Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Jacket Description:

Rule #3: Don't Stare at invisible faeries.

Rule #2: Don't speak to invisible faeries.

Rule #1: Don't ever attract their attention.

Aislinn has always seen faeries. Powerful and dangerous, they walk hidden in the mortal world. When the rules that have kept Aislinn safe from them stop working, everything is suddenly on the line: her freedom; her best friend, Seth; her life; everything.

Faery intrigue, mortal love, and the clash of ancient rules and modern expectations swirl together in Melissa Marr's stunning twenty-first century faery tale.

I loved the novel Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr. It was very interesting and I loved how it didn't follow only one character. This story has three (or four depending on how you look at it) major characters, Keenan (the summer king), Donia (the winter girl), Aislinn "Ash" (the mortal) and (this is the debatable one), Seth (Aislinn's mortal best friend and love interest). The main character is Aislinn, who is one of the few mortals who can see the faeries that live among us in our world. For Aislinn's protection, the grandmother (Grams) sets forth some rules: 1. Don't Ever Attract their Attention, 2. Don't Speak to Invisible Faeries, 3. Don't Stare at Invisible Faeries. But all of these rules are about to be broken (Without Aislinn even trying to break them).

When Aislinn attracts the attention of Keenan, the Summer King who is desperately searching for the Summer Queen, things start changing in ways she could have never imagined. To help her deal with this fae mess is her best (and protective) best friend Seth. Seth is eager to have Aislinn finally be upfront and honest with him, and is willing to do whatever it takes to keep Keenan and the rest of the fae away from Aislinn. But Keenan is not the greatest danger. The Winter Queen, Beira, is forcing Donia, the unwilling Winter Girl, to go against Keenan, whom she loves. But even that is not the greatest danger. The greatest danger is Beira's determination to keep Winter in control of Summer, and therefore keeping Keenan away from his queen (whom he will find among the mortals). Beira is afraid that Aislinn might truly be the Lost Summer Queen, and is determined to keep Aislinn away from Keenan (not that Aislinn needs any convincing to stay away from him) and is even willing to kill her is it means protecting Winter's Reign. Meanwhile, Aislinn and Seth have got there work cut out for them, not only are they trying to save Aislinn, but they are also working out a newly found love for each other. This book was a major page turner, and is packed with romance, suspense, fantasy, and thrills! I would highly recommend this novel to any fae/ya romance lovers!

Melissa Marr's Official Website: www.melissa-marr.com

My Soul To Take By Rachel Vincent

My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent

My rating: 5 of 5 stars






Jacket Description:

Something Is Wrong With Kaylee Cavanaugh

She doesn't see dead people but...

She senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.

Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about her need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who'll be next...

Soul Screamers: The last thing you hear before you die

One of the first things that caught my eye about the book My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent was that it was about banshees, or bean sidhes as they're referred to in the book. In a time when ya literature is swarmed with vampire novels (which I do love)and other paranormal activity, it was nice to find a novel that brought a new subject into the light. Never before had I read a book about Banshees. And I was amazed by this one (I'm a new banshee fan!). This story is about Kaylee Cavanaugh, who is slowly discovering that she is a Banshee. The story continues as she catches the attention of Nash Hudson, a very popular (though surprisingly sensitive) jock. Nash seems to know a lot about what's wrong with Kaylee. He helps her (along with Kaylee's best friend Emma) as they discover that something terrible is happening to teenage girls in their area. And all signs point to the Netherworld, a frightening place that is like an alternate reality where demons roam. As the tension goes on the stakes get higher. Any girl could be next...including Kaylee or Emma. This book was packed with action, romance and thrills and I couldn't put it down! I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good paranormal romance (but perhaps is looking for something fresh).

Rachel Vincent's Official Website: www.rachelvincent.com

The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder

 Amber’s life is spinning out of control. All she wants is to turn up the volume on her iPod until all of the demands of family and friends fade away. So she sneaks off to the beach to spend a day by herself.
Then Amber meets Cade. Their attraction is instant, and Amber can tell he’s also looking for an escape. Together they decide to share a perfect day: no pasts, no fears, no regrets.
The more time that Amber spends with Cade, the more she’s drawn to him. And the more she’s troubled by his darkness. Because Cade’s not just living in the now—he’s living each moment like it’s his last.

Rating 5/5

Amber was switched at birth. That wouldn't be such a big deal if her biological family hadn't lost the girl she was switched with to cancer and wanted to contact her. She wants nothing to do with them. However, when they take it to court, they win joint custody- 6 months with her family in Oregon, 6 months with her biological parents in Texas. Her family gets the first turn of 6 months, but she never wants to leave. The day before she leaves for Texas, she spends an entire day at the beach making it the best day ever. But early in the morning, she meets a boy at an aquarium and the instantly hit it off. They spend the day together and fall in love, but he's also there for his own day before.
Day before what? Well, read to find out.

Honestly though, I was surprised to open the book and see it was all poetry. At first I thought it was one of those poems at the front of the book, which I usually skip if it doesn't grab my attention immediately. After turning 3 pages, I realized I had to suck it up and read it [I was in the mood for a good old fashioned novel with sentences >.>] It didn't take too long to forget it was poetry :) I suggest it for those who don't want to read a forever long book. It only took me about an hour to read, but it wasn't lacking. Usually when you find a short book there is so much more the author needed to do with it. This, fortunately, wasn't the case :)

Black Bird by Sakurakoiji Kanoko

My rating: 5/5

Black Bird isn't a novel, it's a manga. So, if you want to read a novel, go look at one of the other reviews.

