Crash Review

I've been a Lisa McMann fan for a fairly long time now. There hasn't been a YA book of hers I haven't really liked. Unfortunately I think Crash is the first.

Jules keeps seeing a vision of a car crash play out on a billboard. Not just any crash--a plow crashing into her family's rival restaurant. So when she tries to tell Sawyer, the employee/son/Jules longtime love, he blows her off. But the visions just get more and more intense. Jules is beginning to think she's crazy, like her depressed hoarder dad, or her grandfather that committed suicide. But what if she's not?

Frankly I just felt like McMann went around in circles throughout the book. The first half is just Jules going, "oh no, what does it mean, why me, am I crazy," and such. Yeah, I get it. Move along please.

I would've much rather McMann focus more on the family element of this book. She created some nice characters in Trey and Rowan, and the line of depression in her family added an element of urgency to the story. I would've liked to have more of that than wondering what was going on for 150 pages and swooning over Sawyer, who didn't seem like he was that great.

Anyway, there wasn't many fantastic things about Crash, and it was all very average in the end. However, I will say that I found myself very invested at the climax of the story. So I guess it did something right that I was unaware of.

Plot: Meh. Could've been great but was just a lot of filler for book 2.

Characters: I loved her siblings.

Writing: Not bad.

Ending: After the climax, everything got very over-dramatic.

Content: Some swearing and mentions of sex.

Overall:

Meh.

People seem to be split 50/50 on this book. I am part of the 50 that was unimpressed.

I received my copy as a surprise from SimonTeen for review. Thanks!
Jessica

The Gathering Review

  

Strange things have been happening in sixteen-year-old Maya's small, isolated, Vancouver Island community. Mountain lions seem to be seeking her out, her best friend has a strange talent for sensing danger, and her other best friend died a year ago in an accident that just doesn't add up. There's also a sexy and secretive new student at her tiny, tight-knit school, and there’s something about him that just doesn't make sense. Add to that a couple more unexplained deaths, questions about Maya’s birth parents, and a growing sense of there-is-something-going-on-here-that-we-don’t-know-about, and Maya and her friends are about to land in the middle of something that they’re probably better prepared for than they realize.
            I have to say now, I am a sucker for stories involving werewolves, or any sort of animal shapeshifter (tiny spoiler alert there, but you guys are smart people, you would have figured it out. THERE ARE SHAPESHIFTERS OMG). I don’t know why I love werewolves, I just do. Probably because I always root for the underdog, and there are too many damn vampire books out there (come at me, vampire fans! Actually, not really, please. Can’t we all get along?).
            Anyway. This book reminded me quite a lot of Wildefire, by Karsten Knight (that’s going to be one of my next reviews). Maya is a badass heroine with some difficult to explain powers. She’s adopted, and her background is uncertain, but affects her greatly. She goes to a slightly unusual school in the woods, where everyone else seems to have similarly odd powers, and to be coming in to some sort of ancient birthright.
            One thing I like about Maya is that she’s always making things happen. She takes initiative, she searches for information, she thinks hard and tries to put the pieces together. She is stubborn to a fault, but she can still accept new information and change what she believes. Sometimes. I also love her connection with animals and the forest. Having grown up in a forest myself, the scenes in the woods made me really happy, and the animal characters are wonderfully loveable. Even the large dangerous predators.
            The supporting characters in this book are also excellent. Daniel, the protective best friend. Rafe, they mysterious new guy who is both oddly appealing and not to be trusted. Fitz, Kenjii, and Marv, the animal protectors. Sam, the punch-happy psycho chick who I still want to be friends with. Corey, Nicole, Brendan, and Hayley, who might be average high school students, but then again, maybe not. Maya’s parents, who might be hiding something.
            All in all, this is a very interesting, engaging, and well written book. It is funny, it is steamy, it is mysterious, and it balances plot and characters well. However, it has one flaw that is still making me mad.
            The ending.
            It is terrible.
            I mean, I understand that this is the first in a series, but the end of the book gives absolutely no satisfaction! The first 3/4 sets up all these mysteries and questions and weird things that don’t make sense, and the ending gives you no answers at all! Well, one answer, but I’d guessed that one by the middle of the book. It feels like a pretty poor consolation prize when compared to all the delicious secrets presented in the exposition and rising action. However, I would still give this book a high overall rating, because it is excellent in all other respects. 

