Don't Even Think About It, Sarah Mlynowski

Book: Don't Even Think About It
Author: Sarah Mlynowski Her Site
Series: Don't Even Think About It (#1)
Rating: 5/5
Moral: 4/5

Our homeroom went for flu shots, and now we can read minds. We used to be normal, but now we can hear anyone and everyone’s thoughts. It’s not all rainbows and unicorns though, there are some things you do not want to know. But how should we use our new powers? Is it wrong to use it to get a boyfriend, or to cheat on a test? It’s for us to decide, as long as nobody finds out...

Don’t Even Think About It was as witty as it’s five word title.

Don’t Even Think About It was one of those books with a quicksand plot. Once I started reading, I couldn’t stop. When the group begins to read each other's minds, problems begin to arise. And of course the question, is being able to hear what anyone and everyone is thinking more on the pro or con side of things? So as I said, the story was like a spiders web and captured me. I opened the book and then did not stop reading for six hours (that includes lunch).

In Don’t Even Think About It, the narrator was not ‘I’, or ‘He/She’, it was ‘We’. Oh my gosh, you do not fully understand how unfairly difficult it is to write a novel from the point of view ‘We’. I do not know if this is really how Sarah Mlynowski (that is a crazy last name) felt, but it must have been a constant struggle not to write ‘I’. The transition between characters was fascinatingly smooth. I found myself completely unbiased. I equally loved and hated them all. Which all adds up to the fact that this book is incredibly original. There is no book like Don’t Even Think About It, and I truly doubt there ever will be. If there is, someone should please notify me.

The characters were the Gateway Arch of arched. They each faced difficult situations, and had to deal with them accordingly. No spoilers. Imagine the difficulty of high school romance paired with telepathy. I can not. But Sarah M. could. And their friendship was inspiring. It was real, with actual arguments and silent treatments. It was also the same with their love. Not only for boyfriends and girlfriends, but for family.

So, to finish up without scaring you, I obviously adored Don’t Even Think About It. I will probably read it fifty more times and then a couple more times just to make sure I know it by heart. If you have not read this book and you enjoyed any novel with a name I recommend you read Don’t Even Think About It. If I see you walking down the street and you still have not read it, I will feel dubiously obligated to shove it in your face and rattle on about the incredibility of writing a story from the point of view ‘We’. Read it. And how do you pronounce Mlynowski?

Fangirl, Rainbow Rowell

Book: Fangirl
Author: Rainbow Rowell Her Site
Series: Novel
Rating: 5/5
Moral: 5/5 

Cath is a Simon Snow Fan. Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan... But for Cath, being a fan is her life — and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving. Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere. Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to. Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone. For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories? And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

A looking glass into someone else's life.

The Plot:
I could rave and rave about the fantastic, descriptive and stunning style of this book. Rainbow Rowell constructed a new life, one that is easy to relate to. The plot was slower paced, but not uninteresting. The characters were so enjoyable that it didn't matter how slow the story-line moved along. The book was so real and original because it takes actually time for Cath and the other characters to mature. In lots of books you feel like it is happening over night, but in Fangirl it is obvious that it can take months for someone to change. It usually does. 

The Characters:
I fell immediately in love with the characters of Rainbow Rowell's Fangril. Not only were they all unique and quirky, they practically popped off the page. Cath can be annoying if you don't have anything in common with her, but sometimes I exhibit the same shyness and nervousness that kept her hiding in her room. Cath spent most of the book hiding in her room. She was scared of the world, but as her character develops she begins to face her fears. Levi, a funny, charming and weird guy always lit up the book, not only in my mind but the main characters. Reagan and Wren are two more completely original characters. I loved them all and was fascinated by the intense dialog. Sometimes in books I find myself looking forward to the quotation marks, waiting for someone to talk. In Rainbow Rowell's book I never had the urge to look ahead. There was lots of dialog and the descriptions were so fascinating they were impossible to skip. Wren, Cath's sister, was a huge part of the story. Her and Cath had major rock in their relationship. The story is truly about this relationship.

