Major Crush

Major Crush by Jennifer Echols
Published: 8-1-2006 by Simon Pulse

Tired of the beauty-pagean circuit, Virginia Sauter tosses her tiara, pierces her nose, and auditions for the most unlikely of roles -- drum major of the high school marching band.

Virginia wins, but is forced to share the title with Drew, whose family has held the position for generations. Sure, Drew is hot, but because of his superior attitude, he and Virginia are constantly arguing. That is, until they share more than just their half-time salute...

But as the drum major's heated competition turns to sizzling romance, explosive rumors threaten everything -- including the band's success. Love seemed to be a sure hit, but Virginia and Drew may be marching straight into disaster.

This is a great book about marching band and some of the crazy situations that can happen when you put between 100 and 300 teens together for large amounts of time. I was in marching band in high school (French horn / mellophone) so I saw this book differently than someone who has never experienced that culture would. First of all, I have something to admit. The 1st time I saw this book at a Goodwill, I didn't buy it because of the friend I was with. She's into adult books, and her only YA likes are John Green books - and I was embarrassed of wanting to read a cute high school romance book. And you know what? I'm never gonna hesitate to read something I want to read because of someone else's opinion again. This book may be fluffy, but I loved it and will definitely go read some of the Jennifer Echols books everyone's raving about.

• band geek personalities - So this is something that probably only makes sense if you know people in band. In this book, the personalities of the people in each section are true to real life. The trombone players are the ones goofing off and enjoying everything immature, the clarinets are mostly girls who have you could possibly need somehow concealed in their uniforms. Seriously, if you need mascara or lipgloss, the clarinets are your source. This book was really entertaining to me because it reflected my band experience so well with these personalities. 
• Mr. Rush - Virginia's new band director isn't happy with the drum major situation either, and his methods of forcing Virginia and Drew to get along are hilariously strange. He curses in front of his students and he makes everyone at faculty meetings mad every time he goes to them. Each scene where Virginia goes up against Mr. Rush is a highlight. 
• plot - The whole premise of this book is something I love. Virginia and Drew don't get along, yet they have to be drum majors and lead the band together. Band requires a lot of time, so they are thrown together often. I liked that both of them were stubborn for their own reasons - Drew because of his family  and Virginia because she wants to prove herself. 
• anti-racism - This is a cute romance book, so I didn't at all expect it to take on racism, but it did. Virginia's school is in Alabama and has a separate contest for black girls so that they can't be Homecoming Queen, and apparently no one questioned this - um, what?! - until Mr. Rush came along. I appreciated that this book dealt with racist insults (something that unfortunately does still happen) and the reactions to them. Just because something is a "tradition" doesn't mean it shouldn't ever be changed or questioned. 

• Walter - I found Walter annoying, possibly because I usually find it annoying when someone the main character is not interested in is crushing on them. I don't need someone to have a crush on the MC to see her as someone of value. There do exist stories that have nothing to do with love. I'm over-thinking this. Walter is annoying because he acts like Virginia is a horrible friend for not liking him back.

• Mr. Rush made a show of stacking his papers, turning them just so on his desk. "Let me tell you what I know. I'm living in a town that's so small and remote, it doesn't have a McDonald's. I've taken a job that's so bad, the guy before me was dying to break out and start his stellar career as a mailman."   - Mr. Rush, pg. 40
• He poked at Drew with the end of his trombone slide. I think this was a boy version of concern.   - Virginia, pg. 114

4 robots

A cute band geek romance, with just the right balance of side plot to keep it from being too gooey

Acquired: bought at Goodwill

Darth Paper Strikes Back

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving (in the USA it was yesterday). If you are Black Friday shopping today (eek!) be safe and don't be a jerk! Shopping online is much more enjoyable and less bloody. Plus you can be around your family and eat leftovers while you shop. Anyways, review time.

Darth Paper Strikes Back by Tom Angleberger
Published: 8-23-11 by Amulet Books

NOT SUCH A LONG TIME AGO, IN A MIDDLE SCHOOL NOT SO FAR, FAR AWAY...

Something amazing happened. A weird kid named Dwight made an origami finger puppet of Yoda. (That wasn't the amazing thing--just typical Dwight weirdness.) the amazing thing was that Origami Yoda gave great advice. He could predict the date of a pop quiz, tell a guy if a girl likes him or not, and keep kids from embarrassing themselves in a dozen different ways. Most of the sixth graders were convinced he was using the Force. 

