Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

This is the second novel in the Lunar Chronicles series by Melissa Meyer.

My review of #1: Cinder.

WARNING - There will be spoilers from the first novel! Proceed reading with caution!

Near Paris, Scarlet's grandmother has been missing for 2 weeks when she got the comm saying that the police were going to stop searching for her. The police thinks that her grandmother, Michelle, ran away instead of being kidnapped like Scarlet believes.

Now that the police are no longer a part of it, it's up to Scarlet to find her grandmother. And she gets a hint as to how to find her when her father lets out a clue after he had been taken by the same men: they have a tattoo on their bicep of letters and numbers.

And Scarlet just happened to meet a man who had that same kind of tattoo on his arm.

So she went hunting for Wolf, the street fighter, to get her answers. And he has answers, just not the one that she's looking for. But Wolf decided that he will help her find her grandmother, since he knows the people who took her and where they are located.

On the other side of the world, Cinder is escaping the prison she was put into after the horrible ball Prince Kai held and where Kai found out that not only is Cinder a cyborg, she is also Lunar.

Now Cinder needs to run away, and fast, before she is exchanged to Queen Levana, queen of Luna, where Cinder will be executed for being a "runaway Lunar". Or that's what the whole world believes. In fact, she is going to be killed because Cinder is the missing Princess Selene, the little girl Levana tried to kill when she was only 3 years old so she would be the only ruler of Luna.

She successfully escaped prison with the help of Captain Thorne, who just happen to steal an American spaceship before he was caught. And so they are two fugitives who are running to survive for their lives.

But Cinder needs to know more about what happened when she was younger, as the Princess Selene. And the one living person who might have some answers is Michelle Benoit - Scarlet's mother.

So the two cross paths together, both having their very own big problems to deal with, but mutually trying to find the same solution: Michelle Benoit and the answers to their pending questions.

It won't be easy though. Wolf is not a normal man, and the men who stole Michelle are really not normal. Things are about to change for Kai, as well, when an attack occurs on Earth, by command of Queen Levana herself.

Can each character find what they are looking for, or will they run out of time and find that everything will crumble? Read Scarlet by Melissa Meyer to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I flew through this novel! Since I was already introduced to this setting, I didn't have the troubles that I had throughout the first novel so I was able to understand what was going on and didn't need to pause to understand certain things.

I loved Scarlet even more than Cinder, I think! She's spunky. She knows how to fly a ship, has a permit for a gun, and even used a few throughout the novel! And she is always looking for the good in everyone, no matter what the situation may look like.

The one thing she wanted the most was to find her grandmother, so when she found out that Wolf may have had a part in her kidnapping, she took charge and confronted the undefeated street fighter - very brave for a small female.

And I also liked how this book had different narrators, unlike the first who was only Cinder's point of view. The reader got to experience Cinder, Scarlet, Captain Thorne and Kai's viewpoint, along with one small chapter from Queen Levana.

It was nice to view all of these viewpoints because we got more of a feeling from each characters and what they were thinking about the events from Cinders revealing at the Ball of being Lunar and a cyborg.

I think the most entertaining character was Captain Thorne. He thinks he's hot stuff and is a ladies man, so the introduction between him and Cinder when she busted through his jail cell was very entertaining.

Cinder is one heck of a fighter, though. Not only is she trying to escape her fate from Queen Levana, but she is also trying to figure out how to control her Lunar powers. She doesn't want to mind control anyone, or make anyone do her bidding or see what she wants to see, which makes her polar opposite of Queen Levana.

I very much enjoyed this novel and I cannot wait for more to come! Unfortunately, the third novel, Cress, won't come out until 2014!! It's just now 2013... I don't want to wait that long! However, it's going to have the RAPUNZEL character in it, and I really love that character :) I do hope Scarlet and Wolf will be in it too, though the small synopsis on Goodreads doesn't say as of yet.

This is turning out to be an amazing series, so I would definitely recommend it to other readers!

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

This is the first novel in the Lunar Chronicles series by Melissa Meyer.

Cinder is a cyborg. When she was eleven, she went through a procedure after a hoover craft accident that crushed most of her bones, and now those bones are metal and she has a computer programmed inside of her head.

That was also when she was adopted and taken to the states with her new family. Unfortunately, her new mother and the eldest girl, Pearl, didn't appreciate having a cyborg as a family member. And the adopted father passed away not too long after bringing Cinder with him.

But Cinder has Peony, the younger sibling, and Iko, the android of the house, to keep her company.

