Beautiful Lies by Jessica Warman Review

Beautiful Lies

Jessica Warman

422 pages

 

             In this novel, twin sisters Rachel and Alice are special. They are not only a rare kind of twins, but the look so similar that even their aunt and uncle (with whom they've been living with since their parents died in a car accident) can't tell them apart. Beyond that, when one twin experiences pain, the other feels it herself. When Rachel goes missing and Alice starts to find injuries she suspects the kidnapper brought upon her, Alice must find her twin and stop the kidnapper before it's too late.

 

             I read this book over the holidays for my English class for a report. I loved this book a lot, but I have to admit that it was crazy to try to finish all 422 pages in the short and hectic time that we had for holidays. This novel was well prosecuted and had an amazing plot. The characters were relatable which I liked, but the characters had some unique thing that made the book realistic but not drab and boring. My favourite character was probably Rachel, because she is intelligent and fun. I liked her more than Alice from the beginning of the book because she was a lot kinder than Alice was. Alice is very carefree and often came home after making bad decisions, leaving Rachel to try to clean up her mess. The book was really suspenseful and I liked how the main point in the story, the Rachel was taken, was introduced early enough in the book so that the novel didn't get boring.

 

             I am not sure if I would change anything if I had the chance. I don't want to spoil the ending, but I am not sure if I liked it. It was an insane ending, and I loved the bravery that Alice showed in the last few chapters. It was a hectic ending, and so much happened all at once.

 

If I was to rate this book, I would rate it about 4/5 stars. It was really good, but something was missing from it to give it the extra wow. Thanks for listening to my review and I hope you like it and consider reading this book! I would definitely recommend this book to my friends because of how great it was. If you have the chance to read this book, please do.

 

-Claire ♥

My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent Review

My Soul To Take

Rachel Vincent

220 pages

 

 

               Kaylee is just a normal girl. She has just caught the attention of the cutest guy in school. She sneaks out of her house with her best friend. She can predict who is going to die. Kaylee is a banshee, an inhuman creature who can tell who is going to die and gets the extreme urge to scream as loud as she can. When teenage girls around her area start to literally drop dead with no explanation, Kaylee must find out who is killing these girls-and stop them.

 

              I LOVED this book. The characters are relatable, which I like, yet it had a supernatural twist so the novel wasn't just filled with boring teen girl drama. I loved the kindness of Nash, mostly because the popular boys in books are usually jerks. However Nash was so kind to Kaylee even after just meeting her, which was a pleasant surprise. I can't explain my favourite part of the book without giving away the ending, but my favourite character, although minor, would have to be Emma. She reminded me a lot of me and my friends, and she was really loyal to Kaylee which I liked.

 

             If I was to change one part of the book, I would make the ending a bigger cliffhanger. It ended in a part where there wasn't as much anticipation as others where the author could have left off.

             I would rate this book 4/5 stars. It was a really fun book, but I am not sure if I will continue the series. This is because the ending wasn't as dramatic as I would have hoped. I may continue the series, but not anytime soon. 

Need by Carrie Jones Review

Need

Carrie Jones

306 pages

 

               Zara White hasn't been herself since her father died. She has become obsessed with phobias, and shipped off to Maine to live with her grandmother. Zara is convinced someone is following her, and soon after she discovers her suspicions are true-someone is in fact stalking her, leaving behind a trail of gold dust wherever they go. Additionally, teenage boys start to mysteriously dissappear around town. There is something not quite right about this isolated Maine town, and Zara is determined to get to the bottom of it with the help of her friends Izzy, Devon and Nick, despite her grandmother's warnings to stop hunting for clues.

 

 

               I applaud Carrie Jones on her ability to turn a classic fairy tale and twist it around to make a compelling story about the harsh 'reality' of pixies. I loved the main character and how naive she was to her new surroundings. This book reminded me so much of Twilight. A girl from a sunny city moves out to an  isolated town with a family member who happens to be on the police force. She meets a nice boy who is willing to help her, and then proceeds to fall in love with the mysterious one in the novel. Sound familiar? I loved her grandmother. Favourite character, no doubt. She added the bit of humour to the novel to get the ball rolling and making sure the reader stays interested, even throughout the less exciting parts of the book.

