Forgive My Fins --- Tera Lynn Childs

Rating: 5 Stars
Genre: Fantasy, Mermaids, Romance
Pages: 293

Official Summary:

Lily Sanderson has a secret, and it's not that she has a huge crush on gorgeous swimming god Brody Bennett, who makes her heart beat flipper-fast. Unrequited love is hard enough when you're a normal teenage girl, but when you're half human, half mermaid, like Lily, there's no such thing as a simple crush.

Lily's mermaid identity is a secret that can't get out, since she's not just any mermaid—she's a Thalassinian princess. When Lily found out three years ago that her mother was actually a human, she finally realized why she didn't feel quite at home in Thalassinia, and she's been living on land and going to Seaview High School ever since, hoping to find where she truly belongs. Sure, land has its problems—like her obnoxious biker-boy neighbor, Quince Fletcher—but it has that one major perk: Brody. The problem is, mermaids aren't really the casual dating type—the instant they "bond," it's for life.

When Lily's attempt to win Brody's love leads to a tsunami-sized case of mistaken identity, she is in for a tidal wave of relationship drama, and she finds out, quick as a tailfin flick, that happily ever after never sails quite as smoothly as you planned.

Review:

Loved this book! First off, I adore the cover! How fun is the mermaid, sea look? Plus, under the book cover, the actual book is hot pink :)

The story is obviously about a mermaid, Lily. I enjoyed the mermaid story. It was a unique, fantasy story that was fun to be wrapped up in. Lily is sometimes irrational, but for the most part she was an enjoyable main character.

The love story was so cute! Okay so it was somewhat predictable, but the tension between Lily and Quince made the story lot's of fun.

Tera Lynn Childs is a fabulous author! The characters were well rounded and she created a fun mix between the mer and human worlds. This was a sweet mermaid story mixed with sea slang and humor.

Fun read! I was hooked the entire time I read! Plus the ending is set up for a sequel.
Read it my friends :)

Birthmarked --- Caragh O'Brien

Rating: 5 Stars

Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopia, Young Adult

Pages: 361

Official Summary:

After climate change, on the north shore of Unlake Superior, a dystopiam world is divided between those who live inside the wall, and those, like sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone, who live outside. It's Gaia's job to "advance" a quota of infants from poverty into the walled Enclave, until the noght one agonized mother objects, and Gaia's parents are arrested.

Badly scarred since childhood, Gaia is a strong, resourceful loner who begins to question her society. As Gaia's efforts to save her parents take her within the wall, she herself is arrested and imprisoned.

Fraught with difficult moral choices and rich intricate layers of codes, BIRTHMARKED explores a colorful, cruel, eerily familiar world where one girl can make all the difference, and a real hero makes her own moral code.

Review:

Wow. What a cool book! Very original. It was fun to unravel the plot of the book as I read, but there was twists and turns I didn't see coming! The plot was very conflicting and it really made you think about what would be the best solution to the problem. Bit by bit the author reveals information about our world and what led to the Enclave society.

Gaia is a very likable protagonist. She is vulnerable without being weak or whiny, if that makes sense. She grows throughout the story and is a strong woman in the end. I enjoyed this dynamic character.

I highly recommend this book! It smells awesome :)

Mortal Instruments Series --- Cassandra Clare

Ratings:

Book 1: City of Bones (4 Stars)

Book 2: City of Ashes (4.5 Stars)

Book 3: City of Glass (5 Stars)

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal Romance

Official Summary:

Click HERE to visit the Mortal Instruments website. (You can even read excerpts from the books!)

Review:

These books were already popular by the time I started reading them. They didn't sound very interesting to me so I was a little hesitant to read them....But I absolutely loved them!

The first book, City of Bones, was a little difficult to get in to. I mean it starts off at a club! That just doesn't do it for me. But then the story really takes off.

The books get better as you read them. You get attached to the characters and involved in the story. I did not want to finish the last book because I was sad for the series to end! Luckily Cassandra Clare decided to write a fourth book for the Mortal Instruments series. AND she is starting a new series! Party! :) (Don't worry my fellow Book Sniffers! I will keep you updated on when these books are going to be released!)

