Review: Airhead by Meg Cabot

Title: Airhead
Author: Meg Cabot
Published: 13th May 2008
Publisher: Point
Series: Airhead #1
Source: Own Copy

EM WATTS IS GONE.
Emerson Watts didn’t even want to go to the new SoHo Stark Megastore grand opening. But someone needed to look out for her sister, Frida, whose crush, British heartthrob Gabriel Luna, would be singing and signing autographs there—along with the newly appointed Face of Stark, teen supermodel sensation Nikki Howard.

How was Em to know that disaster would strike, changing her—and life as she’d known it—forever? One bizarre accident later, and Em Watts, always the tomboy, never the party princess, is no longer herself. Literally.

I have had this book sitting in my TBR pile for so long. I'm not sure initially why I didn't pick it up, but recently I was looking for something easy going and light hearted, this book checked all the boxes for me. This is the story of Emerson Watts who, after being involved in a fatal accident, finds herself waking up as teen supermodel Nikki Howard.

Emerson Watts is such a likeable character that you can't help sympathising with her. OK so she is now living life as Nikki Howard, teen supermodel who is rich and fabulous, but you can't help but think it's not all it appears to be. We get a good sense early on that Em is not the kind of girl who fawns over celebrity and would much rather be playing a computer game or watching a documentary than doing her nails or putting on a face mask. So living a life where she has to worry about buffing her lips and waxing is difficult for her and this collision of cultures makes for some very funny situations.

The basic premise of this story, and the whole trilogy, is a mystery revolving around the big bad, The Stark corporation, and why Em Watts is now Nikki Howard. The mystery is never taken to "out there" proportions however there was a good dose of the unexpected to keep you on your toes.

This book is full of humour. It's not too thought provoking or groundbreaking, but it is fun. I read it really quickly, in only a couple of hours. This was my first Meg Cabot book and I think it will be the start of a beautiful friendship / fangirl - author relationship.

Review: Jersey Angel by Beth Ann Bauman

Title: Jersey Angel
Author: Beth Ann Bauman
Published: 8th May 2012
Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books
Source: eARC thanks to NetGalley and Publisher

It’s the summer before senior year and the alluring Angel is ready to have fun. She’s not like her best friend, Inggy, who has a steady boyfriend, good grades, and college plans. Angel isn’t sure what she wants to do yet, but she has confidence and experience beyond her years. Still, her summer doesn’t start out as planned. Her good friend Joey doesn’t want to fool around anymore, he wants to be her boyfriend, while Angel doesn’t want to be tied down. As Joey pulls away, and Inggy tours colleges, Angel finds herself spending more time with Inggy’s boyfriend, Cork. With its cast of vivid and memorable characters, this tale from the Jersey shore is sure to make some waves. - From Goodreads

This sounded like a great summer read, nothing too challenging, the kind of book you can read in a few hours beside a pool. Even though I currently don't have any plans on the horizon for a little summer getaway, I hoped that this book might get me into the summer mood. Well it is STILL freezing here in Edinburgh, I don't feel remotely summery, and this book did not turn out to be what I was expecting.

Angel has the whole summer ahead of her but she does not know what she wants or what she is going to do. After her on and off boyfriend calls it quits and her best friend, Inggy, leaves to tour colleges, Angel ends up spending time with Inggy's boyfriend and questioning what it is she really wants.

The main character in this book is Angel and the whole story is told from Angel's point of view, but it felt really detached. It was almost like she was recounting a story that happened a long time ago. This was actually a bonus for this book as it kept me feeling distanced from Angel's questionable actions.

Even though one of the main strands through this story is Angel having an affair with her best friend's boyfriend, I could not stop reading. The way the story is told made it feel like you were engaged in some really juicy gossip, and if there is one thing I love it's some good gossip.

I did not love this book, but I also did not hate this book. It did not give me the summer feeling I was looking for but gave me the feeling that I had been let in on some really interesting gossip. The story was not really very deep or detailed and did not have any ground breaking themes or messages, it was an OK piece of YA writing.

Review: Katana by Cole Gibsen

Title: Katana
Author: Cole Gibsen
Published: 8th March 2012
Publisher: Flux
Source: eArc thanks to NetGalley and Flux

Rileigh Martin would love to believe that adrenaline had given her the uncanny courage and strength to fend off three muggers. But it doesn't explain her dreams of 15th-century Japan, the incredible fighting skills she suddenly possesses, or the strange voice giving her battle tips and danger warnings.

