Top Ten Tuesday: Books When I Need Something Light and Fun

The Education of Hailey Kendrick by Eileen Cook - This book is so full of shenanigans and letting loose! 

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White - Evie is such a fun narrator and I love all the different paranormal creatures.

The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade - Alona is bitchy and full of herself to the point of humor. Will has that whole "let the world burn" attitude. An unlikely romance blooms between 2 flippant characters creating an altogether fun read.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins - Paris atmosphere, cute boys...YUM! This book is super cute and fluffy.

The Collector by Victoria Scott - Dante's voice is definitely something you don't find every day in YA. It was a fun read.

Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill - London. A hunt for a mystery boy. With a hot boy at her side. It's one awesome adventure!

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins - Using magic to fight evil paranormal creatures with a side of sarcasm. All of Hawkins's books are quick, exciting reads!

Shut Out by Kody Keplinger - Power to women!

Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally - I love the concept of this book: a team full of awesome, funny football guys and one girl just trying to figure things out among them. This book is really fun.

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick - This book may not necessarily be "light" but it is an interesting story without a whole lot of depth and very easy to lose yourself in.

Practically Peeing - The Ending Edition

I know, what a weird post title! But there's a lot of times when I'm excited for a book I say I'm peeing my pants for it. So "Practically Peeing" is a feature sort of like Waiting on Wednesday or On My Wishlist or Books  To Pine For where I showcase books that I realllllllly want to read. They might already be released, they might be a year away, they might be coming out next month! Either way, I can guarantee, I really want to read them.

There are so many trilogies and sagas and series in the world these days, I feel like I'm always waiting for the next frickin' book! But among all these beginnings, there are a few fabulous series coming to an end, and while it's sad to see the stories I love coming to an end, I cannot wait to see how the amazing authors conclude their characters' drama.

Beautiful Redemption by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

October 23, 2012

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Is death the end . . . or only the beginning?

Ethan Wate has spent most of his life longing to escape the stiflingly small Southern town of Gatlin. He never thought he would meet the girl of his dreams, Lena Duchannes, who unveiled a secretive, powerful, and cursed side of Gatlin, hidden in plain sight. And he never could have expected that he would be forced to leave behind everyone and everything he cares about. So when Ethan awakes after the chilling events of the Eighteenth Moon, he has only one goal: to find a way to return to Lena and the ones he loves.

Back in Gatlin, Lena is making her own bargains for Ethan's return, vowing to do whatever it takes -- even if that means trusting old enemies or risking the lives of the family and friends Ethan left to protect.

Worlds apart, Ethan and Lena must once again work together to rewrite their fate, in this stunning finale to the Beautiful Creatures series.

Black Heart by Holly Black

April 3, 2012

Margaret K. McElderry

Cassel Sharpe knows he’s been used as an assassin, but he’s trying to put all that behind him. He’s trying to be good, even though he grew up in a family of con artists and cheating comes as easily as breathing to him. He’s trying to do the right thing, even though the girl he loves is inextricably connected with crime. And he’s trying to convince himself that working for the Feds is smart, even though he’s been raised to believe the government is the enemy.

But with a mother on the lam, the girl he loves about to take her place in the Mob, and new secrets coming to light, the line between what’s right and what’s wrong becomes increasingly blurred. When the Feds ask Cassel to do the one thing he said he would never do again, he needs to sort out what’s a con and what’s truth. In a dangerous game and with his life on the line, Cassel may have to make his biggest gamble yet—this time on love. 

Endlessly by Kiersten White

July 24, 2012

HarperTeen

Try as she might, Evie can’t seem to escape her not-so-normal past. And what was supposed to be a blissfully normal school break is ruined when a massive group of paranormals shows up at her house, claiming that Evie is the only one who can protect them from a mysterious, perilous fate.

The deadly war between the faerie courts looms ever closer. The clock is ticking on the entire paranormal world. And its future rests solely in Evie’s hands.

So much for normal.

With a perfect blend of humor and suspense, Endlessly is everything readers could dream of in a conclusion—and the unexpected twists will keep them guessing until the very last page. 

Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins

March 13, 2012

Hyperion Books

 Hailed as “impossible to put down,” the Hex Hall series has both critics and teens cheering. With a winning combination of romance, action, magic and humor, this third volume will leave readers enchanted.

Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. Now Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies—the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that’s what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn’t as confident.

Sophie’s bound for one hell of a ride—can she get her powers back before it’s too late?

Taken by Storm by Jannifer Lynn Barnes

May 22, 2012

Egmont USA

Bryn knows first-hand that being the alpha of a werewolf pack means making hard decisions, and that being human makes things a thousand times worse. She's prepared to give up her humanity, but the wolf who promised to Change her is waiting - though for what, Bryn doesn't know. Still human, she must take her place in the werewolf Senate, the precarious democracy that rules the North American packs. Standing side by side with werewolves who were ancient long before she was ever born is enough of a challenge, but Bryn soon learns that the Senate has been called to deal with a problem: the kind of problem that involves human bodies, a Rabid werewolf, and memories that Bryn, Chase, and the rest of their pack would rather forget. With bodies stacking up and political pressure closing in from all sides, Bryn and her pack are going to have to turn to old enemies and even older friends for help - especially when it starts to look like this time, the monster might be one of their own. 

