The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

Maya lives in a small community on Vancouver Island (Yay for Nanaimo references - I've been there!) under the shadow of a medical facility. Most people in the town work for the facility, so no one thinks twice about the goings on there. But Maya soon becomes aware that things might not be as they seem with her community, with the medical facility, or with herself.


A companion series to Armstrong's Darkest Powers Trilogy, this novel should be a hit with the fans of that story line. It's a great story that teen fans (and adult fans) will enjoy but be careful - a cliffhanger awaits you at the end of this one. Ugh.

Real Live Boyfriends by E. Lockhart

*yes, boyfriends, plural. if my life weren't complicated - I wouldn't be Ruby Oliver.


Real Live Boyfriends!

Definition:
A real live boyfriend does not contribute to your angst.
You do not wonder if he will call.
You do not wonder whether he will kiss you.
And he does not look at his phone while you are talking, to see if anyone has texted him.
Of course calls. He's your boyfriend!
And of course he listens. He's your real live boyfriend!

The opening, quoted above, starts with Ruby's standard list making. Ruby is finally in love and excited to have a Real Live Boyfriend! But, of course, the happy does not last and Ruby's other standard, self-questioning neurotic behavior, comes out when her boyfriend, Noel, visits New York to stay with his brother and stops acting like a real live boyfriend.

Just like the first three in this series, Ruby is self-involved and self-loathing all at the same time but continues to be amazingly witty and likeable throughout. I love this character. I love this book series. And I, especially, love this author. Give to those who want a lighter version of a Sarah Dessen book. Or to fans of Maureen Johnson, Lauren Myracle, and John Green.



Red Glove by Holly Black

In this sequel to White Cat, Cassel now knows that he is the rarest and most powerful of curse workers: a transformation worker. He also knows that his mother, an emotion worker, has cursed his friend Lila to make her fall madly in love with him. Cassel is trying his best to keep his worker gift a secret, avoid Lila until the curse wears off, solve his brother's recent murder, and decide if he wants to be a good guy or a bad guy.

The story moves along at a quick pace with a fantastic mix of mystery, fantasy, and romance. If you enjoyed White Cat, you will enjoy this one as well. For fans of Maggie Stiefvater, Cassandra Clare, and Kelley Armstrong.



The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan

Annah has been waiting in the Dark City for Elias to return for three years now and has decided to give up. The city is no longer safe, the Recruiters are no longer looking out for the good of the people, and she wants to see if anything is left of her original home or if the Unconsecrated (zombies) have taken it over. As she is leaving the city she sees her face in the crowd of people entering - her long lost twin sister, Gabry. Gabry has returned to the city with Catcher and is looking for Elias (all three characters we first met in The Dead-Tossed Waves) as well as hoping to find Annah. When "the horde" of Unconsecrated get into the city, they find refuge in the Sanctuary thanks to Catcher being immune to the virus. Elias, Gabry, and Annah are, however, held prisoner in the Sanctuary to make sure that Catcher (their only source for food and supplies from the outside world) will continue to work to bring back supplies. That is, until they plan their escape. But how can they escape without being attacked by the undead?
In this third and final book in the Forest of Hands and Teeth trilogy Ryan, once again, creates a love story in the middle of terrible circumstances. If you liked The Forest of Hands and Teeth and The Dead-Tossed Waves then you should eat this title up as well. As annoying as it is when authors turn a trilogy into more than three books, I would be willing to forgive in this instance - I am dying to know what happens next!

Trash by Andy Mulligan

In the near future, three boys live in a Third World country and make their living picking through the local dumpsite. That's what all the kids do - pick through trash. Usually, they don't find anything of much use but one day, Raphael finds something special. Something the police and government officials want to find desperately. Something that they might kill for. Raphael and his friends, Gardo and Rat, have to get to the bottom of why this find is so important to so many people and then decide what they should do with it? Turn it in for a reward? Or keep it for themselves?