While worrying that she's going crazy (always a reputation ruiner), Rileigh gets a visit from Kim, a handsome martial arts instructor, who tells Rileigh she's harboring the spirit of a five-hundred-year-old samurai warrior.

Relentlessly attacked by ninjas, Rileigh has no choice but to master the katana--a deadly Japanese sword that's also the key to her past. As the spirit grows stronger and her feelings for Kim intensify, Rileigh is torn between continuing as the girl she's always been and embracing the warrior inside her. - From Goodreads

So this book was billed as Kill Bill meets Buffy on NetGalley. Do I love Kill Bill? Yes self, I do! Do I love Buffy? Yes again Emma, I think Buffy kicks ass and I miss her! I have also had a fascination in ancient Japanese culture for as long as I can remember. So I think it is clear to say that I had high hopes for this book! I was pleased that it delivered everything I was expecting and more.

Rileigh is a normal skateboard loving girl until she and her best friend, Quentin, are attacked by muggers in a parking lot. Without knowing what she is doing Rileigh manages to defend herself against all 3 of the muggers leaving them broken on the ground. This is when the dreams begin! Dreams of ancient Japan which are so real they make Rileigh's heart hurt with recognition. Before she knows it Rileigh has been pulled into a world of reincarnated Samurai Warriors and she must defend herself against enemies from the past. The only problem is that her enemies could be anyone!

There are only a handful of literary characters that I think I would get on well with in real life and that I would want to hang out with. Rileigh is one of them. She is such a strong character who is totally thrown into a situation that she is not prepared for and she totally reacts in the way I probably would, although I would have added being drunk to the moping and the bar fight!! In lots of books when the protagonist moans about the situation they have found themselves in you just want to shake them, but in this case you understand her concerns and let it slide as she is so kickass. She is totally Buffy-esque and that makes me so happy (I miss Buffy!).

Any awesome reincarnated Samurai action story has to have a smoking hot love interest and this one has two!! This was an interesting love triangle and not the usual bog standard one. Rileigh's head and current self is securely settled on the cute guy from school, but her heart and past self are all about the smoking hot Kim. He is buff, handsome, looks out for Rileigh and only wants her to be happy... where can I get me one? Also he owns his own dojo and I like a man who has plans for his future and a way to support himself (Argh, I'm getting so sensible in my old age!!)

This had some great supporting characters which enriched the story, especially her gay best friend Q (who doesn't love a gay best friend?). I also liked that Rileigh had a job and therefore could not just up and disappear on an adventure without thinking of the consequences or telling anyone. This is something that can often annoy me in YA fiction, but in this book it was tackled with grace. As we started to piece together the story from ancient Japan I was constantly trying to guess who the enemy was in her current life. I was suspicious of so many characters that it actually did not turn out to be the one I was most sceptical about! I had no idea who was trust worthy in this book.

I loved this book and flew through it constantly wanting more. The only thing I was disappointed about at the end was that this is a stand alone novel. I would have loved to keep reading about Rileigh and the antics her and her band of Samurai might get up to. I will definitely be picking up Cole Gibsen's next book as soon as it's released. I can't wait.

Review: Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead (VA5)

Title: Spirit Bound
Author: Richelle Mead
Publisher: Razorbill
Published: 18th May 2010
Series: Vampire Academy #5
Source: Own Copy

Salvation has its price.
The words stunned Adrian for a moment, but he kept going. "You're lying. What you're describing is impossible. There's no way to save a Strigoi. When they're gone, they're gone. They're dead. Undead. Forever."

Robert's next words weren't directed at Adrian. They were spoken to me. "That which is dead doesn't always stay dead...."

After a long and heartbreaking journey to Dimitri’s birthplace in Siberia, Rose Hathaway has finally returned to St. Vladimir’s—and to her best friend, Lissa Dragomir. It's graduation, and the girls can’t wait for their real lives outside of the Academy’s cold iron gates to finally begin. But even with the intrigue and excitement of court life looming, Rose’s heart still aches for Dimitri. He's out there, somewhere.

She failed to kill him when she had the chance, and now her worst fears are about to come true. Dimitri has tasted her blood, and she knows in her heart that he is hunting her. And if Rose won't join him, he won't rest until he's silenced her...forever.

But Rose can't forget what she learned on her journey—whispers of a magic too impossible and terrifying to comprehend. A magic nextricably tied to Lissa that could hold the answer to all of Rose's prayers, but not without devastating consequences. Now Rose will have to decide what—and who—matters most to her. In the end, is true love really worth the price?

