Review: The Gift

The Gift
by Andrea J. Buchanan

Book Description:
High school sophomore Daisy Jones is just trying to get by unnoticed. It doesn’t help that she’s the new girl at school, lives in a trailer park, and doesn’t even own a cell phone. But there’s a good reason for all that: Daisy has a secret, unpredictable power—one only her best friend, Danielle, knows about.

Despite her “gift” (or is it a curse?), Daisy’s doing a good job of fitting in, and a gorgeous senior named Kevin even seems interested in her! But when Daisy tries to help Vivi, a mysterious classmate in a crisis, she soon discovers that her new friend has a secret of her own. Now Daisy and her friends must deal with chilling dreams and messages from the beyond. Can Daisy channel the power she’s always tried to hide, before it’s too late?


Review:
This book, originally self-published, could probably have benefited from a thorough editing job. While the premise had moments of promise, there were too many small extra plotlines that were actually distracting from the main story. I also think that it seemed to take a little too long for the two major arcs of the story to come together. That *could* be partially attributed to the fact that I listened to this as an audio book, so the whole story took some time, but I really think the ghost/energy connection was too hard to piece together the way that the author presented it. 

Even though I didn't really enjoy the story, I was happy to find that the author included the songs that Kevin "performed" and also Danielle's diary entries (which I thought would have made a nice addition perhaps interspersed within the story...). It made for a more interesting end.

Review: The Madness Underneath

The Madness Underneath

by Maureen Johnson

Shades of London, book two

Book Description:

After her near-fatal run-in with the Jack the Ripper copycat, Rory Devereaux has been living in Bristol under the close watch of her parents. So when her therapist suddenly suggests she return to Wexford, Rory jumps at the chance to get back to her friends. But Rory’s brush with the Ripper touched her more than she thought possible: she’s become a human terminus, with the power to eliminate ghosts on contact. She soon finds out that the Shades—the city’s secret ghost-fighting police—are responsible for her return. The Ripper may be gone, but now there is a string of new inexplicable deaths threatening London. Rory has evidence that the deaths are no coincidence. Something much more sinister is going on, and now she must convince the squad to listen to her before it’s too late.

 

Review:

While I enjoyed this sequel to the thrilling The Name of the Star, I found that it did not hold my attention quite as thoroughly as the first. While I found Rory's story to be interesting and there were sections that I thought were phenomenally done, there were also bits where I found my attention wandering...

Perhaps it was the initial focus on Rory's "recovery" from her ordeal that left me feeling a little detached. I'm not sure. It wasn't until she really got back into ghost hunting that the book really picked up for me...and when the kidnappings occur...and the romantic tension...and... well, you'll have to read it to see. The last third of the book had me on the edge of my seat!

Overall, though, I really enjoyed it and I cannot wait to read the next book. This one leaves you hanging off a very interesting cliff...

Review: Absent

Absent

by Katie Williams

 

Publication date: May 21, 2013

 

Book Description:

When seventeen-year-old Paige dies in a freak fall from the roof during Physics class, her spirit is bound to the grounds of her high school. At least she has company: her fellow ghosts Evan and Brooke, who also died there. But when Paige hears the rumor that her death wasn't an accident—that she supposedly jumped on purpose—she can't bear it. Then Paige discovers something amazing. She can possess living people when they think of her, and she can make them do almost anything. Maybe, just maybe, she can get to the most popular girl in school and stop the rumors once and for all.

 

Review:

This book is short, but very good.  It doesn't flinch away from the harsh truth of death and how other people perceive you...or how you perceive them.  This story feels really genuine.  The teen ghosts' despondency, Paige's quest for justice, vengeance, and the way that she yearns for acknowledgment from beyond the grave will definitely pull in most readers. As each student, both the living and the dead, finally find what they need to move on, you will not be able to put the book down until the very end. I know I couldn't!

Due to some drug related content and other mature themes, I would really recommend this book for high school or college age readers.

