Beutiful Creatures

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl is a very interesting book, very different from my usual read.

It is about a boy named Ethan Wate and he has been dreaming of a girl that he has never met or seen before, he is the star player of the basket ball team at his school. He lives in the small town of Gatlin were nothing ever changes, until Lena comes into the town. Ethan and Lena go on an "adventure" falling in love every step of the way. Lena isn't exactally what she seems and neither is anyone in her family. Her birthday is coming up and that day could change everything for Ethan and Lena.

I give this book a 4 out of 5 i recommend it for boys and girls. The Authors have both used history in a way to pull everything in this book together. It is very creative and an addicting read. I recommend for all ages.

The Horn of Moran

Adventurers Wanted: The Horn of Moran

By M. L. Forman

Synopsis(From Goodreads):

The land of Norsland is on the brink of war as two men have each claimed the throne. Only the true king can sound the Horn of Moran and prove his nobility. But the horn has been lost for years. If it is not found—and soon—it could mean the destruction of an entire nation. Young Alexander Taylor joins a band of seasoned adventurers who have been called up to retrieve the legendary Horn of Moran. Their journey to the mysterious Tower of the Moon will take them through an enchanted forest, into battle against a goblin army, past the watchful eyes of griffin guards, and face-to-face with a sphinx and her deadly riddles. With his sword, Moon Slayer, and the wise counsel from his wizard mentor, Whalen Vankin, Alex must use all his wizard and warrior skills to slay a darkness that may consume them all. 

My review: 

     This was a very enjoyable book. While the first in this series was a bit of a dud, this book was a significant improvement on the author's part. The first book dragged a little, the protagonist, Alex, seemed invincible, and the characters remained largely undeveloped. In this book, The Horn of Moran, everything changed. The plot becomes much more interesting, Alex developed flaws(that make sense, and act as if they were simply not so blatant in the first book), and he developed the characters that needed development, making sure that the risks were to those characters that he developed, as to pull on your heartstrings a little.
      The largest problem with this book, is that the way it is written is a bit closer to middle grade than young adult. the second largest problem is the book before it. I think that you would still understand the book fairly well if you skipped the first book, but I advise against it, because it is never good to start in medias re, when the author doesn't put you there. 
      The story revolves around the main character, and his relations and growing power. Most of the other characters are largely undeveloped. However, several of those in the 'adventuring party', those closest to Alex, that become developed as they push Alex along his path.
     This is an enjoyable book and well worth reading. The main plot is clear from the beginning, but the unpredictability comes in what happens, and is learned along the way. Alex is true character, with flaws and traits, ideas and difficulties, and while he is somewhat bland in the first book, he has gained a flavor to savor. If you are a fantasy lover, you'll enjoy this light read.

My rating:

Profanity: None
Sexuality: None
Violence: Mild
Drugs and alcohol: Mild

Forbidden Sea

The Forbidden Sea by Sheila Nielson
Here's the what it says on the inside cover:

When, one stormy night, a mermaid comes to take Adrianne Keynnman's sister, Cecily, down to the depths of the sea, Adrianne knows she must fight with every ounce of her strength to protect her little sister. On land, Adrianne toils away, trying to eke out a living for her mother, sister and aunt, after a tragic accident stole her father. Now, life takes a strange and frightening turn as Adrianne's dreams are filled with the mermaids singing.
When it becomes clear that it isn't Cecily that the mermaid wants, Adrianne wonders how she can protect her family from their superstitious island community as the mermaid attempts to lure her into the sea, night and day.
In this powerful tale of heartache and redemption, a girl born on land must choose between the promise of an underwater paradise and her loyalty to those she loves.

Now here's the first few lines of the book:

Pelting rain battered against me, stinging my skin and eyes, almost driving me backwards, Forcing myself to continue, I felt my way down the slick rock face one foot at a time. I clung to the cliff face a moment, crying into the dark squall raging around me.
"Cecily! It's Adrianne. Can you hear me?" The force of the storm shoved the words back into my mouth, the desperate cry lost in the roaring of the wind. Had she been even a few feet away, my little sister wouldn't have heard me.
"Cecily!"
Hot frustration burned at my eyes and mingled with the freezing rain. Crying wouldn't do Cecily any good. Neither would huddling against the side of a rock, shivering in my soaked and clinging dress. I needed to find her. Forcing my frozen fingers to uncurl, I began my descent once more.

I loved this book. When I first got my hands on it, I couldn't put it down, and read the entire day. It is a very captivating story that kept my interest up. I would highly recommend this book to all fantasy lovers.

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Profanity: None
Sexuality: None
Drugs and Alcohol: None
Violence: Mild

The Demon's Lexicon

The Demon's Lexicon

By: Sarah Rees Brennan

Synopsis(From Goodreads)

     Nick and his brother, Alan, have spent their lives on the run from magic. Their father was murdered, and their mother was driven mad by magicians and the demons who give them power. The magicians are hunting the Ryves family for a charm that Nick's mother stole -- a charm that keeps her alive -- and they want it badly enough to kill again.
     Danger draws even closer when a brother and sister come to the Ryves family for help. The boy wears a demon's mark, a sign of death that almost nothing can erase...and when Alan also gets marked by a demon, Nick is desperate to save him. The only way to do that is to kill one of the magicians they have been hiding from for so long.
     Ensnared in a deadly game of cat and mouse, Nick starts to suspect that his brother is telling him lie after lie about their past. As the magicians' Circle closes in on their family, Nick uncovers the secret that could destroy them all.
     This is the Demon's Lexicon. Turn the page.

