City of Ashes

City of Ashes
written by Cassandra Clare



I was not very satisfied by this volume of the Mortal Instruments series. I think it was summed up well by a friend of mine as just being a very weird book. The writing is unnecessarily melodramatic while the plot moves along quite slowly, except during the important parts, where it seems to zoom by too fast. For the most part, the characters are kept realistic, although they all do go through their brief moments of flatness. The cultural references are a fun addition, adding a bit of extra enjoyment throughout the book. Like I had said in my review of City of Bones, the love triangle is overdone, like so many other books. The additional drama with Simon's character seems ridiculously overdone to me, particularly the supposed vampire vs. werewolf drama, as if we needed more of that. The cliffhanger was crazy awesome, and I can't wait to read more, but by God, I hope we are done with the disgustingness that is Jace/Clary. I don't need to read about siblings who are madly in love with each other, I really don't. Anyways, looking forward to getting my hands on City of Glass, and, oh, one last thing. Dumbledore would so win in a fight versus Magnus, no questions asked!

Rating: 3.5/5

I got this book from...:Secret Santa!

Deadly Little Secret

Deadly Little Secret
written by Laurie Faria Stolarz



My hopes for this book were not all that great, as I saw it was Disney and also by the author of Project 17, Laurie Faria Stolarz. This book didn't have the greatest writing (I mean, okay, I've definitely read worse, but it could have been better) and a lot of it seemed Twilight-y. Really, did there have to be love at a lab table again? I'd like to let some authors know that we don't all magically pair up at science class. Ben had the same kind of drama with Camelia that Edward did with Bella, the whole mysterious stranger with some kind of power deal. The characters were all pretty flat, too. I did like the eventual reveal of what Ben's problem is, but other than that, it doesn't really pick up from there. The story's pretty predictable and it's easy to see who the culprit really was. I do like that it had a supernatural element other than supernatural creatures. That part was reminiscent of Meg Cabot's amazing 1-800 series and I did enjoy seeing that. So plotwise, the book's not a complete failure, though it does try and fail to succeed at setting up a good secondary plot with Camelia's parents and her Aunt Alexia. Was there any point to that? Did I miss it? There's also a really pathetic easy-way-out explanation for Debbie's role in the story. I'm still wondering why there even was a sequel, when this could have worked wonderfully as a stand-alone with a happy ending. Overall, much better than Project 17, but still in need of some work.

Rating: 3/5

See also: Project 17

I got this book from...:Barnes & Noble

The Van Alen Legacy

The Van Alen Legacy
written by Melissa de la Cruz



So, I'd firstly like to address the fact that this is not the last book of the series. I don't know why I was led to believe that it was, but let me tell you, it is a huge disappointment to read a book and discover that the saga is still not over when you've finished. I kind of just want to see this series end. I stand by what I said last time, I'm in it for the plot. I do have to commend de la Cruz, as I thought her writing had definitely improved significantly in this book. But it's still a lot of "ooh, look how fancy we are" and not that much substance, and what substance it does have, it moves excruciatingly slowly. I did feel like a lot of what happened, happened too conveniently, too much like wish fulfillment for all of the characters, tied up way too nicely. I'm still sick of the fact that Jack Force...exists. I do suppose that the fact that I feel so strongly about the characters means that they are developed quite well. [And I must ask, did anyone else see the Bliss/Harry parallels? Or is it just the freak in me noticing these things? :P] The one exception to the idea of well developed characters is seen in Mimi Force. I found her storyline boring as ever. I'm left, yet again, with that nagging feeling of not having a clue what a sequel could possibly contain. The defeat of the bad guys, I suppose? There's not much room for character development then, is there? In which case, I'm hoping really hard that the plot moves along faster, or I might give up on these books just yet.

