Review: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Author: Ransom Riggs
Pages: 348
Publisher: Quirk Books
Genre: YA Historical Paranormal (Honestly, I don't even know what to put it as)
Source: Finished copy from publisher
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About Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

A mysterious island.

An abandoned orphanage.

A strange collection of very curious photographs.

It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

I'm not sure how to even begin this review. When I first picked up Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, I thought it was going to be some creepy horror novel, and that usually isn't my style. But this novel is much more than that. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is quite the genre-bender! Elements of fantasy come together with mystery and suspense, all wrapped up in a historical setting with a touch of horror here and there. Unique barely even begins to describe this novel!

Normally, I don't like male narrators, because I feel like I can't relate to them as well as a female narrator. But I really connected well with Jacob, I got really emotionally invested in the story and the characters. I don't want to give away too much about the rest of the peculiar children, but they were so cool to read about! Like nothing else you could possibly read about in any other book!

The things that made this novel stand far apart from everything else I've read, were the fantastical black and white old pictures scattered throughout the novel. They bring the book to a whole new sensory level, giving you a solid image to visualize in your head along with the vivid descriptions that Ransom Riggs gives us of the characters. They add a major creepy factor, but that only enhances the ambiance of the thing as a whole.

Overall, I love love LOVED Miss Peregrines's Home for Peculiar Children! Put it on your to-be-read piles now, you'll be so glad you did! I give this novel 5 out of 5 stars.

If you're still not convinced you should read Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, watch this TOTALLY EPIC BOOK TRAILER!! Made my Ransom Riggs himself!

Books I Want SO Badly I Could Pee (6)

While lurking on Amazon and Goodreads, I come across so many books that I want SO badly I could pee. These are what I like to call my Pee-Inducing Books, or Urine-Triggering Novels. Below is my current list. Please peruse it while I go get a new pair of pants.

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days. The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old-girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

Why do I want Shatter Me so badly? BECAUSE IT SOUNDS LIKE THE EPITOME OF AWESOME. I even tweeted that I would sell my left kidney (or was it my right?) for an ARC of Shatter Me. It's just one of those books that I know will be on my top ten favorite books of all time, so I really want a copy.

Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever.

She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen.

As Nikki's time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she's forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's...

If that absolutely gorgeous cover isn't enough to make you pee all over your freaking pants when you see it, then the summary for the book will surely have those urinary juices flowing in no time. (Okay, even I admit that sounded nasty. I'm so sorry about that.) This reminds me a bit of the Greek myth of Hades and Persephone, which is an added bonus because I love anything that even remotely resembles that myth. WANT WANT WANT!

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

NEWSOUL
Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

NOSOUL
Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are suspicious and afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

HEART
Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana’s enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

There aren't even proper words in the English language to describe how much I want this book. And that ethereally beautiful cover makes me want to make a mask that looks like butterfly wings and wear it. Every. Single. Day. In fact, I think I will. Actually, I peed myself twice for this one. Once when I saw the cover, and again when I read the description. WANT IT!

So, what did you think of these books? Did any of them make you pee with excitement and wanting-ness?

Review: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Author: Julie Kagawa
Pages: 363
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Genre: YA Fantasy
Reading Level: 14 years old+
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Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined.

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home.
When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.
But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

When I first started reading The Iron King, I wasn't very into it. There was something about the story's beginning that turned me off. And then, about 30 pages in, it was like someone had flipped the switch to 'on'. I couldn't put The Iron King down! Not even to eat!

The Iron King is filled with some truly complex and entrancing characters. Meghan, our female protagonist, is seriously kick ass. She traveled to an unknown, dangerous world to save someone she loved, even though she could have died in the process. She wasn't fearless by any means, but she pushed aside her fear, knowing what she needed to do and having the courage to do it. Puck--yes, the Puck-- helps Meghan along the way. He's a prankster and a jokester, and he cares really deeply for Meghan. I would be on his team, if Prince Ash wasn't in the picture. Ash is the prince of the Winter Court, and after he and Meghan make a deal, he tags along with them to help Meghan. Along the way, the two of them get closer than Ash would've liked, but he has no control over himself. Oh, Ash... he may be the prince of the Winter Court, but he had me melting!

