The Color Purple - Alice Cooper

The Gist

The Color Purple
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Celie is a poor black woman in the 1960s. She tells the story of her life through letters. She is physically and mentally abused, constantly put down by her stepfather and husband, and is too meek to fight back. When she meets Shug, a jazz singer and mistress of her husband, she starts to realize that being a black woman doesn't mean she's worthless, and she can be whoever and whatever she wants to be.

What We Think
Reviewed by Living Destiny
Number of Pages: 295
Honestly, is summer reading ever anything good? No. It isn't. And The Color Purple certainly isn't the exception to that rule. I really hated it. First of all, let me just talk about the writing for a minute. Dialect. For those lucky souls that don't know what dialect is, it's when you write in an accent, and you write the way the words sound. So in a Boston dialect, the word car would be written out as "cah". You can just imagine how obnoxious that would be. And this whole book is written in dialect. I understand that the book is set in the south, the dialect is unnecessary. Adding it means the whole story is written with very poor grammar and spelling, and the creation of words that just exude stupidity. Also, there are no quotation marks. Ever. When people talk, it looks like prose. There's no distinguishing marks telling that this statement was spoken and this one was dialogue. It all runs together. And this book won a Pulitzer Prize. 
With that out of the way, the writing style wasn't good. Writing in letters is extremely hit or miss, and this is a miss. With the way it's written, you get no sense of the emotion in the characters. Part of that is the personality of the main character, Celie, but part of it is definitely the writing. It's so blank and dull. Even big, horrific events are written in a void of personal attachment. It makes it difficult to care about the characters, or have any investment in their lives and well being, if they don't seem to care themselves. 
The storyline didn't interest me. It's not that it's boring, because lots of things happen, it just wasn't exciting either. Totally middle of the road, ho hum, blah. And that all connects back to the poor writing style. The characters too. Celie was too meek for her own good, but Shug was too bold. Mister was the typical abuser, an over controlling husband who took pleasure from power. Harpo was awful, trying to abuse his wife only because he thought it was how life was supposed to work. Nettie was almost forgettable. Dull. The only character I even remotely liked was Adam, a bit player in Nettie's story. He doesn't do a whole lot, but at least he has the emotional depth to feel conflicted over love and morality. That's fantastic compared to everyone else in the novel.
For the whole book, I just didn't care. And that made me angry the longer I read. This is supposed to be a deep novel that touches on serious subjects. And I didn't feel a thing. And that's so frustrating, when a book isn't executed well. There isn't a redeemable quality in this entire novel.

Real Teen Rating ~ F: Don't even bother.

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The Monstrumologist - Rick Yancey

The Gist

The Monstrumologist
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Will Henry is an elderly man who just passed away. He knew nearly nothing about himself, thought he was older than he could have possibly been, and had no relatives of any kind. A mystery, until the director of the nursing home Will Henry had lived at finds his journals. He gives them to a local author, and that's where Will Henry's story, however unbelievable, starts to come out. Young Will Henry was an orphan apprenticed to an eccentric man known as a monstrumologist, who worked in the study and capture of monsters. He's used to late nights, strange visitors, and dangerous monsters. But he wasn't used to this new breed of monsters that comes in 1888, when he's only twelve. Huge, muscled, and with an appetite for human flesh, these monsters must be stopped at any cost, and Will Henry and his guardian Doctor Warthrop don't have much time to prevent the biggest massacre the world has ever seen, carried out by beasts that the world doesn't believe exist.

What We Think
Reviewed by Living Destiny
Number of Pages: 434
This book, man. This book. I'm not even going to bother with some witty intro, because this book.
The concept is fantastic. I've never heard of anything like it, especially not as a young adult novel, where most books consist of some weird romance that involves vampires, zombies or mermaids. A man who studies monsters. And that's the loosest description of this book. The monsters aren't anything common either. No werewolves or yetis or chupacabras. Lots of weird Latin names for beasts that sound terrifying. Told by an old man through his twelve year old self, presented to the reader by an adult author who reads the journals left behind. It ought to be confusing, but instead it's captivating. I spent a solid four hours laying on top of my dining room table, because I couldn't be bothered to even move while I was reading this book, let alone to put it down.
The writing style was awesome. The book was just so well written. I get really excited about really good books, so bear with me. The descriptions were real. It was like I was actually there, like I could see and smell and touch. I was immersed in the world of the novel. And sometimes, that was pretty disgusting. There were moments where I sincerely thought I was going to throw up, which is something I haven't done in at least four years, even when I'm sick. I don't have a weak stomach, but it was worded so precisely and in exactly the way I would have seen it, that I started to think I'd need a bucket nearby. But don't let that be off-putting, because it was incredible. If a book can affect you that much, that one factor alone makes it worth reading. And there's many more factors than just that. 
I will say that some of the language was a little fancy. That's the one downside. Lots of big words, even some that I wasn't quite sure of the meaning without the context. But the language made sense when considering the narrator. It's essentially the diary of a twelve year old boy from 1888, but written from the memory of the boy who was over 100. At his death, supposedly, the narrator was 131 years old. It makes sense that in that time he gathered up a lot of big words. So even if the large words are sometimes dense, they are fitting. Especially given the time period. 1888 is a long time ago, and the language was different back then. And that's another thing the author did well, was the time period. It seemed accurate, and I liked the choice to make it so far back, in a time when monsters were something that people would actually believe in. Nowadays, creatures of the dark are only seen in movies, and people don't seem to do as much believing in the things they can't see.
I loved the characters. Will Henry is amazing, both his twelve year old self and his 100-something year old commentary. He's a tough young kid, with no one left in the world and no one to turn to other than his father's boss, the monstrumologist. He's put through a tremendous amount of stress and terror, and he deals with it remarkably well, but in a way that is believable. He's dedicated to his new guardian, but still understands when the good doctor goes totally overboard. And the doctor was an interesting one. Doctor Warthrop is seriously passionate about his work. To the point where he stops eating and sleeping, and makes himself very ill. But that sort of passion is, in a way, inspiring. He's harsh, and perhaps a bit insane, but he's entertaining to read.
The pace of storytelling never lets up. It starts out exciting and it doesn't stop to get dull anywhere. It just continues to grow until the climactic battle, and finally it smooths into a satisfying ending, but it stays interesting. There were never points where I felt bored or uninterested. Rick Yancey, the author, certainly knows how to hold his readers. 
One last point. First and last lines are extremely important. They have to be powerful, or the book won't catch. Technically, the first line of this book is talking about the director of the nursing home, and it's interesting enough, but the first line of chapter one is better. The first line written in the journals. It automatically pulls you in, and holds you until the last line of the epilogue. The last line is actually a quote from earlier in the book, but it's so intense and a little creepy. It's one of those things that makes you stop and reconsider your entire life. Scary stuff.
I loved this book. I think I could talk about this book for about as long as the book itself, so I'll stop it here and just say this. I loved it. Without a doubt one of the best young adult books I've ever read.
Real Teen Rating ~ A+: Why are you still reading this, go buy this book now!

