Mazerunner

Summary
When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls. Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift. Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers. Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.

Review
This book was really a page turner. James Dashner knows how to create an intriguing society encapsulated in mystery. The dialect that has developed over the two years that the Gladers have been in the maze is one of the must interesting parts of the book. It is a little hard to catch onto at first, but one quickly understands it. Dashner's characters are also great. Each boy has his own distinct personality. Minho is still one of my favorites, mostly because of his wit. Dashner also writes of very scary monsters called Grievers. I definitely wouldn't want to be caught by one of those things. One of the things I wish the author had gone into was more about life in The Glade. I realize that this might have taken away from the book, but the pages seemed to fly by too quickly.

Stars 3/4 

Wintergirls

Summary
Lia and Cassie were best friends, wintergirls frozen in matchstick bodies. But now Cassie is dead. Lia’s mother is busy saving other people’s lives. Her father is away on business. Her stepmother is clueless. And the voice inside Lia’s head keeps telling her to remain in control, stay strong, lose more, weigh less. If she keeps on going this way – thin, thinner, thinnest – maybe she’ll disappear altogether.

Review
This is a really amazing book. There was so much research that went into it, especially when Lia's body starts to fail her.  Laurie Halse Anderson's writing was amazing, almost like poetry. She manages to vividly capture the mindset that one normally wouldn't understand and bring it to life in beautiful language. Lia is literally haunted by her past, and it was incredible to see how that played out throughout the book as she sees her deceased friend. I really enjoyed all of Anderson's character's. Lia's little sister reminds me of my own siblings. Even though Lia doesn't always see it, each person that she has a relationship with loves her very much and wants what is best for her. It is up to Lia on whether or not she will try and get better. 

Stars

4 out of 4

Summary:
Before. Miles "Pudge" Halter's whole existence has been one big nonevent, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave the "Great Perhaps" (François Rabelais, poet) even more. Then he heads off to the sometimes crazy, possibly unstable, and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed-up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young, who is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart.

After. Nothing is ever the same.

Review:  I really enjoyed this book.  The pranks were brilliant and hilarious and Alaska was an amazing character. 

3 out of 4 stars

Pretty Little liars

Everyone has something to hide—especially high school juniors Spencer, Aria, Emily, and Hanna.

Spencer covets her sister's boyfriend. Aria's fantasizing about her English teacher. Emily's crushing on the new girl at school. And Hanna uses some ugly tricks to stay beautiful.

But they've all kept an even bigger secret since their friend Alison vanished.

How do I know? Because I know everything about the bad girls they were and the naughty girls they are now. And guess what? I'm telling.

I really liked all of the mystery in the book. The characters were all really good and some of them were really funny. 

I would give this a 3 stars 

The city of bones

It’s after dark in New York City, and Clary Fray is seeing things.  The best-looking guy in the nightclub has just stabbed a boy to death – but the victim has vanished into thin air.  Her mother has disappeared, and a hideous monster is lurking in her apartment.

With her life spiralling into darkness, Clary realizes that she has stumbled into an invisible war between ancient demonic forces and secretive Shadowhunters – a war in which she has a fateful role to play 

I really like this book because the author really can come up with good characters and she can really put you in the scene with the characters. I also really like the plot there were some parts where you didn't know where to turn. There were many twists and turns in the book which make the readers wanting the next book. 

I would give this four stars because I really enjoyed this book. 

Everybody Sees the Ants

Summary

Lucky Linderman didn't ask for his life. He didn't ask his grandfather not to come home from the Vietnam War. He didn't ask for a father who never got over it. He didn't ask for a mother who keeps pretending their dysfunctional family is fine. And he didn't ask to be the target of Nader McMillan's relentless bullying, which has finally gone too far.

But Lucky has a secret--one that helps him wade through the daily mundane torture of his life. In his dreams, Lucky escapes to the war-ridden jungles of Laos--the prison his grandfather couldn't escape--where Lucky can be a real man, an adventurer, and a hero. It's dangerous and wild, and it's a place where his life just might be worth living. But how long can Lucky keep hiding in his dreams before reality forces its way inside?

Review

Do you know how some books can just speak to you? "Everybody Sees the Ants" is an incredibly powerful novel. Everyone meets some sort of bully somewhere in their lives. Lucky  is a character that everyone can relate to in some way. It really depends on the person, but as you read you'll find a little bit of the character inside of you. Although it is a novel about bullying, it is also a novel about finding peace and letting go. The characters are great too. They make you want to laugh sometimes and cry at other times, for every single one has a flaw that they struggle with. By the end of the book, I wanted to give the author a standing ovation. Her story was flawless. It made me want to laugh, cry, and jump up in down. "Everybody Sees the Ants" takes you on a journey. It isn't necessarily Lucky's story. It causes you to look inside yourself while you read it and really explore because everyone has seen the ants at sometime or another. Sometimes its time to face reality.

4 out of 4 stars

Mark of Athena

Summary

In The Son of Neptune, Percy, Hazel, and Frank met in Camp Jupiter, the Roman equivalent of Camp Halfblood, and traveled to the land beyond the gods to complete a dangerous quest. The third book in the Heroes of Olympus series will unite them with Jason, Piper, and Leo. But they number only six--who will complete the Prophecy of Seven?

The Greek and Roman demigods will have to cooperate in order to defeat the giants released by the Earth Mother, Gaea. Then they will have to sail together to the ancient land to find the Doors of Death. What exactly are the Doors of Death? Much of the prophecy remains a mystery. . . .

 

Review

Rick Riordan has done it again! A thousand fans will die from anticipation thanks to another one of his famous cliffhangers. As usual, it wasn't the most serious book, but it was still fun to read. One of my complaints with "The Son of Neptune" was that Riordan didn't really bring out his characters very well. They just seemed like repeats of what we saw from Piper, Jason, and Leo in "The Lost Hero". In "Mark of Athena", we really see the personalities of his characters come through. Annabeth takes on a leadership role, and plays it quite nicely. Also, best of all, Percabeth returns in full force and romance! The book has great themes about the importance of working together, which resonates with all audiences. Ultimately, I would highly suggest this book for lovers of Rick Riordan and those who are looking for something fun to read. 

4 out of 4 stars