The Setting:
The story mostly takes place in Cath's dorm room. It's tiny and cozy. Also there was this awesome library that I have been dreaming about ever since I finished the book, it is an endless labyrinth that you should really read about.

The Standout:
Nick, Cath's crush. His character is vague and untrustworthy. Throughout the book you don't know if he is a potential boyfriend or a jerk. There are people like that, and Cath totally reads him wrong sometimes. It's easy to do that, to judge people without knowing them. And sometimes, even when we hope for the opposite, people let us down. Nick was the perfect example. His and Cath's relationship was that of holding each other at arm lingth and spending time in the vast branches of Love Library. So Nick was my favorite, he was my favorite for being useless and mean, and for looking so nice. Professor Piper is another awesome character, she has a stern demeanor, but she is willing to give second chances when she sees a worthy person.

The Moral:
Maybe this book was about coming out of your shell and being brave, or maybe it was that even when people let you down it is okay to give them another chance (as long as you aren't a pushover). There was lots of things this story could be about, it was about all of them. Thankfully there wasn't too much swearing or any sex. This book was wonderful and I would love to recommend it.

Expectations of the Book Description

I am not a 'judge a book by it's cover' kind of person. Although, a cool cover can catch my eye. I almost always read the description on the sleeve or back of the book. A book description can make or break my decision to read it. Book descriptions are usually written by the author and therefore reflect their style in only a few paragraphs. The book description tells you about the world, the characters and the story. It is a great feat to entice the reader without revealing the secrets of the story within. So I have come up with some standards for the writing of a book description:

#1. Don't be drastically vague. I understand that it might be scary to reveal the secrets of your book and you don't want the reader to make a decision on these few paragraphs, but the truth is that the reader is going to make a decision to read your book, or not, by this piece.

#2. What you write in the book description is a promise that you are making to the reader. If you write a description about thrilling swordfights in the jungle, I will be unhappy if I find that there is only one swordfight in the jungle and the rest of the story is about a girl trying to find a job in the city. The same goes for romance. If your book description doesn't mention any romance, there shouldn't be any. I don't mean that you must reveal the girl or boy of great interest, I just mean that you should mention in some way that there are a few mushy scenes. If romance is a tiny part in your story and not at all important to the plot than it is fine to leave out.

#3. The three things that should almost always be included in your book description are plot, characters, and setting. Here is an example:

Princess Elizabeth Hammond is on the run for the first time in her luxurious life. The people who are after her seem to be looking for something important to the uprising that is causing havoc in her kingdom. They wont stop for anything as they track her through the haunted woods. As Elizabeth deals with the wood dwellers, and some terrifying creatures, she finds that her life is on the line and she must make a decision about where her loyalty lies. If only she didn't have the added worry of her growing relationship with an uprising boy, who harbors terrifying anger at the kingdoms royal family.

That was a short example, but it gives you a good picture of what the story is about. Now, if you opened that book and started reading, only to find that Elizabeth spends most of her time hidden in a cabin talking to her cat, you would feel that I didn't fulfill the promise I made in the description.


 I hope you feel very educated about Book Descriptions. If you decide to veer from my standards for a more "unique" idea, please be cautious and let your description reflect your story.

The Power of Six, Pittacus Lore

Book: The Power of Six
Author:  Pittacus Lore
Series: Lorien Legacies (#2)
Rating: 4/5
Moral: 2/5

I've seen him on the news. Followed the stories about what happened in Ohio. John Smith, out there, on the run. To the world, he's a mystery. But to me . . . he's one of us.Nine of us came here, but sometimes I wonder if time has changed us—if we all still believe in our mission. How can I know? There are six of us left. We're hiding, blending in, avoiding contact with one another . . . but our Legacies are developing, and soon we'll be equipped to fight. Is John Number Four, and is his appearance the sign I've been waiting for? And what about Number Five and Six? Could one of them be the raven-haired girl with the stormy eyes from my dreams? The girl with powers that are beyond anything I could ever imagine? The girl who may be strong enough to bring the six of us together?They caught Number One in Malaysia.Number Two in England.And Number Three in Kenya.They tried to catch Number Four in Ohio—and failed.I am Number Seven. One of six still alive.And I'm ready to fight

The sequel to I am Number Four was brilliantly awesome.

