Twilight (Twilight #1) by Stephenie Meyer

Oh my. This book, to me, is like chocolate: a delicious, sinful, addictive indulgence which you convince yourself has beneficial qualities (zinc, calcium, keeps me quiet at that time of the month...) in order to justify your addiction.



By "beneficial qualities", I mean that it's reading, and since when is reading bad? :) Let me say quite clearly that I'm a sucker for romance, especially the intense, passionate, tragic kind. I don't read romance novels*, though, because to me they are lacklustre - Meyer's book has the extra edge I need, though, a great way of keeping doom hanging over the main characters' heads: she's human, he's a vampire.



Sound corny? Yeah, I know, and the only reason Meyer gets away with it as well as she does is because Twilight doesn't try to be anything it's not, and it has such conviction. Only Meyer could get away with giving her narrator the name Isabella Swan. She says in her little bio at the back that she wanted to write believable characters: an interesting choice, then, to write about vampires, but I believed in them, and without such a willing suspension of disbelief, the story would have been a farce. True, a lot of people haven't been able to suspend their disbelief with this book, but that doesn't affect my reading experience :)



Seventeen year old Bella's parents are divorced. She lives with her mum in Phoenix, Arizona, and spends time with her dad Charlie in Forks, Washington State, where it rains almost constantly. She hates Forks, but when her mum remarries a baseball player, Phil, and starts travelling with him, Bella decides to move to Forks.



On her first day at school she notices the isolated group of five beautiful, graceful siblings. Rosalie, Alice, Emmet, Edward and Jasper. One in particular catches her eye: Edward Cullen, with his rust-brown hair and topaz eyes. She is more than a little surprised and shocked when he seems to have developed an acute, profound hatred of her. Her fascination deepens, especially when, after a brief disappearance, he saves her life. She soon figures out what Edward is, and the knowledge doesn't frighten her. The shaky friendship between them develops into something much stronger, and Edward reveals his overpowering reaction to her smell that nearly made him kill her on the spot - hence the look on his face that so shocked her, and the restraint he put on himself during an hour of Biology.

Let's not forget he's incredibly handsome: even though Bella describes almost every glance he makes and every twitch of his lips, not once did I get bored and roll my eyes. My fascination grew alongside hers, until I too fell in love with Edward - in a totally girly, daydreamy way. Yes, I admit it. I don't know if that makes this a girly kind of book - these days those boundaries don't seem to matter so much, and the vampire family is pretty darn cool, what with Edward's extra ability to read minds, Alice's premonitions, Jasper's ability to affect people's emotions, their speed, their invincibility... Bella is at one point compared to Lois Lane, because Edward and his kin really are like Superman.

One of the things I love about YA books: the clarity with which they are written. Granted there is some repetition in Twilight, but to me it's necessary repetition. There's nothing superfluous in Twilight, nothing that shouldn't be there, and the flow, the pacing, is great. It's a fat book, but I read it in two days. I read it with breakfast, on my walk to the subway, on the subway, up the escalator, through the ticket gates, to work, in my lunch break ... you get the picture. I couldn't get enough of it, and it left me with that same craving for more that Harry Potter did (I remember scrounging around for loose change as soon as I finished one of them and dashing off into the city to get my next fix. It helped that four were already out when I started). There's plenty of negative stuff you could say about this book - the writing, the characters, the obsession - but again, I couldn't care less :)

Another thing I loved was all the vampire myths Meyer scrapped. These vampires aren't burnt to ash by sunlight: their marble skin glitters as the sunlight is broken into miniscule shards, like diamonds - hence why they are living in Forks, where the sun hardly ever shines. They are not hurt by crucifixes or stakes through the heart. They do not sleep at all, nor do they eat human food. They drive fast cars really really fast. And they can fall in love. Awwww.

Seriously though, this was one of most fun, most enjoyable, most romantic books I've read in a long time, and I'm so happy there are two more out with a fourth on the way. They are, somewhat predictably, making Twilight into a movie - still in the early development stage - but it's rather fun to go to the author's website and see her own preferences for actors to play Edward etc. Can't say I'm familiar with most of them, but her top choice (now sadly too old), is indeed a perfect match. Who knows who they'll really cast, but as with the book, the characters have to be right or the whole story will be just silly and sappy.

