Bloodhound by Tamora Pierce

Title: Bloodhound





Author: Tamora Pierce





Published: New York : Random House, c2009





Pages: 551





Series: Book 2, Beka Cooper





Snippet:"Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it."





Summary: Having been promoted from "Puppy" to "Dog," Beka, now a full-fledged member of the Provost's Guard, and her former partner head to a neighboring port city to investigate a case of counterfeit coins. (Taken from Christchurch City Libraries Website)





Review: It has been a while since I've read a Tamora Pierce book and when I got hold of Bloodhound I was pretty excited because I do love Tamora Pierce.  Compared to all the other books by Tamora Pierce I've read I would say Bloodhound was good but it wasn't one of the best. By itself, I would have to say that it delivered on being awesome.





I really liked Bloodhound. Mostly because it was a bit of a mystery with the counterfeit coins.  I did think it didn't have as much of a fantasy atmosphere as I usually like but it was still enjoyable.





Characterwise I think Beka is pretty kick-ass. Same with Goodwin, I love female characters who are strong and independent and the two of them together just make one really great team.  One character I didn't particularly like was Dale.  I had my own reasons for not liking him which if I said anything would spoil part of the story.





Overall, Bloodhound was a good book, it was a little long though. I think it could've been cut back a little but I still enjoyed it.  I definitely look forward to the next book in the trilogy, Mastiff, which will be out next year. If you're a fan of Tamora Pierce and fantasy novels, I think you'll enjoy Bloodhound and the first book Terrier.





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Forget-her-nots by Amy Brecount White

Title: Forget-her-nots










Author: Amy Brecount White



Published: Greenwillow Books, 2010



Pages: 384



Snippet: "No one we truly love ever leaves us completely."



Summary: When someone leaves three mystery flowers outside her dorm door, Laurel thinks that maybe the Avondale School isn't so awful after all — until her own body starts to freak out. In the middle of her English presentation on the Victorian Language of Flowers, strange words pop into her head, and her body seems to tingle and hum. Impulsively, Laurel gives the love bouquet she made to demonstrate the language to her spinster English teacher. When that teacher unexpectedly and immediately finds romance, Laurel suspects that something — something magical — is up. With her new friend, Kate, she sets out to discover the origins and breadth of her powers by experimenting on herself and others. But she can’t seem to find any living experts in the field of flower powers to guide her. And her bouquets don't always do her bidding, especially when it comes to her own crush, Justin. Rumors about Laurel and her flowers fly across campus, and she's soon besieged by requests from girls — both friends and enemies — who want their lives magically transformed — just in time for prom. (Taken from Goodreads)



Review: When I found out that Forget-her-nots was about flowers I jumped at the chance to read this book. I love flowers and I love the whole concept of the 'language of flowers'.  It was a really good book. The flowers in the book made for such an  interesting and unique story.



The book was written in quite a simple language so it didn't take too long to read through the book.  I would say that this book is probably for a younger young adult audience just because the story is written quite simply.



None of the characters were outstanding. I think I missed a part of it because I was a little confused at Laurel's behaviour but it was explained a little later on.  I thought Tara was an absolutely horrible character and I know some people are mean but she just seemed to be too mean at times.



One thing I'm really curious about is if  there will be a sequel. Forget-her-nots ended quite abruptly so I was left a little dazed at the end.



Overall, I enjoyed Forget-her-nots.  It had a really unique and original concept and I loved learning about all the flowers but I didn't think it was the best book out there.  If you're looking for a bright, summer read with a lot of flowers then Forget-her-nots would be a great read.



Source: International Book Tours
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Killer by Sara Shepard

Title: Killer





Author: Sara Shepard





Published: New York : HarperTeen, c2009





Pages: 321





Series: Book 6, Pretty Little Liars





Snippet:"The person's face was covered by a huge hood."





Summary: May contain spoilers! Former best friends Emily, Aria, Hanna, and Spencer continue to live in fear as they struggle to keep hidden even more secrets and someone new begins stalking them via their cell phones. (Taken from Christchurch City Libraries Website)





Review: Oh my goodness! Cliffhanger ending anybody. Killer has to be the most intense book in the Pretty Little Liars so far. Ugh I just wish I had the last two books with me.