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Ripper - Stefan Petrucha

The Gist

  Ripper
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Carver Young is an orphan. His parents left him when he was a baby, and fourteen years later he wants some answers. As an aspiring detective, he's sure he can figure out who his parents are. When his orphanage is being moved, and all the oldest kids must be adopted, Carver is taken in by a cantankerous gentleman named Hawking, a detective with the Pinkerton Agency. Carver is sure he'll be able to find his parents with Hawking's help, but in New York City in 1895, something bigger is out there for Carver. There's a murderer on the loose, and while the police force, detective agency, and all of New York is on the lookout, it could be up to Carver to stop him.

What We Think
Reviewed by Living Destiny
Number of Pages: 427
This is kind of a guy book. I mean, not to stereotype books to one gender or another. But it's certainly not the usual paranormal romance, high school life, fluffy love story that is generally marketed to girls. Even the cover looks nothing like the cheesy sort of thing that's most commonly written today. And I really have to mention the cover, because I love it. It's simple, eye-catching, intriguing. I know the rule is don't judge a book by its cover, but come on. We all do it. And the cover is the reason I picked this book up.
It's an interesting plot line. Serial killers and orphans. Always fun. It's set in 1895, which means it takes on the extra challenge of being historically accurate. It does a good job of that. None of the dialogue is too modern, the setting is definitively New York City in 1895. It's very believable, and actually in the back there's a little section that verifies the existence of some of the elements of the story during that time period. 
Also, it's incredibly well written. Not only is it time period-accurate, it draws you in. It has good pacing and excitement, and a few twists thrown in that I wasn't expecting. It's high action without being gory or absurd. And the characters aren't irritating, and I think so many characters in so many books get really annoying. Carver is a strong, intelligent young man. He gets emotional at times, but not so much as to be weak or whiny. It's understandable. He doesn't figure things out too quickly, like characters sometimes do, if the answer isn't obvious. If it's difficult to understand, he finds it difficult to understand. He's like a regular person, which is why he's so great. His friend Delia is also great. She wants to be a reporter, and gets adopted by two reporters. She's determined and independent, which is no small feat for a young woman in 1895. She's not quick to trust, but she thinks fast on her feet. Finn is a good character too. He's sort of the "bully", who's mean to Carver at the orphanage, and he and Carver get into tiffs pretty often, but they balance each other out. He's not the typical meat head bully, although he is physically strong and quick to get into a fight. He has an emotional range. It's refreshing. I really loved Carver's mentor, Hawking. He was mysterious and obtuse, but he really helped Carver to learn and investigate. He wasn't the most supportive character, but something about his sharp language and attitude made him lovable. Basically all the characters were fantastic. And Teddy Roosevelt is a character in it as well, because he was the police commissioner in New York at that time, so he's in the story, which I think is wicked cool.
I don't normally like historical fiction. And I'm not sure if this actually classifies as historical fiction, but it is set in history, so...I'm not sure. But I know that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There were historical elements, with Roosevelt and references to, if the title didn't make it obvious, Jack the Ripper. All the gadgets Carver uses from the Pinkerton Agency seem so high tech, even though they probably aren't so fancy. The descriptions make you feel like you're really there, because the author has a very effective use of language. It makes me want to read more of his books, although looking it appears he mostly writes Nancy Drew graphic novels. Weird. Anyway, it's a good book. I've read it twice so far, and I'm thinking about reading it again. Very worth it, and one of the best books I've read recently.
Real Teen Rating~ A-: Read it!

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Katana - Cole Gibsen

The Gist

Katana
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Rileigh is a regular teenager, a skater girl who wants nothing more than to relax over the summer, hang out with her best friend Quentin, and maybe catch the eye of new guy Whitley. That lasts right up until the last day of school, when she and Quentin are attacked in a mall parker lot, and Rileigh single handedly fights off three muggers. Now there's a voice in her head, a warm silk through her body, and a fighting ability she never had. Just as Whitley is finally showing interest, Rileigh keeps getting attacked, and a strange boy named Kim shows up claiming to understand what's happening to her. She'll do anything to go back to normal. But how's an ordinary teenage girl supposed to know who to trust when she can't even trust her own body?

What We Think

Reviewed by Living Destiny

Number of Pages: 375
I can't justify my reading of this book. I saw it in the bookstore, and there's really no reason I should've picked it up. It's got an atrocious cover and it sounded stupid. And I bought it anyway. I am ashamed and it's all my fault. But if you buy a book you have to read it, right? So I read it. I'm just really sad about it. Here we go.
The plot was just eh. A girl whose past life was a samurai. I'm pretty sure it's been done. Or maybe it was just written so poorly I felt like it had. So the girl is a samurai, and her samurai self keeps popping out to save the day, and the girl decides she's being possessed and freaks out and basically spends the whole book looking for ways to exorcise herself out of herself. Because that makes sense.
The characters were awful. I don't think I liked any of them. Rileigh, the main character, was so whiny and superficial and obnoxious I wanted to cry. She tried so hard to be normal, but also to stand out. Please stop contradicting yourself. She refuses to listen to anyone, and honestly, she's just stupid. Really stupid. Her best friend Quentin is gay. Of course. I think it's becoming a requisite of young adult novels. Every new book published must contain at least one gay best friend. Getting old real fast. He wasn't that funny, or actually that helpful. He was always there for Rileigh, so that's a point in his favor. Kim was creepy. Also, Kim as a boy name? Couldn't have picked something that sounded a little more masculine? But he was creepy, and he didn't really understand societal rules. Like people won't believe everything you say when they first meet you, even if you are supposedly attractive. They won't believe you the second, or even third time, if you're saying something outlandish like you're actually a samurai and so are they. The three other samurai are almost bearable. Braden, Drew, and Michelle. They're ok. Braden and Drew are kind of the epitome of the word "bro", and Michelle is a little overbearing. They've got a weird relationship, and there are some hints of incest in a strange, past life samurais way. It's complicated. Oh, and I forgot about the mom and Dr. Wendell. Stupid. That's all. The mom is really stupid. She's only there to give Rileigh a back story and a reason to have issues. Dr. Wendell is a plot device, nothing more. Useless.
Here's something I've noticed about the author, Cole Gibsen. She tries too hard. She adds in weird plot twists that are unnecessary and don't make sense. She adds in convoluted bits that don't advance the story. It's a valiant attempt to be edgy and entertaining, but it falls flat. She writes mediocre dialogue that is witty and snappy, but not realistic sounding. At least that's sort of ok, and she should have stuck with it instead of adding in too many false leads and cliches worth of a dime store mystery novel. A mysterious intruder, a ransacked room - and I'm sure the word ransacked was used - it's all overdone.
The ending was actually not bad. Confusing, and wicked bizarre, but not bad. Exciting, dramatic, suspenseful, and not too predictable. The very end was a bit frustrating, but typical of Rileigh's character. At least Gibsen stuck with the characterization she started with. But of course it's a series. It could stand alone, it really could. But it won't, and there are more to come. That will probably be just as mediocre. I'm so thrilled.
Real Teen Rating~ C-: Read it if you're bored

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Frozen Fire - Tim Bowler

The Gist

Frozen Fire
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It starts when Dusty gets a phone call late at night. The voice on the other end is a boy she doesn't know, telling her that he's dying. He's committing suicide, but he wants someone to talk to. Then it gets weird, as this boy knows things about her life that he couldn't possibly know. Dusty is sure that the boy knows something about the disappearance of her brother Josh, so she sets out to find him. Trouble is, others are looking for him too, and they're out for blood.

