Sunday 27 March 2011

The Mermaid's Mirror by L.K. Madigan




Genre: Young Adult
Pages: 336
For ages 12+

"Lena has lived her whole life near the beach — walking for miles up and down the shore and breathing the salty air, swimming in the cold water, and watching the surfers rule the waves — the problem is, she’s spent her whole life just watching.

As her sixteenth birthday approaches, Lena vows she will no longer watch from the sand: she will learn to surf.

But her father — a former surfer himself — refuses to allow her to take lessons. After his near drowning years ago, he can’t bear to let Lena take up the risky sport.

Yet something keeps drawing Lena to the water . . . an ancient, powerful magic. And one morning Lena catches sight of this magic: a beautiful woman — with a silvery tail.

Now nothing can stop Lena from seeking the mermaid, not even the dangerous waves at Magic Crescent Cove.

And soon . . . what she sees in the mermaid’s mirror will change her life forever." -Goodreads


The Mermaid's Mirror by L.K. Madigan was a book that at first I couldn't get into but by the time I got to the middle of the book I was hooked!

The character Lena was a character that you could easily connect to. It was fun to be able to go onto the journey that Lean was going on in this book. Unfortunately, Lena wasn't very different from other YA characters. She didn't stand out.

One problem I had with this book was that it was in third person. So at some points I couldn't understand who was doing what, until they talked. Some times the people wouldn't even talk after the sentence so I would be extremely confused on who was doing what.

Other than the third person confusion, this book was FANTASTIC! The story line wasn't like any other, the word choice was phenomenal, and the book just seemed to flow throughout.

The ending did not fit with me well. I like either a cliffhanger or a nice "tie all the ends together" end. This was not one of those endings. Since some of you may have not read this book yet I can't really get into much about the ending.

This book was an easy read so I definitely recommend it. If you like light yet paranormal books this would be a book for you!

I give this book 4 out of 5 diva crowns!





Saturday 19 March 2011

Delirium by Lauren Oliver (Review)


Genre: Dystopian romance
Number of Pages:441
Ages 13+ for some mild and occasional strong language

"Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love -- the deliria -- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the governments demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love." -Goodreads



Delirium by Lauren Oliver has a GREAT storyline about love being banned. Although it was really good at some parts, other parts didn't jump at me.


Lena is the main character of the book. In the beginning, Lena is over-joyed to have the procedure where you no longer have to love. They believe that love can lead to war, hate, and death. Lena later on starts to realize that maybe she DOES want to love. I wish I could have connected more with Lena.

Alex is the male main character. Once Lena meets Alex she has second thoughts about the procedure. Alex has many secrets that Lena does not know about.

Lots of people are comparing Delirium to Matched. In a way, Delirium is like Matched.For instance, I think that Cassia is a lot like In others it's not.

Unfortunately, this book didn't have enough exciting parts to keep me entertained. I loved Lauren's first book, Before I fall it was outstanding. So I know she is an AMAZING writer. This book just didn't completely work out. I really liked the storyline and the characters, though.

I give this book 3 out of 5 diva crowns.




Friday 18 March 2011

Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins (Review)

Genre: Paranormal
Pages: 359
For ages 13+

*CAUTION THIS SUMMARY HAS SPOILERS IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THROUGH ALL OF HEX HALL DO NOT READ THIS SUMMARY AND SKIP AHEAD!* ;D

"Sophie Mercer thought she was a witch.

That was the whole reason she was sent to Hex Hall, a reform school for delinquent Prodigium (aka witches, shapeshifters, and fairies). But that was before she discovered the family secret, and that her hot crush, Archer Cross, is an agent for The Eye, a group bent on wiping Prodigium off the face of the earth.

Turns out, Sophie’s a demon, one of only two in the world—the other being her father. What’s worse, she has powers that threaten the lives of everyone she loves. Which is precisely why Sophie decides she must go to London for the Removal, a dangerous procedure that will destroy her powers.

But once Sophie arrives she makes a shocking discovery. Her new friends? They’re demons too. Meaning someone is raising them in secret with creepy plans to use their powers, and probably not for good. Meanwhile, The Eye is set on hunting Sophie down, and they’re using Archer to do it. But it’s not like she has feelings for him anymore. Does she?" -Goodreads

*For all of you who haven't read Hex Hall you better not have read that summary!*

Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins was a GREAT sequel.. sometimes sequels can get a bit boring and sometimes you have to go back to the first book to figure out things. But this book didn't. You were completely caught up and you could understand everything very well.

Once again Sophie's character has managed to make her my favorite character out of ALL YA books. Her sarcasm is just as funny as the first book, maybe a tad funnier! I had to keep telling my mom all of her quotes, and she hasn't even read through all of Hex Hall yet! Sarcasm is like my second language, I love it so much, so Sophie easily appealed to me.