A few side notes concerning the Mortal Instruments books. The main character, Clary, could be annoying at times. Not like Bella Swan annoying but still she got on my nerves.

There is some mild language in these books and slightly mature content. 14+ Audience

The Mortal Instruments are not the best books you'll ever read or the best writing, but they are fun to read! Entertaining! That's why I gave the series such high ratings.

Luxe Series --- Anna Godbersen

Rating: 5 Stars

The Luxe (Book 1)
Rumors (Book 2)
Envy (Book 3)
Splendor (Book 4)

Genre: Romance, Young Adult

Official Summary:
A big, sumptuous tale of catty girls, dark secrets and windswept romance unfurls in this compulsively readable novel of late-19th-century New York City socialites. Godbersen weaves a tenuous web of deceit, backstabbing and pretense that follows four teens: Elizabeth Holland, a prim and proper lady of old-money society, is betrothed to one man, though furtively loves another; Henry Schoonmaker, a debauched playboy who must marry Elizabeth or be disinherited; Diana Holland, Elizabeth’s younger sister who is in love with her fiancé; and Penelope Hayes, a member of the nouveau riche who will stop at nothing to win Henry’s affections. As Elizabeth and Henry’s wedding approaches, the spectacle unfolds in a wondrously grandiose scene, making for a fun, though not entirely unexpected dénouement. A delicious new twist along the Gossip Girl vein, readers will clamor for this sharp, smart drama of friends, lovers, lies and betrayal.

Click HERE to check out The Luxe Books website.
It is great! PLUS, you can read chapters of the books online. (I promise you'll end up buying them or checking them out from the library!)

Review:
These books are fantastic! Absolutely delicious! Haha! Anna Godbersen beautifully describes the upper class society of 1899 Manhatten and all the drama that goes with it. The books follow the tangled lives of teenagers Elizabeth, Diana, Henry, Penelope, and Lina. Each character is well rounded and vivid.

These books are meant to be happily-ever-afters, but there are so many twists and turns in the plot that the story gets pretty vicious.... So they are not necessarily happy, but I love them!

Beware!!! These books are addicting.

My only complaint is that at times in the books there is very little dialogue. I think the author could have revealed more information about the plot, characters, etc. through dialogue than merely describing them as a narrator. Other than that, these books are a delight!

I also love the covers of the books! They are beautiful :)

The Luxe series is definitly for female readers.
Audience 14+

Furnace Series --- Alexander Gordon Smith

Ratings:
Book 1: Lockdown ----- 5 Stars
Book 2: Solitary ----- 4.5 Stars
Book 3: Death Sentence ----- 5 Stars

Genre: Futuristic, Science Fiction, Horror, Young Adult

Official Summary:
Furnace Penitentiary: the world’s most secure prison for young offenders, buried a mile beneath the earth’s surface. Convicted of a murder he didn’t commit, sentenced to life without parole, “new fish” Alex Sawyer knows he has two choices: find a way out, or resign himself to a death behind bars, in the darkness at the bottom of the world. Except in Furnace, death is the least of his worries. Soon Alex discovers that the prison is a place of pure evil, where inhuman creatures in gas masks stalk the corridors at night, where giants in black suits drag screaming inmates into the shadows, where deformed beasts can be heard howling from the blood-drenched tunnels below. And behind everything is the mysterious, all-powerful warden, a man as cruel and dangerous as the devil himself, whose unthinkable acts have consequences that stretch far beyond the walls of the prison. Together with a bunch of inmates—some innocent kids who have been framed, others cold-blooded killers—Alex plans an escape. But as he starts to uncover the truth about Furnace’s deeper, darker purpose, Alex’s actions grow ever more dangerous, and he must risk everything to expose this nightmare that’s hidden from the eyes of the world.

