Cross my Heart and Hope to Spy by Ally Carter

title: Cross my Heart and Hope to Spy
written by: Ally Carter
series: Gallagher girls #2
genres: Young Adult, contemporary fiction
page count: 236
publication date: October 2nd, 2007
publisher: Hyperion
rating: 3/5

Cammie Morgan is back, and it's clear that her life hasn't calmed down since the events of I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You. At first, giddy anticipation is in the air. Gallagher Academy, Cammie's elite spy school, is hosting a visit from a covert training center for boys. Soon after the boys' arrival, though, everything goes dangerously awry when a series of security breaches are discovered at the academy. Worse yet, teenage agent-in-training Cammie is being blamed for the penetration. With the school's top-secret status at risk, the Gallagher Girls have to work quickly to save their beloved school.

I have no idea why I keep on reading this series. I guess it's just something that really makes me like the whole concept of a spy school and everything. Cross my Heart and Hope to Spy again has a very long title, just like 'I'd tell you I love you but then I'd have to kill you'. I really like the long titles, after seeing all those one-word titles, but perhaps they are just too long, because it is just a mouthful of words to say. 

Gallagher academy opens its doors again as this novel starts. Cammie has grown to a kind of celebrity at her own school, because of her boyfriend drama over the last year. And there is something happening on her school. Because of her curiosity Cammie finds out what's happening - Gallagher Academy is hosting a visit from a school like Gallagher Academy, only for boys! And the boy drama continues.

Cammie has changed a little bit over the course of the second book in the series, but she is still the same ignorant - yet kick butt - girl as she was in the first book. So no enormous character changes. I -obviously - love character changes, and I would have loved to have some more character changes in this novel. Still, Cammie is a great and very strong character I really love to read about, as are her 3 friends Macey, Liz and Bex.

The plot of this book was pretty interesting, but not one of the things I will remember forever. It just didn't have the 'wow' factor for me. And that is not very bad, because there are very few books that have that 'wow' factor. I just would have liked the plot to be a little more fast-paced and a little less filler chapters, if you know what I mean. 

Altogether I liked this novel, and I will give the next installment in this series a shot (I already did, actually...). Gallagher Academy is an interesting school, although I prefer Hogwarts. I just keep on comparing those schools for no apparant reason. I give this book 3 stars!

other novels in this series I have reviewed:

I'd tell you I love you but then I'd have to kill you

Love and ice cream,

Mar

(it's so hot in the Netherlands right now, so the ice cream was very appropiate)

The Metaphysical Double Life of Eri Lane by Jocelyn Nora Moore

title: The Metaphysical Double Life of Eri Lane
written by: Jocelyn Nora Moore
genres: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy
page count: 173 (ebook)
publisher: Self-Pub
publication date: March 18th, 2012

Everyone knows that fourteen-year-old Eri Lane is different. She is too intense, always tells the truth, and she somehow knows things she shouldn’t. Her confused teachers know she’s different. The means kids know. Her hardworking single mother knows. The cute, nerdy senior that she loves knows. There is just something about Eri Lane. But none of them know just how different, because absolutely none of them know that there are actually two worlds, the world of Dream and the world of Wake. Only Eri Lane and her best friend Malcolm Harris know that.

Eri and Malcolm never sleep, since they were twelve they have been among the special guardians of the boundary between the two worlds, known among themselves as the Awake. Now it’s November of their sophomore year, and Eri has been having a hard enough time trying to repair psychic leaks all night, and then navigate the ups and downs of being the black sheep of Marchland High School for the Gifted every day, (not to mention protecting Malcolm, who is openly gay, and their other best friend Ashley, who is too nice, from bullies), when a strange new creature shows up in the world of Dream, wreaking havoc and possibly even attempting to tear open the barrier between the two worlds. Now, Eri has to figure out how to stop it/him, how to save the world, and most importantly, whether or not the world is worth saving. 

The wonderful author of this novel, Jocelyn Nora Moore, provided me with a ecopy of her book in exchange for a honest review. 

The Metaphysical life of Eri Lane was a very unique book. I had quite a hard time getting into it and understanding it, but when I did it was awesome!

A book about 2 worlds always interests me, no matter if it's something like Narnia, or something like Wake and Dream. And I have no idea why, but the more fantastic world always interests me more. So that's why I prefered Dream over Wake. Wake was just so full of crazy things and still seemed real. I could easily believe that a world like Dream actually exsists.

The main characters of this book, Eri and Malcolm, both were very fun characters. They were very likeable, and they weren't boring to read about at all. However, I couldn't fully connect myself to either of them, which I really would have loved to be able to.

