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Enchanted by Alethea Kontis

Kontis, Alethea.  Enchanted.  308 p.  2012.   9780547645704.  * * * (3 stars)

Sunday Woodcutter is doomed to an interesting life. All of her siblings are equally destined to beauty, adventure, or mischief. So no one was particularly curious about how she felt about this prophesy until she meets the very polite frog named Grumble. It goes downhill from there...

This is story has managed to work in every classic fairy tale there is, creating wonderfully complex characterization and plot arcs. I have never gathered a more involved fairy tale since the show Once Upon a Time. But like most fairy tales, the suspense and drama was a lacking and the story felt flat at times.

But if you want a cute happily ever after with handsome princes, confusing fairies, and half-drunk cousins. Then this is a great beach read to pass the time.

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Time’s Twisted Arrow (now titled Timebound) by Rysa Walker

Walker, Rysa.  Time’s Twisted Arrow.  374 p.  2012.   9781477848159 .  * * * * (4 stars)

Kate's week was already turning out to be weird when her grandmother, who she has never met before meets her and asks her to move in. Then Kate is mugged on the subway and nearly rescued by a handsome stranger, who kisses and runs. And then to top it off she ceases to exist. Her grandmother explains the Kate needs to fix history, or at least restore it one where there isn't a powerful cult trying to commence their evil plan. But will she be able to? Or will she stay in a time that doesn't put those she loves at risk?

This book is mind-blowing! It is on par with Game of Thrones on how much energy one puts in to understand what is going on. As Katharine says, "Time is not linear," and that makes it hard to understand. But that creates an interesting perspective and tone that makes the story more intense. The plot is a 10/10, if you can keep up with the complexities. There is a love triangle that is a fun distraction when bring overwhelmed by the amazing plot twists and tension. But it isn't the central point of the story and turn the book into too much of an agnsty teen novel that is Twilight-esque. All o these points together make for a great book if you can get over some of the confusion.

This sy-fy, time traveling novel is great for anybody looking for an adventure with plenty of buildup. This book is now called “Timebound”.

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Doon by Carey Corp and Lorie Langdon

Corp, Carey & Langdon, Lorie.  Doon.  368 p.  2013.   9780310742302.  * * * * * (5 stars)

Veronica is having a hard time being able to tell what's real. After breaking up with her boyfriend and her mother can't wait to be rid of her, Vee can't wait to get away with her best friend, Mackenna, to Scotland. Once there her dreams start to become reality and Veronica finds she is falling for a man who may just be in her head. Stories of a wonderful kingdom make her visions seem even more amazing. But what if it's all real? I absolutely loved this book. I got through it in a few days because I could badly put it down.The perspective change between the two girls and it makes the story so interesting and well built, that I couldn't find any plot holes at all. It's light and cheerful while dealing with some deeper topics. I bet almost anyone who like fantasy would love this story. If you want some romance and suspense, Doon would be the perfect escape for you.

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She’s the Man

She’s the Man. 2006. 105 mins. 9781415723685. * * * * 4 stars.

Although this movie came out almost 10 years ago, I just saw it fairly recently. After finding out that the girl’s soccer team will be cut, the main character, Viola, finds out that her brother is sneaking away to London for his band’s music tour. Fueled by her passion for soccer and the desire to prove that girls can play soccer just as well as guys can, Viola dresses up as a boy and pretends to be her brother, Sebastian. (A girl dresses up as a guy and fools everyone until people find out— sound familiar? Very much like Mulan.)

I don’t know how I didn’t find this movie earlier, but I really enjoyed it. It was comedy gold, and I found myself laughing a lot. If you don’t watch it for the comedy, watch it for young Channing Tatum!

I would recommend this movie for teens and up— after all, it’s rated PG 13. However, it was made a while ago so the most “inappropriate” things are still decently subtle and there’s nothing too crazy. Definitely watch this movie for a good laugh!

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Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts

Roberts, Jeyn.  Dark Inside.  336 p.  2011.   9781442423510.  * * * * (4 stars)

Civilization is cannibalizing itself. And humans are the hunters. People are changing and turning into horrible, violent hunters. While some are forced to become victims, others are pushing to survive. Mason, Clementine, Aries, and Michael have all lost someone in the chaos and they will not go out so easily. As they make their way through the various challenges that face them, they will have to choose who to trust, who to watch, and who to kill.

One perfect word come to mind to describe this book: Nightmarish. This book gave me actual nightmares. It is so descriptive, that your heart rate will actually go up while reading this book. I have not come across anything like it in my life. The only thing that comes close to this is a Steven King novel. Which actually also tends to give people nightmares and causes them to develop phobias.

