Highlights / Lowlights: FURY by Elizabeth Miles

Title: Fury
Author: Elizabeth Miles
Release: August 2011
Series: The Fury #1
Genre: YA paranormal
Publisher: Simon Pulse
POV: 3rd person, dual
Pages: 384
Format: Paperback
Source: Won from Paper Lantern Lit
Rating: Tea Party

In this chilling start to a trilogy rife with revenge, two teens learn the hard way: Sometimes sorry isn’t enough.

It’s winter break in Ascension, Maine. The snow is falling and everything looks pristine and peaceful. But not all is as it seems...

Between cozy traditions and parties with her friends, Emily loves the holidays. And this year’s even better—the guy she’s been into for months is finally noticing her. But Em knows if she starts things with him, there’s no turning back. Because his girlfriend is Em’s best friend.

On the other side of town, Chase is having problems of his own. The stress of his home life is starting to take its toll, and his social life is unraveling. But that’s nothing compared to what’s really haunting him. Chase has done something cruel...something the perfect guy he pretends to be would never do. And it’s only a matter of time before he’s exposed.

In Ascension, mistakes can be deadly. And three girls—three beautiful, mysterious girls—are here to choose who will pay. Em and Chase have been chosen.

Highlights: Miles pushes the Gothic elements in Fury enough to put readers into an uneasy mood and to give the story a rich, descriptive vibe. Fury is a delight to read, in a twisted sort of way. The Gothic elements added the right touch of eeriness to the story, and caused Fury to become a difficult novel to set aside. It was especially fascinating to read a novel where both main characters - Em and Chase - are utterly unlikable characters who make terrible decisions and then try to deal with the consequences. This is an easy story to lose yourself in for a few hours, which was exactly what I needed.

Lowlights: There's too much focus on social drama, appearances, and not enough on the Furies themselves. I wish the Fury mythology had been included more (as well as more of the Furies in general), but perhaps Miles will delve deeper into that in the next novel.

Rating: Tea Party (very high 3 out of 5). I genuinely liked Fury, enough that I want a copy in the palace even if it doesn't earn a spot in the royal library. It's a likable story, with some issues, but it proved itself to be highly entertaining.

Review: #SCANDAL by Sarah Ockler

Title: #scandal
Author: Sarah Ockler
Release: June 17th, 2014
Genre: YA contemporary
POV: 1st person
Pages: 368
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Format: e-ARC
Source: Edelweiss / Publisher
Rating: The Royal Library, Bottom Shelf

Lucy’s learned some important lessons from tabloid darling Jayla Heart’s all-too-public blunders: Avoid the spotlight, don’t feed the Internet trolls, and keep your secrets secret. The policy has served Lucy well all through high school, so when her best friend Ellie gets sick before prom and begs her to step in as Cole’s date, she accepts with a smile, silencing about ten different reservations. Like the one where she’d rather stay home shredding online zombies. And the one where she hates playing dress-up. Andespecially the one where she’s been secretly in love with Cole since the dawn of time.

When Cole surprises her at the after party with a kiss under the stars, it’s everything Lucy has ever dreamed of… and the biggest BFF deal-breaker ever. Despite Cole’s lingering sweetness, Lucy knows they’ll have to ’fess up to Ellie. But before they get the chance, Lucy’s own Facebook profile mysteriously explodes with compromising pics of her and Cole, along with tons of other students’ party indiscretions. Tagged. Liked. And furiously viral.

By Monday morning, Lucy’s been branded a slut, a backstabber, and a narc, mired in a tabloid-worthy scandal just weeks before graduation.

Lucy’s been battling undead masses online long enough to know there’s only one way to survive a disaster of this magnitude: Stand up and fight. Game plan? Uncover and expose the Facebook hacker, win back her best friend’s trust, and graduate with a clean slate.

There’s just one snag—Cole. Turns out Lucy’s not the only one who’s been harboring unrequited love...learn more on Goodreads. 

#scandal is an honest look at the harsh realities of cyber-bullying and the torments high school teenagers can create for one another. While this story is no Twenty Boy Summer or The Book of Broken Hearts, it is an entertaining and thoughtful story revolving around family, friends, and our society's love for putting everything on the internet. With a highly relevant subject matter, considering all of the issues and tragedies that arise from social media scandals gone awry with teenagers, Ockler's story raises some interesting questions and ideas.

But, #scandal isn't only a look into cyber-bullying, but a fresh mystery with a few fun moments. Ockler always seems to expertly mix in the humor with the serious, effectively creating a good balance between the two. While I was expecting the mystery to be my favorite aspect, I quickly found the relationship between Lucy and her sister to be the most intriguing aspect of the novel, and wish Ockler had written more about them. Friendships – good and bad, new and old – play a strong role in this story, and a few of them really shine. Regardless, #scandal is timely, amusing, mysterious, and populated with enough wonderful characters to keep readers intrigued. 

Highlights: Ockler excels in characterization, whether it's Lucy or the side characters. They feels realistic, and they're each their own distinctive person. Lucy's sister was an especially favorite character of mine, with her complicated personality. Miss Demeanor's posts were a great inclusion, whether they were stirring up drama or even lending a helping hand. The subject matter is incredibly important, and I loved how Ockler portrayed it, along with Cole's supportive role in the whole mess. 

Lowlights: I wish Cole had been more present – while he was there to help Lucy through everything, he was easy to forget when he was off-page. If you're anything like me, then the mystery is easy to solve from the very first chapter. While I enjoyed this novel, I felt like it was missing a bit of Ockler's usual spark. 

Rating: The Royal Library, Bottom Shelf (low 4 out of 5). I think #scandal is great and probably worth purchasing. If I do purchase this story, it only earns a spot on the bottom shelves of the royal library. I enjoyed #scandal enough to want to read it more than once, but I do have some very minor issues with the story that I cannot ignore.

