Top Ten Tuesday #5: Best Friendship Reads

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish.

       I am a total sucker for books that have gorgeous friendships. I mean, who wouldn't? Here are my ten favourites.

   #1: Since You've Been Gone, by Morgan Matson

       Whenever someone asks me, "What is the best book that deals with friendship?," I always end up saying, Since You've Been Gone with no doubts. This book is so beautiful and I'd read it over and over again.

#2: The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky

         This is one of my all-time favourites. Charlie and Sam were just adorable together, and really, this book deserves all of the hype and fangirling. I STILL NEED TO SEE THE MOVIE!           

                                    #3: The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton

          This made me realize that I really need to re-read this again, soon. Thanks to seventh grade, this book has changed my life and so has its friendship inside.

#4: Maybe One Day, by Melissa Kantor

           One of the cancer stories that changed my life. Melissa Kantor grabs you with her protagonist's power, and you're unable to leave Olivia's side until the fierce ending.

#5: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, by Ann Brashares

             Who could forget about this old-time, chick-lit classic that sparked many teenagers' hearts and brought a gorgeous movie to life? This one is perfect, no doubt about it.

#6: The Lying Game, by Sara Shepard

             Although these two sisters never really ended up talking face to face, the relationship that they had with others and with each other in a way is unforgettable. This series was way better than PLL, and I recommend it for anyone looking for something different.

#7: The Summer I Turned Pretty, by Jenny Han

                This is the series that really changed my life looking into YA-contemporary lit. And, it also brought up the relationships between boys and girls--you can be just friends, you know. ;)

#8: Paper Towns, by John Green

              I can't wait for the movie of this (JULY 31, 2015) with Nat Wolff! Quentin and Margo not only had a romance, but a stunning friendship that literally left me dying for more. Sadly, no sequel... But I guess we can imagine what happens next. 

#9: To All the Boys I've Loved Before, by Jenny Han

             Yum! A Jenny Han duo! This literally had the best sister-love relationship I've ever seen. You got to see what I'm talking about here!

#10: Will Grayson, Will Grayson, by John Green and David Levithan

              Two boys who share the same name who fall in love? 

     So there you have it! What are your favourite friendship reads?

The Rule of Thirds, by Chantel Guertin

The Rule of Thirds (Pippa Greene #1), by Chantel Guertin

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance

Rating: 1/5 stars

Publication: October 1, 2013, by ECW Press

Format: Paperback Edition (borrowed)




Goodreads Summary: Sixteen-year-old Pippa Greene never goes anywhere without her camera. She and her best friend/supermodel-in-training Dace long ago mapped out their life plan: Pippa will be the noted fashion photographer, and Dace the cover girl. But ever since last spring, things have changed for Pippa — and her junior year at Spalding High proves to have its own set of challenges. Not only is Vantage Point, the statewide photography competition, in three short weeks, but her mandatory volunteer placement lands her at St. Christopher’s Hospital, a place Pippa never wanted to set foot in again. With humour and pluck, she navigates her new role as a candy striper (watch out for Code Yellows), her changing relationship with her best friend (goodbye Honesty Pact), and — perhaps most stressful of all — her new love interests (yes, love interests plural).

Will Pippa make it to Vantage Point without having a panic attack? Will either one of the guys prove less sketchy than her last boyfriend? Can she and Dace figure out a way to dream big and be best friends? One thing is certain: real life is a lot more complicated than a photograph.

Review:

        

    DNF @ 62 pages.

    I didn't like this book. At 62 pages, I decided that it wasn't for me so I put it down. I mean, it could've been amazing, if I was in the mood and liked those sort of things. But this was just one of those below-average contemporaries that are boring and predictable. Why waste my time reading this?

  

    This is probably the only 1 star review created. Well, I'm #sorrynotsorry to say that I don't even care! Haha! *giggles like a fool* 

     This was about a chick named Pippa (short form for Philadelphia) who likes photography. And that's basically it. There's a photography contest coming up and she needs to win. And yes, there's a bit of romance mixed in between.

         *sarcasm* 

         I don't feel like ranting about this, so let's just make everything clear here. 

• the plot sucked and bored me
• the idea made me go ?_? the whole time through
• the characters? Don't even get me started. I really didn't like Pippa because she was overly easy-going. You can take it to a certain level, but she made it all go extreme.
• romance? It was there, but nothing special and something I can live without.

          Ta da! There you have my opinion in four points. MAGIC! Don't read this book if you trust my word.

What Would Emma Do, by Eileen Cook

What Would Emma Do?, by Eileen Cook

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance

Rating: 3/5 stars

Publication: December 30, 2008, by Simon Pulse

Format: Paperback Edition (borrowed)




Goodreads Summary: Thou Shalt Not Kiss Thy Best Friend’s Boyfriend...again...

There is no greater sin than kissing your best friend’s boyfriend. So when Emma breaks that golden rule, she knows she’s messed up big-time...especially since she lives in the smallest town ever, where everyone knows everything about everyone else...and especially since she maybe kinda wants to do it again. Now her best friend isn’t speaking to her, her best guy friend is making things totally weird, and Emma is running full speed toward certain social disaster. This is so not the way senior year was supposed to go.

Time to pray for a minor miracle. Or maybe, just maybe, it’s time for Emma to stop trying to please everyone around her, and figure out what she wants for herself.

Review:

  Eileen Cook is a spectacular author. Now, to this day, I've read most of her books, which were all pleasing. This one, not so much compared to the others' spectacularity. In many ways, this will be a more grown-up Margaret from Judy Blume's Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.

   This is about Emma, who sinned a lot lately. She kissed her best friend's boyfriend, and her bestie's mom saw. That basically ruined a lot, and word gets around fast in a small town that Emma can't wait to get out of. All she can't wait for is to graduate, and to finally be free from everyone, including her strict non-understandable mother, who loves the small-town life. Now, many of the popular girls in her school are getting strange seizures, and it all leads to someone that Emma has come to know pretty well.

   

      This was me for a long period of the book. I was mainly waiting for something to happen, but I found that a lot of the plot and goodness from the book was dragged away. This ended up as a sort of no-plot book, because there really was no point to it. This was a book that took place in a few weeks of a girl's life. She has problems, yes, and she's average, though. Nothing too special about her, and that made her character bland and flat. Not too much for my liking.

        The plot was very dominated with Emma's feelings. She wasn't the most likeable character, but she was fine. I found that the author sticked with making Emma be the most important element of getting this book to be amazing, and that took all of the attention away from the rest of the book. Emma was likeable and relatable.

          The romance between Emma and Colin was beautiful, so beautiful. I just wish that it stayed...

            Too bad it wasn't a movie and I wasn't able to see it. :(

           Overall, this book was okay. It had its pros and cons, and although I do recommend it, I wouldn't say to put it at the top or close to the top of your TBR list. If you get to it, great, if not, no biggie. You're not missing out on too much--just an average contemporary with a twisty plot twist in the end.

Invisibility, by Andrea Cremer and David Levithan

Invisibility, by Andrea Cremer and David Levithan

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance, Paranormal, Magic

Rating: 3/5 stars

Publication: May 7, 2013, by Philomel

Format: Hardcover Edition (borrowed)




Goodreads Summary: Stephen has been invisible for practically his whole life — because of a curse his grandfather, a powerful cursecaster, bestowed on Stephen’s mother before Stephen was born. So when Elizabeth moves to Stephen’s NYC apartment building from Minnesota, no one is more surprised than he is that she can see him. A budding romance ensues, and when Stephen confides in Elizabeth about his predicament, the two of them decide to dive headfirst into the secret world of cursecasters and spellseekers to figure out a way to break the curse. But things don’t go as planned, especially when Stephen’s grandfather arrives in town, taking his anger out on everyone he sees. In the end, Elizabeth and Stephen must decide how big of a sacrifice they’re willing to make for Stephen to become visible — because the answer could mean the difference between life and death. At least for Elizabeth.


Review:

"I was cursed, but I was not meant to curse others. I was different, yes, but I was no less human than anyone else. So I had to act human, even when I wasn't feeling human at all."

  

    No, NO. After reading this book, I have decided that I don't want to ever become invisible. If someone ever asked you what superpower you'd like to have--don't say invisibility, because Stephen's story really shows the consequences and negatives of this "power."

    "It isn't loneliness, really. Because loneliness comes from thinking you can be involved in the world, but aren't. Being invisible is being solitary without the potential of being anything but solitary. So after a while, you step aside from the world. It's like you're in a theater, alone in the audience, and everything is happening on the stage."