The Plot:
The whole book is exciting. You feel the war that is dawning on earth and it is just so interesting. It is common in young adult books that love moves the plot along. Someone you live is kidnapped, and therefore you must rescue them. In The Power Of Six, love is just a side plot to keep you interested in the boring moments. The focus is on the war, and the crazy things that are happening because of it. It was obvious that this book was meant mostly to set up the next one, which I am awaiting, but it was still great.

The Characters:
I am completely annoyed by Six. Yeah, she is totally kick-butt and awesome, but her morals are askew when it comes to love. She says it's possiable to be with two people (cheating!!!), both John(Four) and Sam, its super annoying. Both of the boys seem to be okay with it. I adored Seven's viewpoint. It was really unique for this story. She was kind of sheltered all her life, she is more about peace than any of the other characters. I also liked how so many new players were introduced in this book. I can't wait to read the next one, just so I can see the new people in action.

The Setting:
The Power of Six had a totally different feel from the first book. It felt more surreal, less normal. You have number seven who lives in a convent, and the rest are on the run. It felt kind of mystical.

The Standout:
The thing that stood out to me the most was Ten. She played her role in the story so well. She was inconspicuous, and the plot twist there was extremely surprising. I don't want to give away any of the details though.

The Moral:
There wasn't really a strong moral in this book. Yes the book had its heroic moments, it just did't have a good reason. Like, "Hey, our planet needs to be revenged so lets kill everyone of those evil

P.S.
The die hard fans of the Lorien Legacies are pretty cool, they have a blog on facebook that is interactive and really cool. I wish more of my favorite books would do this!

The Bitter Kingdom, Rae Carson

Book: The Bitter Kingdom
Author: Rae Carson Her Site
Series: Fire and Thorns (#3)
Rating: 5/5
Moral: 5/5 

Elisa has to save Hector. The Invernos are attacking her allies and friends. It is her responsibility, with the help of her godstone, to save her people. With the help of Storm, Belen the spy, Elisa's best friend Mara, Hector, and a few others, she must turn the Joyan history of being filthy liars into honor. Yet still, she has no clue of what she is meant to do with her powers from above. Will it kill her like it killed all the bearers before? Elisa has so many questions, but she is desperate to be a good queen. She will not let anything stop her.

Bitter Kingdom was a faultless, magical finale to the Fire and Thorns Trilogy.

The Plot:

One thing that I really enjoyed about the other two books was the strong characters and the realistic plot. Elisa was a queen who felt responsible for her people and she always knew what she wanted. That really affected the plot. When the book starts, Elisa is trying to reach Hector. Since she loves him, that is one of the reasons why she wants to rescue him, but marriage with Hector will help bring peace to the kingdom. Elisa's character has to go through all these struggles to save her people. There were some major twists in the story that I never would have seen coming. I won't tell you the details, but let's just say that you can never truly know God.

The Characters:

I loved Elisa. She is so unique and delightful. She has a good sense of morals and is therefore very enjoyable. The romance between her and Hector was believable, not over done. It was actually really good. Storm turned out to be heroic and interesting. As devastated as I was when some people were killed, it worked out better for the plot and characters that way. I think Rae Carson is really good at killing her characters. I admire that. It made the book even more original. Mara still eludes me. There was a moment when Elisa cornered Cosme and Alodia into a contract of fealty, both of whom are very hard to outwit. For a moment I was upset, but Rae Carson smoothed easily over the scene and brought the toughness back into both of the Queens.

