Invisible I by Stella Lennon

Genre: Young Adult

Sub Genre: Fiction; The Amanda Project, High School

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Back Cover: Amanda Valentino changed everything. Callie Leary has exactly one thing, and one thing only, in common with Nia Rivera and Hal Bennett: They were each chosen by Amanda to be her guide. When Amanda arrived at Endeavor High, she told Callie she moves around a lot and always picks one person to help her navigate the choppy waters of a new school. Why did Amanda lie? Following a course that they suspect Amanda deliberately plotted, Callie, Nia, and Hal piece together some cryptic clues. But they find more questions than answers and quickly realize that before they can figure out what happened to Amanda—the girl who changed their lives—they'll need to solve the most important mystery of all: Who is Amanda Valentino?

This is the first book in the Amanda Project. It starts off with three kids who go to school together but aren’t actually friends being called into the vice principal’s office. They soon learn that they have more in common than they ever realized. Now they are all trying to get in touch with Amanda, who has just disappeared. The story is told from Callie’s perspective. This is one of those interactive stories that you can join in on after finishing the book by going online. There is a lot to it but it just makes for a richer story. As Callie, Nia and Hal put the pieces together they realize they have no idea who Amanda really is. I really liked this story and look forward to reading the next book, Revealed.

Publisher: Harper Teen

ISBN: 0061742120

Pages: 304

Series: Amanda Project
Volume: 1

Fairy Tale by Cyn Balog

Genre: Young Adult

Sub Genre: Urban Fantasy; Magic, Fairies, Changeling, High School

Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars

Back Cover: Morgan Sparks and Cam Browne are a match made in heaven. They’ve been best friends since birth, they tell each other everything, and oh yeah – they’re totally hot for each other. But a week before their joint sweet sixteen bash, everything changes. Cam’s awkward cousin Pip comes to stay, and Cam starts acting distant. Morgan is stunned when her formerly perfect boyfriend seems to be drifting away. When Morgan demands answers, she’s shocked to discover the reason for Cam’s distance. It isn’t another girl – it’s another world. Pip claims that Cam is a fairy. No, seriously. A fairy. And now his people want Cam to return to their world and take his rightful place as Fairy King. Determined to keep Cam with her, Morgan plots to fool the fairies. But as Cam continues to change, she has to decide once and for all is he really is her destiny, and if their “perfect” love can weather an uncertain future.

This story is an innovative take on Fairies. One of their own was placed as a changeling in the human world. Not only that he just happens to be King. So when his birthday comes around he must return. But as he has live as a human this all kind of comes as a shock but not more so for Morgan our main character. She just wants him to stay with her. The story has a few twists and turns thrown in that make it a page turner. I enjoyed how this story is written. It had its sad moment here and there but I found that I couldn’t stop reading it. Even so I did like it.

Publisher: Delacorte Press

ISBN: 0385737076

Pages: 256

Series:

Volume:

Zombie Blondes by Brian James

Genre: Young Adult

Sub Genre: Urban Fantasy; Zombies, High School

Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars

Back Cover: From the moment Hannah Sanders arrived in town, she felt there was something wrong. A lot of houses were for sale, and the town seemed infected by an unearthly quite. And then, on Hannah’s first day of classes, she ran into a group of cheerleaders – the most popular girls in school. The odd thing was that they were nearly identical in their appearance: blonde, beautiful, and deathly pale. But Hannah wants desperately to fit in – regardless of what her friend Lukas is telling her: if she doesn’t watch her back, she’s going to be blonde and popular and dead – just like all the other zombies in this town…

Alright I couldn’t resist this book just based off the title. It had to at least be funny. Hannah and her father move around, a lot. Hannah of course hates it and just would like to stay in one place. But when they get to this new town she feels that there is something a little off. Even so she still wants to fit in with the popular cheerleaders. The first person to befriend her is Lukas. He tries to warn her about the others. But Hannah doesn’t want to hear it. The story is a little campy but it’s still a nice little read. Hannah wants to be popular so bad, which is like most girls even the ones not starting at a new school. So the characters are very believable. All in all I liked the book, and it’s nice to see a zombie book for teens.

Publisher: Feiwel and Friends

ISBN: 0312573758

Pages: 256

Series:

Volume:

Old Magic by Marianne Curley

Genre: Young Adult

Sub Genre: Paranormal Romance; Witches, Magic, Time Travel, High School

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Back Cover: Jarrod Thornton is mesmerizing, but Kate Warren doesn’t know why. The moment the new guy walks into the room, Kate senses something strange and intense about him. Something supernatural. Her instincts are proven correct a few minutes later when, bullied by his classmates, Jarrod unknowingly conjures up a freak thunderstorm inside their classroom. Jarrod doesn’t believe in the paranormal. When Kate tries to convince him that he has extraordinary powers that need to be harnessed, he only puts up with her “hocus pocus” notions because he find her captivating. However, the dangerous, uncontrolled strengthening of his gift finally convinces Jarrod that he must take Kate’s theories seriously. Together, they embark on a remarkable journey – one which will unravel the mystery that has haunted Jarrod’s family for generations and pit the teens against immense forces in a battle to undo the past and reshape the future.

Jarrod is the new kid that has moved around so much he just want to stop and settle down, make friends that he can keep. Kate has grown up know what she is, a witch. She upon meeting Jarrod she knows that he is just like her. Jarrod on the other hand take some time to convince. The story is so imaginative. It deals with the high school peer pressure and being a little different than everyone else. I love how the relationship evolves between Kate and Jarrod. Also the way this story is written where the perspective changes from one to the other. I couldn’t wait to see where the story was going to end up. I really loved how this story came together. A truly enjoyable book.

Publisher: Simon Pulse

ISBN: 1416989919

Pages: 369

Series:

Volume:

Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

Genre: Young Adult

Sub Genre: Paranormal Romance; Vampires, High School

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Back Cover: Marrying a vampire definitely doesn’t fit into Jessica’s senior year “get-a-life” plan. Enter a bizarre new exchange student named Lucius Vladescu who claims Jessica is a Romanian vampire princess by birth and he’s her long-lost fiancé. He’s arrogant, officious, embarrassingly overprotective, and, well, incredibly hot. Armed with a copy of Growing Up Undead: A Teen Vampire’s Guide to Dating, Health, and Emotions, Jessica tries to imagine the transition from an average American teenager to a glam European vampire princess. But just when things start to heat up with Lucius, a devious cheerleader sets her sights on him. Soon Jess finds herself fighting to win back her wayward prince, stop a global vampire war – and save Lucius’s soul from eternal damnation. All of which leaves her to wonder: Wouldn’t life be easier if she could just fall for a nice moral boy?

Jess is a no nonsense kind of girl, your typical mathlete. She believes in logical explanations for everything. And doesn’t believe in things that go bump in the night. Even when they arrive at her door claiming to be her fiancé. Lucius who has been raised knowing who and what he is arrives to charm and claim his fiancé but finds her not inclined with the idea of him. I have to say that this story had a great plot. I really felt bad for Lucius. He just has a hard time till the end. I’d love to know what was going through his mind in some of the scenes. I found this story very enjoyable with great characters and a story that you couldn’t wait to see what was to happen. I look forward to reading the next book, Jessica Rules the Dark Side.

Publisher: Harcourt Children’s Books

ISBN: 0547259409

Pages: 384

Series: Jessica

Volume: 1

Taurus Eyes by Bonnie Hearn Hill

Genre: Young Adult

Sub Genre: Fiction; Astrology, High School, Star Crossed

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

                  

Back Cover: Logan McRae is spending her summer at the camp of her dreams, thanks to her discovery of that amazing book, Fearless Astrology. Away from home and her friends, she now finds herself faced with a new set of challenges, a new enemy, and maybe even a new guy. From the moment Jeremy Novack grabs her hand on the ghost-tour bus, Logan feels an immediate connection. She's sure Jeremy feels it too. But in order to secure a coveted writing spot in a national teen anthology, Logan must impress her instructor Henry Jaffa, the renowned journalist who is editing the book. She feels confident that she will shine with her brilliant astrological piece about Sun signs, but then Jaffa switches everyone's topics! Now Logan has to compete with Jeremy, who seems obsessed by their shared topic about the ghost of an obscure dead singer. Logan has only the stars to guide her as she tries to win the respect of her idol, write a stellar essay, and capture the heart of her newfound crush.

This is the second book in the Star Crossed series. Logan is now off at writing camp and is trying to get Henry Jaffa to become her mentor. But things don’t turn out the way she wanted them to when the first day of class he changes everyone’s topics. I don’t want to go too much into the book as I don’t want to give away too much. I couldn’t put this book down once I started reading it. Just when I thought that I knew what was going on it would take a left turn. Again the added tidbits on astrology where great. It didn’t feel like it was forced. I really loved this book and can’t wait to read the next one, Gemini Night.

Publisher: Running Press

ISBN: 0762436719

Pages: 288

Series: Star Crossed

Volume: 2

Jekel Loves Hyde by Beth Fantaskey

Genre: Young Adult

Sub Genre: Paranormal Romance; High School, Science

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Back Cover: Jill Jekel has always obeyed her parents’ rules—especially the one about never opening the mysterious, old box in her father’s office. But when her dad is murdered, and her college savings disappear, she’s tempted to peek inside, as the contents might be the key to a lucrative chemistry scholarship. To improve her odds, Jill enlists the help of gorgeous, brooding Tristen Hyde, who has his own dark secrets locked away. As the team of Jekel and Hyde, they recreate experiments based on the classic novel, hoping not only to win a prize, but to save Tristen’s sanity. Maybe his life. But Jill’s accidental taste of a formula unleashes her darkest nature and compels her to risk everything—even Tristen’s love—just for the thrill of being . . . bad.

This is one of those books that takes from a classic novel of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but with one big twist. Jill has lost her father and found that her college money is gone. While Tristen is dealing with his own beast. The two come together to try and win both from the beast and a scholarship. The story is so inventive, with characters that are so endearing. This is a dark tale but at the same time very romantic. It’s a book that mixes classic writing and science to make such a brilliant tale. I really enjoyed this story and as this is the second that I have read by Beth Fantaskey so I will be watching out for other books by her.

Publisher: Harcourt Children's

ISBN: 0152063900

Pages: 288

Series:

Volume:

Another Faust by Daniel and Dina Nayeri

Genre: Young Adult

Sub Genre: Urban Fantasy; Demons, Special Abilities, High School

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Back Cover: On a single night, five children suddenly vanish from their homes in Paris, Glasgow, Rome, and London. Years later, five enigmatic teenagers make an impressive entrance at an exclusive New York holiday party with their strange but beautiful governess. Madame Vileroy. Rumor and intrigue follow the Faust children to the elite Manhattan Marlowe School, where their very presence brings unexplainable misfortune. Using “gifts” given to them by Madame Vileroy, these mysterious teenagers rise to suspicious heights at Marlowe. Though at first their abilities seem almost childlike in their simplicity, they soon learn that their newfound talents for cheating, stealing, hiding, and lying are far more potent than they had ever imagined – and far more addictive. Ignoring the side effects of pursuing their individual obsessions, bargaining with the very devil in their midst as they claw their way to the top, these five ambitious teens draw ever nearer to their goals… until two of them uncover a secret even more shocking than their own most unforgivable sins. Dialing up the ancient dilemma of indulgence versus redemption, this modern-day retelling of the Faustian bargain story, set in twenty-fist-century Manhattan, provides a look into the cutthroat world of high-school competition that is both bitingly funny and scorchingly wicked.

The five children in this story all want something, and they are willing to bargain anything to get it. This is a great take on the Faustian bargain. As it is more than just one character. We get to see all the different characters fall victim to their own inner sins. I found that the story was very well written. Each of these characters is so well developed and you are so wrapped up in their stories that you won’t want to put the book down. I really liked this book.

Publisher: Candlewick Press

ISBN: 0763648345

Pages: 400

Series: Another

Volume: 1

Aries Rising by Bonnie Hearn Hill

Genre: Young Adult

Sub Genre: Fiction; Astrology, High School, Star Crossed

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Back Cover: Love is in the stars! Logan McRae is your average high school sophomore, trying her best to juggle the chaos of friends, guys, school, and parents. So when she discovers a magical book called Fearless Astrology, all she wants is to change her sucky life. In order to get into the summer writing camp of her dreams, Logan needs the recommendation of her irritable English teacher Mr. Franklin. She also has her eye on Nathan, the hottest guy in class. And when the Gears, a group of unknown students, start causing trouble in school and out, she decides to identify them using her newfound knowledge of astrology. Her goals: to impress Mr. Franklin, get a date with Nathan, and keep her column at the school newspaper. The answers are in the stars, all right, but can Logan decipher them before it is too late?

