The Summoning (Darkest Powers #1) Kelley Armstrong

Book Blurb (From Goodreads) 
My name is Chloe Saunders and my life will never be the same again.

All I wanted was to make friends, meet boys, and keep on being ordinary. I don't even know what that means anymore. It all started on the day that I saw my first ghost - and the ghost saw me.

Now there are ghosts everywhere and they won't leave me alone. To top it all off, I somehow got myself locked up in Lyle House, a "special home" for troubled teens. Yet the home isn't what it seems. Don't tell anyone, but I think there might be more to my housemates than meets the eye. The question is, whose side are they on? it's up to me to figure out the dangerous secrets behind Lyle House...before its skeletons come back to haunt me.



My Review: 
This is one of the best paranormal books that I have read in a while. I found it by chance in a book fair for $2 and bought the whole series and thank god that I did because I don't think that I could of waited to buy the next book.
The plot in this book was fast paced and complicated and refreshing in many ways. Each page pushed the plot along and there was hardly ever a dull moment. It showed Chloe's struggle well and how she is dealing with it and the complications that come with finding out that you can see ghosts as suddenly as she did. The action scenes were rare but well written. There was not much hand to hand combat but more of combat with ghosts when Chloe accidentally summoned them. Those scenes where scary, I don't think that I could of handled those as well as she did if I was in that situation and she handled them pretty poorly. The refreshing thing about this book was that there was no romance, which some people may find bad or annoying but almost every YA book today had romance in it and to see a book without it but still has lots of drama in like a gold nugget in my eyes. The mystery in this book was strong and created some pretty good plot twists which you (hopefully) will not see coming. 
Chloe was fairly easy to relate too purely because she is very close to my age. It's not often (or at least for me) where you read a YA book about a 14-15 year old because main characters are usually 16-18 or around those ages. It was interesting to see how her age affected her priorities. for instance she wasn't as interested in the boys in this book as an older character would be, she was more interested in forging friendships and maintaining them. Derrek was an complete ass in this book, which more or less made him my favourite. He was moody the whole time and complicated to understand but when he was with Chloe he slowly started to relax and we found out some of his background. Simon was interesting but not my favourite. His character seemed to be there purely to invoke drama between the girls of the book. 
Over all I give this book 5 out of 5 stars and I highly recommend it if you want a really well written paranormal book.

Blog Tour - Treasure Darkly by Jordan Elizabeth Mierek

Beware a Treasure Darkly…

(The stunning cover art is thanks to Amalia Chitulescu)

Seventeen-year-old Clark Treasure assumes the drink he stole off the captain is absinthe…until the chemicals in the liquid give him the ability to awaken the dead. A great invention for creating perfect soldiers, yes, but Clark wants to live as a miner, not a slave to the army—or the deceased. On the run, Clark turns to his estranged tycoon father for help. The Treasures welcome Clark with open arms, so he jumps at the chance to help them protect their ranch against Senator Horan, a man who hates anyone more powerful than he.

And he is not alone. His new found sister, Amethyst, thinks that's rather dashing, until Horan kidnaps her, and all she gets is a bullet through her heart. When Clark brings her back to life, she realizes he's more than just street-smart - and he's not really a Treasure. Amethyst’s boring summer at home has turned into an adventure on the run, chock full of intrigue, danger, love, and a mysterious boy named Clark.

TREASURE DARKLY, book 1 of the Treasure Chronicles

This young adult novel is a dark mix of steampunk, the paranormal and romance in a “Wild West” setting. 

Below is an excerpt from TREASURE DARKLY.  You can read more on the Curiosity Quills Press website.

“Looks like he did drink it up.” The general client spoke from the right. “Must’ve interacted with all that bloody hertum. Look at ‘im, he’s bleeding already.”

“What’s it gonna do to him?” the guard from the morning asked.

“Lots of stuff.” The general laughed. “When he touches the dead, he’ll be able to bring them back, and exchange that life for another. Perfect soldier, huh? We only have one vial ready and I was going to give it to a lucky fellow. Guess it will be this boy.”

“Whatcha gonna do with him?” The guard snickered.