The plot of the novel was interesting, full of mystery and random things, but there were also some serious things discussed, although that wasn't very obvious. I really like it when a book is discussing more than you realise most of the times. Just like I love to get to know some random things when I'm not in school :)

Moore's writing style is pleasant, but not very special. There was one particular thing about it that fascinated me; there were no chapters. It was just wake-dream-wake-dream-... And I thing that was a good thing, bacause it kept it all very clear and made it easier to understand it. There weren't a lot of difficult words used, and the dialogue was kind of childish talk, which sometimes annoyed me.

Altogether I give this book 3 stars for being an extremely unique and awesome book. I didn't have high expectations of it, so when I liked it I was positively surprised :) And you should read it, too. You can read it for free @ goodreads. Check it out!

Love,
Mar

Birth of a Killer by Darren Shan

title: Birth of a Killer

written by: Darren Shan

series: The saga of Larten Crepsley #1

genre: young adult, historical, fantasy
page count: 261

publication date: October 5th, 2010

my rating: 3/5 stars

Before Cirque Du Freak...
Before the war with the vampaneze...
Before he was a vampire.
Larten Crepsley was a boy.
As a child laborer many centuries ago, Larten Crepsley did his job well and without complaint, until the day the foreman killed his brother as an example to the other children.
In that moment, young Larten flies into a rage that the foreman wouldn't survive. Forced on the run, he sleeps in crypts and eats cobwebs to get by. And when a vampire named Seba offers him protection and training as a vampire's assistant, Larten takes it.
This is his story. 

Before reading this book, I read the entire 'saga of Darren Shan'. This series is a prequel to that series. I liked the saga of Darren Shan, but it wasn't one of my favorite series of all time. Still, I read all 12 (!) books, and I enjoyed them. Then I found out about this prequel series, that spotlighted Larten Crepsley, a character that has always fascinated me, and I just had to read it. So I did. And I liked it :)

As the story begins, Larten is just a normal poor factory worker in the 18th century (not sure about the exact time). He doesn't know anything about vampires, or his own future, while I, as a reader, did. That's what I enjoy most about prequel series, I sort of know what's going to happen. I like to 'predict the future' in books.

What I also liked about this series was that I already knew a lot about the main character before I opened the book. This way it was easier for me to 'jump into' the story, as I did not have to get to know all new characters. I also really liked to see back some of the characters that always fascinated me in the saga of Darran Shan. Some background information is always welcome :)

The plot of this book wasn't very surprising. My brains weren't overprocessing information, neither were they doing nothing. It was historical fiction, which I usually enjoy, although I tend to prefer contemporary fiction or dystopia. As the story proceeded, it was easy to predict exactely what was going to happen, which of course also was because the book was a prequel. Altogether this book wasn't the best of Darren Shan's works, but it definitely wasn't the best of them!

Shan's writing style is very easy and uncomplicated. I can read it 100 pages/hour in English, which is very quick for me. And since I read this book in Dutch, I finished it in under 2 hours. (Dutch is easier to read for me). But I am not sure if I like books to be such quick reads. Fat books sometimes scare me, so I tend to read thinner books, but not this thin... Anyways, this is a novel that hovers in between middle grade and young adult, in my opinion. Just like the first 3 Harry Potter books. It didn't bother me though.

I would recommend this books to people who have already read the saga of Darren Shan, or to anyone who is doubting whether or not to start reading it. Also, I would recommend this book to children aged 8-12 who are looking for a quick read full of action. I give this book 3 stars!

Love,

Mar

Giveaway + review Waterspell by Deborah J. Lightfoot

Tour stop time :) Today I'm here with you to revier the book Waterspell, by Deborah J. Lightfoot. And make sure to continue reading, as there also is a giveaway!


title: Waterspell
written by: Deborah J. Lightfoot
series: Waterspell #1
genre: Young Adult, High Fantasy
page count: 375
publication date: January 1st, 2012
publisher: Seven rivers publishing


LINKS TO BUY
Amazon
Barnes and Noble

Drawn into the schemes of an angry wizard, Carin glimpses the place she once called home. It lies upon a shore that seems unreachable. To learn where she belongs and how to get there, the teenage traveler must decipher the words of an alien book, follow the clues in a bewitched poem, conjure a dragon from a pool of magic -- and tread carefully around a seductive but volatile, emotionally scarred sorcerer who can't seem to decide whether to love her or kill her.

I always like doing tour stops, and Waterspell sounded very intriguing, so I signed up for this tour immediately. I was not disappointed by it, but it was not what I expected it to be at all! I will give this book a thumbs up, because high fantasy books are epic. always!

The main character, Carin, was captured by an angry wizard, and that was the best thing about this books' plot. Angry evil wizards are amazing! Also, I loved the enormous influence Alice in Wonderlands had on this novel. Lots of references to the book, that played a major role in this book, and some of them about one of my favorite Alice in Wonderland character, which I shouldn't talk about because that would be a spoil.