Highlights / Lowlights: MEGAN MEADE'S GUIDE TO THE MCGOWAN BOYS by Kate Brian

Title: MEGAN MEADE'S GUIDE TO THE MCGOWAN BOYS Author: Kate Brian (AKA, Kieran Scott) Published: September 2006 Series: N/A Genre: YA Contemporary Publisher: SimonTeen Pages: 267  POV: 1st person Format: Paperback Source: Bought/Own Rating: The Royal Library, Top Shelf

Boys. 7 of them, to be exact.
Megan is used to moving from place to place -- it's typical for an army brat. But she drew the line at South Korea. She insists on staying in the States to finish her last two years of high school. So her parents made arrangements for Megan to live with their friends, the McGowans...and the McGowans' 7 sons.
Turns out, living with 7 boys might as well be a foreign country! The boys are messy. They are cliquey (who knew?). And worst of all, two of the oldest boys are H-O-T. (A problem considering they are supposed to be Megan's "brothers.") Megan is definitely in enemy territory. She needs to win over the boys' hearts without totally crushing her own. And when Megan starts falling for one of them, sibling rivalry takes on a whole new meaning....What is a girl to do?

Highlights: Ever wonder what it would be like to live with 7 boys you're not related to?¹ Megan Meade finds out in MEGAN MEADE'S GUIDE TO THE MCGOWAN BOYS, and this novel is every bit of fun as you'd expect it to be. But, it's not all light-hearted fun. There is some drama, between Megan and the McGowan boys, along with a few of her new classmates. The various and developing relationships (such as the slowly forming motherly-daughterly one between Megan and Regina, and the slow friendships Megan creates with the McGowan's) were my favorite part of the novel. Plus, Megan's an athletic girl, and I highly enjoyed the soccer scenes. 

Lowlights: I wish Brian had written more, and given some of the brothers (like Sean²) more page-time. I disliked the last couple paragraphs of the novel, because they made me question a few things about the way it ended. It created a bit too much doubt about who Megan ends up with instead of intrigue. 

Rating: The Royal Library, Top Shelf³. I love this book, so it is going on the top shelves in the royal library where everyone can see it. I'd highly recommend MEGAN MEADE'S GUIDE TO THE MCGOWAN BOYS, because it is a fun story with enough drama and romance to satisfy readers.
1 *Raises hand*  2 Otherwise known as "mysterious, nice, and attractive motorcycle-riding brother," which is pretty much all I learned about his character throughout the entire novel. Bummer. 3 I grew up reading this novel, so I'm probably a bit biased. If you're looking for a fun book with some light drama (not to mention focus on family and a little romance too), then you might enjoy this story!  

Review: DARE YOU TO by Katie McGarry

Title: DARE YOU TO
Author: Katie McGarry
Published: May 28th, 2013
Series: Pushing the Limits #2 (companion novel)
Genre: YA contemporary
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
POV: 1st person, dual, alternating
Pages: 462
Format: Hardcover
Source: Amazon Vine Program
Rating: The Royal Library, Middle Shelf

"I dare you..."

If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does....

Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.

But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all....

Like some other people who read McGarry's debut, I was surprised to find that Beth was going to have her own story – and one that did not involve Isaiah as her main love interest. In addition, I was amazed that McGarry chose to write from Beth's POV. In PUSHING THE LIMITS, Beth was hardly an enjoyable or endearing character, so I was a bit nervous when I started DARE YOU TO. Yet, right from the start, McGarry proves there is more to Beth than her rough, don't-f%#$-with-me exterior. Even Ryan, the seemingly Mr. Perfect baseball star who provides the second narration in this novel, proves there is more to him than how fast he can throw a baseball. 

In the beginning of the story, Beth says that she is a piece of a puzzle that never quite fits in. Her words are fitting, because when it comes to Beth and Ryan, they are two puzzle pieces – they're shaped differently, but they still somehow manage to fit together perfectly. Even as their personalities clash and challenge one another, Beth and Ryan simultaneously bring out the better qualities in each other. And, as in any good book, the collision of these two different characters begins with a simple dare, which complicates everything for both of them. Filled with electric tension, surprising secrets, and tantalizing drama, DARE YOU TO is an exceptional story. If you're hesitating when it comes to checking out this story, I dare you to read this book – you won't regret it. 

Highlights: McGarry brought two very different characters together and made their relationship believable and worth rooting for. Beth and Ryan's voices were distinct, nearly impossible to confuse, and they proved to be layered characters. Side characters were fantastic, especially Lacy and Uncle Scott. I especially enjoyed the mystery behind what was going on in Beth's mother's home. As a whole, characters were wonderfully written. 

Lowlights: The story became a bit soap-opera-dramatic a few times. I wish McGarry would have written more about Beth and her Uncle Scott, it would have been nice to see them bond a bit more on page instead off the page.

Notes: Cursing (mostly by Beth), hot-and-steamy moments, mentions of safe sex, mentions of drugs/drug use, and physical abuse. Also, if you take the book jacket off the book so no one will know that you're reading a kissing book, think again. A slightly different version of the cover is printed on the actual book, so you'll just have to bravely read it and ignore the people who stare. Also, you do not need to read PUSHING THE LIMITS in order to understand this novel (you do get to see the two narrators from that novel appear in this story, which is always fun).

Rating: The Royal Library, Middle Shelf. DARE YOU TO is fantastic, worth owning, and has earned a spot in the royal library. I enjoyed this story very much, despite a few small issues here and there, and would recommend this book to other readers. 

My reviews of other novels by Katie McGarry: 
PUSHING THE LIMITS