Mini Reviews: A Tween Edition

My Mixed-Up Berry Blue Summer

by Jennifer Gennart

Book Description:

Twelve-year-old June Farrell is sure of one thing—she’s great at making pies—and she plans to prove it by winning a blue ribbon in the Champlain Valley Fair pie competition. But a backlash against Vermont’s civil union law threatens her family’s security and their business. Even when faced with bullying, June won’t give up on winning the blue ribbon; more importantly, she won’t give up on her family. 

Quick Review:
I really enjoyed this title. I think it's a lot more serious than the cover leads readers to believe. It handles the issue of families with homosexual parents very well. I'm glad I read it. Probably best for 5-7th grade readers.

Dying to Meet You

by Kate Klise and M. Sarah Klise
43 Old Cemetary Road, book one

Book Description:

This is the story of the churlish, child-hating sixty-year-old children’s book author Ignatius B. Grumply, who rents an old Victorian mansion in Ghastly, Illinois, for the summer . . . only to find it already inhabited. Enter eleven-year-old Seymour Hope and the vivacious, “old as dirt” writer-ghost Olive C. Spence. The ensuing tale of unlikely roommates is cleverly, seamlessly told in letters, newspaper articles, Grumply’s work-in-progress “Ghost Tamer” manuscript, and winning illustrations by M. Sarah Klise.

Quick Review:

Cute. I love all the different "media" used to tell the story. The letters, the newspaper articles, etc. It was a fun read. A great read for grades 4-6.

Review: Graveyard Shift

Graveyard Shift

by Chris Westwood

 

Book Description:

When Ben Harvester meets the mysterious Mr. October in London's Highgate Cemetery, he has no idea what a strange and dramatic turn his life is about to take. But Ben soon discovers that Mr. October works for the Ministry of Pandemonium, a secret organization responsible for tracking down lost souls and guiding them to the afterlife. And Mr. October wants him to be his new recruit.

As Ben's apprenticeship begins, his eyes are opened to a new world of wonder -- a world where magic is real and ghosts haunt every crime scene, accident site, and hospital corridor.

But with the wonder comes horror. Because the Ministry is not the only organization hunting spirits of the dead. The ghoulish Lords of Sundown want those spirits for their own sinister reasons. And as far as they're concerned, Ben's just chosen the wrong side in a very dangerous war.

 

Review:

This was a cool ghost story perfect for a middle school audience. Ben is a great character trying to balance his new position as an assistant at the Ministry of Pandemonium, helping the dead to find their afterlives, and being the best son he can possibly be to his mom, newly diagnosed with cancer. He revels in the satisfaction that his work brings him and he feels that it is an important and necessary job, but it takes him away when his mom might need him the most.

It's not until his mom's name appears on one of the lists for "pickup" that Ben realizes he may have to break ALL the rules...and lose not only his job, but the war against the Lords of Sundown, in order to save her. Ben's relationship with his mother is one of the best parts of this book. It's inspiring and touching. There were several heartfelt moments that had me threatening to tear up...



Review: Spell Bound

Spell Bound
by Rachel Hawkins
Hex Hall, book three

Book Description:

Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. Now Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies—the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that’s what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn’t as confident.

Sophie’s bound for one hell of a ride—can she get her powers back before it’s too late?

 

 

Review:

As this is book three, I'm going to be a little cryptic. I don't want to spoil anything for those that haven't read Hex Hall and Demonglass yet.  

 

 

Poor Sophie's life has become miserable!  Her boyfriend is assumed to be dead, her dad is presumed missing, and her school has been taken over by some seriously bad witches who want to raise an army!

Even with all this awful, this book still managed to be funny!  Sophie is just perfectly sarcastic. I love her!! With the funny bits, the awesome action scenes, the romance, and the ending...I thought this whole book packed just the right punch. 

It wrapped things up very well. I am sad to see this trilogy end, but I thought this were left at a good point!

What's on My Hold List?

