The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

Summary

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.

• Number of Pages: 313

Review

Augustus Waters. If there were anyone I would aspire to be like it would be Augustus Waters.

As I was reading this book, I tweeted my feedback and a few quotes on my personal Twitter account when a girl out of the blue asked me if she should read it. So many though jumped into my mind, but the 140 characters restrained me. In the end all I could do was warn her. I wrote “Prepare to fall in love with heartbreak.”

I began with the misconception that this book, though raved about to be unique and ultimately unlike anything else, would be cheesy and absolutely tragic like all books that pertain to this selection of genre. I read it and discovered how beautifully awful life could be. The true nature of Cancer.

I spent the majority of my hours over the past couple of months in an AP English Language and Composition class, in which my teacher drilled and drowned us in enough literature to be able to later dissect even the deepest meaning from a newspaper cartoon or an obituary. Though Hell at times, I now like to believe that as I read this book I understood it for its true meaning. This isn’t a light read. It isn’t even all that interesting in the beginning. It is life. It is the way that these two human beings of infinitesimal proportions loved, lived, and died that makes this book raw and real. Everything in this book is both a metaphor and not a metaphor. It is straightforward and yet hidden with deeper meanings.

I could write an essay on each moment of Hazel’s days with Augustus, the boy who represents all the good in the world and all the bad that happens to the good in the world. It all amounts to nothing in the end because the life that they and all of us live is filled with day to day moments that shouldn’t be analyzed . . . they should just be LIVED. I don’t even think any of this makes any sense, but that should be the reason that you read this. You should read this just so that the logic and the way you look at life transforms to a way where you see the joke in the tragedy and the hope in the hopelessness. Read it for the laughs you'll gain and the tears you'll lose. Read it for Gus. From 1-10? I give it a 7. 

The Storyteller by Antonia Michaelis

Summary

A good girl.

A bad boy.

A fairy tale that’s true.

A truth that is no fairy tale.

It begins the day Anna finds the child’s doll on the floor of the student lounge. When it’s claimed by Abel, the school drug dealer, Anna becomes determined to learn more about this mysterious boy with the military haircut and deep blue eyes. She follows him after school and discovers a secret: Abel is caring for his six-year-old sister, Micha, alone. Anna listens in as he tells her a fairy tale, the story of a little orphan queen pursued by hunters across the oceans for the treasure she carries: her pure, diamond heart.

It’s a story with parallels to reality. Social services and Micha’s abusive father could take her from Abel if they discover the truth. Despite friends’ warnings, Anna is drawn to Abel and Micha, and falls under the spell of the story of the little queen and her desperate voyage.

But when people Abel has woven into his tale turns up dead, it’s Anna whose heart is in danger. Is she in love with a killer? And has she set out on a journey from which there is no return?

Number of pages: 416

Review

Never before have I read a story like that of The Storyteller. In a way, Antonia’s story went above and beyond everything that I expected considering nothing is as expected in the lives of Anna, Abel, and Micha, but there was also a bit of a let down. Call me a sucker for happy endings, I guess.

 The Storyteller’s story in the book is unlike any fairy tale I have ever encountered. I really feel like someone was telling me the story rather than me just reading the words and absorbing them on the paper. Abel tells the story to Micha and Anna part by part as the story of their lives unfolds before them, inspiring the story of the little cliff queen (Micha). As I read the story and compared it to the fairytale, Antonia guided me through it, making me assume things and think that I had it all figured out way ahead of time. It was incredible really how I felt and thought exactly what the author wanted me to feel and think. There were parts where my original reactions to things described in the story made me want to fling the book far away, but then the author would describe something about the characters and the actions and it would just make me go along with it. It was as if she made me feel empathy for things that I would never usually feel for. She also made me think that I had all the puzzle pieces together even though I knew some pieces were missing. In reality, I had had all the pieces, just in a different order and waiting for new fabricated pieces to arrive. This all probably sound confusing the way I am explaining it, but this story is one that I can not explain in just simple words. It’s all about feeling it as you go along.