     Yeah, it sucks. This is about Stephen, who was born invisible. His mom said that it was caused by a curse, but no one knows the true answer now that she's dead. His father left, and sixteen-year old Stephen has been on his own since then. He is not able to see how he looks, and no one can see him, except Elizabeth. Elizabeth moves in two doors down with her mother and brother, Laurie. They fall in love immediately (yes, instalove), and when she finds out that she's the only one, they all go on a search for the answer and cure. This involves witches and cursemakers, and Stephen's also-invisible grandfather.

     Invisibility is a great idea, but the way it was portrayed was in a cliche way. It had the Twilight idea. Boy meets girl, boy has a secret, then the girl freaks out but loves him anyway. There's not a real problem, but it was too cheesy for my liking. Yes, there's insta-love.

       That was one of the problems. The plot was also weak at times. The beginning was strong, but when the insta-love came, I was saddened. Elizabeth really showed that she could be unique and artsy, but she ended up being a snob and easy. That's when the middle went crazy and she started getting into witch-craft. I was like:

       The ending then got really good and was totally unexpected. But really, the plot was all meh. 

       This book had its strong funny moments, and had good characters. Stephen was adorable, and so was Laurie, while I had some problems with Elizabeth. I preferred Stephen's POVs rather than Elizabeth's.

        "He did manage to snare someone else in the building already. A boy who lives upstairs...Five-C." "Sean," Stephen says. "Oh." I tilt my head, taking in his thoughtful expression. "You know him?" He balks. "A little. I think he prefers books to people." "I'm the last person who'd call that a character flaw," I say.

         I think that these two authors could've done much better. Together, they created a novel that's less quality than they could do by themselves. I love both of them and they're writing, but this has weakened. Overall, this was a "meh" read. Nothing too special.

        "News flash," he says. "I'm gay not a witch. Gay and witch is Dumbledore, and last time I checked, he was still just a guy in a book."

         "For the first time since she died, I felt certainty. It was a flash of certainty: I was going to die. And the reason I was going to die was that I was going to throw myself over the edge. It was the only solution. It was like all the other options had fallen away and all the walls had closed in, and the only thing that was left in the narrowness was the one exit, the one escape."

          "I wish I could simply be her boyfriend. I wish we didn't have all of these shadows swirling around us. But even if they weren't there, I'd still face the everyday, extraordinary challenge of being a boyfriend. A good boyfriend. There are times--times like now--when I wonder if being invisible is the only thing I'm good at. It feels like there's too much to catch up on, too much that everyone else already knows. If we build our current relationships from the relics of old relationships, I am starting without any material."

The Kiss of Deception, by Mary E. Pearson

The Kiss of Deception (The Remnant Chronicles #1), by Mary E. Pearson

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, Historical-Fiction, Adventure

Rating: 5/5 stars

Publication: July 8, 2014, by Henry Holt

Format: Hardcover Edition (borrowed, but WILL BUY ASAP)




Goodreads Summary: A princess must find her place in a reborn world.

She flees on her wedding day.

She steals ancient documents from the Chancellor's secret collection.

She is pursued by bounty hunters sent by her own father.

She is Princess Lia, seventeen, First Daughter of the House of Morrighan.

The Kingdom of Morrighan is steeped in tradition and the stories of a bygone world, but some traditions Lia can't abide. Like having to marry someone she's never met to secure a political alliance.

Fed up and ready for a new life, Lia flees to a distant village on the morning of her wedding. She settles in among the common folk, intrigued when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her. Deceptions swirl and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—secrets that may unravel her world—even as she feels herself falling in love.

Review:

  "We screamed, we yelled with all the power of our lungs, knowing the wind, hills, and distance plucked our nervous freedom from any ears that might listen. We screamed with giddy abandon and a primal need to believe in our flight. if we didn't believe, fear would overtake us. I already felt it nipping at my back as I pushed harder."

   Mary E. Pearson is one of my favourite authors, period. I ADORED THE KISS OF DECEPTION in ways that you're unable to understand. 

     Beautiful book...

      I adored this book to death. It's probably my favourite book that was published this year, right next to Dissonance, by Erica O'Rourke. Pearson is the newest Stephen King, or any super popular and amazing author to qualify her as. 

      I originally had this at a 4.5 star rating, but now when I think about it, it definitely deserves a 5. I got that excited feeling in my stomach when thinking about that beautiful reading experience that it gave me, and so much more. 