What We Think
Reviewed by Living Destiny
Number of Pages: 328
Normally while writing a gist, I have to think hard about what to say, so I don't give anything away. In this case, there isn't anything I could give away, because very nearly nothing is resolved. And that is possibly the most irritating thing a book can do. There are so many interesting threads within the story, and ignoring the lack of good writing, these could have been fantastic aspects of the story if they were given answers. But they weren't. We're instead left wondering, as readers, how these elements fit, how they could be explained, and ultimately why we don't get to know. Does the author even know? Or did he just write down whatever popped into his head, but doesn't really know why it's there. Examples. Sometimes, when Dusty is walking through her snow covered town, everything gets too bright and she feels like she's leaving her body, and the whiteness envelopes her. The way it's described sounds dangerous, like she could die or something equally awful. The boy tells her that very few people see the fire, which we assume is the brightness. But then it's never explained. Why can she see it? What is it, exactly? I'll never know. The boy himself is, it appears, not quite human. So what is he? And how can he do what he does? Well, that isn't explained either. It's essentially a mosh pit of confusion.
And the writing. It wasn't good at all. There was too much description that didn't add much. It's been pretty well established that the town is cold and snowy. That doesn't need to be explained every time Dusty goes outside or looks out the window. The relationship between characters is dysfunctional, in every case. Dusty and the boy, Dusty and her parents, Dusty and her friends. Maybe she's just a messed up girl, but it's not believable. And speaking of unresolved issues, there's a group of kids in her grade that she hates. They're introduced for that specific purpose. And when they come in a second time they help her, and everyone's all nice. And that's it. It hangs there, and we're left wondering what happens between Dusty and this group. Again. I will say, there was something about the writing that drew me in. I'm not sure what it was, but it's the only thing that salvaged this book for me.
The characters were bad. Nothing else to say about it. Dusty's dad was whiny, her mom was a dead beat. Her friends were stuck up. The bad guys were completely unbelievable in their actions. Subtlety is a thing that is apparently unheard of in the works of Tim Bowler. Forming a lynch mob in the middle of a small town to go after a boy you can't even find is ridiculous. Oh, and the boy. He was ok. Except he understood nothing. He was a hot mess, basically. Dusty I didn't like. I get that she's headstrong and feisty, and I respect that, but she's always looking for a fight and not listening to anything anyone says, and those are foolish qualities. She's so fixated on her brother, and I know that losing a sibling must be a tragedy, but it's been two years since the time he vanished, and she has made no attempts at moving on. Side note on Dusty, or really the writing in general. I said she likes to get into fights. What I didn't mention is that people have no problem fighting back. Boys her own age will gladly punch her in the face. What happened to not hitting girls?
One good thing I can say, I'm impressed it's not a series. So often authors try to stretch out a story, either to make money or because they can't think of any other ideas. I have to respect Tim Bowler for writing a stand alone novel that, while not good at all, isn't just one in a series. Which I guess is a nice way of saying I'm glad there aren't more of it, but I really do have respect for the singular novel.
The more I think about it, the more I hate this book. There's something there, a little spark, that in the hands of a more competent author could turn into something good. But it seems nowadays that people don't write good books. I can't remember the last time I read a book I wholly enjoyed. And that's a sad fact.
Real Teen Rating ~ D: It passes time. I guess.

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Stork (Stork #1) - Wendy Delsol

The Gist

Stork
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Katla Leblanc is a city girl and she always has been. But when her parents get a divorce and her mother get's custody, it's off to Norse Falls, Minnesota , her mother's hometown, and bye-bye to California beaches and city-scapes. Kat can't image a worse fate than having to live in Norse Falls forever, but her mother tells her to try and embrace her heritage. But when weird things start to happen to her, and family secrets come out, Kat's left wondering if she really does fit in with Norse Falls after all, and if Jack, a sullen boy who insists they know each other, might have more to him than meets the eye.

What We Think
Reviewed by Dream Catcher
Number of Pages: 355 
Well, I started out reading this book for no reason at all. Honestly. I saw it at a bookstore in the "slightly hurt" (and therefore cheap) section and thought I recalled it from our to-read list on goodreads. I said what they hay, bought it, went to check it on currently-reading and suddenly it seemed we had not ever marked it as to-read. What a waste of $5.75, right?
I read it anyway, though and I was surprised to find that it actually wasn't that bad. Ridiculous and a little juvenile, of course, but other than that...I mean for what I expected, I was pleasantly surprised. Which brings me to first item on my agenda, the cover. I mean, look at it. Look at it. Is that supposed to be Kat? If so, what is she smirking at? She honestly doesn't have all that much to smirk about. Gah. I would change that cover in a heartbeat. Less than a heartbeat. Half of a quarter of a heartbeat.
And don't get me started on characters. I'm kidding. They weren't that bad. Kat, for a somewhat stubborn, somewhat smart, somewhat derp protagonist, wasn't half bad. She wasn't completely oblivious, which was a nice change of pace from most protagonists in most book (that is, flighty, undecided, clueless bumpkins who wouldn't know a clue if it smacked them in the nose) and she tended to figure things out quickly enough. The only thing I didn't love about her was her relationships with her friends and boyfriend. With her parents she seemed normal but around her friends she just sounded off, like she wasn't all there, like she wasn't invested in the conversation. As far as Jack goes, hoo-rah to Wendy Delsol for making another perfect-guy clone. He wasn't as glaringly obvious as a, let's say, Edward or Jacob, and he did have his angsty-teen moments, but I feel like overall he lacked a little depth. I'm not even going to mention the other characters; they were wallpaper. I lied. I just decided to mention Hulda. Who is Hulda? you ask. Naturally, you wouldn't know who Hulda was because there was no space for her in the gist, but Hulda was a crazy old bird-lady and probably my favorite character in the whole book. She was from Iceland and was full of crazy spells and potions and wisdom. I think she was supposed to have an accent because of the grammar of her dialogue...if not that's how I envisioned her anyway. She was awesome. I want to be just like her when I'm an old lady.
I think I'm only going  to mention one more thing. The plot/idea of the story. It was, to say the least, different. And I don't necessarily mean that in a bad way. You can, or should, infer by the title that this book has something to do with storks, the mythical baby-bringing beings. I didn't include it in the gist because I wanted a sort of ambiguity, but I'll spoiler it right now; it's about storks. But only in the technical sense - there aren't literal birds who bring babies, but there are some stork-like things..or people...if you catch my drift. Don't worry, there's only one pregnancy in the book, and it's nothing truly scandalous, I assure you. Honestly, though, have you ever heard of a book about something like that before? I haven't, so MAJOR props to Wendy (for real, this time) for a completely original idea. They're hard to come by. In addition to that, the plot was multi-layered. There were small story-lines beneath the over-arcing one, so it was hard to get bored when reading.
Overall, I would say this is a perfectly nice bit of fluff, which I know sounds like an insult, but isn't. Everyone needs a fluff book every now and again, and this would be okay for that sort of thing. If you're looking for philosophy, look somewhere else. But as far as simple pieces of YA fiction go, this takes the supernatural-romance YA book cake. Not my favorite book ever, but I don't regret reading it. And it's a series....so there's still more to come...

