Follow Friday #11

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Rachel of Parajunkee and Alison of Alison Can Read! 

Q: Do you read one book at a time or do you switch back and forth between two or more?

A: Absolutely. Right now I am reading about 5 books and have started about 3 more. I have real ADD with books. Once I am really into one though, I finish that one then go to the others. Generally it takes me about about 1/3 of the book to really get into it for me to call it my one an only for the time being. 

Waiting on Wednesday #9 The Little Woods by McCormick Templeman

Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly 
event, hosted by Breaking the Spine,
that spotlights upcoming releases that
we're eagerly anticipating.

I am waiting on  The Little Woods by McCormick Templeman  

Are the woods behind St. Bede's Academy really haunted, or does bad stuff just happen there? When Calista Wood, a new student, arrives midway through her junior year, St. Bede's feels like a normal school . . . until she discovers that a girl had disappeared a couple of months earlier. Some kids think she ran away, others think she was murdered, but it's only when Cally starts digging around that she finds the startling truth.

Watch as Cally enters a world of privilege, weekend-long parties, high school romances, and . . . well-kept secrets. This page-turner will appeal to teens looking for a fast-paced thriller. Written in a voice at once gripping and crystal clear, debut novelist, McCormick Templeman, will take readers on a twisting and turning journey as only a "new girl" can experience. 

Teaser Tuesday #4

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading. Bloggers choose two sentences out our current read to peak others' curiosity. 

Teaser #1 Cinder by Marissa Meyer Page 324






She snatched the old foot from the shelf - the small, rusted thing she'd woken up with after her operation, when she was a confused, unloved, eleven-year-old girl. She'd sworn to never put it on again, but at this moment it might have been made of crystal for how precious it looked to her.















Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins   location 1289

Memories from earlier this week- sitting next to St. Clair in the dark theater, his leg against mine, the look that passed between us-flood back in and fill me with shame. The more I've thought about it, the more I'm convinced nothing happened.

Mailbox Monday #10

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by
The Story Siren.   


Audible.com

     

Amazon Kindle:

 

Review: Article 5 by Kristen Simmons

Title: Article 5
Author: Kristen Simmons
Publisher: Tor Teen Publishing Date: January 31st 2012
Pages: 364
Genre: Young Adult Dystopian
Series: Article 5 #1
Source: Hardcover

Goodreads Summary:


New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., have been abandoned.


The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.


There are no more police—instead, there are soldiers. There are no more fines for bad behavior—instead, there are arrests, trials, and maybe worse. People who get arrested usually don't come back.


Seventeen-year-old Ember Miller is old enough to remember that things weren't always this way. Living with her rebellious single mother, it's hard for her to forget that people weren't always arrested for reading the wrong books or staying out after dark. It's hard to forget that life in the United States used to be different.
Ember has perfected the art of keeping a low profile. She knows how to get the things she needs, like food stamps and hand-me-down clothes, and how to pass the random home inspections by the military. Her life is as close to peaceful as circumstances allow.


That is, until her mother is arrested for noncompliance with Article 5 of the Moral Statutes. And one of the arresting officers is none other than Chase Jennings—the only boy Ember has ever loved.


Review:


I have had my eye on this book. Dystopian is the rage right now and I am ok with that. This one had a great premise. Freedom being completely taken away and new articles to the Bill of Rights, which is now known as the Moral Statutes, in place.


This book really got to me. Article 5 is about an article restricting children born outside of wedlock.


The main character, Ember, is the daughter of a single mom who never married. Even though this happened before Article 5 was in place, the soldiers come and take Ember’s mom to jail and Ember to a reform school.


Ember had to grow on me as a character, I am still not sure how I feel about her. Even though she is very stubborn, she starts off weak. She has a hard time understanding and coming to terms with the way her world really is. She wants to believe things are not as bad as they seem. When she finally comes to the realization that nothing is at it seems she finds a way to wake up and do something about it. In the end she has grown strong but she still seems a little naïve to me. I am looking forward to Ember growing more in the next installment.


