Evernight

author: Claudia Gray
pages: 327
stars: 3
Summary: She's been uprooted from her small hometown and enrolled at Evernight Academy, an eerie Gothic boarding school where the students are somehow too perfect: smart, sleek, and almost predatory. Bianca knows she doesn't fit in.

Then she meets Lucas. He's not the "Evernight type" either, and he likes it that way. Lucas ignores the rules, stands up to the snobs, and warns Bianca to be careful—even when it comes to caring about him.

"I couldn't stand it if they took it out on you," he tells Bianca, "and eventually they would."

But the connection between Bianca and Lucas can't be denied. Bianca will risk anything to be with Lucas, but dark secrets are fated to tear them apart . . . and to make Bianca question everything she's ever believed. (B&N.com)
Review: This book left me waiting for the next in the series. It took a road many vampire books don't and did it rather well in my opinion. My first impression of almost everyone changed. The characters were all well created and I hope most remain for later volumes.
But with all that was learned in this book I think the big secrets are being held off until later. The writing was easy to follow and the scenes were easy to imagine.

Chicks with Sticks (Knitwise)

author: Elizabeth Lenhard
pages: 238
stars: 4
Review: I loved this book but I wouldn't recommend it to everyone. I liked it(despite the really ugly cover) because there was a lot of knitting in it, which I love. I think that it 's a really good idea for people to read books with characters like them or who have similar interests as them. I think it makes for a pleasing reading experience, even though diversity is also a great part of reading.
Anyway, this was a cute read, really adorable. It's a series of three and this one was way better than the second and probably better than the first. I will definetly reread this series.

This Book Isn't Fat, It's Fabulous

author: Nina Beck
pages: 233
stars: 3
Summary:Manhattan It Girl Riley Swain is no pudgy wallflower. She's brash, bold, fashionable, and yes, fabulous. Riley has no qualms about kissing her best friend's crush, or bribing her dad's lawyer. But this spring break, Riley's dad and wicked stepmother are shipping her off to New Horizons, a two-week fat camp in upstate New York. And it's miserable: like military school without carbs. But then Riley gets to know adorable Eric, who sees beyond Riley's tough exterior. Soon, Riley might just realize that maybe it's not her shape that will change at New Horizons. . . but her heart.
Review: I really liked the idea of this book and the writing followed through with my expectations. The witty banter was probably some of the best I have ever read, these characters are seriously funny. I thought the author had a really great sense of humor.
I also loved that Riley was comfortable with her body when, let's face it not many of us are. She was pissed when she heard some girls giggling about her weight but that didn't really effect her for too long, she was over it by the end of the night.

Fake Boyfriend

author: Kate Brian
Pages:262
stars:3
Summary:Lane and Vivi have had it with Isabelle Hunter's boyfriend, Shawn Littig (a.k.a. Sluttig). He is the only person who can turn their smart, confident best friend into a complete mess. When Shawn Sluttig cheats on and dumps Izzy just months before the prom she's been planning since the ninth grade, Lane and Vivi decide to take action.

With a few quick keystrokes, they create a MySpace page for "Brandon," the perfect guy to get Izzy out of her revolving-door relationship with Shawn. Too bad he's totally fake. Vivi's younger brother, Marshall, who they hire to be the "man" behind the profile, is way too into being Izzy's fake boyfriend. So they turn to cute, prep-school Jonathan to be the face of Brandon. But when Vivi falls for Jonathan, and Sluttig tries to wedge his way back into Izzy's prom picture, the whole plan starts to go south faster than you can say "fake boyfriend."
(Barnesandnoble.com)
Review: This was a cute easy read, great if you don't want to think too hard and need a quick picker upper. I really sympathized for the girls( a little less for Isabelle but can you blame me?)I did like all of them. I think Lane developed a lot through the story although I wish it had gone a bit more in depth about her painting.
Overall, it's a win win so check it out.

I Heart You, You Haunt Me

author: Lisa Schroeder
pages: 226
stars: 3
Summary:Girl loses boy.

Girl gets boy back...

