Illusions of Fate

by Kiersten White

ISBN: 9780062135896
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: September 9th 2014
Number of Pages: 288
Source: Local Library
Goodreads Summary: Jessamin has been an outcast since she moved from her island home of Melei to the dreary country of Albion. Everything changes when she meets Finn, a gorgeous, enigmatic young lord who introduces her to the secret world of Albion’s nobility, a world that has everything Jessamin doesn’t—power, money, status…and magic. But Finn has secrets of his own, dangerous secrets that the vicious Lord Downpike will do anything to possess. Unless Jessamin, armed only with her wits and her determination, can stop him.

My Rating:  

Kiersten White never fails me! I love every book I've read by her (I only have one left to read - The Chaos of Stars) This book is a wonderful mix of romance and magic with underlying tones reminiscent of colonial times.

Jessamin (such a unique name, which has part of my name in it, so it pretty much rocks) has left her beloved island home of Melei to come to the county of Albion to gain an education (though women can't study math & science, which is what she really is interested in!). She runs into a spot of trouble and a handsome young lord, Finn, steps in to help her.

She is then dragged into this battle between Finn and Lord Downpike, the Minister of Defense.

 

"Yes, sir, I am hiding from two mad magicians, one of whom tortured me, and the other of whom wishes to set me up in a beautiful estate with servants and anything I require." - Illusions of Fate, 101

In addition to all the magic (I love the back story of the royal families), there is this quite a bit of blatant commentary on colonization.

In one of her classes, the teacher (also Jessamin's father, who of course refuses to acknowledge her presence) asks his students what top "improvements" have been made through colonization. The answer?

"Improved infrastructure. Eradication of pagan superstitions and beliefs. Education. Increased safety with Alben police forces and state protection. Introduction of advanced medical discipline." - Illusions of Fate, 11

To this, Jessamin asks,

"What about the steep rise in infant morality for the period of twenty years after colonization. Taking Melei as an example, death rates among infants went from one in ten to one in five and have only recently begun to taper off." - Illusions of Fate, 11

There are references to the dark color of her skin and even her temperament: 

"You have all the spirit and passion they've been careful to breed out of Alben women."- Illusions of Fate, 70

We have the lovable characters of Sir Bird (who freaked me out at first, but he grew on me!) and Eleanor! She was my favorite character I think. Playing the dumb blonde but really is one smart cookie ;)

Lots of romance but I love the fact that Jessamin insists on being independent. She doesn't need a man to take care of her and that is that. Her interactions with Finn made me smile.

Overall, an excellent STANDALONE book featuring my favorite things: magic & romance!

*Interesting fact: Albion, is the oldest name for the island of Great Britain!

Parallel

by Lauren Miller

ISBN: 9780062199782
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: April 8th 2014
Number of Pages: 448
Source: Local Library 
Goodreads Summary: Abby Barnes had a plan. The Plan. She'd go to Northwestern, major in journalism, and land a job at a national newspaper, all before she turned twenty-two. But one tiny choice—taking a drama class her senior year of high school—changed all that. Now, on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, Abby is stuck on a Hollywood movie set, miles from where she wants to be, wishing she could rewind her life. The next morning, she's in a dorm room at Yale, with no memory of how she got there. Overnight, it's as if her past has been rewritten.

With the help of Caitlin, her science-savvy BFF, Abby discovers that this new reality is the result of a cosmic collision of parallel universes that has Abby living an alternate version of her life. And not only that: Abby's life changes every time her parallel self makes a new choice. Meanwhile, her parallel is living out Abby's senior year of high school and falling for someone Abby's never even met.

As she struggles to navigate her ever-shifting existence, forced to live out the consequences of a path she didn't choose, Abby must let go of the Plan and learn to focus on the present, without losing sight of who she is, the boy who might just be her soul mate, and the destiny that's finally within reach.

My Rating: 

I have a friend who read this book and ended up liking it better than Just Like Fate. I just had to read it to find out why! You can read my review of Just Like Fate here.

I really enjoyed this realistic fiction with a slight science fiction twist. Abby wakes up one day to discover that one choice several months ago altered her future drastically. She is now living the life she would have had if she had made a different choice than the one she originally had. But now, every day she wakes up with none of the past memories her "alter" made and she must discover how all the little choices she makes/made affect her life today.

