"The Agency: A Spy in the House" by Y. S. Lee

Insurance fraud.
Sunken ships.
Guilt money.
A ransacked office.
There was at least one more missing detail...

Mary Lang is a preteen girl living in the streets of Victorian era London. She picks pockets and breaks into houses to survive, until she is caught and sentenced to hang.
When she is miraculously rescued from the gallows and sent to Miss Scrimshaw's Academy for Girls, it's a new life. A life away from the crime and theivery she left behind. It's a new chance to be independent- a rare thing in Victorian era Britain.
But when Mary, now going with the last name of Quinn, finds herself yearning for more, she is hired by the headmistresses of the academy to work for The Agency- a top secret detective agency exclusively for women agents.
Mary's thrilled to be working for The Agency, and even more thrilled when she recieves her first assignment. Posing as a hired companion, she's to assist a more experienced agent in investigating missing ships containing smuggled items. But not all is as it seems in the household, and no one is who they appear to be.

Just before he caught her, she had a moment of sick premonition. It had been the same way the first time- the last time- she'd been caught. A flash of dread, of knowing. And then it happened.

I picked this book up from the library because I'm fascinated by the Victorian era. I decided that it looked interesting, took it home, and read it in what would amount to about 24 hours. It's a pretty fast read, particularly once you get more than halfway into it.

The interesting thing about this book is not just that the characters are amazing, but that it seems like an incredibly realistic portrayal of Victorian era London. The jacket says that the author completed her PhD in Victorian literature and culture, and studied London. You can definitely tell this while reading the book- she includes many details that make the backdrop of this book to be exciting and foreign- and yet utterly realistic.

The characters are also quite amazing- Particularly James and Mary (the main characters), who happen to have some of the most wonderfully witty lines that I've read for a while.
However, although I enjoy the characters, I find the plot to be a little meandering and it has a slightly confusing end in my opinion. There were several times when I had to go back and reread as section because I didn't quite catch what was going on. Several times also near the end things just seem to go a little too good for the characters, with Mary's mysterious instincts. I also didn't particularly like the end- it was a little abrupt and it made me a little sad.
Despite this, I consider it to be a good book and if I see more from this series, I will be getting them from the library.

"The Falcon" by Jackie French Koller

"Sure." I heard Jim's pen scribbling again. "Our time's about up anyway. Just one more question, though. Do you have any idea why so many unusual things happen to you?"
"Yeah," I snarled. "God hates me."

Luke Carver is a 17 year old who can't seem to help getting in trouble. Every time he goes anywhere, he seems to get in trouble. He messes up so many times that it sure seems like God hates him. After all, how else would he get into such wacky, horrible situations?

Luke has secrets, though. There are things he hasn't told anyone. He hasn't even told his journal the full truth. After all, if it isn't his fault, why does he have to tell anyone?

"Yes," I said quietly. "I'm fine." Then I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the seat. I was tired, too. So, so tired...
Just like I am now.

This was one of the shortest books I think I've read. It was, strangely, also one of the most interesting. It was one of those books where you think that it's not going to be that gripping, but then you find yourself wondering, throughout the day, what's going to happen next.

I really liked the way that the author pulled out the mystery of what happened to Luke before the book started. It was really interesting, even though it wasn't as "dark" as they made it out to seem. It was interesting, though.

I would actually recommend this book to anyone who really liked The Catcher in the Rye, mostly because the writing style seemed quite similar to me, and it's about the same sort of aged guy.

All in all- pretty good of a book.

"Paper Towns" by John Green

"Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life–dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge–he follows. After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues–and they’re for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees of the girl he thought he knew."-goodreads

"The town was paper, but the memories were not."

In this edition of 'Sometimes Cat likes Contemporary', she falls hard for a book called "Paper Towns" by John Green. Not remarkable on the surface. The cover has a thumbtack on it and thumb tacks are cool but thumbtacks don't say, 'HEYTHISBOOKTHISBOOKTHISBOOKIT'SAMAZING'. The quote above about towns that are paper, or paper towns, that's amazing, right? It's good. It's SO good. This book. Too good. Written beautifully, oh so magnificently so. SO MANY quotable things in "Paper Towns" too. I figured it would be good, because of a few reasons: everyone seems to love John Green and his epic-nerdness and what isn't to love about epic nerd-ness? Nothing. Also, the vlogbrothers videos are excellent and nerdy and cool, and DFTBA (Don't Forget to be Awesome) and stuff. But mainly, last year my friend KT was talking about this book and was like, 'YOUNEEDTOREADTHISBOOK' and I was kind of like, 'yeah, I should do that sometime!' but mostly it left my mind. I was re-interested in reading it because of all the talk about "The Fault in Our Stars", Green's upcoming novel, and borrowed it from her and oooh I loved it. 