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*Since reading this the first time back in 2007, I've started reading some romance novels. Yes I've been corrupted. Or rather, I've always loved romance stories but had trouble admitting it. Now, I just don't care :)

City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1) by Cassandra Clare

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder--much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Clary knows she should call the police, but it's hard to explain a murder when the body disappears into thin air and the murderers are invisible to everyone but Clary.

Equally startled by her ability to see them, the murderers explain themselves as Shadowhunters: a secret tribe of warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. Within twenty-four hours, Clary's mother disappears and Clary herself is almost killed by a grotesque demon.






But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know....
 
I was instantly enchanted when I first read City of Bones, and that enchantment still holds three years, and at least half a dozen re-reads later. I've also read countless reviews, both adoring and loathing and have come to the conclusion that this book does not garner any type of middle ground, you either love it or you hate it.




Those readers who hate it often mention the similarities between this series and that of Harry Potter, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, etc. They are right of course, there are similarities. They will mention the fact that nearly all the characters are sarcastic and a bit over-intelligent for their written age, and again, they are probably right. Regardless, I can't help but feel a little sad for these readers. It's inevitable, that if you only scratch the surface of something, the surface is the only thing you will see. If you allow yourself to become disillusioned with an entire story, simply because it has similarities to bits and pieces of something you have encountered before, and if you write off a character because they use the term exsanguinated, and at the age of 25, you have to look the word up (You know you did), you will inevitably find the story and it's characters flat and meaningless. And I can’t help but feel that these readers are somehow missing out on something.



For me, this book shines, and to those of you who loved it, I imagine you are a bit like me. You found yourself immersed in a world where demons roam the night, weres run a bar, vamps occupy abandoned hotels, warlocks cast spells while rockin glitter in their hip hugging jeans, fey wait tables at the best mom and pop restaurant in NYC, and the law is upheld by Shadowhunters, a race of humans blessed by the angel Raziel. Even the setting, NYC, was so palpable; it became another character in this vibrant story. I thought the Shadowhunter world was funny, sleek, dark, sexy and hopeful. More importantly, the characters came so alive for me that they jumped off the pages. I felt as though I were in the story with them as opposed to merely following along in their journey.



Regardless of the types of books you prefer to read, or the characters that endear themselves to your heart, I think we all read to become inspired. That inspiration can take shape in various forms, from writing, to making a playlist, picking up a sketchpad so that the images in your mind can take shape, or simply reading a new book in hopes of falling in love with yet another story. City of Bones inspired me and continues to inspire me, even though the pages of my copy are becoming a little worn, the jokes are the same jokes I’ve read countless times, and in spite of the fact that I know how the story ends. To me, that is the mark of a fantastic book.

Evermore (The Immortals #1)

Since a horrible accident claimed the lives of her family, sixteen-year-old Ever can see auras, hear people’s thoughts, and know a person’s life story by touch. Going out of her way to shield herself from human contact to suppress her abilities has branded her as a freak at her new high school—but everything changes when she meets Damen Auguste…







Ever sees Damen and feels an instant recognition. He is gorgeous, exotic and wealthy, and he holds many secrets. Damen is able to make things appear and disappear, he always seems to know what she’s thinking—and he’s the only one who can silence the noise and the random energy in her head. She doesn’t know who he really is—or what he is. Damen equal parts light and darkness, and he belongs to an enchanted new world where no one ever dies.

Ever (original name, no?) survives a tragic accident that claims the lives of her father, mother, pet dog and twelve-year old sister, Riley. Unfortunately, Riley didn't actually cross over like the rest of her family (save Ever), so now she spends most of her time around Ever, or catching up on old neighbors and their gossip. Ever, now orphaned, is taken in by her father's twin sister - who is a lawyer and immediately gives Ever all that she could need to make herself feel more at home - tv, jacuzzi, stereo, the works. However, Ever would give it all back to have her family back. Not only does she have to start her life over in a new place, but she seems to have received psychic powers from her near-death experience. She can see auras, read people with just a touch and, worse of all, she hears everyone's thoughts. It's too much for Ever. She used to be popular at her old school and now - armed with her iPod on full blast to drown out the thoughts and hooded sweatshirts to conceal her mp3 player - she's considered a freak, only finding solace in her attention-craved, now goth, friend Haven and token gay friend Miles. That is, until she meets Damen. She's already heard about him, but she avoided eye contact with him when he sat beside of her in class. Then, there was the silence. Anytime Damen touched her, all she heard was silence. Damen has taken an interest in Ever - but who is this new girl, Drina, that she's seen him out with? And why is this new girl trying to take her best friend away from her? Ever didn't think it could get any worse ... until she found out that Damen is an immortal, and Drina's trying to kill her in order to get Damen back.




