Author: The Novel Girl

Eleanor & Park

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Eleanor & Park cover

Author: Rainbow Rowell

Genre: YA/Contemporary Romance

Publisher: St. Martin’s

Pages: 336

Eleanor- the new girl at school- comes from a dysfunctional (to say the least) family, and is bullied because she dresses weird, has wild red hair, and is a little overweight. Park- who has grown up in this same neighborhood his whole life- is half Korean/half Irish, comes from a good home, but is still a bit of an outcast because he loves alternative music and comic books. Park reluctantly lets Eleanor sit by him on the bus on her first day of school. From there, they begin to silently bond, as ark realizes that she is discreetly reading his comic books with him. That bond slowly grows in to first love throughout the school year. It’s difficult because of Eleanor’s home situation, but the make it work- until her home life erupts one fateful night.

Eleanor & Park is a story that reminds you of how it feels to find your first love. It’s a little awkward, and you really have no idea what you’re doing, but it’s sweet. It’s also a story that reminds you of how mean kids can be, especially when they have no idea of what someone is really going through. Never fear, those mean kids have a little redemption in there, too! It’s a bit of a coming of age story of these kids, in the mid 80’s, when it was even harder to know what to do in a bad situation and of how they came together to figure things out. It’s sweet, funny, and a little heartbreaking all at once. It was a really good book, and I really enjoyed it.

Horns

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Horns cover

Author: Joe Hill

Genre: Horror/Psychological Thriller

Publisher: William Morrow

Pages: 370

After a night of hard partying and doing a bunch of terrible things, Ig Perrish wakes up to a rather unpleasant discovery: he has grown horns…like devil horns. As odd as this revelation is, it gets worse. The more people that Ig runs in to the more that he realizes that he has taken on characteristics of the Devil. People are not actually taking notice of the horns, but are spilling their darkest truths instead. At first it is very disconcerting, but Ig realizes that he can use this new “gift” to his advantage- he can find out what really happened to his girlfriend, who he is believed to have murdered.

This is the second Hill novel that I have read, and I enjoyed it more than the first! He is amazing! Not only is this a twisted psychological thriller/horror, but the way that he writes the scenes and dialogue makes it border on a dark comedy, as well. You wouldn’t think those would really work together, but he makes it work flawlessly. I was captured and entertained from the beginning to the end of this novel, and I can’t wait to read another one.

The Eleventh Plague

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Eleventh Plague Cover

Author: Jeff Hirsh

Genre: Dystopian

Publisher: Scholastic

Pages: 288

After a war with China caused a plague to be unleashed, resulting in the collapse of America, Stephen and his family are scavengers. They roam the land looking for anything that they can find to trade. When his grandfather dies, and an injury results in his father lapsing in to a coma, Stephen finds himself in Settler’s Landing. While most are welcoming, one boy and his influential father believe him to be a threat and want him gone. He finds himself drawn to Jenny, the rebellious adopted daughter of the family who took him in. She is also a bit of an outcast, not only because of her actions, but because she is Chinese. A prank that they play on the boy and his family late one night has devastating results for the entire settlement. Will this result in another collapse?

While I won’t say that this was one of my very best reads of the year, it was an enjoyable quick read. It was well written, and the characters were pretty well developed. It had a good, clear plot point, and a nice little plot twist that you don’t really expect. Overall, I would say that it was a pretty good book, and good if you want to grab something that reads pretty quickly.

Beatrice and the Shifter (Short Seductions, Story Six)

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Beatrice and the Shifter cover

Author: Jordan K. Rose

Series: Short Seductions

Genre: PNR

Publisher: Jordan K. Rose

Pages: 36

Let me just tell you up front: I love shifters! Dragons and Shifters are my two favorite mythical beings. I do love a good vamp, but my heart will always be with the animals, and Jordan writes them so well!

The sixth story of this steamy series introduces us to Beatrice (great name, right?!), who has known about the Others for a good portion of her life, but had never been to our favorite Other bar, Seductions, until now. To her utter surprise, while having a great time dancing the night away, she runs in to her hot neighbor, Derek. She has had the hots for him since she bought the property next to his a couple of years ago, but has never really done anything about it since she didn’t think that he was interested. Unbeknownst to her, he has had the hots for her too, and has seen the little shows that she has put on for him when she thought that she was being sly. He has seen the little shows, because she didn’t know that he was there…in his other forms. The other thing that Beatrice didn’t know about Derek- He’s a shifter. Or has she known all along? Beatrice is about to get a taste of his animal side that she’ll never forget….

