There You'll Find Me

By Jenny B. Jones

Pages: 303

Published by Thomas Nelson

★★★★

By Mel

 

This book is more realistic then previous books I have written reviews for. It is definitely more romancy too. But I still loved it and it was nice to take a break from the books I usually read.

This novel is about a girl named Finley Sinclair. Two years ago she lost her brother, Will, and her relationship with God plummeted. Now, it’s senior year and she goes to Ireland for an exchange program. Ireland is where her brother went and felt the closest to God. She hopes to find God there too. She uses her brother’s travel journal as a guide to different tourist attractions throughout Ireland.

On the plane ride to Ireland she finds herself sitting next to Beckett Rush, the famous actor in a vampire movie series. She clearly informs him that she wants nothing to do with “his type” but he refuses to leave her alone. Finally, he convinces her to be his assistant and in exchange he’ll be her tour guide and ride around Ireland. But soon Finley becomes too stressed with everything she is juggling in her crazy life. She misses her brother, Will, more than ever; she can’t find the right ending to her addition piece for the violin; she is confused by her feelings for Beckett; and she still feels like God is giving her the silent treatment. In the end she finally finds that maybe the answers were there all along and she was just looking in all the wrong places.

I loved this book. It was so touching and inspiring. I loved how Jenny Jones tied the prologue to the epilogue. It was interesting, creative, and satisfying enough.

Scorpia Rising

By Anthony Horowitz

402 Pages

Published by Putnam

★★★★★

By Mel

 

Throughout the series Anthony Horowitz was able to hold on to the factors that make his books so awesome, and keep them just as strong. The mystery is captivating, the suspense intriguing, the humor absorbing, and the surprises entrancing. O was sad to finish the final book of the Alex Rider adventures. They have brought so much entertainment to my summer and I know I will have to re-read them soon.

The Final Mission (as Anthony Horowitz has called it) is so... I'm not even sure how to describe it! The first couple chapters are in the point-of-view of Scorpia. The other 3/4 of the book is from Alex Rider's perspective. Scorpia is sent on another job, They must once again face the British intelligence and they are determined to make sure they do not fail for a third time; especially against the teenage boy, Alex Rider. This mission could either be the start of a new run for Scorpia, or the end of them. And the fate of this terrorist organization rests in the hands of the now 15-year-old boy, Alex Rider. 

Manipulated once again, Alex is thrown into this mission that will be his final adventure. With so many surprising twists I'd have to say Anthony Horowitz wrote another great book. Although, I'd also have to say that it's the saddest book in the series (and not just because I know it's the last one). In fact, I ifnihsed the book on the bus ride home from camp and I had to fight against the tears as I read about the horror that Alex was faced with.

The ending of the book was great. It left me with minimal questions, and was satisfying enough (although no matter what I always wish there is more to a book when it's the last one of a great series). After reading all the books in the Alex Rider Adventures I don't think Horowitz's books became worse and worse. They were amazing in their own way. i can't even say I really have a favorite! So if you have read this series, I promise you will not be disappointed with this final book.

I Am Number Four

By Pittacus Lore

440 Pages

Published by HarperCollins

★★★★★

 By Em

 

 Let's start with this. This is one of my all time favorite book series in the entire world. I mean, way up there with Harry Potter, Hunger Games, and Percy Jackson. I'm a major sci-fi fan and this book; this is the kind of modern sci-fi that I drool over. And, it may be sad to say, but I was inspired to read this book when I saw the commercial for the movie, which after seeing it, I think was a horrible let down after reading the book. But, I still have to thank the not-so-good movie for kindly inspiring me to read this series, because I LOVE IT!!

Four wants a normal life. He and his Cêpan Henri, who everyone thinks is his father, have been on the run since Four arrived on this planet. Yeah, their aliens, from the planet Lorien. Four, along with eight others, all given a number, and their Cêpan, people meant to train and educate them, are the only survivors from their planet, no hiding on Earth, avoiding the monsters that destroyed their planet, the Mogadorians. Numbers One through Three have already been killed by the Mogs, and Number Four is next. The charm that was placed on them when they left the planet is all that has prevented the Mogadorians from being able to kill him so far. Numeric order, which means, he's next.

