YA

Poison Princess (The Arcana Chronicles) by Kresley Cole

 in Adult / Adventure / Book Reviews / Books / Creative / Fantasy / Older Readers / Otherworldly / Young Adult by

“Watch your six, Reaper, I’m on the hunt.”
A rasping chuckle. -Your Death awaits.-

-Page 368

Poison Princess cover Summary

“22 Arcana cards. 22 Chosen Teens. Let the cards fall where they may.

Sixteen-year-old Evie Greene’s horrific hallucinations predicted the apocalypse, and the end of the world brought her all sorts of new powers. With the earth scorched and few survivors, Evie teams up with handsome and dangerous Jack Deveaux in a race to find answers. They discover that that an ancient prophesy is being played out, and Evie is not the only one with special powers. A group of teens have been chosen to reenact the ultimate battle between good and evil. But it’s not always clear who is on which side… “

-From Kresley Cole’s website.

Review

Okay, this is just going to be an absolutely love fest. Because this book was absolutely fantastic! It was nothing like any of the other YA books I have read and it was just so well written. I will start off by saying that this is definitely an older YA book because of certain themes as well as some of the violent content. There are no curse words, and the few curse words that are used, Cole cleverly changes up so that she switches letters around to make the word something different. If you know the word then you’ll know what it should be, but if you don’t, it will just look like some made up curse word, which is extremely clever.

The violence in the book is a little graphic at times. Especially when it jumps to the present day. How the story is set up is that the main character, Evangeline, is telling the story to someone who welcomes her into the home and by the end of the story, the past has been told and her arriving in the home is the present and that is where the book ends to set up for the next book in the series. Parts of the themes in the book, especially the guy who she is telling the story to in the present, is extremely creepy and pulled on some nasty themes. There are a lot of implications of rape, though nothing happens. A younger reader wouldn’t completely get that but as an older reader, you know exactly what is being implied. Then the guy who she is telling the story to, think of like one of the creepier episodes of Criminal Minds (I hope most people know this show) and think of how twisted they get with dungeons and torture. That is kind what the guy is like, so it gets a little brutal.

Now the rest of the story is just lots of apocalypse stuff. Something happens, called The Flash, and everything goes to shit, essentially. You’re never clear exactly what The Flash was, but you’re told it was a solar flare, though it’s never clear exactly what caused it, and leaves questions to be answered later on in the series. Out in the world, there are some horrible people, and some nasty themes brought up again. Mentions of cannibalism as well as the enslavement of women too. It seems like during The Flash, when most people were killed, a lot of them were women, so women were scarce, so they were wanted by slavers and stuff. Younger readers would just think that women were special though older readers would know exactly what was going on.

The two main characters, Evangeline and Jackson, are traveling together and it follows them from when they met before The Flash to surviving together after it. There is some great character development between the two of them and a lot of advances as well as steps back too, though I did sometimes want to smack Jackson so damn hard. There was definitely some sexual undertones going on, sometimes a little more prevalent, so you can definitely say that there is a romance theme to the book, but it is by no means a major theme in the book at all.

I also really like the fact that this is called The Arcana Chronicles. I have never once read a book about the Arcana cards. I have once seen an anime about the Arcana cards, Arcana Famiglia and it was really good, but besides that I have not seen anything about these cards and this was totally awesome!

Overall this was a fantastic book and I definitely do recommend it. I can’t read the second and third book for a little bit as I have to wait for my next school break, so I’ll have to wait for the new year, and until then it’s going to kill me, this wait.

But until then, definitely check this series out and enjoy it!

Happy Reading!

Between Us And The Moon by Rebecca Maizel

 in Book Reviews / Books / Young Adult by
Book cover Between Us And The Moon by Rebecca Maizel

Between Us And The Moon

Summary

“A luminous YA love story that evokes Judy Blume’s Forever for a new generation.

Sarah—Bean to her friends and family—is an aspiring astronomer and champion mathlete. She lives behind her beloved telescope, with her head in the stars and her feet planted firmly on the ground. For as long as she can remember, she’s also lived in the shadow of her beautiful older sister, Scarlett.

But after a traumatic end to the school year, Sarah goes to Cape Cod for the summer with her family, determined to grow up. It’s there that she meets gorgeous, older college boy Andrew. He sees her as the girl she wants to be. A girl like Scarlett. He thinks she’s older, too—and she doesn’t correct him.

For Sarah, it’s a summer of firsts. Before she knows what’s happened, one little lie has transformed into something real. And by the end of August, she might have to choose between falling in love, and finding herself.

Fans of Jenny Han and Stephanie Perkins are destined to fall for this romantic and heartfelt coming-of-age novel about how life and love are impossible to predict.”

-From Amazon.com

Review

Well this was definitely a different book than most that I’ve read. But it was really interesting! It was a teen romance book and definitely was quite teen oriented, though there was talk about sex, but in the aspect of teens and stuff like that, though it wasn’t really a romance book per se, more like coming of age and stuff like that.

