Nothing but the Truth (and a few white lies) by Justina Chen Headley

Synopsis:
Not quite a banana (Asian on the outside but white on the inside), and not quite an egg (a white kid who gets off on all things Asian), half-and-half Patty Ho has never felt completely at home in her skin. Life at House Ho is tough enough between her ultra-strict Taiwanese mom (epic-length lectures and all) and her Harvard-bound big brother. But things get worse when a Chinese fortune-teller channels Patty's future via her belly button... and divines a white guy on her romance horizon. Faster than Patty can add two plus two, her mom freaks out and ships her off to math camp at Stanford. Just as Patty writes off her summer of woe, life starts glimmering with all kinds of probabilities...

My Rating: 6/10

My Thoughts:
So this is the third and final Justina Chen Headley book that she has written. It was the first one she wrote, but the last one I read, and probably my least favorite. But that's not to say it doesn't have merit.

Patty is half Taiwanese and half Caucasian, and I enjoyed this different perspective. She struggles to fit in completely with either side of her ethnic background because each group views her as slightly other. There were many humorous parts, especially the Chinese fortune-teller and the smelly soup, and it's fun to read about people who's every day life is so different than my own, but at the same time so similar.

The things I didn't really like were, and you guessed it, it lacked romance, and a lot of it took place at a math camp. But these are mostly just personal perspectives, not faults that have to do with the writing or plot holes or any other aspect that would constitute a bad novel. I just don't like math, so maybe this book is for you. It just was not for me.

North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley

Synopsis:
It's hard not to notice Terra Cooper. She's tall, blond, and has an enviable body. But with one turn of her cheek, all people notice is her unmistakably "flawed" face. Terra secretly plans to leave her small, stifling town in the Northwest and escape to an East Coast college, but gets pushed off-course by her controlling father. When an unexpected collision puts Terra directly in Jacob's path, the handsome but quirky Goth boy immediately challenges her assumptions about herself and her life, and she is forced in yet another direction. With her carefully laid plans disrupted, will Terra be able to find her true path?

My Rating: 9/10

My Thoughts:
I know I say this a lot, but I LOVED this book. The first half takes place in Washington, and being from Oregon, I consider this local, and I love books that take place near where I live. Then the second half takes place in China, which I want to visit so so so bad, so I really enjoyed reading about that. (There are not enough YA books where the characters travel to foreign countries) Plus, Terra is an artist, and I have a thing for characters who are artists.

Besides the setting, the thing that made this book for me was Jacob. He was so sweet and fun and comes to Terra just when she needs him. I have a major crush on this guy.

However, as much as I love Jacob, the opposite is true of Terra's father. I have never despised a character more in a book. He is nasty, petulant, unfair and childish. You just want to scream at Terra's mom to stop putting up with everything, and stand up for herself. (And Terra's mom's journey is a major, and awesome subplot, and is yet another reason why this book exuded awesomeness)

This is a book about coming to terms with things you can't change, and when you can making changes for the better, even if it's difficult. Overall it was very uplifting and sends a good message about inner beauty, friendship, and love. Plus the cover is beautiful.

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

Synopsis:
Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her "power" to sense dead bodies--or as least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt echoes the dead leave behind in the world... and the imprints that attach to their killers.

Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find dead birds her cat left for her. But now that a serial killer is terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he's claimed haunt her daily, Violet realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.

Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet find the murder-- and Violet is unnerved by her hope that Jay's intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she's falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer... and becoming his prey herself.

My Rating: 8/10

My Thoughts:
I had looked at this book on Amazon a couple of times, but never tried it because it sounded depressing and morbid, and I was worried that Violet would be dark and depressing as a character. However, eventually the hint of a love story (and a desperate need for new reading material) finally drove me to reserve this book at my library. Upon finishing it I was pleased to discover I was wrong about the excessively morbid story and characters and instead discovered an interesting murder mystery with a bit of a supernatural twist, and a pretty good love story to boot.

Honestly, I loved both Violet and Jay. She was a girl who was coping with a rather dark ability, but still managed to find the joy in life. He was a fabulous best friend turned something more that I always wished for in my own high school years. Together they became a good team each helping the other out, without taking to much control over the other.

Plot-wise, I thought I had it figured out from the beginning, but as the story progressed, enough twists and clues were thrown in to keep me guessing, so that by the end I wasn't really sure how it was going to turn out. I would come up with a theory, then toss it out and come up with a new one, only to then later go back to my original theory, before throwing it out again. I enjoy a book that can keep me guessing.

All in all, this ended up being a pretty fun read, despite the whole serial killer thing and I would recommend that you go and find a copy for yourself.

