The Candidates by Inara Scott

Book: The Candidates (Delcroix Academy #1)

Author: Inara Scott

Release: August 24th, 2010

ISBN: 1423116364

Pages: 304

Source: Publicist

My Summary:

Dancia Lewis is nobody special. Average, mediocre, or whichever word you find fitting, she's it. Except Dancia has a strange ability...an ability that usually hurts someone.

Except representatives from the exclusive Delcroix Academy see something more about her than just "average". They offer her a full scholarship to Delcroix, and Dancia's grandmother couldn't be more thrilled. Deciding to give it until the holiday's, Dancia reluctantly agrees to attend.

But what she's really worried about is that she may do at Delcroix. At her old school, she could blend right into the crowd. At Delcroix, they make it impossible. The closer she gets to other students, the more she worries her unusual ability may harm someone she cares about. There's something more to Delcroix than they let on, something unique...and Dancia won't stop searching until she gets some answers.

Review: An intriguing start to what will surely be an amazing series.

Boarding school + Supernaturalness = Awesome. I knew I'd enjoy The Candidates just based on those facts, and I was not disappointed. Dancia is easy to relate with, and she's very true to her age. It's really easy to caught up in her story, especially all the mystery surrounding Delcroix. 

But let's not forget the two main guys, Cam and Jack. Jack has a bad reputation, but he and Dancia really get along. Cam is friends with everyone, excellent personality and completely gorgeous. Both guys have their high and low points, making this love triangle a bit more complicated. I never quite knew which guy Dancia would end up with, and which one I wanted her to like. 

Mystery, intrigue, romance....The Candidates has got everything I love in a novel, and I'll be eagerly awaiting the sequel. 

Highlights: Scott kept me curious, and kept me wondering. Even the two romantic interests weren't just black and white, good and bad. I never quite knew who was good and who was bad. The description is wonderful, not too much, not too little. I could envision everything, and that's definitely a bonus. 

Lowlights: A few points of confusion here and there. This book is also what I'd call a "set-up" novel, where the author spends more focus on the characters, relationships, et cetera, instead of the main mysterious parts in preparation for future novels. Nothing wrong with it, but I would have loved a quicker reveal when it came to a few things. 

Rating:  

The Hourglass Door by Lisa Mangum Review

The Hourglass Door
Lisa Mangum
May 13th, 2009
Source - Publisher
My Summary:

Abby's life has always gone according to plan, nothing ever changes. Except now that it's her senior year, she's thinking about different options...like instead of going to State with everyone else, she might really want to go to Emery back east. And maybe perfect, always-has-an-answer Jason just might not be the guy for her. Everything starts unraveling at the seams when she meets Dante Alexander, the new foreign exchange student. He's unlike anyone else in town, and shrouded in mystery. Time doesn't seem to pass the same way whenever she's around him. The more Abby gets to know him, the more she can't deny that there is something unusual about him. In the end, Abby's life could change because of one guy, and his secrets...

Surprising and intriguing, The Hourglass Door is addictive from the very first page to the last. 

Abby's got her life all pulled together in a neat little bow, but it all falls apart when Dante comes around. I found Abby to be very easy to relate to, especially since she's a stagehand for her school's play productions (a job I used to hold when I was in high school). At first, she came across as a bit bland, and very average (but I felt like she changed throughout the novel). Dante himself is intriguing, but what I love about him most is that he isn't the "bad boy" that YA books seem to love throwing into stories. He's actually a really good guy, and his relationship with time travel is very different than I expected. 

The characters that make up the band Zero Hour were interesting as well, and their roles have me curious about what will happen in the second novel. The plot surprised me at a few points, and the end shocked me again. By the time I finished the last sentence of The Hourglass Door, I was scrambling to start The Golden Spiral in order to find out what happens next in such a captivating trilogy. This is a very fun novel to read if you're in the mood for a bit of mystery, romance and an ending that will leave you wanting to dive into the sequel. 

Highlights: I've never read a time travel book quite like this one. The Hourglass Door grabbed me when it should, and made it very difficult to stop reading. 

Lowlights: It did seem like there was something missing, although I can't really say for sure what. It got a bit confusing at a couple points too, so I had to reread a few sections. Much like Meyer's Twilight series, Mangum is a great storyteller, and I can easily see people enjoying this one. 

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Image from Goodreads

Scandal by Kate Brian Review

Book: Scandal

Author: Kate Brian

Age: YA

Release date: March 9, 2010

Pages: 240

Source: Bought

Summary:

Brave New World...

After her terrifying Caribbean vacation, Reed can't wait to get back to campus and resume her normal life of classes, shopping trips with the Billings Girls, and late-night gossip sessions. But when she arrives at Easton, she gets the shock of a lifetime.

Billings House is gone.

The administration has razed the scandal-rocked dorm and separated the Billings Girls. Outraged, Reed takes immediate action, turning Billings into a secret literary society--with a whole new set of rules. Eleven spots are open to any girl strong enough to endure initiation. Every girl on campus wants in, and it's up to Reed to pick the best and brightest. And only the strongest will survive....

SPOILER ALERT: If you haven't read at least the last book, then please do not go any further.

Review: With the eleventh installment in the Private Series, Reed finds herself coming back from a disastrous vacation, and tossed into yet another disaster. Billings House is nothing but a pile of dirt, and the Billings Girls are no more. The new Headmaster Hathaway intends to make his mark on the place, and create an equal setting within the school.

