The second Georgetown Academy is very similar to the first. There are lies, backstabbing, and politics. But in this installment Ellie is left reeling after what happened at the end of book one. Ellie's scandal is the main issue that is present in the book. I liked seeing ho different people manipulated the situation, and I have to say I was surprised to find out who took the picture. The way Brinley's situation screamed Gossip Girl to me. So if you are a fan of that type of drama this is the series for you.I really liked that we got to know the boys of Georgetown Academy a little more. Learning more about Hunter, Luke, Gabe, and Brooks helped to flesh out the story and made it more believable.Overall I feel the same about this book that I did the first one, it is a great short read, especially for fans of Gossip Girl. Again I wish there had been more than one interactive part but I felt like this one was better than in the previous book.
A Reader's Adventure
A book blogger at A Reader's Adventure.
The second Georgetown Academy is very similar to the first. There are lies, backstabbing, and politics. But in this installment Ellie is left reeling after what happened at the end of book one. Ellie's scandal is the main issue that is present in the book. I liked seeing ho different people manipulated the situation, and I have to say I was surprised to find out who took the picture. The way Brinley's situation screamed Gossip Girl to me. So if you are a fan of that type of drama this is the series for you.I really liked that we got to know the boys of Georgetown Academy a little more. Learning more about Hunter, Luke, Gabe, and Brooks helped to flesh out the story and made it more believable.Overall I feel the same about this book that I did the first one, it is a great short read, especially for fans of Gossip Girl. Again I wish there had been more than one interactive part but I felt like this one was better than in the previous book.
The False Prince (Ascendance Trilogy Series #1)
I listened to The False Prince on audio and I really enjoyed it! The reader was fantastic and he totally embodied not only Sage but all the other characters. I think when I read the second book it will probably be in his voice. So if you have the opportunity to listen to this one I definitely recommend it! Also it would be great for road trips with your family because it is technically middle grade.I love fantasy books. While I really enjoy all other types of books, fantasy is my love. Though even I can admit sometimes the plots feel contrived. Not The False Prince, the idea is very similar to others. A group trying to take over a country you know the story. But how often does it happen that they try to take over the country by trying to essentially bring the Prince back from the dead. (He has been missing/presumed dead. No sorcery or necromancy here)I loved all four boys. They were all so different and so like many other boys that I have known over the course of my life. But even with that I fell in love with Sage. He is the perfect middle grade boy character. His is a rascal, smart, and funny. Plus he has a few more tricks up his sleeve than you may think.Jennifer Nielsen created a richly developed story with just enough twists and turns to make it interesting. Also, I loved the major plot twist. It was perfect and executed so well!Basically if you are looking for a book to read with your kids or just plain want a good fantasy to read yourself, The False Prince is right for you. And even better the second book; The Runaway King is already out so you don't have to wait!It is debated on whether or not The False Prince is MG or YA but it does not really matter since it is really good for MG on up!
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Nobody
We all feel like nobody every once in a while, but what if you found out you actually were Nobody? That is what Claire must come to terms with in Nobody. Claire and Nix are two great main characters. They, as we learn throughout the book, are Nobodies, people who no one really notices. But while Nix has grown up knowing he is a Nobody, Claire is just learning it. I enjoyed Claire's journey into realizing what she is, Nix is so sure of what he thinks and when Claire's existence tears that all apart their resulting journey is both complex and interesting.I like books that are semi-grounded in reality but have a cool scientific twist ad Nobody definitely has that. I loved learning about the Institute, the Nobodies, and the Nulls. Barnes has painted a picture so real that I was getting shivers thinking about the possibility of Nulls existing and about real people who are basically the real life equivalent of Nulls.The way the book is written is kind of strange. Instead of alternating between characters each chapter. The chapters are broken up and they go back and forth between Claire and Nix. After a little while I got used to it but it is different when you first pick it up.Overall I liked Nobody and am looking forward to the next one.