“Have to be a test subject,” the general said. “Sure thought it was that Judy who stole my bottle. Pity I killed her. She sure knew how to make my pecker sing.”

Judy.

Clark’s mother.

Clark bolted off the ground and ran. He could hide in the hole under the shed behind the brothel. Mable never found him under there. He might be cursed with raising the dead—he’d already done that to the poor mine worker—but it didn’t mean he’d let them take him for tests.

###

You can read more about Amethyst Treasure in GEARS OF BRASS, a steampunk anthology from Curiosity Quills Press available now from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Our Reviews: 
***We received the eBook free as a review copy from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review***

Angelina:
I was really looking forward to reading this book, as it is my first steampunk novel and I really hope that I am not the only one who thinks that the cover looks amazing. I can definitely say that this book did not disappoint me at all. In fact, I feel like I have found a gold nugget. 

If you look back at most of my other reviews, you would find that I would comment that the beginnings are mostly kind of dull and that you have to power through those bits to get to the good part. But in this book, you immediately get immersed in the story and gradually, piece by piece, you start to understand that world better. It is based on a Wild West society with a lot of technology.  In the very beginning, I already liked Mable because she was so cute, innocent and adorable. It took me some time to adjust to Clark but he is a very likable character, he has amazing survival skills and best of all, he can do a roundhouse kick! Also, unlike most main characters, he actually plans stuff out and doesn't go charging into a suicide mission. Anyway, he can bring people back from the dead! If he sees his friend die, no worries, help is at hand! That is really cool. Amethyst was really whiny at the beginning, but then she started learning survival skills and she actually tried to fight back at times. Her romance with Clark though was always a bit awkward for me and I found Amethyst a but to flirtatious, but otherwise she was a strong character. 

The plot itself is pretty exciting, I found it kind of funny how on every page, a fistfight escalated immediately into a gunshot. The action appeared on every page and that was part of the reason of what made the reader want to keep going. It is really cool, how everything lead to the final ending.

I really enjoyed reading this book, I never got bored reading it and really recommend it to people who enjoy paranormal, romance, a bit of Young Adult and a lot of adventure. I finally give it 4 out of 5 stars! 

Jessica:
I actually really enjoyed this book. I didn't get much time to read the book (three days to be exact) but I didn't need all of that time, it was a one sit read for me which left me extremely dazed afterwards.
The plot in this book was extremley unique. Before I read this I checked in my read list and saw that I had never read a steam punk book, which made everything exciting and new. The world building was one of the best I have ever seen. Jorden Mierek really took her time with every little detail and left nothing unexplained. The main character, Clark, at the begging of the book acquired the ability to guide the dead back to the living world which was pretty cool, although it was a tad bit confusing at the beginning about how the drink brought about these abilities it was gradually explained over time. This book was filled with short bursts of action which made it extremley exciting, and the action never dragged on. In fact in never thought that this book dragged on once, Jordan Mierek created a steady plot and a great ending which summed up the books events nicely.
The character were all well developed. Clark was smart, could defend himself and was likable. He always put everyone else's needs before his, he always thought through his actions and hardly ever made a stupid decision. Amethyst was, at the begging of the book, your typical maiden in distress which I hated and I knew that some serious character development was going to have to occur
for me to like her and it did. She learned how to shoot, ride and became more considerate of others. She turned for my least favourite character into my favourite.
Finally I give this book a solid 4 out of 5 stars.

Jordan Elizabeth, formally Jordan Elizabeth Mierek, is the author of ESCAPE FROM WITCHWOOD HOLLOW, available from Curiosity Quills Press.  Check out Jordan’s website, JordanElizabethMierek.com, for contests and book signing locales.  Jordan is represented by Belcastro Agency and she is president of the Utica Writers Club.

No blog tour is complete without a giveaway. Enter below for a chance to win a paperback copy of GEARS OF BRASS. You can find the giveaway in the side bar to the right. 

Awesome Book Prices!

