Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom

Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom

Published: January 1997
Pages: 208
Age Group: EVERYONE!
Publisher: Bantam Books

Maybe it was a grandparent, or a teacher. Someone older who understood you when you were young and searching, who helped you see the world as a more profound place, and gave you advice to help you make your way through it. For Mitch Albom, that person was Morrie Schwartz, his college professor from nearly twenty years ago.

Maybe, like Mitch, you lost track of your mentor as you made your way, and the insights faded, and the world seemed colder. Wouldn't you like to see that person again, ask the bigger questions that still haunt you?

Mitch Albom had that second chance. He rediscovered Morrie in the last months of the older man's life. Knowing he was dying, Morrie visited with Mitch in his study every Tuesday, just as they used to back in college.

Tuesdays With Morrie is a magical chronicle of their time together, through which Mitch shares Morrie's lasting gift to the world.

WOW. If you have not read Tuesdays With Morrie you are truly missing out. This is the most inspirational and emotional book I have ever read. Every person out there can taoke something away from this compelling and true story. I can honestly say that Tuesdays With Morrie has changed my life.

I honestly feel like it is impossible to review this book. Every single word that comes out of Morrie's mouth is straight from the heart and filled with so much passion. He is full of wisdom and truly inspirational. Morrie's story is one that everyone should hear.

Albom does an amazing job of showing the love in Morrie's heart as well as his strength. Morrie is a retired college professor who is going through the ending stages of ALS (commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease). Every Tuesday, Mitch Albom flies from his home in Detroit to visit his favorite professor where they have serious discussions about a different topic every week.

My favorite discussion was during the first Tuesday where Morrie discusses death. He explains to Mitch his belief that in order to expreience the most out of living you must be prepared to die. His reasoning is that if you live every day as if it is your last, you won't have any regrets and will get everything you wanted out of life plus more. This discussion really touched me because like Albom and many others, death terrifies me. When I finally realized this I realized how this fear was holding me back.

My favorite line from Tuesdays With Morrie is "love is the only rational act". This quote was from Morrie himself, and if you think about it this small quote explains everything. Every act you do should be out of love. Love for yourself, love for others and love of life. If every action of yours is based off of love, you have only love in your life. I'm working to live my life this way.

I don't want to give away too much of this story so I won't talk about any more parts. I just want everyone to know about this book and how absolutely beautiful it is. The book made me laugh, cry, and most of all think. It is life-changing and extremely eye opening.

I give this book a 5+/5.

Untamed (House of Night #4) By Kristin Cast + P.C. Cast

Untamed By Kristin Cast + P.C. Cast

Published: September 2008
Pages: 352
Age Group: Young Adult
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Life sucks when your friends are pissed at you. Just ask Zoey Redbird – she’s become an expert on suckiness. In one week she has gone from having three boyfriends to having none, and from having a close group of friends who trusted and supported her, to being an outcast. Speaking of friends, the only two Zoey has left are undead and unMarked. And Neferet has declared war on humans, which Zoey knows in her heart is wrong. But will anyone listen to her? Zoey's adventures at vampyre finishing school take a wild and dangerous turn as loyalties are tested, shocking true intentions come to light, and an ancient evil is awakened in PC and Kristin Cast's spellbinding fourth House of Night novel.

Since I always start my House of Night reviews off with talking about their wonderful covers, I just want to say: this is my favorite cover in the whole series! It is absolutely beautiful! Her hair is perfect, the tattoos are EXACTLY how I imagined them and the patterns on the side match her tattoo adding the final touch of perfection.

A girl in my Marketing class told me that this book was the worst in the series. She told me it was super repetitive (which sums up the first two) and never gets interesting. Wow, I don't think she could have been any farther from the truth. Although I didn't enjoy the first two books (read my reviews for details) I absolutely loved the third and fourth books!

Untamed had depth that the rest of the series only touched upon. Zoey finally opened up to herself, as well as her friends, and realized how powerful she truly is. Instead of spending all of her time, which she doesn't usually have much of to spare, chasing boys, Zoey begins taking care of important things.

I actually LOVE the boy problems Zoey has in this book, their so much more realistic than in the first and second, and even half of the third book. Instead of swooning over three completely opposite boys, Zoey is grieving over the loss of Stark, and trying to ignore her pain that Loren caused. The most realistic part of the whole situation was the communication between her and Erik. Both her and Erik's reactions were realistic. I love how easily it is to relate to what both of them are going through. I have never cheated on a boy before but Zoey's pain is so apparent and well written that I feel like I can completely empathize for her.

The turns that the book takes in the end are clearly a set up for Hunted. The nerd-herd (which Aphrodite is officially a part of!!!) all got away but now they need to fix things, once and for good. I am really looking forward to Hunted which is coming out very very soon!

4.5/5

Chosen (House of Night #3) By Kristin Cast + P.C. Cast

Chosen By Kristin Cast + P.C. Cast

Published: March 2008

Pages: 320

Age Group: Young Adult

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Bloodlust and dark forces are at work at the House of Night, and fledgling vampyre Zoey Redbird’s adventures at the school take a mysterious turn. Those who appear to be friends are turning out to be enemies. And, oddly enough, sworn enemies are also turning into friends. So begins the gripping third installment of this “highly addictive series” (Romantic Times), in which Zoey’s mettle will be tested like never before. Her best friend, Stevie Rae, is undead and struggling to maintain a grip on her humanity. Zoey doesn’t have a clue how to help her, but she does know that anything she and Stevie Rae discover must be kept secret from everyone else at the House of Night, where trust has become a rare commodity. Speaking of rare, Zoey finds herself in the very unexpected and rare position of having three boyfriends. Mix a little bloodlust into the equation and the situation has the potential to spell social disaster. Just when it seems things couldn’t get any tougher, vampyres start turning up dead. Really dead. But, as Zoey and her friends find out, things are not always what they seem…

As much as I loved the covers of the last two books, this one just didn't hit the spot. It was just kind of... creepy looking. And I thought it was slightly boring. Also, I thought maybe the neck would have the locket Zoey got from gorgeous Heath, but it didn't. The picture really had no relation with the book.

Although I didn't very much enjoy the first two books (Marked and Betrayed) I loved this books! The plot finally has a point to it! YAY! The book started out similar to the others, meaning lots of drama, Zoey being whiney and causing her own problems, and most importantly very repetitive. However, the last 100 pages or so were absolutely... AMAZING!

