Review: All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin

Book: All These Things I've Done by Gabrille Zevin

Pages: 354

Genre: Young Adult

Source: Library

Short Synopsis: In a world where chocolate and caffine are illegal, a young teen, Anya Balanchine is settled in the center of the chocolate making business, with a deceased well known father as a member of the crime mob, Anya takes care of her immediate family and must decide if she is willing to accept the family business.

My Thoughts: Wow! What an amazing read! I loved everything about this novel.

Anya Balanchie has never had an easy life. Living in a world where caffine and chocolate is banned, and being the daughter of a deceased notorious crimb mob member, Anya is forced into a world of illegal business.

Being one of the four major companies that produces chocolate, the Balanchie company has experienced a lot of unfortunate losses. It's up to Anya to take care of the rest of her family, her slightly impaired brother, a little sister, and a bedridden grandmother.

As Anya continues normal activities and school, she meets a new classmate named Win and feels a connection between him, even though she denies her feelings for him. Despite the fact that Anya claims she doesn't want anything to do with Win, her best friend pushes Anya to become involved with him.

And as if things weren't stressful enough for Anya, someone inside the Balanchie family has laced the chocolate with poison. Unbeknownst of the poison, Anya gives her ex-boyfriend two chocolate bars in hopes of getting rid of him.

Anya is charged with attempted murder, and must survive life in a juvenile facility until Anya knows for certain the court knows for certain the condition of her ex-boyfriend. Anya must survive life as a potential murder and figure out who has framed her and the company and get to the bottom of things before it's too late.

What a great story! I was completely blown away after reading it. I loved all the characters, and the world that Zevin has created is a unique and awesome. I don't think I've read anything quite like it. I loved the chemistry between Win and and Anya. I also felt such sympathy for Anya and the situation that Anya was put in.

I also felt that Anya's ex-boyfriend was completely awful, and felt that he didn't really change, even after his horrible incident. Zevin writes with such heartbreak, I truly felt felt for Anya and what she went through. All These Things I've Done was a serious great read and was sad when it was done. I was a little disappointed with the ending, and it seemed like there should be a sequel, which I hope Zevin is seriously considering or in the process of. I definitely look forward to reading more from this author.

Would I recommend this book: Yes!

Rating: I give this book a 5/5.

Review: Scary School by Derek The Ghost and Scott M. Fischer

E-Book: Scary School by Derek The Ghost and Scott M. Fischer

Pages: 256

Genre: Middle Grade, Paranormal

Source: Sent from author

Short Synopsis: Derek, now a ghost due to an unfortunate accident at school, returns back to scary school with unfinished business and observes what the crazy school is like for its students who have teachers that are monsters.

My Thoughts: A cute read with interesting characters, but there were a couple of things that kind of bothered me.

Derek used to be a student at Scary School, a school whose teachers were actual monsters. After an unfortunate accident involving a chemistry lab, Derek now comes back to haunt the school as Derek The Ghost.

With a quest to write a book about the school, Derek follows the lives, trials, and experiences of the students and the teachers at this unique school. The principal of the school claims that students learn at a better rate when they are most scared, thus having teachers who are monsters.

With an 850 year old vampire, a dragon who has an appetite for students, a T-rex, and a half-zombie, half-human, Scary School is anything but ordinary. This year is also a special treat for the school and its students. The scary school has been invited to be a participant of the Ghoul Games, which is usually intended only for monsters. All human students must participate. The students can choose any game they wish to compete in, but there is a catch. If a human student looses, the student from the other school has a choice to eat the human. Can the students survive a merging of a school filled with monsters, and the Ghoul Games?

An interesting read with colorful characters. Definitely not your average read. But there were a couple of things that I found to be a little bit too much to get through. Though it's supposed to be a children's novel, I felt it was a bit too heavily centered on death and eating students and a bit too morbid. I also felt that there was a lot of repetition with certain phrases, i.e. 'more about this information later' and 'Frank pronounced as Rachel.' I also felt that some of the stories didn't really make sense like when Ms. Fang drained three students because they made fun of her and how the nurse was able to bring back the students but ultimately still left one dead? I was also concerned with how many students were eaten by the teachers and the parents didn't seem so concerned? Overall, it was still an entertaining read, with fun characters.