But now, a year later, it's a dark time at McQuarrie Middle School. Dwight has been suspended and may be expelled, which means no more Origami Yoda. Even worse, Darth Paper, a puppet created by Dwight's nemesis, Harvey, has taken Yoda's place. He spews insults and evil and just may be responsible for getting Dwight kicked out in the first place. Now the kids of McQuarrie are trying to build a case to save Dwight. This is their case file.

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda was cute and funny (see review here), and I am very excited that it is now part of a series! There is a more defined plot in this book, and also more origami, which makes Star Wars nerds like me very happy. Well, it makes me happy - I'm just assuming other people are happy about it. 

Here are my Yoda and Darth Vader origamis! (Is that the plural of origami?)

• plot - Dwight / Origami Yoda's advice is mistaken for a threat and he gets suspended, so Tommy and his friends make another case file to get the school board to let Dwight come back to school. And despite the fact that there are more things going on in this book, it's still filled with random Yoda awesomeness!
• Darth Paper - While Harvey's kind of mean and is definitely mean to Dwight, Darth Paper is entertaining. Well, actually, Darth Paper is mean because he's just Harvey, but the fact that Darth Paper exists is entertaining to me. I found the arguments between Darth and Yoda very funny.
• stories - Again, Origami Yoda finds unique ways to solve problems in seventh grade daily life. There are exploding pizza bagels and silly school rules, and it's all pretty cool.

• another school? - What happens if Dwight goes to a different school than Tommy and everyone else? They are in desperate need of Jedi knowledge! What happens in the 3rd book? Where does the wookiee come from? (Yes, that is how you spell wookiee)

• So you've already heard about how Dwight got sent home after the whole "Prepare to meet your Doom" thing. Well, here's what happened right after it: DOOM! It was like the minute Dwight and Yoda were gone, everything they had helped us achieve did a nosedive into the sarlacc pit.            - Tommy pg. 97
• "If you strike down Dwight, he will grow more powerful than you can possibly imagine!" said Origami Yoda.         - pg. 130

4 robots

The Force is strong with this one

Acquired: swapped for on swap.com

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger
Published: 3-1-2010 by Amulet Books

Meet Dwight, a sixth-grade oddball. Dwight does a lot of weird things, like wearing the same T-shirt for a month or telling people to call him "Captain Dwight." This is embarrassing, particularly for Tommy, who sits with him at lunch every day. 

But Dwight does one cool thing. He makes origami. One day he makes an origami finger puppet of Yoda. And that's when things get mysterious. Origami Yoda can predict the future and suggest the best way to deal with a tricky situation. His advice actually works, and soon most of the sixth grade is lining up with questions.

Tommy wants to know how Origami Yoda can be so smart when Dwight himself is so clueless. Is Yoda tapping into the Force? It's crucial that Tommy figure out the mystery before he takes Yoda's advice about something VERY IMPORTANT that has to do with a girl.

This is Tommy's case file of his investigation into "The Strange Case of Origami Yoda."

This is a middle-grade book. I don't usually read or review middle-grade books, but I couldn't resist the combination of Star Wars and origami. Just look at that adorable Yoda! I'm making an exception for this series of books because I really enjoyed this one. 

• references to Star Wars - Obviously, this book is based on the awesomeness that is Star Wars. There are a ton of really clever and subtle Star Wars references throughout this book that made me laugh because they were so appropriate for the situation. 
• Dwight + Yoda - Dwight is the weird kid, the one nobody understands. We only get to know him through the other kids' stories, and they only really talk to him when they want Yoda's advice. I think this is pretty accurate 6th grade behavior. Dwight is hilarious!
• POV's - All of the kids' stories were written in a fresh voice. Each one had a clear personality and they were easy to tell apart. It's been a long time since I was in 6th grade, but I was impressed with how realistic and universal the situations in the book are.

• Then he goes over to the next table, and the next, and pretty soon he has told everybody in the library to learn the Twist. Then he left the library, apparently to spread Yoda's "wisdom" to the rest of the school.         - pg. 35   Sarah
• As far as I can see, all this story proves is that Dwight is crazy as a bald gorilla. I was there when he was doing that covering-his-mouth thing, and it was totally embarrassing. Why does he have to sit at our table? Why wouldn't they let me kick him out?       - pg. 73-74   Harvey

4 robots

A cute and entertaining take on life in middle school - plus a Jedi master. The book includes instructions to make your own Origami Yoda!