 

 

If I was to change one part of the book, it would probably be the grammar. Lines like "His jaw is so straight and his eyes are so deep, like a tree where the bark is all textured." or "He doesn't move his hand off my mouth and his eyes twinkle like he thinks I am so amusing. I am not amusing," had me a little frustrated. If Carrie Jones had  used better dialoge, this book would have been 10x better.

 

 

I would rate this book 4/5 stars. Overall, I loved the plot, but the writing had a few errors that really needed to be fixed. I would suggest this book to young adult readers who enjoy fairy tales in real life situations. I am excited to read the sequels and I will try to post a review when I do.

 

-Claire ♥

The Giver by Lois Lowry Review

The Giver

Lois Lowry

179 pages

 



 

 

                Jonas lives in what seems to be a perfect world. There are no wars. There is no hunger. There is no poverty. There are no choices. When Jonas turns 12 years old, he is specially selected to receive training from The Giver. The Giver's job is to transmit memories to Jonas which he will carry for the rest of his life. Little does Jonas know, there is no turning back.

 

               I read this book for a language class, similar to my review of Never to be Told by Becky Citra . It was really good even from the start, despite being a bit confusing. As you got deeper and deeper into the story, more information was uncovered and the more the story made sense. I loved how the author really made you think and infer a lot of the information in the book. My favourite part of the novel was when The Giver was transferring all the memories to Jonas because of how detailed they were. In my point of view, the more details in the story, the more believable it is! All the minor parts really made the story come alive.

 

              If I had to change one part of the novel, I would definitely have a concrete ending instead of an open ending. I prefer closure to books, and Lois Lowry unquestionably left her readers with a cliff-hanger! The ending to this book played with your heart strings and made you feel the emotions  of the characters in the book, and these are the books I like to read!

 

I would rate this book 4.5/5 stars. I loved this book so much, and the only thing keeping this novel from getting 5 stars was merely opinion. I recommend this book to young adult readers of all genders, maybe looking for a light read, but also looking for a high-drama novel. I really do hope Lois Lowry writes a sequel and finishes off the story.

 

-Claire ♥

 

 

            

Never to Be Told by Becky Citra Review

Never to be Told

Becky Citra

217 pages

Asia, an adopted child, has lived with elderly Ira and Maddy in Cold Creek all her life. When Ira suddenly has a heart attack, Asia's world is turned upside-down, fast. With the possibility of losing the only family she ever loved, Asia notices a  certain ghost, Miranda, that lives in the abandon farmhouse next door. When she moves to Vancouver with her long-lost grandmother, Asia realizes she has more family than she could have imagined, including her annoying cousins, Ben and Sierra. After a certain trip to the library with Sierra, Asia finds a diary that might just unravel the mystery of Miranda in Cold Creek. But what is the diary doing in Vancouver?

I read this book for a literacy class and loved it. I was so happy that this wasn't just another boring literacy book that we were required to read, and I think it was the first required book I actually was mad about the 'no reading ahead' rule. My favourite part was when Asia was in the tree with her cousin and she was talking about all the things she saw. It sounded beautiful and i wanted to go and see Cold Creek.

I don't know what I would have changed if I were to change anything to be honest.

I would rate this book 5/5 stars. I loved the way this book was written and I love the whole story in general.

-Claire ♥



Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver Review

Before I Fall

Lauren Oliver

470 pages

February 12th should just be like any other day for Sam Kingston. But instead, that is the days that she dies. She must then re-live that day 7 times in attempt to unravel the mystery behind her death and save herself, as well as discover the value behind what she could potentially lose.

I really liked this book! It was well written and clear, despite the fact that there were so many ideas swirling around. I don't think I can choose just one favourite part and I don't want to be a spoiler either. I could clearly feel Sam's emotions and I admittedly got a little emotional! I honestly think this was one of the best books I have ever read. It was so sad and the ending was beautifully tragic.

If I were to change one thing about the book, I would change the fact that a couple of the days were almost the same except a few small details. In times it felt a bit repetitive, but I still enjoyed the concept behind the book.

I would rate this book a 4.5/5 stars. A few more details would have made this book a lot better, and I probably would have given it a 5.

