Starcrossed Review

Cover from Goodreads

Title: Starcrossed
Author: Josephine Angelini
Published: April 1st, 2011 by HarperTeen

Plot Summary from Goodreads:
Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task on an island as small and sheltered as Nantucket. And it's getting harder. Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. At school she's haunted by hallucinations of three women weeping tears of blood . . . and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they're destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history.

As Helen unlocks the secrets of her ancestry, she realizes that some myths are more than just legend. But even demigod powers might not be enough to defy the forces that are both drawing her and Lucas together—and trying to tear them apart

I really enjoyed this book; it was some nice, refreshing paranormal romantic ya.

The plot of this book was really intriguing. While at the beginning it may seem very similar to Twilight in a lot of respects, it diverges and goes down a completely new path. It's based on the Trojan War and the protagonist, Helen, is based on Helen of Troy. She has her own mystical powers and is able to use them. While I do question a lot of her decisions, she is still an interesting character to see the story through. 

As much as I like Helen though, I have to admit my favorite character is Claire. I just really enjoyed the fact that she was aware of how strange Helen was and accepted her anyway and continued to be her best friend. I hope we see more of her in the next book. 

The ending was so-so. On the one hand, I definitely want to read the next one. However, the main action happened a little before the ending and then the ending itself seemed like it was more of a teaser for the next book. Overall, I would recommend this to fans of the genre and fans of Twilight. Also, if you like books based on classics, this is one for you to try. 

Happy reading and happy new year! 

Midnight in Austenland Review

Okay, so I know I said I didn't want to review parts of series, especially since I didn't review the first on this series. However, this book isn't exactly a sequel to Austenland  and I have much to say about it.


Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale begins with an introduction to our heroine Charolette Constance Kinder, a divorcee with two children. After drowning herself in her work, she decides to take a vacation to England. After reading Jane Austen, she decides she would like a Jane Austen vacation. She then decides on Pembrook Park, which offers a unique vacation experience. Visitors dress in Regency era garb and are entertained and wooed by actors hired to play gentlemen that resemble the men in Jane Austen's books. They are assigned a woman to woo, offering a marriage proposal at the end of the two weeks. When Charolette arrives, she is unsure where the role ends and reality begins. There is a mystery at Pembrook Park,  but is it just a story or is it a real live mystery? How much are the actors hiding? Charolette discovers all this and more.

If you haven't read Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen, this book might not make a lot of sense at times. There are a lot of references to Northanger, and having read it will amplify the experience of reading this book. But don't let that stop you from reading it. However, while having read Northanger will amplify the reading experience it will also make it suck for the last hundred pages.

There are two mysteries in this novel- one that is just a story and one that is straight out of a Nancy Drew novel. They are both interesting, but I felt the first mystery was tied up a little too quickly in order to make way for the second one. It was also a little anti-climatic. However, the second mystery completely took over the entire plot. Personally I left the second mystery was a bit much, and the longer it was prolonged, the more I was thinking, "Please stop. This is enough. This is one of the Gothic novels I was warned about." The romance aspect also got a little ridiculous at times. However, in typical Austen fashion, all the characters lived happily ever after, except for the villain.

While I preferred Austenland, this book was not bad by any stretch of the imagination.  The characters were believable, there were some old and new faces. It actually made me want to read Austenland again, so I can see what was new and what was already there. If you like Jane Austen and/or a mysteries, you will likely enjoy this book.

Knightley Academy Review

I'll admit, I was a little concerned when I chose to read this book next. It sounded a lot like Harry Potter to me, which admittedly it was, but I was concerned that it would be too similar and that I wouldn't be able to finish it. And then I'd feel bad because I've watched the authors youtube videos and think she's awesome, but I wouldn't like her book.

This thought was disproved about twenty pages into the book.

I want gush on and on about how much I adored this book. I think it's simply brilliant. And while yes, I can draw comparisons from Harry Potter to this, this does not keep me from being excited to read the next one by any means.

Knightley Academy by Violet Haberdasher (a pseudonym, by the way) is a book about a school for knights, fittingly enough called Knightley Academy. But that's not where our story begins. Our story begins at the Midsummer School and with a servant boy named Henry.

Now Henry, despite his lowly position, has been treated to a gentlemen's education by a professor at the school named Professor Stratford. Professor Stratford convinces Henry to take the entrance exam to Knightley by showing him a loophole in the rules. He agrees and to the surprise of no one but him and the other boys in the story, Henry makes it into Knightley Academy. Naturally, he and hi new friends get into all kinds of adventures.

