Title: Leviathan
Author: Scott Westerfeld
You'll like this if: you love steampunk, are a history/biology geek, love novels such as Oppel's Airbourne, Reeve's Mortal Engines series, Clare's Mortal Instruments series, and, of course, Westerfeld's Uglies trilogy (which is actually more of a saga than a trilogy).

It's no secret that I love steampunk. All you have to do is take one look at the design for this website and you know that! So imagine my delight at finding out that Scott Westerfeld (of Uglies fame) was writing a steampunk novel!

Patiently I waited for the books release, until I could bare it no longer and asked (ney begged) Simon and Schuster to rush me an ARC. Needless to say, I furiously ripped open the little yellow package it came in the minute I found it in my mailbox. That was a bit over a month ago.

I've read it three times since.

After having devoured the 440 pages of the novel not once but trice, I think it's safe to say this book did not disappoint! Read below to find out why!

It is the cusp of World War I, and all the European powers are arming up. The Austro-Hungarians and Germans have their Clankers,steam-driven iron machines loaded with guns and ammunition. The British Darwinists employ fabricated animals as their weaponry. Their Leviathan is a whale airship, and the most masterful beast in the British fleet.


Aleksandar Ferdinand, prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, is on the run. His own people have turned on him. His title is worthless. All he has is a battle-torn Stormwalker and a loyal crew of men. Deryn Sharp is a commoner, a girl disguised as a boy in the British Air Service. She's a brilliant airman. But her secret is in constant danger of being discovered.With the Great War brewing, Alek's and Deryn's paths cross in the most unexpected way...taking them both aboard the Leviathan on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure. One that will change both their lives forever.


This creative reworking of history is not only clever, but wonderfully suspenseful. Leviathan mixes both reality and fantasy without being overbearing. You don't have to be a history buff to love this novel!

Mr. Westerfeld weaves Deryn and Alek's lives so skillfully that their eventual meeting is completely seamless. The novel also hosts a wide cast of secondary (yet dimensional) characters that add color to Leviathan. Moreover, this book entertains a variety of dichotomies ranging from mechanical technology v. biological advancement to female v. male protagonists, which only add to the engaging nature of the novel rather than distract the reader from the story.


Allow me to get this out of the way... I LOVE THAT THIS NOVEL IS ILLUSTRATED! Keith Thompson is such a wonderful and talented illustrator. I really hope he continues to feature his work in other published novels. Favorite drawing in Leviathan?



Filled to the brim with air and land battles, political dissidence, bravery, danger and reckless (albeit lively) abandon, Leviathan is one of the best, if not the best, of Westerfeld's novels.

It's lavish illustrations and engaging storyline are equally entertaining for boys and girls, adults and teens alike. Looking forward to book two in the series!


P.S. In case you've missed Scott Westerfeld's tour, a little birdie told me that the Leviathan series will not be a trilogy, but rather a series as S&S plans on printing a detailed illustrated companion to be released in conjunction with the third novel! Rejoice airship and clanker fanatics!

Title: Bran Hambric: The Farfield Curse
Author: Kaleb Nation
You'll like this if: You like gnomes, magic, Harry Potter, Twilight and the Twilight guy.

Early last year, I found a little website by the name of KalebNation.com. After browsing the site for a while (four hours, omg!), I decided it was high time I emailed its teen writer, Kaleb. Never in a million years did I think he would respond, but, to my surprise, he did!

Now, after multiple emails and Facebook conversations, I can honestly say Kaleb is one of the nicest bloggers out there. Within a couple of weeks from our first conversation, he told me about the novel he was writing and asked if I'd like to read the first few chapters. Needless to say, I've been hooked on Kaleb's main character, Bran, from the first. This novel is truly magical!

In a bustling metropolis where magic is outlawed, a six-year-old child is found inside a locked bank vault. A scrap of paper reveals his name: Bran Hambric. The child remembers nothing of his life before the vault. Only magic could have done this. But why would any mage risk breaking the law to place a child in a bank vault?

Eight years later the City of Dunce has forgotten about Bran. Even his foster parents don't seem to know he exists. But there are those who have been watching, biding their time, waiting to strike, people who know where Bran came from and why he was sent away. And they will do anything to get Bran back, dead or alive… - Sourcebooks

Bran Hambric: The Farefield Curse is not only wonderfully magical, but also brims with mystery and suspense. If you love Harry Potter and Twilight, this novel is for you.

Set against a world where computers and gnomes live in union, Bran Hambric: The Farefield Curse is a breath of fresh air in a vampire saturated industry. Kaleb Nation has skillfully crafted characters that struggle with the idea of good versus evil, while managing to maintain a bit of fun in the novel.


First and foremost, I love gnomes. I love their pointy hats. I love their small stature. I love their attitude. No surprise that I love Polland, the main gnome in Bran Hambric: The Farefield Curse.

One of the things I always loved about Harry Potter was the way it always managed to incorporate politics. Imagine my surprise to see Kaleb Nation do so seamlessly. Not an easy task, my friends. Not an easy task.

LOVE LOVE LOVE (did I mention, LOVE) that Bran has to struggle with the concept that his mother might have been evil. LOVE.

Love that Astara is a music junkie. I feel you, Astara. Truly, I do.

Really like the idea of Bran's necklace.



They all looked back, aghast: some of them fearful, some of them disbelieving. Astara rose to her feet slowly, surrounded on all sides by glass, like a river trapping her on an island.

Everyone was silent.

Bran glanced to his shoulder, where the glass had struck him and a thin line of blood was gathering down his arm. He wiped it away, and looked back to the men.

"I asked you," he said, "what sort of tricks do you have in mind?"


Personally, I found all of the Wilomas annoying. Extremely annoying. As in, I-want-to-lock-them-in-a-dungeon-and-forget-they-ever-existed annoying.

While I love Rosie, I'm not exactly sure why she was in the story. I almost wanted her to end up being evil towards the end.

SPOILER:

"Karl Yultz devised, with years of research, a powerful Drimra magic which would allow him to separate his spirit from his material body: to place it elsewhere, into a host, so that in keeping it preserved and separate, the body, while missing its soul, would not age or decay, until both were brought together again."

Does that sound familiar to anybody else? A horcrux perhaps? I'm pretty sure I read something pretty similar in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.


While I'm at it....

"His mind didn't even allow him to consider what he was doing. He held his ground, pushing against the force of the truck - and in front of him, he saw the metal bending and breaking inward, smashing and crumbling."

Hey Bran, perhaps you should become friends with Edward Cullen. It seems you both have a thing for stopping moving objects from hitting women you love.


Both of these parts in the story were semi-cringe worthy for me. And not because they were poorly written, but rather because both have become cliches. From here on out, authors can't rely on a damsel in distress to be the catalyst for their story. It is tired and trite.


