Bridger by Megan Curd (Review)

Genre: Paranormal/Fantasy

Number of Pages: Unknown

For ages 13+

"Ashlyn McVean doesn’t believe in fairy tales. That is, until Ashlyn is thrown into the crosshairs of grudges her grandmother created long ago. After finding out she is one of two people able to cross between faerie realms, Ashlyn is faced with trying to understand her abilities, along with navigating a new relationship with her boyfriend, Liam. As if being on a centuries old hit list and dealing with crazed pixies isn’t enough, her new abilities mean trouble for Liam. Knowing her new life puts everyone she loves in danger, Ashlyn must decide what’s most important in her life between friends, family, love, and ultimately, realms." -Goodreads

My apologies for not posting yesterday! I got a Kindle Fire. Something I have been wanting for a WHILE and have been begging to get. I was pretty much hypnotized with that the whole day. So I pretty much resorted to reading all day. Oh how I love winter break. <3

I had read this book when I was in about sixth grade. This was before I was a reviewer and before this book was even published. My mom knew Megan,the author, and told Megan I loved to read. So I beta read it for her. I loved it then and I still love it now. It's absolutely phenomenal.

By the first couple of pages, you know that Ashlynn is going to be a pretty strong main character. And by the end you are attached to this girl. And you know, there's no going back now. I liked how Ashlynn wasn't over confident. She had an innocent side to her that didn't make her seem cocky. I also LOVED the relationship between her and Memaw once they finally progressed. What can I say? I loved this book.

The romance in this book was FANTABULOUUUSSSSSS. Liam is to. die. for. He and Ashlynn make the perfect couple. And while I did hate him for a little while, (can't tell you why until you read it!) by the end, I was lovin' him again. He's not your average male character. He has black hair and bright blue eyes, and he's irish! I don't know what it is but it seems to me male characters with accents get to us girls. Liam was the perfect gentleman and treated Ashlynn right. It also helps that he is her sworn protector. *SWOOONNNN*

Megan was also great about tension. She kept you at the edge of your seat. And instead of the fight scenes being plain boring because, what can I say, those aren't my favorite scenes, she made them actually really interesting to read. Ashlynn is one bootie kickin' machine.

Another character I REALLY liked was Ashlynn's memaw, or Emily. She was a great mentor to Ashlynn who really helped her understand who she really was. She taught her what she needed to know and made things easier on her. I also LOVED Reese, Ashlynn's guy best friend. He's the only one of her human friends who can actually tell him about her situation. He's one of those characters that helps the main character deal with all of their crud.

I give this book 5 out of 5 diva crowns! It was fantastic. I recommend this book to all paranormal or fantasy romance lovers.

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Also, even though this has NOTHING to do with this post whatsoever, I just wanted to post this song on here since I CAN'T GET IT OUT OF MY HEAD. It's called Safe and Sound by Taylor Swift for the sound track for the new movie The Hunger Games. I'm so stinkin' excited for that movie, by the way.

I may do this from time to time. Just to show you guys what songs have been going through my mind non-stop that week. Thanks for reading! :)

Mixin' it up a little bit!

So, it's Sunday, and that's when I usually review a book. I've had QUITE a busy week this week with Musical practice, homework, then going back to school for dance practice for the musical and to top it all off I had a forensics tournament on Friday and Saturday. I can't review my book because I haven't finished it. I'm so super duper close, but I need to get some other stuff done so I decided to do something a tad different. (*Caution: this may be a little rant-y.*)

I was on Goodreads just browsing through different reviews of different books and I kept reading these nasty reviews with just flat out rude statements. I couldn't believe that people could just say these rude things without even backing them up with examples. Now maybe I've just been doing too many seminar questions in English Lit and Comp. where I have to pretty much back every single thing I say up with some literary example, but I think that's a tad ridiculous. It's also shown me though, that it's mostly my generation. Teenagers.

I know first hand teenagers, they (or should I say WE) can be nasty. Trust me, I'm around them every day. And we are the target audience for all YA books. So yes, authors should expect some reviews that are not-so-nice. But this is kind of a touchy subject for me. My own mother is an author. So I know first hand that authors read the reviews they get. I've seen people say they flat out hated a book IN THEIR REVIEW. I think this is highly inappropriate. Other people may not think so but someone has put their blood, sweat, and tears into this piece of work and someone has ripped it to shreds. Of course authors are going to have to expect it, especially if it's YA because teenagers are extremely opinionated.

I have a policy where if it's lower than 3 stars (or should I say Diva Crowns (;)for me, then I'm not going to review it. There's no reason. If I do have some criticism for a book, I do the Oreo cookie method. I learned this method in Forensics when we would critique someone's performance after they performed it for the class. We would first say what we really liked about the piece, something they could work on, and then another fantastic thing. Now, I know that authors can't really change what they've already written after it's published, but I still think it's a good idea. If I'm going to criticize something I'm going to always add something afterwards to keep the author in good spirits, in case they're reading.

So I'm gonna be the person to be spreading the cheer and throwing sparkles on everyone, because that's what I love to do. Make people happy with my reviews. Especially authors who read my reviews and know that their hard work is worth it. Because, honestly, without authors, I wouldn't have things to enjoy in my free time, I wouldn't have such a large vocabulary, and I wouldn't be able to connect with so many awesome people on twitter and my blog who all share the same love for books as I do. So thank you, authors! :)

Anyways, sorry for that rant-y post. I needed to get that off my chest. I also want to know how other people feel about this. Do you find it a problem, or do you think it's fine? Feel free to tell me how you feel about this "situation." Ta Ta for now!

Tattered Blog Tour!

Katie: This is sooooo cool! I'm so happy we got to stop on your blog on the tour. I may have done some begging... just sayin'. I guess I should do all the formal stuff, huh? I'd like to thank Jewelz for hosting the Tattered tour.

For today's prize of a paperback copy of Misfit McCabe along with an autographed copy of Here by Denise Grover Swank, who just happens to be Jewelz' mamma, simply comment and specify you are entering on this post and leave your email.

