"Bruiser" by Neal Shusterman

328 pages


When Bronte starts dating Brewster, aka Bruiser, aka Most Likely to Get the Death Penalty, her twin brother Tennyson is not pleased. In fact, he's going to do anything he can to sabotage their relationship. But when he follows Bruiser around a bit with intentions of scaring him, Tennyson discovers that there's something unusual about Bruiser. When people are around him, strange things happen to them. Tennyson totally misjudged Bruiser, but when and Bronte learn his secret they have no idea what they are getting themselves into. 

I've never read a book quite like this before. I didn't know anything about it before I picked it up, so it took me a while to figure out what was going on. The story alternates between Bronte and Tennyson's points of view, and Shusterman does a great job of differentiating between their points of view. They both feel real and I really liked both of them, and I especially liked Bruiser. The ending isn't what I expected...sort of sudden, but I liked it. Overall, a very entertaining story.

"Daughter of Smoke and Bone" by Laini Taylor

417 pages


In some ways, Karou is a normal teenager. She loves drawing and hanging out with her best friend at their favorite coffee shop. But Karou has secrets, secrets that make her quite different from her friends. Like how she speaks many languages--not all of the human. How her blue hair is not dyed--it actually grows out of her head that way. And, most crazy of all, how her guardian is actually a demon who sends her on errands all over the globe. Like other teens, Karou is trying to figure out who she is. In her case, though, it's in more of the literal sense. Where did she come from? What is the purpose of her unusual powers? She's not an angel and she's not a demon, so what is she? These questions become even more urgent as a war stirs in the supernatural world. The arrival of a beautiful, haunted Akiva makes things even more complicated--especially when it becomes clear that he's on the other side of the conflict. 


I really got into this book. There's something engrossing about the mysterious, nothing-what-it-seems world that Karou lives in. I had trouble following parts of this story--there's a lot of jumping around and not enough explanation about some things as I would like. Since it's part of a series, though, I don't hold that against it too much. I was somewhat annoyed by the romance aspect of the story. I'm not a fan of the star-crossed lovers thing, so I didn't really care whether Karou and Akiva got together. I do, however, love Karou; she's complicated, curious, and strong, which makes for a fascinating character I can root for. I also like how the book mixes up traditional ideas about good guys and bad guys--in this case, both the angels and the demons have positive and negative qualities. That, combined with the intriguing setting, sets up a series that I look forward to finishing.

The Alchemy of Forever by Avery Williams

 256/2012\

What if you could live forever? Seraphina is trapped-ever since Cyrus saved her life by giving her an alchemy potion that allowed her to switch bodies and take on a new life. She has lived forever and is ready to escape. She plans to leave her host body once and for all-finally accepting death. Only her plan goes awry when she ends up saving the life of a teenage girl and taking over her life, and starts to fall for the boy next door. Can she outsmart Cyrus once and for all?

Supernaturally

by Kiersten White
342 pages

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.


A bleeping fantastical sequel!

The Hidden

by Jessica Verday
387 pages

In the long-awaited conclusion to the bestselling saga of Abbey and Caspian, readers finally learn the truth about Kristen's untimely death, the dark destiny that links Abbey to Caspian and ties them both to the town of Sleepy Hollow, and the hard choices that Abbey must make if she is to accept Caspian's love and their unexpected fate. Beautifully spun, emotionally gripping, and irresistibly romantic, The Hidden will leave readers breathless.

Got answers in a one page rant from villain. Not all, but most. Other than making me obsessed with Sleepy Hollow, don’t know if I’m compelled to recommend this series.

The Haunted

by Jessica Verday
467 pages

After a summer spent reclaiming her sanity and trying to forget the boy she fell in love with--the boy who must not exist, cannot exist, because she knows that he is dead--Abbey returns to Sleepy Hollow, ready to leave the ghosts of her past behind. She throws herself into her schoolwork, her perfume-making, and her friendship with Ben, her cute and funny lab partner, who just might be her ticket to getting over Caspian once and for all. But Abbey can never get over Caspian, and Caspian has no choice but to return to her side, for Caspian is a Shade, and Abbey is his destiny. They are tied not only to each other, but also to the town of Sleepy Hollow, and to the famous legend that binds their fates--a legend whose dark truths they are only beginning to guess....

