Sneak Peek: Easy by Tammara Webber

I recently saw the Goodreads  page for the book Easy by Tammara Webber. Never heard of it? Well, here's the synopsis from Goodreads:

When Jacqueline follows her longtime boyfriend to the college of his choice, the last thing she expects is a breakup. After two weeks in shock, she wakes up to her new reality: she's single, attending a state university instead of a music conservatory, ignored by her former circle of friends, stalked by her ex's frat brother, and failing a class for the first time in her life. 

Her econ professor gives her an email address for Landon, the class tutor, who shows her that she's still the same intelligent girl she's always been. As Jacqueline becomes interested in more from her tutor than a better grade, his teasing responses make the feeling seem mutual. There's just one problem - their only interactions are through email. 

Meanwhile, a guy in her econ class proves his worth the first night she meets him. Nothing like her popular ex or her brainy tutor, Lucas sits on the back row, sketching in a notebook and starting at her. At a downtown club, he disappears after several dances that leave her on fire. When he asks if he can sketch her, alone in her bedroom, she agrees - hoping for more. 

Then Jacqueline discovers a withheld connection between her supportive tutor and her seductive classmate, her ex comes back into the picture, and her stalker escalates his attention by spreading rumors that they've hooked up. Suddenly appearances are everything, and knowing who to trust is anything but easy. 

So, after that long synopsis, I think this sounds like a great book to read!

One problematic part? It's only an eBook. But if you have a Kindle, it's just a few clicks away on Amazon!

And, if you go to it's page on Amazon.com you can get the beginning of this book for free to test try it out! I've already downloaded the free version on my computer Kindle app and am eagerly waiting to start reading it to see if it's any good! 

I wanted to share this with you in case you would be interested in this type of novel. If I decide to get the whole novel on my Kindle, I will do a review on it as well :)

White Cat by Holly Black

This is the first novel in The Curse Workers series by Holly Black.

Cassel is the youngest brother in a very well-known Curse Worker family. Unfortunately, Cassel doesn't have his own curse.

With just the touch of their hand/finger, any curse worker can make the person they touch do whatever their ability is: change their emotion, break bones, make them become lucky, etc.

The magic of the curse worker is illegal, making all curse workers turn to con artist events or go to the mob to work.

Cassel, as not having any powers, has still lead a life of a con artist. At his prep school he is a bookie, taking bets of silly random events that students want to bet against. Cassel can also con his way out of anything - he knows the tricks to lie very easily and to stay undetected when needed.

But when Cassel sleepwalks and is forced to leave the school until a doctor says his sleepwalking is under control, Cassel is forced home to live with his older brother, Phillip. Soon, his other brother Barron comes home but things seem very weird between the two of them.

Around the same time as his sleepwalking started, Cassel also had a dream about a white cat who needed his help with a curse. That didn't make any sense, though, since Cassel doesn't have curse worker magic.

When the cat comes to Cassel in real life, though, Cassel knows there is something going on - something bad. And there is also a very big secret that involves the white cat, his brothers, and an old friend named Lila.

Hopefully Cassel's con abilities will get him out of this problem.

My Thoughts/Reflections
I love Holly Black. I've read all of her books and have enjoyed them, and this book is no different.

I will admit, it did take me awhile to get into this story. I put it down a couple of times but I didn't give up because a lot of my friends really enjoyed it.

And in the end, I'm very glad that I kept with it! The world that Holly Black created is somewhat hard to grasp at first, but once everything clicks, the story goes really fast and the reader is racing through the ending along with Cassel.

I think this book could interested anyone - especially because it is a male narrator so it might draw attention to guy readers as well.

There is a lot going on in this novel but the main theme is magic and crime. The curse workers are forced into crime because they are not trusted by normal/non-curse workers and they need to make money to live.

Now that I've gotten a handle on the atmosphere and the "rules" of this book, I'm very excited to read the second book in this series!

The List by Siobhan Vivian

The List Results

Ugliest:
Danielle Demarco - Freshman
Candace Kincad - Sophomore
Sarah Singer - Junior
Jennifer Briggis - Senior

Prettiest:
Abby Warner - Freshman
Lauren Finn - Sophomore
Bridget Honeycutt - Junior
Margo Gable - Senior

It happens every year, on the first Monday of September. At Mount Washington High, the lives of 8 girls will change for the rest of the school year, giving them a label that the school will not forget.

For each girl, different things will happen to them over the next 7 days. Events will unfold because of what the list said about them, and the true colors of each girl will come out.

The whole school has an opinion of who is the "prettiest" or "ugliest" of the class, but the week before homecoming, the 8 girls will look into their own self, figuring out who they really are.

In the end, every girl will face their greatest fears and will be forced to redeem themselves not only to their classmates but to their own beliefs.

Will the girls follow their "label"? Read The List by Siobhan Vivian to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I feel as if my synopsis does not capture the essence of this great novel. I didn't want to split it up with each girl because that might give it away, but it feels very bland and not too in-depth...

I really enjoyed this novel. At first, it was very difficult to keep track which girl was who (which is why, in my nerdiness, I made a list to refer back to!) but after awhile I remembered which girl was which grade and which label on the list.

Getting to know each of the 8 girls was great because the reader could see who they really were without having their label attached to their name.

It was also nice because the reader saw one girl as a swimmer, another as recently-homeschooled, one girl having issues with her looks and another who is haunted by her past. There are stories behind this horrible list that comes out each year.

And the ending for each girl is what the reader might least expect, but I feel it was the ending each girl needed based on their actions after the list came out.

While reading this, I was thankful that I never had to worry about the first Monday in September at my high school. High school is tough enough without having a list of Uglies and Pretties at school!

Siobhan Vivian is a great writer. I've read most of her books and have really enjoyed them so I would definitely recommend this book to any female reader, teen or adult. This novel hits a lot of subjects and different cliques that I think any female could relate to throughout her life.

A great novel! I really enjoyed it and it's a stand-alone (I think anyway) so no waiting for the sequel!

Jessica Rules the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

This is the second novel in the Jessica series by Beth Fantaskey. 

Click here: Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side to read my review of the first novel.

There will be spoilers to the ending of the first novel, just to forewarn you before you go any further!

Now that Jessica has turned into a vampire and her and Lucius have gotten married, Jessica finds herself as the new vampire princess in Romania.

At first, she was unsure what to do. What does a newly graduated high schooler from America know anything about running a government?

Things get even worse when Lucius defends Jessica during an Elder's meeting, and the man he threatened was found dead the next morning - with his blood on Lucius's stake!

