Review: The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson

Title: The Last Little Blue Envelope

Author: Maureen Johnson

Release Date: April 26th, 2011

Publisher: Harperteen

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 304

Source: ARC from publisher

Series: Sequel to 13 Little Blue Envelopes

Summary (goodreads.com): Ginny Blackstone thought that the biggest adventure of her life was behind her. She spent last summer traveling around Europe, following the tasks her aunt Peg laid out in a series of letters before she died. When someone stole Ginny's backpack—and the last little blue envelope inside—she resigned herself to never knowing how it was supposed to end.

Months later, a mysterious boy contacts Ginny from London, saying he's found her bag. Finally, Ginny can finish what she started. But instead of ending her journey, the last letter starts a new adventure—one filled with old friends, new loves, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Ginny finds she must hold on to her wits . . . and her heart. This time, there are no instructions.

My Review:

There has to be a sequel to this sequel because I need more of an ending. Don’t get me wrong there was an ending, an amazing ending that was perfect except that I need more. Ginny’s life is addicting. I just need more. My new goal in life is to live underneath Maureen Johnson’s desk and drill her for details about Ginny’s life. Did I mention that its really late at night and I’m slightly off my rocker right now? You can probably tell. The Last Little Blue Envelope is full of great characters (old and new) and beautiful settings abroad. Oh and it's also hysterical. Maureen Johnson is a master at writing books that make you laugh and make you cry all at the same time. The ending of this book is bittersweet, but it is perfect despite my rant earlier. I’ll end this here to avoid spoilers. Go buy, go devour!

Review: Abandon by Meg Cabot

Title: Abandon

Author: Meg Cabot

Release Date: April 26th, 2011

Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 320

Source: ARC from Publisher

Series: First book in the Abandon Trilogy

Summary (goodreads.com): New from #1 New York Times bestselling author Meg Cabot, a dark, fantastical story about this world . . . and the underworld.

Though she tries returning to the life she knew before the accident, Pierce can't help but feel at once a part of this world, and apart from it. Yet she's never alone . . . because someone is always watching her. Escape from the realm of the dead is impossible when someone there wants you back.

But now she's moved to a new town. Maybe at her new school, she can start fresh. Maybe she can stop feeling so afraid.

Only she can't. Because even here, he finds her. That's how desperately he wants her back. She knows he's no guardian angel, and his dark world isn't exactly heaven, yet she can't stay away . . . especially since he always appears when she least expects it, but exactly when she needs him most.

But if she lets herself fall any further, she may just find herself back in the one place she most fears: the Underworld.

My Review:

Meg Cabot will forever be the woman whose books opened up my eyes to the world of Young Adult Literature. She will always be one of my favorite. Abandon is a fantastic example of why. The beginning was slow because the main character, Peirce’s, background was extensive, but it was laid down perfectly with just the right amount of hints and flashbacks. Halfway through the book the story picks up the pace and doesn’t stop. Abandon is one of those books that had me saying, “Wait, what? Why are there no more pages? That couldn’t have been the END! Are you serious? I have to wait HOW LONG before the next book comes out!?” No matter how many books I read I will always be pissed off at the cliffhanger endings even though I always expect them to happen for books that plan to have at least one sequel; its actually quite amazing really that that always happens. I adored the fresh new look at the Persephone Tale. Meg Cabot is so good at re-imagining classics in ways others never could. She is a master at turning the old into something bright and shiny and new! Since I want this to be a spoiler free review I will end it here. Go buy it, you won’t be sorry!

Review: City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

Title: City of Ashes

Author: Cassandra Clare

Release Date: January 1st, 2008

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 443

Source: Bought (ages ago)

Series: The Mortal Instruments (book #2)

Other Titles in the Series: City of Bones (#1), City of Glass (#3), City of Fallen Angels (#4)

Summary (goodreads.com): A murderer is loose in New York City ...

... and the victims are Downworlder children. Clary Fray and her fellow Shadowhunters have a strong suspicion that Valentine, Clary's father, may be behind the killings. But if he is the murderer, then what's his true motive? To make matters worse, the second of the Mortal Instruments, the Soul-Sword, has been stolen, and the mysterious Inquisitor has arrived to investigate, with his eyes vigilantly targeted on Clary's brother, Jace.

Clary will need to face some terrifying demons and even more terrifying family decisions. No one said that the life of a Shadowhunter would be easy.

My Review:

I have come to the conclusion that I suck at writing reviews for books in my favorite series. So, I will keep this short and sweet. I like this book so much because it expands so much on the characters. This is the second time I’ve read it so I really understood it better. Cassie Clare puts her heart and soul into these books and CoA shows it. There’s so much tension between Clary and Jace I wanted to cut it with a knife. My favorite thing in this second installment of TMI was Simon; he’s just so sweet. Personally, I wish that Clary would just go for him, but I understand why she’s so caught up with Jace.