Mini-Reviews: The Reckoning, Generation Dead, You Wish, Maybe This Time

The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong

What a great end to the Darkest Powers series! It was full of action, and suspense, and delved deeper into each of their powers. I personally enjoyed seeing more of what it meant to be a werewolf. It certainly wasn't pretty, but I think it helped Chloe understand Derek a bit more. Plus, dare I say it, Tori actually seemed to mature a little. Unfortunately, the ending didn't really give me the closure I wanted. So, I'm hoping that Armstrong might give the characters a cameo in her newest series. I have to say, this is probably one of the most consistent series of books that I've read. I enjoyed each book equally, and the second book didn't feel like filler.

Rating: B

Generation Dead by Daniel Waters

You know how people went to see District 9 expecting a scary sci-fi film, and instead watched a film that was more of a subtle comment on society and human nature? Well, that's exactly what happened to me with this book. Scary, brain-eating zombies? Not here, my friend. After kids die, they come back to life...they aren't exactly the same as when they were alive, but it's clear that they aren't the mindless creatures seen in horror films. Quite honestly, it was more a book about intolerance, and the fear of things people don't understand. Still, I didn't love this book. It may have been my lack of connection to the main character, or problems with the writing itself. There was something that just didn't flow, and that is keeping me from giving it a higher rating.

Rating: C

You Wish by Mandy Hubbard

This book was so cute, and fluffy! Much like Kayla, I can't even remember the birthday wishes that I've made over the year. If they started coming true, however, I'd probably have a bit of a meltdown. While I sympathized with Kayla, I always thought that she definitely could have turned things around for herself. Instead of complaining about her workaholic mother, or secretly pining for her best friend's boyfriend, she could have actually tried communicating with them. I suppose that was just a sign of Kayla's immaturity at the start of the book.

There's something about Hubbard's writing that I love, though. She's becoming one of my go-to authors when I need a good laugh, and both of her books have done that. Her upcoming book looks a bit darker, and I'm excited for that, too. I'm just too impatient to wait until July.

Rating: C+

Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie

This wasn't your typical Crusie book. It still contained some romance, and her unique brand of humor, but there was a paranormal aspect to it. My ghost-loving self rejoiced! It's also the first book in quite some time that Crusie has written solo. I've enjoyed the books that she's co-written, but my favorite books written by her have been done solo.

Andie was sarcastic, stubborn, and fun. She was a great character, and I found it easy to like her. Her interactions with Alice brought a lot of laughs, and I enjoyed watching the kids open up to her. There were some serious moments, too. Possession, hauntings, death, and all this is happening in a house where kids live.

Rating: B

Waiting on Wednesday (August 4)

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine. This weekly meme shares the upcoming books that I'm most excited about.

The Gathering (Darkness Rising 1) by Kelley Armstrong

Maya lives in a small medical-research town on Vancouver Island. How small? You can’t find it on the map. It has less than two-hundred people, and h...more Maya lives in a small medical-research town on Vancouver Island. How small? You can’t find it on the map. It has less than two-hundred people, and her school has only sixty-eight students—for every grade from kindergarten to twelve.

Now, strange things are happening in this claustrophobic town, and Maya's determined to get to the bottom of them. First, the captain of the swim team drowns mysteriously in the middle of a calm lake. A year later, mountain lions start appearing around Maya's home, and they won’t go away. Her best friend, Daniel, starts getting negative vibes from certain people and things. It doesn't help that the new bad boy in town, Rafe, has a dangerous secret—and he's interested in one special part of Maya's anatomy: Her paw-print birthmark. (From Goodreads)

Published by HarperCollins
Release Date: April 12, 2011

In My Mailbox (July 11)

In my mailbox was created by Kristi of The Story Siren, who was inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie. Here are the books I got this week...

For Review:

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

Mackie Doyle seems like everyone else in the perfect little town of Gentry, but he is living with a fatal secret - he is a Replacement, left in the crib of a human baby sixteen years ago. Now the creatures under the hill want him back, and Mackie must decide where he really belongs and what he really wants.

A month ago, Mackie might have told them to buzz off. But now, with a budding relationship with tough, wounded, beautiful Tate, Mackie has too much to lose. Will love finally make him worthy of the human world?

Part of Traveling Arc Tours

Purchased:

The Reckoning (Darkest Powers #3) by Kelley Armstrong

Only two weeks ago, life was all too predictable. But that was before I saw my first ghost. Now, along with my supernatural friends Tori, Derek, and Simon, I’m on the run from the Edison Group, which genetically altered us as part of their sinister experiment. We’re hiding in a safe house that might not be as safe as it seems. We’ll be gone soon anyway, back to rescue those we’d left behind and to take out the Edison Group . . . or so we hope.





Deadly Little Secrets by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Some secrets shouldn't be kept...

Until three months ago, everything in sixteen-year-old Camelia's life had been fairly ordinary: decent grades, an okay relationship with her parents, and a pretty cool part-time job at the art studio downtown. But when a mysterious boy named Ben starts junior year at her high school, Camelia's life becomes anything but ordinary.