One of the problems I had with the previous two books was Zoey's boy problems. She spent way too much time talking about them but never really did anything to fix them. In this book however, Zoey finally takes some action. First, she goes to try and dump Heath (again), and fails (again). After her steamy scene with Heath she goes back to the academy only to hook up with Loren Blake. They imprint on each other which leaves Zoey with only two boyfriends. Then when I thought things couldn't get any more complicated... they did! I'm not going to say what happened (don't want to spoil too much) but wow, the book definitely picks up at the end.

I also love the direction of Aphrodite and Zoey's relationship. Its actually a bit funny because I always wondered if they would eventually become allies. Their relationship is actually quite funny, whether the Twins are calling her a hag bitch, or Aphrodite treats undead Stevie Rae like crap (because she smells like it) or just about anything. The girls try to hate each other but because of how closely Nyx has tied them, they can't.

This is about as much as I can say without blurting out all the amazing spoilers I would like to. I just want to say this: If you really don't want to read the first two books because they aren't very good than don't. All the information you need about the past two books is in this one. if you find yourself struggling to get through the first two as I did just read this book. It is amazing and I absolutely cannot wait to finish the fourth!

4.5/5

Betrayed (House of Night #2) By Kristin Cast + P.C. Cast

Betrayed By Kristin Cast + P.C. Cast

Published: October 2007
Pages: 320
Age Group: Young Adult
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Fledgling vampyre Zoey Redbird has managed to settle in at the House of Night. She’s come to terms with the vast powers the vampyre goddess, Nyx, has given her, and is getting a handle on being the new Leader of the Dark Daughters. Best of all, Zoey finally feels like she belongs--like she really fits in. She actually has a boyfriend…or two. Then the unthinkable happens: Human teenagers are being killed, and all the evidence points to the House of Night. While danger stalks the humans from Zoey’s old life, she begins to realize that the very powers that make her so unique might also threaten those she loves. Then, when she needs her new friends the most, death strikes the House of Night, and Zoey must find the courage to face a betrayal that could break her heart, her soul, and jeopardize the very fabric of her world.

When I said that I was in love with the cover of Marked... I lied. Well no, but now it is a lie because HELLO!!! have you seen the cover of Betrayed? Yeah, it is absolutely gorgeous! I love the covers of these books, even the textures are enchanting!

The principle issue I have with this book is Zoey, the main character. She has transformed from a strong-willed, driven teenager hero into a whiny, self-conscious little girl. The plot of the story -Zoey being able to use all five elements, fighting and beating the "popular kids" having multiple gorgeous boyfriends at once, fighting against the undead- creates the possibility for an extremely powerful main character. I picture someone similar to Rose Hathaway from Vampire Academy. However Zoey is none of these things. She is smart in life or death situations, but the majority of her time she just finds ways to make her problems worse and complains about them.

Something I noticed that surprised me very much was typos. During both the first and second book (and even in the third that I am currently reading) I found multiple typos. I noticed two of them in the second book as well as the first. This really surprises me because I would think that after being out for over a year the publisher would have noticed and fixed them on the newly printed copies.

My least favorite scene from the book was when Stevie Rae died. The reason is Zoey's reaction. She expected all of her friends to take care of her and spend their time comforting her instead of grieving for their lost friend. This was especially weird because Erin, Shaunee, and Damien had known Stevie Rae for months longer than Zoey had. It just seemed so unreal that they would be able to comfort Zoey so warmly rather than grieving.

Though many parts of the book bothered me, there were parts I enjoyed very much. For instance, I don't know about you but if some gorgeous vampyre poet was writing me poetry and it showed up mysteriously, I would have melted. I love the way Zoey's boyfriends treat her. She is lucky to have so many understanding people in her life. Not many boyfriends would be understand if you were knowingly dating someone else. If Zoey didn't create so much extra drama, she would have the perfect life.

I also love the change in Neferet's character. I always wondered if she was too good to be true. Apparently, she is. Her character is very well established and left me furious but at the same time intrigued. I still have a hard time believing she is purely evil. I hope there are more twists coming with her character because every time she is a part of the scene something interesting happens!

The books are becoming repetitive and slightly boring to me, but Zoey's boyfriend troubles are still enough to keep me interested! Look for my upcoming reviews as I finish the series!

3/5

My Very First Contest!!!

Yeah thats right, today is the official 1 Week Anniversary of my blog and I'm celebrating with an ARC giveaway! I'm so excited!!!!! Be sure to check out my previous informational blog about this upcoming book here.

Wintergirls By Laurie Halse Anderson

“Dead girl walking,” the boys say in the halls.
“Tell us your secret,” the girls whisper, one toilet to another.
I am that girl.
I am the space between my thighs, daylight shining through.
I am the bones they want, wired on a porcelain frame.

Lia and Cassie are best friends, wintergirls frozen in matchstick bodies, competitors in a deadly contest to see who can be the skinniest. But what comes after size zero and size double-zero? When Cassie succumbs to the demons within, Lia feels she is being haunted by her friend’s restless spirit.

In her most emotionally wrenching, lyrically written book since the multiple-award-winning Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson explores Lia’s descent into the powerful vortex of anorexia, and her painful path toward recovery.

So I am currently waiting for my copy to get here for myself to read, but in the mean time I am giving away THREE copies to all of you amazing book lovers! Yeah that's right, I said three!

All you need to do is leave me a comment with your name and e-mail address.
Here's how the points go:
+1 for posting below (LEAVE YOUR E-MAIL!!!)
+2 for adding me to your blogroll (let me know and I will add you as well!)
+3 for linking to my contest and showing me
+3 for following my blog (make sure to mention it in your comment below!)
+5 for trading ARC's with me, (e-mail me if you are interested!)

The book comes out in March so this contest will run until February 15th! GOOD LUCK!!

-Taylor

Waiting on Wednesday #1

I don't know about you, but I have noticed that lately there are a large number of books that look and sound amazing! I'm really looking forward to the next few months and the books they will bring with them! Here's some that I'm extra excited for.