...sort of.

Ava can't see him or touch him, unless she's dreaming. She can't hear hisvoice, except for the faint whispers in her mind. Most would think she'scrazy, but she knows he's here.

Jackson. The boy Ava thought she'd spend the rest of her life with. He's back from the dead, as proof that love truly knows no bounds.
Review:
When I saw that this book was written in verse I was a little unsure of how I would feel about it but I shouldn't have been worried because it was very good. The verse made the writing more direct and it wasn't hard to understand at all. It actually made Ava's feelings much more easy to understand and I think the story showed her and how she was thinking very well. This is definetly a good quick read.

Sorry

Hey y'all, sorry, I've been sick. I'll try to get a review up soon. Here's a hint: I liked it.

Vampire High

author:Douglas Rees
pages: 226
stars: 3
Summary:It doesn’t take long for Cody Elliot to realize that his new high school is a little different. The other students are supernaturally strong, don’t like the sunlight, and are always placing orders at the local blood bank. When his new friend shows him his fangs, Cody doesn’t need any more clues—these kids are vampires! As Cody struggles to fit into this secretive community, he disrupts centuries of human-vampire segregation, with some serious—and some seriously funny—consequences.(barnesandnoble.com)
Review: This book actually turned out a lot different than I expected. The author kept the vampire lore fresh and they aren't my favorite type of vampire but they're still pretty good and trust me- I've seen worse.
I did feel that Rees over explained some stuff, I mean come on dude your audience does know when you're overexaggerating. The dialogue contained quite a bit of bad grammar and some of the characters were Transilvanian but some just couldn't speak well.
Cody I grew to like steadily a little bit more through the book. It was a nice read overall. Not something to recapture your love of literature if you've fallen into a deep depression but good if you're kind of just coasting through.

Webcomics

So, like the rest of you die hard readers I can't exactly buy every book I want to. Luckily I have the outlet of a library which I'm sure many of you also do. There's also the option of borrowing books from others (although I always seem to do more lending than borrowing. But for all of you comic book/manga fans ( I really don't see much of a difference but whatever)there is another outlet of free entertainment... webcomics. So I am going to compile a list of some of the webcomics I personally read.

First and foremost is "Freak Angels". This story sucked me in from the first sentence. It's about a post-apocalyptic Britain and the group of friends that made it that way.





"Red String" is really a sweet love story, some people have been pared off and some are still working toward it. Right now the main couple has some really big drama going on. Fingers crossed that they work it out.




"Penny and Aggie" is great. The art has improved so much since it started out. Penny has always been the popular girl and Aggie the nonconformist but things aren't as black and white as they were when the story started out, now is a really good time to start reading because there is definetly quite a bit of plot progression going on at the moment.

"Fey Winds" is sort of an epic adventure but also a comedy. It's definetly a fun read. Kit, the main character is a girl who used to be a fox. Nigel is the knight that is stuck with her. Larina is a psychic elf and Sid is the prince with a huge crush on her. Trust me, you can't go wrong with a cast like this.


"The Dreamer" is a historical romance... sort of. Beatrice is girl living in modern day united States until she falls asleep which is when she is taken back to the Revolutionary War. Once there she sees people she is supposed to know but can't remember, everyone thinks she has memory loss. Beatrice has to balance the 21st and the 18th century and the boy she has in each.

That was my web comic post and if y'all liked it I'll add some more. Enjoy.

Bashing Authors

Hey y'all, I don't know about you but putting up that post yesterday made me sad. I hate saying bad things about books, it makes me feel like I'm punching the author in the face. I need to get over that.

Inkdeath

author: Cornelia Funke
pages:663
stars:2
Summary:The Adderhead--his immortality bound in a book by Meggie's father, Mo--has ordered his henchmen to plunder the villages. The peasants' only defense is a band of outlaws led by the Bluejay--Mo's fictitious double, whose identity he has reluctantly adopted. But the Book of Immortality is unraveling, and the Adderhead again fears the White Women of Death. To bring the renegade Bluejay back to repair the book, the Adderhead kidnaps all the children in the kingdom, dooming them to slavery in his silver mines unless Mo surrends. First Dustfinger, now Mo: Can anyone save this cursed story? (barnesandnoble.com)
Review: I can not tell a lie, I'm glad to be finished with this series. The story was good, I'll give it that but reading it was a chore. It just felt like the author was hyping everything up to these gigantic proportions that they never reached. It also seemed a little like she was trying to make it more insightful than it was because sometimes she would ask questions that she didn't really answer or kind of pondered. I guess I just think if you have to force it that much it isn't very insightful in the first place.
Farid turned into quite the little player in this book. Fenoglio was either drowning his sorrows in a wine bottle or bragging about how he's master of the universe.
So overall this one's not a keeper but I'm not saying everyone won't like it. I'm thinking I'll recommend this one to Paolini lovers. Happy reading!

Contest

So,as most of you have probably already heard "The Dust of 100 Dogs" came out yesterday. It looks like it's made of awesome(yes I am a nerdfighter) and I have heard nothing but good things about it. If you go over to http://reviewerx.blogspot.com/ Steph is having a mega-super-huge contest and you should check it out because she has rules and prizes listed. Have fun fellow book lovers!

Watchmen

author: Alan Moore
illustrator: Dave Gibbons
stars: 4
Summary:It all begins with the paranoid delusions of a half-insane hero called Rorschach. But is Rorschach really insane or has he in fact uncovered a plot to murder super-heroes and, even worse, millions of innocent civilians? On the run from the law, Rorschach reunites with his former teammates in a desperate attempt to save the world and their lives, but what they uncover will shock them to their very core and change the face of the planet! Following two generations of masked superheroes from the close of World War II to the icy shadow of the Cold War comes this groundbreaking comic story -- the story of The Watchmen.(barnesandnoble.com)

Review:First off, I hated the art for this comic. I've been told it was made to look bad on purpose but that doesn't seem to be much of an excuse to me. what can I say, I'm more of a manga girl.
The story was pretty heavy but good. To be honest it wasn't really my thing but I could appreciate it. The ending was genius, no ifs,ands, or buts. I'm not sure if I've ever read an ending like that before but I think it was very realistic. It was happy in a twisted way and left me heartbroken and glad.

Slumdog Millionare

I know I haven't posted anything lately but there's been little time for reading. I saw Slumdog Millionaire last Saturday and it is now my favorite movie of all time. It was so gritty and real and maybe in an inverse reaction made me want to visit India. I've seen Dev Patel from Skins so honestly I wasn't expecting a whole lot from him. I was wrong; expect people, expect. You won't be let down. See it no matter what genre you're into because this film didn't sugar coat anything. And it was shot really well if that's what does it for you.

Revelations

author: Melissa De La Cruz
pages: 264
stars: 4
Summary: Have you ever wondered what secrets lurk behind the closed doors of New York City’s wealthiest families? They're powerful, they're famous... they're undead.

Schuyler Van Alen’s blood legacy has just been called into question - is the young vampire in fact a Blue Blood, or is it the sinister Silver Blood that runs through her veins? As controversy swirls, Schuyler is left stranded in the Force household, trapped under the same roof as her cunning nemesis, Mimi Force, and her forbidden crush, Jack Force.

When one of the Gates of Hell is breached by Silver Bloods in Rio de Janeiro, however, the Blue Bloods will need Schuyler on their side. The stakes are high; the battle is bloody; and through it all, Carnavale rages on. And in the end, one vampire’s secret identity will be exposed in a revelation that shocks everyone.(barnesandnoble.com)
Review:
This series is really getting somewhere now. Each book is a little more kickass. There were some suprising and satisfying twists. Melissa De La Cruz also did a really good job of making the story significantly about history and yet very modern. When there wasn't direct vampire business the characters were doing something classically teenage.
Schuyler really annoyed me in this volume. She is selfish and doesn't know what she wants so she just tries to have everything. I think she may have made some progress by the end of the book but let's see if that lasts until the next volume.

Blood and Chocolate

author:Annette Curtis Klause
pages: 264
stars: 3.5
Summary:
Vivian Gandillon relishes the change, the sweet, fierce ache that carries her from girl to wolf. At sixteen, she is beautiful and strong, and all the young wolves are on her tail. But Vivian still grieves for her dead father; her pack remains leaderless and in disarray, and she feels lost in the suburbs of Maryland. She longs for a normal life. But what is normal for a werewolf?

Then Vivian falls in love with a human, a meat-boy. Aiden is kind and gentle, a welcome relief from the squabbling pack. He's fascinated by magic, and Vivian longs to reveal herself to him. Surely he would understand her and delight in the wonder of her dual nature, not fear her as an ordinary human would.

Vivian's divided loyalties are strained further when a brutal murder threatens to expose the pack. Moving between two worlds, she does not seem to belong in either. What is she really--human or beast? Which tastes sweeter--blood or chocolate?
Review:
Yes, I know, the cover is really ugly but the story makes up for it. And hey, if you read the story you won't be able to keep looking at the cover. The writing was good, with none of the awkwardness in dialogue that you see with some authors. And let's face it, it's easy to make werewolves seem cheesy. I figured out the ending before hand and it seemed like a bit of a cop out. By the time I actually got to the ending it wasn't. Well, maybe a little.
I liked the main character, Vivian, because she was different from many of the teenage heroine's out there. She actually had confidence, which seems to be forbidden in most YA nowadays.
there was one problem I had with the book though. The werewolves spoke very demeaningly about humans. I mean, ooh you're a werewolf, stop thinking because you can beat us up you're better than us. Some of the story was about how humans need to be more open minded but the point wasn't brought across in a way that would convince me because of the werewolves us vs. them mentality. They complain people don't accept them and then they look down upon them. Practice what you preach buddy.

First Review

author: Julie Hearn
pages: 351
Stars: 3
Summary: Ivy is used to being overlooked. The youngest in a family of thieves, scoundrels, and roustabouts, the girl with the flame-colored hair and odd-colored eyes is declared useless by her father from the day she is born. But that's only if you look at her but don't see. For Ivy has a quality that makes people notice. It's more than beauty- and it draws people toward her.
Which makes her the perfect subject for an aspiring painter named Oscar Aretino Frosdick. Oscar is determined to make his mark on the art world, with Ivy as his model and muse. But behind Ivy's angelic looks lurk dark secrets and a troubled past -- a past that has given her an unfortunate taste for laudanum. And when treachery and jealousy surface in the Eden that is the artist's garden, Ivy must learn to be more than a pretty face if she is to survive.
Review
This wasn't one of my favorites but I liked it. I really love accents so listening to the Jackson family was fun. Oscar didn't turn out how I expected at all but I think it worked, he was funny in an absurd kind of way. His mother was one of those "love to hate" characters, until we find out just how devious she can be.
I like how drugs were such a big part of a story based in the 1800s. I haven't seen that before.

Indirect Suicide

It's that time of year again folks. Yep, track season. There will be sweating and there will be pain, and there will especially be boys in really short shorts. We have started pre-season conditioning at my school already. There was this creepy guy who was video taping us as we ran. Scary. I can't help wondering what he's going to do with that recording.

Fixed

Okay i think i've got this thing worked out now and i think it's about time for a real introduction. my name IS Megan. I am currently a sophomore in high school. Reading is almost all that I do. i'm giving writing a shot too. I'm a huge music lover so I might start ranting about the awesomesness that is William Beckett. Don't be alarmed. I hope to be able to write some awesome reviews for y'all.

testing

testing 1,2,3...

Still Working

I really am not technologically inclined.

Whoops

My computer seems to be having technical difficulties. Typical... Well, I'm sure I'll have everything sorted soon.

Introductions

For those of you who don't know me, which is all of you, My name is Megan and I am in high school. Mostly I read, running takes place when i am forced. That will be soon because track starts soon. I am planning on using this blog to review books but it will probably be used for random mutterings too. I hope you enjoy.