Real Teen Rating ~ C+ : Well, I guess it was good...

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The Eternal Ones - Kirsten Miller

The Gist

The Eternal Ones
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Haven Moore is a 17 year old girl living in a very small, southern, very Christian town. She gets these visions of a young woman named Constance and a young man named Ethan who lived back in the 1920's. Her grandmother is certain that she's being possessed by the devil, but Haven has other ideas. What she sees in her head are memories of a past life, and Haven feels herself being pulled to New York City to find the reincarnation of her Ethan. When she sees playboy Iain Morrow on the television one day, she knows he's the one. She runs away from home to find him, and gets into more than she bargained for with Iain, a web of lies, and a mysterious society that specializes in reincarnation.

What We Think
Reviewed by Living Destiny
Number of Pages: 411
Have you ever bought a book, and been super excited to read it, and it was a total let down? Well, guess what this was. There I am, sitting in the waiting area of the airport, excited to travel the country with a good book. It's a long one, so I figured I wouldn't need to bring anything else to read. Within the first ten pages, I seriously considered throwing the book across the airport and finding a new one. Ten pages, everybody.
I've always loved the idea of reincarnation. It's a nice thought that this isn't the only life you'll live. So I figured a book about reincarnation had to be good. I forgot about the author's ability to screw it up. The main character, Haven, was so annoying I couldn't tolerate her for more than fifty pages at a time. She was so wishy-washy. She changed her mind probably twelve times over the course of the book. Her love interest, Iain, was just an idiot. All he did was lie to Haven, and he assumed she would be ok with it. If my supposed true love continued to lie to me, I wouldn't take it. Why he thought she would, when he evidently knows her from a past life, is beyond me. Together, the two of them make the world's most obnoxious couple. The only good characters are bit players, as per usual. Haven's best friend Beau, a gay kid in a super conservative town, is snarky and clever, but also cares a lot about his best friend. Even if she is annoying all the time. He's the most entertaining part of the story. Second to him is Leah, another girl in Haven's town, who has visions. Maybe she's just interesting because she's different, or because she isn't overdramatic despite seeing the future. But she's a good character too, though she's not in it very much. Everyone else isn't fun to read, and that makes the book hard to read.
Another thing. I basically read this book in two parts, because I took a huge break about halfway through it. Going back and skimming it, I realize there are two very distinct parts that don't seem to fit together. Before she leaves her town, and after. Then, there are all these plot points that have no relevance, or are introduced in a way that is forgettable. So many plot holes. It's frustrating to read.
Even with all of that said, the story really did have potential. Reincarnation is, as I've said, pretty cool to think about. And the whole concept of a secret society, and all the troubles Haven gets into, could have been great. But the characters were way too unlikable, there were serious plot holes, and some parts of it were too unbelievable. Suspension of disbelief only goes so far.
One last thought. The ending was awful. And it didn't get awful until the second to last paragraph. It wasn't phenomenal, of course, but it was ok. Your average bad teen novel. But this ending. It made these vague references that didn't make any sense, and what it was implying made me actually angry. A horrible ending in a mediocre book.

Real Teen Rating ~ D+ : Use it as an excuse not to do things.

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The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Gist

The Great Gatsby
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Nick Caraway moved to West Egg and things in his life changed. Not just because of the careless, irresponsible people, but the over-the-top, party-every-night atmosphere of Long Island. He's a working man, and working men like him - without endless family money to fall back on - live in the much less fashionable West Egg, right across the Sound from East Egg, the place for wealthy people who don't have to work. Immediately he is alerted to the differences when his next door neighbor, Jay Gatsby, throws a party to which every person in West Egg and beyond goes to. At the other end of the Sound, on East Egg, Nick meets with a distant cousin, Daisy, her husband, Tom Buchanan, and a friend of their's Jordan Baker. Though Daisy is beautiful and exciting, she's not everything. No one from East Egg, or even West Egg, for that matter, seem to be all they appear, or all they want to be. Including, the mysterious Gatsby.

What We Think
Reviewed by Dream Catcher
Number of Pages: 180 
Let me tell you (though you probably don't need much telling) reading a book for class is no simple feat. I love reading. Everyone who's ever read anything I've written should know that. But somehow - and it's always been like this - reading a book for class lacks the usual shimmer of reading for yourself. But this book wasn't that way. I couldn't wait to read it everyday for class and discuss it with my American Lit. teacher. So great. This is one of my all-time favorites. I find myself wondering lately, though, if my love of the author has clouded my judgement as far as how I actually feel about the book. F. Scott Fitzgerald is awesome. But I think I love the book because it's truly a fantastic piece of writing, not just because it was written by Fitzgerald. Love.
What I love most about this book is what I'm going to address first. The writing style. Out of all the aspects of this book the writing style is my favorite. It's slightly poetic with enough description to understand your surroundings and be satisfied without ever being bored. He uses a lot of metaphor to get his point across, which I like. I really don't know what else to say...I've been putting off this review for awhile because, honestly, the hardest reviews to write are the ones you love. It's so much easier to rant about something you hate than describe your love for something. I dunno...I just love a lot of things without explanation. I guess with the Great Gatsby I should really just write about what I didn't like, as opposed to what I did, because it would make everything a lot shorter. Except there really wasn't anything I didn't like. Moving on...I'l just hurry up and get on with it. Now, I don't what to sound like a literary snob, talking about the symbolism of Daisy being names Daisy, or Jordan Baker being names for two car companies which relates to this which symbolizes that. I got all that from my discussions in American Lit. I would never have gotten any of it on my own, despite my love of metaphor. Nope. I take things pretty literally, in general. I found the whole symbolism thing fascinating, but I mostly really love the bare bones of a book like this; the love story. If Fitzgerald really meant for all that symbolism, then he's a true genius and you got to love him for that. If not, he's a romantic and you should love him anyway, because, in conclusion, his writing his spectacular. (That was the most random tangent-filled paragraph I've ever written...)
Yes, I am finally moving on to something else; characters. Nick is the main character and just an all-around loyal narrator. What I liked about his characters was his some times silent observation and simple truthfulness. He was a faithful friend to Gatsby and didn't like to make trouble where it wasn't needed, which was refreshing. He was a relatively straight-forward character; someone easy to like. Gatsby was another great character - though he was certainly more complex than Nick. With a mysterious past and a to-an-extent-unrequited love, he was a character you always rooted for, despite his occasional creepiness and bootlegging. He's a guy with a big heart and a lot of ambition. He's always one step behind everyone else, but so hopeful that the future will be better. Its impossible not to root for him. Daisy was a very...interesting character. At first I really liked her characters, in a weird way, because she was so out there. As my dad would say she's a bit of a space-cadet, like I said, someone who's a little out there. But as Fitzgerald reveals more about her character you really begin to understand who she is and how thoughtless she can be. His character development of her is really great in relation to the book as a whole. At the end he really makes you hate her. Tom Buchanan, on the other hand, is someone you hate consistently, and for good reason. He's a raging racist and a plain old jerk. Such a jerk. But you're really supposed to hate him, so on that front Fitzgerald did a great job again. Tom Buchanan is a truly nasty dude. The last real main character is Jordan Baker, and I really don't have much of an opinion of her. She was just kind of there; I didn't love her and I didn't hate her. She kind of annoyed me at the end but, again, she was supposed to. She was another straight-forward character. She served a purpose to the plot, so she was an important character, but I don't really have all that much to say about her. There were some other minor characters that played important roles in the story but are minor enough they just get some mentioning - Wolfsheim, a man who worked with Gatsby semi-illegally was a true-to-life interesting character. Mr.Wilson and his wife Myrtle were quite the pair. They weren't people so much as symbols for big ideas. All essential and all very unique. Well done.
I'm talk about the plot very briefly. Under all the symbolism and metaphor it really was just a simple love story. So maybe it wasn't the most creative story ever created but, keep in mind, this was written in the 20s - before there was such thing as stupid YA fiction. This is a story of real love - not trashy teen werewolf love. It felt real, which is what made the ending so sad. Its a tragically beautiful story.
Lastly I must talk about the beginning and the end, the title and the cover. Trivial things, perhaps, but I value them. The beginning is just Nick telling his back story with a little foreboding foreshadowing. When I first read that, I wasn't too pleased, because it didn't make me want to read more. I suppose it's needed and all...but it wasn't as impressive as I had hoped. The ending, however, makes up for that fact completely because it is so thoughtfully put together and thought-provoking. A great, great end to the book. The cover is very interesting, but considering the fact that its a classic, the cover doesn't really matter that much - neither does the title. It's reputation proceeds it. I really do like both though. But. In place of where I would outline the details of liking or disliking the cover and title, I have an interesting fact for you. Scott Fitzgerald had a relatively hard time coming up with a title for this, and after thinking of a few he wasn't crazy about he thought up The Great Gatsby, a title he was equally un-enthused about. But he really wanted to publish it so he asked his editor if he could change the title for the second printing of the book, and the editor agreed, thinking it wasn't going to be that popular. Much to their surprise, their book was a huge hit and by that time it was too popular and too well-known to change the title. Fitzgerald was not pleased. I think that's hilarious, though. I love weird facts like that.
Well. That's my review. The book's fantastic and everyone should read it, whether or not you have to for school. It's a classic for a reason; love stories like that are timeless. They never get old, and neither will this book.
Real Teen Rating ~ A+ : Why are you still reading this, go buy this book NOW!