Would I recommend this book: Maybe

Rating: I give this book a 3/5.

Review: Moon River And Me by HL Zinda

Book: Moon River and Me by HL Zinda

Pages: 326

Genre: Young Adult

Source: Sent from author

Short Synopsis: Mykaela, a young teen is trying to find a way to cope through life with the loss of her mother. On a whim, Mykaela decides to take a journey through Europe to figure out who she really is.

My Thoughts: A surprising great read about friendship, coping with the loss of a family member, and figuring out life.

Mykaela, now nineteen, is discovering how to live life without her mother, due to cancer. After her mother's funeral, she decides to take a journey through Europe to find out who she really is, and to figure out how to cope with the loss of her mother.

When Mykaela stops at her first destination, in Rome, she meets two other travelers whom are also backpacking through Europe as well. Mykaela decides to join up with two gentleman who immediate become fast friends, and the trio travel all through out Europe, experiencing new adventures, meeting new friends, and the exciting cultures that come with Europe.

But not everything is fun and games as Mykaela is having a tough time dealing with the heartbreaking loss of her mother. Mykaela relives past memories of what her mother went through and how her mother tried to survive the horrible disease of cancer. As Mykaela makes her way through Europe, she finally comes to terms with what has happened, and figures out who she really is.

A surprisingly great read. It was very fast paced, and interesting characters. I loved how Mykaela seemed very level headed yet adventurous at the same time, and wasn't afraid to try new things. I loved the chemistry between Steve and Austin and Mykaela as well, but was a bit disappointed with the fact that Austin was gay, because it seemed like Austin and Mykaela might have been more than friends.

there were two characters, Vicky and Wendy, who sounded pretty selfish, and was a bit annoyed that they took Steve away from the group. I felt a lot of sympathy for Mykaela when she relived her past experiences. It was also interesting reading about how the group was able to travel from place to place, gaining more information and experience about traveling. One problem I had the novel was that it was sometimes confusing with the transitions of Mykaela's old memories and the present. It also seemed a little unlikely that Mykaela never had any money problems, even though she visited so many places. Otherwise, an interesting, and entertaining read.

Would I recommend this book: Yes

Rating: I give this book a 4/5.

Waiting On Wednesday!

Hey all, it's a posting of Waiting on Wednesday! Hosted by Breaking The Spine, this week's pre-publication is...

The Golden Lily (Bloodlines #2)

by Richelle Mead

Expected Publication Date: June 19th 2012

Tough, brainy alchemist Sydney Sage and doe-eyed Moroi princess Jill Dragomir are in hiding at a human boarding school in the sunny, glamorous world of Palm Springs, California. The students—children of the wealthy and powerful—carry on with their lives in blissful ignorance, while Sydney, Jill, Eddie and Adrian must do everything in their power to keep their secret safe. But with forbidden romances, unexpected spirit bonds, and the threat of Strigoi moving ever closer, hiding the truth is harder than anyone thought.

Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Richelle Mead’s breathtaking Bloodlines series explores all the friendship, romance, battles and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive. In this second book, the drama is hotter, the romances are steamier, and the stakes are even higher.

--From Goodreads.

Truth be told, I was a little disappointed with the first novel, but I still can't wait for the second in the series. It kept me interested enough, and maybe it's just me, but I felt that there was some chemistry between Adrian and Sydney, and am dying to read more. What pre-publication are you waiting for?

Review: The Wedding Gift by Kathleen McKenna

Book: The Wedding Gift by Kathleen McKenna

Pages: 246

Genre: fiction, paranormal

Source: Sent from author

Short Synopsis: Leann, living in the south, is a former beauty pageant princess, is in a relationship with one of the wealthiest bachelors in town, named George Willets. The two become married due to an unplanned pregnancy and move into a mansion that no one wants.

My Thoughts: An okay read, with an interesting paranormal world with ghosts out for revenge.

Leann isn't the brightest individual, but she's the prettiest one of the town. She manages to catch the eye of a wealthy bachelor, George Willets, and despite their age difference, become involved in a relationship.

