Gone by Lisa McMann

Gone

The third and final book in the paranormal teen series that includes The New York Times bestseller Wake and Fade.
Things should be great for Janie--she has graduated from high school and is spending her summer with Cabel, the guy she's totally in love with. But deep down she's panicking about how she's going to survive her future when getting sucked into other people's dreams is really starting to take its toll. Things get even more complicated when she meets her father for the very first time--and he's in a coma. As Janie uncovers his secret past, she begins to realize that the choice thought she had has more dire consequences than she ever imagined.

At First Sight:
I just love all the covers of this series. They are symbolic and yet simple. There's not too much that crowds the cover which is basically how I like them. I've read this series and I've fallen in love and learned to appreciate Lisa's style of writing.

My Thoughts:
I was afraid to know how this series will end but I think that it really tied up all the knots that were necessary. It left enough amibuity to let the reader imagine how Janie's future will be like.

This book was emotional, and sometimes hard to read. But it was Lisa's lyrical and poetic style of writing that made me stay reading the story. I really loved Janie's character and I thought that throughout the series, she's really grown to accept who she is and what she can do.

Overall, it was a good end to a series, it was not explosive like some thrillers are but it was peaceful and left a good feeling at the end.

In one sentence:
"Stunning."

Plot: 5
Writing: 5
Characters: 5
Cover: 5
Overall Feeling: 5
Average: 5

The Secret of Scarlet Stone by T.L. Clarke

The Secret of the Scarlet Stone

Can You Help the Gabby Girls Solve the Clues?The Gabby Girls Adventure begins at the Vineswell Academy a very formal and strict elite all-girls school located just outside of upstate New York. The Gabby Girls, Gabrielle who is street-smart and very opinionated, Zora who is super-smart, Jessica who is painfully shy and a bit clumsy; and Rosalinda who is a diva and daddy's little-girl. They are drawn together by the only thing that they have in common, which is the mysterious scarlet pendant they each possess. But things seem even stranger when they find a clue that tempts them with the answer to the question they have longed to know. This unlikely bunch struggle to navigate through solving clue-after-clue. Each clue brings them closer to the key to unlocking their future and the answer to the mysterious deaths of their mothers. After all, Gabby Girls always stick together and everyday is an.........Gabby Girls Adventure! (edited by author)

Received from author.

Gabby Girls takes place in an elite all-girls school. Four girls, united by the secret of their pendants, get together to solve the mystery and discover their legacy.

The novel is more MG than YA literature. It's cute in some parts while in others, unfortunately, it's quite dull.

The good thing about this novel:
1) It has a good premise that catches the reader's attention.
2) It has a good ending, making the reader anticipate the second installment.

Now, to the bad things, which slightly outnumber and outweight the good things.
1) The book is flooded with adverbs. And I know this may not be major to some people, as a writer and avid reader, it bothered me. I couldhandle one or two in a page, but this novel had more than three in almost every sentence.

2) The dialog. The dialog was another problem for me. It was unreallistic and very cliched. It made me groan almost every time a girl said something because I just couldn't believe it.

3) The characters. While at times the characters do redeemed themselves, they didn't really pull it off for me. They're unrealistic and quite bratty and snotty. There's no way I could relate to the girls, especially when they were so mean and spoiled. I've read books where characters were spoiled before but those characters had a vulnerable side, too. These were just flat.

Overall, the writing didn't impress me at all, the characters made it unreadable sometimes and I thought about quitting it a few times, actually. The only thing that redeemed at least a bit was the ending which did leave me slightly interested in the next book.

In one sentence:
"Flat characters, a weak dialog and writing left me a bit annoyed with this book."

Plot: 3
Characters: 1.5
Writing: 2
Cover: 3
Overall Feeling: 1.5
Average: 2.2 stars

The People of Sparks (Ember Series #2) by Jeanne DuPrau

The People of Sparks

The People of Sparks picks up where The City of Ember leaves off. Lina and Doon have emerged from the underground city to the exciting new world above, and it isn’t long before they are followed by the other inhabitants of Ember. The Emberites soon come across a town where they are welcomed, fed, and given places to sleep. But the town’s resources are limited and it isn’t long before resentment begins to grow between the two groups. When anonymous acts of vandalism push them toward violence, it’s up to Lina and Doon to discover who’s behind the vandalism and why, before it’s too late.

