Tiger Lily Review

TITLE: Tiger Lily

AUTHOR: Jodi Lynn Anderson

PUBLISHER: HarperTeen

PUBLICATION DATE: 7/3/2012

PAGES: 292

MY RATING:

BACK COVER BLURB: Fifteen-year-old Tiger Lily doesn't believe in love stories or happy endings. Then she meets the alluring, teenage Peter Pan in the forbidden woods of Neverland and immediately falls under his spell. Peter is unlike anyone she's ever known. Impetuous and brave, he both scares and enthralls her. As the leader of the Lost Boys, the most fearsome of Neverland's inhabitants, Peter is an unthinkable match for Tiger Lily. Soon, she is risking everything -- her family, her future -- to be with him.  When, as punishment for her rebellious ways, she is faced with mrriage to a terrible man in her own tribe, she must choose between the life she's always known and running away to an uncertain future with Peter.

From the New York Times bestselling author of PEACHES comes a magical and bewitching story of the romance between a fearless heroine and the boy who wouldn't grow up.

MEMORABLE QUOTE: (This is the first paragraph of the book not including the prologue). "Let me tell you something straight off. This is a love story, but not like any you've heard. Th boy and the girl are far from innocent. Dear lives are lost. And good doesn't win. In some places, there is sometng ultimately good about endings. In Neverland, that is not the case." (p. 3)

OVERALL IMPRESSION: First of all, I love the dedication of this book. It is dedicated "for girls with messy hair an hungry hearts." Very cute. I enjoyed reading this book. I love reading retellings and prequals to well known fairy tales so this one was right up my alley. It was really interesting to read about Peter Pan and how everything that happens in this book fits with what happens in the original Peter Pan. I liked the ending of this book. Everything was resolved in a way that made me feel satisfied.

CHARACTERS: Tinkerbell was really cute and sweet. She is the one who is telling the story and observing the interaction between Tiger Lily and Peter Pan. Peter Pan had an odd personality. On the outside he seemed very tough and rugged, but you can tell that deep down he has a sweet heart and is just afraid of letting people get too close.

My favorite character has to be Pine Sap. He is very sweet and looks after Tiger Lily even if she doesn't realize it.

COVER: The cover is okay. I like how it has a haunting feel to it and I like the fonts that were chosen for the title.

*I received a copy of this book from the Amazon Vine for review.

On The Bright Side Review

TITLE: On The Bright Side

AUTHOR: S.R. Johannes

PUBLISHER: Coleman & Stott

PUBLICATION DATE: 12/31/2012

PAGES: 285

MY RATING:

SUMMARY (From Goodreads): As if the devil’s food cake at her wake and the white fat pants she’s stuck wearing for eternity weren’t bad enough, fourteen year-old Gabby is quick to discover that Cirrus, the main rung of Heaven, is a far cry from the Pearly Gates. Here, SkyFones and InnerNets are all the rage. At her first Bright ceremony, G.O.D., the automated assignment system, spits out Angela Black, Gabby’s arch nemesis and longtime fencing rival. As a Bright, Gabby has to protect Angela, her assigned mortal, in order to move up through the training levels of heaven.

Back on earth, Angela starts hitting on Michael, Gabby’s crush and should-have-been boyfriend. Gabby’s pranks to quell the love are harmless at first until the school dance sabotage gets completely out of control. Then, Celestial Sky Agent, Lawrence, who happens to have anger management issues of his own, steps into reveal that Angela has big problems, and what she really needs is Gabby’s help.

Determined to right her wrong and ease her mother’s grief, Gabby steals an ancient artifact that allows her to return to earth for just one day. But if Gabby’s not careful, her well-meaning mission just might shift the very foundation of Heaven, Earth, and every place in between, causing the danger of the dark side to roam free.

MEMORABLE QUOTE: "The only physical sensation we have comes through the pain of our loved ones. At least until our transfer is complete." (p. 9)

OVERALL IMPRESSION: This is an all around good, cute, fun book. I really enjoyed reading it. I was very amused by the play on words that Johannes uses throughout this book. Just a few examples of some are the Amen Marcus, SKYber safety and SKYbrid. I kept waiting to see what other words she came up with. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a cute, light, quick read.

I ran into just a couple of grammer mistakes, but they were very minor and did not affect the story in any way.