Plot: Good pacing, lots of build up, plenty of material for the next book. The only problem is the…

Ending: which, like I said, was extremely unsatisfying and makes me want to rant from the rooftops.

Characters: Terrific! Maya is complex and well written, and the supporting characters have a lot of depth too.

Writing: Very good. The descriptions are vivid and lovely. I could almost smell the forest.

Content: Lotta making out, some gore and dead people, underage drinking and a few non-graphic mentions of sex. No swearing that I can remember.

Overall:

Shut your face, I am reading this book and it’s really awesome.

Like I have said… three times now, the ending. It angers me. However, the book is very good, and after I’m done raging about imbalanced plot arcs, I’ll start looking for information about the sequel. The Gathering is an excellent book. Go read it.

Note: We were given a copy of The Gathering to review long ago, and I got mine from the library. So thank you library and HarperTeen!

The Curiosities Review

Authors: Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, Brenna Yovanoff
Release date: October 1, 2012
Pages: 304
Publisher: Carolrhoda Books
How I got it: For review from Netgalley 

From acclaimed YA authors Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, and Brenna Yovanoff comes The Curiosities: A Collection of Stories. 

- A vampire locked in a cage in the basement, for good luck.- Bad guys, clever girls, and the various reasons why the guys have to stop breathing.- A world where fires never go out (with references to vanilla ice cream).  

These are but a few of the curiosities collected in this volume of short stories by three acclaimed practitioners of paranormal fiction. 

But The Curiosities is more than the stories. Since 2008, Maggie, Tessa, and Brenna have posted more than 250 works of short fiction to their website merryfates.com. Their goal was simple: create a space for experimentation and improvisation in their writing—all in public and without a backspace key. In that spirit, The Curiosities includes the stories and each author's comments, critiques, and kudos in the margins. Think of it as a guided tour of the creative processes of three acclaimed authors. 

So, are you curious now?

Let me start off this review by saying that there are little notes the authors made in the pages, but I was unable to read them on my e-reader, so I might have missed some stuff.

Stories I Liked

Vampire Box by Tessa Gratton

A Murder of Gods by Maggie Stiefvater

The Madness of Lancelot by Brenna Yovanoff

The Wind Takes Our Cries by Maggie Stiefvater

Auburn by Brenna Yovanoff

Puddles by Tessa Gratton

The Bone-Tender by Brenna Yovanoff

Death-Ship by Tessa Gratton

Cut by Brenna Yovanoff

Philosopher's Flight by Maggie Stiefvater

Dumb Supper by Tessa Gratton

Neighbors by Brenna Yovanoff

The Summer Ends In Slaughter by Tessa Gratton

Berserk by Tessa Gratton

Lazarus Girl by Brenna Yovanoff

Stories I was "Eh" About (Most os these ended up confusing me)

Blue As God by Brenna Yovanoff

Thomas All by Tessa Gratton

The Power of Intent by Brenna Yovanoff

A History of Love by Maggie Stiefvater

Girl Raised by Wolves by Brenna Yovanoff

Council of Youth by Maggie Stiefvater

Rain Maker by Maggie Stiefvater

Stories I LOVED

Another Sun by Maggie Stiefvater

Date with a Dragon Slayer by Tessa Gratton

Scheherazade by Brenna Yovanoff

The Deadlier of Species by Maggie Stiefvater

The Last Day of Spring by Maggie Stiefvater

Ash-Tree Spell to Break Your Heart by Tessa Gratton

Overall, this was a really cool look into three awesome author's creative process, especially as the stories were mostly uneditied. I'll definitely need to be buying this one for my shelves so a) I can read the notes and b) I need to re-read the ones I loved. Because I really did LOVE those. I would definitely recommend this one.

Wings of the Wicked Review

Author: Courtney Allison Moulton
Release date: January 31, 2012
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 516
How I got it: Library
Other titles in series: Angelfire 

Life as the Preliator is harder than Ellie ever imagined. 

Balancing real life with the responsibility of being Heaven’s warrior is a challenge for Ellie. Her relationship with Will has become all business, though they both long for each other. And now that the secret of who she really is has come out, so have Hell’s strongest reapers. Grown bold and more vicious, the demonic threaten her in the light of day and stalk her in the night. 

She’s been warned. 

