Kelsey

1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

• Rated 4 stars

“Title: You Had Me At Halo
Author: Amanda Ashby
Publisher: Penguin
Reading Level: Young Adult
Publication Date: August 2007
Pages: 288

Rating: B
Plot - 17/20
Characters - 17/20
Writing - 17/20
Originality - 19/20
Entertainment - 6/10
Recommendation - 8/10
Total: 84/100

Summary:
Holly Evans has just seen her own body laid to rest. Now she would like to move onto the afterlife. But apparently she has some mortal baggage to unload first, starting with the matter of how she died. Her heavenly shrink isn't buying that she didn't kill herself-and says she must return to earth to straighten things out. The thing is, she needs to borrow the body of computer geek Vince Murphy to do it. Oh, and although Vince was supposed to have vacated the premises, he apparently never got the memo.

Now, Holly has forty-eight hours to resolve her issues while sharing arms, legs, and...other things...with a guy she barely noticed while she was alive. But the real surprise is what life has to offer when you have only two days to live it.
Review:
I was kind of shocked by how this novel played out. Some things I just want to share with you, first: Even though the book is for Young Adult's, the characters were actually in there early 20's. Holly was 22, actually. But the rest of it, minus the ages and the lifestyle, was completely young adults. Which was a nice change, something I didn't expect but ended up really liking. It was original. Second: . . . well, there really isn't a second, I just wanted to say that above and it would've been weird if I just stopped at the first one, and I'm rambling so just ignore this last part.

Okay, the plot was really original and finely crafted. Heaven was a interesting place, besides the fact that only like two short chapters were in Heaven, it still interested me, like most Heaven books do. I like the whole ability and the ideas about it and, yeah, it was enjoyable. It the first bit at least. The middle-ish, last-almost part of the book were considerately boring. Which is why it has taken me a week to read this, a WEEK!, but the beginning was interesting enough to grab me in and keep me reading through the boooorrring part, to the end, which was exciting. The ending was really enjoyable. I just fell in love with how it carried out.

The writing was neatly done, nothing spectacular but Ashby brings a great plot, with good writing and a great main character and supporting characters to the table and mixes it together and overall gives out a fairly awesome book with some sore parts to it. The characters were very entertaining, and along with the plot and originality, the best part.

Ashby brought something original and her writing has the potential to bring it big. I can't wait to read more of her works, check out her new book Zombie Queen of Newbury High out March 5, 2009. Anybody still not sure, think of Gabrielle Zevin's Elsewhere with a huge twist on earth.”

Kelsey wrote this review Monday, December 22 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“Title: Invisible Touch
Author: Kelly Parra
Publisher: MTV Books
Reading Level: Young Adult
Publication Date: October 14, 2008
Pages: 288

Rating: A
Plot - 17/20
Characters - 20/20
Writing - 18/20
Originality - 18/20
Entertainment - 9/10
Recommendation - 10/10
Total: 92/100

Summary:
Kara Martinez has been trying to be "normal" ever since the accident that took her father's life when she was eleven years old. She's buried the caliente side of her Mexican heritage with her father and tried to be the girl her rigid mother wants her to be—compliant and dressed in pink, and certainly not acting out like her older brother Jason. Not even Danielle, her best friend at Valdez High, has seen the real Kara; only those who read her anonymous blog know the deepest secrets of the Sign Seer.

Because Kara has a gift—one that often feels like a curse. She sees signs, visions that are clues to a person's fate, if she can put together the pieces of the puzzle in time. So far, she's been able to solve the clues and avert disaster for those she's been warned about—until she sees the flash of a gun on a fellow classmate, and the stakes are raised higher than ever before. Kara does her best to follow the signs, but it's her heart that wanders into new territory when she falls for a mysterious guy from the wrong side of town, taking her closer to answers she may not be able to handle. Will her forbidden romance help her solve the deadly puzzle before it's too late...or lead her even further into danger?

Review:
Wow--Just wow. This book was fantastic. I started it last night and almost got yelled at by the teacher because I couldn't stop reading during school. From the start with Kara's first blog entry to her last at Secret Fates, I was hooked at the edge of my seat. It was intense! Parra's writing was distinctive and literal. I just couldn't stop! Kara was a hard, and strong girl trying to live her mothers life after her dad's was taken away. Living with a secret she couldn't share that was tearing her apart. It was all so addictive.

Parra's writing was really descriptive and knowing. We knew every little detail, from the oak-trimmed mirror Kara looks at her dark circles under her eyes to the gray-stone counters her mother leans against while flipping through mail to the white plastic bowl Kara sets out full with milk for Faith, and that was what made her stand out, those little things really brought a different thing to the table.

Having the book take place in the Latina world was so surreal, with gang's on the streets and homeless people, the lifestyle Kara and Anthony both differently lived in made this novel so much more real then it already was. It was different, and it was gracefully done.

Kara was such a great character. Her paranormal abilities, her strength after her dad's death, her hope to be happy one day, it was gorgeously portrayed. Anthony was so strong and indefinite and his character just changed the whole course of the novel in a great way. The characters Parra created were three-dimensional and illustrated beautifully.

The mysteries and the paranormal differences were portrayed so distinctively and they were a big part of this novel, they are what is tearing Kara apart, what brought Anthony and Kara together, what brought the shocking ending to a surprising halt. It didn't feel unreal at all, it felt so natural, like anybody could have them and feel horrible and so unhappy about.

I had no idea where this novel was heading towards but I enjoyed how it started and definitely how it ended in the surprising way. Parra is definitely one to watch with more novels. This novel was a 2 thumbs up and there will be no dissappointment. I highly, highly recommend it as I gave it a ten out of ten.
”

Kelsey wrote this review Monday, December 22 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 2 stars

“Title: Secrets of My Suburban Life (Paperback)
Author: Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Reading Level: Young Adult
Publication Date: January 2008
Pages: 240

Rating: D
Plot - 14/20
Characters - 13/20
Writing - 12/20
Originality - 14/20
Entertainment - 7/10
Recommendation - 6/10
Total: 70/100

Summary:
Everything changed for Lauren ("Ren") after Harry Potter killed her mom. No,it's not what you think--Harry Potter didn't come to life and stab her or anything. A stack of those thick books crushed her. Now Ren is stuck out in the suburbs of Connecticut, dragged out there because her father is too grief stricken to continue living in New York. Ren tries to fit in at her new school, but the most popular girl, Farrin, keeps icing her out. Then Ren discovers that Farrin has a secret: She's been communicating online with an older man, and they are actually planning to meet! Ren can't let Farrin go through with it--she's witnessed enough tragic events as it is. So she comes up with the perfect plan to stop the perv. But then she finds out who he is...

Review:
This book was definitely not what I was expecting.Rengave a very bad first impression. She came off as a snobby rich, spoiled kid, and she kind of is, minus the snobby part. Her mom's death was completely unreal, and Ren's and her fathers emotions didn't go through well enough about the death.

Ren's character was developed pretty badly. The scenes were constructed okay, but not great. The whole layout of the novel felt staged and unreal. The ending was definitely predictable. The dramatic irony in the story of us knowing and Ren not, because of the predictability, made her seem clueless. Farrin was the stereotypical rich, popular, snobby girl. Jack and Ren relationship was cliched.

Baratz-Logsted's writing was good, but not great. She didn't give enough emotion in her writing, and it was like reading from the outside looking outside. The only good thing about this novel was that the plot was semi enjoyable. The fact the she goes after a pervert, the fact that Baratz-Logsted detailed a serious issue into this book was a plus. Because it was, pretty enjoyable.

Overall, this novel was enjoyable, kind of boring, and very predictable. It was good, but it could've been much better.
”

Kelsey wrote this review Monday, December 22 2008. ( reply | permalink )

1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

• Rated 4 stars

“Title: Beautiful Americans
Author: Lucy Silag
Publisher: Penguin--Razorbill
Reading Level: Young Adult
Publication Date: January 8, 2009
Pages: 304

Rating: B
Plot - 17/20
Characters - 18/20
Writing - 18/20
Originality - 16/20
Entertainment - 7/10
Recommendation - 8/10
Total: 84/100

***This book will be released January 8, 2009***

Summary:
Pretty Little Liars meets My So-Called Life in this story of four American teens in Paris and the scandals that haunt each of them.

There’s rich New York girl Alex; Cali-born dancer Olivia; closeted Memphis boy Zack; and finally PJ, an elusive beauty from Vermont who’s hiding a dark past.

Studying abroad for their junior year of high school, they run wild in the Tuileries, hold clandestine parties in their host families’ luxe apartments, take over tiny crowded cafes and generally live the glamorous life.
But in the end they all must face the lies they’ve told and secrets they’ve kept when the unthinkable happens.

Review:
I think the summary I found is really bad, and I would've typed up the summary on the back of the ARC, but I have a few other reviews to right up today and wanted to save my fingers . . .

I thought this book was really good. Very enjoyable. All the characters had a mysterious past, some known, or at least half of it, others were only hinted at and hidden until the next book. The characters were very three-dimensional. See, the chapters alternate between Alex, Olivia, PJ, and Zack and a problem I had was when you saw the characters through the other characters eyes. They seemed shallow when you weren't inside their head. Alex was the rich girl, she was shallow and catty especially towards some other characters. She was spiteful and rude and her determination to get a boyfriend so many times toward this one person just got old. Olivia, PJ, and Zack were the characters that when their chapters ended, I couldn't wait to get back to them.

The writing in this book was really good. It was soft, mysterious and soothing words that had a deep meaning behind them. The setting was great and the hint of french words used throughout the novel was romantic. The ending was a tiny, itty bitty cliff-hanger for the next book coming in the fall of '09. I recommend this book. It was very enjoyable.”

Kelsey wrote this review Monday, December 22 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“Title: Living Dead Girl
Author: Elizabeth Scott
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Reading Level: Young Adult
Rating: 5/5

Summary (B&N):
Once upon a time, I was a little girl who disappeared.
Once upon a time, my name was not Alice.
Once upon a time, I didn't know how lucky I was.

When Alice was ten, Ray took her away from her family, her friends -- her life. She learned to give up all power, to endure all pain. She waited for the nightmare to be over.

Now Alice is fifteen and Ray still has her, but he speaks more and more of her death. He does not know it is what she longs for. She does not know he has something more terrifying than death in mind for her.

This is Alice's story. It is one you have never heard, and one you will never, ever forget.

Review:
I've heard a ton of good things about this book. About this terrible, horrific story that was so wonderfully told. My review will hardly do any justice for this amazing book. I read this book in about three hours, but while reading it, I found myself stopping and finding something for me to get distracted from. This book is so painful to read, it's a book where there will definitely be breaks from. Anyone who reads this novel from cover to cover without stopping is insane. The beginning is painful, the middle is haunting and the ending is excruciating. But the story is one that was begging to get told in YA, and I'm glad Elizabeth Scott was there to tell it.

Alice is a poignant character that I couldn't help but cry out for and she just broke my heart over and over again, Alice did. But it wasn't her fault. Ray. Ray was at fault and he is the worst character ever to be created, if finely crafted, just a terrible character. I couldn't stand him. I just wanted to rip the pages over and over when he sexually abused Alice.

Brava to Elizabeth Scott. Her writing style is this story was immaculate. Her writing overall was scintillating. There would be nothing I would change in this story. With impeccable writing, faultless characters, and a distressing ending, this is one book not to be missed.”

Kelsey wrote this review Saturday, November 8 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“Title: I Know It's Over
Author: C.K. Kelly Martin
Publisher: Random House
Reading Level: Young Adult
Rating: 4.5/5

Summary (ckkellymartin.com):
Pure. Unplanned. Perfect. Those were Nick's summer plans before Sasha stepped into the picture. With the collateral damage from his parent's divorce still settling and Dani (his girl of the moment) up for nearly anything, complications are the last thing he needs.

All that changes, though, when Nick runs into Sasha at the beach in July. Suddenly he's neck-deep in a relationship and surprised to find he doesn't mind in the least. But Nick's world shifts again when Sasha breaks up with him. Then weeks later, while Nick's still reeling from the breakup, she turns up at his doorstep and tells him she's pregnant, and with his emotions and hopes crashing in around him, Nick finds himself struggling once more to understand the girl he can't stop caring for, the girl who insists that it's still over.
Review:
I Know It's Over starts out very exciting. The first chapter is in the present and the following dozen chapters are in the past leading up to what happened in the first chapter and then your in the present again. I thought that was a very nice touch to the novel, it pulls you in really quickly, then winds down for awhile and then quickly pulls you up again and keeps you there.

When reading this novel, the emotions from the characters, especially Nick's, was so strong. Nick was pulls the reader in with his emotions and the reader just can't bear to let go. One thing I thought Martin did wonderfully was write Sasha out through Nick's eyes. Martin grabbed Sasha's emotions and feelings through Nick so magnificently. The characters were proven fully equipped and very copiously thought out and divinely crafted.

Martin's writing was superbly done and the emotions she feeds from her characters and there thoughts were done so marvelously better then any books I have read recently. Hurrah! for you Miss Martin!

Now, the only reason I gave .5 points off was because of the ending. Now don't get me wrong, the ending was great, but it just kind of let me down because I knew where it was headed and I guess I just had hope for a different direction, but like I said. The ending was still amazing. It was just me who got let down just a tad because I had hope for something else. Nonetheless, this book is excellent and one you should definitely read.”

Kelsey wrote this review Saturday, November 8 2008. ( reply | permalink )

1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

• Rated 4 stars

“Title: Skin Deep
Author: E. M. Crane
Publisher: Random House
Reading Level: Young Adult
Rating: 4.5/5

Summary (from emcrane.com):
What’s underneath when you scratch the surface? If all the world’s a stage, Andrea Anderson is sitting in the audience. High school has its predictable heroes, heroines, villains, and plotlines, and Andrea has no problem guessing how each drama will turn out. She is, after all, a professional spectator. In the social hierarchy she is a Nothing, and at home her mother runs the show, All Andrea has to do is basically turn up every day, and life basically plays out as scripted. Then Andrea accepts a job. Honora Menapace, a reclusive neighbor, is sick. As in every other aspect of her life, Andrea’s role is clear: Honora’s garden must be taken care of and her pottery finished, and someone needs to feed her dog. But what starts out as a simple job yanks Andrea’s back row seat out from under her. Life is no longer predictable, and nothing is what it seems. Light is dark, villains are heroes, and what she once saw as ugly is too beautiful for words. Andrea must face the fact that life at first glance doesn’t even crack the surface.

Review:
Ah, I fell in love with this novel. It just has this soothing, calm, and sweet feeling to it. I knew when I first started this novel, it would be a soft, light, and easy to read novel. And, yes, it was. But it was also deep and heart warming. The style of the book, where it referenced a stage and acts, was sweet and just look at the cover. It's gorgeous and totally appealing. I thought the title was a pretty accurate title for the novel also.

Andrea Anderson has only had one friend in her life, and that was only for a few months before he moved. Andrea lives with her lonely mom, who likes her television shows more then socializing with her daughter. So, when Ashley, a cheerleader at school, starts talking to her and seem to want to be friends with her, and when she starts taking care of her sick neighbors dog and gets into her neighbors, Mrs. Menapace (Honora), life and her mom starts dating a huge guy the size of a Clydesdale, it seems as her life has turned around. And it has. Andrea's mind is beautiful (strange phrasing, I know. ), I loved seeing things through her mind, she was unsure of her self and of things and that brought a gorgeous, fresh look in the story, and it was amazing.

Ms. Crane's writing is striking, and magnificent. The plot of the story wasn't huge, no, but the writing and the characters were amazing. The ending was brilliantly put in words. I laughed, and I cried, this novel was bravura, exceptional, marvelous, and stupendous, and honestly, I could go on and on with adjectives to descibe this novel, but I think you get the picture. This novel is a great and soft, but meaningful read, that I think everyone should take a break to read. It's not on any big issues, and topics, so it was very refreshing and I highly recommend it. For the readers still unsure think of Beth Kephart and Joan Bauer, and you'd get E. M. Crane.”

Kelsey wrote this review Saturday, November 8 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“Title: Paper Towns (Hardcover)
Author: John Green
Publisher: Penguin Group
Reading Level: Young Adult
Publication Date: October 2008
Pages: 352

Rating: 5/5

Summary (From B&N):
When Margo Roth Spiegelman beckons Quentin Jacobsen in the middle of the night-dressed like a ninja and plotting an ingenious campaign of revenge-he follows her. Margo's always planned extravagantly, and, until now, she's always planned solo. After a lifetime of loving Margo from afar, things are finally looking up for Q . . . until day breaks and she has vanished. Always an enigma, Margo has now become a mystery. But there are clues. And they're for Q.

Review:
Yes, I know this review is late, I would've posted it on Saturday, but I didn't because I was too lazy to start writing it. But it's here now, and it's probably going to be a long one.

I'll admit it, the summary for this book made no entire sense to me until I finished the book, so I really wasn't sure what to make of the book to come when I first opened up the book and started reading. So, what happened in the book surprised me, big time. I wasn't expecting much, obviously like I said above, but what happened was entirely unsuspected.

Now, if you read this blog from the beginning you might've come by a review for Looking For Alaska, which I will not link out of shame (The review was like one of my first reviews and I think any of my review before March, and maybe even March itself, are really terrible, so I suggest not going back there and looking, you just might hurt yourself from the horrifying reviews. You have been warned.), and if you remember right, I was not a huge fan of the book. But, I feel that if I read the book again, I will understand more about it, and look at how well the writing is or how the characters were developed. But anyways, Looking For Alaska was a good back looking back, the writing was excellent and the characters were amazingly developed. Jeez, now I forgot my point, this paragraph is making no sense whatsoever, right?

Okay, Paper Towns, right. Paper Towns caught me in with the witty and the random humor and dark edge to the writing. Margo kept me in for the first part by a landslide (Not like I wouldn't have kept reading anyways) and Q kept me at the edge of my seat along with him. The emotions and the humor from Q, Ben, and Radar was spectacularly done and so hilarious. The first part of the novel was the best. I loved the dialogue between Q and Margo, and Q was one of the most real characters I know. This novel had me laughing my guts out and making my eyes tear up. Green is truly one of the most brilliant YA writers out there today.

Okay, i feel like I'm writing gibberish so I will get to the point: This novel is amazing. It is one of the best YA novels out this year. READ IT NOW!”

Kelsey wrote this review Saturday, November 8 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 3 stars

“Title: The Bermudez Triangle
Author: Maureen Johnson
Publisher: Penguin/Razorbill
Reading Level: Young Adult
Publication Date: October 10, 2004
Pages: 370

Rating: 3/5

Summary:
The Bermudez Triangle is...

Nina Bermudez... who TiVos every episode of Trading Spaces and What Not to Wear because watching people rip down bad decorations, cast aside bad clothes—these things soothe her.

Avery Dekker... who worships Jack Black but has learned to play Billy Joel’s “Piano Man” by heart just so that she can hate it in detail.

Melanie Forrest... (a.k.a. Mel), who inspires guys to develop instantaneous, epic crushes—the kind that cause them to want to iron their clothes and listen to the lyrics of slow songs.

Since coming together at the age of eleven, the Triangle has never been apart. The summer before senior year, however, Nina goes away to a summer program in California. When she returns, she expects to be welcomed back into her friends’ arms with great excitement. Instead, something has changed in the Triangle—Mel and Avery are acting strangely. There are in-jokes Nina doesn’t get, pauses in the conversations that seem to be full of some meaning that she just can’t grasp. She’s suddenly an outsider, and she has no idea why.

Until she wanders into a dressing room and finds Mel and Avery kissing. What exactly do you do when your two best friends in the entire world start dating?

Review:
Oh, Maureen Johnson. I have had mixed feelings about her books always. I first read The Key to the Golden Firebird and really liked it. Then I got 13 Little Blue Envelopes, and I never caught on to it so it left to the library unfinished, then Girl At Sea, which I absolutely loved, as you can see here. I then got Devilish, and like with 13 Little Blue Envelopes, it never caught on and went back to the library unread. So, I really didn't know about this book, but, as you can already tell, I finished it, so that's got to say something, right?


The Bermudez Triangle, started off kind of slow, then it sort of sped up, but not really. Then it slowed down again and never picked up. Generally, this book was not exciting at all. It was slow, very slow, and boring in a few parts. But, but . . . it was interesting enough to keep reading and to know that it was a pretty good read.


The characters were very well-rounded and fit distinquished individuals. The book and the format of the novel were put together well and it was easy to follow through the story and it was fairly enjoyable.


Johnson's writing was flawed, but it was readable (Jeez, I hate that word! Why do I use it?). I didn't much enjoy the point of view, I wouldn've most rather it have been from first person through alternating chapters.


Okay, in all, this novel was good, not great, and it could've definitely been much better. I liked it, and it was enjoyable enough and I would recommend it if you want a long and quiet and sloooow read. So that's that.”

Kelsey wrote this review Saturday, November 8 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“Title: I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone

Author: Stephanie Kuehnert

Rating: 5/5

Summary:
Punk rock is in Emily Black's blood. Her mother, Louisa, hit the road to follow the incendiary music scene when Emily was four months old and never came back. Now Emily's all grown up with a punk band of her own, determined to find the tune that will bring her mother home. Because if Louisa really is following the music, shouldn't it lead her right back to Emily?

Review:
Wow. Just wow. I was blown away by this novel, these characters, this writing. It was amazing. Stephanie wrote a story of hope, sorrow, crush, and burns. But hope, mainly hope. Emily Black was a girl, growing up in the late 80's and 90's. Wishing and hoping for her mother to come back to her. This book was 340 pages long, but really, it was 23 years long. From the day when Louisa left Emily and her dad's life, to the end of the book was a very long and strong story I have never once read and I doubt I will ever read again.

Emily's coming-of-age story is raw, real, and completely honest. Her story is irresistible, addictive and entertaining. The intensity and gritty emotions from the characters will keep you glued to the pages of I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone from the beginning to the very last word and will keep you begging for more even with a satisfying ending. I, who knows very little about punk music, rock n' roll, and the 80's and 90's, loved the book so much that I almost reread it after finishing it. So much happens in this book. It was so unpredictable, I couldn't figure out what would happen, until it did.

There is not a bad flaw in this perfectly flawed book. I didn't want it too end. Anybody who loves music, coming-of-age, powerful novel will no doubt devour this up. Even people who aren't into the rock music, and the hard, edgy books, well, I have complete confidence with them loving it.

Read this now.”

Kelsey wrote this review Saturday, October 25 2008. ( reply | permalink )