When her adopted father died, though, Adri, her adopted mother, made her work for her keep and treated her just like an android to do her every bidding. Otherwise, Adri could sell her for money, since she was technically her ward, and Cinder didn't want that to happen.

It just so happens that Cinder is very good at fixing technical problems, so a lot of people bring their adroids, communication devices, and other technical devices to her and she charges them to fix it. It keeps her busy and brings in money to keep her stay at home.

One day, Prince Kai showed up at her shop, needing her to fix his android from his childhood. That was the day everything changed. Kai thought that she was just a normal human, and Cinder wasn't about to tell him that she was a cyborg.

Then her sister, Peony, got sick - critically sick - and Cinder was sold to use as parts and other materials to try to find a cure for this horrible disease. It just so happens that Cinder is immune to this disease. And the doctor who was treating her seems to know a lot more than he is telling Cinder...

Things go from bad to worse as the Queen of Luna comes to try to marry Prince Kai after his father, the king, passes away. Queen Levana has the ability to make anyone see any illusion she comes up with - so no one knows exactly what she looks like. To have a person of that power in control of the Commonwealth would be horrible, but a war is about to occur with the Lunars if Kai can't find a different solution.

Cinder is stuck in the middle, being immune to the disease and having attracted Kai's attention, but she doesn't realize just how in the middle she is until the doctor finding a cure informs Cinder of just who she really is.

Can Cinder help with the cure since she is immune? Will Kai be able to find another way to save his people now that he is king? Or will a war break out between the two species? And just who is Cinder? Read Cinder by Melissa Meyer to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Many of my friends have read this and rated it very high, so I was intrigued to start reading it. But for some reason I found it very slow going at first. I think it's because this novel is a dystopian plus science fiction and I haven't read too many of that genre to really get into the setting.

However, I've heard that the sequel novel is superb and I knew I needed to get through this novel in order to fully enjoy Scarlet, since it's published now, so I trucked through it and actually enjoyed the story!

Cinder has accepted her fate of being a cyborg slave since she has lived with Adri, but she has used her skills for good and was able to fend for herself to fix machines and technology on hand. When Kai showed up at her shop, she was extremely shocked, but flattered that he would come to her and ask for her help.

I really liked Cinder. Even though I didn't understand half of the things she was fixing or how she was fixing them, she is a girl who does what she needs to do in order to survive. And she has perfected her talent for fixing objects, giving her a great image of a mechanic.

Like I said earlier, the setting is what threw me off, but I got used to it after reading past the first 200 pages. It did take awhile for me, but now that I've delved into this world that Meyer created, I can't wait to read more!

There really isn't a lot of similarities between this story and Disney's version of Cinderella, which I found refreshing and unique to other retellings. Meyer had a great way of detail to the point where I couldn't figure out what the heck was being done, but it seemed very legit that I didn't care if I understood it or not - that's how I could tell that Cinder knew what she was doing.

I'm really hoping that this series gets better, like everyone keeps reviewing about. It was a very interesting viewpoint of this story and I'm glad I finally got a chance to see why my friends gave a steller review for this novel.

So if you want a very unique, techy version of Cinderella, that also dabbles in other planet colonization and the world on a brink of another war, this would be the perfect book for you. I would recommend sticking this book out if you have trouble at the beginning, because it does get better and you'll want more by the end of the novel!

Exile by Anne Osterlund

This is the second novel in the Aurelia series by Anne Osterlund.

My review of #1: Aurelia.

After finding out who was trying to kill Aurelia, she decided that she was going on an expedition through her country to get to know the different tribes and lands. She defied her father by not marrying the man he chose for her and took control of her own life.

And beside her is Robert. The man she kissed. The man she yells at, all of the time. But Robert is her companion - her friend - and one of the few people she trust now-a-days.

The expedition is not the nicest trip she's ever had. In fact, she's been taken more times than she can count, and is still finding herself in danger of being assassined - even though she found out who was trying to kill her before her trip.

One of the groups she gets captured by surprisingly has her mother located there - a mother she has not seen in 14 years.

Even though she wants to get to know her mother again, the trip is what is important, and she won't let Robert leave without her.

Robert is having conflicting feelings. He wants to protect the Princess, but knows that he is not capable of doing that. He wants her to be safe, but as long as she is on this expedition, safe is far from what she will be.

And is also starting to fall in love with her. Which can't happen because she is the royal princess, even if she is currently exiled from the palace by defying the King.

So both Robert and Aurelia take it day by day, but soon Aurelia realizes that she needs to face the problems at the palace rather than running away from them. However, they find out who is trying to kill Aurelia again, which makes going home a bit of a problem...