I wanted to try out a new feature...

I think it will be fun a lot of fun!

Each month, I'll let you know

"What's on My Hold List?"

One of the most beautiful things about working at our Library is that I know what's coming out and what we'll be getting and I can put the books on hold right away!

These are some of the books that I'm currently waiting for:

 

Page by Paige

by Laura Lee Gulledge

Freshman Tales of 9th Grade Obsessions, Revelations, and Other Nonsense

by Corinne Mucha

Surrender

by Lee Nichols

Haunting Emma, book three

*This one is still on my hold list...apparently it's taking forever to come in. I'm getting REALLY close to breaking down and buying it...I really need to know how it ends!!*

 

 

*If you click on each title, it will take you to the book on

Amazon.com for more information. :)*

 

 

So, these are the books I'm waiting anxiously to get my hands on...

what are YOU waiting for??



What's on My Hold List?

I wanted to try out a new feature...

I think it will be fun a lot of fun!

Each month, I'll let you know

"What's on My Hold List?"

One of the most beautiful things about working at our Library is that I know what's coming out and what we'll be getting and I can put the books on hold right away!

 

These are some of the books that I'm currently waiting for:

 

Surrender

by Lee Nichols

Haunting Emma, book three

*This one is still on my hold list...apparently it's taking forever to come in. I may break down and get this one on my nook soon!*

 

Under the Never Sky

by Veronica Rossi

*Another one that's still on my list, but I believe it is on its way!*

 

Perception

by Kim Harrington

Clarity, book two

 

Starters

by Lissa Price

 

*If you click on each title, it will take you to the book on

Amazon.com for more information. :)*

So, these are the books I'm waiting anxiously to get my hands on...

what are YOU waiting for??

Review: Ghostopolis

Ghostopolis

by Doug TenNapel

Book Description:



Imagine Garth Hale's surprise when he's accidentally zapped to the spirit world by Frank Gallows, a washed-out ghost wrangler. Suddenly Garth finds he has powers the ghosts don't have, and he's stuck in a world run by the evil ruler of Ghostopolis, who would use Garth's newfound abilities to rule the ghostly kingdom. When Garth meets Cecil, his grandfather's ghost, the two search for a way to get Garth back home, and nearly lose hope until Frank Gallows shows up to fix his mistake.

Review:
You may already know that I don't read a lot of graphic novels. I have a hard time sometimes following them. This one, though caught my eye with the weird skeleton horse on the front cover!

I really ended up enjoying this one.  It has an interesting story, with a brave main character, and the pictures are well colored and clearly drawn. I thought it was a really cool reimagining of the afterlife with a happy ending. 

Review: Dead is Not an Option

Dead is Not an Option

by Marlene Perez

Dead Is series, book five 

Book Description:
It’s springtime of senior year, and psychic sleuth Daisy Giordano is preparing to say goodbye to Nightshade High. But no college acceptance letters have arrived yet, and she’s beginning to worry about where she’ll end up come fall—and if it will be anywhere near her boyfriend, Ryan. But that’s not the only uncertainty Daisy’s dealing with. There’s a vamps-versus-shifters war going on in Nightshade, and things are so tense that there is talk of canceling the prom. The conflict is carrying over to the Giordano home, since Rose and Daisy are both dating werewolves and Poppy’s new boyfriend is a vampire.

Can the paranormal community in Nightshade finally find peace?
And will Daisy and her friends survive graduation?

Review:
You know that feeling you get when you pick up a book and you have no doubts that you will love it...that you will lose yourself in it? That feeling when you meet an old friend. The feeling when you anticipate laughing out loud...

Yup. For me, this series is exactly THAT. I love these books. I love Daisy, the main character, and her friends and family. I love the paranormal elements - psychics, werewolves, vampires, and more! I love the mysteries, danger, excitement...

Okay, okay. I'll stop gushing. Let me just say, that I sincerely hope this is not the final book in the series.