The Name of the Star

Books: The Name of the Star
Author: Maureen Johnson
Genre: Fantasy, Mystery, Paranormal (YA)
Rating: 5/5
Page Count: 372
Favorite Character: Rory, definitely.

Plot: (From Goodreads)


The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London, it's the start of a new life at a boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper events of more than a century ago.

Review:

So Maureen is possibly one of my favorite people in the world, not just authors. And it's definitely in part because of this amazing sense of humor she has. And it passes over into her books, you can just tell. That is probably one of the main reasons I liked this book so much.

The other, aside from it being about Jack the Ripper, was that it was just so good. Ghosts, Jack the Ripper, it was like this book was made for me. I tried to read this book slower, but it was just so good I devoured it.  And I love the characters in the book. They're developed and they're wonderful and fun. I'm a big character person, I like being able to understand what a character is about.

Some of the humor in this book, as I said before, had me laughing hysterically. However, I'd suggest that you read this book. You should just read it, no matter what.

Book Review: Goliath

Book: Goliath (Leviathan #3)
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Genre: SciFi, Alternate History (YA)
Rating: 5/5
Page Count: 543
Favorite Character: This is difficult, I love all of these characters so much. Probably Deryn, though.

Plot: (From Goodreads)

Alek and Deryn are on the last leg of their round-the-world quest to end World War I, reclaim Alek’s throne as prince of Austria, and finally fall in love. The first two objectives are complicated by the fact that their ship, the Leviathan, continues to detour farther away from the heart of the war (and crown). And the love thing would be a lot easier if Alek knew Deryn was a girl. (She has to pose as a boy in order to serve in the British Air Service.) And if they weren’t technically enemies.

The tension thickens as the Leviathan steams toward New York City with a homicidal lunatic on board: secrets suddenly unravel, characters reappear, and nothing is at it seems in this thunderous conclusion to Scott Westerfeld’s brilliant trilogy.


Review:

This was a perfect conclusion to this series. First off, I just want to compliment the art in this book, I wish more novels were illustrated. Steampunk ones specially. Keith Thompson did an amazing job at it and it adds just that extra element to the story.

If you've never read this series, then you should read it. It's one of my favorites, and possibly my favorite Steampunk. They were among the first Steampunk books I read. So if you haven't read this books then what have you been doing? Go pick up the first one!

Book Review: The Red Pyramid

Book: The Red Pyramid (The Kane Chronicles #1)
Author: Rick Riordan
Genre: Fantasy, Mythology (Middle Grade)
Rating: 5/5
Page Count: 516
Favorite Character: Maybe Bass. Carter and Sadie I love, too.

Plot: (From Goodreads)

Since their mother's death, Carter and Sadie have become near strangers. While Sadie has lived with her grandparents in London, her brother has traveled the world with their father, the brilliant Egyptologist, Dr. Julius Kane.

One night, Dr. Kane brings the siblings together for a "research experiment" at the British Museum, where he hopes to set things right for his family. Instead, he unleashes the Egyptian god Set, who banishes him to oblivion and forces the children to flee for their lives.

Soon, Sadie and Carter discover that the gods of Egypt are waking, and the worst of them —Set— has his sights on the Kanes. To stop him, the siblings embark on a dangerous journey across the globe - a quest that brings them ever closer to the truth about their family and their links to a secret order that has existed since the time of the pharaohs.


Review:

Rick Riordan is one of my favorite writers, became of the Percy Jackson series. Anyway, though, Carter and Sadie are really amazing characters and I loved all the Egyptian mythology that is in this book. I, also, love how it's written. As if he wrote it from tapes that Carter and Sadie recorded and sometimes there are little comments from them, which I love.

I'd suggest this book for, really, anyone. It's entertaining and Carter and Sadie and the rest of the characters are likable, lovable even, and diverse and interesting.  Especially if you have any interest in Egyptian mythology.

Also, something that made me giggle, especially being a fan of Percy Jackson:
Amos's brow furrowed as he looked across at the Empire State Building.
"Manhattan has other problems. Other gods. It's best we stay separate.”

Book Review: Blue Noon

Book: Blue Noon (Midnighters #3)
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Genre: YA
Rating: 4/5
Page Count: 
Favorite character: Still Dess. She's just so nerdy and bad-ass.

