Ravens Gate, by Anthony Horowitz

From the author who wrote the Alex Rider series comes a new series, The Gatekeepers, which starts out with Ravens Gate. This book begins with a 14 year old boy named Matt going to rob a warehouse. The raid goes wrong and he runs into the security guard who ends up getting stabbed. The police arrive and arrest him. After a night in jail, he must go to live with an elderly lady named Mrs. Deverill in a remote town called Lesser Malling. After spending some time there, he notices strange events after he tries to escape. He tries to find info on something he heard called Ravens Gate but fails.
Matt's suspicions are confirmed later when he sees Mrs. Deverill and the villagers of Lesser Malling practicing a ritual of some sort by an abandoned nuclear plant. He thinks she is witch. Anyone who tries to help him dies mysteriously. After finally escaping, he finds more info on Ravens Gate and finds out that it's a type of portal that that will let ancient beings, called the Old Ones who inhabited the earth long ago (like the Forerunners in Halo) to come into the modern world. However, knowing this puts him at risk of being killed.
        The mystery and the suspense of this book keeps you on the edge of your seat. This book was an interesting and exciting read because of that, however, it was a little strange in parts. It had very good descriptive details and a good plot. I recommend it to fans of Anthony Horowitz as well as those who enjoy fantasy.  B+

Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25

By: Richard Paul Evans

     Ever since Michael was born he was more than just an ordinary kid.  Not only was he born with Tourette Syndrome but he has had electric powers for as long as he can remember.  Everything changes when he finds out that a girl in his grade,Taylor Ridley, may have the same type of powers.  The weirdest part is Taylor and his birthdays are really close together and they were born in the same hospital.  They begin looking at the hospitals records to see if that may be the link to their special powers.  As soon as they start investigating a peculiar school known as the Elgen Academy takes certain interest in the two teenagers.  Every goes down hill when Taylor and Micheal's mom are kidnapped.  Micheal will do anything to get them back even if that means risking his own life.

      The book suggests that the human race needs to be improved.  There are certain aspects of the world that should be changed but this book basically says that we should knock down the whole empire we have created and start a new with human 2.0.   It shows what happens when people are brainwashed and put into seclusion for so long they just lose all humanity they might have ever had.  It also shows us that our views on society really do shape who we are.  Not only that even the way we grow up and where we grow up effects who we are as a person.  Learning everything about this really makes you take a step back and evaluate the world today and look closely at the events that made you who you are today.

     I find the book very interesting because it's really the first of it's kind to be done.  Never before has there been electric children put into literature.  It's highly entertaining because there is a lot of action.  While there might be a few dull moments, in my opinion, the story always picks back up and gets even better with twists you never saw coming.  The book leaves off at a good place but it has that suspenseful feeling that if you don't get the next book you might just die.  I personally cannot wait to get my hands on the second book.

     I really did love this book and I'd recommend it to anyone.  It's just your typical children's book of our age.  Overall I give it an A.

Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson

Over the past few years there have been many prequels to popular series. Puss in boots, Prometheus, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and Star Trek. This book however is the prequel to one of the greatest Disney movies of all time. Peter Pan. This book titled Peter and the Star catchers, starts out with five orphan boys being dropped off by a carriage to a port. They board a ship that will take them across the sea. Peter is the leader of these boys. While aboard Peter meets a girl named Molly, and discovers a magical trunk that gives the power of flight. While trying to break in and look at the trunk again Molly stops Peter and tells him about her father and how they are part of a secret organization that protects the stuff in the trunk, also known as Starstuff. This book also switches points of view with Peter, Black Stache, a.k.a. Captain Hook, and Molly's Father. While trying to purse the treasure Black Stache hijacks another ship that unfortunately for him had a fake trunk aboard. He soon figures it out and goes after the ship that Peter and Molly are on. When Black Stache gets there Peter has been thrown overboard but survives. After taking the ships crew captive Black Stache leaves the ship and the rest of its passengers to die. The ship capsizes and falls apart.

Molly uses the star stuff and escapes, both Peter and Molly safely get to an island, as do all of the other boys and Black Stache. The boys encounter natives, and face their laws. After escaping they locate the trunk and start back to the beach. They encounter survivors, and Black Stache. In a final battle Peter faces Black Stache and cuts off his hand which is then eaten by the crocodile. The natives host them for a dinner and Peter decides to stay on the island.