The writing was simple in nature, definitely for YA, probably 16 years or so, and followed teenage problems. The main character, Sarah, didn’t really fit into society very easily because she was interested in the stars and kind of didn’t mold into the societal ‘teenage girl’ perception. It followed her transformation from a younger girl into her wanting to be different and learn how to be beautiful and have a boyfriend.

Now, one thing which I really didn’t like about the book was the fact that Sarah lied. She lied about her age and where she was going to school and while that was what the book was about, it kind of annoyed me. In the modern day and age, people lie about so many things and this just seemed to reiterate it. Yes, it did make it clear that lying was wrong and shouldn’t be done, it took the entire book for her to get to the point where she was able to come clean and I really didn’t like that. But, that was the point of the book. My disliking of it is a personal opinion. And I don’t mean the fact that it was written, but I honestly hate people who lie so it hit a chord in me.

There was also the aspect of how she was treated in the book. All teenagers have communication issues with their parents. Their parents won’t listen to them and we have arguments with them. So this showed her relationship with her parents and her Aunt, Aunt Nancy, who wanted to mold her into the perfect lady and was pushing her too fast to become that. It showed their arguments and conflicts and how it was sorted out towards the end.

Sarah did also have a sister, Scarlett, and it was a good touch to show their love/hate relationship. Many kids have siblings and seeing how they argued and either resolved it or mended over the area/hurt was interesting. It wasn’t a perfect relationship nor a destroyed one as it had its ups and downs.

One point that I would like to make is the fact that the sex in the book was against everything which teens are taught. It was not safe sex. While in most books that isn’t an issue, especially in adult romance books, in books for YA’s, it is wrong in my personal opinion. They will read that sex is okay and happening and they didn’t use protection and no consequences will occur. Sure, romance in adult books is just for the fix, which is fine, but for kids, the sex in this book was just to round out the teen experience, and it makes sex seem like something so simple and something with no consequences, when it does – especially with teen pregnancy on the rise. Might make the sex seem more awkward to add a sentence about condoms or something, but that is how it is and it should be explained as such to get it into teens head.

Overall this was a typical teen romance book with summer romance. The ending was, while deserved, highly un-fulfilling and made me wanting answers and to see something else, but, can’t really complain. This was honestly a great YA book and I really do suggest reading it as it was very well written and can teach some valuable lessons.

Lesson number one, and the main one to take away from this book ~ Don’t lie. Ever~

Enjoy and happy reading!

Ready or Not? by Tina Radziszewicz

 in Books / Older Readers / Young Adult by

A girl’s guide to making her own decisions about dating, love, and sex.

Book cover Ready or Not? by Tina Radziszewicz

Ready or Not? by Tina Radziszewicz

Summary

“So many questions…so hard to actually ask them! Finding the right moment – not to mention the right person – to ask can be a nightmare.

Well, look no further!

This essential guide tells you everything you need to know about your body, his body, what boys say (and what they actually mean), virginity, dating, contraception, STDs, pregnancy – and more.

Taking a relationship further is a huge step, and it’s essential to know all the facts before making any decisions. Packed with friendly advice, quizzes, and practical information, this book is your ultimate guide to making the best choice for you!”

-From the back cover

Review

Every teenage girl has questions about her body, about sexuality, and everything that goes with it. And it’s not like they have 16 years to grow up to get there and have many years of parental experience and advice to guide them. With 10 year olds, or younger, being in relationships and/or having sex, parents don’t really have the conversations with their kids. I mean what parent wants to talk with their 10 year old about sex? What parent really wants to talk to their kid about sex at all? Sex is a conversation, and topic, which is prevalent in society. Everything in society is sexualized, whether it be clothing, music, or movies. Yet when someone tries to have a conversation about sex, everything dies and people try and change the topic as fast as they can, or they dance around it with words like “when you do it” or “you know…”.

No one wants to spit it out, get to the point and get it done with. But, this book really does do that. The author doesn’t mince her words and she doesn’t dance around the topic. She breaks it up into organized sections and then sub sections after that and covers the topic with the information needed, and moves on. Tina talks about everything which makes us uncomfortable from the mysterious self-gratification to self-pleasure (not using the crude terms incase there are young ones) and beyond. She covers literally everything that no parent really wants to cover with their child. And this book tells you the risks of everything as well.

Honestly, if you are a parent and slightly uncomfortable starting the conversation off with your kid, this is a great place to start. While I do recommend it for 16 and older, as there are things in here that a younger child probably doesn’t know or shouldn’t know, it’s still useful as a starting place.

Overall I do really suggest checking this out. It’s a great self-help book for teens and a great place for parents to start off as well.

Enjoy reading.