Although there were a couple of things that irked me, in general, I really enjoyed this novel. If you are looking for something new and interesting, Bran Hambric: The Farefield Curse is a pretty safe bet. I can honestly say I look forward to reading more from the talented Kaleb Nation.

Rating for Bran Hambric: The Farefield Curse by Kaleb Nation : A-

Title: Sea Change
Author: Aimee Friedman
You'll like this if: You like mermaids, Alyson Noel's Evermore and stories about the Southern elite.

If you've been to a bookstore within the past few weeks chances are you've seen this book. Personally, I've always had a secret love for mermaids. It probably has something to do with having watched The Little Mermaid one too many times as a child, but nevertheless the obsession holds strong.

Sadly, it is hard to find good mermaid novels that enamor more than they do disappoint. Thankfully, that is not the case with Aimee Friedman's Sea Change. In fact, far from it.
Background on the book:
16-year-old Miranda Merchant is great at science...and not so great with boys. After major drama with her boyfriend and (now ex) best friend, she's happy to spend the summer on small, mysterious Selkie Island, helping her mother sort out her late grandmother's estate.

There, Miranda finds new friends and an island with a mysterious, mystical history, presenting her with facts her logical, scientific mind can't make sense of. She also meets Leo, who challenges everything she thought she knew about boys, friendship...and reality.

Is Leo hiding something? Or is he something that she never could have imagined?

In Short:
Sea Change is a carefully crafted, beautifully whimsical retelling of the classic mermaid tale. This story is not so much The Little Mermaid as it is a tale about legacy and love.

Ms. Friedman's new spin of a tired subject is wonderfully refreshing. It's not only nice to see gender roles reversed, but also strong, level-headed female characters.

Things I Love:
- The Language. It's pretty common knowledge that I'm a word nerd. There's nothing I like better than when a writer uses that perfect word to describe a place, thing or person. Ms. Friedman has total control over her word choices. It's a beautiful thing, I assure you.

- I love the main character, Miranda. I love that she vintage shops. I love that she's level headed. I love that she lives in New York. I adore her.

- Leo. Enough said.

- Gender reversal. I love that Miranda is the "human," whilst Leo is the merman. It's a nice little twist....and it works!

- Although CeeCee can be a bit much, I kind of like her. She's sweet in an incredibly over-the-top way.

Things I'm Not Crazy About:
- Generally, I loved this novel, however there was one thing that I could have done without: The Greg-Linda storyline. For me, it weakened Miranda's character a bit. I also felt that it was a bit of a crutch to use the whole Greg situation as a reason for her freak outs. Which brings me to...

- I hated hated hated that Miranda and Leo almost consummate their relationship RIGHT AFTER she tells him about Greg and Linda. Really, Leo? You're going to take advantage of that? Please...

- The weak relationship between Miranda and her brother and father. If you're going to include siblings and another parental figure into the story at least give them more play. Both of these characters felt as if they were after thoughts rather than actual important characters.

All in All:
Truthfully, Sea Change is the best mermaid novel I've read in a good long time. Although there are a few things that annoy me, all of these are inconsequential when the novel is reviewed as a whole. Really looking forward to reading more from Ms. Friedman.

As for Sea Change, it is romantic, smart, genuine and truly makes you want to take the plunge!

Rating for Sea Change by Aimee Friedman: A

Playlist for Sea Change:

Title: The Forest of Hands and Teeth
Author: Carrie Ryan
You'll like this if: You like The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and movies like The Village, I Am Legend and 28 Days Later.


Let me just put this right out there: I'm a scaredy cat. While it's true that I enjoy the occasional horror film, the genre definitely isn't on the top of my list.

That being said, you can imagine, that reading a horror novel, or anything that revolves around anything that could be considered horrific, is probably out of the question for me (I'm still trying to get through The Devouring for goodness sake!).

So when I first heard about The Forest of Hands and Teeth, my immediate reaction was uh-oh. I mean, c'mon even the title sounds eerie! But I decided to conquer my fears of the ever ominous super-creepy and soldier on. And boy, oh boy, am I happy I did.

Background on the book:

Mary lives in a small village in the middle of the forest governed by the religious Sisterhood and bordered with a fence to keep out the Unconsecrated—a horde of the undead unleashed many generations ago by a mysterious and cataclysmic event. Life is simple but preordained; Mary fears her betrothal to a man she doesn’t love almost as much as the hungry jaws slavering at the fence links. Under the colonial trappings, this is a full-blooded zombie thriller, reminiscent of the paragon of the genre, George Romero’s 1968 film Night of the Living Dead. Soon Mary and a small band of desperate survivors are thrown together to outwit the undead and work through their own weaknesses, suspicions, and jealousies. - Booklist

Trailer for the novel:

Click here to watch!

In Short:

This dark and enchanting post-apocalyptic novel is sure to give you a sleepless night. And I'm not talking the boogie-man-in-your-closet sleepless night, but rather the I-can't-put-this-book-down-even-if-it-kills-me kind of sleepless night.

Ms. Ryan intelligently spins a intoxicating tale that is a nice breath of fresh air in the horror genre. One of the best things about this story is that it's not just a zombie novel. This is a story about love, lust and how curiosity could potentially kill the cat.

Things I Love:

- First and foremost, I love that this book is driven mostly by the main character's dream of finding the ocean rather than by the constant zombie threat. This is a rare thing to find in zombie-related novels, since generally the main conflict tends to revolve around surviving the attacks and nothing else. In this novel, the zombie attacks feel almost secondary to Mary's dream of finding proof of life before the Return.

- Every single one of the characters in The Forest of Hands and Teeth are fully developed. They feel real. They hurt, you hurt. They bleed, you bleed.

- I love when Mary finds The New York Times and USA Today newspapers, as well as the photograph of the ocean.

- I love both Harry and Travis. Both deeply flawed and wonderful.

"But I don't know what dreams she imagined as she twirled in this dress. What man put his warm hand against the small of her back, making her skin tingle and her eyelashes flutter.

Suddenly, I'm dizzy. All my thoughts collide inside me at once and I must know these things. I run back to the platform, still wearing this woman's dress, and I kneel down and scout the Unconsecrated below. I examine each woman's arms, her waist, her hair, her wrists."

.... There aren't enough words to express how deeply moving this scene was.

All in All:

If I had to recommend one book for you all to read within the coming weeks, The Forest of Hands and Teeth would most probably be my pick. This novel is not only elegantly written, but is also moving, dark, twisted, emotional and above all else inspiring.

Rating for The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan: A

Playlist for The Forest of Hands and Teeth:

Title: Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side
Author: Beth Fantaskey

When I first got this novel, my immediate thought was, "This looks cute."

And it was.

If Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey were a movie, it would be the type of movie you would watch on one of those amazing, lazy, rainy Sundays with a big cup of hot chocolate. Sounds good, right? Here's the skinny...

Background on the book:

The undead can really screw up your senior year . . .

