Taken by Storm by Angela Morrison

Febuary 28, 2009
Leesie has always been the good girl. She's always followed the rules that her parents and her religion have set on her. And her dream is to get into Brigham Young University. Of course, everything's going as planned...for Leesie, that is.

Enter Michael Walden, the sole survivor of a dive team that was killed by a hurricane. An orphan, Michael goes to live with his grieving grandmother. The hurricane has had a dreadful effect on Michael; he is ploughed by nightmares linked to the hurricane.

Leesie is struck by an overwhelming desire to help the tortured diver. Slowly, a bond begins to form between the two of them. However, even as they're relationship strengthens, Michael's grief and Leesie's strict rules threaten to drive them apart.

As taken from the amazon summary "Leesie and Michael must make the hardest choice of their lives: whether to follow their beliefs or their hearts."

Though Taken By Storm is clearly a romance, it doesn't suffer from any of those overly cheesy notions that other novels have. Neither Leesie or Michael are perfect and nor is their relationship. This only makes the novel more engrossing; the clashing values and issues between the two are realistic and make their relationship more believable.

Michael's grief over the loss of his parents is also well developed. His feelings and reactions are understandable and well-explained. His love of diving is apparent throughout the novel. I have to say, *spoiler* I was angry when Leesie told Michael's grandmother to stop him from diving. *over*

Anyways, it's easy to sympathize with Michael and Leesie; their characters' are three-dimensional and relatable.

Taken By Storm is told through Michael's dive log, IM and Leesie's poems. I found it to be a perfect way to tell the story; it rounded out the story well and gave Taken by Storm a personal touch.

While I don't usually enjoy stories with religion as an important aspect, I found Taken By Storm to be entertaining and a good read. If you think you'll like it, make sure you pick it up when it comes out on March 5, 2009.

RATING:
Originality: 7/10
Characters: 8/10
Readability: 7/10
Overall: 7.25/10

Happy Reading,
Reader Rabbit

Waiting on Wednesday: The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

Waiting on Wednesday originated from Jill at Breaking the Spine.



Summary: (taken fromhttp://www.randomhouse.ca/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780375891977)

In Mary's world there are simple truths. The Sisterhood always knows best. The Guardians will protect and serve. The Unconsecrated will never relent. And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth. But, slowly, Mary’s truths are failing her. She’s learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future—between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death?

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (March 10, 2009)


I've been waiting for this book for ages. Thank goodness it's only a couple weeks to go now...

North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley

Febuary 24, 2009
If you look at Terra, you'd think that she has the perfect life. She's tall, blonde and has popular boyfriend. But as soon as you take a glance at her face, you see, on her left cheek, a port-wine stain. All of Terra's life has been spent trying to cover it up, through makeup and unsuccessful laser treatments.

Another blemish on her life is inner. Her father routinely abuses her family; degrading her mother to the point where her spirit has been broken. Because of her controlling and verbally abusive father, Terra's only dream is to escape her family and go to college at Williams and learn art. Except, of course, Terra's father decides that art is a waste of time and refuses to allow Terra to attend her first-choice college. He insists that she attend the university of his choice. Heartbroken, Terra is unable to figure out what to do...

That's when, after nearly running him over, Terra meets Jacob. A strange Goth Chinese boy, Jacob doesn't care what anyone thinks and is able to see past the perfect illusion that Terra tries to hide beneath.

And then, when Terra's absentee brother send her tickets for her mother and her to go to China, she leaps at the chance. Jacob and his adoptive mother choose to accompany them, with their mission of finding the orphanage where she adopted Jacob from. It is on that trip where Terra learns more about the world, her family and what it'd take to set her free.

So, as earlier established, I really enjoyed North of Beautiful. I've read Justina Chen Headley's other books and enjoyed them, but none of them measured up to North of Beautiful.

Everything in the novel is layed out perfectly. I particularly enjoyed the mentions of maps and geocaches in the novel. I found them to be symbolic, revealing the changes in Terra as the novel went on.

