We Are the Goldens by Dana Reinhardt

Title: We Are the Goldens

Author: Dana Reinhardt

Release Date: May 27, 2014

Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books

Format: eBook

Page Number: 208

Source: Netgalley

Synopsis(Goodreads): Nell worships her older sister, Layla. They're one unit, intertwined: Nellayla. As Nell and her best friend, Felix, start their freshman year in high school, on Layla's turf, there's so much Nell looks forward to: Joining Layla on the varsity soccer team. Parties. Boys. Adventures.

   But the year takes a very different turn.

   Layla is changing, withdrawing. She's hiding something, and when Nell discovers what it is, and the consequences it might have, she struggles. She wants to support Layla, to be her confidante, to be the good sister she's always been. But with so much at stake, what secrets should she keep? What lies should she tell?

   Award-winning young adult author Dana Reinhardt explores questions of loyalty, love, and betrayal in this provocative and intimate novel. 

My Review

I was really looking forward to starting We Are the Goldens. It sounded like it could be really interesting. However, when I finished, I was really let down. This book wasn’t quite what I hoped it would be. 

This book is about two sisters who are really close, and Nell (the younger sister) knows a secret about Layla (the older sister). I was really intrigued by this concept, however, it just fell flat. To me, it felt like this book was mostly about the Nell and not about the secret the sisters shared. It didn’t have any of the spark that I was hoping for, and overall it was just okay. 

This book is told in second person point of view, and that was interesting because I had never read something in second person before. I thought it worked for the most part in this story, because Nell was telling this story to Layla. However, sometimes I got confused with the point of view and I didn’t always know who Nell was talking to. Overall, I think the point of view hurt the story. 

The characters in this book were really lifeless. They didn’t show any emotion, and since this book was Nell telling a story to Layla, we didn’t get to see much of the other characters. I didn’t really like any of the characters, because they just seemed boring and lifeless to me. I wished we could have gotten to know the characters better and that they had seemed more alive. 

Rating: 2/5 worms

Overall, this book was kind of a let down. Everything was rather bland and I thought it could be much better. 

The Sting of Summer by Katherine Over

Title: The Sting of Summer

Author: Katherine Over

Release Date: May 11, 2014

Page Number: 246

Source: Author

Synopsis(Goodreads): Summer has arrived. For seventeen-year-old Becca, it marks the start of the wedding season. Her family operates an event venue in the form of a renovated barn, and nearly every weekend a wedding takes place in their backyard. Becca lends a helping hand for the accelerated schedule, but work is not the only task on her mind. Seth, her longtime crush, has nabbed a photography internship that requires wedding coverage, putting the two of them in close proximity. Becca intends to make Seth something more than a far-reaching fantasy, but it's hard to build a dream when a growing tension in her family life cannot be avoided. Will Becca succeed in her quest for love? Or will summer collide with her plans and leave nothing but a sting in her heart?

My Review

The Sting of Summer is an interesting book about family, change, and life. One of the main things I loved about this book were the themes it had. It talked a lot about family, change, and how sometimes things aren't always what they seem. The main character, Becca, realizes that her life is changing and that sometimes what she wants isn't what she thought it was. These themes are really relevant today and I think that people can really gain from this.

Becca was a really funny character. You got to see her try to find summer romance while she was dealing with change, and it was really interesting. She had a really quirky personality and is probably one of the funniest characters that I've read about in a while. All of the other characters were really interesting to read about, and they felt really well rounded. Andie was really funny and Nolan was really cute. 

As for writing style, I had a few problems with it. I felt that the overall plot of the book was really predictable, and you could figure out what was going to happen. I also didn't like how Katherine Over never used contractions; it made some of the dialogue really awkward and choppy. There were also some spelling and grammar errors. However, when Katherine was writing about the weddings, she used such detail that I found myself imagining the weddings in perfect detail. The characters were really well described and so were the situations that they were in. 

Rating: 4/5 worms

Overall, I think this is a book that many people would like. The characters are funny, there are great themes, and the writing is vivid.  

Second Star by Alyssa B. Sheinmel

Title: Second Star

Author: Alyssa B. Sheinmel

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

Release Date: May 13

Source: Netgalley

Format: ebook

Page Number: 256

Purchase: Book Depository

 

Synopsis (Goodreads): A twisty story about love, loss, and lies, this contemporary oceanside adventure is tinged with a touch of dark magic as it follows seventeen-year-old Wendy Darling on a search for her missing surfer brothers. Wendy’s journey leads her to a mysterious hidden cove inhabited by a tribe of young renegade surfers, most of them runaways like her brothers. Wendy is instantly drawn to the cove’s charismatic leader, Pete, but her search also points her toward his nemesis, the drug-dealing Jas. Enigmatic, dangerous, and handsome, Jas pulls Wendy in even as she's falling hard for Pete. A radical reinvention of J. M. Barrie's classic tale, Second Star is an irresistible summer romance about two young men who have yet to grow up—and the troubled beauty trapped between them.