Will Aurelia be able to go back to Tyralt and take her royal place again? What will happen with the attraction between Aurelia and Robert? Who is trying to kill Aurelia, yet again? Read Exile by Anne Osterlund to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
This book ended just where the first novel ended, which was nice for me since I read them back to back. And I really enjoyed where this book went. Aurelia has shown once again that she is not the spoiled princess that most are claimed to be.

She gets dirty and takes the blame for the mistakes she's made. She also wants to know the people of her country, who are ruled by her father and one day, by her.

Also, attempting to be assassined is a lot for a person to handle, but Aurelia gets back up and fights back, which I very much admire about her.

My favorite part of the novel is when she is at Robert's family's house and is working on the farm. Who would have thought that a royal princess could milk a cow?!

I guessed who was trying to kill her through this book, so the ending wasn't a surprise.

What was a surprise was how the book ended as a whole! Is there going to be another book? Cause that was not a final ending! There was too much left open and I need to know what happens next. Does anyone know if there will be another book to wrap everything up?!?

Other than the ending being what it is, I really liked this novel and enjoyed how both Robert and Aurelia developed from the first novel. The trust between them only grew, which made their decision choices a lot more wiser than in the first novel.

I would recommend this to any female reader, as it mostly focuses on Aurelia. For those that want a strong lead female character who isn't afraid to get in a bind, this book would also be good for you to read. I would advise that you should read the first novel first, though, as it will make it a lot more clearer when reading this novel.

Aurelia by Anne Osterlund

This is the first novel in the Aurelia series by Anne Osterlund.

After her older brother passed away and her mother ran off away from the kingdom, Aurelia has had to fend for herself against her father - the King's - moods and the dislike she gets from her stepmother, Elise. Good thing she has Malory, her step-sister, to keep her company without hating Aurelia on site.

When Robert comes back to the kingdom, he's doing so under false pretenses. The princess's life is in danger, which 3 attempts on her life by poison or "accidental" tears in her horses saddle. Robert has come back to find out who wants to kill the Princess.

Aurelia has no idea about the attempts on her life, but when Robert starts to act suspicious, she knows something is going on. Robert was once a close friend of hers before he moved away with his family. Now, she still wants to view him as a friend even though there's an air of mystery around him.

But Aurelia is no shy princess. She knows her town like the back of her hand and finds out that someone wants her dead. For what reason, she can only guess, but now she wants to find out who would risk killing her.

That's when they devise a plan together. They are going to get the suspect, the attempted killer, out in the open and find out who has hired him to kill Aurelia.

But when the truth finally comes out, it is not what either Aurelia, Robert, or even the King suspect.

Will they be able to find the assassin in time before he kills Aurelia? Or will it be too late? Who is this mysterious killer? Read Aurelia by Anne Osterlund to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I've adored Osterlund's other novels and wanted to complete my reading history with her first two novels. And I gotta say, Osterlund is an author that has surprised me! Not only because I enjoy her novels, but because she has written 3 different settings and types of novels that have nothing related to her other novels.

That is a talent! And she makes each world so real that you would never guess that she has dabbled in contemporary, historical, and science fiction genres!!

Okay, on the the review of this novel.

I really liked Aurelia. She is going to be the ruler of her city one day and is making sure she will be the voice of the people, rather than a rule of a city. She wants to help the people who contribute and keep the city alive instead of punishing them with more taxes, etc.

She also knows what she wants and goes for it, whether it defies her father, the King. She is the only one who gets away with it, though that's not why she goes against her father. She just wants to do the right thing.

I enjoyed that this book wasn't all about the romance between Aurelia and Robert. Yes, there was a small portion, but mainly it was about Aurelia's love for her city and trying to find out who was attempting to kill Aurelia. And the historical aspect was very refreshing for me to read a YA novel in a historical setting.

This is the first of a two part book series, which I just happen to have the second waiting for me to pick it up.

While I did enjoy this novel, I found myself comparing it to the last two of Osterlund's novels that I really loved and found it lacking. However, if I would have read it by publication date, I might have seen that Osterlund's writing has improved throughout the years to make her latest release the best she has written so far.

For anyone who wants a strong female character who is bound to do what is right, with a historical setting, this would be a great novel for you to read!

Deceiving Destiny by Nadège Richards

This is the second novel in The Bleeding Heart Trilogy series by Nadège Richards.

My review of #1: Burning Bridges.

Now that Echo and Ayden are running from the king, everything is a little more intense than it used to be. And that was when they were sneaking around!