Acquired: swapped for on swap.com

Saving June

Saving June by Hannah Harrington
Published: 11.22.2011 by Harlequin Teen

Everyone's sorry, but no one can explain why.

Harper Scott's older sister, June, took her own life a week before high school graduation, leaving Harper devastated. So when her divorcing parents decide to split up June's ashes, Harper steals the urn and takes off cross-country with her best friend, Laney, to the one place June always dreamed of going - California.

Enter Jake Tolan, a boy with a bad attitude, a classic-rock obsession...and an unknown connection to June. When he insists on joining them, Harper's just desperate enough to let him. With his alternately charming and infuriating demeanor and his belief that music can see you through anything, he might be exactly what Harper needs. Except...Jake's keeping a secret that has the power to turn her life upside down - again.

I can't resist a roadtrip book, especially one with a mysterious boy. This isn't a light and fluffy book, as you can tell from the summary. Harper deals with a lot on her journey across the country, between her sister's suicide and her parents' divorce, but this book is wonderful. There's just enough levity to balance out the heavy stuff without taking away from it.

• Harper - Harper is an excellent mix of sarcastic, angry, and understandably shaken up. Yes, she feels a bit guilty for leaving her mom behind (and she should), but I love the fact that she was angry enough at her parents to set her plan in motion and follow it through. Her keeping people at arms-length while she was dealing in her own way felt right.
• Jake - Jake is just badboy enough. Because of the kind of book this is, we can assume from the beginning that he has a heart of gold, but he throws us off from his 1st encounter with Harper. The slow unfolding of who Jake is, what he meant to June, and what he means to Harper is beautiful and real. Not ideal, but real.
• roadtrip - Who doesn't love roadtrip books? This one has it all: purpose, drama, and fun.

• comparing - I don't know what it's like to have sister or an older sibling, but Harper's constant thinking about how perfect June was and how flawed Harper herself is. It was depressing. It was kind of strange to me, how Harper was still comparing herself to "perfect" June, when every day it became more and more clear that her sister's life was anything but perfect.
• boy crazy BFF - Harper's best friend Laney was a great character, but why why why why why does every BFF in a YA book have to be the boy obsessed, sex-crazed girl? Laney wasn't bad by any means, but she's a character with little development beyond her interactions with guys. We don't get to know her besides that. 

• It's the first time he's used my first name. I hadn't even been completely positive that he knew what it was. We've never exactly had a formal introduction - how would that have gone? Hi, I'm Harper, the sister who didn't die. You must be Jake, the guy said dead sister tutored, the guy who burned here the mix CD she was listening to when she overdosed on Mom's sleeping pills, the guy who blackmailed his way into joining our road trip for reasons I am none too clear on.         - pg. 84 
• Jake Tolan: Secret Overboard Tipper, at least when it comes to overworked, yet resilient, bubbly waitresses with bad dye jobs. Who would've thought?      - pg. 165

4 robots

I devoured this book. The tone was perfect and the mystery of June's relationship with Jake, and Harper's developing relationship with him was great.

Acquired: swapped for on swap.com

So Silver Bright

So Silver Bright by Lisa Mantchev
(Theatre Illuminata #3)
Published: September 13, 2011 by Feiwel & Friends


Bertie thinks her quest is almost done. With the help of Ariel and the rest of her friends, she has managed to find her father and rescue Nate from Sedna, the Sea Goddess. Now, all she has to do is reunite her father, the Scrimshander, with her mother, Ophelia, and she will finally have a true family of her own.

However, things are never easy for Beatrice Shakespeare Smith. Her father has vanished, Sedna is out for revenge, her own actions have trapped the Théâtre Illuminata in a strange kind of limbo, and the stress of her in-between state is tearing apart the fragile threads of her mother's sanity. Bertie's best hope for salvaging the situation may lie in a summons by Her Gracious Majesty, Queen of the Distant Castle, and the hope of winning the magical boon given to the best performance.

Bertie is caught between her growing responsibilities to home and family, and the dream of flying free - just as her heart is torn between her two loves, Nate and Ariel. With so any forces pulling on her, how will Bertie be able to choose which wish to make come true?