Though both Leann's and George's parents aren't thrilled with the idea, the two are suddenly wed, due to an unplanned pregnancy. George claims to love Leann, but Leann isn't too thrilled about being forced into a position with George, and is in love with another man.

But Leann is determined to live with the consequences and the two move into the Willet's mansion. But Leann isn't too thrilled about the house either, as it was the place where her brother was mysteriously murdered along with the past murders of a long ago Willet's relative.

Can Leann survive living in a haunted mansion and figure out what happened all those years?

I initially loved the plot and the characters were a bit interesting, but there was a couple of things that kind of bothered me. The tone of voice made it really difficult for me to complete, but the plot was really interesting which made me want to complete the novel.

I had a lot of problems with the main character. I don't know if it was the fact that it was set in the south, but a lot of the sayings made the main character sound a little old, which made me question how old she was supposed to be. Certain phrases also made her sound immature, even though she was dealing with adult issues. I wasn't also too pleased with the fact that there was alcohol and drugs involved, especially when Leann was pregnant.

I was also confused about what year this novel was set in as well. It seemed like it was set in this century, with the internet, Vera Wang, and a couple of other indications, but she didn't have a cell phone? And there was also the fact that George thought he wasn't able to produce children because he had the mumps?

I enjoyed reading the paranormal aspect of the novel, and wanted to find out more, but there was just a little bit too many other bits and pieces through out the novel that made me fully enjoy it.

Would I recommend this book: Maybe

Rating: I give this book a 3/5.

Review: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Book: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Pages: 452

Genre: Young Adult, paranormal

Source: library

Short Synopsis: Mara wakes up from the hospital one day with no memory of what happened the previous days. She has no idea why her friends are dead and she's the only survivor. After the accident, Mara and her family decide to move to a whole new place, and Mara never dreamed that she'd be able to fall in love.

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this novel, until it took a turn to the dark side, which became a bit confusing, and left some unexplained occurrences.

Mara and her friends decide on a dare one day to head to the local asylum for the night. After a horrible accident turned bad, Mara ends up being in the hospital, and the rest of her friends are found dead, crushed by the building.

Mara has no recollection of what really went down that awful night, and doesn't seem to be able to handle the situation well. After attending the funerals of her friends, Mara and her family decide to move and make a fresh start. But as Mara starts school, she starts to have hallucinations of her dead friends, even though she knows they no longer exist.

As if things couldn't be worse for Mara, a prestigious students starts to take notice of Mara and through better judgement, Mara starts falling for this particular boy. But as Mara starts to have a life once again, the haunting of her friends become worse, and Mara also discovers that she has a special power. If pushed enough, Mara can will the death of anyone and anything. Can Mara continue on knowing the horrible power she wields?

A really great read, with awesome characters, but a little questionable in some areas. When I first got this book, I was super excited, because there had been so much buzz going on about it, I wanted to know what the fuss was all about. I loved the paranormal aspect of it when it kind of seemed like she was seeing the ghosts of her friends, but wasn't really thrilled with the part where Mara had the power to give death. I absolutely LOVED the chemistry between Mara and Noah, and had me smiling a lot when the two of them were involved. I must admit that my favorite scene in the novel was when Noah took over Mara's art class, and became a model for the class to torture Mara. Noah is one of my favorite characters and adored the romance between the two. But there were a couple things that didn't really sit right with me. It wasn't really explained why and how Noah and Mara had these special powers. It was also a bit confusing why Mara when to go see a hypnotist and why that when they came back to the same building that it suddenly disappeared. I was also confused as to why Mara could see all her dead friends but Jude seemed to be real in the end. Needless to say, I will definitely be reading the sequel to find out more.

Would I recommend this book: Yes

Rating: I give this book a 4/5.

In My Mailbox!

Hey fellow readers! It's another posting of In My Mailbox, hosted by the awesome Story Siren! This week I got...

For Review:

The Wedding Gift -- Kathleen McKenna

Moon River and Me -- HL Zinda

Incarnate -- Jodi Meadows

Under The Never Sky -- Veronica Rossi

From Library:

Fateful -- Claudia Gray

All These Things I've Done -- Gabrielle Zevin

*Thanks to Harper Collins for both Incarnate and Under The Never Sky