The king is destroying Echo and Ayden's home, now that she has broke his laws by seeing a Hunter and is also not the king's biological daughter. Everything is upside down now and Echo is only just seeing the beginning of a revolution.

When her and Ayden run away from New Haven, they get a group of followers as well. Many are friends of Ayden's who he grew up with, but all of them have decided that Echo is their leader. She is the Princess, though she doesn't think that way, and what she says goes.

Well, all but a few who have decided to hate Echo for their own personal reasons...

It is decided that they will go to another town ruled by another king to try to get his rule as their ally. The more to revolt against Echo's pretend father, the more they might win against this war of power.

But along the way, Echo is having visions and dreams of a mystery man. The only thing she knows about his is the color of his eyes: amber/gold/yellow. The dreams seem so real to Echo, though, and she is very disturbed by the feelings she gets when she wakes up.

She doesn't know what these visions mean. She doesn't know who the man is, but he sure knows her and secrets that she couldn't have imagined herself.

There are many complications on the way to the other land, and with a group of children and adults, it becomes a struggle to keep going. But Echo is able to keep everyone afloat and figure out a way to give the hope.

But will they make it in time? And will they get the help they need, or will their travels and hardships be for naught? What is happening to Echo? What do the visions and events mean? Read Deceiving Destiny by Nadège Richards to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I was given this eBook by the author to edit and review, since I also did the same for her first novel, and I'm glad I got it! It started right where Burning Bridges ended and even though it's been a few months since I read the first novel, I dove right back into the story without problems to continue Echo and Ayden's story of fight and survival.

Also - side note - I have to say that I LOVE the cover of this book!! Kudos to the artist!

Okay, back to my thoughts! I really think Ayden and Echo's character developed in this novel compared to the first.

Echo is a very caring person and hates the thought of hurting anyone, but when it comes to survival and protecting the ones she loves, she's now realizing that she will do whatever it takes to keep them safe. Even if it means a troubled conscience later.

And the banter between Ayden and Echo is adorable, as always, but now that they are in love with each other, they do it out of habit and to keep the other in line, rather than fighting the attraction between each other.

Of course, not everything is butterflies and sunshine - especially when Feven and Adamo come into the picture. They seem to have a grudge against Echo for obvious reasons and it's always interesting to read about those characters in regard to Echo.

Again, the ending leaves the reader wanting more, but it's not necessarily a cliff hanger. More of the next chapter in the series, so while the reader doesn't know what's going to happen, no one died or anything extreme happened at the end to curse the author for making me wait so many months for the conclusion to the story line.

So yes, I enjoyed this story and really got into it. Wish it wasn't so short! Can't wait for the third, and final, novel in this series to come out in April 2013!

For anyone looking for a dystopian novel about a war and fighting to survive, with a twist a mystery and forbidden love, I would recommend you pick this up ASAP. I would pick up the first novel first, though, so you have the complete story. Also, for the month of January both novels are only $0.99 on Amazon! So hurry!

Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

This is the first book in the Of Poseidon series by Anna Banks.

Going on a trip to FL with her best friend Chloe, Emma was enjoying her time before starting senior year in high school.

But after a horrible accident where a shark attacked Chloe and killed her, Emma no longer wants anything to do with the water or the ocean, even though she lives in Jersey and is very close to the shore. And despite the fact that she met the most gorgeous guy in FL, who seems to be living in Jersey now? It seems he is since she runs into him at school. And has all of her classes with him...

While he may be gorgeous, Galen kind of scares Emma. He reminds her of that day in FL and he is also a little bit strange. He says things in an awkward manner and doesn't know the term "boundaries".

Then Emma finds out she's not who she thought she was. It turns out that Galen and his sister are the Royals of Syrena, also known as merpeople who have fins and live in the ocean. And it seems that Emma might be one of them as well. She has the violet colored eyes, strong skin, a temper - some of the signs that she's one of them.

Only she has white hair and pale skin. All Syrena are olived tone skin and raven black haired.

And Emma is even more unique than the Syrena: she can talk to aquatic animals. That is the gift of the Poseidon, the enemy of the Syrena's.

So now Emma is trying to figure out how to grow her own fin, while also fighting off the attraction she's starting to feel toward Galen.

On the other hand, Galen knows exactly who Emma is after seeing her order the shark away from her after Chloe was attacked. No one but the Poseidon can order aquatic animals and since the bloodline died away with a missing daughter, Galen is shocked to see Emma do something so rare.

Now, even though he feels the pulse between the two of them, meaning that they might be mates and attracted to her, he has to teach her how to get her fin and prepare her for his world, because once he can get her ready, he is going to have to hand her over to his older brother Grom. They need to mate and connect the two groups together to stop the war between Syrena and Poseidon.

