Matched

Summary:

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

Review:
The cover is what drew me into this book. It is beautiful. However, the story and the characters kept me reading. I agree that this book has some similarities to other dystopian books such as The Giver but it has enough differences to make it interesting and unique. The world, plot and characters were well developed and I found myself thinking about them for a few days after finishing the book. I am looking forward to the next book in the series. This is a good book for all ages but with it being a romance it leans toward female readers.

Raised by Wolves

Summary:

Adopted by the Alpha of a werewolf pack after a rogue wolf brutally killed her parents right before her eyes, fifteen-year-old Bryn knows only pack life, and the rigid social hierarchy that controls it. That doesn't mean that she's averse to breaking a rule or two. But when her curiosity gets the better of her and she discovers Chase, a new teen locked in a cage in her guardian's basement, and witnesses him turn into a wolf before her eyes, the horrific memories of her parents' murders return. Bryn becomes obsessed with getting her questions answered, and Chase is the only one who can provide the information she needs.But in her drive to find the truth, will Bryn push too far beyond the constraints of the pack, forcing her to leave behind her friends, her family, and the identity that she's shaped?

Reivew:

I have to say that this is my favorite Young adult book I have read this summer. I almost didn't pick it up because of the subject matter and fact that I didn't think there was any way you could make another werewolf story original. I was wrong! This book is intriguing, engaging and well written. I love the main character, Byrn, who is strong, sassy and passionate about what is hers and her loved ones. This book is a must read. I am very excited that there will be another book, Trial By Fire that comes out next summer!

Shade

Summary:

Best. Birthday. Ever. At least, it was supposed to be. With Logan’s band playing a crucial gig and Aura’s plans for an intimate after-party, Aura knows it will be the most memorable night of her boyfriend’s life. She never thought it would be his last. Logan’s sudden death leaves Aura devastated. He’s gone. Well, sort of.Like everyone born after the Shift, Aura can see and talk to ghosts. This mysterious ability had always been annoying, and Aura had wanted nothing more than to figure out why the Shift happened so she can undo it. But not with Logan’s violet-hued spirit still hanging around. Because Dead Logan is almost as real as ever. Almost. It doesn’t help that Aura’s new friend Zachary is so understanding — and so very alive. His support means more to Aura than she cares to admit. As Aura’s relationship with the dead and the living grow ever complicated, so do her feelings for Logan and Zachary. Each holds a piece of Aura’s heart . . . and clues to the secret of the Shift.

Review:

I think this book was clever and original, even though it had a similar conflict as Meg Cabot's Mediator Series. The character development was very good. You sympathized with Aura's character and her dilemma. Jeri Smith-Ready really knows how manipulate the readers emotions. She develops a love triangle that had me going back and forth and still not totally sure who I think Aura should be with. The downside to this book is that it was a little vague on details which I'm sure she is saving for the next book. I still wish we would have had more information about the shift and the shades. I was also disappointed that there were so many loose end and a cliffhanger (many know I don't like cliffhangers). Still a good book and worth the read. I am looking forward to the next book, Shift, that comes out next year.

Only The Good Spy Young

Summary:

When Cammie Morgan enrolled at the Gallagher Academy, she knew she was preparing for the dangerous life of a spy. What she didn’t know was that the serious, real-life danger would start as soon as her junior year. But that’s exactly what happened two months ago when she faced off against an ancient terrorist organization dead set on kidnapping her.Now the danger follows her everywhere, and even Cammie “The Chameleon” can’t hide. When a terrifying encounter in London reveals that one of her most trusted allies is actually a rogue double agent, Cammie no longer knows if she can trust her classmates, her teachers — or even her own heart.In this fourth installment of the New York Times best-selling series, the Gallagher Girls must hack, spy, steal, and lie their way to the truth as they go searching for answers, recognizing that the key to Cammie’s future may lie deep in the past.

Review:

The one thing I like about this series is that it is a good series for all ages. Enough action, suspense and romance for a little older teens but not so much that younger girls can't enjoy them as well. I have really enjoyed the development and maturing of the characters and their relationships. With every new book I am looking forward to what will happen next. My only disappointment is that Aly Carter left you with a cliffhanger at the end of this book and the next book will not be released until early 2012. If you haven't read this series you have plenty of time to catch up.

Early To Death, Early To Rise

Summary:

Madison Avery is still trying to come to terms with her death and her role as the dark timekeeper (Once Dead, Twice Shy, 2009). With dark reaper Nakita and her mostly light counterpart Barnabas at her side, Madison is determined to prove that, given the choice, those who might be doomed in the afterlife due to their bad choices can in fact be convinced to see the error of their ways in time to save their souls. Her test case involves two teen boys and a computer virus that she knows will be responsible for deaths in a hospital. As she races against time and her nemesis, Ron, she develops new, frightening powers. The complexities of Madison's supernatural world are not very well explained here, so readers would do best to start with this book's predecessor. Harrison builds an interesting world rife with politics and tradition, but Madison does a poor job of clarifying the roles she and her co-workers play in moving people from life to the afterlife.



Review:

I thought that this book was better than the first. In the first book Kim Harrison tried to pack so much information in about this new world that Madison is a part of now. This second book was more about the characters. Madison has her first reap and is determined to do it her way. I enjoyed the interaction with the other characters. I was a little disappointed that more was not done with Barnabus's character but enjoyed the development of Nakita's character as well as some of the new ones. The book was interesting, fastpased and good clean fun. I loved when she got upset and said "puppy presents on a carpet". Cute.

Still Sucks To Be Me

Summary:

With vampire boyfriend George and best friend Serena by her side, Mina thought she had her whole life—or rather afterlife—ahead of her. But then Mina’s parents drop a bomb. They’re moving. To Louisiana. And not somewhere cool like New Orleans, but some teeny, tiny town where cheerleaders and jocks rule the school. Mina has to fake her death, change her name, and leave everything behind, including George and Serena. Not even the Vampire Council’s shape-shifting classes can cheer her up. Then Serena shows up on Mina’s doorstep with some news that sends Mina reeling. Mina may look a lot better with fangs, but her afterlife isn’t any less complicated!

Review:

Suck To Be Me is listed as one of my twin 14 year old girls favorites. However, the second book fell a little short. The story was good, the characters that you love are still the same, and Pauly's wit and creative speak was still there (craptastic is a houshold word now). It was just lacking a certain.......magic that the first book had. We all enjoyed the book and I would still recommend it to the younger teens. I just didn't love it like the first book. I am hopeful that the third book will bring back that spark that this one was missing.

the Body Finder

Summary:

Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her "power" to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes the dead leave behind in the world . . and the imprints that attach to their killers.

Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find dead birds her cat left for her. But now that a serial killer is terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he's claimed haunt her daily, Violet realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.
Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet find the murderer—and Violet is unnerved by her hope that Jay's intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she's falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer . . . and becoming his prey herself.



Review:

Let me just start by saying I LOVED this book. I devoured it. I could not put it down until I finished it and then found myself going back to my bookshelf wanting to pick it up and read it again. This was an amazing debut novel that delivered a thrilling, creepy, suspensful mystery that left me wanting to lock my girls in the house forever. And a sweet, sexy, believable romance that left me with butterflies in my stomach. I have put this one on my favorites list and am counting the days until the sequel Desires Of The Dead comes out in 2011.