First, I loved the characters. I loved Quentin and his weirdness and his tendency to be timid and how he thought Margo was so awesome in the true sense of the word awesome. I liked his friends and how he had real life teenage friend relationships and how sometimes you have weird friends and that's okay and when it comes down to it your friends are there for you and you'd die for them and them you, probably. I liked Margo Roth Spiegalman and her epic-ness and how she has the name Margo Roth Spiegalman and how her full name in its Margo Roth Spiegalman glory is used casually in the book just because she's Margo Roth Spiegalman. I appreciated her clever escapades and her willfulness to live by her own agenda and taking charge. I liked that she roped Quentin into her master plan and as that's going you begin to see her vulnerability and the true Margo Roth Spiegalman and not just the idea that Quentin and everyone else has of Margo Roth Spiegalman. I also like that I just used her name like 6 times and I'm okay with that. I like that this book has such a crisp and unique oh-so-very realistic and clever voice and it's addictive. I like that this book is forcing me to write a review where I break all kinds of grammatical rules because it's inappropriate that I just used the word 'and' so many times but I don't mind because that's the way I feel about this book.

What I'm saying is, "Paper Towns" broke some rules for me, but that was great and it was great otherwise as well. It made me use "and" so many times in this review that it should be illegal. It made me be in awe of a character with a name like Margo Roth Spiegalman and it was awesome. It had nerd-ness and fabulous adjectives. There was an epic road trip (two, if you count the first adventure), and it wasn't even that cliche even thought it should've been. It introduced me to the concept of paper towns in more ways than one, and a fabulous little place in New York called Agloe and its overwhelming population count of one.

"The Shattering" by Karen Healey

"Seventeen-year-old Keri likes to plan for every possibility. She knows what to do if you break an arm, or get caught in an earthquake or fire. But she wasn't prepared for her brother's suicide, and his death has left her shattered with grief. When her childhood friend Janna tells her it was murder, not suicide, Keri wants to believe her. After all, Janna's brother died under similar circumstances years ago, and Janna insists a visiting tourist, Sione, who also lost a brother to apparent suicide that year, has helped her find some answers.
As the three dig deeper, disturbing facts begin to pile up: one boy killed every year; all older brothers; all had spent New Year's Eve in the idyllic town of Summerton. But when their search for the serial killer takes an unexpected turn, suspicion is cast on those they trust the most.
As secrets shatter around them, can they save the next victim? Or will they become victims themselves?"-goodreads

This book was weird. I don't mean that in a bad way-- I consider myself weird (hopefully in a good way), I think my friends are weird (definitely in a good way), and basically the rest of the world weird (in its own special way). It was really suspenseful, too. I think the multiple perspectives were smart, they made each of the characters shine just a little bit more and kept up the suspense. Why did multiple characters/perspectives keep up the suspense? Not each of the characters knew what the other one knew so it was a lot of back and forth. It was a mystery, a true mystery book, keeping me flipping pages for the 'who did it??!?" conclusion until the end. The ending shocked me. Let me rephrase that-- parts of the ending were how I *thought* it would end but other parts I didn't think would happen or hadn't even considered. That's always good, a shocking ending when it makes sense and if it's really a knock-you-off-your-feet kind of thing that's even better.

This book was a lot to think about; a lot to consider. I questioned how I would react, and if I would go about solving the mystery the same way. I love books that do that! I also appreciate when a book keeps you thinking about it or its ending and it sticks with you for a while, which it already has ('what?' you ask. 'You just posted the review, how would you know that!?' Actually I read it over a week ago, maybe two weeks, but I've been having trouble *actually* gathering my thoughts about it. And I've been busy.. ANYWAY...), and it will probably continue. It's also a stand-alone. I like when I can get the ACTUAL WHOLE STORY and it EVEN has the nerve to pack a punch. Not that I hate series, it's clear that I don't, but once in a while, seriously: STANDALONE BOOKS. 

I'd recommend "The Shattering" to someone looking for a dark, stand-alone, mystery book packed with suspense with an ending that will shock you.
Thank you Little Brown for the opportunity to review this book. As usual, that didn't alter my opinion!

"City of Orphans" by Avi

"The streets of 1893 New York are full of life: crowded, filthy, dangerous. If you are a newsboy like thirteen-year- old Maks Geless, you need to watch out for Bruno, leader of the Plug Ugly Gang whose shadowy, sinister boss is plotting to take control of all the newsies on the lower East Side. With Bruno’s boys in fierce pursuit, Maks discovers Willa, a strange girl who lives alone in an alley. It is she, stick in hand, who fights off the Plug Uglies--but further dangers await. Maks must find a way to free his sister Emma from The Tombs, the city jail where she has been imprisoned for stealing a watch at the glamorous new Waldorf Hotel. Maks, believing her innocent, has only four days to prove it. Fortunately, there is Bartleby Donck, the eccentric lawyer (among other employments) to guide Maks and Willa in the art of detection. Against a backdrop alive with the sights and sounds of tenement New York, Maks, as boy detective, must confront a teeming world of wealth and crime, while struggling against powerful forces threatening new immigrants and the fabric of family love."-goodreads

I haven't read a really good middle-grade in quite a while (aside that I'm currently re-reading "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" at a snail like pace to go along with Pottermore). I don't read middle-grade very often, but when I do I usually enjoy it (well, actually, specifically, I've said it before and I'll say it again: I enjoy any kind of book, as long is it's good, to me. That's the obvious requirement, and that's all.) "City of Orphans" fulfilled the good book requirement as well as the 'good middle-grade since I haven't read one in a while' requirement.


