Impossible by Nancy Werlin

Details

Publisher:  Dial (2008)

Pages:  384

Content:  L- Mild, S- Kissing, V- Rape

Recommended Age: 14+

Source:  Dorchester County Library

Front Flap Description
Lucy Scarborough is seventeen when she discovers that the women of her family have been cursed through the generations, forced to attempt three seemingly impossible tasks or to fall into madness upon their child's birth.  How can Lucy succeed when all of her ancestors have tried and failed?  But Lucy is the first girl who won't be alone as she tackles the list.  She has her fiercely protective foster parents beside her.  And she has Zach, whose strength amazes her more each day.  Do they have enough love and resolve to overcome an age-old evil?

My Thoughts
Coming soon!

Rating
3/5

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Details
Publisher:  HarperCollins (2010)
Pages:  480
Content:  L- Moderate Swearing and Sexual Dialogue, S- 1st & 2nd base, V- Mild, Other- Lots of teenage drinking and some drug use
Recommended Age:  15+
Source:  Dorchester County Library


Front Flap Description
What if you had only one day to live?  What would you do?  Who would you kiss?  And how far would you go to save your own life?
   Samantha Kingston has it all:  the world's most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High--from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot.  Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life.
   Instead, it turns out to be her last.
   Then she gets a second chance.  Seven chances, in fact.  Reliving her last day during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death--and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.

My Thoughts
Overall, I liked this book, but the biggest problem I had with it is that I never really liked the main character, Samantha, all that much.  It was very difficult for me to empathize and live vicariously through a character who was so different from me.  I guess the fact that she was so self-centered and mean was part of the point of the story- it provided room for her to learn and grow throughout the book.  Still, even by the end, I couldn't relate to her very well.
   However, despite Samantha's challenging personality, the book was well-written and cleverly constructed.  The emotional phases that she went through while having to repeat her last day over and over rang true, and the decisions that she made each time made sense in the context of her personality.  The author certainly placed her in a number of unexpected situations, and while she did not make the same choices I would, it was interesting to see how her character and outlook developed and changed as the events of each day unfolded.
   While I didn't love the characters (her friends were every bit as bad, or worse than she was), there were still plenty of funny moments, and sweet moments, and thought-provoking moments. It won't make my list of favorite books, but it was put together well enough that I'm planning to try another book by Lauren Oliver- Delirium.  If it is as good as this one, it will be worth my time.

Rating
4/5

I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

Details

Publisher:  HarperCollins (2010)

Pages:  440
Content:  L- Moderate swearing, S- Kissing, V- Moderate
Recommended Age:  14+
Source:  Dorchester County Library

More to come!

Rating
4/5

Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins (Sequel to Hex Hall)

Details
Publisher:  Hyperion (2011)

Pages:  368
Content:  L- Mild Swearing, S- Kissing, V- Moderate
Recommended Age:  14+
Source:  Dorchester County Library


Front Flap Description
Sophie Mercer thought she was a witch.
   That was the whole reason she was sent to Hex Hall, a reform school for delinquent Prodigium (aka witches, shapeshifters, and fairies). But that was before she discovered the family secret, and that her hot crush, Archer Cross, is an agent for The Eye, a group bent on wiping Prodigium off the face of the earth.
   Turns out, Sophie’s a demon, one of only two in the world—the other being her father. What’s worse, she has powers that threaten the lives of everyone she loves. Which is precisely why Sophie decides she must go to London for the Removal, a dangerous procedure that will destroy her powers.
   But once Sophie arrives she makes a shocking discovery. Her new friends? They’re demons too. Meaning someone is raising them in secret with creepy plans to use their powers, and probably not for good. Meanwhile, The Eye is set on hunting Sophie down, and they’re using Archer to do it. But it’s not like she has feelings for him anymore. Does she?