Boys, Bears, and a Serious Pair of Hiking Boots by Abby McDonald

Synopsis:
Jenna may hail from the 'burbs of New Jersey, but Green Teen activism is her life, so she leaps at the chance to visit her hippie godmother, Susie, up in rural Canada. Jenna is psyched at the chance to commune with nature for the first time--and the cute, pladwearing boys she's certain must roam there.

But after a few run-ins with local wildlife (from a grouchy old moose, to Susie's sullen Goth stepdaughter, to a hot but hostile boy named Reeve), Jenna gets the idea that her long-held ideals, like vegetarianism and conservation, don't play so well with this population of real ouotdoorsmen. A dusty survival guide offers Jenna amusing tips on navigating the wilderness--but can she learn to navigate the turns of her heart?

My Rating: 8/10

My Thoughts:
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I'm a huge outdoors person and I love hiking and camping and all other various wilderness-y activities, so reading a book that involved a city girl out of her element in the woods sounded like a good fun read, and I wasn't disappointed.

Jenna is from New Jersey and is all about environmental activism, so when she gets the chance to spend the summer in a small town in the Canadian woods, she jumps at the opportunity to spend her time with people who basically live in the woods, and therefore must be environmentally conscious. However, upon arrival, Jenna is surprised to learn that for many of the town's occupants recycling pop bottles and reducing the amount of electricity used is the last thing on their minds.

Now of course because this is a ya book, there are several attractive local boys for her to hang out with, and I was impressed with the fact that Jenna actually realized and admitted to herself right away as soon as she started having feelings for one of them. It seems such an obvious thing, but so many times all the main female characters and in denial of their crushes, and that drives me crazy. In my high school experience, I always knew exactly when I liked a guy. It was admitting to other people about my crush that I had problems with. So kudos to Abby McDonald for getting that right.

Overall, though there wasn't really anything too deep or thought provoking about this novel, I really enjoyed reading it and, ultimately, that's all that matters.

The Line By Teri Hall

Synopsis:
Rachel lives with her mother on The Property. The good thing about living there is that it's far from the city, where the oppressive government is most active. The bad thing, at least to most people, is that it's close to the Line--an uncrossible section of the National Border Defense System, an invisible barrier that encloses the entire country.

She can see the Line from the greenhouse windows, but she is forbidden to go near it. Across the Line is Away, and though Rachel has heard many whispers about the dangers there, she never really believed the stories. Until the day she hears a recording that could only have come from across the Line.

It's a voice asking for help.

Who sent the message? What is her mother hiding? And to what lengths will Rachel go in order to do what she thinks is right?

My Rating: 7/10

My Thoughts:
I gave this book a seven, though it's really more like a six and a half... I was really excited for it. It had an interesting premise and had a lot of potential, however as soon as I started it I had to force myself to keep going.

I found Rachel to be a really annoying character. She is naive and sheltered and seemed very immature to me. Normally, this wouldn't really bother me, however the prose describing Rachel seemed almost like I was reading a middle grade book, and it really turned me off. I stuck with it, though, hoping things would improve as the story progressed.

And it was this interest in seeing how the book would end that kept me reading more than interest in the plot. But as soon as things FINALLY started to happen, and the plot FINALLY started to pick up, the pages ran out. Yes this book ends on a HUGE CLIFF HANGER! And it wasn't even really a cliff hanger, it was more like the book ended in the middle. Nothing was resolved. In fact, it felt like the book had barely begun. It seemed more like a very overly-detailed plot synopsis than a full novel with build up, a climax and a conclusion. There was no climax and no conclusion. Only build up.

Oh well, it was short and the possible future world that Hall creates is kind of interesting so I think I might pick up the next one, if only to see if the story improves.

...And bring on a love story! I'm always down for that!

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

Synopsis:
When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year, she has no clue that her carefully created “perfect” life is about to unravel before her eyes. She’s forced to be lab partners with Alex Fuentes, a gang member from the other side of town, and he is about to threaten everything she's worked so hard for—her flawless reputation, her relationship with her boyfriend, and the secret that her home life is anything but perfect. Alex is a bad boy and he knows it. So when he makes a bet with his friends to lure Brittany into his life, he thinks nothing of it. But soon Alex realizes Brittany is a real person with real problems, and suddenly the bet he made in arrogance turns into something much more.

My Rating: 8/10

My Thoughts:
There was a lot of blog hype about this book, which is why I decided to pick it up. I'm always looking for a good love story, and this book very much fit that criteria.