Plus, Ash has the best line I have ever read in a novel, EVER:

"Touch her, and I'll freeze your testicles off and put them in a jar. Understand?"

Also, there's a talking cat named Grimalkin. That speaks for itself.

The Iron King is a whole new take on the fey, using the old lore and mythology, and throwing a completely new--and completely deadly--element to spice things up. I admit I really wasn't expecting the ending. I'm SO GLAD that I have the next books in the series, will start reading them soon! I give this novel 5 out of 5 stars.

Review: Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Author: Libba Bray
Pages: 390
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Genre: YA Satire/Survival
Reading Level: 15 years old+
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The fifty contestants in the Miss Teen Dream pageant thought this was going to be a fun trip to the beach, where they could parade in their state-appropriate costumes and compete in front of the cameras. But sadly, their airplane had another idea crashing on a desert island and leaving the survivors stranded with little food, little water, and practically no eyeliner.

What's a beauty queen to do? Continue to practice for the talent portion of the program--or wrestle snakes to the ground? Get a perfect tan--or learn to run wild? And what should happen when the sexy pirates show up?

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray is a novel that invokes the extremes of the extremes, which is why it's a bit tricky for me to review. The entire novel, while coming off as an exaggerated comedy, is really a satirization of almost every single aspect of popular culture today. While I didn't mind, I know this book might not sit well with everyone, so that's just my warning.

The novel is told in many different ways: from the different perspectives of the beauty pageant girls, from the point of views of the novel's antagonists, and through hilarious 'TV commercials', as well is hilarious footnotes that give you information on a product mentioned, or clarify something. It was a really entertaining way to read it.

There are many great characters in this book. At first, you just see the superficial, bubble-headed pageant girls and you roll your eyes at them. But slowly, we're introduced to their true natures, and the reason why they're competing in the pageants. They're all good characters, but the one that really stood out to me was Petra. You'll see why once you read the book, but Petra is completely different from the other girls. There are also some very yummy boys in this book, most notably Captain Sinjin St. Sinjin, a sexy pirate captain that had my complete respect by the end of the book because of the choice he made.

Since it's Libba Bray, I can promise that it'll be hilarious. Libba herself is a 5 star comedienne, I was peeing my pants laughing when I went to the This Is Teen author signing with her and two other authors. I wanted to give this novel 5 stars, but, it just tackles way too many things and at points seems like it's preaching. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

In My Mailbox (33)

Books:
Tempest by Holly Hook
Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday (and some cool random swag)
The Rift Walker by Clay + Susan Griffith
Wildefire by Karsen Knight

Thank you to Holly, Rachel from Fiktshun, PYR publishers, and YA Book Haven for this week's books!

A Touch Mortal Swag from Leah Clifford. Thanks Leah!

What did you lovelies get in your mailbox? Let me know in the comments! :)

Author Spotlight: Libba Bray

I first discovered Libba Bray several years ago, around the time with Rebel Angels had just been released. I had bought and read Rebel Angels without realizing that it was actually the sequel to A Great and Terrible Beauty, so then I went out and bought that one and read it, and I was truly in love with the Gemma Doyle series and Libba's writing style. Once The Sweet Far Thing came out, I immediately went out and bought it, and from then on I was a bona fide Libba Bray fan. The Gemma Doyle trilogy is honestly one of the best historical fantasy novels I've ever read.

A Great and Terrible Beauty (Book 1)

Sixteen-year-old Gemma has had an unconventional upbringing in India, until the day she foresees her mother's death in a black, swirling vision that turns out to be true. Sent back to England, she is enrolled at Spence, a girls' academy with a mysterious burned-out East Wing. There Gemma is snubbed by powerful Felicity, beautiful Pippa, and even her own dumpy roommate Ann, until she blackmails herself and Ann into the treacherous clique. Gemma is distressed to find that she has been followed from India by Kartik, a beautiful young man who warns her to fight off the visions. Nevertheless, they continue, and one night she is led by a child-spirit to find a diary that reveals the secrets of a mystical Order. The clique soon finds a way to accompany Gemma to the other-world realms of her visions "for a bit of fun" and to taste the power they will never have as Victorian wives, but they discover that the delights of the realms are overwhelmed by a menace they cannot control. Gemma is left with the knowledge that her role as the link between worlds leaves her with a mission to seek out the "others" and rebuild the Order.