The Setting:

All three of the books had different settings. Separate kingdoms, land types. The desert, the mountains, and in this book the mines. They added a little flair to the scenery and made for good bonding between our main characters. It was also effective for the plot. If Rae Carson would have just continued on with her characters trekking through the snow I would have become very bored. Instead she leads her characters to a place they feel uncomfortable and excited.

The Standout:

Her name was Waterfall. You might guess girly. I say not. She lead our characters through the mines. She was coy, brave and determined. She was my absolute favorite part of the story, along with Red Sparkle Stone. Red was a slave who Elisa, in a way,  accidently buys. She ends up being a priceless addition to the team. She also added a little humor into this otherwise serious book. That is the one thing I would have enjoyed more of. Most of the humor in the book felt stiff and unnatural. It would have made the book almost perfect if I would have been able to laugh a little more. So I liked Waterfall and Red. They are completely opposite. The latter trusting and innocent. The first, cautious, coy and independent.  I loved both of these girls and I think they really made the book better.

The Moral:

What are you willing to give up for someone you don't even know? Elisa was such a great queen because she really felt responsible for her people. During the story she thought about giving up. She could have run away and lived with Hector. But she wouldn't, because she had a responsibility and she wasn't going to be a quitter. That's a good moral to me. Now, the story does imply that Elisa and Hector did more than make out, but Rae doesn't give you all the gross details. Elisa and Hector were married. Also, swearing is not really present in this book. The characters had other ways to express themselves. It was very impressive.

Through the Zombie Glass, Gena Showalter

Book: Through the Zombie Glass
Author: Gena Showalter Her Site
Series: Whit Rabbit Chronicles (#2)
Rating: 5/5
Moral: 2/5

Alice is just getting over her parent's death. She is slowly building her new family, yet she still shields her heart. A part of her is afraid. At some point that part of her is taken over by Zombie Alice. It’s her dark side. The dark side sends her life spiraling into more madness. The slayers are falling apart. Cole makes some hard decisions, pushing Alice away and bringing in some new slayers to help with the fight. Alice can barely control the evil that is trying desperately to take over inside of her. Terrifyingly, that evil begins to destroy her. Both physically and mentally. Alice needs her friends to trust her, but she can’t even trust herself. 

The Plot:

I’m a big fan of fast paced plots and this one really was. The action was heavy and the characters moved smoothly through it.There was this moment when Alice lights herself with the fire that kills zombies. The fire completely covers her body. Gena Showalter describes Alice moving from one zombie to another, floating over the ground and brushing her fingers along them.  It was flawless, and absolutely perfect. Her writing style totally inspires me. Thankfully, the romance didn't totally overpower the story. It just added to it.

The Characters:

You know, even though Alice Bell was going through a completely depressing situation, she refused to cave into the darkness. She continued to fight with that kick-butt, stubborn attitude. Through all her troubles she didn’t let anything bring her down. She was desperate to protect the people she loved. The character arch Alice went through practically drove the book. She had to fight her inner self, Zombie Alice, to become fully alive. It was a physical and mental thing. Alice’s boyfriend Cole seemed weird to me. It’s just a personal opinion. I like him, I like how protective he is. I like the sense of power that the author describes emanating off him. That's all cool. It’s just that the guy is a little messed up. He doesn't really appeal to me. He is over protective and super serious all the time. He gets on my nerves. I liked Gavin. He seemed more realistic. His attitude always made me smile, and I really liked the friendship he and Alice developed. That brings me to Kat. Kat is pushy, she makes her friends do things that scare them. She likes to talk, laugh, and pretty much have fun. She reminds me of myself. Except the fact that she is sick. It surprises me Alice isn’t more desperate to find an antidote or something for her best friend's sickness. Alice knows Kat is going to die soon, yet she does nothing about that. I can’t understand it.

The Setting:

Unlike the first book, barely any time is spent at school or in homes. Most of the time it’s training in Cole’s barn, fighting in the woods, or another place just as interesting. The scenes seemed awfully depressing sometimes, but not to the point of annoying. It was more on the side of realistic and understandable. Not all of life is happy-go-lucky. I mean, they are fighting zombies!