I really this book although it did start out a little slow. At first it was boring but that was before the rising action started. I recommend it to those who like Peter Pan as well as fiction. This book reminded me of  a few others because of its theme. It greatly incorporated it. But because of the slow start and a few other things, it could have been better. A-

Dreamland- Sarah Dessen

     This book 'DreamLand' is a hard book to really find a main theme behind, so if I, personally had to decided I would say its probably about family, and never giving up on trying to see them even if things tear you apart.
     This book shows you "around" through Caitlin's eyes, one of the main characters. The book starts out with Caitlin's older sister running away, and the whole family ( her mom, and dad ) go absolutely bonkers. But what her mom and dad don't realize is the day Cass left ( the older sister ) they forgot it was Caitlin's birthday. The book carries on and it turns out that Cass left a note on Caitlin's bed, which read, "Caitlin, I'll see you in Dreamland". So I don't ruin the book for you all I will tell you is that Dreamland is a place where, Cass, Caitlin, and their mom all meet up. Dreamland is a land that once you fall asleep you can be with whoever else traveled their in their sleep, but its only the people you want to see there that you see. Although you can't just plan on going to sleep and going to Dreamland, you're lucky if you can make it there, it's not technically hard you just have to really want it.
     I personally didn't enjoy this book, but that's just me. The reason why is because I feel almost as if it drags on with a little to much unimportant things throughout the book, it adds way to much detail and thoughts in my opinion.. Although I would recommend it to others. Dreamland, although does sound very interesting to me. I mean if I wanted to go to another place of my dreams, and see people I didn't get to see everyday I would absolutely try and go every single day. If there were an actual Dreamland, I would be in awe.
      I suggest that if you take a long time to get into a book that you don't read this one, it took me about to the middle of the book to really get hooked on it. But if you like stories with a lot of back story then this is the perfect book. Happy reading

Candle Wax

In a world where four kingdoms occupy the mysterious land of Lackanay, and a great evil waits for the right moment to emerge again, there must be corruption. C. Bailey Sims delivers this world of supernatural magic in this book shown to the left. The story starts with a sixteen year old girl named Catherine leaving her room and walking down a dark corridor in the middle of the night. She gets outside through a secret passageway in the kitchen. After that she heads to the vault, she gets the guards to open it and grabs some money and the Ancient Onyxes given to her by her grandmother. She leaves the vault, dresses as a boy to be able to leave her kingdom unnoticed, and rides a horse towards the bay of Portsland, where she will take a ship away from the mainland to start a new life. Along the way she is attacked by a 732 year old Farrier cat, a living legend. He eats her horse and she must go on a journey to help this Farrier cat, named Spelopokos, or Pokos. This is all because of the Onyxes. In the ancient land of Devona, a great evil awaits to awaken that can only be stopped by Farrier cats. Without a mate Pokos will die, and leave this great evil to take over all four kingdoms of Lackanay. They travel to a town to get Catherine new supplies where she is befriended by a kind lady who takes her in. Eventually, Catherine's father tries to locate her. She runs away from the village with the daughter of the kind woman who gave Catherine assistance, but they are then captured by the men of a power-loving ruler of one of the four kingdoms. With the help of Pokos they escape and are found by the king of Candle wax. The reason she ran away from home, she was to marry him. They group together and travel to Candle wax. Pokos and Catherine plan to run away to the land outside of Lackanay, called Cinna to find another Farrier cat as he is the only one left in Lackanay.
         They are stopped by the king of Candle wax named Cyril. Cyril and his advisor join them in their quest to find another Farrier cat. While in Cinna, they kill four Farrier cats in self-defense, encounter Cinnans and travel to their mountain fortress, join in a competition to earn their freedom, and chase after the corrupt rulers of Cinna. Pokos is shot by an arrow in the neck and almost dies. With the help of survivors of a shipwreck, they must take Pokos to his brthplace to heal, and Catherine must take the Farrier cats found in Cinna to Lackanay. When Pokos left Lackanay, the great evil awoke and started to march across the land. The other kingdoms soon start to hold back. Eventually Catherine makes it back to Lackanay, and they meet the traitor... The rest you will just have to read, because the rest of the story is too complicated and long to explain in this review. This book was really good and I recommend it to all who enjoy fantasy and made-up creatures. It was an excellent page turner. A+

FYI: If you were wondering, there will be a sequel.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

     Welcome to Middle Earth! The Hobbit is the prequel to the legendary trilogy of the Lord of the Rings. (By the way, it is now a movie which recently came out in December of 2012.) The Hobbit was published before the Lord of the Rings trilogy in 1937. Plus, in every angle of the book there is a completely an unexpected journey for our little hobbit: Bilbo Baggins. This unexpected journey in Middle Earth is overflowing with the most dangerous and exotic creatures imaginable. (Some in which are very stupid.)