The book was not 100% easy to read for me, mainly because of the range of vocab used in it. I had to look up some words because I thought they were imporatant, and had never seen them before. (e.g. volatile in the blurb.) Not that it is super special when I haven't heard of a word, since I'm not English/American, but it kind of bothers me... Still, I think it fit wit this book because it was set in another time.

The plot of this book was special, but it didn't grab me. It just didn't have the wow-factor for me. Might be my issue with high fantasy. I always need a long time to get into those novels. Also, I couldn't really relate to the main character. Luckily, while reading I got a little more interested in the whole story and characters.

My main problem with this book was the lack of Romance. I ain't a romance junkee, but a little romance or something like it always is a pro for me. Unless it's incredibly cheesy...


Altogether I would recommend this books to teens who have no problems with getting into high fantasy and don't mind it if a book contains no romance.


I rate this book 3/5


Now enter the giveaway :)


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Author bio: 
Castles in the cornfield provided the setting for Deborah J. Lightfoot’s earliest flights of fancy.On her father’s farm in West Texas, she grew up reading extraordinary tales of adventure and reenacting them behind tall ramparts of sun-drenched corn. She left the farm to earn a bachelor of science degree in journalism and write award-winning books of history and biography, including The LH7 Ranch (University of North Texas Press) and Trail Fever (William Morrow, New York). High on her Bucket List was the desire to try her hand at the genre she most admired. The result is WATERSPELL, a complex, intricately detailed fantasy that begins with Book 1: The Warlock and Book 2: The Wysard, and concludes (for the present) with Book 3: The Wisewoman. But a legal pad filled with notes and tucked away in a desk drawer suggests a possible Book 4 before the saga may fairly be said to be finished. 

Deborah is a professional member of The Authors Guild. She and her husband live in the country south of Fort Worth, Texas. Find her online at www.waterspell.net.

WEBSITE
FACEBOOK

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of Reading Addiction Blog Tours and a copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have been received by Reading Addiction Blog Tours, no payment was received by me in exchange for this review. There was no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, publisher, publicist, or readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorcements and Testimonials in Advertising*

white cat by Holly Black

book: White Cat

written by: Holly Black

series: Curse Workers #1

genre: young adult, fantasy, Mystery

pages: 310

publication date: January 1st, 2010

publisher: McElderry

Cassel comes from a family of curse workers—people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, all by the slightest touch of their hands. Since curse work is illegal, they’re all criminals. But not Cassel. He hasn’t got the magic touch, so he’s an outsider—the straight kid in a crooked family—as long as you ignore one small detail: He killed his best friend, Lila. Now he is sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat. He also notices that his brothers are keeping secrets from him. As Cassel begins to suspect he’s part of one huge con game, he must unravel his past and his memories. To find out the truth, Cassel will have to outcon the conmen.

So, I have finished my first Holly Black book. After watching the movie 'The Spiderwick Chronicles' I wanted to read that book(s) but I just couldn't find them anywhere. Some libraries suck, especially the small Dutch ones... Anyways, I did have high expectations of this book -yeah, I know, dangerous- and was not amazed by it. Still, I liked it :)

Holly Black is a master of writing fantasy, since her fantasy becomes realistic. I hardly ever come across a great fantasy book that is also realistic, so a 1+ for that. Also, the writing style of this book was marvellous, I could read it very easily, and I just felt very comfy reading it. -call me crazy, but some writing styles can seriously make me feel uncomfortably-

Blacks characters were great, but hard to relate to. Cassel, the male main character, was special from the inside, but didn't impress me, neither did most of the other characters. Only the cat, I absolutely loved it. Cats are walking around this planet to kill people that are allergic to adorableness... 

anyways, I wasn't impressed at all with the plot. I had expected way more of it. Not that it was bad, but after seeing the movie of the Spiderwick Chronicles -and after hearing that the book was better- I was sure White Cat was going to be freaking amazing. And it was just average amazing, so I was disappointed. Probably my own fault... Whatevs. 

I rushed through this book, and finished it in about 3 hours (that's over 100 pages per hour... is that even legal?) and that's one of this indicators that I didn't find this book extremely interesting. Usually, when I truly like a book, it takes a long time to read it, because I feel like I have to read every word that's written, but with this book I didn't have that feeling.

White Cat is a great fantasy for teens, but don't expect too much from it! I guess it just wasn't my cup of tea...