Terra's family situation in North of Beautiful is painful to read about, at times. Terra's father, while not physically abusive, is horrible. Terra and her mother's sense of entrapment is clear.

While this type of set-up is not unique in the YA genre, the way that it is approached in North of Beautiful is. The travel aspect, Terra's port-wine stain and the simultaneous self-discovery of Terra's mother make North of Beautiful engrossing.

None of the main characters are stereotypical. There's a back-story to every one of them, ranging from Jacob's adoption and purpose behind his "goth appearance' to his mother's desire to go to China to escape the wedding of her ex-husband.

Terra is a character one can easily relate with. Her situation contains aspects that many teens can relate to, including family issues, a desire to escape and make your own path and other teenage issues regarding friendships and relationships.

To add on to the appeal of North of Beautiful, Terra's narrative voice in North of Beautiful is unique, Justina Chen Headley's writing is wonderful. Her prose is smooth, filled with subtle metaphors and is a complete delight to well-read eyes.

Clearly, I adored North of Beautiful and would advise you to pick it up at your local bookstore as it has just been released this month.

Rating:
Originality: 9/10
Readability:10/10
Characters: 9.5/10
Overall: 9.5/10

Happy Reading,
Reader Rabbit

Need by Carrie Jones

February 22, 2009

After Zara's stepfather died, she's been collecting phobias. These phobias range from Sitophobia (fear of eating) to Autophobia (fear of oneself.) Her mother, after deciding that Zara needs a change of scene, ships her down to cold Maine to live with her step-grandmother (who's totally my favorite character, btw). Thing's start to change in Maine...for the better. She makes new friends and even meets a new guy (and, cliche time, who isn't what he seems.) But then Zara notices that a strange and sinister man has been following her around. And he isn't anything of this world...he's a pixie..*duhduhduh*



Okay. So before I delve into my opinions about this book, let me say that Book Chic had the right answer in response to THIS post.

Need was a simply a let-down. Maybe it was because Need was so built up. Everyone everywhere was saying to READ IT and they LOVED IT and that I would totally LOVE IT too. And so, I was super excited when I finally had a copy to read. And then...Need didn't rise to the occasion.



It wasn't like Need was bad. It just wasn't great, or awesome or any of those other words that all those Need-lovers used.


Firstly, the plot was kind of reminiscent of Twilight. Zara has way more gumption than Bella but details like a somewhat forbidden romance (Nick and Zara) and certain creatures of the supernatural (ie. werewolves) just was a bit too much for me. I don't know. Maybe I'm the only one that feels this way but...it was just the teensiest bit too similar for me.

Also, I just didn't seem to "click" with Zara, if I can put it like that. While I could admire her courage, I didn't really relate with her. That's not to say that Carrie Jones didn't flesh her out enough. She did, but I also wish there had been more to Zara. But perhaps there will be, in the sequels? (are there going to be any?) perhaps...

Zara's new friends were pretty general secondary characters. They really weren't anything special though Is and Devyn added a bit of flavor to Need. But then again, I wish there had been more said about them and I'd loved to have learnt more about Devyn (love his name btw).

What is there to say about Nick? I could totally see that plot twist about him coming. Especially that part where *SPOILER*

the "dog" Zara rescued turned out to be..

Nick.
HAHA.

It *was* one of my favorite parts of Need, though! What can I say? It amused me.

Other than that, Nick's almost too much for me. ALMOST. He's like another EDWARD! You know, tortured soul who can't be with the girl because he's a VAMP-I mean, werewolf. Still, he was a likeable character and, unlike Edward, he didn't cause me to gag because of the corniness.

Really, I don't have much more to say, other than, Need is okay. It's not bad and it's not fabulous. It's not good enough to pay the hardcover fee, but when it's out in paperback, it wouldn't make a bad purchase. Of course, if it sounds really appealing to you, maybe the 14.99 or so, would be worth it. After all, I could just be weirrrd, considering how many people DID love Need.

Rating:
Originality: 7/10
Readability: 6/10
Characters: 5/10
Overall: 6/10

Happy Reading,
Reader Rabbit

So..