Review:
As I have said earlier.... I love freaky, weird, messed up books! And let me tell you.... These books fit that description. They totally rock! Ah! :) Really they are disturbing, but very exciting. These books have vivid characters. The books are told from the perspective of the main character, Alex Sawyer. Alex is very likable and brave. You will be cheering for him the entire series! These books are totally unique and the author writes them in a fun, personable way.
If you know a teenage boy who doesn't like to read, try out the Furnace Series. If you like to read, read these books ASAP!!

PLUS....I just found out that Alexander Gordon Smith will be releasing book 4, Fugitives, in October. Yay!

By the way, I think only book 1 of the series has been released in the U.S. My friend ordered the other 2 online for me. (Thanks, Jordan!) These books are worth buying, though! SO you can wait until they are released in the U.S. or buy them online. :)
Audience 14+

Fire --- Kristin Cashore

Rating: 5 Stars
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Pages: 352

Official Summary:
Fire, Graceling's prequel-ish companion book, takes place across the mountains to the east of the seven kingdoms, in a rocky, war-torn land called the Dells.

Beautiful creatures called monsters live in the Dells. Monsters have the shape of normal animals: mountain lions, dragonflies, horses, fish. But the hair or scales or feathers of monsters are gorgeously colored-- fuchsia, turquoise, sparkly bronze, iridescent green-- and their minds have the power to control the minds of humans.

Seventeen-year-old Fire is the last remaining human-shaped monster in the Dells. Gorgeously monstrous in body and mind but with a human appreciation of right and wrong, she is hated and mistrusted by just about everyone, and this book is her story.

Wondering what makes it a companion book/prequel? Fire takes place 30-some years before Graceling and has one cross-over character with Graceling, a small boy with strange two-colored eyes who comes from no-one-knows-where, and who has a peculiar ability that Graceling readers will find familiar and disturbing...

Review:
I liked this book better than Graceling. It takes place before Graceling and has only one of the same characters.
This book does not deal with Graces as much. (In fact, hardly at all.) But the monsters in this book are what make the story unique.
The story starts a little slow, but it is still entertaining. Once again, Kristin Cashore created a likable main character. However, in both Fire and Graceling, the female characters are opposed to marriage and having children. That was rather bothersome. But overall, this book was fantastic!
Audience 14+

Gemma Doyle Series --- Libba Bray (A Great and Terrible Beauty, Rebel Angels, The Sweet Far Thing)

Ratings:
A Great and Terrible Beauty (Book 1) 4 Stars
Rebel Angels (Book 2) 4.5 Stars
The Sweet Far Thing (Book 3) 5 Stars
Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Paranormal

Official Summary:
Gemma Doyle isn't like other girls. Girls with impeccable manners, who speak when spoken to, who remember their station, who dance with grace, and who will lie back and think of England when it's required of them.

No, sixteen-year-old Gemma is an island unto herself, sent to the Spence Academy in London after tragedy strikes her family in India. Lonely, guilt-ridden, and prone to visions of the future that have an uncomfortable habit of coming true, Gemma finds her reception a chilly one. She's not completely alone, though... she's been followed by a mysterious young man, sent to warn her to close her mind against the visions.

For it's at Spence that Gemma's power to attract the supernatural unfolds: there she becomes entangled with the school's most powerful girls and discovers her mother's connection to a shadowy, timeless group called the Order. It's there that her destiny waits... if only Gemma can believe in it.

A Great and Terrible Beauty is a curl-up-under-the-covers kind of book... a vast canvas of rustling skirts and dancing shadows and things that go bump in the night. It's a vividly drawn portrait of the Victorian age, a time of strict morality and barely repressed sensuality, when girls were groomed for lives as rich men's wives... and the story of a girl who saw another way.

Review:

This trilogy is about Gemma Doyle, her three friends, and their adventures together. The books follow the girls in their real lives as well as their excursions in to the magical realms to which Gemma holds the power.

These books get are wonderful... and get better as they go!
At first I was a little apprehensive about Gemma's supernatural powers and I thought it would get weird, but all in all, it was fine. The books can be dark at times, but not overly so. Basically the author Libba Bray pushed the boundaries with this trilogy and the results were fabulous!