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Pearl- Jo Knowles

The Gist 

Pearl
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Pearl a.k.a Bean isn't the most sociable person in the world.  She has only ever made one friend in her lifetime, Henry, who happens to live across the street.  Pearl, like most teenagers, has troubles with her mom but she especially has troubles with her mom's friend Claire.  The only person in the house that Peal can tolerate is her grandfather Gus.  He is always there for her when she needs someone to talk to or if she needs someone to go fishing with.  That is until one morning Pearl discovers her grandfather has died.  She starts planning the funeral and notices some weird things beginning to happen.  Her mother becomes 100% happier and is practically a ball of sunshine 24/7.  Henry's mom who hasn't left her house for years starts to come out of her shell and hangs out with Pearl's mom and Claire.  Pearl feels like the only normal person left is Henry. As Pearl and Henry start to investigate the weird behavior family secrets are uncovered and Pearl finds she has new feelings for Henry that have never been there before.  


What We Think
Reviewed by The North Star
Number of Pages: 224
We got this book as an ARC a couple of months ago and kept putting it on the top of the list to read and then review but then other things would get in the way and it just remained on the top of the list.  I finally got to read the book on a plane ride and got to take it off our ever growing list.  No offense to the author but, this was one of the worst books I have read in a long time.  The plot on the back of the book had promise with the whole discovering the family secret thing.  The whole time while I was reading I was anticipating this big secret that they were going to uncover at some point during the book.  Just to warn you when you find out what it is and is not worth reading the 150 pages before.  The pacing was really bad because almost nothing happened in the beginning but the author found a way to stretch out the nothing for 175 pages.  Then the last 49 pages were jam-packed with things happening and it was overwhelming.  The book would have been 1000% times better if she just moved a few things around and had the "exciting" things happen sooner.

None of the characters in this book were very strong.  Pearl whined a little too much about her grandfather and her mom.  I know that her mom was cheering because her dad died (which is weird) bit why can't she just be happy for her mom because her mom has been depressed for 16+ years.  Pearl also overacted all the time and it was over the littlest things.  One time they were all watching a movie and her mom and Claire were laughing at a funny part and she ranted about how annoying them laughing was and how they should quiet down.  Henry, was my "favorite" character if I had to pick one.  He never complained and thought logically when they were trying to figure things out, instead of freaking out.  The thing that bothered me about him was that he completely let Pearl push him around all the time and that is not usually a characteristic you find in a guy.  All of the other characters were just there for me and at points in the book I sometimes forget that they were there and that is not a good thing when there is only 6 characters in the entire book.

The cover of this book was just OK when I first saw it but then once we received the book I had a closer look.  If you look closely at the pearl in the middle of the book there are two people snuggling their heads together and it is supposed to resemble Pearl and Henry.  If I had seen this close up in the book store then I would NEVER have bought the book, bad choice on the art directors end.  All in all, this was a really bad book and not worth the $10 you would be spending to buy it at the store.

Real Teen Rating: D- : If you have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to read! 

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Prada and Prejudice- Mandy Hubbard

The Gist

Prada and Prejudice
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Callie Montgomery's school trip to England was supposed to fix everything. Her lack of popularity. Her lack of self-confidence. But why should things overseas be any different from back home? She's just as unpopular and clumsy in England as she was before, except now she's forced to hang out with three of the most popular girls in the school - they're her travel buddies. When Callie realizes that it'll take more than a few not-so-cozy days together to make them friends forever, she decides to do something drastic; she buys a pair of real Prada heels. The other girls are so seriously into fashion that the heels would have to impress them. But, on her way back to the hotel from the Prada store, she trips in her new heels and hits her head on the pavement. When she wakes up she's in another time. Victorian England. 

What We Think

Reviewed by Dream Catcher

Number of Pages: 238

I read this a long time ago as a sort of dare. My friends had bought me three books for my birthday that year. Pride and Prejudice, Pride Prejudice and Zombies, and Prada and Prejudice.  I have yet to read the other two.  But Prada and Prejudice called to me. For whatever reason it did. 