Gossip Girl meets Politics: that is the basic gist of the Georgetown Academy series. Everyone is watched and their parents and their political exploits are the talk of the town and dictate the student's every move. And don't forget, the media is always there to catch it all. Georgetown Academy is an "active fiction series" which basically means it is similar to choose your own adventure. Because it is only available as an e-book it makes the digital contest come to life easier than it could in a traditional book. And while I was happy with the way the "active fiction" made the story more interesting there was only one point in which I could choose which girl I wanted to follow. I wish there had been at least one more. That being said seeing the world through all the girls' eyes was fun and added depth to the story. And trust me after reading one choice you will want to read the rest.I liked the political side of the book as well. While it may be fiction I can see the lives of prominent political people being similar to this so I liked experiencing what it might be like.While the main characters are sort of stereotypical as the story progressed they became more fleshed out which i was really glad to see.So if you are looking for a quick read to fill your new e-reader or to use your gift card on I recommend Georgetown Academy! Oh, and the second one is already out so you don't have to wait!
Also Known As
I am basically convinced that Robin Benway can do no wrong. I liked both Audrey, Wait! and The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, and June but I have to say that Also Known As is my favorite book by her so far.If you are a fan of Ally Carter's books then this book is for you! With spies and cute boys what can go wrong? I have to say one of my favorite parts of this book was the secondary characters. Roux and Jesse added so much to the narrative and were so well developed that I missed them when they were absent from the story.I have moved quite a few times so I could sympathize with Maggie and her trials with going to a new school in the middle of the semester, but I have to say I never had the added pressure of trying not to blow my cover. :)I really liked how much Maggie's parents were present. In most YA novels the parents are absent and I liked the added dynamic of not just having one hovering parent but two. I kind of figured out the twist/villain of the novel but I kept changing my mind about who it was so kudos to Robin Benway for keeping both Maggie and me on our toes.Basically if you like mystery, spies, awesome friends, hilarity, and cute boys then this book is for you.
Born Wicked (The Cahill Witch Chronicles Series #1)
Historical and Fantasy in one magical book; what more can a girl want? I loved Born Wicked and I am kicking myself for waiting so long to read it.With magic, secret societies, prophesies, and romance Born Wicked has something for almost any YA lover. It is a fantastic debut that really shows off what Jessica Spotswood can do.I liked most of the characters in this book, even the ones that I thought I was not going to like I started warming up to by the end of the book. I liked how different all three sisters were, even if Maura drove me mad, they each had their own goals and motivations but thy were tied together as a family. I thought the family dynamic was illustrated very well. As the story went on the plot got even more twisted and complicated but I never got lost or felt like I was being info dumped on. I cannot wait for the next book to see where Cate's decision takes them! I recommend this book to everyone but especially people who loved Marissa Doyle's Betraying Season, and Bewitching Season, and if you haven't read them pick them up as you wait for the second book in the Cahill Witch Chronicles.
The Scorpio Races
I listened to The Scorpio Races on audio and it was so beautiful. If you have the chance to listen it rather than read it I would definitely recommend it. But even if you can't you really need to read it.I had read all of Maggie Stiefvater's other books and had fallen in love with her style and voice. Her Shiver series while good, was not as amazing of a fit for her voice as her first two books, Linger and Ballad. But The Scorpio Races was the perfect fit for her lyricism and style. The minute I started listening I knew I was in for a treat.Puck and Sean are awesome main characters, their stories were seamlessly wound together and I loved the dual POV, it made the story richer and more beautiful. Puck is such a strong female character and even though she was not out saving the world, but she was out doing whatever she could to save her family. Sean on the other hand is alone and is doing all he can to get what he wants and needs but is not selfish about it which is not seen very much in books.Finn, Puck's brother was one of my favorite characters. He was so sweet and awesome I loved his personality and wanted him to be my little brother. Also he was always surprising me and I love that about him.Thisby the island that The Scorpio Races takes place on it almost a character in itself. It could not take place in any other place. Maggie Stiefvater brought it to life and I felt like I was there. I really want Thisby to be real so I can experience it. But because it isn't I feel like I have been there.The audio narration is awesome. There are two narrators, one for Puck and one for Sean and they are the perfect voices for them. Especially the man who voiced Sean, I fell in love with his voice and I would listen to him read the phone book if I had the chance. But I also loved the voice of Puck, she was sassy and fit Puck's personality perfectly!You need to read this book. I am mad at myself for waiting this long to read it. Also it is a stand alone so if you are tired of all the series' and need a break, or if you just want an awesome book to read I recommend The Scorpio Races.
