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*)