Attention All Teen Writers

So, I know, long time, no post. But, as soon as I'm out of school for the year, I will be posting more. Until then, I figured I would tell all of you aspiring writers about a website I found a couple of months ago. It's called inkpop. On inkpop, you can put pretty much any kind of writing on the site-poetry, short stories, essays, and books-and people can comment on your writing to tell you how you can improve it. It's a really cool site and I highly recommend it if you really like to write, or even if you like to read and help people with their writing. Anyone who loves books will love this site.

Review:Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Synopsis from goodreads.com:
"What do you want from me?" he asks. What I want from every person in my life, I
want to tell him. More. Abandoned by her mother on Jellicoe Road when she was
eleven, Taylor Markham, now seventeen, is finally being confronted with her
past. But as the reluctant leader of her boarding school dorm, there isn't a lot
of time for introspection. And while Hannah, the closest adult Taylor has to
family, has disappeared, Jonah Griggs is back in town, moody stares and all. In
this absorbing story by Melina Marchetta, nothing is as it seems and every clue
leads to more questions as Taylor tries to work out the connection between her
mother dumping her, Hannah finding her then and her sudden departure now, a
mysterious stranger who once whispered something in her ear, a boy in her
dreams, five kids who lived on Jellicoe Road eighteen years ago, and the
maddening and magnetic Jonah Griggs, who knows her better than she thinks he
does. If Taylor can put together the pieces of her past, she might just be able
to change her future.

My Review:
I must admit that at the beginning of this book, I had absolutely no idea what the heck was happening. I don't know what was so confusing about it, it just was. It was kind of like the author just jumped right into the middle of a story that the people in it understand, but the reader doesn't understand anything that's going on. I guess what I'm trying to say is that it needed more of an explanation at the beginning. Eventually, though, I figured out what it all meant and it seemed like a great story. All of the confusion at the beginning was almost forgotten.

So, maybe it was a little confusing, but Jellicoe Road was a pretty good book. The romance seemed a little rushed at times, but most of the time it was good. The mystery part of the book was somewhat easy to guess. I still didn't know exactly who the people in the story were until the end (the key word here is exactly, like I said, it was pretty easy to figure out and I like a book with surprises).

However, the characters were very well developed and the plot was amazing. Overall, I give this book 7/10. Partly because even though it had its flaws, I couldn't put it down.

Review: Fablehaven: Keys to the Demon Prison

Description from bn.com:

Since ancient times, the great demon prison Zzyzx has protected the world from the most dangerous servants of darkness, including Gorgrog, the Demon King. After centuries of plotting, the Sphinx is on the verge of recovering the five artifacts necessary to open the legendary prison. Facing the potential of a world-ending calamity, all friends of light must unite in a final effort to thwart the Sphinx's designs and find a safe home for the five artifacts. To this end, Kendra, Seth, and the Knights of the Dawn will venture far beyond the walls of Fablehaven to strange and exotic magical preserves across the globe, where the end of every quest becomes the beginning of another. In this explosive series finale, allegiances will be confirmed and secrets revealed as the forces of light and darkness collide in a desperate struggle to control the keys to the demon prison.

My Opinion:

For those of you who don't know (which I'm guessing is most of you) this is the fifth and final book in the Fablehaven series. This is one of those books that I feel doesn't get nearly as much attention as it should. This is one of my most favorite fantasy series ever!!!! Sure, there are parts of it where you feel like some of the creatures described in this book sound a little childish, but you get over it in like a second. This book was so action packed and very fast-paced, which I believe is very good in a fantasy book. Even a couple of weeks after reading it, I still think about from time to time. It's definitely not the best book I've ever read, but it's definitely toward the top of my list. This is one of the best endings to a series I've ever read.

The characters are well-developed and by the time you get to this book, you know them as well as you know your best friend. This can make parts of the book a little predictable, but the book still surprised me in parts (I love unexpected twists and turns in books). Seeing as this is the fifth book, I'm not sure what else I can say without giving away the whole series (which no one would want to happen because everyone is going to run out, get a copy of this book, and READ IT NOW!!!). Overall, you MUST READ THIS BOOK!!!!! It doesn't get enough recognition. I bet no one who read this post even knew about this book until they read this review. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did.

I give it 9/10.