The writing was simply beautiful. It was poetic . . . lyrical even. Usually I tend to stray away from flowery writing because I get distracted in the detailed descriptions and what not. In this book, that was not the case (at least, not often). There was a slight change in writing style, I thought, between the story of their lives and the fairytale story. I assume it was because Abel was the one telling the fairytale story, not Antonia as the author. Antonia also wrote about very different characters, ones whose personalities and problems are not that of the ones I usually encounter. Take Abel for instance: he is as unique a character as I have ever read, but I didn’t even get to discover that until piece by piece the author revealed Abel at the end as he was meant to be. And Anna: she was one of those main heroines that you feel for and understand but also want to beat the crude out of her for the way she handles things or the way she reacts. Some of her actions seemed so naïve to me—or just stupid—but then the author was make me feel she was justified by doing that whole empathy thing again. In the end, I didn’t know whether to love or hate those two. Micha I adored, wholeheartedly. That little queen captured my heart from the start, and I ached over the things she went through and the things she saw during that cold winter in their little city in Germany. I can’t blame the author for anything that happened in the end because looking back I realized that I always knew this story of the little queen and her friends was one of heartbreak, which is exactly how I was left feeling. From 1-10? The brilliant work of tragedy is a 7 to me.

P.S. I feel like a heads up is in order. While this book was very good, I do not recommend it for those who are young. Many things happened in this book that are not G rated, nor do I think that all of it is comfortable reading about to some of you i.e. murder, drugs, rape etc. 

Dreamless by Josephine Angelini

Summary

 As the only scion who can descend into the Underworld, Helen Hamilton has been given a nearly impossible task. By night she wanders through Hades, trying to stop the endless cycle of revenge that has cursed her family. By day she struggles to overcome the fatigue that is rapidly eroding her sanity. Without Lucas by her side, Helen is not sure she ahs the strength to go on.

Just as Helen is pushed to her breaking point, a mysterious new Scion comes to her rescue. Funny and brave, Orion shields her from the dangers of the Underworld. But time is running out—a ruthless foe plots against them, and the Furies’ cry for blood is growing louder.

As the ancient Greek world collides with the mortal one, Helen’s sheltered life on Nantucket descends into the chaos. But the hardest task of all with be forgetting Lucas Delos.

• Number of pages: 487

Review

I remember reading the first book in this sage, Starcrossed, and saying it was such an amazing book. I read it so long ago, and yet I can still remember how excited I was by it. Dreamless, I’d say, was very good as well. I really like how the story was picked up from the last one, and yet the whole plot was completely different—different goals, different struggles, different sides of the well-loved characters. If I were to compare the two books, I would have to say I like the first one better. But I will say that this book, if it were to stand on its own, was very, very good.

The whole point in this book was for Helen to do the impossible and break the curse that plagues all Scion Houses. The adventure was great in the sense that I had no idea what was going to happen, and I was thrilled by the surprises that were in store. Honestly, the end was the best part for me because it set up perfectly for the next book, and made me look forward to it (even though it won’t come out for another YEAR)!!

Now, maybe not every one is very familiar with Greek legends and stories, but if you are then this book in particular would be exciting to read. I got a thrill every time a character or a story from ancient Greece popped up. I would stop and grin because I knew who they were, they were familiar. I think the way that Josephine Angelini incorporated all those stories and people was incredible. It wasn’t an overload, but it was enough to notice her extensive knowledge on the subject. She definitely did her homework! I think Dreamless was a good follow up as book 2, and I am really looking forward to seeing what comes up in book 3. From 1-10? I give it a 7!

Borrowing Abby Grace Episode 1: The Shadow by Kelly Green

Series Summary:

Smart and sassy Abby Grace is a seventeen-year-old with a talent for getting out of trouble. Sent to repair the lives and loves of teenagers on the edge of disaster, Abby is the perfect girl for the job. She has everything going for her… except one thing: a body

First Installment Summary: Episode 1

When Abby Grace wakes up in the back of a van, she has no idea who she is, how she got there, or why anyone would want to kidnap her. After escaping her masked captors, she hurries home, only to discover that she unknowingly left her younger brother behind in the van. Unable to answer the police’s questions with her memories gone, she retreats to the safety of her bedroom where she tries to reconstruct her life. Just as she is settling into the belief that things will one day return to normal, she looks in the mirror—and sees a stranger’s face.

As Abby learns next, she has become a Shadow, sent to inhabit the lives of strangers in trouble. With nothing to go on except the vague hints of her cute but maddening Guardian, a 19th century ghostly teenager named Will, Abby sets out to rescue the missing brother. But she will need all of her intelligence, fearlessness, and wit, because if she fails to find him in time, she will remain trapped in this unfamiliar body forever.

• Number of pages: kindle version, not sure how long the story is

Review

As it so happens, I got this put straight up on my “must read” list because the author sent a review request about this series. And I am very happy she did. So what can I say about Borrowing Abby Grace? Ultimately it’s one of those easy reads that takes you for an enjoyable ride without making you do any work. Some books are just hard to keep up, and in the end you are doing the work to trying to piece everything together without getting lost. This book was written in a way where the mystery was easy to follow without being obvious. Clearly if the ending were obvious then the book wouldn’t be any fun. It was a cute story, too, that was nice to read and enjoy.

Abby Grace is a girl who didn’t know that she was Abby Grace let alone where she is, why she’s there, and whom she can trust. This is a girl with no identity, and nothing to go on. This is a girl that doesn’t even have a body. Now the details on that are a little fuzzy for me because I didn’t quite understand what she is since she is always summoned into the body and life of another person. She is what is referred to as a “shadow” sent to help fix the lives of the person whose body she is occupying. This episode is kind of like the explainer of things, I guess you could say. She is sent into the body of “Brooke” who has just been kidnapped along with her brother, and escaped while her brother is still captive. Abby Grace’s job is to fix “the problem” before time runs out . . . or she will be stuck in Brooke’s body forever.

Like I said, it was an easy read that I enjoyed from the beginning. But it wasn’t just easy because it was easy to follow; it was also easy because it was such a small book. Now, I didn’t really know how long the story was going to be because it is kindle versions only (for now, I believe) so I cant say how long it was. What I can say is that it felt like I read only about 100 pages or so, and I finished in about 2 hours and a half. That’s pretty fast, even for me. Usually I don’t go for so short a book, but this book was interesting till the end, not making me want to put it down. Still, I feel like the mystery ended to fast and everything was a bit rushed. I guess that if I want to prolong Abby Grace’s story a little bit longer, I am going to have to just read the next episode! From 1-10? I give Borrowing Abby Grace Episode 1: The Shadow a good, strong 7! 

Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter

Summary

Katarina Bishop has worn a lot of labels in her short life. Friend. Niece. Daughter. Thief. But for the last two months she’s simply been known as the girl who ran the crew that robbed the greatest museum in the world. That’s why Kat isn’t surprised when she’s asked to steal the infamous Cleopatra Emerald so it can be returned to its rightful owners.

There are only three problems. First, the gem hasn’t been seen in public in thirty years. Second, since the fall of the Egyptian empire and the suicide of Cleopatra, no one who holds the emerald keeps it for long, and in Kat’s world, history almost always repeats itself. But it’s the third problem that makes Kat’s crew the most nervous and that is simply… the emerald is cursed. Kat might be in way over her head, but she’s not going down without a fight. After all she has her best friend—the gorgeous Hale—and the rest of her crew with her as they chase the Cleopatra around the globe, dodging curses, realizing that the same tricks and cons her family has used for centuries are useless this time.

Which means, this time, Katarina Bishop is making up her own rules.

• Number of pages: 304

Review

Kat Bishop and her crew are back for an all new riveting adventure including traps, yachting, curses, and cons. I devoured the first book, Heist Society, and I couldn’t stay away from Uncommon Criminals for long. After taking some solo jobs around the world Kat Bishop is finally going back home when she and her oh so suave best friend, the infamous and gorgeous W. W. Hale the Fifth find themselves with the opportunity to steal the Cleopatra Emerald . . . which happens to be cursed (of course). And Kat of course can’t resist such a tempting job, but when things start to go terribly wrong, she and her crew of teen thieves work together to undue the mistakes made and return the emerald before it can make any more trouble for them.

I think this book was just as wow worthy as the first book, and I believe that over and over we can see in the books how Kat is maturing and making her way through the family business without technically becoming the bad guy. Really, every one of the characters were maturing in their skills and personalities, and yet always had those funny ways about them that made them special and quirky and fun. I really loved Ally Carter’s work again in this second book. So much tricks and turns that kept me guessing until the very end—literally. I think that was one thing that kind of bothered me even if it was for a little. Near the end of the book when all the pieces were coming together I had to strain my brain a little to keep up with the book. And even after the way they pulled off everything was revealed I had to pause and think a little while to understand everything better. From 1-10? I give Uncommon Criminals a 7 (:

The 39 Clues

Summary

There is no way really for me to get a summary of these books without setting off some spoilers so I found this video on YouTube that I have to say sums up The 39 Clues off perfectly.

• Number of pages: around 155 using the first book as a base

Review

This series really surprised me. I read the first book a couple of months ago because one of my friends recommended it to me. She gave me her personal copy, and I set off on a trip to France with Amy and Dan. Usually I get a bit prejudice towards smaller books because I think that it isn’t in some way in my reading range. I guess that sounds kind of bad, but that is just one of my bad thinking habits that I need to get control of if these books are any indication that small books can be SO good. Because that’s what these book were. They were brilliant, fast paced, and mysterious. The plot was very interesting because it really makes it seem like this all-powerful family dates back hundreds of years to the 16^th century. I was fascinated with the ways that the authors used history’s biggest and best-known people as anchors in the clues. I admit it! I learn a lot from these mini history lessons though you do have to be careful in what you think is history and what was made up to make it seem like they were part of the Cahill hunt.

The adventures of the hunt itself was so much fun. Amy and Dan literally went from one side of the globe to the next and back and forth for I think it was a month or two just to find clues to win the biggest prize in the world—ultimate power. It was incredible how smart these kids were. I think of them now and think of my friends and me and I could never in a million years picture us thinking the way they do and using photographic memory! I think that had to be one of the coolest things, to look at something for a second or two and have it permanentlyingrained in your head. I think that would be mighty useful when it comes to tests and studying. But seriously the way they make out these kids to be is amazing although sometimes a little over the top. Although they did have help from other fantastic characters like Nellie Gomez, a favorite of mine.

What I loved about these books is that you had to think about the clues too. Not sure if that makes sense, but like you were also thinking about it too . . . not that I would get even NEAR to cracking the codes before Dan and Amy. These books were very entertaining; it was like food for thought (I try to say this phrase a lot). The way all the authors wrote the book is amazing. It was one author per book and though there weren’t that many difference I like to tell myself that I saw the different styles of writing in the few authors that I recognized like: Rick Riordan, Jude Watson, and Margaret Peterson Haddix.

From 1-10? The whole series gets a 7!

Extra

This whole series is also like a card trading/online game thing that I haven’t really gotten into, but seems pretty cool. I have like one set from one book, and they look cool. Sometimes the whole family roots and clues are a little hard to keep up so I found this website that might help you out if you are reading them or want to read them: http://39clues.wikia.com/wiki/39_Clues_Wiki you can see pictures and profiles too!

Because all authors contributing to these books is important here is a list of all the authors (at least from the first series)

Authors:

Rick Riordan

Gordan Korman

Peter Lerangis

Jude Watson

Patrick Carman

Linda Sue Park

Margaret Peterson Haddix

The Agency: A Spy in the House by Y.S. Lee

Summary

Orphan Mary Quinn lives on the edge. Sentenced as a thief at the age of twelve, she’s rescued from the gallows by a woman posing as a prison warden. In her new home, Miss Scrimshaw’s Academy for Girls, Mary acquires a singular education, fine manners, and a surprising opportunity. The school is a cover for the Agency—an elite, top secret corps of female investigators with a reputation for results—and at seventeen, Mary’s about to join their ranks.

With London all but paralyzed by a noxious heat wave, Mary must work fast in the guise of lady’s companion to infiltrate a rich merchant’s home with hopes of tracing his missing cargo ships. But the Thorold household is full of dangerous secrets, and people are not what they seem—least of all Mary.

• Number of pages: 335

Review

This was the perfect way to start off my summer reading! It’s not one of those summer love/sunshine books, but this is such a good book. I don’t even know why I put it off until now.

The whole story was quite unique. I’m not sure if girl spies are popular or not, but a girl spy in the Victorian Era? It all came out so cool.

This is the first book in a series and it starts off with how Mary was recruited. Turns out this little girl was so naughty she was going to be hanged! After a couple of years after being rescued by Miss Anne and studying at the school, Mary is recruited into this very top secret kind of agency that uses the intelligence of women to skillfully accomplish the results that their clients want. (Don’t worry they only do this for good.) Their way of thinking is this: since women in that time were never noticed let alone listened to, they should use that to their advantage. Mary is just the kind of girl that the Agency is interested in, and so she is sent to her first easy assignment.

I can't exactly review this by telling you the assignment or how it goes about in the end, mysteries are always so hard to explain without giving anything away! The only things I can say is that I was thoroughly entertained trying to decipher the who, what, when, where, and whys of this book. The ending is completely unexpected, let me tell you!

Now I really want to read the next book! From 1-10 A Spy in the House gets a 7!

P.S. i just realized that you might get the idea that this is an action packed kind of book. It wasn't really like that, more mystery less violence/action, but good either way.

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

Summary

She was born with her eyes closed and a word on her tongue, a word she could not taste. Her name was Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee, Crown Princess of Kildenree, and she spent the first years of her life listening to her aunt’s stories and learning the language of the birds, especially the swans. And when she was older, she watched as a colt was born, and she heard the first word on his tongue, his name, Falada.

From the Grimm’s fairy tale of the princess who became a goose girl before she could become queen, Shannon Hale has woven an incredible, original, and magical tale of a girl who must find her own unusual talents before she can lead the people she has made her own.

http://www.squeetus.com/stage/books_goose.htm

Number of pages: 383

Review

Fairy tales are great, aren’t they? Stories told to little children at night, those that are famous for there magic and such. Well, this is one of those but changed and created to be enjoyed by everyone. Well, at least I enjoyed it. Shannon Hale’s rendition of Grimm’s story of Goose Girl is unique from the original, but just as enjoyable. So this princess, Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee (very pretty name by the way) has theses gifts that give her the language of animals, preferably birds, as well as the ability to speak to and control the wind. This whole concept Shannon Hale created with communicating with nature is incredible. Can you imagine it? Understanding the wind and its knowledge of what it’s seen, controlling of fire, knowing the first word of a foal and the squawk of a bird. I don’t know about you, but I think that would be awesome. And these abilities are formed so that is seems that it could be possible for all of it to happen. Actually, now that I think about it, these books are also considered fantasy. During the entire book the characters tell stories to each other, nursery stories and legends. Those tales are beautifully created. There was excitement throughout the story, but sometimes it was too stretched out for my taste. From 1-10? All in all I give this book a 7.

A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn

Summary

Talia fell under a spell . . .
Jack broke the curse.

I was told to beware the accursed spindle, but it was so enchanting, so hypnotic . . .

I was looking for a little adventured the day I ditched my tour group. But finding a comatose town, with a hot-looking chick asleep in it, was so not what I had in mind . . .

I awakened in the same place but in another time–––to a stranger’s soft kiss . . .

I couldn’t help kissing her. Sometimes you just have to kiss someone. I didn’t know this would happen . . .

Now I am in dire trouble because my father, the king, says I have brought ruin upon our country. I have no choice but to run away with this commoner!

Now I’m stuck with a bratty princess and a trunk full of her jewels . . . The good news: My parents will freak!

Think you have dating issues? Try locking lips with a snoozing stunner who turns out to be 316 years old. Can a kiss transcend all---even time?

Number of pages: 385

Review

This was the first Alex Flinn book that I read. I found it really cute. It was like watching a romantic comedy movie. The story is a twist of a classic princess tale. My favorite part of the book had to be the dialogue between Jack and Talia. When you put a beautiful and spoiled princess with a partying teenage guy you get some problems, it was funny. I found myself chuckling at their conversations and thoughts about the other person. The author really jumped into the characters and gave them their own personalities. The whole book was in both Jack and Talia’s point of view. It’s a charming story with a nice happily ever. From 1-10? I give this book a 7.