I really liked Maks, the main character. Throughout the novel, he deals with a whole lot of problems amicably but realistically. He experienced set backs and not everything went as planned, and that seems to happen too much especially in middle-grade. It wasn't a complete fairy tale. Willa was pretty epic too, tough girl who's also sensitive (which has been done a million times, but still). While I thought the characters were likable, I 
didn't necessarily think they had as much depth as I would have liked... 

The overall plot was good, well paced, a mystery that kept you reading to find out who the crook was, and when I did find out I was pretty sad for -insert character here-. I also liked that between the writing and the few illustrations scattered through out I felt the book come to life-- which is really important for the middle grade genre, I think (but any genre for the most part!)! The voice is quite important too and I thought that was also great. The bottom line: A great historical, stand-alone, middle-grade novel!

Thank you Simon&Schuster for the opportunity to review this book, readers, as usual it in no way affected my opinion!

"Hourglass" by Myra McEntire

Encounter with Hourglass (random and in second person, filled with randomness and some improper sentences, not at all a 'proper' review):
It’s a month or two before the release date of Hourglass and you’re browsing around goodreads and you spot a pretty nice cover. You click it and look a tad closer. Oh, that’s a nice dress, you think, and the font is kinda fancy pants, in a good way. Woah there, wait a second, shut the front door-- is that the FLOOR on the right side? Meaning she’s walking on the ceiling? What huh? So you read the description. Hm. Time travel. She see’s people from the past. A girl named Emerson? Hmmm. Tres interessant. You add it to your TBR.  Then your hanging around on twitter and you follow the author Myra McEntire and she says a lot of funny stuff and you’re like, hahaha. Then people are saying really awesome shhttuuff about it and then you’re really sold. Fast forward, it comes out, you order the book. It gets to your house and you open the box after taking forever to open the stinkin box because, geez, there’s a lot of tape on that thing. Two things: the book is sparkly and also you touch it and it’s SOFT. It has this weird velvet-y finish thing and it’s cool.
It sits on your shelf for about a month and then you finally go, I must read this shiny/soft book about time travel because you’re a very random mood-reader and a book about time-travel seems pretty cool right now.  Then you start reading. You’re addicted immediately and it’s 400 pages and you think it’s going to take forever but you finish it that night.
Looking back, you realize that when you opened the book you must not have seen the whole picture, you didn’t noticed the beam of light that MUST have been expelled from the pages and the unicorns and rainbows that were dancing around in front of you waving banners that said you’d love it, and you must not have heard the chorus of angels and stuff singing. Because that HAD to have been happening. The sheer awesomeness, you knowww?

So that’s me and my random thought process. I loved it. That was how I chose to convey it. Emerson is awesome and I think a proper way to describe her would be 1) awesome and 2)a cross between Evie from Paranormalcy and Frankie from The Disreputable History of Frankie-Landau Banks. Witty, slightly sarcastic and just humorous. Totally Team Michael, just so you know. Also, time traveling. That’s SO COOL. I haven't read a lot of YA books about time travel. Now I have. It was awesome. I need a sequel. (Right this second.) I realize the above ‘Encounter with Hourglass’ was very dramatized but it was indeed a very good book. :)

"Possess" by Gretchen McNeil

August 23rd, 2011

"Fifteen-year-old Bridget Liu just wants to be left alone: by her mom, by the cute son of a local police sergeant, and by the eerie voices she can suddenly and inexplicably hear. Unfortunately for Bridget, it turns out the voices are demons – and Bridget has the rare ability to banish them back to whatever hell they came from.
Terrified to tell people about her new power, Bridget confides in a local priest who enlists her help in increasingly dangerous cases of demonic possession. But just as she is starting to come to terms with her new power, Bridget receives a startling message from one of the demons. Now Bridget must unlock the secret to the demons' plan before someone close to her winds up dead – or worse, the human vessel of a demon king."-goodreads

The genre that is paranormal YA is normally dominated by vampires, faeries, witches, angels, and ghosts, so Possess is a refreshing book. Its paranormal element is possessions by demons. As in people being possessed, and a lead character who goes to catholic school and has special exorcism talents. (That part sounded lame. But trust me-- Possess is anything other than lame!) 

Suffice to say, Possess is not your average paranormal book. But what else is awesome about it? Bridget is a really likeable and easy-to-relate-to character; not overly sarcastic or smart or anything, she just seems normal. She's an outcast at her catholic school as she's never been very popular or very good at making friends-- but that doesn't matter, she's okay with the friends she has. She has faced the tragedy of her father's death and will only find more as the book progresses, but the book was emotional without being overly heavy and Bridget wasn't a completely depressed character all the time. I'm a big fan of Matt, and Bridget's younger brother Sammy as well, he was cute.