My Review:

     The Demon's Lexicon, a book whose main theme is that of teenage emotional self-discovery, with a fantastic twist of course. Great book, very enjoyable. Character driven, but demons and magicians allow the plot to flourish. Nick, the protagonist is "cold" and views the world in an emotionally detached state. All he seems to care about is the safety of his odd family consisting of him, Alan and their mother. Alan, Nick's brother, is kind, caring, trusting and helpful to Nick and those around him, including total strangers. The two are about as different as you can get physically as well. Nick is large and muscular, while Alan is small and skinny.

     This book is full of surprises; interesting twists and turns that pull the reader into a world of complexity and confusion, that overlaps our own. Only small amounts of the book are predictable, and those small parts are created such as to make everything else less predictable. Nothing is quite what you expect in this book but all of it is believable.

     The author my not be the best at world building, but the small, detailed set she does create, is not noticed much, due to her entrancing characters. In the cast of main characters, we have a woman who is practically insane, a nearly emotionless boy, a very emotional boy, a person hinted at being gay, and a punk-like girl. Quite the unusual cast if you ask me.

     All considered, this is a spectacular first book. The world is not as creative, ingenious and complex as I normally like, and the plot may be a tad linear, but the book was well written with the main character coming to life before your eyes. A book well worth reading.

My Rating:

Profanity: Mild
Sexuality: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol: Mild
Violence: Moderate

The Shadow Project

The Shadow Project(A Shadow Project Adventure)
By: Herbie Brennan

Synopsis(From Goodreads)
Danny Lipman is a thief . . . until one night he robs the wrong house. He inadvertently breaks into the headquarters of the Shadow Project, a secret government organization where teenage spies are trained to leave their bodies, using astral projection to travel around the world on deadly missions.

Danny is captured, but the Project leaders quickly realize he has a special gift. And when a key operative—the director's daughter, Opal—goes missing, he is offered a choice: join the Shadow Project or go to jail.

Danny joins and is quickly sent to investigate the Project's current target: a worldwide terrorist organization known as the Sword of Wrath. But as he gets deeper in, he discovers both the Project and the Sword of Wrath are far more than they seem. Danny and his fellow operatives are caught up in an ancient supernatural conflict and will have to learn how to survive in a world without boundaries of space or time, where the wrong choice could be their last.


My review:
Imagine an Olympic runner flying down the track. As you examine him closer you realize there is something funny with his shoes. One of his laces is tied in a poor, loose knot. This is kind of what the book makes me think of.

He is an amazing author, who is neglectful of one important things: his characters. Only one of his characters has any depth, and it's not the main character. His attempt at romantic notions falls flat on its face because of the lack of character development. One other minor flaw is the climax. The climax is there, and it works, but it isn't an impressive finale that makes you desperately want to read more of his books.

Now as a bit of redemption to Herbie Brennan, his book did have a fascinating spin on the unknown of the human mind. He takes out of body experience(OOBE) and makes it a far more complex realm than it ever was considered to be in reality. One other thing he did very well was keeping the energy level high. His climax may be lousy, but he kept you interested. He does this by merging various cultures and ideas together. He takes old, worn down concepts like secret organizations, spies and thieves, melds them with modern fears like terrorism and the secretiveness of the CIA, and then mixes in tribal ideas such as witch doctors and non-Christian gods. What he ends up producing is a book in which the only real failing is its lack of depth.

My Rating:
 

Profanity: Moderate

Sexuality: Very Mild

Drugs and Alcohol: None

Violence: Mild

Clockwork Angel

Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices #1)

by Cassandra Clare

Synopsis (From Goodreads):

Magic is dangerous--but love is more dangerous still.

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.

Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by--and torn between--two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length...everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

My Review:

I LOVE THIS BOOK! It is my new favorite and I can't wait for the second one to come out! It was quite creative and original and an awesome read. Cassandra Clare did a great job describing things just enough that you could imagine the story in your head and really get sucked in. I could definitely tell that she did her research on London in the 1800s (which is where the book is set), she nailed it and actually made me feel as if I was in the 1800s.

I love her characters, she obviously knows a bit about psychology and how to make someone fall in love with a fictional character :) . My favorite character is probably Jem, because hes so calm and sweet and understanding, though I love Will's humor. Jem is the only one who can put up with Will and keep him slightly less in trouble. Tessa (the main character) is a great heroin, she isn't a sniveling coward, she is brave, strong willed and questioning. I think its hilarious how she's always bugging Will with a bunch of questions. Will is someone who has "lost everything", he hides behind a wall, he pretends to be a jerk and a womanizer, but really he's just sad and unhappy.

Spoilers:

One of the things that I liked was the shockers, Cassandra threw in things that I just was not expecting. First, Tessa gets kidnapped by these two creepy ladies (which wasn't really a shocker, but I'm going from the beginning so that those of you who haven't read this won't be so confused), then we find out that Tessa has this magical power to transform herself into other people, Then we learn that shes going to be forced to get married to the "Magister", then Will busts in to rescue her, then a bunch of gross secrets are uncovered about the Dark Sisters (creepy kidnapper ladies), then we find out that theres this whole other magical world that mundanes (regular humans) don't know about, with angels and demons and all knids of creatures, then there are all kinds of lies and secrets uncovered until he very end of the book (and I mean the very end, as in last page end), and so on and so forth until things get really shocking in a "?!?!?!?!?!?!?!" kind of way.

I hate how she ended it because it really didn't resolve a whole lot, I mean sure, Tessa isn't in immediate danger anymore, but that doesn't mean she should end the book! In my mind she stirred up a whole lot more conflict than she resolved, with Will being such a jerk and all ( and I really wish she hadn't written that part because it made me MAD!).

Overall its an amazing book and if you haven't read it yet you really should. It has some great elements to it.

(Its set in the 17th century and she sticks to character so its obviously not going to be that bad)

Profanity: Mild

Sexuality: Mild

Drugs and Alcohol: Mild

Violence: Moderate