Under the Never Sky By: Veronica Rossi

Synopsis from Goodreads.com:
Aria has lived her whole life in the protected dome of Reverie. Her entire world confined to its spaces, she’s never thought to dream of what lies beyond its doors. So when her mother goes missing, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland long enough to find her are slim.

I flew through this book and I really enjoyed it. I loved how the book started out with just the right amount of action to keep you interested and curious about what and how things were going to happen. It was a little confusing in the beginning but you can catch on to whats happening in the world pretty quickly. Aria, the main character, had some major character development. She went from a soft ‘city’ girl to a tough person who could handle herself in some of the toughest situations. Between her and Perry, the other main character the story was a great story from start to finish. I give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars because it had good pacing but I was a little disapointed with the lack of information in the very beginning. But still, I highly recommend this book to anyone who want to give it a whirl.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire By: J.K. Rowling

Synopsis from BarnesandNoble.com:
Harry wants to get away from the pernicious Dursleys and go to the International Quidditch Cup with Hermione, Ron, and the Weasleys. He wants to dream about Cho Chang, his crush (and maybe do more than dream). He wants to find out about the mysterious event that’s supposed to take place at the Hogwarts this year, an event involving two other rival schools of magic, and a competition that hasn’t happened in a hundred years. He wants to be a normal, fourteen year old wizard. Unfortunately for Harry Potter, he’s not normal – even by wizarding standards.

I’m slowly making my way through the Harry Potter series and enjoy it more and more after every book. This is the 4th book in the HP series and I thought, much like the three before, that it was great. There were plenty of parts with action. There were also plenty of parts with different twists and turns happening in the plot. There will be plenty of times when you will be surprised. There was only one small part of the story that lowered my liking of it and I might just be because I’ve never seen the movies or have been a full blowm harry potter fan, but sometimes there seemed to be almost too much information given during the mystery of the story to where I got a little confused and had to turn back and re- read a couple paragraphs again. Other than that, I loved the story and will slowly but surely continue on my journey to read the rest of the series. I give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars.

The Host By: Stephenie Meyer

Synopsis from Barnes&Noble.com:
Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of human hosts while leaving their bodies intact. Wanderer, the invading “soul” who has been given Melanie’s body, didn’t expect to find its former tenant refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

As Melanie fills Wanderer’s thoughts with visions of Jared, a human who still lives in hiding, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she’s never met. Reluctant allies, Wanderer and Melanie set off to search for the man they both love.

I really enjoyed this book. It was both interesting and unusual. I thought that the beginning of this book was still imteresting but a little slow. The only reason that I didn’t stop reading the book for good was because I was curious on how Stephenie Meyer planned on ending it when it had such a conflict. I’m so glad that I kept reading, the whole second half of the book was amazing! There were so many different plot twists that litteraly put you on ‘the edge of your seat.’ I also really enjoyed the ending of the book. It was a huge shock but the author was able to magically tie almost all the loose ends involving characters together in an ending that could leave the reader content. I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars only because the beginning was a little slow. If you start this book and you think it’s confusing and slow; keep going! It will be fully worth it in the end.

The Ask and the Answer By: Patrick Ness (Book Two in the Caos Walking Trilogy)

Synopsis Provided by Barnes&Noble.com:
Reaching the end of their flight in THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO, Todd and Viola did not find healing and hope in Haven. They found instead their worst enemy, Mayor Prentiss, waiting to welcome them to New Prentisstown. There they are forced into separate lives: Todd to prison, and Viola to a house of healing where her wounds are treated. Soon Viola is swept into the ruthless activities of the Answer, while Todd faces impossible choices when forced to join the mayor’s oppressive new regime. In alternating narratives the two struggle to reconcile their own dubious actions with their deepest beliefs. Torn by confusion and compromise, suspicion and betrayal, can their trust in each other possibly survive?

After I read the Knife of Never Letting Go, which is the first book in this trilogy, I really wanted to read the second book, The Ask and The Answer because of the huge cliffhanger at the end of the first book. It took me a while to acctually get into this book. Pretty much the first half of the book is semi important but a little slow. This made me think that the rest of the book was going to go slow too. But the whole second half of it was AMAZING! There were so many different parts with action and twists and turns that make you want to keep reading to see how or what all the characters are going to do. I give this book a 4 out of 5 star rating but only because the first half was a little slow, but the second half made up for it. But beware, the second book follows pattern with the first book with a huge cliffhanger ending.