Rebel Angels (Book 2)

Ah, Christmas! Gemma Doyle is looking forward to a holiday from Spence Academy, spending time with her friends in the city, attending ritzy balls, and on a somber note, tending to her ailing father. As she prepares to ring in the New Year, 1896, a handsome young man, Lord Denby, has set his sights on Gemma, or so it seems. Yet amidst the distractions of London, Gemma’s visions intensify–visions of three girls dressed in white, to whom something horrific has happened, something only the realms can explain. . .

The lure is strong, and before long, Gemma, Felicity, and Ann are turning flowers into butterflies in the enchanted world of the realms that Gemma alone can bring them to. To the girls’ great joy, their beloved Pippa is there as well, eager to complete their circle of friendship.

But all is not well in the realms–or out. The mysterious Kartik has reappeared, telling Gemma she must find the Temple and bind the magic, else great disaster will befall her. Gemma’s willing to do his intrusive bidding, despite the dangers it brings, for it means she will meet up with her mother’s greatest friend–and now her foe, Circe. Until Circe is destroyed, Gemma cannot live out her destiny. But finding Circe proves a most perilous task.

The Sweet Far Thing (Book 3)

It has been a year of change since Gemma Doyle arrived at the foreboding Spence Academy. Her mother murdered, her father a laudanum addict, Gemma has relied on an unsuspected strength and has discovered an ability to travel to an enchanted world called the realms, where dark magic runs wild. Despite certain peril, Gemma has bound the magic to herself and forged unlikely new alliances. Now, as Gemma approaches her London debut, the time has come to test these bonds.

The Order - the mysterious group her mother was once part of - is grappling for control of the realms, as is the Rakshana. Spence's burned East Wing is being rebuilt, but why now? Gemma and her friends see Pippa, but she is not the same. And their friendship faces its gravest trial as Gemma must decide once and for all what role she is meant for.

Libba's next book after the Gemme Doyle trilogy was Going Bovine, a standalone novel. I haven't read Going Bovine yet, but I do own it and plan to read it soon.

Going Bovine

Can Cameron find what he’s looking for?

All 16-year-old Cameron wants is to get through high school—and life in general—with a minimum of effort. It’s not a lot to ask. But that’s before he’s given some bad news: he’s sick and he’s going to die. Which totally sucks. Hope arrives in the winged form of Dulcie, a loopy punk angel/possible hallucination with a bad sugar habit. She tells Cam there is a cure—if he’s willing to go in search of it. With the help of a death-obsessed, video-gaming dwarf and a yard gnome, Cam sets off on the mother of all road trips through a twisted America into the heart of what matters most.

Libba's latest novel is a stand-alone called Beauty Queens. I read this one about a month ago, and I really enjoyed it! It's an extremely hilarious novel, I laughed out loud several times while reading it. Plus, beauty queens stranded on an island? Sounds like a fun read!

Beauty Queens

The fifty contestants in the Miss Teen Dream pageant thought this was going to be a fun trip to the beach, where they could parade in their state-appropriate costumes and compete in front of the cameras. But sadly, their airplane had another idea crashing on a desert island and leaving the survivors stranded with little food, little water, and practically no eyeliner.

What's a beauty queen to do? Continue to practice for the talent portion of the program--or wrestle snakes to the ground? Get a perfect tan--or learn to run wild? And what should happen when the sexy pirates show up?

Have you read any of Libba's books? What do you think of them? If you haven't, do you plan to? Let me know in the comments!

Vote for Tod! #YACrushTourney

Hey guys! Just wanted to ask really quickly that if you haven't been over to The YA Sisterhood's blog to see the latest tournament, to head on over there and vote for Tod!

