Review by Alex- Touch

Touch by Francine Prose

What really happened at the back of the bus?

Did they, or didn't they?

Did she, or didn't she?

Something happened to fourteen-year-old Maisie Willard-something involving her three friends, all boys. But their stories don't match, and the rumors spin out of control. Then other people get involved . . . the school, the parents, the lawyers. The incident at the back of the bus becomes the center of Maisie's life and the talk of the school, and, horribly, it becomes news. With just a few words and a touch, the kids and their community are changed forever.

From nationally acclaimed author Francine Prose comes an unforgettable story about the difficulties of telling the truth, the consequences of lying, and the most dangerous twist of all-the possibility that you yourself will come to believe something that you know isn't true.

Touch has a really good premise. I like the description, reading about the mystery of what happened that fateful day on the bus. But... the book fell flat for me. The description on the cover flap is the high point- the actual novel is more meh.

The writing is good. It sounds young, it's clipped with short sentences, but that's the point (I'm assuming). Maisie is, after all, only 14. She's not some wise-old adult. She doesn't have a mature voice, and that's fine. Although sometimes, Maisie would come to some revelation, and would try to be wise. I didn't think that really worked, but it was only a few times, so it wasn't too bad.

The characters aren't bad. But they're not all that interesting either. Maisie tries to be tough- and for the most part, she handles everything pretty well. But she's immature and tends to wallow in her pity. She's somewhat close-minded, as she can't seem to understand that her step-mother isn't really all that bad and actually is trying to help in her own way. (Or at least, I think so.) Maisie has 3 childhood friends, all boys. Two of them aren't very important and don't have any personality but that they can be rude and well, like young teenage boys. Shakes, on the other hand, is distinguished by the fact that he has some slight problems. He doesn't walk properly, he has to think before he speaks, he shakes and twitches, which is where his nickname came from.

The ending was a split between predictable and unexpected. Mostly predictable, although some things were a surprise. I guess though, that's life. The ending is realistic and resolved, but it doesn't feel complete. I was a bit put out at the ending. But then again, I had to force myself to finish this book. I feel like there was supposed to be this major twist- Maisie figuring out the truth- but it was so obvious it was coming, that I wasn't very interested or stunned.

Overall, Touch is decent. But it's by no means amazing. It's a tale of a girl who maybe something happened to on the back of a bus, and the discovery of figuring out the truth. Read if you find that you're interested in the description, but don't get your hopes up all that high, is what I say. The novel isn't nearly captivating enough to live up to the description.

Review by Alex- Need

Need by Carrie Jones
Zara White suspects there's a freaky guy semi-stalking her. She's also obsessed with phobias. And it's true, she hasn't exactly been herself since her stepfather died. But exiling her to shivery Maine to live with her grandmother? That seems a bit extreme. The move is supposed to help her stay sane . . . but Zara's pretty sure her mom just can't deal with her right now.

She couldn't be more wrong. Turns out the semi-stalker is not a figment of Zara's overactive imagination. In fact, he's still following her, leaving behind an eerie trail of gold dust. There's something not right- not human- in this sleepy Maine town, and all signs point to Zara.

In this creepy, compelling breakout novel, Carrie Jones delivers romance, suspense, and a creature you never thought you'd have to fear.

So often with the abundance of paranormal romances, I love the idea and description of the book, but the actual book falls flat for me. I don't know if this is the case because of the book, or myself though. Need is one of those books.

In Need, it's pixies that are planning to hurt the main character/take over the world/falling in love with the main character/whatever else usually happens in para-rom. (Made that up. Think it works?) Pixies are new, interesting, and come with their own lore. I liked that bit. Although I didn't really see much of a difference between pixies and fairies/faeries, besides pixies leaving gold dust.

There are two main love interests for Zara. Ian, the overachieving boy who came from nothing, and Nick, the moody, brooding, and incredibly handsome boy who has never been kissed but everyone wants him anyway. Neither of them are what they seem. I knew at least one of them weren't human from the beginning, but which one is what... that was a surprise to me. So that was well done.