Plot: (From Goodreads)


The darklings will hunt once again.

The secret hour when time freezes arrives every night at midnight in Bixby, Oklahoma. It's a dangerous time, when five teenagers are the only humans awake and dark creatures crawl out of the shadows, but at least the midnight hour is regular and predictable.

Until suddenly, the blue time comes . . . in the middle of the day.

The noise of school stops. Cheerleaders are frozen in midair, teachers brought to a standstill. Everything is the haunted blue color of the midnight hour.

The Midnighters can't understand what's happening, but as they scramble for answers, they discover that the walls between the secret hour and real time are crumbling. Soon the dark creatures will have a chance to feed after centuries of waiting, unless these five teenagers can find a way to stop them.

A desperate race against time, a mind-blowing mystery of paranormal logic, a tale of ancient evil and spine-chilling sacrifice: blue noon is the exhilarating third volume in the Midnighters series by acclaimed author Scott Westerfeld.


Review:

First of all, there are possible spoilers for the first two books in this review, I try to avoid them, sometimes it's impossible, though. So if you haven't read the first two, maybe you shouldn't read this review.

I really enjoyed this book. I think it was a really good ending to this series, I really enjoyed it. I mean, I had some problems with it, but I've resigned myself to just accepting it. As I'm sure you saw, Dess remains my favorite character. I did like that Jessica's younger sister, Beth, played a bigger part in this.

The whole series, overall, I really enjoyed. The characters are real, not all lovable. I'd definitely suggest this series, it's not perfect, but it is really good. And Scott Westerfeld's writing is really good.

Book Review: The Power of Six

Book: The Power of Six
Author: Pitacus Lore
Genre: SciFi/Fantasy (YA)
Rating: 3/5
Page count: 406
Favorite character: I really couldn't pick one. Maybe Sam. But probably Marina

Plot: (From Goodreads)

I've seen him on the news. Followed the stories about what happened in Ohio. John Smith, out there, on the run. To the world, he's a mystery. But to me . . . he's one of us.

Nine of us came here, but sometimes I wonder if time has changed us—if we all still believe in our mission. How can I know? There are six of us left. We're hiding, blending in, avoiding contact with one another . . . but our Legacies are developing, and soon we'll be equipped to fight. Is John Number Four, and is his appearance the sign I've been waiting for? And what about Number Five and Six? Could one of them be the raven-haired girl with the stormy eyes from my dreams? The girl with powers that are beyond anything I could ever imagine? The girl who may be strong enough to bring the six of us together?

They caught Number One in Malaysia.
Number Two in England.
And Number Three in Kenya.
They tried to catch Number Four in Ohio—and failed.

I am Number Seven. One of six still alive.

And I'm ready to fight.


Review:

I loved the plot, but the reason the rating is so low on this book is because I felt like all of the characters just were off, they weren't acting like themselves. And I feel like that was to fulfill the plot requirements.

The reason that the rating isn't lower is because I did enjoy the book, still, even if I felt like the characters had all had a personality change on me.I, obviously, didn't outright hate this book, I just didn't enjoy it as much as the first. I still really enjoy Pittacus Lore's writing style just because it's so weird, there's no other way to describe it.  If you enjoyed I Am Number Four, I'd suggest giving this one a shot.

I think the main reason, besides the plot, that I liked this book enough that I gave  it 3/5 stars is the new character that's introduce, Marina. She's number seven and I really enjoyed reading about her story. She's such an interesting character and I really don't have anything bad to say about the parts of the book with her in it, she might be the reason I read the next one. And just to figure out how it ends. (Also, I hate the thought of leaving a series unfinished)

Did you like this one more then I did if you've read it? What're your thoughts on it?

Book Review: Touching Darkness

Book: Touching Darkness (Midnighters #2)
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Genre: YA
Rating: 4/5
Page count: 439
Favorite Character: Still Dess.

Plot: (From Goodreads)
The Midnighters are unprepared for a new threat that stalks them in the daylight. This time, Jessica Day is not the only Midnighter in danger in this second volume of Westerfeld's mesmerizing trilogy.

Review:

There are possible spoilers her for the first book so if you haven't read that one, you might not want to read this. I didn't love this book as much as the first one, if you asked me why I couldn't tell you exactly why. I did really like it and it made me love and respect Dess even more.