Such an interesting book that shows the consequences of our decisions and yet, somehow you always end up where you need to be.  

The Half Life of Molly Pierce

by Katrina Leno

ISBN: 9780062231178
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: July 8th 2014
Number of Pages: 240

Source: Local Library

Goodreads Summary: You take it for granted. Waking up. Going to school, talking to your friends. Watching a show on television or reading a book or going out to lunch.

You take for granted going to sleep at night, getting up the next day, and remembering everything that happened to you before you closed your eyes.

You live and you remember.

Me, I live and I forget.

But now—now I am remembering. 

For all of her seventeen years, Molly feels like she’s missed bits and pieces of her life. Now, she’s figuring out why. Now, she’s remembering her own secrets. And in doing so, Molly uncovers the separate life she seems to have led…and the love that she can’t let go.

The Half Life of Molly Pierce is a suspenseful, evocative psychological mystery about uncovering the secrets of our pasts, facing the unknowns of our futures, and accepting our whole selves.

My Rating:  

This was a good psychological read. If you enjoyed 34 Pieces of You or Pretty Girl-13, this is similar.

Molly is an intriguing character. She wakes up in different places and has no clue how she got there or where the time lost was spent. She also doesn't think people notice her "zoning" out but a few do seem to know what's going on.

One curious thing is that Molly is seeing a therapist after it seems like she mentioned killing herself last year. She doesn't mention her blackouts to him. 

But then she literally runs into a stranger who seems to know her, but he is lying on the pavement dying, 

"'I don't know how you know me,' I say. I choke. 'I don't know who you are.' 'I know,' he says, 'but I had to try.'"- The Half Life of Molly Pierce, 12

Thus starts the thrilling story of Molly and her relationship with the dead boy's brother, Sayer.

I liked all the characters and I guessed Molly's secret pretty quickly - that didn't stop me from reading this book in one sitting (it's also pretty short!) It was a unique perspective and I enjoyed the book.

Buzz Kill

by Beth Fantaskey

ISBN: 9780547393100
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: May 6th 2014
Number of Pages: 368
Source: Local Library

Goodreads Summary: In this fresh and funny teen mystery, seventeen-year-old Millie joins forces with her classmate, gorgeous but mysterious Chase Albright, to try to find out who murdered Coach Killdare.

Putting the dead in deadline

To Bee or not to Bee? When the widely disliked Honeywell Stingers football coach is found murdered, 17-year-old Millie is determined to investigate. She is chasing a lead for the school newspaper - and looking to clear her father, the assistant coach, and prime suspect.

Millie's partner is gorgeous, smart-and keeping secrets
Millie joins forces with her mysterious classmate Chase who seems to want to help her even while covering up secrets of his own.

She's starting to get a reputation…without any of the benefits.
Drama-and bodies-pile up around Millie and she chases clues, snuggles Baxter the so-ugly-he's-adorable bassett hound, and storms out of the world's most awkward school dance/memorial mash-up. At least she gets to eat a lot of pie.

My Rating:  

This is a very funny book surrounding the mystery of the high school football coach Killdare's murder. Which, I got a kick out of his name being KILLdare. 

Here's a sample of some of the humorous stuff you will read in this book:

"Big Pete gave me the quote of a lifetime, albeit one that I couldn't have put in a G-rated school newspaper article, even if I'd been able to write anything down.
'Holy ****! It's a dead guy -- on a John Deere!'" 
- Buzz Kill, 27

"...I found myself doodling a picture of the heavyset, universally despised coach with a knife in his chest and x's for eyes, next to the word "Inevitable?" And just to pass the time, I inked a list of suspects, if the murder ever really did happen." - Buzz Kill, 4-5

Little did Millie know that when she wrote this list of suspects that the coach would end up dead and who should be the number one suspect? Her dad.  Millie must deal with a detective who has a grudge against her father and her nemesis, Vivienne Fitch, who is doing all she can to "report" all the evidence that is piling up. 

Millie teams up with the mysterious Chase, who is a perfect match for Millie, to solve the crime & clear her father's name. Chase's back story is realistic and heartbreaking. 

We also have the AWESOME librarian/confidante Ms. Isabel Parkins who has wonderful fashion sense and a secret of her own...I didn't see that coming!