Jessica found herself ruling the vampire world on her own, without Lucius after that. Thank goodness his cousin, Raniero, was helping her at the request of Lucius before he was taken in confinement.

Along with Raniero, Jessica also had help from her best friend from America, Mindy. She and Raniero had a fling for awhile before finally breaking it off, but Mindy was in Romania to be with Jess and figure out her life.

The longer Lucius was in a cell, he was growing very weak. He was not allowed to get blood, which after a few days would put any vampire into a coma - only worse.

With little time to find the real killer, Jessica must start acting like a ruler - a queen - rather than a scared high school graduate.

Will Jessica, Mindy, and Raniero be able to find the right murderer and save Lucius before he loses his mind? Or will Jessica be without a husband and find herself ruling the vampire world alone? Read Jessica Rules the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
When I first picked this book up, I was a little hesitant. I really liked the way the first novel ended and was unsure where Fantaskey would go with this novel.

I'm glad I only hesitated for a few minutes! This is very different than the first novel. Now that Jessica has claimed her vampire heritage, she needs to start acting like it.

Only it's a little difficult for her to do that. How can one change from a high school graduate to a ruler of a species?

Well, when her husband is convicted of a crime he didn't do, that's how. Seeing Jessica transform completely was incredible. I was so proud of her and was definitely cheering for her the whole book.

This was told throughout 4 viewpoints: Jessica (Antanasia), Mindy, and, though letters to one another, Lucius and Raniero.

I was very irritated with Mindy as a narrator, because she uses the word "like" and "totally" far too often that I wanted to pull my hair out, but it was nice to get a different perspective of the vampire world through a human's viewpoint.

I was very pleased with this second novel, and I think fans of the first novel will enjoy it as well. We get to learn more about what happens after Jessica and Lucius get together and see Jessica because the leader that she was truly meant to be.

For anyone who wants a paranormal/supernatural story about vampires in a new twist, I would definitely recommend these books.

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

This is the first novel in the Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi.

It has been 264 days since Juliette has seen or talked to another person.

For 3 years, she has been taken to doctors, psychiatrists, legal offices, and, finally, in an asylum where she has been isolated from humans.

All because of an accident that Juliette didn't mean to do.

Every since she was a baby, Juliette has lived with her curse. She cannot touch another human being. If she does, she will kill them - with just one touch.

Juliette stayed far away from everyone, but when she was 14, she tried to help a little boy up. When she did that, though, she felt power and energy rush through her, making her stronger while she was accidentally killing the little boy.

So she was punished, taken to doctors to find out what was wrong with her. When no one could find any answers, they did the next best thing - lock her away from other people.

It was a surprise, then, when she got a roommate. And even more surprising? Finding out that her roommate was a boy, a boy she went to school with.

The Reestablishment has been trying to fix the ecosystem after everything had started to wither and die. Birds don't fly anymore, plants aren't growing, animals are sparse and hard to come by.

So when Juliette and her new roommate, Adam, were forced from their cell in the asylum into the real world, it wasn't very picturesque. However, to Juliette, it was Heaven. She hadn't had fresh air or felt sunlight on her skin in 264 days.

It wasn't so ideal, though, when she was in the company of the Reestablishment's leader, Warner. He wanted Juliette to use her power in his army, being a torturer by just touching the army's victim.

Juliette wanted no part of it. She fought off Warner at every corner, while she started to grow closer to Adam.

When Adam and Juliette decide they want to run away from the army and Warner, they come into trouble. Will both be able to escape and stay hidden from Warner, or will they get caught and make Juliette be a part of his torturous plan? Read Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Wow. I loved this book. If you are a fan of X-Men, this is a book I think you will enjoy. In fact, Juliette really reminds me of Rogue in the first and second movie, and she's my favorite X-Men character :)

Juliette is one tough cookie. She was traumatized as a little girl, never wanting to hurt another person but wanting to be a normal person who her parents could love and hold.

She missed a humans touch, not only through skin but also touching another person's heart. With her "disease" everyone called her nasty names and tried to hurt her, so she never had a friend.

Except Adam. She never talked to Adam while they were in school from 3rd to 9th grade, but he sat closer to her than any other student, he stood up for her when the other students called her names, and he looked at her like a real person, not with evilness like everyone else.

So it was shocking when the one person Juliette would have called a friend just happened to be a new roommate at the asylum.

The world that Tahereh Mafi created was very realistic, with just enough description to describe the setting of the book but not enough to bore young adult readers. It was also helpful that Juliette was so attuned to the outside world, describing all of the things that she had missed throughout those 3 years of isolation.

Mafi's writing was a little unique, and I've read some reviewers who didn't like it.

I found it refreshing, if somewhat odd, where Juliette's thoughts were written in numbers and were repetitive. But I think it was very realistic as Juliette hadn't talked to anyone in almost a year and she remembered events through numbers.

This was an amazing novel. I already want to reread it to experience it again and I cannot wait for Mafi to continue this series to see what will happen next with Juliette, Adam and Warner. Unfortunately, I have to wait until February 2013 to read the second novel :/

I would definitely recommend this book, especially to teen girls as there is a strong, leading female who sticks to her beliefs and is has a very kind, generous heart toward everyone.

Dark Eden by Patrick Carman

This is the first novel in the Dark Eden series by Patrick Carman. 

15-year-old Will Besting has an uncontrollable fear that his doctor, Dr. Stevens, could not cure in over 2 years. To try and help Will, Dr. Stevens sends Will and 6 other teenagers (all of which are 15) to Fort Eden and a doctor named Rainsford.

When the group of teenagers start walking to Fort Eden, though, Will gets a terrible feeling about the place and decides to stay on his own.

After finding shelter in a different building, Will uncovers a bomb shelter which holds monitor screens recording certain rooms where the other 6 teenagers reside.

Will is not the only one with an unexplained fear. Each of the teenagers (Connor, Kate, Avery, Marisa, Alex, and Ben) have their own fears that they are going to try to be cured from.

Ben was the first to get cured, and Will watched the whole procedure. After watching each teenager get cured, Will decided that he didn't want to get cured - he wanted to get out of Fort Eden as quickly as possible.

Before Will could do that, though, Marisa went to get cured. Will wanted to stop her because he developed a crush on her, but he was too late.

Just when Will was going to leave, he found himself in his own room to become cured. Rainsford had to make special circumstances with Will because of his unique fear.

The thing about being cured, though? None of the patients could remember what had happened. They just knew that they were cured and didn't question it.

Except Will. He remembered everything. And when he was presented by more disturbing information, Will had to decide on what to do with that information.