Unfortunately I read this book a while ago, so some of the specific things are getting kind of fuzzy. This book is a classic bad boy (who is really a good guy) meets good girl (who is a lot more complicated than she appears) and falls in love. However don't let this overused plot deter you, I was very much crushing on Alex, and found Brittany very likable. The romance was everything I look for in a book like this. I was addicted from beginning to end and I especially liked the epilogue. Sometimes I find them pointless, but in this case I really enjoyed it because it offered a lot of insight. (I don't want to give anything away by saying more)

If you're looking for something that will throw you a plot curve ball, this story isn't it. But I would totally recommend this book to anyone looking for an excellent love story to read again and again, for I was most thoroughly entertained.

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Synopses:
Grace has spent years watching the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow eyed wolf--her wolf-- watches back. He feels deeply familiar to her, but she doesn't know why.

Sam has lived two lives. As a wolf he keeps the silent company of the girl he loves. And then, for a short time each year, he is human, never daring to talk to Grace... until now.

For Grace and Sam, love has always been kept at a distance. But once it's spoken, it cannot be denied. Sam must fight to stay human--and Grace must fight to keep him--even if it means taking on the scars of the past, the fragility of the present, and the impossibility of the future.

My Rating: 7/10

My Thoughts:
It took me a long time to even pick this book up because, like vampires, werewolves are WAAAAY over done right now. However for lack of anything else to read, I decided try it out. I had read a lot of hype about this book and with generally good reviews, so because of this my expectations were high, but in the end Shiver let me down.

It was not all bad. I liked how the werewolves changing depended on the temperature of the air around them. That was something new and interesting to find in one of the many excessive stories surrounding this folklore. And I did love Sam. He is just a generally good guy, and I'm a sucker for them in the stories I read. (And don't even get me started on how much I love books with hot boys who love to read!)

Besides this though, I thought the plot could have used a little more oomph. I was never on the edge of my seat, dying to know what was going to happen next. Everything just kind of plays out methodically, I was not impressed by the antagonist, and I pretty much knew what was going to happen at the end.

However, I was kept interested enough to await the next book in the series to see if there's an improvement.

Hourglass by Claudia Gray

Synopsis:
After escaping from Evernight Academy, the vampire boarding school where they met, Bianca and lucas take refuge with the Black Cross, a fanatical group of vampire hunters. Bianca must hide her supernatural heritage or risk certain death at its hands. But when Black Cross captures her friend--the vampire Balthazar--hiding is no longer an option.

Soon Bianca and Lucas are on the run again, persued not only by Black Cross but by the powerful leaders of Evernight. Yet no matter how far they travel, Bianca can't escape her destiny.

My Rating: 7/10

My Thoughts:
I'm not exactly sure how much I should say about this book because it's the third in the series, and I don't want to give a lot away. I really think it suffers from middle book syndrome, and a lot of plot and action took place in the first two books. This one starts off slow, but sets itself up for an exciting final installment. In fact it was the final 75 pages that really saved this book in my opinion. I had some predictions about what exactly was going on, but Claudia Gray went way farther than I would have ever guessed. Like with Evernight before it, I was surprised and that fact really factors in to how much I like a book.

I liked how you got to see a lot more of Bianca and Lucas interacting in this book. With the others, it always seemd like they only saw each other in short snatches of time, and then one or the other was running off before they got caught together. In this book, the two finally get to be together and I think it really helped make the relationship belieivable. Relationships in novels get old when the two characters are madly in love, but they hardly know each other, and they never really get to see each other.

However, this book ends on a major cliff-hanger which is frustrating. Now I'm stuck waiting for another year until Afterlife is released.

The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley

Synopses:

Although she is the daughter of Damar's king, Aerin has never been accepted as full royalty. Both in and out of the royal court, people whisper the story of her mother, the witchwoman, who was said to have enspelled the king into marrying her, to get an heir to rule Damar--then died of dispair when she found she had born a daughter instead of a son. But none of them, not even Aerin herself, can predict her destiny--for she is to be the true hero who will wield the power of the Blue Sword.

My Rating: 7/10

My Thoughts:

I'm not sure exactly how to review this book... I liked it, but at the same time I kinda didn't. It's one of those classic young adult fantasy novels that always seem to come up on lists of best books for teens, or kick-ass girl books, and there is a part of me that believes it deserves to be there. But at the same time, I had a hard time getting through it.

This is not the first time I've read this book. The very first time, I was pretty young, and just couldn't get through it. I tried it again in high school, and finished it, and I don't really remember feeling either positively or negatively about it. This time however, because of this blog, I'm forced to actually articulate my feelings, and it's so difficult. I guess I'm finding reviewing it difficult because I found reading it a little difficult. The style of writing seems almost... arcane. That's the only word I can think of, and I guess I didn't really like that style. I felt a little disconnected from the main character, Aerin, and I didn't really care about the love story.

