Review: 13 Treasures by Michelle Harrison

No one else can see the evil fairies that rouse Tanya from her sleep, torturing her at the slightest mention of their existence, but they are as real to the 13-year-old as anything she's ever known. She cannot rid herself of them, nor can she ignore them. But it is her insistence on responding to them that has her banished to her grandmother's secluded countryside manor.

There is much to explore and even more to fear in the woods surrounding the estate. But, the forest isn't the only source of dark secrets, and Tanya soon finds herself entangled in a mystery that could trap her in the fairy realm forever.
From goodreads.com

For the most part, I liked Tanya. She seemed independent and had a sense of adventure. However, there were also times when I just wanted to slap her. There were times when it took her forever to figure things out. This didn't change how much I enjoyed the book by very much, but it did bother me sometimes.

Other than that I really enjoyed the book. Once I had gotten a couple of chapters in I couldn't put it down! I really liked the mystery of it and, of course, the fairies (I think I've developed an obsession with fairies). I really enjoyed reading this author's take on fairies. The book was also pretty fast paced and there were some plot twists that I didn't see coming.

Overall, 13 Treasures was a great book with mystery, fairies, and adventure. I give it 8/10.

I'm Still Alive!

Wow, I haven't posted anything in forever. I hate sounding like I'm giving excuses but if you want to hear my excuse then keep reading, or you can go find something better to do for now if you don't want to hear it. I will be posting a review later today. So here's what happened. One day in January my dad came home and said that he had gotten this job he had applied for. That job happened to be in a city about an hour and a half away from where I lived at that time (we've moved now). Anyway, my mom went crazy with fixing our house. We had to paint about half of the rooms, put a new roof on it, and clean out all of the rooms. I, of course, had to help a lot with watching my siblings and cleaning stuff our while dealing with all of the homework I had from taking a full schedule. Then spring came and tennis started. I had to do either tennis or early gym (early meaning before school starts in the morning), so I did tennis. My day was pretty much school, tennis practice/game, homework, and then bed. By the time tennis ended finals were coming and I had about ten different projects and papers to do in just a couple of weeks in addition to studying. Now for the past week I've been helping with unpacking and cleaning at the new house that we've just moved into. I'm sorry for not posting anything for a while but I hope that now that it's summer and we're starting to get settled in I will be posting a lot more.

Review: Matched by Ally Condie

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

From goodreads.com

 

I LOVE a good dystopian novel. Matched had a good main character trying to fight against the imperfections of the society she lives in and that society was unique in its own way.

            Cassia and Ky made such a cute couple. They were just so cute together. At first I wasn’t so sure how I felt about Cassia though. She acted the way any normal girl would have in this story (which is totally realistic but normal teenage girls in this story are slightly annoying). But it was still good she was normal, it made the story more realistic. As the story progresses I start to like her more, especially when she starts to realize that the Society isn’t quite as perfect as she thought it was (I think I literally gasped in horror when I found out they only had 100 books and 100 poems-that’s it- no more than that- and that they were destroying any remnants of other books and poems. And only 100 songs-over and over and over again, it’s no wonder they’re not that into music.) Overall, though, I ended up liking Cassia.

            I can’t wait to find out what happens to Cassia next. I give this book 7/10.

Review: Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld

The behemoth is the fiercest creature in the British navy. It can swallow enemy battleships with one bite. The Darwinists will need it, now that they are at war with the Clanker powers.

Deryn is a girl posing as a boy in the British Air Service, and Alek is the heir to an empire posing as a commoner. Finally together aboard the airship Leviathan, they hope to bring the war to a halt. But when disaster strikes the Leviathan's peacekeeping mission, they find themselves alone and hunted in enemy territory.

Alek and Deryn will need great skill, new allies, and brave hearts to face what's ahead.

From goodreads.com

I love the world Westerfeld has created. This book was amazing.

Alek and Deryn are still awesome in this book and I still love both of them. All of the characters are certainly good at keeping secrets. I also fell in love with a new character in the book, a certain perspicacious little furry creature who was good at figuring out people's secrets- he definately made me laugh at times. I love Deryn's bravery and how much she wants to help Alek and how Alek wants to help her. Their friendship was real and I felt that I connected with the characters.

It was definately fast-paced and interesting. I couldn't put it down until I knew what happened to Alek and Deryn. This book takes you on a journey to far away places in a time of war. I think it's interesting how it has some similarities to what really happened in history, but it's still completely different.

Really awesome book that you guys should all read. I give it 9/10.

In My Mailbox (Christmas)

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

Sorry I'm doing this kind of late. I've had a little bit of a buzy week and my siblings are computer hogs.

Guess what I got? I woke up on Christmas morning and there it was. My very own kindle. I was so excited. I also got an Amazon gift card and a Barnes and Noble gift card.

Here are the books I got for Christmas:

Matched by Ally Condie

Firelight by Sophie Jordan

I also got some awesomely cool Harry Potter themed candy. It's a chocolote frog. I was seriously freaking out about that. I don't think I could go two minutes without saying something like "It's a chocolate frog! Isn't that the coolest thing ever dad?" I don't think my dad really knew what to say about this though. He hasn't read the Harry Potter books but he has seen the movies so at least it might have made some sense to him, but my mom hasn't seen the movies or read the books so she was probably wondering what was so exciting about it. But what's not exciting about that? It's comes with a collectable wizard card and everything (I got Professor McGonagall)!!!

I haven't used my gift cards yet, but I have some ideas on what I'm going to get. What did you get this week?

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!!! Hope it was good and spent with lots of family.

Review: The Red Necklace by Sally Gardner

Clever and head-turningly attractive, fourteen-yearold Yann is an orphan who has been raised in Paris by T�tu, a dwarf with secrets he has yet to reveal to the gypsy boy. It's the winter of 1789, and the duo have been working for a vain magician named Topolain. On the night when Topolain's vanity brings his own death, Yann's life truly begins. That's the night he meets shy Sido, an heiress with an ice-cold father, a young girl who has only known loneliness until now. Though they have the shortest of conversations, an attachment is born that will influence both their paths.

And what paths those will be! Revolution is afoot in France, and Sido is being used as a pawn. Only Yann will dare to rescue her, and he'll be up against a fearful villain who goes by the name Count Kalliovski, but who has often been called the devil. It'll take all of Yann's newly discovered talent to unravel the mysteries of his past and Sido's and to fight the devilish count.
As in the award-winning I, Coriander, Sally Gardner has masterfully combined the historical and the fantastical in this sumptuous, riveting adventure.
From goodreads.com

Review:

The Red Necklace is definitely an interesting read. I felt like there was never a boring part. It drew me in and kept me on the edge of my seat wanting to know what happens next.

            I absolutely loved the relationship between Yann and Sido. Any scene in which they interacted with each other was always interesting. I also loved how everything was tied together. They met because Yann was performing at a party at Sido’s house and everything is tied to that night when they met. It’s the night when both of their lives get a little more dangerous. The characters’ actions were all very believable and I could understand perfectly well why they did what they did.

            I love that it took place, for most of the book, in France. I have always wanted to travel to Europe and France is towards the top of my countries to visit list, and of course, when in France I would want to visit Paris. However, the Paris from the French Revolution is scary. People feared for their lives and in this book that includes Yann and Sido. It definitely made the story more interesting for me.

            Overall, this book was a really enjoyable read for me. I’m so happy my friend recommended it to me. I give it 8/10.