Marrying a vampire definitely doesn’t fit into Jessica Packwood’s senior year “get-a-life” plan. But then a bizarre (and incredibly hot) new exchange student named Lucius Vladescu shows up, claiming that Jessica is a Romanian vampire princess by birth—and he’s her long-lost fiancé. Armed with newfound confidence and a copy of Growing Up Undead: A Teen Vampire’s Guide to Dating, Health, and Emotions, Jessica makes a dramatic transition from average American teenager to glam European vampire princess. But when a devious cheerleader sets her sights on Lucius, Jess finds herself fighting to win back her wayward prince, stop a global vampire war—and save Lucius’s soul from eternal destruction.
- Amazon.com

In Short:

If you're looking for something short, sweet, light...and about vampires, this is the book for you. It's the typical girl-meets-boy, girl-loathes-boy-because-he's-a-vampire, girl-falls-for-boy, boy-likes-someone-else, drama-drama-drama-all-ends-well novel.

Like I said, it's a good novel for lazy days and if you're in the mood for something that, although can be somewhat cliche, is still fun.

Things I Love:

- First and foremost, I love love love love love that Jessica isn't an anorexically skinny girl, but rather has curves. I like that she has flaws and is insecure about it, because let's face it, who isn't insecure about something? It's nice to see a book where the main character is a little different and has learned to embrace it as something good!

- Love that Lucius is a food snob and has a stash in his living quarters. I think it adds a nice bit of comic relief to the novel. Orange Julius forever!

- I kind of love the way Lucius speaks. Remember how I said I loved Jace in the Mortal Instruments series because he acted like a sarcastic bastard all the time? Yeah, well, same goes for Lucius.

- Gotta say that Jessica (Antanasia?) has some pretty great dreams, then again I would too if a sexy Euro vamp came to live in my house!

- Love when Lucius defends Jessica from the class bully.

- Love when he buys her the dress and that she's a size "10." I think it's very sweet how he makes her feel beautiful.

- Love Lucius and Jessica's moment after the carnival. Yes. It was great, you know it was.

- I like that Lucius' character is somewhat tortured. I find it endearing that he is constantly fighting against the evil he thinks he has in him and desperately wishes for a better (less complicated) life.

Quotes I love:

Grabbing up a marker from the tray beneath the whiteboard, he flipped off the cap with authority and scrawled the word Vladescu in a flowing script.
"My name is Lucius Vladescu," he announced, pointing to the word. "Vla-DES-cu. Emphasis on the middle syllable, please."
Locking his hands behind his back, he began pacing as though he was the teacher. One by one, he made eye contact with each student in the room, obviously summing us up. I sensed from the look on his face that we were found wanting somehow.
"The Vladescu name is rather revered in Easter Europe," he lectured. "A noble name." He paused in his pacing and locked onto my eyes. "A royal name."

Oh Lucius, you're such an asshole right from the gate. It's wonderful. I love it.

"He'd lost me at "vampire."
Nuts. Lucius Vladescu is completely nuts. And I'm alone with him, in an empty barn.
So I did what any sane person would do. I jammed the pitchfork in the general direction of his foot and ran like hell for the house, ignoring his yowl of pain.

Very a-la-Bella.

"Jess. For God's sake," he said. "Allow me to do at least one common courtesy for you. In spite of what 'women's lib' teaches you, chivalry does not imply that women are powerless. On the contrary, chivalry is an admission of women's superiority. An acknowledgment of your power over us. This is the only form of servitude a Vladescu ever practices, and I perform it gladly for you. You, in return, are obligated to accept graciously."

How I love chivalrous men. FACT: Sexy. Always.

"But sharing one's blood with another: exposing one's most vulnerable place, where the pulse beats just below the skin, and trusting your partner to satisfy without subduing...It makes sex seem almost insignificant by comparison. And unequal act - male to female. But blood...blood can be shared as true equals."

See the above FACT.

"Better a Brillo head than a bitch."

To which I respond by quoting my dear friend Ali G, "Booyakasha!"

"And as we kissed, really kissed, something inside me was smashed, like a splitting atom, erupting with all the force of a shattering nucleus. And yet I was strangely at peace, too. It was like I'd found my place in the universe, in the chaos, and Lucius and I could go along locked together throughout time without end, like pi, existing infinitely, irrationally, spinning through time."

At last!


Things I Found Out of Place:

- How completely creepy Lucius is at the beginning of the novel? Oh. My.

He was still there, but in the road now, booted feet planted on either side of the double yellow line, arms still crossed, watching the bus drive away. Watching me. "Antanasia..."

Can we say creeeeeepppppooooooo?

- Speaking of Antanasia, what an odd name! Not Anastasia, but Antanasia. In my head, whenever I saw the name, I immediately changed it to Anastasia because honestly Antanasia is just a mouth full. FUN FACT, however, Antanasia in Romanian apparently means "immortal," which really...if you have to name your character after a name that blatantly means "immortal" you're trying too hard.

- Let's talk about the total awkwardness of the Elders at the Western Sizzlin' for a moment. I mean, I know they are vampires and all, but c'mon they are royalty! Royalty. Does. Not. Slurp. Meat.

- The whole novel is going well - all love, death, destruction and gloom - when suddenly this new (unwanted and ridiculous) element is thrown in. Why, oh why, do the kids at school have to find out that Lucius is a vampire? Why, oh why, was the barn episode written in? I think the novel would have work 10,000 times better without that. It's just so bizarre! I mean I get that something needed to happen to get Lucius out safe and sound, but c'mon! Find a different way!

- Can we also talk about how ridiculous it is that the police would come to arrest Lucius for "biting" Faith? Really? I mean, if you're going to set a story in the real world (even if the story is fantasy) you still have to abide by real world rules, i.e. the police do not arrest people for being vampires! Just...no.


All in All:

I thought this was a cute book. Somewhat cliche and random from time to time, but still a fun read.

If you're looking for something light to read at night or between novels, Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side is a pretty safe bet!

Rating for Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side: B

Author: John Green

I'd heard about John Green well before I even knew he was an author. How you might ask? Via his ridiculously funny YouTube videos. It was because of this that I decided that I probably should pick up his books.

So I did.

And when I did, I bought all of them at once. I was that confident that I would like them.

And, well, I was right.

Background on the book:

The impossibly sophisticated but unattainable girl, and a life-altering road trip—for another teen-pleasing read. Weeks before graduating from their Orlando-area high school, Quentin Jacobsen's childhood best friend, Margo, reappears in his life, specifically at his window, commanding him to take her on an all-night, score-settling spree. Quentin has loved Margo from not so afar (she lives next door), years after she ditched him for a cooler crowd. Just as suddenly, she disappears again, and the plot's considerable tension derives from Quentin's mission to find out if she's run away or committed suicide. Margo's parents, inured to her extreme behavior, wash their hands, but Quentin thinks she's left him a clue in a highlighted volume of Leaves of Grass. Q's sidekick, Radar, editor of a Wikipedia-like Web site, provides the most intelligent thinking and fuels many hilarious exchanges with Q. - Publisher's Weekly

In short:

You know that jittery feeling you get deep inside your chest when you finish reading a really fantastic book? How you can't stop thinking about the characters because you've somehow managed to connect to them on this crazy new level and suddenly your whole world feels alive because of it?