What I wasn't too fond of though, was the writing. Usually it was okay, but at some parts, I thought it was really awkward. Here, I'll give an example:

"I'm sorry," I say. And I am. I lean against the door that is quiet and doesn't complain about things or your behaviors or anything like that. Doors are very good that way. Blood has seeped through the tissue. I hold it against my cheek.
- Need, p. 115-116

That just doesn't work for me. The door comparison is a little random, and while I get that it's referencing to what's going on in the novel (ie. Nick being all weird and moody), it just doesn't seem right to me. I don't like the phrasing of that line either. "against the door that is quiet". I wouldn't be nitpicky about this if it was only that one time, but it happened a few times and just bugged me.

However, I did like all the mentions of phobias. It's interesting to learn all the different ones, and each chapter is titled by a phobia, describing a little bit of that chapter. In some ways though, I wish the phobias could play a bigger part, since I didn't think it was linked enough to the story.

The characters were pretty good. Nothing spectacular, nothing new. Zara's skeptical of the pixie thing at first, which is believable. She's tough. But she's supposed to be dead inside at the beginning of the book, and doesn't get any life back towards the end. I didn't feel lifelessness in Zara at the beginning. I thought she had just as much life as me. Does this mean I am dead inside? I hope not. But it is possible I just don't feel much... Zara would have had to have a lot of life before her stepfather's death.

I do like how Zara dealt with the pesky pixies. It was an interesting idea that I thought was well thought out. So I'd say the plot's quite interesting. It wasn't enough to draw me in though. It took me a while to read this and I actually debated on finishing the book or not when I was in the middle.

Overall, it's a pretty standard paranormal romance. That's not to say it's bad, but it doesn't bring much new to the table. If you feel like reading about pixies and weres, are into another on/off romance, or like spunky grandmas (the one in The Proposal comes to mind. Zara's granny is a little like that), then you may as well try this book.

Review by Alex- Strange Angels

Strange Angels by Lili St. Cyr

Dru Anderson has what her grandmother called athe touch. (Comes in handy when you are traveling from town to town with your dad, hunting ghosts, suckers, wulfen, and the occasional zombie.)

Then her dad turns up dead, but still walking, and Dru knows she's next. Even worse, she's got two guys hungry for her affections, and they are not about to let the fiercely independent Dru go it alone. Will Dru discover just how special she really is before coming face-to-fang with whatever, or "whoever", is hunting her?

For me, Strange Angels didn't really work. It sounds really good, it has a good plot, strong characters and all, but then... nothing.

I didn't feel any real connections at all in Strange Angels. The relationships between the characters didn't feel real enough. Even some of the character traits didn't match up to the character. For example, Dru is supposedly an artist who's really good at drawing. Um, what? It's mentioned a couple times that Dru sketches and can draw really well, but it felt disjointed. I couldn't imagine Dru drawing at all. It didn't help that drawing only comes up a few times and each time it felt forced and not at all like it connected to Dru's overall character.

I also wasn't able to relate to the characters. I mean, no one is really going to feel like Dru when her dad comes back as a zombie to kill her, or when she has to fight off some werwulf. But there are other times that, if done better, I should have been able to empathize with Dru. I didn't. I felt so detached from the book and that does make me a little sad. I wish I could have gotten into it more.

The writing is so-so. It's readable, but it doesn't stand out. There are too many descriptions in the book, especially with describing the two love interests who's names I have now forgotten. (Which that in itself is quite sad, since I read the book only a couple days ago. The characters just aren't memorable enough.) The descriptions though, my god. I lost count how many times the eye colour of the two guys were described. I skimmed over a lot of the book because there are so many attempts at descriptions. There's also a lot of use of different verbs that sound really awkward. Of course it would be boring if the author only used simple verbs like "said" and "walk", but it just went too far in Strange Angels. It felt really forced. I'd bring up a few examples of verbs, but I had to return my copy to the library already. The verbs fall into the overly descriptive and trying too hard category.

