Review: Death And The Girl Next Door by Darynda Jones

                          E-book: Death and the Girl Next Door by Darynda Jones
                          Pages: 320
                          Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal
                          Source: Sent from St. Martin's Press                                                     

Darynda Jones, author of The New York Times bestselling series that began with First Grave on the Right, brings us Death and the Girl Next Door, a thrilling Young Adult novel garnering high praise and early buzz from major authors.
Ten years ago, Lorelei's parents disappeared without a trace.  Raised by her grandparents and leaning on the support of her best friends, Lorelei is finally beginning to accept the fact that her parents are never coming home.  For Lorelei, life goes on.
High school is not quite as painful as she thinks it will be, and things are as normal as they can be.  Until the day the school's designated loner, Cameron Lusk, begins to stalk her, turning up where she least expects it,  standing outside her house in the dark, night after night.  Things get even more complicated when a new guy—terrifying, tough, sexy Jared Kovach—comes to school.  Cameron and Jared instantly despise each other and Lorelei seems to be the reason for their animosity.  What does Jared know about her parents?  Why does Cameron tell Jared he can't have Lorelei?  And what will any of them do when Death comes knocking for real?  Thrilling, sassy, sexy, and inventive, Darynda Jones's first foray into the world of teens will leave readers eager for the next installment.
--From Goodreads

There's a lot of hype when I first heard of this novel. When I first spotted the cover and the title, I knew I had to at least check it out to see what it was about. And check out that awesome summary. I knew I had to get it. 

But as I started reading, I just wasn't a fan of some of the issues involved. I really did try to read it, but after the third time of putting the book down, I just had to loose interest in it all together. 

My first issue was with Lorelei. She seemed too trusting on certain people, and didn't think to stop and maybe ask what was going on with others. When she first meets Jared, it felt like she immediately wanted to be his friend. That's fine and all, but later when Cameron and Jared are battling each other, she still wanted to be on Jared's side and felt sorry for him, even though he attempts to kill Lorelai. And as a reader, I was also a bit confused if he did in fact kill her, why was Lorelai still walking around and talking? Cameron was a bit of an oddity as well, as it seems like he stalks Lorelai but is really after Jared. And why does Cameron so easily accept the role that he is apparently born to do? In general, after a 138 pages in, I just didn't connect with the characters, the plot, and was really confused with it all.  

Would I recommend this book: No

I give this book a DNF.

Teaser Tuesday!

Hey fellow readers! It's a posting of Teaser Tuesday! Hosted by Miz B of Should Be Reading, this week's teaser is...

Escape from the realm of the dead is impossible when someone there wants you back.
Seventeen-year-old Pierce Oliviera isn’t dead.
Not this time.
But she is being held against her will in the dim, twilit world between heaven and hell, where the spirits of the deceased wait before embarking upon their final journey.
Her captor, John Hayden, claims it’s for her own safety. Because not all the departed are dear. Some are so unhappy with where they ended up after leaving the Underworld, they’ve come back as Furies, intent on vengeance…on the one who sent them there and on the one whom he loves.
But while Pierce might be safe from the Furies in the Underworld, far worse dangers could be lurking for her there…and they might have more to do with its ruler than with his enemies.
And unless Pierce is careful, this time there’ll be no escape.
--From Goodreads

My Teasers:
"Of course," I murmured. "You were only protecting yourself."
His gaze grew bitter. "Well, not everyone saw it that way," he said. "It turned out there were more men on board who supported the captain's plan -- dangerous as it was -- than didn't. I insisted that since I'd been the main istigator, I was the one one deserving of punishment --"
--P.g. 190, "Underworld," by Meg Cabot.

To play along with Teaser Tuesday, you:


• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Be sure to leave your link so I can read your fun teasers too. :)

Review: Minder by Kate Kaynak

                                              Book: Minder by Kate Kaynak
                                              Pages: 195
                                              Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal
                                              Source: Sent from Spencer Hill Press 

Short Synopsis: Maddie had always known she was a bit different than the other kids. It isn't until an accident forces Maddie to use her "special" gift, leading her to a school filled with kids with all kinds of special powers just like Maddie.

My Thoughts: A bit mushy at times with the "Intsa-love" attraction, but an interesting fast paced read with the resemblance of X-Men. 

Sixteen-year-old Maddie Dunn is special, but she needs to figure out how to use her new abilities before somebody else gets hurt. Ganzfield is a secret training facility full of people like her, but it's not exactly a nurturing place. Every social interaction carries the threat of mind-control. A stray thought can burn a building to the ground. And people's nightmares don't always stay in their own heads. But it's still better than New Jersey--especially once she meets the man of her dreams...
--From Goodreads

My Thoughts: A bit different than the usual paranormal read, we first meet the main character, Maddie, as she is abducted by three men. When they try to harm her, Maddie "uses" her gift, leaving all three men dead. She then meets a Dr. Williamson who tells her she has a special gift and must learn to control her powers which can be taught at a school called Ganzfield, for gifted individuals. 

It was interesting to read the different types of powers each student had. How Maddie could "read" people's thoughts, how another student named Cecelia could manipulate people's thoughts, and how a boy named Trevor was telekinesis and could move things with his mind. Each student at Ganzfield had a unique gift, though some more common than others, Maddie also discovers that though Ganzfield is a special place, the school is like any other with social hierarchies and bullies. 

I found it a bit odd and interesting that the individuals with powers also had to take a dose of a drug that had been invented called dodecamine, to help enhance their special abilities. And without the effects of the drug, the individuals with these special gifts would return as normal, regular people. 