My Review

This book was beautiful. Absolutely wonderfully awesome. I have been obsessed with Peter Pan retellings ever since I read Tiger Lilly and I was so happy to get my hands on a copy of Second Star for review.

 

The retelling aspect of this book was perfect. I thought it was done brilliantly and I couldn't have thought of a better way to do it. I really enjoyed the surfing aspect of the book, because it was really unique and different. I liked how most of the story was original with some aspects of Peter Pan woven in. It took me a little while to get into the story, but when I did, I was completely involved and I loved it.

 

The characters in this book were really, really good. Wendy was very focused on finding her brothers, and while she was sometimes naive, I really liked her. As for Pete and Jas, well, I couldn't pick a side in that love triangle. Both love interests really cared for Wendy and it was interesting to see the differences in each of their relationships. All the side characters, such as Belle, were also really interesting to read about, and they added a lot of flavor to the story.

 

The whole last half of this book completely got to me. I wasn't expecting that sort of an ending at all, and I was blown away. The last half of the book went by so fast and I loved every second of it. This book deals with Wendy's struggle to try to find her brothers, and it was so fantastic. The writing in this book was also wonderful, and it made me want to drive to a beach and read.

 

Rating: 5/5 worms

This book was absolutely wonderful, and I think anyone would really enjoy it.

 

 

The Legend of the Blue Eyes by B. Kristin McMichael

Title: The Legend of the Blue Eyes

Author: B. Kristin McMichael

Release Date: March 15, 2013

Publisher: Lexia Press

Source: Publisher 

Format: Paperback

Page Number: 256 

Synopsis (Goodreads): Arianna Grace liked her boring, Midwestern, teenage life where she ignored the many unanswered questions of her childhood. Why were her parents dead? Why did she not have family? Where was she raised until she was five? When someone offers to explain it all, Arianna thinks she’s just getting answers. Instead, she is thrown into a world of night humans who drink blood.

On Arianna's sixteenth birthday, her world is thrown upside down when she changes into a vampire. Night humans, or demons, as some call them, live in normal society. Learning all of the new rules of a world she didn’t know existed might be hard enough, but it's further complicated by two former-friends that now want to help her take her role as the successor to her grandfather. 

There is a war going on between the night humans. Sides have been taken and lines are not crossed. Four main clans of night humans are struggling for control of the night. Divided into two sides, clans Baku and Tengu have been at war for centuries with the clans Dearg-dul and Lycan. That is, until Arianna Grace finds out the truth; she’s the bridge of peace between the two sides. But not everyone wants peace. With the night humans divided, Arianna is now a pawn in the war between them. She must choose a side—her mother’s family or her father’s—and for once in her life, decide her own fate.

My Review

The Legend of the Blue Eyes was not just another vampire book. This was a vampire book with some bite (pun intended). I thought this book was an interesting take on the typical vampire novel. 

I really liked the plot in this book. I thought it was interesting to hear about two vampire clans at war. However, you don't really see any war in this book, which was disappointing. It was interesting to see all the different character relationships, and it was interesting to see how the main character acted. Some times in this book I felt the pacing was too fast, and I didn't really understand, and I sometimes I lost interest. However, the end of the book really picked up speed. 

I thought Arianna had some issues. I thought she was a little too trusting and a little too naive, especially for being thrown into a new scary situation. I thought she handled her new situation a little too well, because I know if it were me, I would be freaked out. I liked reading about all the breeds of creatures in this book. It was really interesting to get to read about all the characters, but I also thought the romance between them and Arianna was a little odd. 

I thought the writing style in this book was good. The way B. Kristin McMichael wrote was really engaging, and I could imagine the world that Arianna was living in. The book was very fast paced, and I thought that was good. 

Rating: 3/5 worms

Overall, I liked this book. I had issues with Arianna and sometimes I didn't understand what was going on, but I really liked the concept behind this book. 

Fire and Flood by Victoria Scott

Title: Fire and Flood

Author: Victoria Scott

Release Date: Feburary 25, 2014

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Format: eBook

Page Number: 304

Source: Netgalley

Synopsis(Goodreads): Tella Holloway is losing it. Her brother is sick, and when a dozen doctors can't determine what's wrong, her parents decide to move to Montana for the fresh air. She's lost her friends, her parents are driving her crazy, her brother is dying—and she's helpless to change anything.

Until she receives mysterious instructions on how to become a Contender in the Brimstone Bleed. It's an epic race across jungle, desert, ocean, and mountain that could win her the prize she desperately desires: the Cure for her brother's illness. But all the Contenders are after the Cure for people they love, and there's no guarantee that Tella (or any of them) will survive the race.

The jungle is terrifying, the clock is ticking, and Tella knows she can't trust the allies she makes. And one big question emerges: Why have so many fallen sick in the first place?