Let me rant a little. First about the plot. So it was okay. Eh. Time travel with Prada shoes. So. Question. If she hadn't gotten those Prada shoes would she have traveled back in time anyway? Did she just need to hit her head? Or were the Prada shoes magic? We will never know. Unless we all go out and buy some Prada shoes, trip five seconds after wearing said shoes, and hit our heads on the pavement. Ta daa. We'll either have a concussion or we'll be back in the Victorian era! Yeah. That's nice. You get the point. There were a few plot holes. It was a little romance-y and very victorian-y. But basically all it was was someone causing mischief in a time where mischief was scandalous. Which was fine. But not the makings of a great novel. I'm not asking for a paradox or anything like that. I mean, that'd  be  nice but they can't all be the best book ever. But at the very least I want something. There wasn't much of a plot here and that makes for a fluff book. You know the kind. The books you read when you don't really want to think. We all need a book like that every once in a while. But they're forgettable. That's what this was.
So let's get this over with; the cover and title. Eew. Scratch that. EEEWWW. They're the worst. I mean,  the cover is some girl's legs and her shiny, new time-travel shoes. With an aqua blue background. Ugh. If I were the publisher I would fire the cover artist. Sorry. The title is only slightly better. But hardly.  Kind of witty, but nothing genius. It's pretty laughable. But that certainly doesn't make it good. At all.
Characters...were actually not that bad. Yay. Callie (turned Rebecca) was a pretty decent character. Not the greatest character I'd ever read about but not the worst. Sometimes clever, sometimes relatable, sometimes interesting. But. You see I overused to word sometimes.  I did that for a reason - she was sometimes a good character. Sometimes. Emily - her medieval best friend - was a sweet character. Didn't have one mean or unpure thought in her head. She was polite and innocent - which honestly makes for a boring character at times. She was just okay. Alex - the Duke of Harksbury and complete jerk - was certainly an interesting character. Tall, dark and handsome, of course. He was the mean one who turned out to be more than that. Cliche, I know, but his character was important and never boring. His mother, the duchess of Harksbury, was just kind of there. I think she was supposed to be hated but I couldn't ever muster up enough enthusiasm to even dislike her. Eh. I think you can sense a pattern. Everything about this book is average. I didn't hate anything but I didn't love anything either.
Finally I'm going to write a few quick words on the writing. Pretty good. There. Done. That's really all that needs to be said. There was nothing remarkable about it but it wasn't bad. I think, as the author writes more, she'll improve on her style. She has potential.
So, if you're in the mood for some fluff book that you won't love and you won't hate, read this. And I'm not trying to be sarcastic. Sometimes you really just need one of those books. I know I do every once in a while. And this book fits the bill.  Not good, not bad, just forgettable. 


Real Teen Rating ~ C+ : Well, I guess it was good...

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Room - Emma Donoghue

* National Bestseller
* A New York Times Book Review Best Book of the Year


The Gist

Room
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Five year old Jack has never been out of Room - the small space he's been enclosed in his entire life. All he knows is what's in Room; a toilet, a rug, a small TV, a potted plant, a trash bin, a stove, a bed with a blanket, a table, and a wardrobe. Jack doesn't know there's such thing as Outside. The pictures, the people, the shows he sees on TV are all fake, and made just for him and his mother. No one else exists. Except for Old Nick - the mysterious man who comes in Room the same time every night.  Whenever Old Nick comes in - unlocks the door and locks it behind him - Jack's mother hides him in the wardrobe and won't let him come out until Old Nick is gone. Despite this, Jack is content in Room. But his mother's not. And she's determined to get them both out.

What We Think

Reviewed by Dream Catcher
Number of Pages: 336
I read this for school summer reading. I was glad to. I'd been meaning to read this book for ages. Ever since all the hullabaloo started about how great it was. And after reading it...eh. I don't particularly understand why everyone was so thrilled with it. Frankly, I found it disturbing that the whole thing was narrated by a five year old. Yeah. Little Jack was telling us the whole thing. Horrifying? Yup. But I'll get more into that later. Let's start the reviewing, shall we?
Let's start with something easy. Like characters. Jack. I don't know exactly how to judge him. He was so little and obnoxious. I didn't like his character at all. He was annoying. All he ever did was whine or yell or ask weird questions. Eh. Maybe that's just because he was a little kid, but it was so annoying to read. His mother wasn't any better, honestly. All SHE ever did was lie to the kid and annoy me. Ugh. Sigh. None of the other characters are all that important. And the ones that WERE sort of important I can't really talk about because that would give things away. So...that's characters for you. Wow. That is probably the shortest paragraph on characters I've ever written. You're all probably cheering.
Plot next. I found the beginning to be extremely slow and boring. Nothing really happened except for Jack watching his beloved Dora on TV and the mom telling "make-believe" stories of the outside world. About half way through the book things started to get a little more interesting, but by that point it was too little, too late for me. I think the author needs to improve on her pacing.
Cover and title are great. Perfect for the book, really. A crayon-written title is ingenious. It really makes the book seem as if it was written by a five year old - cover and all. The title is great, too, mostly because of how foreboding it sounds. Right? Room. It explains exactly what the book's about and it has a nice ring to it. Everything a title could ever need. Hooray.
Lastly I'll mention something about the writing style itself. This was the most impressive part of the book. Emma Donoghue made it sound like a five year old was narrating it. Which is really crazy. Not many people could do that, and of the people that could, even fewer would have the patience to. This is a sign of a good writer, and I have to give her props on that. It made the whole story seem a lot more real (and pretty disturbing. A five year old talking about living in a box. Creepy!) than if it had been written from a different point of view. This aspect of the book is why it's getting a semi-decent grade. It would be much lower if she'd been even a little off on the voice of her narrator.
So, basically, I wouldn't recommend this book. I don't really understand what all the hype is about. I don't get why it won so many awards or got so much attention. For summer reading, it's not the worst book I've ever read. But if I had known what it was going to be like beforehand, I wouldn't have even picked it up at the bookstore. I would have left it on its little pedestal for some unfortunate person to pick up and read. I honestly don't think it was worth the read. Others feel differently. I know the North Star thought it was good. But not me. Too boring, too bland, and too annoying. A waste my precious summer hours, if you ask me. 


Real Teen Rating ~ C - : Read it if you're bored.

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Watched- Sharde Richardson

The Gist

Watched
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Mikayla has never been completely normal and sheunderstands that,a weird Q-tip addiction and a stutter makes it harder and so does seeing those dark auras around people. She just wants to be as normal as possible.Turns out that it is impossible because after a traumatizing incident she is thrown into a world completly new to her. A world that has always been there but that she can't remember because she was adopted when she was thirteen and can't remember anything before then. This whole new world comes at her and she has to learn if she can keep the demons away and how she is going to fit into this new shape-shifter world that she has just learned she belongs to. 

What We Think
Reviewed by ShoreWhisperer
Number of Pages: 345
This book is a very easy read but it deals with more mature topics. There are mature elements in it, but the writing is aimed at more a 9-14 age range. So just keep that in mind. I read this book in a day and it was not bad. It was interesting and  kept me entertained. It was comical and the writing was very unique. I didn't know that someone could have a Q-tip addiction but apparently you can, to tell the truth I found it a little disturbing. Mikayla was very comical, as she is the narrator, I found myself laughing out loud at many parts. Up until Mikayla starts to train, I liked it. Once she started to train I thought that it resembled the Mortal Instrument series profoundly. This is not particularly bad but I want the upcoming books in the series to be a little more unique in developing this world. Now, in any good YA book you need romance, and there is plenty of that. Lucas is the charming boy in this book. The love story in this book is more mysterious and really comes out at the end and it leaves off for the next book to clear up. I will say that that the whole dream sequences she has when she is in Lucas's head were intriguing and I can't wait to see more of that because I really haven't seen anything like that since Twilight and I think that the way this book is approaching it will be more realistic and interesting. This books has many ups and downs.  It's an easy, entertaining book to read in one day and  leaves you wanting more, but it's not extremly unique, at least not in a way that stands out alot. This is definitly not one of the best books I have read but it is not the worst either.