This is one of those books that I got a while back in order to get over my vampire obsession. I figured I could still do paranormal, but I needed to expand my horizons. The cover attracted me and I had heard a lot of things about it, but nothing overly great. I still picked it up, but I didn't get around to it until now. Thanks to my friend, I got a little hooked on the Harper Connelly Mysteries series by Charlaine Harris. Whoops. However, I'm hearing wonderful things about Shadowland and I really want to read it - so, what better place to start than the first in the series? It's just something I absolutely have to do - if I start a series, I start from the very beginning. Now, the story starts out okay. It drags out a little, and you have to read a while for some of the good stuff to happen. However, the filler that really kept me reading was Riley - Ever's sister that didn't cross over. She's a wonderful character. I just wish I could say the same about the others. I found the secondary characters not all that well developed. To be honest, Haven got on my last nerve with her attention-whoring ways. Of course, I never really did like anyone who changed who they were to get someone's attention. And Miles ... he's gay ... his character could have been wonderful in so many ways! But instead, he just came around in the story to add his two cents here and there, and he really felt like a filler to be ... but a filler in a bad way, not good like Riley. Ever could have been a little better as a main character. She just seemed so indecisive about everything and sometimes so needy when it came to Damen and her sister. The plot was good. I did like the story. Overall, the story was well-written, I just wish the characters were fleshed out a little better.

Wake (Dream Catcher #1) by Lisa McMann

Ever since she was eight years old, high school student Janie Hannagan has been uncontrollably drawn into other people's dreams, but it is not until she befriends an elderly nursing home patient and becomes involved with an enigmatic fellow-student that she discovers her true power.

 

The book flash back and forth between Janie's life and her battle with the dreams. It spans a period of time from about 12 to the present which is Janie at 17, all within 104 pages (I read the digital edition so this may differ from the print version - Amazon lists as 224 pages). Within this time span, Janie meets her best friend, Carrie, and the mysterious Cabel. Cabel shows interest in Janie, but can Janie trust him? While he seems to like her, there are rumors flying around the school about him that just don't make sense. Janie needs to trust someone though, because the dreams are getting out of hand and she need serious help. Her mother is useless, the doctors think she has some kind of seizure disorder, who can Janie ask for help?



The tone and narration of this novel is quite unique in its style. McMann narrates Wake as if she is stating the facts and nothing more. There is really no embellishments, no heady descriptions to set the scene. Scenes are set with forth-right statements of character actions and little is paid to the environment around the characters. At first I was a little thrown off my style, but as I got deeper into this novel, I began to really enjoy McMann's no-nonsense tone.



Characters are well developed. I really enjoyed reading about Janie, she was a tough character that was going through a lot and I was able to relate to her reactions. Cabel was also a likable character. I actually felt betrayed by him when Carrie revealed his untrustworthy behavior. Carrie on the other hand I didn't relate to. I thought her character wasn't as developed and was just the authors tool to convey information to Janie from "the Hill" (the 'in' rich crowd).



The plot-lines were fairly original, the story was compelling. The love development was believable and I was emotionally effected by Cabel and Janie. The ending was the only thing that left me not as impressed, I just thought the wrap-up was a little too neat, but sticking with the tone of the novel, I don't see how the author could have done it any differently. I am very excited to read Gone, the second book in this series.
 
Recommendations: I would pass this on to older teens and adults. The story is a mature YA novel that adults would enjoy and teens would relate to. While there is strong language and sexual references it was nothing that I found offensive and actually made the characters more believable. I can remember how I was at 17 and I wasn't saying "Aw shucks" and "Fire Truck". So, keep that in mind if you are buying this for a teen. Also, while this has a paranormal basis, it is not too over the top for people that don't generally read that genre to get in to

I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder

Girl meets boy.Girl loses boy.



Girl gets boy back...


...sort of.






Ava can't see him or touch










...more Girl meets boy.


Girl loses boy.






Girl gets boy back...






...sort of.






Ava can't see him or touch him, unless she's dreaming. She can't hear his voice, except for the faint whispers in her mind. Most would think she's crazy, but she knows he's here.