Cadan, a demonic reaper, comes to her with information about Bastian’s new plan to destroy Ellie’s soul and use an ancient relic to wake all the souls of the damned and unleash them upon humanity. As she fights to stay ahead of Bastian’s schemes , the revelations about those closest to her awaken a dark power within Ellie that threatens to destroy everything—including herself. 

She’ll be betrayed. 

Treachery comes even from those whom she loves, and Ellie is broken by the deaths of those who stood beside her in this Heavenly war. Still, she must find a way to save the world, herself, and her love for Will. If she fails, there will be hell to pay.

Wings of the Wicked is very much about Ellie coming to terms with being Gabriel and Ellie in one body, and her and Will's complicated relationship. There is lots of build-up and dramatics, but I didn't mind this. Actually I kind of liked it.

It had been a while since I'd read Angelfire when I read Wings of the Wicked, and in that time I had forgotten how much I love Moulten's voice. It's snappy, compelling, and incredibly hilarious. I found myself chuckling several times. But her style has the remarkable ability to change in an instant and suddenly BAM I am reading some of the best fight scenes I have ever read. It is AWESOME.

Also, WOW can she write some awesome romantic tension. That is my favorite part of romances in books, and Wings of the Wicked totally delivered in this area.

The one downside to WotW is that it can get a little drawn out and slow. Perhaps the whole thing could've been shortened 50 pages or so? I didn't mind it much overall, but that is something I noticed.

Dark, demented, and a little bit fabulously twisted, Wings of the Wicked proves to be a seriously solid follow-up to Angelfire. I cannot wait for book 3 so I can get some more of these epic characters.

Plot: Fun and exciting, despite the occasionally slow pace.

Characters: Love!

Writing: Really good.

Ending: GAH I HAZ THE NEEDZ FOR BOOK 3.

Mature content: There's violence, some swearing, and brief mentions of sex.

Overall:

Please, world, leave me for a while so I may read this in peace.

Wings of the Wicked was totally engrossing. I doubt anyone can resist its charms.

Happy Birthday To Me Review

Author: Brian Rowe
Release date: April 7, 2011
Pages: 175
Publisher: Self-pubbed
How I got it: For review from the author 

Seventeen-year-old Cameron Martin has a huge problem: he’s aging a whole year of his life with each passing day! 

High school is hard enough; imagine rapidly aging from seventeen to seventy in a matter of weeks, with no logical explanation, and with prom, graduation, and the state championship basketball game all on the horizon. That’s what happens to Cameron, a popular pretty boy who's never had to face a day looking anything but perfect.
All Cameron wants to do is go back to normal, but no one, not even the best doctors, can diagnose his condition. 

When he finds love with a mysterious young woman, however, he realizes his only hope for survival might be with the one person who started his condition in the first place...

Happy Birthday to Me was an ok read. Its length made it fast, but it definitely could've been better.

Cameron was your stereotypical idiot jock boy with a stereotypical heartless popular girlfriend. Their high school could be any other tv or book high school. Basically, know going into this book that it's not entirely original.

However, it flew by, and despite the minor issues I had with it I did end up enjoying it a decent amount, though I still didn't love it by any means. (Major pet peeve: Why, for instance, would Cameron's dad be mad at Cameron for wanting to be an architect? Are these rich people problems? I don't understand.) Overall, it was one of those books I ended up just being indifferent about.

By the way, it's a dollar on Kindle, so it's not like you're losing much if you hate it.

Plot: Pretty predictable and cliched.

Characters: Alright but I didn't connect with any of them.

Writing: Sometimes a bit awkward, but other than that ok.

Ending: Saw it coming. There's a sequel that I don't think I'll be reading, but it'll definitely take the series in a different direction.

Mature content: There was mentions of sex and swearing.

Overall:

Eh, it was ok. I'd probably put it down to talk to people without much regret.
Happy Birthday to Me was not the best or worst book I've ever read, and it probably won't stand out in my mind. However, it was a decent way to spend a few hours.

Into The Storm Review

Author: Karen Metcalf
Release date: February 11, 2011
Pages: 88
Publisher: Self-pubbed
How I got it: For review from author 

Abandoned by the world around her, Carly believes she is fated to a life of torment at the hands of her stepfather and is desperate for an escape. When she can bear the abuse no longer and gives in to a thunderous rage, she suddenly finds herself in an unfamiliar, yet beautiful, storm world. This limbo between dimensions appears to be her private sanctuary, but it may just be her purgatory.  