Real Teen Rating~C+ : ...Well I guess it was good...

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Delirium (Delirium #1) - Lauren Oliver

The Gist

Delirium
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Lena Haloway lives in a world where love is a disease. An infection. She lives in a world where love has a cure. On her eighteenth birthday she, like everyone else, will get the Procedure. She will be cured of ever getting the disease. The deadliest of all deadly things. This is something everyone accepts. They believe love should be avoided and are glad for the procedure. Lena never really believed that. Until her mother died for love. Now? She can't wait for her procedure. She counts down the days until she can forget the pain of losing her mother and all the other pains love brings into life. But when her best friend Hana gets a little rebellious, Lena is forced to confront the underground world she never wanted to be a part of; forbidden music, forbidden parties, forbidden conversations. Along with that comes Alex. A boy. A handsome, mysterious, forbidden boy who takes an interest in her. But Lena wants no part of that either. The last thing she would ever want is to contract the deliria. The illegal, dangerous disease she's waited her entire life to be safe from. The delirium. It kills you both when you have it and when you don't.

 What We Think

Reviewed by Dream Catcher

Number of Pages: 441

I'd heard about this book a bit before I read it. You know, the usual thing a blogger tends to hear about a book; it's amazing. Every book has a least one fan that thinks it's absolutely fantastic - no matter how bad the book is. I wasn't sure what to think. Until I heard exactly what the book was about. A world without love. A fascinating concept. So the book immediately went to the top of my to-read list. And I kept hearing good things. So I took a chance and read it. Were all those fans gushing about Delirium right about it? WAS it amazing? YES.
As cheesy as that introduction may have been, it's true.  Starting with characters. Lena: our main character extraordinaire. Magdalena Ella Haloway. Frankly, she was a great main character. She is the exact product of growing up in a society like that. A strict rule-follower and proud of it. But then the deliria changes her. I loved her character completely. Usually main characters kind of get on my nerves. They complain too much, or they make ridiculously idiotic decisions (leading to their untimely downfall which they somehow survive past despite the fact they haven't changed at all), or they're too quick-to-judge, or too clueless. Lena wasn't this way. Lena never annoyed me. She complained, but not extensively. She make some not-too-smart decisions, but they weren't laughably stupid, just the-human-mistake type of decisions you can kind of understand. She was scared, but never TOO scared. I guess you understand my point by now. Everything in moderation. What was great was that the Lauren Oliver used character development. Lena grew throughout the story, and it made her more of a three-dimensional character, which is harder and harder to come by these days. So Lena was great. Alex. Equal part serious, determined, and all-around-likable. As the love-interest, these qualities are extremely important. It seems some authors somehow forget that, while you want love-interests to be "mysterious" (or whatever), you don't want to lose them completely in the thick fog of what's unknown. And there's always the book where you don't understand why the main character's in love with the guy. Nothing's more annoying than that. Obviously, that wasn't a problem in Delirium. I understood why she'd fall for him. He was what she needed and she was what he needed. Viola. The perfect match. I guess that's my roundabout way of saying his character was good, too. Hana. I wasn't sure whether or not I would like her at first. I thought she was going to be the practically-perfect-in-every-way, beautiful best friend character. To be honest, she turned out to be exactly that. But better than I expected. Because along with being practically perfect, she was a great friend to Lena and was always very supportive and unafraid. Loyal to the bitter end. Her bossiness was funny and her charm was, well, charming. Bet you didn't see that coming. She turned out to be an important character in the book, and she was a good one. A lot of the remaining characters were the same. I didn't mention them in the gist because they're really not worth mentioning in any gist. Rachel (Lena's older sister), Aunt Carol (Lena's aunt and guardian), Uncle William (Carol's husband) - all the same. They're all cured, you see. They're supposed to be the same. Bland. Unfeeling. Blank. They were obnoxious. But, of course, they were supposed to be. Along with being annoyed, though, I somehow felt bad for them. They had to live this monotonous life. Kind of sad. So the fact that I felt any sympathy at all shows they were all very well written. Two more people I have yet to mention are Jenny and Grace - Lena's cousins. Jenny was annoying but she was supposed to be. Grace was quiet and innocent. I loved her character, even if she wasn't in much of the book. The final, very important character in Lena's mom. You never actually meet her in the story, but she's described so much you feel like you know her. She was different from the other cured people;  strong and fearless. She was a character this book couldn't do without. So, as you've probably guessed, I thought the characters were fantastic. 
Briefly: Setting. PORTLAND. Loved that it was in Portland. I've been to Portland. Saw a Sea Dogs game a while ago. Anyways, I've been to Portland. It's cool to have gone to where this story takes place. Cool that it's not something as overused as NYC (though I can never resist NYC) but at the same time not some made-up town in the middle of the-author-conveniently-left-that-detail-out. It made the whole story seem more real. Like the government might declare love a disease at any moment. Really made me feel a part of the story.
Okay. First line. Here it is. "It has been sixty-four years since the president and the Consortium identified love as a disease, and forty-three since the scientists perfected a cure." This is a pretty good beginning line, I'd say. Really gets the point of the book across. No beating around the bush. At the same time it's a little detailed. Eh. I won't be nit-picky. It's a perfectly good beginning sentence. Ending line: AWESOME. Seriously. It's great. The perfect way to end the book. On that note, this book isn't really the end...two more books to come. I'm excited. The next one's called Pandemonium. Sounds intense. I cannot wait for it to come out. 
Don't worry. I'm almost done. Title. Delirium is the perfect name for the book. You might be getting tired of me saying how perfect everything in this book is, and I know I never really believe it when reviewers say this and that and everything was just dandy. But this book really was dandy. Read it. You'll see. So anyways, title was great. Cover. I really don't have much to say about it. It wasn't the worst cover ever, but it wasn't the greatest. I know they recently reprinted the book with a new cover (this of a girl staring dramatically at you) but I have the one that's blue with the author's name and the book title revealing the face of a girl. I think it's pretty good. It wouldn't get me to read it, but it certainly wouldn't drive me away. 
Moving on (finally) to writing. It was amazing. Poetic and beautiful. There were tons of similes, but never too many. She always just made everything sound graceful with them. They weren't humdrum, overused similes. They were different and special.  I dunno. Half of what made this book so great was that the writing wasn't boring or dull. It had a sort of sparkle. A Lauren Oliver sparkle, maybe. I don't know. But the writing was fantastic and I wish every book could be written in this style. I feel the need to include my favorite line. It's the type of thing that stays with you. Sticks in your memory. Makes you think. "I love you. Remember. They cannot take it."


Real Teen Rating ~ A+ : Why are you still reading this, go buy this book now!

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Frost - Marianna Baer

The Gist

Frost
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Now that Leena Thomas is a senior she gets to choose where she rooms at her boarding school, and she and her friends choose Frost House: the cozy Victorian house usually reserved for boys.  But she certainly didn't choose head case Celeste Lazar to live there with them.  Celeste is assigned to live with them for the first semester, and there's no way to change that, so they all have to move on.  As the school year starts up, weird things start to happen in Frost House.  Little things, like pictures falling and doors locking.  Celeste blames her roommates, and the other girls all blame Celeste, with Leena trying to act as mediator between the groups to get into Celeste's brother David's good graces.  With all these new scares and changes, Leena doesn't know if she can handle it.  Is she crazy, is her roommate crazy, or is there really something strange about their new life?