Only he's finding that the thought of Grom, or any other male, touching Emma sets him in a rage to physically hurt someone. And there are some complications with Emma's transformation...

Can Emma figure out how to get her own fin? Will Emma and Galen resist the temptation to be together, when Galen knows that can never happen? Or will they have to be forced apart so Grom can mate with her? Read Of Poseidon by Anna Banks to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Merpeople! I haven't really gotten into this genre too much, maybe because I don't know how to swim so it sort of frightens me. But I really enjoyed this book and find that merpeople aren't so scary :)

I think, under the circumstances, that Emma took the news of being non-human very well. And the fight scene with Rayna, Galen's twin sister, was very intense since they are stronger than humans and had to work to injure the other person.

It was very entertaining to read about how the merpeople were transitioning into the human world. There were phrases and slang terms that they needed explained and their opinions of our culture were similar to other cultures around the world, so it made me chuckle a few times.

Galen was very determined to stay with Emma on land and teach her everything about his world. Even though he is a Royal and is the merman to work with human problems, he sort of became a human himself when it came to Emma. He certainly had the possession trait figured out!

I do have to say, though, that I did call the ending. There is a plot line where an unknown Syrena is tracking Emma; Galen can sense an unknown presence near Emma's house and footprints are seen in the sand going to her door. I figured out who it was about halfway through the novel, so I thought it was very predictable.

However, Banks left us on a cliffhanger!! Which is no surprise, but ahh!! And now I have to wait until May 2013 to read it...boo.

I would recommend this to anyone who wants to read about merpeople and about secrets, about forbidden love and about a kick a$$ girl who doesn't listen to a guy claiming to be a prince. It was a very good story and I will be anticipating the sequel when it comes out!

The Selection by Kiera Cass

When the opportunity comes along for every 16-20 year old girl to "audition" for Prince Maxon to try to be the next princess, everyone is ecstatic.

Except for American Singer. She doesn't want anything to do with the Selection. She already has the man of her dreams, even if he is a caste lower than her.

She's a 5 and Aspen is a 6, so legally it is really difficult for them to be together. Which is why they are keeping their 2 year relationship a secret from everyone they know.

But then Aspen tells American that she should fill out the paperwork to be a part of the Selection. He doesn't want any "what-if's" between them.

America did it because Aspen told her to. And then he broke up with her, breaking her heart.

She didn't expect to be chosen to go to the palace.

She didn't want to go, but once chosen, it was a little hard to say "no thanks" to the opportunity of a life-time for a better, richer life.

So she goes, along with 34 other girls. And the first thing she does is yell at the prince.

Which is how their friendship started.

As more time goes by, her and Maxon get closer as friends. She keeps the distance between them, not feeling romantic feelings for him since she is still devastated by her breakup with Aspen.

After raids happen at the palace, risking the girls's life, Maxon makes a decision to cut the amount of numbered girls to 6, making them the Elite chosen.

Will American be chosen as one of the 6? Will her feelings ever change toward Maxon, or will she still be hooked on Aspen? Read The Selection by Kiera Cass to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
The best way I can describe this book is: It's The Bachelor meets The Hunger Games.

No, there is no killing in this book like The Hunger Games. But the dystopian world and the different levels of society is very similar to THG.

I really, really enjoyed this novel. I heard about it before it was released and wanted to read it, but never got around to grabbing the novel. I'm kinda happy I waited cause the wait for the sequel isn't so long now :)

America is her own person. She's not afraid to do what she has to and the social status of Maxon doesn't intimidate her like it does for everyone else.

Since she also doesn't want to be at the palace, that also brings out the anger in her that she might not have had if she was actually trying to get the Prince's attention.

The one thing that I'm conflicted about is who I want America to end up with. At the beginning, I felt angry when America and Aspen broke up because they had such a great love story.

And then when America got to know Maxon and saw him as a guy, not a prince or a crown, I could see the appeal of her being with Maxon too.

So, overall, Cass did a great job making the reader fall in love with both boys. I think I know who I'm rooting for, but I'm not saying so I can change my mind if one or the other does something so remarkable that it sways to me to the other side.

I would definitely recommend this novel to any female reader, especially one who likes either of the two shows I mentioned above. It is a fast, informational read and is written really well.

I can't wait to read the second novel to see what happens with the Elite 6 and Maxon. The sequel, The Elite, comes out April 2013 and I will definitely be wanting to read it right away!

