Slide by Jill Hathaway

SLIDE:
Published: March 27, 2012
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Format: Hardcover
Page Count: 250 pages
Source: Amazon.com
Series: Slide, #1

Vee Bell is certain of one irrefutable truth—her sister’s friend Sophie didn’t kill herself. She was murdered. 

Vee knows this because she was there. Everyone believes Vee is narcoleptic, but she doesn’t actually fall asleep during these episodes: When she passes out, she slides into somebody else’s mind and experiences the world through that person’s eyes. She’s slid into her sister as she cheated on a math test, into a teacher sneaking a drink before class. She learned the worst about a supposed “friend” when she slid into her during a school dance. But nothing could have prepared Vee for what happens one October night when she slides into the mind of someone holding a bloody knife, standing over Sophie’s slashed body. 

Vee desperately wishes she could share her secret, but who would believe her? It sounds so crazy that she can’t bring herself to tell her best friend, Rollins, let alone the police. Even if she could confide in Rollins, he has been acting off lately, more distant, especially now that she’s been spending more time with Zane. 

Enmeshed in a terrifying web of secrets, lies, and danger and with no one to turn to, Vee must find a way to unmask the killer before he or she strikes again.

SLIDE is a creepy and enthralling debut that is one of the most suspenseful novels I’ve read this year!

The whole story idea of SLIDE is just so elegant, freaky and scary. I would hate to see the world through other people’s eyes, especially if those people are people who have done horrible things. Jill Hathaway has crafted together a strong and potential protagonist that I absolutely loved reading about.

I must talk about the suspense in SLIDE. I was literally on the edge of my seat, wondering who the killer was. Jill Hathaway has made these side characters seem nice and sweet on the surface, but hints and clues that they could be fatal and vicious inside. I have never seen an author do that to me before, so props to Jill Hathaway!

The writing style was fantastic. Perfectly paced, with very little slow parts thrown into the book where they were needed. I’m not going to lie; I was skeptical going into this book. I had heard some mixed reviews of SLIDE, but in the end, I really enjoyed it! Jill Hathaway’s writing style sucked me into the story and held me prisoner inside the pages until I finished the book. And I read SLIDE in one day. One. Day. 

The only problem I had with SLIDE is the annoying side characters. Amber? Hated her. Mattie? Hated her. Scotch? I wanted to throw him off of a bridge! But still, there were more characters that I loved than didn't, and I want to thank Jill Hathaway for crafting together a wonderful and awesome novel.

Overall, SLIDE was an excellent debut from a very promising author. Can’t wait for book two! 

MY RATING:

Gone by Michael Grant

GONE:
Published: June 24, 2008
Publisher: Harper Teen
Format: Hardcover
Page Count: 558 pages
Source: Amazon.com
Series: Gone, #1


In the blink of an eye. Everyone disappears. GONE.

Except for the young. Teens. Middle schoolers. Toddlers. But not one single adult. No teachers, no cops, no doctors, no parents. Just as suddenly, there are no phones, no internet, no television. No way to get help. And no way to figure out what's happened.

Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents—unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers—that grow stronger by the day.

It's a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen, a fight is shaping up. Townies against rich kids. Bullies against the weak. Powerful against powerless. And time is running out: On your birthday, you disappear just like everyone else...

This is the way the world ends.

GONE is a gripping and enticing novel that brought me into the story head first, shook me around, and left me hanging on one of the biggest cliffhangers I have ever read.

Michael Grant is a utter genius. I read BZRK by him in early March and loved it. His writing style is a captivating writing style that makes me crave reading it. His creative story ideas contain action and suspense, and GONE is one of the most original books I’ve ever read. Brilliance is what this book is.

The characters are so realistic. Sam is one of those characters that you’re excited to root for. You cheer him on while he goes throughout this crazy life inside the dome of the FAYZ. And Caine is so wicked and despicable, you want to throw him off a cliff. Yeah. It’s that bad.

And let’s just talk about the FAYZ for a moment. Craziness and darkness lurk inside this enormous dome. The bullies rule and all the kids of Perdido Beach are always in a constant state of fear. Grant can describe any scene perfectly and always makes me want to know what will happen next. 

And the suspension in this story is just pure awesomeness. I would cringe anytime something happened to one of our beloved characters, and Michael Grant always kept me on the edge of my seat. But I felt that the ending of GONE was really cliche. Ever since page 300, they had been planning this huge thing, and then they just drop it like it's nothing in the end. That was the part that made me super upset about GONE.

Overall, GONE is action-packed with a master novelist telling the story. I highly recommend you go pick this up!

MY RATING:

Take a Bow by Elizabeth Eulberg

TAKE A BOW:
Published: April 1, 2012
Publisher: Point
Format: ARC
Page Count: 278 pages
Source: Publisher

Chasing love. Chasing fame. Chasing a future.

Emme, Sophie, Ethan, and Carter are seniors at a performing arts school, getting ready for their Senior Showcase recital, where the pressure is on to appeal to colleges, dance academies, and professionals in show business. For Sophie, a singer, it's been great to be friends with Emme, who composes songs for her, and to date Carter, soap opera heartthrob who gets plenty of press coverage. Emme and Ethan have been in a band together through all four years of school, but wonder if they could be more than just friends and bandmates. Carter has been acting since he was a baby, and isn't sure how to admit that he'd rather paint than perform. The Senior Showcase is going to make or break each of the four, in a funny, touching, spectacular finale that only Elizabeth Eulberg could perform.

I received a review copy of this book for an honest review from Scholastic Point. Thank you so much!

TAKE A BOW is a thrilling and all-around great novel that focuses on music, fame, and staying true to yourself.

Elizabeth Eulberg has a writing style that I have never seen before. She drew my attention in just from the prologue, and she made her writing style such a breeze that I stayed up until three in the morning to find out what would happen to our characters.

Speaking of characters, I want to mention the characters. TAKE A BOW focuses on four main characters (and switches to each character’s POV) -- Sophie, Ethan, Carter and Emme. Each have a dream and goal to become famous for different reasons. Eulberg thought out and put effort into making her characters life-like, and she definitely succeeded. Each character will make you laugh, make you feel sorrow, make you want to throw the book down, and make you want to pick it back up. It’s incredible what Elizabeth Eulberg can make a book do to your mind.

And I have to mention the thing that was my absolute favorite part of the book -- the music. Music is involved throughout the entire novel, whether its playing a guitar, writing out song lyrics, or even the music A Little Night Music. I’m a huge lover of music and musicals, so when Eulberg introduced both of the elemental qualities in the book, I literally wanted to dance around the room while hugging the book. Again, Elizabeth Eulberg is a mastermind when it comes to writing style and characters.

If you’re a fan of Glee or any type of musicals, TAKE A BOW is a must read. Eulberg captivated me into this world and didn’t let me go until the very last word! 

Overall, TAKE A BOW is fascinating and wonderful story with great plot-lines of how everybody is famous in their own way. You really need to go pick up TAKE A BOW!

MY RATING:

Isle of Night by Veronica Wolff

ISLE OF NIGHT:
Published: September 6, 2011
Publisher: NAL Trade
Format: Paperback
Page Count: 302 pages
Source: Amazon.com
Series: The Watchers, #1

Is life offering fewer and fewer options? Then join the dead. 

When Annelise meets dark and seductive Ronan, he promises her a new life-if she has the courage to chance the unknown. Now, she's whisked away to a mysterious island and pitted against other female recruits to become a Watcher-girls who are partnered with vampires and assist them in their missions. To survive and become a Watcher, Annelise has to beat out every other girl, but she's determined to do so, because to fail doesn't mean dishonor-it means death.

While ISLE OF NIGHT did have its moments, some parts honestly fell flat for me.

I have heard so much buzz about this book. So much, that it was being called a mixture of THE HUNGER GAMES and VAMPIRE ACADEMY. I knew I had to read this book right away. Some parts were epic and adventurous, but others didn't satisfy me.

I, like, loved Annelise. She's so strong, and with everything that she's been through, she always looks forward and is expecting the best of what the future holds. Veronica Wolff definitely made Annelise shine in this book. She has also crafted together other marvelous and wicked characters that made me want to read the book all night long.

Two words: Boarding. School. That's the key point that hooked me into the story. Anything that takes place in a boarding school, you can bet that I'll be reading it. Wolff made this boarding schools so visualize, that I would sometimes cringe when it would be brought up. Because lots of crazy stuff is happening inside this particular academy. Dark and twisted stuff.

But then those epic plot twists just magically faded sometimes. One chapter, I would be so into the story, that I never wanted to put it down. And then the next four would be lame and boring. Maybe ISLE OF NIGHT had too much action that made me expect all of that action to happen in every single chapter.

Overall, ISLE OF NIGHT is a good read with high climatic plot points, but also includes boring and eye-rolling scenes.

My Rating:

In My Mailbox (11)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren!

Here's what I got in my mailbox this week:

Leave the link to your IMM in the comments!

Happy Reading! 

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

THE GODDESS TEST:
Published: April 19, 2011
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Format: Paperback
Page Count: 293 pages
Series: The Goddess Test, #1

It's always been just Kate and her mom—and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall.Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, ruler of the Underworld—and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.Kate is sure he's crazy—until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess.

THE GODDESS TEST is a great re-telling of the Peresphone myth, but unfortunately, lacks in action.

Aimee Carter has an electric writing style. It sucked me into the story, which made me devour this book in about two days. She really captures the feelings of each chapter, especially Henry. Also, she has crafted together an original spin on a Greek myth that totally worked out and was successful in the end.

Kate was a great character. She really cared for her mom and would do anything to keep her alive (obviously, she did something huge just to do that). She had a back story, and it wasn't insta-love with her feelings for Henry. There were other great characters in THE GODD∑SS T∑ST, such as Ava, Henry (who really stole the show for me), Kate's mother Diana, among many more.

The only flaw in THE GODDESS TEST is that there is almost no action in the book. With a character-driven book, it takes awhile for me to get into the story until I fully understand the characters and their motives. Once you get about 70 pages into THE GODDESS TEST, it gets suspenseful and just awesome. Let's give a round of applause to Aimee Carter for making a great novel!

My Rating:

Return to Finkleton by KC Hilton

RETURN TO FINKLETON:
Published: February 23, 2012
Publisher: Createspace
Format: Paperback
Page Count: 210 pages
Source: Author
Series: Finkleton, #2

When the Finkle children discovered magical secrets in Uncle Harry’s shop, they vowed to keep them safe. Two years later Jack, Lizzy and Robert realized that the perfect weather wasn’t the only secret waiting to be discovered in the mysterious shop. Things aren’t always what they seem to be! 

There were people who would stop at nothing to acquire land in Finkleton. Of course, there were also those determined to protect the little village from greedy outsiders. Will selfish desires destroy the village of Finkleton? 

It was only a matter of time before those who cared about Finkleton and those who cared only for themselves would come into conflict. The result of this outcome would likewise depend on a matter of time. 

Once again Jack, Lizzy and Robert must learn to work together to protect the magical secrets of Finkleton. 

Come along to Finkleton. A new, magical adventure is about to begin! 

RETURN TO FINKLETON is magical, whimsical, and a fun journey into the marvelous land of Finkleton!

Let me say this: I love middle grade novels. Sure, I’m 14, but middle grade novels had that little spark that can take you into a magical place that, almost always, does not focus on romance. K.C. Hilton’s latest novel is one of the best middle grade novels I’ve ever read.

Two words: The. Imagination. This world that Hilton has created is fun, magical, but also haunting. This vivid and bright place has the one of the best storytellers telling the book. Every little detail of the book played out perfectly clear inside my head, and I didn’t want to set the book down.

K.C. Hilton also has the magnetic writing style that entices the reader into the story and doesn’t let them leave the world of Finkleton until the very last page. This fun experience had me actually dreaming about what would happen next to our beloved characters.

Overall, RETURN TO FINKLETON is a wondrous and great middle grade novel that I highly recommend you go read!  


My Rating: