GoldenGirl by Micol Ostow Review

GoldenGirl by Micol Ostow

Series: Bradford (#1)
Publish date: January 27th, 2009
Publisher: Simon Pulse

Summary (from Goodreads)
Paige, Spencer, and Madison have it all: the looks, the connections, the money, the boys. As the daughters of three of the most prestigious families on Philadelphia's Main Line (read: old money, and lots of it) and the ruling juniors at Bradford Prep, nothing can stand in their way....except, perhaps, their own dark secrets. When an old frenemy from Paige's hidden past shows up at Bradford and plays nice--too nice--Paige is desperate to smother the threat. How far will she go to silence the truth?
 

Review: 

For fans of Gossip Girl or any other of the sort, you will enjoy this book. GoldenGirl revolves around the lives of very privileged teenagers who have it all. They skip class for mud scrubs at the spa and attend opening nights to the hottest night clubs. 

I was really interested in this book when I first bought it because the entire novel is written in the format of blog posts. Told from Spencer Kelly's (a relative to Grace Kelly herself) blog, we watch the drama unfold in their high society social life. Regan Stanford, the new girl straight out of rehab, starts attending Bradford Prep. She wins over Spencer and her best friend Madison, however it is her other BFF, Paige, that insults Regan every moment and sets out to make her time at Bradford horrible and drive her back to where she first came from. Unbeknownst to Spencer and Madison, Paige and Regan had a past before that led to one hating the other. On top of that, Spencer herself is dealing with guy trouble; Jeremy her ex is back at Bradford and is stuck between him and her current boyfriend; Tyler. Some catfights are about to go down.

A major problem I had with this book is the way the characters talked. They were fairly intelligent people yet the author makes them sound stupid and snobby with vocabulary inspired by Paris Hilton. Even the boys.. Perhaps it was to accentuate that they were rich and snobby however it would've been nicer to have certain characters sound mature and down to earth. For example; Jeremy. Another problem I had was that the ending was rather anti-climatic. It was obvious what was going to happen, a big scheme that as going to backfire. However, the event occurred so quickly that it didn't end this book with a bang. When I flipped to the last page of the book I just went; well ok that's finished. 
For a book with supposedly so much drama crammed into a book it just wasn't exciting when it ended. 

Although I did enjoy this book despite the major flaws. Its one of those books that you can finish in a few hours no problem and for a short book it was eventful enough to keep me entertained the whole time. Never mind the fact that I also really enjoy books filled with drama and rich teens that have it all. Did I mention that the story is told entirely with blog posts? Its a clever and unique way to write a book so that readers have a change when reading compared to the usual way a book is written.

I would consider reading the second book of the series, which is told in Madison's blog, however it also not necessary.

Rating: 2.5/5

The Liar Society by Lisa&Laura Roecker Review

The Liar Society by Lisa & Laura Roecker

Series: The Liar Society (#1)
Release date: March 1st, 2011
Published by Sourcebooks Fire

Summary (from Goodreads)
Kate Lowry didn't think dead best friends could send e-mails. But when she gets an e-mail from Grace, she’s not so sure.

To: KateLowry@pemberlybrown.edu
Sent: Sun 9/14 11:59 PM
From: GraceLee@pemberlybrown.edu
Subject: (no subject)

                    Kate, 

                   I'm here,

                             sort of. 

                             Find Cameron.

                              He knows.

                             I shouldn't be writing.

                               Don't tell. 

                              They'll hurt you.

Now Kate has no choice but to prove once and for all that Grace’s death was more than just a tragic accident. But secrets haunt the halls of her elite private school. Secrets people will do anything to protect. Even if it means getting rid of the girl trying to solve a murder...

Review: 

The Liar Society is a mystery book around a socially recluse girl looking to solve the death of her best friend, Grace. The main character, Kate, has become antisocial and detached herself from everyone around her. Instead, she prefers to relive the memories she made with Grace, leading to her parents sending her to therapy. She is told to let Grace go and start living her life happily. As she tries to listen to her therapists advice, she gets an email from Grace. Or at least so she thinks. The emails leave clues disguised as riddles which leads Kate on a mission to find out the truth about Grace's death. The answers aren't easy, and she later finds help from her redhead neighobr, Seth who has an obvious crush on Kate, and the cute boy who makes her feel something again, Liam.
I enjoyed this book so much I stayed up until 6am to finish the whole thing in one night. I highly recommend this book to fans of Pretty Little Liars or anything similar. There was enough mystery to be suspenseful and engaging yet there was plenty of humor to balance out the overall depressing plot and chilling events. The book is written with several chapters of flashbacks so that readers can understand what happened during the past leading up to Grace's tragic death.