     Bilbo Baggins takes upon the request of this adventure from the great wizard Gandalf the Grey, followed by the dwarf Throrin Oakenshed with his twelve other dwarf friends that are willing to do anything to take back the Lonely Mountain which was taken by the dragon Smaug. (That's all I'm going to say on that.) Unfortunately, there are many obstacles and dangers that lie ahead before them. Though they go through many problems, they always find a solution by, of course, Bilbo.

     I love this book and it has moved me in many ways. From chapters that make me want to be in it or stay out of it, I was pushed into it anyway. I love books as much as the next person (or hobbit, goblin, troll, etc) but I really dislike when books take forever to get to the story, luckily, this does not happen at all in The Hobbit. It just jumps right to the adventure, like a good book should. Though there are many parts that are hard to understand, keep reading anyway. I was actually shocked and somewhat upset how Tolkien made all of the dwarfs (maybe not Balin) turn their heads away from Bilbo thinking he was worthless and thought Gandalf was crazy to pick him. But then I was glad that Bilbo showed what he can do and that he is a worthless Burglar for the Company.

     The only thing that I would tell Tolkien to do before writing The Lord of the Rings would be to write more adventures that Bilbo goes on. It would have also been nice to know what happened to all the dwarfs after a bunch of stuff that I shall not speak of.

     If one was at the library (or bookstore) and saw this booking laying there. Pick it up and read it! You will not be sorry or regret it that you did read this. It is a truly amazing adventure through J.R.R. Tolkien's great, big, work of art.
   

I AM NUMBER 4 By: Pittacus Lore

     If you want a book that is AMAZING in so many ways, I think you should give I Am Number Four a try! Sure, it may seem dorky with the fact its about aliens. Honestly I'm not the alien type of girl myself. Beside the fact it is about aliens this book with entice you with its constant surprises and action. The book is full of suspense. I couldn't put it down. Even when I did I never stopped thinking about it and what could happen next. You will get a little taste of everything in I Am Number Four.
     This book is obviously about Aliens. But not normal aliens you would think of from Mars. They are kids and adults that look just like us, act like us, but they aren't like us. They came from their planet of Lorien to fight for their planet and ours. While and by hiding. There were 9 kids that made it out to Earth, plus their Cepen, or guardian. After they courageously escaped while their planet was being destroyed by the Magadorians. They were numbered off and given a amulet which makes it so they can only be killed in order of their number. Three are dead, and this book is about number 4, and his Cepen Henri. The Magadorians have already wiped out all the resources from Lorien and have the power to destroy Earth, and the kids are ready to fight.
     Henri and Four have been on the run on Earth for 10 years now. Which makes Four 15, and Henri somewhere in his 50's. They are constantly having to change their whereabouts and identities, so the Magadorians won't catch up with them. This time they are in Paradise, Ohio which isn't like Paradise in their eyes at all. For the first time, Four, now known as John Smith, likes his new life in Paradise. He's actually made friends and maybe involved in a little romance! One of his new friends is Sam who is one of those nerdy kids always obsessing over aliens, and has a conspiracy that his dad has been taken by them as well. Also Sarah who he starts to have a little crush and the feelings may be mutual. Four has never felt so close to being at a place he could call home. Until...
     Will the Magadorians come for them? Will they have to leave? Will that put the people he loves in danger or will he leave them? From there it only gets harder.
     I don't want to give to much away but i think that all around this book was full of suspense and action and even a little romance. Even if it doesn't seem like your kind of book, I would give it a chance. I did and I loved it! I think the author was trying to say by the way four is always risking his identity for those he loves, he wants  you to be there and stand up for the ones you love no matter what the risks, and also do whats best for you and the people around you.
     In conclusion this book was incredible and a pretty easy read for a large span of ages. I would give it 2 thumbs up! I think you would as well.   A+
     In addition to a phenomenal book, they also made a movie after the book. Which I suggest you watch AFTER you read the book! Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5djHG3hPu0