This book is a little darker then the first but just as intriguing to read. The relationships of the characters were so intricate and I think that the reason I still really liked this book is because of the characters and being able to look further into each other their "special powers" that they possess.

If you're still wondering about this series and if you should read it, I'd say give it a shot!

Entwined by Heather Dixon

Book: Entwined

Author: Heather Dixon

Genre: Fantasy YA

Rating: A

Plot:

Azalea and her eleven sisters are mourning the loss of their mother but all they want to do is dance. Every night, the sisters step through a secret enchanted passage to dance in The Keeper's garden. The Keeper is trapped within this secret passage, and he wants to get out. And as his name suggests he likes to keep things that do not belong to him.

SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS

Review:

This story is a retelling of the old fairy tale called, "The Twelve dancing princesses" but with a few new twists. This book captivates you from the start when you are introduced to all the princesses. Each princess has such a distinct character trait that you can tell who is who by just the conversation or description.

This story also has an amazing back story that could take up a whole book itself and I do not think anyone would mind learning more about how the magic got into the castle. The setting of the story is also very believable and you get to know the layout of the castle and the gardens very quickly.

This book is quite large ( around 500 pages ) but I never felt like there were boring parts, there was always something going on or you were introduced to a new important sub-plot. I was engaged through the whole book and I did not want to put it down.

When i read the passages where they were dancing in the secret passage I always got goosebumps because I knew eventually The Keeper would tell them that they must pay him back. When he danced with Azalea I could feel the tension between them. Keeper was written perfectly because it gave the book that little bit of suspense that it needed. He he was my favorite character without a doubt because he has such a creepy vibe to him and you just wanted to know more as the story went on.

The biggest message brought across in this book is that family is important. There was romance, yes, but family was what tied everything together in the end. If the sisters did not have each other then they would not have made it through. Also the King at the end pulled through and showed the princesses that yes, he really did love them and that he would risk his life for them. This was really touching to me because he was so cold to them after their mother passed.

I would for sure recommend this book to anyone who loves fairy tales and retellings because it kept the perfect amount of the original story but also had the twists and turns in the plot that really made it amazing.

-- Haley <3

Full Dark, No Stars

Book: Full Dark, No Stars
Author: Stephen King
Genre: Horror
Rating: 5/5
Page count: 386 (Paperback)
Favorite character: Out of all four, it might of been Darcy. Or Harry.

Plot: (From Goodreads)

A new collection of four never-before-published stories from Stephen King.

1922
The story opens with the confession of Wilfred James to the murder of his wife, Arlette, following their move to Hemingford, Nebraska onto land willed to Arlette by her father.

Big Driver
Mystery writer, Tess, has been supplementing her writing income for years by doing speaking engagements with no problems. But following a last-minute invitation to a book club 60 miles away, she takes a shortcut home with dire consequences.

Fair Extension
Harry Streeter, who is suffering from cancer, decides to make a deal with the devil but, as always, there is a price to pay.

A Good Marriage
Darcy Anderson learns more about her husband of over twenty years than she would have liked to know when she stumbles literally upon a box under a worktable in their garage.

Review(s):

1922 was quite, well, gross. It was a really good story, but it really reminded me of Dolores Claiborne, another of his books. I loved that book, but, for some reason, I found myself thinking about that one a lot while reading this one even though they don't really have that much in common.

Big Driver was well written and creepy as hell, but in a good way. It was such a weird book to read and she didn't react in some ways how I thought she would. Tess is a very, very strong women and it shows through her actions in this novella.

Fair Extension was very good. I love it. Deals with various evil creatures are always, not quite fun, interesting to read about. It's always interesting to see how they must pay. This book was really good, it was, if I ordered them, my second favorite out of the four.

A Good Marriage. It was good. It was even great. I liked the way it happened, and that the wife is the last to know. Isn't she always, though? It was an interesting plot, I was intrigued to figure out what was going on. Darcy is a very strong character and I don't know how she keeps it together for so long. This is definitely my favorite novella in this collection.

This collection, as a whole, is definitely not for the faint hearted, but if you're not that and like horror or Stephen Kings book, then I'd suggest picking this one up.