Did everyone make it out okay from Fort Eden? Or is there something bigger going on than the 7 teenagers getting cured? Read Dark Eden to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
This was a very interesting novel. I liked the premises before I read the book - a group of teenagers going away to be cured from their all-consuming fear.

I also liked that this was narrated by a teen guy - Will. I said at the beginning of 2012 that I wanted to read more guy narrations (which I haven't done a very good job of) so this was a great novel to read!

There was a lot of mystery in this book as to what Fort Eden was all about, what each of the 7 teenagers fears were, and how each teenager were being cured from their fear.

With Will, the reader didn't find out his fear until the middle of the book, so while he seemed like a normal boy, the reader was still reminded that there was something off about him.

He had great survival instincts, though. He brought necessary items in case he went off on his own and he is a very smart boy - only 15 and was taking freshmen college classes.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel! It was definitely something different for me and not my usual type of YA book, but I was lost into the mystery and suspense of this adventure.

There is a second novel, Eve of Destruction, which is now available and continues the story of the 7 teenagers.

I would recommend this novel to any teens, no matter the gender. I think it will appeal to both guys and girls because of the narration and the mysterious story that will capture the attention of any reader wanting a good mystery.

Crave by Melissa Darnell

This is the first novel in The Clann series by Melissa Darnell.

Savannah Colbert has always been shunned by the Clann students - 22 students at her high school who are always together and always find a way to make Savannah feel crappy about herself.

It doesn't help that she used to be friends with a few of them (the Brat twins and Tristan Coleman, who she "married" in 4th grade) before they started to pretend they never knew each other and when her family told her she couldn't be around them anymore.

And the worst part? Ever since Savannah can remember, she's had a crush on Tristan. Sure, she hasn't talked to him in 7 years, but it doesn't change the fact that she knows exactly where he is when they are in the same room together by the twinge she gets in her stomach.

Everything changes, though, after Savannah gets sick for a week. She comes to school as a different person - a person who Tristan cannot ignore anymore, no matter the rules he was told to stay away from her.

See, Tristan is a witch, a descendant, who is supposed to follow his father's footsteps and become the next leader of the Clann.

And Savannah is also a descendant, a Clann member. But her family was forced out of the Clann when Savannah's mother married a vampire - the Clann's worst enemy. Not only does that make Savannah half witch, it also makes her half vampire - a half blood.

When Savannah starts to get her vampire abilities, no one knows what to do, as there has never been a half-blood before. But she is being watched carefully by the vampire council, making sure she doesn't give into the bloodlust that fledgling vampires are known for.

It's also a little harder because now that Tristan's decided to go against his Clann's rules, he's been on pursuit to be with Savannah.

But will their relationship be the end of a reluctant peace between the witches and vampires? Or will Savannah and Tristan be able to salvage their relationship along with the tension between their two worlds? Read Crave by Melissa Darnell to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Now, I know, this is another vampire book. But it's also a witchcraft/magic book and a "Romeo + Juliet" book, so there's a lot to work with in this novel to appeal to a wide audience.

The situation that Tristan and Savannah are put in is probably worse than Romeo and Juliet. They've had this attraction toward one another since they were first introduced, and the time apart didn't change that.

In fact, it might have made it worse.

But because of Savannah's mixed species, she's a threat to Tristan. As a half vampire, she also has a demon species in her, an incubus. So whenever her and Tristan kiss, she's taking a part of his energy. And Savannah always has to fight the urge when she smells his blood.

I liked Savannah a lot. She was a fighter - probably fought longer than any other female would have fought with Tristan on her tail of trying to get her to date him. He was very persistent and she finally gave in.

I mean, if she HADN'T given in, I would have thought something would be wrong with her, but she put up a very good fight.

This was an interesting way to mix vampires and witches into a story. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't my favorite supernatural story I've read.

I will, though, read the rest of the series when it comes out. The second novel comes out in September 2012, so not too long of a wait to read the next barrier that comes between Tristan and Savannah.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants another vampire or witchcraft story. It is also told through both Savannah and Tristan's point of view, so it might attract teen guys to read it, but I would say it's mainly for teen girls.

Sneak Peek: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

If you've read The Scorpio Races or the The Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy, then Maggie Stiefvater's  new release should be on  your to-read list!

And if you aren't convinced, then you should read the sneak peek excerpts of the first two chapters in her upcoming book The Raven Boys located here.

I like Maggie Stiefvater because all of her books are different subjects from one another, showing that she is a very versatile writer and has a great imagination!

Her books range from the fey world, to shape-shifting into wolves, blood thirsty sea horses, and now seeing ghosts and magic.

I wanted to share with everyone the excerpt so you can anxiously wait her next book like I am! It is scheduled to come out in September 2012, so only a few more months to wait. Also, if you want to read the synopsis, click this link to find out more about The Raven Boys!

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

This is the first novel in the Jessica series by Beth Fantaskey.

Getting through high school is enough for Jessica Packwood since she has two of her very own bullies at school.

But when a foreign "exchange student" comes into town from Romania and claims he's betrothed to Jessica? Yeah that might be going over the top for her.

Lucius is a vampire prince of the Vladescu vampire clan. Jessica was adopted after her parents and Lucius's parents were killed, but Jessica was born as Antanasia Dragomir, the princess vampire of the Dragomir clan.

At first Jessica denied everything Lucius stated. She was not royalty, she was not a vampire, and she was not going to marry Lucius - no matter what betrothal was made when she was an infant.

Then something changed in Jessica... She started getting a hunger for blood. And when she was angry or upset, she could feel her fangs trying to come out. Then her appearance started to change, transforming her from the original looking American teenager to a woman who knew her mind, and looked confident in her choices.

Unfortunately, when Jessica realized that Lucius was telling the truth, and she started to have feelings for him, he gave up on them. He stopped pursuing Jessica and started to act like a teenager with no rules.

After officially giving up on the merger between the Vladescu and Dragomir clan wedding, Lucius gave up on everything else. He became the dark vampire that his clan is well known for.

Jessica was not willing to give up, though. She gave Lucius the ultimate decision, that could end with Jessica's death. If there was any part of Lucius that loved her, it could mean a marriage but if he really is the dark, brutal vampire he wants Jessica to think, she could die by the one she loves.

Read Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey to find out what happens!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Lately I've been vampired out and I've stayed away from vampire books. I really enjoyed this one, though! I liked the royalty spin to the vampire clan and the fact that if Jessica and Lucius didn't get married, their families would be in a war to the death.