I am all about Chase. He seems a bit of a jerk at the start, but for good reason. Once I was really able to know Chase, he grabbed my heart. He is brave, intelligent, and loyal to the right people. He’s one of the hero’s of story and really easy to love.


The story was a little bit slow at times, but it didn’t take away from the story at all. Even though it was seemed slow there was always something going on, every time Ember escaped from one situation there was another right behind it. I really enjoyed the story. There were so many opportunities to really think and wonder about the situation. The writing was vivid and full of emotions. The characters have to deal with grief, change, truth, and so much more. I can’t imagine how I would have dealt with so much at a young age. I am looking forward to the next installment.

Rating:

Review: Scarlett Dedd by Cathy Brett

Title: Scarlett Dedd
Author: Cathy Brett
Publisher:  Random House Children
Publishing Date: August 14^th 2012
Pages: 208
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Thriller, Horror
Series: Stand Alone
Source: Digital ARC

Goodreads Summary:

Meet Scarlett Dedd. Scarlett is absolutely mortified (in more ways than one) to discover that she's accidentally killed herself trying to get out a school trip. Even worse, she's taken her entire family with her! Left in limbo, bored to death and fearing her friendless state is terminal, an ominous idea pops into Scarlett's head. Can Scarlett really execute her grim plan? Or will it turn out to be a fatal and very messy mistake?

Review: 

I received a digital ARC copy of this from Netgalley.com. The synopsis interested me and the cover creeped me out. I thought I should give it a shot. I thought this book was extremely entertaining. I have not laughed so much in a book in a very long time.

The story is about a girl, Scarlet who accidently kills herself and her family. This alone is funny; the family’s last name is Dedd, ironic. The author does a great job on creating an atmosphere this is not sad or disturbing but funny. The entire book is dedicated to Scarlett trying to figure out how to kill her friends, only so she can have friends in her world.

The book is full of great illustrations, humorous scenes, and corky, unique characters. Scarlett and her family had me in stitches most of the time. When they find out they are dead instead of freaking, like most people would, they embrace it. Scarlett’s little brother finds new ways of mutilating himself every day, while his father writes children’s books about the incidents and his mother draws for the books. The only one that is not enjoying being dead is Scarlett. She soon gets an idea from online to kill her friends so they can join her.  In the meantime her friends discover that Scarlett and her family are haunting their old house and do whatever they can to film it to become television stars.

This book may seem a little demented at first, I will say it is more suitable for the older teens and young adults, but in the end it was all fun and games and everyone learns their lesson.

Since reading this book I have found others by Cathy Brett that I plan on reading.

Rating:

Review: Dark Life by Kat Falls

Title: Dark Life
Author: Kat Falls
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Publishing Date: May 1st 2010
Pages: 304
Genre: Young Adult, Post Apocalyptic Dystopian
Series: Dark Life #1
Source: Hardcover

Goodreads Summary:

 Dive deep into the vivid underwater world of Dark Life!

The oceans rose, swallowing the lowlands. Earthquakes shattered the continents, toppling entire regions into the rising water. Now, humans live packed into stack cities. The only ones with any space of their own are those who live on the ocean floor: the Dark Life.


Ty has spent his whole life living deep undersea. When outlaws attack his homestead, he finds himself in a fight to save the only home he has ever known. Joined by Gemma, a girl from Topside, Ty ventures into the frontier's rough underworld and discovers some dark secrets to Dark Life. Secrets that threaten to destroy everything.


Review: 

When I first found this book at the library I thought it looked very interesting, another dystopian with a very different setting. Kat Falls did an excellent job at building the world where Dark Life takes place. Everything in the setting of the book screamed careful thought and extreme creativity. Most of society live in stacked apartments above sea level, the homes are cramped with many family members living squished together. The other part of society live under the sea. This started out as an experiment, trying to find more room for people to live. They author created such an amazing place in the ocean. The descriptions were vivid and unique. I was able to see the world clearly and I could imagine what it was like to live on the ocean floor, even though it feels a little creepy to me.


The story is about one girl from above, Gemma, and a boy from the ocean, Ty, Gemma has come below looking for her brother, the only family she has and Ty is living and working so that he can one day own his own piece of land underwater. They soon meet an have to join forces when they discover that Gemma’s missing brother the outlaws that are threatening the Ty’s homestead could be linked.