Evermore By Alyson Noel
Since a horrible accident claimed the lives of her family, sixteen-year-old Ever can see auras, hear people’s thoughts, and know a person’s life story by touch. Going out of her way to shield herself from human contact to suppress her abilities has branded her as a freak at her new high school—but everything changes when she meets Damen Auguste…Ever sees Damen and feels an instant recognition. He is gorgeous, exotic and wealthy, and he holds many secrets. Damen is able to make things appear and disappear, he always seems to know what she’s thinking—and he’s the only one who can silence the noise and the random energy in her head. She doesn’t know who he really is—or what he is. Damen equal parts light and darkness, and he belongs to an enchanted new world where no one ever dies.

Hunted (House Of Night Book #5) By Kristin Cast + P.C. Cast
What if the hottest guy in the world was hiding a nameless evil, and all he wanted was you?
At the start of this heart-pounding new installment of the bestselling House of Night series, Zoey’s friends have her back again and Stevie Rae and the red fledglings aren’t Neferet’s secrets any longer. But an unexpected danger has emerged. Neferet guards her powerful new consort, Kalona, and no one at the House of Night seems to understand the threat he poses. Kalona looks gorgeous, and he has the House of Night under his spell. A past life holds the key to breaking his rapidly spreading influence, but what if this past life shows Zoey secrets she doesn’t want to hear and truths she can’t face?

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Darkside By Beth Fantaskey

The undead can really screw up your senior year . . .
Marrying a vampire definitely doesn’t fit into Jessica Packwood’s senior year “get-a-life” plan. But then a bizarre (and incredibly hot) new exchange student named Lucius Vladescu shows up, claiming that Jessica is a Romanian vampire princess by birth—and he’s her long-lost fiancé. Armed with newfound confidence and a copy of Growing Up Undead: A Teen Vampire’s Guide to Dating, Health, and Emotions, Jessica makes a dramatic transition from average American teenager to glam European vampire princess. But when a devious cheerleader sets her sights on Lucius, Jess finds herself fighting to win back her wayward prince, stop a global vampire war—and save Lucius’s soul from eternal destruction

Skunk Girl By Sheba Karim
If Nina Khan were to rate herself on the unofficial Pakistani prestige point system – the one she’s sure all the aunties and uncles use to determine the most attractive marriage prospects for their children – her scoring might go something like this:
+2 points for getting excellent grades
–3 points for failing to live up to expectations set by genius older sister
+4 points for dutifully obeying parents and never, ever going to parties, no matter how antisocial that makes her seem to everyone at Deer Hook High
–1 point for harboring secret jealousy of her best friends, who are allowed to date like normal teenagers
+2 points for never drinking an alcoholic beverage
–10 points for obsessing about Asher Richelli, who talks to Nina like she’s not a freak at all, even though he knows that she has a disturbing line of hair running down her back In this wryly funny debut novel, the smart, sassy, and utterly lovable Nina Khan tackles friends, family, and love, and learns that it’s possible to embrace two very different cultures – even if things can get a little bit, well, hairy.

The Vampire Diaries: The Ruturn and Nightfall By L.J. Smith
Elena finally made it back to the mortal world only to be given the worse news. Stefan, her Stefan, has left her forever. But before Elena can come up with a plan, Damon is under attack. The powerful hunter becomes the hunted and it is lost for good.


Have any books you just can't wait for? Tell me about them!

-Taylor

News About Wintergirls By Laurie Halse Anderson

As you all know, I always judge a book by its cover. That being said, the first time I saw the cover of Wintergirls By Laurie Halso Anderson I just HAD to get my hands on it. Well somehow I actually got lucky and its on its way here as I type!

For those of you who are interested in learning more about Wintergirls (coming out March 19, 2009) click on the following links!

www.myspace.com/wintergirls & http://www.facebook.com/pages/Wintergirls/47142907401

Here's a summary of Wintergirls:

“Dead girl walking,” the boys say in the halls.“Tell us your secret,” the girls whisper, one toilet to another.I am that girl.I am the space between my thighs, daylight shining through.I am the bones they want, wired on a porcelain frame.
Lia and Cassie are best friends, wintergirls frozen in matchstick bodies, competitors in a deadly contest to see who can be the skinniest. But what comes after size zero and size double-zero? When Cassie succumbs to the demons within, Lia feels she is being haunted by her friend’s restless spirit.
In her most emotionally wrenching, lyrically written book since the multiple-award-winning Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson explores Lia’s descent into the powerful vortex of anorexia, and her painful path toward recovery.

Yeah, I was sold just from the cover but after reading the summary I am in serious anticipation of this book's arrival!

-Taylor

Today!

Today has been a whirlwind of emotions! To start off I woke up in a bad mood because I found out yesterday from my online banking report that someone stole all the money from my checking account :(. Then my mood quickly changed when I got a confirmation that my very first shipment of ARCs is on its way! YAYYY! I'm so excited. I can't believe I haven't even been blogging for a week and I got some. But to make it even better there is one for my little brother (because I love seeing him happy) and two books that I have been dying to read! When they all arive I will post them on next week's In My Mailbox.

So then, as if I hadn't already had a crazy enough day I got a STANDING OVATION for my paper that was due in my writing 121 class. This may sound braggy, sorry if it does, but I am just truely so excited because I have always been embarrassed by my writing and felt it was so far behind where it should be. In fact my writing inability is one of the main reasons I started a blog. I just wanted a way to write every day but about something that would KEEP me writing constantly. Maybe it really is paying off :D.

Then I took the citizenship test in my Government class. Ha, if you have never seen the citizenship test I suggest looking at it. Although the majority of it is super easy, and pretty funny (as long as you know our flags colors :P) there were some hard questions. There was actually a question, I don't remember which because I was busy reading Chosen By Kristin Cast + P.C. Cast that not a single teacher in the entire upstairs knew the answer to.

But anyways, I just wanted to tell someone about what a whirlwind my day has been! I have to go finish some more papers because its finals week, but I will make sure to write at LEAST one review today!

OH! This is the last thing I promise! I Think I will be holding my very first ARC giveaway within the next week or two so stay tuned!!