The story line for the most part progresses pretty quickly and the funny bits keep the story light. Millie is a fun character who thinks herself a modern day Nancy Drew (but one who isn't a sissy). 

Overall, a fun read that I would highly recommend to those that want to read a less serious mystery book. 

Prisoner of Night and Fog

by Anne Blankman

Series: Book #1 (no series title as of yet)
ISBN: 9780062278814
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publication Date: April 22nd 2014
Number of Pages: 401
Source: Local Library

Goodreads Summary: In 1930s Munich, danger lurks behind dark corners, and secrets are buried deep within the city. But Gretchen Müller, who grew up in the National Socialist Party under the wing of her "uncle" Dolf, has been shielded from that side of society ever since her father traded his life for Dolf's, and Gretchen is his favorite, his pet.

Uncle Dolf is none other than Adolf Hitler.

And Gretchen follows his every command.

Until she meets a fearless and handsome young Jewish reporter named Daniel Cohen. Gretchen should despise Daniel, yet she can't stop herself from listening to his story: that her father, the adored Nazi martyr, was actually murdered by an unknown comrade. She also can't help the fierce attraction brewing between them, despite everything she's been taught to believe about Jews.

As Gretchen investigates the very people she's always considered friends, she must decide where her loyalties lie. Will she choose the safety of her former life as a Nazi darling, or will she dare to dig up the truth—even if it could get her and Daniel killed?

My Rating:  

"Gretchen exhaled a shaky breath. The Jew is my eternal enemy. Those words had guided her heart for twelve years, thanks to her honorary "uncle" Dolf. She owed him so much. He had taught her about art and music, all the things that her father hadn't understood and her mother found dull." Prisoner of Night and Fog, 6

 Gretchen Müller is a 17 year old German who sees Adolf Hitler as an uncle. Her father died saving Hitler's life, giving Gretchen and her family a special place within Hitler's ranks. Gretchen has been taught to hate Jews her whole life but when a (cute) Jewish reporter, Daniel, makes contact, her whole life is flipped upside down. He insists that her father was murdered. As she explores this possibility with Daniel, she starts to realize that what she took as facts may indeed be lies. 

"She saw the truth now. The man she had loved as a father was a fraud. He kissed the backs of her hands and advocated war; he ruffled her hair and preached death; he had played with her on the carpet with toy soldiers, and all along he had been planning the extinction of an entire people." Prisoner of Night and Fog, 215

This was a very moving story and beautifully written. Most of the stories written about this time period are told from a Jewish perspective, now we have a German view. The way this story is told is realistic, and yes, some of the things said and done by other Germans are crude and inhumane. I appreciate that Blankman didn't sugarcoat things and depicted life as it would have been.

I recommend this to anyone who is a fan of historical fiction. It will appeal to those that like mysteries and it does have a romance too :)

It seems that this will be book 1 in a series and I will be continuing Gretchen & Daniel's journey whenever Blankman decides to write it!

In the Shadows

by Kiersten White & Jim Di Bartolo

ISBN: 9780545561440

Publisher: Scholastic Press
Publication Date: April 29th 2014
Number of Pages: 384

Source: Local Library
Goodreads Summary: From the remarkable imagination of acclaimed artist Jim Di Bartolo and the exquisite pen of bestselling author Kiersten White comes a spellbinding story of love, mystery, and dark conspiracy, told in an alternating narrative of words and pictures. 

Cora and Minnie are sisters living in a small, stifling town where strange and mysterious things occur. Their mother runs the local boarding house. Their father is gone. The woman up the hill may or may not be a witch.

Thomas and Charles are brothers who’ve been exiled to the boarding house so Thomas can tame his ways and Charles can fight an illness that is killing him with increasing speed. Their family history is one of sorrow and guilt. They think they can escape from it . . . but they can’t.

My Rating:  

This book gets props for being an uniquely told story. We have a text story with graphics intermixed that tell a story as well. It was a little confusing to me, but by the end of the story, all of it comes together and VIOLA = makes sense! I did go back after figuring it out and "re-read" the graphics. 

The characters are positively creepy and the story is shrouded in secrets. We do get the point of view of all of the characters and I liked "hearing" from all of them. 

