The Summer I Turned Pretty By: Jenny Han

Synopsis from Barnes&Noble.com:

Some summers are just destined to be pretty

Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer — they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one wonderful and terrible summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.

This is the first book in a trilogy. I finally decided to pick up this first book because I have heard really good things about the trilogy as a whole and I was really in the mood for a summer-y read. And, I have to say that my expectations were met throughout the book. It was such an easy, quick, and enjoyable read and I found myself smiling at all the sweet moments in the book. The main character, Belly was very relatable and made the story interesting and worth reading. Her character was so real and true to life that it made the story all the better. Though, sometimes, I felt that Belly acted a bit immaturely for her age in certain situations. But, although sometimes a little annoying, it did add to Belly’s character’s “realness”. As for the other characters, I applaud Jenny Han for making them all so common like people really are, but still unique from any other book’s characters that I’ve read. I easily gave this book a 5 out of 5 stars, and I look forward to reading the other two books in this trilogy.

Rebel Belle By: Rachel Hawkins (Rebel Belle Series #1)

Synopsis from Barnes&Noble.com:

Harper Price, peerless Southern belle, was born ready for a Homecoming tiara. But after a strange run-in at the dance imbues her with incredible abilities, Harper’s destiny takes a turn for the seriously weird. She becomes a Paladin, one of an ancient line of guardians with agility, super strength and lethal fighting instincts. Just when life can’t get any more disastrously crazy, Harper finds out who she’s charged to protect: David Stark, school reporter, subject of a mysterious prophecy and possibly Harper’s least favorite person. But things get complicated when Harper starts falling for him—and discovers that David’s own fate could very well be to destroy Earth.

When I started to read this book, I instantly fell in love with everything about it. It was so much fun to read! I loved the author’s writing style and the way both the action and humor, especially in the beginning of the story, tied together wonderfully. Throughout the story I found myself laughing out loud at some points as I flew through the pages. The amusing style only added to the story in a good way. Next, I have to say I loved the main character, Harper. She was hilarious and I loved how she dealt with the situations that she was forced into. I also liked how much her character developed throughout the story. She started out being a prissy, homecoming queen, and ended up becoming an amazing girl with a relatable and engaging personality. To continue, I loved the beginning of the story and I also loved the end and the subtle, but interesting twist presented. But, I have to say I only just liked the middle of the story. It was a bit slow at times and I wish that the author had thrown more into the story to give it a little bit of the kick that it needed, like the beginning and end of the book. But, overall I still had a ton of fun reading this book and gave it a 4 out of 5 stars. I recommend it to anyone that wants a light read that still has interesting action and humor mixed in.

These Broken Stars By: Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Synopsis from Barnes&Noble.com:

It’s a night like any other on board the Icarus. Then, catastrophe strikes: the massive luxury spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and plummets into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive. And they seem to be alone.

Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a young war hero who learned long ago that girls like Lilac are more trouble than they’re worth. But with only each other to rely on, Lilac and Tarver must work together, making a tortuous journey across the eerie, deserted terrain to seek help.

Then, against all odds, Lilac and Tarver find a strange blessing in the tragedy that has thrown them into each other’s arms. Without the hope of a future together in their own world, they begin to wonder-would they be better off staying here forever?

Everything changes when they uncover the truth behind the chilling whispers that haunt their every step. Lilac and Tarver may find a way off this planet. But they won’t be the same people who landed on it.

I have heard some good things about this book, and although you’re not supposed to “judge a book by its’ cover” the gorgeous cover art really sold it for me. I was intrigued by the concept of the space ship and its crashing in the story, leaving the two main characters to ultimately fend for themselves. I started the story on the space ship really enjoying it. I was interested and hooked especially when the ship started going down (not a spoiler)and I was worried for the characters. What’s going to happen??? So I kept reading. Throughout the characters’ time on the planet, nothing really happened. Some weird, but uninteresting things do pop up in the story that didn’t really make the story any more enjoyable. At first I was interested in the daily life of the characters trying to do the best they can with their given situation. But, after awhile, this got old and the story’s happenings were like “wash, rinse, repeat’, until the end. When it comes to the characters themselves, I also really wasn’t blown away. Both Lilac and Tarver (the two main characters) weren’t very interesting and even annoyed me at times throughout the story. Overall this book was just okay. I gave this book a 2.75 out of 5 stars, but I would recommend for anyone interested to still give it a try, as I have heard pretty mixed opinions about this book with some people enjoying it more than I did.

The Lost Hero By: Rick Riordan (The Heroes of Olympus Series #1)

Summary from Barnes&Noble.com:

Jason has a problem. He doesn’t remember anything before waking up on a school bus holding hands with a girl. Apparently she’s his girlfriend Piper, his best friend is a kid named Leo, and they’re all students in the Wilderness School, a boarding school for “bad kids.” What he did to end up here, Jason has no idea-except that everything seems very wrong.
Piper has a secret. Her father has been missing for three days, and her vivid nightmares reveal that he’s in terrible danger. Now her boyfriend doesn’t recognize her, and when a freak storm and strange creatures attack during a school field trip, she, Jason, and Leo are whisked away to someplace called Camp Half-Blood. What is going on?
Leo has a way with tools. His new cabin at Camp Half-Blood is filled with them. Seriously, the place beats Wilderness School hands down, with its weapons training, monsters, and fine-looking girls. What’s troubling is the curse everyone keeps talking about, and that a camper’s gone missing. Weirdest of all, his bunkmates insist they are all-including Leo-related to a god.

I have heard such amazing things about this series, so I decided to finally start ‘The Lost Hero’ since the last book in the series just came out, and I thought it was a good time to finally see for myself what all the hype is about. I’ve read the ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series’ and enjoyed all of them so much. I love the way Riordan writes and captivates his readers for the whole story. I have to say that I had some pretty high expectations for ‘The Lost Hero’ going into it. And… I gotta say….they were all exceeded! This book was so amazing! I loved all the different characters’ perspectives throughout the story and I found them all very easy to follow. I fell in love with each of them, because they all offered something to the story that made it flow seamlessly and enjoyably. The story was fast paced and I found myself devouring the book even faster despite its larger size (well, compared to the Percy Jackson series). At times I was a little confused with all the information being tossed into the story, but by the end all the scattered pieces came together into a shockingly huge, complicated and perfect puzzle that became shockingly clear piece by piece. I highly recommend this book for anyone that enjoyed the Percy Jackson series and is ready for a more intense, continued story. I gave this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Dream Factory By: Brad Barkley and Heather Hepler

Synopsis from BarnesandNoble.com:

When the Disney World character actors go on strike, teens are hired as replacements. Ella is assigned the role of Cinderella simply because the shoes fit. And every afternoon at three o’clock she gets married to Prince Charming. A perfect dream come true-except Ella doesn’t believe in dreams anymore. Meanwhile, Luke is one of the fur characters (Dale, the chipmunk), and his girlfriend, Cassie, plays his counterpart, Chip. Cassie is perfect in every way, so why does Luke want to be with Cinderella? Then Luke and Ella are brought together during a scavenger hunt, and as they uncover the Magic Kingdom’s hidden treasures, they discover an undeniable magic between them. Perhaps dreams really can come true after all?

I am very, very big Disney Fan. I love the movies, characters and the magic of Disney World. This is why I felt pretty obligated to read this book when I saw it online. I couldn’t resist! When I started reading this book I went into it with a relatively clear mind because from the synopsis it sounded like a cute and even cheesy book, which I don’t really mind at all sometimes. At first I enjoyed the ‘behind the scenes’ of the characters in the story doing their job of being the people that dress up and act as the characters at Disney World. But, as the book went on I disliked the story more and more. It seemed like I couldn’t get a clear picture of both the characters and the actions happening in the story. Everything jumped around too much without any clear detail to guide the reader along within the story. Also, as much as I tried, I couldn’t like the characters. True, a few made me laugh at times or I could share in some of their emotions, but most of the time I was just really irritated with them. They seemed unrealistic and I couldn’t really connect with any of them. The ‘growing’ love interest between the two main characters frustrated me the most because it didn’t move along, like AT ALL! Overall, I felt that the book was dragged on too much and the authors were trying to make it more of a ‘deep’ story than the original idea was supposed to be. Sadly, I couldn’t bring myself to give this book any more than a 1.5 (maybe 1) out of 5 stars.

Fire and Flood By: Victoria Scott

Synopsis from Barnes and Noble.com:

Time is slipping away. . . .

Tella Holloway is losing it. Her brother is sick, and when a dozen doctors can’t determine what’s wrong, her parents decide to move to the middle of nowhere for the fresh air. She’s lost her friends, her parents are driving her crazy, her brother is dying–and she’s helpless to change anything.

Until she receives mysterious instructions on how to become a Contender in the Brimstone Bleed. It’s an epic race across jungle, desert, ocean, and mountain that could win her the prize she desperately desires: the Cure for her brother’s illness. But all the Contenders are after the Cure for people they love, and there’s no guarantee that Tella (or any of them) will survive the race.

The jungle is terrifying, the clock is ticking, and Tella knows she can’t trust the allies she makes. And one big question emerges: Why have so many fallen sick in the first place?

I had seen this book a few times on the internet and I decided to give it a try because it hadn’t sounded like anything I had read before. I am so so happy to say that I thought this book was amazing! To start, I fell in love with the main character. Tella was very relatable and she often made me laugh out loud from her thoughts or comments. I loved the way that the book was set up with the book sectioned for each stage of the race. The plot was very fast paced and unique. It grabs your attention right away and it seems impossible to put down until you get to the last page. The book was very simple and wasn’t hard to follow or confusing at all. There was a tinge of romance in it that gave the story a little bit of everything. I try to think of things in this book that I didn’t like and I come up with nothing! Fire and Flood was amazing and I can’t wait to see what Ms. Scott writes next! I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars.

Scarlet By: Marissa Meyer (The Lunar Chronicles #2)

Synopsis from Barnes and Noble.com:

Cinder is back and trying to break out of prison—even though she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive if she does—in this second installment from Marissa Meyer.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn’t know about her grandmother, or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana.

This is the second book in the very popular Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. When I read Cinder (the first book) I had high expectations from all the amazing reviews ,but the book fell a little short in my opinion. But that did not make it a bad book by any means. I still enjoyed it quite a bit and I was really looking forward to picking up the second book which is basically a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood in a way. I am very happy to say that this book was even better than Cinder! Where Cinder was more focused on setting the plot and introducing everyone to the world and the story, Scarlet dug even deeper and really caught your attention. To start, I loved how characters from the first book overlapped in the second book while still introducing new characters. All of the characters were very likeable, especially the newest main character, Scarlet. The plot was amazing also. There was the perfect mix of action, adventure, romance, and edge of your seat twists. This book was truly awesome and I am very excited to get to the third book in the series called ‘Cress’. I gave this book a 5 out of 5 stars!

The Faerie Ring By: Kiki Hamilton

Synopsis from Barnes and Noble.com:

The year is 1871, and Tiki has been making a home for herself and her family of orphans in a deserted hideaway adjoining Charing Cross Station in central London. Their only means of survival is by picking pockets. One December night, Tiki steals a ring, and sets off a chain of events that could lead to all-out war with the Fey. For the ring belongs to Queen Victoria, and it binds the rulers of England and the realm of Faerie to peace. With the ring missing, a rebel group of faeries hopes to break the treaty with dark magic and blood—Tiki’s blood.

Unbeknownst to Tiki, she is being watched—and protected—by Rieker, a fellow thief who suspects she is involved in the disappearance of the ring. Rieker has secrets of his own, and Tiki is not all that she appears to be. Her very existence haunts Prince Leopold, the Queen’s son, who is driven to know more about the mysterious mark that encircles her wrist.

Prince, pauper, and thief—all must work together to secure the treaty…

I have had this book for a while and I thought that I should finally give it a try. I hadn’t heard a lot about the book and it seemed a bit under the radar, so I gave it a try. I am really sorry to say that I really didn’t like this book much at all. It took me forever to read because nothing in the plot ever really took hold of your attention and kept it. It was very boring! There were no big twists or turns. Although the characters were only mildly likeable, they were bland because the author really doesn’t give the reader the chance to get to know them. Therefore I didn’t feel like there was any way that I could really connect with any of them. And finally, the main thing that really annoyed me with this book was the repetitiveness. It felt like all information that the characters found out had to be repeated over and over again, whether to the reader themselves or to other characters that didn’t know the information. I’m really sad to say that I only gave this book a 1 out of 5 stars. 😦

The One By: Kiera Cass (The Selection Series #3)

Synopsis from Barnes and Noble.com:

The time has come for one winner to be crowned.

When she was chosen to compete in the Selection, America never dreamed she would find herself anywhere close to the crown—or to Prince Maxon’s heart. But as the end of the competition approaches, and the threats outside the palace walls grow more vicious, America realizes just how much she stands to lose—and how hard she’ll have to fight for the future she wants.

The second book in this series (The Elite) was a little frustrating but I still was really looking forward to how the series would be wrapped up in this third and final book. I had not expected much going into this book and I have to say I wasn’t ‘wowed’ or anything, it was just ok. America was still pretty frustrating in parts of this book but I am happy to say that at the very end she did pull herself together after she realized her mistakes. I still loved all the other characters and loved how you really got to know some of the new characters that were introduced in this book even though they weren’t ‘main’ characters. Also, the plot was a bit predicting at times but it didn’t really take away from the story. As for how the author wrapped up the series- I did feel relatively content with the ending and how all loose ties were wrapped up. Overall, I gave this book a 4 out of 5 stars.

Allegiant By: Veronica Roth (Divergent series #3)

Synopsis from Barnes&Noble.com:
What if your whole world was a lie?
What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything?
What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?

I got my hands on this book as soon as it came out. When I did get it I took my time reading it. Other than the ending- which I’ll get to at a later time in this review- I thought the book was ok. It was better than ‘Insurgent’ the second book in this series but it was far from mind blowing or even ‘great’ like you would expect the last book in an amazing series would be. In a word it was just Ok. I still enjoyed it, but lots of times there would be a ton of information that was really boring and un- needed. And the parts that had any action or excitement were short lived and didn’t last long. Finally, I did NOT like the end of this book at all. I think that the author still could have made an impacting ending without doing what she did at the end of the book. (Sorry to be confusing but I don’t want to give away any spoilers) So, I gave this book a 3 out of 5 stars. It was good but very under- whelming- definately not what I was looking forward to for a wrap up to this series.