Fall in love with Rose and Dimitri all over again in Spirit Bound, the eagerly awaited fifth novel in Richelle Mead's enthralling Vampire Academy series. - From Goodreads

May contain spoilers from earlier books in the series:

This books was jam packed with action from the first to last page, so much good stuff happens. At the end of the previous book Rose failed to kill Dimitri, as we know when he sent her back her stake, and Rose returned to school. This should feel familiar to us, having Rose back at school, but after everything that has happened to her recently she seems to have lost a little bit of her spark. After Rose passes her Guardian test with flying colours (they have to invent new things to test her on, she is that good!) her, Lissa, Adrian and Christian head to court with school behind them. There they begin to discover things that the shouldn't and life changes drastically for at least one of them.

Using some of the information that Rose found on her journey to find Dimitri in the last book, Rose and Lissa begin to discuss the possibility of using spirit to help those who have been turned into stigoli. Soon the pieces of the puzzle fall into place and before we know it Victor is being dragged back into the story along with his crazy brother and an angry Dimitri. Meanwhile at court we see the vampire politics in full swing while Lissa tries to navigate her way through the issues that come with her being the only surviving member of her family.

Rose feels like a completely different character in this book than at the start of this series. We can really see the transition between the reckless and, in comparison, carefree Rose from the first book and the more responsible and cautious Rose. I also loved watching her relationship with Adrian in this book. I think about half way through this book I became a solid member of Team Adrian. Within this story each of the characters had a significant part to play, and I always like it when everyone weaves into the story to compliment it and add in their own individual element.

Rose was not the only character to show a completely different side to them. I felt that the Lissa we saw in this book was far less annoying and actually brought something to the Lissa-Rose relationship. There is the possibility that I was just feeling forgiving when I read this book but I think that Lissa was becoming her own woman far less needy and dependent on Rose to think of all the ideas and protect her. Don't get me wrong, I still found her irritating, just far less so!

This book was faced paced and crammed from the first to the last page with drama, drama, drama!! This is good as after reading this book you could see that the last book was a much slower pace. I thought the story was exciting and the final cliffhanger left me feeling like I had been punched in the stomach (which someone had warned me about!) and moving right on to the final instalment!! A great series that I will be sad to finish!

Review: Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally

Title: Catching Jordan
Author: Miranda Kenneally
Published: 1st December 2011
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Source: Own Kindle Copy

What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though - she leads them as the captain and quarterback on her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys, and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university. But now there's a new guy in town who threatens her starring position on the team... and has her suddenly wishing to be seen as more than just a teammate. - From Goodreads

I absolutely adore Friday Night Lights!! Even though I have very little interest in sport I had a massive emotional investment in the show and it made me feel like I would love Friday night football if I could just give it a chance (it might help if I didn't live in Scotland!!). So when I saw that this book was about a girl football player I was sold before I even finished reading the synopsis. I managed to avoid all reviews and discussions about this book before reading it as I wanted no spoilers. Oh it was so worth it!!

Jordan Woods is the captain of the school football team who has the respect of all the players. The unusual thing is that Jordan is a girl. All Jordan has ever wanted all her life is to play football and, with an NFL father and a collage star brother, she has big shoes to fill. When a new team mate threatens to take everything she has worked for from her, Jordan begins to see her relationships for what they really are. Will her Dad ever support her football dreams? Why is her best Friend, Sam Henry, being so weird? Will she still be respected if she dates one of her team mates? And will she ever get to play football for the university of her dreams?

At the start of this story Jordan Woods is a very simple character who is so focused on getting a scholarship to play football at university she is not completely aware of the relationships around her. When --- turns up he flips her life on it's head. This seems to be the first time that she has found a boy so attractive that she gets completely blind sided* and distracted. Slowly we get introduced to Jordan's slightly crazy and neurotic side (this includes writing poetry, hiding in her shed and crying every five minutes). All of this made me love Jordan as a character, I thought she was a joy to read and quite funny!

There were a great number of additional characters which helped make the book a really good read. I thought Jordan's family were well written and had a good family dynamic. Jordan's dad is totally disapproving of her love of football as he wants to protect her and her mother and brother just seemed really warm and supportive. I think too often in YA books the family gets dismissed as something that must exist but is not worth mentioning, in this book however they are an important and lovely aspect to the story.