I borrowed this book

The People of Sparks is the sequel to The City Of Ember. It was a long time ago since I read the first book but I saw the oportunity to pick up the second so I did.

The People of sparks doesn't have the adventure and sense of danger that Ember did but the themes are a bit more mature and you can really see a struggling society trying to make it. There are some events that are quite surprising that I love how the author handled it (or the characters did, whatever).

Like before, Jeanne provides a simple yet flowing narrative. The characters are so relatable, they can be your best friends! I am now wishing for a Doon/Lina relationship but only just because I'm a sap for those kinds of things, I'll have to see.

This is a short review, the book doesn't have that fast paced action Ember did and it's quite a dull book throughout but I have many hopes for the future books and can't wait to see more of these amazing cast of characters.

In one sentence:
"A dull sequel but with promise."

Plot: 3
Characters: 4
Writing: 5
Cover: 5
Overall Feeling: 4
Average: 4.2

City Of Glass by Cassandra Clare

City Of Glass

CONTAINS SPOILERS
To save her mother's life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters -- never mind that entering the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight.
As Clary uncovers more about her family's past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadow-hunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadow-hunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he's willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her new found powers to help save the Glass City -- whatever the cost?

Love is a mortal sin and the secrets of the past prove deadly as Clary and Jace face down Valentine in the final installment of the New York Times bestselling trilogy The Mortal Instruments.

I read this book last year and I loved it! The action starts from the very beginning and it's non stop.

I love how Clary and Jace are in this book. If I were reading it for the first time, I'd say I'd also really liked Sebastian but knowing the end, he's definitely on my hate list. I even hate him more than Valantine.

Great secreats are revealed and it's full of twists and turns. I read 200 pages of this book in less than two days --and two busy days, to say the least.

I love this book and although I think it's a great final installment, I can't wait until City Of Fallen Angels. I. Just. Can't. So, Cassandra Clare, if you're reading this, please please let me have an ARC to review. I'm that desperate :).

In one sentence:
"Powerful and entertaining at its best."

Plot: 5
Characters: 5
Writing: 5
Cover: 5 (I just f'n love it!)
Overall Feeling: 5
Average: 5

The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and The Olympians, #2) by Rick Riordan

Sea Of Monsters
SPOILER WARNING

After a summer spent trying to prevent a catastrophic war among the Greek gods, Percy Jackson is finding his seventh-grade school year unnervingly quiet. His biggest problem is dealing with his new friend, Tyson, a six-foot-three, mentally challenged homeless kid who follows Percy everywhere, making it hard for Percy to have any normal friends. But things don't stay quiet for long.

Percy soon discovers there is trouble at Camp Half-Blood: the magical borders that protect Half-Blood Hill have been poisoned by a mysterious enemy, and the only safe haven for demigods is on the verge of being overrun by mythological monsters. To save the camp, Percy needs the help of his best friend, Grover, who has been taken prisoner on an island somewhere in the Sea of Monsters, the dangerous waters Greek heroes have sailed for millennia. Only today, the Sea of Monsters goes by a new name: The Bermuda Triangle.

Together with his friends, Percy must retrieve the Golden Fleece from the Island of the Cyclopes or Camp Half-Blood will be destroyed. But first, Percy will learn a stunning new secret about his family, one that makes him question whether being claimed as Poseidon's son is an honor or simply a cruel joke.

What an awesome sequel! Let me say, I've always been a bit reluctant to read the series because, well, it's for younger kids. But it's such a fantastic adventure full of myths, humor, and the kick-ass action.

Percy Jackson is a funny kid, he's believable and his action, although intensified because of his demi-god statues, are real and right for his age. He and his friends embark for a new quest that's even harder than the one before.

The family secret, I don't want to spoil it, but it adds a new spice to the books. It makes the stakes higher and at first, I wasn't glad for it (like Percy) but then I saw how it made sense and appreciated it.  And the finish, oh, my god(s) it will leave you wanting the next book, and fast!

Although it's a bit slower paced than the first, you can tell that the story is taking a very constant pace and everything starts to happen pretty quickly (contradiction? ay me, I never know what I'm talking about). It has some pretty intense parts, too.

In one sentence:
"Percy Jackson has me in love with mythology!"

Plot: 4
Characters: 5
Writing: 5
Cover: 5
Overall Feeling: 5
Average: 4.8