      This is about Princess Lia, who's the First Daughter of Morrighan. She is about to get married, to a man that she's never met before. She unexpectedly flees from the royal lifestyle she's known forever with her mother's assistant, Pauline, and they end up in a small village where they begin to take a large responsibility of handling an inn and making new friends. There are two mysterious people there that Lia doesn't know about--and that's the prince that was off to marry her and an assassin that's off to kill her. 

       One of the reasons why this book was amazing is because Pearson kept us guessing. The chapters were split into three points-of-view--Lia's, the assassin's, and the prince's. We don't know who these people are, and we don't find out until the wee-end of the novel. I had my guesses, and I ended up completely darn-wrong.

        The idea of this book was gorgeous. I love these medieval-dystopia-historical types, and coming from the protagonist of a princess-now-rebel? I'm absolutely hooked. This is absolutely fantasy, but it's not like we hear about faeries flying and goblins dancing. This is something believable and intriguing.

         "Terravin is not paradise, Lia. Of course Terravin had its own problems. I didn't need Gwyneth to tell me it wasn't perfect. But in Civica, the air itself was tight, waiting to catch you, beat you down, always laced with the scent of watching and warning. Here in Terravin, the air was just air, and whatever it held, it held. It didn't take anyone hostage, and this showed on the townfolk's faces. They were quicker to smile, wave, call you into a shop for a taste, to share a laugh or a bit of news. The town was filled with ease."

          I was drawn into this splendid world immediately. The world-development was mythical and stunning and let me with no questions asked, and this is the first novel in a series. The plot was amazingly defined and developed with thousands of plot-twists that left me scurrying for more. I was hooked, and unable to do anything else until I finished the 486 pages. 

          

           Lia was the perfect heroine that I've been looking for in a YA novel. She was a princess, yes, but she wasn't selfish or rude or inconsiderate. She was relatable, and a real jewel. You don't normally find characters like her in books, and when you do, they're a real treasure. Her POV was my absolute favourite.

           The assassin and the prince were kick-ass, too. When Pearson revealed the magic and wonders behind who was who, I was shocked. You never saw it coming. :') The action on what happened afterword when Lia found out about the assassin just laid the book into a beautiful ending and is getting its readers to snap for more. 

           If I had a million dollars, I'd spend it to have the sequel for this book. (Okay, maybe. Instead, what about a time machine?)

     

            Gorgeous and petrifying with excitement and feels, The Kiss of Deception will take the top spot in your bookshelf.

The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die, by April Henry

The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die, by April Henry

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Mystery/Murder/Thriller, Romance

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Publication: June 11, 2013, by Henry Holt and Co.

Format: Paperback Edition (borrowed)




Goodreads Summary: “Take her out back and finish her off.”

She doesn’t know who she is. She doesn’t know where she is, or why. All she knows when she comes to in a ransacked cabin is that there are two men arguing over whether or not to kill her.

And that she must run.

In her riveting style, April Henry crafts a nail-biting thriller involving murder, identity theft, and biological warfare. Follow Cady and Ty (her accidental savior turned companion), as they race against the clock to stay alive.

Review:

"Maybe it's because I'm average." I sniff back my tears. "Maybe it's because I'm like everyone else." Ty rolls his eyes. "I may not know you very well, but I'll tell you one thing: You aren't like anyone else."

  Girl, Stolen was an amazing book. I couldn't wait for more from this daring, new author that's sure to leave thousands of other readers stunned with her plot-twisting mysteries. The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die wasn't as good as April Henry's other book, but it was something that left me thinking.

    Imagine--you wake up in some cabin that you've never seen more. You don't remember your name or even have a clue who you are, and all you hear two men talking about how you don't know anything and how they're going to go and "finish you off." What would you do? This is what Cady went through. 

    Of course, this girl escapes. I'm not going to go into full detail on how she did it, but she did. She was supposed to die, but she made it out. People are saying that she "escaped from a mental hospital," which would've been super-cheesy, but she actually didn't. This book will keep you guessing until the very end and will get you thinking about these types of situations that occur all over the world.

      I'm always interested in these types of mysteries where the book is taken place from the victim's POV. I don't like the detective-police sort of stories, but this is definitely awesome for my liking. I really loved the idea of a supposed-murder. 