Jordan's friends. I can't not comment on them. I loved them!! Jordan has never really had any friends who were girls, they have always been boys, and I thought that they had amazing relationships. You can see very clearly why the adorable Sam Henry is her best friend. he is such a great character and I felt he was a very human character with all of his man-whoring. We see Jordan's friendship with 2 girls also grow through the book as she realises that it is OK to be herself sometimes and it is OK to talk about your feelings!

I thought this was a very emotional book with the emotions written into every page. It made the book an absolute pleasure to read and you could really feel what Jordan was feeling! The pace of this book was great and I was never bored, even when reading about the football games, I'm not up to speed on my terminology and thought I might get lost, but it was fine! The only other thing I want to mention is how much Jordan reminded me of P.J. from My Boys**. Am I the only one who thought this? I am excited to see what Miranda Kenneally does in the future.


*see my use of sports terminology? Whoop!!
** Such a brilliant TV show. So sad when it finished!

Review: Hushed by Kelley York

Title: Hushed
Author: Kelley York
Published: 6th December 2011
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Source: eARC (thank you Netgalley and Entangled Publishing)

He’s saved her. He’s loved her. He’s killed for her.

Eighteen-year-old Archer couldn’t protect his best friend, Vivian, from what happened when they were kids, so he’s never stopped trying to protect her from everything else. It doesn’t matter that Vivian only uses him when hopping from one toxic relationship to another—Archer is always there, waiting to be noticed.

Then along comes Evan, the only person who’s ever cared about Archer without a single string attached. The harder he falls for Evan, the more Archer sees Vivian for the manipulative hot-mess she really is.

But Viv has her hooks in deep, and when she finds out about the murders Archer’s committed and his relationship with Evan, she threatens to turn him in if she doesn’t get what she wants… And what she wants is Evan’s death, and for Archer to forfeit his last chance at redemption. - From Goodreads

I had read a few things about this book before I started it and I was excited to read it as it sounded like an all out thriller. Archer has always looked out for Vivian and does what he thinks is in her best interest, even if that means killing! When Archer meets Evan he starts to let his walls fall and starts to build the relationship he has always wanted from Vivian. The only problem is that Vivian does not want to share Archer with anyone and she will go to some extreme lengths!

Right from the start I felt that Archer reminded me of a young Dexter Morgan! Cold and detached, the only time we see any kind of emotion from Archer is when he is with Vivian and trying to comfort her. I did not like particularly like Archer as a character as I disliked his actions and, as I have said, I found him cold and distant. That being said I thought he was one of the most interesting characters I have read in a long time.

Then there was Evan and Vivian. It seemed obvious right from the start that Vivian is bad news. she completely manipulates Archer and most of the other people around her. It also seems like she ends up in one destructive relationship after another! Evan on the other hand is a sweet and nice guy who has no ulterior motives past wanting to be with Archer. I really enjoyed that Archer was torn between sweet Evan and Vivian, who he has had on a pedestal for years.

I thought that the tone of this book was much more serious than anything I had read in a while. For me the characters were what kept me reading and involved to the end. I thought the story running through the book was quite dark and disturbing, but I enjoyed it and I liked seeing it spiralling out of control. The only part of the story I had an issue with was Evan and Archer towards the end of the book. I think Evan's reactions were nowhere close to a "normal" person's reaction. That spoiled it a little for me, but I loved the ending I thought it was exciting and tense and I was satisfied by the last page.

I enjoyed this book and was only let down by the minor points above. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys thrillers, lgbt fiction or contemporary fiction.

Review: Entangled by Cat Clarke

Title: Entangled
Author: Cat Clarke
Publisher: Quercus Publishing Plc
Published: 6th January 2011
Source: Own Kindle Copy

The same questions whirl round and round in my head:
What does he want from me?
How could I have let this happen?
AM I GOING TO DIE?

17-year-old Grace wakes up in a white room, with a table, pens and paper - and no clue how she got here.

As Grace pours her tangled life onto the page, she is forced to remember everything she's tried to forget. There's falling hopelessly in love with the gorgeous Nat, and the unravelling of her relationship with her best friend Sal. But there's something missing. As hard as she's trying to remember, is there something she just can't see?

Grace must face the most important question of all. Why is she here?

A story of dark secrets, intense friendship and electrifying attraction. - From Goodreads

I knew very little about this book when I picked it up except for the fact it has a rocking cover, the blurb on the back and the girl has the same hair colour as me! This book was nothing like I was expecting and it took me on a journey I didn't expect.