After fleeing their last home, Four takes on the alias John Smith (real creative right?), and he and Henri travel to Paradise, Ohio, which is right in the middle of...well, nothing. Here, John goes to school, where he makes new friends, new enemies, and even may have found the love of his life. But, he can't quite live that normal life he wants yet. His Legacies, powers that will allow him and the other eight to fight the Mogadorians, start to develop. And, his new friend has an odd sudden knowledge about the Mogadorians John so desperately fears. Maybe Paradise won't quite be nothing after all.

Like I said, love love love love love this book. The concept is so utterly interesting that I could not stop reading it. The Lorics are interesting aliens, who develop awesome powers and are capable of amazing things. They can run as fast as cars and are stronger than the buffest of body builders. They all have telekinetic powers that develop as they get older. But now, the Mogadorians! Ahh, they seem like something that would have come out of Star Trek. While some of them look like normal people, the one's that John keeps seeing in his visions, well, not so much. Their larger than almost any human with creepy bald heads (yes, bald heads are a little creepy sometimes) and dark eyes. They have deadly swords that move like liquid but are yet, very solid if they were to stab you. they have cannons that suck the life out of almost any living thing. Come on, don't tell me those things wouldn't give you nightmares if you were being hunted by them. 

My favorite character absolutely has to be Sam! I don't know why, but his nerdiness and occasional sarcastic wit just made me melt! Why in the world Cassidy doesn't like him will forever be a mystery to me. He is just one of those characters you can't help loving! He's obsessed with alien theories, but little does he know that his new best friend is exactly what he has spent his life reading about. Bernie Kosar is a close second to Sam in the favorite-character-meter. He is this cute little beagle that takes a liking to john when he first moves to Paradise, who is full of sudden strange happenings. I won't elaborate, because I don't want to ruin him for anyone!

Now, of the series, I Am Number Four isn't my favorite. While there is lots of training with Legacies and battling Mogadorians, I think they spend a little to much time focusing on John's relationship with Sarah. (And not enough with Sam!) Though, this is a theme throughout the series, it is toned down a lot in the next two books. In this one, it is very prominent, and I wish it wasn't so. But, even with the romance, this book was enough to excite me about reading more of the series, and I was so happy when I did.Though, this is another book where the story comes first and the intricate wording and description comes second. You're not going to find a lot of big words that make the author sounds smart, or detailed descriptions that take four pages to describe something. This is and idea book, and the idea is amazing!

 This was a great sci-fi book and one that will appeal to a wide range of readers. I mean, how often is there a book that Morgan, Melanie, Cassidy, and I all enjoy? Trust me on this one, that is rare. There is a nice amount of humor, action, and normal teenage things, that get a special little twist thanks to a friendly neighborhood aliens! I think most people could find something to love about this book. I know I did!

Crocodile Tears

By Anthony Horowitz

385 Pages

Published by Philomel Books

★★★★★

By Mel

 

Yet again I give this Alex Rider Adventure another five stars. I'm not sure how Horowitz keeps these books so great! It's the eight book and I'm nowhere near bored with Alex Rider yet.

This book starts off with this crazy reporter who wants to write a book and become rich off of the adventures Alex has been on. He knows of only three missions but he has traveled everywhere to gather the information he knows about. Now he wants to interview Alex and become famous with all the information he has collected. Alex, of course, does not want his story to leak out. So, he once again finds himself in the office of Alan Blunt. And, once again he is roped into another mision he never wanted to be a part of. 

This mission involves Desmond McCain, a field trip to the Greenfields research facility, a movie set, and Kenya. How Alex always seems to escape death amazes me. But, once again his talent and luck is put to the test.

The surprise, suspense, and action are as good as ever in Anthony Hrowitz's second-to-last book of his Alex Rider Adventures. Mt favorite chapter is Invisible Man. It made me laugh and was just flat-out crazy! It shows you the power MI6 has and how they can literally destroy your life in one morning. This book was another great addition to an outstanding series.