Well, that's how I felt when I finished reading Paper Towns by John Green. And not only Paper Towns, but all of his novels. It would be fair to say that John Green's books give me book-highs. They do. There, I said it. Book-highs.

On the surface, Paper Towns is a story about a girl who, single-handedly, changes the life of her neighbor after one, moderately, crazy night. But it's not just that. When you scratch the surface of the novel, it is much deeper than a regular "teen" book. This is a story about a girl who struggles with the image people have of her, a girl who is much deeper than people give her credit for, and who feels so deeply disconnected from everyone that she decides that she no longer wants to be a "paper girl." This is also a story about a boy who does not like change, who likes routine and who desperately needed to be shaken into action.

Paper Towns walks the fine line between humor and sadness with grace. It is a beautiful mix of high school shenanigans, alienation, Whitman, mystery, and, above all, friendship.

There's really nothing I dislike about this novel, so for this review there are no "Things I hate." As always, SPOILER ALERT. You have been warned.

Things I love:

- First and foremost, I love the characters. Point blank. Love. the. characters. Green manages to breathe life into his characters through their quirks and their flaws. It is due to this that they feel real and we are able to connect to them on a deeper level.

- Black Santas. That's all I am going to say. Hilarity forever.

- Radar and the "t-shirt." You know what I'm talking about and, to steal Ben's phrase, "YESSSSSSSSSS!" Amazingness.

- Radar and his obsession with Omictionary (which by the way is now a real thing on the internet. Click here to check it out) is the great thing of my life. I am sadly obsessed with Wikipedia, so I can sympathize.

- I adore Walt Whitman poetry and Song of Myself is really a gorgeous piece.

- Love that Margo collects vinyls. There's something special about vinyl records, don't you think?


- Dr. Holden? Like Holden Caufield in Catcher in the Rye? Amazingness.

Quotes I love:

It's no secret that I am a quote freak and, gosh darn it, this book has some damn good ones. Allow me to quote for you now:

"That's always seemed so ridiculous to me, that people would want to be around someone because they're pretty. It's like picking your breakfast cereals based on color instead of taste."

Agreed.

"When you say nasty things about people, you should never say the true ones, because you can't really fully and honestly take those back, you know? I mean, there are highlights. And there are streaks. And then there are skunk stipes."

Absolutely true.

"We bring the fucking rain, Q. Not the scattered showers."

This is my new favorite quotable quote.

"A message from Margo Roth Spiegelman: Your friendship with her - it sleeps with the fishes."

I love Margo. I'm just facinated by the way her mind works. The things she thinks of are ingenious, really.

"It's more impressive from a distance, I mean. You can't see the wear on things, you know? You can't see the rust or the weeds or the paint cracking. You see the place as someone once imagined it."
"Everything is uglier close up," she said.
"Not you," I answered before thinking better of it."

"You see how fake it all is. It's not even hard enough to be made out of plastic. It's a paper town. I mean look at it, Q: look at all those cul-de-sacs, those streets that turn in on themselves, all the houses that were built to fall apart. All those paper people living in their paper houses, burning the future to stay warm. All the paper kids drinking beer some bum bought for them at the paper convenience store. Everyone demented with the mania of owning things. All the things paper-thin and paper-frail."

"Paper-thin and paper-frail" just...wonderful.

"But you see, I am in a similar situation. I do not control the little devil sititng on my left shoulder. The devil is saying, "PRINT THE PICTURE PRINT THE PICTURE TAPE IT UP ALL OVER SCHOOL DO IT DO IT DO IT." And then on my right shoulder, there is a little tiny white angel. And the angel is saying, "Man, I sure as shit hope all those freshman get their money bright and early on Monday morning."
So do I, little angel. So do I."

Oh how I love Q and his angels.

"Oh come on, Connie. Look, is it sick that it's a blessing to have her out of the house? Of course it's sick. But she was a sickness in this family! How do you look for someone who announces she won't be found, who always leaves clues that lead nowhere, who runs away constantly? You can't!"

I think one of the main problems Margo had was her family. Her parents became apathetic towards her and there's really no quicker way of alienating someone.

"I hit at the dirt with the heels of my fists, and then pounded it again and again, the sand scattering around my hands until I was hitting the bare roots of the tree, and I kept it up, the pain shooting up through my palms and wrists. I had not cried for Margo until then, but now finally I did, pounding against the ground and shouting because there was no one to hear: I missed her I missed her I missed her I miss her. I stayed there even after my arms got tired and my eyes dried up, sitting there and thinking about her until the light got gray."

What an incredible image.

"This image seemed too sad to be true - it all struck me as so lonely and so very unMargo. But all the evidence of the past ten days accumulated toward a surprising conclusion: Margo herself was - at least part of the time - very unMargo."

Aren't we all? Don't we all feel alienated sometimes?

"There was no shortage of ways to see her. I'd been focused on what had become of her, but now with my head trying to understand the multiplicity of grass and her smell rom the blanket still in my throat, I realized that the most important question was who I was looking for. If "What is the grass?" has such a complicated answer, I thought, so, too, must "Who is Margo Roth Spiegelman?" Like a metaphor rendered incomprehensible by its ubiquity, there was room enough in what she had left me for endless imaginings, for an infinite set of Margos."

"You're my designated driver! Yes! You are so designated! I love that you answered! That's so awesome! I have to be home by six! And I designate you to get me there! YESSSSSSS!"

YESSSSSSSSS! Greatness.

"The longer I do my job the more I realize that humans lack good mirrors. It's so hard for anyone to show us how we look, and so hard for us to show anyone how we feel."

"Margo Roth Spiegelman was a person, too. And I had never quite thought of her that way, not really; it was a failure of all my previous imaginings. All along - not only since she left, but for a decade before - I had been imagining her without listening, without knowing that she made as poor a window as I did. And so I could not imagine her as a person who could feel fear, who could feel isolated in a roomful of people, who could be shy about her record collection because it was too personal to share. Someone who might read travel books to escape having to live in the town that so many people escape to. Someone who - beause no one thought she was a peron - had no one to really talk to.
And all at once I knew how Margo Roth Spiegelman felt when she wasn't being Margo Roth Spiegelman: she felt empty. She felt the unscaleable wall surrounding her. I thought of her asleep on the carpet with only that jagged sliver of sky above her. Maybe Margo felt comfortable there because Margo the person lived like that all the time: in an abandoned room with blocked-out windows, the only light pouring in through holes in the roof. Yes. The fundamental mistake I had always made - and that she had, in fairness, always lef me to make - was this: Margo was not a miracle. She was not an adventure. She was not a fine and precious thing. She was a girl."