To get a free ebook copy of Misfit McCabe:

Put together the puzzle and write down the code. Each day will give another part of the coupon code. Please note at the top whether it is for eBook or Print.

Once you have collected the entire code, go to Smashwords and purchase Misfit McCabe input the code and download whichever ebook version you need for free.

To get 50% off the print version of Misfit McCabe:

Put together the puzzle and write down the code. Each day will give another part of the coupon code. Please note at the top whether it is for eBook or Print.

Once you have collected the entire code, go to Griffie World Store and purchase Misfit McCabe input the code and receive 50% off the purchase price.

To win the KINDLE FIRE

Support this tour by commenting on each of the daily stops -- It's only 11 days, not even as long as the 12 days of Christmas.

And since Jewelz was nice enough to help me promote my new book, please follow her on this blog!

And just so you know, Denise Grover Swank is a writing machine. In addition to Here, she has Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes, Chosen, and Hunted out. You should check them out.

Tattered is the third novel in the heartwarming young adult series, Misfit McCabe. A little about the book:

What do Sunday afternoon court proceedings, cheerleader tryouts, and a book burning have in common? Katie McCabe is back in action.

After her nemesis Harvey is found guilty and sentenced to community service, Katie wants to believe her troubles are over, but Harvey wonít rest until he gets revenge. When blackmail rears its ugly head, sheís caught between friends and enemies putting her growing relationship with Tom at stake. Books go up in flames and Katieís world rains down in tatters.

What next? Oh yeah... this is where LK usually goes on about how she met the host (Twitter)... blah, blah, blah.. and then she tells everyone I'm fourteen. I guess you could say that Jewelz and I met because of Twitter. I mean, if LK and her mamma hadn't met, then we probably wouldn't have met, but whatever. The main thing is that we're friends. She's into drama and sings and competes in forensics... all of which I think is totally cool. One of the reasons we got to be good friends is that we both lost our dads. So we can talk about how things feel sometimes. Anyway, on to today's topic... my cousin, Sarah.

Sarah is absolutely gorgeous and makes me feel like I'm not put together quite right on most days. Not intentionally. But she just seems to have it all together most of the time, and I SOOO don't. It's kinda a weird thing, because she's a cousin... and I only got to know her recently, but she's also telling me what to do most of the time, 'cause Uncle Charley put her in charge. But... I don't know... sometimes I feel like she kinda takes the place of my mamma. I never really knew my mamma 'cause she died when I was so young. And Daddy would never talk to me about things like boys, but Sarah does. And I wonder sometimes, like when Sarah gives me a hug, if that is what it would have felt like if Mamma were still alive. So it was weird when Sarah said she was engaged to Jim, I felt like I was losing her before I even had her. They're not married yet. In fact, they haven't even picked a date yet. It was strange to feel happy and excited for her, but at the same time feel like I was losing another person in my life. Haven't I lost enough already?

Whoa! Sorry Jewelz. I didn't mean to get so serious on you. I didn't think I would. I thought we'd take turns talking about how strict Sarah is and how unreasonable she can be. Cracking jokes, stuff like that. Oh and for those of you who don't know Sarah, deep down, I know she's not unreasonable... she just wants to keep me safe.

Put the puzzle below together for part of the code to receive a free Misfit McCabe ebook. And make sure you visit Rhonda Cowsert on tomorrow's stop on the tour. And for all details on the tour, the prizes, and the stops, please visit Griffie World.

If the puzzle does not load correctly, please refresh your browser and it should display correctly.

Shine by Lauren Myracle (Review)

Genre: Contemporary

Number of Pages: 350

For ages 15+ for strong language, drug references, and sexual content

"When her best guy friend falls victim to a vicious hate crime, sixteen-year-old Cat sets out to discover who in her small town did it. Richly atmospheric, this daring mystery mines the secrets of a tightly knit Southern community and examines the strength of will it takes to go against everyone you know in the name of justice.

Against a backdrop of poverty, clannishness, drugs, and intolerance, Myracle has crafted a harrowing coming-of-age tale couched in a deeply intelligent mystery. Smart, fearless, and compassionate, this is an unforgettable work from a beloved author."-Goodreads

This book had a strong story line that pulled you in on the first page. I have to say that this book is kind of dark in a way. The situations are grueling and extremely painful to read. But I couldn't put the darn book down.

Sixteen year old Cat used to be extremely outgoing, but when her brother's friend, Tommy, takes advantage of her, she crawls into her own little shell and shuts everyone out. Now, Patrick, her old bestfriend has been attacked for a hate crime over his sexuality, she has to come out of her shell to find out who almost killed him. I loved Cat's personality. She was the shy girl who when she put her mind to it, could have one strong personality. She had been put through a whole lot and she was clueless on what she should do. I really had a tough time reading some of her situations, just because she was put through SO much.

It was really refreshing for me to read a contemporary after reading all of these other complex books. And what is even more surprising is how much I liked this book when there was close to NO romance and it was contemporary. But there were some touchy situations in this book that drew me in. Another thing that drew me in was the way this book was written. You could definitely hear Cat's voice and personality throughout the narration of this book.

This is a really hard book to read. Believe me, it is. There are scenarios in this book that are so tough that sometimes I felt like I needed to just put the book down and think. It has an extreme impact on you. If you don't like reading serious story lines, then I don't recommend reading this book.

Another thing, this book is supposed to be toward teen readers, when in actuality, I think it should be for older range of teenagers. There's extremely strong language, some sexual interaction, and drug dealing. Some of these aren't as bad as others. But this is the reason I thought it should be for 15+. I just think it has a lot of issues that some younger teens may not want to read about. I AM fourteen, but I didn't have much difficulty with dealing with the situations.

As I said, there was close to no romance in this book. *SIGH* But it was still a great read. There was little bit of romance at the end that I could see progressing, but it wasn't until probably the second to last page that you actually saw a relationship bloom from that. But oh wells! What can ya do?

