Merry Christmas!

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Need

The following synopsis of Need by Carrie Jones comes from her website.

Zara collects phobias the way other high school girls collect lipsticks. Little wonder, since life’s been pretty rough so far. Her father left, her stepfather just died, and her mother’s pretty much checked out. Now Zara’s living with her grandmother in sleepy, cold Maine so that she stays “safe.” Zara doesn’t think she’s in danger; she thinks her mother can’t deal.

Wrong. Turns out that guy she sees everywhere, the one leaving trails of gold glitter, isn’t a figment of her imagination. He’s a pixie—and not the cute, lovable kind with wings. He’s the kind who has dreadful, uncontrollable needs. And he’s trailing Zara.

My Thoughts:

The Cover:

At first, I wasn't a fan of the cover and I had not planned on reading it after I saw it, but then I read about the story and I decided it was right up my alley and the cover has since grown on me. It represents the story well. The gold dust is an important part of the story and I love that the cover has it on the girl's eyelid. The trees on her neck are also an important aspect in that, the words are were she is most vulnerable. The title is PERFECT. I wondered what it meant, if it really meant anything at all, and it does.

The Book:

Zara (like Sara but with a 'Z') is a phobia fanatic that is dealing with her stepfather's death. He was the one to raise her and is the only father she's ever known. She not only loses her father, but she loses everything about her life when she moves to Maine to live with Betty, her stepfather's mother. (I love Betty) Zara quickly makes friends with two underdogs that are simply lovely, Issie and Devyn, and of course the resident hottie, Nick. Nick is not only a "cool" guy at school, but he's friends with the underdogs which makes him that much more likable.

Zara knows all kinds of phobias and recites them to get through tough situations, and I liked that. I think phobias are totally interesting and to learn more while reading a fun and creepy fantasy novel is pretty awesome.

I found myself wanting to read while I wasn't and thinking about this book after I had finished. I am eagerly awaiting the sequel, Captivate.

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I think I like this cover even more than Need. I find that fact that the gold dust is coming out ofthe eye even cooler than her lips being gold dusted.

99 Years Overdue

My sister linked me to this article about a book that was 99 years overdue. The book fine came to $361.35. It was due on May 10th 1910!

They plan to display the book.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091216/ap_on_fe_st/us_odd_really_overdue_book

Definitely check that out.

Deadly Little Lies

The following synopsis of Deadly Little Lies by Laurie Faria Stolarz is from her website's page for the book.

Last fall, sixteen-year-old Camelia fell for Ben, a new boy at school who had a very mysterious gift – psychometry, the ability to sense the future through touch. But just as Camelia and Ben's romance began to heat up, he abruptly left town. Brokenhearted, Camelia has spent the last few months studying everything she can about psychometry and experiencing strange brushes with premonition. Camelia wonders if Ben's abilities have somehow been transferred to her.

Ben returns to school, but he remains aloof, and Camelia can't get close enough to share her secret with him. Camelia makes the painful decision to let him go and move on. Adam, the hot new guy at Knead, seems good for her in ways Ben wasn't. But when Camelia and Adam start dating, a surprising love triangle results. A chilling sequence of events uncovers secrets from Ben’s past – and Adam's. Someone is lying, and it's up to Camelia to figure out who – before it's too late.

My Thoughts:

The Cover:

I love this cover even more than the first! I'm a huge fan of umbrellas and rain, so this cover caught my eye. I like that it is similar to the first one, but not the same. The similarities are the fonts and the design around the title, which I love. And then that the picture is of a girl and you can't see a face. And I just love this cover. It makes me anxious for the next one! (Deadly Little Game)

Warning: Do not read beyond this point if you have not read Deadly Little Secret.

The Book:

Deadly Little Lies is a chilling sequel to Deadly Little Secret. I wasn't sure what was going to happen in this book to make it connect to the first, other than the characters and continuing on with the life of Camelia where it left off in the first. The first one was suspenseful and, in all honesty, a bit scary. This sequel not only picked up where we left off with the first one and developed Camelia's past and, of course, her present, (I don't think that's how I wanted to word that last sentence.) but it had the same, suspense and creep feel as the first without being repetitive.

Camelia's life starts to go back to normal, but Ben comes back, and of course, so do the complications in her life. She thought that once she resolved things with Ben she could continue on with a semi-normal life; as normal a life can be for a girl that has been held hostage, nearly hit by a car, and seems to be developing psychometric powers, but that is definitely not the case.

New side-stories were introduced that Laurie Faria Stolarz has set up for an amazing third book and I can't wait to get my hands on Deadly Little Game.

Deadly Little Secret

The following synopsis of Deadly Little Secret by Laurie Faria Stolarz is from her website's page for the book.

Some secrets shouldn't be kept...

Until three months ago, everything about sixteen-year-old Camelia's life had been fairly ordinary: decent grades; an okay relationship with her parents; and a pretty cool part-time job at an art studio downtown. But when Ben, the mysterious new guy, starts junior year at her high school, Camelia's life becomes far from ordinary.

