XVI by Julia Karr – Review coming (Debut Author)

Mad Love by Suzanne Selfors -This was okay.  It was pretty cute, but not super memorable.  I liked Alice and liked how she was trying to keep everything together.  I was kind of frustrated by how much she didn’t believe Errol was Cupid, especially towards the end.  I thought she was on board and then bam!  She didn’t still didn’t believe.  It got a little old.

Prom & Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg -This was adorable!  Pride & Prejudice is one of my favorite books ever, so I was probably a little bit predisposed to liking it, but I thought it was a lot of fun.  The way the original story was meshed into a new setting was really interesting.  I liked the way the characters were portrayed.  Even though they were basically the same characters, I liked that they weren’t just exact replicas of the original characters.

Me, The Missing, and The Dead by Jenny Valentine – This was just okay.  Lucas was strange and I had a hard time getting really invested in him.  I liked his grandparents the most. (This is a UK author, but I am not counting it towards my UK author total because I started skimming after a while.)

The Key to the Golden Firebird by Maureen Johnson – I loved this!  I liked all three of the sisters, but May the most, followed closely by Palmer.  I loved that they were all named after baseball players. ;)  I laughed with them, I cried with them, but most of all I just loved them.  (Third person limited multi-perspective)

Violence 101 by Denis Wright -It’s hard to say I liked this book because it’s about a kid that does all kinds of bad stuff, but I definitely found it very intriguing.  It was really interesting to see Hamish’s justifications for what his actions.  I definitely liked the first section more than the second section and though it wrapped up a little too neatly. (International Author [from somewhere other than US, Canada, UK, or Australia])

Indigo Blues by Danielle Joseph -I was pretty disappointed in this one.  I liked Shrinking Violet a lot, so I was looking forward to this book.  Indigo is annoying, self centered, and just all around unlikeable.  There were times I did like Adam, but especially at the beginning beginning, he was whiny and way too obsessed with Indigo.

Fat Cat by Robin Brande – I liked this a lot!  I occasionally found Cat annoying and I wanted her to actually stop and listen to herself sometimes, or listen to Matt or something!  But I really related to Cat and really enjoyed the book.

Inside Out  by Maria V. Snyder – I liked this!  Maria V. Snyder is fast becoming one of my favorite authors.  I really liked Trella, Cogan, and Riley.  I loved discovering the secrets of Inside and Outside with the characters.  The book totally sucked me in.  I was kind of sad when it was over.  I can’t wait to read Outside In!

Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott – This had sat on my shelf for a really long time and I’m glad I finally picked it up.  It wasn’t my favorite book by Elizabeth Scott (that would be Something, Maybe), but it was a really enjoyable read.  I really liked Dani.  She was easy to relate to and her struggle was really interesting.  I liked her relationships with Greg and Allison.  I couldn’t stand her mom!  She was frustrating.

Oh. My. Gods. by Tera Lynn Childs – This was fun.  In terms of books about children of Greek/Roman gods, Percy Jackson was way better, but I did like the differences in this one.  I can’t say I loved it, but I enjoyed it.

The Heart Is Not a Size by Beth Kephart - I wanted to like this a lot more than I did.  I found the writing a bit frustrating.  I can’t really put my finger on why exactly, but I just felt like I was being talked at instead told a story I was part of.  I’m not sure that makes sense. LOL  But I just never got to the place where I cared about the characters and found the book a bit disappointing.

Gamer Girl by Mari Mancusi – This book didn’t blow my mind, but it was enjoyable.  I kind of related to Maddy in some ways, like how it’s easier to be honest and “yourself” on the internet than it is in person sometimes.  It was a really cute book.

Devilish by Maureen Johnson – After reading and loving The Key to the Golden Firebird, I had high hopes for this one, but I didn’t love it.  It’s another book where I never really felt invested in the characters and more felt I was just reading to get to the end.

The Deathday Letter by Shaun David Hutchison – I almost always like books with a male protagonist, but I was a little unsure about this one at the beginning.  I know teenage boys are all about sex, but I was starting to think it was going to be too much for me to continue reading.  But I’m glad I did.  That aspect toned down somewhat.  The premise of the book was really interesting.  What would you do if you knew you had a day to live?  I really liked Ollie, Shane, and Ronnie by the end of the book.

Forget You by Jennifer Echols - Really good read, however not quite as good as Going Too Far.  It didn’t have the same emotional punch.  But it was definitely enjoyable.  At times it was confusing, but I guess that’s what happens when the narrator has amnesia. :)

Stormbreaker (Alex Rider, Bk 1) by Anthony Horowitz – This was really fun.  It’s British, so of course I liked it!  But I did like the story too.  I’ll definitely continue with the series.

Rise of Renegade X by Chelsea Campbell – So much fun!  I liked this a lot.  I love superhero (and supervillain) movies, and this was just as good.  Damien was great – so sarcastic and funny.  I’d love to see more of Renegade X and the world he lives in.

Shakespeare’s Hamlet: The Manga Edition – This was pretty cool.  I’ve read Hamlet before, but it was cool to see it as manga.

Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs – I liked this a lot!  It was really cute.  At times it was a bit predictable, but the merworld was really fun and Lily was really endearing.

In My Mailbox

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Books Received: 8

• Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut (PBS FIFO)
• Something Like Fate by Susane Colasanti (PBS FIFO)
• Forget You by Jennifer Echols (Amazon)
• Stormbreaker (Alex Rider, Bk 1) by Anthony Horowitz (Borders)
• Six Rules of Maybe by Deb Caletti (PBS FIFO)
• Swim the Flyby Don Calame (PBS FIFO)
• Point Blank (Alex Rider, Bk 2) by Anthony Horowitz (Borders)
• Only the Good Spy Young by Ally Carter (Borders)

Books Mailed: 5

• The Search by Nora Roberts
• Forget You by Jennifer Echols
• Watch Me by Lauren Barnholt
• Linger by Maggie Stiefvater
• Something Like Fate by Susane Colasanti