I give this book 3 stars

Guest post + Review - Gone at Zero Hundred 00:00 by C.R. Hiatt

And here I am again, risen from death (or from my lazy ass), with a tour stop of the wonderful YA mystery novel, Gone at Zero Hundred 00:00 by C.R. Hiatt. I will review it and there is an amazing guest post. Make sure not to miss it!

book: Gone at Zero Hundred 00:00

written by: C.R. Hiatt

series: McSwain & Beck #1
genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Action
pagecount: 351
publication date: April 31st, 2012

Sydney Marie McSwain and her pal, Cody Beck, team up to take on a secret club called The Devil's Door where members are branded with the tattoo of a devil and call themselves The Privileged Ones.
 Sydney Marie McSwain loves her mom, Anna - a private investigator in the coastal city where they live - but they had a major issue between them. Anna refused to give Sydney the identity of her father. On the day of her high school graduation, they were battling it out, once again. An hour later, Sydney, Cody and Jaden were at the local café, and watched as Anna was gunned down, and it was broadcasted on live TV.
 Faced with immediate responsibility, Sydney and Cody agreed to take over the agency, only they changed the name to McSwain & Beck. At the same time, Sydney convinced Sutter Beach Detective, Ace Carter, to help her track down her father.
 Out of the blue, a model walked in and hired them to follow her step-brother. While Cody was busy editing a trailer to solicit new clients, Sydney settled into her lemon-yellow pickup to do surveillance, and wound up staking out a secret club called The Devil’s Door whose suspicious members wore the tattoo of a devil.
 That same night, Sydney received a call from one of her mom’s former clients, only the client was gunned down at the location where they agreed to meet. The mysterious discovery of a DVD revealed the possibility that teenagers were being abducted, only nobody reported them missing.
 On the hunt for the victims, McSwain & Beck were chased by men in ski masks, nearly gunned down by members of a cartel called the outlaws, Sydney’s precious pickup was broken into; then the step-brother they were hired to follow, was found dead and Sydney was the number one suspect.
 If things weren’t bad enough already, they had to figure out how to crash a red-carpet Mardi Gras bash being held on a private cruise ship, before it sailed off into the sunset, where they just might meet the devil, himself.
 Now, the clock was ticking…
 And time was running out…
 How was she ever going to find her father, now?

“Their lives were in the hands of two 18 year-olds…”

Gone at Zero Hundred 00:00 was a wonderful book full of surprises and packed with action. I don't read a lot of action novels, but I enjoy reading them once in a while. This book really was worth the time it took me to read it.


I was amazed by the characters. They were great, and not some lame stereotypes. The girl, Sydney, was not very girlyl, but more of a tomboy. She definitely kicks ass! Then there was her a) hot, and b) great fighter bst friend Cody. He loves filming and photographing, which is why his parents kicked him our. He lives in the house of Jaden, the third, and last, one in the friend group. Together they form a marvellous trio of teenagers that might be able to arrest some major criminals...


The plot of this book sounded very promising, and it was just like I expected it to be. There was only one empty spot; no(t much) romance. Not that I am a 100% romance lover or something, but I just like to have some in every novel. But I get it, action and romance isn't always the best combination... Still, I was okay with it because of the whole story. Some teens who kick ass and save the world from criminals always are great to read about -this explains my obsession with Anthony Horowitz' Alex Rider series- and I adored all characters.


It was very well-written and easy to read. However, sometimes it was just so easy to read for me. As a Dutch girl that's still learning English, I am used to having a hard time reading novels because of the use of difficult words. This book was so easy to read... Maybe I'm just getting better at English. That would be great :)


A book I'd recommend to all teens that love books packed with action, mystery and humor. You will not be disappointed.


I give this book 3 stars!



Now who's up for a guest post? :P

What are my writing quirks and must haves to write?
 a guest post by C.R. Hiatt
Before I sit down and start writing, a lot of things need to be in place. Some may call them quirks. I call them: tools to a future bestselling novel. J 

For starters, where I write is critical. I am somewhat of an odd ball when it comes to that. I don’t have an office (by choice) - at least not the kind of office that everyone would consider normal. I love the outdoors, and don’t like being confined to a room with a desk and a computer, or four walls closing in on me. Instead, I bought myself a portable laptop desk that I can move around to wherever I plant myself for a particular day. The portable desk has compartments for all my accessories, phones, Kindle and USB cords. The legs can be folded underneath, and it can easily sit on my lap, or I can put the legs down and sit opposite a comfortable chair.

If the weather outside is poor, I park myself in front of a large window of the seasonal home. Now that summer is creeping up on us and the temperatures are starting to get warm, I will move the portable desk out on a screened-in deck, or I might even park myself down by the water.

Another quirk is; I need noise. A lot of writers need it to be completely quiet when they’re writing. If I’m stuck inside because of rotten weather, I either have the TV on tuned into an action flick, or I have the music cranked up. When the weather cooperates and I can sit on the deck, I put a sign out letting the neighbors and toursis know I’m “working”; then they know to steer clear. I may like the noise when I’m writing, but I prefer to not be interrupted when I’m in the middle of plotting a scene.