The Throne of Fire

By Rick Riordan

452 Pages

Published by Hyperion Books for Children

★★★★

By Em 

 

So, I want to start this review with an apology. I have had absolutely zero time to post new reviews on our site, and I feel awful. First, I got really addicted to Animal Crossing, and spent nearly every waking hour of my day down in the basement on the Wii. Then, volleyball tryouts started, and since I happily made the team, I've been busy practicing every single day since. And most recently, The Rise of Nine, the third book in one of Mel's, Cassidy's, Morgan's and my favorite series, the Lorien Legacies, just arrived on my doorstep, and I've been rushing through the first two so I can read the new one and finally find out what happened to my beloved Sam. (A story for another time.....) So, once again, sorry for the lack of posting, and hopefully be expecting a bunch more soon!

 

Oh Rick Riordan, you never disappoint! This author is such a character, and has such a unique style of... well everything! His ideas are original and unbelievably creative. His characters all have beaming personalities and great wit and humor that I, naturally, respect and enjoy! So, I can guess your wondering why I've reviewed this book before the first one in the series. Well...A) I wanted to. B) The library couldn't get the first one in before our vacation, so... and C) I REALLY WANTED TO READ THIS!!! I've read The Red Pyramid tons of times, but this was my first time ever reading this!

So, Carter and Sadie are back. They've started training different kids so they too can understand their unusual gifts and use them for good.But they haven't had much time, and the chaos snake god Apophis is growing stronger. If they want any chance at beating this monster, they must rise Ra, the sun god. This involves traveling all over the world and collecting the three sections of the Book of Ra, chanting the spells the book contains, and well... actually figuring out where in the world Ra is. No one knows where he is, and they only have a few days until the world is thrown into total chaos. So, it's a normal day for the Kaine family!

Let's just start with saying, Rick Riordan is a comic genius. I adore the voices his characters have and how sarcasm is just second nature for them . They are able to take life threatening situations, where just about anyone would be on the verge of having a panic attack, and crack a joke. Now, who doesn't love a character like that? I was a tad disappointed with Sadie in this book, since for a long time her focus was on a love triangle problem she is having. Does she love Anubis, does she love Walt? Stop focusing on the romance and get to the kicking of snake god's butts! I enjoy that much more! And the wonderful new character Bes was a delight! He was another great comic voice thrown in to make the story even more rich of humor!

The adventure in this book was a bit more worldly than the one in the other book. In The Red Pyramid, the journey took place all over the USA, but only there. This time, they were in Russia, and Africa, and all over. This added some more danger and excitement, because you feel comfortable in your own country, but going across the world? Yikes!

As always, there were new gods and mythology to learn about, and love with Rick's wonderful portrayals. Ra himself was quite a delight, because he is old. And I mean old! Complete lose of marbles old. They also had dwarf gods and hippo gods and some giant crow thing, and a giant baboon. Oh, it was just so much to love! 

I'm very much ready to read the third one in the series. I was dissapointed to hear that that would be the last one of the series that he writes, but I'm prepared non-the-less. I'm excited to see what direction Rick takes next, and how the Kane kids will have to save the world this time.

Snakehead

By Anthony Horowitz

385 Pages

Published by Philomel Books

★★★★★

By Mel

 

Well, it feels like it's been forever since I read this book! In fact, I've now finished the series! I've been traveling away from camp to camp all month so I've pretty much had no time to write any reviews. I mean, I've barely had time to read outside from car rides, let alone write about what I have read! But I can still remember how amazing of a book Snakehead was, so here is my review: 

It begins with Ale Rider's landing in the ocean off the coast of Australia. And before he is even allowed to go hom, Alex is sucked into yet another spy mission; this time for ASIS (the Australian Secret Intelligence Service). Alex would have said no to this missions except for the unexpected partner he would have the honor of working with: the godfather he never knew he had. All Alex wanted was to know more about his parents, and he knew his godfather would be able to answer some of his lingering questions. But, like all his missions, things take a turn for the worst.

The surprises in this book were once again phenomenal! Sometimes I am so shocked by what I read that I would have to re-read it two or three time! I feel bad for Alex (even though he is a fictional character, he feels so real to me (Have a little character crush Mel? -EM) ) that his life just keeps being bent out of shape with every chapter of his life (ha ha! That was a pun :D). (Oh Mel... -EM)

All and all, this was another extraordinary book by Anthony Horowitz that I would encourage all readers to laugh and gasp in surprise at alongside Alex Rider.