I also really liked that throughout the novel the reader was able to see some of Lucius's thoughts when he wrote letters to his uncle in Romania. He basically complained about Jessica thwarting his advances, but he also admired her ability to stick with her decision.

It was entertaining to see Jessica change her mind about Lucius. He grew on her, though, and when he started seeing Faith, that was when the possessive side of Jessica came out, making her realize that Lucius was hers.

There is a sequel to this book, which I will review later when I get it. I'm very interested to see what will happen between Jessica and Lucius.

For anyone who likes vampires or hard-to-get relationships, this would be a great read for you. However, if you're tired of vampire stories, I would say hold off on this so you can fully appreciate the storyline without cringing at the word vampire.

Fireworks by Niki Burnham, Erin Haft, Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle

In this novel are 4 short stories by well-known authors about flying sparks during summer vacations. 


Miss Independent by Lauren Myracle: It's Megan's 18th birthday on July 4th. Instead of her usual ritual to go to the park with her family and watch the fireworks, Megan's cousin Porter Ann has hijacked her night, taking her to the new hip club in town. And also on Porter Ann's agenda? Getting Megan to get out of her shell and tell Pete that she likes him. Will Megan finally follow her feelings instead of her brain?

A Nice Fling is Hard to Find by Sarah Mlynowski: Lindsey is going to France for 11 days with her best friend Becca and Becca's twin brother, Tommy. They are in a group of about 15 and have a tour guide to take them to the best places in France. During this trip, Lindsey wants to have a fling with a foreign guy. She's never done anything daring so this will be a once in a lifetime opportunity. But then Lindsey finds out that Tommy likes her! Will this change things for Lindsey's fling?

Cabin Fever by Erin Haft: Molly can't wait to go to camp. She has to get away from her young sister, and drama queen, Dakota and camp is her salvation. Unfortunately, Dakota has decided to come with, ruining Molly's summer by snatching her best friend Jess, catching the eye of her 6 year summer crush, River, and overall, taking over Molly's favorite place.

Night Swimming by Niki Burnham: The one time of year that Wynn hates is the summer time. She has very pale skin and doesn’t like to go outside in the sun and heat – she’d rather be indoors. Unfortunately, her friends all want to be outside and want Wynn to be there as well. This summer, though, she’s thought of a great plan: go to summer school in Delaware. It has “prepare for college” classes and it keeps Wynn out of the sun. What Wynn didn’t realize was that it was on the beach! Maybe her viewpoint will change with a cute guy named Caleb though?

My Thoughts/Reflections

These were cute stories about summer romances. I didn’t really enjoy the first two stories as I couldn’t get used to the main girl character. They seemed too whinny for my taste.

The last two stories were really good, though, by Erin Haft and Niki Burnham.

I liked Cabin Fever because it was outdoorsy and Molly was a great character. She was very mature and grown-up, even though she had a spoiled, overly dramatic little sister who liked to ruin her life.

And I liked Night Swimming by Niki Burnham. She was the one author of these 4 that I had read before this anthology. Wynn is a character that I could relate as I don't really go outside too much and prefer indoors. 

Fireworks was a fast pace book and I would recommend it to any teen girls who was a short and sweet summer romance story. 

Blacklisted by Gena Showalter

This is the second novel in the Teen Alien Huntress series. To see the review of the first novel, click here: Red Handed.

Camille is in her last semester of high school, and to make those last few weeks more exciting, her and her friend Shanel decide that they are going to talk to their crushes.

In order to do that, they decide to go to a club where they know that Erik (Camille's crush) and Silver (Shanel's crush) will be on a Friday night.

What they didn't know was that it was a particularly bad night to pick. Erik is an ex-A.I.R. agent and the A.I.R. has been trying to capture him for some time. That Friday night just happened to be the night they picked.

When Camille got caught in the middle of the A.I.R. affairs, she realized that she never knew about the human/alien war.

At first, she didn't want anything to do with bad-boy Erik when she almost died - two times. But after watching him protect her no matter his own protection, she decided to stay on his side because he promised to protect her.

It seems that he's had a crush on her for awhile too - he just didn't want her to get involved in his troubled past.

But when Camille finds out that he's doing something good even though it's technically breaking the law, she has to decide if she wants to go back to her boring life at home and high school, or if she wants to make a change in the world, no matter the cost.

Whichever road she decides to take, Camille's life will be forever changed.

Which way does Camille go? Will the A.I.R. let her go, or will they decide she can't be trusted? Read Blacklisted by Gena Showalter to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
While the first book followed a different character, the reader was introduced to two other characters, one that was introduced in the first novel briefly (Erik) and a new, courage character (Camille).

I like the way the author took this route. While I could have enjoyed another book following Phoenix and the A.I.R., this gave a different viewpoint of the world that Showalter created - the darker side that needed help in order to survive.

Again, the main female character Camille was a brave girl. She always thought of herself as shy and cowardly, but when she got caught up in Erik's dilemma, she pulled her own weight and decided to help him rather than run.

It was weird seeing Erik as the "bad guy" - the guy who was being hunted by A.I.R. since in the first novel the A.I.R. were hunting criminals. Erik claimed that he wasn't doing anything illegal, but only Camille believed him.

I really enjoyed this book. I think it was a great addition to add to this series (just these two novels) and I wish there were more novels. But since this was published in 2007, I'm not sure if that's going to happen.

I would definitely recommend this novel to any supernatural fans out there. While one doesn't need to read the first novel to get the setting, I think it would be a good idea because then the reader can connect with the secondary characters and understand Erik's dilemma as to why he doesn't want to hurt the A.I.R. agents.

A great series, in my opinion! I saw that Gena Showalter wrote the Alien Huntress series, where the professors and trainers at A.I.R. are the main characters, so maybe I'll live in this futuristic world some more with adults!

Red Handed by Gena Showalter

Phoenix has a bit of a problem... She was a former addict to the drug called Onadyn, a substance that was brought to Earth when the aliens came. It basically takes away oxygen from humans, causing them to go high and "fly" for hours, depending on their dosage.

After going to rehab, Phoenix wants to stay away from this drug. It's done nothing but cause problems between her and her mother - the only person she has left.

When she goes to a party, though, Phoenix almost becomes tempted to try again. That is, until a group of Sybilins attack the party. Phoenix has no idea what they are, but is informed by a very attractive and older guy, Ryan, that they are aliens who suck the water out of humans.

Even though Phoenix has no idea what to do, she stays to help Ryan and his sister, Allison, fight off the Sybilins. While fighting, she realized that she was doing something good in the world and she stayed away from her addiction.