Tod is from the Soul Screamers series by Rachel Vincent, and it would be so awesome if he won! Please go over and check it out!

(you can click this adorable little Tod button to go and vote) :)

Review: Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Author: Rachel Hawkins
Pages: 323
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
Reading Level: 13 years old+
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Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father--an elusive European warlock--only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.

By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire student on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect.

As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.

Witches are one of my favorite mythical creatures, only second to mermaids, so I was very excited to start reading Hex Hall! I may have been a little later jumping onto the bandwagon, but, better late then never, right? This book didn't disappoint at all!

Even though the magical boarding school aspect isn't anything new, Rachel Hawkins took the idea and made it her own. This isn't just a school for witches and warlocks, it's a school for faeries, werewolves and other shape shifters, and even vampires. Well, one vampire. The protagonist, Sophie, immediately caught my interest. She's witty and sarcastic, with the perfect snarky humor to make her narration of the story super fun to read.

But this book is positively bursting with dynamic and entertaining characters, one of the foremost being Jenna, Sophie's roommate and also the only resident vampire student. The entire school hates Jenna, for something that she swears she did not do, but everyone still blames her for. But Jenna is still a smart-ass and doesn't let any of it get her down. She had me laughing quite a bit throughout the entire novel. Plus, she loves pink! Can you imagine a vampire with an entirely pink bedroom?

Thank heavens, there wasn't any instant love in Hex Hall. Sure, Sophie develops a major crush on Archer, the school's heartthrob. But that's not anything weird. Head-over-heels crushes happen to every single teenage girl on this planet. The romance built up throughout the entire novel and finally just kinda exploded at the end. But, if you thought it was going to be happily ever after, think again. Just as quickly as Rachel Hawkins giveth, Rachel Hawkins taketh away. Which means I seriously need to read the sequel soon.

Hex Hall was definitely my cup of tea, and I'm so glad I finally read it. A great read, and I definitely recommend it to fans of urban fantasy, or someone looking for a highly entertaining read. I give this novel 4 out of 5 stars.

Author Interview: Holly Hook

I got the opportunity to do an interview with Holly Hook, author of Tempest, a YA novel about a girl that has the ability to turn into the most powerful and deadly hurricane in history. Here it is!

Today’s YA is riddled with werewolves, vampires, and witches (oh my!). But in Tempest, we’re dealing with something completely different. We’re dealing with people that can turn into hurricanes. What gave you the idea for that? 

Well, I've always had some interest in natural disasters, so I'm sure that lent a hand. The real idea came from a dream I had one night, after I'd eaten some mini burgers I accidentally let sit on my counter for three hours. I don't remember much of the dream itself, but the next day, I sat down and wrote out the idea for Tempest, then put it out there in a forum on my critique site. I thought that maybe it was too weird, but I got a lot of enthusiastic responses for the idea, so I went for it.

I’ve lived in Florida, which is where Tempest takes place, my entire life and as such I’ve been through my fair share of very, very scary and destructive hurricanes. Have you ever been caught in a hurricane? What was it like? 

I live in Michigan, where to biggest danger, I think, are icy roads in the winter. Never having been through a hurricane, I had to get a lot of help from my critique partners in this area and watch a lot of videos on the subject.

Describe your main character Janelle in 4 words. 

A stubborn, determined girl 

What can we expect from the rest of the series? 

I'm planning on four or five books in this series, and possibly starting more than one series starring characters with natural-disaster based powers. I finished the second Destroyers book, Inferno, a little over a month ago and have sold over 100 copies so far in eBook format. I'm getting some ideas together for the third, though I'm not naming which disaster I'm focusing on next. I have a general idea of where the series will go and how it will end, and plan to focus on a different natural disaster with each book.

When you were writing Tempest, were there any songs or musical artists that you listened to for inspiration? If so, what were they? 

