Laurel Series (books 1-3) by Aprilynne Pike

Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy/Romance

Author: She is the mother of four children and lives with her hubby and kids in Arizona. She earned her BA in creative writing in 3 years. She says that she is very lucky in that her children are very low maintenance so she is able to write even when they're awake and home. (What a blessing, right?) Her blog is here if you want more info on her.

Synopsis: These are the first three books in a four book series.

1. Wings: This is the first book in the series about a young woman named Laurel. She was adopted by her parents when she was 3 and living a normal life when something incredibly not normal happens. Suddenly she finds herself face to face with creatures she thought were completely fictional. They've been keeping an eye on her and making sure she was safe her whole life because she was one of them. She finds herself in danger and learns that she is what is standing between the enemy and home of her kind. Does she have the ability to save this magical world?
2. Spells: *SPOILER IF YOU HAVEN'T READ WINGS* Laurel spends her summer in Avalon, learning about the magics that she should have been learning her whole life. She is given the task to protect her human family and the land of her inheritance. Soon, she finds out that the trolls are back and someone knew is in town. A troll hunter named Klea. Is she what she claims to be? Has Barnes returned?
   Here is a video I found that sums up both Wings and Spells in preparation for Illusions:
3. Illusions: *SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN'T READ WINGS AND SPELLS YET* Drama is going on between David and Tamani -- fae vs human -- when Tamani enrolls in Laurel's human high school to keep a better eye on Laurel. Tamani has been assigned as her guardian because trouble is brewing. Big trouble that is bigger than any of them could ever guess.
   

Review: If you loved Twilight then you'll love Wings. It was a fun, quick read. There is, of course, the cliche love triangle going on with a girl, a human boy, and a non-human boy. There are mythical creatures who are enemies of each other, magic, and your regular teenage drama. I will say that Pike's world of the fae is very original and I love the idea of it. I won't go into detail here b/c I don't want to ruin anything but I love the idea. It kept my interest... in fact, I have a huge pile of dishes I need to wash now b/c I didn't want to stop reading long enough to wash them. ;) This would be a great read for people who have small children and have to constantly stop and start or for teenagers. It's definitely not a literary work of art but it's definitely fun and entertaining. I, personally, really enjoy this kind b/c I am one of those with small children and need something that I can pick up for small intervals so that I am able to care for the kids. hehe! I don't need anything that will make my head hurt right now. There was minor language and some "make-out" scenes but nothing inappropriate.


Rating: ***** 5 Stars

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The Witches by Roald Dahl

Genre: Juvenile/Paranormal

Author: Roald Dahl was born in 1916 and died in 1990. He's British and it's very obvious in his writing (I love it!). He became popular in the 1940s from both his children and adult books. He is most commonly known for James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. In his career he wrote over 60 short stories.

Synopsis: This is the story of a little boy who lives with his grandmother. She is a fascinating woman who is great at storytelling and knows a thing or two about witches. She warns her grandson how to recognize a witch so he isn't destroyed by her since it's all witches' goal to rid the world of children and, well, he's a child. What happens when he sees someone and recognizes the signs? What if that someone is the grand witch of all the world? How does the young hero of this story react? Well, you'll have to read the book to find out.

Review: My 5 yo, 3 yo and I read this one together. They loved it! I read lots of reviews where they discussed how scary this would be for children. This wasn't scary at all for my kids. They loved it and couldn't wait to find out what happened next. The only thing that bothered me was the ending. The immediate story was over but it led to another story that wasn't finished. Almost like this could have been a series or something but it never was. My 5 year old was a bit upset. He wanted more. He wanted to find out what happened after The End. Overall though, it was an excellent book and the kids really enjoyed it! This is a chapter book though so if your kids won't sit and listen then I don't recommend this book for them... yet...

Rating: **** 4 Stars (Only b/c of the ending.)

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The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy

Author: Rick is from Texas and went to University of Texas in Austin in 1986 where he double majored in history and english. He is most known for his Percy Jackson books.