However, she was made to pass out and was taken home to her mother with the story that she was found passed out on the side of the road.

After that, her mother gave up on Phoenix and decided that she was going to drug boot camp where she can get fixed and her mother wouldn't have to deal with her anymore.

Except, that "drug camp"? Not a drug camp, but a training center for teenagers who show potential to fight aliens in the Alien Investigation and Removal (AIR).

Now, Phoenix is trained every day, every hour about the different alien races, their strengths and weaknesses, hand-to-hand combat, weaponry, everything one needs to know about how to fight all aliens harmful to humans.

A bit of a problem? Phoenix's hand-to-hand combat trainer is the very attractive Ryan... who she's not allowed to date since he's an agent and she's only a recruit.

When the training field is breached by a group of Sybilins, Phoenix will have to remember all of her training. Will the group be able to defeat the alien race, or will they be outnumbered? Read Red Handed by Gena Showalter to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Gena Showalter is a great author and has written a lot of adult novels, so this YA book was very well written and sucked me into the storyline right away.

It's set in the future, when aliens invaded Earth. After 60 years, humans and aliens co-exist on Earth and while aliens are supposed to be "human friendly" there are some who go against the rules and try to kill humans, which is why the AIR was formed.

I absolutely love Phoenix. She may have been a drug addict, but she has a survival instinct and finds out that she doesn't want to do drugs anymore. She wants to fight and save everyone, including her mother.

She gets the determination to actually study in classes and to do well in all of her fighting classes in order to stay in the program for the whole year.

I also like the world that Showalter created. She described the aliens in detail and was able to create a futuristic world if aliens every existed and wanted to take over Earth.

The chemistry between Phoenix and Ryan was flying off the page the first time they met and it only got more intense as the book went on. It didn't help that it was forbidden for them to be together, either!

I would recommend this book to anyone wanting a story about aliens, a futuristic world, or a book about a girl who wants to kick butt and save the world.

There is a second book in this Teen Alien Huntress series, Blacklisted, which I'll be reviewing next.

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

The first novel in the His Fair Assassins trilogy.

All her life, Ismae has been viewed as the Devil's daughter. When her mother was pregnant, she drank a poison to kill Ismae before she was born.

However, Ismae was born, despite the poison, and was born with a terrible scar across her back. When anyone sees that scar, they know that Ismae was touched by the Devil and no one wants her.

When Ismae was forced into an arranged marriage by her abusive father, Ismae found that her husband was also going to be abusive. Before the marriage day was over, though, Ismae was saved by the herbwitch that supplied the poison before Ismae was born.

Ismae was then sent to the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters serve the god of Death. They train selected ladies to serve Death - to become assassins. Mortain leaves marques on victims that need to die, and Ismae is the one who will kill them.

For 3 years she was trained in weapons, hand-to-hand, seduction, and poison - any means in which to kill men who are marqued for death.

After Ismae's first 2 kills, she was sent on a long-term mission to protect the duchess child and to find any traitors of the French in her staff.

What Ismae didn't see coming was her instant attraction to her guide, Gavriel Duval, who she poses as his mistress in order to get into the duchess's palace.

No one is to be trusted in the palace, for no one knows the true traitor to Duchess Anne. When Ismae gets the order to kill Duval, she battles between her orders and her heart. How can she kill the one man that was able to get inside her heart?!

Will Ismae follow her heart and save Duval, or will she follow the orders that her "home" has given her, allowing her to be a true Assassin of the St. Mortain convent? Read Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers to find out.

My Thoughts/Reflections
First, don't let the thickness of this book scare you - it may be 549 pages, but Harry Potter 7 was larger and both of these books are amazing that you won't notice how long the book really is.

I really enjoyed this novel. It is definitely something different in the YA genre that is being written lately, more of a historical, mystery, and bad-girl/ass-kicking girl that will leave more teen girls wanting more of Ismae's courage.

Ismae was in an abusive home all of her life, she when she got the chance to kill men, she was all for it. She assumed that all men were evil, that they deserved to die, but after meeting Duval she realized that it wasn't so.

Not only did the reader get to see Ismae's kick ass personality, but we also get to see a softer side of her - a side that not even Ismae knew herself. She was kind and gentle to the Duchess Anne and her younger sister Isabeau.

This is the first novel in a trilogy, but from what I've gathered the second novel will follow another assassin of the St. Mortain convent, Sybella, not Ismae.

I would recommend this book to older teen girls since there is a lot of killing and it involves a historical government and politics that might be harder for younger teens to follow along. With the "girl is just as ruthless" approach this book could appeal to many Hunger Games fans out there as well.

The next novel won't be out until Spring 2013, but I will certainly pick it up and read it when it comes out!

A Day to Celebrate!

Today is a great day to celebrate!

First, to all of the mothers for Mother's Day - my mum does so much for us and very rarely complains about anything. So I hope everyone enjoys this day!

Secondly, I've reached my New Year's Goal already! What are they (because I sure didn't remember)? To write more blog posts than last year, which I've beaten that by 5 posts now and it's only May!

(Of course, I participated in BEDA, so I'm not quite sure if those 30 posts count... Hmm, maybe I'll do another Celebration blog when I blog more posts of YA content if I get there... We shall see!)

And last, it's my birthday! I was fortunate enough to exchange gifts with my mother today, as I sometimes do every few years.

I also share this gracious day (which, by the way, I was born on a Friday, so I feel pretty lucky :-) ) with Robert Pattinson (who's 26 today) and Candice Accola (who's 25 today - and Caroline from The Vampire Diaries).

I hope everyone has a great day today and that you are able to celebrate with your family!

Never to Sleep by Rachel Vincent

This is a novella of the Soul Screamer series by Rachel Vincent. 

I did a general blog about the first 8 books in the series here: Soul Screamers. 

I also reviewed the 5th printed book (the book before this novella) here: If I Die. 

Sophie Cavanaugh has had enough of her cousin, Kaylee's, weirdness. She wants to go through high school as a popular dancer, become the first junior dance captain, and live a normal life. 

A normal life that disappears when she lets out a bloodcurdling scream and finds herself, along with a new, hot boy at school Luca, in a world where things do go bump in the night. 

Sophie has no idea where she is. She doesn't know how she got there. 

All she knows is that she does NOT want to be there. When her and Luca get separated, Sophie has to become brave and do things she never thought she would have ever done. 

Will Sophie and Luca get out of this nightmarish place? And if they do, how can things ever go back to normal? Read Never to Sleep by Rachel Vincent to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections

I'm really glad that I read this novella. I'm a hardcore Rachel Vincent fan and love all of her novels, so it was just a matter of time that I would get to this eBook as well. 