Still didn’t get answers.

Paranormalcy

by Kiersten White
335 pages

Evie’s always thought of herself as a normal teenager, even though she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, she’s falling for a shape-shifter, and she’s the only one who can see through glamours. But now Evie’s dreams are filled with haunting voices and cryptic messages—and she’s realizing that she may be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures. So much for normal.

This book was. Bleeping. Hysterical. I loved it!

Daughter of Smoke and Bone

by Laini Taylor
418 pages

I saw Sarah’s review of this book and knew I had to read it. She’s right, it’s not your typical paranormal read. Upon opening the novel you read, “Once upon a time an angel and a devil fell in love. It did not end well.” I was enthralled to the last page.

As Sarah wrote, “Seriously, pick this book up now!” Just as I did. You won’t be sorry.

Glass Houses by Rachel Caine, pages 239

Glass Houses by Rachel Caine, pages 239

Claire just started college and made an enemy from the queen bee Monica. Claire rents a room in a large manor near the college. The town is run by vampires and most of the humans are protected. Brandon, a vampire develops an unhealthy interest in Claire. Shayne (Claire’s roommate) makes a deal with him to save her. The vampires are looking for a misterous black book. Claire needs find the book and trade it for Shayne's safety.

The book was ok, but I won’t read any more books of the series.

Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick

2011/438pgs

Silence is the third book in the Hush, Hush series. It had been awhile since I had read book two, so I kind of liked the author's device of giving Nora amnesia. It was a clever way of recapping what happened in book two without feeling like a recap.

The stakes grow higher and more secrets are revealed leaving this series open for a huge epic showdown in book four, which I hope happens! It ends on a cliffhanger, so waiting for book four will be frustrating, but I'm still enjoying the series.

“Fade” by Lisa McMann

248 pages

In “Wake,” the first book in this series (stop reading now if you haven’t read “Wake” and want to avoid spoilers!), we meet Janie, who can see other people’s dreams. In fact, it’s not just that she can see them—she’s involuntarily sucked into them whenever she’s in the proximity of someone who’s dreaming. For her while life, she’s just tried to get by without anyone discovering her secret or injuring someone when she blacks out to enter a dream. Then she meets Cabe, who makes her realize that she might be able to have a relationship despite her condition—and that she might be able to use her ability to enter dreams to help others. She begins to learn how to show people how to alter their dreams, giving them control of their nightmares, and she even starts working with a special team on the police department, using her ability to solve crimes. In “Fade,” Janie and Cade’s relationship is going strong and they’re working with the cops to bust a sexual predator at their high school. Things are looking great until Janie starts noticing some things happening to her body that might be related to her dream power.

I like the idea behind this series, but I haven’t enjoyed the stories themselves much. I feel like some parts of the plot are oversimplified while others are made more complicated than they need to be. The resolution of the sex predator storyline is really predictable, and the trouble between Janie and Cade seems forced and unnecessary, like the author just threw it in for dramatic effect. I don’t particularly like the characters, either. I don’t think I’ll be reading the rest of this series.

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

2010/528 pgs

About the Book: Calla is an alpha, a leader for her pack and she always follows the rules. She's known she's been meant for Ren, another alpha from a neighboring pack. Their union is approaching and Calla knows she has to go along with it, but when she meets Shay, a human boy and new student at school, Calla's rule abiding life begins to fade. With Shay, Calla begins to uncover secrets about her pack that were meant to stay hidden and she begins to question everything she's ever known about her pack-and her role in it.

Sarah Teenlibrarian Says: Nightshade is a good paranormal novel and especially good for readers wanting a new paranormal series to get hooked on. There's plenty of action and romance. There's a love triangle, of course, but I didn't have as many problems with this triangle as I have with other novels. I think because Calla isn't just picking between two guys, but instead she's picking between duty and loyalty to her pack and her own life and choices.

What really sold me on this book was the werewolf mythology that Andrea Cremer has created. It was unique and different enough from other paranormal novels and it kept me interested. I also enjoyed the writing-Ms. Cremer is a talented author and it was the detail, the descriptions, and the world building that kept me reading and made this book stand apart from other werewolf stories.

It is part of a series and the ending does leave you with a bit of a cliffhanger so readers will be eagerly awaiting the next volume in the series which is out this summer!