The characters are so well written. You absolutely love each girl and their different personalities. There is also romance in these books :) and just the right amount.

These books are great! Adventure, mystery, romance, tension, suspense..... the list goes on.
Read these books! Let me know how you like them!
I would recommend the audience be 14+

The Maze Runner --- James Dashner

Rating: 5 Stars
Genre: Science Fiction, Young Adult, Futuristic
Pages: 374

Official Summary:
When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. He has no recollection of his parents, his home, or how he got where he is. His memory is black. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade, a large expanse enclosed by stone walls.
Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning, for as long as they could remember, the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night, they’ve closed tight. Every thirty days a new boy is delivered in the lift. And no one wants to be stuck in the maze after dark.
The Gladers were expecting Thomas’s arrival. But the next day, a girl springs up—the first girl ever to arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers. The Gladers have always been convinced that if they can solve the maze that surrounds the Glade, they might be able to find their way home . . . wherever that may be. But it’s looking more and more as if the maze is unsolvable.
And something about the girl’s arrival is starting to make Thomas feel different. Something is telling him that he just might have some answers—if he can only find a way to retrieve the dark secrets locked within his own mind.

Review:
This book is weird, creepy, and a little disturbing....... and I love it! I enjoyed messed up books. (What does that say about me? Muahahaha!) If you liked Hunger Games, you will like this book. Hence, if you hated Hunger Games, you will hate this book.

Okay, this story is totally gripping. It is packed with adventure and survival. It is told from the perspective of a boy, which is refreshing. It is a weird book, and maybe some parts a little too weird, but overall it is awesome!

At the end of Maze Runner we find out that the Maze was only the beginning of Thomas' adventures......

The sequel, The Scorch Trials, is scheduled to be released October 12, 2010.

Inside Out --- Maria V. Snyder

Rating: 5 Stars
Genre: Science Fiction, Young Adult, Dystopia
Pages: 315

Official Summary:

Keep Your Head Down.
Don't Get Noticed.
Or Else.

I'm Trella. I'm a scrub. A nobody. One of thousands who work the lower levels, keeping Inside clean for the Uppers. I've got one friend, do my job and try to avoid the Pop Cops. So what if I occasionally use the pipes to sneak around the Upper levels? The only neck at risk is my own…until I accidentally start a rebellion and become the go-to girl to lead a revolution.

Review:
People, read Maria V. Snyder! She is great. Inside Out was released April 1, 2010 and this new book does not disappoint. In all of Snyder's books, she has such likable, strong, female main characters. In case you haven't noticed....I must have good main characters! That's one of the many reasons I enjoy Maria V. Snyder.

The story and setting of Inside Out are one-of-a-kind. It is science fiction, but not in a nerdy way. Haha! I was hooked the moment I began reading. This is one of those books you will cruise through.
I recommend this book for anyone. (My dad read it and really liked it....so it must be good!)

The sequel, Outside In, is expected to come out next year! Can't wait!

The Hunger Games --- Suzanne Collins

RATING: 5 Stars
Genre: Young adult, science fiction
Pages: 374


If you have not heard of The Hunger Games, you have been possibly living under a rock for the past few years. This book is a hit! I love it. I can't think of a better book to start the reviews.
Much to my grandmother's dismay, this book is one of my favorites!


Official Summary:
Twenty-four are forced to enter. Only the winner survives.

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Each year, the districts are forced by the Capitol to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the Hunger Games, a brutal and terrifying fight to the death – televised for all of Panem to see.

Survival is second nature for sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who struggles to feed her mother and younger sister by secretly hunting and gathering beyond the fences of District 12. When Katniss steps in to take the place of her sister in the Hunger Games, she knows it may be her death sentence. If she is to survive, she must weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

Review:
This book has adventure and survival. In all honesty it is a little messed up...but so awesome! I particularly like the main character Katniss. She is smart, inventive,and strong. It is refreshing to have a strong main character who doesn't annoy you the entire time you read.

Obviously The Hunger Games is a fight to the death so I would recommend the audience age be 12+