Possess was a perfect combination of a good characters, quickly progressing and mysterious plot, extreme creepiness, and suspense. It was SO creepy. I read most of it late at night and that was kind of a mistake-- much jumping at every small noise ensued. I felt the voice held a lot of Bridget's personality for being in third person, with little quips of her sarcasm inserted after some situations; simple things like 'awesome' near the end of a scary situation, which occasionally added light and necessary humor. If you like creepy books and don't want your average paranormal book, I highly suggest you pick up Possess when it comes out; it's all kinds of awesome!
ARC received through review program at my awesome library. Thank you!

"Death Cloud" by Andrew Lane

"It is the summer of 1868, and Sherlock Holmes is fourteen. On break from boarding school, he is staying with eccentric strangers—his uncle and aunt—in their vast house in Hampshire. When two local people die from symptoms that resemble the plague, Holmes begins to investigate what really killed them, helped by his new tutor, an American named Amyus Crowe. So begins Sherlock’s true education in detection, as he discovers the dastardly crimes of a brilliantly sinister villain of exquisitely malign intent."-goodreads

Confession: I have not yet read the Sherlock Holmes tales completely. I've wanted to, but I haven't. Upon finishing this clever novel, my interest has been renewed-- I hope to do so soon! This novel, and Sherlock himself, were very good. If I had to compare it to something I'd say Alex Rider. (Getting himself into messes, playing the hero, all that.) Except, you know, it's 1868! Death Cloud is definitely a true mystery book; which I wouldn't say is something I've read a lot of in YA. Although I could probably call Uncommon Criminals a mystery!

I liked the setting of this book. The areas of England (and everywhere else Sherlock ends up, you'll see) that it takes place in are described really well, a clear picture was painted in my head. I liked Sherlock a lot, along with Matty, Virginia, and Mr. Crowe. A strength for the characters in this novel is that each of the side characters had a back story without it feeling like too much, like they were the main character all of a sudden, which seems to happen quite a bit if you know the other characters too well... Sherlock was really likable, and I think his biggest strength was that while clever, witty, and quick to react, he didn't seem perfect, and the whole mystery didn't seem completely easy for him to solve. 


The pace was slightly slow at times, and I noticed some inconsistencies sometimes... for example, I recall in one paragraph, I think it was Virginia, was sitting down, got up, and was fighting someone and then all of a sudden she was sitting next to Sherlock again; which I didn't really get. Other than those though, I can't really think of any problems! A very good book overall; it paints an awesome portrait of teenage Sherlock Holmes! I'd definitely recommend this as a pre-read to the complete Sherlock Holmes as if you haven't already read it, it will inspire you too; and surely a must for anyone who has enjoyed those stories. I'm very excited for the sequel coming this fall!

"Uncommon Criminals" by Ally Carter

"Katarina Bishop has worn a lot of labels in her short life: Friend. Niece. Daughter. Thief. But for the last two months she’s simply been known as the girl who ran the crew that robbed the greatest museum in the world. That’s why Kat isn’t surprised when she’s asked to steal the infamous Cleopatra Emerald so it can be returned to its rightful owners.
There are only three problems. First, the gem hasn’t been seen in public in thirty years. Second, since the fall of the Egyptian empire and the suicide of Cleopatra, no one who holds the emerald keeps it for long — and in Kat’s world, history almost always repeats itself. But it’s the third problem that makes Kat’s crew the most nervous, and that is . . . the emerald is cursed.
Kat might be in way over her head, but she’s not going down without a fight. After all, she has her best friend — the gorgeous Hale — and the rest of her crew with her as they chase the Cleopatra around the globe, dodging curses and realizing that the same tricks and cons her family has used for centuries are useless this time.
Which means, this time, Katarina Bishop is making up her own rules."-goodreads
Uncommon Criminals is my favorite book that I’ve read by Ally Carter so far! It was thrilling, captivating, witty, and interesting sequel to Heist Society! While you could probably read Uncommon Criminals without having read Heist Society-- I definitely recommend that you do though, it was amazing as well!

One of my favorite things about both Heist Society and Uncommon Criminals is that they’re very intelligent books. All of the characters are rather witty, especially Kat. There’s random facts and bits of trivial information scattered over each page, which helps to make everything so interesting.  The settings of Uncommon Criminals (as well as its predecessor) are impeccable. The book takes place all over the world, and it’s written so that you can see all in brilliant depth in your mind.

The voice is amazing. The writing flows at a perfect pace, never a dull moment or a slow spot-- but never so fast that you miss anything major. The characters are great (again)! Kat is very relatable and a grand heroine for the books. Hale is still… HALE. J Very likeable and loyal to Kat and the gang. There are so many surprising elements to the story, and there are even bits toward the end where you, the reader, feels as though they’re being conned-- but not in a bad way-- because everything is not what it seems.

Overall, if you liked Heist Society you absolutely must read Uncommon Criminals. If you haven’t read Heist yet, you have to do that. Now. These books are awesome! I really, REALLY hope that there is a third (or 10. Never enough heists, you know.)  book.