Rating: 4/5

See also: Revelations

I got this book from...:Amazon

City of Bones

City of Bones
written by Cassandra Clare



City of Bones was a great read...if you don't mind reading a book that is extremely predictable. I have in my notes details from the first chapter that end up being the Big Plot Twists, so that's slightly sad. A lot of the book falls into what one typically expects from a fantasy novel, down to the "turn a person into a rat" trope. The Big Reveals were kind of pathetic, and frustrating to read, I know I wanted to reach into the book to shake Clary in her utter obliviousness. The exposition to the fantasy world was done well, introducing it simultaneously to the reader and Clary herself. While I was irritated by yet another love triangle, sick to death of those, I was thrilled with its conclusion. The characters, despite their predictability and all, are very well developed, and you find yourself getting attached to some, repulsed by others, all essential parts of great characterization. The ending does leave the reader satisfied while at the same time, wanting more, essentially being all that a great ending should be.

Rating: 4.5/5

I got this book from...:Borders

Fade

Fade
written by Lisa McMann



Prior to even beginning the book, I was theorizing as to what the title could possibly mean. Was Janie's ability going to fade, or was it her consciousness? In the third book, would it be her ability or herself that was gone? I began reading, intrigued before even the first page. The writing tone was just as amazing as it had been in the first book. As much as I loved the two broken protagonists, I wanted them to get it together, to talk, to discuss everything. The writing continually got to me, so strong, so lyrical, and all the while, the characters, well-developed things they are, kept getting on my nerves. I thought a lot of the plot was actually quite predictable and slow-moving, but the emotions throughout the whole book were so real and interesting to read about. I can't wait to see what happens in the third book, and I'm sure many readers echo this sentiment. Long live the awesome that is Janie and Cabel!

Rating: 3.5/5

Broken

Broken
written by Alyxandra Harvey-Fitzhenry



This has to be one of the most bland books I've read recently. The plot is slightly pointless--an outcast girl who is trying to make her way through high school finds that she breaks glass when she gets frustrated, without touching it. It attempts to mimic your typical Cinderella story, but fails miserably. The writing is jerky, as if reading from an overdramatic soap opera script. There is nothing compelling you to keep reading because nothing happens. At one point, Ash's father says that he didn't want her to break a valuable piece of glasswork that belonged to Ash's deceased mother, and I thought for a moment that that would go somewhere--maybe Ash's mother had the same glass-breaking ailment and her father knew about it? Nothing. The entire story is just disjointed--Harvey-Fitzhenry should have focused on either making it realistic or a fantasy, because instead, she's jarred a tiny fantastical element in a real world that sticks out really strangely and makes for an unpleasant, awkward read.

Rating: 1.5/5

How to Ditch Your Fairy

How To Ditch Your Fairy
written by Justine Larbalestier



While I adored the concept of everyone having their individual 'fairy' that would enhance abilities, the storytelling wasn't exactly top-notch. Unlike say, Louise Rennison, I got used to the slang pretty quickly and managed to start enjoying the story. Everything was light and conversational with a good story, but not that much really happened. I don't know, there's not much to remark on. It's not that the book was a flop, because it's really not, but there's not much of anything that's really awesome about it other than the fairies. I just feel like the story could have been done much faster. There also could have been more sideplots, instead of this one huge plot that took up more time than it needed. I did love everything to do with the fairies--the different types, the mythology, etc. I kind of wish Fiorenza's mother's book was what I was reading instead of this book. Still, it's not *too* bad as a book, just skip it if you're looking for heavy literature.

Rating: 3.5/5

The Midnighters Trilogy

The Midnighters Trilogy
written by Scott Westerfeld

The Secret Hour



Scott Westerfeld comes up with a fascinating new world in his Midnighters series. It's a brilliant concept to begin with, and one that only Westerfeld could ever have come up with. The book begins with an ordinary girl, and as she learns of her new life in the "secret hour", so do the readers along with her, providing a unique and relatable point of view. While the first novel of the series sets up for an amazing plot to come, on its own, it's nothing special. The writing, particularly the descriptive portions, is at times sloppy and weak, and too much of the focus is put on Jessica (although you do get to know and love all of the other characters as well). Nevertheless, it's worth working your way through, if only for the fact that the next two books will blow your mind.