Have you read any of these series? Are you superdy siked for any of these books!? 

Supernaturally by Kiersten White (REVIEW)

Supernaturally (Paranormalcy #2)  by Kiersten White

Genre: YA paranormal -- Publication date: July 26, 2011 -- Publisher: HarperTeen -- Pages: 336 -- Source: Library

Evie finally has the normal life she’s always longed for. But she’s shocked to discover that being ordinary can be . . . kind of boring. Just when Evie starts to long for her days at the International Paranormal Containment Agency, she’s given a chance to work for them again. Desperate for a break from all the normalcy, she agrees.

But as one disastrous mission leads to another, Evie starts to wonder if she made the right choice. And when Evie’s faerie ex-boyfriend Reth appears with devastating revelations about her past, she discovers that there’s a battle brewing between the faerie courts that could throw the whole supernatural world into chaos. The prize in question? Evie herself.

So much for normal. (Goodreads.com)

I put off writing this review for a few days because I wasn't sure exactly what I was going to say about it. I've come to the conclusion that Kiersten White's highly-anticipated sequel was...not as great as I had thought it would be. Don't get me wrong, I slurped it all up in one sitting, but I had higher expectations. Usually, sequels are supposed to be, like, the climax of a trilogy. Leave you desperate for more and all that. At least, in my opinion that is how it is supposed to be. And Supernaturally just sort of flopped for me.

Evie's character digressed. I figured she would have been working on her honesty and selfish issues, but it only seems to have gotten worse! She spends the entire book lying to Lend, who she claims she is in love with, and all of her other friends who have been nothing but good and helpful to her. When she's not lying, she is whining! "Wah, school is so boring." "Wah, nobody has tried killing me." "Wah, my boyfriend is too good for me." "Wah, I'm all alone." Seeing a trend here? That's not the Evie we all know and love. I mean, I don't even remember Tasey actually coming into play once in this book. I mean, at least in Paranormalcy Evie almost always came up with solutions herself. She used her FREAKING BRAIN! And in this book all she does is depend on Lend. Where she wants to go to college, what she's going to do with her life. It drove me insane!

And Lend. I would have loved to see him a lot more in this book. The times that we did get to see him, Evie just destroyed the whole experience by lying to him and wondering if she should tell him the truth. I felt so bad for him, because he's so sweet and it's obvious how much he loves Evie, and here she is, lying and sneaking around with IPCA. I've read a lot of reviews that say that all Lend did was nag, and that may be true, but could you blame the kid? Look at his girlfriend! Not to mention, I mean, where did all his witty snark go? It;s like all the spunk and funk and spark deflated from the two of them.

Not a lot actually happened in this book. I feel like it could have easily been compressed into half of its length and then added to. White's writing was just as good as before, and Evie definitely still provoked quite a few chuckles from me, but I feel like the whole thing could have been so much better! One of my favorite parts of the first book were Evie's kickass moments when she would deal with the paranormals. She was like a girlier Buffy with all of her cute banter with the paranormals. That only happened, like, once in this book. It was upsetting, to say the least.

I think my favorite part of this book was Jack. I know that a lot of people don't like him all that much, but I feel like he really brought the book to life. He was goofy and fun and more than a little messed up. What I don't understand is how Evie put up with him and why she decided to just always follow him in the first place. It was pretty damn obvious that he would bring about trouble. The Evie I remember would definitely stay away from him, and if he tried to mess with her, she would taser the crap out of him! I mean, there were several instances when she would walk into her room and he was just hanging out. Puhlease. Taseyyyy! Where are you!?

This book was pleasantly fast-paced, which was good. And Kiersten white brought in even MORE awesome paranormals to the table! And I feel like this review has been so negative thus far, but there is just one more thing that needs complaining about.

The ending.

I wasn't that impressed. I'm not going to give it away, but I will mention that it is focused ultimately on the power of love. And while that is an excellent theme for a book, it just didn't seem to fit for Supernaturally. I'm still not exactly sure how it even saved Evie, but I'm hoping that will be explained in the next novel. I guess I just had higher hopes for White and I thought that the ending was cheesy.

Just like Paranormalcy, this book was cute and quick and a very good distraction.

• The faerie realms. We get to learn a lot more about the realms and the doors and how it all works and it was pleasant.
• The scarce Reth. Okay, okay, before you chop off my head, let me state that I do love Reth's character. Which was why I loved his few appearances. I felt like having him in the book at every corner would get infuriating, and the little that he did show up made me want to see more of him and not groan when he popped in.
• Bleep. I don't think I mentioned this in my review for Paranormalcy, but I love how Evie says bleep instead of cursing, and I love that she still does it even after what happened to Lish. Usually something like that would bother me, but it just seems to fit in with Evie's character all too well.
• More Arianna. For some reason I just love her! And I love seeing more of her, and a slightly more kind version of her than we got to see in the first book. Plus, the little bits with Arianna about her video game made me crack up! I loved learning more about her past and how she became a vampire.

If you liked...