Ark Angel

By Alex Rider

323 Pages

Published by Philomel Books

★★★★★

By Mel

 

This was another well-written, Alex Rider Adventure. Alex is amazingly brave in this book. The stunts and tricks he pulls are utterly incredible! He goes places no fourteen-year-old has ever gone!

(Spoilers from Scorpia!) It all starts in the hospital where Alex is supposed to be recovering from the bullet wound that ended the last book. The boy next door is his age, and the some of a very rich man. When some men come in to kidnap this boy, they end up taking Alex instead. From here on he finds himself taking on a new group of ruthless killers who call themselves Force Three. Once again, Alex Rider is sent on a mission he never wanted to be a part of.

With even more surprises and twists, this book was amazing! In fact, i found this book the least predictable out of the entire series. I loved it! It's a great addition to an excellent series.

The Exiled Queen

By Cinda Williams Chima

586 Pages

Published by Hyperion Books

★★★★

By Em 

  

I just adore these books! They are everything I love! Perfect modern fantasy. (See my The False Prince review to fully grasp my old fantasy hatred!) They have fun plots, interesting characters, and constant twists and turns that keep making you wonder what in the world is going to happen to the characters next! The books has a perfect balance of action and politics, that doesn't bore you, or overwhelm you!


Haunted by his family's death, Han Alister, along with his close friend Fire Dancer, are on their way to Mystwerk Academy at Oden's Ford. Han is ready to train as a magician, though not quite ready to become the Clan's hired help against the other wizards. On their way to the school, they face all sorts of unique challenges, and meet up with some old friends, who will join them on their journey. While at the school, Han faces even more problems. Micah Bayar, his long time magical adversary also happens to be attending the same school, and Han is approached by a mysterious tutor who refuses to meet him in person, but only in the dream world of Aediion, which few magicians think really exists.

Meanwhile, Princess Raisa ana'Marianna is also traveling on the long journey to Oden's Ford, under the alias Rebecca Morley, to train, not as a magician, but as a soldier at Wien House, the military academy at Oden's Ford. Traveling with her close friend Amon Byrne and his group of soldiers, Raisa is ready for a school where she doesn't have to worry about arranged marriages, just her studies. But, as with Han, trouble just seems to follow her. Suddenly, she's seeing gang leaders who she thought was dead and Micah and his sister Fiona, who are the only people who know her true identity at the academy. The problems for these two are far from over. 

Now in general, I think these are great fantasy novels. They aren't to far out there, and they aren't to safe. They create a nice balance that makes them down-right fun to read.I thoroughly enjoyed Raisa as a character in this book far more than in the other one, because now she is more focused on training and other people, than, like in the other one, suitors and getting married. Han's experiences are interesting as well. (Spoilers?) Besides facing problems with his friends, he is also challenged with tutoring from Crow, a teacher who down-right hates him, and a headmistress who basically recruits him for the wizard army! And I thought high school was going to be hard! 

I love the way all of the school going's takes place. You have Han, who is in the same school as Micah, who no questionably hates him. You have Raisa, posing as Rebecca Morley, who knows Han under her alias, and is hiding from Micah, who she is supposed to be married to. And yet, it takes all of them an incredibly long time to figure out any of them are at the school! It's like those movies where on person is searching for another person, and the minute the person searching walks through a door, the person he's searching for walks into the room he just left! Somehow they are always evading each other, which I, for some reason, like!

As I've said in my review of the first book in this series, I love the writer's style. It feels real. Not to bright and colorful, as some books make the world seem. Some days there are blue skies, but some days are down right miserable. The world itself seems real to. I love a good elf or dragon every now and then, but some stories just don't need them, and this is definitely one of them. And I'm still craving a chance to get back to the Renaissance Fair. No joke! That was a total blast! Hands down; an amazing author. She left me with a nice cliff-hanger, so I'm excited to read just what happens next!

