Review: Forever - Maggie Stiefvater

Reading level: Ages 14 and up
Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Press; 1St Edition edition (July 12, 2011)

In Maggie Stiefvater's SHIVER, Grace and Sam found each other. In LINGER, they fought to be together. Now, in FOREVER, the stakes are even higher than before. Wolves are being hunted. Lives are being threatened. And love is harder and harder to hold on to as death comes closing in.

This is actually a tough review for me to write! I loved Shiver and Linger, and while I liked Forever I didn't love it. I did like Grace as a wolf and watching her stuggle with the shifting until it was warm enough for her to stay human. I truley feel that all of that added something great to Grace's character. I wasn't a huge Sam fan in this book, he seemed so negative, and ready to give up. I did love Cole though, and his experiments. I feel like I finally got to know the real Cole! I love the dynamic between Isabel and Cole, and how it evolved through the book, and Same and Grace were well...Sam and Grace...The story in this book was fitting for the final chapter in this series, but it didn't grab me the way the other 2 books did. The one thing I won't complain about is that it wasn't all wrapped up with a pretty bow, but it gave me the closure I needed to be satisfied by this book, and the series. I am giving this one 3.5 stars! I do recommend this whole series to everyone though.

Review: Fateful - Claudia Gray

• Reading level:
 Ages 14 and up

• Hardcover:
 336 pages

• Publisher:
 HarperTeen (September 13, 2011)

Eighteen-year-old maid Tess Davies is determined to escape the wealthy, troubled family she serves. It’s 1912, and Tess has been trapped in the employ of the Lisles for years, amid painful memories and twisted secrets. But now the Lisle family is headed to America, with Tess in tow. Once the ship they’re sailing on—the RMS Titanic—reaches its destination, Tess plans to strike out and create a new life for herself.
Her single-minded focus shatters when she meets Alec, a handsome first-class passenger who captivates her instantly. But Alec has secrets of his own. He’s in a hurry to leave Europe, and whispers aboard the ship say it’s because of the tragic end of his last affair with the French actress who died so gruesomely and so mysteriously. . . .
Soon Tess will learn just how dark Alec’s past truly is. The danger they face is no ordinary enemy: werewolves exist and are stalking him—and now her, too. Her growing love for Alec will put Tess in mortal peril, and fate will do the same before their journey on the Titanic is over.
In Fateful, New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray delivers paranormal adventure, dark suspense, and alluring romance set against the opulent backdrop of the Titanic’s first—and last—voyage.

My Thoughts...

This book was oddly enchanting. I read this book because I had to see how this was going to work. I loved Tess, who never gave up and who tried to the end to help people that didn't care if she lived or died. She also spent a lot of time try8ing to talk herself out of caring for a many solely based on station. While I understand why, it upset me to no end. Just about ever aspect of Tess's servant life upset me. I loved that this was set on the Titanic, it is something everyone knows and was rather well done. The only thing that I was disappointed about was that I didn't feel enough time was dedicated to the sinking of the ship. But all in all I really enjoyed it. Great characters, story, and setting. There was drama, danger, love, and excitement, just enough of everything to make it great. I hope all of you give it a try. I give this one 4 stars!

Review: Born at Midnight - C.C. Hunter

• Reading level: Young Adult
• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; First Edition edition (March 29, 2011)

Don’t miss this spectacular new series that will steal your heart and haunt your dreams,  Welcome to Shadow Falls camp, nestled deep in the woods of a town called Fallen…

One night Kylie Galen finds herself at the wrong party, with the wrong people, and it changes her life forever.  Her mother ships her off to Shadow Falls—a camp for troubled teens, and within hours of arriving, it becomes painfully clear that her fellow campers aren’t just “troubled.”  Here at Shadow Falls, vampires, werewolves, shapshifters, witches and fairies train side by side—learning to harness their powers, control their magic and live in the normal world.

Kylie’s never felt normal, but surely she doesn’t belong here with a bunch of paranormal freaks either.  Or does she?  They insist Kylie is one of them, and that she was brought here for a reason.  As if life wasn’t complicated enough, enter Derek and Lucas.  Derek’s a half-fae who’s determined to be her boyfriend, and Lucas is a smokin’ hot werewolf with whom Kylie shares a secret past.  Both Derek and Lucas couldn’t be more different, but they both have a powerful hold on her heart. 

Even though Kylie feels deeply uncertain about everything, one thing is becoming painfully clear—Shadow Falls is exactly where she belongs…

My Thoughts...

This book left me craving more! I need to know what happens next! This book focuses on Kylie, a normal girl who is just trying to deal with divorcing parents and the heartbreak of being dumped. After the cops raid a party where Kylie's only crime was being there her mother decides to send her to Camp Shadowfalls.  Kylie goes thinking this is a camp for juvenile delinquents. Quickly Kylie learns that everything isn't what it seems. Kylie finds out why she is really at this camp but is sure that someone somewhere is wrong and she doesn't belong there. While trying to figure out the truth Kylie meets some new friends and we get reintroduced to Della. Watching Kylie try to figure everything out while coming to terms with all the new things happening around her. We also meet Derek and Lucas. *Swoon* This is one triangle I can't seem to settle on one side or the other,. Now I said this book left me wanting more...We learn just enough about Kylie to resolve this book, but not enough to fully satisfy! I loved the characters, the setting, and the story was told very well. I highly recommend this book to everyone. I give this one 4 stars!