Darker Still

Book: Darker Still

Author: Leanna Renee Hieber

Genre: YA Romance/SiFi

Rating: A+

Plot Summary:

The picture of Dorian Gray meets Pride and Prejudice, with a dash of Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde. New York City, 1882. Seventeen year old Natalie Stewart's latest obsession is a painting of a handsome British Lord Denbury. Something in his striking blue eyes calls to her. As his incredibly life-like daze seems to follow her, Natalie gets the uneasy feeling that the details in the painting keep changing...

Jonathan Denbury's soul is trapped in the guilded painting by dark magic while his possessed body commits unspeakable crimes in the city slums. He must lure Natalie into the painting, for only together can they reverse the curse and free his damaged soul.

( From Goodreads )

Review:

Yes before you say anything I realize Casey has already reviewed this book but 1. this book was too amazing not to review and 2. I haven't really finished any books since i last posted... but that is besides the point. This book was just entrancing, it was impossible to put down. This book kept you on the edge the whole way through with the Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde element of the plot. Then there is the fact that the heroine, Natalie, is unable to speak so the story is told through a diary she keeps.

Now how do I start to explain Lord Denbury, he is handsome, a gentleman, everything a girl would want in a man. So obviously I fell in love with him alone with Natalie. I have always loved Victorian novels but Leanna's Darker Still is now number one on my list to recommend to people. The characters are believable and I found myself really caring for Natalie. The mystery part of the novel was amazing, I loved how the clues and results unraveled with Denbury's possessed body.

Where YA novels are now all about vampires and werewolves Leanna Renee Hieber brought in something new and exciting. I am a fan of her other novels and this story did not disappoint. The end of this book was not a cliffhanger but it gave enough information for me to really want to read the sequel. Have you read Darker Still yet? If you have leave a comment! And if you have not... well what are you waiting for??

-- Haley <3

p.s. YES. I realize this post is late yet again. I kind of suck at these schedule things.

Book Review: Lola and the Boy Next Door

Book: Lola and the Boy Next Door

Author: Stephanie Perkins

Genre: Contemporary YA Fiction

Rating: A+

Plot:

(taken from Goodreads page)

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion . . . she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit -- more sparkly, more fun, more wild -- the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket -- a gifted inventor -- steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

Review:

My favorite part about this book was that it felt real. The characters were dynamic and were very believable. Lola was a person I would love to be friends with. Cricket was a person that any girl could fall in love with. Lola's two dads were great comic relief and were for sure my favorite characters.

This novel throws you right into the life of a teenage girl living in San Francisco. She is dating an older guy in a band and she thinks her life is perfect the way it is. This is until the Bell twins move back in to the house next door.

Through the whole novel for some odd reason I felt bad for Max. I knew I should not because he was more or less a jerk, but for some reason I still did. The love story was believable and you could feel the connection between the characters.

I love how in this novel Anna and Etienne were not just briefly mentioned but they were main characters coming in and out and actually affecting the story. If you are looking for a cute quick read then Stephanie Perkins' Lola and the Boy next Door is the exact book you need. I read this book in about a day because I just needed to know how it would end.

If I could just have all of Lola's outfits i would be truly happy. I am not a big fan of Contemporary YA but Stephanie Perkins makes me wish all books were like her's. This is a refreshing read and i can not wait until the next companion novel, Isla and the Happily ever after.

- Haley :)

Just a Hello.

So this is a blog made for book reviews. Hello, I'm Casey, I'll be posting book-like THINGS here. Containing book recommendations and possibly giveaways when we get to a certain number of followers, or something. Also, we might be vlogging about said books. Sometimes there might be a lack of blogs, if we have finals or we're away, but on other times there might be more then 1 post a day. It's going to be very laid back, especially at first. Maybe later we'll have a schedule.

And by 'we're,' I mean, there is going to be more then just me. You see, I am boring. But I do like books. And so does my friend Haley who will be joining me in this book blogging and possibly vlogging fun. We shall see how this goes.

Here are some links to find us:

Casey:
www.twitter.com/werewolfluvr119
werewolfluvr119.tumblr.com
youtube.com/user/werewolfluvr119


Haley:
www.twitter.com/shopaholic3100
shopaholic.tumblr.com
youtube.com/user/shopaholic3100

And there is a YouTube channel connected to this, that we aren't sure what we'll do with yet, but here:
www.youtube.com/user/storynotions

And if you go "I wonder if Casey/Haley is on *insert random social media*" Probably. Just search the username.