The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

It's always been just Kate and her mom—and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall.

Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld—and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he's crazy—until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess.

 

This is the first book in a long while that made me stay up way past the time I usually go to bed. I could not stop reading The Goddess Test. I stayed up until 5:20 am reading this book because I couldn’t help but want to know what was going to happen next.

Aimee Carter wrote a book that will keep you interested until the very last page and even then it makes you want the next book. Everybody in this novel is so well written and alluring. Henry, Kate, Kate’s mom- everyone. One of my favorite things about The Goddess Test was that it took something that a lot of people aren’t really interested in* (Greek mythology) and twisted it into a dark, romantic, addicting tale that I couldn’t help but fall completely in love with.

I recommend this book to anybody who loved good books because The Goddess Test is definitely one of the best YA novels I’ve read in a great while. The Goddess Test is addicting, mysterious, and written impeccably. You won’t be able to resist it!

*I love Greek mythology, I always have.

FTC- Publisher.

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

Frankie Landau-Banks at age 14:
Debate Club.
Her father’s “bunny rabbit.”
A mildly geeky girl attending a highly competitive boarding school.
Frankie Landau-Banks at age 15:
A knockout figure.
A sharp tongue.
A chip on her shoulder.
And a gorgeous new senior boyfriend: the supremely goofy, word-obsessed Matthew Livingston.
Frankie Laundau-Banks.
No longer the kind of girl to take “no” for an answer.
Especially when “no” means she’s excluded from her boyfriend’s all-male secret society.
Not when her ex boyfriend shows up in the strangest of places.
Not when she knows she’s smarter than any of them.
When she knows Matthew’s lying to her.
And when there are so many, many pranks to be done.
Frankie Landau-Banks, at age 16:
Possibly a criminal mastermind.
This is the story of how she got that way.

 

Once again, E. Lockhart took my breath away with her amazing way of writing and her realistic characters. Frankie Landau-Banks was a quick-witted mastermind of a character who kept me on my feet throughout the whole story. I couldn’t guess what she was going to do next.

All of the characters in this novel were lovely, realistic, and incredibly relatable. The whole story was hilarious beyond belief and incredibly addicting. I felt like every sentence was a new brain-treat. Frankie is the sort of main character that you can relate to, yet you want to be her. She is near-fearless and heroine if there ever was one.

It took me awhile to read this book. I had tried reading it multiple times and failed. But then I was emailing an author* and she told me that I should read it, so I thought I would give it another go. It’s a good thing I did because I ended up loving it. I honestly think that E. Lockhart can do no wrong when writing YA books.

I recommend this novel to anyone and everyone in search of a fun, challenging, and surprising novel to read. E. Lockhart nailed it!

 

*The author in question was the fabulous and awesome-haired Hannah Moskowitz. Her newest book came out ten days ago. You should buy it.

FTC- Library.

Carmen by Walter Dean Myers

A retelling of the Bizet opera set in Spanish Harlem in which a teen with a fiery temper wants the one boy she can't have, with deadly consequences.

I don’t have much to say in this review because I didn’t really like Carmen. I first want to say that I’m not surprised I didn’t like this because I’m generally not a fan of reading plays. They confuse me and I just overall prefer seeing the play.

If I were to rate this book, I would get it one out of five stars, but that’s mostly because of my personal preference. I think that a lot of people will really enjoy Carmen, and I really hope people who read it do enjoy it.

Do I recommend you buy this? No, because I wouldn’t buy it. But I do suggest you read it if you enjoy plays and are looking for a snappy retelling.

The writing is really good in Carmen and I think that the story is truly interesting. I would be really happy if this book gets children and teens interested in theater and reading because that’s what this blog is all about. I’m not telling you not to read it, because if it sounds interesting to you- I think you should give it a chance. It just wasn’t a good book for me.

FTC- Publisher

Back When You Were Easier to Love by Emily Wing Smith

What's worse than getting dumped? Not even knowing if you've been dumped. Joy got no goodbye, and certainly no explanation when Zan—the love of her life and the only good thing about stifling, backward Haven, Utah—unceremoniously and unexpectedly left for college a year early. Joy needs closure almost as much as she needs Zan, so she heads for California, and Zan, riding shotgun beside Zan's former-best-friend Noah.

I have to be honest, I first wanted to read this book because of the cover. I mean, look at it! It looks so adorable and bookish, how could I not want to read it?

This story is sweet, addicting, and absolutely heartbreaking. In some ways, I wanted to totally jump into the story to give Joy a wake up call. Reading parts of this story broke my heart because I just felt so bad for Joy when it came to how blind she was toward Zan. This story has layers. It has the outside layer, which the summary tells us about- Joy is upset because Zan, the love of her life, left without saying goodbye. Then we have the second layer- the various friendships involved in the “friendship-circle”. The third layer- which I’m not going to reveal to you because it would contain spoilers. And last, the fourth layer- this is the deepest layer and I think it comes down to the various ways we perceive people. I can completely understand why Joy would think that Zan loves her because frankly, that is what a lot of teen girls do. But as the reader, we can see that Joy is obviously lying to herself about how Zan is. She looks at him like he is the perfect guy, which he isn’t.

I loved how much each character changes throughout the course of Back When You Were Easier to Love. They all make an amazing transformation and I loved being able to watch that happen. Though the main character was kind of whiny, I overall really liked this book.