Rumored to be somehow responsible for his ex-girlfriend's accidental death, Ben is immediately ostracized by everyone on campus. Except for Camelia. She's reluctant to believe he's trouble, even when her friends try to convince her otherwise. Instead she's inexplicably drawn to Ben...and to his touch. But soon, Camelia is receiving eerie phone calls and strange packages with threatening notes. Ben insists she is in danger, and that he can help – but can he be trusted? She knows he's hiding something...but he's not the only one with a secret.

My Thoughts:

The Cover:

I think this cover is very attention getting and intriguing. The cover is what first attracted me to this book, then the title, I mean, seriously. Deadly Little Secret? That's an awesome name! The next thing was that it says "A Touch Novel" which means only one thing...sequels! And I love books in series. And finally, I read the inside flap and did further digging online and discovered that, yes, this book IS something I want to read.

So, whoever said, "Don't judge a book by its cover" was sort of wrong, if only because the cover is extremely important. It's what GETS the readers' attention at first and often can tell you a bit about the story, whether it's about the plot, the characters, or just the genre.

The Book:

The opening line, "I could have died three months ago.", is an awesome way to start a book. I find that starting a book like that makes the reader want to find out why, how, when, etc. and now, because you're interested, the author has you, and now you can't go back. That's how this book was for me. I simply had to know what she, the character Camelia, experienced; what happened three months, why and how she's still alive, what's going on now and of course as soon as I found out the answer to those burning questions, I was intrigued. I wanted to know more about the mysterious boy and what his deal was.

This story was gripping and suspenseful and while I read I was almost completely unaware of anything around me; I was fully immersed. I was even a little freaked out later on while I wasn't reading.

The entire plot was very well done, the story never revealing too much, or if you're like me (and trying to figure out the sender of the notes and gifts from what was there) enough information. I was trying to figure it out and I went back and forth, and I never really could decide and think, "Yeah, that's who I think it is" She had me trusting no one, suspecting everyone.

I would suggest this to anyone who likes to read paranormal, YA books with a bit of mystery, suspense, romance, and maybe even a little horror.

Kiss Me Kill Me & Kisses and Lies

So, I recently finished reading Kiss Me Kill Me, very quickly followed by Kisses and Lies by Lauren Henderson.

http://www.laurenhenderson.net/index

This synopsis for Kiss Me Kill Me is from Lauren Henderson's website:

When 16-year-old Scarlett Wakefield transfers from St. Tabby’s to Wakefield Hall Collegiate, she is relieved that no one knows her dark, haunting secret. A few months ago, Scarlett was invited to an elite party with a guest list full of the hottest names in British society, including Dan McAndrew. Before the party, Scarlett had only imagined what it would be like to have her first kiss with Dan, but on the penthouse terrace, Dan leaned in close and she no longer had to wonder.

Their kiss was beautiful and perfect and magical, and then... Dan McAndrew took his last breath as she held him in her arms. No one knows how or why Dan died, and everyone at St. Tabby’s believes Scarlett had something to do with it. But now that she’s safely hidden away at Wakefield Hall, Scarlett would rather forget that it ever happened. Only she can’t. Especially when she receives an anonymous note that will set her on the path to clearing her name and finding out what really happened to the first and last boy she kissed.

My thoughts:

The Cover:

I think this cover is good and I love that there are two fonts used for the title. It also works with the story and the title.

The book:

This book is full of suspense and twists, but also blossoming

relationships and 'normal' teenage problem.

Kiss Me Kill Me is a gripping page-turner as Scarlett investigates the

death of Dan McAndrew in order to clear her name. She is a relatable

teenage girl that just wants to live a normal life and I like that.

Don't Read This If You Haven't Read Kiss Me Kill Me

This synopsis for Kisses and Lies is from Lauren Henderson's website:

After discovering that someone saw what looked like Dan’s emergency EpiPen in A-lister Plum’s designer handbag, Scarlett and her tough American sidekick, Taylor, sneak into a posh London nightclub, where Plum has a private table. Scarlett is stunned to discover a piece of evidence that might implicate another girl in Plum’s exclusive circle, Lucy Raleigh. Which means Scarlett must cast a wider net in order to catch the right suspect.

Back at school, groundskeeper Jase is hoping to take Scarlett’s mind off her troubles with some heart-stopping kisses. Scarlett can’t help but feel guilty for indulging in romantic rendezvous when she should be hunting down Dan’s killer. However, once Scarlett finds out how Lucy is connected to Dan, she knows she must drop everything and travel to the McAndrew estate in Scotland to hunt for more clues. But when she arrives, Scarlett becomes the target of a dangerous hunt herself.

My thoughts:

The cover:

The Book:

I enjoyed Kisses and Lies even more than Kiss Me Kill Me. This sequel has even MORE page-turning suspense. I could not put

this one down. In this one, Scarlett is continuing her quest to clear her

name, but now it becomes even more important to her to solve. Now it's

more for closure and to solve the mystery of Dan's death and even turns into a deadly survival game. Scarlett must now watch her back and the

entire time, Scarlett doesn't know who to trust and neither does the

reader.

At certain parts of this story, I found my heart pounding with anticipation and suspense while Scarlett investigated Dan's death.

When I finished reading this book, I wanted to talk about it and I

thoroughly enjoyed this one.

I eagerly await the third in the series, Kiss in the Dark, which will be

released April 13th 2010.

The cover:

I like the one the best of the three in the series.