It is the winter holidays right now and I hope that we are all having an amazing time where ever you are right now (even at home it is great to celebrate Christmas!). So anyway, I was strolling around when I was on holiday and went into this small convenience store. There wasn't anything special until I stopped in my tracks: there was a huge carton full of YA books in perfect condition. But that's not the only thing. One book, costs ONE euro each. ONE EURO FOR ONE BOOK EACH!!!!! And they were proper YA books! That is such an awesome deal. I'm finished ranting now, I just needed to get that out to the book world out here.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Depending on where you are from, you may have already celebrated it, or you may be part of a different religion. But for those of you who like me celebrate it today, MERRY CHRISTMAS! I hope that you all have a great day!

The Wizard Heir (The Heir chronicels #2) by Cinda Willamas Chirma

Book Blurb (from goodreads)
Sixteen-year-old Seph McCauley has spent the past three years getting kicked out of one exclusive private school after another. And it's not his attitude that's the problem: it's the trail of magical accidents - lately, disasters - that follow in his wake. Seph is a wizard, orphaned and untrained, and his powers are escalating out of control.

After causing a tragic fire at an after-hours party, Seph is sent to the Havens, a secluded boys' school on the coast of Maine. Gregory Leicester, the headmaster, promises to train Seph in magic and initiate him into his mysterious order of wizards. But Seph's enthusiasm dampens when he learns that training comes at a steep cost, and that Leicester plans to use his students' powers to serve his own mysterious agenda. 



My review: 
This book is too long! Cinda Willamas Chirma could have easily cut of 150 pages of this. It started of good and exciting and ended with long conversations about wizard politics...
The original plot of the book was good and could of been stretched out over a longer period of time. The beginning felt a bit rushed which was a pain because it was the only part of the book where adrenaline was really pumping through my body which is a feeling which I really like whilst reading and I feel like I have been robbed of it in a book which had the potential to give the reader that feeling 24/7. The ending on the other hand just seemed to go on forever. It was all about wizard politics and what was going on. Which was great for history and would be good in small doses, but do not revolve the whole second half of the book about it. Yes you still had action but not as much as I was hoping for. 
Seph was my least favourite character. Which sucks because he was the main character and I had to see the most of him. His character felt a little bland and like there was something missing. I could not relate to him in any circumstances which is a trait which most main characters should have to help make the book appealing to readers. I was glad to see Jack and Ellen come back into the story. It felt like old friends were coming back from the dead. I love their characters and my only complaint for them would be that we didn't get to see enough of them. I would of liked to have some clearer updates on their life together. 
The descriptions in this book were very clear and easy to imagine. Although it was hard to keep up with who was talking because the point of views were switching back and forth without warning. At the end we even got the point of view from someone who we barely know anything about! I had to retrace y 'steps' and figure out just who exactly was talking. 
I give this book 2 stars. I defiantly suffered the-curse-of-the-second-book-in-a-series-of-5-books-which-could-really-just-be-one-book. 

Abhorsen (Old Kingdom #3) by Garth Nix

Book Blurb (from Goodreads):
When the ninth gate calls, who can resist its summons?

An old evil has arisen - freed from its subterranean prison and seeking to escape the binding silver hemispheres which prevent it from finally unleashing its terrible powers.

Lirael, newly come into her inheritance as the Abhorsen-in-Waiting, knows that the fate of the world is in her hands. With only a vision from the Clayr to guide her, and the uncertain help of her companions — Sam, the Disreputable Dog, and Mogget — Lirael sets out on her perilous mission.

Then answer must be found somewhere in Life or Death - but can a former Second Assistant Librarian possibly discover the means to defeat the Destroyer...before it is too late?

My Review
This time I wasn't that reluctant to start reading this book, because Lirael, Sameth, Mogget and the Disreputable Dog are all still in this book. This time, in the prologue, there is a major shock and the book jumps immediately into the action. Since the last book, Lirael, there has been a lot of character development taking place. Prince Sameth isn't the coward he once was, he is braver, fights more in battles and he even wielded the panpipes and bells when needed even though he was absolutely terrified of them ever since his incident with Hedge.
In this book, I also noticed that a lot of secret names were revealed and when I was sitting there, thinking about names in the book and I noticed that a lot of names ended in -ael or-el. Like Sabriel, Lirael, Astarael and many others.
The ending of the book was very, very sad! You can't end a book like that! It just breaks one's heart!
This book had a lot of action in it and I am giving this book 5 out of 5 stars!

