Mini Review: Fallen (Fallen #1) by Lauren Kate

Fallen (Fallen #1) by Lauren Kate
Details: Hardcover, First, 452 pages
Published: December 8th 2009 by Delacorte Press
Source: I bought it
My Rating: 3/5
Buy It: The Book Depository

Summary: There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce–and goes out of his way to make that very clear–she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.

My Review: Between the beautiful cover and all the great things people were saying about this book I just knew I had to pick it up right away. I read it not long after I bought it and I just have to say that I was very disappointed. Maybe if my expectations weren't so high going into it I would have loved it.
I found the story to be a bit slow at times and I didn't feel that attached to any of the characters. However, I did enjoy it enough that I bought Torment. I haven't been in any hurry to read the second book but I plan on getting to it soon. Hopefully it will be better than Fallen.

Review: Mission (Un)Popular by Anna Humphrey

Mission (Un)Popular by Anna Humphrey

Details: Hardcover, 416 pages
Published: June 14th 2011 by Hyperion Book CH
Source: I got it for review.
My Rating: 3/5
Buy It: Amazon

Summary: Margot Button has a resolution for 7th grade: Be more normal. Easier said than done when you have --no best friend (sent to Catholic school because of your "bad influence")--no new clothes (stepdad had a "moral objection" to his job)--no eyebrows (tweezer mishap)--improvised bangs (see above)--a new nickname ("Hamburglar")--an unpaid afterschool job (babysitting the triplets--five days a week) Well, Rome wasn't built in a day. If Margot could just learn to control her big mouth (and hair), there is hope. The new girl, Em, needs a friend too. Plus she dresses like a rock star, is quick with comebacks, and actually has the guts to stand up to Evil Sarah. Em has an agenda for change at Manning Middle School and wants Margot on her side. Progress! So, okay, Em has a flexible relationship with the truth, and goes too far with her comebacks. And her secret campaign to turn the tables on Sarah's clique may involve bending some laws. But after years of Sarah's bullying, it's hard for Margot to resist Em's call to action. Margot's approval rating is finally up, and well, it's only fair to take the mean girls down a few notches...isn't it?

My Review: Mission (Un)Popular is a really good book. It makes you laugh, it makes you cry and it even has a great message.

Margot goes through a lot throughout this book and comes out a better person for it. She learns a lot about herself, friendship and life in general.

I found this book to be well written and is very believable. As someone who was walked all over by "friends" and was always doing dumb stuff to fit in when I was a kid, I can definitely relate to Margot. I will be reading more by Anna Humphrey in the future.

Review: Jane Austen: A Life Revealed by Catherine Reef

Jane Austen: A Life Revealed by Catherine Reef

Details: Hardcover, 192 pages
Published: April 18th 2011 by Clarion Books
Source: I got it for review.
My Rating: 3/5
Buy It: The Book Depository

Summary: Jane Austen’s popularity never seems to fade. She has hordes of devoted fans, and there have been numerous adaptations of her life and work. But who was Jane Austen? The writer herself has long remained a mystery. And despite the resonance her work continues to have for teens, there has never been a young adult trade biography on Austen.

Catherine Reef changes that with this highly readable account. She takes an intimate peek at Austen’s life and innermost feelings, interweaving her narrative with well-crafted digests of each of Austen’s published novels. The end result is a book that is almost as much fun to read as Jane’s own work—and truly a life revealed. Includes bibliography and index.

My Review: I just re-read this review and I think it is pretty obvious that I have no idea how I feel about this book. I am all over the place. I both liked this book and felt like it didn't do what it was supposed to do, tell me more about Jane Austen.

Jane Austen: A Life Revealed is a short, fast, easy to read biography for young adults. It is packed full of information about Janes' family and her novels. However I feel like I still don't know much about Jane. This book is well researched and well written, although a bit slow at some parts and once in awhile it reminded me a little of something a teen would write for school.

I still can't believe how much I learned about her family in such a short time. I just wish I learned more about Jane. That is why I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars. It was good and I did enjoy it, I just don't feel like it tells you much about Jane herself. You learn about her family, friends and novels, but not Jane.

I wouldn't recommend this book to people who haven't read all of Jane Austens' novels due to spoilers, I do think everyone who has read them all should pick this up. It is a must read for all Jane Austen lovers. Even if it leaves you with more questions then answers.