The mystery in this book was fantastic! I may have had a hunch on who the attacker was but when it all folded out I was a little surprised. I did see that some people on Goodreads thought it was easily predicted, but I didn't think so. I guess I'm just clueless. ;)

The only problem I had with this book is sometimes the writing got a little weird. It didn't always seem to flow like it should. But, I live with an author and from her I've learned how to find stuff like that in books, so if you can't then it shouldn't be a problem!

I give this book 4 out of 5 diva crowns! This was an emotional book that really brings up some of the problems in our society. It really opens your eyes. I recommend it to anyone who loves a contemporary mystery.

Here by Denise Grover Swank (Review)

Genre: Sci-fi romance

Number of Pages: 350

For ages 12+

"Sixteen year old Julia Phillips buries herself in guilt after killing her best friend Monica in a car accident. Julia awoke in the hospital with a broken leg, a new talent for drawing and false memories of the accident, in which she dies and Monica lives. The doctors attribute this to her head injury, but no one can explain how a bracelet engraved with her name ended up at the scene of the accident. A bracelet no one has ever seen before.

Classmate Evan Whittaker paid Julia no attention before the accident, let alone after. Now suddenly he’s volunteering to tutor her and offering to drive her home. She can't ignore that his new obsession started after his two-day disappearance last week and that he wears a pendant she’s been drawing for months. When the police show up one night looking for Evan, he begs Julia to run with him, convincing her that Monica is still alive. Julia agrees to go, never guessing where he’s really from." -Goodreads

This is a pretty unique review all in itself. Why, you ask? Because this isn't just some book. This is my mother's book. Yes. That's correct. My mother wrote this book. My mother is Denise Grover Swank, and she is an author. Cool, right?! I thought it would be absolutely terrible to review this book and then not tell you guys the author IS in fact my mother. Because that would mean I was totally jipping you. And I DON'T DO THAT. But, just to let you know right here, right now *intense*, I WILL be reviewing this book truthfully. Just because it's my momma doesn't mean I'm going to review this book any differently from my other reviews. ..Even if I do live with the author, and anything I say or do could affect my living whereabouts.

One cool thing about this book is the main character is named after me. I begged and BEGGED my mom to use Julia as her main character's name because I hadn't read about any main characters with the name Julia in YA. She agreed but told me she would change it if it got too weird. Thank goodness it didn't! But let's just get one thing straight here. Julia Phillips and me are nothing alike. Aside from the sarcasm, we both like to use that often. Julia is a strong character who is dealing with the grief of killing her friend Monica. At least she THINKS she killed Monica. Then, Evan comes along *swoooooonnnn* and gets Julia to come out of her shell. I loved Julia. She had a really strong personality and all of her decisions affected how you felt.

So the romance in this book, was AWESOME. Of course there had to be. If my mom didn't put awesome romance in this book she wouldn't have heard the end of it. In this book there's a love triangle. Two guys fighting over the love and affection of Julia. Reece and Evan. Of course, at some points I did pretend they were talking about this Julia and not that Julia, but a girl can dream! You're probably wondering which guy I liked better. See, that's the problem. HOW CAN I CHOOSE BETWEEN SUCH AWESOME GUYS?! Some of my friends beta read this and we all had some strong debates on team Reece or team Evan. Most said Reece, but I was a little iffy. BUT if I had to choose I would choose Reece for Julia Phillips and Evan for me. But, Evan will have to wait a few more years until I turn sixteen for it to be acceptable. Don't worry,though. Evan will still be seventeen when I turn sixteen. Also, Evan and Reece, both going on the Swoon Worthy List, just sayin'.

Some of you may be cringing at the thought of a sci-fi book. But trust me. You can't even tell it's sci-fi. I HATE science. It's my worst subject (next to math) and it bores the heck out of me, but this book doesn't even seem like it's sci-fi. Don't you worry your pretty little book lovin' heads. Now, if you DO like sci-fi, then you will adore this book even more.

There were extremely intense scenes in this book, and all of them had me biting my fingernails to nubs. Even if I have read a version of this book at least three or four times. I sometimes have no idea how my mother comes up with stuff like this, but she does. Also, when the "science-y" aspects of the book come out. She explains it to you so you can easily understand. And if I can understand it, I'm sure you'll easily understand it.

I give this book 5 out of 5 diva crowns. Now, before you start saying I'm doing this because the author is my mother, (Even though I'm sure none of you were actually going to say that.) I'm rating this 5 out of 5 diva crowns BECAUSE if there were any mistakes or something I didn't like while I was reading it any of the three or four times I read it, I would have told my mom. So therefore, I have nothing to critique!

I absolutely recommend you buy this book. ....And not just because if you buy it I may have a better chance of getting a Kindle fire or Nook tablet for Christmas... but because it's AWESOME!

The Secret of Spruce Knoll by Heather McCorkle (Review)

Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal

Number of Pages: 252

For ages 13+

"It’s hard enough being a teenager under normal circumstances; imagine being orphaned, sent to live with an unfamiliar aunt—and learning that there really is magic in the world. Following the tragic death of her parents, Eren Donovan moves to Spruce Knoll to live with her aunt. Little does Eren know the entire town of Spruce Knoll is filled with “channelers”—a magical group of people who immigrated to the small Colorado town when they were driven out of their own lands.

Channelers are tied to the fate of the world. As the world slowly dies, so do they—and they alone have the power to stop the destruction of Earth. Now, Eren learns she not only lives among them, but she is one. When she meets local boy Aiden, his charm convinces her that being a channeler may not be all bad.

As Eren and Aiden’s relationship blooms, so too does a mystery in Spruce Knoll. The town holds many secrets—and many enemies. It soon becomes apparent that the untimely death of Eren’s parents-and Aidens-was no accident and that her life might be in danger, too. Only time will tell if Eren has the power to protect the people she has come to love." -Goodreads

Hello everyone! My apologies for being a total slacker and not reviewing for the past three weeks. I'm ashamed. I am. Now, WHO WANTS TO READ A REVIEW?!?! ...I feel like I'm on a talk show. ;)

This book was absolutely positively divine! Oh my goodness. My mom introduced me to this book because I was needing a book to read. So, obviously I was going to read it. My mother's recommendations are never wrong. After all she knows my book tastes. I've lived with her for 14 years.

Eren just wants to be a normal teenage girl. But when her parents get attacked by a wild animal and she has to come live with her aunt, everything changes. I connected with Eren right on the spot. Heather did a fantastic job with having the reader connect with the characters. She gave them qualities that people could easily like, but she didn't make the characters too perfect. Nothing irks me more (Yes, irks) than a perfect character with no flaws. That's just not realistic. Now, I know that MANY things in paranormal or fantasy aren't going to be realistic, but it would be nice if the character's personality was at least somewhat normal...ish.

Some people may not agree with me on this, but I liked the fact that Eren and Aiden's relationship progressed quickly. I'm the type of person who says, "JUST GET TOGETHER ALREADY!" Because it's true. I like the idea of "no dilly dallying." I loved the romance in this book it was refreshing and in some cases.. cheesy. And I love me some cheesy romance! The good thing is, is that if you don't like cheesy romance, it wasn't extremely cheesy that you were thinking, "Oh goodness, when did this turn into a Hallmark movie?" Trust me. Hallmark movies aren't for me. This was nothing like one. Also, Aiden? Swoon worthy. EXTREMELY Swoon Worthy. He's goin' on the list.

The suspense in this book was also fantastic. Heather always had something that you were on the edge of your seat about. I can't tell you how many times I was almost verbally screaming, "OH MY GOSH!!!!" It's a good thing I can control myself, because I usually read this during the twenty minute homework time we get in the morning, and everything is silent. (I'm always reading during this time, because I think it's ridiculous how some kids don't do their homework the NIGHT they are supposed to do it.)

There was nothing in this book I didn't like. I absolutely loved it. Which means my mother's recommendation was correct, once again. She'll be quite pleased to hear this. I highly recommend you buy this book. Especially if you love romance/suspense/fantasy. It was FANTABULOUS. Five diva crowns.

Vanish by Sophie Jordan (Review)

Genre: Paranormal

Number of Pages: 323

For ages 13+

***CAUTION: This review may have spoilers for the first book. so if you plan on reading Firelight, then don't read this review!***

"To save the life of the boy she loves, Jacinda did the unthinkable: She betrayed the most closely-guarded secret of her kind. Now she must return to the protection of her pride knowing she might never see Will again—and worse, that because his mind has been shaded, Will’s memories of that fateful night and why she had to flee are gone.

Back home, Jacinda is greeted with hostility and must work to prove her loyalty for both her sake and her family’s. Among the few who will even talk to her are Cassian, the pride’s heir apparent who has always wanted her, and her sister, Tamra, who has been forever changed by a twist of fate. Jacinda knows that she should forget Will and move on—that if he managed to remember and keep his promise to find her, it would only endanger them both. Yet she clings to the hope that someday they will be together again. When the chance arrives to follow her heart, will she risk everything for love?

In bestselling author Sophie Jordan’s dramatic follow-up to Firelight, forbidden love burns brighter than ever." -Goodreads

I thought Firelight was fantastic, so I was super excited to get VANISH. And I was lucky enough to get it the day after I finished Firelight! Also, not only was I sick LAST week, this week I had an eye infection, so I couldn't go to school. More reading time!

As if Jacinda hadn't gone through enough in the first book, she has to leave Will and take the risk of him completely forgetting why she left. She also has to deal with the grief with having to take her mom and sister away from their finally normal life. All on top of that, her twin sister has FINALLY manifested into a shader, an extremely rare draki. She's been through QUITE a lot, if I say so myself.

Was there romance in this book? Uhhh YOU BET THERE WAS. I hope Sophie wanted some of the readers to swoon over Cassian, because I totally did. At first, I was set on Will. I really was, but the moment Cassian turned on the romance between him and Jacinda, I was team Cassian. And... then I was team Will... and then team Cassian again. I was seriously going insannneeee. So, by the end I was team Will/Cassian. IT'S ALLOWED, OKAY?!

There wasn't one boring part in this book. I was always waiting to see what was next. Sophie did an amazing job with the relationships between all of the characters. And even though I wasn't too fond of Jacinda's mother in the first book, I really grew to like her in this book. You could see she really did care for her daughters. She didn't fight coming back into the pride that she tried to get AWAY from. I also felt bad for her mom. She was so depressed with staying in the pride, and her daughters being unhappy, that she became numb. She'd go to work, come home, and go straight to her room. I really came to appreciate her.

This book was fantastic, and didn't have a case of the sequel-in-a-trilogy-blues. Thank goodness! It was a refreshing read that had the same characters you came to know and love in Firelight! Definitely recommend it! 5 out of 5 diva crowns! :)

Firelight by Sophie Jordan (Review)

Genre: Paranormal

Number of Pages: 323

For ages 13+

"A hidden truth.

Mortal enemies.

Doomed love.

Marked as special at an early age, Jacinda knows her every move is watched. But she longs for freedom to make her own choices. When she breaks the most sacred tenet among her kind, she nearly pays with her life. Until a beautiful stranger saves her. A stranger who was sent to hunt those like her. For Jacinda is a draki—a descendant of dragons whose greatest defense is her secret ability to shift into human form.

Forced to flee into the mortal world with her family, Jacinda struggles to adapt to her new surroundings. The only bright light is Will. Gorgeous, elusive Will who stirs her inner draki to life. Although she is irresistibly drawn to him, Jacinda knows Will's dark secret: He and his family are hunters. She should avoid him at all costs. But her inner draki is slowly slipping away—if it dies she will be left as a human forever. She'll do anything to prevent that. Even if it means getting closer to her most dangerous enemy.

Mythical powers and breathtaking romance ignite in this story of a girl who defies all expectations and whose love crosses an ancient divide." -Goodreads

I had gotten this book quite a while ago, and until recently, I forgot I had it. (I'm always losing books. I need a bookcase.) I needed something to read after reading LOLA in four hours, and I found this one on a stack of books! We have about four stacks piling. They're mostly my mom's. We're a family of avid readers. ;)

I think I read this book in about 3 days. I would have probably read it in about one or two days if I didn't have play practice until 5:30 every day. But you know, pickers can't be choosers!

This book was a divine read that I couldn't put down. I literally had to tear myself from the book before my teacher yelled at me to stop reading. Jacinda was someone that you could sympathize with from the very start. I was wanting her to make decisions that I wouldn't have ever been able to make in reality. She had to be ripped away from all she ever knew, and she had to give up part of personality. I felt for Jacinda throughout the whole book. At times, I was furious with her mother to believe Jacinda would be fine with letting her draki self die off. I really connected with Jacinda.

I loved the "forbidden love" aspect in this book. Call me crazy, but there's something more appealing to it, and that's probably why a lot of romances in books are like that. Will and Jacinda were perfect for each other, even if their two "societies" didn't believe so. Jacinda had to do a lot of fighting with herself in this book. She kept going back and forth with her feelings for Will. Which kind of annoyed me, because I wanted to shake that girl and say, "GET A GRIP! BE TOGETHER." But that's just my bold personality coming out. ;) You're probably wondering,"Jewelz, did Will meet the swoon worthy requirements?!?!" I'm sure you really aren't too worried about that, but I like to think you are. To answer your question, though, yes, he definitely, DEFINITELY did meet those requirements. I'm kind of testing how many names I can put on my list before it becomes ridiculous and I' have to think of something else creative to show all of my favorite male characters.

At times, I did get a little frustrated with Jacinda's mother and sister. I was frustrated with the point that they thought Jacinda would be completely dandy with losing half of herself. They thought she'd just be normal afterwards, nothing would happen. When in reality, she probably would never have been the same. I know I don't usually talk about my problems with characters attitudes in books, but this really irritated me.

I was thinking about it when I was looking around in the book store today, and I realized that reading so many amazing complex books that are paranormal, or dystopian, or fantasy, that I'm kind of a complex book snob. (The first step is admitting it.) But really it's true. I just can't read contemporary as much as I used to. I love me some paranormal romance. And it's books like this one, that make me love paranormal so much.

This book was fantastic, and I loved it completely. I found no flaws whatsoever. The characters were completely believable, the plot was fantastic, and the romance was refreshing. I give it 5 out of 5 diva crowns!

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins (Review)

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Number of Pages: 338

For ages 14+ for some strong language

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

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

*CAUTION: This may be a lengthy review just because I stinkin' loved this book.*

OH MY STINKING GOODNESS! So when I first got this package, I was at school. I pre-ordered it to get it the day it came out and I was just counting the hours until play practice was over to come home and GET MY PACKAGE! So, when I see my mother has laid it on the steps in all it's brown cardboard beauty I literally squealed. Unfortunately, Amazon likes to make things difficult for me, so it was quite a process to open it. I refused to use anything but my hands, so this process took me about 5 minutes. You should know, though, that I have the strength of an elementary school child. (And not even a STRONG elementary school child!) When I finally got it open I squealed in even more excitement, which my older brother did not appreciate.

Maybe now I should actually REVIEW this book. I'm sure you all would enjoy that. Wouldn't you?

I find it ABSOLUTELY amazing that an author like Stephanie can make you automatically connect with a character in the first five pages. I'm not even joking. I literally fell in love with Lola's personality in a matter of minutes. She's got a personality that sticks to you like glue. You can't help but thinking like her when you're reading. I read this whole book in about four hours. And yes, it was a weekday. But no, I was not at school. Unfortunately, I'm sick. The fortunate part of being sick? LOTS of reading time. I barely stopped reading this book. So, I was thinking like Lola almost those whole four hours. I probably was thinking a little bit like her OUTSIDE of reading this book.

Another thing of the many things I liked about this book, was the similarities between Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door. Sometimes, similarities can be a bad thing. But other times, they can be quite refreshing. It was amazing to see that all of the things you loved in ANNA were coming back in different ways in LOLA. I mean, these reasons are the reason that Anna and the French Kiss is my favorite book. So to have these similarities, in the same style, by the same author, it just makes another divine book.

Can I just take a moment here to SWOON? I really hope none of you are getting tired of this. Cricket. He's definitely a BIG competitor against Etienne. Etienne who? JUST JOKING! I WOULD NEVER DO THAT, ETIENNE! ...I mean, what? *crickets chirp* CRICKET?! WHERE?! But yeah... he's.... he's pretty cool... I'm pretty sure Stephanie is in my head and knows how to make me swoon because she's done it to me two books in a row. Look at that column over there ----> See a specific name under a specific list? Just wonderin'...

Something I would just like to say here is, I never liked Matt, I never will. There may have been some people who kind of liked him in the beginning, and I'm okay with that. I mean, he was alright, I guess, *SPOILER ALERT!* but after they broke up he was beyond a complete jerk(I would totally be adding a bad word here to describe him if I used that kind of language.), and I definitely did not like him after that. HE vexed the heck out of me. (See what reading does to my vocabulary? Reading, kids. It's what makes you smart.) *You may now return to my marvelous review!*

I was super excited to find that Stephanie had incorporated Anna and St. Clair multiple times into the story. Lola works at the same movie theater that Anna did in Anna and the French Kiss. Let me tell you, St. Clair? Still swoon worthy as ever. I was ecstatic to see that Anna and St. Clair's relationship was still in full swing. Anna was still her awesome self, and hadn't lost any of her personality from ANNA.

Now the question is, which book will reign as my favorite now? DON'T ASK ME THAT! ...I need to wrap my ill head around this. Maybe I can choose when I don't have a body temperature that's rising to another fever. Until then, it will be ANNA, just because I'm not losing my obsession for Paris, France ANY time soon.