I listened to a lot of songs that had to do with weather or disasters and even put together a playlist. I listen to mostly rock and metal, so my playlist looked like this:

Into the Ocean - Blue October
Into the Storm - Blind Guardian
Rain Wizard - Black Stone Cherry
Lightning Strikes Twice - Iron Maiden
The Tempest - Pendulum

Holly Hook Online

Holly's Blog
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Holly's Smashwords Profile

Check out her fantastic novel Tempest!
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Review: Tempest by Holly Hook

Author: Holly Hook
Pages: 284
Publisher: Amazon CreateSpace
Genre: YA Paranormal
Reading Level: 13 years old+
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Life blows for sixteen-year-old Janelle. Ever since moving to Florida, she’s been accidentally breaking people’s arms just by touching them and yanking steel doors off their hinges. Then her new crush, Gary, sees her gray spiral birthmark and tells her she’s a Tempest, able to turn into a hurricane by touching the ocean. Like him. So that’s why she feels ready to explode when she’s at the beach.

As if that’s not lousy enough, all Tempests have to become storms once in their lives. It’s their law…and it’s Janelle’s turn.

No way in hell is Janelle going to kill people, even by accident. So she does what any sane person would do—she runs away from home.

But it’s not long before the Tempest leader discovers and abducts her. Janelle’s told that she’s destined to become the worst hurricane ever. And now she’s the main weapon in the Tempest leader’s plot to hold the world ransom. No way can Janelle live with herself if she kills thousands. But using the power she fears most might be the only way out.

Vampires? So five years ago. Werewolves? Way overdone. Hurricanes? Yes.

Tempest's are humans that turn into hurricanes when they touch sea water. How crazy is that? Hurricanes are dangerous, and often deadly, so you can see where that doesn't sit well with our main character Janelle. At first, she has no idea what's wrong with her. All she knows is that she's caught in the middle of Hurricane Gary, and that her dad is acting strangely, infuriatingly calm. Then, Janelle sees a boy her age appear from the middle of a tornado... and he has a swirl-shaped birthmark just like her. She has to get answers from him, but when she tries, she's only left with more questions. To add to it all, the name of the boy who appeared out of Hurricane Gary is... Gary. Soon, Janelle finds herself running away from everyone, including her own father, to try and avoid the inevitable: her transformation into the most powerful hurricane in history. Only problem is that she's being followed by a woman that wants to exploit her power to use it for mass destruction.

I liked Janelle, she was tough and determined, even when she was faced with life-threatening danger, and she thought she couldn't trust anyone, not even her own dad. I was a bit annoyed with her, though, on the whole dad thing, because she never gave him a chance to explain anything. She just ran away from him with Gary, who at this point had filled her in on what Tempests were and wanted to help her avoid killing people if she transformed. I felt that she at least could've given her dad a chance, but then the story would have gone a completely different way. By the end of the book, Janelle had come to terms with what she was, after fighting it for so long.

Janelle makes her journey with Gary, and throughout the novel, they grow steadily closer to each other. But, what I really loved is that they didn't immediately fall for each other. They didn't even kiss at all in the novel! They came really close once, but it didn't happen. I think they're a cute couple, and I can't wait to read how they're relationship progresses in the rest of the series. They need to kiss!

There was never a moment of boredom. The action just kept coming and coming, although towards the end, I felt like the build up to Janelle changing was drawn out a bit too long, and I found myself thinking "All right, bring on the hurricane already." But I really enjoyed reading Tempest, and I just downloaded the sequel Inferno on my Nook, so I'll be sure to read that as soon as possible. I give this novel 4 out of 5 stars.

Discussion: E-Readers (Why I love my Nook)

Amazon Kindle

I used to be one of those people. The ones that hated e-readers. When the Kindle started getting popular, followed by the release of the Nook Color, I stuck up my nose and adamantly said "No, I don't want one" when my dad asked me several times if I would like him to buy me a Nook. (Every time I think back to how close minded I was, I cringe.)

You see, as an avid reader of books, I felt like the e-reader phenomenon was attacking everything I held dear to me. Books. Physical books. There is nothing like holding a real, substantial book in your hands. The feel of the embossed covers, that glorious smell of the pages and the ink. (I love that smell, okay?)