Rumored to be somehow responsible for his ex-girlfriend's accidental death, Ben is immediately ostracized by everyone on campus. Except for Camelia. She's reluctant to believe he's trouble, even when her friends try to convince her otherwise. Instead, she's inexplicably drawn to Ben and to his touch. But soon, Camelia is receiving eerie phone calls and strange packages with threatening notes. Ben insists she is in danger, and that he can help--but can he be trusted? She knows he's hiding something... but he's not the only one with a secret.

Bad Girls Don't Die by Katie Alender
Alexis thought she led a typically dysfunctional high school existence. Dysfunctional like her parents' marriage; her doll-crazy twelve-year-old sister, Kasey; and even her own anti-social, anti-cheerleader attitude.

When a family fight results in some tearful sisterly bonding, Alexis realizes that her life is creeping from dysfunction into danger. Kasey is acting stranger than ever: her blue eyes go green sometimes; she uses old-fashioned language; and she even loses track of chunks of time, claiming to know nothing about her strange behavior. Their old house is changing, too. Doors open and close by themselves; water boils on the unlit stove; and an unplugged air conditioner turns the house cold enough to see their breath in.

Alexis wants to think that it's all in her head, but soon, what she liked to think of as silly parlor tricks are becoming life-threatening--to her, her family, and to her budding relationship with the class president. Alexis knows she's the only person who can stop Kasey -- but what if that green-eyed girl isn't even Kasey anymore?

Waiting on Wednesday (October 14)

This was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine. Basically, these are books that haven't been released yet, but that I can't wait for.

The Reckoning (Darkest Powers #3) by Kelley Armstrong

Only two weeks ago, life was all too predictable. But that was before I saw my first ghost. Now, along with my supernatural friends Tori, Derek, and Simon, I’m on the run from the Edison Group, which genetically altered us as part of their sinister experiment. We’re hiding in a safe house that might not be as safe as it seems. We’ll be gone soon anyway, back to rescue those we’d left behind and to take out the Edison Group . . . or so we hope.

Published by Orbit
Release Date: May 1, 2010

In My Mailbox (October 11)

In my mailbox was created by Kristi of The Story Siren, who was inspired by Pop Culture Junkie. Here are the books I got this week...

The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan

Nick and his brother, Alan, have spent their lives on the run from magic. Their father was murdered, and their mother was driven mad by magicians and the demons who give them power. The magicians are hunting the Ryves family for a charm that Nick's mother stole -- a charm that keeps her alive -- and they want it badly enough to kill again.

Danger draws even closer when a brother and sister come to the Ryves family for help. The boy wears a demon's mark, a sign of death that almost nothing can erase...and when Alan also gets marked by a demon, Nick is des-perate to save him. The only way to do that is to kill one of the magicians they have been hiding from for so long.

Ensnared in a deadly game of cat and mouse, Nick starts to suspect that his brother is telling him lie after lie about their past. As the magicians' Circle closes in on their family, Nick uncovers the secret that could destroy them all.

This is the Demon's Lexicon. Turn the page.

Candor by Pam Bachorz (Part of 1 ARC Tours)

Oscar Banks has everything under control. In a town where his father brainwashes everyone, he's found a way to secretly fight the subliminal Messages. He's got them all fooled: Oscar's the top student and the best-behaved teen in town. Nobody knows he's made his own Messages to deprogram his brain. Oscar has even found a way to get rich. For a hefty price, he helps new kids escape Candor, Florida before they're transformed into cookie-cutter teens. But then Nia Silva moves to Candor, and Oscar's carefully-controlled world crumbles.


Psych Major Syndrome by Alicia Thompson

Patient Name: Leigh Nolan Age: 18 years Presenting Concerns: Leigh Nolan has just started her first year at Stiles College. She has decided to major in psychology (even though her parents would rather she study Tarot cards than Rorschach blots), despite reporting that she thinks, "Psychology is a load of crap." Patient has always been very good at helping her friends with their problems, but when it comes to solving her own...not so much. Patient has a tendency to overanalyze things, particularly when the opposite sex is involved. Like why doesn't Andrew, her boyfriend of over a year, ever invite her to spend the night? Or why can't she commit to taking the next step in their relationship? And why does his roommate Nathan dislike her so much? More importantly, why did Nathan have a starring role in a much-more-than-friendly dream? Aggravating factors include hyper-competitive fellow psych majors, a professor who's badly in need of her own psychoanalysis, and mentoring a middle-school-aged girl who thinks Patient is, in a word, nave. Preliminary treatment will include Introduction to Psychology, but may require more if she's going to answer these questions and make it through her freshman year. Diagnosis: Psych Major Syndrome

The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong

Book II in the Darkest Powers trilogy takes us deeper into a world where the supernatural intrudes on the everyday with riveting effect. If you had met me a few weeks ago, you probably would have described me as an average teenage girl—someone normal. Now my life has changed forever and I'm as far away from normal as it gets. A living science experiment—not only can I see ghosts, but I was genetically altered by a group of people who call themselves The Edison Group. What does that mean? For starters, I’m a teenage necromancer whose powers are out of control: I raise the dead without even trying. Trust me, that is not a power you want to have. Ever. I'm running for my life with three of my supernatural friends—a charming sorcerer, a cynical werewolf, and a disgruntled witch—and we have to find someone who can help us gain our freedom back before The Edison Group finds us first. Or die trying.