Feb. 21, 2009

I took your advice and read Need by Carrie Jones.
And then, I had a bit more time so I read North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley.

And finally, I read Something, Maybe by Elizabeth Scott.

Reviews forthcoming for them all.

All I will say is that (in no particular order)
One disappointed me.
One was pretty good.
And the other was fabulous.

Anyone care to guess which was which? *tehe*

(And I still need to read Raven...)

But now it's back to Biology and my Karyotyping assignment...

Help me:

Pick.
Which book should I read next...?

Need by Carrie Jones
or Raven by Allison Van Diepen

THE READ CARPET EPISODE 2

Episode 2 is up! Make sure you check it out. My sister and I have also been given an opportunity to have a little segment on the podcast so that's on there too. :) Enjoy!

Click on the picture or...

CLICK: here

And the Winners are...!

The winners of Rangers Apprentice Book 6 are...

Amanda

and 

Ann Diana Dinh

Email us your addresses within the next 48 hours and we'll get a copy sent to you!

Just One Wish by Janette Rallison

Seventeen-year-old Annika Truman would do anything for her little brother, Jeremy. And now, with Jeremy having to go in for a major head surgery to treat his cancer, Annika will do anything it takes to convince him that he'll make it through; even pretending that a magical genie will give him anything that he wishes for, including a successful surgery. And so she tells him to test the theory and asks him to wish for something.

Except, when it turns out that the one wish that her brother wants is to meet Teen Robin Hood, Annika must find a way to get in contact with the much sought after star and beg him to come and meet her brother.

But get Annika and her best friend succeed in this impossible task...especially as the days tick and the time for Jeremy's surgery draws closer and closer...

When I first read the summary at the back of the book, I'd already come to the conclusion that this would be another ordinary teenage book. After all, it has "the celebrity meets teenage girl" plot written all over it.

Luckily, Just One Wish proved to be more than what I'd assumed it to be. The driving point in the novel is the relationship between Annika and her little brother, Jeremy. Because of him, she gets herself into outrageous situation after outrageous situation.

Except, of course, this one is the craziest one yet.

I don't want to give too much away, it's predictable but it's better to read the novel yourself than to get my second-hand version of it.

The characters are refreshing, Annika and her best friend are girls that it's easy to relate too, Steve (Teen Robin Hood) is more than just a big-headed celeb and Jeremy, of course, is completely lovable.

One thing I disliked is how little the rest of Annika's family is fleshed out. I felt as if there could have been a little more development on their end.

Onwards, the dialoguebetween the characters is natural. Jannette Rallison is able to pull of the voice of a teen well.

Anyways, Just One Wish managed to be funny and heartwarming at the same time, despite the unrealistic plot.

Overall, Just One Wish is a perfect tale to cozy up with on a relaxing evening. I reccommend that you pick it up when it's released in the March of this year.

Rating:

Originality: 6/10

Characters: 8/10

Readability: 9/10

Overally: 8/10

Happy Reading,

Reader Rabbit

Lord of Misrule by Rachel Caine

Morganville is a mess. Amelie's father, the notorious Bishop, is back in town and he wants to take over Morganville. Because of this, the town is split in two, with the vampires taking sides; with some going to Amelie and the others remaining loyal to Amelie. Of course, the humans play a role in this, too. The protagonist, Claire and her friends, attempt to work with Amelia to suppress the violence and protect the people. However, they must split up in order to complete their dangerous tasks, each of them leaving their homes with a possibility of not coming back alive.


With the situation in town escalating, so does the forecast. A dreadful storm is approaching Morganville and Claire and her friends must do what they can to save their town.



First things, first. This series is clearly a series. Readers should not pick this book up without reading the preceeding novels. I mean, sure you can since there's a handy recount of the earlier books but it's not the same. So, if you haven't read the earlier books. I advise you to pick them up.


Lord of Misrule picks up right where the fourth book in the Morganville Vampire Series, Feast of Fools, left off...which is pretty much in the middle of some pretty intense action. The situation is dire, with each town split on different sides.