The Sea of Monsters by: Rick Riordan

This wonderful fiction book is about a kid whose name is Percy Jackson. Percy, after completing the task of finding the stolen Lightning Bolt, is now faced with a new problem. Camp Half-Blood (a camp for sons and daughters of a mortal and a god) is not safe anymore. Zeus' daughter Thalia is a tree that protects the camp and now has been poisened so the borders are not protected anymore. The only cure is to retrieve the magic Golden Fleece. Percy with the help of his friend Annabeth and his step brother Tyson had to find the magic Golden Fleece before it was to late. Thalia would die and the camp would be in great danger. Also Percy's best friend is in trouble. He has been taken by a cyclops and Percy needs to save him. He keeps having dreams of Grover being held captive because Grover is sending them to him so he can also be found. In one of the dreams Grover tells Percy that he thinks that he might of found the Golden Fleece.

They travel to where he thinks Grover is and on the way their they have a lot of challenges. Right off the bat they get captured by one of their former camp-mates Luke (Luke was good and then he turned evil and wants the Titans to rule again). They managed to sneak away on a life boat one night and proceded to go on with their hard task. Bad thing after bad thing just kept happening. Next they met up with Clarisse (daughter of Ares and is a camp mate of thiers) and she had an ironclad from the Civil War. They were traveling in the right direction when they got attacked by Scylla (a sea monster that had 6 heads and always attacked sailors and boats). The crew ends up scattered except for Percy and Annabeth. They assume Tyson is dead because they thing he blew up with the boat. They don't know if the nearby islands are even safe so they can swim to them. They need to find Tyson and Grover. Hope is almost lost they need the Fleece to save Camp-Half Blood. They are running out of time and are in a time of desperate need. What will they do?

This book is a great book. I just love Rick Riordan he is such a good author and this series is great so far. I really encourage the people who read this series to study up on their Greek mythology or else you might not be able to understand it too well. I love the way how he puts Greek mythology into characters who live in modern times. He really understands how to make a good page turning book. I really liked this book and so far this series. A

Tunnels- By Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams

NEWS FLASH!

A man by the name of Dr. Burrows disappeared about a week ago. He was a museum curator, and he enjoyed excavations with his son, Will Burrows. To add, Will Burrows has also recently disappeared. The police are still searching for the two gentlemen.


     The world in Will's life was perfectly fine... until his dad disappeared. The book Tunnels was a great read. I have never heard of Gordon, or Williams before, but I really like their style. Although the first bit of the book was slow-paced, it was easy to follow and fun to read!
     I will start by describing some of the characters in Tunnels. There are many characters that contribute to the book. I will start with Will Burrows, or Seth Jerome as the Colony knows him as. He has always enjoyed digging big tunnels. But he always seems a little different. His skin is white, and so is his hair. His dad, Dr. Burrows, is a museum curator, and is very observant. His mom is a little wacky, and sits and watches TV all day. His only friend Chester, looks like Will, but is a lot bigger and stronger. Cal, his colonist brother is adventurous, and wants to learn more about Topsoil. Will's uncle, Tam, is very anti-Styx, and makes secret excursions to the Eternal City. And, last and least, his sister, Rebbecca. She seems nice and tidy at first, but has a dark secret...

     Let us begin with the beginning. Will, the lonely boy. He finds a friend, and starts digging tunnels with him. But someone caves in his tunnel. Around the same time, his dad disappears. (Oh, I don't really know when my writing will become spoilers, so if you have a plan of reading this book, proceed with caution! ) He and Chester are both very curious about where his dad is, so after much thinking and planning, they try to follow him. They go down a bunch of old fashioned escalators, and get to a place with a bunch of worn down buildings. Suddenly, a man on a horse grabs both of them and drags them off. And that is where the story begins.


     Turns out they discovered the outskirts of a whole underground colony, called the Colony (go figure). They get there, and Chester is imprisoned. Will gets taken away by his dad and brother, and then the plot goes all askew. He tries to escape, his mom goes crazy and so forth.