A Nook Color, from Barnes and Noble

But finally, I caved. This past Christmas, I got the Nook Color. At first, I was wary of it. I used it very little. I was scared that I would stop reading my physical books in preference for my Nook. But as time went on, I saw what a great reading tool it was, and how it really benefitted me and made my life easier. It opened up my reviewing possibilities! Before, I could only accept physical copies, which meant that I was missing out on a lot of great books that are only available in e-book format. Since then, I've been accepting tons of e-books for review, and I'm so happy I did.

Plus, it's made things simpler. In the past, when I went from my mom's house to my dad's house, I would have to lug around 3 or 4 books so that I would have enough reading material to last me while I stayed with my dad. (All my books are at my mom's.) But now, I just bring my Nook and I have an entire library of e-books at my disposal. It lightens the load of my backpack by quite a bit.

I asked one of my best friends, who is also an avid reader, what she thought about her e-reader. She has a Nook Color, and this is what she said about it:

"It's convenient, plus there's a shit load of free e-books. And I don't need a flashlight to read under the covers anymore." ---Yanely

E-readers are a little pricey, but in my opinion, well worth it. And there are several out there, so if you're in the market for one, you're sure to find one that's perfect for you.

Kobo e-reader

Sony E-reader

So what do you think? Do you have an e-reader? If you do, what are your opinions on it? If you don't, do you want one? Why or why not?

Review: Falling Under by Gwen Hayes

Author: Gwen Hayes
Pages: 324
Publisher: NAL
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance
Reading Level: 14 years old+
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Theia Alderson has always led a sheltered life in the small California town of Serendipity Falls. But when a devastatingly handsome boy appears in the halls of her school, Theia knows she's seen Haden before- not around town, but in her dreams.

As the Haden of both the night and the day beckons her closer one moment and pushes her away the next, the only thing Theia knows for sure is that the incredible pull she feels towards him is stronger than her fear.

And when she discovers what Haden truly is, Theia's not sure if she wants to resist him, even if the cost is her soul.

I've been wondering how exactly I was going to write this review for a very long time. I always came up short for words to adequately describe what I thought of this book, because they're actually really contrasting. I just hope this review can do it justice.

To start off:  I love this book.
Also: I hated this book.

Yes, both those things at the same exact time. I know, it's weird, but it's the truth. Here's my reasoning:

Why I Hate It: On a purely logical level, this novel was full of cliches. Very Twilight-esque in some parts, especially with the whole "You shouldn't be around me, I'm dangerous" thing from Haden. The romance is the Instant Love kind, where girl sees boy, girl loves boy, they are soul mates for the rest of eternity, *insert romantic swoon here*. I mean, Haden was a total jackass for 75% of the novel. If I saw the guy I was interested in grinding against a half-naked skank on purpose, I would literally tell him to screw off. That is not the way to win my heart, bud. The plot was also pretty weak, another one of those "We can't be together, oh no! *cue teenage angst and lust*" books. I also wasn't really fond of Theia, the main character. I understand that she's oppressed by an extremely over protective father, but she was still weak and naive. I didn't hate her, I just didn't like her much.

Why I Love It: This is where I say bye-bye to logic. This novel was a guilty pleasure. It was a novel that should have made me want to throw it against the wall because of all of the above issues I had with it. But sometimes, I just fall so far into the fantasy that I can sort of overlook the negative things. They're still there in my mind, but I can just enjoy the teenage angst and lust and romance, instead of analyze it. When Haden wasn't being a royal douchebag, he was hot. I admit it, he was hot.

Gwen Hayes also created quite the cast of side characters, whom I also loved. Donny and Ame, Theia's best friends, were the perfect comic relief. I laughed several times while reading their dialogue. Varnie, the psychic drag queen that helps the girls was also interesting to read.

The most intriguing part was the mythology behind the novel. The concept of the dreams and Under, the world where Haden is from, was unique, yet reminded me a bit of the myth of Hades and Persephone, which is always a good thing.

I loved it, I hated it, it's my guilty pleasure read. That's really it. I give this novel 3.5 out of 5 stars.