I love this series and while I'm sad to see it end, I'm looking forward to whatever Lisa Mantchev dreams up next. I'm also a bit relieved to see another love triangle come to a close, but this series has so much more going on than that. It's truly imaginative and unique - definitely recommended!

• Serafina talking about birth control - I thought it was great that the herb seller thought Bertie was there for birth control, even though Bertie hadn't ever thought of it or had reason to. I've read so many fantasy and paranormal books with love triangles or sexy boyfriends, and sometimes even sex, where no mention of protection is ever made even though it's important.
• Bertie's 'mask' - I won't go into details, but I loved everything about this part of the story. It drove things with Nate and Ariel, and was Bertie's own choice to help her friends.
• Nate - I love Nate. He is so fiercely protective of Bertie, even though he's the one who wants to kind of disarm her to get closer. After the flashbacks I feel for both Nate and Ariel because they waited for Bertie to grow up and even now they aren't sure if their feelings are allowed, if she's old enough, if she wants them to be more than her partners in crime and theater mischief. 
• the fairies - No matter what happens to Bertie and her crew, the fairies deal with it by shouting insults and devouring desserts by the truckload. And when they aren't eating or making foul jokes, even the boys are unwaveringly loyal to Bertie.
• Bertie's family - I adore the whole tone and magical setting of these books, and Bertie's parents' story fits right in, intertwining with the theater itself. I detest books where the plot only happens because of the love triangle, and here Bertie is on a quest all her own and her family comes first.

• Bertie as Ophelia - I didn't really enjoy when Bertie went through the mirror. It was important to the story of Bertie's family, but it felt much longer than it actually was, like dragged out time where Bertie was losing herself. I like her adventures much more when she's with the fairies and Nate and Ariel.
• traveling to the castle - I should probably be used to the unexpected bits of magic that happen by now, but the sort of being instantly transported to the castle threw me off. I was immersed in road trip intrigue and adventure with lots of time to build sexual tension, and then BAM! trip's over. 

• "Lass!" Nate caught her before she fell to the floor, but even his solid presence wasn't enough to steady her head or slow her galloping heartbeat.   "That answers that question." She'd wasted the wish. Tears threatened until a dim silver light returned to haunt the space inside her head, as mercurial and taunting as one of Ariel's winds.             - pg. 274   Bertie + Nate
• The third piece of cake she fed him came with a tiny grazing of his teeth across her finger, and she was a sailor's knot nearly undone.  He must have seen it written upon her face, for something flickered over his own features: a promise, perhaps, mixed with determination and some flavor of triumph.        - pg. 109

4 robots

A magical story with sexy guys, but not a book focused solely on a love triangle. If you haven't read this series, check it out!

Acquired: bought

Timeless

Timeless by Gail Carriger

(Parasol Protectorate #5)

Published: March 2, 2012 by Orbit

Alexia Tarabotti, Lady Maccon, has settled into domestic bliss. Of course, being Alexia, such bliss involves integrating werewolves into London High society, living a vampire's second best closet, and coping with a precocious toddler who is prone to turning supernatural willy-nilly. Even Ivy Tunstell's acting troupe's latest play, disastrous to say the least, cannot put a damper on Alexia's enjoyment of her new London lifestyle.

Until, that is, she receives a summons from Alexandria that cannot be ignored. With husband, child, and Tunstells in tow, Alexia boards a steamer to cross the Mediterranean. But Egypt may hold more mysteries than even the indomitable Lady Maccon can handle. What does the vampire Queen of the Alexandria Hive really want from her? Why is the God-Breaker Plague suddenly expanding? And how has Ivy Tunstell suddenly become the most popular actress in all the British Empire?

This series is one of my all-time favorites. It's the perfect mix of tea, parasols, the paranormal, and utter insanity, all wrapped up in a humorous bow! Timeless is the conclusion of the Parasol Protectorate series, but Gail Carriger will be back in 2013 with a new series about Prudence, as well as a new YA series. How does she even have time to drink tea?

Spoilers ahead if you haven't read the first 4 books!