Synopsis: This is set in the same world as the Percy Jackson series but the Percy Jackson series is not a pre-requisite in understanding this books. This book follows three kids -- Jason, Piper and Leo. All have special talents bestowed on them by one of their parents. Piper and Leo were both sent to a camp for problem teens and Jason suddenly appears there with no memory of where he came from. Life for these three turns upside down when wind spirits attack them and they are stolen away by strange people they have no idea who are. They suddenly realize that Olympus and the world are relying on them b/c of a prophecy. They set out together to save the world and to hopefully return as heroes.

Review: This was a fun adventure. I found myself laughing out loud several times and getting strange looks from my husband. Leo was the funniest and had some great lines throughout the book. I loved the mix of myths with reality. There was always something happening and it never seemed like a good point to pause my reading and do something else. Unfortunately, I had to once in a while even if it was only long enough to feed my kids. LOL! :) I have never read any of the Percy Jackson books and now I think I will have to get my hands on them. This was a fun read and I recommend it for anyone who is a fan of fantasy and/or Greek and Roman mythology.

Rating: ***** Stars

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13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

Genre: Young Adult/Fiction

Author: Maureen grew up in an all girls Catholic school. She graduated from the University of Delaware with a degree in writing. She now resides in New York. Her writing is based on experiences from her own life as she traveled all over Europe.

Synopsis: Ginny's aunt ran off to Europe for two years. Later, Ginny and her mom received word that he aunt died but she left Ginny a gift -- 13 blue envelopes. They led her to Europe and following the directions on the envelopes Ginny is able to accomplish things she thought were impossible and learned a bit more about herself and her aunt.

Review: This is an absolutely fabulous coming of age story. Some of the situations are unrealistic -- example -- a teenager traveling Europe on her own. Her mom doesn't know where she is or have any way to contact her. Yeap, I'd have a hard time with that and my own children. However, it was still a wonderful story! Despite the fact that it was a totally different genre than I normally read, I couldn't manage to keep my nose out of it. I wanted to find out what happened next. I loved the story! It was super super cute!!

Rating: **** Four Stars

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Unwind by Neal Shusterman

Genre: Young Adult/Sci-fi

Author: Neal Shusterman grew up in Brooklyn, NY. Just after he graduated college he got a book deal and was hired to write a movie script. He is a man of many talents from directing to writing music and stage plays, to movies, tv shows and, of course, novels. He currently resides in Southern California with his four children. For more information on him click here.

Synopsis: The book starts off stating the "The Bill of Life" which was passed after "The Heartland War".The Heartland War started b/c the pro-lifers and the pro-choicers couldn't agree and a second civil war started over the single issue of abortion. Finally, a decision was made that satisfied both sides of the conflict. In The Bill of Life it "states that human life may not be touched from the moment of conception until a child reaches the age of thirteen. However, between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, a parent may choose to retroactively 'abort' a child... on the condition that the child's life doesn't 'technically' end." (pg 10) The process they do this is by 'unwinding'. This is when the child is taken apart and every body part is reused in another as transplants/transfusions...etc. Anything! This story follows a few children who's parents or the state have decided should be unwound. However, they run!

Review: The whole concept of this futuristic story I found extremely disturbing yet I couldn't seem to stop reading it. I found myself completely sucked into Shusterman's futuristic world. It has drama, romance, and plenty of fighting and even some explosions. :) It was a fun read and 'realistic' in that everything doesn't end "happily ever after". However, it is the first of a series so I'm excitedly waiting for the next installment and maybe it will end somewhat happy. On the bright side, the ending of this book does have a finality so the reader isn't left with a cliff-hanger. (I hate those! ;) Parts of this book are a bit disturbing for obvious reasons. There is very little bad language in it and absolutely no sex scenes (a small amount of kissing is all). There are real life situations in it though and the reader goes through the process of unwinding through an unwound's point of view. It was interesting to read that part, and I went to bed after reading it and it led to very interesting dreams. If you are sensitive to things like that you may not want to read this book but if you're not then I highly recommend it! I thought it was a great read - controversial and thought-provoking.


Rating: **** Four Stars

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