My Review

In a world dominated by dystopians, I think that Fire and Flood was really good. Though it had some things that could be compared to The Hunger Games, I still think that it held its own. 

One thing I want to mention is that Fire and Flood is not just another Hunger Games wanna be. Fire and Flood has its own unique story line with its own unique twists and turns. Though some things seemed rather close to the Hunger Games, the Pandoras and other elements in the story made it different. 

The main character Tella was kind of meh. She was really obsessed with Guy and her Pandora Madox, and it was kind of weird. I also felt she was trying to hard to be tough, and she was really naive at some parts of the book. The side characters of the book, especially Tella's friends were really interesting and it was cool to see their reasons for entering the race. 

There was a ton of awesome stuff that went down in this book. It was filled with tons of action and was really fun to read. Sometimes the writing made everything seem kind of awkward, but other times it was really good. The whole book was really engaging and it was a fast paced read!

Rating: 4/5 worms

Graphic Novel Review: The Undertaking of Lily Chen

Title: The Undertaking of Lily Chen

Author: Danica Novgorodoff

Release Date: March 25, 2014

Publisher: First Second Books

Format: Ebook

Page Number: 432

Source: Netgalley

Synopsis (Goodreads): In The Undertaking of Lily Chen, Deshi, a young man struggling to make a life for himself in rural China, watches his life comes unhinged when he accidentally kills his older brother in a fight. His distraught parents send him on a hopeless journey to acquire a bride for his brother to marry posthumously so he doesn't enter the next world alone—an ancient Chinese tradition with many modern adherents. Eligible female corpses are in short supply, however. When Deshi falls into company with a beautiful, angry, and single young woman named Lily, he sees a solution to his problems.  The only hitch is Lily is still very much alive. Danica Novgorodoff, author of Slow Storm and Refresh, Refresh, brings her distinctive voice and gorgeous, moody watercolors to this wry, beautiful, and surprising literary graphic novel.

My Review

This book was very different. And I didn't completely enjoy it. There was a lot of weird things going on through it, but some things I enjoyed. 

Since this is a graphic novel, I'm going to do a different kind of review.

Likes

• The Premise- The idea of this book was really different. It was something I had never heard before. 
• Super Quick Read- I read this book in about an hour and a half. It was really quick read. 

Dislikes

• The Creepiness of the Drawings- The art in this book was nice, however, it was so creepy that I couldn't enjoy it. 
• Weirdness- The whole book was just to creepy and weird. 
• Speed- Everything in this book went by too fast. 
• Ending- I didn't think anything in the ending really wrapped up the story. 

So, overall I didn't really enjoy this book. I just thought the whole thing was too weird, and not in a good way. 

Rating: 2/5 worms

Don't Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski

Title: Don't Even Think About It

Author: Sarah Mlynowski

Release Date: March 11th, 2014

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Format: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Synopsis(Goodreads): We weren't always like this. We used to be average New York City high school sophomores. Until our homeroom went for flu shots. We were prepared for some side effects. Maybe a headache. Maybe a sore arm. We definitely didn't expect to get telepathic powers. But suddenly we could hear what everyone was thinking. Our friends. Our parents. Our crushes. Now we all know that Tess is in love with her best friend, Teddy. That Mackenzie cheated on Cooper. That, um, Nurse Carmichael used to be a stripper.

Since we've kept our freakish skill a secret, we can sit next to the class brainiac and ace our tests. We can dump our boyfriends right before they dump us. We know what our friends really think of our jeans, our breath, our new bangs. We always know what's coming. Some of us will thrive. Some of us will crack. None of us will ever be the same.
So stop obsessing about your ex. We're always listening.

My Review

I really enjoyed Sarah Mlynowski's Magic in Manhattan series, so I had high hopes for this book, and I can say that I wasn't disappointed. I really enjoyed this book, and I'm glad I got it for review. 

The concept of this book was crazy unique. I mean, come on! A flu shot that gives you telepathy! That's kind of awesome. I thought Sarah Mlynowski was able to deliver this topic through the kids very well, because we got to see what the kids with telepathy were thinking and feeling in this book. 

Although the plot was something I'd never heard of and played a major role in this book, I felt like this book was more character driven. The characters play a huge role in this book because you get to see their reactions to their new found superpowers, and you get to see what each person used their telepathy for. I also really liked how the characters, for the most part, stuck together as a group to try to figure out what was wrong with them.  

However, I didn't like trying to keep up with all the characters. It took me to the middle of the book to figure out who each one was, but after that it was easier to follow. 

In my opinion, the writing style of this book lacked some of the sparkle that it had in the Magic in Manhattan series. It didn't have the descriptions I was looking for, and it didn't have the funniness and wit that I remembered from her previous books. But, all in all, I think Sarah Mlynowski did a great job of creating this story. 

Rating: 4/5 worms