BR: Under Different Stars, Amy A. Bartol

All she wants is a home, but can she find one...UNDER DIFFERENT STARS 

Kricket Hollowell is normally not one to wish upon stars; she believes they’re rarely in her favor. Well versed at dodging caseworkers from Chicago’s foster care system, the past few years on her own have made Kricket an expert at the art of survival and blending in. With her 18th birthday fast approaching, she dreams of the day when she can stop running and find what her heart needs most: a home. 

Trey Allairis hates Earth and doubts that anyone from his world can thrive here. What he’s learning of Kricket and her existence away from her true home only confirms his theory. But, when he and Kricket lie together under the stars of Ethar, counting them all may be easier than letting her go. 

Kyon Ensin’s secrets number the stars; he knows more about Kricket's gifts than anyone and plans to possess her because of them. He also knows she’s more valuable than any fire in the night sky. He’ll move the heavens and align them all in order to make her his own. 

When everything in their world can be broken, will Kricket rely upon love to save her under different stars?  -- Back cover synopsis


Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh, it was good. And do you see that cover? GORGEOUS. 

It took me months of seeing Under Different Stars on my Recommended List to finally concede and read it, because I'm traditionally not a scifi girl. But am I ever glad I did! I'm starting to devour these YA scifi like they're going out of style. Which they're not. They're the hottest thing in YA right now, which is AWESOME.

So, yes, back to the book. I thought it was going to be some displaced alien story taking place in Chicago, but in fact, it was a displaced human story. For anyone who has read Amy A Bartol's Premonition series, you know that this woman comes up crazy plots that just keep surprising and drawing you in over and over. 

She's got some good stuff going on in her brain. 

The ONLY thing that bugged me? Kricket let her man physically carry her around a lot. I mean, I understand if you just fainted or are hurt, but it seemed like she was letting herself get tote around like a puppy. Which was weird, because she was a really independent character, that I liked a lot.

Otherwise, looooved. My newest guilty pleasure? I think so! Now we bite our nails and whine until the next book-- Sea of Stars-- comes about!

And don't even get me started on Iniquity. (WE'VE WAITED SO LONG...)

BR: Rain (Paper Gods #2), by Amanda Sun

American Katie Green has decided to stay in Japan. She's started to build a life in the city of Shizuoka, and she can't imagine leaving behind her friends, her aunt and especially Tomohiro, the guy she's fallen in love with. But her return is not as simple as she thought. She's flunking out of Japanese school and committing cultural faux pas wherever she goes. Tomohiro is also struggling—as a Kami, his connection to the ancient gods of Japan and his power to bring drawings to life have begun to spiral out of control.

When Tomo decides to stop drawing, the ink finds other ways to seep into his life—blackouts, threatening messages and the appearance of unexplained sketches. Unsure how to help Tomo, Katie turns to an unexpected source for help—Jun, her former friend and a Kami with an agenda of his own. But is Jun really the ally he claims to be? In order to save themselves, Katie and Tomohiro must unravel the truth about Tomo's dark ancestry, as well as Katie's, and confront one of the darkest gods in Japanese legend. 
-- Back cover


So... Rain. (Paper God #2). Sequel to Ink. By Amanda Sun.

See, the problem with taking so long to write a sequel is that the expectations from your audience get higher and higher the longer it takes to publish. Which, of course, isn't fair. But, you know, we're spoiled YA readers. Our expectations are for quick publications and each book better than the last!

Unfortunately, that's not what happened with Rain.

Was it good? Yes. Did it blow Ink out of the water? No. Did it finally clear up WHAT a Kami is and how the ink works? YES, finally.

Are there new relationships and characters introduced that enrich the story? Yes, which is one of the best parts of the book. Ishikawa takes his friendship with Tomo seriously again, and even Katie starts to tolerate him. Jun becomes a key player. And preggo whats-her-bucket comes and makes a mess out of everything. (Who IS that baby's daddy?! Why can't she go bother HIM?!)