Scorpia

By Anthony Horowitz

312 Pages

Published by Philomel Books

★★★★★

By Mel

 

My favorite thing about the Alex Rider Adventures are the never-ending surprises these books constantly throw at you. When I just started to think that I knew exactly what was going on, Horowitz found a way to throw me completely off guard. I'll never understand how he keeps coming up with such creative ideas.

Scorpia is a world-wide terrorist organization that is hired to do rich people's dirty work such as murdering anyone who gets in their way. They happen to be the people who hired the contract killer, Yassen Gregorovich, who murdered Alex's uncle. In the last book, Yassen spoke to Alex about his father. He said that he had worked beside him for an organization called Scorpia, and if Alex wanted to learn about it he had to go to Venice.So this is where Alex begins his next adventure.

Alex goes through this book learning new things about his father's past. He is cheated, lied to, and has his loyalty put to the test. Some of his decisions made me gasp out loud in surprise. 

I really liked this book! But here's a warning: if you are near the end of it, make sure to have the next book beside you when you finish it. It ends with the worst cliff-hanger I have ever had to endure! I have no idea how anyone could have read it when it first came out without having the next one available. Trust me; it will definitely make you want to read the next book. It's really good.

Cinder

By Marissa Meyer

387 Pages

Published by Feiwel and Friends

★★

By Em 

Ha ha! I have returned! My 
goodness that was one loooonnnngggg vacation! But very  fun, non the less! Other than 109 degree weather in The Badlands and lots of rain at Yellowstone, it was great. I saw Devils Tower and Old Faithful, some rambunctious squirrels that stole my trail mix, and even a buffalo! This guy walked right past our car! Though, sad to say, I did run out of books. In the end, TimeRiders was okay, but after a few chapters, I couldn't get into it, and sadly, couldn't pull through it to keep reading. The Girl of Fire and Thorns made me feel awkward within the first two chapters, and when that happens, I've learned to pul out. Fast! So, in the end I ran out of books, and was forced to listen to my brother sing, not ELO, but Weird Al instead! Even worse! So, that's why those two books shant be reviewed. Anyways, enough of my summer vacation. It's time to get down to business! I have a review to write!

Cinder is a cyborg. She has no memory of her life before she was a cyborg. And now she's living in New Bejing with her stepmother and two not-so-ugly stepsisters. She works as a top-notch mechanic in the city streets. A deadly illness looms over the city and the apparently handsome Prince Kai is struggling with his father's recent sickness. And, naturally, crazy moon people are threatening war as well. And then there is Cinder the cyborg. Once her younger stepsister (the kind hearted of the two) falls ill, suddenly, it appears that Cinder just might be able to help find a cure. Take one cup of Cinderella, add two teaspoons of moon people, a dash of a deadly disease, and a pinch of robotics, and you have Cinder.

This story's idea was one BIG idea. I mean, cyborg Cinderella? Wow! That takes guts! But, I was a touch sad about it. I mean, insanely interesting idea, but predictable! Not the whole Cinderella story (because I think anyone could assume that she would go to the ball, lose a shoe, you know, the whole bibbity-bobbity-boo stuff), but I called the ending only about 30 pages into the story. I mean, come on! Add some sort of twist, will yah? I swear, anyone could have seen that coming. Now, being the awesome Emma I am, I may have called the ending a little sooner than most people will, but as you go along, it's pretty obvious!

See now, I'm a little concerned about this book, because I was unable to find a character that I truely fell in love with. Sure you have Cinder, the kick-butt feminine hero, but lots of stories have someone like her. None of the other characters really connected with me. Now I think it may just be me and all, but I was unable to find someone to love, and then sadly watch disappear, die, become evil, or do all three at the same time. (You'd be amazed at how many times that happens!)

 In all, I'm really having a hard time describing my feelings about this book (making this one of my shorter reviews (though, now looking back on this, it wasn't that short...)). I feel like the disease may have ruined it for me, because I've read a LOT of disease books lately and I may feel like they are a little over played... Also, I think this may just be one of those books where I just don't like it. I''m not really sure exactly why I didn't really enjoy it...Maybe I'm not a Cinderella fan? I don't know. Through the end I got confused and lost interest, so perhaps that is it as well. Though, whatever it was, the book was nice, it had an original plot, but I just didn't care for it all that much...