Dead Beautiful

DEAD BEAUTIFUL

By:  Yvonne Woon

FIRST SENTENCE

“My parents died on a hot August evening.”

SUMMARY
from goodreads

On the morning of her sixteenth birthday, Renee Winters was still an ordinary girl.  She spent her summers at the beach, had the perfect best friend, and had just started dating the cutest guy at school.  No one she'd ever known had died.  But all that changes when she finds her parents dead in the Redwood Forest, in what appears to be a strange double murder.

After the funeral Renée’s wealthy grandfather sends her to Gottfried Academy, a remote and mysterious boarding school in Maine, where she finds herself studying subjects like Philosophy, Latin, and the “Crude Sciences.”

It’s there that she meets Dante Berlin, a handsome and elusive boy to whom she feels inexplicably drawn. As they grow closer, unexplainable things begin to happen, but Renée can’t stop herself from falling in love. It’s only when she discovers a dark tragedy in Gottfried’s past that she begins to wonder if the Academy is everything it seems.

Little does she know, Dante is the one hiding a dangerous secret, one that has him fearing for her life.

Dead Beautiful is both a compelling romance and thought-provoking read, bringing shocking new meaning to life, death, love, and the nature of the soul.

REVIEW

I like paranormal books as much as the next girl, but Dead Beautiful was a little too creepy for me.  The summary (and the title) give a hint of what is going on, but I wasn’t really prepared for just how much death would overwhelm the story.

Renee was a girl who would speak her mind.  I liked that about her, even though it sometimes got her into trouble.  She had a lot going on in her life and she was thrown into a crazy situation at Gottfried Academy.

What I wasn’t so thrilled about was the relationship between Renee and Dante.  These two went from nothing to something way too fast.  I like a relationship that moves slowly.  How can they go from not speaking to each other to dating just like that?  Give me a relationship that builds over time.

If you like fast moving relationships and a very dark story, Dead Beautiful may be for you.  It wasn’t, however, a book I enjoyed. 

RATING

3        Plot

3        Characters

3        Attention Grabbing

3        Girlie Meter

3        Ending

15      TOTAL

3        STARS

The Third Degree - 2011 Blogging Goals

THE THIRD DEGREE

2011 BLOGGING GOALS

Let's light this candle.

Reviews – My reviews are getting a makeover.  They will still be tween-ish, but they will have a new look and I may revamp the rating system.  I've got the quantity down, but I want to work on the QUALITY.  

Features – Bookends is going away.  The Third Degree is staying – at least for now.  For the first time EVER, other bloggers will be featured on Reading Vacation.  I am really excited about this and I can't wait to get rolling. 

Social – Remember this post?  I have fallen off the wagon and need to get back on.  Operation Comment Love!

Technical – Since you are never too young to learn something new, I think I’m ready to learn some html.  Maybe I can finally crack the code of getting Blogger to behave the way I want.  I also want to become an expert on using my Kindle.  I want to be a Kindle master!  You know, sort of like a Jedi Master in Star Wars.

Can I do it?  YES I can.

Matched

MATCHED

By:  Ally Condie

FIRST SENTENCE

“Now that I’ve found the way to fly, which direction should I go into the night?”

SUMMARY
from goodreads

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

REVIEW

Society reigns supreme in Matched.  They decide EVERYTHING for you – how much food you eat, your job, how much you exercise, what you wear, where you live, and even who you marry.  Did you catch that?  Society decides who you will MARRY! 

Cassia is the kind of main character that I absolutely adore.  She starts off being a follower and she transforms into a rebellious girl who fights for her beliefs.  From weak to strong – from controlled to controlling – from a mouse to a lion.  Yeah, she is THAT kind of main character.  Girl Power!

Team Xander or Team Ky?  Xander was a sweet best-friend for Cassia.  He seemed more like a brother than a match to me.  Ky was the perfect influence on Cassia to bring out her true nature. My verdict?  Xander = mismatch and Ky = match

Ally Condie creates the perfect dystopian feeling in Matched.  Society itself is both a setting and a character.  It’s the world the characters live in and the powerful threat that controls it all.  I wonder what was the final straw that did away with free will?  Why does Society treat the citizens like they are puppets?  Why hasn't there been a major rebellion?

