Starry Nights by Daisy Whitney

Title: Starry Nights
Author: Daisy Whitney
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Release Date: September 3, 2013
Received From: NetGalley

 Synopsis:Seventeen-year-old Julien is a romantic—he loves spending his free time at the museum poring over the great works of the Impressionists. But one night, a peach falls out of a Cezanne, Degas ballerinas dance across the floor, and Julien is not hallucinating.
The art is reacting to a curse that trapped a beautiful girl, Clio, in a painting forever. Julien has a chance to free Clio and he can't help but fall in love with her. But love is a curse in its own right. And soon paintings begin to bleed and disappear. Together Julien and Clio must save the world's greatest art . . . at the expense of the greatest love they've ever known. 

Review:
I was awestruck by Starry Nights, it was unlike anything I had read before. I read Daisy Whitney's The Mockingbirds and The Rivals and I adored them so I was super excited to read Starry Nights. I knew it was going to be completely different but I was still looking forward to it.

If you have ever wanted to travel to Paris, and or are a big art fan then Starry Nights is for you. I am not the biggest art enthusiast but reading Starry Nights made me want to learn more about the pieces of art mentioned.

Julien and Clio's relationship is very different from the relationships in most other books. At first I thought it was going to be a relationship that only existed in Julien's mind but was pleasantly surprised to find out about who Clio really was.

The secondary characters really fill out the story. They add dimension and interest to an already very different story. Without them the story would not be nearly as good as it was.

If you like capers then you might think that this book is not for you, but when you learn that Julien and Clio must travel all over the world to break a curse? I think everyone will like at least some aspect of this book. It is a little on the slow side but it was so beautiful that I think that is the only way it could be written. You should definitely pick up Starry Nights as well as Daisy Whitney's other books they will leave you spellbound. And that cover? YES.

Hysteria by Megan Miranda

Title: Hysteria
Author: Megan Miranda
Publisher: Walker Children's
Release Date: February 5, 2013
Received From: Netgalley in return for a honest review

 Synopsis: Mallory killed her boyfriend, Brian. She can't remember the details of that night but everyone knows it was self-defense, so she isn't charged. But Mallory still feels Brian's presence in her life. Is it all in her head? Or is it something more? In desperate need of a fresh start, Mallory is sent to Monroe, a fancy prep school where no one knows her . . . or anything about her past.But the feeling follows her, as do her secrets. Then, one of her new classmates turns up dead. As suspicion falls on Mallory, she must find a way to remember the details of both deadly nights so she can prove her innocence-to herself and others.

In another riveting tale of life and death, Megan Miranda's masterful storytelling brings readers along for a ride to the edge of sanity and back again.

 Review:
 I have yet to read Megan Miranda's first book but I had heard good things about it so I was excited to read Hysteria. 

Now I am a big wimp. I don't watch horror movies or read books that are marketed as horror so I was nervous about how scary Hysteria was going to be and I am happy to say it was not too scary. Yes I was freaked out but not too much that I could not enjoy the book.

That being said Hysteria is not really a horror book. It is more of a thriller and thrilling it was. I mean the main character KILLED her boyfriend. This is not one of those books where the main character might have killed someone. We know from the very beginning that she did it. But we have to learn along with Mallory why she did it.

The new prep school is so creepy. You could not pay me to go there. And it gets even worse when some kid shows up dead. Of course everyone thinks it was Mallory, but Mallory is not sure. Everyone is creepy and I did not know who Mallory should trust.

Overall Hysteria is a great psychological thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat trying to figure out what on earth is going on. And if you are like me you will be surprised by the ending.

Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt

Title:Going Vintage
Author: Lindsey Leavitt
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release Date: March 26, 2013
Received From: Netgalley in return for a honest review

Synopsis: When Mallory’s boyfriend, Jeremy, cheats on her with an online girlfriend, Mallory decides the best way to de-Jeremy her life is to de-modernize things too. Inspired by a list of goals her grandmother made in1962, Mallory swears off technology and returns to a simpler time (when boyfriends couldn’t cheat with computer avatars). The List:
1. Run for pep club secretary
2. Host a fancy dinner party/soiree
3. Sew a dress for Homecoming
4. Find a steady
5. Do something dangerous
But simple proves to be crazy-complicated, and the details of the past begin to change Mallory’s present. Add in a too-busy grandmother, a sassy sister, and the cute pep-club president–who just happens to be her ex’s cousin–and soon Mallory begins to wonder if going vintage is going too far.

