Salt & Storm by Kendall Kulper

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Title: Salt & Storm
Author: Kendall Kulper
Length: 416 pages
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Classification: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Witches, Magic, Historical
Release Date: September 23, 2014
Source: e-galley (I was approved for this ARC via NetGalley. Thank you Little Brown!)
Read: July 2014

GoodReads 
Barnes & Noble
Books-a-Million

A sweeping historical romance about a witch who foresees her own murder--and the one boy who can help change her future.
Sixteen-year-old Avery Roe wants only to take her rightful place as the witch of Prince Island, making the charms that keep the island's whalers safe at sea, but her mother has forced her into a magic-free world of proper manners and respectability. When Avery dreams she's to be murdered, she knows time is running out to unlock her magic and save herself.
Avery finds an unexpected ally in a tattooed harpoon boy named Tane--a sailor with magic of his own, who moves Avery in ways she never expected. Becoming a witch might stop her murder and save her island from ruin, but Avery discovers her magic requires a sacrifice she never prepared for. (From GoodReads)

***I received an e-galley of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***



My Rating:

After seeing the cover of this book and reading the summary, I was so glad that I was approved by Little Brown via NetGalley to read an ARC!
The cover is so lovely. I really like that the picture is simple, but at the same time pretty. And I love the font used for the title!

I really liked this take on Witches. I really found their abilities and how they do magic/charms very interesting. 

The Story:

I really like that the story wasn't only about what was happening to the characters in the story, but also about the history of the island and the Roe witches. I think the author did a great job at including a lot of background and information while not overshadowing the plot and storyline. 

I really like the  setting and the descriptions. There were times where I wished I could be on this island, seeing what the characters would be seeing. 

I like that there was a mystery feel to the story as well. I was very interested in the mysterious dream that the main character, Avery, kept having. I also really enjoyed the mystery surrounding the other characters. I felt like they all were mysterious in their own ways. I had fun trying to figure out what was going on with those characters individually and how it relates to Avery.  
 For most of the book, I was left guessing what would happen next. But around the middle of the story, I made a guess for what I thought would happen and ended up being close. But it didn't take away from me enjoying the book. And it definitely did not keep me from feeling emotions about the events and the ending. 

The Characters:

 I think that the characters are well written with well-developed backstories. I found them to be very fascinating characters and I enjoyed learning more about them as the story progressed.

Avery is interesting, determined, and at times stubborn. But I really like that she knew what it was she wanted and that she would do whatever she could to fight to achieve it. 

Tane is a very mysterious character. While reading the story, I kept thinking about how there was so much more I wanted to know about his character. I was very happy with the development and found his backstory to be captivating. 

Avery's Mother is a frustrating character for me. We view her from Avery's POV (point of view) and as a reader I could feel the anger and frustration that Avery had for her mother. 

My Recommendation:

If you like reading about witches and like informational stories, then I would recommend giving this book a read. The story was fascinating and mysterious. I liked the characters and the island. 

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga

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Title: I Hunt Killers (Jasper Dent #1)

Author: Barry Lyga

Length: 359 pages

Publisher: Little Brown Books

Classification: Young Adult, Thriller, Mystery, Crime

Release Date: April 3, 2012

Source: e-galley (Via NetGalley)

Read: August 2014

GoodReads
Amazon
Books-a-Million
Barnes & Noble

What if the world's worst serial killer...was your dad? Jasper "Jazz" Dent is a likable teenager. A charmer, one might say. But he's also the son of the world's most infamous serial killer, and for Dear Old Dad, Take Your Son to Work Day was year-round. Jazz has witnessed crime scenes the way cops wish they could—from the criminal's point of view. And now bodies are piling up in Lobo's Nod. In an effort to clear his name, Jazz joins the police in a hunt for a new serial killer. But Jazz has a secret—could he be more like his father than anyone knows? (From GoodReads)

***I received an e-galley of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

My Rating:

The Story:

Wow!!! This book seriously took me by surprised and completely wowed me.
The story is unlike any other book I have read.
The author did an amazing job with the story and the characters.
The main character is the son of a well-known, feared, horrible serial killer.

What I liked best about this book was that I was constantly guessing, wondering, and questioning who the killer was.

I think that the plot is very well-developed and complex. The story had a lot of mystery surrounding it. I didn't really know what was going to happen next. (Other than the fact that someone else was most likely going to be murdered, but I hadn't the smallest guess as to who that person was going to be.)

