doing everything she can to make the production a success.
Meanwhile, her love life has been flagging. She shared a moment with a boy she had been crushing on for ages, but afterward, he acts like she isn't even visible.
To complicate things further, Callie meets a handsome set of twins with whom she immediately hits it off. Both want to be part of the production (one as a stage hand and the other gunning for the lead). Soon she starts spending nearly all of her time with them, but with the production nearing its debut and a prop cannon giving her all the trouble she can manage, when is she supposed to figure out what their mixed messages are really saying?

Drama was a really fun read that had me hooked at the start. From the way the chapters themselves are arranged in Acts, complete with an Intermission halfway through the story, to the very individual (and awesome) characters all throughout.

The art is stunning and deeply enjoyable. I could not stop goggling Callie's hair! As someone who used to have purple hair, it brought a wave of envy I wasn't expecting. It certainly wasn't the only piece of art that had me captivated, though. Every page was drawn exceptionally and only added that much more to the story itself.

Altogether, this was a fabulous graphic novel and I'm too happy to be the proud owner of one of its copies!

Rating: ★★★★☆

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

"Nothing's ever the same," she said. "Be it a second later or a hundred years. It's always churning and roiling. And people change as much as oceans."

I received this lovely book when I went to the Neil Gaiman event a few months ago. It was pre-signed (though I did still wait for five hours to get my copy of Stardust signed) and I wanted to tear into it immediately. However, I was halfway through rereading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, so I had to wait.

On my way home from visiting my family last month, I finished reading A Monster Calls not long after my plane taxied out. Thankfully, I'm a chronic over-packer when it comes to books. (I left for that two week long visit with twenty-five books on me. I'm pretty sure I brought double that on the return trip.) I saw this book and immediately fell upon it, hardly even looking up between chapters as I read.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane is told from the perspective of a nameless male protagonist who finds himself having wandered back to the house at the end of the lane where, once upon a time, he met Lettie Hempstock and thus began the adventure of a lifetime. Only, for some reason, he seem to only just now remember what happened all those years ago, when he was only seven years old and the world became more terrifying than he could ever have imagined.

When a man committed suicide in their neighborhood on a hot summer day, things shifted and beings awoke that should have remained asleep. Lettie, her mother, and grandmother are uniquely equipped to put an end to what has begun to terrorize the neighboring homes, but it only takes one misstep by our protagonist for things to become much worse. What he carries inside him has the potential to wipe out everything and everyone in its path, but Lettie has promised to protect him no matter what the cost. And if he knows anything, it's that the Hempstocks know what they're doing and they are more than capable of bringing this threat to its knees. He can only hope that they manage it before it's too late.

Once again, Neil Gaiman has managed to create a fantastical world that draws the reader in from the start. This book is overflowing with creativity and insightful truths, with more than a little magic sprinkled throughout. I loved every part of this dark fantasy, though it had me equally entranced and horrified. I don't know where the man gets his creative genius, but I would love to find out!

Be prepared, this isn't a kid-friendly fairytale, but it's one of those magical tales you'll want to go back to again and again. This one is going to win more than a few awards and it will deserve every one. You can count on that.

Rating: ★★★★★


"Oh, monsters are scared," said Lettie." That's why they're monsters. "As for grown-ups . . ." She stopped talking, rubbed her freckled nose with a finger. Then, "I'm going to tell you something important. Grown-ups don't look like grown-ups on the inside either. Outside, they're big and thoughtless and they always know what they're doing. Inside, they look just as they always have. Like they did when they were your age. Truth is, there aren't any grown-ups. Not one, in the whole wide world." 

GNW: Americus by M.K. Reed [Illustrated by Jonathan Hill]

I picked up Americus at Teen Book Con. (By now, those of you who read this blog frequently are wondering, Just how many books did she 'pick up' at Teen Book Con?? A lot, my dear reader, more than I'm willing to 'fess up to buying.) I thought it seemed like a pretty interesting premise, plus I managed to get it signed by the author, who complimented me on my Lord of the Rings tattoo and even mentioned it in her personalization when she signed my book.