Firelight By: Sophie Jordan

Synopsis From Barnes&Noble.com:

A hidden truth.
Mortal enemies.
Doomed love.

Marked as special at an early age, Jacinda knows her every move is watched. But she longs for freedom to make her own choices. When she breaks the most sacred tenet among her kind, she nearly pays with her life. Until a beautiful stranger saves her. A stranger who was sent to hunt those like her. For Jacinda is a draki—a descendant of dragons whose greatest defense is her secret ability to shift into human form.

Forced to flee into the mortal world with her family, Jacinda struggles to adapt to her new surroundings. The only bright light is Will. Gorgeous, elusive Will who stirs her inner draki to life. Although she is irresistibly drawn to him, Jacinda knows Will’s dark secret: He and his family are hunters. She should avoid him at all costs. But her inner draki is slowly slipping away—if it dies she will be left as a human forever. She’ll do anything to prevent that. Even if it means getting closer to her most dangerous enemy.

Mythical powers and breathtaking romance ignite in this story of a girl who defies all expectations and whose love crosses an ancient divide.

I really enjoyed every page of this book. Right away the book started out with action and gets you on the edge of your seat. I liked how the book wasn’t mainly focused on the Jacinda being a ‘draki’ the whole time. I liked how it delt more with her problems while she was acctually human. I also thought that over the whole book Jacinda really developed as a charcter from being a rebelious person in the beginning to a strong and brave person in the end when conflict occured. I definately want to get to the next book in the series called ‘Vanish’ the end of this book had a flat cliffhanger that you would have never expected to happen. Overall I give this book a 4 out of 5 star rating because although the ending left you wanting more and wondering what will happen some parts or situations of the book were a little predictable. But still it was an amazing book that made you want to keep turning pages throughout the various cliffhangers at the end of chapters and throughout.

The Running Dream By: Wendelin Van Draanen

Synopsis from Barnes&Noble.com:

Jessica thinks her life is over when she loses a leg in a car accident. She’s not comforted by the news that she’ll be able to walk with the help of a prosthetic leg. Who cares about walking when you live to run?

As she struggles to cope with crutches and a first cyborg-like prosthetic, Jessica feels oddly both in the spotlight and invisible. People who don’t know what to say, act like she’s not there. Which she could handle better if she weren’t now keenly aware that she’d done the same thing herself to a girl with CP named Rosa. A girl who is going to tutor her through all the math she’s missed. A girl who sees right into the heart of her.

With the support of family, friends, a coach, and her track teammates, Jessica may actually be able to run again. But that’s not enough for her now. She doesn’t just want to cross finish lines herself—she wants to take Rosa with her.

I thought that this book was great. It took me a while to finally pick it up and read it but I am glad that I finally did. I was a really quick and light read. Sometimes things were dragged out a little but I also liked how in detail the author went on some of the challenges that the main character had to face. It helps you  to get a new perspective on how she was handling things and it made me think about how I would handle a situation like the losing my leg myself. Overall I thought that it was a great book that everyone could read and enjoy. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars because some parts were a little slow but overall everything in the book was great.

Crossed By: Ally Condie

Synopsis from Author’s Blog:

“In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky – taken by the Society to his certain death – only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake.
Cassia’s quest leads her to question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellion, an unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander—who may hold the key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia’s heart—change the game once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever.”

This was the second book in the Matched trilogy. I was looking forward to reading it because I really enjoyed Matched and the great cliffhanger it had- but Crossed was really boring and slow throughout the whole book. Sometimes there was room for something really exciting to happen but then nothing never did.  Most of this book was information and events that didn’t have to be dragged on as much as they were. I didn’t enjoy this book as much as a whole. I only enjoyed very small parts throughout.  Ally Condie does have a beautiful writing style but I think that she could have incorporated it into parts with more action and it would have made the story seem alot better. Finally, I did like the last few chapters of the book. The ending was a great cliffhanger that made me want to read the final book in the trilogy; Reached. So, overall I give this book a 2.5 out of 5 stars.