Now comes the must haves…I must have tons of dark chocolate in the refrigerator, and a case of Dasani water. Once I start the writing process, the only thing that I will definitely break for is; exercise. Exercise is a major part of the process to keep the juices flowing. Chances are; I won’t have time for full meals during my process, so I will have stocked up on salad fixings, and of course, my chocolate. To keep the hunger at bay, I will nibble on small pieces of the chocolate. It also helps with my concentration - at least that’s my excuse for getting to eat chocolate. J

When I’m finally seated and settled, first I check emails and social media outlets. I CANNOT start writing unless that is done. Otherwise, my mind will constantly drift off while I’m writing, worrying that I might have missed something. With that out of the way, I begin my writing process using my regimented “quirky” process, and I do not deviate from:

1. Write out a one or two sentence logline describing the story.
2. Write out a list of my characters and mini bios and backgrounds.
3. Using my logline as a guide, I write a one-page outline which can be used as a synopsis later.
4. Using my outline as a guide, I then write a draft screenplay using the three-act structure, and make sure to include the action scenes and dialogue.
5. Now that I have three-act screenplay (beginning, middle and end), I start adapting the story into a novel. Author Bio 

CR HIATT is a writer of screenplays and an author of YA action-mystery novels. The daughter of a military veteran, CR grew up in a small town where she became an All-American athlete. CR knew early on that she wasn't cut out for the nine to five type of job - her tendency to day dream about adventures often got in the way. But, being the daughter of a Navy Veteran she also knew one had to do what was necessary to be ecure, so she disciplined herself to push those dreams aside and settled on working in the entertainment legal field. When those dreams invaded her world once again, CR finally gave in and set out to write her own adventures. What the heck, right. If you can't live 'em, you might as well write about them. The McSwain & Beck series are works of fiction, only based on real life events. Gone at Zero Hundred 00:00 is the first in the series, and available now. Fireworks on the 4th will be released in late June, just before the 4th of July holiday season. 

website:
Blog:
Twitter @mcswainandbeck
Facebook Author
Facebook Book

So, are you going to read Gone at Zero Hundred 00:00?

Love, Mar

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of Reading Addiction Blog Tours and a copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have been received by Reading Addiction Blog Tours, no payment was received by me in exchange for this review. There was no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, publisher, publicist, or readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorcements and Testimonials in Advertising*

Erebos by Ursula Poznanski

title: Erebos
written by: Ursula Poznanski
series: none
pages: 434
genres: Young Adult, mystery, Fantasy
publication date: January 19th 2012
publisher: Annick Press

An intelligent computer game with a disturbing agenda.
When 16-year-old Nick receives a package containing the mysterious computer game Erebos, he wonders if it will explain the behavior of his classmates, who have been secretive lately. Players of the game must obey strict rules: always play alone, never talk about the game, and never tell anyone your nickname.
Curious, Nick joins the game and quickly becomes addicted. But Erebos knows a lot about the players and begins to manipulate their lives. When it sends Nick on a deadly assignment, he refuses and is banished from the game.
Now unable to play, Nick turns to a friend for help in finding out who controls the game. The two set off on a dangerous mission in which the border between reality and the virtual world begins to blur.

Erebos was a book with a very intriguing plot, and I really wanted to read and love it. I saw my library had just gotten a new copy of it -in Dutch that is- and I borrowed it. It lay on my shelves for about 2 months, and then I started reading it. -Books usually lie on my shelves for a really long time-

Once I started reading it I got hypnotised by the story. I couldn't put it down and read it as quick as I could. The story is easy to read and understand. You already kind of know what's going to happen, and that Nick will recieve the game. But what will happen when he does get it. What is Erebos?


I for one think the blurb contains too much information about the book. If I'm really interested about a book I try avoiding to read the blurb, since it might give me too much information about a books' plot. This blurb definitely did. It tells you about the first 2/3 of the book or something. And that's not OK. But yeah, I kinda understand why they did it.


The story focuses on the video game world of Erebos. I am no gamer, and I have not been addicted to gaming ever. And I have been addicted to a lot of things. *books, internet, coffee, ...* I think this book gave a pretty good description of how it is to get addicted to gaming, and how frustrating it can be not to be able to play. Then there is the fact that most of Nicks -main character- friends also play Erebos, but he can't talk about it or ask what Nicknames they have. That must be aweful. I wouldn't be able to play Erebos, because of the rule of secrecy. I can keep a secret, but I am too curious so I'd definitely talk about it with my friends.


