Must-Read: Carry On by Rainbow Rowell – Review

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Received: Bought
Publication Date: October 6th 2015
Publisher: St-Martin’s Griffin
Point of View: 1st Person & Alternative
Recommended Age: 13+
Pacing: Fast
Genres &  Themes: Young Adult, Fantasy, Magic, LGBT, Boarding School, Friendship, Romance, Destiny, Vampires

BLURB:

Simon Snow is the worst chosen one who’s ever been chosen.

That’s what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he’s probably right.

Half the time, Simon can’t even make his wand work, and the other half, he sets something on fire. His mentor’s avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there’s a magic-eating monster running around wearing Simon’s face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here—it’s their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon’s infuriating nemesis didn’t even bother to show up.

Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, a mystery and a melodrama. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell story—but far, far more monsters.

Review: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Received: Borrowed
Publication Date: 2002
Publisher: Hachette Book Group
Point of View: 1st Person & 3rd Person
Recommended Age: 13+
Pacing: Very Slow
Genres &  Themes: Adult, Death, Family, Ghosts, Life, Love

BLURB:

The Lovely Bones is the story of a family devastated by a gruesome murder — a murder recounted by the teenage victim. Upsetting, you say? Remarkably, first-time novelist Alice Sebold takes this difficult material and delivers a compelling and accomplished exploration of a fractured family’s need for peace and closure.

The details of the crime are laid out in the first few pages: from her vantage point in heaven, Susie Salmon describes how she was confronted by the murderer one December afternoon on her way home from school. Lured into an underground hiding place, she was raped and killed. But what the reader knows, her family does not. Anxiously, we keep vigil with Susie, aching for her grieving family, desperate for the killer to be found and punished.

The Ruler of Books Tag

This tag was created by Ariel Bissett and the lovely Bea @ Confessions of a Pinay Bookaholic tagged me! Thank you, Lady 😉

Review: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Received: Bought
Publication Date: February 26th 2013
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Point of View: 3rd Person & Alternative
Recommended Age: 13+
Pacing: Very slow
Genres &  Themes: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, High School, Family Issues, Bildungsroman, Realistic Fiction

 

BLURB:

Two misfits.
One extraordinary love.

Eleanor… Red hair, wrong clothes. Standing behind him until he turns his head. Lying beside him until he wakes up. Making everyone else seem drabber and flatter and never good enough…Eleanor.

Park… He knows she’ll love a song before he plays it for her. He laughs at her jokes before she ever gets to the punch line. There’s a place on his chest, just below his throat, that makes her want to keep promises…Park.

Set over the course of one school year, this is the story of two star-crossed sixteen-year-olds—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try.

Series I Will Never Finish

I was thinking about books I read when I was younger and then decided to come up with this list to let all of my frustration out! 😉

Minuscule Review: Only the Good Spy Young (Gallagher Girls, #4) by Ally Carter

Only the Good Spy Young by Ally Carter

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Received: Bought
Publication Date: June 29th 2010
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Point of View: 1st Person & Feminine
Recommended Age: 13+
Pacing: Fast
Genres &  Themes: Young Adult, Contemporary, Mystery, Action

BLURB:

When Cammie Morgan enrolled at the Gallagher Academy, she knew she was preparing for the dangerous life of a spy. What she didn’t know was that the serious, real-life danger would start during her junior year of high school. But that’s exactly what happened two months ago when Cammie faced off against an ancient terrorist organization dead set on kidnapping her.

Now the danger follows her everywhere, and even Cammie “The Chameleon” can’t hide. When a terrifying encounter in London reveals that one of her most-trusted allies is actually a rogue double-agent, Cammie no longer knows if she can trust her classmates, her teachers—or even her own heart.

Waiting on Wednesday (#13)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly post created by Breaking the Spine that features our most anticipated books to be released.

I can’t stop staring at the cover. It looks so mysterious and, quite frankly, it better be good, because it’s at the top of my To-Be-Released TBR.

Review: The Naturals (The Naturals, #1) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Received: Borrowed
Publication Date: November 5th 2013
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Point of View: 1st Person & Feminine
Recommended Age: 14+
Pacing: Fast
Genres &  Themes: Young Adult, Contemporary, Crime, Mystery, Love Triangle

BLURB:

Seventeen-year-old Cassie is a natural at reading people. Piecing together the tiniest details, she can tell you who you are and what you want. But it’s not a skill that she’s ever taken seriously. That is, until the FBI come knocking: they’ve begun a classified program that uses exceptional teenagers to crack infamous cold cases, and they need Cassie.

What Cassie doesn’t realize is that there’s more at risk than a few unsolved homicides—especially when she’s sent to live with a group of teens whose gifts are as unusual as her own. Sarcastic, privileged Michael has a knack for reading emotions, which he uses to get inside Cassie’s head—and under her skin. Brooding Dean shares Cassie’s gift for profiling, but keeps her at arm’s length.

Review: The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout

The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Received: Bought
Publication Date: May 17th, 2016
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Point of View: 1st Person & Feminine
Recommended Age: 14+
Pacing: Very slow
Genres &  Themes: Young Adult, High School, Romance, Contemporary, Family, Abuse, Child Neglect, Long-term Effect

BLURB:

For some people, silence is a weapon. For Mallory “Mouse” Dodge, it’s a shield. Growing up, she learned that the best way to survive was to say nothing. And even though it’s been four years since her nightmare ended, she’s beginning to worry that the fear that holds her back will last a lifetime.

Now, after years of homeschooling with loving adoptive parents, Mallory must face a new milestone—spending her senior year at public high school. But of all the terrifying and exhilarating scenarios she’s imagined, there’s one she never dreamed of—that she’d run into Rider Stark, the friend and protector she hasn’t seen since childhood, on her very first day.

Review: Don’t Judge a Girl by Her Cover (Gallagher Girls, #3) by Ally Carter

Don’t Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Received: Bought
Publication Date: June 9th 2009
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Point of View: 1st Person & Feminine
Recommended Age: 12+
Genres &  Themes: Young Adult, Espionage, Boarding School, Mystery, Contemporary, Romance, Family, Secrets,

BLURB:

When Cammie “The Chameleon” Morgan visits her roommate Macey in Boston, she thinks she’s in for an exciting end to her summer break. After all, she’s there to watch Macey’s father accept the nomination for vice president of the United States. But when you go to the world’s best school (for spies), “exciting” and “deadly” are never far apart. Cammie and Macey soon find themselves trapped in a kidnappers’ plot, with only their espionage skills to save them.