     So, to sum it up, this was a good book. Although it didn't do a good job of making you want to read it, I liked it. I would suggest this book, but only if you are patient. B+

Shadowland by Meg Cabot

  

   Shadowland is the first book in the series, The Mediator, by Meg Cabot.  It is a fictional book with just a touch of romance, but it also does deal with some real-life situations.  Moving to a new state is one of those situations.  Susannah Simon's mom remarried after her father's death.  Her mom moves her from New York, all the way to Carmel, California.  

   Suze is what we call a mediator.  A mediator is someone who can speak, touch, and help ghosts.  She has been seeing these ghost since she was 2.  These ghosts usually show up at times she really doesn't want them there.  When Suze moves out to California, she is expecting a whole new start.  But when she gets to California, there happens to be a very attractive cowboy in her room.  This is definitely going to cause a ruckus in her life.  When she goes to her new school, she finally meets another mediator, Father Dominic.  But what happens when a ghost wants to kill her ex-boyfriend?


   The main theme of Shadowland would have to be family.  Susannah moves to California with no complaint what so ever.  She just wants her mom to be happy for once.  She has been living as a single parent, living in an apartment for years.  Suze just wants her mom to be happy, and she is finally happy for her when she falls for Andy.  This gives a good example about how much family should mean to a person.


   This book is filled with family, friends, and especially ghosts.  My favorite part of the book would have to be how she describes the surroundings, she goes into a lot of detail to tell us what it looks like.  This book is definitely for girls/young adult.  The whole book takes place in 1st person view from Suze's point of view.  This book kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time!  I give this book an A+.

I Am Number Four By:Pittacus Lore

     I Am Number Four was a great book. Although I am not an alien type of girl, or one to really ponder if there are aliens I still found this book enjoyable. It kept me fascinated and wondering about what was going to happen next  even when I wasn't reading the book. This book has suspense, friendship, bravery, and even a little romance.
    
     This book is about aliens if you haven't guessed that yet. The main character ( Four) and his guardian ( Henri ) along with 16 others have come from the planet Lorien to protect their race and also earth from being destroyed form another evil race called the Mogadorians. The Mogdorians have already sucked four's planet clean of its resources and now need more power so they are coming to earth to do the same.

     Four and Henri have been on earth for 10 years now making four fifteen and Henri mid fifties. Ever since they have arrived on earth the have moved every couple of months so that the mogdorians will not be able to catch them and kill them. Every time that they move Four has to get a new identity and start at a new school with a new life story to go with it. For the main part of the story you are with Four and Henri in Paradise, Ohio, a tiny little town. In Paradise for the first time ever Four actually makes a couple of friends. He meets Sam, a total nerd who is always thinking about aliens, and he also meets  Sarah who soon becomes much more than a friend. Four has never made attachments anywhere else so this place feels special to him.

      I don't want to give to much away but, I think that the author was trying to say was, protect those you love and what you stand for no matter the cost. And that is because, many of times Four has put his life on the line to save Sarah, Henri, and his friend Sam. He also has to  protect himself from getting caught by the Mogadorians.

     Over all I thought that it was a really good book and I definitely recommend it to anyone especially if you are a sci-fi lover. There was actually a movie made on the book last year here is a link to the trailer, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5djHG3hPu0. All in all it was a really good book and you should go check it out. 

Peeps by Scott Westerfeld

What is the thing that many authors like to write about these days? Vampires, writing about vampires is very common. The bad thing about this is that most of the vampire books are all alike. It really begins to irritate me. I'm sure others feel the same way. So, when I picked up Peeps I figured it would be just like all of the other vampire books. However, I was wrong. Peeps was very different then any other vampire book I've ever read.

Peeps is a story following a character named Cal. Cal happens to be an unlucky carrier of a disease. However, this disease is not like any other disease in the universe. This disease happens when a parasite gets into your body. This parasite causes you to act like a vampire. You start eating people, hiding from light, and hating everything you used to love. People who know about this disease call people who have it peeps, not vampires. Oddly, like I mentioned before Cal is only a carrier. Meaning he can give others the disease, but he doesn't have the symptoms. Well, he does have some symptoms. Like, he has the ability to see, and hear far greater then any regular human. He also has super strength. So, as you can tell this disease can be a problem.

