CITY of BONES by Cassandra Clare

From Goodreads: When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder -- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing -- not even a smear of blood -- to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . .

This book is the first in a series and set to be released on the big screen in August of 2013.


Rachel's Thoughts: This book sucked me in like a Dyson vacuum cleaner. I was turning those pages, wondering what's next, anticipating how the story will unfold, waiting for the character depth to...deepen. And the story DID unfold. But the character depth...yeah, that left me wanting until ultimately, I found myself reading just to finish the book. I felt as though I learned more about Clary's circumstances as the story progressed, but not so much about who she was and what made her tick. Basically, I didn't connect with her. Unfortunately  I didn't love this book to place the second on my "to be read" list. I still plan on seeing the movie, though, because I really DO like the premise. I gave this book THREE bookmarks. 

Lakela's Thoughts: I LOVED this book! It was great! It kept me at the edge of my seat the whole time. There was some creepy creatures but nothing that scared me too much. There was an amazing twist at the end that made me want more. I did enjoy the love "square" but it was a bit confusing. The shadowhunters were very interesting and I liked the action.  I read this book in a total of three days (I don't have much time to read so this is pretty fast for me.) I'm very excited for the movie to come out, I hope they don't disappoint me. :) I really didn't fully understand Clary and wish it talked more about what she liked besides her artsy side. I gave this book FIVE bookmarks.

OBSIDIAN by Jennifer L. Armentrout

From Goodreads: Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I'd pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring.... until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something...unexpected happens. 

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon's touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades. 

If I don't kill him first, that is.

This book is the first in a series.

Rachel's Thoughts: This was an addictive, fun read. Yes the hero was a jerk. In fact, I almost stopped reading because I couldn't stand him. But I'm glad I kept on. Yes, there's insta-love. And yeah, it's about an average girl who falls for an above average guy. But it moved quickly and I really liked the concept of his print "lighting her up." This story wasn't the most in depth, thought provoking read I've had, but it was fun and entertaining. I gave this book FOUR bookmarks.

Lakela's Thoughts: I started reading this, but couldn't stand Daemon, so I stopped.

   

LIES BENEATH by Anne Greenwood Brown

Calder White lives in the cold, clear waters of Lake Superior, the only brother in a family of murderous mermaids. To survive, Calder and his sisters prey on humans and absorb their positive energy. Usually, they select their victims at random, but this time around, the underwater clan chooses its target for a reason: revenge. They want to kill Jason Hancock, the man they blame for their mother's death.

It's going to take a concerted effort to lure the aquaphobic Hancock onto the water. Calder's job is to gain Hancock's trust by getting close to his family. Relying on his irresistible good looks and charm, Calder sets out to seduce Hancock's daughter Lily. Easy enough, but Calder screws everything up by falling in love--just as Lily starts to suspect there's more to the monster-in-the-lake legends than she ever imagined, and just as the mermaids threaten to take matters into their own hands, forcing Calder to choose between them and the girl he loves.

One thing's for sure: whatever Calder decides, the outcome won't be pretty.

This book is said to be for ages 12 and up. This book is also the first in a three part series. 


Rachel's Thoughts: I am a huge fan of the murderous mermaids concept, so I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one. And then the cover...WOW. There isn't a whole lot of deep plot threads, which makes this story a perfect fit for the younger YA crowd. So, it's great that Anne took a unique concept and then molded it to fit the younger crowd--no blood, gore, or torturing. This book is a quick read with fun (in my opinion) ideas and characters. I gave this book 3 1/2 bookmarks.  

Lakela's Thoughts: 

NIGHTSHADE by Andrea Cremer

From Amazon: Calla is the alpha female of a shape-shifting wolf pack. She is destined to marry Ren Laroche, the pack's alpha male. Together, they would rule their pack together, guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But then, Calla saves a beautiful human boy, who captures her heart. Calla begins to question everything - her fate, her existence, and her world and the orders the Keepers have asked her to follow. She will have to make a choice. But will she follow her heart if it means losing everything, including her own life?