-Taylor

Marked (House of Night #1) By Kristin + P.C. Cast

Marked By Kristin Cast + P.C. Cast

Published: May 2007
Pages: 320
Age Group: Young Adult
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Enter the dark, magical world of The House of Night, a world very much like our own, except here vampyres have always existed. Sixteen-year-old Zoey Redbird has just been Marked as a fledgling vampyre and joins the House of Night, a school where she will train to become an adult vampire. That is, if she makes it through the Change--and not all of those who are Marked do. It sucks to begin a new life, especially away from her friends, and on top of that, Zoey is no average fledgling. She has been chosen as special by the vampyre Goddess Nyx. Zoey discovers she has amazing powers, but along with her powers come bloodlust and an unfortunate ability to Imprint her human ex-boyfriend. To add to her stress, she is not the only fledgling at the House of Night with special powers: When she discovers that the leader of the Dark Daughters, the school's most elite group, is misusing her Goddess-given gifts, Zoey must look deep within herself for the courage to embrace her destiny--with a little help from her new vampyre friends.


In case you haven't already noticed, I am a sucker for both enchanting book covers and all things vampire. So naturally, the House Of Night series was a must read.

When I usually read a book, the first chapter or two are boring or confusing. Marked on the other hand was boring for the first 150 pages.

The story started out at a human high school with the main character Zoey getting marked. Her "best friend" Kayla was too preoccupied with the thought of making out with her boyfriend to care. I can't even imagine ditching my best friend (who I will possibly never see again) to make out with a guy who will always be around. I mean, there are bad friends in the world, but I thought Kayla's character was just impractical and a waste.

The secong problem I had with this book was its repetition. Yes okay, by the twelvth time you said Erik Night was hot I finally understood he was hot. The Cast duo also repeated how pretty Neferet was, how "ho-ish" and stuck up Aphrodite was and how Zoey could never decide if she wanted Heath or Erik. I think if the book stopped repeating facts that had already been stated it could have been half as long and twice as alluring.

However, the book did intrigue me into continuing the series. The plot was so imcomparable to most vampire stories, in a positive way. First of all, the spell it, vampyre. That alone is cool enough to draw me in. Secondly, I enjoyed the idea of vampyres being the elite of society (i.e. actors, authors, poets, and all the millionares out there) but yet still being somewhat outcast by normal human society. The third idea I enjoyed was having a worldwide body of people dominated by females! They make it realistic, but at the same time give the males their deserved credit.

Another element of the story I enjoyed was the casualty of the writing. Instead of using huge words and poetic flow, the Cast duo wrote the book in a personal, almost conversational style. This created a more approachable and normal side to Zoey, as well as her other friends. Instead of always being perfect, they had funny opinions, dorky hobbies, and always got sidetracked when talking to cute boys.

To the benefit of the Cast girls, the book picked up quickly enough to capture my interest and forced me to dive into the series. I look forward to the next book Betrayed, so look for its upcoming review!

3.5/5

In My Mailbox Week One

Okay so for those of you who don't know what In My Mailbox is, it is a chance to tell you what books I ordered or I am being sent this week! It was started by Kristi. Yes, I am so obsessed with books that I have to buy many per week to fill the craving.

Chosen By P.C. & Kristin Cast

As if Zoey Redbird doesn't already have enough problems- multiple boyfriends, leading the schools more prestegious club, and just being a badass to only name a few- suddenly she faces more than she can handle. Her so called "friends" are suddenly turning on her and before she knows it she goes to her "enemies" for help.

Untamed By P.C. & Kristin Cast

Life sucks and then you die- at least, thats how things have been for Zoey Redbird lately. As if on purpose, everything good in her life is lost all at once. Friends, boyfriends and just her general happiness have all gone down the gutter at once. But when Neferet decides to declare war on humans, Zoey must put her problems aside and fight for what she believes in. But what does she believe in?

This week I was unable to order many books. Why? Well thats because someone stole over $200 from my bank account. Yeah, it sucks. Hopefully tomorrow I will get things worked out and be able to order more. But until then, I can barely afford two.

But on a lighter note, I think I will be recieving the ARC of Ranger's Apprentice Book 6 sometime this week, and when I get a confirmation I will let you know!

What books did you get this week?

-Taylor

Peeps By Scott Westerfeld

Peeps By Scott Westerfeld


Published: September 2006
Pages: 312
Age Group: Young Adult
Publisher: Penguin Group

Okay, let's clear up some myths about vampires. First of all, you won't see me using the v-word much. In the Night Watch, we prefer the term parasite positives, or peeps for short.

The main thing to remember is that there's no magic involved. No flying. No transforming into bats or rats either. We're talking about a disease.

After a chance encounter with a mysterious woman one night, Cal Thompson's life is changed forever. He's been infected with an insidious parasite. The good news: he's only a carrier- still sane, without the worst of the symptoms. The bad news: he's infected all his former girlfriends- and now they've turned into what Cal calls peeps. The rest of us call them vampires. And its Cal's job to hunt them down before they create even more of their kind...

Incase you haven't realized yet... yes I am one of those lame people addicted to the paranormal, particularly vampires. Oh, and yes I do love Scott Westerfeld books as well. This being said, I had to question my love for both after finishing Peeps. To be comopletely honest, my favorite part of the book was its cover.

Right from the beginning, I was confused. Westerfeld dives right in, giving explanations for things after they have already happened. Then, as if I wasn't already confused enough, Cal explains that how Sarah was acting when he caught her wasn't normal (uh hello- you never told us what normal was!)

After things become a bit clearer I actually started to enjoy it. I have always had a certain respect for authors who take a such a common book theme, like vampires, and change it around completely. The first difference was the lack of a sappy love story. Yes I do love to read them, but the direction Peeps took romance was intriguing in a unique way. Because Cal is infected, he can't have a girlfriend. Worse than that, he can't even kiss a girl. That's right, if he does anything besides touch a girl they get infected. Talk about a twist.

The next difference I liked was the vampires, or peeps, themselves. In nearly every vampire book written, they are free to roam (though they usually spend most of their time out of the sun.) Even more, they are functional, and usually sane. In peeps, unless you have a rare case, like Cal's, the transformation leaves you schizophrenic, angry and anti-social to the extreme. They are in fact so different and creepy that they live mostly underground, with a brood of rats. I'm talking hundreds of them.

After taking in the differences between Peeps and most vampire books, I was bored again. Cal and Lacey's relationship never has any flame and only seems to become more and more boring with every page. When things start getting hectic, both Sarah and Morgan re-enter Cal's life and the book is once again confusing. On top of this, the build-up of meeting Morgan is completely pointless because the interaction between her and Cal is quick and unexciting. In fact, the only real contact they have is Cal running away from her house when she seems him and then him agreeing with her about spreading the disease. After a whole book of looking for her... that's it.