Perfect.

"And finally it was too much. I could not talk myself down from the feeling, and the feeling became unbearable. I reached in deep to the recesses of my locker. I pushed everything - photographs and notes and books - into the trash can. I left the locker open and walked away. As I walked past the band room, I could hear through the walls the muffled sounds of "Pomp and Circumstance." I kept walking. It was hot outside, but not as hot as usual. It was bearable. There are sidewalks most the way home, I thought. So I kept walking. And as paralyzing and upsetting as all the never agains were, the final leaving felt perfect. Pure. The most distilled possible form of liberation. Everything that mattered except one lousy picture was in the trash, but it felt so great."

I think this is a great way of looking at "the end of an era." Turn your back and don't look back...

"The truth is that whenever I went up to the top of the SunTrust Building -including that last time with you - I didn't really look down and think about how everything was made of paper. I looked down and thought about how I was made of paper. I was the flimsy-foldable person, not everyone else. And here's the thing about it . People love the idea of a paper girl. They always have. And the worse thing is that I loved it, too. I cultivated it, you know? Because it's kind of great, being an idea that everybody likes. But I could never be the idea to myself, not all the way. And Agloe is a place where a paper creation became real. A dot on the map became a real place, more real than the people who created the dot could ever have imagined. I thought maybe the paper paper cutout of a girl could start becoming real here also. And it seemed like a way to tell that paper girl who cared about popularity and clothes and everything else: 'You are going to the paper towns. And you are never coming back.'"

I am at a loss for words. I really do think everyone has a bit of Margo in them. Truly.

"The physical space between us evaporates. We play the broken strings of our instruments one last time....Yes, I can see her almost perfectly in this cracked darkness."

Perfect ending.


All in all:

If you like books like The Catcher in the Rye and The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Paper Towns is a must read. It is carefully constructed with interesting characters, funny dialogue, and pseudo-real scenarios. Really looking forward to seeing what John Green writes in the future.

Rating for Paper Towns by John Green: A

P.S. In case you are wondering, I got the Blue Margo cover. And I'm really happy I did.

P.P.S. Playlist will be up soon. Sit tight. EDIT: Here you go:

Title: First Words: Earliest Writing From Favorite Contemporary Authors

Author: Paul Mandelbaum

Have you ever wondered what your favorite authors were like before they became well known? Perhaps curious about what they once wrote about?

If so, First Words by Paul Mandelbaum is the book for you.


Background on the Book:

Forty-two writers were brave and generous enough to send Mandelbaum their childhood manuscripts. Photographs of the authors thenand now as well as facsimile reproductions of their submissions enliven this unique collection, as do Mandelbaum's pithy and engaging profiles of each author.

Many writers share memories about their first forays into literature. Jill McCorkle fondly recalls her cozy little playhouse where she wrote stories that "had" to "get a laugh or a tear," while others recall how reading and writing lifted them out of the confines of childhood or profound shyness. Every submission is of interest, but some are simply hilarious, such as Margaret Atwood's satirical essay on why women should smoke cigars, and Paul Bowles' droll little dramas about love triangles, written at age 9.

Precocity and sophistication beyond experience prevail. John Updike's startlingly accomplished "Untitled Mystery" was composed at age 14, while the obsessions of Michael Crichton and Stephen King were already apparent in their earliest compositions. Other contributors include Madison Smartt Bell, Gail Godwin, W. P. Kinsella, Bobbie Ann Mason, Norman Mailer, Maxine Hong Kingston, and Gore Vidal.

In Short:

Inspiring, uplifting and written gracefully, this anthology allows its readers to turn back to a time when Pat Conroy was just a boy experiencing the death of a friend and Madeleine L'Engle was just an imaginative little girl who ended up blowing up her science lab whilst pretending she was Madame Curie.

This anthology provides its readers with a nice little account of the authors life, as well as their inspiration for early works not to mention future works. It also gives you funny little antidotes throughout their respective sections and provides some information about the happiest and most tragic times in these writers lives.

One of my favorite things about this anthology is that sheds light on the early writings of these authors. I know that many aspiring writers have a tendency to compare their personal writing with that of their favorite authors. And many times find themselves thinking, "I'll never be able to write like that." Fear not! If this anthology teaches you anything is that writing is a craft which must be nurtured and may never be perfected.

Curious about who's early writings you could read? How about...

• Margaret Atwood (The Handmaid's Tale)
• Pat Conroy (The Prince of Tides)
• Michael Crichton (Jurassic Park)
• Stephen King ( Carrie ...almongst many others)
• Ursula K. Le Guin ( A Wizard of Earthsea... almongst many others)
• Madeleine L'Engle ( The Wrinkle in Time)
• Joyce Carol Oates (The Gravedigger's Daughter)
• Amy Tan (The Joy Luck Club)

... and many more!

A Few Things I Love:

- I loved reading about Pat Conroy's high school friend, Randy. It's really inspiring how Conroy was able to take a personal tragedy and turn it into his first poem.

- Michael Crichton's "Untitled" dialogue from 1960 is written in such a minimalist, yet addictive way that it is no surprise that he went on to write such favorites as Jurassic Park and The Andromeda Strain. By the end of this simple piece of writing, you will be dying to know what's really going on!

- I love seeing the originals of the different works by these authors. It's very interesting seeing the changes they think need to be made, what they've scratched out and their thoughts scribbled in the margins.

- One of my favorite bits in this book is Madeleine L'Engle's account about being an outcast and having deformities:

"I remember quite clearly coming home in the afternoon....and thinking, calmly and bitterly, 'I am the cripple, the unpopular girl,'...and writing a story for myself where the heroine was the kind of girl I would have liked to be."


All in All:

I really enjoyed this book. I would definitely recommend it to aspiring writers who have an interest in the lives of other authors. I also think the books underlying message is compelling - one that we, as writers, can take a somewhat tragic situation and make it into something positive.

Reading through the early writings of these authors is also beneficial to young writers who are sometimes disillusioned by the act of writing. First Writings provides a good account of the early beginnings of authors who didn't necessarily start off as being particularly good, but rather had to work hard at perfecting their craft.

Rating for First Words: Earliest Writing From Favorite Contemporary Authors by Paul Mandelbaum: A

Title: A Certain Slant of Light
Author: Laura Whitcomb

For three whole months, I had this book listed on my Amazon wish list. Finally, I decided enough-was-enough and bought it.

Honestly people, put down whatever book you are reading right now, get yourself to Barnes and Noble and buy A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb.

This book caused me a long sleepless night... and not in a bad way. In fact, I quite literally could not put this novel down.

Whitcomb's A Certain Slant of Light is, to put it lightly, stunning. It is beautifully lyrical, cleverly plotted and definitely one of the best "ghost" books I've ever read.