There is a tiny bit of a cliffhanger-ish situation at the end. I was left with so many questions and the desire to find out more. I have to know what happens next.
Yet at the same time, I was satisfied in a sense with the ending. I felt like it was a good ending to the first book and it created a story and world that I really want to get lost in again and find out more of what happens now.

The Characters:

The characters are all well-developed. It was easy for me to picture them and they definitely felt realistic.

Jazz- A very interesting character. He has so many demons bottled up inside of him. He struggles with remembering his childhood and the things his father has done. As well as an inner battle with himself and how the thinks he will become.

Howie and Connie- The best friend and the girlfriend. I love these characters. I love their relationship with Jazz. How they are always there for him and keep him grounded. I love the banter. There were so many moments between Jazz and Howie that made me smile.

The Impressionist- I found it interesting that there were a few chapters that we read from this perspective, yet it didn't give me any clues or insight to the identity of this character. There is still so much I don't know about this person and I am anxious to unveil more about the character and find some answers.

Billy Dent- What a character. We get glimpses of him through Jazz's perspective. A chilling character. One that will/could give you nightmares.

I also really enjoyed Jazz's grandma. She is very interesting and well written. And I really like Jazz's interactions with G. William Tanner (The Sheriff).

Recommendation:

If you like reading a thrilling story that involves murder and can keep you guessing, then I recommend giving this book a read. It was interesting, mysterious and at times intense.
I think that fans of shows like Criminal Minds will enjoy this story.

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

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 Title: Lola and the Boy Next Door
(Anna and the French Kiss #2)
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Length: 338 pages
Publisher: Dutton Books/Speak
Classification: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Release Date: July 2013 (reprint)
Source: Paperback
Read: August 2014

GoodReads

Lola Nolan is a budding costume designer, and for her, the more outrageous, sparkly, and fun the outfit, the better. And everything is pretty perfect in her life (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the negihborhood. When Cricket, a gifted inventor, steps out from his twin sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door. (From GoodReads)

***This is part of a series. There will be spoilers of things that happened in the other book(s) so if you haven't read it and don't want to know things that happened, please stop reading now.***

My Rating:

Stephanie Perkins is amazing.
I really enjoyed reading Anna and the French Kiss so I wasn't sure if I would love Lola and the Boy Next Door as much as the first.
I don't know why I thought that. This book was awesome!

The Story:

It is a wonderful second book!
Fun. Cute. Entertaining.
I think I liked this story more than the first book.
Perkins does an incredible job creating a new story with new characters while including visits from the two main characters in the first book. (For some reason I figured they wouldn't make an appearance in this book.)
I really enjoyed this story. I don't know why, but I am a sucker for books that have either a boy-next-door/girl-next-door romance or the romantic interests have a childhood past together.
I also love all the music mentioned in this story. The Ramones, The Clash, etc. I felt like my heart was going to burst with happiness.
I've never been to San Francisco, but the book makes me wish that I could visit there someday.
The story kept me wanting more. It was hard for me to put the book down. And I was anxious for the scenes that include Cricket (because I love him.)
Well written and very entertaining.

The Characters:

I love these characters!

Lola is very unique and special. I love that she dresses up in costume a lot. (Sounds really neat.) She is pretty much my opposite currently (I am not big into fashion: clothes, accessories, etc.) But I remember when I was in college I had my own unique way of dressing (no where near as unique as Lola though!) I also like that she has challenges that she has to face and overcome. She is dealing with some family issues as well as the issue of a past love coming back into her life. I was really able to care and relate to the character.

Cricket. I am in love. He is so sweet and caring. A bit shy and very adorable. He is awesome. He has his own things that he is dealing with. I love that he is an inventor, it is really cool. He is just simply wonderful.

All the other characters are also well-written and interesting.
Lindsey is a great friend to Lola and I enjoy their friendship.
Lola's dads, Andy and Nathan, are great. I love that they are protective (probably because I am a very protective parent and I could see myself being like them, maybe not as drastic, but like them). I love that they love Lola very much and that they are present in the story.
Cricket's twin sister Calliope was also well-developed. She has her own life and challenges. And there are times that I don't like what she does very much, but I feel like I had an understanding of her and liked her too.