Unlike the Uglies series, Scott Westerfeld failed to impress me with this novel. The ups were mediocre and the down were boring, leaving me glad to be finished.



2/5

Deadly Little Secret (Touch Series #1) By Laurie Faria Stolarz

Deadly Little Secret By Laurie Faria Stolarz

Published: December 2008
Pages: 256
Age Group: Young Adult
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children

Some secrets shouldn't be kept...

Up until three months ago, everything in sixteen-year-old Camelia's life had been fairly ordinary: decent grades; an okay relationship with her parents; and a pretty cool part-time job at the art studio downtown. But when Ben, the mysterious new guy, starts junior year at her high school, Camelia's life becomes anything but ordinary.

Rumored to be somehow responsible for his ex-girlfriend's accidental death, Ben is immediately ostracized by everyone on campus. Except for Camelia. She's reluctant to believe the rumors, even when her friends try to convince her otherwise. She's inexplicably drawn to Ben . . . and to his touch. But soon, Camelia is receiving eerie phone calls and strange packages with threatening notes. Ben insists she is in danger, and that he can help-but can he be trusted? She knows he's hiding something... but he's not the only one with a secret.

From the best-selling author of Blue is for Nightmares comes a story of paranormal romance that's sure to be a thrilling and chilling teen favorite.

Deadly Little Secret starts out with a bang, going back three months to the memory of the main character, Camelia, being swept out of the path of an oncoming car by a mystery boy. His black knight appearance leaves Camelia wondering, and wishing, for the whole summer that she could see him again and at least thank him. Being the sucker for boys that I am, I found myself craving the return of mystery boy.

The books pace stayed constant from there, always interesting enough to keep me from putting it down, but never so fast that I found my heart rate accelerating or peeking ahead.

Maybe I'm just a jealous person by nature, but I'm constantly finding myself wishing I had friends as cool as characters in books. Don't get me wrong, I have the greatest friends I could ever ask for, but it always seems like the friends in books are always just a little bit cooler. Their fashion sense is a little more noticable, their interests a little more interesting, their love lives a little more compelling. Not to mention the fact that they always seem to know just the right things to say at the right time.

Anyways, Camelia has the perfect set of friends. Her best friend Kimmie is cute and enjoys making chic clothes in her spare time. Camelia's other best friend, Wes, is gay and always has in interesting opinion. Oh and just to top off the perfect friends part, her boss is gorgeous, in his early twenties, and definitely wishes Camelia would notice these things. Man, I feel like I'm the only girl in the world who doesn't have some super-hottie watching me from the corner.

Although the book indended to make me believe Ben was the stalker, the stories never really matched up for me like they were supposed to. To be honest, it was a little to cliche of a plot for me.

Another interesting aspect of this book was the build up vs. the actual revealing of the stalker. The notes written by the stalker were some of the creepiest things I have ever read, and gave me shivers while I was reading. Ew, I shivered now just thinking about it. But their creepiness was exactly the right ingredient for this book. The notes added a layer of horror to the typical boy trouble drama.

When the stalker finally revealed himself as Matt, I was so surprised! I was convinced it would be John, yet another guy who wants to be with Camelia. He was the only person besides Ben who I thought knew enough to write the notes and take the pictures. But it was Matt, and well... he was creepy! He had everything planned, including the "perfect" little place to stash Camelia and keep her all to himself. His character turned from sad but nice ex-boyfriend into psychopathic and delusional stalker-freak. Although the scene where Matt has Camelia tied up and camped out in the woods was scary and written very visually, I just had this gut feeling that nothing bad would really happen and of course Ben would come save Camelia yet again- dark knight style.

Deadly Little Secret is a quick and easy read as well as a good that is guarenteed to keep your interest. The only problem was how predictable it was, and it sounded bit cliché.

If you haven't read Deadly Little Secret I would suggest doing so!

3/5

Exciting news for Rangers Apprentice Fans!

Guess what? I recieved an e-mail and thought I would share it with you all! There is an eBook promotion for the first book in the Ranger's Apprentice series going on now through February 15th. This means that you can read the first book for FREE right here. Yay, free books!

For those of you, like myself, who haven't read this book or any others in the series this is a chance you and I alike do NOT want to miss! My brother talks about the series non-stop and the first book is the only one we don't have at home.


Ranger's Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan
By John Flanagan

He had always wanted to be a warrior. The Rangers, with their dark cloaks and shadowy ways, made him nervous. The villagers believe the Rangers practice magic that makes them invisible to ordinary people. And now fifteen year-old Will, always small for his age, has been chosen as a Ranger's apprentice. What he doesn't realize yet is that the Rangers are the protectors of the kingdom. Highly trained in the skills of battle and surveillance, they fight the battles before the battles reach the people. And as Will is about to learn, there is a large battle brewing. The exiled Morgarath, Lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night, is gathering his forces for an attack on the kingdom. This time, he will not be denied . . . .

So needless to say, I will be reading this book very soon, as well as posting my review! Happy Reading!

-Taylor

Thirteen Reasons Why By Jay Asher

Thirteen Reasons Why By Jay Asher

Published: October 2007
Pages: 304
Age Group: Young Adult
Publisher: Penguin Group

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker–his classmate and crush–who committed suicide two weeks earlier. On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out how he made the list. Through Hannah and Clay's dual narratives, debut author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers.


After seeing positive review after positive review of this book I finally decided to read it. Although it is not a favorite of mine the book is powerful and realistic.

As silly as this will sound, one of my favorite parts of this book was how it showed pictures of the buttons Clay pushed while he did it. This visual aid felt like I was the one who was pressing the buttons and listening to the tapes adding a whole new eerie feeling and layer of drama.

Usually books about murder (Ann Rule's in particular) and mysteries are my favorite, but this book only seemed to creep me out. Instead of finding a small amount of light during dark events, the book continued to spiral deeper and deeper. On top of all of this, Hannah seemed so calm about all of it, leaving me completely horrified.

Although this book is fiction -loosely based on several; real events- the fact that Hannah felt so helpless and was too scared to even find help makes it feel so real. After finishing the book I started thinking about as many people as I could, and trying to find similarities.

I am sad to say this book disappointed me. On the bright side, I enjoy Asher's writing style and hope to read more of his work in the future.

