Review Coming Soon

This review and more can be found at The Book Bratz






I dislike having to write a review when I don't like a book. Those are my feelings right now. I just don't have much to say about this book. I didn't hate it but I didn't love it.

One thing that ticked me off the most was that the characters knew they were narrators. Donna even says how she will be a reliable one. I like when books change point of view, because you can see into the head of more then one character that way. But I wanted to skip over Donna's parts. The amount of times that she says "Like" I wanted to scream. She compares it to a metaphor.

I did like the plot, it was interesting and I liked the concept, but it moved way to fast. I didn't even understand half of what I read. I reread huge portions of this book. There was a lot of things in here that had nothing to do with the story. Flashbacks would get mixed up with the present story line creating a very confused Amber.

Jefferson, dude, seriously? A girl is going to try to kill you, so what are you going to do? Hook up on the train platform with her? Yeah, not really a bright idea. One minute she wants to shot your brains in, then your tearing at each others clothes. Yes, I like kissing in books. I didn't like this though. I made no complete sense.

A few things I liked about the book were the eeriness and the needing to know what was going to happen next. This was one of those books were I sat on the couch at 9pm and then suddenly it was 12am and everyone in my house had gone to bed.

Now, I am not saying not to pick up this book. My opinion is one of thousands. This books just wasn't for me. It had a pretty cover though, that is a plus.

I was doing a little research I learned that The Young World was picked up by Warner Bros to be a movie.

This review and more can be found at The Book Bratz



"It takes only half a second…

…Like those commercials where a crash test dummy rockets forward at high speed and slams into a wall.
…In that instant, every thought in Emma Lynn Walsh’s head collides with mine—every thought, memory, hope, disappointment and dream.
…I open my eyes to see Dr. Walsh peering at me, a puzzled expression on her face.

“Let—go—of—me,” I order though clenched teeth."

I was hooked at chapter one. I was able to relate with Mira and that is what I like most in any story, when a reader can relate to the main character, or any character for that matter. It gives the story a whole knew perspective when you can.

The book opens with Mari in the hospital after her latest suicide attempt, this time she cut open her wrists. All she wants for it to stop, the memories, the feelings, the emotions, just everything and since she was immunized with the new drug, Gaudium is as only gotten worst.

Gaudium is the new miracle drug, the cure to mental illnesses and Autism. All sixteen year olds must receive the vaccine. I loved the idea behind a drug that eradicated mental illnesses, and how I wish this was real. One dose and your depression is cured, that would be amazing!

The story begins with in the middle of the conflict. Mari's father, the face and CEO of Rawley medical is being accused of running illegal drug tests along with his dead colleague, Gregory Stark. But when Mari's mother starts to question her husband the plot thickens. Fallen into a mysterious coma, she leaves Mari with many unanswered questions.

I liked how the author described what Mari felt when she touched someone, it made a better understanding of why she stayed so far away from people. But does the no touch rule apply to David as well?

I also really liked David's character. He was adorable, I just felt like he went along with what ever Mari said. Like think for yourself a bit dude, maybe she is going to end up almost getting herself killed, stop her!. I liked the romance too, it wasn't forced, it developed through out the book.

The beginning was slow, but that was to introduce everything. Once Mari's mother falls into the coma the book is one thrill ride. There are so many "oh shit!" moments that I lost count by the last page.

My favorite part was that Mari is Hispanic, I haven't read many books with a Hispanic main character. I think I need to look into books with characters of other races as well.

The book is open ended, meaning that Contact could be part of a series *crosses fingers* and we will get to see more of Mari's story. Until I know I am just going to have to wonder what happens next. *sigh*


RATING: ★★★★

I am stumped on what to say. Not because I didn't like it, I did. Very much so. It was different and weird but, enjoyable. Like I said, I am totally speechless.

*Review coming closer to publication date*

The full review can be found at The Book Bratz!


Look at that cover? Who wouldn't want to pick up a book with such a beautiful cover? I don't know about you but I am a push over for a beautiful cover, plus the summary had me hooked, I needed this book in my life. But with no money I had to wait for my library to have it. They finally did. To me, a good book is something where I devoured the first 200 pages of The Jewel in two hours. It was amazing!

In a world where the royals can no longer reproduce, the job falls upon the young girls with a genetic mutation to do so. Violet (#197) has known she would be a surrogate since she was twelve years old. Upon being sold to the Dutchess of the House of Lake she believes that her life will be great. She has a lady-in-waiting, a huge bedroom, and closets full of beautiful dresses. That illusion is quickly crushed when with in five minutes of meeting her "master" she is slapped. Violet soon learns that the Dutchess will do anything in her power to continue her line.