Review:
I really liked the premise of Going Vintage. I mean who doesn't want to give up technology for a few days? Especially after a big breakup? But Mallory takes it to the next step, she decides to live like she lives in the 60's.

I personally thought Mallory took it too far to the extreme. She put herself at risk a couple of times and I felt she should have made exceptions at those times. But overall I really liked Going Vintage.

Mallory grew a lot throughout the course of the book. She learned about the past and how things are not all ways as they seem. She also learned a lot about herself. I think many of us would benefit from taking a break from technology just maybe not as drastic a break as Mallory.

The secondary characters and their story lines make this book. Mallory's sister pushes Mallory to commit fully which I could totally see a little sister doing. And her grandmother and mother have some secrets of their own that really play into the family dynamic.

At times Going Vintage was a little slow but other than that it was a great read!

Also Known As by Robin Benway Review

Title: Also Known As
Author: Robin Benway 
Publisher: Bloomsbury  
Release Date: February 26, 2013 
Received: Netgalley  

Summary:  Being a 16-year-old safecracker and active-duty daughter of international spies has its moments, good and bad. Pros: Seeing the world one crime-solving adventure at a time. Having parents with super cool jobs. Cons: Never staying in one place long enough to have friends or a boyfriend. But for Maggie Silver, the biggest perk of all has been avoiding high school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations.

Then Maggie and her parents are sent to New York for her first solo assignment, and all of that changes. She'll need to attend a private school, avoid the temptation to hack the school's security system, and befriend one aggravatingly cute Jesse Oliver to gain the essential information she needs to crack the case . . . all while trying not to blow her cover.   

Review:  I am basically convinced that Robin Benway can do no wrong. I liked both Audrey, Wait! and The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, and June but I have to say that Also Known As is my favorite book by her so far.

If you are a fan of Ally Carter's books then this book is for you! With spies and cute boys what can go wrong? I have to say one of my favorite parts of this book was the secondary characters. Roux and Jesse added so much to the narrative and were so well developed that I missed them when they were absent from the story.

I have moved quite a few times so I could sympathize with Maggie and her trials with going to a new school in the middle of the semester, but I have to say I never had the added pressure of trying not to blow my cover. :)

I really liked how much Maggie's parents were present. In most YA novels the parents are absent and I liked the added dynamic of not just having one hovering parent but two. 

I kind of figured out the twist/villain of the novel but I kept changing my mind about who it was so kudos to Robin Benway for keeping both Maggie and me on our toes.

Basically if you like mystery, spies, awesome friends, hilarity, and cute boys then this book is for you. 

The Vision (The Mark 2)

Title: The Vision (The Mark #2)

Author: Jen Nadol

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA

Release Date: September 27, 2011
Received Via: Teen {Book} Scene

Summary: 

Cassie Renfield knows the mark tells her when someone is going to die and that she can intervene and attempt to change fate. But she still doesn't understand the consequences, especially whether saving one life dooms another. With no family left to offer guidance, Cassie goes in search of others like her. But when she meets Demetria, a troubled girl who seems to have the power of the Fates, Cassie finds the truth isn't at all what she expected. And then there's her heady new romance with bad boy Zander. Dating him has much graver repercussions than she could ever have imagined, forcing Cassie to make choices that cut to the essence of who she is and what she believes.

Review: SLIGHT SPOILERS FOR THE FIRST BOOK

This series brings up a lot of ethical questions and really makes you think about what you would do if put into that situation. I mean if you knew that someone was going to die that day but if you prevented then from dying someone would die in their place, what would you do? Cassie is put in that situation all the time.

This makes this a sort of morbid book, so if you are looking for something light or fluffy this is not the series to read. But if you want to investigate that part of you and to wonder what you would do then I definitely document it.

I liked the incorporation of Zander into the storyline he really added more mystery as well as another angle to the situation. I also just liked what he added to Cassie’s thought possessed and in some cases making her less stressed and morbid. I felt like he was a better love interest than Lucas in that he actually had a purpose.

I wish the whole Jack storyline had been brought up more and I can’t wait to see what happens with them because I love him!

Overall I liked this book but I wish more had happened, I mean we learn more but I guess I just wish for a little more action and maybe it moving a little faster. It was very thought provoking though!

 

 

See what books Cassie would read in her spare time.

Read my review of The Mark