Jackson. The boy Ava thought she'd spend the rest of her life with. He's back from the dead, as proof that love truly knows no bounds

 
This is one of the best books that I have ever read. I absolutely love this book. I am the kind of person that enjoys reading about love & friendships. If you like those kind of books, then you should read this book in particular. This book is about a girl named Ava. She is 15 years old and her boyfriend has just died. She keeps blaming herself that she is the one that killed him when it really wasn't her fault. Eventhough her boyfriend is dead, he comes back. Well, sort of. He comes back spirutually (by being a ghost).Weird, i know. Throughout the book, Ava just can't stop thinking how much he misses him and how much he meant to her. She keeps on blaming herself over and over again, but she later finds out that things happen and when you get to a certain point in your life, you know it's time to move on. What i learned from this book is that no matter what happens, life keeps on going. You shouldn't also always blame yourself. It's the past and you should just move on. I rate this book a big, fat 10 because this book really moved me and its an easy read. Anyone who puts thier mind into it could read this book. You should read this book, you wont regret it!

Uninvited by Amanda Marrone

Reviewed by Lynn Crow for TeensReadToo.com




These days, Jordan's got a lot on her mind. Her social phobias are getting the better of her, she thinks she messed things up with a guy she really connected with... and her ex-boyfriend, popular jock Michael, has been appearing at her bedroom window since the night after his funeral. It seems the rumors that Michael killed himself aren't true -- he was attacked by a vampire, and became one himself. Now he wants Jordan to join him. Every night, he pleads and cajoles and turns on his charm, trying to get her to invite him in, and Jordan's arguments are starting to crumble.



UNINVITED is a tense, scary book that manages to throw in a little humor on the side. Marrone does a superb job of building the suspense about Michael's true intentions and how Jordan will deal with them. Nothing works out quite the way the reader will expect, and Jordan's struggles will have them on the edge of their seats, unable to put the book down. The climax is thrilling and dark, and the ending is hopeful without leaving its heroine unscarred.



It may take readers a little while to warm up to Jordan, whose binge-drinking and pessimistic ways may seem too depressing. But it quickly becomes clear that she has every reason to want to drown out the rest of the world. Her growth as she fights her fears and destructive tendencies is both believable and inspiring. The supporting characters are well-developed as well, from Michael's twisted personality to Jordan's quirky friend, Rachael.



Readers who enjoy books a little out of the ordinary, especially the dark and suspenseful, should run out and grab this one as soon as possible. It takes one of the most familiar creatures of the supernatural genre and manages to tell a story unlike any you've read before.

Once Dead, Twice Shy (Madison Avery #1)

My name is Madison Avery, and I'm here to tell you that there's more out there than you can see, hear, or touch. Because I'm there. Seeing it. Touching it. Living it.

Madison's prom was killer—literally. For some reason she's been targeted by a dark reaper—yeah, that kind of reaper—intent on getting rid of her, body and soul. But before the reaper could finish the job, Madison was able to snag his strange, glowing amulet and get away.
Now she's stuck on Earth—dead but not gone. Somehow the amulet gives her the illusion of a body, allowing her to toe the line between life and death. She still doesn't know why the dark reaper is after her, but she's not about to just sit around and let fate take its course.
With a little ingenuity, some light-bending, and the help of a light reaper (one of the good guys! Maybe . . . ), her cute crush, and oh yeah, her guardian angel, Madison's ready to take control of her own destiny once and for all, before it takes control of her.
Well, if she believed in that stuff.

Reviewed by Lynn Crow for TeensReadToo.com

Madison's dead. Well, sort of.
See, there was this dark reaper who scythed her, for reasons she still hasn't figured out, and technically she should be long gone. But when he came back to destroy her soul as well as her body, she was able to steal an amulet from him that's allowed her to keep walking around and breathing (even though she doesn't really need to), and appearing alive to anyone who doesn't know any better.
Unfortunately, the owner of that amulet wants it back - badly. And the light reaper assigned to help Madison adjust to her new pseudo-life may not be able to protect her from him.
As Madison struggles to hold onto her life and to save those she cares about who end up targeted as well, she discovers there's a whole lot about this life and death thing she doesn't know, and uncovering those secrets may be the only way she can hope to survive.
ONCE DEAD, TWICE SHY is a fast-paced and engaging read from start to finish. Madison makes an enjoyable narrator, stubborn and sarcastic but with a lot of heart, and enough smarts to get her through some very sticky situations. Harrison has created a fascinating and unique world of reapers and other afterlife figures, though at times readers may find all the information a little hard to follow.
With plenty of suspense and humor and a little romance, this book will appeal to paranormal fans of all ages.