Matched was a great beginning to the trilogy and its cliff-hanger ending left me wanting more. 

RATING

5        Plot

5        Characters

5        Attention Grabbing

4        Girlie Meter

5        Ending

24      TOTAL

5        STARS

Unhappy Medium - Suddenly Supernatural #3

UNHAPPY MEDIUM

SUDDENLY SUPERNATURAL #3

By:  Elizabeth Cody Kimmel

FIRST SENTENCE

“I daydream a lot, especially during science class.”

SUMMARY
from goodreads

In this third Suddenly Supernatural book, spirit-seeing Kat has pretty much overcome her fear of communicating with ghosts. But when she and best friend Jac visit the Whispering Pines Mountain House and Kat is challenged to help a deceased medium make her way back into the light, things get a little darker.

From battling off dark spirits to fighting with Jac, Kat's week-long stay at the haunted mountain house is anything but relaxing. The question is what will be scarier: facing off with a misguided spirit or with her best friend, whose mother happens to be their chaperone?

REVIEW

In this third book of the Suddenly Supernatural series, Kat ventures off to a music convention with her friend Jac and Jac’s mother.  The convention is held in a mountain house hotel from the 1800’s.  A change in scenery doesn’t bring a change in supernatural activity for Kat.  It seems that the spirits follow her everywhere!

Unhappy Medium brings relationship issues front and center.  There is tension all around – Kat vs Jac, Jac vs her mother, Kat vs spirit, spirit vs spirit.  It is no wonder that Kat is unhappy.  I would be too!  However, I did like that this part of the story was realistic.  It is natural for everyone (medium, spirit, or everyday person) to have relationship conflicts from time-to-time.

My favorite character is Madame Serena.  She is a spirit who doesn’t even know she’s a spirit.  It’s a crazy story, but she calls Kat, Simple Kat – and she thinks KAT is the one who is a spirit.  The whole thing made me giggle.

The Suddenly Supernatural series just keeps getting better.  I am looking forward to reading Crossing Over – Suddenly Supernatural #4.  I can’t wait to see what is in store for Kat and Jac.

RATING

4        Plot

5        Characters

5        Attention Grabbing

5        Girlie Meter

4        Ending

23      TOTAL

5        STARS

Scaredy Kat - Suddenly Supernatural #2

SCAREDY KAT

SUDDENLY SUPERNATURAL #2

By:  Elizabeth Cody Kimmel

FIRST SENTENCE

“The truth is, I find it very embarrassing when my mother talks to plants.”

SUMMARY
from goodreads

Kat can see spirits, but what's even worse is the fact that spirits can also see her, especially the exceptionally needy ones. As this medium-in-training discovers, having an entourage of dead people can be kind of overwhelming-and a tad scary. So when an exploration of the abandoned house next door leads Kat and her best friend on a search for a missing boy, Kat's not sure if she wants to help—or even if she can.

Elizabeth Cody Kimmel's second Suddenly Supernatural book reminds readers that some things are even scarier than surviving middle school.

REVIEW

In the first Suddenly Supernatural book, School Spirit, Kat had just gained her powers.  This time around, Kat is becoming more comfortable with the special gift she has been given.  She is not as reluctant to use them, and she is not quite as overwhelmed by them.  I liked reading about Kat’s transformation.

Kat feels the presence of many spirits who follow her around.  This can be scary for her and she must learn to not feel so freaked out by it all.  In particular, her mother’s friend, Orin, is very helpful.  I liked that Orin did not talk down to Kat, but instead, actually helped her.

Although I loved the characters, my favorite part of this book was the plot itself.  The story line involving the spirit (well, it’s sort of a spirit and sort of not) that Kat helps is peculiar and fascinating.  It really had me thinking about what happens to a person’s spirit if they are in a serious accident. 

This series is perfect for a middle-grade reader who likes spooky stories that also have a realistic feel.  My review of Unhappy Medium – Suddenly Supernatural #3 comes out later today.  Stay tuned.