I guess I should also list some things I did like, since I did like the book, even though I didn't. Ultimately, this is a girl kicking some ass novel, which I'm a huge sucker for. Any time a female character does something that she is not expected to do because she is female, I'm one hundred percent behind it. So having a feisty heroine give this book a lot of points.

So there you have it, my review of a book that I liked even though I didn't. I guess I recommend reading the book for yourself and coming to your own conclusions. Don't listen to me, what do I know. Many, many people love this book, so who are you going to believe. And remember, I too liked it, even though I didn't.

Graceling by Kristen Cashore

Synopsis:
In a world where people born with an extreme skill--called a Grace--are feared and exploited, Katsa carries the burden of a skill even she despises: the Grace of killing. She lives under the command of her uncle Randa, King of the Middluns, and is expected to execute his dirty work, punishing and torturing anyone who displeases him.

when she first meets Prince Po, who is Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change.

She never expects to become Po's friend.

She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace--or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away... a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.

My Rating: 9/10

My Thoughts:
First off, I just want to say that I love, love, LOVE this book. It's definitely on my top 10 list of all time, and everyone should go read it right now.

I love books where gender roles are inverted, when a female character is either pretending to be a man, or they are naturally physically stronger, faster and better then the men. Specifically, I love how authors solve the problem of this female character finding love. I think as a society we generally think of the male as the protector and provider, so when these gender roles are reversed, the love story aspect becomes slightly complicated. So I found this book very interesting because when facing the main antagonist, Katsa has a weakness and Po does not. So though Katsa is faster and stronger and a better fighter, she still needs Po to help and protect her, as least in this one way. It creates an equality between them that Katsa exsperiences with no other man. Maybe it's just me, but I find that endlessly interesting.

All the characters are fabulous in this book, and I would love to hang out with them all. However, this isn't possible, so I'm stuck reading Graceling over and over again, pretending Katsa and Po are my best friends and eagerly wait for Bitterblue, which does not yet have a release date, to find out what happens next.

Impossible by Nancy Werlin

Synopsis:
Lucy Scarborough is only seventeen when she discovers that the women of her family have been cursed through generations, forced to attempt three seemingly impossible tasks or to fall into madness upon their child's birth. How can Lucy succeed when all of her ancestors have tried and failed? But Lucy is the first girl who won't be alone as she tackles the list. She has her fiercely protective foster parents beside her. And she has Zach, whose strength amazes her more each day. Do they have enough love and resolve to overcome an age-old-evil?

My Rating: 7/10

(Uh, I may have gotten a little excited, and some may see my thoughts as a little spoilorish, though I don't think so, but proceed at your own risk)

My Thoughts:
This book had so much promise. I was so intrigued by a novel based off of the ballad Scarborough Fair, the same ballad the Simon and Garfunkel song is based off of. But once I started reading I was a little disappointed. I'm not sure exactly why, but I think it comes down to the love story portrayed between Lucy and Zach. It seemed to move way to fast for me. He goes from thinking of Lucy as a kind of younger sister figure to suddenly confessing his love for her in a matter of days, then it just keeps progressing from there. And yes, I understand how their relationship plays a major part in the resolution of the plot, but to me it was unbelievable and detracted from an otherwise interesting story.

A warning to younger readers, Lucy is raped in the beginning of the story, but it's not graphically portrayed. However, I have read some complaints about this because it's not mentioned anywhere in the synopsis and I guess it surprised some people.

Overall I thought it was a unique ballad retelling which only lacked a realistic love story.

Evermore by Alyson Noel

Synopses:
Ever Bloom has just moved to California from Oregon after a tragic accident claimed the life of her parents and sister. But while dealing with the guilt of being the only survivor, Ever is also dealing with new found psychic abilities that alienate her from the rest of her peers. However, when a mysterious boy, Damen Auguste, shows up with the ability to block all the thoughts and emotions that Ever can not claim as her own, she is intrigued and may just be able to learn why these things are happening to her.

My Rating: 5/10

My Thoughts:
This book started off interesting, I was curious to learn exactly what Damen was and if he was good or bad, but at about the half-way mark I became irritated with Ever's reluctance to get answers. She constantly pushes away everyone who tries to explain anything to her. Then when all was revealed, I felt a little dissapointed. Plus everything was tied up a little to neately for my taste. All in all an ok read, but nothing special.