What did you get this week?

Book Review: The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

After years of frequent moves following her mother’s death, Chloe Saunders’s life is finally settling down. She is attending art school, pursuing her dreams of becoming a director, making friends, meeting boys. Her biggest concern is that she’s not developing as fast as her friends are. But when puberty does hit, it brings more than hormone surges. Chloe starts seeing ghosts–everywhere, demanding her attention. After she suffers a breakdown, her devoted aunt Lauren gets her into a highly recommended group home.

At first, Lyle House seems a pretty okay place, except for Chloe’s small problem of fearing she might be facing a lifetime of mental illness. But as she gradually gets to know the other kids at the home–charming Simon and his ominous, unsmiling brother Derek, obnoxious Tori, and Rae, who has a “thing” for fire–Chloe begins to realize that there is something that binds them all together, and it isn’t your usual “problem kid” behaviour. And together they discover that Lyle House is not your usual group home either…

The past few books that I've read have had paranormal themes, and this book was no exception. Despite that, however, this story felt very refreshing and unique. Chloe has moved in with her aunt Lauren, and after being "attacked" by a ghost (and struggling with a teacher), she is sent to the Lyle home. I find places that seem perfect are usually anything but (i.e evil teachers, killer neighbors, Stepford Wives, etc.). So, of course this "home" was filled with secrets (and...the description on the back of the book gave it away). As a psychology student I found this place really interesting (and suspicious). A place that is really quick to diagnose and prescribe medication? Chloe was there a day before they labeled her with mild schizophrenia and gave her drugs to stop the hallucinations.

At first I thought the story was going to be predictable, but I never could have guessed how the book would end. In fact, I ended up finishing the book in the early hours of the morning because I had to know what was going to happen. I'm looking forward to Book 2: The Awakening (I almost gave in and bought it last week, despite the fact that I am trying not to buy anything until I finish my huge TBR pile). I'm hoping to get a little bit more information on Chloe's parents, and also to see the characters again (hopefully exacting revenge on a few, less savory, characters).

The Summoning
By Kelley Armstrong
390 Pages
Published by HarperCollins
Rating: A

In My Mailbox (May 17)

In my mailbox was created by Kristi of The Story Siren, who was inspired by Pop Culture Junkie.

Most of the books on here were either purchased by me, or picked up at the library -

Ghost Girl by Tonya Hurley
Published by Little, Brown Books

Now I lay me down to sleep,

I pray the Lord my soul to keep.

And if I should die before I awake,

I pray the popular attend my wake.
Charlotte Usher feels practically invisible at school, and then one day she really is invisible. Even worse: she's dead. And all because she choked on a gummy bear. But being dead doesn't stop Charlotte from wanting to be popular; it just makes her more creative about achieving her goal. If you thought high school was a matter of life or death, wait till you see just how true that is.In this satirical, yet heartfelt novel, Hurley explores the invisibility we all feel at some times and the lengths we'll go to be seen.

The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks
Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Think vampires are romantic, sexy, and powerful? Think again. Vampires are dead. And unless they want to end up staked, they have to give up fanging people, admit their addiction, join a support group, and reform themselves. Nina Harrison, fanged at fifteen and still living with her mother, hates the Reformed Vampire Support Group meetings every Tuesday night. Even if she does appreciate Dave, who was in a punk band when he was alive, nothing exciting ever happens. That is, until one of group members is mysteriously destroyed by a silver bullet. With Nina (determined to prove that vamps aren't useless or weak) and Dave (secretly in love with Nina) at the helm, the misfit vampires soon band together to track down the hunter, save a werewolf, and keep the world safe from the likes of themselves. The perfect anecdote to slick vampire novels, this murder-mystery comedy of errors will thrill fans of Evil Genius.


The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong
Published by HarperCollins

My name is Chloe Saunders and my life will never be the same again.

All I wanted was to make friends, meet boys, and keep on being ordinary. I don't even know what that means anymore. It all started on the day that I saw my first ghost—and the ghost saw me.

Now there are ghosts everywhere and they won't leave me alone. To top it all off, I somehow got myself locked up in Lyle House, a "special home" for troubled teens. Yet the home isn't what it seems. Don't tell anyone, but I think there might be more to my housemates than meets the eye. The question is, whose side are they on? It's up to me to figure out the dangerous secrets behind Lyle House . . . before its skeletons come back to haunt me.