Wake by Amanda Hocking

Author: Amanda Hocking
Format Hardcover
Pages: 309
Date Published: April 16 2013
Publisher: St Martin's Griffin

Introduction
       In the small town of Capri, the beaches are always full of tourists. When three stunningly beautiful girls show up seemingly out of nowhere, people are a bit suspicious. Especially because, a few days before, there were four of them. Now they have there heart set on becoming Gemma’s friend. While swimming one night, she finds Penn Lexi, and Thea, partying and they invite Gemma to join them. She wasn’t with them long before accepting a special drink. The next day, she wakes up at the cove, covered in bruises wrapped in a shawl. She doesn’t remember much after accepting the drink from the girls, but after that day she begins to change. She’s more beautiful than she ever was before, stronger, and a faster swimmer. A downside is that the water seems to be calling her. If she ever wants to find out why all this seems to be happening she will have to get closer to Lexi, Penn, and Thea than she’s comfortable with.

Cover       The cover to this book is very nice. Plus if have a hardcover copy and you happen to look under the dust cover, you’ll see this pretty bonus poster!

Dislikes
       Alright, let’s start things off with Gemma. For one thing, she is unrealistic. She starts finding big fish scales on herself (bigger than any fish around Capri) and just brushes it off. Then, when she needs advice on what to do about Penn, Lexi, and Thea, she goes to of all people, her mentally ill mother…I’m not even joking.
The beginning is super slow. Barley anything happens for about 100 pages. Then I still found that even after things get rolling, there were still large parts of the book where nothing happens.
       Gemma and Alex’s relationship doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. I mean Alex is the semi-geeky gamer guy, who isn’t much of an athlete. Then we have Gemma. Her whole life basically revolves around swimming and training. What do they have to talk about other than how creepy Penn, Lexi, and Thea are? They have nothing in common.

Harper
       Harper was a really good character. She defiantly had much more personality than Gemma had. Harper cares about Gemma a lot, kind of like a mother does. Gemma hates this, but her mother isn’t well enough to take care of her anymore and her dad works a lot and is never really home. I found Harper very realistic.

Conclusion
       This book was good. If you can get past the slow parts, you could defiantly enjoy it. I don’t think you would be able to find many boys who would jump at the chance to read the Watersong series, but if you can, that’s fantastic.

The Summoning by Kelly Armstrong

Author: Kelley Armstrong
Pages: 390
Format: Paperback
Date Published: July 1 2008
Publisher: HarperCollins

Introduction

       Chloe Saunders is normal for a kid her age. Until one day, she lands herself in the Lyle House. A group home for unstable teens. Chloe can see ghosts. However, because nobody else can see them, after a few meetings with the counselor at the Lyle House she’s diagnosed with schizophrenia. She’s trying her hardest to ignore the ghosts that are trying to speak to her while, also trying to get along with the other kids that are stuck in the group home. It is at the Lyle House where she meets Derek and Simon. They offer her some answers about why she can see ghosts: Chloe is a necromancer. She can communicate with ghosts. While listening to a ghost, she finds out the Lyle House has a dark history and she, Simon, Derek, and a few other of her new friends are in grave danger.

Cover

            The cover to The Summoning is nice. I like how they made Chloe’s necklace stand out against all the dark colors.

Characters/Relationships

            I liked learning about the characters in this book. Since they are all at the Lyle House because they have something about them that’s “unstable” it was interesting to learn about them and why exactly they are at Lyle House.

            Not really any love story in this book, but I suspect that something is going to happen between Simon and Chloe in the next book in the trilogy.

Conclusion

            I can see why this book is popular along with the other books that Kelley Armstrong has written. It offers a fresh twist on a paranormal book. I am very excited to read the sequel.

Revived by Cat Patrick

Author: Cat Patrick
Pages: 352
Format: Paperback
Date Published: May 8 2012
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Introduction
       Daisy "Appleby" is part of a program that tests a drug called Revive. As long as you don't have a disease when you die, you can be brought back to life. Daisy has died five times in the last the fifteen years. Every time she dies, she gets a new name, a new house and a new school. Last time she died, she was relocated to Omaha, Nebraska. Daisy is used to moving so she doesn't mind that she has to go to a new high school, she thinks it's going to be like every other high school she's ever gone to. All she has to do is blend in and not be noticed. On the first day at her knew high school, she meets Audrey, a pretty girl with a great personality, and her brother Matt, a cute and nice guy. They all become really good friends. As the book goes on, Daisy worries that she might be becoming too attached to Omaha and too close to her new friends.

Audrey
       I loved absolutely every character in this book. I especially loved Audrey. She is just so positive all the time, and I just love how no matter what happens she is always able to laugh and make jokes.
     
Mason
       Another character I liked was Mason. He cares about Daisy so much just like a real father would. Mason tries to share everything that he can with Daisy despite the protest from his partner Cassie.
     
Daisy    
       I did like Daisy, she was very realistic. I liked how even though she could be brought back to life, she doesn't spend her whole life taking stupid unnecessary risks. Yes, she makes stupid decisions but that's what everybody does at some point anyway.
     
Matt and Daisy
      I liked Matt and Daisy's relationship. They were a good match for each other. They actually have a lot in common plus they both have a good relationship with Audrey which is an added bonus.

Conclusion
       I loved this book. The characters were all really realistic, which is great. Boys could defiantly read this book. I would not recommend this book to people who don't like sad books very much. If you can handle some sadness and like, books about friendship, This book could be great for you.

After Obsession by Carrie Jones and Steven E. Wedel

Author(s): Carrie Jones and Steven E. Wedel
Pages: 336 pages
Date Published: November 13 2012
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children



Introduction
       After Obsession is the story of Alan and Amy. They have both inherited strange things from their parents. Alan's cousin Courtney is also Amy's best friend. Amy is worried about Courtney. Courtney has recently lost her dad and is obviously not taking it very well. Other than that, They have a good life right?... Wrong. Everybody's angry, and people are not acting like themselves. Something evil is lurking just beneath the surface of Maine and Courtney is stuck in the middle, and Alan and Amy need to find out a way to make everything normal again

Cover
       The cover of this book is super amazing. It is one of the prettiest covers I have seen in a while.

Characters/Relationships
       I liked the characters in this book well enough I guess, it's just the relationships in this book I have problems with. Let's start with Blake and Amy. They breakup right in the beginning. The whole breakup scene was so terrible. I mean I know that people are not acting like themselves but, no. Just no.
       Then comes Alan and Amy. They have a connection. I get that, but Alan's in town for all of a week and him and Amy are already saying that they love each other. The relationship goes at an extremely fast pace.

Conclusion
       I have never read any books by Steven E. Wedel, but as soon as I saw Carrie Jones' name on the cover, I knew that I had to read it, and let me tell you this book did not disappoint. Boys could read this book too. Even if they don't like female protagonists, this book switches POV's between Alan and Amy quite often.

The Vampire Stalker by Allison Van Diepen

Author: Allison Van Diepen
Pages: 272
Date Published: June 1 2011
Publisher: Point

Introduction

       Amy, like many other people in Chicago, are obsessed with The Otherworld, a book series about a tall, handsome vampire stalker. His name is Alexander, and his entire life is devoted to killing a very powerful vampire named Vigo. Amy has spent more than a few days thinking about what it would be like if Alexander were real. One day after getting off the bus after dark, Amy is jumped by a man and is panicking, when suddenly a tall man comes to her rescue. Later when thanking him, she realizes his striking resemblance to the Alexander on the covers of the Otherworld series. After questioning him a little bit, Amy realizes that he really is the main character from the books. She also knows another thing. Vigo is here too, and Alexander won't leave until Vigo is either back in the Otherworld or dead. Soon people start showing up dead with two marks on the their necks. Amy knows that Vigo has began killing, but she and Alexander are no closer to capturing Vigo. Alexander then reads the Otherworld books that have him as the main character. He then discovers many secrets about Vigo that he didn't know before. Hes one step closer to killing Vigo and one step closer to going home.

Cover

        The Vampire Stalker has two covers. The one that I had, was a girl with her back turned and a man looking out from behind a wall, as a man is coming down the street. I love the mist in that cover, it makes it seem mysterious. The other cover is a girl with a sad/angry/scared expression on her face. With the same silhouette. I am usually not a fan of books having whole faces as the covers but I don't mind this one so much.