Background on the book:
Helen died 130 years ago as a young woman. Unable to enter heaven because of a sense of guilt she carried at death, she has been silent and invisible but conscious and sociable across the generations. Her spirit has been sustained by its attachment to one living human host after another, including a poet and, most recently, a high-school English teacher. While she sits through his class one day, she becomes aware of James and he–unlike the mortals all around them–is aware of her as well. James, who also died years earlier, inhabits the body of a contemporary teen, Billy. James and Helen fall in love, he shows her how to inhabit the body of a person whose spirit has died but who still lives and breathes, and the two begin to unfold the mysteries of their own pasts and those of their adolescent hosts. - School Library Journal

In Short:

Whitcomb writes A Certain Slant of Light with a grace reminiscent of Austen and Dickinson. One of the best aspects of her writing is how cleverly she infuses Helen's century-old mannerisms with that of modern day society. For a first time author, Whitcomb manages to pull this off with a style that neither feels forced nor over done.

Most importantly, this novel can be described as a melting pot of emotions. With the core being an imaginative lesson on redemption, it's moral is clear: to move forward, you must first forgive yourself for whatever is holding you back. This tale also is a beautiful mix of first love, heart-breaking loss, forgiveness, betrayal and deep soul searching.

I love just about everything about this book. In the next section, I would write down all the quotes I liked, but there would be far too many. So for this review, I will only post an overview of my favorite things about this novel. Also, no dislikes this time around, people. This book is too good.

A few things I love:

- I love Helen's relationship with Mr. Brown. Her adoration and jealousy was compelling and realistic.

- I love the way Whitcomb describes Helen's anxiety of being seen by James.

- Love that her novel is riddled with poetic references (Billy's named after William Blake).

- Helen and James' relationship: steamy, but not trashy. A fine line to walk, but brilliantly done.


- While I find Cathy and Dan distasteful, I think the depiction of such blind faith is well written and interesting. I also like how Helen stands in stark contrast against this environment and how Jenny opposes it. Moreover, I like how Jenny and Billy's homes foil each other.

- Love that all the characters are flawed in some way. It makes them more than just words on a page. It makes them flesh and bones.

- Really enjoyed reading how Whitcomb builds to the climax. Throughly loved the episode with Mr. Brown and the point at the end when she allows herself to let go and become more than just the light.

All in All:

Due to its somewhat mature content, I would recommend this book to high schoolers and adults. It is an equally gorgeous and devastating novel fraught with sexual tension and emotional situations.

If you love books like The Lovely Bones and The Host, Laura Whitcomb's charmingly lyrical novel, A Certain Slant of Light will definitely haunt you until it's final page.

Rating for A Certain Slant of Light: A

For more information on Laura Whitcomb, check out her website! Also be sure to check out The Reader's Quill's interview with Ms. Whitcomb, as well as her music playlist!

P.S. Be sure to check back Thursday for another installment of our interview series: Thank Goodness for Books!

P.S.S. This book's title comes from an Emily Dickinson poem by the same name. Below, you can watch a pretty cool video for it:

Click here to watch!

Title: Revelations
Author: Melissa de la Cruz
Released: Oct. 28, 2008

First thing this morning, I went to Barnes and Noble and bought myself a copy of Revelations by Melissa de la Cruz. I finished it within a couple of hours and subsequently spent the rest of my day mulling over it. Quite honestly, I am still unsure how I feel about it. At certain points the story felt repetitive and long winded, while at others fast paced and sexy. Mind you, this was just my first read through of the novel and everything I say from here on out is subject to change...

Background on the books: In case you don't know what I'm talking about and have never heard of the Blue Bloods series, you may want to watch this:

Click here to watch!


In short: While my feeling are still mixed, I will give De la Cruz credit. She knows how to keep her audience entertained. In Revelations, the intrigue thickens. Playing her characters like marionettes, De la Cruz unravels a story where no one is safe from suspicion. Up until the very end of the novel, she keeps her audience on edge as to what is truly happening within the coven. In this sense, the plot is cleverly devised.

However, my main issue with the narrative lies in the Schuyler-Oliver-Jack love triangle. While the forbidden love aspect is compelling, it feels a little stagnant in this installment. Although Schuyler and Jack finally consummate their relationship, it seems like they do nothing but engage in steamy rendez-vous. Where in Masquerade, it could be argued that their relationship was something more profound and endearing, in this novel Jack and Schuyler's bond is more lustful than anything else.

The problem can be pin pointed to Jack. Where in the previous two novels we are shown Jack's feelings, in this installment they aren't as evident nor as engaging. In this novel, his affection doesn't seem as genuine. In fact, it appears as if he is only interested in Schuyler when it is convenient and when he is feeling particularly amorous. Leaving poor Schuyler to love and suffer from afar. Also due to the nature of their hidden affair, Revelations is caught in a nasty web of repetitive situations making their storyline somewhat dull in comparison to Masquerade.

One of the most interested facets of this novel, however, were the Venator transcripts set between chapters. They added a much needed boost in between perspectives.

Lastly, perhaps the best and worst part of this book: the ending. When the story finally turns the corner and becomes irresistibly exciting...BAM! "Don't miss the next book in the Blue Bloods series: The Van Alen Legacy." Alas, there were both things I adored and things I disliked about this latest episode in the Blue Bloods series.

...And now for what you've all been waiting for. If you haven't read the book yet (and you don't want to be spoiled), you may want to check out my review for Masquerade. Otherwise...

Things I Love:

- Everyone knows I'm a sucker for Oliver. I just adore him. So my heart gave a little squeeze when Schuyler met him within the close quarters of the school supply closet.

- I love Mimi's description of the things Jack likes:

Jack preferred a city that he had never even experienced. He waxed nostalgic about the legendary days of the Village, when anyone from Jackson Pollock to Dylan Thomas could be found wandering the cobblestoned streets. He liked grit and dirt and a Times Square that was known for its hustlers and three-card-monte dealers and underground juice bars (since strip clubs couldn't serve alcohol). He couldn't stomach a New York that had been taken over by the likes of Jamba Juice, Pinkberry, and Cold Stone.

- Who knew Sky was a vixen? De la Cruz really turned up the sex in this installment...not that I'm complaining.

She wanted to run to him - to skip, giggling into his arms - but she savored the way he was looking at her. She could drown in the intensity of his gaze. And she had learned a little about seduction in the last few weeks they had been together. Had learned that it was sweeter when she made him wait. So she took her time, removed her shoes, brushed her bare feet on the carpet, and let him watch her. Outside of this place, they could be nothing to each other. He would not even allow himself to look at her. He could not afford it. So she wanted him to enjoy himself, to look at her as much as he liked.
"Get over here," he growled.
And then, at last, she ran - leaped into his arms, and together they crashed against the wall in a tight embrace. He lifted her with graceful ease, covering her body with kisses. She tightened her legs around his torso and bent over, brushing his cheek with the tendrils of her hair.

