Review: Supernaturally by Kiersten White

Title: Supernaturally

Author: Kiersten White

Release Date: July 26^th, 2011

Publisher: HarperTeen

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 326

Source: Borrowed from Library

Series: Paranormalcy #2

Other Titles in the Series: Paranormalcy (#1)

Summary (goodreads.com): Evie finally has the normal life she’s always longed for. But she’s shocked to discover that being ordinary can be . . . kind of boring. Just when Evie starts to long for her days at the International Paranormal Containment Agency, she’s given a chance to work for them again. Desperate for a break from all the normalcy, she agrees.

But as one disastrous mission leads to another, Evie starts to wonder if she made the right choice. And when Evie’s faerie ex-boyfriend Reth appears with devastating revelations about her past, she discovers that there’s a battle brewing between the faerie courts that could throw the whole supernatural world into chaos. The prize in question? Evie herself.

So much for normal.

My Review:

After all the kick butt action of Paranormalcy, Supernaturally toned it down so there could be more of just Evie living her life. I miss the high amounts of Tasey the taser, but I enjoyed reading about how Evie is handling her new “normal” life. Which for a “normal” life isn’t all that normal, her roommate is a vampire and she is, after all dating, an adorable shape-shifter Lend, but at least she has a locker now in this new life! Technically not a whole heck of a lot happened in this book, it was more of a “okay now that we know who these people are let’s get to know them even more so we can totally mess with their minds in the next book” kinda thing. And I loved that. I’m glad we got to learn more about what Evie is and what she can do in this installment. I also love how this series is paranormal, but not DARK paranormal, it’s cute and there are a whole lot of laughs, especially when it comes to the new character, Jack. He is trying his hardest to annoy Evie as much as possible and when he does it is the funniest thing ever. Read Supernaturally if you’re looking for the quirky follow-up to the amazing Paranormalcy!

Review: Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

Title: Starcrossed

Author: Josephine Angelini

Release Date: May 31^st, 2011

Publisher: HarperTeen

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 496

Source: Ebook from Publisher via Netgalley

Series: Starcrossed (#1)

Challenge: Debut Author Challenge 2011 (hosted by the Story Siren)

Summary (goodreads.com): How do you defy destiny?
Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task on an island as small and sheltered as Nantucket. And it's getting harder. Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. At school she's haunted by hallucinations of three women weeping tears of blood . . . and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they're destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history.
As Helen unlocks the secrets of her ancestry, she realizes that some myths are more than just legend. But even demigod powers might not be enough to defy the forces that are both drawing her and Lucas together—and trying to tear them apart.

My Review:

I really liked this book. The ways the famous Greek myths are put forth in this novel are not only unique, but fantastic as well. Most YA Greek myths books are about demi-gods and monsters and God Parents, but it’s rare (at least for me) to read a book that deals with a historical event such as the Trojan War and in particular the “love story” between Helen and Paris of old. The love story of Starcrossed drives me batty but also makes me ridiculously happy because for once the characters don’t have smooth sailing (I won’t say anything else for fear of HUGE spoilers). Read Starcrossed, if you don’t want to face the wrath of the Gods!!

Review: Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Title: Beauty Queens

Author: Libba Bray

Release Date: May 24^th, 2011

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 390

Source: ARC from Scholastic

Summary (goodreads.com): 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?

Welcome to the heart of non-exfoliated darkness. Your tour guide? None other than Libba Bray, the hilarious, sensational, Printz Award-winning author of A Great and Terrible Beauty and Going Bovine. The result is a novel that will make you laugh, make you think, and make you never see beauty the same way again.

My Review:

People are comparing this book to Lord of the Flies and I can see why; kids on a deserted island because of a plane crash. However, the comparison ends there. Beauty Queens is ten times better than Lord of the Flies. Beauty pageant contestants are way funnier than whiny British boys. The way the Queens dealt with survival things on the island surprised me, they used anything and everything they could to survive while maintaining a nice, even tan. This is the first Libba Bray book I’ve read and I really liked it. I always wanted to read her books, but I never did until she did a blog tv video with Maureen Johnson. They were talking about this book and it just sounded so good. It didn’t disappoint. If you’re looking for a fun read check this out!

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

Title: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Author: Ransom Riggs

Release Date: June 7^th, 2011

Publisher: Quirk

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 348

Source: Finished Copy from Publisher (thanks so much!)

Summary (goodreads.com):

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.

A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.

My Review:

This book is so great. The art for this book is truly phenomenal. The story is refreshingly original and is made even more special by the vintage photographs that accompany many of the descriptions provided for the characters. I find that those photographs really helped make this book more than just a story and into a quite touching and mysterious novel. It also helped my imagination fully form those characters in my mind. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children doesn’t ever need to be made into a film because with the aid of those pictures I pictured it better than any movie director ever could (very high praise that). Jacob meets these monsters early in the story’s plot and there was a drawing of it to accompany the encounter, I immediately pictured an OOD from Doctor Who (which complicated my imagination a bit since these monsters are actually bad and the Ood are adorable). I could go on and on about this book, but I’ll spare you. RUN to your local bookstore or library and get this book even if it is just for the art (however once you see the art you’ll be curious about the story behind them, so it’s a win-win)!

Blog Tour Review: Elemental Reality by Cesya MaRae Cuono

Title: Elemental Reality

Author: Cesya MaRae Cuono

Release Date: August 21^st, 2011

Publisher: Revolution Publishing

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 251

Source: ebook from Publisher

Series: Elemental #1

Summary (goodreads.com): When Callie Pierce was ten, her mother disappeared without a trace. On the eve of her disappearance twelve years later, the earth seemingly comes alive. The elements speak to Callie, and that's only the beginning. Everything she has ever known was a twisted fabrication to protect her. Now the truth is set free. Callie and her sister are more powerful than any Faerie ever born. Now they have to use their powers to save their mother and family from the evil hands of fate that threaten to tear them apart. Welcome to her elemental reality.

My Review:

I wanted to like this book more than I did. I like it, I do, but I don’t love it. Should you read it? Hell yes. It’s a great story and really interesting, but personally I think the events happened way too quickly. This is the type of fantasy novel where things like wars, powers and such should really be explained thoroughly, but they weren’t and I was left very confused. The main character is also in her twenties and that really threw me off. I’m just not used to reading about non-teens in young adult/teen books. Other than those small complaints I did enjoy Elemental Reality. I loved Oli and his Aussie-ness and I loved how Lola, Callie’s sister, drove me crazy just like little sisters are supposed (she also made me really glad I don’t have one). I really liked that they weren’t traditional faeries either but ones with all the elements (even if that was a bit convenient for what was happening in the story). Overall, I liked Elemental Reality and am waiting patiently for the next installment.

This review is part of the Elemental Reality Blog Tour (which happens to be my very first blog tour ever. I couldn't have hoped for a better book to start off with)!

About Author:

Cesya MaRae Cuono hails from a small town in northeastern Pennsylvania. She is a graduate of Alvernia

University where she majored in Business Administration and also received her certificate of Multi-Media & Production makeup from Cosmix School of Makeup Artistry. You can find any updates from Cesya on her website at www.cesyacuonobooks.blogspot.com.