I liked Violet most of the time. The only time I didn't like her was anytime she was with/thinking about Ash. Violet was a bit frustrating though, she has plenty of time to try to escape or attempt to and she didn't bother. Even after she started seeing the doctor. She just stayed put. Then when there was opportunity for her to get out, she blew it. I wasn't crazy about Ash, I felt like he was really only at the palace for for one thing. Though Garnet wasn't in a lot of the book he is my favorite character. There was something in every part he was in that made me giggle a bit. I wished he was in more of the book to be honest, but with how The Jewel ended I am pretty sure he wil play a bigger roll in the next book.

The romance is what made me changed the rating from five stars to four stars. Like I said, I wasn't crazy about Ash and then the insta-love, I just wasn't a fan. Maybe the author meant for it to be like that though? After all, Violet has been isolated from boys since she was twelve years old so maybe she thinks she is in love? I'm not sure. I have my suspicions for the next book though.

There was something about this book that reminded me of The Selection by Kiera Cass. So, if you were a huge fan of that series then The Jewel is for you!

This review and more can be found at The Book Bratz






".... a gruesome thriller suggested by the events of the Amityville Horror."

I saw the name Amity and the first thing that popped into my head was The Amityville Horror. I live on Long Island. Less then twenty minutes away from the actually Amityville Horror house, so of course anything involving it will catch my attention. I was disappointed that this wasn't a retelling. But besides that I enjoyed the story.

This was another book were I abandoned all my responsibilities and laid on the couch all night to read. It is told in alternate times. Ten years ago and today.

Conner had lived in the house ten years ago. Now, when I first started the book I liked Connor, I really did. Then the book progressed and I found that some things he did were not normal. My biggest question is, was he in love with his sister? There is a part in the book that suggests that, then a dream were she kisses him.

Qwen currently lives in the house. This was her parents latest escape with their family after Qwen's latest mental break down and she is convinced not to screw it up. Then she starts having the dreams, starts referring to Amity as if she were a person and seeing things, just like Connor had.

As much as I liked the book there were things I didn't like. There were many things that were unclear or unanswered. Especially Connor's letter at the end. What exactly did he mean by everything he said? Who was the decomposed girl that Qwen kept seeing? Was it Jules or someone else from Amity's past?


RATING: ★★★

This review and more can be found at The Book Bratz



The story follows Darcy Patel, an eighteen year old high school graduate who just signed a three hundred thousand dollar book deal for Afterworlds and an untitled sequel. She wrote Afterworlds in the month of November, two thousand words a day. Now, most bloggers and writers know what that means. Though NaNoWriMo wasn't specifically mentioned in the novel it isn't hard to put two and two together. She moves too New York, leases a beautiful apartment and meets many famous YA authors. Eventually there is a bit of romance involved with one of the authors, Imogen Gray.

Though I wasn't a huge fan of how fast Darcy dove into a relationship with Imogen I wasn't unhappy about it. I liked that Westerfeld used a female love interested rather than a male. I find that it isn't used much in YA writing.

One thing I didn't like was at times the character would be really mature, and other times really naive or immature. Like there was no in between, they didn't sound eighteen or twenty five. Though some of the dialogue was entertaining and bought up good points.

I also enjoyed seeing how the publishing aspect worked, the rewrites, edits, the having to change something. My favorite part is when Darcy is signing ARC copies of Afterworlds at BEA. It shows that she made it, her novel was going to be published.

Of course though, Darcy's experiences and Afterworlds was written by Westerfeld, she isn't a real person, but a fictional character. I don't think enough reviews mentioned that. We all referred (I will admit it, I have too) to Darcy as a real person.

The story is told in alternate chapters, so another story is told. Afterworlds is about seventeen year old Lizzie who is planning to fly home to Dan Diego when terrorist attack the airport in which she is departing from. In the mist of the attack she is told to "play dead" and accidentally slips into the Afterworld where she meets Yamaraj, who is a guide of the dead. When she returns home from the hospital, after the attack she learns that her house in inhabited by the ghost of eleven year old Mindy, her mother's best friend as a child, who was abducted while on a trip, murdered, then buried in her own backyard. Lizzie takes is upon herself to seek revenge for the young girl.

I liked Afterworlds, I can't say I loved it though. There were a lot of things I was confused about. One being Lizzie after the attack. She was a bit shaken up, but most people after something at traumatic as that would be a bit jumpy at things. I just felt like she didn't have much of a reaction.

Lizzie acted extremely stupid sometimes, she would jump into situations with out thinking it through. Then when she tells her mother that she just needs space, her mother just goes a long with it like "Hey my daughter isn't traveling to the underworld and trying to solve a murder." Or how her mother lets her off extremely easy about taking a break before going to college. My parents would skin me alive.It just annoyed me.

I liked the idea though, the whole Afterworld, the river, and the idea that ghosts are memories that would fade overtime. It was interesting and kept my attention. I mean, I did finish a six hundred page book in under twenty four hours.

My biggest questions though: What is the title of Untitled Patel going to be called? What is it going to be about? That isn't answered when the story switches back to Darcy, so it leaves me questioning, is Westerfeld going to writing a sequel to Afterworlds?



RATING: ★★★★