And because it just really bugged me, the word "hinky" was used far too much. I hadn't heard the word before, I've never heard a teenager say it. Maybe it's just me. But using "hinky" made the book seem more dated to me, or more like a hick.

On a more positive note, the plot is interesting. The book really picked up towards the end, when a bit more is explained. In the second half or so, Dru's exceptional powers come to light, as does the actual bad guys that Dru must face.

Overall, I like the idea of the paranormal romance. A strong heroine battling against evil while also having to deal with some love interests- sounds good. While not exactly original, it's a good idea. However, the execution was poor. The writing could have been a lot better as could the characters. The plot could also have been cleaned up.

Still, if you haven't read it, you could pick it up. Don't bother buying it though- borrow Strange Angels from somewhere.

Review by Lauren - Sea Change

Alright. Wow.

So yes, for anyone who was confused, this is a joint blog. I'm just a horrible blogger, and never get around to writing reviews. So I'm very, very, very sorry. :(

Anyhow, I was updating my list of books I've read this year and realised that I'm at number 50! Yay! Just ignore Alex's 90... she is extremely ridiculous whereas I am just slightly so.

Sea Change by Aimee Friedman

16-year-old Miranda Merchant is great at science...and not so great with boys. After major drama with her boyfriend and (now ex) best friend, she's happy to spend the summer on small, mysterious Selkie Island, helping her mother sort out her late grandmother's estate.
There, Miranda finds new friends and an island with a mysterious, mystical history, presenting her with facts her logical, scientific mind can't make sense of. She also meets Leo, who challenges everything she thought she knew about boys, friendship...and reality.
Is Leo hiding something? Or is he something that she never could have imagined?

I loved the concept for this book - the plot was definitely working for me - but it needed developement. It ended on such an abrupt note that I had to like go back and check to see if I'd read correctly. Everything happened so fast, and it felt like I'd barely gotten to know Leo, and here we go talking about love and whatnot. I'm pretty sure Miranda was on that island for like a week, but don't get me wrong, love at first sight is fine with me, but it has to fit. Alex just reviewed Princess of the Midnight Ball, which I have read as well and will admit it is a very unplausible tale of love with the actual amount of time the two main characters spend together before marrying. The story works though because it's a fairy tale, with princesses and evil demons and whatnot. While Sea Change did offer that touch of supernatural it could have definitely become more believable with a hundred more pages at least.

The book was also made out to be a lot creepier than it actually was. I was kindof expecting like Scooby Doo on Zombie Island type of stuff, the way the island was so hard to find and all mysterious, but really, mermaids? The place seemed pretty normal other than that.

Anyhow, it wasn't awful, but definitely left me wanting more.

oh. well i just realised that this is actually book 51... but oh well :) ha... silly me.

(the sad excuse for a blogger)

Review by Alex- Waiting for You

Waiting for You by Susane Colasanti

At the beginning of her sophomore year, Marisa is ready for a fresh start and, more importantly, a boyfriend. So when the handsome and popular Derek asks her out, Marisa thinks her long wait for happiness is over. But several bumps in the road, including her parents' unexpected separation, a fight with her best friend, and a shocking disappointment in her relationship with Derek test Marisa's ability to maintain her new outlook. Only the anonymous DJ, whose underground podcasts have the school's ear, seems to understand what Marisa is going through. But she has no idea who he is- or does she?

In this third romantic novel from Susane Colasanti, Marisa learns how to be in the Now and realizes that the love she's been waiting for has been right in front of her all along.

Waiting for You is an extremely cute read. It has nice, simple writing that flows easily and goes quickly. The characters are cute and well done. They seem like actual teens with many flaws. They're quirky and different and especially easy to relate to.