I really liked the characters Gemma and Ty. There was enough character building for me to like the characters but not enough for me to feel apart of their lives. Gemma stands out to me more. She is brave and loyal. She has never been in the ocean before and instead of the idea causing her to fear the journey, she embraces everything she finds. She is not afraid to walk right into the hands of danger either, not when it could lead her to brother. Ty fears nothing about the ocean. He has lived there his entire life. He is the first born under water and plans to live his life there. Ty is full of secrets and a little closed off.


The story was good. Full of mystery and adventure, some things were predictable but I found myself surprised at other times. I had a little bit of a hard time getting into the story at first, it was a little slow, but by the end I was really into the book. I will continue the series to see how it all plays out.


Rating: 

Review: The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: The Scorpio Races
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic  Inc.
Publishing Date: October 18th 2011
Pages:409
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy Adventure
Series: Stand Alone
Source: Hardcover

Goodreads Summary:

it happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die.

At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.

Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.

Review: 

The premise of this book sounded really interesting and I love the other books by Maggie Steifvater, so I got this one from my local library. I really enjoyed this book. It’s really different then her Wolves or Mercy Falls and The Books of Faerie, but different in a good way. 

The story involves magical water horses. These horses are very big, fast, and dangerous. Every year on the island they have water horse races. Every year it has only been men, until this year. A girl joins the races and with a regular mare.

The story changes between character points of view of Sean and Puck. I really liked both characters. Sean is a young man, so he is a bit arrogant and proud, but he is also a hard worker and determined to make something of himself.

Puck starts out as a naïve, whiny girl but quickly becomes brave, smart, and determined. She learns a lot about the races in a short amount of time and is doing everything she can to win the race. I really love how quickly Pcuk grew up and knew she was the only that could ensure her life would be what she wanted it to be. She doesn’t care what other thought or had to say about her outrages idea to run the race on a mare with dangerous water horses.

The story was a great story of courage and faith. Like all of Maggie’s books the writing is amazing and flows effortlessly.  I do wish that the book would have been a series, but I guess not all stories have a reason to continue. 

Rating:

Review: The Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellison

Title:  The Butterfly Clues
Author:  Kate Ellison
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Publication Date:  February 14th 2012
Pages: 336
Genre:  Young Adult Mystery/Thriller
Series: Stand Alone
Source:  Hardcover

Goodreads Summary: 

Penelope (Lo) Marin has always loved to collect beautiful things. Her dad's consulting job means she's grown up moving from one rundown city to the next, and she's learned to cope by collecting (sometimes even stealing) quirky trinkets and souvenirs in each new place—possessions that allow her to feel at least some semblance of home.

But in the year since her brother Oren's death, Lo's hoarding has blossomed into a full-blown, potentially dangerous obsession. She discovers a beautiful, antique butterfly pendant during a routine scour at a weekend flea market, and recognizes it as having been stolen from the home of a recently murdered girl known only as "Sapphire"—a girl just a few years older than Lo. As usual when Lo begins to obsess over something, she can't get the murder out of her mind.

As she attempts to piece together the mysterious "butterfly clues," with the unlikely help of a street artist named Flynt, Lo quickly finds herself caught up in a seedy, violent underworld much closer to home than she ever imagined—a world, she'll ultimately discover, that could hold the key to her brother's tragic death.

Review:

This book has been on my TBR for a while. I waited patiently for it to be released, well maybe not paitenitly, then I had to wait about a month to get to a place in my reading pile to actually read it. I was really really excited. The cover is just gorgeous and the sysnopsis sounds amazing. Well, it didn’t dissapoint! This book had everything I would hope for in a mystery book.  Mystery (of course) thrills, cooky characters, and a little romance.

I will start by saying I fell in love with the main character, Lo,  within a few pages. She is just amazing. It’s pretty obvious that she is OCD but she seemed a little autistic to me too. I haven’t read a book where the point of view is from such an intrigquing, strange, but easy to love character. Lo is very smart, brave but scared in the same breath, and unpredictable. She has hers issues and that is what I love about her. She does not let her issues get in the way. She is fully aware that she has the little ticks that others see as strange. She just can’t help herself. She does what she can to not let her ticks become obvious out in public, but that is hard to do at times. I also think it’s amazing that she basically lives on her own, her parents are both checked out in away, from parenting. She realizes this but knows she cannot let it affect her life. I love how driven she is, even if the drive comes from obsessive compulsion.  I also love that fact that she does find someone that accepts her for who she is and realizes that there may possibly be more that will accept her as she is.  
The other characters are great too. They do stand out in their own way but really are shadowed by the main character.

The story is also awesome. The author does a great job on opening the mystery up by tying it into the Lo’s obsessions. Lo wil do whatever ever she can to solve the mystery. The other part of the story is what has happened in Lo’s life with her family. Her brother dissapeared and shortly after found dead. Lo is still having difficulties dealing with her brother’s death. This is just one of the reasons she is so obsessed with death of a girl found in a not so good neighborhood and obsessed with finding out what happened to her.

I will say it again. I found this book amazing.  The story flowed smoothly the entire book, not one single snag for me. I found myself immersed in the story, even when I was not reading it. I stil find myself thinking about “tap tap tap bananan” everytime I go through a door. (you will have to read to find out what that means) I really wished this was a series with a whole new mystery, I am not ready to say goodbye to Lo.

Pick one up as soon as possible if you love exciting characters and a good mystery!

Rating: 

Review: Sass and Serendipity by Jennifer Ziegler

Title: Sass and Serendipity
Author: Jennifer Ziegler
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: July 12th 2011
Pages: 350
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Coming of Age, Classic Retelling
Series: Stand Alone
Source: Hardcover

Goodreads Summary:
Daphne Rivera and her sister Gabby could not be more different.

For fifteen-year-old Daphne, the glass is always half full, a dab of lip-gloss can ward off a bad day, and the boy of her dreams—the one she's read about in all of her beloved romance novels—is waiting for her just around the corner.

But Daphne’s older sister Gabby wishes Daphne would get real. In Gabby’s world, everyone’s out for themselves, wearing makeup is a waste of time, and boys only distract you from studying before they break your heart. The only boy Gabby trusts is her best friend, Mule, who has always been there for her.

Both Gabby and Daphne are still reeling from their parents’ divorce, though in very different ways. While Gabby will never forgive her unreliable father for failing her mother, Daphne idolizes her daddy and is sure that everything would work out fine if her cranky mom would just let him back into their lives.

When a crisis leaves the girls and their mom homeless, help comes from an unexpected source, and both girls are courted by surprise suitors who shake up their views of the world. Suddenly the glass isn’t so clearly half empty or half full . . . and love seems a lot more complicated than they ever could have imagined.

 Review:

This was a fast enjoyable read. Sass and Serendipity is a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice. I have to admit that I have never read Pride and Prejudice, so I don’t know how well the book follows the story. For those of you that have not read Pride and Prejudice... this story follows two sisters, personalities opposite, and their life together as they have to learning, loving , and finding themselves. The story is a great story of growing up letting go. It is also a story about sisterhood and friendship.

I liked the characters. They were unique and quite different from each other. One is a real leader, responsible, somewhat down to earth but really hard on herself and others. The other is a follower, irresponsible, always has her head in the clouds, and tries to look for the good in everyone. Each of the sisters has their strengths and weaknesses and by learning to live with each they learn they need a little of their sister in themselves.

It was a fun read. It was a good book to settle down with in the evening and find laughter, tears, and some warm fuzzies inside.

Rating:

Follow Friday #10

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Rachel of Parajunkee and Alison of Alison Can Read! 

Q: What is the longest book you've read? What are your favorite 600+ page reads?

A:  I really don't have may books over 500 pages. The longest I have read was Breaking Dawn for 768 pages, which would also be my favorite 600+ read, I also read Tea Rose at 765 pages which was really good. And of course Eclipse and then The Host, both over 600 and I enjoyed very very much. 

What about you? 

This Week's Featured Blogs 

 

 

Waiting on Wednesday #8 Black Heart by Holly Black

Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly
event, hosted by Breaking the Spine,
that spotlights upcoming releases that
we're eagerly anticipating.

I am waiting on Black Heart by Holly Black. This is the 3rd installment to the Curse Workers. I really like this series and am looking forward to finishing up the series with a bang!

Cassel Sharpe knows he’s been used as an assassin, but he’s trying to put all that behind him. He’s trying to be good, even though he grew up in a family of con artists and cheating comes as easily as breathing to him. He’s trying to do the right thing, even though the girl he loves is inextricably connected with crime. And he’s trying to convince himself that working for the Feds is smart, even though he’s been raised to believe the government is the enemy.

But with a mother on the lam, the girl he loves about to take her place in the Mob, and new secrets coming to light, the line between what’s right and what’s wrong becomes increasingly blurred. When the Feds ask Cassel to do the one thing he said he would never do again, he needs to sort out what’s a con and what’s truth. In a dangerous game and with his life on the line, Cassel may have to make his biggest gamble yet—this time on love

Teaser Tuesday #3

 Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading. Bloggers choose two sentences out our current read to peak others' curiosity. 

      Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts Page 114 

This was a kid. Children weren't supposed to go hungry.  Children weren't supposed to know that monsters existed either.

Earth by Shauna Granger Kindle location 287 

"Rose quartz heart, jasemine oil, pink candles? C'mon aren't we getting a little cliche' here?" Jodi eyed  me skeptically. 

"Hey some things are cliche' for a reason. Besides, Tracey needs true, affectionate love to convince herself there is someone better out there than Nick, otherwise she's never gonna leave him."

 

Review: Candlewax by C. Bailey Sims

Title: Candlewax

Author: C. Bailey Sims

Publisher:  Terabyte Press
Date: April 3^rd, 2012
Pages: 384
Genre: Young Adult High Fantasy

Series: Candlewax #1
Source: Digital ARC

Goodreads Summary: 

An Ancient Prophecy. A Powerful Relic. An Insatiable Evil. When all three converge, the fate of every living thing will be in peril.

All her life Catherine had hoped to see a fairrier cat. No book, no scroll provided to her by her tutors had ever mentioned this legend, much to her frustration, and now-at the worst possible time-she was getting her wish. Only, in her wish the cat wasn't about to kill her.

A 732-year-old fairrier cat the size of a horse has killed his fair share of hunters. Driven to the brink of extinction for the supernatural powers of his coat, is he indeed the last of his kind?

Sheltered, 16-year-old Catherine is about to find out. Unwitting heir to the Ancient Onyxes, she flees an arranged marriage only to stumble upon the cat's secrets, the force of the ancient relic she wears, and the dangerous mission they must undertake.

Hidden under a desert that was once a fertile land, millions of predators are waiting to feast again. Catherine must discover the secret of the Ancient Onyxes and stop the creatures known as trodliks before they consume everything in their path. A whispered prophecy becomes her only guide and a rejected suitor just might be the one warrior she desperately needs.

Review:

Ok, so recently I seemed to have been on an epic fantasy kick. I have enjoyed Urban Fantasy for quite some time now, and until recently did not know epic fantasy could be so much fun.  Now that I have said that, back to reviewing the book.

I can’t say enough GREAT about this book WOW. This book was so amazing. The writing was magnificent. If flowed so nicely at a great pace and had me falling in love with so many characters.  Let me get this part out of the way before I start on the characters. The setting was done with much creativity. I enjoyed being swept into another world. The cultures and atmosphere of each kingdom and country was done simple but detailed. I really felt a part of each individual world.  It was easy to get lost in this well thought out place.

Now, to the characters. I want to be best of friends with each one (well not the bad guys) at first I was weary of the main character Catherine. She seemed a little panicky and scattered.  At the beginning she has a great plan in her head of escaping her kingdom and her arranged marriage. She gets out of the castle quickly and without any unwanted attention. I was thinking, great job Catherine!, but then she finds trouble first thing. Well that was expected, as in any epic fantasy. The problem was Catherine had no idea what to do next. She had no back up plans. I though great here we go. Another wimpy female protagonist. Well, I was proven wrong. Catherine does it get together, and comes out in the end a true hero.

There are also many other great characters, Pokos the fairrier cat, let me say I so want one. He is sarcastic and soothing, dangerous and sweet, scary and cuddly… all in the same breath…. Oh and he is big enough to ride. Who wouldn’t want one right.

The there is Cyril. He owns my heart as of right now. He is brave, loyal, handsome, strong, smart, and a gentleman. Not always the brightest when it comes to girls, but yummy all the same. He is the man I would want to find myself on a dangerous journey with.  

The rest of the characters I loved too. All of them. They each had their own part in the story and worked well together. I started to miss them as soon as I turned the last page.

Now the story. What a wonderful story. Every epic fantasy has the prophecy or legend, a journey, a hero, and a kingdom to save. This is well known. They don’t seem to get old to me because they are also story of courage, loyalty, love, passion, friendship, and growing. This story had it all in abundance. There were too many times to count where I had tears rolling down my face and warm fuzzies inside my heart or tears from laughter, or even bitten fingernails from worry.  My heart grew 10 times bigger by the end of this book. I am anxiously awaiting the next installment and I am sure to reread this one a couple of times before the next comes out.

I strongly advise this book to any epic fantasy readers and even those who are not. This book will convert you. 

Rating:

Review: The Last Thing I Remember by Andrew Klavan

Title: The Last Thing I Remember
Author: Andrew Klavan
Publisher:  Thomas Nelson Publishers
Date: April 28^th 2009
Pages: 346
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery Suspense/Thriller
Series: The Homelanders #1
Source: Paperback

Goodreads Summary: 

Charlie West is a good kid. He studies hard, trains in martial arts, has just gotten the number of the prettiest girl in his class, and wants to join the air force after graduation. At least, that's the last thing he can remember.

But he has woken up in a nightmare. He's strapped to a chair, and someone outside the door just ordered his death. By calling on his deepest reserves of strength and focus, Charlie manages a desperate escape . . . only to find out that this nightmare isn't ending. There's a whole year of his life that he can't remember--a year in which he was convicted of murdering his best friend and working with terrorists.

Now, with the police hunting him and a band of killers on his trail, he's got to find the answers to some of the deepest questions there are: Who am I? What do I stand for? And how am I going to stay alive?

Review:

Another book I have had on my TBR list for a very very long time. I found this in Barnes and Noble on one of my many meanderings though the store.  The premise sounded good and I love to read suspense thriller books. I love to be on the edge of my seat, unfortunately for me the book world of Young Adult didn’t offer many at the time, fortunately for me, I found this book.

This book is a fast paced, action packed, mind boggling, really clean fun. The main character is s stand up guy. The world we be a better place if teenage boys would think and act like this boy. He is sharp, loyal, and just good hearted.  The author does an amazing job of making the reader feel for this guy.  He wakes up to find himself being held captive by some men who talk about killing him. By his quick thinking and fast reacting he is able to escape and finds himself on the run. From who, he has no clue. He runs for his life as he tries to piece together the bits of memory he has from the moment before he woke up strapped to the chair.

The book does jump from the present to his past memories back and forth, but is really easy to follow, and even though it is easy to full, I felt the confusion and the fear just as I would if I was running right beside Charlie.  I can’t remember the last book I read that had my heart thumping and my mind racing like this book did. Be forewarned….. You do not find out much by the end so be ready to read the series in a row. I have yet to read the second book but it is on my reading list to be read in the next couple of months.  I highly recommend this book. It is a great book for guys and girls. 

Rating:

Review: Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks

Title: Evil Genius
Author: Catherine Jinks
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Date: May 1st 2007
Pages: 552
Genre: Young Adult, , Crime/Mystery 
Series: Genius #1
Source: Hardcover


Goodreads Summary:


Cadel Piggott has a genius IQ and a fascination with systems of all kinds. At seven, he was illegally hacking into computers. Now he’s fourteen and studying for his World Domination degree, taking classes like embezzlement, misinformation, forgery, and infiltration at the institute founded by criminal mastermind Dr. Phineas Darkkon. Although Cadel may be advanced beyond his years, at heart he’s a lonely kid. When he falls for the mysterious and brilliant Kay-Lee, he begins to question the moral implications of his studies for the first time. But is it too late to stop Dr. Darkkon from carrying out his evil plot?


An engrossing thriller with darkness and humor, freaks and geeks, Evil Genius explores the fine line between good and evil in a strange world of manipulations and subterfuge where nothing is as it seems.


Review:


I have had this on my TBR list for quite a while. A couple of years and just now found time to check it out. It was a good book. It was humorous read but also a very suspenseful read.

Cadel has been a genius all his life. He is adopted and his adoptive parents are not sure what to do with him. Cadel’s problem is he gets bored. Normal everyday stuff just does not keep his interest. He has skipped a couple of grades and really doesn’t have any friends. After being busted for hacking, his adoptive parents take him to a shrink and then enroll him in a private school. His shrink is a little off and doesn’t seem to have a problem with his hacking and nuisance crimes. He actually encourages them. Cadel graduates at a very young age and enrolls in a college that the shrink advises. That’s when things really start to happen. Before Cadel knows what’s going on he is thrown into a mess of murder, treachery, and lies.


I did have fun with this book; my only complaints are that I always saw Cadel as the 7 year old boy the book starts off with. By the end of the book he is 14 years of age but still acts and thinks (emotionally not mentally) like a 7 year old boy. I think he would have matured some. The other problem I had was the summary of the book states that book is about Cadel when he is 14; over half of the book is from ages 7-13. It seemed the beginning of the book was more for middle age and the end of the book for young adult.


I will however, continue to read the series because of the ending. The book ended on a very high note for me. There were some things in the book I could see coming but some were kept as surprises. The trouble never seems to cease for Cadel and I must finish the series to see how it all wraps up.


Rating: 

Review: Heist Society by Ally Carter

Title: Heist Society
Author: Ally Carter
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH
Date: February 9th 2010
Pages: 287
Genre: Young Adult,  Crime Mystery 
Series: Heist Society #1
Source: Hardcover 

Goodreads Summary:

When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her on a trip to the Louvre…to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria…to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own—scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. Unfortunately, leaving “the life” for a normal life proves harder than she’d expected.

Soon, Kat's friend and former co-conspirator, Hale, appears out of nowhere to bring Kat back into the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has a good reason: a powerful mobster has been robbed of his priceless art collection and wants to retrieve it. Only a master thief could have pulled this job, and Kat's father isn't just on the suspect list, he is the list. Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat’s dad needs her help.

For Kat, there is only one solution: track down the paintings and steal them back. So what if it's a spectacularly impossible job? She's got two weeks, a teenage crew, and hopefully just enough talent to pull off the biggest heist in her family's history--and, with any luck, steal her life back along the way.

Review:

This book was exciting, thrilling, and a little bit emotional for me. I have to admit I am a softy and found myself really touched in some parts.

The book is about a teenage girl, Kat, who wants nothing more than to escape the life of crime her family has always been involved in. Seems simple enough and she was doing a great job until her father is suspected of robbing a mob boss. Now Kat has to involve herself once again in the family business and pull off the biggest job of her life. With the help of her family and friends, she puts the plan together and into action.

I found myself really engaged in this story. It was fun to see how all the young con artists minds work and how all the puzzle pieces fit together. It was thrilling to be on this side of the crime. Most of the books I read are from the good guys point of view not the bad guys. Even though Kat is attempting a huge robbery, I couldn’t help but root for her.

Kat is a good girl, she really doesn’t want to live the life of crime, but one the one thing that means more than a crime-free life to her is family. She may have not grown up with the best father, but she loves him. She will do what is needed to save him. She is smart, lovable, and witty. I pictured her as a girl next door with a tendency to be devious. She learns more that what she has bargained for in this story, and soon finds her abnormal gifts to pull off cons may have a purpose after all.

This book had me laughing out loud one moment and tearing up in the next all while on the edge of my seat. I am really looking forward to reading the next installment.

Rating:

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