I just had to get a Kindle app first!

And boy am I glad that I read this! I might have been confused in the next novel of the series, Before I Wake with Sophie's character!

Even though Sophie was finally introduced to the weirdness of her family, she still kinda annoyed me. I can't really say too much without giving the whole 61 pages of the novella away, but there were some statements that made me want to slap her. 

I'm hoping that she changes in the final two novels of this series, but it's Sophie, so I don't think I'll hold my breath. 

With that said, it was a great addition to add to the Soul Screamers series and I'm sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for the release of the next novel, Before I Wake, which comes out June 25, 2011. 

If you haven't read Rachel Vincent's novels, I urge you to do so at once. You won't be disappointed!

Where She Went by Gayle Forman

This is the sequel to If I Stay by Gayle Forman.

This is Mia's boyfriend's story, Adam, not Mia's. Also, if you don't want to find out what happens at the end of the first novel, do no read the rest of this review. There will be spoilers right away.

It's been three years since the fateful accident of Mia Hall's family. Now, Adam is a famous rock star in his group Shooting Star. He has a movie start girlfriend, and has groupies that follow and buy his band's album.

But Adam feels lost. He doesn't enjoy the music anymore. He doesn't get along with his bandmates, who were practically family when they got together 3-4 years ago.

While Adam has become a famous rock star, Mia has become a famous orchestra player with her cello. They both went their separate ways, but not after a few hearts broken along the 3 years of separation.

Adam has panic attacks, so he needs to take medication. He has also become very superstitious and when he finds out that his bandmates are flying to London for their tour on Friday the 13th, he gets a new flight. No sense in tempting fate, he thinks.

So while his band is flying to London, Adam stays in New York for another day. As fate would have it, he finds Mia performing a concert.

Adam buys a ticket and falls into Mia's music - remembering the old days when she would play non-stop. When Mia requests to see him, everything in the past years come flying back between them.

Why did Mia stop talking to Adam? What is going on between the two of them? Will Adam and Mia finally have the conversation that has been waiting for 3 years, or will they disappear into the night with their thoughts and feelings unresolved? Read Where She Went by Gayle Forman to find out.

My Thoughts/Reflections
I loved the first novel of this two book series. It was so heartbreaking and devastating, but strong and hopeful.

This novel was a good addition. Not necessarily needed as the way If I Stay ended was beautiful, but the reader finally figures out what happened to Mia and Adam.

And instead of reading Mia's thoughts, this time, the reader delves inside Adam's head, the boy we were introduced to in the first novel but never quite got his whole story.

Even though when one thinks "rock star", Adam didn't have a glamorous life. In fact, if it wasn't for the songs that came through his mind during a few months, he would have been out of a band and would have lived a boring life in Oregon.

But even so, Adam had superstitious problems and he was also a bit claustrophobic when it came to crowds - not the best thing to have when one performs in front of millions of people and have fans follow one around for autographs.

While this wasn't my favorite sequel to a book I loved, I'm glad I was able to get a more solid ending to Mia and Adam's story.

I would recommend this to anyone who loved the first novel, and I think it would also appeal to a male audience because it is through a male narrative. And even though the cover has a girl on it, don't let it fool you. It is definitely a male rock star narrating this novel!

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

A snowfall in Oregon cancelled all schools - even though it wasn't a heavy snowfall. However, the schools took precaution so Mia's high school was cancelled along with her brother, Teddy's, grade school and her father's college.

To enjoy this unexpected day off, Mia, Teddy and her parents decide to visit friends of the family (Willow, Henry and their baby girl) and then have dinner with Mia's grandparents.

On the ride there, though, something horrible happens... There was a car collision with Mia's family and a solo driver. While the other driver had only minor scrapes and bruises, Mia's parents were killed instantly and Mia and Teddy had to be rushed to the hospital.

Mia is able to see everything that goes on around her. As an "out of body" experience. She sees her extended family in the waiting room outside of ICU. She sees her boyfriend, Adam, planning a break in to see Mia since the nurses won't allow him in.

When Mia finds out that her little brother, Teddy, didn't make his surgery, Mia realizes that she's all alone. She has to decide if she wants to stay living without her family, or if she wants to join them.

There are many factors Mia has to decide as well. She's bound for Julliard, as she's a very good cellist musician. She has Adam, her boyfriend also a music lover, in his own band and making records who she loves. She has Kim, her best friend since grade school.

But she doesn't have her brother or her parents anymore.

What will Mia choose? Life or death? Read this heartbroken story If I Stay by Gayle Forman to find out.

My Thoughts/Reflections
This is my second time reading this novel. And even though I knew the ending result, following Mia's memories that she remembers about her family, along with the information she learns during her "out of body" experience was just as heartbroken.

Mia is very brave. She has to hear about her family's death before she even wakes up from her coma. And to know that and have to choose a life without her family would be hard, but having to imagine her family's reaction if she gave up life was just as devastating for Mia.

The reader learns Mia's background story as Mia goes down memory lane to the key moments with Adam, Kim, her parents, her brother. It helps the reader connect with Mia's life and what she used to have.

Even though this story is very sad, it is an amazing novel. Gayle Forman did a great job writing as a victim in a car crash and a lone survivor having to make the hardest decision of her life.

I would recommend this book to anyone - to everyone. Even guys. It doesn't matter that the narrator is a female - anyone can feel this way if they were in her shoes.

Also, there is another novel after this one, in the viewpoint of Mia's boyfriend, Adam. The review for that novel will be coming soon to see what has happened since Mia's overall decision to stay or go.

Falling Under by Gwen Hayes

Theia has a very controlled life. Her father has a decent job, travels sometimes, and also has his secretary buy all of Theia's clothes for her.

She doesn't get to wear what she wants, is always told to be perfect and sit up straight, and has a set schedule as to when she does homework, eat, and play the violin...

Because Thiea's mother died during child-birth, Theia figures that her father hates her for killing his one true love. So she usually does what he wants without question to try and make up for that.

However, there are some guilty pleasures that Theia still does, like reading non-educational books at night with a flashlight so her father doesn't know about it.

During one night, Theia saw a man, falling from the sky, and he was on fire. She ran out to see if she was hallucination, maybe by reading too many novels.

The next morning, she chalked it up to a dream. When she had another dream about a beautiful, mysterious boy, Theia thinks she has an uncontrollable imagination. That was proven wrong, though, when her mystery boy (named Hayden) shows up at school the next day.