Americus is told from the perspective of Neil Barton, a young teen who is still trying to figure out his place in the world: what he likes, what he doesn't like, what the hell those girls are giggling at . . . the usual stuff. What he does know is that he loves "The Adventures of Apathea Ravenchilde," the book series he and his best friend are obsessed with and his librarian keeps urging him to read faster so they can talk about all of the wonderful things have happened in the latest addition.

But when Neil's best friend, Danny, is discovered reading the latest addition to the series by his very strict and scarily religious mother, all hell breaks loose. His best friend is sent to military school following a series of fights between he and his mother after the discovery and, to top it all off, Danny's mom has begun to campaign for the banning of the series from
the local library. If he wants to save his beloved book series, Neil is going to have to learn to step outside himself and fight for what he believes in, and team up with other likeminded individuals in the process.

I really enjoyed Americus. I read it all in one sitting after work a few nights ago and pretty much fell in love. Neil is an awkward, out of place teenager who reminds me very much of myself. And don't get me started on how much a loved that badass librarian! I loved the focus on fighting the banning of beloved books. It's a familiar tale for anyone who is invested at all in the book industry.

The art was fully black and white and quite similar in style to artists like Faith Erin Hicks. It's very simple in its lines, but that doesn't mean it sacrifices the art at all. Each person looks different from the next and that just makes the artwork even more interesting (plus it keeps the reader from getting confused on who's who).

Americus was a fun read and one I'd recommend to anyone who loves graphic novels, adores books, and is interested in the topic of censorship. It's definitely worth sitting down with over a cup of coffee, remembering what it's like to fight for the things we love.

Rating: ★★★★☆

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness [Illustrated by Jim Kay]

Stories are wild creatures, the monster said. When you let them loose, who knows what havoc they may wreak.

I picked up A Monster Calls at a bookstore after hearing more than a few people gushing about it on book review vlogs and blogs. The artwork on the cover is stunning and hooked me for certain and, to add that extra cherry on top, I noticed the blurb by John Green that stated, "Patrick Ness is an insanely beautiful writer."

How could I not read it?

My younger brother even got his hands on my copy before I did and tore through it in one sitting. When he finished, he couldn't stop telling me how good it was and that I needed to read it immediately. I got the memo and started in on in while waiting for my flight back to the States after visiting my family a few weeks ago.

When Conor wakes up in the middle of the night, he expects the monster in his nightmares to be lurking just out of sight. He knows with everything that is in him that the monster will come for him soon and he'll live the horror of his nightmares in his waking hours. But it's not the monster Conor expects when he looks out his window and finds the yew tree from the graveyard is now standing firmly in his backyard, his booming voice informing the young boy that he has come for him.

However, Conor is not scared of the yew tree that stands menacingly behind his house, because he's seen worse. Nothing is worse than the monster in his dreams and he'll take any horror over the reality of that nightmare coming true.

However, the great yew tree has different plans for Conor. He has come to demand the truth and to share it. He promises to tell Conor three stories, but after that, Conor must share his story, the one that haunts his every waking hour, as well as his sleep.

My absolute favorite illustration from within A Monster Calls.

I honestly cannot say enough about how utterly spectacular this book is. I can already tell it will be one of those that I read again and again and again, because of its breathtaking beauty and truth.

This is the first work I've read by Patrick Ness, though I've heard people raving about him for years now. I definitely regret not having enjoyed his prose sooner. The storytelling in this book is beyond superb and is only compounded by Ness's profound mastery of the material and his ability to spin and weave the words into something so stunning that it nearly leaves the reader breathless.

And speaking of breathless, look at that artwork! I'm not even sure I can produce words for how intensely beautiful the illustrations are. They litter nearly every page and make the text that much richer; the story that much brighter. I seriously have to find out how I can get my hands on some prints of these.

Overall, I have to say this: if you haven't read A Monster Calls you are seriously missing out. You need to get your hands on this book as soon as you get the chance. It is definitely one of my favorite reads of the year and I'm certain it will be yours as well.