On the other hand, the book can be awfully annoying. There were just little things that bugged me, like the fact that Marisa said "whatev" instead of "whatever". It's used almost a dozen times and each time I just felt like banging my head on a wall. I guess Colasanti used it to make Marisa seem younger and like an actual teen, but not everyone says "whatev". Maybe it's just me- I'm against that kind of slang.

The voice sounds very young. Marisa is going into sophomore year (gr. 10) which is pretty much my age. But she was just whiny and seemed younger than that... She just was quite immature. I wasn't able to get attached to any of the characters.

Of course, Waiting for You is predictable. The mystery DJ isn't much of a mystery- it's pretty obvious. What I didn't like about the DJ plot is that the DJ and the actual person seemed like two different people. I wasn't able to connect the two together.

There were lots of cultural references that I found really great. I love references! They included lots of John Mayer songs and books by Laurie Halse Anderson such as Speak and Twisted.

Overall, Waiting for You is a light read that most teens or older can relate to. It reads quickly even if it's a thick book. I suggest putting on background music while reading. It's not a difficult read you have to concentrate on, and music might enhance the reading. It's not so much to my tastes, but I could see others liking it. Fans of Deb Caletti or Sarah Dessen, those kind of books, would like Waiting for You or any of Susane Colasanti's previous books.

Review by Alex- Sweethearts

Sweethearts by Sara Zarr

As children, Jennifer Harris and Cameron Quick were both social outcasts. They were also one another's only friend. So when Cameron disappears without warning, Jennifer thinks she's lost the only person who will ever understand her.

Now in high school, Jennifer has been transformed. Known as Jenna, she's popular, happy, and dating, everything "Jennifer" couldn't be---but she still can't shake the memory of her long-lost friend. When Cameron suddenly reappears, they are both confronted with memories of their shared past and the drastically different paths their lives have taken.

From the National Book Award nominated author of Story of a Girl, Sweethearts is a story about the power of memory, the bond of friendship, and the quiet resilience of our childhood hearts.

Sweethearts has all the elements that would have made it interesting. But it just didn't really work for me. I wasn't into the book, wasn't at all invested. I was disappointed in Sweethearts and my reaction to it, to say the least.

Jennifer is an interesting character. She could have been great. She just fell flat for some reason. She's had a troubled past, but now she's got a good life. That isn't to say she's happy. When Cam moved away, Jennifer thought he died shortly after. She was devasted but she tries to move on, going to a new small school made for kids who don't quite fit in, being non-Mormom in a Mormom town. But don't worry, this isn't a religious book if that's what you're thinking.

The first half of the book is in the present with flashbacks to Jennifer's childhood. Mostly it's on one specific memory involving Cam and Cam's dad. The suspense was good, cutting to a flashback, then going back to the present when it got intense, then going back to memories, etc. But then when the whole memory is revealed, I was like, That's it? I guess I was just expecting more. Yes, that memory is pretty terrifying and could be scarring, but it didn't really match up to my expectations.

Cam comes back and of course Jenna feels something for him. She thought he was dead for one. I thought Jenna's reaction to Cam's reappearance was a bit weird and off, personally. Of course Jenna has a boyfriend, so she doesn't know what to do. Should she break up with her boyfriend and get together with Cam? Or are her emotions to confused and she doesn't really want to? Poor baby...


Meeeeh. It has what I usually like, but this book... just, no. Nothing really did much for me. Cam wasn't even that exciting for the male lead. I couldn't really sympathise with any of the characters. Plus, the ending was very unsatisfying. It made sense, and is probably realistic, but I just wasn't happy with it. Some realistic endings, I'm fine with. But in Sweethearts, no. I don't really know why I didn't like Sweethearts that much, but I didn't. Maybe others will though, so don't let my review stop you from reading it, if you haven't already. Sweethearts came out a while ago...

Still, I prefer Story of a Girl much more, and would recommend that over Sweethearts.