No one escapes fate without sacrifice, but is the price more than Carly is willing to pay?

At a mere 88 pages, Into The Storm is a fast read with a really cool concept. Despite how cool it was to finish this in about an hour, I can't help but feel that some more length was what this book needed.

Into The Storm deals with dimensions, something that's intrigued me for a long while. While other things lacked due to the novella's short length, the world managed to be striking and interesting.

Most of what did suffer is the characters. The only thing I found relatable or likable about the main character, Carly, was her love for her brother, probably because it pretty much defines her. That and her atrocious home life, which left me feeling like I was supposed to be pitying her instead of anything else. Personally, I like to have a more solid connection to a main character than just pure pity.

Oh and also there was insta-love. There was a decent enough excuse for the insta-love I suppose, but even with that it felt sort of forced and unnatural. And so very insta.

So basically I found Into The Storm to be a decent read, but its lack of develoment kept me from becoming involved with the story, leaving me with the sad knowledge that this will not be be one to stand out from the crowd. However, if you're interested in different dimensions and have an hour or two to kill, this is something you may want to check out.

Plot: Unique and interesting, though it did move a tad too slow.

Characters: Didn't connect with any of them like I was hoping too.

Writing: Pretty good.

Ending:

Kid friendly? Some intense scenes dealing with an abusive step-dad, as well as mentions of sex, and some swearing.

Overall:

I would've had a conversation with someone while reading.

Into The Storm was by no means a bad book, it just didn't capture my heart like it had the potential to.

Spell Bound Review

Author: Rachel Hawkins
Release date: March 13, 2012
Pages: 327
Publisher: Hyperion
How I got it: Bought 

Hailed as “impossible to put down,” the Hex Hall series has both critics and teens cheering. With a winning combination of romance, action, magic and humor, this third volume will leave readers enchanted. 

Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. Now Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies—the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that’s what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn’t as confident. 

Sophie’s bound for one hell of a ride—can she get her powers back before it’s too late?

Holy craaaaaap guys. Even with my relatively new book-snobby, contemporary loving ways, Spell Bound still left me a mess. I couldn't have asked for a better ending to this series.

Even in the first five chapters in Spell Bound there are TWISTS. Twists that totally slapped me in the face! And then there were more! And then when I thought there were twists they twisted into non-twists! Let me reiterate: TWISTS. However, despite the book's twisty nature, it never got confusing or annoying. I'm telling you guys, this Hawkins lady is a witch. A witch with mad writing skillz who needs to write faster.

Sophie, why can't you be in ALL THE BOOKS? Your snarky humor and determination should definitely rub off on more characters. Archer, I know my mom and sister hate your guts, but I've ALWAYS loved you. You play off of Sophie's humor SO WELL and add a little mysterious broodiness to the series. Cal, Jenna, you two just...just GAHHH.

There's not much more I can say without spoiling anything, so I guess I will end the review with this: I love this series, and this book--full of revelations, emotions, and wicked cool magic--wrapped it up near perfectly.

Plot: Awesome.

Characters: Awesome. 

Writing: Snarky and fun.

Ending: Both happy and sad.

Mature content: Not much, if any.

Overall:

I'll miss yooooouuuuu.

I really will.

Immortal Rules Review and Giveaway

Author: Julie Kagawa
Publisher: HarlequinTeen
Release date: April 24, 2012
Pages: 485
How I got it: For review from publisher 

In a future world, Vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity.  

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.
Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die… or become one of the monsters. 

Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.
Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike. 

But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for.

I absolutely LOVE Kagawa's Iron Fey series, so I put aside my weariness towards the idea of a post-apocalyptic vampire novel because I knew if Julie Kagawa had written it, I would love it. So imagine my shock and sadness when I...didn't.

The pace was just really...slow. The Immortal Rules is nearly 500 pages, and it reads like it. Certain plot points dragged on and on when sometimes I felt like portions of the novel could've been cut out entirely.

Yet not once through the dragging plot did I find a character to invest in. I thought Allison was going to be kick-butt, and while she has her moments, I didn't find her the be the character I was hoping for and had a hard time connecting with her, especially when she seemed to be making one stupid mistake after the next. I never cared for Zeke either, and Allison and Zeke's relationship seem awkward and fake to me.