Without giving too much away, there was so much mystery  going on. Like, what is up with A? All of this suspense is driving me crazy, I JUST HAVE TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS.





I have just one little thing to say about Spencer, oh man I just feel like telling her that she is crazy. I just feel so bad for her and yeah. We'll leave it there.





Killer is a reminder of why I love to read and why I love mystery and suspense books.  If you have not read Killer or any of the Pretty Little Liars then you should definitely now.  I know the covers don't look like much but really the story and plot is so in-depth and amazing you can't help but get sucked in.





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Firespell by Chloe Neill

Title: Firespell





Author: Chloe Neill





Published: Signet, 2010





Pages: 256





Snippet: "Scout released me, then wiped tears from beneath her eyes."





Summary: As the new girl at the elite St. Sophia’s boarding school, Lily Parker thinks her classmates are the most monstrous things she’ll have to face… 



When Lily’s guardians decided to send her away to a fancy boarding school in Chicago, she was shocked. So was St. Sophia’s. Lily’s ultra-rich brat pack classmates think Lily should be the punchline to every joke, and on top of that, she’s hearing strange noises and seeing bizarre things in the shadows of the creepy building.




Review: Firespell was an interesting book.  The more I read it the more I was interested, it kind of had a little element of mystery and I really love mystery so I wanted to keep reading to know more.  Some of the little mysteries within the book were solved in this book but others weren't and no doubt will be answered in the next book.
I liked Lily, as far as main characters go she rocked.  She had attitude and she wasn't weak, she was very independent and so it was really refreshing to have a kick-butt main character.
As for the paranormal aspect of Firespell, it was there but there wasn't too much. Which is understandable because it is the first book in the series so it is setting the scene.
Overall, I really enjoyed Firespell, there was so much that made the book so enjoyable.  There were awesome characters, the story line was really interesting and there was an element of mystery which just makes the book so much more cooler.
I definitely cannot wait for the next book in the series because Firespell is an awesome read.



Source: Own copy
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Wicked by Sara Shepard

Title: Wicked





Author: Sara Shepard





Published: New York : HarperTeen, 2009





Pages: 310





Series: Book 5, Pretty Little Liars





Snippet: "It was as if Hanna had dreamed the whole thing."

Summary: The stalker's identity has finally been revealed but high school juniors Spencer, Emily, Hanna, and Aria seem condemned to repeat the past as they resume their unrepentant ways.





Review: Oh My Goodness! Wicked is such a great book.  So many secrets and so many mysteries, I'm dying to know more.

The ending was such a cliffhanger that as soon as I finished it I groaned inward because I hadn't gotten the next book in the series.

I'll be making this review short because I don't want to spoil anything for anyone who hasn't read the books or haven't read up to this one.  But if you haven't read it you definitely should read it because this is such an amazing series and really addictive so make sure you have ready access to all of the books.

I found Wicked to be a really good book, so suspenseful and so addictive.  A couple of things I kind of expected to happen but most of it really surprised me.  I just wish I could read the next book.

If you haven't discovered the Pretty Little Liars Series yet then you definitely should.





Source: Library



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Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Title: Life As We Knew It





Author: Susan Beth Pfeffer





Published: Orlando : Harcourt, c2006





Pages: 337





Series: Book 1, Moon





Snippet: "I guess I always felt even if the world came to an end, McDonald's would still be open." 





Summary: Through journal entries sixteen-year-old Miranda describes her family's struggle to survive after a meteor hits the moon, causing worldwide tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.





Review: Every now and again I'll read a dystopian novel and I do enjoy them. My favourite would be 1984 by George Orwell, but I'm not here to talk about 1984. I'm here to talk about Life As We Knew It because Life As We Knew It is such a great book and from the first chapter I was hooked.

While the novel was largely focused on the characters I found them to be quite plain and I didn't really think about them.  I think there were only a couple of characters that stuck in my mind these being Sam and Miranda's dad. I also liked Mrs Nesbitt she seemed like such a nice lady.

Susan Beth Pfeffer has written a fantastic "what if" tale.  I felt that it was a really well-written and great portrayal of what could happen if the moon got closer to the Earth.

I know there is a companion novel and a sequel to Life As We Knew It.  I'll be really excited to read both.