And of course I love that Anna and Etienne made appearances in this story. I loved seeing a little more of their relationship as well as their friendship with Lola.

My Recommendation:

If you like romances that involve a boy/girl next door type, then I highly recommend this book. Also if you like an interesting and a bit eccentric main character. Or if you are looking for a new AMAZING book boyfriend to swoon over, you should give this book a read!

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

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Title: Anna and the French Kiss 
(Anna and the French Kiss #1)
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Length: 372 pages
Publisher: Dutton Books/Speak
Classification: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary
Release Date: August 4, 2011
(reprint)
Source: Paperback

GoodReads

Can Anna find love in the City of Light?
Anna is happy in Atlanta. She has a loyal best friend and a crush on her coworker at the movie theater, who is just starting to return her affection. So she's less than thrilled when her father decides to send her to a boarding school in Paris for her senior year. But despite not speaking a word of French, Anna meets some cool new people, including the handsome Étienne St. Clair, who quickly becomes her best friend. Unfortunately, he's taken —and Anna might be, too. Will a year of romantic near misses end with the French kiss she's waiting for? (From GoodReads)

 My Rating:

I had been wanting to read this book for a while, but I kept putting it off. Then I found that a group of bloggers decided to have a readalong in anticipation for the third book in the series to be released. So I gladly signed up and joined the readalong #IslaIsComing.

I can't believe I kept waiting to read this book! I loved it.

The Story:

Such an adorable story! I absolutely love it.
I read this book in pretty much 2 days. I would have finished it in one sitting but I started the book too late in the night and had to go to sleep before getting to the end.
I could not wait to find out what happened next.
The author did an amazing job of capturing my attention and leaving me desiring more. (I seriously struggled with putting the book down and going to sleep. I almost didn't do it.)
I devoured the words and was left with a book hangover!

I adore that the author has created such a well described version of Paris.
(I traveled to Paris when I was in High School.)
It felt like I was there again. I had no trouble picturing the scenes in my head. It is wonderful.

The story overall is fun, exciting, and very entertaining. I was very fascinated by everything that was happening in the lives of the different characters.

The Characters:

Oh. My. Goodness. I love them.
They are all so well written and developed.
I love the friends that Anna made while at school in Paris.
They are the type of friends that you also want to be your friends.
Fun. There for each other. Caring. Amazing.
I loved reading from Anna's point of view. I really enjoyed her voice throughout the book.
St. Clair is certainly made me swoon. But I was a bit frustrated with him and his girlfriend situation. Other than that, I really liked his character.

My Recommendation:

If you like chick lit and romance and want a quick, fun, entertaining read then I highly recommend giving this book a read.

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

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Title: Grave Mercy 

(His Fair Assassin #1)

Author: Robin LaFevers

Length: 576 pages

Publisher: HMH Books For Young Readers

Classification: Young Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fiction

Release Date: April 3, 2012

Source: e-book (purchased)

Read: July 2014

GoodReads

Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf? Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others. Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart? (From GoodReads)

My Rating:

The Story:

This is another book that I wasn't really sure about before I started reading it. I didn't read the description. In fact, I bought it because it had good reviews by bloggers that I follow on GoodReads and Twitter, and it was on sale for the Kindle, so I thought I would give it a chance. And yet I still wasn't really sure what I was reading when I started the first few chapters.

Nun Assassins.

I wasn't expecting that. And I wasn't really expecting to like the book. I didn't consider putting the book down, but I also didn't expect to like it as much as I did.

For me the story started out on the slow side. It held my attention enough for me to continue reading the story, but I was thinking I wouldn't like it as much as everyone else did. I started thinking it just wasn't "for me".

Then BAM!

I hit a section in the book where the story grabbed me and pulled me in. I COULD NOT put it down! I kept thinking to myself, "Just read one more chapter, then you can pick it back up tomorrow." Yet I didn't listen to my brain, I stayed up super late due to needing to know what happened next, and I still had to force myself to put the book down.

This book was awesome, amazing, wonderful, great, (all other synonyms for good)! I absolutely loved the story and the characters. I love this book so much, I can't believe I kept putting off reading it.

The Characters:

Ismae is very interesting character. I was very fascinated by what was happening with her and her task that she was given. I also liked the whole assassin aspect. I was interested in how she would handle certain situations. She is strong and smart.
Duval. I. Love. Him. Seriously. I love his character. I love the relationship between him and Ismae. I also love the relationship between him and his friends. I love how loyal and intelligent he is. He is an amazing leader. Definitely a character that you would want on your side during a conflict.