However, The Immortal Rules had its shining moments. Kagawa's writing is, of course, great, and the dark and hopeless world she created is strikingly vivid and gory, and Kanin was a mysterious character. Unfortunately, this wasn't enough to hold my interest in the story for long periods of time.

Plot: Slow and not what I was expecting.

Characters: Ok, I guess.

Writing: Great.

Ending: Good, but I doubt I'll be reading the sequel.

Kid friendly? There's violence and gore, and a little bit of swearing.

Overall:

I put this book down way too many times.

It took me a long time to read this, way longer than it should've. The Immortal Rules just didn't hold my attention and wasn't for me.

Other opinions:

YA Book Queen

The Book Cellar

Parajunkee

Gypsy Book Reviews

Even though I didn't love The Immortal Rules, you might, so I've got one finished copy from HarlequinTeen to give away to one of you! US only, ends on the 30th. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Griffin Rising Review

Author: Darby Karchut
Release Date: June 28, 2011
Publisher: Twilight Times Books
Most appropriate for ages: 12+
How I got it: For review from author 

For centuries, rumors have abounded of a lowly caste of supernatural beings known as the Terrae Angeli. Armed with the power to control Earth, Fire, Wind and Water, these warriors secretly serve as guardians for mortals in danger. 
But for one young angel-in-training, Griffin, life is hell as a cruel master makes his apprenticeship a nightmare. On the verge of failing, a new mentor, Basil, enters his life and changes it forever.  

Taking on the identity of father and son, Griffin and Basil forge a special bond where honesty and trust go hand in hand to secure Griffin’s destiny as a Terrae Angeli. Griffin’s belief in himself and the love of a mortal girl are the perfect combination in overcoming the darkest days of his life. But will it be enough for him to succeed?  

For Griffin, it’s time to angel up.

Griffin Rising had some interesting mythology and kept me engrossed enough to keep me reading, but I can't help but feel like this book was on its was to awesome things but just kinda missed the mark with one mild error after another.

I was not expecting a romance when I started Griffin Rising, but that's what I primarily got.
Not that I hated the romance or anything--I actually thought it was an honest portrayal of a teen relationship, even with the cheesiness (cause Teens In Love are the cheesiest, guys. Don't even get me started). BUT though I didn't mind the romance, I was far more interested in the supernatural element of the story and I can't help but wish we had gotten more of it, as well as some more conflict to keep the story moving along better, because it definitely dragged for me.

Griffin Rising's a mildly entertaining debut, and if Karchut loosens up her writing then I can see her becoming a great author. If you're in the market for a different spin on angels with a heavy romance, then maybe give Griffin Rising a try.

Plot: Interesting concept, but too much romance for me.
Characters: Pretty good.
Writing: Kind of stiff, but definitely not unbearably so. It wasn't bad.Ending: My favorite part! (Can't say anything without spoilers, though.)
Kid friendly? Yeah. There's some mild swearing and mentions of abuse, but nothing graphic.
Overall:
I'd be willing to stop reading this book for a conversation.
Griffin Rising was an interesting debut despite the flaws I found with it, but it didn't hold my attention for long periods of time, so I was able to put it down and talk to someone while in the middle of reading.

Bleeding Hearts Review

Author: Alyxandra Harvey
Release Date: December 20, 2011
Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers
Most appropriate for ages: 12+
How I got it: For review through NetgalleyOther titles in series: Hearts of Stake, Blood Feud, Out for Blood

The Drakes and friends will be tested when an infestation of deadly vampires threatens Violet Hill. 

Lucy's cousin Christabel has come to live in Violet Hill, and adjusting to the difference between life in a small mountain town and her home in the city is difficult enough. The strict curfew that Lucy's parents enforce is the worst part. Something really dangerous couldn't possibly happen in this tiny town.  

But Christabel has noticed some mysterious happenings, and it seems like Lucy, her boyfriend Nicholas and his brother Connor are all in on a secret that Christabel doesn't understand—one that seems deadly serious. Although she won't admit it, Christabel would love to be in on any secret with Connor Drake. But when she is kidnapped by the ruthless Hel-Blar vampires, Christabel must cause more and more trouble in Violet Hill, Lucy and Connor finally fill Christabel in on all the undead drama. Together, they must find a way to stamp out the Hel-Blar for good.

I have really enjoyed all of the books in this series, so imagine my shock and disappointment when I found that Bleeding Hearts was my least favorite in the Drake Chronicles so far.