Burning Bridges by Nadège Richards

*I received a free PDF version of this novel from the author for my honest review.*

This is a dystopian novel of a world where there is a New Haven and an Old Haven.

Echo is from the New Haven world. She is the Princess of Thediby, the one that will combine two families together with her marriage to Prince Noah, Prince of Delentia.

Ayden is from Old Haven, a world that has been picked apart and left in ruins. Work is hard to come by, money is something everyone wishes they have, and just making it to tomorrow is a blessing.

When Echo and Ayden meet, worlds collide. They can't stop thinking about each other. Even though their friendship is forbidden, they have to see each other or they feel as if a part of themselves is missing.

But when Noah finds out and then Echo's father, the King, finds out, things go very wrong. Echo is forbidden to see Ayden again. She can't accept that fate, so she defies the rules and runs away.

Only the King put out a reward for anyone to find both Echo and Ayden to bring them back to New Haven.

Will Echo and Ayden be able to escape from her father's rules? Will they always be running for their freedom to be with each other? Or will the King win and separate the two...for good? Read Burning Bridges by Nadège Richards to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
This was an intriguing novel. I was automatically sucked into the story as the reader is reading a very intense scene that is on the brink of war, then was transported 5 weeks earlier to how the war started.

The world that Richards created was amazing. Her writing was very easy to follow and before I knew it I had read 100 pages without a single pause in the story.

There were a few grammatical and punctuation errors, a few times where the wrong names were used in areas, but for a first novel I thought those errors were minor to the great story she created.

I did have a few problems with the characters. Yes, there was character development throughout the novel. Echo grew to learn the truth and to obtain what was right and what she wanted rather than what others wanted her to do.

But I felt like she was clinging to Ayden too much. For a strong willed character who went after what she wanted, she kept acting like a girl losing her head over a boy that she couldn't bear to be away from.

And Ayden, who's 5 years older than Echo, acted more like a teenager than a 22 year old when it came to Echo. Don't get me wrong, he was amazing for his family when his father was being absentee with his alcohol. He just seemed...like a lost little puppy when away from Echo...

I think that if the characters were more about "doing" than thinking and wishing, I would have liked them better. They want to be together forever? Great! Do something about it. Go away from the place that will eventually trap them. Not stare longingly into one another's eyes and then be shocked when you get caught.

However, even with my conflicted feelings about Echo and Ayden, I do think this was a great novel. And even better, we get to read more in Richard's second novel, Deceiving Destiny, which comes out December 2012 - so just 5 more months.

For anyone who likes dystopian novels or who likes a girl fighting for what she wants, I would recommend this novel to you. It was very well written and the reader was definitely snared into the story from the first page, making it a quick read and leaving the reader wanting more by the end of it.

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.

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.

Nobody's Prize by Esther Friesner

After her first adventure in Nobody's Princess (click here to see my review), Helen has decided to go off on another adventure at the beginning of this sequel novel. Helen's brothers went off to search for the Golden Fleece, so naturally Helen wanted to be a part of the search and see heroes capture their prize.

In order to travel with them without being recognized, Helen once again dressed like a boy and was a weapons servant with her friend, Milo.

What Helen didn't expect before her journey was that

1. she would develop a crush on another weapons servant, Hylas 
2. the great Herkules would fall in love with her boy self on the trip
3. she would meet a jealous, crazy princess who would stop at nothing to get what she wanted - including Helen's death
4. she would attract the attention of a power-hungry prince who would kidnap her and prepare wedding vows without Helen's parents permission
5. her monthly cycle would start in the middle of the adventure, ruining her image as a boy

Things are never easy when it comes to adventure for Helen.

However, with everything that came toward Helen, she took it in stride and somehow found a way out of every situation in order to get back to her destination: Sparta

My Thoughts/Reflections
I really enjoyed Helen's adventures in the first novel, but I found this book to be lacking...

Don't get me wrong, I love the stories that were told and the situations that Helen got into that she had to get herself out of again. It just wasn't as good as the first novel.

I honestly think that Esther Friesner could have ended Helen's story after Nobody's Princess and it would have been a great ending to a perfect adventure.

However, in this novel we were able to see Helen as a woman. She got her first crush, she got her time of the month, and she got more creative in her stories to get out of trouble.

Whereas the first book went through 4-5 years of Helen's life, this was just a few months from start to finish. It let the reader see how mature and grown up Helen became in just a matter of short time, which I was happy to see.

I would recommend this book to teen girls. There was a lot more about becoming a woman in here so teen guys probably wouldn't want to read it. However, if anyone reads the first novel and likes where it ended, I don't think you'll be missing too much if you decide to skip this novel.