RATING

5        Plot

5        Characters

4        Attention Grabbing

4        Girlie Meter

4        Ending

22      TOTAL

5        STARS

Shadow

SHADOW

By:  Jenny Moss

FIRST SENTENCE

“I stood at the queen’s tall arched window.”

SUMMARY
from goodreads

In a time of kings, queens, and conspiracy, it's impossible to know whom one can trust.

In a kingdom far away and long ago, it was prophesied at her birth that the queen would die before her sixteenth birthday. So Shadow, an orphan girl the same age as the young queen, was given the duty to watch her every move. And as prophesies do tend to come true, the queen is poisoned days before her birthday. When the castle is thrown into chaos, Shadow escapes with a young knight, whom she believes was betrothed to the queen.

Unsure of why she is following Sir Kenway, but determined to escape as far as possible from the castle, her long-time prison, Shadow sets off on an adventure with the handsome knight who has been charged with protecting her. As mystery builds, and romantic tension does, too, Shadow begins to wonder what her role in the kingdom truly is. Soon, she learns, it is up to her to save her land.

Jenny Moss's novel is a lyrical, fast-paced adventure filled with mystery, magic, honor, and romance that will lead readers on an incredible journey

REVIEW

Shadow reminds me of a classic fairy tale.  There is royalty, a suffering country, good vs evil, enchantment, and a strong heroine.  I love fairy tales!  That special, magical feel is captured by Jenny Moss with her words and beautiful descriptions.

Most fairy tales have a strong  heroine.  In this book, Shadow is that character.  Perhaps she drew some of her strength from the years she was imprisoned in the castle and forced to follow the queen.  Maybe she was actually born with an inner strength that emerged once she escaped with Sir Kenway.  Either way, Shadow is one fierce girl.

The magical element in Shadow is presented ever so slowly.  It begins very innocently when Shadow can sense the feelings of those closest to her.  How that magical element grows took my breath away.  A sprinkling of other humans with magical gifts adds to the flavor.

I enjoyed the way the good vs evil plot played out.  Just because a character appears to be good, doesn’t mean they really are.  Sometimes it turns out that they are actually evil characters in disguise.  I learned that you must be careful who you trust.

Shadow is not a retelling of a classic, but it could be a fairy tale on its own.  Filled with everything you would expect in a fairy tale, Shadow is a charming read.  Thank you to Jenny Moss for sending this book for review.

RATING

4        Plot

4        Characters

4        Attention Grabbing

5        Girlie Meter

5        Ending

22      TOTAL

5        STARS

City of Ember

THE CITY OF EMBER

By:  Jeanne DuPrau

FIRST SENTENCE

“In the city of Ember, the sky was always dark.”

SUMMARY
from goodreads

The city of Ember was built as a last refuge for the human race. Two hundred years later, the great lamps that light the city are beginning to flicker. When Lina finds part of an ancient message, she’s sure it holds a secret that will save the city. She and her friend Doon must decipher the message before the lights go out on Ember forever! This stunning debut novel offers refreshingly clear writing and fascinating, original characters.

REVIEW

Just look at that first sentence.  Doesn’t it make you want to keep reading to find out WHY the sky is always dark and if it will always be that way?

Ember is in total darkness.  It is claustrophobic and the characters are scared.  Jeanne DuPrau captured the chaos and the terror felt by the citizens of Ember.  They become paranoid and some of them seem to have lost their minds.  I can tell you for sure that I would completely batty if I were in complete darkness like that.  Scary stuff!

Lina and Doon set out to save Ember from the darkness.  These two were very different from each other.  Lina was a messenger and she was very brave.  She would put herself in harm’s way for the people she cared about.  Doon, on the other hand, was moody and angry.  At least he was always there for Lina when she needed him.

The pacing of their story was a little off for me.  Things moved very slowly for a good part of the book, and then they sped up (maybe too much) near the end.  Why?

I heard that this book was made into a movie.  I will have to check that out.  There are also three more books to this series; The People of Sparks, The Prophet of Yonwood, and The Diamond of Darkhold. 

RATING

4        Plot

4        Characters

4        Attention Grabbing

3        Girlie Meter

3        Ending

18      TOTAL

4        STARS