It's hard to describe the conflict withour giving spoilers for the entire series as each of the books are a progression from those earlier. The series is pretty continuous, which only adds to the suspense; especially with Rachel Caine's evil cliffhangers which I'll rag on later.


Ever since the first book, Glass Houses, we've been watching Claire and her housemates (Shane, Eve and Michael) grow while living in Morganville. From early in the series, the group have faced conflict after conflict, from Claire being bound to Amelie and Shane's crazy vampire-hunter father. However, the issue in Lord of Misrule is the worst and most intruiging one thus far.

Besides the intense situations and vampire lore that are a trademark of the series, Rachel Caine's characters are the type that you can care about and relate to, even if you're really nothing at all like them.

In Lord of Misrule, the relationship between Claire and Shane continues to grow, as the stakes grow higher. Their moments together are some of my favorite scenes to read; both Claire and Shane are so different, yet their relationship is so natural. Of course Claire's not 18 yet but perhaps the next book with feature her "birthday" which will only make sense if you've read the series.

Also, ever since Michael's transformation into a vampire earlier on in the series, his character has been changing and becoming different as Claire notices as the story progresses. This sets up some interesting potential plotlines as the series continues.

Now, as not to spoil the ending of Lord of Misrule, all I will say is that the ending was unexpected, and of course before more answers could be revealed, Lord of Misrule ends. I hate, and love, Rachel Caine's cliffhangers. Hate because, well really, who likes to have to WAIT 6 months for more answers? And love because I'm just that much more excited when the following book comes out.

I suggest you pick Lord of Misrule up now; and if you haven't read this series, you should. It's by far one of the best YA vampire series that I've read, and I've read alot. And, you can't go wrong, these books are only about 7 bucks each. The next book Carpe Corpus will be published in June 2009.


Also, if you're a fan of Rachel Caine's adult series, the Weather Warden, the first book, Undone, of her branch of the Weather Warden series was just released this month. Make sure you check it out!

Rating:
Readability: 9/10
Characters: 9/10
Plot: 9/10

Happy Reading,
Reader Rabbit

Waiting on Wednesday: Stargazer by Claudia Gray

Febuary 11, 2009 Waiting on Wednesday originated from Jill at Breaking the Spine

Summary (from Amazon):
The vampire in me was closer to the surface . . .
Evernight Academy: an exclusive boarding school for the most beautiful, dangerous students of all—vampires. Bianca, born to two vampires, has always been told her destiny is to become one of them.
But Bianca fell in love with Lucas—a vampire hunter sworn to destroy her kind. They were torn apart when his true identity was revealed, forcing him to flee the school.
Although they may be separated, Bianca and Lucas will not give each other up. She will risk anything for the chance to see him again, even if it means coming face-to-face with the vampire hunters of Black Cross—or deceiving the powerful vampires of Evernight. Bianca's secrets will force her to live a life of lies.
Yet Bianca isn't the only one keeping secrets. When Evernight is attacked by an evil force that seems to target her, she discovers the truth she thought she knew is only the beginning. . . .

Having read (and enjoyed) Evernight last year, it's obvious that Stargazer is one of the books I'm waiting for. Luckily, we won't have to wait long. Stargazer is published in a month, on March 24, 2009.

Too bad it's yet ANOTHER hardcover...

And the Winners of Flygirl are...!

TruNerd

and

Thao

You Are So Undead to Me by Stacey Jay

15 year old Megan has already found her calling. She's a settler, or to be more specific, she's the person that the dead come to to "settle" their problems.

Of course, one of Megan's first settlings after 10 years occurs just when she's about to have a date with the hottest senior in town. Megan is unable to remember exactly what she needs to do to get him settled and ends up biking to the grave with a lifeless arm in a garbage bag.

This is how a Settler’s Affairs law enforcement official finds her. Needless to say, he is not pleased. At all.