Grace has decided to take her life. Before she goes through with it in a children's playground she speaks to a stranger on the swings and before she knows it she is being taken into a van and then she wakes up in a white room with a bed, a desk, pens and a stack of paper. After a while Grace starts to write her life story not knowing how long she is going to be in the room or if she will ever get out of it alive.

This whole book is a mystery from the start and the more we learn about Grace the more we realise that her life is troubled and more messed up than even she knew. I was unsure if I liked Grace. To me she seemed selfish, right from the start when she was considering suicide I took a disliking to her. After reading the book and hearing her story I am not sure if she is just selfish or incredibly damaged.

Grace also has a problem with self harming. I had read a review on Amazon where the reviewer believes that this book glamorises cutting. To me there was no glamour involved in this and you could clearly see that after a while even grace knew she had a problem. This problem is one that Grace struggles to control and for us helps to see how she views herself. I used to know a girl who also struggled with this, to a much lesser extent as far as I knew. In a way this book helped me see that there was very little I could do for her besides be her friend.

For the whole book we are as clueless as Grace is about what is going on. Why is she locked in this room? Who is Ethan and is he helping her or keeping her captive. Information is trickled to us slowly so that we are kept as much in the dark as Grace is, however I personally felt there were lots of questions left unanswered that I really wanted to know the answer to. The writing felt raw, powerful and gritty and that was what kept me on the journey.

Review: Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Title: Hush, Hush
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Published: 13th October 2009
Series: Hush, Hush #1
Source: Own Kindle Copy

For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her...until Patch comes along.
With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment, but after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is far more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.
For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life. - From Goodreads

There seems to have been a rash of books revolving around angels released lately. This combined with reading Hush, Hush a few months ago, and reading other angel books after it, meant that when I sat down to type my thoughts I had no idea what had happened in this book. As luck would have it I had a couple of Audible credit's in my account so decided that this would be a great purchase and would not impact on my reading time as I could listen to it while driving, walking to work... Oh am I glad I did this, and how could I have forgotten? It all came flooding back to me.

Nora lives a fairly quiet life with her best friend and her biggest decision will be to decide between the ivy league schools she is set to be accepted to. Then one day in class all the seats get moved around sitting Nora beside Patch. Dark and mysterious, Patch seems to know everything about Nora, but she knows nothing about him except that she can't stop thinking about him.This story was full of suspense, romance, danger and fallen angels.

I liked Nora. I could relate to her and unlike other female characters Nora tends to over think situations instead of under thinking them! This tends to mean she does not jump to ridiculous conclusions (or sometimes any conclusions). And then can we talk about Patch? At the start I think he seems like, as we say in the UK, a total Dick! It took me a while to warm to patch, but as soon as I did I think I fell in love!! Patch can save me from danger any day of the week! I'm not completely blind to Patch being a tad over protective, but I'm willing to overlook that.

There were a couple of points to this story which I felt were cleverly tidied up at the end with a, without giving away to much, "all of those reasons was because..." which perhaps felt a little contrived. Another point that stuck in my mind was that at the start of the book Nora talks about how they are best friends who are an extension of each other. Even as an outsider I thought some of V's behaviour was a bit off, why did Nora not notice? Does V usually act shady?

In a way I am happy that it has taken me so long to get round to doing this review as I can now swiftly move on to Crescendo and the Silence, and by the time I have finished those two books and reviewing them the final chapter of this story will probably be close to publication!! I can't wait to read the next books.

Review: Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Title: Before I Fall
Author: Lauren Oliver
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2nd March 2010
Source: Own Kindle Copy

What if you had only one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all: the world's most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High—from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life.
Instead, it turns out to be her last.
Then she gets a second chance. Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death—and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing. -From Goodreads

I picked this up as it was my first Lauren Oliver book and it had a story that interested me, a sort of Groundhog day where the main character knows that each day she relives ends with her death. I really wanted to like this book and went into it with an open mind. Unfortunately something did not click for me.
Sam is a privileged teenager who has a sweet life. Hot boyfriend and a powerful group of friends who rule the school with Sam at the middle of it. After a party one night there is an accident which kills Sam, but this is not the end of her story as she gets the chance to come back time and time again to change her actions on the day of the accident.

Maybe I am too different from Sam, but I did not care for her and in all honesty did not care if she learned the valuable life lessons of repeating the same day over and over again. I found her to be quite fake at the start of the book, and thought that she had not grown at the end of her journey. I think this instant dislike of the main character meant that I never really invested in the book.