You probably should have known how many diva crowns this book was gonna get by the second paragraph. If you didn't then you need to get better inferring skills. JUST JOKING, I LOVE YOU! ...I need to stop before this gets out of hand. This book gets 5 out of 5 diva crowns. As if there was any question!

Banished by Sophie Littlefield (Review)

Genre: Paranormal

Number of Pages: 304

For ages 13+

"There isn’t much worth living for in Gypsum, Missouri—or Trashtown, as the rich kids call the run-down neighborhood where sixteen-year-old Hailey Tarbell lives. Hailey figures she’ll never belong—not with the popular kids at school, not with the rejects, not even with her cruel, sickly grandmother, who deals drugs out of their basement. Hailey never knew her dead mother, and she has no idea who her father was, but at least she has her four-year-old foster brother, Chub. Once she turns eighteen, Hailey plans to take Chub far from Gypsum and start a new life where no one can find them.

But when a classmate is injured in gym class, Hailey discovers a gift for healing that she never knew she possessed—and that she cannot ignore. Not only can she heal, she can bring the dying back to life. Confused by her powers, Hailey searches for answers but finds only more questions, until a mysterious visitor shows up at Gram’s house, claiming to be Hailey’s aunt Prairie.

There are people who will stop at nothing to keep Hailey in Trashtown, living out a legacy of despair and suffering. But when Prairie saves both Hailey and Chub from armed attackers who invade Gram’s house in the middle of the night, Hailey must decide where to place her trust. Will Prairie’s past, and the long-buried secret that caused her to leave Gypsum years earlier, ruin them all? Because as Hailey will soon find out, their power to heal is just the beginning."-Goodreads

My mom's friend brought over this book while I was at school, and told my mom that I should read it, and boy am I glad she did!

I probably had this for about a week and a half, and I did have a little trouble getting into it. This book also reminded me of Beautiful Creatures. The girl lived in a small town, had an evil family member, had special powers, sounds all the same. Thankfully, that was all the similarities these books had.

I really liked Hailey, the main character. She went through a lot of pain and suffering. The only way she knew how to love was because of Chub, the little boy her grandmother "adopted." Hailey had much more responsibility than a teenager needed. Her grandmother was always having clients over to sell drugs, and she had to take care of Chub all on her own. She also had a power that she couldn't understand. All she knew was that she was drawn to heal people when they were hurt.

There was no romance in this book. Which I wasn't too happy about when I first started, but I found to like this book, anyways. Although, I did get a feeling that there was maybe a spark between Kaz and Hailey. Who knows? Maybe there will be some romance in the second book. But if I like a book that has no romance in it, that means that it was PRETTY DARN GOOD!

I loved Hailey's aunt, Prarie. She had never met Hailey,yet she loved her from the very start. I liked the special bond that Hailey and Prarie made along the way. They got closer and closer on their journey. Another thing I liked about Prarie was how she didn't even second guess loving Chub. Prarie also had to deal with the terribleness of Hailey's grandmother, who was Prarie's mother. (So, when I wrote that word "terribleness" I didn't actually think it was a word, but there isn't a red squiggly line, so I guess it is! You can learn new things every time you read my reviews.) She ran away from home, and then had to deal with the grief of her sister's death.

Over all, this book was pretty stinkin' awesome. I wish I could have gotten into it easier, but we can't always get what we want (OH my word, Yo Gabba Gabba is filling my head with poison.) Even with no romance, though, it was amazing, so I definitely recommend this to Beautiful Creatures lovers or lovers of paranormal books! 4 diva crowns!

Day in the Life (Creative Writing Assignment for Eng. Lit. and Comp.)

For my English Literature and Composition class, we had to write a day in the life of our first day of high school. The catch was, though, that it had to be melo-dramatic. I fought and fought to find what to write about. I kept telling myself, "This shouldn't be too hard, you're already extremely dramatic." And I'm telling you straight up, I like to over exaggerate things. It's what I do. I just COULDN'T come up with anything. Then finally I thought of something. What if I made my school an actual jail? So I did, and this is the product of that idea:

"Julia, can I watch TV???" This is what I wake up to almost EVERY morning. It usually starts around 6:00 AM. This morning, though, my little brother, Ryan, woke me up around 4:30. I had to get out of bed, find the remotes (since we're always losing them left and right), turn the TV on, flip through the channels until I actually find a show Ryan likes, then I finally got to go back to sleep. Unfortunately, Once I lay down, I realize I'm no longer tired. Oh how lovely.

When I've actually gotten myself up, gotten ready, and have finally gotten to my high school, I couldn't believe my eyes. The whole entire school is surrounded by a chain link fence and barbed wire, and there are men with weapons surrounding the whole perimeter of the school. At that moment I realize, my high school isn't even a school at all, it's a correctional facility.

I walk into my school and I automatically notice the color; a dull gray. It also has a terrible smell of mildew. The only color is the clothing of the unsuspecting students that fill the halls. Little did we know what kind of place we were about to spend the rest of our ninth grade year learning in. I was hoping maybe this would be a case of Matilda. Scary school, dull halls, but exceptionally kind teachers.This was most definitely not the case. I walk down the halls and all the teachers are outside their doors, faces in a scowl, arms tight across their chests, and their backs up straight.

In every single one of my classes, the teachers paced at the front of the room, holding their wooden sticks, just waiting for someone to smart off at them. One class out of all of them, though, was the must terrifying. We were in Algebra going over our notes. My teacher was looking at the seating chart and randomly picking people to answer. Sounds normal, right? Wrong. What was really scary is when the boy my teacher picked on got the answer wrong. All of a sudden, my teacher ran to the wall where a gigantic red button was, and slammed her hand into it. Then, all chaos broke loose. Four men ran in, grabbed the boy, and ran out. He was never seen again.

