Scarlett March lives to hunt the Fenris-- the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister Rosie from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She's determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead.
Rosie March once felt her bond with her sister was unbreakable. Owing Scarlett her life, Rosie hunts fiercely alongside her. Now Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves and finds herself drawn to Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax-- but loving him means betraying her sister and has the potential to destroy all they've worked for.
So ever since I found Jackson's blog I have been waiting to read her books, I read As You Wish and loved it, so I was even more excited to read this fairy tale retelling!
While the story of Little Red Riding Hood has never been my favorite fairy tale, I was very interested to see this new spin! Jackson really put a cool twist on these characters, they were fun, tinged with the seriousness of the storyline. The little love story really added something of realism to this otherwise totally out of there plot. As opposed to other stories where the romance adds nothing, so I really appreciated that.
This book is written from both Scarlett and Rosie's points of view, which was cool because they both had so different perceptions on hunting. I also really enjoyed the different take on the "werewolves" many of the books that have been coming out lately, show werewolves only in a positive light so it was refreshing to read a book where they were just raw, evil, monsters.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and I definitely recommend it, definitely pick it up when it gets into stores! I also cannot wait for Jackson's next book, and the next book in this series!
Cover: I love the cover! It is so pretty and a definite change from many red and black covers!
Last year, all of Belly's dreams came true and the thought of missing a summer in Cousins Beach was inconceivable. But like the rise and fall of the ocean tide, things can change--just like that. Suddenly the time she's always looked forward to most is something she dreads. And when Jeremiah calls to say Conrad has disappeared, Belly must decide how she will spend this summer: chasing after the boy she loves, or finally letting him go.
Possible Spoilers for the first book (The Summer I Turned Pretty)
I enjoyed the first book but I think I liked this one even better. I really liked learning even more about the awesome characters in the first book! Especially Jeremiah.
This book was different than the first book in that it was more sad. The whole premise of the novel centered around Suzanne's death and therefore there were more sad moments, which actually made me like this book even more. Getting to see the boys in a different light was really nice.
Another thing I really liked about it, was the fact that there was more of Jeremiah in this novel so we get to connect with him more than just Conrad. Also I liked how the story was told in two different views Jeremiah and Belly. It was cool to see the events through another person's eyes
One of the small things I did not like about this book was the fact that at times I could not tell who's point of view it was, and whether it was a flashback or not. But besides that I really enjoyed this book!
4/5
*This links you to a page where you can buy this book, and I will receive a small part of the proceeds, which I will use to buy more books for the contests!
Ok, so I am going to rant today, I don't typically rant on this blog, but since this is relevant, and I see it all of the time I am going to.
So in my English class we are studying Fahrenheit 451 and my teacher started asking if society is no longer reading, and some of my classmates said that people don't really read very often. Well my teacher started going off and saying that people read now more than they did in the last 20 yrs or so. But most of what they read is junk. Now reading a magazine or something on the internet is not really "reading" so ok. But then he started saying how there had been an increase in sales from people who are 30 yrs old and up. So then I mentioned that in the last couple of decades there has been basically a whole new genre born in YA literature. And he like totally cut me off saying "yes but most of that cannot be considered reading ect." And really and truly it made me really, really mad. How people say that people who are reading Young Adult literature are not really reading. They are just trying to be entertained. Ok so I want to be entertained what's wrong with that! I am still reading! I can be entertained by the television and that's not reading so how are those the same thing!
Another comment he made was that the quality of Young Adult literature is not as good because the authors have to dumb down their writing and they cannot use their vocabularies in Young Adult novels. This really pissed me off because that is completely uncalled for. I am sorry but personally, I have a larger vocabulary than a lot of people older than me. And in case he hadn't noticed Teens really get mad when authors "dumb down" their books for us. We are acting members of society, we are not five year olds, we can think and we do not like to be treated like little children.
Basically what he did was tell me that, even though I consider myself an avid reader, nothing I am reading is worth looking at, and that I am basically wasting my time! He was bashing the whole YA community. One of the reasons that this made me so mad was because he is not the only one by a long shot. Hundreds of people believe that YA literature is not worth reading see Jackson Pearce's video on the subject. And I believe that as a high school English teacher he should understand that YA literature of today should not be totally dismissed and not even called reading, ok so not all of it will become literary classics but they are still books, and as long as I am reading, what does it really matter?