2/5

Shadow Kiss By Richelle Mead (Vampire Academy Series #3)

Shadow Kiss By Richelle Mead

Published: November 2008

Pages: 448

Age Group: Young Adult

Publisher: Razor Bill

Is Rose's fate to kill the person she loves most? It's springtime at St. Vladimir's Academy, and Rose Hathaway is this close to graduation. Since Mason's death, Rose hasn't been feeling quite right. She has dark flashbacks in the middle of practice, can't concentrate in class, and has terrifying dreams about Lissa. But Rose has an even bigger secret . . . .She's in love with Dimitri. And this time, it's way more than a crush.

Then Strigoi target the academy in the deadliest attack in Moroi history, and Dimitri is taken. Rose must protect Lissa at all costs, but keeping her best friend safe could mean losing Dimitri forever . . .

I'm starting to feel like a 12 year-old girl getting all giddy about a new crush. I am completely in love with this series.

The book starts out in a steamy love scene which quickly turns all wrong when Rose realizes she is in Lissa's head while she is making out with Christian- yuck! Poor Rose, she already has enough boy problems with Dimitri being off limits and her still mourning over Mason's death. For once I can honestly say I was temporarily NOT jealous of Rose Hathaway.

A spider web of problems continues to tangle up, but all the while I never felt confused. Adrian is still fighting a losing battle for Rose, the girls are trying -and succeed- in getting to Victor Dashkov's trial. While they are there the girls see Mia, who disappeared after Mason's death and learn she is living and going to school at the Royal Court. Now, Mia used to be a backstabbing jerk, but after running away last year and learning some perspective, Mia has definitely changed for the better. I love reading about how happy she finally seems to be after having so much internal anger for so long, and seeing how much she has matures.

Mead does an amazing job of showing growth, maturation and change within all of the characters. I kept catching myself changing my opinions constantly about characters. Christian has shaped into a dedicated Moroi who is willing to put it all in the line to save the Moroi race (even though everyone thinks he will turn Strogoi like his parents.) Lissa finally finds true happiness and learns how to accept and use her role as the last Dragomir. Rose is as sassy as ever but with a mature edge to it. Instead of arguing for the sake of arguing and rebelling because she can, Rose uses her aggressive energy to kill Strogoi (SCARY!), have a deeper connection than ever with Dimitri, and even start to make things right between her and her astranger mother.

I have never been a very big fan of action and war movies, or even books for that matter, but the battles against the Strogoi leave me at the edge of my seat and craving more. I think the addiction stems from the drama created from the battles. Rose is constantly worrying about Lissa and Dimitri which makes me want to keep reading to make sure they are safe!

In an attempt to keep this review from spoiling too much, all I'm going to say is this: I HATED THE ENDING! I mean, it was written amazingly, and I figured something like this would happen but I really wish the book didn't leave off where it did. I actually had to force back tears.

In the end, Shadow Kiss left my head spinning and feeling every emotion I can think of all at the same time. The book, like the other two, never slows for a second which makes it nearly impossible to find a good place to stop. In fact, I don't think I ever did stop :P

Just like the rest, this book amazing which gives it a well deserved 5/5.

Frostbite By Richelle Mead (Vampire Academy Series #2)

Frostbite By Richelle Mead

Published: April 2008

Pages: 336

Age Group: Young Adult

Publisher: Razor Bill

Rose Hathaway’s got serious guy trouble. Her gorgeous tutor Dimitri has his eye on someone else, her friend Mason has a huge crush on her, and she keeps getting stuck in her best friend Lissa’s head while she’s making out with her boyfriend, Christian.

Then a massive Strogoi attack puts St. Vladamir’s on high alert, and the Academy crawls with Guardians- including the legendary Janine Hathaway… Rose’s formidable, long-absent mother. The Strogoi are closing in, and the Academy’s not taking any risks. This year, St. Vlad’s holiday ski trip is mandatory.

But the glittering winter landscape and the posh Idaho resort only provide the illusion of safety. When three students run away to strike back against the deadly Strigoi, Rose must join forces with Christian to rescue them. Only this time, Rose- and her heart- are in more danger than she ever could have imagined…

Okay, just when I thought there could never be a better book than Vampire Academy, Frostbite is here to prove me wrong. This book is amazing!

First of all, Rose and Dimitri’s relationship becomes way more complicated (I didn’t know that was even possible) putting Rose into an even more sassy mood. Her character is constantly changing, but in this book she seems to be a little more constant. She spends most of her time being jealous and just plain angry.

As if her problems with Dimitri aren’t enough to get my attention (which they are) now there is a new guy, Adrian Ivashkov, a prince with a party-boy reputation. Of course this doesn’t stop Rose from spending time with him, even if it is against her will. As much as she dislikes Adrian, she continues to find herself drawn to him. I personally think he is one of those bad boys that every girl wants to make into their good boy, which makes me wish I was Rose!

But with all this being said, the pace definitely picks up in this book as danger from the Strogoi becomes magnified more than ever. Suddenly boy problems become the least of Rose’s worries as she has to face her first (not counting Natalie) Strogoi battle.

To sum it up, THIS BOOK IS AMAZING. I give it a 5/5 of course.

Vampire Academy By Richelle Mead (Vampire Academy Series #1)

Vampire Academy By Richelle Mead

Published: August 2007
Pages: 314
Age Group: Young Adult
Publisher: Razor Bill

Lissa Dragomir is a Moroi princess: a mortal vampire with an unbreakable bond to the earth's magic. She must be protected at all times from Strogoi; the fiercest and most dangerous vampires- the ones who never die.

The powerful blend of human and vampire blood that flows through Rose Hathaway, Lissa's best friend, maker her a Dhampir. Rose is dedicated to a dangerous life of protecting Lissa from the Stigoi, who are hell-bent on making her one of them.

After two years of illict freedom, Rose and Lissa are caught and dragged back to St. Vladimir's Academy, hidden in the deep forests of Montana. Rose will continue her Dhampir education. Lissa will go back to being Queen of the elite Moroi social scene. and both girls will resume breaking Academy hearts.

Fear made Lissa and Rose run away from St. Vladimir's- inside the Academy's iron gates, their world is even more fraught with danger. Here. the cutthroat ranks of the Moroi perform unspeakable rituals, and their secretive nature and love of the night creates an enigmatic world full of social complexities. Rose and Lissa must navigate through this dangerous world, confront the temptation of forbidden romance, and never once let their guard down, lest the Strogoi make Lissa one of them forever...