Character/Relationships
       I had some issues with the characters in The Vampire Stalker. For one, Amy seemed really unrealistic. A guy shows up from a book and she keeps going about her daily about her life, and thinks more then once about what it would be like to actually date Alexander. I mean, there is a vampire going around the city KILLING kids and she's thinking about what it would be like if she and Alexander were dating. Alexander was kind of boring too. Seeing that he comes from a different world, I would think he would be a little more interesting to read about.
       It's obvious that Alexander and Amy like each other throughout most of the book. Amy's is almost always thinking about Alexander and the relationship quickly becomes:
      Oh my gosh Alexander! I luv you!
      Slow down Amy. I know you love the books about him but please control yourself.

Conclusion

       Honestly, this book wasn't that great. As I said, Amy spends a lot of her time thinking about Alexander, While Alexander is more focused on trying to catch Vigo. I had not read anything else like this before, but I am sadly disappointed. 


     
      

End Of Days by Eric Walters

Author: Eric Walters
Pages: 320
Date Published: September 27 2011
Publisher: Doubleday Canada
Introduction 
        Our days are numbered. We have on average, seventeen years and four months. A large object is rushing toward earth and once it comes, humans will cease to exist. Within a twelve month period, the greatest minds on earth have mysteriously died. Or so everybody thinks. They have really been taken to study and prevent an asteroid from hitting the earth. As time ticks down, food becomes scarce and many die. Scientists are scrambling to find a way to destroy the asteroid, after a failed attempt to completely stop the asteroid, they are running out of ideas. But with the help of a teenage boy named Billy, and another scientist they have one last shot to stop the end of days from happening.

Cover

       I like the cover for the End of Days, it was very plain yet still looks nice, the rainbow colors in the title stand out nicely against the black background.

Characters/Relationships
      I liked many of the characters in this book among my favorite is Billy. He was tough enough to survive years in the disastrous world yet he is still very kind. He puts in a great effort in being a leader. everywhere he goes. He to know everybody around him because he believes that everybody is important and that nobody should be forgotten. After years of not having much food, and disagreements between other people, you would think that, that would make him mean and full of hate, but despite all that he still has some kindness in him.
      A character that I didn't like as much would probably Mr. Sheppard. One of the great minds that was taken to help stop the asteroid. I found him boring at some points. He didn't really capture my interest for very long while I was reading the book.
       No love story in this book really, for a brief time Billy thinks about Christina but only for a few pages within the book. Billy and Christina never became an item.

Conclusion
      Overall, this book was alright. Most of the characters were pretty good. I am not a huge fan of Eric Walters but I am glad I gave this book a shot. It would be a great book for boys and girls to read if they are into a little bit of science fiction.

The Replacement By Brenna Yovanoff

Author: Brenna Yovanoff
Pages: 343
Date Published: September 21 2013
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin Group

Introduction
       In Gentry, one day you will have a perfectly normal baby and things will seem great. Then the next day your baby will be gone, replaced with a strange creature that is in no way the baby you had yesterday. Many replacements don't make it in the human world very long and die shortly after being left. Only a few make it  past a few months. Malcom (Mackie) one of the few replacements has made it to the age of 16. Unfortunately he is getting weaker and weaker in the human world do to the fact that he gets extreme reactions to even being near blood or iron. Recently a girl that Mackie knows from school, Tate, had her sister Natalie pass away. Before she died Tate noticed some changes in her sister. Mackie comes to a conclusion that Natalie was replaced. After while he finds out that she could still be alive. As Mackie struggles to just to stay alive, he must find a way to get Natalie back before all saints day when she will be sacrificed. So thus begins this dark story of ugly things


Cover
       The cover of this book is absolutely stunning. I could hardly tear my eyes from it. It is unlike any cover I have ever seen. The whole cover just gives me this eerie feeling that suits this book perfectly.

Characters/Relationships
       I loved every character that was in this book. Everyone of them seemed so thought out, real and believable. They all had very realistic relationships with each other. I loved the friendship between Roswell and Mackie. Roswell is always calm and collected. Never asking to many questions. Plus he still likes Mackie even though many other people truly believe that he is a freak. Another friendship that I loved was between Emma and Mackie. Emma and Mackie are not really related but Emma loves him and protects him like they really are related.

       I wasn't completely convinced with Tate and Mackie dating it didn't really interest me very much. I was much more interested in how they were going to get Natalie back, than what was going on between Tate and Mackie.

Conclusion
       I loved this book and would easily pick this up for a second read. It drew me in from the very first page. I recommend this book for anybody that has grown tired with the same old story about a girl who falls in love with a supernatural boy.