The boy Theia interacts with in her dreams and the one she sees at school are so different that Theia is unsure if they are the same person.

But Hayden has a dark, dangerous secret. He's not who he seems to be, and Theia would be wise to stay away from him.

With the uncontrollable urge to be around Hayden, and the attraction Theia and Hayden have for one another, staying away from each other isn't an option. Will Hayden's dark past come to haunt them both? Read Falling Under by Gwen Hayes to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Wow. Dark, dangerous, mysterious. Those three words describe the novel as a whole, and Hayden.

I absolutely loved this novel! If I wouldn't have started reading it so late at night, I probably would have finished it in one sitting.

I felt so bad for Theia after reading about her life at home with her father. I would never want to be restricted that much by my parents, even though I know there are teenagers out there who live through that.

If I had been Theia, I probably would have grew up as a rebellious child, but she was a good daughter and did as she was told.

All bets were off, though, when Hayden dropped into her life. After that, she started to become rebellious and doing what she wanted to do rather than what her father wanted.

This started off as a contemporary novel, but definitely ended as a supernatural story. It was the best of both genres.

I would recommend this to anyone wanting a forbidden love story, a story about a dark past, or a mythical atmosphere.

Also, this is the first of a two book series (that I know of). I will be trying to get the next book to see what happens to Hayden and Theia hopefully soon!

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

After living in New Orleans, Louisiana, Rory is going to a 2 year school in London. Her parents are teaching in Bristol and Rory got to choose her schooling during their overseas job.

When Rory gets to Wexford, her new boarding school/home, she was struck with the thought that it was HOME now. She had to shower there, sleep there, eat there - do everything there.

Upon the arrival of her coming into London, there was also a brutal murder that occurred. A murder that was the exact replica of Jack the Ripper's murders in 1888. There is a Jack the Ripper copycat.

Rory is less than amused by this act as she's not from London, doesn't know that much about Jack the Ripper, and she's having a hard enough time keeping up in her classes. She figures that things will die down after the killer is caught and it was just some sort of prank.

However, on the night of the third murder, Rory sees a man outside of her building at school. When her roommate, Jazza, did not see anyone there, Rory is a little... worried about her seeing people who aren't there.

She comes to find out that she can see ghosts. Rory had an incident where she almost died, and she has the genes in which she can see ghosts, but only if she encounters a scare of death.

After that, Rory gains a new roommate - Boo. Boo has the same ability that Rory has, along with Boo's "friends" Stephen and Callum.

When the ghost portraying as Jack the Ripper finds out that Rory can see him, he decides to make Rory is 5th and final victim in the Jack the Ripper replica.

Will Rory be able to find the way to get rid of the ghost? Read The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Okay, first, Rory. I can't help it. When I read that name, I'm transferred to Gilmore Girls. This book is nothing like that show, nor is Rory anything like Rory Gilmore, but I still see Alexis Bledel when I see that name.

Second, this book is unlike anything Maureen has written in the past. And I LOVED it just as much as I love her previous novels!

Third, London. I've been to London, so I knew some of the landmarks Maureen Johnson wrote about, but she did a great job describing it and if I hadn't been there before, I would have after reading this novel.

This has a great deal of mystery and murder, keeping the atmosphere of the book "on your seat with suspense".

Trying to figure out London ways is hard for Rory, let alone having to deal with ghosts, murders, and becoming the next victim of a killing spree.

There was a little bit of romance in this novel between Rory and a classmate, Jerome. However, I didn't feel it. I think I felt more sparks with Rory and Stephen (another person who sees ghosts) even though nothing happened romantically between them.

This is the first book in a trilogy and I can't wait to see what other adventures will be uncovered in the next two books!

I would recommend this to anyone, espeically those who like London, historical atmospheres, and a good murder and mystery story!

Black is for Beginnings by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Black is for Beginnings - #5 in the Blue is for Nightmares series by Laurie Faria Stolarz.

Click here: Blue is for Nightmares to read my review of the first book in the series.

Click here: White is for Magic to read my review of the second book in the series.

Click here: Silver is for Secrets to read my review of the third book in the series.

Click here: Red is for Remembrance to read my review of the fourth book in the series.

Freshman year at college is over. Now Stacey and Amber are taking summer classes to make up for taking their first semester off. 

After a horrible spring break visit to Colorado to visit Jacob, Stacey's unsure where her and Jacob stand. He was hanging out with his ex-girlfriend trying to remember everything in his past. 

The part that bothered Stacey the most was that Jacob never, not once, mentioned his ex-girlfriend Kira. The fact that Jacob and Kira were "taking a break" when he came to rescue Stacey makes Stacey unsure where they stand. 

Before they can figure anything out, Stacey goes back to school. Jacob had just remembered everything that had happened in the past, but he wasn't able to tell Stacey. 

Will Stacey and Jacob be able to communicate and find out if they are meant to be together, as soulmates? Read Black is for Beginnings to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections

Graphic Novel? That's a new twist to this series! It was nice, though, to see the characters as the artist portrayed them. 

It might not have been how I saw them through books 1-4, but it was a nice change. 

This didn't go too much into Stacey's magic, nor were there any life threatening events that she had to save the day. 

It was definitely more about Stacey and Jacob's relationship and what was going to happen in the future. 

The Blue is for Nightmares series is now complete with this graphic novel - a great addition and completion to the series!

Red is for Remembrance by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Red is for Remembrance - #4 in the Blue is for Nightmares series by Laurie Faria Stolarz.

Click here: Blue is for Nightmares to read my review of the first book in the series.

Click here: White is for Magic to read my review of the second book in the series.

Click here: Silver is for Secrets to read my review of the third book in the series.

Stacey is now at college, on her full ride scholarship at a prestigious school. She doesn't really care, though. After Jacob was proclaimed dead after months of search for him, Stacey has no reason to live. 

However, Amber and her mother want her to start living again. For their sake, Stacey goes to Beacon University. 

The first week, Stacey didn't go to classes. All she wanted to do was dream of Jacob, get premonitions that he was still alive. 

When the president of the university wants to talk to Stacey, she thinks she's in trouble for missing all of her classes. 

But really, the president's daughter, Porsha, has been having nightmares - the same as what Stacey got during prep school. The president heard of Stacey and her time at prep school and realized that she could help his daughter. 

At first, Porsha was not willing to talk to anyone about her nightmares. Whenever she did in the past, she was sent to doctors, psychiatrists, and was told that she was crazy and insane. 

Stacey was able to get through to Porsha, though, and get her to talk about what she was dreaming. A boy is going to die and Porsha needs to stop it. 