• Prudence - Every time Prudence either appeared in a scene or opened her mouth it was hilarious! I was initially a bit worried that having a child might change Alexia and Connall, but it proved to make them even more entertaining.
• Biffy - Some scenes in the earlier books were dull when not centered on Alexia's exploits, but Biffy's new life is fascinating and I really liked reading about him.
• plot - This book answers questions that have been building throughout the series, and in Alexia's life and relationships.
• nicknames - The names Prudence came up with for everyone that knows her parents are adorable!

• Madame Lefoux - Ever since a certain automaton incident, Lefoux has gone from being a cool inventor to an annoying weirdo that shows up at the most inopportune times.
• Lord Akeldama - In the last book or so, Akeldama also got annoying - ever since Alexia moved in with him and he became more of a central figure in the story. Now he's also showing all of the irritating and sneaky sides of his personality, instead of just the amusing parts.

• "What do you call yourselves?"   "The Parasol Protectorate."   Biffy smiled. "I am enthralled by the concept of a society named after an accessory. Do go on my lady."     - pg. 102  Biffy + Alexia
• Prudence grabbed her mother's head, one chubby hand to each cheek, and directed her attention at her own intent little face. "Tunstellings! Silly," she explained. "Eeegypttt!"   Alexia nodded slightly. "I agree with you on all points, my darling."     - pg. 229  Alexia + Prudence

4 robots

Great conclusion to a must-read series!

Acquired: bought

The Eternal Ones

The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller

Published: August 10, 2010 by Razorbill

Haven Moore can't control her visions of a past with a boy called Ethan and a life in New York that ended in fiery tragedy. In our present, she designs beautiful dresses for her classmates with her best friend Beau. Dressmaking keeps her sane, since she lives with her widowed and heartbroken mother in her tyrannical grandmother's house in Snope City, a tiny town in Tennessee. Then an impossible group of coincidences conspire to force her to flee to New York, to discover who she is, and who she was.

In New York, Haven meets Iain Morrow and is swept into an epic love affair that feels both deeply fated and terribly dangerous. Iain is suspected of murdering a rock star and Haven wonders, could he have murdered her in a past life? She visits the Ouroboros Society and discovers a murky work of reincarnation that stretches across millennia. Haven must discover the secrets hidden in her past lives, and loves, before all is lost and the cycle begins again.

I was hesitant about this one because reincarnation plots for me are either really stinking awesome or just not my thing at all, depending on the book. Thankfully, this book turned out to be great, and if you're in the mood to read something about reincarnation I highly recommend it.

Why I love this book:

• Haven - Obviously, if Haven had stayed where Iain told her, there wouldn't have been much story, but I loved how Haven pretty much immediately decided that there was no way a guy that she had just met was gonna boss her around, especially when she hat gotten all the way to New York on her own.
• plot - Reincarnation done right, complete with a secret society, questionable motives, and a twisted past. There's the overly dramatic love story books, and then there's this book with a love story woven in.
• Iain - I enjoyed trying to figure Iain out - his motives were mysterious but he was charming enough so that I really had to wonder what side he was on.
• Snope City - Haven's tiny, backwards Tennessee town made her miserable - but it did so with its own quirks and her allies were all great, interesting characters.

Huh, what?:

• SPOILERS STARTING HERE! Ok. Convincing a girl to have sex with you, with the excuse that you'd already done it in your past lives (but only you remember those lives and Haven doesn't) is TOTALLY creepy! She just met you and had her 1st kiss ever AND you basically kidnapped her via private jet. Not cool. END SPOILERS! 

•  ending - I think this would have been fine as a standalone book. Everything seems pretty wrapped up at the end - so wrapped up in fact that it's totally optional to read the sequel. There are no cliffhangers or burning questions.
• back + forth - There was a bit too much back and forth going on throughout the whole book. From the second Haven meets Iain, until the big finish, she's torn on whether she can trust him or not. The 1st and 2nd time she changed her mind I thought that was it, but Haven's opinion changed so often it was almost dizzying. 

Favorite quotes:

• "It's la Bocca della Verita," Iain explained. "The mouth of truth. They say if you tell a lie while your hand is in the statue's mouth, it will bite it off. Care to try?"   "No thanks," said Haven. There was something about the image that she found unsettling. It was as if a great black void lay behind the face. She feared what her fingers might brush against inside of the toothless cavity.    "Then I'll go first," Iain said, thrusting his fingers between the statue's lips. "Anything you want to ask while my hand is at stake?"      - pg. 188-189  (ARC copy)
• The air was cool and smelled of dust and decay. Shelves of books circled the room, and several small statues stood atop them. The faces of men long dead and forgotten stared down at the girl who had invaded their domain. If the building wasn't haunted, it was missing a good opportunity , Haven thought.         - pg. 228  (ARC copy)

4 robots

A great story of reincarnation, definitely recommended.

