Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

Title: Seraphina
Author: Rachel Hartmann
Rating: 4.5
Genre: YA Fantasy

I'll admit I judge a book by it's cover sometimes...and this one had a cover so gorgeous I wanted to read the book curled up in bed with the reading lamp on and pretend I was living inside the picture.  And, for the most part, this book lived up to it's attractive cover.

Seraphina has a terrible secret, one so big it could kill her if the truth is learned by the wrong people. Her goal is to stay unnoticed and blend in, however her decision to go to court and her inability to keep her strong opinions to herself make this impossible. Special abilities she didn't realize she had are also making themselves known to her.  While at court Serafina also realizes she may be the key to keeping the peace between dragons and humans during a tumultuous time. Can she restore the peace between humans and dragons and keep her secret hidden?

This is a great "escape your everyday stressful life" read.  It does a good job of putting the reader in a different world; old world setting, with a fantasy element (my favorite). Seraphina gives a very unique take on dragons. They aren't your dragon and rider type or the impersonal "terrifying" kind either.  Instead, the dragons in this story are intelligent and can change forms into human bodies, yet don't view emotions the same as them. Emotions to them are "weak". 

The main heroine, Seraphina, is also very likable, being strong-willed, intelligent, kind-hearted, and downright stubborn at times (though not whiny which happens far too often nowadays). She also has a secret which weighs on her conscience and makes it impossible for her to tell the truth at times.

Meanwhile, the peace between humans and dragons rides a thin line, and Seraphina finds herself thrown into the middle of the conflict.

Overall, this book has everything a good read needs; good setting, strong main character, characters with depth, a bit of mystery, and of course some romance.

Size 12 and Ready to Rock by Meg Cabot

I received this book as part of the Library Thing Early Reviewers program and was super exited as I already have all of the previous books in this series :) !

Heather Wells returns! Be ready to put everything you planned on accomplishing for the day on the back burner, because once this book is started, it won't get put down until it's finished. Romance, mystery, action, and lot's of humor, Meg keeps writing amazing, contemporary chick lit.
In this fourth installment of the Heather Wells series, Heather once again finds herself in the middle of a mystery and... mortal peril. But why? Could someone really want Tania Trace or Jordan Cartwright, two of the most beloved pop stars, dead?
While Heather has all the worries of keeping the people around her in Death Dorm safe (along with herself), she's also worrying about how her recent engagement to Cooper Cartwright will be taken by others (most importantly her ex Jordan, Cooper's brother).
Can Heather handle everything and stay alive?


"I've come to the conclusion that, aside from Nazis, the Taliban, and possibly the honey badger, there is no one in the planet more merciless than a teenaged girl, once she's decided she dislikes you."

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Rating: 5
Genre: YA Dystopian

I loved this book.  It's a fast, fun, action-packed read. This book reminded me of a more grown up version of The Giver because of the ceremony to decide your fate for the rest of your life and that whole dystopian theme.  However, it's for a way more grown up audience (not that The Giver can't be enjoyed at all ages:) because there is a lot of brutal violence and the necessary young adult romance aspect.  The violence part reminded me of the Hunger Games (I was in total shock at parts of that book) but in both books it was necessary in the fact that it showed the reader how far society can fall, but people will still accept it as "normal".

In Divergent, Beatrice aka Tris makes a fateful decision to leave her family's faction of Abnegation to join the Dauntless faction, one of five faction's this Dystopian world is made up of; Candor (the honest), Erudite (the intelligent), Amity (the peaceful), Dauntless (the brave), and Abnegation (the selfless. Tris partakes in the brutal Dauntless initiation, trying to prove herself as a fierce compeitor despite her small size and selfless upbringing. Even though Tris feels more at home in the Dauntless faction, there is still something different about her; her test results were inconclusive and she can easily manipulate the serum induced fear tests. Plus, she senses something isn't right in the Dauntless faction; their faction didn't use to be so senselessly violent and brutal. What will she find out about herself? And what is actually going on in the Dauntless faction?  Will she find out before it's too late?

Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins



Title: Gregor the Overlander
Author: Suzanne Collins
Genre: Junior Fiction
Rating: 5



I’ll admit, I picked this book up because after reading The Hunger Games trilogy a couple of years ago I wanted to see what else Suzanne Collins could do.  I  had a hard to believing she could tame down her writing enough so that younger kids could comprehend it and not be scared out of their wits.  I was sooo impressed with this book and how well written it is for the intended age group, and cannot wait to read the rest in this series.  I will definitely start recommending this series to more kids looking for adventure novels or something “fun”.