My Recommendation:

Read this book. It has easily been added to my favorite reads shelf. It has action and romance. And overall, a very fascinating story with well-developed characters.

I also think that those that enjoy watching Reign may like this one.

Something Real by Heather Demetrios

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Title: Something Real

Author: Heather Demetrios

Length: 403 pages

Publisher: Henry Holt & Company

Classification: Young Adult, Contemporary, Realistic 

Release Date: February 4, 2014

Source: Hardback (Won an annotated copy from a giveaway given by the author. Thank you again, Heather!)

Read: June 2014

GoodReads

There’s nothing real about reality TV.
Seventeen-year-old Bonnie™ Baker has grown up on TV—she and her twelve siblings are the stars of one-time hit reality show Baker’s Dozen. Since the show’s cancellation and the scandal surrounding it, Bonnie™ has tried to live a normal life, under the radar and out of the spotlight. But it’s about to fall apart…because Baker’s Dozen is going back on the air. Bonnie™’s mom and the show’s producers won’t let her quit and soon the life she has so carefully built for herself, with real friends (and maybe even a real boyfriend), is in danger of being destroyed by the show. Bonnie™ needs to do something drastic if her life is ever going to be her own—even if it means being more exposed than ever before. (From GoodReads)

***I won a copy of this book from a giveaway hosted by the author. This does not change the way I view this book.***




Let me just start off by saying that I wasn't sure how much I would like this book. I didn't really know much about this book with the exception of it involving Reality TV and that there have been some good reviews from bloggers that I follow on GoodReads. And I don't watch Reality TV. I have seen a few episodes of different Reality TV shows here and there. But I don't actively seek out to watch any of these shows. And I don't choose to watch any of them.

My Rating: 5+ Stars (2014 Favorite)

This book was AMAZING! I was blown away by how much I loved reading this book. I could not put it down. I really tried taking my time to try and savor this beautifully written story.
But I still ended up reading it rather quickly. And when I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it.


The Story:

I LOVE this story.
I found this story to be unique and wonderfully written. I love Demetrios writing style! (I am really looking forward to reading her other books coming out in the future!)
What a thought-provoking story about a young girl dealing with wanting to be herself and longing to live a normal life when her family's life is back to being broadcast on TV.
I don't think I can even imagine what Chloe had to go through in this story. Growing up as part of a Reality TV series, having a bit of relief and freedom after the show was cancelled for a couple of years, to then be back on TV and having her attempt at a normal life turned upside down! Wow. And all the other personal challenges she is coping and dealing with besides the show.
It was just amazing.
And so well written.
When I discovered that this story was going to be about a family that has 13 children, I was really worried that I would get confused trying to remember all the characters. But it wasn't. It focuses mainly on Chloe (aka Bonnie) and her brother Benton. There are several more characters that have bigger roles than some of the younger children.
I really like that the author addresses so many important subjects in this book and I really feel that these subjects and issues really added to the story and were well addressed.
And I love the way the book is written. I love all the scenes that are written as scripts and the online stuff. I also love that the author included some flashbacks (written like scripts) to past important episodes, I really feel that it helped add to the story and make us as readers more understanding about things that had happened. And I absolutely LOVE the titles of the chapters (I am a huge F.R.I.E.N.D.S. fan!)

The Characters:

Oh my goodness, these characters!
They are so well developed and well written. It was so easy to either love the character or hate certain characters. I wanted to be a part of the story and hug Chloe and Benton. As well as wanting to yell at the producer, parents and step-father.
I REALLY love Chloe. It was so easy for me to feel connected to her as a character. She has some many things she is trying to deal with personally and I love that she is trying to fight for what she wants. I love how easy it is to love her character. And being able to emphasis and root for her.
I also adore the sister-brother relationship between Chloe and Benton. It is a wonderful sibling relationship. They care about each other, they pick on one another, and they will have each other's back. I think it is one of my favorite sister-brother relationships I have ever read about!
I also love Benton's character. He is a well written character and I loved having him in this story.
Lexie was another character I enjoyed in this story. I loved the developing relationship between Chloe and Lexie in the story. And there were times that I would be a bit frustrated with Lexie, but also times that I just simply LOVED her.
Which brings us to another AMAZING character...Patrick!
*Swoon*
Patrick is simply outstanding. I absolutely adored his character. He is a great person, friend, boyfriend, shoulder to cry on, etc.
I love his relationship with Chloe. I love his friendship with Benton.
I feel like I can't find the right words to fully convey the awesomeness that is Patrick.