Promised (Birthmarked Trilogy)
I loved Birthmarked.It was an amazing distopian novel with a girl who is a midwife as the main character, not really something you see everyday. Then I read Prized which I also liked but not nearly as much as Birthmarked so when I picked up Promised I was really excited to see where Gaia's story would lead and was hoping it would be just as good as Birthmarked. While it wasn't as amazing as Birthmarked Promised was still very good! I loved the attempted blending of the two societies and the very difficult choices that Gaia had to make. And those were some tough choices that I don't think I could make! Another thing I really enjoyed was seeing where some of the characters that we saw in Birthmarked were now, and it was not what I was expecting. The Enclave continued to surprise me with its brutality even up to the last pages. I applaud Caragh for coming up with such different but ruthless societies that are just trying to do what they think is right.So if you want a distopian series that makes you think about what is right and what is wrong then I encourage you to pick up he Birthmarked trilogy. Or if you just want a distopian with a kick-ass heroine these books will work for you as well! Be sure to check out my review of Birthmarked as well as Caragh M. O'Brien's guest post
Team Human
I adored Team Human! I even emailed the authors to gush, and probably made a fool of myself. Just so you know Team Human is not a vampire book I mean there a vampires but it is not a vampire book. People who love vampire books will enjoy it, and people who hate vampire books will enjoy it as well.Mel, Mel, Mel I loved Mel as a main character. She was feisty, determined, and fiercely loyal. She would do almost anything for her friends. Speaking of her friends, Anna Cathy and Ty have great personalities. They are all separate people who aren't just following the main character around like sheep. Which is something I see way too often in books these days. Cathy is so firm in her beliefs and won't let the opinions of her friends dictate her life. Anna is so amazing! She is so much stronger than I would be in her place. Each of these girls are people I would want to be friends with.Team Human is a book about friendship. If you are looking for that ever-elusive non-romantic relationship focused book this is the book for you. While there is some romantic tension it is not the backbone of this book.The plot of Team Human is awesome! It is part mystery part story of friendship. And you know how I feel about a good mystery. I loved trying to figure out what was going on along with Mel.Team Human made me laugh, tear up, and fall in love. It is a must read!
Team Human
I adored Team Human! I even emailed the authors to gush, and probably made a fool of myself. Just so you know Team Human is not a vampire book I mean there a vampires but it is not a vampire book. People who love vampire books will enjoy it, and people who hate vampire books will enjoy it as well.Mel, Mel, Mel I loved Mel as a main character. She was feisty, determined, and fiercely loyal. She would do almost anything for her friends. Speaking of her friends, Anna Cathy and Ty have great personalities. They are all separate people who aren't just following the main character around like sheep. Which is something I see way too often in books these days. Cathy is so firm in her beliefs and won't let the opinions of her friends dictate her life. Anna is so amazing! She is so much stronger than I would be in her place. Each of these girls are people I would want to be friends with.Team Human is a book about friendship. If you are looking for that ever-elusive non-romantic relationship focused book this is the book for you. While there is some romantic tension it is not the backbone of this book.The plot of Team Human is awesome! It is part mystery part story of friendship. And you know how I feel about a good mystery. I loved trying to figure out what was going on along with Mel.Team Human made me laugh, tear up, and fall in love. It is a must read!
Tiger's Curse (Tiger's Curse (Hardcover))
You have to love a book set in a different country. Especially one that there is little chance you will ever go to. So going to India in Tiger's Curse was a real treat. It was especially wonderful because Colleen Houck did a fantastic job of bringing India to life.Kelsey certainly had the adventure of a lifetime! Going from a small town, to a circus, to the jungles and temples of India would be quite a shock on their own and then adding in a hot prince and a tiger? That just adds a whole new dimension to that adventure.Ren is a definite hottie you know, besides the whole tiger thing. He and Mr. Kadam are a great addition to YA literature because they are very different than other characters I have encountered.Not going to lie, Kelsey kind of pissed me off at the end. Like really? Oh well, hopefully she can get over herself in the next book, speaking of which I need to go run to the bookstore and pick that up!My issues with this book were minimal. The lack of some logistics bothered me and took me out of the story, and the very beginning was kind of slow. But eventually it sped up and redeemed itself. So be sure to pick this diamond in the rough up!