Nick, the main character, was not my favourite character of the past month. Or week. I  couldn't relate to him at all and that was a very bad thing. Still, I think teenage boys, the main target group of this book, might be able to relate to him.


Erebos is an exiting book for every teenager, although I would recommend it specifically to boys. This book taught me that books about gaming aren't lame at all! And how a game can spread like a virus.


I give this book 3 stars 

A greyhound of a girl by Roddy Doyle

book: A greyhound of a girl

written by: Roddy Doyle
series? nope

genre: death, middle grade

pages: 208

own / library / netgalley

publication date: may 1st, 2012

publisher: ABRAMS

note: thanks to Amulet books and Netgalley for giving me the oppotunity to read and review this book, it has been an awesome read!

the book: 

Mia's best friend moves out of town, and just when her normal life is changing, she meets a strange woman, who looks as if she comes from another time. Also, she says she knows her grandmother, who lies in the hospital.  Who is the woman and how on earth does she know her grandmother? When her mother finds out that she is talking to strange women, she wants to meet this women. And it's a total shock to find out who she is!

my review:

This book was not a book I'd have chosen to buy in my bookstore, mainly because it's a middle grade book. But I must admit that I love the cover!!
This book is great in some ways. It shows you the value of family and how you take after your family, even when you look completely different! The characters are good, not annoying to read from their POV's! The story was pretty predictable, which made it kind of boring at some parts in the book. Also, the changing point of view was difficult to read sometimes. And the book did not have a lot of pages, which made it a very very very quick read. I get that it's a children's book, but still I would have written a thicker book...
But everything else was OK! I think my little sister would love this book, too bad she can't read English books...


There was one major problem I had with this book. A quote below:
"she read a bit of her book, Twilight. And not even the story - it was the best story she'd ever read and she'd seen the movie seven times- could not keep her awake"
I think this quote represents the innocence of the girl, and shows us how this twelve-year-old girl behaves, infected with the Twilight-virus. Sorry if you like twilight *sigh* but I get that this story couldn't keep her awake :S *yes, I had the twilight virus at that age, I know the feeling...*


I would recommend this book to 8-12 year old readers who value family and friendship, and like funny ghost stories. :D


total:
I give this book 2.5/5 stars :D

Chosen by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

book: Chosen
written by: P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
series? House of night #3
genres: young adult, romance, fantasy
pages: 307
own / library / borrowed
publication date: March 1st, 2008
publisher: St. Martins press


note: This review will include spoilers for part 1 and 2 in the series. I did not review them. I did not hate, them, but did not love them, either. Just neutral, I guess :)

the book: 
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. It looks like the People of Faith, and Zoey’s horrid step-father in particular, are tired of living side-by-side with vampyres. But, as Zoey and her friends so often find out, how things appear rarely reflects the truth…

review:

Okay, to be honest, I am getting a little tired with all the vampire stuff. *wow, did I really just type that? :o* Luckily, House of Night is not the usual vampire stuff. *okay, actually it is*

I stopped reading this series after part 2, but I picked up book 3 because one of my friends who doesn't like to read at all recommended it to me. And when someone doesn't like to read but still likes a book, it must be very good, right?

So the storie of Zoey, the super-annoying whiny girl / slut continues. She has got everything you can want as a vampire fledgling. She's got friends, she's healty and she's very powerful. Those 3 things make her very popular. Still, I think a real girl like her won't get any friends. She's so ho-ish. I mean, she's got 3 boyfriends :o *no, that's not a typo, I actually meant 3* And the funny thing is, they're all different species. One is human, one is fledgling and one is vampyre. She's so lucky *ahem* I mean, 3 boyfriends, and neither of them cares, even tough most of them know about each other. And then Zoey is there, and she knows she has to break up with at least 2 of them, and she just is so weak that she cant. I mean, she is the most powerful fledgling there is, but she cant just break up with 2 of her boyfriends? I mean, she won't lose her real boyfriend or something.. If everyone on that school were like her, there wouldn't be enough boys on the world to be their boyfriends. And that would be horrible, wouldn't it? :)

Okay but enough about Zoey. The actual story told in this book wasn't that bad c: Zoey's life gets more miserable, and I don't care, since I don't like her anyway. But it's her own problem. Who the Hell gets 3 boyfriends?! *sorry, it just freaked me out. A LOT*

There were the 3 boyfriends, Erik, Heath and Loren. Zoey should have gotten rid of Heath long before, but they are bound with their souls or something. Erik is the hot fledgling boy, and the one she should be with. He is the one that "knows her as she is, understands where she has been, accepts what she has become, and still allows her to grow" (Shakespeare ^^) And then there is Loren. He's the super hot TEACHER *goddamn Zoey* crushing on your teacher is not okay. Kissing your teacher is worse.