My Recommendation:

Read this book!
If you like contemporary books or if you enjoy reading realistic books that deal with issues but also have fun and loving moments then I highly recommend Something Real. It is realistic and simply amazing. It is full of characters to relate to and love.
I LOVE this book so much, I am adding Heather Demetrios to my auto-read author list. I am really looking forward to her future books.

To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

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Title: To All The Boys I've Loved Before

Author: Jenny Han

Length: 288 pages

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Classification: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Release Date: April 15, 2014

Source: e-book (purchased)

Read: June 2014

GoodReads

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all. (From GoodReads)

My Rating:

This was my first Jenny Han book and I am really glad that I read it.
I really enjoyed reading this book. It was really good. The story was interesting and really had me hooked from the beginning. I read this book pretty much in one sitting. I could not put it down!

The Story:

This story isn't really realistic, but it was still a nice cute read. I liked the premise of the book. It sounded really interesting and unique. I can't think of a book with a story quite like this one.
I was a fan of the "love letter" idea for the story. I think it is great that the character writes a letter to her crush to get all those feelings out, without having to put herself out there.
I am a shy person, so I definitely know the feeling of not wanting to confront a crush. (I definitely wrote about it in a diary instead.) So I found this part to be real.

The letters get mailed out to all of these boys and instantly Lara Jean's life gets a little bit more complicated. Yet these complications seemed to be handled quickly and not with much drama. But I was still interested in finding out what the other boys would say when we got to their letters.

A lot of things happened in this story and it kept me pretty engrossed in wanting to know what was going to be happening next.

But I was left with questions at the end of the story. And I was so happy to realize that there is going to be another book! So I am really looking forward to finding out what comes after the ending of this part of the story.

The Characters:

I liked that Lara Jean was shy and quirky. It made it easier for me to relate with her.

I don't have any sisters, so I don't have the personal connection with the story in that sense, but reading the relationship between these three sisters, really touched me. The relationships felt realistic. It was my favorite character relationships in the story. And their relationship with each other really made me think about my daughters and how happy I am that they have each other. They might fight and get on each other's nerves now, but at least they will (hopefully) be there for each other in the future, when they are older.

I also liked the girls relationship with their father. He is busy with work, but still seems to be able to make time to spend with the girls and are a part of their lives. And I really liked that he was apart of the story. It seems like there are times when I am reading a book where the parents aren't in the story much, so I liked seeing the loving relationship between father and daughters. (And it wasn't a huge part of the story, but I was happy to feel like it was included.)

I had a love-hate feeling towards the boys. There were times where I liked them, then times were I was sure I didn't want her to end up with either of the two boys. There is a love triangle. And I know what side I am on, but I am still really curious to see how it plays out in the next part of the story.

My Recommendation:

If you like contemporary stories that have romance and don't mind a love triangle, then I highly recommend this book. It was a cute, fun, and quick read. It grabbed my attention and made me want to keep reading. And when I finished, all I could think was "I want more".

My Little Pony: Friends Forever (Volume 1)

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Title: My Little Pony: Friends Forever (Volume #1)

Authors: Alex de Campi, Jeremy Whitley, Ted Anderson, Rob Anderson, Amy Mebberson, & Carla Speed McNeil

Illustrators: Tony Fleecs & Agnes Galbowska

Length: 104 pages

Publisher: IDW Publishing

Classification: Graphic Novel, Children's Books

Release Date: July 2014

Source: e-galley (Thank you NetGalley, IDW publishing and Diamond Book Distributors for allowing me to review this book)

Read: July 2014

GoodReads

Introducing four tales dedicated to exploring the magic of friendship. First, Applejack and Pinkie Pie enter a baking contest! Then, The Cutie Mark Crusaders team up with Discord, Spike enlists Princess Celestia to help him find a birthday present, and finally, Twilight Sparkle and Shining Armor chase down a mysterious ghost. (From GoodReads)

***I received an e-galley of this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*** 

My Rating:

Overall, I enjoyed this collection of the first four comics in IDW's new My Little Pony comic series. I have read several of my daughter's My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic comics. And I think that this is another collection that we will need to buy and read. She will love these stories. And I liked the illustrations.