Acquired: bought

Eon: Dragoneye Reborn

Eon: Dragoneye Reborn by Alison Goodman

Published: December 26, 2008 by Viking Juvenile

Eon has been studying the ancient art of Dragon Magic for four years, hoping he'll be able to apprentice to one of the twelve energy dragons of good fortune. But he also has a dark secret. He is actually Eona, a sixteen-year-old girl who has been living a dangerous lie for the change to become a Dragoneye, the human link to an energy dragon's power. It is forbidden for females to practice the Dragon Magic and, if discovered, Eon faces a terrible death. After a dazzling sword ceremony, Eon's affinity with the twelve dragons catapults him into the treacherous world of the Imperial court where he makes a powerful enemy, Lord Ido. Tension builds and Eon's desperate lie comes to light.

       The idea and plot of this book are amazing. Sometimes the book was a bit dulled down by all the political nonsense going on that Eona was being dragged into. There was a lot of thinking and dwelling on things instead of acting on them on Eona's part. 

Things I love about this book:

• mystery of the Mirror Dragon - I really loved how the entire mystery surrounding the Mirror Dragon's absence came together, as well as how everything was discovered. Everything related to it came together to make perfect sense.
• dragon lore - The 12 dragons based on the animals of the Chinese zodiac, and the whole system of the Dragon Masters was genius, and contributed so much to the book making sense. 
• Eona's power - This is vague to avoid spoilers! After all Eona goes through in this book, it's very satisfying when she finally gets it all under control and I really want to see her powers unleashed in the sequel, especially after all the political drama. I'd love some more action!
• characters - Chart is the sweetest and Lady Dela is such a strong character. Even though we don't see much of them, the secondary characters are all so believable and great in their own right. 

Huh, what?:

• connecting with the Dragon - It felt like this whole book was about Eona not being able to connect with the dragon, searching for the dragon's true name, and doing the exact opposite of what the reader knows she should be doing. It got old pretty quickly.
• disguise - The entire time I was reading, I just couldn't get it out of the back of my mind that someone was going to find out Eona's secret. I think if there had been a sense that it was a question of if rather than when someone discovered that Eon was not a boy, it would have been much more interesting.
• certain plot points - Eona's friends and mentors were seemingly always being removed from her reach in order to force her to stand and act on her own, but it never really felt like she made any of her own decisions. 

Favorite quotes:

• There was something behind the question that I did not understand. Some kind of test. What did the emperor want? There was no clue in his politician's face; he'd had a lifetime of hiding his thoughts. The full-hour bell rang through the courtyard, silencing the ensemble music. It was as though the whole palace waited for my answer.       - pg. 201
• I found myself backed up against the edge of the bath, the tiled wall a solid mooring in the churn of my thoughts. I had to take the chance. So far, all I had offered the prince was lies. But if I wanted to survive, I had to take the new emperor the truth.     - pg. 413

4 robots

The story and plot overall are fantastic, but the book is too long and gets dragged down by politics.

Acquired: swapped for on swap.com

Entwined

Entwined by Heather Dixon

Published: March 29, 2011 by Greenwillow Books

Azalea is trapped. Just when she should feel that everything is before her...beautiful gowns, dashing suitors, balls filled with dancing...it's taken away. All of it. The Keeper understands. He's trapped, too, held for centuries within the walls of the palace. And so he extends an invitation. Every night, Azalea and her eleven sisters may step through the enchanted passage in their room to dance in his silver forest. But there is a cost. The Keeper likes to keep things. Azalea may not realize how tangled she is in his web until it is too late.

       This is a retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses. I had a picture book when I was young and I loved it. I'm not sure what the official version of the tale is, and according to the ever-trustworthy internet, it isn't a Grimm fairy tale. Anyway, this book is enthralling, with a villain who sugarcoats his sinister nature.