Will there be another book to follow Rain? Yes. I'm trying not the get my hopes up. I'd rather be happily surprised than disappointed.

I still think this series is a great read simply for the Japanese culture. It's rich and vibrant, and frankly, I don't there is much-- if anything-- on the YA market set in Japan. Major props for that.

BR: Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater

SINNER: The new Standalone follow up to the Maggie Stiefvater's award-winning Shiver trilogy, following my particularly favorite couple,the ever sassy Isabel and Cole St. Clair.

Sinner follows Cole St. Clair, a pivotal character from the #1 New York Times bestselling Shiver Trilogy. Everybody thinks they know Cole's story. Stardom. Addiction. Downfall. Disappearance. But only a few people know Cole's darkest secret -- his ability to shift into a wolf. One of these people is Isabel. At one point, they may have even loved each other. But that feels like a lifetime ago. Now Cole is back. Back in the spotlight. Back in the danger zone. Back in Isabel's life. Can this sinner be saved? --Back Cover.


Opened to the first page: "But. The ink is black."

I didn't realize I was expecting the colored ink of the first 3 Shiver books, but when Sinner was plain black, I was deeply disappointed. Huh.

But: oooh, but. Does it ever make up for it in the story.

It's no secret that Maggie Stiefvater is one of my top three favorite authors. There's something about her writing that is so unique and refreshing that I can't find anywhere else. It's out of the box and cutting edge while being extremely accessible to YA. Her characters come alive in your mind and won't leave you alone. 

Having spent my entire life in Southern California, I highly appreciated the setting in LA, and the completely realistic descriptions of it. The relationships and characters are all the dynamic, multi-layered wonders that you expect from dear Maggie. The plot is amazing. Of course, involving both Cole and Isabel, it is full of sass and pain. As Ron Weasley once said, "You're going to suffer, but you're going to be happy about it.

Juliet Immortal, Stacey Jay

"The most tragic love story in history . . .

Juliet Capulet didn't take her own life. She was murdered by the person she trusted most, her new husband, Romeo Montague, a sacrifice made to ensure his own immortality. But what Romeo didn't anticipate was that Juliet would be granted eternity, as well, and would become an agent for the Ambassadors of Light. For 700 years, she's fought Romeo for the souls of true lovers, struggling to preserve romantic love and the lives of the innocent. Until the day she meets someone she's forbidden to love, and Romeo, oh Romeo, will do everything in his power to destroy that love." ---inside cover

I was so stoked when I found this book online. Have you seen the cover? Gorgeous! Have you read the back cover? Intriguing! And the inside cover description? To-die-for-clever! I was practically drooling when I cracked it open.

It dried up pretty fast.

I wanted to love it so much. But I don't. Juliet was so annoying as a narrator in her indecisive ways and the way she OVER THOUGHT everything. So many pages dragging on of NO ACTION, just her whinning and flip-flopping back and forth, "I love Ben... oh, no I don't, he's meant for Gemma!" Not to mention the "Screw you Romeo!... Nevermind, let's do it!... No, I can't!... Alright, let's just get it over with..." She might have been a fighter, but she certainly didn't make a good narrator.

Romeo's chapter's, however, were so fasinating. He was so sadistic, and HIS character was set in stone. I loved his chapters. Apparently, Ms. Jay is making a sequel, written from Romeo's point of view. Will I be reading it? Heck no. I don't want my feelings of semi-enjoying Romeo to be ruined, because he's certainly going to be changed.

I hated the complex concepts of the Mercenaries and the Ambassadors. If Ms. Jay had taken a much simpler approach to them, and had them as a constant in the story, I feel like the rest of the plot could have simplified and made much richer, and I would have enjoyed it a whole bunch more.

And you know what's bugging me the most?

Ben NEVER got anything explained to him.

Poor guy.        

The Goddess Test, Aimee Carter

	The Goddess Test, the first in a series of rewroking the myth of Persephone and Hades, by Aimee Carter. I highly recommend it.