Lunch wasn't much better. We were watched so closely you could feel the guard's eyes burning into your neck. It felt like you had to clear your mind of everything just in case they could some how read it.We were served slop that was almost paste- like. Just like the school, this food was gray. Stripped of all color. We sat at long tables that never seemed to end. We were sat boy, girl next to each other forced to eat in silence, and stare at the dull, molding wall in front of us.

Finally, the school day was over and I could go home. It was time to get on the bus and leave this prison until the next day. I thought all of the petrifying events were over, of course until I stepped onto the bus. In every single seat there was a camera watching your every move along with a guard who's look dripped acid.

An hour later, I reach my stop and I'm thoroughly winded. I can't wait to sink into my favorite chair, read my book, and escape to a different world where my problems don't matter. Unfortunately, when I get to my door I notice that it is locked. Locked! I could not believe that on top of everything else, this was happening.

Thankfully, my mom wasn't gone for too long and she let me in. I couldn't wait to tell her what happened, and beg her to transfer me. When I finally tell her about my day, my mother thinks that it's my over-dramatic self taking over, and I'm over exaggerating. If only I was.

...I hope you enjoyed my story. I'm not half as good as my mother is. But, I think I did pretty well for my first creative writing assignment this year. (Let me tell you I STILL have not gotten my grade on this project, yet, and we did it the first week of school. I am probably in the 7th week of school, now. *sigh* I WANNA KNOW MY GRADE!)

Anyways, thanks for reading! I thought I would do something a little different, considering that I didn't have a book to review this week!

Cold Kiss by Amy Garvey (ARC review)

Genre: Paranormal

Number of Pages: 336

For ages 13+ for limited language.

"When her boyfriend, Danny, is killed in a car accident, Wren can’t imagine living without him. Wild with grief, she uses the untamed powers she’s inherited to bring him back. But the Danny who returns is just a shell of the boy she once loved.

Wren has spent four months keeping Danny hidden, while her life slowly unravels around her. Then Gabriel DeMarnes transfers to her school and somehow, inexplicably, he can sense her secret. Wren finds herself drawn to Gabriel, who is so much more alive than the ghost of the boy she loved. But Wren can’t turn her back on Danny or the choice she made for him—and she realizes she must find a way to make things right, even if it means breaking her own heart.

Amy Garvey’s transcendent teen debut is perfect for fans of Shiver and Beautiful Creatures. Wren’s unforgettable voice and story will stay with readers long after the last page is turned." -Goodreads

I really enjoyed this book. It was an easy read, but it wasn't so easy that you were bored with the plot. I was really interested in reading this book when I read the description.

Wren, had an extremely strong voice that you could immediately recognize as her. She had powers that kind of reminded me of Beautiful Creatures, in a way, but that's when the similarities stopped. Wren brings back her boyfriend that she was madly in love with. Little did she know what consequences she would get out of it. Now, she's realizing that this Danny isn't the same as her Danny. I like the idea of having a zombie aspect, but not having the flesh eating part. That just gives me the heebeejeebees. <----How are you even supposed to type that word?

I thought that since Wren was bringing back her boyfriend from the dead that would be the only romance, so I was a little discouraged. Then it was a nice surprise to see that a boy named Gabriel came into the picture. Gabriel is sweet and really likes Wren, oh and he can read minds. He can tell that Wren has power. So he's the only one Wren can go to about her situation. Throughout the whole entire book, Gabriel is always there for Wren, which is why, he is now in my "Swoon Worthy Boy List." I'm sorry if you're getting tired of all these swoon worthy guys, but I've been reading some good books!

A lot of the people who love Wren are really worried for her. They think she's just in grief about her boyfriend's death but they don't even know the half of it. So while Wren is trying to figure out how to return Danny to death, she's trying to piece back together her life, as well. On top of all of that, Danny is getting more aggressive and it's worrying Wren so much that she has to painfully put spells on Danny to stop it all. I felt the grief of Wren. I felt for her. I couldn't possibly imagine having to go through all of that and having to remain calm while trying to get your friends back. And she couldn't possibly tell them her situation since they don't even know about her powers to begin with.

This book was fantastic and I definitely recommend it. The only problem I had with it, is that I didn't really get to see Gabriel and Wren's relationship progress. It just kind of abruptly stopped at the end. This book comes out in about 2 days... so not much of an ARC, it was from BEA and I had so many that I read a lot very soon before they came out! All lovers of paranormal or zombies in a not-so-zombie way would love this book. I give it 4 out of 5 diva crowns.

Divergent by Veronica Roth (Review)

Genre: Dystopian

Number of Pages: 489

For ages 13+

"Beatrice "Tris" Prior has reached the fateful age of sixteen, the stage at which teenagers in Veronica Roth's dystopian Chicago must select which of five factions to join for life. Each faction represents a virtue: Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity, and Erudite. To the surprise of herself and her selfless Abnegation family, she chooses Dauntless, the path of courage. Her choice exposes her to the demanding, violent initiation rites of this group, but it also threatens to expose a personal secret that could place in mortal danger. Veronica Roth's young adult Divergent trilogy launches with a captivating adventure about love and loyalty playing out under most extreme circumstances." -Goodreads

*Excuse the late post, I went homecoming dress shopping yesterday *EEP!* and then I went to a cupcake party LITERALLY right after.*

I first found out about this book when my Mother, she's always the one to introduce me to awesome books, had the ARC. Now I was being plain SILLY and decided that I didn't want to read it because I read the first of the pages and didn't like it. I'm telling you right now that I was being a senseless girl, because this book was utterly fantastic.

Starting out with the main character. In this book our main character has two names. Beatrice, in the beginning, Tris, later. I sincerely LOVE HER. I know I say this about many main characters but, in all honesty, it's true. It's awesome how we can have a load of books with fantastic characters. It gives us so much variety. Back to Tris. She was pretty much the exact opposite of what I am, which makes reading books like this so much more fun. I get to experience something that I would never experience in real life because I'm too much of a wuss! ;) She comes from Abnegation, the selfless faction, and has to choose whether to stay or go to a different faction. Leaving your faction is looked down upon. It's pretty much like your betraying your family and all of the beliefs you've grown up with. I thought Tris was EXTREMELY brave to go from a selfless non-confrontational life, to a violent, always dangerous life style. It's a drastic change to what Tris has lived in all her life.