It was really nice seeing Kate's character progressing throughout the book. In the beginning she was the reserved girl who didn't want to socialize with others. People around her looked at with pity which Kate hated even more. As events happen and Kate is fueled by the possibility of seeing Grace again, she becomes this strong and daring girl willing to do anything to understand Grace's death. You also see her opening up to others and actually feeling happy again. Her new friends are characters that I really enjoyed reading about too. Seth, her neighbor is the typical nerd who is oblivious to the bullying directed towards him. That's what I admire about him, he doesn't let anything hurtful affect him and lives life as himself. Not to mention he's dorky and a clueless at times which makes him oh so hilarious and the perfect sidekick to Kate. Together with Liam, the boy who you can't help rooting for to get together with Kate, they become her two knights in shining armor.

As clues were given and pieces of the puzzle were put together, through every step of the way I enjoyed solving the mystery along with Kate. The plot turned into an unexpected twist which I really enjoyed and it suddenly became multiple problems that needed to be solved; how Grace, who was in on her death and why? The ending was something different too. Kate thinks she's solved Grace's death but then she is slammed right back to step 1. Nevertheless, in Kate's own thoughts, she knew that she had changed into a different and mature Kate, and the new Kate deserved a new start.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes mystery, humor, and surprising events. I can't wait to read the second book to this trilogy.

Rating: 4/5

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins Review

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Series: The Hunger Games (#2)

Release Date: September 1st, 2009
Published by Scholastic Press


SUMMARY (from Goodreads):
Sparks are igniting.Flames are spreading.
And the Capitol wants revenge.

Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and her longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol - a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

In Catching Fire, the second novel in the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, testing her more than ever before...and surprising readers at every turn.

REVIEW: 

Catching Fire was not as exciting as the first book, however it was still exciting and enjoyable near the end, as it was where the games started and she was quickly filled in on what happened to her home, district 12. In the beginning it started a lot slower compared to the first book, because it had to explain the situation of the districts that were currently rebelling and Katniss' fear of what she has caused. Personally I thought that the writing lacked emotion and impact. The author wrote so much detail about the rebellions and Katniss' thoughts and worries that she had rushed through the truly exciting part, the games itself. While reading about the dangerous adventures Katniss and Peeta had with their allies I felt that things ended as soon as it begun. Near death experiences were quickly followed after by the next morning, feelings were skipped through, making Katniss seem like she didn't even realize she almost died. Overall, the Games were not as exciting as the Games in the fIrst book.

My favorite thing about this book were the characters, I loved every one of them. Katniss was a three dimensional characters with many flaws. She is uncomfortable, awkward, and doesn't allow people in. But she is also fiercely loyal to her family and friends, brave, smart, and ultimately, good. Peeta is wonderful, kind, smart, well-spoken. He is everything that awkward Katniss is not; they play off one another perfectly. Their allies during the games, Finnick, Mags, Johanna, Beetee and others who were killed off early were the perfect combination of bravery, kookiness, and intelligence. Some of the characters made me laugh because of their unusual behaviour, and the death of others greatly saddened me. I was so deeply delved into the Hunger Games that I felt myself standing beside the characters and watching them die in front of me. Another thing that I loved about this book was the creativity and uniqueness of everything. Suzanne Collins really knows how to capture her audience and make them cling onto every word.

The plot twist and cliffhanger were the worst things to depart away with from this book. Both of these events just made me want to scream in frustration because I suddenly had questions that needed to be answered immediately. I was never a fan of books of the dystopian genre, however the Hunger Games trilogy is an exception because it's amazing. I cannot wait to go see Catching Fire in the theatres when it is released.

Rating: 4/5

Gossamer by Renita Pizzitola Blog Tour & Review

A Lyrical Press Young Adult Paranormal Romance

Gossamer by Renita Pizzitola

Published by Lyrical Press Inc.