Dark Lover: The First Novel of the Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R. Ward

 in Book Reviews / Books / Series by

Summary

“The only purebred vampire left on the planet and the leader of the Black Dagger Brotherhood, Wrath has a score to settle with the slayers who killed his parents centuries ago. But when his most trusted fighter is killed—orphaning a half-breed daughter unaware of her heritage or her fate—Wrath must put down his dagger and usher the beautiful female into another world.

Racked by a restlessness in her body that wasn’t there before, Beth Randall is helpless against the dangerously sexy man who comes to her at night with shadows in his eyes. His tales of the Brotherhood and blood frighten her. Yet his touch ignites a dawning new hunger—one that threatens to consume them both….”

-From Amazon.com

Review

Okay….brace for serious fangirling.

THIS BOOK WAS TOTALLY AWESOME. OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG! I CAN’T EVEN! LIKE YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW HOW MUCH I’M IN LOVE. This and Nalini Singh’s series are definitely my favorites!

This and the Guild Hunters series are so similar in so many ways. The writing styles aren’t the same, but the fuzzy feeling I get in my tummy is….Oh…wait….that’s with most romance novels xD

Anyway. This story had badass guys, kick-ass women, and a really good story. There are 9 books in the series and one insiders guide and the next two in the series are on their way…and I’m dying to read them (update: reading the next one now and almost done xD).

The romance in this series wasn’t explicit or anything like that. They didn’t use really any crude words and it was all pretty gentle unlike some other things I’ve read in the past. Honestly there isn’t tons to say about this book and its series because it’s just so good and I’m literally in love and there are 9 books.

One thing that I do like is that the author has created another world completely. In the beginning of each book is a few pages with definitions of words that you may need to know for the book; definitions of words that relate to the vampiric culture in this particular series and I always love when they do that. You have the generic idea of vampires, then you have the Twilight vampires, Dracula vampires, Van Helsing vampires, and then you have vampires from books that are based off these types of creatures. In romance books they usually make them more sexy and deadly…not sparkly. So I love the vampires in this series and also in Singh’s as they use the same idea.

In addition to this I LOVE the character names and how they twist their spelling. Wrath is Wrath; can’t really go wrong there. But then you have Zsadist, Thorment, Phury, Rhage (I believe there is another or two but I can’t remember their names right now x.x) I really liked that because you still have those really bad-ass names with this awesome spelling.

Anyway, if you like romance, then this is definitely a book for you. It’s obviously supernatural and I know that some people don’t like it, but this doesn’t have a serious supernatural feel to it. The vampires are mostly human except for a few things that they can do and drinking blood is not common in the novel; in fact it’s extremely rare which is nice.

So enjoy and happy reading!

 

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

 in Book Reviews / Books / Books-to-Movie by

Summary

“In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race’s next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew “Ender” Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn’t make the cut–young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training. Ender’s skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room, where children play at mock battles in zero gravity. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers, Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. His psychological battles include loneliness, fear that he is becoming like the cruel brother he remembers, and fanning the flames of devotion to his beloved sister. Is Ender the general Earth needs? But Ender is not the only result of the genetic experiments. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway for almost as long. Ender’s two older siblings are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. Between the three of them lie the abilities to remake a world. If the world survives, that is.”

-From Amazon.com

Review

This book was, just wow. Nothing like I thought it was going to be. I had had this book sitting on my shelf for quite some time now but when I got it, the reading level was way beyond me and I didn’t understand the book. It starts as if it is part of a series and that is what threw me off to start with. But now that I found out that there was a movie being made of it, I decided to do a little looking around and found out that it indeed was the first one of the series (only just found out that there is more than 1 book in the series.) So I started reading it.

This book is definitely off the wall. The writing style is very strange and sometimes quite confusing but you just have to push through it because eventually it all starts to make sense. This is not a book that you can just sit down and read. You really have to give yourself a little time to actually sit and think about it. Some books you can just pick up and read about 3 pages of and then come back some time later and continue reading. This you cannot. You have to really read a good bunch of pages or finish a chapter before you can put it down because otherwise when you come back it will not make any sense at all. But I have to say that it was extremely well written. It kept you thinking, wondering what would happen, and it kept surprising you with different things that happened. The characters were developed quite well as you got to understand Ender and how he acted and how he felt in different situations. You really got close to him and felt bad for him during many situations.

Honestly, there is not a whole lot you can say about this book without giving anything away as there were many details that can ruin the book for you.

I am also going to tell you that nothing it what it seems and that the end is going to be shocking and leave you sitting there with your mouth open (metaphorically – except in my case where it actually was).

But I am going to tell you this…please read this book before you see the movie because I have a feeling that the movie is going to be different. I am also going to say that you have to get into the book before it starts the flow. The beginning feels a little rough, but it will all start to make sense later on. Just dive in and get going.

Good luck, enjoy the book, and let me know what you think.

Update: There is a movie for this book out and I saw it and thought it was fabulous. It wasn’t exactly like the book…but I still defiantly recommend that you watch it. But read the book first, because after the movie, reading the book will be really difficult.