I have always thought that there could be a lot of mileage in the repeating days story, I mean I am a fan of Groundhog Day! For some reason in this book I found the storyline to be slightly dull and predictable. There was a real focus on certain things on the first day which you knew would be changed or manipulated later on during one of the repeating days. I like a bit of unpredictability in my stories. Once it was obvious that this was what was happening I felt there was little point in finishing the book (I did though as I hate leaving books unfinished!).

Following on from that, I was hoping for a really interesting ending, and while there were details in the ending that made me go "oh, that's how it fits together", I still felt the ending was very unsatisfying. I was left with a slight feeling of disappointment. I have not read any of Lauren Oliver's other books, but I will be giving Delirium a try as I do think that potentially the only reason I did not like this book was because I could not gel with the main character and that made the rest of the story fall apart for me.

Review: Blood Promise by Richelle Mead (VA4)

Title: Blood Promise
Author: Richelle Mead
Publisher: Razorbill
Published: 25th August 2009
Series: Vampire Academy #4
Source: Own Kindle Copy

Warning - Synopsis and Review Contain Spoilers!

Rose Hathaway's life will never be the same.

The recent attack on St. Vladimir's Academy devastated the entire Moroi world. Many are dead. And, for the few victims carried off by Strigoi, their fates are even worse. A rare tattoo now adorns Rose's neck, a mark that says she's killed far too many Strigoi to count. But only one victim matters . . . Dimitri Belikov. Rose must now choose one of two very different paths: honoring her life's vow to protect Lissa—her best friend and the last surviving Dragomir princess—or, dropping out of the Academy to strike out on her own and hunt down the man she loves. She'll have to go to the ends of the earth to find Dimitri and keep the promise he begged her to make. But the question is, when the time comes, will he want to be saved?

Now, with everything at stake—and worlds away from St. Vladimir's and her unguarded, vulnerable, and newly rebellious best friend—can Rose find the strength to destroy Dimitri? Or, will she sacrifice herself for a chance at eternal love? - From Goodreads

NOOOO!!!!!!!!!! I practically threw my kindle across the room when I read the end of the third book. Dimitri can't be Strigoi! This was a major shock and I swear I actually cried when it happened. I did not see this coming, how could you do this Richelle?

Well, after the attack on the school by the Strigoi everything was left turned upside down. During the attack in the last book Christian and Rose teamed up to be a badass killing machine, with his elemental use of fire and her awesomeness they worked together to kill loads of Strigoi. Unfortunately they took some victims with them when they retreated. When a team is put together to rescue the captured, there are more casualties with one in particular - Dimitri.

I thought this book had a much different feel from the previous ones. For one Rose and Lissa spend the majority of the books apart from each other. This does not prevent us from knowing what is happening with Lissa as Rose can still go into Rose's head no matter how far apart they are. To me this felt like the beginning of the end concerning my relationship with Lissa. I know she is a princess and i know there were other influences, but come on!! She treats Christian like crap and does not give a second thought to Rose off on her journey. Boo Lissa!! Hiss! I am sure I am not the only one who feels like a break from Lissa is a good thing for Rose!?!

This book is Rose's journey to find Dimitri and follow through on a promise made to each other. We meet a few new characters on this journey, including Sydney. Now unlike Lissa I think Sydney, the alchemist with the cool tattoo, is awesome! Oh and how can I forget Dimitri's family? It made me wish I was a member of the Belikov family, well kind of... except for the whole blood wh*** thing (lets at least pretend to keep it clean here folks!).

Following on from the last book, there were a number of points where I cried throughout Rose's journey (I should have just read the books with a box of tissues within reaching distance). I don't know what it is about the Vampire Academy books, but I am completely sucked into Rose's emotional state. When she is feeling confused and woozy or when she is upset, so am I. The ending of this book left me on the edge of my seat desperate to know what's going to happen next.

Review: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Title: Anna and the French Kiss
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Publisher: Dutton
Published: 2nd Dec 2010
Source: Own Kindle Copy

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris - until she meets Etienne St. Clair: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.

As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near - misses end with the French kiss Anna - and readers - have long awaited? - From Goodreads

Why did no one take me by the shoulders, shake me, then force me to sit down and read this book? It was on my kindle for at least 8 months before I got round to reading it, and now I feel like slapping myself and yelling "WHAT WERE YOU WAITING FOR?!?" How can I describe my love for this book? I think this book rekindled my love of contemporary romance novels - thank you Stephanie Perkins.