It conveys a special message and it was a really really fun story to read. I recommend it to people who want a fast, sweet novel that is more than meets the eye.

FTC- Publisher.

The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson

Seventeen-year-old Ginny Blackstone precipitously travels from her home in New Jersey to London when she receives a message from an unknown man telling her he has the letters that were stolen just before she completed a series of mysterious tasks assigned by her now dead aunt, an artist.

Maureen Johnson, please take me away into your amazing novels! Maureen Johnson was one of the first Young Adult authors that I’ve read and she still amazes me with her writing. When I got this book in the mail, I screamed and ran around in my garage (just ask my mom, she was there). Needless to say, I am a big Maureen Johnson. When I heard that she was going to write a sequel to 13 Little Blue Envelops, I was a bit concerned. Would Maureen totally nail the 2nd book? Would it live up the first? How can she build upon a story that was pretty much finished with? Well let me tell you now dear blog readers, in no way did Maureen Johnson disappoint with The Last Little Blue Envelope.
I did not speak to anyone when I got this. I went straight up to my room and read for hours without anybody bothering me. I couldn’t stop reading this book. You couldn’t have stopped me from reading this book. Maureen takes her readers on yet another adventure full of new boys, old boys, traveling, and so much more. I know by this point, you are probably annoyed with my droning on about how in love with Maureen Johnson’s writing I am. I swear I’m going to actually review the book once I’m done typing this sentence.
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The Last Little Blue Envelope is a humorous novel that readers will enjoy. Being back in Ginny’s world is as thrilling as when you first read 13 Little Blue Envelopes. Maureen Johnson knows how to transport her readers to places across the country, in one swift turn of a page. Reading this book was electric. I couldn’t take my eyes away from the pages. I was really pleased at how Maureen executed the sequel to the much-loved 13 Little Blue Envelopes.

FTC- Publisher.

Wildefire Winner!

Hey everyone!

Today I bring you the winner of an ARC of Wildefire by Karsten Knight. The winner is….

ALICIA G.

Congrats Alicia! I’ll send your address off to the publisher so they can send you Wildefire.

 

* For those who still want a chance to read Wildefire, I’ll have more giveaways for it coming up soon*

Jumpstart the World by Catherine Ryan Hyde

Elle is a loner. She doesn’t need people. Which is a good thing, because she’s on her own: she had to move into her own apartment so her mother’s boyfriend won’t have to deal with her.

Then she meets Frank, the guy who lives next door. He’s older and has a girlfriend, but Elle can’t stop thinking about him. Frank isn’t like anyone Elle has ever met. He listens to her. He’s gentle. And Elle is falling for him, hard.
But Frank is different in a way that Elle was never prepared for: he’s transgender. And when Elle learns the truth, her world is turned upside down.  Now she’ll have to search inside herself to find not only the true meaning of friendship but her own role in jumpstarting the world.

 

This is the first Transgender book that I’ve read and it was magnificent. Elle is an amazing character and I loved reading about her. This is the first book I’ve read by Catherine Ryan Hyde and now I really want to read more of what she’s written. Her writing is truly enchanting and I got completely lost in the story.

Frank was so amazing. He was really real and an amazingly memorable character.  I really wish that Jumpstart the World was longer because I want to spend more time with these amazing characters.

I completely recommend Jumpstart the World to everyone. It’s a heartfelt story that you can’t help but love.

FTC- Library.

Shadow Walkers by Brent Hartinger Tens List

Today, as part of the Teen Book Scene tour- I have a guest post from the author of Shadow Walkers (my review will be posted on May 5th). Brent Hartinger put together a lovely list telling me (and all of you) his top ten islands! Find out more about his top ten islands now-

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1. Vashon Island. This is an island in Puget Sound, the one I modeled Hinder Island after in my book Shadow Walkers. It’s not quite as remote as Hinder, but it’s just as beautiful. And downtown Vashon is absolutely the town of Hinder in the book.

2. Grenada. This Caribbean country is incredibly beautiful and beyond charming. Hire a guide and check out the nutmeg farms – and the jungle waterfalls!

3. Kauai, Hawaii. What can I say? All the amenities of the bigger Hawaiian islands, but none of the congestion and much less of the tacky tourist-y stuff..

4. Dursey Island. This little island at the tip of the Beara Peninsula in Ireland. It has a population of eight, has no cars or roads, and can only be reached for one hour in the morning and one hour in the afternoon by this old, creaky cable car across a channel. You can reach the opposite end by bike, and it feels like you’re at the edge of the world!

5. Mackinac Island, Lake Huron. I haven’t actually been to this car-less resort island yet, but it’s also way up on my list!

6. The Gulf Islands. The ferries to these islands in British Columbia, Canada, are too expensive, and they don’t run often enough. But these islands are still incredibly beautiful.

7. Tom Sawyer’s Island, Disneyland. It’s now called Pirate’s Lair and it had a major upgrade in 2007. But I like it because of the fond memories from my childhood.

8. Lopez Island. My favorite of the San Juan Islands in Washington State. This is where you’ll find me every August.

9. Catalina Island, California. No cars, funky shops, and flying fish!

10. St. John Virgin Island. Most of the island is a national park, which mean this is the Virgin Island to visit – at least if, like me, you want to avoid other people!