      The first page of this book captivated me. I just couldn't believe that the author thought of something so unthinkable and so unbelievable. You just don't want to imagine any of these things happening, but April Henry needs us to. It's her job, haha. If you liked to get a little creeped out, then this book's perfect for you. You may or may not need an escort with you at all times and will need to make sure that your parents don't own an animal-disease lab. Other than that, you're all good.

         

       And you may or may not have trouble breathing or claustrophobia because the amount of fresh air is fading away. :D

       As I went on with the book, it was pretty good. By the end, I found it to be nothing special. The idea was petrifying, but something was missing and that slanted the whole book another way in another direction. Maybe this is because it's very similar to April Henry's Girl, Stolen. I just can't seem to figure out a reason why I'm feeling like this after reading it. By the end, I was still deciding what rating to give this book. A 3 was my first choice, but then I began counting the pros and cons, and well, let's just say the positives took over.

       Cady was a very believable character. April Henry really made her voice stand out, and she was fairly realistic and understanding. You will feel sympathy for her 24/7 because of her situation, but because of her badass-ness, that sympathy kind of goes away a little.

        

         I loved Ty, seriously. It was kind of unbelievable how he took Cady into his home and treated her like a princess even though he heard all of those bad things about her and how she's kind of a criminal, but those things aside, I loved him. 

         The ending of this book was predictable, but I guess we all saw it coming from the start. This is a touching story that will get you fawning for more! I can't wait to read The Body in the Woods!   

If You Could Be Mine, by Sara Farizan

If You Could Be Mine, by Sara Farizan

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, LGBT, Contemporary, Romance

Rating: 5/5 stars

Publication: August 20, 2013, by Algonquin Young Readers

Format: Hardcover Edition (borrowed)




Goodreads Summary: In this stunning debut, a young Iranian American writer pulls back the curtain on one of the most hidden corners of a much-talked-about culture.

Seventeen-year-old Sahar has been in love with her best friend, Nasrin, since they were six. They’ve shared stolen kisses and romantic promises. But Iran is a dangerous place for two girls in love—Sahar and Nasrin could be beaten, imprisoned, even executed if their relationship came to light.

So they carry on in secret—until Nasrin’s parents announce that they’ve arranged for her marriage. Nasrin tries to persuade Sahar that they can go on as they have been, only now with new comforts provided by the decent, well-to-do doctor Nasrin will marry. But Sahar dreams of loving Nasrin exclusively—and openly.

Then Sahar discovers what seems like the perfect solution. In Iran, homosexuality may be a crime, but to be a man trapped in a woman’s body is seen as nature’s mistake, and sex reassignment is legal and accessible. As a man, Sahar could be the one to marry Nasrin. Sahar will never be able to love the one she wants, in the body she wants to be loved in, without risking her life. Is saving her love worth sacrificing her true self?

Review:

   This was my cup of tea, and it made me explode and feel all gushy and lushy (if that was a word) inside.

      This is classified as one of YA's most popular diverse book, and I really think it is. It explores the lifestyles of women living in Iran, and how horrible some conditions are, adding to the questioning of two girls's feelings for each other.

       "It was three months ago that Nasrin and I kissed. Even though I'm seventeen now, it made me feel like I was six again and she was pulling my hair."

        I came to be fascinated with Sara's writing from her latest novel, Tell Me How A Crush Should Feel when I requested it and received it from Netgalley. Since then, I've been on a lookout for this one, but have always forgotten about it and put other books first.

       

       I have to admit that Sara Farizan is probably the best LGBT author, right next to David Levithan. She portrays real-life situations that are currently existing in this world mixed with love that is forbidden in the girls's country. This woman is a genius, I must say.

       Sahar and Nasrin have been best friends and secretive lovers since they were very little. Falling in love in that way is strictly forbidden in Iran, but their feelings cannot go away after all of these years. They are both seventeen and things haven't changed. When Nasrin's rich parents announce Nasrin's engagement, all hell goes loose. Sahar doesn't know what to do and is beginning to make up decisions on how to keep their love and relationship in sync, and that includes transsexuality. Will their love be saved?

     

       The answer is... I can't tell you that, but that's a reason why you must read this book, right next to the other awesome aspects that it had. This is a perfect summer read that's quick and gorgeous at the same time. You'll probably read it in one sitting because you'll end up so captivated with Sahar's story.