I ordered this book in hopes of finding another vamprie series to enjoy instead of just rereading Twilight over and over again. Man, am I glad I did. This book, and the others in the series are without a doubt the best books I have ever read.

The book starts quickly, with Rose and Lissa being dragged back to St. Vladimir's by the gorgeous Dimitri (my soon to be husband :D) and life at the Academy starts off with a bang. Right at their return their schedules are very busy, and the girls don't get to spend as much time as they would like together.

Lissa is batteling with her Spirit powers (she doesn't know she has them yet) and they begin to cause her depression. Lissa is a cutter, and because Rose is shadow-kissed, she can get into Lissa's mind and always comes to her rescue when she needs it. On top of constantly being worries about her best friend's mental state, Rose is taking two extra training sessions a day from the gorgeous new Guardian, Dimitri.

Right from their first day, Rose feels a connection with Dimitri. Their forbidden romance is extremely addicting, and I kept having to stop myself from skipping over parts just to read about their sessions together. Although Rose doesn't seem to realize it, Dimitri acts just as attracted to Rose but in a secretive and sexy way.

Rose is one of the most powerful and strong willed characters ever written about. She is sexy and flirty, but at the same time she doesn't take crap from anyone, making her the girl that every guy wishes they had and every girl wishes they were. She also goes through struggles that every girl can relate to. She flirts with people, gets caught making out, has a crush on her hot teacher, feels like she has no one to talk to, and is constantly protecting her best friend. Her character is the perfect blend of every element, which made me feel as if I were her.

Toward the end of the book, Lissa and Rose's fears for leaving were proven right, and Lissa is in mortal danger.

This book is absolutely perfect, Mead's writing style couldn't fit the characters more accurately, and I can assure every girl 13+ that they will NOT be able to put this book down until they finish it!

I give it a 5+/5 for being AMAZING!

Vampire Diaries: The Fury and Dark Reunion By L. J. Smith

Vampire Diaries: The Fury and Dark Reunion By L. J. Smith

Published: 1991
Pages: 528
Age Group: Young Adult
Publisher: Harper Teen

Elena: transformed, the golden girl has become what she once feared and desired.

Stefan: tormented by losing Elena, he's determined to end his feud with Damon once and for all—whatever the cost. But slowly he begins to realize that his brother is not his only enemy.

Damon: at last, he possesses Elena. But will his thirst for revenge against Stefan poison his triumph? Or can they come together to face one final battle?

Collected here in one edition are the third and fourth volumes of The Vampire Diaries, a riveting conclusion to the tale of two vampire brothers and the beautiful girl torn between them.

Due to some shipping and ordering issues, I wasn't able to read this book for a few weeks after reading the first one. With that being said, I had a lot of time to think about it, guess what would happen, and just get excited for it. When I finally got it, I felt pretty let down.

There were so many parts of this book that I never understood. What was the point of killing Elena? Why was Elena so obsessed with Damon and Stefan liking each other? Why did Elena keep saying she loved Stefan so much, but everytime they were alone she suddenly had a million other things to do? What was the point of bringing Katherine back? When Katherine had them as prisoners, why was Stefan acting so weird? Why did Katherine think she killed Klaus if she obviously didn't? What was with all the weird ghosts? And how did Elena just suddenly come back?

Now that I'm done ranting, there were a few parts I did like. I actually enjoyed reading from Bonnie's perspective because I always felt she had so much more to offer than they let her. She always has so many thoughts, whether they are relevent to what is going on or not, which seems so much more realistic for a teen. She showed more emotions than Elena.

The biggest problem I had with this book was I felt like I never connected with it. Instead of recreating relationships and emotions, Smith just assumed that the reader was still connected with emotions that she explained in the first book. The only people who were easy to connect with were Katherine and Klaus because they were the only characters to grow in any way during this book. I suppose Tyler too since he changed so much.

I wish this book would have been more captivating because I felt so drawn to the first.

I wasn't a very big fan, 2/5.

Vampire Diaries: The Awakening and The Struggle By L.J. Smith

Vampire Diaries: The Awakening and The Struggle By L.J. Smith

Published: 1991
Pages: 512
Age Group: Young Adult
Publisher: Harper Teen

Elena: the golden girl, the leader, the one who can have any boy she wants.

Stefan: brooding and mysterious, he seems to be the only one who can resist Elena, even as he struggles to protect her from the horrors that haunt his past.

Damon: sexy, dangerous, and driven by an urge for revenge against Stefan, the brother who betrayed him. Determined to have Elena, he'd kill to possess her.

Collected here in one volume for the first time, volumes one and two of The Vampire Diaries, the tale of two vampire brothers and the beautiful girl torn between them.


A friend of mine told me to read these books months ago, but the title sounded silly, so I just blew her off. But then one day I had nothing to read and I decided I would give them a fair chance or my friend's sake. I'm glad I decided to pick it up. I was quickly addicted, finishing it in a few hours.

The story is about a girl named Elena who is the post popular girl in school and how she falls in love with the new guy, Stefan Salvatore, who ends up being a vampire. I'm going to admit, the idea of Elena being popular, queen of the school, and perfect was a little lame. Anyone can write about a person being loved by everyone. Luckily, Elena is a smart girl so her character is powerful unlike most "popular girls." But even so the book picked up quickly and Elena's popularity becomes the least of my worries.

I love the twists this books takes like Damon coming to down, Stefan being a vampire, Caroline backstabbing Elena, and everything else! I don't want to say too much! The book is a little confusing, but everything finally comes together in the end.

Overall the book is a fun and easy read, and any girl who is looking for a good love story, (vampires make the hottest boyfriends it seems) will enjoy it.

The book was pretty addicting, I'd give it a 3.5/5

Extras By Scott Westerfeld

Extras By Scott Westerfeld
Published: October 2007
Pages: 432
Age Group: Young Adult
Publisher: Simon Pulse

It's a few years after rebel Tally Youngblood took down the uglies/pretties/specials regime. Without those strict roles and rules, the world is in a complete cultural renaissance. "Tech-heads" flaunt their latest gadgets, "kickers" spread gossip and trends, and "surge monkeys" are hooked on extreme plastic surgery. And it's all monitored on a bazillion different cameras. The world is like a gigantic game of American Idol. Whoever is getting the most buzz gets the most votes. Popularity rules.