Now one aspect of this book that is touched upon is that it is not contemporary nor is it hisorical fiction. But it is steam-punk, which to me is a rather silly word. Basically, it takes place in Victorian Era (true, but not an England any of us would recognize) and has a twist (their country is not called England but it's like an alternate universe). Maybe I don't have a strong conception on what steampunk is (genres are not my strong point) but this fits the classification to me.

Definitely check it out!

Scarlett Fever Review

As a general rule, I dislike reviewing books that are sequels or as in this case, the second book of a series. I feel that if you read the first book in a series, you'll base your opinion of whether to read the second book on whether you liked the first book or not, not on what I think.

However, I feel the need to review Scarlett Fever by Maureen Johnson.

Having read all of Maureen Johnson's previous books I did have some expectations when beginning to read this book.

a. That the whole Martin family would be back for more fun adventures.

b. That it would be something I"d enjoy reading.

c. That it would be hilarious in general.

I can safely say that all of these expectations were fulfilled. When we last left Scarlett, she and Eric had broken things off, leaving her heartbroken and her brother Spencer had successfully saved his career. After many more failed auditions, he is happy to finally land a job on popular television show called Crime and Punishment.

I feel that the main plot rarely focuses on Scarlett herself. It's more of a book of things that are happening around her that she can't control and her reactions to them. Which at first sounds silly, but it makes sense. She's fifteen; there isn't much you can control at fifteen. Despite never wanting to be an actress, she seems to be surrounded by actors and actresses, professionally or otherwise.

All of your favorite characters are back. Scarlett's brother Spencer, the aspirign actor, Marlene the cancer survivor, Lola the hardworking one, and Mrs. Amerson, Scarlett's crazy boss. But we are also joined with a new cast of characters. Chelsea, an aspiring actress who just moved to the city, her pageant mom Mrs. Biggs, her rebellious brother Max, and Dakota Scarlett's best friend.

I enjoy Maureen Johnson's book immensely. My one complaint is that this book ends rather suddenly in my opinion. It just sort of stops. There's a bit of a cliffhanger and a bit of resolution, but overall the ending felt rather sudden for me. I do hope that the third book in this series comes out next year, for I am excited to see how it ends with Scarlett.

Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast review

Beauty is an excellent retelling of Beauty and the Beast, though most of my knowledge of it comes from the Disney movie. The story is familiar to most people, which leads to the author's interpretation of the story, which is what makes this book interesting. Thankfully, Robin doesn't do anything too radical. Otherwise, there might have been an outcry.

One thing that makes this book different from the story is we get to see Beauty's life, and while Beauty's life does consume the book somewhat. This is not in a bad way, just with a lot of back story into her life and just exactly why she goes to the castle. However, because of this the story is a bit slow. This is no doubt due to the fact most readers know the story and know how it ends, so there is no real need for a fast-paced plot. Even though it was not really action-packed, it is still a short read.

All of the books characters are believable, and all of them are lovable. Even though Beauty describes her sisters beautiful and herself as plain, there isn't any real animosity between them. There is no evil stepmother or stepsister, or brother-in-law.

Personally, I enjoyed this book. I love McKinley's writing style. This is one of her earlier works, but in the young adult section probably because Beauty is a teenager. However, I think children and adults can both enjoy this book. Interestingly enough, I found this book on a list of books that college-bound students should read. I would be inclined to agree, but McKinley has numerous other works as well that are worth reading. I'd recommend it to people who enjoy fairytales and really just most people in general.

The Darcys Give a Ball by Elizabeth Newark Review

My first review!

This book is a spin-off Jane Austen's novel, Pride and Prejudice. For those of you who haven't read P&P, you should go put it on hold at your local library and read it. It's excellent.

This book takes place well after the events of Jane Austen's novel. Elizabeth and Darcy have had children and they have entered into society as have Jane and Bingley's children, Charolette and Mr. Collins' children, and every other characters children. It also references other works by Jane Austen. The Darcys decided to give a ball for all the children to enjoy. Betrothals and dancing ensues.

This book probably won't be on any list of great literature, though Austen spin off is? It's a quick read and is cute. There's less a focus on Darcy and Elizabeth and more focus on their children and the other children. Charolette does get quite a bit of attention, though. The plot mostly consists of the ball, characters are fairly static, but they're cute. Overall, if you're looking for something with depth, go reread Jane Austen. But if you're looking for something cute and light to read with a happy ending, then look no further.