       "You're a very beautiful girl," he says. I've never felt that way. I don't feel comfortable in my skin, and that has nothing to do with my gender. Growing up around Nasrin made me pale in comparison. But I never cared because I felt beautiful being her friend. She chose me."

       This book really drew attention to woman's rights in ways that I could never have imagined. The police could arrest you if you flash a tiny part of your elbow. It has to be covered. You'd be sent to a prison where you'd get beaten, abused, and raped, and you might not ever come back alive. These things are happening people, and we need to be aware of it. Also, child marriage is also a quick marriage. Nasrin got married to a man who was twice the age of her, and he could probably be mistaken as her father. She didn't really love him too much, either.

        The idea of this book was beautiful and amazing, one of the best that I've ever read about in ages.

       I became interested in this story right away. I was intrigued from the beginning and was in absolute love and in fondness. It was fast-paced, and you kept feeling sympathy for Sahar, who never really got what she wanted. Feeling sorry for characters is the key to catch my heart, haha.

      

      Sahar was a fantastic character. She was insecure and depressed, yes, but she was dedicated and wanted a future. She felt like a real person, and Sara Farizan really took a voice in this book and made Sahar's character represent many teenage girls out there who can't take a stand because of their fear or country's rights. I love Sahar and Sara for that. :)

       Nesrin was a pain sometimes (kind of reminded me of Sara's other Russian character in TMHACSHF), but I loved her anyways. She was forced to get married, and there was nothing she could really do to stop it. I don't know what I'd do in her situation. (The parents were really mean and dumb in this book, though.)

      And who could forget about badass Ali? He's the best cousin, I must say.

      This was a:

      Go and give yourself some crazy feels right now. ;)

Stacking the Shelves #5: August 2

   

     It's finally August! That really makes me want to squeal because that means that my birthday is coming in TWELVE DAYS (and yes, it also falls on the release date of ISLA AND THE HAPPILY EVER AFTER), you guessed it, August 14, and I'm going on vacation to the Sunshine State.

      Going on vacation always means a lot of time for reading books, not that I don't have time to normally. :') Here's my weekly haul!:

   

         -Kiss Me Again, by Rachel Vail

         -Valkyrie Rising, by Ingrid Paulson

         -Everafter, by Elizabeth Chandler

         -Red Heart Tattoo, by Lurlene McDaniel

         -Wanderlove, by Kirsten Hubbard

         -Reaching Through Time, by Lurlene McDaniel

         -Reunited, by Hilary Weisman Graham

         -If I Lie, by Corrine Jackson

          (Thanks to Chapters's Bag-A-Bargain book sale, hehe)

          (From the Author:)

           Thanks so much, Cheyanne! 

          -----------------------------------------------------------------------

 (e-ARC sent by publisher, Disney-Hyperion, in exchange for an honest review. Thanks a million!)

     

    Those are my goodies from this week! What are yours?

Pawn, by Aimée Carter

Pawn (The Blackcoat Rebellion #1), by Aimée Carter

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Dystopia, Romance

Rating: 4/5 stars

Publication: November 26, 2013, by Harlequin Teen

Format: Hardcover Edition (borrowed)



Goodreads Summary: YOU CAN BE A VII. IF YOU GIVE UP EVERYTHING. 

For Kitty Doe, it seems like an easy choice. She can either spend her life as a III in misery, looked down upon by the higher ranks and forced to leave the people she loves, or she can become a VII and join the most powerful family in the country. 

If she says yes, Kitty will be Masked—surgically transformed into Lila Hart, the Prime Minister's niece, who died under mysterious circumstances. As a member of the Hart family, she will be famous. She will be adored. And for the first time, she will matter. 

There's only one catch. She must also stop the rebellion that Lila secretly fostered, the same one that got her killed and one Kitty believes in. Faced with threats, conspiracies and a life that's not her own, she must decide which path to choose—and learn how to become more than a pawn in a twisted game she's only beginning to understand.

Review:

  "For the rest of my life, I would have someone else's face, answer to someone else's name, live someone else's life. But at least I would be alive. I breathed in slowly, forcing myself not to panic. I was still me, wasn't I? I still felt like me. I still thought like me. They couldn't take that away no matter what the did to my body. I might have looked like Lila Hart, but I was still Kitty Doe."