 - Colleen Houck)
I picked up this book because of the cover. I know you aren't supposed to judge a book by it's cover but we all do it. I was pleasently surprised to find that the cover fit the book perfectly.One thing I didn't know about Wicked Sweet was that it is told in alternate points of view of not only Chantal and Jillian but also, occasionally, Parker and Will. I liked this because it let me understand the boys' motivation and made them slightly more sympathetic characters.Chantal's pov was my favorite because it seemed to me that she had the most story to tell. It also could have been because I related with her the best. I fould Jillian kind of annoying and I didn't understand some of her decicions. Though her situation was very difficult I found her to be floppy but she grew up towards the end which I appreciated. My favorite part had to have been when Chantal would bake. I am a baker so I could defintely relate, though it kind of made me hungry. I also enjoyed the scheme she came up with, it was fun to see what she would do next.Overall this was a really cute and fun book filled with lessons of learning about yourself and not only focusing on other people.
The Selection
The Selection by Kiera Cass was unlike anything I had ever read before. It was a dystopian but with a fairy tale twist, but unlike in many other dystopian novels Kiera Cass was not so focused on world-building that nothing happened in the first book. Instead The Selection was engaging, fun, and entertaining. America is a wonderful protagonist. She was strong and so willing to help her family but she didn't have that robot feel where I couldn’t connect with her. America felt so real, and I am sure that if I met her she and I could be great friends. Kiera Cass has created a great cast of characters because even though there are so many, it never seems as if they are there just for filler. They all have a purpose and have such different personalities that I couldn't wait to learn more about them.The dystopian part to The Selection, while important to the plot and why the Selection is happening, is not so in your face that people who don't usually like dystopians will be turned off. When I was reading it I thought of it mostly as a fairy-tale with a dystopian setting. Because truly that's what it is. Kiera Cass has created a world with castes, romance, and unrest that kept me up all night wanting to know more. I cannot wait for the next book in the series so I can find out what happens next!Cover thoughts: I adore this cover! Yes it is a girl in a dress but visually it is different and I so want that dress!
Belles
I have read and loved Jen Calonita’s Secrets of My Hollywood Life series and so I was super excited to read Belles especially after reading the summary. Contemporary fiction is not really my thing, I mean I like it enough but give me a historical or a fantasy over contemp. any day. But then I read books like this and The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight and I remember how much I actually like contemporary fiction.I really enjoyed Belles. It was so much more than I originally expected. I loved seeing the plot unfold from both Izzy and Mira’s points of view, it made the story much more 3 dimensional. Though I have to say that I liked the ones from Izzy’s POV more, but that may just be because she had more story to tell. Savannah is terrible. Are you kidding me? When you think of that mean girl in movies or whatever this is the quintessential girl, and unlike how sometimes in those movies/books the girls learns her lesson and becomes nice, this does not happen to Savannah. Which I really appreciated because that doesn't happen to often in real life so it was nice to see that.I felt like Izzy and Mira were both perfectly written, they were conflicted and thought they were doing the right things when in reality it was the opposite of what needed to be done. I felt like that was pretty true to life, especially Izzy’s hesitance for buying new clothes and stuff.The one thing I didn’t like was the fact that the twist didn’t surprise me too much, but it was okay because the book was so good besides that. I cannot wait for the next installment!
I am excited to be the first stop on the blog tour for Explorer X: Beta by LM Preston. I read the first book as part of a blog tour before it first came out so it has been a while since I read it so at the beginning it was hard to remember/understand what was going on. So I would definitely recommend reading the first book before reading this one. Once I got into the story it was really interesting and fun. I really liked getting back into the characters lives and slowly remembering what happened in Explorer X: Alpha. At times the plot was little confusing but I was really tired while reading it so that could have had something to do with it.I didn’t like the fact that as the story progressed the characters started to keep secrets from each other and not communicate, it was aggravating but I guess that helped add to the suspense.I enjoyed learning more about their powers and the different worlds. The overall arc that was created become more complex and intriguing which I really liked.Overall I think this is a fun book that would be great for upper middle grade.Be sure to check out my review of Explorer X: Alpha!