Reasons I love this book:

• Azalea - I love how feisty and hot-tempered Azalea got whenever someone dared wrong one of her sisters. She has so much responsibility, watching out for 11 younger sisters while the castle is in mourning, and she refuses to let the King intimidate her and fights for her sisters' right to choose who to marry. Another thing I loved is how she never let Keeper get his clutches on her sisters. She knew something was off about him and she protected them.
• Lord Bradford - Here is a wonderful gentleman who is kind without being perfect. He isn't everything Azalea had hoped, but he makes up for it in other ways.
• no love triangle - I am so happy that the villain of this story is almost always seen for what he truly is by Azalea (and by her sisters to some extent). For once, the heroine doesn't shove aside the off-putting traits of the guy to have a romantic encounter. She actually trusts her instincts. 
• grand finale - When everything comes to a head and a battle of sorts breaks out, it is anything but disappointing. There is plenty of time devoted to this conclusion, and there's just enough back and forth between the 2 sides to keep you guessing. 

Huh, what?:

• Bramble & Clover's love lives - While it's nice that not everything focused on Azalea, I never really got into her sisters' love lives and wasn't emotionally invested in who they ended up with at all.
• Keeper - He's dark and elegant, the creepiest gentleman you could imagine, a smooth-talking, good-looking guy who seems to offer you everything you want, while he silently takes everything you have. So creepy.
• routine - The princesses' days are so repetitive and, as this is a pretty long book, we are treated to many of their days. It seems like each day something special happens, but the book dragged a little more each time I had to read about them eating breakfast. Maybe if more than 1 special event happened in a single day it wouldn't have dragged as much.

Favorite quotes:

• "Sorry. I just had to apologize. About tonight. Honestly, we don't kick or bite or throw potatoes at all our guests." A crooked smile touched Lord Bradford's lips. "Your family has spirit," he said, taking his hat from Azalea. "I enjoyed the evening."  "Well, yes, you've just come from a war," said Azalea.                 - Azalea & Lord Bradford  pg. 175
• This was a masked ball, something Azalea had only heard of. In her imagination they had been more innocent; gentleman dressed as hussars and ladies with white, glittery masks attached to a stick. Not this chaotic meshing of gilded beasts and opulent monsters.          -  pg. 258

4 robots

An enthralling fairy tale with a dark side.

Acquired: swapped for on swap.com

How To Steal A Car

How To Steal A Car by Pete Hautman
Published: September 1, 2009 by Scholastic Press


Some girls act out by drinking or doing drugs. Some girls act out by sleeping with guys. Some girls act out by starving themselves or cutting themselves. Some girls act out by being a b**** to other girls.


Not Kelleigh. Kelleigh steals cars.

       I had seen this book around before but only got really interested in reading it after I read The Big Crunch by the same author and really enjoyed it. Pete Hautman is definitely a contemporary author that writes realistic stories and does it well. My only major complaint is that there really isn't a clear plot at times, which is my main issue with contemporaries in the first place. 

Why I love this book:

• Kelleigh- her head can be a weird place at times, but she is overall a very unique character with a funny outlook on life
• Kelleigh's essay- I'm not sure if her tips on car theft add up to the 500 words she's supposed to have on how to do something, but these little asides are clever and reflect what's going on in her life
• plot- the way the story develops is very realistic. The reason Kelleigh steals cars unfolds slowly. It sneaks up on you and makes you think duh, of course she had a better reason than fun and excitement.

Huh, what?:

• Kelleigh's friends- Kelleigh's friends are lame. Jen is so self-absorbed and dramatic, while Will is just bland. He's about as interesting as a cardboard cutout.
• Kelleigh's dad- Is it just me or is someone way too excited about defending a rapist/possible rapist in court? Especially since he has a daughter around the same age of the victims? I would have freaked like Kelleigh's mom too if he'd kept updating the family at dinner about his pet rapist's chances of getting off. 

Favorite quotes:

• The fact that I had-technically-stolen four cars recently was purely a matter of irresistible opportunity, dire necessity, or peer pressure. I mean, twice it hadn't even been my idea.    - Kelleigh  pg. 76
• My head was spinning with what she'd said. I mean, I was trying to understand it, trying to make sense of her words. Dad could only say I love you if it wasn't true? Did that make sense on any level other than the multiple-apricot-martini level?    - Kelleigh  pg. 97

4 Robots

A short contemporary with a realistic main character and clever writing

Acquired: swap.com