    I have read Aimée's books through The Goddess Trilogy, and I have found that she's a great talented author that really has a passion for creating great characters and stories with great premises. Pawn was awesome, and so kick-ass and adventurous.

    It's been seventy one years since America has disintegrated into ashes, and the world has changed so much. Being a VII can change everything. For Kitty, if she becomes one, she can become part of the most powerful family in the country. She would be Masked, formed into Lila Hart, the Prime Minister's niece, who got murdered. She's basically taking her place, and she would be adored. She must stop the rebellion that Lila fostered and the one that got her killed.  

    This was mainly an action novel with sass. Kitty, the protagonist had sass and class and was all badass. I loved her.

        Here, we finally have a dystopian novel that shows many sorts of originality. We normally don't find that and get remakes of The Hunger Games, but here, Aimée Carter has come up with something awesome and that gets readers thinking. Getting your whole life planned out for you when you're seventeen doesn't seem like a reality to me.

   

        The plot was very well-formed. The book was fast paced and got to the point in a matter of chapters. It was a very quick read that got me thinking. I recommend it, absolutely. 

         Kitty was absolutely likeable, but I had a problem with the other characters. I didn't like the romance (even though it was hardly there for like 5% and the rest was action) and Benjiy (however you spell his name) was a total ass who was selfish. The bad guys were pretty awesome, and written nicely. 

         The other disadvantage in my eyes was that the world was unexplained. I didn't catch too much about the world and why everything has come to be. Hopefully, in the next two books, the author will make it more clear to us on the "why" part of things. 

          The ending of this book was very captivating, and I am truly looking forward for the sequel that's coming soon!

Somebody Up There Hates You, by Hollis Seamon

Somebody Up There Hates You, by Hollis Seamon

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance, Death

Rating: 0.5/5 stars

Publication: September 3, 2013, by Algonquin Young Readers

Format: Hardcover Edition (borrowed)


Goodreads Summary: Chemo, radiation, a zillion surgeries, watching my mom age twenty years in twenty months: if that’s part of the Big Dude’s plan, then it’s pretty obvious, isn’t it? Somebody Up There Hates You.

SUTHY has landed me here in this hospice, where we—that’s me and Sylvie—are the only people under 30 in the whole place, sweartogod. But I’m not dead yet. I still need to keep things interesting. Sylvie, too. I mean, we’re kids, hospice-hostages or not. We freak out visitors; I get my uncle to sneak me out for one insane Halloween night. Stuff like that. And Sylvie wants to make things even more interesting. That girl’s got big plans.

Only Sylvie’s father is so nuclear-blasted by what’s happened to his little girl, he glows orange, I swear. That’s one scary man, and he’s not real fond of me. So we got a major family feud going on, right here in hospice. DO NOT CROSS line running down the middle of the hall, me on one side, her on the other. It’s crazy.

In the middle of all of this, really, there’s just me and Sylvie, a guy and a girl. And we want to live, in our way, by our own rules, in whatever time we’ve got. We will pack in some living before we go, trust me.

Review:

  DNF @ 80 pages.

This was probably one of the worst books I've ever read. No doubt about it. 

   I hated it. "The new The Fault in Our Stars?" Haha, yeah right. This is a childish book with no sense of anything that makes you want to bawl because it was so bad. That's what the book really was fully. 

    I saw this book as fantasy, especially because of the writing. I understand that it wasn't, but the writing was so bad that it made everything seem like a joke and a dream. This was about Richie and Sylvie, who are both dying of cancer. (Wow! There's a TFIOS comparison!) They're basically just living their lives until they die, and that's it.

    ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... That's how I was left from beginning to end.

    I didn't see any point in this book. The writing was hideous, the characters were horrible, and the plot was all over the place. I'd seriously give this book a 0 star rating if I could. It's perhaps the worst book I've ever read. 

    I don't feel like giving a rant here, so I'm going to do a tiny recap, and then end this with a huge blow to a horn.

    I disliked this at page 15. The writing was slow and messed up, and everything was slow-paced and scattered. I think that this book and its premise just wasn't for me. I felt like everything was disorganized and messed up. The idea of death was so wanted and looked forward for! 

    Richie and Sylvie were so... bland. I didn't like them from the start, and if I kept on going, I guess my hate for them would increase even more.

     Overall, I don't recommend this book at all. #SorryNotSorry