Back to the main story, that is mainly about the 3 boyfriends and the dead Stevie Rae, IMO. Okay, so Stevie Rae is not-quite-dead after all. *intersting twist in the plot*

Well, life at the house of night continues, and so does this series full of Drama. A quick read with lots of interesting twists in the plot and a great ending!

rating: 3 stars!

have you read the house of night series?

Love, Mar

Just in Case by Meg Rosoff

book: Just in case
written by: Meg Rosoff
genres: young adult, drama
pages: 256
own / library / borrowed from the lovely Lua 
publication date: March 25th, 2009
series? nope
publisher: Wendy Lamb books


note:
Thank you Lua. This is strange. From the title to the cover and from the first word to the very end this book is filled with strangeness... *read this book in Dutch, sorry for mistakes in translation of names if there are any*

the book: 
Justin Case is convinced fate has in for him.
And he's right.


After finding his younger brother teetering on the edge of his balcony, fifteen-year-old David Case realizes the fragility of life and senses impending doom. Without looking back, he changes his name to Justin and assumes a new identity, new clothing and new friends, and dares to fall in love with the seductive Agnes Day. With his imaginary dog Boy in tow, Justin struggles to fit into his new role and above all, to survive in a world where tragedy is around every corner. He's got to be prepared, just in case.

my review: 

as I said before the actual review, this book is madness :o 

The book started with David *Justin*'s brother standing on the balcony, ready to jump. He wants to fly. This 2-year-old boy thinks like a teenager, but talks like a 2-year-old. You can read his thoughts and read a few things from his POV, what was completely messed up in this book, which annoyed me a lot, but more about that later. It's strange to read a lot of thoughts of a 2-year-old and then see the 1 word that actually came out of his mouth. Of course, this is impossible, but still it's an interesting way of thinking that 2 year olds can think but just can't say what they're thinking. From the moment that his little brother wants to fly, David changes his name to Justing and changes his appearance, all to run away from his fate. He thinks he's doomed. He meets an interesting girl, becomes a model, has his imaginary dog and more strange things occur.

The point of view in this book was completely messed up. In some chapters there were 3 different ones, and all the time you had to keep in mind who was talking and from whose point of view you were reading. I think an author should not use more than one point of view per chapter, to make sure that the reader is not confused.

The plot of this book had lots of interesting twists that kept on surprising me, but the main part was predictable. I didn't care about that a lot, since I was distracted by the strangeness of this book and the story that was told inside it. 

Justin has this imaginary dog, which he thinks is real.  That isn't the biggest problem. His friends keep on referring to the dog as if it were real, even a 6 year old girl plays along. I mean, I don't think that normal people would do that. Someone just has to wake Justin up from his dreamy life, and tell him the thruth, that there is no dog, that he should just go to school and live a normal life like everyone else, and that he isn't so special that fate has in for him. But no-one does. Not even his new friend tells him that he's crazy or something. She thinks it's just normal teenage fear, which it obviously isn't...

This entertaining quick-paced read is full of humor, but still, it's about one of the biggest mysteries in life. Fate. 

my rating:

3 stars

xo Mar

Alias Dragonfly by Jane Singer

book: Alias Dragonfly
written by: Jane Singer
genres: historical, fiction, romance
pages: 161
own / library / netgalley
release date: November 1st, 2011
publisher: Bell Bridge books


note: thanks to the author and Netgalley for letting me read and review this book. It's not what I usually read, but I liked it :)

the book:
Fifteen years old. Wanted: Dead or Alive.


"Don't love a spy," warns fifteen-year-old Pinkerton agent Maddie Bradford, a lonely, rebellious outsider with a mind on fire and a photographic memory. It is 1861, the Civil War has just started and this motherless teen must move with her soldier-father from New Hampshire to Washington, DC-a city at war, packed cheek by jowl with soldiers, Rebel spies, slave catchers and traitors of all stripes bent on waging a war of destruction against the Union, and President Lincoln himself.


Maddie's journal, written in secret, of course, begins with her arrival at her aunt's DC boardinghouse through the first year of the Civil War, a time, as Maddie puts it, full of "dips and dangers," when she becomes a fearless Union spy. And then there is the mysterious, maddening Jake Whitestone, a young man who awakens something equally dangerous in Maddie: Love in a time of terror.

(summary from goodreads)

review:

I liked this book. The writing style was ok, the characters were nice, but not great. The book was not like the usual books I read. Most of the time I don't read historical books, but this one sounded great so I gave it a shot. And I did not completely dislike it, so that's a great thing! Still, I did not love the story. Maybe that's because I don't know a lot about the civil war *and by not much I actually mean nothing* because I am not American and my history teacher did not teach me a lot about the civil war, or maybe historical fiction just isn't my thing... 