Tale #1:
Story one was a fun silly story involving mostly Pinkie-Pie and Applejack entering a baking contest. Although Applejack entered by accident. This one focuses on the silly things that happened during the contest. But it also was about Applejack being mistaken as a different pony, and that pony kept trying to fix it but was ultimately unable to. I think that is tale shows that winning can be fun, but that it isn't everything.
Out of the four stories it was the one that I enjoyed the least.

Tale #2:
I liked this story a lot. It focused on the Cutie Mark Crusaders (the little ponies that don't have cutie marks yet). I think the main reason I liked this story was because it was full of little references to different things. And I found those references to be funny. This tale was cute and entertaining. And I liked the moral of the story.

Tale #3:
I really enjoyed this tale and the moral taken from this one as well. I found this one to be full of action and adventure. Spike and Princess Celestia travel to get a piece needed for a present. I enjoyed having a story that really focused on Spike as more than just a side-kick character.

Tale #4:
Another fun tale. This one focuses on Twilight Sparkle and her brother. Something fishy is happening in the palace and Twilight Sparkle takes it upon herself to find out what is happening and solve the mystery. I liked the sister-brother relationship shown in this tale. And I loved the pony reference to the Mario Brothers. Another cute and entertaining tale.

My Recommendation:

If you are a fan of the other My Little Pony comics, or have a child that enjoys reading these comics, then I highly recommend reading this new comic series. It has the characters that we already know and love. And is full of fun and entertaining adventures. I know my daughter will love it.

Half Bad by Sally Green

(source)

Title: Half Bad (Half Life #1)

Author: Sally Green

Length: 394 pages

Publisher: Viking (Penguin Group)

Classification: Young Adult, Paranormal, Witches, Magic

Release Date: March 2014

Source: ARC (ARC tour hosted by On The Same Page)

Read: May to June 2014

GoodReads

Half Bad by Sally Green is a breathtaking debut novel about one boy's struggle for survival in a hidden society of witches. You can't read, can't write, but you heal fast, even for a witch. You get sick if you stay indoors after dark. You hate White Witches but love Annalise, who is one. You've been kept in a cage since you were fourteen. All you've got to do is escape and find Mercury, the Black Witch who eats boys. And do that before your seventeenth birthday. (From GoodReads)

First I want to thank Brittany, Alyssa, and Amy (On The Same Page) for hosting the ARC tour. It is fun to get to borrow a book that I am interested in reading.

My Rating:

I wasn't really sure what to expect when I first picked up this book to read. I saw that a lot of bloggers had marked it as To-Read on GoodReads, then I saw the sign-ups for the ARC tour and decided to give it a try.

The Story:
I started to read the book and was instantly confused by the writing style. I kept reading, but there were a couple times in the beginning I started thinking, "This might not be for me. I might end up DNFing this one."

But I kept reading. And I am so GLAD that I did!

Once I got past the interesting writing style, I loved the story. It was interesting and unique. And it gave me a lot of feelings, there were times that I was frustrated, upset, angry and heartbroken for Nathan, the main character.

The further I got into the book, the more the story and the characters hooked me.

I really loved the concept and plot of the story. And I liked that the author took the time to explain things without it just being a bunch of information thrown together.

The story kept me guessing. I wasn't sure what was going to happen next and I only guessed something that would happen a couple of times. And most of the time it was just small things.

This was a great starting book for an interesting series. I enjoyed this story enough that I know I will read the next book, and I am anxious to find out what happens next.

The Characters:
I thought the characters were all very well written. There were characters that frustrated me, (but they were supposed to) and there were characters that I felt for.
There were characters that I think were full of depth and they weren't exactly what I thought they were. And there were some characters that I was left wanting to know more about them.
I felt that these are characters that I can feel for and care about. And I am excited to find out more about their lives and the things that will happen to them in the next book.

My Recommendation:
If you like interesting stories that involve witches and magic, then I think you should give this book a try. The writing style probably isn't for everyone, and it was a bit different and unique. But once you get used to the writing style, I felt hooked to the story. And I am looking forward to book #2 coming out (hopefully) next year!