My Thoughts
As mentioned in the post title, this is the sequel to Hex Hall and something very rare for me happened in this case- I liked this book even better than the first book.  Usually for me, the most fun part of an urban fantasy story is when the main character is first discovering their powers and realizing that the world is much more magical and complicated than they had originally known.  I also enjoy the beginning parts of the romance subplots when there is so much tension and uncertainty.  Sometimes all of this is covered in the beginning novel of a series, and it feels like in subsequent books the author is just coming up with new adventures and problems to tackle without really developing the characters any further.  This was not the case in Demonglass.  Sophie's journey of discovery continues in this book and broadens beyond the scope of what she knows of her family and school, and her tentative romance with Archer is still full of tension and uncertainty.
   Like the first book, this one contains plenty of action, plenty of mystery, and a host of complex characters.  Demonglass is not a complete story in itself, however.  If you haven't read Hex Hall already, you will definitely want to read that one first so that you are not lost- the plot of this story relies heavily on events that took place in the first book.  And the book leaves off on a great big cliffhanger- there's a definite The Empire Strikes Back vibe.  I will definitely pick up book three (Spell Bound) when it comes out (March 2012).
  

Rating
4.5/5

Halo by Alexandra Adornetto

Details

Publisher:  Feiwel and Friends (2010)

Pages:  484

Content:  L- Mild swearing, Sexual dialogue, S- Kissing, Nude Cuddling, V- Moderate
Recommended Age:  15+

Source:  Dorchester County Library

Front Flap Description
Three angels--Gabriel, the warrior; Ivy, the healer, and Bethany, the youngest and most human--are sent by Heaven to bring good to a world falling under the influence of darkness.  They work hard to conceal their luminous glow, superhuman powers, and most dangerous of all, their wings, all the while avoiding all human attachments.
   Then Bethany meets Xavier Woods, and neither of them is able to resist the attraction between them.  Gabriel and Ivy do everything in their power to intervene, but the bond between Xavier and Bethany seems too strong.
   The angels' mission is urgent, and dark forces are threatening.  Will love ruin Bethany or save her?

My Thoughts
This book had a good premise and definitely held promise.  The execution, however, fell short.  There were a number of problems, the most notable being the pacing.  The first 130 pages or so were basically filled with repetitive and overly flowery descriptions of everything the main character, Bethany, was experiencing.  Since Bethany was a seventeen-year-old angel visiting earth for the first time, the author went into excruciating detail about everything she sensed- how loud the wind was, how soft the pillows were, how the oatmeal tasted, and on and on and on for a hundred pages.  Now, I will grant that Adornetto is skilled at descriptive writing--she just does way too much of it and I found myself skimming to get to any action.
   Another issue is that there are minor contradictions all over the place.  For example, Ivy and Gabriel had lived on earth many of different times, yet didn't know why they started feeling weak part way through the day, and they discovered that, Oh! we have to eat multiple times a day to fuel our human bodies.  This should have been something they already discovered on one of their many other visits to earth.  The book was littered with such contradictions.
   Character development was also generally weak.  The main character, Bethany, was super-well developed, but it was like Adornetto spent all of her energy focusing on Bethany's character and she neglected to develop the rest.  Her friends were mindless and flat, her sister and brother were a little better developed, but still lacking depth, and the bad guy (who had black hair, wore black clothes, and had a snake tattoo) was predictable.  Also, although we knew pretty much every thought that Bethany had, her character didn't seem to do much.  She was on an angelic mission to earth, yet she spent most the book getting in touch with her human senses and mooning over the unbelievably perfect Xavier.  Apparently, her mission on earth was to fall in love with him so deeply that the forces of evil could not withstand it.  Sigh.
   I didn't 100% hate this book.  I really think that somewhere in there is a good story and I believe that there is promise for Adornetto as an author (I later found out that she was only 17 when she published this book).  The main problem was in the editing.  This could have been a decent book with some heavy editing, but it's like the publishers just took the first draft, checked it for spelling and grammar (which were excellent), and rolled it out.  Definitely a disappointment.

Rating
2.5/5

Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

Details

Publisher:  Atheneum (2010)

Pages:  543
Content:  L- Mild, S- Kissing, V- Moderate
Recommended Age:  14+
Source:  Dorchester County Library


Front Flap Description
Cheerleader Isobel Lanely is horrified when she is paired with Varen Nethers for an English project, which is due--so unfair--on the day of the rival game.  Cold and aloof, sardonic and sharp-tongued, Varen makes it clear he'd rather not have anything to do with her either.  But when Isobel discovers strange writing in his journal, she can't help but give this enigmatic boy with piercing eyes another look.
   Soon, Isobel finds herself making excuses to be with Varen.  Steadily pulled away from her friends and her possessive boyfriend, Isobel ventures deeper and deeper into the dream world Varen has created through the pages of his notebook, a realm where the terrifying stories of Edgar Allan Poe come to life.
   As her world begins to unravel around her, Isobel discovers that dreams, like words, hold more power than she ever imagined and that the most frightening realitites are those of the mind.  Now she must find a way to reach Varen before he is consumed by the shadows of his own nightmares.
   His life depends on it.

My Thoughts
If you read the front flap description, then you will have a good idea what is going on.  If not, this story will probably be a big mystery to you since nothing really gets explained until about 3/4 of the way through the book.  But it's a good story.  This book contains all the elements of good urban fantasy in an original way.  There are no vampires, werewolves, faeries, etc, in this one- instead, there are creatures based on the works of Poe and intertwined with the author's own imagination. 
   For the first part of the book, the fantasy elements are light, with more focus on the relationships between Isobel, Varen, and her friends.  Although the reactions of the some of the characters to certain situations seem extreme, at least they are interesting and provide Isobel an impetus for developing her relationship with Varen.  And Varen is a particularly complex and interesting character, so the interactions with him were fun to read.  (And in case you were wondering, yes, he is hot, in a dark sort of way). 
   The last quarter of the book pulls the characters full force into the fantasy world.  Although I was happy to finally have some things explained, I found the last about 70 pages kind of tedious.  It was like when someone describes their dream to you- it's interesting for about 30 seconds and then it just feels rambling and boring.  I know this was the big climax part of the book with all the action, but it read like listening to a dream and I grew impatient with it (incidentally, this same issue is why I eventually gave up on Alyson Noel's Immortals series and Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle trilogy- too much time spent in a weird, boring dream world).  I feel like the book would have been better had there been more fantasy explained earlier on and less later.
   Despite the somewhat unbalanced feel of the book, I felt a connection with the main characters and I liked the dark, eerie atmosphere and fantasy incarnations.  I'm not sure whether I'll pick up the sequel when it comes out, but this one was definitely worth a read.

Rating
4/5

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Details

Publisher:  HarperTeen (2010)

Pages:  335

Content:  L- Mild, S- Kissing, V- Paranormal injuries and death

Recommended Age:  13+
Source:  Dorchester County Library


Front Flap Description
Weird as it is working for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, Evie's always thought of herself as normal.  Sure, her best friend is a mermaid, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she's falling for a shape-shifter, and she's the only person who can see through paranormals' glamours, but still. Normal.
   Only now paranormals are dying, and Evie's dreams are filled with haunting voices and mysterious prophecies.  She soon realizes that there may be a link between her abilities and the sudden rash of deaths.  Not only that, but she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.
   So much for normal.

My Thoughts
I'll admit that at the start I was slightly annoyed by Evie (yes, another Evie- and don't even get me started on the recent overusage of the name Will in YA fiction), with her rhinestone covered taser, slangy, casual narrating, and obsession with all things pink.  But I quickly looked past her silly teenage girl exterior and fell in love with her.  Although she can be quite dangerous when she tries, there is an innocence and honesty about her that make her lovable.
   Also lovable is Lend, the mysterious shapeshifter who breaks into the agency where Evie lives and works.  Despite the dangerous and terrifying events that are taking place in the paranormal world around them, Evie and Lend manage to find a lightness and sense of wonder around each other that is endearing and fun.
   This book is packed with paranormals- werewolves, vampires, shapeshifters, faeries, mermaids, and on and on- a little something for everyone.  I appreciated how the author took the time to develop each of these species and the systems of magic instead of relying on old stereotypes and premade versions of them.  Although they were based on traditional depictions, they were different enough to give me, the reader, a new, interesting world to discover.  And while Evie's story and identity are entwined with the faeries, there is a fresh and original take on her connection to them (because, let me tell you, if I read one more book where some teenage girl discovers that she is the long-lost daughter of Queen Titania and King Oberon and now she must return to the faerie realms to help resolve the battle between the Seelie and Unseelie Courts. . . . sigh).
   I was very pleased with this book.  It was not super heavy, although there were some dark forces at work in this world.  But it was fast-paced and fun, and I had a difficult time putting it down when bedtime rolled around.
Rating
4.5/5

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Details

Publisher:  Razorbill- Penguin Group (2011)

Pages:  398

Content:  L- Mild, S- Nudity, Teen kissing, Adult sex, V- Punching, Attempted rape, Suicide, Murder

Recommended Age:  16+

Source:  Dorchester County Library

Front Flap Description
Amy and her parents believe they will wake on a new planet, Centauri-Earth, three hundred years in the future.  But fifty years before Godspeed's scheduled landing, cryo chamber 42 is mysteriously unplugged, and Amy is violently woken from her frozen slumber.
   Someone tried to murder her.
   Now, Amy is caught inside a tiny world where nothing makes sense.  Godspeed's 2,312 passengers have forteited all control to Eldest, a tyrannical and frightening leader.  And Elder, Eldest's rebellious teenage heir, is both fascinated with Amy and eager to discover whether he has what it takes to lead.
   Amy desperately wants to trust Elder.  But should she put her faith in a boy who has never seen life outside the ship's cold metal walls?  All Amy knows is that she and Elder must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets before whoever woke her tries to kill again.

My Thoughts
Yes, this book is as exciting as it sounds in the front flap description.  There is a hint of romance, but the story focuses more on unraveling secrets and figuring out how to deal with life in the claustrophobic, dystopian society aboard the spaceship.  The narration of the story alternates between Elder's and Amy's point of view and it is interesting to see how Amy, who was born on Earth, and Elder, who was born on the ship, view and react to various elements of ship life.
   Like any good dystopian novel, this book raised a number of social, political, and ethical questions, and while the characters in the book attempted to resolve them in various ways, there was still a good deal of uncertainty at the end.  I found this approach appropriate as there are rarely certain answers to such questions in real life.  There was a tremendous amount of description of the flaws in the society the author created- it was quite frightening and disturbing at times.  But while the leader, Eldest, was portrayed as a villain, the author also gave insight into why he made the choices he did and what it cost him.
   As far as the murder mystery elements were concerned, most of it was pretty obvious, although there was a twist at the end that took me by surprise.  My main problem with that part of the story is that once it was discovered that someone was trying to unplug and kill the cryogenically frozen passengers, Eldest put very little effort into discovering who was doing it, and no effort into guarding or protecting them.  With his compulsive need for control over every element of life aboard the ship, this made no sense whatsoever to me.  Still, there were so many other things going on the book that this flaw did not completely ruin it- it was just sloppy.
   Overall, I found it an intriguing and engaging read.  Although it is marketed to teens, it definitely contains some mature elements that would be more appropriate for an older audience.  But there is a good mix of action, intrigue, and moments that just make you think.  Definitely worth a read.

Rating
4.5/5

Sometimes I get super busy

Okay, so I didn't actually finish Blue Flame.  I started it and it was fairly good, though a little slow.  But then I got super busy- I made a couple trips to Hilton Head, I threw a Harry Potter party, etc, etc- and when everything calmed down, Blue Flame was due back at the library and I wasn't overly interested in it anymore.  So maybe I'll return to it in the future, but in the meantime, I am on to other books.