And then Megan becomes a zombie target, causing Ethan, her childhood friend AND Settler's Affairs law enforcement official, to be assigned to protect her from the dangers. But with the danger mounting, Megan has to find out exactly who wants her dead...

Zombies generally aren't my favorite supernatural creatures to read about but seeing all the positive reviews for this book provoked me to make an exception and read it.

Firstly, I will say that I found the premise to be kinda unique. You know, the twist on the I TALK TO DEAD people thing going on in a lot of books. This time, it's zombies. But, for me at least, the idea of talking to a walking corpse is sort of a turn-off.

Oh well.

I do like the characters that Stacey Jay has created. Megan, her family, friends and Ethan are fun to read about. I especially liked watching the relationship between Ethan and Megan reform.

The writing is well done; there are many funny moment and of course, as Megan tries to find out who keeps on sending zombies after her, an aspect of suspense.

The culprit in the novel isn't the person that the reader would suspect..until the very end. Props off to Stacey Jay for that. And of course, once I DID find out, I wondered how I had completely overlooked that person.

Overall, You Are So Undead to me proves to be a fun read and perhaps a good way to unwind after a stressful day.

Rating:
Originality: 8/10
Characters:8/10
Plot:7/10
Overall: 7.5/10

Happy Reading,
Reader Rabbit

Waiting on Wednesday: Fragile Eternity

Waiting on Wednesday originated from Jill over at Breaking the Spine.

Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr
Released: April 2009


Summary (from Amazon):Seth never expected he would want to settle down with anyone—but that was before Aislinn. She is everything he'd ever dreamed of, and he wants to be with her forever. Forever takes on new meaning, though, when your girlfriend is an immortal faery queen.

Aislinn never expected to rule the very creatures who'd always terrified her—but that was before Keenan. He stole her mortality to make her a monarch, and now she faces challenges and enticements beyond any she'd ever imagined.

In Melissa Marr's third mesmerizing tale of Faerie, Seth and Aislinn struggle to stay true to themselves and each other in a milieu of shadowy rules and shifting allegiances, where old friends become new enemies and one wrong move could plunge the Earth into chaos.


I loved Wicked Lovely and can't wait to read this one. Only, it's yet another HARDcover release. $$$$

Paisley Hanover Acts Out by Cameron Tuttle

Hey guys, hope you enjoy the review. :) Also, this book is released in March so be sure to add it to your wishlist!

'Sophomore, Paisley Hanover has always been considered to be one of those popular kids. So it shocks her when she's booted out of her first choice option: yearbook and ends up in *ohthehorror* drama class with the UNpopular kids.

However, despite this obstacle, Paisley is not down for the count. Instead, she finds that, despite "popular" (haha) opinion, the drama kids aren't all that bad. In fact, she finds herself befriending them.

Soon, Paisley finds herself drifting away from her popular pals and she starts to get involved in bringing down the hierarchy of her school's social rankings.

Things get a little messy when Paisley and her alter-ego, Miss UNpleasant, unintentionally both end up running for class president...

Can Paisley fix the mess she created? And does she even want to?

Okay, so first things first. The plot is pretty original. I mean, there are so many books surrounding topics tackled by Paisley Hanover Acts Out but PHAO definitely handles them uniquely (and hilariously.)

I also loved the characters in the novel. (Well, except for the bad "popular" ones. But then...I wasn't supposed to love them so it all works out.) Characterization was done really well for all the characters. They were all unique and easy to relate too. Paisley, of course, was hilarious, quirky and someone that everyone can relate too, despite her being "popular".

The relationships between the characters seemed to be done well, although the ones between Paisley and her crush(es) seemed to be a shallow at times. But then, Paisley is only a sophomore so I guess it can't be expected for there to be alot of depth there.

Overall, I found this book to be pretty darn good. Funny and cute, Paisley Hanover Acts Out is a quick read that I'm sure most girls would enjoy. Be sure to pick it up when it comes out in March '09.

Rating:
Readability: 9/10
Characterization: 9/10
Plot: 9/10
Overall: 9/10

Happy Reading,
Reader Rabbit