What We Think
Reviewed by Living Destiny
Number of Pages: 402
The first thing that comes to mind when I think of this book is: huh?  It was a little confusing.  The beginning was like a cheesy teen book.  All about dorm life at boarding school and the cute new guy and the weird roommate.  Nothing too bizarre, just very giggly and cliche.  The sort of book that makes me want to tear my hair out and then cry for all of humanity.  That sort of thing.  Then it starts to get strange, but it still isn't very spooky.  Slightly out of the ordinary, but not bad.  Then it gets really weird, then it resolves very quickly.  That's not very good pacing if you ask me (which evidently you did, if you're reading this).  The action isn't spread out very well.  Not that it was a bad book.  It wasn't, really.  It just...I don't know.  I didn't not like.  But I didn't really like it either.  It was very meh.  I didn't like the main character, Leena.  She was super stressed about everything, and she had this one character flaw that I hated.  It's kind of a big thing, so I won't give it away, but it made me angry.  It wasn't pointless per se, but I doubt it was necessary for the advancement of the story line.  I didn't like Leena's friends either.  They were so blah I can't even remember their names, but I remember one was really harsh and mean and unforgiving, and one had no backbone and just did what the other one did until the very end.  I liked Celeste and David.  They were both good characters.  Celeste seemed a little too crazy to actually be crazy, which is what she was supposed to be.  She was a strong minded girl who believed in herself, which was nice to see, but it was also interesting to see her slow decline as her mind was twisted and turned.  David was loyal and kind.  He knew what he was doing most of the time.  He got annoying, but then, doesn't everyone?  I do have to say, I really didn't like the ending of this book. At all.  It feels...lame.  Half-hearted.  Almost like the author stopped caring about what happened, so everything that did happen was mediocre and unsatisfying.  I was not pleased.  Bad wrap up to the climax and adventure, bad wrap up to the relationships within the book.  Not.  Pleased.  The first line of the book sounds like it's trying too hard to be spooky.  The whole book is told in past tense, and the first line mentions "before any of this happened".  Guess who wants to sound mysterious?  This book does.  The last line holds a lot more power.  While I didn't like the ending, I did like the very last chapter.  The end of the end, I guess.  It was much more final than the few chapters before it that tried to hold the resolution.  The last line was definitive, and it was well done.  There wasn't anything really wrong with this book, but I can't think of many awesome things to say about it either.  That's really it.
Real Teen Rating~ C+: Well, I guess it was good.

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Starstruck by Cyn Balog - Advanced Copy

The Gist

Starstruck
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Gwendolyn Reilly just got the worst news of her life.  Her boyfriend is coming back from California.  The problem there?  He has gotten incredibly hot since she last saw him three years ago, and she has gotten - well - fat.  Her nickname, Dough, is accurate.  Wish, her boyfriend, has no idea that the girl he left as a best friend and starting dating over email has gained seventy pounds and is ostracized at school for being poor and fat.  It doesn't help Dough that her mom owns a bakery, and she works there.  Who could resist all the baked confections?  Dough's sister Evie can't either, though Evie stays stick-skinny, which isn't fair.  Dough isn't ready for Wish to come back, isn't ready to start junior year, and isn't ready for the new hired help in the bakery, a convict-looking boy named Christian.  But, she starts to learn, nothing is what it appears on the surface.  


What We Think
Reviewed by Living Destiny
Number of Pages: 244
The entire 244 pages of this book, I was thinking one thing.  STOP COMPLAINING!!!  The main character, Dough, is always complaining.  Reading almost turned into the Charlie-Brown-adult-voice in my head.  Whine whine I'm fat whine whine I'm poor whine whine no one likes me whine whine.  Guess who happens to especially hate whiny people?  Me.  I can not tolerate people who complain about their lives (or anything really) but don't do anything to fix it.  Just change it or shut up!  Nope, Dough liked to complain a lot, but really didn't do too much to remedy her weight situation.  She just gradually grew to be not as bothered by it.  But she was still fat at the end.  
The plot of this book was sort of...muddled.  It was almost like there were two different attempts at plot smushed into one book.  It was confusing, and not paced out well.  Most of the action was in the last seventy-ish pages, and the whole beginning was filled with typical teenage fluff.  Boring, typical teenage fluff.  The author tried to make Dough the poor outcast who tries to fit in with the popular crowd, but it didn't work well.  The popular crowd was so stereotypical they came off as flat.  Speaking of characters, I hated very nearly all of them.  Dough was whiny and annoying.  Wish, the boyfriend, was really fake.  I know he was supposed to seem that way, but he was so fake.  If I actually knew a person like that...well it wouldn't be pretty for them.  Evie, the sister, was naive, but also rude, which is a weird combination.  The only character I actually liked was Christian, and I still can't tell if I genuinely liked him or if he was just the only one I didn't totally hate.  He was creepy and sarcastic, but very intelligent.  Huh, maybe I did actually like him.  Yes, ok, so I liked Christian.  But that was literally it.  Everyone else made me cringe a little bit.  
At least the writing was good.  That saved this book from total fail-dom.  Cyn Balog is a witty individual, or at least her writing is witty.  I found myself giggling at some of the lines.  I mean, some of them were trying to be funny and just weren't, but some of them were genuinely funny.  I know I have a funny sense of humor, so I'm thinking that you have to appreciate heavy sarcasm to find this book even the least bit funny, because that's what I laughed at.  But it is funny.  It was boring, confusing, and blah, but it had wit.  Woo-hoo!  Note the sarcasm.  My favorite use of the English language ever, although irony is a close second.  
I have to talk about the first and last lines.  They are the most important part of the book.  The first line sets the tone, and the last line wraps it all up.  Technically, the first line of this book is 'HEY!', but that's in an obnoxiously capitalized email from Wish to Dough that is placed right before the first chapter, so I don't count that.  Which is good because that would be a very strange first line, and I don't think it could be considered strange in a good way.  So the real first line is 'For the first time in four years, I've lost my appetite.'  Way to set the fat girl tone early.  There isn't even some introductory part before pointing out her extra weight.  It's the very beginning.  Open the book and BAM I'M FAT!  Yow.  Already, I don't care.  Not a good first line.  The last line is 'Lacing our fingers together, we race breathlessly toward the school, on the wind, like two crazy people, two kindred spirits, laughing all the way.'  Well, I lost interest after the second comma.  And really, it could have ended at the second comma.  The rest is nice and all, but it's kind of overkill.  Too much description in one sentence.  I guess the story itself wrapped up ok, but it left a couple things hanging, and in a book that plans to stand alone and not be a series, it needs to be totally finished.  I don't want to finish a book and wonder what happens next if I never get to know.  If I wanted to tell myself a story, I would have pulled out my notebook, not your published work of fiction.  
This was the fat girl book.  That's what I called it, because I honestly couldn't remember the name, and it just seemed to fit.  It was about a whiny fat girl.  Surprisingly, I didn't hate it too as much as I thought I might from the first few chapters, but I certainly didn't love it.  It was just sort of there.  At least the cover art is cool looking.

Real Teen Rating~ C-: Read it if you're bored.

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