While all of this is going on with Porsha and Stacey, there is another story being told, through a boy's perspective named Shell. He is living in a camp where there is no electricity, no TV, just the simple life. 

That simple life also means "stealing" from rich people. They aren't really stealing though.... They are taking what the rich people don't need and they won't miss the items. 

Shell doesn't like this way of living, but he has no where else to go and this is his life... Or is it?

Read Red is for Remembrance to find out what happens to Stacey, Porsha, and Shell!

My Thoughts/Reflections

So, this is a spoiler for the third book about Jacob - it couldn't be helped. However, I didn't spoil this book. 

I have enjoyed this series so far. Not only has Stacey had different dream/nightmares but they aren't all the same, which is nice because that can be repetitive. 

Now Stacey is in college. She realized it was definitely different than her prep school because the teachers don't let her give lame excuses for missing the first week of classes. She has to cram hard and fast to catch up in hopes of keeping her scholarship. 

This was a little different than the other books in the series because there were two narratives: Stacey and Shell. 

For Stacey, it was first person like usual but for Shell it was in third person. This gave the reader two stories to follow which would end up combining together at the end of the novel.

Again, there are a ton of subjects in this series, including witchcraft, first year in college, losing a loved one, and premonitions of the future. Many readers can find something in this novel to relate to while also getting a fun and new storyline they may not have read before. 

There is one last book in the series before Stacey's story is finished. I can't wait to see what happens next!

Silver is for Secrets by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Silver is for Secrets - #3 in the Blue is for Nightmares series by Laurie Faria Stolarz.

Click here: Blue is for Nightmares to read my review of the first book in the series.

Click here: White is for Magic to read my review of the second book in the series.

It's the summer before Stacey and her friends, Drea, Amber, Chad, PJ, and Jacob, are leaving for college. They want one last trip together before everyone goes their separate ways.

Stacey just wants a nice, normal, stress free vacation, especially after her last nightmare/premonition during senior year. She was actually getting her wish.

Until Clara comes to their cabin on the beach and Stacey feels a cold, dead feeling when shaking Clara's hand.

It wasn't until Stacey had another nightmare, though, and woke up with a nose bleed, that Stacey realized that Clara was going to die.

Now, instead of a relaxing vacation, Stacey has to try to convince Clara that someone is going to kill her. Along with trying to get Clara to believe her, Stacey also has to keep peace in her cabin - Clara likes to snatch other girls boyfriends including Amber's and Drea's.

To top it all off, Stacey's boyfriend Jacob is keeping secrets. She knows that he is having nightmares, which means bad news like Stacey because he's a witch as well, but Jacob won't tell her what they are about.

By keeping secrets from one another, it is straining their relationship, and their friendship to the point where Stacey is unsure if she can talk to him about her nightmares.

Can Stacey save Clara from her predicted death? Will Jacob be able to open up to Stacey and tell her what is wrong so she can help him?

Read Silver is for Secrets to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Wow, Laurie Faria Stolarz is a great writer! She is very creative and has a knack for writing new mysteries to keep the reader in suspense to figure out who is the killer!

As always, I try to figure out who the culprit is before the book reveals it for me. I went through so many different characters, I lost track. I did not, however, see this ending at all!

Which was nice because I like to be kept on my toes and it also means that Stolarz pulled a 180 on the reader.

I was a little sad that things were on the rocks between Stacey and Jacob throughout this book. I wanted to see them as the newly-in-a-relationship couple from the last book, but in this book they were distant because Jacob was keeping secrets.

I also hated Clara. Which I think I was supposed to. She was so annoying and trying to snatch any boy that walked 10 feet from her, whether they were taken or not.

I'm really excited to read the next novel in the series to see what other mystery Stolarz has thought of. I also hope that a certain character comes back, but I'm not going to say too much because I will be giving away a major ending spoiler.

However, for the next book review, I may have to spoil the end of this novel. Just to forewarn you.

White is for Magic by Laurie Faria Stolarz

White is for Magic - #2 in the Blue is for Nightmares series by Laurie Faria Stolarz.

Click here: Blue is for Nightmares to read my review of the first book in the series.

It's been one year since Stacey saved her friend, Drea, from her crazy stalker/murderer. The girls, along with their new roommate and best friend Amber, have been harassed by the newbie's of their boarding school, treating their horrible experience as nothing more than a joke.

When Stacey starts to have nightmares again, she's not sure what to do. She doesn't want to tell Drea because of what she went through a year ago, but when Stacey has her nightmares, she wakes up throwing up - nothing something that is easily hidden.

What's weird about Stacey's dreams is that she is reliving her nightmares about the little girl, Maura, who Stacey was unable to save 4 years ago. She's also dreaming about Veronica, a student that was killed by Drea's crazy stalker/murderer last year.

Stacey has never had nightmares about the past - they were all foreshadowing something horrible in the future.

When Stacey meets Jacob, a new boy at her school, she is shocked that he knows all of her secrets. He knows her current nightmares and seems to know what she's thinking or feeling.

As the time approaches Stacey's deadline to find out what the horrible nightmares mean, Stacey has to figure out who is after her and why.

Will Stacey figure out in time before her predicted death comes? Is Jacob somehow responsible for what's about to happen? And why, even though Stacey is having a hard time trusting Jacob, does Stacey feel a connection with him that she doesn't feel toward her boyfriend anymore?

Read White is for Magic to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I was wondering how Laurie Faria Stolarz would continue this series, since the first book was wrapped up and had a very solid ending. And let's just say that Stolarz wrote another great mystery that involved Stacey's "premonition" nightmares and magic!

I am growing more and more in love with Stolarz's stories! She is able to keep the reader in suspense, trying to guess who the culprit is way before he/she is revealed in the novel. I think I guessed about 5 people in this novel before I figured out who the culprit was.

Again, I loved Stacey as the character. She may complain a little bit throughout the novel, but if I was her? I would crawl up in a ball and will the nightmares to go away from frustration, being afraid, and just wanting the nightmare to stop.

Stacey is very brave. She goes to extreme levels to figure out what her nightmares are telling her. She goes through plans that are not so smart at first because she wants to find answers.

I don't think I gave too many spoilers from the first book, but I would definitely recommend that you read the first one before this novel as a lot of the key information from Maura's death was in the first novel.

Again, I think that this would be a great book for a variety of people because of the various topics that I've put as the label.

Just a reminder, THIS IS THE SECOND BOOK IN A SERIES. Also, there are FIVE books total, all of which will be reviewed this week on my blog!

Off to enjoy book number 3 and see what Stacey is up to next!