Review: Cate of the Lost Colony by Lisa Klein

Cate of the Lost Colony by Lisa Klein

Details: Hardcover, 336 pages
Published: October 12th 2010 by Bloomsbury
Source: I got it from a friend
My Rating: 3/5
Buy It: The Book Depository

Summary: Lady Catherine is one of Queen Elizabeth's favorite court maidens—until her forbidden romance with Sir Walter Ralegh is discovered. In a bitter twist of irony, the jealous queen banishes Cate to Ralegh's colony of Roanoke, in the New World. Ralegh pledges to come for Cate, but as the months stretch out, Cate begins to doubt his promise and his love. Instead it is Manteo, a Croatoan Indian, whom the colonists—and Cate—increasingly turn to. Yet just as Cate's longings for England and Ralegh fade and she discovers a new love in Manteo, Ralegh will finally set sail for the New World.

Seamlessly weaving together fact with fiction, Lisa Klein's newest historical drama is an engrossing tale of adventure and forbidden love—kindled by one of the most famous mysteries in American history: the fate of the settlers at Roanoke, who disappeared without a trace forty years before the Pilgrims would set foot in Plymouth.

My Review: Cate was one of Queen Elizabeth's favorite court maidens until she fell for Sir Walter Ralegh and is sent away. She is strong and brave and forced to start a challenging and terrifying life in a new place where she doesn't know if she, or anyone else, will survive.

Cate of the Lost Colony is an incredible and well written story with love and adventure. I was pulled right in from the start.

If you like historical fiction, there is a good chance you will enjoy this book. I will definitely be reading more by Lisa in the future.

Review: Ironside by Holly Black

Ironside (The Modern Faerie Tales #3) by Holly Black

Details: Paperback, 336 pages
Published: August 6th 2007 by Simon & Schuster Childrens Books
Source: I bought it.
My Rating: 3/5
Buy It: The Book Depository

Summary: In the realm of Faerie, the time has come for Roiben's coronation. Uneasy in the midst of the malevolent Unseelie Court, pixie Kaye is sure of only one thing -- her love for Roiben. But when Kaye, drunk on faerie wine, declares herself to Roiben, he sends her on a seemingly impossible quest. Now Kaye can't see or speak to Roiben unless she can find the one thing she knows doesn't exist: a faerie who can tell a lie.

Miserable and convinced she belongs nowhere, Kaye decides to tell her mother the truth -- that she is a changeling left in place of the human daughter stolen long ago. Her mother's shock and horror sends Kaye back to the world of Faerie to find her human counterpart and return her to Ironside. But once back in the faerie courts, Kaye finds herself a pawn in the games of Silarial, queen of the Seelie Court. Silarial wants Roiben's throne, and she will use Kaye, and any means necessary, to get it. In this game of wits and weapons, can a pixie outplay a queen?

Holly Black spins a seductive tale at once achingly real and chillingly enchanted, set in a dangerous world where pleasure mingles with pain and nothing is exactly as it appears.

My Review: Ironside is the third and final book in the Modern Faerie Tales trilogy and it was a pretty good end. Valiant is still my favorite of the three, however I really did like this book.

Ironside was hard to put down. It didn't pull me in as much as Valiant, or even Tithe, but I still wanted to keep reading to find out how it all would end. I have to admit though that I was just a tiny bit disappointed in the ending. It just didn't feel finished.

Holly Black is a fabulous writer. She creates a gripping story filled with friendship and danger. So of course I would definitely recommend this trilogy to everyone. All three books are fast, fun and well written.

Review: The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

The Goddess Test (Goddess Test #1) by Aimee Carter

Details: Paperback, 304 pages
Published: April 19th 2011 by Harlequin Teen
Source: I got it for my birthday.
My Rating: 3/5
Buy It: The Book Depository

Summary: 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, god 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.

My Review: Kates' mom is dying and wants to move back to her childhood home. While there, Kate meets Henry who says he is Hades and will keep her mother alive if she agrees to spend six months with him trying to past seven tests.

How could I not enjoy a book like that? It sounded so good and I hadn't read a book with a twist on Greek myths before. I am definitely happy that I picked The Goddess Test up. It was a fast, easy read that would be perfect for summer. I just wish I had saved it for the beach.

I really liked Henry. I thought he was a great character but I'm not so sure how I feel about Kate. I honestly can't say that I didn't like her but I don't know if I can say that I did. As for the writing, it was a little too easy and fast for me and I think that is the biggest problem I had with this book. I wanted more.

I liked The Goddess Test but I just didn't love it. I still enjoyed it enough that I will be getting the second book, Goddess Interrupted, when it comes out next year.