Cal does have an interesting job though. He works for a secret program that try to control the disease. Cal gets the pleasure of going after all of his past girlfriends who caught the disease from him. And I'm pretty sure going after your vampire ex girlfriends is no fun. But it's his job to go after them so they stop going around eating everyone. He has caught every past infected girlfriend. So, now his job is to catch the person who gave him the disease. Morgan, but it's almost as if she has fallen of of the face of the planet. So, basically it follows him trying to catch a vampire killer. Along the way, he falls in love with a human named Lace. But nothing is what Cal thinks it is. The disease is spreading everywhere. And it's up to him to save the world.

This book is really awesome! I enjoyed it a lot. It was nearly impossible for me to put it down. I would suggest anyone read it! Well, most people. There was a lot of inappropriate stuff in it. Mostly language, but also other stuff that others would feel very offended reading. So, I advise you to read with caution. I didn't really like some of the stuff in it. But, I was able to overlook it and enjoy it anyway. There is one thing that really bugged me about the book though. It ended right at a climax. And when I picked up the sequel, there was totally different characters. So that kind of ticked me off. Other than that, I adored it!

Eighth Grade Bites By Heather Brewer

Eighth Grade Bites is the first of a set of books called The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod. It was a pretty easy read. It was only a couple hundred pages, and it incorporated fantasy with real life. I think that is the main reason why I finished it so fast.

The story starts out with a chase scene. Mr. John Craig is running from a hungry vampire who is searching for Vladimir Tod. Mr. Craig gets caught, tormented, and eaten. Mr. Craig was, however, successful in keeping Vladimir safe from harm, for now.

Vladimir Tod, or Vlad, is a typical eighth grader, right? Of course not! Vlad is a vampire, or at least part vampire. His dad was a vampire, and his mom was human. His parents died a few years back in a house fire. Now Vlad lives with his Aunt Nelly. It turns out she's not even his aunt, but his mother's best friend. Anyways, Vlad has one friend, Henry, the most popular kid in school. Even that doesn't stop him from being bullied every day.

One afternoon, a new substitute for Language Arts comes in his name is Mr. Otis Otis. With the help of Otis later out in the book, Vlad is able to discover who he really is. He also discovers a hidden vampire world that his dad hid him from.

I honestly thought this is one of the best books I've ever read. It's filled with action, suspense, and a few jokes here and there. It mixes fantasy with every day life to create a truly unique story. I highly suggest this book to anyone that likes vampires(not the sparkly kind).

Fallen by Lauren Kate

  

   Fallen is the first book in Lauren Kate's series.  It is a fictional book that deals with real life situations such as relationships.  Luce Price is a troubled teen, and has not always been like that.  Her boyfriend caught on fire when she kissed him and she can't explain why.

   Luce Price has just showed up for her first day at Sword & Cross boarding school in Savannah, Georgia for troubled teens.  At this school, you can't have your cell phone and there are security cameras watching you all the time.  Luce just wants to be accepted.  But when she meets Daniel Grigori, she starts to think that she will never fit in.  Daniel makes it very clear that he wants nothing do with her at all.  Luce is now determined to find out why he doesn't like her.


   Lauren Kate has many real life situations in this book.  She incorporates relationships and teenage emotional problems.  The main theme of this book would probably be how fate/destiny can't be changed.  No matter what Luce does in this book, she is destined to keep meeting up with Daniel.  Nothing is as it seems. Everywhere she goes, Daniel shows up. Even though he appears to hate her, he always shows up and the right moment and keeps saving her life. This shows the reader, that no matter what we do, there is always someone there that we will meet up with.


   This book is mostly filled with relationships and friendships, and maybe a little love.  My favorite character/part of the book would have to be Daniel.  He is a tan guy with blonde hair.  And he has gray-violet eyes.  Amazing, I know.  He's quiet, but he stands up for himself, and his friends, when he needs to.  He isn't afraid to do what he needs to.  Daniel is a laid-back character, but he keeps you on the edge of your seat.  I give this book an A.

