Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman

Title: Enthusiasm

Author: Polly Shulman

Summary: Julie has a best friend named Ashleigh. Ashleigh is an enthusiast; every once in a while she gets a new obsession and throws herself fully into it, dragging Julie along with her. But when Julie's passion Pride and Prejudice is Ashleigh's latest craze, Ashleigh emulates everything about the 19th century (speech, dress) and worst of all a quest for her "Mr. Darcy". So Ashleigh's attempt to find him leads them to the local boys school meaning love, but who for?

Thoughts: Who doesn't have a friend like this. I found Ashleigh a charming and cute character, but she could bridge to annoying every once in a while. I also at times felt like this book was more about Ashleigh than Julie and at other points she felt absent. Julie is a good character but she is a bit clueless and doesn't seem to be sure of herself. I liked the hero in this book also. As for the plot, even though we have a touch more insight than Julie, there are some things I think that she should have picked up on. The plot' is super-good and gets quick, exciting, and a bit suspenseful at the end. I did find the pacing plodded at the midway point. There was also a kissing scene which I felt was really awkward. Overall it was cute, sassy and I like the offbeat incorporation and references to Pride and Prejudice. Carolyn Mackler fans, this is right up your alley. 

Cover: The cover is gorgeous, it has a nice colour scheme, a good title treatment and a nice image. I'm kinda miffed that Ashleigh is our cover girl and not Julie.

Rating: 3 stars 

PS: For Canadians this is a Chapters/Indigo bargain book, its $2 for the hardcover!

The Mortal Instruments: City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

Title: City of Glass

Author: Cassandra Clare (pen name)

Series: The Mortal Instruments

Prior Books: The City of Bones, The City of Ashes

Summary: Clary Fray is travelling to the City of Glass (home-base for the shadowhunters) to find the one person she thinks can save her mothers life. But she is in for a lot more than she bargained for: not only is it against the law for her to enter sans permission, but her assumed brother (they have a possibly incestuous relationship) is not happy. To top it off her friend Simon is kept prisoner. She allys herself with a mysterious shadowhunter Sebastian. As Valentine (her insane father) tries to initiate a war; the Downworlders are called on as possible allies. Clary is the key who is about to find out where everyones loyalties lie.

Thoughts: I've always loved this series, Cassandra Clare's writing makes the characters seem so real and the reader feels like they are looking right over their shoulders. The characters are also vivid and funny. The whole is-Jace-her-brother plot was really well done, while we all knew what the results would be, Clare still makes it suspenseful. In addition there is a lot more behind past events in the series that's revealed. I don't want to spoil this too much there is the kind of ending we all hope for. This is also probably the most action orientated out of the bunch. The Mortal Instruments has always done urban fantasy really well (the worlds blend together great) and even with a change of scenery it still maintains the same feeling as the previous two. Well done Miss Clare! (This book was so good, I skipped school to read it!)

Cover: I love the covers of the series, their gorgeous. However I don't like how they always stick a quote right in the center. It should join the other reviews on the back. I also want to know why Tamora Pierce's quote didn't earn center spot. (No offence to Miss Myer but Tamora is like the ruler of YA fantasy.) It's too bad there are only the 3 books because Simon, Alec, and Isabelle definitely deserve their own beautiful covers.

Rating: 5 stars (I realize this review sounded a little snappy but I really did love it)

PS:  The new inquisitor is somewhat reminiscent of Cornelius Fudge to me, anyone else picture him this way? Also anyone exited for the prequel trilogy? I cant wait to see Clare do Victorian England.

Need by Carrie Jones

Title : Need

Author : Carrie Jones

Summary : Zara White has an obsession with phobias. And as of recently she has a dead step-father, a move to Maine with her grandmother and a bizarre stalker to contend with. However the stalker is more than imaginary as she and her new friends can see as he leaves a glittering trail of gold dust. Coupled with the mysterious rivalry between her friends Nick and the popular Ian as well as the disappearances of some locals, there is something supernatural going on.

Thoughts : I didn't have high expectations for this book. I thought it would lure me in with its super-gorgeous cover and then disappoint. However it was excellent. The phobias were well integrated into the story. They had the potential to be annoying but weren't. It had a wonderful suspenseful quality and how unpredictable it was. I especially love the ways that the faeries and weres were portrayed. Her friends Izzy and Devyn are great characters and I can't wait to hear more about them in the sequel. The only complaint I have is that it was a bit choppy in parts.

Cover : The cover is gorgeous I love the colour scheme. The lips and text are also done with a shiny quality that seams to be really popular. The tree branches in the bottom are also have an eerie beautiful quality in some places.

Rating : 4.5 stars

Geek Charming by Robin Palmer

Title : Geek Charming

Author : Robin Palmer

Summary : Popular girl Dylan drops her expensive purse in the mall fountain. Film geek Josh retrieves it at the cost of being in his documentary, a look at the popularity within Castle High. While participating they become friends as Dylan transforms Josh into a prince in hopes of interesting his crush, Amy Loubalu, Dylan's worst enemy. Josh transforms Dylan into a decent human being. However one Dylan is dumped by her boyfriend her popularity is on the line and Josh is the one who can repair it.

Thoughts : I thought the whole Prince Charming thing was cute. Castle High. Geek Charming. I loved Josh's character. At the beginning Dylan was the dumb-popular girl. Not the fabulous Mimi Force type. The Paris Hilton type. She couldn't just get the bag out of the fountain she ran around like a chicken with its head cut off. I was happy that she is sort of decent at the end because I couldn't stand her at the beginning. She needed some common sense knocked into her, and I'm sure plenty of readers would love to do it. I liked her OK at the end though. I also liked the changing perspectives, character growth, and writing style. The ending was satisfying. We see more Amy, more Josh and less of her annoying friend Lola and her tool of a boyfriend Asher. I won't spoil the romantic pairings for you. So the question is slog through a few painful chapters for the decent rest of the book? Might as well, its alright and about $6 bucks at Wal-Mart. I wouldn't spend to much effort hunting it down though. 

Cover : It has a lovely cover I like the bright colours and the sparkles. It does have a princessy feel that fits well with Dylan's character.

Rating : 2.5 stars (because Dylan was so annoying the first half of the book)

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist - David Levithan and Rachel Cohn

Title : Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

Authors : David Levithan, Rachel Cohn

Summary : Nick and Norah meet at a punk-rock club. Nick asks Norah to be his girlfriend for 5 minutes to avoid his ex-girlfriend Tris. He doesn't realize that Norah already knows the evil-ex. Or that she has an evil-ex of her own that she never really dumped. After Norah kisses Nick to avoid conversation with Tris they become a seven--minute-couple and go out in New York for an adventure. (This summary doesn't do the book justice.)

Thoughts : I liked the back-and-forth style of the novel (Rachel wrote Norah's chapters. David wrote Nicks.). It was paced well. All of the characters are real and likable (except Tal). It was a fantastic book. Nick and Norah are witty, charming and very interesting. I even like Tris the evil-ex. It ended on a high note. This book should be required reading for all human beings. It's hard to convey what a good book this is.

Cover : I have the movie cover which is lovely. I like the picture chosen and the title treatment. It also features the awesome Kat Dennings and Micheal Cera. The original cover is also quite nice. 

Rating : 5 stars

PS:  I also watched the movie and while different, its a pretty good adaption (it does villainize Tris a bit)

Hunted - House of Night - by PC Cast and Kristin Cast

Title : Hunted

Authors : PC Cast, Kristin Cast

Series : House of Night

Prior Books : Marked, Betrayed, Chosen, Untamed

Summary : Zoey Redbird, a vampire fledgling, and crew have escaped the House of Night; fleeing from a now evil High Priestess Neferet and her evil consort, Kalona. The problem is that Neferet gaurds the wicked fallen angel with vigilence and no one seems to realize that he and his demon Ravenmocker children are evil. Zoey's involvement with Kalona in a past life may be the key to banishing him or the unraveling of the resistance. On the romance front her reforged relationship with Eric Night (her new vampire mate) may come into contest with reapearances of Heath (her human consort) and James Stark (her undead protector). 

Thoughts : It was suspenseful and well thought out. I'm eager for the next installment! I still find Zoey's friends more lovable than Zoey herself. I am particularly fond of Aphrodite (a former rival), Darius (Aphrodite's Son of Erebus boyfriend), Jack and Damien. Unfortunately the Twins are somewhat annoying as is Zoey herself. Zoey is a character who tends to be all over the place. She is incredibly indecisive when it comes to dating and who she's with rotates constantly. I'm all for Eric though. It was well paced and probably my favorite of all of the House of Night novels.

Cover : The cover is gorgeous. I love the red highlights and how some aspects (the symbols) are shiny.  The only thing I don't like is that this one is a hardcover and the previous books were only released in paperback. 

Rating : 4 Stars

PS: Also  Insert Book Title Here is giving away a copy!

Canadians residents can get this series at Costco for extremely cheap.

Hero - Perry Moore

Title : Hero

 

Author : Perry Moore (from Narnia!)

Summary : Hero is about a group of ultra-modern, teen, superheros-in-training. They are all exepted into a justice-league like organization. However Thom and his team of misfits have problems of their own. Thom will be the world's first gay superhero, he also has to deal with his dad's reputation as the world's most disgraced superhero, as well as the sudden reapperance of his mother who had left the family years ago. As for the rest some just want to be heros and others struggle with their love lives. On top of it all there is something sinister going on in the league while the brutal murders of some of the world's top heros take place.

Thoughts : As much as I love the concept, I found the book didn't hold my intrest as well as it should have. First I love how the league is very reminicent of the Justice League. For example Warrior Woman (very Wonder Woman) and Uberman (Superman). Quite a few seem to be spoofs of really popular heros. The superpowers mostly seem to be based off popular heros (no Wolverine though). Thom's powers of healing are also logistically really well planned outl The leader Justice (think Martian Manhunter meets Superman) is a great character. His father's past was cleverly revealed and well though out.  However; I found the book hard to focus as many little spurts of detail overwhelm the picture. There are so many characters crammed into little bits of writing. The story also tends to veer off into minutia.  It felt very disjointed and sureal. I also found Thom slightly hard to relate to. I like aspects of him like keeping his name rather than going for an alter-ego. Other aspects are not so likable. I found his treatment of his dad horrible. In other words Thom is melodramatic and can be a bit of a brat. I also would have liked to see more explanation on his mothers part in the story as the focus is diverted to too many minor characters and we can't get close to the main ones. The story ended on a high note however. This was OK for a debut novel, it's not fantastic; I think that the sequel will be more promising.

Cover : I do really want to mention the cover here, however; it's amazing. I like the content, the way the title has been treated and the colours.

Rating : 2/5 stars

Frozen Fire by Tim Bolwer

Title: Frozen Fire

Author: Tim Bowler

Summary: Dusty gets a phone call from a mysterious boy who says he wants to die. He tells her to call him Josh. Josh was Dusty's brother who's dissapearance haunts her. The boy knows things that other people are thinking or feeling. Dusty hopes that he can lead her to Josh but the lynch mob in town hopes to kill him. In persuing him they will turn on her. However the boy is her only chance at getting back her family.

Thoughts: For some reason this book threw me off a bit at first. While Dusty is not a lovable heroine and hard to identify with, I think that I would have preferred it be in first person. While the book is mysterious and intrigueing, it gets off to a slow start. Sometimes the reader will have a hard time navigating through all the prose. Also for someone portrayed as so tough Dusty seems really overemotional. Her whole life hinges on her brother Josh, who as we find out isn't such a great brother at all. Though I had problems getting into it at first, I really loved the mysterious quality of the boy and the sudden plot twists. The ending is fantastic.

Rating: 4 stars

The House of Night

Series : House of Night

Books : Marked, Betrayed, Chosen, Untamed, Hunted

Authors : P.C. Cast, Kristen Cast

Summary : The four books in the House of Night series (Marked, Betrayed, Chosen and Untamed) as well as the upcoming Hunted (March 10), follow the life of Zoey Redbird. Zoey has been marked as a fledgling vampire who is unable to live apart from adult vamps for any long period of time. So she attends a new school, House of Night, where she realizes her powers are far above the norm. While Zoey has conflicts and friendships with other fledgelings, their is a problem. Humans, vampires and other fledglings are dying. Who is it? Vamps? The Uber-religeous group her step-dad fronts? Or something else entirely?

Thoughts :  Not bad, the mythological basis is good. The vampire mythology is portrayed well. The characters are really diverse. However sometimes they seem unreal. They also have unique vocabularies. You can only say ho-bag so many times in one sentence, Zoey. Also, she overdoes it on the relationships.  Really overdoes it. Her friends are cute though. 

Rating : 3.5 stars

PS: For any Canadian's COSTCO sells them for about $6.