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

Book Blurb (from goodreads)

Frankie Landau-Banks at age 14:
Debate Club.
Her father’s “bunny rabbit.”
A mildly geeky girl attending a highly competitive boarding school.
Frankie Landau-Banks at age 15:
A knockout figure.
A sharp tongue.
A chip on her shoulder.
And a gorgeous new senior boyfriend: the supremely goofy, word-obsessed Matthew Livingston.
Frankie Laundau-Banks.
No longer the kind of girl to take “no” for an answer.
Especially when “no” means she’s excluded from her boyfriend’s all-male secret society.

Not when her ex boyfriend shows up in the strangest of places.
Not when she knows she’s smarter than any of them.
When she knows Matthew’s lying to her.
And when there are so many, many pranks to be done.
Frankie Landau-Banks, at age 16:
Possibly a criminal mastermind.
This is the story of how she got that way. 

My Review: 
I have never read a book almost purely about high school life, and as soon as I saw that it was by E. Lockhart the author of we were liars  which I adored and therefor threw against the wall (those of you who have read it will know why), I had to buy it. I had high expectations for this, they were probably a little too high because I feel a little short but I still thoroughly enjoyed the book. 
The plot in this book was well thought out and explained. We got a lot of Frankie's history and family life which would be harder to do if you are placing almost all the scenes in a boarding school. However it did take a little bit too long to get to the main plot which only really came around in the last 200-150 pages. This was a 360 (somewhere around that number) page book, that's a long time for a plot to really come into, for me, however it was worth the wait. The pranks in this book where funny, and I loved how each one had their own meaning. And may I just say that if Frankie doesn't end up being a spy when she grows up she will defiantly be a criminal. 
The characters in this book where, well just there. We got a lot of history on Frankie which was great and I loved her character because I could really relate to it, but that was it. I know that the whole book was about Frankie's development from cutsie girl to 'criminal mastermind' but I doesn't mean that you have to cut out the other characters back story. For example I really, really wanted to know more about Trish but the information never came. I felt like she could have been a really important character to Frankie and I wish that they had more girl time together so there could be some kind of best friend thing going on because that was one thing that this book was lacking. 
Mathew and Frankie's relationship, whilst cute felt a little inappropriate. It is a senior, so an 18 year old boy (something like that) dating a 15 year old girl. I know that it is not that rare-a-thing in the world world but still made me feel uncomfortable in their moments where I think they were suppose to be the cute couple. It just did not feel right to me. 
Okay, now for a quick rant about something that has been annoying me and I have been holding my frustration in. GRAMMAR, grammar lessons in a book? NO! You do not do that, that is not allowed. I get that it was part of Mathew's character and all, but we got a 5 page grammar lesson in this book, A 5 PAGE GRAMMAR LESSON! You can not put in a 5 page grammar lesson in a book. I does not work like that. The reader (or at least me) does not care about those kind of things in a book whilst reading. I just skip over it. It was thoroughly annoying that, that was in there. Okay i'm good. On to the stars...

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars (I actually really did enjoy this book despite its faults!): 

The Magician's Guild (The Black Magician Trilogy #1) by Trudi Canavan

Book Blurb (from Goodreads):
"We should expect this young woman to be more powerful than our average novice, possibly even more powerful than the average magician."

This year, like every other, the magicians of Imardin gather to purge the city of undesirables. Cloaked in the protection of their sorcery, they move with no fear of the vagrants and miscreants who despise them and their work-—until one enraged girl, barely more than a child, hurls a stone at the hated invaders...and effortlessly penetrates their magical shield.

What the Magicians' Guild has long dreaded has finally come to pass. There is someone outside their ranks who possesses a raw power beyond imagining, an untrained mage who must be found and schooled before she destroys herself and her city with a force she cannot yet control.