Cal comes into this story more. If you have not read all of Hex hall you won't understand but you will realize at the end of Demonglass there will be a team Archer or team Cal... I can't decide. I love Cal, and even though he is completely serious, he knows how to joke. In the first book I guess I didn't pay attention enough because in Hex Hall I thought Cal was an old man who was the grounds keeper of the school. Turns out he is this hot guy who can heal things! :D


Jenna is still an AWESOME character in the book. You always need a good best friend in YA books and Jenna tops them all!

When I was reading this book it was in between rounds for my Forensics competition! Tons of people kept asking me, "Why do you keep reading?" UHH DUH.....BECAUSE I LOVE IT! At one point I was waiting to see if I made finals and a big twist in the book came and I dropped my mouth wide open. My friend had to ask me if I was okay! This book was a REAL PAGE TURNER! YOU HAVE TO READ IT! But it leaves you with this DARN CLIFFHANGER! I give this book 5 out of 5 diva crowns.








Monday 14 March 2011

Thanks to all new Followers!

I know this isn't a review, but I would just like to say, THANK YOU! I have gotten about 7 more followers in the past hour. I am so excited to have so many new people checking out my blog. More reviews to come! I usually post a book review every Sunday, but since I am on spring break and I have gotten some new followers I will probably be posting one sooner this week! Please share and comment! I love comments. It is nice to know that people actually read what I write. Thanks again!

Sunday 13 March 2011

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins (review)

Genre: Paranormal
Number of Pages: 352
For ages 13+

"Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father--an elusive European warlock--only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.

By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire student on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect.

As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her." -Goodreads


Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins was an AMAZING BOOK! I am just one lucky girl reading so many awesome books!

Sophie Mercer is my FAVORITE young adult character I have ever read about! Her sarcasm cracked me up. I would literally stop reading and tell the friend I have nearby what sarcastic comment she made next.

Archer Cross is the male main character of the book. At times he could be extremely frustrating, but you can't get past his charm. Yet another boy that isn't hard to fall in love with. Why are all of these authors doing this to me!?! I feel like a lunatic falling for boys in these books!

The ending was definitely wanting me to read the second book. So the next day at 8:00 at night my brother took me to Barnes and Noble! I will be reviewing Demon Glass (the next book in the series) next week or maybe this week since I have spring break!

I was always turning pages for more. Some people say they didn't like this book because it wasn't very paranormal, but that was one of the reasons I liked it. It wasn't a book that put you in a dark mood. Because if you are like me books can put you in "moods". This book was quirky and fun. I think there was enough paranormal to have lots of mystery, just not depressing and dark , like some other paranormal books.

I give this book 5 out of 5 diva crowns! Couldn't have been better!




Sunday 6 March 2011

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton (Review)


Genre: YA Paranormal
Number of Pages: 464
For ages 13+ because of some graphic fighting scenes


"When seventeen-year-old Ellie starts seeing reapers - monstrous creatures who devour humans and send their souls to Hell - she finds herself on the front lines of a supernatural war between archangels and the Fallen and faced with the possible destruction of her soul.

A mysterious boy named Will reveals she is the reincarnation of an ancient warrior, the only one capable of wielding swords of angelfire to fight the reapers, and he is an immortal sworn to protect her in battle. Now that Ellie's powers have been awakened, a powerful reaper called Bastian has come forward to challenge her. He has employed a fierce assassin to eliminate her - an assassin who has already killed her once.

While balancing her dwindling social life and reaper-hunting duties, she and Will discover Bastian is searching for a dormant creature believed to be a true soul reaper. Bastian plans to use this weapon to ignite the End of Days and to destroy Ellie's soul, ending her rebirth cycle forever. Now, she must face an army of Bastian's most frightening reapers, prevent the soul reaper from consuming her soul, and uncover the secrets of her past lives - including truths that may be too frightening to remember." -Goodreads


Angelfire, by Courtney Allison Moulton , was a book that I couldn't stop reading, and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough in the fighting scenes. The last half of the book I slept over at a friend's house and I couldn't put it down even when she half begged me. She got a little irritated.

Ellie,the main character of the book, was a character that I could completely relate to. In the beginning you think she is just a normal, but when Will shows up her world is turned upside down. Ellie is a character that you wish could just jump out of the book just so you could have her as your best friend. I loved her sarcasm!

I am just one lucky girl because this would be the third book in a row that I read about an AMAZING boy character. Will is a total gentleman who will do anything to protect Ellie. Once again, any chivalry loving girl would fall for him.

Since I am a girl who loves romance this book was definitely satisfying. It was also aggravating (in a good way!) because you knew Ellie and Will should be together but they didn't realize they were in love with each other.

I give this book 4 out of 5 diva crowns, ONLY because sometimes I would have to skim over some of the fighting scenes. Then again, I do that in a lot of books... :)