Logan comes across a book about astrology and hopes it will be able to improve her life. And soon it does start to go her way. This is a great story. The explanations for those who don’t know much about astrology other than the sun sign that are for your birth month. I really love the mix that gives these explanations and story together. So you can see astrology working with the characters. I have always loved astrology and found this to be a great way for a new generation. I really loved this book and can’t wait to read the next one in the series, Taurus Eyes.

Publisher: Running Press

ISBN: 0762436700

Pages: 304

Series: Star Crossed

Volume: 1

Gamer Girl by Mari Mancusi

Genre: Young Adult

Sub Genre: Fiction; Online Gaming, Manga, New Kid, Divorce, Role playing, High School

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Back Cover: ZOMG, it rox to be a gamer girl! Maddy’s life: not so rockin’. Her parents split, she’s stuck in a new, small town at a school full of Aberzombies and Haters, she has a crush on someone she really shouldn’t like, and she’s stuck with the nickname Freak Girl. Sometimes it’s enough to retreat into her drawing – her manga is totally important to her – but when she gets Fields of Fantasy for her birthday, she knows she’s found the one place she can be herself. In the game world, Maddy can transform from regular outcast high school student to Allora, a beautiful Elfin princess with magical powers to take down enemies with a snap of her fingers and a wave of her want. As Allora, Maddy’s virtual life is perfect, and she even finds a little romance. But a real gamer girl understands that real life comes first – Maddy can’t escape from her IRL problems. She has to find ways to kick back at the Haters, rock her manga, and find a new, real-life friends she knows she deserves.

This book reminded me of issues that I myself had to go through growing up. I could totally relate to this character, having been the new kid, gone through the divorce of parents, love online gaming and manga. This is a great story dealing with all of that. I could really relate to the character and see the real life situation. All the characters had their flaws that made them more real. The way the story is written you can almost feel that you know a Maddy or a Chad, heck even the parents are very real. I loved this book and know that I will read it again. It’s just one of the stories that brings everything together to make a very good story.

Publisher: Dutton Children’s Books

ISBN: 014241509X

Pages: 256

Series:

Volume:

Nightlight: A Parody by The Harvard Lampoon

Genre: Young Adult

Sub Genre: Parody; Vampires, High School

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Back Cover: About three things I was absolutely certain. First, Edwart was most likely my soul mate, maybe. Second, there was a vampire part of him–which I assumed was wildly out of his control–that wanted me dead. And third, I unconditionally, irrevocably, impenetrably, heterogeneously, gynecologically, and disreputably wished he had kissed me. And thus Belle Goose falls in love with the mysterious and sparkly Edwart Mullen in the Harvard Lampoon’s hilarious send-up of Twilight. Pale and klutzy, Belle arrives in Switchblade, Oregon looking for adventure, or at least an undead classmate. She soon discovers Edwart, a super-hot computer nerd with zero interest in girls. After witnessing a number of strange events–Edwart leaves his tater tots untouched at lunch! Edwart saves her from a flying snowball!–Belle has a dramatic revelation: Edwart is a vampire. But how can she convince Edwart to bite her and transform her into his eternal bride, especially when he seems to find girls so repulsive? Complete with romance, danger, insufficient parental guardianship, creepy stalker-like behavior, and a vampire prom, Nightlight is the uproarious tale of a vampire-obsessed girl, looking for love in all the wrong places.

This is a parody of Twilight. At first I wasn’t sure of what to make of this book as I actually really like Twilight. That being said this is one of those books that I found to be very funny. Belle is a vampire obsessed girl who sees things that aren’t really there. Making more of things than they really are. Edwart is your typical geek. Who doesn’t know what to make of Belle. As the story goes on there are quite a few silly moments. It is one of those books that you can’t help but laugh while your reading.

Publisher: Vintage

ISBN: 0307476103

Pages: 160

Series:

Volume: