The Calling (Darkness Rising Series #2) By: Kelley Armstrong

Synopsis from BarnesandNoble.com:
A powerful secret. A desperate race for survival.

Maya and her friends are on the run. Having escaped a deliberately set forest fire and a fake rescue team with dark intentions, they were just beginning to feel safe again. Then their helicopter crashes near the Vancouver Island wilderness, and Maya and her friends realize they’re about as far from safe as they can get.

But Maya has a secret. She can run faster, climb higher, and see better than nearly anyone else. It’s part of who she really is—and it has something to do with her mysterious paw-print birthmark. Yet as Maya and her friends face unforeseen dangers, it becomes clear she’s not the only one in their close-knit group who has something to hide. And if they’re going to survive, they’ll need all their extraordinary abilities to help them get back home.

This is the second book in the darkness rising series and I liked it just as much as I liked the first. The survival aspect of this book was the perfect way to keep the readers attention. I think the author did a great job of really setting the characters apart in this book which made it all the more interesting because no two characters seemed the same. I thought that the book was still entertaining but the author missed a few chances to add some more action to the plot. I gave this book a 4 out of 5 stars becaue it was still entertaining and had good twists and turns in the plot but some points seemed a little slow.

The Gathering (Darkness Rising Series #1) By: Kelley Armstrong

Synopsis from BarnesandNoble.com:
Strange things are happening in Maya’s tiny Vancouver Island town. First, her friend Serena, the captain of the swim team, drowns mysteriously in the middle of a calm lake. Then, one year later, mountain lions are spotted rather frequently around Maya’s home—and her reactions to them are somewhat . . . unexpected. Her best friend, Daniel, has also been experiencing unexplainable premonitions about certain people and situations.

It doesn’t help that the new bad boy in town, Rafe, has a dangerous secret, and he’s interested in one special part of Maya’s anatomy—her paw-print birthmark.

This was a re- read for me because I recently got the third and final book in this series and I wanted to refresh my memory on the characters and plot. I really enjoyed this book. It really catches your attention and makes you want to keep reading. There isn’t alot of action, but what keeps you interesting is the new things the characters keep finding out that keep you entertained and wanting to continue. I loved the main character, Maya, and thought that the author protrayed her as a strong main character perfectly. The plot and the other characters were great as well and the cliffhanger ending makes you want to pick up the second book, ‘The Calling.’ I rated this book 4 out of 5 stars because sometimes it was slow and the overload of information the characters sometimes discovered seemed a bit rushed, but it was still a great read that left you wanting more because of all the unanswered questions.

172 Hours on the Moon By: Johan Harstad

Synopsis from BarnesandNoble.com:
It’s been decades since anyone set foot on the moon. Now three ordinary teenagers, the winners of NASA’s unprecedented, worldwide lottery, are about to become the first young people in space—and change their lives forever. Mia, from Norway, hopes this will be her punk band’s ticket to fame and fortune. Midori believes it’s her way out of her restrained life in Japan. Antoine, from France, just wants to get as far away from his ex-girlfriend as possible.

It’s the opportunity of a lifetime, but little do the teenagers know that something sinister is waiting for them on the desolate surface of the moon. And in the black vacuum of space… no one is coming to save them.

I have been wanting to read this book for awhile and I’m glad I finally did. I think this book was amazing. The beginning was a little slow but I thought that this was necessary for us to be able to get a feel for what type of people the main characters are. But after the first beginning part the book really takes off into an amazing thriller- type of story that has you on the edge of your seat almost the whole second half of the book. When the characters actually made it to the moon all the things going on were so interesting and and even scary that you couldn’t help but read until the end just to find out what will happen to the charcters in their current predicaments. I give this book a 4.5 out of five stars only because of the slow beginning. But the rest of the book was great and I give the author congrats on making the story interesting enough to keep reading until, literally, the last page.

Pandemonium (Delirium Series #2) By: Lauren Oliver

Synopsis from BarnesandNoble.com:
The old life is dead.

But the old Lena is dead too.

I buried her.

I left her beyond a fence, behind a wall of smoke and flame.

In this electrifying follow-up to her acclaimed New York Times bestseller Delirium, Lauren Oliver sets Lena on a dangerous course that hurtles through the unregulated Wilds and into the heart of a growing resistance movement. This riveting, brilliant novel crackles with the fire of fierce defiance, forbidden romance, and the sparks of a revolution about to ignite.

I read Delirium quite awhile ago and thought that I should finallt continue on with the series because I thoroughly enjoyed the world of delirium and the characters. The second book is told in a perspective of ‘Then’ which is what takes place right after delirium ended, and ‘Now’ which is later on after Lena has been a part of a group in the wilds for a while. I didn’t enjoy this type of storytelling at all. I thought that some of the parts in the ‘then’ chapters weren’t even necessary. But, I did love most of the story when it was told in the ‘now’ perspective. I think that if the author would have just made the book a little longer and tied in the important parts of the ‘then’ chapters the book would have been much more entertaining. But, I still did enjoy this book once I actually got into it. I give this book 3 out of 5 stars because I thought some parts of the book were slow and unnecessary.

The Fault in Our Stars By: John Green

Synopsis from BarnesandNoble.com:
Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.

Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning-author John Green’s most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.

This was the second time that I read this book and I can safely say that I loved it even more than the first time that I read it. I love the characters, Augustus and Hazel, in this story. It made me laugh, it made me cry- what can I say it is the perfect book. The author makes it easy to love the characters from the first words each of them say. The plot is amazing and sadly devastating at the same time. Be prepared to cry or at least be thoroughly saddened by events in this book. I recommend this book to anyone. I easily gave this book 5 out of 5 stars.

The Elite (Selection series #2) By: Kiera Cass

Synopsis from BarnesandNoble.com:
In America Singer’s world, a bride is chosen for the prince through an elaborate televised competition. In the second book of the Selection series, America is one of only six girls left in the running. But is it Prince Maxon—and life as the queen—she wants? Or is it Aspen, her first love?

The Elite delivers the adventure, glamour, political intrigue, and romance readers of The Selection expect, and continues the love triangle that captivated them.

I loved ‘The Selection’ and couldn’t wait to read the next book in the series, The Elite. I read through this book fairly quickly. But I didn’t enjoy it as much. Honestly, America annoyed me very much throughout this book as she kept jumping between Aspen and Maxon. I think this whole second book was dragged out way to much. But, I do give Kiera Cass a congrats on keeping me hooked throughout because I wanted to know what America was going to do, even if it was not all twists and turns. I give this book 3 out of 5 stars because it was not bad but not great either, but I still recommend it. I can also guarantee that I will be reading the third book as soon as it comes out mainly because of the ending of ‘The Elite.’

The Selection By: Kiera Cass

Synopsis from Barnesandnoble.com:
For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn’t want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she’s made for herself—and realizes that the life she’s always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

I LOVED ‘The Selection!’ I was a little doubtfull at first because the premis sounded boring and even tedious. Man was I wrong. I fell in love with all the characters- mainly America. I was interested in how she was handling some very tough situations throughout the book. The author was able to create a premis to the book that made you just want to keep reading to see what America will do and how one thing will lead to another. There were plenty of different twists and turns that you couldn’t have expected and make you keep reading until the last page. I give this book a fully deserving 5 out of 5 stars. It kept me interested and entertained throughout. I recommend this book to anyone who wants an exciting fantasy- like twist to the contemporary genre.