Still, this book taught me a lot, and that is awesome. I kinda like to learn something while reading a book. It's like learning without feeling like you're really doing so. That's one of the things that made this a great read, which I will not soon forget.
Aside of the subject, the story was fine. I would not call it boring, but I would not call it full of action either. But there happened a lot in the 161 pages this book contained, more than I had expected of such a thin book :) 

Being a spy in the civil war really sounds like a job I would like, but would not, and never, be fit for... I am not really fearless enough, so I have to show some respect to Maddie, who rocks. And also it's awesome that there is someone who writes pieces for the newspaper, and that she gets to meet him.

This book taught me about the civil war, but also about the importancy of family :D

rating:

I give this book 3 stars :3

xo Mar
 

The Fiend and the Forge by Henry H. Neff

book: The Fiend and the Forge
written by:  Henry H. Neff
genres: fantasy, adventure, young
pages: 560 (!)
own / library / borrowed
release date: November 23th, 2010
series?: The Tapestry, #3
publisher: Random House for young readers


note:  I read the first two books, and forgot all about the series. But then I walked into the library, and I saw this book. And I found myself curious about this book, so I thought; why not...? And I started reading. I had forgotten all the names, and the first 100 pages were a drama for me...


the book: The demon Astaroth has taken over the whole world. Humans are not important anymore, they are used as food, mostly. The only safe place is Rowan academy, the academy for young 'wizards'. Max McDaniels, the wolfhound of Rowan, wants to free the world of demons. Then his father gets killed, and he has to kill the demon which killed his father, as revenge. But it is an almost impossible task to fullfill. Also there is his roommate and best friend, David Menlo, who is acting strange. What on earth is he doing?


my review: 
As far as I remember I liked the first two parts. But I did not love them... There were lots of names that I did not remember, which made reading this book pretty hard in the beginning. But slowly my memory came back, and finally I remembered most of it. The characters still are pretty good. There is this boy, Max, who is the #1 fighter of the world or something, and he has special physical powes. And that makes him awesome. But when you start thinking of it he is just like Harry Potter, only a worse-developed version of him. Then there is David, the genius and mysterious one. I wished I knew him, because he seems this person I would love to have as my best friend. He is way more interesting than Max, and I think this book would have been a way better if it were (partly) written from David's point of view. You also have all the sorts of evil demons I would love to meet, but I never will, because they were all fantasy. This book was not realistic at all.
Still, the storyline was great, and there happened a lot. And that's why I did like it, I think. 
Also, I think that I was just a little bit too old for this book, but I did not really care C:


I would recommend this book to:
Boys aged 8-13, and other people that love action and fantasy. 


total:
I give this book 3 stars 


xo Mar

Deadly little secret by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Yoo awesome people who are reading my blog c:


book: Deadly little secret
written by: Laurie Faria Stolarz
genres: romance, paranormalcy, young adult
pages: 252
own / library / netgalley
release date: december 16th, 2008
series?: yes, Touch #1
publisher: Disney Hiperion books


note: Thanks to NetGalley and Disney Hiperion books for letting me read and review this book c:


the book: Camelia is just a normal teen, on high school. She almost gets killed in a car accident, but a mysterious guy saves her. She does not know who saved her, nobody saw him and nobody knows him. But then he goes to the same school as she does. Everybody thinks he is the scary dude, that killed his ex-girlfriend, but Camelia is sure that he's the one who's saved her. Then she starts recieving photo's of herself, and scary messages and presents. She is stalked. But who is it, and is he as dangerous as it seems...?

my review:
So, I liked and hated this book
-Why like?
Because of the ending, because you keep on guessing who's the stalker, and when you find out you are surprised (at least I was...) That made the book good. You could also read some diary-like things of the Stalker, and first it was obvious to me who was the stalker, but then you start thinking about it and you see that your brain is messing with you, and the stalker is not who you think it is...
-Why hate?
This book was so much like Twilight. They become Chem (biology ) lab partners. The girl falls in love with the boy, even tough he is totally out of her league AND does only show how much he hates her. Then she is stalked and everybody says it's him but she does not care that he might be dangerous. Then she figures out that there's somthing big wrong with the boy but she does just not care (like in twilight, he's a vampire and can kill her any time but she does not care at all) and then she finds out that he kind-of-killed his ex and she still loves him O.o and it gets worse, but I cannot tell you because there will be too much spoilers.
I do so hate Twilight, but authors keep on showing the Twilight-effect :$


Still, I liked the story c: Just hated the twilight-like thingies. 


Again, thank you NetGalley
and I will read part 2 in the series, and Give it another chance!


total:
2.8 stars / 5 


xo Mar


ps: follow me on twitter c: @meTheBookLover