I enjoyed reading the relationship between Maddie and Trevor, but at times felt that they grew a bit too fast too soon. They also had a bit of an "Insta-love" and some moments were a bit too mushy for my taste. I also found it a bit odd that Maddie and Trevor were the only ones given a special treatment of being together in the church when everyone else was separated, just because their powers proved to be more lethal than others. All in all, it was still a very enjoyable novel, and I look forward to reading the continuance of this series.

Would I recommend this book: Yes

Rating: I give this book a 4/5. 

In My Mailbox!

Hey fellow readers! It's a posting of In My Mailbox. Hosted by The Story Siren, this week I got...

For Review:

(e-book) Flash Point -- Nancy Kress from Netgalley 

From Library:

Underworld (Abandon #2) -- Meg Cabot. 

That's all the books that I got this week. Be sure to leave your links so I can see your awesome books too! :)

Review: Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

I'm pushing aside the memory of my nightmare, pushing aside thoughts of Alex, pushing aside thoughts of Hana and my old school, push, push, push, like Raven taught me to do.The old life is dead.But the old Lena is dead too.I buried her.I left her beyond a fence,behind a wall of smoke and flame. 
Lauren Oliver delivers an electrifying follow-up to her acclaimed New York Times bestseller, Delirium. This riveting, brilliant novel crackles with the fire of fierce defiance, forbidden romance, and the sparks of a revolution about to ignite.--From Goodreads

My Thoughts: I don't know what it is about this novel. Everyone seems to love it but me. It took me three tries to read the first novel, Delirium. I love the summery for both of these novels, but when I'm actually trying to read through it, I find the pace very slow and difficult to complete. For this novel, I wasn't a fan of the constant back and forth of the "Then" and "Now" sequencing. I didn't like how it kept on switching from present tense to past tense. Another thing that kind of put me off was the certain form of switching the narration tense as well. At times to me as a reader, it felt as if we were watching things unfold right along with Lena the main character, and then at times it felt like Lena was the one narrating. So the form of the narration threw me off a bit on the story as well. Overall, it just felt like there was too much going on at once. I will probably pick it back up again later, but for some reason, I'm just not that big of a fan as everyone else seems to be.

Would I recommend this book: Eh

Rating: I give this book a DNF. 

Are You A Picky Reader?

Hey fellow readers! I've been in a bit of a reading/reviewing slump recently so I decided to do another post. I'm not sure if I've posted on this subject before or not, so feel free to let me know if I have. But recently I've been reading a lot of novels that have too much of a certain issue and not enough information, or too much information and not enough action.
So, that got me thinking, am I a picky reader? I don't know. I hate to think that I am. The novel I'm reading right now is very romance filled, and sometimes it just seems to drag on, and doesn't give too much elaboration on what happened in the past. And in some novels I've read in the past, there seems to be less romance when I want it, and more of a history lesson than a novel.
Maybe I'm not making too much sense, but when reading a novel, do you as a reader sometimes get frustrated by not having enough of either romance/ or an explanation / or maybe you're just craving more action? Do you ever get frustrated with the author and think, why did they do that? Do you ever have imaginary arguments with the author or the characters involved in the novel?
Sometimes my brain gets picky and thinks that too much of a good thing can be an overkill in a novel, and too less of one thing can wreck a novel too. And lately I've also been reading a lot of popular books that people really seemed to love, but I'm the odd one out and didn't love it as much as others. Has that ever happened to you as a reader? Like you feel like you're the only weird one because everyone else adored it? With novels like those, I usually tend to not post my reviews in other places, for fear of backlash. Anyway, I seem to be blabbing on, so I think I'll stop for now, and would love to read some of your reactions to these situations.

Review: Poltergeeks by Sean Cummings

                                  Book: Poltergeeks by Sean Cummings
                                  Pages: 282
                                  Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal
                                  Source: Sent from Strange Chemistry Publishing

Short Synopsis: Julie Richardson is not your average fifteen year old girl. She's a witch with special powers. After dealing with a poltergeist, Julie must face an ultimate evil that is trying to end her life.

My Thoughts: An action packed adventure, filled with paranormal ghostly elements, mixed with a hint of witchy powers.

Julie Richardson is a fifteen year old with magical powers. She and her best friend Marcus do everything together. That also includes hunting down poltergeists in a neighbor's home. Julie and Marcus try to help their neighbor one day, when elements of a paranormal ghost seem to erupt from the house.
Julie manages to capture the ghost and contain it, and bring it back to her mother, who is also a witch, to help deal with the issue. As Julie questions the entity, it explains that it was ripped from its place of rest and not because it wanted to.
Things get out of hand quickly, as Marcus and Julie discover that there is a larger and more powerful entity coming after Julie. As Julie and Marcus are at school one day, they experience something majorly paranormal. Julie's mother becomes ill, due to a spell, and the clock is ticking for Julie to make things right. Julie and Marcus must try to find out who is after her, how to defeat this entity, and how to get Julie's mother back, all before it's too late. 

A very interesting read. I enjoyed reading how the ghost world is mixed in with witches, and their powers. It's definitely not your average ghost story, and I fell in love reading about Julie and her adventures with Marcus.

This is not your average paranormal read. Julie is a strong, independent, and caring main character, who will do just about anything for those she cares for. Marcus is an interesting, unique supportive character, that is completely loyal to Julie. With the charisma of these two characters combined, Poltergeeks is an intriguing story. 

As soon as Julie is thrust into a paranormal adventure, intuition takes over, and Julie does just about everything and anything to attack the situation head on. I loved reading about the relationship between Marcus and Julie, and it was cute reading how jealous Julie was when Marcus started to receive attention. 

The ghost aspect of the story was very different than what I usually read, and I felt that it was unique how Julie was able to contact certain spirits. The culprit behind the attacks was the least likely person suspected, and I love how this novel ended. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Would I recommend this book: Yes

Rating: I give this book a 3.5/5.