My Review
OK, I admit that I didn't really want to read this book in the beginning, even though my friend kept on recommending it to me, but it just didn't look interesting to me so I waved it off. But then I finally relented and I found that it was a pretty good book.It is pretty much about a girl, who found out that she has magical powers and the Magician's Guild has to find her before her powers destroy her and the city. I didn't really enjoy the part in the slums, when the girl (Sonea) hid from the Magicians. It was slightly boring, while the Magician perspective was more interesting. I also thought that the finding part of the book, where the Magicians had to capture Sonea, was to dragged out. They searched for her until more than half way through  the book. That was way too long. Otherwise, I liked the book, the characters were interesting. I liked Dannyl and Rothen, they had a sense of humour and were friendly.
Overall, I found the book satisfying and good and I can give it 4 out of 5 stars!

Sabriel (Old Kingdom #1) by Garth Nix

Book Blurb (from Goodreads):
Sent to a boarding school in Ancelstierre as a young child, Sabriel has had little experience with the random power of Free Magic or the Dead who refuse to stay dead in the Old Kingdom. But during her final semester, her father, the Abhorsen, goes missing, and Sabriel knows she must enter the Old Kingdom to find him. She soon finds companions in Mogget, a cat whose aloof manner barely conceals its malevolent spirit, and Touchstone, a young Charter Mage long imprisoned by magic, now free in body but still trapped by painful memories. As the three travel deep into the Old Kingdom, threats mount on all sides. And every step brings them closer to a battle that will pit them against the true forces of life and death—and bring Sabriel face-to-face with her own destiny.

With Sabriel, the first installment in the Abhorsen trilogy, Garth Nix exploded onto the fantasy scene as a rising star, in a novel that takes readers to a world where the line between the living and the dead isn't always clear—and sometimes disappears altogether.

My Review
The reason why I picked this book off the shelf was that the cover looked interesting, magical and I'm totally into stuff like that. When I read the back, I knew it was my kind of book.
It all starts with the prologue, where they gradually introduce the main characters: Abhorsen, Sabriel and Kerrigor, the antagonist. Then the actual story began. I didn't really enjoy the first 2 chapters or so that much, mostly because it was slightly boring and nothing was happening. Then realization dawned on me: this is taking place in a kind of modern age. The book had stuff like trucks, planes, tractors and whatnot. Now, the thing is that I expected this book to be set in ancient times, since the map on the front said "Old Kingdom". But the more I read this book, the more I enjoyed it and just couldn't put it down. I think that Mogget was my absolute favourite character. His aloof personality was so cool and his comments were funny. Touchstone annoyed me at the beginning, but I quickly warmed up to him. My only complaints were that it took me some time to memorize where everything was on the map and the names of the bells, so I always had to flip back to check what each bell does.
Overall, I really loved this book, it had an original idea with Death and Life. This book would be good for magic, adventure and fantasy lovers.
I give this book 4 out of 5 stars!

Shadow and Bone (the Grisha #1) Leigh Bardugo

                                                          Book blurb (from goodreads)
Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.

Shadow and Bone is the first installment in Leigh Bardugo's Grisha Trilogy.

My Review: 
Shadow and Bone.... a book which I have never been able to get my hands on..... until now *evil laugh*. Okay no, I will not do the evil laugh but this is a expecionaly good book. 
You could get straight into the book right away. The way how the book started with the before chapter where you got to see Alina and Mal at the orphanage was a great way to introduce the characters and to get a bases of the story line and history of the book. Straight after that chapter and the 'real' story began it spread up at full spread. From going into the Fold and people dying in the first 50 pages? Lets just say that it was pretty epic. I loved to see how Alina's character developed just by the people she was surrounded with and where she lived and when she finally got the sense where she belonged. However I do agree with her on one thing, what good is she for apart from midnight picnics. After she has completed her 'destiny' she would be practically useless (in my opinion). 
I have allready talked about Alina's charater development so I will talk about other things. I liked how Alina was so stuborn and always managed to keep it together, even when she was falling appart inside. Sometimes though I wanted her to stop feeling so sorry for herself and get on with her life.
Mal was a interesting character which I would love to see more of. I went from loving him to hating him and back to loving his character all over again. I would like to have even more information about him and I don't often say this (well, actually I have never said this) I would like to see  the book in his point of view as well, because I really want to know what is happening in that head of his. His character can be a little confusing to understand. 
I saved the best for last. The Darkling. Can I take a moment to express my hate towards him? I know that most people like him even though he is a complete ******* but I am not one of those people and would be more than happy to get rid of him myself. I had a bad feeling about him from the start. When I started to think that he might be the love interest Leigh Bardugo showed me something that made me want to forget that I had even thought that. Okay enough said otherwise I am going to spoil the book. 
The world building in this book was well done, and that sometimes proves difficult for a lot of authors. Espectialy when you create your own Kingdoms, myths and languages. I applaud Leigh Bardugo for doing such a good job.
I give this book a solid 4 out of 5 stars. 