Rating: 3.5/5

Touching Darkness



Touching Darkness significantly advances the plot from where The Secret Hour left off. All of the characters' stories are told in much more depth, and they are all developed as characters, particularly Melissa, Rex, and Dess, where we mostly only got Jessica in the first book. There is, amidst all the character development, plenty of significant plot development going on, although as a bridge between the first and the last, it does get a little dull sometimes. The dullness, however, is necessary to build up to the stunning conclusion delivered in Blue Noon. I really noticed in reading this particular one the differences between other book series and the Midnighters series. It's not very clear cut at all, it's not one good guy vs. one bad guy. The books introduce a whole new dynamic of a group of kids battling not only their inner demons, but a TIME, an hour, making for a fantastic story. Touching Darkness continues with the series stupendous suspensefulness and plenty of plot-twists everywhere.

Rating: 5/5

Blue Noon



Now here is a man who knows how to end a series with a bang, quite literally. While some of the incessant recapping gets to be incredibly annoying, the plot is moved along really well. You know the characters now, so the things they do make more sense, although Rex & Melissa, v. 2.0's characters are still gradually being advanced. Much like Breaking Dawn, I love how the focus is on logic vs. 'let's go kill things!' Things are thought out, plans are made, and it all involves actually thought and regard for history instead of running into battle, killing things left and right with no clear cut plans whatsoever. Those books just annoy me. Way to bring thinkers into your books, Westerfeld! Loose ends are tied up, and the story is brought to a bittersweet, open-ended close, bringing things full circle. I found myself thinking multiple times of the series as a whole. What if it had been five books, one per character, instead of just the trilogy? Will we ever get a short story or another book even for what happens afterward? My only complaint, in the end, is that we never got to learn much about Jonathan's life, why he thinks the way he thinks, what his home life is like. Not much at all. Nevertheless, it is a mostly satisfying conclusion that I think everyone was happy with.

Rating: 5/5

Final thoughts:
The Secret Hour is for exposition, Touching Darkness is for character, Blue Noon is for plot. I advise you to read them all for a full helping of amazing storytelling.

Marked

Marked
written by P.C. and Kristin Cast



I read Marked after seeing many bloggers review it, many saying it is the only series out of this new batch of YA vampire books that is worth reading. I gave it a try and was pleasantly surprised. I was under the impression that all of the new vamp books were Twilight ripoffs, but this had almost no similarities. The writing was awkward and not at all fresh, but the plot was pretty awesome. While I often complain of overexposition in books, I felt like this one just hastily jumped right in, giving almost no exposition at all. Parts are preachy, others are crude, but it is truly a unique book. Most vampire novels have the vampires living in complete isolation and secrecy, but in the Casts' world, everyone knows of their existance. The first book sets up what appears to be shaping up to be a really great story, and I will eagerly seek out the sequels for the plot, not for the writing itself.

Rating:
I'm going to say 5/5 for plot,
3/5 for writing.

Pale Phoenix

Pale Phoenix
written by Kathryn Reiss



I really don't know why I never noticed this when I read them before, but Kathryn Reiss's books are just so predictable. True, they are full of those wacky plot twists that you would never see coming, but for the most part, you can see things coming from miles away! Maybe it's just that I'm not in the target age range anymore, or the fact that these are rereads, but I still feel as if too much information is given, or not so much information as constant hinting. It's still pretty amazing in Pale Phoenix how she's constructed this great new plot, and yes, predictable as it is, it's still not something you'll find written by anyone else, completely original and new ideas. It's also great to see the continuity between this and Pale Phoenix, particularly the budding relationship between Dan and Miranda. The characters start off as your standard dull characters, but throughout the book, you see the characters evolve in front of your eyes, and it's a pretty neat thing to see. My one other complaint somewhat goes along with the predictableness--everything is a bit too convenient. Here they are, stuck in a perilous situation with apparently no way out, but wait, wait, look, there's the completely random solution that nobody ever would have thought of because it's completely convoluted, but here it is, it seems to have just randomly popped into my head! It gets very annoying, but it does provide for a satisfying ending.