Rating: ~★★★★★~


There is not always a good guy. Nor is there always a bad one. Most people are somewhere in between.
Conor shook his head. "That's a terrible story. And a cheat." 
It's a true story, the monster said. Many things that are true feel like a cheat. Kingdoms get the princes they deserve, farmers' daughters die for no reason, and sometimes witches merit saving. Quite often, actually. You'd be surprised.

GNW: Brain Camp by Susan Kim & Laurence Klavan [Illustrated by Faith Erin Hicks]

Brain Camp is one of the graphic novels I picked up at Teen Book Con earlier this year (and unfortunately one of the only books I bought that I didn't manage to get signed). I had read Friends with Boys by Faith Erin Hicks only a few weeks beforehand and, though this wasn't written by her, I instantly recognized Hicks' superb artistic style and snatched it up.

In Brain Camp, we are introduced to Jenna and Lucas. Jenna's the oddball in her perfect family, not as smart as her sisters and too weird for her parents to understand. Lucas, on the other hand, is something of a thug, hanging out with all the wrong people and going home to a mother who drinks too much and views him as yet another hassle who is more than likely to turn out just like his father. But when a representative of Camp Fielding shows up at their homes, both Jenna and Lucas are sent off to a summer camp where they make kids just like them become everything their parents always dreamed they would be.

It isn't long before the two teens discover that there is something very sinister going on at Camp Fielding. Only they seem to have the strength to stop the threat before it overcomes the entire camp, but only if they can keep it from overwhelming themselves first.

Brain Camp was a fun, gross, terrifying, and exciting adventure geared toward older children and teens, though still a great read for just about anyone who's interested. It pits two underdogs against formidable opponents and a threat they could never have imagined.

The artwork is splendid and the story both believable and captivating. I would definitely lend this one out to anyone who might be interested. It won't disappoint.

Spellcaster by Claudia Gray (Spellcaster, #1)

"Thanks," Verlain whispered. "Kendall was being such a witch." 
Nadia tried to brush aside her momentary annoyance. "I prefer bitch actually. Most witches are perfectly nice people. Sorry - pet peeve."

I picked up this book at Teen Book Con earlier this year. I had the pleasure of getting to hear Claudia Gray pitch her book and, frankly, I was intrigued. She explained the synopsis of the story and I was interested; but it was her description of how she had basically reinvented the laws of magic that piqued my interest. She explained that, while she had wanted to have that magical element in her story, she hadn't wanted to get the "universally accepted magicking laws" messed up. She didn't want any obnoxious letters about how she had messed it up. So she created her own.

In Spellcaster, the spells are not powered by your typical magic. Each has a list of ingredients that aren't really ingredients at all. They're memories. The stronger the memories in the combination, the stronger the spells. When she explained this, I knew I had to purchase the book. And though it took me a while to actually get to it, I've finally read it.

When Nadia, her father, and brother move to Captive's Sound, she's already got a lot on her mind. Her mother recently packed her bags and abandoned them. This is hard enough for any family, but it's especially hard for Nadia, who was being taught the Craft by her mother and now has no teacher and no way to further her mastery of witchcraft.

It's not long before Nadia realizes that there are sinister forces at work in Captive's Sound and she seems to be the only witch around who can do anything about it. However, because she has no one to continue training her, she's not sure how much she can do about the growing threat. And now she has to deal with a mysterious boy whose family is cursed and a girl that seems to be constantly overlooked or forgotten. It's up to Nadia to figure out what's going down in Captive's Sound and do her best to fix it without getting herself, her family, or her friends killed in the process.

I really enjoyed Spellcaster. I was hooked from Chapter One and could hardly convince myself it was worth interacting with my family instead of reading this. Claudia Gray has managed to create both an original magical mythos, as well as a great heroine and a fabulously terrifying villain. (Seriously, though. Props to her for creating a villain so believable and intensely scary.)

I really enjoyed the story and the new context of the magic involved in it. I was quite excited to find that this is slated to be a series (with book two set to hit shelves in March of next year) and I cannot wait to get my hands on the sequel. If you're a fan of magic and contemporary fantasy, you'd better get your hands on this book as soon as humanly possible!