But Reed isn't quite done with Billings. When a mysterious book makes its way into Reed's hands, she sets off to re-create the Billings Literary Society. But if she plays by the rules, only eleven can make it, even though fifteen are aiming for a piece of the action, and it's up to Reed to have the final say of who's in and who's out.

I've got to admit, Reed really bothered me in this book. Instead of just letting four extra people in, she had to go and be exclusive. Although, the appeal of the Society is obvious, because it's about more than just Billings, it's about honor, truth, friendship.

Then Reed has some relationship issues, both friendship-wise and romantically. I can say, I felt sorry for one jilted romantic interest, but agreed with Reed's choice in the end.

I enjoyed that the book was back at Easton, which I sorely missed, but I do not see this as one of Brian's best novels in the Private series. I still stand by the fact that the first four were by far the best.

Highlights: An intriguing ending, as usual. I still adore Brian's writing, because she always gets me hooked from the first page to the last. I always find it very difficult to put any book of her's down!

Lowlights: There wasn't too much action going on, and of course, Reed couldn't just use her head for once. This is one of those series where I loved the first books, but now the later ones are not living up to the original standards. I'm hopeful that the next will rekindle my love for the Private series.

Rating:   

Lea

Fallen by Lauren Kate

Book: Fallen
Author: Lauren Kate
Release Date: December 8th, 2009
Source: Won from Ellz Reads
Summary:

There's something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price's attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at Sword & Cross boarding school in Savannah. He's the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are screwups, and security cameras watch every move.

Except Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce -- he goes out of his way to make that very clear. But she can't let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, Luce has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret...even if it kills her.

Review: Fallen is dark, mysterious, and interesting (despite it's flaws).

When Luce shows up at Sword and Cross, she makes only a few friends, and a couple instant enemies. Yet, she can't seem to stop thinking about Daniel (even if he is a complete jerk to her....repeatedly. But that's the new "sexy", right?), but then there is nice ol' Cam (maybe I'm the only one that gets the "creeper" vibe off this guy?). Needless to say, she's got herself in one interesting love triangle that I couldn't tear myself away from. Add to that the mysterious shadows that Luce always sees, and quite a few more interesting moments (and accidents) at Sword and Cross, and you've got yourself a page turner. I'd say more, get a bit more detailed, but then I'd ruin the entire plot.

While I enjoyed the story, there were some flaws and inconsistencies. Despite this, the writing is wonderfully addictive. The story is intriguing, and I never really knew just what was going to happen next, which is fun for a reader like myself. 

Fallen weaves mystery, intrigue and shocking moments into one enchanting story. I was shocked quite a few times.

Highlights: The description kept me interested, and it was an easy novel to lose myself in. The pages kept turning and turning until I was done, and I was surprised at how quickly I finished. This is just one of those novels that keeps you curious, keeps you wondering, which was a definitive plus. Lauren Kate's writing is just my style, so I'll definitely be excited for the second installment, Torment. 

Lowlights: A lot of emphasis was placed on looks. "He's so hot, sexy...His smoldering eyes...blah, blah" (this is a generalization) -- Obviously, this wasn't working for me. Who cares if he's hot? Is he a nice guy (not at first)? Is he a good guy (questionable)? Sometimes I wanted to slap Luce, because she really focused too much on a pair of guys, and neither were really interesting beyond the looks department. I'll definitely be looking forward to seeing more about these two guys, development-wise.

Also, security was almost a joke in this novel. The teens ran off whenever they felt like it, and never got caught. They tamper with the security cameras, without consequence. How about some realism here?

In the end, I really enjoyed the story, as long as I didn't think about the details and just focused more on the story and the writing.

Rating:   3.5 out of 5

  

Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon Review

Book: Silver Phoenix

Author: Cindy Pon

Source: Library

Summary:

No one wanted Ai Ling. And deep down she is relieved--despite the dishonor she has brought upon her family--to be unbetrothed and free, not some stranger's subservient bride banished to the inner quarters.

But now, something is after her. Something terrifying--a force she cannot comprehend. And as pieces of the puzzle start to fit together, Ai Ling begins to understand that her journey to the Palace of Fragrant Dreams isn't only a quest to find her beloved father but a venture with stakes larger than she could have imagined.

Bravery, intelligence, the will to fight and fight hard...she will need all of these things. Just as she will need the new and mysterious power growing within her. She will also need help.

It is Chen Yong who finds her partly submerged and barely breathing at the edge of a deep lake. There is something of unspeakable evil trying to drag her under. On a quest of his own, Chen Yong offers that help...and perhaps more.

Review: Amazing. I'll really have to go out and buy this sometime, because this is a book I want on my shelf.

Ai Ling is strong, brave, and different. She wasn't wanted at her first betrothal, and was relieved. Then when her father must go away to the Palace, and doesn't come back, trouble starts. Ai Ling begins a journey to find him, while trying to understand what is happening to her, and why evil is chasing her. The story is a little slow at first, but gets going quickly and keeps a good pace.

I don't really know what to say, because I would hate to spoil such a great book. If you haven't read this, go check it out.

Highlights: The world in which Ai Ling lived in seemed so real, as were the other worlds and characters. The description was perfect. I loved the culture, and learning about it.

And that cover rocks. I totally want a necklace like Ai Ling's (because hers is definitely special).

Lowlights: I wanted more romance between Chen Yong and Ai Ling. I also wish the villain would have been revealed a bit earlier, because I spent a long time going "WHO IS DOING THIS?!?"

But that's probably a good sign, because I was invested in the novel.

Rating:     

-Lea