Silvertongue (Stoneheart #3) by Charlie Fletcher

Book Blurb (from Goodreads):
George and Edie are travelling through unLondon, a world of danger on the city streets, and they are quite alone.

Time is standing still, and the rest of London is unaware of their plight, unaware of the hidden world of living statues, of Shackleton and the Queen of Time.

In the concluding part of the breathtaking and critically acclaimed Stoneheart trilogy, Edie and George look deeper into Edie's past, and her future.






My Review
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this series. Sadly, I didn't get to enjoy this book as much, mostly because I was annoyed at one of the characters, but more about that later on. I think that this book has had some sense of humour, not a lot, but there was some. As I mentioned in the earlier reviews, I think that the idea was original and I found it amazing that Charlie Fletcher managed to give statues from our everyday lives a likable personality. In this book you also realize how much you like a character until they are fatally injured and you have no idea if they are going to survive or not. Charlie Fletcher also introduced a lot of new characters, with which you don't really bond with because you don't know their personality yet. My current favourite character list for this book now expanded to three characters: Spout, the gargoyle, the Gunner and Richard the Lionheart. The last one is new, but he is such a cool character.
There were some sad moments in this book, but not to sad although, when a character dies, any character at all, I always reread that section a million times, like, "Did that really happen?"
During the whole book,  there were (not so) shocking betrayals and shifting alliances. My only complaint was that I was so very, very annoyed at Edie. She got all of the Gunner's and Queen's attention and I felt that George was being neglected. She always gets hurt and then the others get concerned about her. All of them say that Edie is special and seemed to ignore George. Also at the end of the book, the author made it seem as if everything is alright, but there were still a lot of questions unanswered.
That's why I can only give this book 4 out of 5 stars!

The Perfectionists (The perfectionists #1) by Sara Shepard

                                                  Book blurb (from goodreads)

In Beacon Heights High, Nolan Hotchkiss is king. His charm, wealth and good looks are deceptively seductive, and many are the students whose lives and reputations have been ruined by it. All while Nolan continues to reign, unquestioned and undisrupted. Until now, that is.

Mackenzie, Ava, Julie, Caitlin and Parker seemingly don't have much in common. Each has their own friends, dramas and goals. But one thing they do share: they all have a deep hatred of Nolan Hotchkiss. And they all think it's about time he paid for what he's done. They come up with the perfect murder - a hypothetical murder, of course. It's all wishful thinking ... until they wake up one morning to find that their wish has come true. Nolan has been killed - in exactly the way they planned. The thing is, they didn't do it. So who did?

My Review: 

Hmmm, where do I start? The Perfectionists has been compared a lot to the Pretty Little Liars series also by Sara Shepard but since I have not read that series yet this review will be comparison free (yay!)

This book has a very interesting plot. I haven't read many murder books but this one has got me wanting more. At first it seemed like they actually did kill Nolan Hotchkiss but then you find out what had actually happened. The plot never got boring, the last 60-70 pages where super suspenseful and I actually thought that they where going to go to jail. The writing in this book flowed nicely and was extremely easy to get through. This book was defiantly a page turner from start to finish. 

Each character in this book had a back story of their own. Each back story was unique and you could really see how it affected the person that they became. I loved Parkers character the most. She came off as a really strong person who can get herself out of any situation. She had a hard family life and is 'damaged' physically and mentally, yet she makes it through every day. Not as in she is living life to the fullest but she still makes it. 