This was an awesome addition to this collection. I am a little bias, as I stated before, I am a shifter kind of girl, but I absolutely loved this one! Derek is incredibly hot, and there is a lot of great tension weaved in to this one that makes it all the steamier. You won’t regret grabbing this novella for a quick, hot read.

The Rise of Nine (Lorien Legacies, Book 3)

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rise of nine cover

Author: Pittacus Lore

Series: Lorien Legacies

Genre: Sci-Fi

Publisher: HarperCollins

Pages: 416

John (#4) and Nine managed to escape the Mogadorian compound- barely- but they lost Sam in the process. They are on the run now, and trying to figure out where to go and what to do next. Six, Marina, and Ella, along with Ella’s Cepan, are trying to find Eight in India and return to America to meet up with the others. They know that they all need to be together now, because the Mogadorian leader has come and the big battle is looming. Six manages to get separated and captured during travel, and no one knows where she is or how to find her. No one knows where Sam is either. All that they know is that the safest place that they ca be is together, even if it is in the middle of danger.

This installment had even more ups and downs than the previous one. There is definitely more action and battle involved in it, and many more questions that are just begging to be answered- like where is that last freaking Garde member?! The story switches POV’s several more times than the last two did, so I had to pay a little closer attention to it. I’m definitely curious to see how it all plays out, now.

The Power of Six (Lorien Legacies, Book 2)

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power of six cover

Author: Pittacus Lore

Series: Lorien Legacies

Genre: Sci-Fi

Publisher: HarperCollins

Pages: 448

In this second installment of the Lorien Legacies, John (#4), Six, and Sam are on the run after escaping the Mogadorians in Paradise, and are trying to find the rest of the remaining Nine. We are also introduced to Marina (#7), who has been hiding away in an orphanage in Spain for far too long. Her guardian hasn’t been doing her job very well, and Marina knows that she needs to leave soon. The problem is that she doesn’t know how, or who she can trust.

I Am Number Four was a great introduction to the series and had some good action in it, but this one was much more action packed than the last! I also enjoyed getting to know more about the different characters, their legacies, and how they have survived all of this time. This series is turning out to be a lot of fun to read.

I Am Number Four (Lorien Legacies, Book 1)

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I_Am_Number_Four_Cover

Author: Pittacus Lore

Series: Lorien Legacies

Genre: Sci-Fi

Publisher: Harper

Pages: 448

When their planet was destroyed by Mogadorians seeking to steal their resources, because they had killed their own planet, nine Loric children gifted with Legacies (special gifts) escaped with their guardians. A charm was placed on them so that they could only be killed in number order, so long as they remained separated from one another. The Mogadorians have already hunted down and killed the first three, and are tracking the others. John Smith is Number Four. His Legacies have begun to develop, but will they be strong enough by the time that he is found?

I waited a while to start this series, because I was afraid that it was going to be like The Maze Runner was for me all over again. It really wasn’t. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Unlike a lot of the sci-fi that I read, I didn’t have to think too hard about it to follow it, since it is written for younger readers to enjoy. It has a good story line and character development that made it enjoyable for me to read, too. I’m interested to follow the story and learn more about the other kids and their legacies, and to see what develops if more of them come together. It ought to be fun!

NOS4A2

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NOS4A2 cover

Author: Joe Hill

Genre: Horror/Psych Thriller/Suspense

Publisher: William Morrow

Pages: 720

Ever since she was a young child, Vic McQueen has been able to find things- either material possessions, people, or answers. She could get on her bike and ride across an old covered bridge that would take her to what she was looking for.

Charles Manx also had a vehicle that would magically take him to places that he wanted to go: a vintage Rolls with the plates NOS4A2. Unfortunately, where he wanted to go was to “save” children from their bad futures, and take them to a terrifying one with in in a place called Christmasland.

One day, after a fight with her mother, Vic went looking for trouble and found Manx. She became the only child to ever escape from him, and he was arrested. Once she grows up and tries to forget about him, though, he and his Rolls are rolling again and the game begins…this time, with her own son as the pawn.

Wow…just wow! This was creepy with a capital C! Hill’s mind works in a very different and twisted way, and I like it. The story was told from several different vantage points and the story told in several different time periods, so it can be a bit difficult to follow at times, if you aren’t really paying attention to what you are reading. It is a very captivating story, though. It holds our attention to the end, and you really don’t know until the end what is going to happen. For a rather long book, it didn’t take as long to get through as I thought it would, so that was a very nice surprise. I highly recommend it, if you are a fa of good horror/psych thrillers! You will never hear Christmas carols in the same way again!