Gregor, a poor, responsible young boy has recently lost his father and starts taking on the tasks of being the "man" of the house.  He does his chores and passes up going to summer camp to take care of his two-year-old sister Boots, and his aging grandma.

However, his summer soon takes a turn when he runs to chase Boots down a vent in the laundry room...and is transported to the "Underland".  Once in the Underland, Gregor faces many difficult choices and challenges thrown his way.  Giant evil rats, huge bats, enormous cockroaches and a strange looking race of humans greet Gregor and Boots in the Underland.  Plus a mysterious prophecy and a whisper of his father leave Gregor confused and shaken, can he overcome all of this?

Gregor the Overlander snuck in so many life lessons, kids reading this book won't even know they are learning to become better people, and adults will be reminded of the people they should try to be every day.  Kindness, forvgiveness, equality, and the ability to hope are repeated throughout this novel making it a fun and exciting adventure with depth.  The reader will find themselves thinking about the story after they have finished reading it, looking at life a little bit differently.

"Even if times got bad, he would never again deny himself the possibility that the future might be happy even if the present was painful. He would allow himself dreams."

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

Title: Wonderstruck
Author: Brian Selznick
Genre: Junior Fiction
Rating: 5

After waking up at 2am with far too much on mind (Summer Reading Program, new house, impending wedding, etc.) I picked up Wonderstruck and did not go back to sleep until 4am (oops!), but that's how all consuming this book is.  It is an amazing read!  I am a solidified fan of Brian Selznick now. The Invention of Hugo Cabret is absolutely amazing too.

Review:
A young boy's journey through loss, tragedy, difficult changes, and ultimately the discovery of a lifetime. Ben loses his mother and must live with his aunt, uncle, and cousins. Then he faces another major set back when he tries to discover more about his father who he has never met. Ben sets off on the adventure of his lifetime to meet his father, and although the journey and outcome aren't exactly what he expects the results are astounding and change his life forever.

Along with Ben's journey, the story of a young deaf girl named Rose is also told mainly through pictures. The two stories interweave and mesh together perfectly adding an extra element to the book.

The story is masterfully told through not only carefully chosen words, but perfectly suited pictures. This was an awesome novel which people of all ages will enjoy and re-read just to see if they missed anything the first time.

"Ben wished the world was organized by the Dewey decimal system. That way you'd be able to find whatever you were looking for..."

The Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan



Title: The Serpent's Shadow
Author: Rick Riordan
Genre: Junior Fiction
Rating: 4.5


 Super sad that this is "supposed" to be the last book in Riordan's Kane Chronicles series.  However, fingers crossed, this isn't actually the case.  I got the feeling after reading this book that maybe (hopefully) a book combining Egyptian mythology with the Greek/Roman mythology is in the future.

I love Riordan's junior fiction books, but I do find the Kane Chronicles more difficult to follow  than the Percy Jackson or Lost Heroes of Olympus series.  Most likely because I am just more familiar with Greek mythology than Egyptian mythology.  That being said, I love being able to learn mroe about Egytian mythology through this series.

In this book, the battle to stop Apophis, the god of Chaos, is the center of the plot.  Of course Carter and Sadie Kane's messy yet entertaining love lives are also part of the plot line.  The Kane children face numerous challenges and obstacles they need to overcome which make for a book packed full of non-stop actiona and adventure. Don't start this book unless you have plenty of time to read becasue it will be one which is really hard to put down.

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

Title: A Great and Terrible Beauty
Author: Libba Bray
Genre: YA Historical Fiction/Fantasy
Rating: 3.5

This was not a bad read, but it wasn't particularly great either. I probably had too high of expectations going into it though.  Historical fiction, mixed with fantasy, and a touch of romance; a bit too good to be true.  The characters didn't particularly click with me, but maybe that's because I never understood the popular and annoying 16 year old mindset. They just seemed like the type of people at school I would have avoided at all costs, but maybe that was the point of the book; to show the snotty kids perspective?  Whatever the case, I will probably try and finish the series at some point because for some reason I can't quite put my finger on, I'm curious.  Maybe the next ones will be better?

Overview:
After a terrifying vision and the murder of her mother, Gemma's life is changed forever.  She is sent to boarding school in England after a life in India and discovers the difficulty of fitting in, making friends, staying true to herself, while also learning about a dangerous secret Order and her connection to it.  A gift she didn't know she had also appears and she must learn how to manage it. However, a mysterious young man has followed her from India to England to warn Gemma against using this new gift she has discovered, but should she listen? Gemma faces many difficult decsions, but will she make the right choices?