Black Bird is about a 16 year old girl named Misao that is followed by spirits. [I think they are. They never truly say what they are.] They bother her, trip her, pull her hair, and make it impossible to be normal. Especially since she's the only one who can see them.The only thing that keeps her sane is knowing at one point, when she was 6, she wasn't the only one to see the things. Another boy did and he kept her safe from them. He promised to take care of her and come back for her so that someday she would be his bride. But she doesn't remember who he was or what he looked like, she just remembers his dark hair and his hand held out to her or on her head.
One day, she comes home from school to find someone in the vacant house next door. At first she thinks it's a girl and thinks that that girl is so beautiful, but then she realizes it's a man XD When the man sees her he says "Misao? Haven't seen you in a while." He reminds her that they use to play together and shoos the spirits before sending her home. She spends the evening and next day puzzling over it. The next day is her birthday and her crush at school invites her to speak with him. The spirits had been acting worse that day, so she really wasn't paying attention until he cuts her with a box cutter and informs her he's going to eat her. When he finds out that she hasn't the slightest clue why he'd want to eat her, he explains that she is the Senka Maiden. Basically, every 100 years a human is born who every demon will want to eat or bed. If they are to drink her blood, they will live longer. If they eat her, they will have eternal youth. But if they marry her [and impregnate her], their clan will have prosperity. So, of course her classmate, who is really a demon, wants to eat her. She screams out the man's name, Kyo, and he is immediately there to rescue her. He beats the demon easily [of course] and heals her wounds. He promises not to eat her, but gropes her and says "But these could be fit to eat." She slaps him and he's surprised and unhappy because, as he reminds her, he came back to marry her. He tells her her options are to marry and sleep with or get eaten and die.
What will she choose? :O
Jk, I've read up to book 8, I know what happens so far. But YOU don't, so you should read on :)
If you can't get a hold of any of the books, you can read it online here: http://www.mangachapter.net/2986/black-bird.html
 However, if physical copies are more of your cup of tea, I know that the Southwest/Columbus Public Libraries have up to books 1-5. [Online has books 1-7, it's just a little harder to tell what book you're on.]

I absolutely love it, and I think anyone else would too. It has romance, humor, twists, turns, and adventures :)

Hearts At Stake by Alyxandra Harvey

Hearts at Stake by Alyxandra Harvey

My rating: 5 of 5 stars




Jacket Description:

A Romance You Can Really Sink Your Teeth Into!

Solange Drake always knew she was destined to become a vampire queen. And as the only female vampire ever born, not made, she is surrounded by danger on all sides- from vampire suitors who want to join her lineage to bounty hunters who are set on destroying her and her family. When she is kidnapped, it's up to her older brother Nicholas and her human best friend, Lucy, to save her. But can Lucy save herself from Nicholas, who tempts her with his every look? And what will be Solange's own fate if she surrenders her heart to the vampire hunter helping her survive the deadly intrigue at the royal court?

Let the Drake family be your guide into a secret vampire society full of epic battles, gothic seduction, undead drama, and wicked humor.

I found Hearts at Stake to be quite an engaging novel. The characters were easy to get attached to. I loved the double romantic stories between Lucy and Nicholas, and Solange and Kieran. I actually found myself extremely attached to the character of Lucy, who, although she is the only human among the Drakes, is an extremely strong and amusing character. In the story we learn that the Drake family, a highly respected, yet exiled, family has the only female vampire ever born among them, Solange. Solange is said to fulfill a prophecy that frightens the current vampire "queen". Because of this, the Drakes then have to deal with the Helios-Ra, a vampire hunter organization. But no one expected Kieran, one of the hunters would become interested in Solange. Also, one of Solange's seven older (and extremely overprotective) brothers, Nicholas, becomes interested in Lucy (Solange's best friend), whom has never gotten along with Nicholas growing up. I loved the characters more than anything in this story! I highly recommend this book to anyone who would like an interesting vampire story.

Alyxandra Harvey's Official Website: www.alyxandraharvey.com
To purchase the novel through Barnes & Noble, click here.
To purchase the novel through Borders, click here.

Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

My rating: 5 of 5 stars




Jacket Description:

then.

When Sam met Grace, he was a wolf and she was a girl. Eventually he found a way to become a boy, and their love moved from a curious distance to the intense closeness of shared lives.

now.

That should have been the end of their story. But Grace was not meant to stay human. Now she is a wolf. And the wolves of Mercy Falls are about to be killed in one final, spectacular hunt.

forever.

Sam would do anything for Grace. But can one boy and one love really change a hostile, predatory world? The past, the present, and the future are about to collide in one pure moment- a moment of death or life, farewell or forever.

Maggie Stiefvater did an amazing job of concluding her trilogy with a novel that both gave the reader a satisfied feeling at the end of the novel without giving us an unbelievable story/ending.

I must admit that in the beginning, I wasn't entirely sure whether or not I liked Cole St. Clair. But throughout the series, I was also unsure of whether or not I liked Isabel Culpeper. Throughout Forever, however, I began to fall in love with them as a unit of sorts. Together (even though I wouldn't call them a steady couple), they brought out the best in each other. They redeemed the other person in my eyes.

As for our leads, I have always loved Sam and Grace. This novel made me love them even more. Their relationship is one that will last. They already have a kind of pattern that is good for future relationships. And I love that they actually do think ahead, unlike many couples in YA Romance novels (though I do still love those other couples :)

The novel itself was a page turner. I sat down and read the book in one sitting of just under four hours. (The book is 388 pages long, by the way). The suspense was great, and the actions and re-actions between the character made for rich, fascinating dialogue. I believe that Maggie Stiefvater deserves a round of applause for a great conclusion to her trilogy, and I can't wait to read her next book! :D

Maggie Stiefvater's offical website: http://www.maggiestiefvater.com
To purchase the novel through Barnes & Noble, click here.
To purchase the novel through Borders, click here.