The Hex Hall series by Rachel Hawkins

The Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead

The Fallen series by Lauren Kate

then you'll ADORE Supernaturally!

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White (REVIEW)

Paranormalcy (Paranormalcy #1) by Kiersten White

Genre: YA paranormal -- Publisher: HarperTeen -- Publication Date: August 31, 2010 -- Source: Library

Weird as it is working for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, Evie’s always thought of herself as normal. Sure, her best friend is a mermaid, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she's falling for a shape-shifter, and she's the only person who can see through paranormals' glamours, but still. Normal.

Only now paranormals are dying, and Evie's dreams are filled with haunting voices and mysterious prophecies. She soon realizes that there may be a link between her abilities and the sudden rash of deaths. Not only that, but she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

So much for normal. (Goodreads.com)

I'll be honest here when I say I'm not sure why everyone made such a ginormicus deal about this book. I liked it. A lot. It was a quick and cute read that kept me smiling, but I wouldn't put it on the top of the Best Books Ever chart. But that's just my opinion. And since this blog is all about honesty I will begrudgingly admit that my opinion does not dictate the world.

Anyways, as I mentioned before, this book is a light and fun read. Evie has a humorous voice that will definitely keep readers interested. However, I didn't feel entirely connected to her. She spends a lot of time talking about ow she wants to be a normal girl, and how she's alone, and blah blah blah, and I felt surprisingly unsympathetic. That actually quite rare for me. I don't feel like she grew much as a character either. She's a little whiny, pretty darn superficial, and not the most intelligent. But, hey, that didn't mean I didn't enjoy her.

The plot wasn't exactly riveting or thought provoking, but it was still good. Because, really, who doesn't enjoy a good dose of psycho faeries and girls that are on internal fire. I just sort of feel like the idea that someone is going around and murdering paranormal creatures is a tad...over done. But then again, there aren't a lot of plots that AREN'T over done.

At first, I was a little hesitant on the idea of Lend. Being made of water and whatnot. The jacket said shapeshifter, and I hadn't expected it to be a boy that could turn into anybody he wanted. As the book progresses, though, he really grew on me. He's smart and funny, and let's face it, who wouldn't want a boyfrand that can take on any appearance he wants? Completely unique and unexpected.

Reth. How do I even begin to explain him? He's something of an enigma, but not the appealing kind. He's sort of psychotic and obsessive. But he's an extraordinary character. He's creepy and tender and just awesome! I like how conniving he is. I think that's an especially essential feature when dealing with faeries. Conniving and cunning and smooth with his words. And always popping up at the worst times. As a romantic option for Evie, I was definitely not rooting for him, but I still love him.

There's a huge diversity of creatures, and a lot of them don't fall into stereotype columns which is always good. The way that they are all described is smooth and natural. Just like the writing. Despite my claims of feeling disconnected and Evie experiencing a lack of growth, Miss White still knows how to creatively thread words together and create a fun and refreshing world. I feel like she captured the mind of a teenage girl pretty darn fine. I like that she's not super tough and rough and afraid of vulnerability, but she's also not a little weakling afraid of making decisions and figuring things out.

The pacing was pretty balanced and good. There wasn't excessive violence or romance. It all just flowed. In the beginning I thought some of the sentence structuring was slightly awkward, but after about a chapter you adjust and get into it.

The ending was a little...odd. And sort of expected. But believe me when I say it could have been, like, 8589565674 times worse. I won't give spoilers, though.

If you're not into a cute little fluffy read, I wouldn't advise this book. But if you are and you like something creative that will help your mind escape for a little while, this book is perfect. And the ending left me with enough questions (and hunger for Lend and psychotic faeries) to convince me to immediately pick up the next installment, Supernaturally.

• PSYCHOTIC FAERIES. I don't think I'll ever ever ever get over it. I like my faeries nice and creepy. Well, not so nice...There was a Top Ten Tuesday one time that asked what trends we would like to see more of, an I put down creepy faeries. OB-freaking-SESSED!
• Unique species. Sick of silly vampire and werewolf love interests? Angels, too? Have no fear, Lend the weird water boy is here! And mermaids. And trolls and hags. SOUNDS LIKE A PARTY!
• IPCA. It stands for International Paranormal Containment Agency, but that is sort of a mouthful. In my mind I call it ipcuh. :D I like the idea of a secret agency dedicated to containing paranormals.
• Evie's fascination with lockers. It just gives the book a cute little addition. Because let's all be hones here, lockers suck. Especially bottom lockers. (Please excuse my bitterness. This year I received a bottom locker and therefore refuse to use it.)

If you liked...

The Hex Hall series by Rachel Hawkins

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

then you'll LOVE Paranormalcy.

Library jackpot!

So, I just got back from the library, and I am so pleased with my findings that I had to share them, because it was an incredible outcome. Thank god for modern libraries, eh?

Paranormalcy and Supernaturally by Kierstin White

Hourglass by Myra McEntire

Clarity by Kim Harrington

The Iron Thorn by Caitlin Kittredge

Red Glove by Holly Black

Every single one of these was on my TBR pile, and I am so glad to have snatched them :D Expect reviews for each of them sometime soon!