Overall, Life As We Knew It is quite a sad book but also full of hope.  If you're a fan of dystopian fiction then you may just enjoy Life As We Knew It.





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Going Bovine by Libba Bray

Title: Going Bovine





Author: Libba Bray





Published: New York : Delacorte Press, c2009





Pages: 480





Snippet: "When you're pre-majoring in perfection, having a brother who's a social paramecium is a real drawback."





Summary: Cameron Smith, a disaffected sixteen year-old who, after being diagnosed with Creutzfeld Jakob's (aka mad cow) disease, sets off on a road trip with a death-obsessed video gaming dwarf he meets in the hospital in an attempt to find a cure.





Review: Going Bovine is interesting to say the least. I've heard a lot of people say how they thought Going Bovine was a crazy, weird and totally out-there book. I would agree with all of these descriptions.  I actually thought I would get a few more laughs out of it than I did but that could've just been me.

Cameron was an interesting character and I really felt sorry for him, when everyone was picking on him or ignoring him and then typically, when he got sick everyone was his best friend. I found Cameron to be really relatable for the first 100 pages or so.

I also got really mad when everyone just assumed he was crazy and on drugs. From reading the description I knew he wasn't.  I felt like yelling at everyone.

As I was reading the book I quite enjoyed it, it wasn't too bad. It just happened to be one of those books that once I started reading it, it was hard to put down but once I did put it down it was difficult to pick up again.

I had two theories about how this book would end. I didn't actually expect it to end the way it did and I'm still reeling from it.  I am really surprised by it and kind of sad.  But I also understand why it ended the way it did.

I found Libba Bray's writing to be really refreshing and quite different to what I'm used to. I think I'll definitely check out more books by her.

One thing that I thought I would point out because it was really interesting is the very first line of the book is really cool. Definitely grabs your attention.

Overall, Going Bovine wasn't too bad. It was something out of the ordinary but it was still a pretty good read. If you're looking for something thats a little 'out there' definitely check it out.





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All Unquiet Things by Anna Jarzab

Title: All Unquiet Things





Author: Anna Jarzab





Published: New York : Delacorte Press, 2010





Pages: 339





Snippet: "I put my hand to my head, suddenly dizzy."





Summary: After the death of his ex-girlfriend Carly, northern California high school student Neily joins forces with Carly's cousin Audrey to try to solve her murder.





Review: I am a huge fan of mystery stories and when I read that All Unquiet Things was a mystery story with no supernatural or paranormal elements I thought I'd give it a go.

I have mixed feelings about All Unquiet Things. The first part is kind of slow and the character's weren't that interesting in the first part either.

Luckily however, things started to get a lot more interesting and I found myself sucked into the mystery of the story.

Towards the end I was pretty sure I knew who the murderer was and I was proud to find out that I was right.

At the very end there was one part that I was hoping would happen didn't but you can't have everything.

Overall, All Unquiet Things isn't a bad read. If you find it hard to get into at first give it a chance because it gets better in the end.





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The Secret Year

Title: The Secret Year





Author: Jennifer R. Hubbard





Published: New York : Viking, 2010





Pages: 192





Snippet: "Sometimes I couldn't believe I'd had any other life besides reading a dead girl's words and watching rain beat brown leaves off the trees."





Summary: Reading the journal of the high-society girl he was secretly involved with for a year helps high school senior Colt cope with her death and come closer to understanding why she needed him while continuing to be the girlfriend of a wealthy classmate.





Review: The Secret Year is a truly amazing story.  It's quite short which is both good and bad.  It's good because it's easy to read in one sitting which is needed because it is addictive.  I found myself wanting to know more and more and more.  It's also bad because it ends, and I wasn't ready for The Secret Year to end, but it did.





Usually when I read a book I find one or two quotes that I think are written really well and are either suspenseful or just really nice quotes.  As I was reading The Secret Year I found so many quotes that were brilliant.  Jennifer Hubbard is one of the best writer's I have read for 2010, she truly is amazing and I commend her for writing The Secret Year.





Emotions run high when reading The Secret Year.  I felt so sad for Colt, I was mad at times too.  More at the way that people treated Colt or reacted to certain things.





The ending was really well-done too.  I was actually surprised when the book ended but at the same time I felt it was wrapped up nicely and left me feeling a little sad.