CHARACTERS: The main character Gabby is very relateable. She seems like your typical teenager - just trying to survive high school (and later, the afterlife); there's the best friend (Jessica), the crush (Michael) and the archenemy (Angela). Jessica is my favorite character. She is fun, clumsy and is always willing to help out Gabby.

COVER: The cover is adorable. The girl on the cover (who I am assuming is Gabby) looks like your regular every day kid. I love how she is floating above the ground and I love the tie in of the pink converse she is wearing.

*I received a copy of this book from the author for review.

Super Zombie Juice Mega Bomb Review

TITLE: Super Zombie Juice Mega Bomb

AUTHOR: MJA Ware

PUBLISHER: MJA Ware

PUBLICATION DATE: 9/5/2011

PAGES: 205

MY RATING:

SUMMARY (From Goodreads):When life gives you lemons, kill zombies -- turns out lemon juice neutralizes the undead.

After a failed attempt at running away, best friends Nathan and Misty return home expecting to face angry parents. Instead, they discover the military has destroyed the bridges out of their rural town and everyone's fled--except a small horde of the living dead. The stress of flesh-eating zombies may be more than their already strained relationship can handle.

Even with the help of the town geek and lemonade-powered Super-Soakers, there's not enough time to squeeze their way out of this sticky mess. Unless the trio eradicates the zombie infestation, while avoiding the deadly zombie snot, the military will blow the town, and them, to pulp.

Their only shot is something with a lot more punch. Something like the Super Zombie Juice Mega Bomb. But even if their friendship survives, there's another problem: Someone has to lure the undead into the trap.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: This was a really fun book to read. It was amusing, entertaining and silly but still had a great story line that kept me hooked. It had the suspense of wondering if they would survive all of the zombies, but it wasn't too scary for kids to enjoy. I think the book had a great balance between suspense and humor.

The book also had two short stories at the end, which I found very entertaining, espeically the one about the hobgoblin.

CHARACTERS: I liked all of the characters that were in this book. I would have liked to learn more about each of the characters and their background (particularly Kali) but this is a quick read geared at middle grade readers who are probably not that interested in large amounts of detail. Nate, our main character, and Misty are best friends with hints of more. I would have liked to see a little bit more of a romance develop, nothing monumental because they are kids and this is a kid's book, but maybe just a little bit more acknowledgment of their feelings towards one another, even if only in their own heads and not out loud to each other.

COVER: The cover goes really well with the story. It incorporates a few different parts of the story and ties in perfectly.

Also, check out the graphic novel version of the book!

*I received a copy of this book from the author for review.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone Review

TITLE: Daughter of Smoke and Bone

AUTHOR: Laini Taylor

PUBLISHER: Little, Brown and Company

PUBLICATION DATE: 9/27/2011

PAGES: 418

MY RATING: 5 Stars

INSIDE COVER BLURB: Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark an dusty sho, a devil's supply of human teeth grows dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherworldly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she speaks many languages -- not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.

From master storyteller and National Book Award finalist Laini Taylor comes a sweeping and gorgously written modern fantasy about a forbidden love, an ancient and epic battle, and hop for a world remade.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: Amazing! That's the best word to describe this book. It's fun, exciting, fast paced and all around a wonderful read. The writing in this book is magical. Taylor has a way of describing things that puts you into her world. Here's a quote that I fell in love with near the beginning of the book:

"She had been innocent once, a little girl playing with feathers on the floor of a devil's lair. She wasn't innocent now, but she didn't know what to do about it. This was her life: magic and shame and secrets and teeth and a deep, nagging hollow at the center of herself where something was most certainly missing." (page 45).

I have a love-hate relationship with the ending of this book. It was so good, but I need to know what's going to happen next, right now! I can't wait for the next book!

CHARACTERS: The story is set in Prague, so the names of the characters are not names I am used to hearing, so it took me a minute to get used to that, but it wasn't a huge deal. Karou just seems like an ordinary girl. She's trying to figure herself out and learn where she came from. She's very fun and is someone I would love to be around. My favorite character in this book is Zuzana - Karou's best friend. She's cute and sweet and very loyal to Karou. I would have liked to have more of her in the book. Akiva is also a good character, but I don't want to spoil anything so I'll let you find out why on your own.

COVER: Just like the book -- amazing! I love the vibrant blue color and I love how the mask ties in with the masquerade party that occurs in the story.

Look for the next book coming out in November!