Rating: ★★★★★

"But no matter how hard I pushed you away, you just kept coming. You're relentless, you know that? You wanted to understand me. You wanted to know me. You wanted to save me, and I think you're the only one who can."

GNW: Friends with Boys by Faith Erin Hicks

Maggie has plenty to be worried about on her first day of high school. Her mother went AWOL a few months ago, her older twin brothers are hardly speaking to each other anymore, and she's being haunted by a ghost from the local graveyard. Oh, and did I mention that her first day of high school is also her first day of public school? She and all of her siblings had been homeschooled up until their first day of freshman year.

Though she's terrified, Maggie does manage to make some new friends in Alistair and Lucy, the two misfits siblings that she starts sitting with at lunch. When she tells the two of them about the ghost that follows her around, the three devise a plan to find out how to let the ghost rest in peace. The only problem? That plan might include stealing an artifact from a local museum and having a run-in with the Pack, a group of bullies from school who also happen to have it in for Alistair.

Faith Erin Hicks does a fabulous job in her depiction of Maggie's world, both in her storytelling and in the beautiful artwork that fills the pages. I really enjoyed Maggie's character and seeing her perspective as she deals with the overwhelming prospect of growing up. Starting high school is rough on its own, even without having to deal with a missing mother and a ghost that can't stop following you around.

As someone who is very close with her siblings, I'm the type of person that really enjoys literature that shows off siblings that care about and stick up for each other. Hicks manages to highlight this in her story while still capturing the frequent fights and the words we wish we could take back. The bonds of friendship, and especially family, are the central point of this novel and I loved everything about that.

Overall, this was a great and spooky adventure, filled to the brim with wonderful relationships and second chances. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who's willing to give it a fair shot.

Rating: ★★★★☆

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson & The Olympians, #1)

Gabe turned toward me and spoke in the rasping voice of the Oracle: You shall go west, and face the god who has turned.
His buddy on the right looked up and said in the same voice: You shall a what was stolen, and see it safely returned.
The guy on the left threw in two poker chips, then said: You shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend.
Finally, Eddie, our building super, delivered the worst line of all: And you shall fail to save what matters most, in the end.

I was one of those who was introduced to the Percy Jackson series when the movie, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, came out. I adored the movie and was absolutely stoked when I realized it was based off a book series. Even still, it took a while before I actually got around to reading it. I must have checked it out from the library at least three times before I finally cracked it open and got to reading.

Percy Jackson never realized he was different. Sure, he had a smart mouth on him and a bit of a rebellious nature, he struggled with dyslexia as well as ADD, but nothing too strange. At least, not until his teacher turned into a harpy and tried to kill him. At the end of his sixth grade year, Percy learns that he is actually a half-blood (or a demigod), son of a human mother and a father who happens to be an Olympian god. Now that he has begun to realize his true heritage, the monsters who make it their mission to take down these half-blood heroes are onto his scent.

As if that weren't enough, it's not long after this new discovery that Percy learns Zeus's master bolt has been stolen and all Olympian eyes are on him as the prime suspect. If he wants to clear his name and save the Western World from the wrath of the gods, Percy and his friends are going to have to find the real lightning thief and find the motive behind the theft before it's too late.

This series is often likened to that of the Harry Potter series in more ways than one. While the two series are vastly different in content, I do have to say this: I think the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series is on par in becoming Children's/YA classics for decades to come. Maybe this is a little pre-emptive of me to say. After all I've only read the first two books so far (#2's review will be up in the next 2-3 weeks), but I've got a feeling about this one. We'll just have to see if I feel the same when I reach the end of the series, won't I?

The point is, I loved this book and I think it's an extremely promising start to what looks like an amazing series. I've definitely enjoyed it. (How can I not? Let's keep in mind that I've been fascinated by Greek mythology since I was in elementary school.) I deeply look forward to getting to know Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and the others as the series continues.

Rating: ~★★★★★~

[Click here to see my review of book 2: Sea of Monsters]

"So if the gods fight," I said, "will things line up the way they did with the Trojan War? Will it be Athena vs. Poseidon?"
She put her head against the backpack Ares had given us, and closed her eyes. "I don't know what my mom will do. I just know I'll fight next to you."