The Secret Year will blow your mind. If you haven't read it yet, I suggest you go out and read it now.  The Secret Year is a book that is not to be missed!





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Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: Shiver





Author: Maggie Stiefvater





Published: Scholastic Press, 2009





Pages: 392





Snippet: "As the hours crept by, the afternoon sunlight bleached all the books on the shelves to pale, gilded versions of themselves and warmed the paper and ink inside the covers so that the smell of unread words hung in the air."





Summary: For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human ... until the cold makes him shift back again. 

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human--or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.





Review: I've never really been a fan of werewolves or romance novels but Shiver was a good choice in book for me to read.  Maggie Stiefvater is an amazing author, she weaved so much magic into the book Shiver by her descriptions alone.





I liked the relationship between Sam and Grace.  It wasn't a clingy, needy relationship. They cared about each other equally and they just make the most amazing couple ever. They were so comfortable with each other and it was actually believable.





The story line was really good. It was enough to keep me reading on in interest.  Not just because I feel obligated to finish the book.





I think my favourite characters were Sam and Grace. Maybe more Sam but the good thing is I have found a book where I love the main characters and not the little obscure characters.





Overall, Shiver is an amazing read and the werewolf angle is not overdone, there's just the right mix of romance and werewolves that makes the book work. I love the descriptions in the book too.  If you haven't read Shiver yet, you definitely should because it's fantastic.  I cannot wait for Linger.





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Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves

Title: Bleeding Violet





Author: Dia Reeves





Published: New York : Simon Pulse, 2010





Pages: 454





Snippet: "I stood at the window, watching the rain try to drown the world."





Summary: A mentally ill sixteen-year-old girl reunites with her estranged  mother in an East Texas town that is haunted with doors to dimensions of the dead and protected by demon hunters called Mortmaine.





Review: Bleeding Violet is an interesting book.  If anybody asked me what it was about I would have a hard time describing it. Thank goodness for library summaries.  Anyway, I read a few reviews of Bleeding Violet and most of them described it as weird.  I agree with this statement because Bleeding Violet is weird in the sense that it is quite different to anything else I've ever read.





I thought Hanna was quite an unusual character.  While I know she was a manic-depressive I thought her personality was really forward and hugely outgoing which is pretty much the opposite of myself and so I found her hard to relate to. But she was an interesting character nonetheless.





I thought the story line was quite interesting.  The town was an interesting place.  So many different monsters waiting in the most innocent of places.  Like milk.





I found my interest in the story to be up and down.  There were some really slow parts and it was hard to get into the story then, but then there were some really really interesting parts.





The ending was a bit disappointing.  My one question is, is this a stand-alone novel or will there be a sequel? There were so many unanswered questions.





Overall, Bleeding Violet was pretty interesting.  There were some really interesting parts.  I just wish it explained a bit more.





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Beast by Ally Kennen

Title: Beast





Author: Ally Kennen





Published: Marion Lloyd Books, 2006





Pages: 247





Snippet: "I don't want to be here stuck between my gross old dad and a killer reptile."





Summary: Stephen hasn't had it easy. He's now in foster care because his mom is crazy and his dad is an ex-con vagabond. He's always in trouble or on his way to trouble. But none of these problems compare to the problem of The Beast -- a fierce crocodile that Stephen's been taking care of for years. The Beast is Stephen's biggest secret -- and also his biggest challenge. And that's when it's in a cage. When the Beast escapes, the stakes get even higher.





Review: Beast was quite an interesting book.  It wasn't really what I expected.  I kind of thought the beast was going to be metaphorical or something by the way one of the descriptions I read put it.  But it wasn't and it made the story a bit more interesting.





I think I either missed something or it left that part hanging open but there was a huge gap of a missing explanation for me.  Maybe it was speculative.





I felt sorry for Stephen, it was sad to see him get blamed for absolutely everything. It was always good to see when people found out the truth too.





I think the ending was quite good.  There were some openings and some closure.





I don't really have much to say about Beast.  It was quite interesting and entertaining.  I also look forward to reading more books by Ally Kennen.





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Unbelievable by Sara Shepard

Title: Unbelievable





Author: Sara Shepard





Published: New York : HarperTeen, 2008





Pages: 335





Series: Book 4, Pretty Little Liars





Snippet: "Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who's the naughtiest of them all?"