Rating: 3.5/5

Bliss & BEDA

Extremely overdue review, and I really will try harder to get into the swing of things, great timing too, with Maureen Johnson's awesome Blog Every Day April project (not too late to join in)!

Bliss
written by Lauren Myracle



Bliss is a new kind of book, something quite unlike anything else Lauren Myracle has written, lacking greatly in the fluffy-bunnies department. She pulls it off spectacularly, with great narration, fresh and complicated new characters, and plenty of those lovely plot twists we love so very much! Though I didn't realize at first, this book is set in the past, but the girls seem so modern in their speech and actions, everything blends in wonderfully. I loved how this was your typical YA story...plus plenty of supernatural elements, plus social commentary. The blurring of genre lines was done seamlessly and perfectly. While I had some issues with the ending and I really think the better ending would have been the less tragic one, I can see why Myracle did decide to write it as she did. I highly recommend this book--many people somehow think "supernatural? Pshh, must be a lame Twilight rip-off!" but I'm telling you, this bone-chilling novel has things much much scarier than a family of vegetarian vampires, and it's a truly original book well worth your time.

Rating: 5/5

Wake

Wake
written by Lisa McMann



I think this book has restored my faith in YA. I've only started browsing the booksites, and already I'm noticing a large amount of people criticizing the narration style, to which I say, "HUH?!" While I found Wake just a tad bit too description-heavy for my tastes, the narration was still some of the best I've read in a really long time, and I only wish more authors wrote like this. The characters are heartbreakingly human, particularly Cabel, and I just want to learn more! More about them, more about who they are, who they will be, where it all began. I'd like to learn the origin of Janie's ability, and why she's chosen to have it. I really cannot wait to read Fade, and I hope Ms. McMann doesn't ever break up the amazing [crimefighting] duo!

Rating: 5/5

Time Windows

Time Windows
written by Kathryn Reiss



So it seems that most readers really enjoyed Time Windows, and I have to wonder if they've read any of Reiss's other books. For a more juvenile crowd, I suppose Time Windows would be more appealing, but for the most part, I felt that it was a lot worse than her other books. It's just not as interesting, with a lot of down-time. The big mystery doesn't really kick in majorly until halfway through the book. The characters are pretty cookie-cutter, uninteresting, standard characters, nothing special. Parts are very predictable (although some of the bigger twists at the very end, they are pretty impossible to predict). It's really just not Reiss's best work, and the ending left me cringing--worse even than the "it was all a dream" ending.

Rating: I'd say 2/5 compared to her other books, 3/5 in general.

Revelations

Revelations
written by Melissa de la Cruz


I guess I should have known not to get my hopes up. Revelations continues just like the last two Blue Bloods novels--lousy characters, lousy writing, abso-freaking-lutely amazing plot. *sigh* Go figure. If only Melissa de la Cruz had combined all the ideas she had into one book, so these silly, unnecessary subplots could vanish, it would be so lovely (I mean, Brazil, really?). I did love the fact that Schuyler finally reciprocated Ollie's love (in a truly romantically awesome Star Wars way, no less!) but other than that, the characters just disappointed. Mimi and Jack Force? Still as annoying as ever. Bliss, one of the only characters I could stand other than Ollie? Evil, apparently. These books would be so amazing if the plot was just resolved already, rather than dragging it out. Otherwise, all these weird twists she keeps putting in...at first, they were really neat, but now? A lot of them just seem like lame rip-offs from other authors. (Shifting into animals? Changing appearances? Come on. Rowling got there way before you did.) I'm going to keep reading them, because I'm a sucker for a good plot, but I really really need to keep my hopes down (particularly when it comes to Schuyler/Ollie, who I now hear have some serious opposition amongst the readers 0.O)

Rating: 3.5/5