The Standout:

In most books, the romance is overpowering. A lot of people say that is how love works. For some reason though, over powering love exists for the main characters. How do you think all the side-kicks feel about that? Author Gena Showalter wrote this story differently. Almost every character had another half of themselves. Kat has Frosty, Reeve (Alice’s Friend) has Bronx, etc... It goes on and on. Each of them have a unique relationship. It was very realistic and gave the depressing setting a little light.

The Moral:

I am a Christian. I don’t like to hide my faith. In the first book the author wrote that she wanted to show the fight between good and evil, that she herself was a Christian. Now, that promise did not withstand. Yeah, in the first book she mentioned church a few times, but it didn’t even fit with the story. The characters' morals seemed askew in this book.  Not only were there very few Christian morals, God wasn’t even mentioned. There wasn’t actually sex, but the characters got pretty close. I’m not sure where the line is, but I think they crossed it. I do like that there wasn't swearing. That made me happy. The fight between the light and the darkness is cool, but as I said, this book didn’t really represent Christianity or how I view it. The moral was about conquering the darkness.

Awakening, Lauren Ashley

Book: Awakening
Author: Lauren Ashley
Series: Hope Trilogy (#1)
Genre: Supernatural/YA Fiction
Rating: 4/5
Moral: 3/5

Emma is shy. She keeps to herself and tries to stay out of the spotlight. Unfortunately, the spotlight would prefer to shine directly on her. She learns that she is from a special bloodline, meant to fullfil a prophecy. She must find her way even when no one can give her the answers. With the help of her friend Sarah, her boyfriend Jordan, Sebastian, Kiana, and mysterious Griffin, Emma must solve the mystery. 

Awakening was a bold, amazing story about breaking out of your shell.

The Plot:

Oh, fantastic! The plot was bloody brilliant, literally! There was so much action and gore that I couldn't stop turning pages. The only thing that bothered me was a slight flaw in the writing style. There were a few things like this, 'Seeing that I needed time to think, Kiana took Sarah and left the room. Alone I sat quietly, thinking about it for a moment. Everything seemed surreal to me...' I think that would have been smoother like this, 'Seeing that I needed some time to think, Kiana took Sarah and left the room. Alone,  I sat quietly. Everything seemed surreal...' I totally adored Lauren's word choice! It was so descriptive and gave a clear image. It was practically poetry!

The Characters:

Emma's character arch rang true with me. It was about freeing yourself from shyness and self doubt. Personally, I think that is a major issue with teens my age all over the world. Emma ends up beating that fear, becoming a role model for us all. Her character was intriguing and unique. Especially in the way of her intense love. Emma doesn't love half way. Sarah was a true friend, encouraging and brave. Her own story was of selflessness and innocence. I loved her! I was delighted that no matter how much I tried, I couldn't figure out Griffin. He was constantly changing. There were places when I was led to believe he was evil, and then wondered if there was a budding romance. Something like in Kelley Armstrong's The Darkest Powers Trilogy.

The Setting:

Awakening takes place in a modern time period, which is well portrayed in this book. The characters fit perfectly. There was also a sweet train scene!

The Standout:

The thing that stood out to me most was the action. Maybe because it was that IN YOUR FACE kind of action. Lots of writers are afraid to write that kind of stuff. It's really daunting. Lauren managed to write it beautifully in a sickening way. There was so much blood and guts! I was envisioning the whole thing as a movie and am now positive it would be rated R. Anyways, I admire how Lauren was able to write such realistic action into her supernatural story!

The Moral:

I personally believe this book's moral was about breaking out of your shell, and standing up for yourself and others. I didn't like how it seemed to sweep forgiveness to the sidelines. Thankfully, the goodhearted characters made up for that. There were some intense kissing scenes, but nothing terrible. A few worthy curses, well placed without being overdone. All in all, I loved the book!