I am Number Four

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Let me begin by saying that I saw this movie before I read the book. In all actuality, I never set out to see this movie specifically, but I just so happened to get free tickets for it on opening night. I never say no to free tickets! I ended up liking the movie alright, but it wasn't one to really remember after it was over. In any case, while running through the awesome summer sale at Books-a-Million I came upon I am Number Four hardback edition for only three dollars. Three Dollars! Needless to say, if a movie is made after a book, it generally means that the book was something quite special. I also considered that it might me fate. I mean I got tickets for free on the day of the release, and then find the hardcover edition for practically free at the bookstore! I was not in a rush to read the book though, I already knew what was going to happen right? It took me like six months, but I finally picked up the book and sat down to read it. I started reading around nine in the evening and didn't put the book down until I was finished. In fact, I jumped right on my nook and bought the second book and began reading it without stopping for a break. I stayed up all night, until the sun came up and my kids came to the living room to watch TV. I read both books and I wanted to buy the third one right away but was quickly reined in by my husband who forbade me and sent me to bed. The point is, the book was awesome! It was very different from the movie in all the ways that count to make it a billion times better. After reading the book I consider the movie to be a catastrophic failure of the modern cinematic. If you even like this movie the teensiest bit, please pick up this book and have your mind blown! I don't even know what to say about it other than to plead that if you read this review, you give this book a chance. Admittedly this book is geared toward a younger audience. This did not stop my enjoyment of it though, and I don't think it will stop yours!



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The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley

The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Well. This book is a doozy because as a story I absolutely loved Ian so much to give five stars right away. As a romance, however, I would only give it three stars. All of the above things led me to the middle ground of four stars. Ian is such a dynamic character, he completely saturated my mind and was I could think about for several days after reading this novel. I told my mother, my step-father, and basically anyone who would listen about Ian and his madness and the resulting calamities. Ian, although some would consider him tainted and spoiled, was incredibly pure and in a lot of ways innocent. He had obvious mental handicaps, but none of them were enough to make him less desirable. He was a man through and through, albeit a man with eccentricities. It was these eccentricities that made him even more endearing to me. The same could not be said for the nefarious foes of this novel. Ian, with no real way to defend himself, is accused of several atrocities that he believes were actually the crimes of his dear brother who saved Ian from an asylum. His brother in turn believes that Ian did actually commit the crimes of which he is accused. What ensues is a dramatic tangle of secrets and lies between brothers each trying to save the other. To me, the actual love story part of the book could have been more of the subplot, or at least I think I would have preferred it that way. If you like dark and beautiful intriguing men in your lead roles then this novel is definitely for you!



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The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I enjoyed this book in a way that is hard to explain. I felt that this book was something different than what I've been reading, and it was mysterious. I still don't really know if I understand what exactly is going on with Mara or Noah. Hmm....and yet I found this book interesting enough that I'm am definitely purchasing the sequel as soon as I am able. So here is roughly what it is about.
Mara, is a typical teen angsty girl with her first real boyfriend and a 'fraidy cat' type personality. She and her best friend along with her boyfriend somehow end up in an accident and Mara wakes in the hospital with no memory of what happened. She discovers that she was in an accident at some abandoned building with her friends and that she is the only survivor. She is sufficiently freaked out and that's only the beginning because Mara starts losing time and suffering from hallucinations. Mara can't even differentiate what's real from what is fantasy anymore, and things get even scarier when after their move to Florida, strange things start happening around Mara. Enter the obligatory aloof hottie, Noah. Noah has his own secrets and he even seems to know Mara somehow before they met. Noah becomes something of an obsession and truly becomes a godsend for Mara, who needs someone in her life that she can talk to.
If this entire thing sounds mysterious and like I'm holding something back, well, I am, but that is not why it sounds that way. This book truely is a mystery, and one that I don't think is even solved within this book. There are still so many questions to be answered. Hmmm. You should pick this book up just for the pleasure of reading something new and interesting and different.



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Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier

Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The intrigue is continued in Sapphire Blue! If you liked Ruby Red even a moderate amount, I highly recommend this second installment! I enjoyed this one more than the first personally. In Sapphire Blue we get to travel alongside Gwen as she meets her grandfather and the mysterious Count Saint-Germain, and unravels more to the mystery of the chronograph. She even begins to use her gift to her advantage! Gwen is growing into herself and I really enjoyed watching her do it! This is not to say that she didn't take even more crap from everyone around her. Seriously, I would probably have been black and blue and placed in solitary confinement for all the ass-kicking I would have been dishing out. Gwen just takes it though, and for the most part doesn't let it derail her from her goals. There is even more romance between Gwen and Gideon, albeit confusing romance. *sigh* There is even a new factor introduced, The Florentine Alliance, that is determined to see the end of time travelers! If you read Ruby Red, please give this second installment a look!



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Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I really enjoyed this book! I'm completely enthralled by the entire concept of time travel, and Kerstin Gier has opened up a new world filled with time travel adventures for me to explore! I had a hard time relating personally to Gwen, our main female lead, but I did envy her tolerance for jerks. Gwen puts up with so much shit from her family, it isn't even funny. If I were in her shoes I would have gone postal on the lot of them! So here goes a synopsis for you.
Gwen's cousin Charlotte is little miss perfect. She has perfect grades, perfect hair, perfect body, and she inherited the family's coveted time travel 'gene'. Charlotte has gotten the special treatment her entire life and special training from the secret society that caters to time travelers. So when the girls come of age and Charlotte has yet to travel back in time, tension mounts at the family home. Dizzy spells and headaches are sure signs that the first jump will happen soon, but it's not only Charlotte that seems to be getting these symptoms. When Gwen travels back in time instead of Charlotte, she is terrified and she doesn't know what to do or who she should tell. When Gwen comes clean to her mother she is initiated into the secret society in her cousins place. To say that there is some resentment in the family is an understatement. Enter Gideon, the handsome time traveler counterpart to Gwen, and things really start to heat up. Gwen discovers that there is a bit of animosity between her mother and the society concerning the last time traveling pair, Lucy and Paul and the theft of a sacred device known as the chronograph. As with any good secret society, the chronograph is all part of a prophecy that says when blood from all the time travelers is read into the chronograph, some big secret is revealed that can save all of man kind. I'm truly skeptical about this, and so is our Gwen. So even though they treat her as if she is a traitor herself, she doesn't take their word for gospel on anything. Of course, there is also a little romance woven into all this adventure, and a cool extra gift for our Gwen! I would definitely recommend this book for all young adults who crave a new adventure!



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Toxic by Jus Accardo

Toxic by Jus Accardo

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I must say that the more I read of this series, the more that I like it! Dez just gets better and better in my opinion! This installment is way more unstable, and I think that's why I enjoyed it even more than the first. I felt Dez's confusion and I seriously didn't know who to trust and who to be wary of. There are some new characters that we are introduced to in this installment and they really add dimension to the plot. That consequence Dez and Kale were waiting for finally surfaces and it couldn't be worse. Jade, a super hot and super bitchy chick, comes to teach Kale to control his power. She can touch Kale, opening a world of possibilities! Ginger is more frustrating than ever and seems to be in Dez's way at every turn. Will anything go right in Toxic? Probably not! Dez, on top of dealing with all the same drama and fall out from Touch, now has jealousy issues and is determined to hide that she has been poisoned by Denazen's new super twins, Able and Aubry. I really enjoyed the twins and cannot wait to see what happens with them in the next book! If you liked Touch a lot or only moderately, I recommend that you continue with Untouched and Toxic because it just gets better!



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Untouched by Jus Accardo

Untouched by Jus Accardo

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Untouched is a novella set place between books one and two in the Denazen series. While this book is not essential to the series, I highly recommend reading it in order anyway. This story really does bring another level of contemplation to Toxic (book two).
This novella takes place over the end of the summer while Kale and Dez have been warning Sixes from the List Brandt left them. Kiernan is the last on the list and she seems unwilling to trust them. They go to an amusement park whose mascot is a freaky clown man and Kale comes face to face with an old enemy, and probably the only man he genuinely fears. If you like this series do not skip this short, it's worth it!



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