Nobody's Princess by Esther Friesner

Growing up as a princess with three other siblings in Sparta can be intimidating. For Helen, the 3rd child of 4, it meant that she would someday rule Sparta as their queen. Instead of her older brothers ruling, it will be her as the Queen of Sparta rules with her husband by her side.

When Helen found out that she was to be Queen, she at first didn't want to. It was too much responsibility and she had no idea how to rule a kingdom.

However, at the age of 10, she decided to take her own fate in her hands and become a leader. Women were supposed to learn how to weave and spin gold into gowns.

Instead, Helen confronted the weapons teacher who taught her older brothers, Glaucus, that she wanted to learn to fight. Helen started training, running barefoot into the woods to get faster, hunting meat with her mother for dinner, and learning how to handle a sword and spear.

Helen did this in secret, since it was not allowed for women to do these events. When her twin sister, Clytemnestra, traveled for her wedding ceremony at age 14, Helen went with to comfort her.

Little did Helen know, though, that she would be on an adventure of a lifetime, hunting boars, visiting holy cities, and running around town dressed as a servant boy to follow her brothers on yet another adventure.

Life is definitely not boring for Helen of Sparta.

My Thoughts/Reflections
I love mythology stories! This one is about Helen of Troy before she could add the "Troy" to her name. This is when she was a little girl who was just trying to found out who she really was. Everyone always called her the "pretty" sister, which Helen was not flattered by.

Instead, she wanted to take care of herself. The thought of having to have a husband for that purpose did not settle too well with Helen.

Helen was a great character, I thought. She was tough. Even when she was sweating, panting, and had rubber arms, she did not give anyone the satisfaction of seeing her quit. She pushed through everything her trainer gave her and finished what she started.

I was a little shocked at how young she was at the beginning of the story - around 9 or 10 years old. However, as the story continued the reader was able to see how mature Helen became and just how responsible she was - which is why she became such a great ruler when she got older.

This is the first book of a two book series. We are left with Helen on another adventure to catch up to her brothers - Helen doesn't like to be left behind when there is more to see and experience. I'm excited to see what will happen in the second, and final, book of Esther Friesner's books.

I would definitely recommend this to any young girl who wants to read about a girl who takes chances, doesn't take no for an answer, and is willing to learn. It's a great adventure and I think any teen girl will enjoy it.

Entwined

Love this cover! So beautiful!

When I was a little girl, my favorite story was about the 12 Dancing Princesses. I'm not sure exactly why - I was a tomboy who hated dressed and hated dancing (still hate both to this day) so this story was the complete opposite of me. Maybe that's why I liked it so much? It was a foreign world that I would never willingly go to, but it was nice to read it and imagine myself being one of 12 princesses.

Entwined is a great remake of the 12 Dancing Princesses. It goes into more details than the original, short story and it has more of a storyline for the princesses than any other rendition I've read before. While this story is based on the eldest daughter, Azalea's, viewpoint, the reader gets a little piece of every princess and their uniqueness from their sisters.

One thing that is significantly different from this young adult novel than the original, shorter version is that we don't get to see/read first hand the journey that Mr. Branford (the hero) goes through and the magic he discovers. I only know about that because I can still remember reading the story and seeing the pictures of the hero going to save the princesses.

Heather Dixon did a great job retelling this famous fairy tale. Many young adults today won't know the original story, so rewriting it now is a great way to bring this story back to life for more teenagers to read!

From the original story that I grew up reading. My sister and I would
fight over who was the prettiest princess!

Rapunzel's Revenge

Rapunzel’s Revenge by Hale, Shannon, Dean Hale and Nathan Hale. New York: Bloomsbury U.S.A. Children’s Books, 2008. 144 pages.