As if being fifteen doesn't suck enough, Aya Fuse's rank of 451,369 is so low, she's a total nobody. An extra. But Aya doesn't care; she just wants to lie low with her drone, Moggle. And maybe kick a good story for herself.

Then Aya meets a clique of girls who pull crazy tricks, yet are deeply secretive of it. Aya wants desperately to kick their story, to show everyone how intensely cool the Sly Girls are. But doing so would propel her out of extra-land and into the world of fame, celebrity...and extreme danger. A world she's not prepared for.


Being the oblivious person I am, I had NO idea this book wasn't from Tally's perspective until i started reading it. (Yeah, I was so dumb I didn't even read the inside cover.) So naturally when I started it I was pretty confused. Actually I was also a bit angry. I was convinced that the Uglies series was ruined because the book was written from the WRONG person.

Eventually I calmed down enough and decided that since I had the book in front of me that I had to finish it. Wow, am I glad I did. I love the perspective the book came from, and how a futuristic book showed the future of its original series. (If that makes sense.)

Aya is a powerful character in an interesting way. I was drawn to her because Westerfeld is amazing at making characters interesting and addictive. I love the way Aya is a pretty shy and normal girl (looking for popularity, self conscious, and jealous of her sibling) but yet, she is built into a character that is brave, strong and everything the opposite of how she feels inside. I felt like I could relate to everything she was going through (except diving hundreds of feet under the city in the pitch black on a hoverboard.)

I also love how the book is set in Japan. I have never been there, but this book views them in the only way I have ever seen them. They are constantly looking for crazy new ideas, popularity, and have crazy ideas. I absolutely love it!

When Tally came into the book, I was actually shocked. Her mindset seemed so much different than the other books. Before she seemed like your normal teen, trying to rebel against authority while finding herself. But in this book she seemed powerhungry and controlling. It bothered me at first, but then I thought more about it and came to the conclusion that is probably the only way she has been able to think since she has assumed the position of protector of the world. She probably doesn't have the time to second guess herself.

There are a few things that bother me though. I want to know if Tally and David will ever get together. I also wish there was more written about the sly girls, and how Jai, Kai, Lai, whatever her name is, changed her mind and what events happened to them while Aya was away.
Overall I loved the book, possibly the most out of the entire series, and wish that Westerfeld would write more from Aya's point of view.

I LOVED it! 5/5!

Specials By Scott Westerfeld

Specials By Scott Westerfeld
Published: September 11, 2007
Pages: 400
Age Group: Young Adult
Publisher: Simon Pulse

Tally Thought they were a rumor, but now she's one of them. A Special. A super-amped fighting machine, engineered to keep the uglies down and the pretties stupid.

But maybe being perfectly programmed with stremgth and focus isn't better than anything she's ever known. Tally still has memories of something else.

But it's easy for her to tune that out- until she's offered a chance to stamp out the rebels of the New Smoke permanently. It all comes down to one last coice: listen to that tiny, faint heartbeat, or carry out the mission she's programmed to complete. Either way, Tally's world will never be the same.

The Uglies series never slows, which reoccurs in Specials. It's so frusturating to watch Tally finally get a grasp of her own thinking, only to see her thrown back into a new surgery that changes her yet again. But I think that is what makes Specials so addicting. Just when I start to think I can predict what will happen, everything changes.

Specials is just as adventurous as the others, maybe even more-so now that Tally is practically a superhuman. I felt that this book spent more time describing the mental games and processes within Tally than the others. Instead of focusing primarily on events and the grand scheme of things, Specials spent time describing everything from Tally's perspective, the mastermind behind everything.

To me, Specials is the most detailed and well thought out of the series, and made me extremely hungry for the next book, Extras.

Loved it of course! 4/5

Pretties By Scott Westerfeld

Pretties By Scott Westerfeld

Published: November 1, 2005
Pages: 384
Age Group: Young Adult
Publisher: Simon Pulse

Tally has finally become pretty. Now her looks are beyond perfect, her clothes are awesome, her boyfriend is totally hot, and she's completely popular. It's everything she's ever wanted.

But beneath all the fun- the nonstop parties, the high-tech luxury, the total freedom- is a nagging sense that something's wrong. Something important. Then a message from Tally's ugly past arrives. Reading it, Tally remembers what's wrong with pretty life, and the fun stops cold.
Now she has to choose between fighting to forget what she knows and fighting for her life- because the authorities don't intend to let anyone with this inpormation survive.


Just like Uglies, Pretties starts out with a bang creating an addiction from the start. But this time its because you can't believe what is happening. Tally is a pretty, and she is happy about it! This made me so angry, yet addicted, and I had to keep reading.
My girly side also falls in love with Zane because he is a bubblehead (which makes him gorgeous) but yet he has an original and serious side to him. How could a girl ask for anything more in a man?

This book is thuroughly addicting, and constantly changing. Just when you think you know whats going to happen, something changes. I love the relationships they create in this book, although i thought one character, Fausto, wasn't explained very much. I love that Westerfeld turned around the entire image of bubbleheads, and gave them the potential to change things from how they have been for the past 300 years (with the help of Tally of course.)

Just like the last book, this one has a cliffhanger ending, forcing you (not that you will need any extra push) to read the next one.

Another great book, 4/5

Uglies By Scott Westerfeld

Uglies By Scott Westerfeld

Release Date: February 8, 2005
Pages: 425
Age Group: Young Adult
Publisher: Scholastic Trade

Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. Not for her license- but for turning pretty. In Tally's world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there. But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to be pretty. She'd rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world- and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choise she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. The choise Taklly makes changes her world forever.

Uglies is one of the few books that has ever captured me from the first page. After being an avid Twilight fan (like the majority of YA female readers) I had almost given up on finding anything to fill the void I felt. Then a friend convinced me to read Uglies and I haven't looked back since. Of course this book is nothing like Twilight, but I felt it was equally as addicting.

The book is the perfect combination of friendship, action, romance, and suspense making it impossible to put down. Being the first book by Scott Westerfeld I had ever read, I ordered five other books by him the day I finished Uglies.

The book is a futuristic sci-fi which usually isn't my favorite, but what drew me in was the possibility it has of being a very acurate non-fiction in the future. The futuristic prediction this book has is very believable and left me thinking for hours about humanity and the future. (It was a very deep internal conversation with myself I can promise you :-P)

I give it a 4/5.