Format: eBook

Source: Given by publisher for an honest review and participation in blog tour.        

SUMMARY: 

Kyla Ashbury is nearing her eighteenth birthday when a mysterious boy appears at school. Her instant attraction to him inexplicably awakens something inside her and she discovers her true identity.

Now, armed with the knowledge of her past, she is forced to leave behind the life she has always known for a new one filled with temptation, faery charm and magic, and a future she wasn't prepared for.

Kyla is left with a difficult decision... but no matter which path she chooses, someone will get hurt.

Review: 

I always like a good faery book. Especially since lately I've only been reading sci-fi. I started this book with high hopes, however, this book fell a little short.

The writing itself, was a little amateur. The writing was wordy and choppy because the author used "it is" or "would have" instead of "it's" or "would've" every time, especially during dialogue. It made the characters sound stiff and gets rid of the emotion they were trying to express. I was a little surprised at the length of this book. I don't think I can really call it a novel because it was quite short. The beginning was dragged out too long, resulting in an abrupt ending that was a little frustrating, there was so much that was not resolved. I kept thinking "Is this really the end of the book? Will there be a second book?" Perhaps that was the author's intentions, to leave the reader with a cliffhanger forcing them to guess their own endings. I am disappointed at the plot, there was nothing really exciting about it. It was just another romance novel about a love triangle among two friends. It was a little like the book Angel Burn; guy saves girl from danger because of her abilities, and they end up falling in love. 

The beginning was like a typical cliche novel. Kylie, the damsel in distress, doesn't know she's half-faery until she meets new guy, Grant, who she falls in love with at first sight. However, the Queen B (and B not in the good way), Cerise, also wants Grant. They end up having a rivalry but of course Grant came for Kylie. And then Kylie's world turns upside down when Grant tells her she's half faery and she needs to go back to the faery world. I wasn't very fond of Kylie, she always wanted to cry every time she saw Grant or have some kind mixed emotions inside her, it was like she didn't have a backbone. 

Overall, this wasn't a memorable book because nothing exciting really happened. Although, I did enjoy the romance in it. I would save this book for a rainy day.

Rating: 3/5

Xor: The Shape of Darkness by Moshe Sipper Review

Xor: The Shape of Darkness by Moshe Sipper

Published by Amazon
Format: Paperback
Source: Given by author in exchange for honest review

SUMMARY:

 On his twelfth birthday Lewis Nash comes home from school to find that his house has blown up to smithereens, killing his father. Having lost his mother in an accident four years earlier, Lewis realizes he is now an orphan - but he has no time to dwell on it. The moment he gets off the school bus a fearsome wolf-man tries to grab him. The boy is saved in the nick of time by Master Long, who reveals to him that he's a Shaper from a place called Xor, which is being devoured by the Realm Pirates. Lewis learns that must do his utmost to become the powerful Shaper he was destined to be. 

Because, it would seem, he's the one and only chance Xor has.

Review: 

Lewis is brave, intelligent and way more mature than any 12 year old. But then again, he is Lord Shaper. You know he's a big deal if he has Lord beside his title. One with utmost power should reflect his power. As soon as he finds out his dad is dead, avoiding being kidnapped from an evil creature, he is snatched away into the world of Xor, where he finds out about his new identity and adjusts to the reality of being the only one that can save his planet. Meeting great friends and mentors, battling the darkness inside him, and faced with people that are deceitful, Lewis only has less than a week to save Xor before it's entirely consumed by darkness. A great protagonist to compliment this crazy roller coaster of a story. There were so many adventures and antagonists to keep the book from becoming boring. A lot of the times I found myself trying to solve problems along with Lewis and his friends.

However, a big flaw was the writing. I found it to be a little... simple. In my opinion this would be more of a novel for preteens instead of youth adults. I found this book to be quite repetitive, especially near the end. Lewis was so inquisitive it got to the point of a little annoying. The beginning could have been built up a little bit more as well, allow the readers time to adjust to the new setting.

The ending was I think what I enjoyed the most. It was unpredictable and left me feeling warm hearted. I would have this novel is considered both a hit and miss for me. But on the side note, if Xor turned into a movie I predict it'd be a big hit. I would definitely go see it if I was someone that hadn't read the book yet.

Rating: 3.5/5