Review: Cryer's Cross

Title:  Cryer's Cross
Author:  Lisa McMann


     From GoodReads, "The community of Cryer’s Cross, Montana (population 212) is distraught when high school freshman Tiffany disappears without a trace. Already off-balance due to her OCD, 16-year-old Kendall is freaked out seeing Tiffany’s empty desk in the one-room school house, but somehow life goes on... until Kendall's boyfriend Nico also disappears, and also without a trace. Now the town is in a panic. Alone in her depression and with her OCD at an all-time high, Kendall notices something that connects Nico and Tiffany: they both sat at the same desk. She knows it's crazy, but Kendall finds herself drawn to the desk, dreaming of Nico and wondering if maybe she, too, will disappear...and whether that would be so bad. Then she begins receiving graffiti messages on the desk from someone who can only be Nico. Can he possibly be alive somewhere? Where is he? And how can Kendall help him? The only person who believes her is Jacian, the new guy she finds irritating...and attractive. As Kendall and Jacian grow closer, Kendall digs deeper into Nico's mysterious disappearance only to stumble upon some ugly—and deadly—local history. Kendall is about to find out just how far the townspeople will go to keep their secrets buried."


     Cryer’s Cross is the fourth book I have read from Lisa McMann and once again she didn’t disappoint me.  It has been awhile since I read a book with so much suspense and mystery that was not a paranormal.  It felt really real to life and I think that is the scary part.  It had grief, mystery, suspense and surprisingly romance in the mix.  The main character Kendall is very strong, brave, and real.  It was easy to relate to her because I am from Nebraska and a small town.  So if you liked Lisa McMann’s other books, or need a break from paranormal, but like suspense, or just need a break from girl drama books this book won’t disappoint you!  I highly recommend!

Review: Vesper

Title:  Vesper
Author:  Jeff Sampson


     From GoodReads, "Emily Webb is a geek. And she’s happy that way. Content hiding under hoodies and curling up to watch old horror flicks, she’s never been the kind of girl who sneaks out for midnight parties. And she’s definitely not the kind of girl who starts fights or flirts with other girls’ boyfriends. Until one night Emily finds herself doing exactly that . . . the same night one of her classmates—also named Emily—is found mysteriously murdered.

The thing is, Emily doesn’t know why she’s doing any of this. By day, she’s the same old boring Emily, but by night, she turns into a thrill seeker. With every nightfall, Emily gets wilder until it’s no longer just her personality that changes. Her body can do things it never could before: Emily is now strong, fast, and utterly fearless. And soon Emily realizes that she’s not just coming out of her shell . . . there’s something much bigger going on. Is she bewitched by the soul of the other, murdered Emily? Or is Emily Webb becoming something else entirely— something not human?

As Emily hunts for answers, she finds out that she’s not the only one this is happening to—some of her classmates are changing as well. Who is turning these teens into monsters—and how many people will they kill to get what they want?"

     I was really excited to read this book because it seemed that it was going to be a unique book in the science fiction/fantasy realm.  It is unique, however, I don't think that it is unique enough to stand out when there are so many awesome book offerings out there.

     The main character, Emily Webb, is the sort of girl that I normally like to read about.  She's shy, kind of geeky, and really only has one close friend.  If the whole story was just written in this perspective, I might have liked it more.  Unfortunately, there are multiple aspects/characters to Emily's personality.  There is the Nightime Emily persona, which is the daredevil, try-anything-once, kind-of girl and there is also the other side of Emily, which isn't exactly human side.  The problem with the multiple personalities thing was.. that most of her personalities really annoyed me.  

     The story itself was also confusing.  Even reading the last pages of the book, I still found myself asking, "What is going on here?" and although there will be at least another book, I am honestly not interested in reading it at all.  In fact, there were times throughout the story when I found myself wishing that the killer had better luck in offing Emily... Daytime, Nighttime, or otherwise.  

     

Review: Delirium

Title:  Delirium
Author:  Lauren Oliver


     From GoodReads, "Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love -- the deliria -- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the governments demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy. 

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love."

     I was a little hesitant to read a futuristic book, but decided to give it a shot because I absolutely loved Lauren Oliver's previous book, Before I Fall.  I found that the future aspect of this book didn't bother me at all.  Delirium has so many good things going for it.  It has suspense, mystery, but best of all, a forbidden love story.  Any book that has a love so strong and has so much potential and so many obstacles... this book really moved me!  I kept reading, thinking... "Come on, please make it work!"  

     Then there is the secondary character of Alex.  The one that main character, Lena Holloway, shouldn't be with.  The one who the society says is all-wrong for her.  Alex is thoughtful, mysterious, and romantic.  This is a book you have got to read!

     The only bad thing about the book is that the next on isn't coming out until 2012!  Will I read it?  You bet!