	Loved this! Totally fresh and unique in the sea of paranormal romances out there--- anyone with an interest in Greek mythology will have fun with this one. A little slow and repeatitive with the "don't give up, Henry!" and "Mom's dying" issues, but it was a good read.

Rotters, by Daniel Kraus

Rotters, by Daniel Kraus

"Grave-robbing. What kind of monster would do such a thing? It's true that Leonardo da Vinci did it, Shakespeare wrote about it, and the resurrection men of nineteenth-century Scotland practically made it an art. But none of this matters to Joey Crouch, a sixteen-year-old straight-A student living in Chicago with his single mom. For the most part, Joey's life is about playing the trumpet and avoiding the daily humiliations of high school.

Everything changes when Joey's mother dies in a tragic accident and he is sent to rural Iowa to live with the father he has never known, a strange, solitary man with unimaginable secrets. At first, Joey's father wants nothing to do with him, but once father and son come to terms with each other, Joey's life takes a turn both macabre and exhilarating." -- From the jacket cover

By far-- by FAR-- the creepiest, most disturbed thing I have read to date. Am I the only one thinking, ".... how does Daniel Kraus know all the precise, knitty-gritty details of how to rob a grave?" I half expected to find the bio in the back of the book: "About the author: DANIEL KRAUS is a writer and currently resides at Iowa State Prison, where he's serving a 20 year sentence for--you guessed it-- digging up dead bodies, robbing graves, and other sorts of gene...moreBy far-- by FAR-- the creepiest, most disturbed thing I have read to date. Am I the only one thinking, ".... how does Daniel Kraus know all the precise, knitty-gritty details of how to rob a grave?" I half expected to find the bio in the back of the book: "About the author: DANIEL KRAUS is a writer and currently resides at Iowa State Prison, where he's serving a 20 year sentence for--you guessed it-- digging up dead bodies, robbing graves, and other sorts of general mischeif. Rotters is his first book. You can write him at Iowastateprison@hotmail.com-- put 'Daniel Kraus' as the subject line." It's so crazy disturbing. It's so sick and wrong on so many levels. But it's so good at the same time. It's like the ultimate horror movie stuck inside a book. I mean, the hurricane scene? With the flooded cemetery and the bodies floating everywhere? And let's not even start at what Boggs may or may not have done to Val's body. Or the Rotters book itself. I loved Harnett's heroism, the way he was so tied to the past, even though his own intentions weren't pure in the least. A piece of my soul just might have died when he finally bit the dust. And Joey as a character himself was excellent to follow through this crazy-wrong book. Let's just leave it as: not for the weak heartened. Not in the least. Not just super gorey and super creepy, but simply disturbing. BUT GOOD.

Devoured, by Amanda Marrone

Devoured, by Amanda Marrone

Conceptionally, this book is great. Remember the evil queen in Snow White? "Mirror, Mirror on the wall..." Well, the Mirror's still around, and it's causing as many problems as it possibly can, because that's how it gets it's evil little kicks and giggles. Fantastic idea, Ms. Marrone. Kuddos, indeed.

While the writing style of the book seemed, well, lacking, and the execution of a lot of the book wasn't stellar, and the character development was so-so, the whole idea of the book was really original.

Also, I loved the way Remy, the dead little sister, haunted our main character, Megan. While in other popular books that will remain unsaid *coughcoughTHATIHATEcoughcough*, where the little sister pops up, walking around like she's alive, watching everything, making comments about her sister's life, visiting celebrities.... Remy can only see certain things, certain people, is vastly confused, and frustrated. I love the way she throws temper tantrums, leaving pools of river water everywhere, scaring the crap out of anyone who had the ability to witness it. Poor Remy just needs to find Daddy, dang it! Where's Daddy, Megan?

Plus the digs on Disney Land and all the Disney types? Loved it, even if I am one who loves the Magic Kingdom. Hiding dead bodies of murder victims underneath the kiddie rides IS pretty disturbing. And makes for great reading.

All in all? Easy read. Concept was original and interesting. I think it would have been more successful if the writing had been higher quality. Still enjoyed it.