"Neither animal nor man, it was a creature the likes of which he had never before seen" (page 2)

The Crowfield Curse is an incredible story. The various twisted and turns that the plot takes do wonders for the story, taking the characters to a depth like a deep, dark well. Pat Walsh, an author that I had never heard of before, became one of my top ten favorite authors of make-believe stories. I simply love this book.
The story focuses on a single boy, William, who works as a servant for an abbey of monks. He has only one brother left after the terrible fire that consumed his family's mill. The monks treat him less than fairly, but I don't think he notices that they sort of fear him. When he finds a mysterious creature in the forest outside the abbey, his oblivious world tears apart at the seams.
This is a great read, and like I said, full of twists and turns. A few of the terms were a tiny bit difficult to understand, but otherwise very clear. Also, there is one chapter that is extremely disturbing and gory. My thanks to Pat Walsh, the author of this fantastic series of two books, I'd give it an A-. The second book is called The Crowfield Demon.

Paranormalcy

Paranormalcy, by Kiersten White, is about a girl named Evie who lives in a world completely unknown by us. In this world, there are vampires (it totally makes fun of Twilight, it's totally amazing) werewolves, faeries, and who-knows-what-else. It's been Evie's job since she was 10 years old to hunt down these paranormal creatures and bring them in to the IPCA (International Paranormal Containment Agency.) Evie has a special talent, she can see through glamours. Glamours are like a second skin over a being's true form. They are often much more attractive than the real thing.
        When a mysterious paranormal boy is brought in, Evie's curiosity is instantly spiked. The boy can change his glamour, but his true self is almost invisible. He looks like solidified water.
     Over time, Evie gets to know the boy. She learns his name is Lend and she quickly falls in love. However, things aren't all perfect. Paranormals have begun to die all over the world. Paranormals aren't supposed to die! Something is killing them. Evie suspects her ex, an enchanting faerie named Reth.
       It's a thrilling roller-coaster ride of emotion, I would recommend it to anyone. Grade A-

Supernatural: Night Terror, John Passarella

This book... I love this book! I swear it was like a freaking drug to me. I love it!!! One of the reasons may be that it is based off of my absolute favorite TV show ever, Supernatural!!! It is violent, action packed, and a horror story and does the series justice.

Alright down to business. You need some background info! This book takes place amidst the chaos of season 6 right in between the episodes "Frontierland" and "Mommy Dearest." Sam and Dean Winchester are hunters, but not the kind of hunters you're thinking of. The hunt things we only dream about in our worst nightmares. They lost their mother to a demon when they were young and their father had them on the road ever since, training them to fight the evil supernatural beings in the world. With the help of dear friend Bobby Singer they have taken down hundreds of monsters.

Considering this is supposed to follow the plot of season 6 the author often makes references to previous happenings early in the season. Season 6: Sam went to Hell and came back, but he returned without a soul. So with the help of their friend and angel Castiel they got Death to return it to him. Sam's soul was tortured by Lucifer while it was in the pit. Death put a wall up in Sam's head so he wouldn't remember Hell. Now that Sam is back in more or less one piece they are hunting the Mother of All. She's a freaky monster that can create more freaky monsters. Bobby learned that ash from a pheonix can harm her and that's what they got in the episode "Frontierland." So that's season 6 in a nut shell but I do encourage you to watch it. That aside let's get to book.

We jump in with Sam and Dean on their way to Clayton Falls, Colorado. Bobby sent them there because of strange reports of giant Gila and a headless horseman being seen. Posing as FBI agents Sam and Dean dive into the mystery unfolding before them. The more they look into the situation the less sense it seems to make. Whatever the creature is it gains power and starts dropping bodies.

This book will have you on the edge of your seat dying to know what lie beyond the next page but too afraid to turn it. As I mentioned before it's... Well it's a little violent. Yeah, okay who am I kidding? It is mega violent and graphic not only with blood but with the language the Winchesters use. So you have been warned.

It portrays the TV series quite well and John Passarella has a gift with words. If you have seen any part of show you know what witty humor to expect from the duo that are the Winchesters. It's so much more than amazing, it's spectaculacular! (That's for my die hard Supernatural fans.) I rate this book A+! So what on earth are you waiting for pick it up and read it!!!

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead.

  

   Vampire Academy is the first book in the amazing series by Richelle Mead.  It is a fictional book that also deals with real-life situations.  Friendship is one of those real-life situations that Rose and Lissa have to deal with.  A Moroi is a mortal-vampire that have "special" powers and feed on blood.  Strigoi are undead vampires.  They can either be humans turned against their will, or Moroi brought back from the dead.  Dhampirs are the children of a Moroi and a human.  They don't drink blood and they don't have powers.  They are, though, faster and stronger than anything.  (Dhampirs protect Moroi from Strigoi.)  