What do you think? Did I miss anything important? Have you ever encountered someone like this? Please let me know! Also sorry for ranting but I needed to hear from people who would understand. Thanks for reading/listening!
If high school were a fairy-tale kingdom, Connelly Sternin would be Rapunzel, locked not in a tower by a wicked witch but in a high-rise apartment building by the SATs and college applications—and by the secrets she keeps. Connelly's few friends think that her parents are divorced—but they're not. Connelly's father died when she was two, and she doesn't know how.
If Connelly is the Rapunzel of her school, Jeremy Cole is the crown prince, son of a great and rich New York City family. So when he sits down next to her at lunch one day, Connelly couldn't be more surprised. But Jeremy has a tragic secret of his own, and Connelly is the only one he can turn to for help. Together they form a council of two, helping each other with their homework and sharing secrets. As the pair's friendship grows, Connelly learns that it's the truth, not the secrets, that one must guard and protect. And that between friends, the truth, however harsh, is also beautiful.
Based on the summary of this book I was expecting a fairy-tale retelling which i love, but that is not what this book was at all. It is more about a girl struggling with high school, and her father's death which she knows nothing about. It is a story about an unlikely friendship, where each party gives and takes a little, but both are better for it.
This book was not just your typical high school story, there are also elements mixed in that make it an even deeper story. I think that this book had a lot of good messages in it, that did not particularly touch me, but I think they would touch others.
Overall a pretty good book but the summary is very misleading.
4/5
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When someone leaves three mystery flowers outside her dorm door, Laurel thinks that maybe the Avondale School isn't so awful after all — until her own body starts to freak out. In the middle of her English presentation on the Victorian Language of Flowers, strange words pop into her head, and her body seems to tingle and hum. Impulsively, Laurel gives the love bouquet she made to demonstrate the language to her spinster English teacher. When that teacher unexpectedly and immediately finds romance, Laurel suspects that something — something magical — is up. With her new friend, Kate, she sets out to discover the origins and breadth of her powers by experimenting on herself and others. But she can’t seem to find any living experts in the field of flower powers to guide her. And her bouquets don't always do her bidding, especially when it comes to her own crush, Justin. Rumors about Laurel and her flowers fly across campus, and she's soon besieged by requests from girls — both friends and enemies — who want their lives magically transformed — just in time for prom.
I have never read anything like this book. Forget-Her-Nots has a wonderful premise, that I had never even thought of! Amy definitely gets points for originality! I have to say I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. I thought it was either going to be really mystical or really dull, but it was a great mixture of the mystical side, with lots of reality, which I really appreciated.
I really enjoyed learning about the different meanings of flowers. I do wish that we could have learned more about why Laurel has the power, and what she can do with it properly, since she did not really understand herself in the book.
The characters were kind of so-so I did not feel a connection with any of them, but the overall storyline made me continue to read this book.
A prodigal son
A dangerous love
A deadly secret . . .
Grace Divine, daughter of the local pastor, always knew something terrible happened the night Daniel Kalbi disappeared—the night she found her brother Jude collapsed on the porch, covered in blood. But she has no idea what a truly monstrous secret that night really held. And when Daniel returns three years later, Grace can no longer deny her attraction to him, despite promising Jude she’ll stay away.
As Grace gets closer to Daniel, her actions stir the ancient evil Daniel unleashed that horrific night. Grace must discover the truth behind Jude and Daniel's dark secret . . . and the cure that can save the ones she loves. But she may have to lay down the ultimate sacrifice to do it—her soul.
I have been dying to read this book ever since I heard about it! But I was pleasantly surprised by what the book was actually about! I never expected the twist when I picked the book up.
Grace is the every girl, she feels the pressures of being the perfect daughter and sister, while also wanting to follow her heart. I really enjoyed her emotions. But I felt that she was too quick to jump into situations, which was not the personality that I got from the beginning of the book, so I don't know.
One of my favorite characters was Grace's brother Jude, I think it would be really cool to see the whole story from his point of view, because then we could better understand his motivations! But still I really liked his character. I liked how he changed from the "perfect" son to a strong, motivated person when necessary.
I am so excited that there is going to be a sequel because this book definitely needs one, the book totally just cuts off.
So overall this was a pretty good book, but it was a little slow in the middle, and I felt that Grace's whole person changed in the middle of the book. A good debut!