So the story follows Anna in her last year of school. This is not a normal year as her father has decided it would be best for her to spend the year at an American school in Paris! Some people might think "Paris, how amazing", but Anna is going to Paris without any knowledge of the language and leaving her friends, family, possible boyfriend and job. What a nightmare! Luckily she quickly makes friends and meets Meredith, Josh, Rashmi and St Clair. 

Ah, St Clair... Etienne St Clair. Charming, handsome, British (apparently that makes American girl's toes tingle!) and unfortunately dating Ellie! Boo! 

I love Anna! She is total geek-tastic. A film fanatic, who can happily spend every evening in the cinema on her own enjoying every type of film there is to offer, is someone I could get to know. Even more than that there were some absolute gems that made me laugh, like her complete inability to order food at school. Anna is the friend I think everyone could use in their lives.

This book was a joyful emotional rollercoaster. The ups were fantastic and the downs left you wanting to reach into the book and give Anna a hug. When I finished the book I felt completely satisfied, wanting more and planning a trip to Paris (I mean really I am so close, why have I never been?). Stephanie Perkins I need you writing more books!!

Review: Something Like Fate by Susane Colasanti

Title: Something Like Fate
Author: Susane Colasanti
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Published: 4th May 2010
Source: Own Copy

Warning Review Contains Spoilers!

Best friends Lani and Erin couldn't be more different. Lani's reserved and thoughtful; Erin's bubbly and outgoing. Lani likes to do her own thing; Erin prefers an entourage. There's no possible way they could be interested in the same guy. So when Erin starts dating Jason, Lani can't believe she feels such a deep connection with him, and it may be mutual. The more Lani fights it, the more certain she feels that it's her fate to be with Jason. But what do you do when the love of your life is the one person you can't have? - From Goodreads

I could have read this book easily in one sitting on holiday if my friend had not insisted we go for a walk and get a massage! Let me read my book woman (although the massage was spot on!). This book had an writing style I found offputting but I thought the characters were very realistic as teenagers right from the beginning (for some this may be good or it may be bad!).

I was torn with this book. There were some things I liked and there were some things that really annoyed me. Since I like lists, I will summarise these in list form starting with the good.

What I Liked
1. The Gay Best Friend - You have got to love a gay best friend and this one is particularly blunt and fantastic. 

2. The Parent's obsession with turning out the lights and not turning the heating up!! - This is how I grew up. My parents would refuse to turn the heating up ("Put on another pair of socks if your feet are cold" - My Dad) and you often got the light turned out on you (most often when we were in the bathroom!!!). So to me this was really familiar, realistic and to me amusing.

What I Didn't Like
1. The Writing - I am pretty sure when I was at primary school we were taught that it was bad form to start every other line of speech " Then I said 'blah, blah...'" we get know how dialogue works. (I was also told at primary that swallowing chewing gum would kill me - hmm...) To me it felt a little childish.
 
2. Lani needs to stand up to her bitch BFF - So I can be rather feisty at times, but I really think even a timid person would stand up to being treated like trash by a "friend"! Personally for me Erin would have been a goner as soon as she crossed me once.
 
3. The BFF - As should have been clear by the quotation marks above, I think Erin is no friend to Lani, especially not a best friend. I have a fairly close knit group of friends and in the past we have done some pretty crappy things to each other, however I think real friends are like family; things may seem awful when you are fighting, but you know you will make up eventually.
 
4. The coincidences!! - To me some of the coincidences are totally ridiculous! They both think of different water in terms of shapes and colours (is this not a disease?). Why only water? What about fruit juice or milk? NOT A COINCIDENCE, JUST WEIRD!!
Also they played together when they were babies? I live in the capital of Scotland, and if I stop 10 people on the streets of Edinburgh around my age, I will be connected somehow to at least half of them. If I narrow this down to speaking to people in the catchment area of my high school, or primary school, we will have gone to most of the same places, know the same people and probably have played with each other at some point. NOT A COINCIDENCE, JUST STATISTICS!!
I could go on, but I think I will leave it there!

Sorry for shouting, rant over, there was just so much about this book that rubbed me the wrong way. I think if it had been a longer book I may have given up. The things which annoyed me may be enjoyable for another reader, but for me I found them hard to overlook.

Rating: 1 / 5

Review: Charmed Thirds by Megan McCafferty

Title: Charmed Thirds
Author: Megan McCafferty
Publisher: Three Rivers Press
Published: 24th April 2007
Series: Jessica Darling #3
Source: Own Copy

Jessica Darling continues to grow, groove, lust, and hook up. In this witty follow-up to Sloppy Firsts and Second Helpings, Jessie studies and romps through three years at New York's Columbia University. When not soaking up Ivy League ambiance, this exuberant undergraduate is busy salvaging her long-distance relationship with her high school boyfriend Marcus Flutie, now a candidate for nirvana at an unaccredited Buddhist college in California. As usual, Jessie's perceptions are somewhat less ethereal but probably more interesting to readers. A stylish teen funfest. - From Goodreads

Jessica Darling, you are such a complicated girl. Just when I think we are similar and I probably would have done the same thing in your position you turn around and do something completely different. I love you, but sometimes you make me want to never speak to or hear from you again.

I admit I am being a tad over dramatic with that, however I see that it is the mark of a good character that I feel so totally that she could be a real person. No matter if I like her or loathe her at any specific point in the book I can't help but think of her as a real person.

I think that this was my least favorite of the Jessica Darling books so far purely because it covers 3 years in the book and I would have preferred to skip most of it and look at a more targeted period in her life. What about Marcus, I hear you ask? Well let me just say that we see Marcus at the beginning of the 3 years but we have to bear in mind that he is at school across the country, and that kind of strain is hard on a relationship. There were some "romantic" (not really romantic at all) situations that Jessica got herself into that made me laugh as you can relate to all of them and may well have been in the same situations yourself.

I will read the final books in the series, but for me they have started to lose a little of the magic which made me devour the first two books in only a couple of days. Lets hope that the next books can recapture it and that it has not been lost along with Jessica Darling's youth.

Review: Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead (VA3)

Title: Shadow Kiss
Author: Richelle Mead
Publisher: Razorbill
Published: 13th November 2008
Series: Vampire Academy #3
Source: Own Copy

Warning: Description and Review Contain Some Spoilers!!

Is Rose's fate to kill the person she loves most? It's springtime at St. Vladimir's Academy, and Rose Hathaway is this close to graduation. Since Mason's death, Rose hasn't been feeling quite right. She has dark flashbacks in the middle of practice, can't concentrate in class, and has terrifying dreams about Lissa. But Rose has an even bigger secret .... She's in love with Dimitri. And this time, it's way more than a crush. Then Strigoi target the academy in the deadliest attack in Moroi history, and Dimitri is taken. Rose must protect Lissa at all costs, but keeping her best friend safe could mean losing Dimitri forever... - From Goodread

If I could marry a series of books it would be this one!! I love them so much!! OK, so I will roll back on the loving and the exclamation marks but Richelle Mead is able to keep all of her story lines away from the obvious, but without seeming too crazy or off-the-wall. If that was not enough we have the smoking hot Dimitri, who makes you want to crawl into the book just to touch him... hmmm... Dimitri... OK, sorry I'm back!

We left off at the end of book 2 with the death of Mason after they had spent a good portion of the book in a ski lodge. This death has an impact on everyone involved, but for Rose Mason's death triggers something in her which means she can now see Mason and other ghosts. Now, I can't remember if this was covered, but why was she not seeing ghosts the last time she left protected grounds? Like when her and Lissa ran away, or when they were stuck in the Strigoi house at the end of the last book. I have the feeling the reason is that it was triggered with the trauma of losing Mason, but I'm not sure. I remember she was seeing them on the plane on the way to the ski lodge before mason was killed and they gave her a killer headache, why was this the first time?

Oh, how can I be 2 paragraphs in and not have mentioned Adrian. I am firmly in the camp of Team Dimitri and it is clear that Dimitri and Rose are supposed to be together, but I love an underdog. This means that secretly I am also rooting for Adrian. I mean it is clear that he is a damaged soul who just needs some love. Argh it makes me feel so torn! Also in this novel I think I lost a little bit of love for Lissa. I mean come on woman can't you see your BFF needs you?!?

I liked that this book was based back at the school on familiar turf we already knew about. In this book Rose also has training which puts her as Lissa's Guardian withing school where the trainers will jump out and attack like real Strigoli. What does this mean? It means some awesome fights!! This book takes you from highs to lows to a real attack on the school. One that is so bad, it leaves you shaking the book to try and change the outcome, then moving straight on to book 4 without stopping to even look at another book. Well done Richelle!