This book is said to be for ages 14 and up and is the first in a series. 


Rachel's Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. It's very much a page turner and the world Andrea Cremer creates unfolds with lots of detail, but without boring the reader. I'm also partial to the main character being a strong female with a bit of a predator sense about her. Cremer writes beautifully and I really felt like I could see what the characters were doing at any given moment. I did think that the end of this story was incredibly rushed and at some points confusing. And of course, it being a series, it leaves a few issues open, which is fine because I don't have to wait forever for the next book to be released. :) I gave this book 5 bookmarks.
  

BETWEEN THE SEA AND SKY by Jacolyn Dolamore

For as long as Esmerine can remember, she has longed to join her older sister, Dosinia, as a siren--the highest calling a mermaid can have. When Dosinia runs away to the mainland, Esmerine is sent to retrieve her. Using magic to transform her tail into legs, she makes her way unsteadily to the capital city. There she comes upon a friend she hasn't seen since childhood--a dashing young man named Alandare, who belongs to a winged race of people. As Esmerine and Alandare band together to search for Dosinia, they rekindle a friendship . . . and ignite the emotions for a love so great, it cannot be bound by sea, land, or air.

Rachel's Thoughts: This book was a good read, probably more relaxing than anything because it doesn't get into serious topics or evoke deep emotions of any kind. It was just a quick, easy read. I continued to turn the pages, wanting to know what happens next but not because I was invested in the characters and cared about them a whole lot; more so because I liked the world the author created and enjoyed reading about it. I couldn't see what Esmerine saw in Alan and often times he downright irritated me and then the ending seemed very quickly pulled together. Like I said, a good book for light reading. I gave this book 4 bookmarks.
 

THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games," a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed.

This book is said to be for ages 12 and up.

Rachel's Thoughts: I have to be honest, I was so enthralled with this story that there may have been a kiss or two, and I really don't remember because the pacing moves so quickly. It's just that good. I think this is a great one to read along with your teen and then afterward discuss the underlying topics such as poverty, dysfunctional government and the fact that extreme power corrupts extremely. I also really liked Katniss' character and how strong she is, able to hunt, and protect herself. I thought the author did a wonderful job at showing us the warrior in Katniss without making her into a blood thirsty conqueror. This is one of those books that I not only bought after reading the library copy, but I went out and bought the trilogy set...in hard back. I have allowed my own daughter to read this series and now she is a Hunger Games fanatic! So is my husband. :)  I gave this book 5 bookmarks.

Lakela's Thoughts: This is my new favorite book! I loved everything about it, the story, the characters, everything. I'm addicted. I gave this book 5 bookmarks.

RIPPLE by Mandy Hubbard

Lexi is cursed with a dark secret. Each day she goes to school like a normal teenager, and each night she must swim, or the pain will be unbearable. She is a siren - a deadly mermaid destined to lure men to their watery deaths. After a terrible tragedy, Lexi shut herself off from the world, vowing to protect the ones she loves. But she soon finds herself caught between a new boy at school who may have the power to melt her icy exterior, and a handsome water spirit who says he can break Lexi's curse if she gives up everything else. Lexi is faced with the hardest decision she's ever had to make: the life she's always longed for - or the love she can't live without?

This book is said to be for young adults and from what I hear, it's the first in a two part series. 

Rachel's Thoughts: When I started reading this story I was hooked from page one. It's a different take on the mermaid tale (tail, too). One in which mermaids are not sweet, innocent maidens. I liked how she broke some of the normal assumptions of mermaids such as not giving her mermaid a tail, and other twists you'll have to read the book to learn about. Lets just say I never found myself wanting to put the book down. The end seems to wrap everything up, but from the author's website, it looks like she's doing another, making this a two part series. I'm definitely interested to see where she takes the second book. I gave this book 4 bookmarks.

Lakela's Thoughts: This was a quick read for me, and I liked how the mermaid was different than most mermaid stories. I gave this book 5 bookmarks.