I've been kind of iffy on dystopian novels, lately. It seems like it's been the "IT" genre these days. So I'm, unfortunately, not always looking forward to them. This, was not a disappointment, though!

The romance, oh the romance! Four, he's quite the catch. Quite the catch. (I had to repeat that, I just love that phrase. It was also meant to emphasize my statement.) If you look on your right, I feel like a flight attendant or a tour guide, you will see that I have already placed Four's wondrous name on my swoon worthy list. 'Tis true, 'tis true. This boy has theoretically, "swept me off my feet." No joke. I kept wanting to tweet, "I'M SWOONING OVER HERE!" The chemistry between Four and Tris was absolutely MAGICAL!

I give Divergent, 5 out of 5 diva crowns. I love it when books turn out so AWESOME! I think everyone should... If not they're just plain crazy. I recommend this book to all romance/ dystopian/ adventure book lovers. It was pure awesome-ness.

Crossed by Ally Condie (ARC Review)

Genre: Dystopian

Number of Pages: 384

For ages 13+

"In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky - taken by the Society to his certain death - only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake.

Cassia's quest leads her to question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellion, an unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander - who may hold the key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia's heart - change the game once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever." -Goodreads

I have to say, this may be a cruddy review. My apologies right here, right now. I'm helping out at my sister-in-laws store for a local fair this weekend, so I'm having to write this in between working the cash register.

I have had this book for I don't know how long and I forgot ALL about it. So when I was biting my finger nails to see what the next amazing book I could get my hands on was I found it!

Crossed by Ally Condie was rather fantastic, I must say! Maybe even better than Matched? Maybe... maybe not. I was thoroughly engrossed in this book. (I decided to give you that intelligent little gem of a word.)

I hadn't read Matched in about a year so I was a little confused when I started out reading the book. I didn't know who was who. So I had to think a little. Terrible, right? I had forgotten who Xavier was or who Ky even was. I was suffering from terrible memory loss. Luckily, lovely Ally explained many things from the book before so I could follow along and then realize lots of details. I think that all sequels should have that. I know many do, but the reader (like me) may have not read the first book in a while.

The romance was very nice. It took a while to get to the romance, but it was well worth the wait. In Matched I was a die hard Xavier fan, but once I read Crossed, I have to say I'm leaning towards Ky. That was quite hard for me to say, actually.

There were some parts that did drag a tad or some parts that I just didn't understand, but for the most part it was great! I definitely suggest you read it when it comes out on November first!

I give this book 4 out of 5 diva crowns. Loved it!

Winner of Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

So sorry to everyone who entered that I didn't get this up sooner! I started high school a few weeks ago and everything is crazy right now.

I used RANDOM.ORG to figure out the winner!

Out of 51 entries the number I got was 11:

Number 11 was Shelbie and Amanda for following me! Congrats!! I will be contacting you so I can get all of your info and I can send that book right on your way!

Thank you everyone so much for entering! More giveaways to come.

Passion by Lauren Kate (Review)

Genre: Paranormal

Number of Pages: 420

For ages 13+

"Luce would die for Daniel.

And she has. Over and over again. Throughout time, Luce and Daniel have found each other, only to be painfully torn apart: Luce dead, Daniel left broken and alone. But perhaps it doesn’t need to be that way. . . .

Luce is certain that something—or someone—in a past life can help her in her present one. So she begins the most important journey of this lifetime . . . going back eternities to witness firsthand her romances with Daniel . . . and finally unlock the key to making their love last.

Cam and the legions of angels and Outcasts are desperate to catch Luce, but none are as frantic as Daniel. He chases Luce through their shared pasts, terrified of what might happen if she rewrites history.

Because their romance for the ages could go up in flames . . . forever." -Goodreads

This is the other book that I got at the book store a few weeks ago. I was somewhat excited about it. The truth is, I didn't necessarily like the second book. The first one was fantastic. I was turning pages always needing to read more. Then, I read the second book, thinking it was going to be just as amazing, but sadly, it was not. So here I was, finding the third book, not sure what to do. I decided I would give it a go!

Passion by Lauren Kate was MUCH better than Torment. Torment was a lot like those second books. Kind of like a filler for the third. Unfortunately, there's a lot of those, lately. Passion made up for it, mostly! I was reading the reviews for it on Goodreads and it comes to show that not everyone is going to like the same book.

I hadn't read the Fallen series in a while, so I kind of had to get back into that "series" mode. I had to dig into my brain in all of the books I've read and find Torment, and then try and figure out what happened at the end of that book that started everything?

Luce was still the same, from what I can remember. She was trying to go back and find out what started the curse between her and Daniel. Frankly, I wanted to start screaming because every single time she went more into the past Daniel would be right behind her ALWAYS missing her. GAHHHH! It was quite frustrating, to me. I know, I know, It was supposed to be like that but, COME ON?!

Daniel: still swoon worthy as EVER. Oh my word. I knew I loved that boy. There was definitely romance in this book, but I couldn't help being "jealous" for Luce when I saw her past lives in love with Daniel. I'm weird like that. I kept telling myself, "It's her. It's still her in love with Daniel." I know, I'm a little off, but it's true.

I would just like to say, that cliff hanger was like the perfect kind. That's all I'm gonna say. I don't want to ruin it for all of you who may read it in the future.

I wouldn't say this book was as amazing as the first one. I think Lauren is still trying to get back into the swing of things. That's how a lot of series are, though. Not a lot of them can live up to the potential to the first book. Hopefully, though, the last one will be just as good as the first.

I give this book 4 out of 5 diva crowns. I do recommend it. Really, I do. It was much better than Torment, but not as good as Fallen.

(Sorry for that scatter brained review, everyone. For someone reason my head wont come up with anything witty. *SIGH*)