Thursday, September 9, 2010

Shiver

Summary: For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human ... until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human--or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

What I thought: I didn't really like this book until the halfway mark. I thought it was going to have a sad ending and I don't think I could have handled that. I ended up loving this book and I can't wait to get my hands on Linger

Identical

Summary: In the latest hard-hitting YA novel by the New York Times bestselling author, 16-year-old identical twin girls must come to terms with their abusive father.

Kaeleigh and Raeanne are 16-year-old identical twins, the daughters of a district court judge father and politician mother running for Congress. Everything on the surface of their lives seems Norman Rockwell perfect, but underneath run deep and damaging secrets.

Kaeleigh is the good girl-her father's perfect flower, something she has tried so hard to be since she was nine and he started sexually abusing her. She cuts herself and vomits after every binge, desperate to feel something normal. Raeanne uses painkillers, drugs, alcohol, and sex to numb the pain of not being Daddy's favorite. Both girls must figure out how to become whole, but how can they when their world has been torn to shreds?

Writing in her characteristic narrative poetry style, Ellen Hopkins shows once again how well she knows today's teens and the issues that matter to them.

What I thought: The ending was a twist I didn't expect. I loved this book. She writes in a way that I just can't seem to put down her books. I felt so bad for both of these girls. I hated the mom all through the book but at the end I wanted to strangle her. When she blames Kaeleigh for what the father does to her, I just couldn't understand how a mother could be so cold. This book was heartfelt and meaningful. It was not one of those fluff books (as my husband likes to call them) it's a book that sticks with you and hits on real life issues

The Reckoning

Summary: Only two weeks ago, life was all too predictable. But that was before I saw my first ghost. Now, along with my supernatural friends Tori, Derek, and Simon, I’m on the run from the Edison Group, which genetically altered us as part of their sinister experiment. We’re hiding in a safe house that might not be as safe as it seems. We’ll be gone soon anyway, back to rescue those we’d left behind and to take out the Edison Group . . . or so we hope

What I thought: This was a five star book for me. I loved the relationship aspect of this book even though at first I didn't think I was happy about it. One thing that was sad about this book is the fact that the group learns yet again they need to be careful who they trust.

The Laughing Corpse

Summary: Harold Gaynor offers Anita Blake a million dollars to raise a 300-year-old zombie. Knowing it means a human sacrifice will be necessary, Anita turns him down. But when dead bodies start turning up, she realizes that someone else has raised Harold's zombie--and that the zombie is a killer. Anita pits her power against the zombie and the voodoo priestess who controls it.

What I thought: This series keeps getting better and better. I liked the first book...I loved this book. I just want Anita and Jean Claude to hurry up and figure out what they are going to do. I love how he keeps popping up every so often. I love his character but a part of me loves the fact that she doesn't go with him. It's different then other vampire series where the girl just can't help herself

Four to Score

Summary: Stephanie Plum, the trash-talking New Jersey bail bondswoman of this popular series, is tracking Maxine Nowicki, who's wanted for skipping out on a car-theft charge lodged by her ex-boyfriend. Now the ex-boyfriend's very interested in getting back the love letters he supposedly wrote to Maxine. But what he's really looking for is the secret on which Evanovich hangs her screwball cast of colorful minor characters, including Sally Sweet, a cross-dressing drag queen; Lula, the 250-pound ex-hooker who works for Steph's boss; Cousin Vinnie, the bail bondsman; Grandma Mazur, who packs a Glock and is always looking for a little action; and Joyce, a wannabe bounty hunter who's been cramping Steph's style since she played pass the salami with Steph's ex-husband. The action doesn't get much farther from Trenton than the Jersey Shore, but when Steph's apartment and car are blown up by the others on Maxine's trail and she moves in with Joe Morelli, the handsome, arrogant cop she's been hung up on since high school, it gets hotter than the craps table in Atlantic City. Plum's fans won't be disappointed in this fourth outing in the series, and they're likely to be even more interested in the snappy patter and sexy shenanigans than in the mystery that holds it all together.

What I thought: I have to say I was team Ranger until this book. I've never been a huge Morelli fan and at the beginning of this book I wanted to punch him in the face, but by the end I loved him. You got to see a lot more of him in this book since Stephanie ended up moving in with him. I still have to say I loved the Ranger scenes still and I wanted more of him in this book. I loved Sallie in this book who is a straight drag Queen. I wanted to see someone hurt Joyce and loved the scene where Lola finally gets her hands on her. Even Morelli wanted to make her pay for the crap she was pulling with Stephanie. I loved meeting Grandma Bella and just thought that whole end of the story has a lot to add.