I remember ordering this title because it had such good reviews but the topic (and, let's be real here, the cover art) did not appeal to me. The only reason I picked it up was because of the rave reviews during School Library Journal's Battle of the Books (it beat one of my favorites in the first round...). A quick and straight forward read, this book is a mystery about political corruption. While reading it, I was reminded of the movie City of God - mostly because it's about kids living in poverty in Brazil but also because that movie was something I wasn't excited about watching before I started it, but was very happy I did afterwards. I think if you can talk teens into reading it (tell them to overlook the cover) they should enjoy it.

White Cat by Holly Black

Death workers, luck workers, memory workers, with just the brush of the hand on skin, a curse worker can “work” their magic. Cassel’s mother, an emotion worker, is serving time in jail for making millionaires fall in love with her and give her all their money. Cassel’s childhood friend, Lila, the daughter of a famous worker crime boss, was killed by Cassel himself and his whole family has worked desperately to help cover that up. Or that’s what Cassel thought, until a white cat comes along and shows him something entirely different about his life or what he thought his life to be. Cassel has learned how to con from the best, his mother, and with those clever con skills he tries to figure out what happened in his past and what will happen in his future.


Holly Black creates a realistic yet totally eerie world where everyone, even non-curse workers, has to wear gloves because no one can be trusted, laws are being passed to force people to take worker tests to potentially keep track of who has the power, and crime bosses are as powerful as they were in the 20s. A truly creative and exciting read; I am looking forward to the next installment of the new Curse Workers series.



So remember that time I decided to start a blog...

Soooo, yeah.  It's been a while - sorry?

I have read loads of books between then and now and yet I haven't gone on here to review them.  Why? Because, for one, I hate writing and therefore have put it off for way too long.  Also, because it is fall and that means new tv and that means that my nights are booked (I am a loser, yes).  But, without further ado, I will list off the new books I have read and quickly tell you what I thought about them.

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
I listened to this one on audio book which is always a good bet with Sarah Dessen's books - whoever is in charge of choosing the voice actors, they do a good job.  This was a great book.  Dessen sticks to her normal format of a girl struggling to get comfortable with herself and meeting friends, especially a boy, who helps her accomplish what she needs.  Though this sounds like the opposite of a girl power novel, Dessen does a great job of not making the character come across as a needy damsel in distress.  A highly recommended read for teen girls.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
I was sooooo excited to read this.  I re-read The Hunger Games the weekend before so that I would remember everything and be ready for what Suzanne had planned next for Katniss and Peeta.  I was definitey not prepared and, for the most part, not disappointed.  In discussion with fellow Hunger Games lovers, it has come up that it was not as good as the original.  I, however, easily forgive this because almost all middle stories in a trilogy tend to be more transitional and therefore not as good.  (Except maybe The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner - all three of those books were equally awesome!)  With that being said, I will stand by the statement that Catching Fire is still pretty darn awesome.  The cruelty of the Captiol is astounding and scary.  We get to know Gale a bit more, Peeta continues to be absolutely amazing, and Katniss continues to frustrate us all with how obtuse she is to both politics and love.  She continues to be an absolute badass though and so we forgive her faults quickly.  A must read.

Front and Center by Catherine Murdock
I love D.J. Schwenk.  I love her voice, I love her strength, I loved the two previous books in which she was the star and I enjoyed this one as well.  As usual, I got a little frustrated with D.J. and her inability to talk and stand up for herself but that is who she is and in this book (as in the previous two) she makes some steps towards becoming more assertive and strong.  D.J., as the book's title alluded, is in the center of a lot more attention that she would like.  A close friend starts showing interest in D.J. as more than friends, but Brian Nelson isn't far from her mind or her life so it is hard for D.J. to decide what she wants romantically.  School coaches start showing some interest as well and D.J. is stuck trying to decide what she wants to do for college.  Also, Win's new project, getting D.J. recruited to a D-1 school for basketball, is making her crazy.  Pressure in all facets of life are forcing D.J. to make some tough decisions and stand up for herself.  It was a nice ending to, what I believe to be, the end of the Dairy Queen trilogy.