   Rose Hathaway and Lissa Dragomir both attend St. Vladimir's Academy, a boarding school for Moroi royalty and their future guardians.  Lissa is a Moroi Princess and Rose, a Dhampir, is her life long best friend and self-appointed guardian.  The story starts with Rose and Lissa living in hiding.  They had run away from St. Vladimir's two years earlier.  They are caught and forced to return to St. Vladimir's Academy.  There, Rose returns to her guardian training and Lissa goes back to learning more about the vampire powers she is supposed to have but doesn't.  Lissa seems to be the only one without any powers.  Rose's new private teacher is a very attractive Russian Dhampir named Dimitri.  Rose is getting very distracted by him and might not have the chance to graduate.  She must graduate if she wants to be Lissa's official guardian after graduation.  


   The author incorporates several real life situations in this book such as love, friendship and death. However, I think the main theme in this book is loyalty.  Rose and Lissa remain loyal to each other through out whole book.  Lissa is always there to help get Rose get out of trouble and vice versa.  Even when things might look better somewhere else, they ultimately stand together.  It gives a good example to the reader how friends should always stay loyal to each other. 


   This book is filled with a lot love, relationships, and friendship.  My favorite part of the book was Rose.  Her character is smart, tough and very well rounded, just like me.  She isn't afraid to express herself and can handle any situation that she needs to deal with.  This book is mostly for girls, but I know a few guys that liked it too.  Vampire Academy is a great book that keeps you in suspense and on the edge of your seat.   I give this book an A+.  

Everlost

Are you ever about to say something, but you forget what you are about to say? That's probably just because a skinjacker from an alternate universe was possessing you. You don't know what I am talking about? Well then, young locust, let me tell you.
Everlost- The world where people are half living, like ghosts
Afterlight- One of the ghosts
Skinjacker- Somebody who can posses the living
Vapor... Oh, this will take to long to tell you! Just google it!
In this story, Allie and Nick get in a car crash. They then get to Everlost. Once in Everlost, they find Mary Hightower. From her, they learn about Everlost. They leave after a while, and find a monster get captured, so on, so on.
I really liked this book. It was probably my favorite book by Neal Shusterman. It talked about many, many, things. In the book, they have to adapt to the situation. They also have to make friends of enemies. You need to learn to not judge a book by its cover, or else it might hang you upside down for 100 years! This book is very confusing at first, but you catch on quickly. Also, there is a bit of romance. I would recomend it to just about anybody. A

The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore

The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore is a fascanating book that leaves you breathless and craving more. It follows the first book in the Lorien Legacies, I am Number Four, and sadly, the book after it won't be out until August, so you might want to wait to read the series. But back to the book.

The Power of Six follows Four, Six, Sam, and Bernie on their journey to gather the other four Lorien's and defeat their enemies, the Mogadorians. However, unlike I am Number Four, The Power of Six follows another member of the Garde, and alternates between the two storylines. Number Seven is the other Loric being followed in this book. Seven, unlike four, has lived in the same small town of Santa Teresa her whole life. But ever since Four was discovered in Ohio, Seven knew something was off. Her cepan is doubting their mission, her legacies, or powers, are forming, and people are acting a bit suspicious. Seven is in trouble, and she needs to find the others, fast.

In this fast paced sci-fi, Four, Six, Seven and more battle bad guys and race against time to find eachother and regain their rightful home. Secrets are uncovered, tragedies are witnessed, and there's even a crazy love triangle/square thing.

Pittacus Lore's The Power of Six subtly also introduces a lot of morals and ideas throughout all of the craziness and excitment. One thing it suggests, is that love can change. Sounds cheesy, I know, but it's not really a huge part of the book, so don't worry. Anyway, The Power of Six suggests that you can fall in love more than once. Like when Four falls for a girl from Ohio, but then meets someone else. One other moral, is to never give up. For instance, Sam never stops looking for his dad, even when it seems impossible to get him back.

The Power of Six is a wonderful book, full of twists and turns that'll send you in a frenzy for more. I couldn't get my hands off of it, or my mind away from it. This book earns an A+. It's action packed, high paced, and all together amazing. I HIGHLY recommend it.