Entice by Carrie Jones

Published January 3rd 2011 by Bloomsbury Publishing
264 pages
Series: Need #3
Source: Review Copy via Flamingnet Teen Book Reviews

Various predicaments have presented themselves to Zara since the death of her stepfather and the unwilling move to Bedford, Maine that followed. There is, of course, the whole pixie situation, but now Nick, her boyfriend and warrior werewolf, is gone, too. Zara, heartbroken and determined, allows the pixie king Astley to transform her into a pixie herself as a last resort to aid in the quest to retrieve Nick. The problem is: the only leads they have are the words of a disdainful Valkyrie and the existence of a mythical place -- Valhalla, said to be the ruling place of the Norse god, Odin. As Zara and the crew continue to search for more clues, evil pixies led by the newly appearing king, Frank, are kidnapping boys left and right. Zara, now the Queen of King Astley, also faces entirely new problems as her relationship with Astley and the trust of her friends are brought into jeopardy by these recent turn of events. However, Zara is nothing if not stubborn, and she will not rest until Nick is safely returned to Bedford.

As I read each of the Need books one after the other, the growth of the author was especially evident. Descriptions of the background and setup of each place, which were lacking in the first two books of this series, are found embedded throughout Entice, creating an even more realistic world for the reader. I adore the steadily increasing plot complications, too. A series that started out with a relatively simple concept -- eliminate the evil pixies and their violent ways -- has successfully morphed into an intense story involving mythical places and the existence of benevolence in an initially evil species.

Young adult books nowadays all seem to contain the classic love triangle scenario, and this book is not an exception. There does seem to be an almost two-dimensional quality to Zara and Nick’s relationship, though. Why are they even in love? I suppose there was a time limit on the development of their relationship since Nick was whisked away to Valhalla so soon after the series started. On the other hand, the author did a great job with Zara and Astley, whose relationship is multi-faceted and angst-filled enough to keep me interested. It also seems obvious who Zara will choose at the end, if one were to observe the popular trend followed by other YA novels. But who knows? Maybe Carrie Jones will spring out a surprise for us at the end of the series.

Entice is packed with action and is easily my favorite book out of the Need series so far. I will be looking forward to the next installment of the series.

Rating: 3.5

between fairly intriguing and delightfully scrumptious

Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness

Published September 28th 2010 by Candlewick Press
603 pages
Series: Chaos Walking #3
Source: Borrowed

Ah. Ma. Zing.

It is not often that books induce episodes of hysterical fits and render me speechless at the end. I will have to congratulate Patrick Ness on achieving that. This trilogy has been one helluva ride, and I enjoyed every single moment of it.

AJSLKDFMVILJMOIJAISODNF (Please wait as my brain restarts)

The world that Ness created is real, the character's emotions are raw. Yes, the entire book is one big war and one big attempt at peace. One would think that a war dragged out across 600+ pages would be overkill, but Ness managed to make every single page of this book worthwhile.

I have to admit -- I did cry at the end. Quite surprising actually, since this is not a particularly tear-jerker type book. But keep in mind, tears do not equate tragedy, nor do they equate happiness. Just read the dang book and find out.

Rating: 5

incomprehensibly awesome

The Official xxxHOLiC Guide by CLAMP

Published October 27th 2009 by Del Rey
224 pages
Source: Review Copy via Flamingnet Teen Book Reviews

Since the worlds that CLAMP has created are all incredibly complex, this guide is helpful in filling in the blanks that users might have about the manga series. The Official xxxHolic Guide starts out with six full-color mini posters depicting the main characters of the manga -- namely Yuko and Watanuki. It then continues to go in depth about the characters, connections to other CLAMP works, and Yuko's best quotes, wardrobe, and favorite things. At the end are various readers' poll results, compatibility tests, and quizzes.

I have not read the xxxHolic manga series before, and this definitely piqued my interest. Having read other CLAMP works, it was fascinating to see the intricate plot threads and parallels that bind various CLAMP mangas together. Coupled with the gorgeous artwork, complex storyline, and explanations on Japanese legends and culture that were integrated into the manga, The Official xxxHolic Guide would be perfect for any CLAMP fan.

Rating: 3

fairly intriguing

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Published March 22nd 2011 by Simon & Schuster
358 pages
Series: The Chemical Garden #1
Source: ARC via Flamingnet Teen Book Reviews

Rhine lives in a world seemingly devoid of hope -- men now die at the age of twenty-five and females at a meager twenty. When she is kidnapped and sold into a marriage like countless others, Rhine is determined to revolt against the bonds that secure her to this new husband and somehow reunite with the twin brother who was torn away from her. Even in a world like this, opinions and relationships shift and change. But escape -- escape is always on her mind.

I devoured and simply adored this new YA dystopian novel. There were moments when I found myself engrossed, grasping the little paperback and yelling No at the words squiggling across the pages as the story unfolded around me. The plot is captivating and the writing artfully done. The characters are authentic and contain a certain depth that made me love the book just that much more, as I could relate to the pain they experience throughout the book. There is a slight The Hunger Games feel to the it, which I do not object to at all. This is definitely one of the best books I’ve read in 2010, and I cannot wait for the next installment of this trilogy.

Rating: 3

fairly intriguing

Personal Demons by Lisa Desrochers

Published September 14th 2010 by Tor Teen
365 pages
Series: Personal Demons #1
Source: ARC via Flamingnet Teen Book Reviews

June 2, 2011
Ugh, no. Did I really give this a 3.5 back in November? How naive I was...

November 5, 2010
Heaven and Hell are both vying for the same thing -- Frannie Cavanaugh, the one girl that can tip the scales and change the world forever. Luc is sent from Hell's Acquisitions, and Gabe is dispatched from Heaven. Their tasks are simple: to tag Frannie's soul for their own side before the other succeeds. A love triangle forms as the two boys gradually begin to understand the girl they were ordered to retrieve. But this girl has secrets of her own.

Told from the points of view of Frannie and Luc, this novel was an undeniably addicting read. This human and demon had completely different voices, and the author executed that well with the implementation of the two first person perspectives. The writing itself, while not exactly the most eloquent, was effective and managed to convey the meaning well. Although the relationship between Frannie and Luc could have used a bit more development to raise the authenticity level, it was acceptable. This applies to the interactions between Frannie and Gabe, too.

Fans of the Twilight saga would definitely enjoy this book, as I did notice a few similarities between the two character-wise. Overall, a solid debut by Lisa Desrochers.

Rating: 1

I want to stab something

The Absolute Value of -1 by Steve Brezenoff

Published September 1st 2010 by Carolrhoda
264 pages
Source: Borrowed

The story follows three troubled teens -- Lily, Noah, and Simon -- through their tumultuous sophomore years, as family and peer pressure, both good and bad, overwhelm the confused trio. Relationships change as the three seek to find out who they truly are.

When I saw the title of this book, the math nerd inside me couldn't resist, and I just had to read it. Although the author's application of the concept of the "absolute value" was very fitting to the plot at hand, I thought it could be developed and integrated more into the story. That said, the three main characters contained a lot of depth, and their struggles and voices seemed authentic. The different POV's provided enough insight into each character without being too direct. Overall, an angsty, but enjoyable book.

Rating: 2

oh so unremarkable

Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken

Published March 23rd 2010 by EgmontUSA
354 pages
Source: Borrowed

I was hurriedly walking out of the school library at the conclusion of a particularly boring lecture on how to research online -- sheesh, we're sophomores; how do you think we survived school without knowing how to conduct research? -- when I happened to see this book propped up on a shelf. I glanced at it, continued striding past, and suddenly changed my mind 3 seconds later and screeched to a halt. My unfortunate friend proceeded to bang into me and almost fell over. Sorry, El... By the time she looked up, I was over at the shelf with the copy of Brightly Woven in my hands. I whipped out my handy-dandy school ID with the unflattering picture, handed it all to the mean librarian, and off I went.

Brightly Woven turned out to be way more addicting than I expected and kept me from being the studious person I normally pride myself to be at least most of the time. I was instantly drawn into Alexandra Bracken's world -- filled with magicians and dusty little towns and cloaks that could whisk you off to mysterious places and boys filled with sadness, in need of rescuing from themselves and their past. There is something simply enchanting about fantasy novels and their ability to pull you into an alternate world, the way they offer escape from daily life.

Sydelle and North are both characters you would want to glomp (definition). The pair is adorable in their own way and are made interesting by each of their worries and trials. Their interactions were extremely heart-warming, and the build-up of attraction is nice and gradual. It felt utterly natural.

Simple, sweet, and slightly predictable, Brightly Woven is the type of book that you will close with a wide smile plastered on your face and fuzzy feelings in your tummy. Please pardon the cheesiness of that last sentence...

Rating: 4

delightfully scrumptious