"Red Glove" (Curseworkers, #2) by Holly Black

**I will not be including a summary with this review. The official one, as well as any I can think to make up are very SPOILER-Y for those who have not read “White Cat”. This review will also be slightly spoiler-y as many sequel reviews are at least tiny bit, and one of the main characters existing is a spoiler to White Cat. If you haven’t read White Cat read that review and I suggest you skip this one! You‘ve been WARNED.**

I was very excited to finally read Red Glove after enjoying White Cat so much. Part of me thought that White Cat couldn’t possibly have a sequel that came close to its awesomeness, but I was wrong. I did prefer White Cat, actually, but not because there is anything wrong with Red Glove-- it was great.

Diving back into the seamlessly built word where ‘curseworking’ is the ultimate crime and having bare hands (as in not wearing gloves) is basically equivalent to running around naked, is an epic experience. I love the world that Holly Black has created. It’s magic in a very modern setting, where it’s crime and not whimsy. I loved that in White Cat and it’s just as epic in Red Glove. That being said, world-building is my favorite part of this series so far.

The crime families continue to get more complicated; the death of a patriarch included and the rising of Lila upon her return. Cassel continues to get himself into more problems than he can take bets on. The character development is still quite good and the story still almost seems real. The twists and turns come with every fast-paced page just like in White Cat, with no slow times. Cassel and Lila both make choices regarding their futures that you probably didn’t see coming-- I know I didn’t. Characters are not who they say they are and plans that were working are quick to crumble. It’s one of those books that you don’t want to put down. If you liked White Cat I definitely recommend you continue the series, I highly doubt you’ll be let down.

"The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson

"Seventeen-year-old Jenna Fox has just awoken from a year-long coma — so she’s been told — and she is still recovering from the terrible accident that caused it. But what happened before that? She’s been given home movies chronicling her entire life, which spark memories to surface. But are the memories really hers? And why won’t anyone in her family talk about the accident? Jenna is becoming more curious. But she is also afraid of what she might find out if she ever gets up the courage to ask her questions. What happened to Jenna Fox? And who is she really?"-goodreads


The Adoration of Jenna Fox is a really addictive read. There are constant new developments, character depth always increasing, suspense building, and the all-around mystery entices you to read one more page.... another page... just one more, until you've finished the book. It's not broken up into your average chapters but into parts. Some sections are interrupted by gray pages with free-verse sort of poems by Jenna, which really show her feelings and deepen the connection that the reader automatically has with her. It's brilliant.


Jenna is a really fascinating character. What I felt was probably the greatest aspect of the whole book is that since you only know the story as she figures it out --although sometimes there are hints along the way that she doesn't pick up on and you probably will-- there's a whole air of suspense. WHO is Jenna? WHAT is Jenna? WHY is Jenna? Those are all questions that will keep drifting through your head as you read it. It's another one of those *dundundun* books that make you think. The whole book is basically about her, and gosh I've never thought a character could make up most of the plot successfully, but it did. I felt a real connection with Jenna the whole time as well.


The other characters were also good, well-developed as they could be. Another fascinating aspect was the changing of views of the parents. Throughout the book I saw them as normal, controlling, mean, evil, good, considerate, and caring; some of those at the same time and not in that order. 


The whole aspect of what Jenna was and leaving it for you to decide just as it was for her to decide whether it was 'right' or not was really good. The ending wrapped things up in a way you wouldn't expect, not a cliffhanger. One of those ones where you kind of make your own mind up about whether it was right/wrong/whatever. The whole consideration of science vs. natural order of things is just intelligent in the book. I didn't think this book was a series and I guess it wasn't going to be but there's a sequel, "The Fox Inheritance" coming out in August which I really look forward to!

"The Compound" by S.A. Bodeen

"Eli and his family have lived in the underground Compound for six years. The world they knew is gone, and they've become accustomed to their new life. Accustomed, but not happy.
For Eli, no amount of luxury can stifle the dull routine of living in the same place. with only his two sisters, only his father and mother, doing the same thing day after day after day.
As problems with their carefully planned existence threaten to destroy their sanctuary - and their sanity - Eli can't help but wonder if he's rather take his chances outside.
Eli's father built the Compound to keep them safe. But are they safe - or sorry?"-goodreads 

When I started this book, and until I was about half way through the book, I didn’t like it very much. I found the main character, Eli, rather complain-y. I had no connection with him. The whole story was going kind of slow for me. It wasn’t one of those ‘I have to keep reading this or else I will possibly die’ books. I questioned the writing, although it did seem to be specific to Eli, because it seemed like the way he would think, which is why it went back and forth some, I figured.

Once the story picked up, though, a bit past halfway through, IT PICKED UP. It got a lot more fast-paced for me, much more interesting, and I started to connect more with Eli. As it developed, The Compound turned less into some post-apocalyptic situation with an enclosing compound to an all out thriller of a sadistic story.

There were some horrifying things going on in the book, including the all-around-seeming psychological deterioration and the original mental state of the father, later revealed. Nothing was what you thought, and seeing it from Eli’s point of view helped that because you only knew what he knew with maybe some inklings of your own. The ending was satisfying, and especially the last bit before the end, you just couldn’t stop reading. The characters were interesting and they all had mysteries to uncover of their own, especially the completely psychotic dad.

Really, the book was kind of a dystopian bit of psychological thriller book. I can’t really say why without spoiling the thing. I’d really just go with psychological thriller with some real ‘woah’s of topics. I ended up real enjoying the book and it haunts me as I write this review because it’s another type of story where you go, what the heck would I do? Would I go to see them (can‘t say who ‘them‘ are)? Would I live there? Would I kill myself? What WOULD I DO? Anyway, if you’re into psychological thriller sorts of books or you’re a die-hard dystopian fan, you’ll probably enjoy The Compound!

"A Touch Mortal" by Leah Clifford

"Eden didn’t expect Az.
Not his saunter down the beach toward her. Not his unbelievable pick up line. Not the instant, undeniable connection. And not his wings.
Yeah.
So long happily-ever-after.
Now trapped between life and death, cursed to spread chaos with her every touch, Eden could be the key in the eternal struggle between heaven and hell. All because she gave her heart to one of the Fallen, an angel cast out of heaven.
She may lose everything she ever had. She may be betrayed by those she loves most. But Eden will not be a pawn in anyone else’s game. Her heart is her own.
And that’s only the beginning of the end."-goodreads

I've somehow read a lot of rather dark books in a row as of late, and A Touch Mortal is no exception (I'm now reading something rather fluffy, you need that once in a while). That being said, it was a good dark book. 

The plot moved just fast enough that I never felt like I was stuck anywhere or it was moving to slow; it was a rather quick read. The whole book has enough tension so that you always feel like something big is just around the corner (and half the time, there is) which keeps you going, 'one more page. one more chapter. 50 pages, and I'm going to bed, darnit.', and then you finish the book.


The whole plot and concept were complex. The idea of the fallen angels, the bound, and the ones without paths, siders. That was intriguing, I haven't read a lot of angel books, so that kept me interested as well. Eden and Az had a very interesting relationship, and I don't want to say they were cute together-- that just seems lame-- but they were. At the beginning I wasn't buying it (love at first sight? what? huh?) but then it just seemed right for them.


All of the characters were quite interesting, all of their problems, histories, and abilities. There were surprises, and most things weren't at all what you expected them to be. As has happened a few times for me lately, I never felt like I connected with the main character, Eden. It wasn't that I didn't like her, and it wasn't that she was underdeveloped... I don't know, it just didn't click. That didn't hinder me from enjoying the story though, so it's fine.


Anyway, overall, A Touch Mortal is a very dark, interesting, complex, and enjoyable read, so long as you like that kind of thing (which I do). It's very unique as well. I look forward to the next one, A Touch Morbid, when it comes out!

"Shadowed Summer" by Saundra Mitchell

"Iris is ready for another hot, routine summer in her small Louisiana town, hanging around the Red Stripe grocery with her best friend, Collette, and traipsing through the cemetery telling each other spooky stories and pretending to cast spells. Except this summer, Iris doesn’t have to make up a story. This summer, one falls right in her lap.
Years ago, before Iris was born, a local boy named Elijah Landry disappeared. All that remained of him were whispers and hushed gossip in the church pews. Until this summer. A ghost begins to haunt Iris, and she’s certain it’s the ghost of Elijah. What really happened to him? And why, of all people, has he chosen Iris to come back to?"-goodreads


First things first: This book was refreshing! Why? Because it was good, but it was a standalone. I felt satisfied with how it wrapped up, which I often don't with standalone books, without having to read a sequel to get the whole story! Don't get me wrong. I like series of books, however, I don't appreciate it when EVERY book is a series-- especially those times when you don't even know it is/will be one. 


Saundra Mitchell's writing. Ohmygosh. I read the Vespertine and really liked the story but my favorite part was Mrs. Mitchell's writing style. It's unique, rather poetic, and rather visual. Shadowed Summer is super creepy and gothic, emphasized by her writing. 


The whole thing was creepy, really Iris and Colette's pretending to be witches gone wrong, when something ACTUALLY happens and there's an actual ghost. Not a quiet ghost either, this ghost had a story to tell and a mystery to be solved. The whole thing wraps up in a way you wouldn't expect; as the story goes on, Colette and Iris think they know what happened, and the reader thinks they do too; but then it's not what you expect!


If you want a really creepy gothic type of book that's written well and is a relatively short STAND ALONE read, then check out Shadowed Summer.

"My Father's Son" by Terri Fields

She tells us that we will need to understand and abide by the rules.
"I hate rules," Tattoo Tom says.


Kevin Windor, 17 years old, is pretty average. He's taking AP classes, lives with his mom but spends weekends with his dad. He has a best friend, a crush, and he loves basketball. He's average, his life is average, and he doesn't think it's going to change.
"This is just in. In a spectacular development, the alleged DB25 Monster has been arrested. Police apprehended him trying to escape through the bathroom window of 32-year-old Joyce Garlen's apartment...."
Then the camera switches from the anchor to a mug shot of the monster they caught. And it is my face-or at least my face as it will look in 20 years.
And just like that, his life is changed.
His dad is behind bars, accused of being a serial killer. He's got problems at school now, but his main concern is his father.
How does a 17-year-old convince the world that his father is innocent... When all the evidence points otherwise?