Summary: Four girls living in a wealthy suburb discover the identity of a stalker who has been sending them shocking text messages, and uncover the mystery of who killed their childhood friend.





Review: Wow, wow and another wow for effect.  Unbelievable is quite literally unbelievable.  Meaning it is unbelievably good!





So much suspense too.  I had to get up really early the next morning and I stayed up really late to finish this book because the suspense was crazy and I just had to know what was going to happen.





Throughout Unbelievable I had an inkling of who A was and yes I was right but before that I was quite stumped.  I have my suspicions about who Ali's killer is though.  And I don't want to give too much away about anything so I'm just going to say that the end of this book did open up a new set of questions for me.





I thought it was sad watching all four girls go from having really happy lives into sad, depressing ones because people do things that other people won't like or could hurt other people but at the end of the day some of the things A pointed out about the girl's just didn't seem all that bad.  It was sad to see how A was so into getting revenge they couldn't see that they were becoming worse than the girl's.





Overall, I loved Unbelievable and cannot wait for the next book, Wicked, which is out now.  I think this series would be best read when you have access to a lot of the books at once because they are really addictive.





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The Dangerous Days of Daniel X by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

Title: The Dangerous Days Of Daniel X





Author: James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge





Published: London : DoubleDay Children's, 2008





Pages: 290





Series: Book 1, Daniel X





Snippet: "Keep this in mind: there are no coincidences." 





Summary: The greatest superpower of all isn't to be part spider, part man, or to cast magic spells--the greatest power is the power to create. Daniel X has that power.

Daniel's secret abilities -- like being able to manipulate objects and animals with his mind or to recreate himself in any shape he chooses -- have helped him survive. But Daniel doesn't have a normal life. He is the protector of the earth, the Alien Hunter, with a mission beyond what anyone's imagining.

From the day that his parents were brutally murdered before of his very eyes, Daniel has used his unique gifts to hunt down their assassin. Finally, with the help of The List, bequeathed to him in his parents' dying breath, he is closing in on the killer.

Now, on his own, he vows to take on his father's mission--and to take vengeance in the process.



Review: The Dangerous Days of Daniel X was an interesting story but I didn't think it was overly great.



The concept of aliens and other planets is really cool.  That part of the book is really entertaining.  I'm a huge fan of science fiction and it was a pretty awesome and entertaining story line.



Unfortunately, I didn't like the character, Daniel.  He seemed a little strange, and I know he was 'different' but there was just something about him that didn't sit right.



I found the chapters to be ridiculously short and they kind of ended at unexpected points.



Overall, The Dangerous Days of Daniel X was entertaining and made a fun, light read.  It was interesting so if you have any spare time and you like aliens and science fiction then this book would be good for you.



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Perfect by Sara Shepard

Title: Perfect





Author: Sara Shepard





Published: New York : HarperTeen, 2007





Pages: 298





Series: Book 3, Pretty Little Liars





Snippet: "Suddenly, she knew exactly who A was."





Summary: After their missing friend's body is found and another of their friends commits suicide, four former best friends live in fear of their secrets being exposed by someone who is stalking them via their cellphones.





Review: After reading the first book in the Pretty Little Liars series I was interested.  After reading the second book in the series I was addicted.  I think that now I've read the third book, Perfect, I am obsessed.  I simply cannot get enough of this series and I want to read more and more.





I'm glad I started this series later than earlier. I find myself having to read the next book straight after I finish the one I've just read.





Perfect is amazing.  I wouldn't go so far as to say it was perfect but I would say it was getting pretty close to it. I am truly blown away.





Some of the people I wanted to shake some sense into, others I feel so sad and so sorry for.  Like why can't A just let these girls live their lives! A is truly annoying me.  I want to know who you are A!!!





Oh and I really like Lucas, he seems so cool.  He'd definitely be someone I'd like to hang out with.  I hate how he was treated at one part because I had a feeling what was coming next would come.





The ending was such a cliffhanger that I really want to know more.  I hope that what happened isn't the end of things.  If you've read it you'll know what I'm talking about.  If you haven't, I refuse to spoil it for you.





Well, there is only one thing I can do now that Perfect is over and I'm at the end of this review; and that is to pick up Unbelievable.





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