Review: Here Lies Bridget

Title:  Here Lies Bridget
Author: Paige Harbison


     From GoodReads, "Bridget Duke is the uncontested ruler of her school. The meanest girl with the biggest secret insecurities. And when new girl Anna Judge arrives, things start to fall apart for Bridget: friends don't worship as attentively, teachers don't fall for her wide-eyed "who me?" look, expulsion looms ahead and the one boy she's always loved—Liam Ward—can barely even look at her anymore.
When a desperate Bridget drives too fast and crashes her car, she ends up in limbo, facing everyone she's wronged and walking a few uncomfortable miles in their shoes. Now she has only one chance to make a last impression. Though she might end up dead, she has one last shot at redemption and the chance to right the wrongs she's inflicted on the people who mean the most to her.


And Bridget's about to learn that, sometimes, saying you're sorry just isn't enough…."


     This is one of those books that when you finish it you say to yourself, “I didn’t see that coming!”  At first I was thinking, this is just another story about a bratty teenage girl. I was so wrong!  Trust me when I say….read to the end and you won’t be sorry!  I definitely had that smile and feel good feeling at the end.   Paige Harbison did a great job of writing the main character, Bridget Duke.  Bridget was so annoying, bratty, and a total snot!  But…..can you change a teenager like this?  I will say yes, but I will not tell you how!  All I can say is I loved the book and totally recommend to anyone, especially a bratty teenager!  HaHa   I look forward to reading Paige Harbison next book.

Review: Head Games

Title:  Head Game (A Pretty Tough Novel #3)
Author:  Keri Mikulski


     From the back of the book, "Taylor Thomas is calm, collected, and ferocious on the basketball court.  A total all-star.  Pry the ball from her fingers, though, and watch her go from future All-American to wary wallflower.  She may be tall, gorgeous, and an incredible catch, but just try telling her that!
     Now, with the summer showcase game AND playoffs rapidly approaching, Taylor's basketball career is TOTALLY on the line.
     But Taylor doesn't know which way to turn first. Her BFF Hannah roped her into a fashion show (eek!).  And she can't decide between Zach- the super-popular, super-tall, super-off limits basketball superstar- and Matt- the sweet boy from her English class (who may just be dating her BFF's older sister!- drama!).
     Can Taylor stop her head from spinning long enough to strike a pose, land the boy of her dreams, and win the game?"


     First things first... if you are a girl who likes sports, Razorbill, a division of Penguin Publishing, has a series of books called Pretty Tough series about girls who like to play sports.  The first two books are about soccer and football and this one is about basketball.  I must say that as a person who is not athletically inclined (but loves to watch the sport), I really enjoyed this book as well... in fact, it's a slam dunk!
     I think the reason I liked the book so much was because it wasn't just about basketball, but also about how friends and/or teammates treat one another and also had a pretty sweet romance in it as well.  The main character, Taylor, was easy to identify with (even though she is six-feet-tall and I'm only five foot three),  I could still understand how she was feeling.  This was a girl who cared about how she treated other people and felt bad if she didn't treat people well, even if it wasn't always her fault. It was fun to read about how she set her mind on a boyfriend who was taller than her, which was a handicap because not too many of the boys she knew (and were attracted to) fit this criteria.
     This book was about teen romance, people pleasing, being part of a team, and a whole lot more.  Some people may be disturbed that the goings-on between the boy's basketball team and the girls team affected the girl's team play, but not the boy's... however, as a person that deals with high school drama on a daily basis, I find it to be true and troubling.  I think that girls ages 10-16 will appreciate the book the most, but there are some high school girls that will like it as well.  Overall, if you read this book, it won't make you feel "foul".

Review: The Lipstick Laws

Title:  The Lipstick Laws
Author:  Amy Holder


     From GoodReads, "At Penford High School, Britney Taylor is the queen bee. She dates whomever she likes, rules over her inner circle of friends like Genghis Khan, and can ruin anyone's life with a snap of perfectly manicured fingers. Just ask the unfortunate few who have crossed her.   For April Bowers, Britney is also the answer to her prayers. April is so unpopular, kids don't even know she exists. But one lunch spent at Britney's table, and April is basking in the glow of popularity.   But Britney's friendship comes with a high price tag. How much is April willing to pay?"


     Every school has a Britney Taylor.  You know the one……she gets any guy she wants, wears only the best clothes,  and has a group of followers with hefty laws to follow to belong.   There are also plenty of girls like April Bowers.   The girls trying to just exist in the social nightmare called high school.  So when Britney asked April to eat lunch with them it was a definite yes!  I know this sounds like your typical “mean girl book or movie” but I found it was still a great read.  I really enjoyed April Bowers because even though she joined the Britney Taylor clan, she still never lost her sense of what’s right and wrong.  So when the clan ousted her, she wasn’t going to just sit back and do nothing about it!  April rallied all the girls who had supposedly wronged Britney Taylor and gave her a taste of her own medicine.  In finding this elite group of ousters she gained some great friendship and caught the attention of a boy she had her eye on.  So in the end everything works out.   It was a great read so give it a shot!