- I am incredibly interested in finding out why exactly Charles Force had Kingsley summon the Silver Blood in Masquerade. I enjoyed reading Kingsley's transcripts in Revelations.

- I really like Bliss' dreams about the blue eyed Satan in a white suit. I found them vivid and somewhat terrifying.

- It's extremely interesting that Allegra started screaming the minute Bliss left her hospital room.

- One of my favorite scenes in this whole book was a short dialog between Oliver and Sky on the way to visit Dylan.

"Bet you can't even name one romantic movie you like," she teased.
She felt smug when a few minutes went by and Oliver was still unable to name one romantic movie he could profess to enjoy.
"The Empire Strikes Back," Oliver finally declared, tapping his horn at a Prius that wandered over the line.
"The Empire Strikes Back? The Star Wars movie? That's not romantic!" Schuyler huffed, fiddling with the air conditioner controls.
"Au contraire, my dear, it's very romantic. The last scene, you know, when they're about to put Han in that freezing cryogenic chamber or whatever? Remember?"
Schuyler mmm-hmmmed.
"And Leia leans over the ledge and says, 'I love you.'"
"That's cheesy, not romatic," Schuyler argued, although she did like that part.
"Let me explain. What's romantic is what Han says back. Remember what he says to her? After she says 'I love you'?"
Schuyler grinned. Maybe Oliver had a point. "Han says, 'I know.'"
"Exactly," Oliver tapped the wheel. "He doesn't have to say anything so trite as 'I love you." Because that's already understood. And that's romantic."

- I like Jack and Schuyler's little trip to Vienna. It was truly the only the time I found myself liking Jack in this novel.

- Also love that Schuyler prefers Egon Schiele over Gustav Klimt. I complete agree with her that the painting is "fraught with angst, as if the two people in the painting knew their embrace was their last." It's beautiful in all it's tragedy. Moreover, she mentions Anne Sexton's poem "The Break," which is completely heart shattering.


- I love the first paragraph of Chapter Thirty Two. I just find it hilarious.

Just prouncing the name of Rio's airport - Galeão- could put one in a Carnaval-ready mood, Schuyler thought. Gahhhlaaaeonnn.

- Love that Bliss' eyes turned blue in front of Jordan. Showing the first hints that her body is not her own.

- LOVE THE END. Though I am majorly confused as to Bliss' heritage. Her father is Lucifer? How did all that come about? Is Schuyler also Lucifer's daughter? I, however, love the new twist in the story! I also don't know how I missed it considering that on the cover is a girl with RED HAIR.


- In the final battle, Mimi is such a bad ass with her sword.

- Allegra giving Schuyler her sword was a nice touch.

- But most of all, I love that Schuyler finally realizes that she loves Oliver! YAY! Also, love that he repeats Han Solo's line to her. What can I say? I adore nerds.


Things I Dislike:

- While I don't like Mimi (even if I do find her to be one of the most dynamic characters in the series), I definitely hate that Jack is playing both fields. Toying with both Schuyler and her emotions discredits him and makes him that much less attractive. Also don't like that he's allowing Mimi to organize a bonding ceremony when he's supposedly going to try to remain with Sky. Moreover, when Schuyler and him take a trip to Vienna and he tells her, "I want to be free. I want to be with you....would you rather see me bonded to a woman I do not love?" Two things immediately bother me:

1.I think Jack is more scared of the prospect of being bonded than he is of losing Schuyler. Like he says, he wants to "be free" and Mimi Force is not someone you can be "free" with.

2. He point blank lied to Schuyler. He does love Mimi. Always has. It is impossible not to love your other half. No matter how much you'd like not to, it's impossible. She is his soul mate.

- Speaking of Jack, as I said before, the main problem I have with this novel is the lack of emotion on his part. Where in Masquerade, we clearly knew he cared about Sky, in this installment it seems like he just wants her body. I think his devotion for Schuyler would have been more believable if he had gotten a bit desperate to see her. If this desperation had led to say... secret meetings in the supply closet at school or perhaps slipping covert love notes to her when they met in the hall. The prospect of getting caught is always something exciting. Plus, what sexier than stolen moments?

- I don't like that Ollie only fell in love with Schuyler after she became a vampire. It would have been so much more romantic if he had always been in love with her, even before she had changed. If he loved her before anyone else really knew the real her. Oh well. Oliver is still amazing!

- Hate that they kill Jordan.

- While I realize the reason for it, I hate that Bliss returns to cry over Dylan's body when she knows she is the reason for his death. It's just such a hypocritical act.

All in All:

While I thought Masquerade had a more involved and compelling love story, I absolutely loved the finale of Revelations. I found the end gripping and exciting. I hope to see more of this new plot in the future. I also really hope that Oliver and Schuyler's relationship is more prominent in the next novel. You know what they say, "love is friendship on fire." And I want an inferno! While I have mixed feelings, I can honestly say that I am still seriously addicted to this series and cannot wait for the next installment!
Rating for Revelations by Melissa de la Cruz: B

Title: Masquerade
Author: Melissa de la Cruz

I first heard about this series on Facebook. Everywhere I went, I kept reading about the Blue Bloods series and "OMG, do you think Schuyler will end up with Jack or Ollie?!"

Intrigued, I decided to pick it up.

I read through book one, Blue Bloods, pretty quickly and while I didn't find it particularly dense...I will say this: THESE BOOKS ARE ADDICTIVE. It's like Gossip Girl on crack, except that the crack is this amazingly convoluted Angel-Vampire story line.

Background on the book: Before I get into it too much, here's what Amazon has to say:

Schuyler Van Alen wants an explanation for the mysterious deaths of young vampires. With her best friend, Oliver, Schuyler travels to Italy in the hope of finding the one man who can help--her grandfather. Meanwhile, back in New York, preparations are feverishly underway for the Four Hundred Ball, an exclusive gala hosted by the city's wealthy, powerful, and unhuman--a true Blue Blood affair.

But it's at the after-party, a masquerade ball thrown by the cunning Mimi Force, that the real danger lurks. Hidden behind the masks is a revelation that will forever change the course of a young vampire's destiny.

Rich with glamour, attitude, and vampire lore, this second installment in the Blue Bloods saga will leave readers thirsting for more.

In short: In many ways, Masquerade is more plot driven than Blue Bloods. Where gaps were left in the first book, they were subsequently filled in this installment. At last, De La Cruz elaborates on the strengths and weaknesses of the so called Blue Blood elite. She also cunningly begins to unravel the mystery behind the Silver Bloods and adds a new level of depth to her characters making them that much more realistic and relatable.

Still, I have some things I love about this book and some things I'm not particularly fond of. From here on out this review is riddled with spoilers, so if you haven't read the book... you know what to do!

Things I Love:

- Love that Schuyler and Ollie went to Italy to find her grandfather, Lawrence. His character adds a boost to the series. I also like that Schuyler will have some sort a parental figure again.

