The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, and June by Robin Benway Review

Book: The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, and June

Author: Robin Benway

Release date: August 3rd, 2010

Source: Publisher

Summary: 

Three sisters share a magical, unshakeable bond, in this witty high-concept novel from critically acclaimed author of Audrey, Wait!

Around the time of their parent's divorce, sisters April, May and June recover special powers from childhood -- powers that come in handy navigating the pure hell that is high school, and help them cope with the hardest year of their lives. But could they have a greater purpose?

April, the oldest, can see the future. Middle-child May can literally disappear. And the youngest sister June reads minds. When April gets a vision of disaster, the girls must come together to save the day or risk falling apart forever. Will they realize how much they need one another, before it's too late? Because if there's anything stronger than magic, it's sisterhood.

Review: The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, and June is completely endearing and magical.

April, the oldest, is your typical older sis who is always in charge, maybe a bit bossy, a bookworm (yay!), and obviously smart. But she's completely inept at getting things right when it comes to Julian. I loved their interactions, they were always so amusing. 

May is the middle sister, and kind of the rebellious one with a past. She blends in wherever she goes. Her voice was by far my favorite, her attitude was hilarious. She's dealing with some issues regarding her father, as well as adjusting to a new school. May has her own flirtations, which were maybe even funnier, and a bit more heartbreaking at one point, than April's. 

June is the littlest, sweet, and a wannabe popular girl who just wants to be liked by everyone. She uses her abilities to help further her with who she considers the right people. She's young, so she's still learning some things about life and what's right and wrong.

If you want to read a story about the bonds of siblings along with a dash of completely wicked cool powers, then you'll enjoy The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, and June.

Highlights: Each of the girls' voices were unique, and I never got confused about who was who or who was narrating at the moment. Benway's writing is easy to get sucked into, and she handles the storyline perfectly. There were plenty of humorous moments to keep me entertained, and I think Benway did a wonderful job of capturing what a teen is like at different ages.

Lowlights: Towards the end, things started to get a bit confusing to the point where I had to backtrack a few paragraphs and reread.

Rating:    

Oh. My. Gods. by Tera Lynn Childs Review

Book: Oh. My. Gods.

Author: Tera Lynn Childs

Release date (PB*):May 14th, 2009

Source: Won from Tera

My Summary:

When Phoebe Castro’s mother tells her that she’s getting married, “happy” isn’t really the first emotion she’s feeling. But still, Phoebe and her mother leave behind their lives and move to the island of Serfopoula, to live with Damien, her mother’s new leading man.

But when Phoebe arrives, she might have more to worry about than the random guy her mother’s marrying (not to mention an evil stepsister) or even whether or not she’ll get a running scholarship to a college back in the United States. Why? Because everyone on the island (except Phoebe and her mom) are descendents from the Gods, and have special powers.

Add a hot god-like guy to the mix, and you just might be looking at a disaster.  

Review: With a quirky, fun narrator, Oh. My. Gods. is a novel that's bound to make you laugh, gasp, and want to jump to the sequel. 

Phoebe is kind of silly, and a fantastic narrator with a great sense of humor. She's one of those girls I'd love to be friends with, just because of her hilarious personality. The other characters and fresh and fun as well, if only a bit cliched. Stella, Phoebe's evil stepsis, was a fun character to hate. 

The plot is easy enough to follow, and depending on how you think, you might see the end coming long before Phoebe does. Yet, Oh. My. Gods. is fun to the point where I wish I could jump into the pages and stay awhile. 

Highlights: The story is fun and cute, very reminiscent of Meg Cabot's writing. I loved every second of this book, especially the relationships (friendships, romance, family), and the powers. This novel is the perfect book to read anytime you want to laugh and have a good time.

Lowlights: Hmm....hard to really pinpoint anything. Maybe some predictable moments, a few cliche's here and there...but honestly, I was enjoying it too much to remember anything specific.

Rating:    

*Paperback

Rising Shadow by Jacquelyn Wheeler Review

Book: Rising Shadow 

Author: Jacquelyn Wheeler

Age: Young Adult

Copy Provided by: Author

Summary:

Ashlyn Woods has just transferred to one of the most beautiful campuses on the west coast, where she can't wait to start her life over as a normal college student. But her plans take an unexpected turn when she discovers she is a Soterian: a person who develops amazing powers when the balance of good and evil shifts too far in evil's favor.

Soon she and the other Soterians are studying martial arts and learning to use their powers to prevent California from being plunged into chaos. But they quickly discover that they're up against a much more dangerous enemy than they anticipated.

And when Ashlyn meets Kai, a devastatingly gorgeous guitar player, she realizes she must sacrifice more than she ever imagined.

Review: When I first started Rising Shadow, I was extremely hesitant because I was unable to find really any reviews on the novel. So, I just jumped right on in with nothing to go off of.
The novel starts out with a bit of college life, and I found myself connecting with the characters. Rebecca proceeded to become my favorite of the group. I disliked how some characters were introduced, just to be barely mentioned later on (the non-Soterians), but perhaps they will play more roles in the future.

Everything became more interesting when Ashlyn and the other Soterians discover their abilities, and begin to train. 

The villains of this story don't have any special powers or anything. A lot of the evil things that are happening all revolve around politics, robberies, and crime sprees. It's all interconnected, and the Soterians struggle to learn more about their powers, and who is behind all of this chaos. All of the things that were happening kept me intrigued, especially since I had no clue who was behind it all until the end (which was quite an interesting twist).

The action and the mystery of this story really made it an easy to continue page after page. The missions were intriguing, realistic, and I found myself invested in the story.

Highlights: I loved all of the Soterian's powers. Wheeler's descriptions of everything kept me engaged. I also loved the little twists in the plot, because they kept my interest going. 

Lowlights: In the beginning of the story, Ashlyn meets your stereotypical mean girl, and proceeds to do a pretty childish action. I found myself put off by this action, because really, this isn't middle school, and I would expect our heroine to at least act her age.

I really disliked how quickly "Love" came into action with Kai and Ashlyn. They really are complete strangers, and then they're in love? Sorry, but that doesn't work for me. They both even admit how weird it is, but I still think the whole love thing should have waited until the next book.

As a whole, I enjoyed the story, the characters, and the intrigue of the Soterians and their abilities. Definitely a fun book to read that has a different take on superpowers. Check out Jacquelyn's website to see if you'd be interested!

Rating:   

 

Lea