On the negative side of things I did find it a little hard to tell who was talking and had to always look for a name on the page. I think that it would have helped if every chapter had the name of the person who was speaking at the top. Just something for the people to consider when they make the much needed next book.

Finally I would like to say that it is not okay to end a book like that when the next book comes out June of next year!

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars:

Jake and Lily by Jerry Spinelli

                                                        Book Blurb (from goodreads) 

Jake and Lily are twins. Even though they seem pretty different—Jake is the calm one and Lily has a temper; Lily is obsessed with trains and Jake collects cool rocks—they feel exactly the same, almost like two halves of one person. When
one of them gets hurt, the other can feel it. They can communicate without words. And mysteriously, every year on their birthday, they sleepwalk to a train station in the middle of the night.

But the year they turn eleven, everything changes. Their parents announce it’s time for separate bedrooms, and Jake starts hanging out with a pack of boys on the block. Lily is devastated—not to mention really, really mad. And as she struggles to make friends and get a life apart from her twin, Jake finds himself dealing with a neighborhood bully and has to decide what kind of person he really
is.

Beloved author Jerry Spinelli has written another perfectly on-target, humorous, and brilliant story about the struggles of growing up and discovering who you are.

My Review: 

I have never read a book that involved twins before which made this an extra interesting book. Although that is not the reason that I read this book, I noticed straight away that Jerry Spinelli also wrote Stargirl which was the book we had to read in 6th grade. I did not enjoy Stargirl, so I was interested in what else he could do. I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed it. 

The plot of this book defiantly plays around with the theory of twins having some kind of extraordinary why of communicating. I would love to have a twin if that was how it works. Jake and Lily is a book about finding out how you really are and when it is time to stray from the familiar. I have not came across many books- or should I say good books- that use this plot line. There were moments where you can defiantly relate to strongly. The fact the Jake and Lily stray from each other and then find each other again along with finding themselves was really touching. 

The characters in this book where easy to relate too. Lily was the easiest to relate to for me. She was funny, made friends without even knowing she was doing it and always said what was on her mind. She didn't care what other people thought of her. She was always just herself. Jake always seemed to find himself in the middle of two people. It was interesting to see how he dealt with it and learned from his mistakes. It created so much character development for the both of them. Poppy (the uncle) was the person that Lily could count on for good (but not always useful) advice. The thing that I liked most about Poppy's character is that his advice does apply to all of us. One day we might wake up to see that the world is one day ahead of us, we shouldn't worry. You should got help, maybe get mad, you need to turn to someone, because at the end of the day it is not about life finding you its you finding it. You need to put your trust in the fact that eventually everything is going to be okay and even if you turn your back on something or someone it doesn't mean that they or it has gone away. 

In my opinion EVERY teenager needs to read this book. 

I give it 5 out of 5 stars: 

The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #5) by Rick Riordan

Book Blurb (from Goodreads):
All year the half-bloods have been preparing for battle against the Titans, knowing the odds of a victory are grim. Kronos’s army is stronger than ever, and with every god and half-blood he recruits, the evil Titan’s power only grows.

While the Olympians struggle to contain the rampaging monster Typhon, Kronos begins his advance on New York City, where Mount Olympus stands virtually unguarded. Now it’s up to Percy Jackson and an army of young demigods to stop the Lord of Time.

In this momentous final book in the New York Times best-selling series, the long-awaited prophecy surrounding Percy’s sixteenth birthday unfolds. And as the battle for Western civilization rages on the streets of Manhattan, Percy faces a terrifying suspicion that he may be fighting against his own fate.

My Review
This was a good book to end this epic series with. I have loved it with every page and I am sad to see it gone and done with. I really liked all of the characters and their comebacks and snarky remarks were hilarious. But this book also has a serious note because now everything is boiling down to the final showdown between Percy and Kronos, Lord of Time. After reading all five books, you also get to know the characters really well and you like them or hate them accordingly. I think that after everything, Hermes was my favourite Greek god, because he is just awesome. I don't have anything bad to say about this book, because I enjoyed every single second of reading it. I really recommend this series to anyone who enjoys adventure, mythological and magical stories.
I give this book 5 out of 5 stars!