Immediately I disliked Christabel. She was--there's no other way to put it--pretentious. "Oh, I'm from the city, nothing scares me. And look, I wear combat boots AND I read Pride And Prejudice a lot. So obviusly I'm tough but also have a good heart and overall I'm just cooler than you."* It got really old really quick. And Connor was pretty cool (he gets bonus points for being a Firefly nerd) but I did not love him like I probably should've.

So as you can imagine, I was not a fan of that aspect of Bleeding Hearts. I would've much rather heard more about Solange and Lucy's story-line, because I found that one a lot more interesting and fresh.

It does not help that Harvey is kinda recycling the same story-line for each installment. Vampire boy meets human/vampire/hunter girl, they immediately hate each other but get the tingles for each other, make out, lovelovelove. I don't know why its repetition now starting to bother me after I've already read 3 books of it, but it did. Though I will say that Harvey broke the mold a little towards the end, and for that I was grateful.

But what was with the short story at the end? I was finally getting into this book, when it abruptly ended and switched to a short story about the parents. WTF? I'm not sure if that'll be in the finished copy of not, but for the record, I would've much rather had more about Solange than her parents.

There were things I loved about this book (Lucy's POV! Solange going through weird stuff! Vampire politics! Nicholas and Lucy sexytimes!) but there were also things that really irked me (see above) so I guess overall it was kinda so-so for me. I'll probably be checking the next book out in the library.

*She did not actually say this but SHE MIGHT AS WELL HAVE.

(Also, has their town always been Violet Hill? Like the song? How did I miss this?)

Plot: Fast paced, as always.

Characters: Christabel was probably my least favorite character in the series so far, and Connor was eh, but the rest were as fun as ever.

Writing: Decent enough.

Ending: DUDE SERIOUSLY.

Kid friendly? There was some swearing and mentions of heavy drinking (adult).

Overall:

Striking up conversations with people instead of reading...mostly.

I'm very wishy-washy about this book. It had its fun and exciting moments, but also moments that made me groan and roll my eyes and talk to the person next to me instead of reading.

Other Review

Author: Karen Kincy
Release date: September 1, 2010
Publisher: Flux
Most Appropriate for Ages: 14+
Where I Got It: For review from publisher

Gwen Williams has been hiding a strange and fantastic secret: she's a shapeshifter. Although society may tolerate vampires, centaurs, and "Others" like Gwen, there are plenty of folks in her small Washington town who don't care for her kind.

When a new werewolf pack moves into the area, tensions rise—and Others start showing up dead, including someone close to Gwen. Despite the methodical murders, the police are ignoring evidence that suggests a serial killer. In the midst of terrible loss and danger, Gwen—along with a mysterious and sexy guy who happens to be a Japanese fox spirit—risks her life to find the murderer. But Gwen is already the killer's next target .

There are aspects I loved about Other, and aspects I really disliked. Needless to say, I had very mixed feelings on it, so this review should be...interesting.

About 50 pages in, I was loving Other because of two small yet HUGE things.

1. This was a paranormal WITH AN ORIGINAL PREMISE.

2. The main character was HOMESCHOOLED.

I was pretty much sold.

Unfortunately, it began to go a bit downhill from there.

Parts of this book were just kind of...awkward. Maybe it was the way they were written or the scenes or the characters, I'm not sure, but some things just didn't feel right at all.

Also, I did not fall for Tavian, Gwen's rebound boy (that she rebounded with WAY too quickly), like I was supposed to. He was nice and all but I'm not going to name my electronics after him or anything. None of the side characters were very remarkable, actually. Luckily the main character was. Gwen calls herself "snarky" and everyone who encounters her comments on her "snark" a couple of times, and despite how sick I was of the word by the end of the book, they had a point. Gwen is sarcastic and strong and pretty funny--I refuse to say snarky-- and as I character I really liked her, even if she could be a bit whiny.

Other had an original and interesting premise that even stood for something outside of the novel, I think, but overall some things just didn't click for me, sadly. I'm not sure if I'll be reading the sequel, Bloodborn...

Plot: Unique but prone to lagging,

Characters: I liked Gwen, but that was it.

Writing: Very simple and easy to read.

Ending: Predictable but decent.

Kid Friendly? Eh. There's a sex scene and some language.

Should I read it? If you're a fan of paranormal/fantasy with a touch of mystery, give it a go. If you're not then I'd skip it.

Overall: