Vampire Academy, A 30-Word Review

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Goodreads summary:

St. Vladimir’s Academy isn’t just any boarding school—it’s a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They’ve been on the run, but now they’re being dragged back to St. Vladimir’s—the very place where they’re most in danger. . . .

Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy’s ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi—the world’s fiercest and most dangerous vampires—make Lissa one of them forever.



My 30-word review:

Holy ass-kicking MC! Literally.
LOVE ROSE SO HARD! Tough, gorgeous, snarky,
yet vulnerable and flawed.
Brilliantly incorporated dual POV.
Great story. Great world-building. Great characters.
Very addictive reading!


#2? YES PLEASE!!!!!!

Thoughts?

Courtney Summers and...Zombies? HELL YEAH!

Okay, so most writer friends who know me, know how much I LOVE LOVE LOVE Courtney Summers books. I've read all three of her published novels:

Cracked Up to Be

Some Girls Are

Fall for Anything

Since the moment I read the last word of Fall for Anything (which I will admit, I downloaded onto my iPad and then also purchased 'cause I HAD to have a copy of it to add to my others to put on my bookshelf), I have been eagerly anticipating her 4th novel. I had NO idea what it was about, but it didn't matter. I knew if she was writing it, I was going to love it. And I'm excited to have just learned (though I'm ashamed to call myself a fan since this info was posted on her blog on Aug. 26th. Doh!), that she has revealed the cover of her new book titled THIS IS NOT A TEST. Here is the summary/plot as written on Courtney Summers blog.


It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up.

As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live. But as the days crawl by, everyone’s motivations to survive begin to change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life–and death–inside.

When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?

And here is the COVER!!!!!!

I follow CS on Twitter and I've seen her talk often about zombies. From video games to random thoughts about them, her fascination regarding zombies is so apparent that I don't know why I find myself surprised that she's written a book about them. I guess it's just something so different from her other stories and it really excites me because I lover her writing style, and I love how well she develops and delves into such depth with her MCs. She is the master of "voice" and I have read that she still manages to maintain those wonderful skills and now applies them into a terrifying, heart racing, nail biting plot.

All I need to know now is...WHEN THE HELL DOES THIS BOOK COME OUT????

Invincible Summer by Hannah Moskowitz-A 30-Word Review

Invincible Summer by Hannah Moskowitz

Goodreads summary: Noah’s happier than I’ve seen him in months. So I’d be an awful brother to get in the way of that. It’s not like I have some relationship with Melinda. It was just a kiss. Am I going to ruin Noah’s happiness because of a kiss?

Across four sun-kissed, drama-drenched summers at his family’s beach house, Chase is falling in love, falling in lust, and trying to keep his life from falling apart. But some girls are addictive....

My 30-word review:

Fun, quirky writing style.
Amazingly realistic familial relationships.
LOVE how the story spans over several years.
Brilliantly incorporated deaf character- a
wonderful new experience.
IS runs the gamut of emotions.

My Keys are Disappearing!

I'm looking at my laptop keys and some of the letters have almost completely faded off. Thanks goodness I can type without looking at where the letter keys are, but the other day my husband was all like, "Where the hell is the letter A?" haha. Yes. My A has pretty much vanished. And all that's left of the letter E is the bottom line. Other letters that are fading are the S, D, C, B, N, M, L and, the... > key? Okay, do NOT know what that one is about cause I seriously...Oh, wait. dur. That key also holds the period. Okay. Now THAT makes sense. And, now that I think about it, the A, N, M, L, and E keys are all in my name. Do I type my name that often?? I don't think I do. Hmm...


What about you? Which of your computer/laptop keys are disappearing on you?

Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers-A 30 Word Review

Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers

Goodread's summary:

Perfect Parker Fadley isn’t so perfect anymore. She’s quit the cheerleading squad, she’s dumped her perfect boyfriend, and she’s failing school. Her parents are on a constant suicide watch and her counselors think she’s playing games…but what they don’t know, the real reason for this whole mess, isn’t something she can say out loud. It isn’t even something she can say to herself. A horrible thing has happened and it just might be her fault. If she can just remove herself from everybody--be totally alone--then everything will be okay...The problem is, nobody will let her.

My 30-Word Review:

LOVED being inside Parker's head--sad, angry, painful, scary.
3-dimensional characters with seamlessly interwoven subplots.
Character's reactions to MC, questionable at times.
Slightly bummed with rushed-felt ending.
Overall? AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Siren by Tricia Rayburn-- A 30 Word Book Review

Siren by Tricia Rayburn

Goodreads summary:

Vacationing in Winter Harbor, Maine, is a tradition for Vanessa and Justine Sands, and that means spending time with the Carmichael boys. This summer, Vanessa is determined to channel some of her older sister’s boldness, get over her fear of the ocean, and maybe turn her friendship with Simon Carmichael into something much more.

But when Justine goes cliff-diving after a big family argument, and her body washes ashore the next day, Vanessa is sure that it was more than an accident. She is more certain of this, when she discovers that her sister was keeping some big secrets and Caleb Carmichael’s gone missing. Suddenly, the entire oceanfront town is abuzz when a series of grim, water-related accidents occur, with the male victims washed ashore grinning from ear to ear.

Vanessa and Simon team up to figure out if these creepy deaths have anything to do with Justine and Caleb. But will what Vanessa discovers mean the end of her summer romance, or even life as she knows it?


My Review in 30 Words:

Minimalist writing style. Me likes!
Characters believable, relationships well developed.
Great mystery element, interesting supernatural twist.
Weaving in more foreshadowing would have made for a stronger, more plausible reveal/climax.