-Claire ♥


 

Perception by Kim Harrington Review

Perception (Clarity #2)

Kim Harrington

275 pages

Perception by Kim Harrington is the sequel to Clarity and is about Clarity "Clare" Fern, a girl who comes from a very special family-a gifted family, that is. Clare can see and feel things that other people saw and felt when she touches an object, her mom can see the past, and her brother, Perry, can talk to the deceased. But when the secret admirer notes she had been getting start to get aggressive, she must find out who is sending the messages, as well as solve the mystery of the kidnapping of a local girl.

I enjoyed this book. It was really well written and i think all the ideas that wanted to be presented were clear. I think one of my favourite parts of the book was the love triangle between Clare, Gabreil and Justin. I didn't like Justin as much as Gabriel, and I was feeling Clare's pain because of the choices she had to make.

If I had to change something in the book, it would probably be that it was a little slow at times. There was a huge amount of drama at the end, and i like that, but I wish some of it had happened earlier so that the reader was hanging on to every last word. I also didn't like how i could guess the ending. I was shocked at some points, but I made a lot of connections and figured out the ending.

I would rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. If Kim Harrinton had tweaked some minor things, I am sure the book would have gotten 5 stars.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hopkins Review

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

Michelle Hopkins

452 pages

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is about Mara, a girl who woke up one day in a hospital after an accident that miraculously killed her friends and left her alive. The story follows Mara as she moves in attempt to rid her memory of the awful events that happend before that and deals with her PTSD and hallucinations. Things start to get creepy when people around her start dying, and then the weirdest thing of all happens, a thing that she didn't think in a million year could happen: she falls in love.

I loved this book!!! It was so well put together! The plot was so creepy and had so many twists and turns that made the ending unpredictable. My favourite character was Noah, probably because he was so blunt and he wasn't afraid of being talked about behind his back. He was his own person, and I very much admired him for that.

It was a little bit confusing at times, but the ending explained it all. I don't think there is anything else I would change in the book other than making it just a bit easier to follow.

Overall, I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars. I really liked it. It wasn't the best book I have ever read, but it is definitely very good. I would suggest this to everyone who loves a mysterious romance with a little bit of suspense.

-Claire ♥

Clarity by Kim Harrington Review

Clarity

Kim Harrington

246 pages

Clarity "Clare" Fern can see things normal people can't. When she touches an object, she can see everything that the person who was touching the object did. When a murder occurs in Clare's small hometown and her brother becomes one of the prime suspects, Clare must team up with her cheating jerk of an ex-boyfriend to solve the murder along with deal with her budding romance with the detective's son and keep her family's business from going down the drain.

I loved this book. I totally wish I had Clare and her family's abilities! The whole story was written so well and I loved how everything fit in so nicely. I also liked how Kim Harrington made the story not only a mystery, but a fantasy and a romance too. My favourite part of the book were the twists. I had many "Aha!" moments in the story, but almost all of them turned out to be wrong.

If I had to change something in this book, I probably would have put a sister in the book. It would have made it so cool having Clare have an older/twin sister to deal with as well. Other than that, it was so good!

I would rate this book 4/5 stars. The plot was great and the actual book was so well written. I can't wait to read PERCEPTION! I have it at home, it is the next book I'm reading!

-Claire ♥

Perfect by Sara Shepard Review

Perfect 

Sara Shepard 

298 pages

Spencer is a thief. Hanna's worried her bestie is going to ditch her. Aria is grieving over an ex she  shouldn't have had as a boyfriend in the first place. Emily is freaking out over a kiss. And A will take any chance that he/she can get to tell everyone what these 4 Pretty Little Liars are up to. The girls are back in the third book of the Pretty Little Liars Series by Sara Shepard, and things are going to get nasty.


What can I say about the third PLL book? It was, well, Perfect! The plot was absolutely crazy! I can't believe some of the things that happened in this book! The situations are so unrealistic but Sara Shepard makes the ideas come alive and seem real! My favourite part of the book is whenever the girls find new clues. The moments are so cool because all of the pieces fit together and you have that "Aha!" moment, but then Ms. Shepard turns the story upside-down when she reveals a new twist.


I wouldn't change anyhting about this book. I loved it, inside out. Each page was written so wonderfully, even if something insignifigant to the story was happening. Team Shepard all the way!


I would rate this book 5 stars out of 5, because it was just a great book overall. I highly reccommend it to everyone! Just a note, you MUST read the first two first! Awesome book!


-Claire ♥