I don't tell Nancy that I won't hear from Lani, that we were two lost people trying to get through one lonely Saturday night. I don't have a phone number for her; I don't even know if she has a phone. I tell myself that at least Lani's pretty tough. That should help her wherever she is; I just hope it will be enough.


This was a pretty epic book. The character, Kevin, was incredibly likable. He was interesting, and average enough in the way he acted and thought, that you associated with him. But he was also just a good person.. which I thought helped a lot.

The plot of the book also helped, seeing how one moment you thought his dad did it... the next moment you didn't think so.. the next moment you weren't sure. There was also a spectacular plot twist at the end (I swear, it's in the last few chapters), which was really interesting.

This was a quick read (it only took me a few hours) and I'd recommend it if you're looking for a good book but you don't have that much time to read. :)

"White Cat" (Curseworkers, #1) by Holly Black

"Cassel comes from a family of curse workers — people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they're all mobsters, or con artists. Except for Cassel. He hasn't got the magic touch, so he's an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail — he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago. Ever since, Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade starts crumbling when he starts sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He's noticing other disturbing things, too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him, caught up in a mysterious plot. As Cassel begins to suspect he's part of a huge con game, he also wonders what really happened to Lila. Could she still be alive? To find that out, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen."-goodreads

I know that Holly Black has come out with a bunch of YA stuff other than the Curseworkers series, but White Cat is the first I've read. I didn't even realize she was coming out with any YA stuff for quite a while. I'm very glad I did find out. I love Holly Black's writing, and I've loved it ever since I was 7 or 8 and picked up her "The Spiderwick Chronicles" series, which I adored. Ate it up. I read all of them, over and over, in VERY short periods of time. I figured, after loving those so much, I'd have to adore her newer stuff. I did!

The crime family of 'workers' situation, a little bit like that of Heist Society by Ally Carter was very cool. The theme of complicated family situations throughout the book was great. The universe where everyone's a worker, or they're not, and that it's wrong, but it's not against the law-- that whole concept was really great. It was so out of the ordinary, yet Mrs. Black managed to make it feel like real life. The whole book felt really real, so real that it's probably an account of something actually happening. That's how real her writing is.


White Cat took a lot of complicated, surprising, sometimes very confusing twists and turns. I really enjoyed all of them as they were almost all VERY surprising, but they confused me at times. Big changes happened in very little time with little explanation sometimes. At first, I didn't like this at all but THEN I really liked it, because it felt very real, and felt very much like I was seeing everything the way Cassel was. He was confused. He didn't expect these things. He wasn't a worker. He didn't know what his family was doing... all of it just illustrated how he didn't know what he was doing, it just all lead back to a gritty real-ness of the whole book. 

Going along with the theme of real-ness, the characters were really complex and believable as well. I really liked Cassel and Lila and pretty much everyone. Barron was a tragic and interesting case. The cat was an interesting character, but I kind of already said that... didn't I? If you read the book you know what I'm talking about. If not, you'll find out.


I loved that it was complicated crime families. I loved that it was modern magic-- no faeries, no wands, no bunnies flying out of hats. A very believable fantasy, where magic is cursing and it effects people-- whether the person doing it knows it- or not. I really enjoyed White Cat and if you enjoyed Black's earlier books or Heist Society and anything else along those lines you'll like it too.

"Clockwork Angel" by Cassandra Clare (Infernal Devices, #1)

Tessa Gray's parents are dead. She lives with her Aunt in New York. Her brother, Nathaniel, went away a while ago to London for work. Her aunt has died and she's going to travel across the seas to her brother so they can live in London. Little does she know, her brother doesn't wait for her in London, but terrible forces do. There's evil and lots of knowledge waiting for Tessa in London; along with her brother. She'll also meet up with a lot of shadowhunters, including an attractive; seemingly emotionless one. That's how Clockwork Angel starts.

Clockwork Angel is the first book in a planned trilogy that is going to be a prequel sort of series to The Mortal Instruments. The other two books in the Infernal Devices series are going to be called "Clockwork Prince" and "Clockwork Princess".

I have a confession: I haven't read the Mortal Instruments yet. I plan to, especially after reading this book, but I haven't yet. My friend told me there weren't any spoilers and I could start with Clockwork Angel if I liked. I decided to.

It was really good. I haven't read a whole lot of books regarding demons, so that was a plus. There were vampires, but not cheesy sparkly ones. There was talk of warlocks, which is cool. The thing I like about that is the multiple types of paranormal, not just one.

Tessa, Jem, and Will were fascinating characters, as were pretty much everyone else. I enjoyed their back stories, all unique. Tessa's unknowingly not being totally human. Jem's disease due to poison and torture. Will's mysterious background.

There was a lot of fighting and action, along with mysteries and good stories and descriptions, so that was good. A lot of enjoyable elements. It's another book set in the 1800s, which was kind of cool after having just read The Vespertine. It was very creepy and gothic.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I think I will appreciate it even more after I read The Mortal Instruments! (Which I plan to do. Soon!) I'm also very much looking forward to Clockwork Prince!