      1. A succinct evaluative annotation. Plot: [Conflict] Rapunzel, as a little girl, goes beyond the huge stone wall that surrounds her house (a grand villa) with her mother, Gothel. However, Rapunzel finds out that Gothel stole Rapunzel from her real mother and took all of the green from the county, making Gothel have the power to force everyone else to do her bidding. [Rising Action] Rapunzel doesn’t like what Gothel did and went against her, making Rapunzel get locked away in a tower. Her hair grew extremely long and she was able to escape, planning to stop Gothel from using magic to keep trees and other natural plants from growing. [Climax] Rapunzel meets Jack and they have to travel a long journey to get to Gothel, meeting challenges along the way. They get to Gothel’s villa and crash a party. [Falling Action] Rapunzel finds the source of Gothel’s magic, breaks it, restores the land surrounding the villa, and saves the county. [Resolution] Rapunzel is reunited with her mother and thinks about going on another adventure with Jack, who she falls in love with. Theme: The themes in this novel include adventure, magic, family, making new friends, righting wrongs that occurred, and “saving the day”. Tone: The tone of this novel is very humorous and fictional. The adventure Rapunzel and Jack have include many tales that show Rapunzel as the hero and learning how to lasso her hair to stop the bad guys. Style: The authors’ writing style is a lot of dialogue and a story telling quality. The illustrations were very colorful, pointing out the events that were the most important on every page. Characterizations: Rapunzel is a fighter. She learns to stand up for herself and she goes after what she wants: to stop Gothel from using magic to take away the plants and grass. Jack is a character – he is humorous and funny, making jokes all the way through their journey, but he is also serious at times, talking about his troubles and how he needs to fix them. Readability: This novel was very easy to read. I flew through it very quickly and enjoyed every dialogue and narration – a younger reader could definitely read this on their own.

2. My reactions to the book. I really enjoyed this book. I have always liked the story of Rapunzel since I was little, and this story definitely had a twist to the original story. One of the biggest strengths of this book was the illustrations. The artist really did a great job with drawing the story and drawing the explicit detail of every page. I also liked how the authors changed the story a bit – Rapunzel isn’t a blonde haired princess locked away by the evil lady, but was forced into exile when she didn’t like the cruelty her “mother” treated everyone else in the town. Because the story included Jack and the Beanstalk, the goose who laid the golden egg, and many differences that were not in the original Rapunzel story, the accuracy is not the best. However, this is a cartoon story, a make believe story, so anything can change!

3. Comment on the cover art. The cover art is great. It captures the attention of the reader because Rapunzel has red hair, she’s dressed in pants, and is lassoing her hair – definitely not the true Rapunzel story. Because of all these details, the viewer will want to know why Rapunzel is so different and who the young boy in the background is. Very original and will definitely draw attention to many viewers at a library or book store.

False Princess

The False Princess by Eilis O’Neal. New York: Egmont, 2011. 319 pages.

      1. A succinct evaluative annotation. Plot: [Conflict] The problem is that Sinda grew up as a princess, was then told that she was a fill in because a prophecy was given that the real princess might die before her 16^th birthday and the royal family didn’t want that to happen. Then, Sinda was sent to her only living relative (her aunt) and found out that she had magic powers. Sinda then found out that the girl who was claimed to be the real princess was in fact a false princess as well and Sinda went to find the real princess. [Rising Action] Sinda then goes to find the real princess, learning about a royal wizard who was supposed to be part of the royal family and wanted the crown for her once again. [Climax] Sinda finds the real princess, while also discovering that the “fill in princess” was the wizards daughter, and Sinda had to use her magic to free all 3 claimed princesses from the mess that was created. [Falling Action] After Sinda fixes the problem, she realizes that she has nothing else to do, now that she was a poor girl with power that she was just starting to control. [Resolution] In the end, Sinda was able to help the real princess understand what a princess is supposed to do, and live with the boy she grew up with, and in love with, at the end of the book. Theme: The theme of this book is magic, royalty, and adventure. Tone: The tone of this book is a mixture of suspense and adventure. Sinda needs to find the real princess but it’s suspenseful because she finds out that a wizard is going to kill someone at the end of the book, making the mission very important but dangerous. Style: The authors writing style is a mixture between formal and casual. She writes formally when talking about the court, but when Sinda goes to the small town after being sent away from court, the writing becomes very casual. More descriptive paragraphs than dialogue are in this novel. Characterizations: The main character, Sinda, is an adventurous character, but she’s also very loyal. Even though her “parents” (the king and queen) lied to her, she wanted to find the real princess and right what was wrong. Readability: This is a very easy book to read – took less than 2 days for me and it’s very fast paced.

2. My reactions to the book. This was a very well written, fast past story. This would attract mostly female gender audience since it’s about a princess, which is a weakness because it’s a smaller audience, but one of the strengths about this book is the plot. This novel has a great story line and plot action. There are no loop holes and the author was really able to create a great story full of twists and turns to find the culprit who stole the real princess and how Sinda would be able to fix the problem at the end of the book. Not much can be said about the accuracy of the story since it’s about magic, but the way Sinda was brought up when she was a princess sounds very accurate when looking at real royalty.

3. Comment on the cover art. The cover art is a part of a girls face. While this is mysterious and intriguing, I feel that this cover set has been overused in many of the new books coming out, so it could be a hit or miss for attracting young girls’ attention.