Two brothers (Thomas & Charles), two sisters (Cora & Minnie) and the broody Arthur (who may or may not be related to Cora & Minnie) make up our little group. Lots of "I like him but he likes her" and "I like her but it's my duty to protect her instead." So there is romance in addition to the adventure and mystery.

This story doesn't focus on the "supernatural" aspects until the end, it is more of a story where things that can't be explained happen and danger lurks around every corner - the kids aren't even safe in their boarding house! 

"'I'm sorry,' Cora whispered. 'Please don't hurt me.'
'You don't need me for that, do you?' The witch's grin widened to reveal teeth that looked impossibly old and yellowed in her unlined face. 'People are very good at hurting themselves. I never have to do a thing.'" - In the Shadows, 34-35

I recommend this book for all fantasy lovers and any fans of Kiersten White! If you like comic books, this book filled with them will also appeal to you. This is a VERY QUICK READ (took me around an hour and a half!) and the ending makes up for the mysterious plot line!! 

"I do love it when they try to wrap their little minds around it all. The moment they realize what they are up against, and their hopes come crashing down. You can see a bit of their soul shriveling then and there." - In the Shadows, 297

The Here and Now

Here we have a new book by the popular author of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series. I received an ARC (ebook version) of this book in exchange for an honest review.

by Ann Brashares

ISBN: 9780385736800

Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: April 8th, 2014
Number of Pages: 288

Source: ebook (ARC)

Goodreads Summary: Follow the rules. Remember what happened. Never fall in love.

This is the story of seventeen-year-old Prenna James, who immigrated to New York when she was twelve. Except Prenna didn’t come from a different country. She came from a different time—a future where a mosquito-borne illness has mutated into a pandemic, killing millions and leaving the world in ruins. 

Prenna and the others who escaped to the present day must follow a strict set of rules: never reveal where they’re from, never interfere with history, and never, ever be intimate with anyone outside their community. Prenna does as she’s told, believing she can help prevent the plague that will one day ravage the earth. 

But everything changes when Prenna falls for Ethan Jarves.

My Rating:  

So many of the reviews I have been have been pretty negative. There are holes in the plot, the main character is dumb, and it's unrealistic. Well, I am going to be one of the positive reviewers (and not because I got a free copy..) It is my honest opinion. It is all about what you are expecting from the book.

We have time travelers from future who come to our present to escape the horrors of their time. They have to deal with a dengue fever epidemic (which actually sounds like a PANdemic) aka the blood plague. Here is a description of this disease from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

"Dengue hemorrhagic fever is characterized by a fever that lasts from 2 to 7 days, with general signs and symptoms consistent with dengue fever. When the fever declines, symptoms including persistent vomiting, severe abdominal pain, and difficulty breathing, may develop. This marks the beginning of a 24- to 48-hour period when the smallest blood vessels (capillaries) become excessively permeable (“leaky”), allowing the fluid component to escape from the blood vessels into the peritoneum (causing ascites) and pleural cavity (leading to pleural effusions). This may lead to failure of the circulatory system and shock, followed by death, if circulatory failure is not corrected."

I beg to disagree with those that say this future sounds unrealistic. To me, it sounds completely plausible. I guess it just depends on whether you believe global warming is happening/an issue. 

"The mosquito is the thing to worry about when the world gets wetter and hotter. Because when that happens, the mosquito's territory is everywhere and its season is always." The Here and Now, 28

So, the world goes to hell and some how the technology develops that a small group of people are able to travel back in time (present day is 2014, future time is around the 2020's). I do think there were some plot holes, but I wasn't reading this book as an accurate scientific explanation, I was reading it for fun. I think it works for the book.

One of the good things about this book is the length (less than 300 pages) - you are able to finish it pretty quickly. There was a little detour in the book, but with the time frame presented, it made sense to me.

The end left me a bit unsatisfied, but it makes sense with the past affecting future and the uncertainty Prenna now faces. 

Prenna as a character is sometimes not the brightest, but at that age, who exactly is? She has the task of "saving the world" and how would you handle that? I have to give her and the cute sweetheart Ethan credit for figuring out what they did. 

There are definitely some twists that kept the story interesting and I think if you go into this story with an open mind and looking for a quick read that makes you think, this book is for you. If you need exact explanations and a perfect main character, you will be disappointed. I liked that this book made you ponder about your place in this world and the choices you make affecting not only your future, but could have a ripple effect to the world as a whole.