"Beautiful Creatures" by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

"Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.
In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything."-goodreads

I have to admit, I almost didn't read this book. There were several reasons involved in this: when it came out, it was during the time where every single book was about VAMPIRES. Read the description. The 'secret' could easily be vampires, right? Second; it's LONG. I LOVE long books, because as long as a book is good it can go on forever and I'll be happy about that. But, despite people saying good things about it I thought it was about vampires and I'd read enough of those.

Fast-Forward to 2 weeks ago at the library. I saw this book sitting on the shelf and read the description again. I recalled thinking it was about vampires, but realized it never said that, and a couple of my friends are really into this book and had recommended it to me. I decided I'd read it and if it was bad or about vampires or it was Twilight with a different cover, I wouldn't finish it.

I finally got around to picking it up and oh. my. god. It was so good! I loved how it was paranormal and a paranormal romance but it wasn't vampires. It wasn't poorly written- in fact, it was SUPER-written. It was 566 pages of AWESOME. It was a long book- but even after reading 566 pages of it I found myself not wanting it to end. Why? Read on.

First: Setting. This novel is paranormal and it's in the modern world, but it's set in the South in an area with constant Civil War reenactments and a lot of history. I think this is the first book that I've ever read that was a Contemporary/Paranormal/Historical/Romance all at the same time, without a lot of over-empowerment from any of those.

Characters. I loved Ethan. He seemed really cool. I haven't actually read that many books that I've enjoyed that are narrated by guys, and I definitely liked this one the best. I also just liked him as a character. Lena was really cool, obviously, and she was just unique all around.

Casters. The whole witch-type-of-thing-but-not-quite was pretty unique and I really liked it.

I'm not going to go on much more because I'll get overly gush-ish and I'll probably spoil everything for you, but all I can say is that if you're not afraid of large books (with equally large sequels, Beautiful Darkness is just as long), with cool writing, interesting characters, a great setting, and overall a book that I'm calling Contemporary/Paranormal/Historical/Romance, then I recommend picking up Beautiful Creatures.

"The Forest of Hands and Teeth" by Carrie Ryan

"In Mary's world, there are simple truths. The Sisterhood always knows best. The Guardians will protect and serve. The Unconsecrated will never relent.
And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village. The fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth.
   But slowly, Mary's truths are failing her. She's learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power. And, when the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness.
   Now she must choose between her village and her future, between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. could there be life outside a world surrounded by so much death?" -the inside flap of the book

"The Forest of Hands and Teeth" is definitely one of my new favorite books, and one of the best books I've read so far in 2011! It's packed full of interesting and what I consider well formed characters, action, excitement, intensity, suspense, romance, danger, darkness, and scary elements all over. It's not just a book about zombies, by any means. It's not just a post-apocalypse novel. It's a post zombie apocalypse adventure filled engrossing novel filled with darkness, emotion, romance, and suspense (that should be stamped across the front of the book so that everyone knows). Mary's world is a terrifying, but realistic seeming take on the small world that might still exist after a zombie apocalypse occurred.  This is not one of those zombie books that's just packed with action, or guts, or gore; those elements are present in the book, but in the most beneficial way that it's perfect for the story. The way the Unconsecrated behave, the way they infect, their relentlessness.. it's just incredible. The Sisterhood and their mysteriousness, their usage of religion and threats of a divine power, God, to control the people in the village (though they don't really know it) were brilliant is well.... I could go on and on about how awesome this book is, but I'd spoil everything and you'd probably get bored, so I'll stop here and just say that I definitely rate The Forest of Hands and Teeth 5 stars, and say that I'm so looking forward to reading The Dead Tossed Waves (which was released last year) and The Dark and Hollow Places which comes out this month!

If you'd like to learn more about "The Forest of Hands and Teeth" go to Carrie Ryan's website.

"The Morgue and Me" by John C. Ford

"Christopher just needed a job to kill time the summer after high school graduation. He didn’t expect it to be in the morgue. Or that he would accidentally discover a murder cover-up. Or that his discovery would lead him to a full-blown investigation involving bribery, kidnappings, more murders . . . and his best friend. And he certainly could never have predicted that Tina—loud, insanely hot, ambitious newspaper reporter Tina—would be his partner. But all of that did happen. And Christopher’s life will never be the same." -the penguin website


I saw this book and thought, hey, a kid working at a morgue, a murder, a new kind of detective mystery... that's kinda interesting! I read this book, and from when I started it, I quite liked it. I thought it was interesting. I also liked that it was kind of a new thing, because I haven't recently seen any books about a teenage boy getting a summer job at a morgue and discovering that there's a murder being covered up. I enjoyed the story, and I liked the characters. I thought the person that turned out to be the murderer was really surprising, I didn't expect that person to have done it. I think the only problems I had with this book were that sometimes the characters reacted ways and did things suddenly that I found kind of improbable, and I also noticed somewhere in the middle until towards the last couple of chapters, the story just slowed down a bit. It's not like I don't like books that aren't constantly fast-paced, there just seemed to be some sudden changes in the pace.

If you want to find out more about "The Morgue and Me" go to John C. Ford's website here.