- I really enjoyed reading about Maggie Stanford. I think it's rather clever to have these little bits of the past in between chapters. I reminds me a bit of Anna Godbersen's The Luxe series.

- I think Schuyler's transition from human to Blue Blood is interesting. Her struggle with her emotions and mixed heritage is compelling and adds depth to her character. For example:

The thirst was a low hum, like music in the back of your head that you didn't even notice, but once in a while it would raise its voice, and there was no mistaking it. She found herself drawn to Oliver in a new way, and she blushed when she looked at him.

-While I could definitely do without so many designer names being thrown around, I think that De la Cruz' descriptions are sometimes rather beautiful and romantic. I especially like her description of Mimi's dress for the Four Hundred Ball.

It was made of the thinnest white silk satin, and when she picked it up, it felt like a whisper between her fingers, it was so fragile. Just as she had ordered, it was severe in its simplicity. It looked like nothing on the hanger- like a plain white piece of cloth. It was corded with a heavy silver chain at the hips, and had a sexy, unexpected keyhole cut out at the hip done- the one concession to modern fashion she had allowed... When she stood in front of the light, her form would be shown in complete blackened silhouette; every curve of her body, every line from neck to breast, from waist to hips to her endless legs, she would be at once covered and yet exposed, clothed and unclothed, garbed and yet nude.

- While I sometimes find Mimi tiresome, I love her relationship with Jack. Their connection really shines through, especially in this novel.

His eyes glazed over. She could see what he saw through his eyes, and she knew he was remembering that first night as well. She could see the cloudless Venetian sky, their footsteps light and quick over the bridge. She could see herself through his eyes, and eternity younger - how young they had been then - at the dawn of the world, before the wars, before the dark.
How did you find... is it the same one?
No, sadly that dress is gone to the Tiber river... Silk does not keep a thousand years, my darling. This is a new one, for a new bonding.

- Now, here's the crux. While I definitely 'ship Schuyler and Ollie, I can't help but be deeply attracted to Jack. So, when the incident with the masked kiss happens at the balls after-party, I really couldn't help but get some butterflies in my stomach. (Let it be noted, however, that up until the end of the book I was still unsure as to who she had really kissed. A nod to good writing in that respect.)


- Like I said before, where Blue Bloods left a lot of pending questions, Masquerade was quick to answer them. At last, we are given more information on Blue Blood abilities, as well as tactics to combat a Silver Blood! I enjoyed reading Lawrence's training sessions with Schuyler.

- One of the things I like best about this series is the revamping (pun intended) of vampire lore. I think it's a rather cool twist that these vampires are fallen angels. It steers clear of the traditional vampire stereotype, which not only makes the series rather entertaining, but also leaves us begging for more. Along these lines, I like Mimi's explanation of Jack's lure towards Schulyer/Gabrielle being that of darkness being drawn to the light. You will find it below:

Gabrielle. It was always Gabrielle. Even before the Fall, it has been so. Gabrielle, the Virtuous, the Messenger, an archangel of the White, the one who would bring news of salvation. Mimi and Jack were Angels of the Underworld, their destiny one of darkness and justice, to remind man of their mortality. And yet Jack, Abbadon, had always been drawn to the Light. Had always been drawn to the power of the White.

- I adore Ollie. I absolutely love his sense of humor. I especially found the note he sends to Schuyler, after deciding to become her familiar, funny. "See you there tonight. Chomp! Chomp!"

- Speaking of Ollie... that kiss! I love you, Ollie. I do. Truly.

But Schuyler didn't finish, because Oliver was putting a warm hand on her chin and drawing her toward him, and soon they were kissing. Soft, tentative kisses that turned more vigorous as they opened their mouths to each other.
"Mmm..." she sighed. So this was what it was like. Kissing Oliver. It wasn't anything like she'd imagined. It was better. It was as if they were made for each other. Schuyler pressed herself against him, and Oliver put his hand through her hair. This was new. This was a turning point.

I would love to see Schuyler end up with Oliver. I just love an underdog! I also think that his love is a lot purer than Jack's. Where Jack will constantly have to struggle with his feelings, Ollie's will always ring true. Schuyler would never have to worry whether someone else was destined for him, whereas she would constantly be in Mimi's shadow with Jack. I have hope for this pair since Schuyler is a half blood and thus has no prior lives/twin.

Van Alen/Hazard-Perry Oliver 2008!

Sadly, however, I think Jack may just force Ollie out of the competition. As a side note: Let's not mention how much more normal it would be for her to end up with Ollie seeing as how he's, you know, not her cousin!


- I like the whole explosion/ Mimi-blamed-for-everything twist. I was happy for some new action in the story. It was much needed.

- I think it's pretty great that Schuyler is immensely powerful. If this novel did anything, it was add depth to Schuyler character. Whereas in Blue Bloods she was rather static, in Masquerade she has thankfully developed into a much more dynamic character.

Things I Dislike:

- De la Cruz name drops labels like we're in an episode of America's Next Top Model. Alas, since Bliss and Schuyler are already models... I wonder who will win the cover of Seventeen Magazine?!

-While I find Bliss' blackouts interesting, I can't help but wonder... how the hell does she stay awake during the day? For someone who never gets to sleep, she seems rather active. If I were Bliss, I would be falling off chairs and passing out everywhere. It would be like I had mononucleosis x 1000.

- Why do the kids at Duchesne dress like slobs around exam time? I don't really understand why they would do that. It just seems somewhat strange and out of place in such a high fashion world.

- I still find the love triangle (or is it a square? Perhaps even a pentagon?) kind of bizarre. Mimi and Jack are supposed to be soul mates, the angels of death and destruction, yet they are also brother and sister? And Schuyler is Charles' niece, therefore Jack's cousin, yet she is madly in love with him and he with her? And Jack was in love with Schuyler's mother, Allegra, in a past life? And so was Jack's father, who is also Allegra's brother and Schuyler's uncle? It's all a bit much and (not going to lie) a bit creepy. Nothing says I love you like incest!

- And in today's episode of Day's of Our (Vampire) Lives: Bliss is Allegra's long lost daughter and Schuyler's sister! YES!!

All in all: Masquerade is a fun book. While I have some issues with the whole incest thing, I find the characters compelling and realistic, especially that of Schuyler and Oliver. De la Cruz does a good job of creating tension, thus keeping you interested and on your toes throughout the book. I find her reinvention of the classical vampire myth interesting and clever. Whilst I could do with a little less name dropping, I find her descriptions of certain clothing to be deeply romantic and hope to see more of it in the future.

I would recommend these books if you like gossipy novels and would like to read a book with a bite.


Rating for Masquerade by Melissa de la Cruz: B
Also, Revelations (Book III in the series) comes out on Tuesday, Oct. 28. Click here to buy it.

- E.B

P.S. Here's a little play list for you all.