This is a wonderful book. But if you are looking for a quick fix, this is not it. You will sit through it, invested, and not come out the same. This is perfect for a thrill seeker. And better for those who want an adrenaline rush every time you hear a noise while reading.

I would not read this at night.

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Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross

Cross, Kady.  Girl in the Steel Corset.  476 p.  2011.   9780373210336.  * * * * (4 stars)

Finley was trying to control herself and minding her own business when a young lord tired to take advantage of her. As she is running away to escape the repercussions of defending herself she is hit by Griffin King, a young man with his own secrets. While taking care of her and helping her work with her "dark side", Griffin unravels a plan to harm the Crown headed by the villainous Mechanist. With the help of Sam, Emily, Jasper, and Finley, Griffin will take on the Mechanist, protect the Crown, discover his parents past, and protect his heart from a dangerous girl.

I absolutely adored this book. Once you start you will have a hard time putting it down. There is always something happening. The change in perspective is not always clear who's persecutive we are seeing, but that make style book all the more intriguing. There are several characters you can attach to as well as more than one love triangle that will keep romance addicts spinning.

If you are looking for steampunk sci-fi, romance, and a bit of fantasy: here you are.

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Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Achebe, Chinua.  Things Fall Apart.  181 p.  1992.   978-0385474542 * * * *  (4 stars)

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is a book exploring the deep cultural ties of an Igbo villager being cut as missionaries take over his home. As a fierce warrior of his tribe, Okonkwo adores his pride and is willing to do anything to protect it. This pride is only broken when everything from his tribe is taken away and he sees his once strong tribe fall apart. The downfall of his tribe resulted the downfall of his own pride, since he committed some deeds that greatly angered the Americans.

           Chinua Achebe gave his readers scrutinizing detail on the Igbo culture of Africa and offered a story full of emotion. Although I found this book interesting, I would not recommend it for everyone. This is because it is not an easy read and is almost fully focused on the aspects of African culture and the gloomy effect of colonization.  Readers who are interested in history and have a passion for learning about different cultures would love this book.

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Funny in Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas

Dumas, Firoozeh. Funny in Farsi. 187 p. 2003.  978-1480591844. * * * * * (5 stars)

Funny in Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas is a memoir retracing the author’s most memorable experiences growing as an Iranian immigrant in America. From humble roots, Kazem, Firoozeh’s father, earns a prestigious offer to work in the U.S. and Firoozeh and her family along.  Growing up, Firoozeh experiences everything from summer camp disasters to winning a trip to France. Despite the struggles with her name, Firoozeh learned to accept it and embrace American culture, with a touch of her Iranian heritage, as well as French heritage from her husband.

           Overall, I liked Funny in Farsi because it was interesting and clever, and offered a glimpse in the life of an immigrant. I would recommend this book because it is light and a fun to read, while still connecting to a more personal side of the author. This memoir was an excellent read, but not everyone can connect to some of the experiences of Firoozeh.

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Defiance by C.J. Redwine

Redwine, C.J. Defiance. 416 p. 2012.  978-0062117182 * * * * (4 stars)

Rachel's father left on a courier mission and didn't come back. Rachel refuses to accept her father's disappearance; this feeling is amplified when her former first live becomes her guardian. They plan to find her father and escape the totalitarian rule of the Commander. But their plans are ruined when Logan is captured and Rachel is sent off on a retrieval mission. How will they survive and find each other again?

If you are looking for suspense, action, romance, with lots of danger this book is perfect for you. There is always something happening and the change of perspective allows you various perceptions of the same reality. An overall great book with a delicious romance between our main characters that will leave you on you knees begging for more at the end of each chapter.

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Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Flynn, Gillian. Gone Girl. 415 p. 2012. 978-0307588364 * * * * * (5 stars)

Amy and Nick’s marriage wasn't going so well. They were without jobs, without money, and without love for each other. So when Amy is seemingly murdered and all the evidence points towards him, it makes sense that people accuse the husband of the crime. But... did Nick really do it?

This book was, hands-down, the best book I've read in ​ the past​ two years. There is no hesitation whatsoever when I say this book deserves five stars. Gillian Flynn has an amazing writing style that keeps you turning page after page, hungry for what’s going to happen next. The mystery, the characters, and the whole plot in general are all so amazing and engaging. If you’re not really into adult fiction or thriller novels, Gone Girl will definitely change your mind. It’s that good.

I would definitely recommend it to teens aged 14+ (as it does have some adult content).

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The Tales of Edgar Allan Poe: A Kaplan SAT Score-Raising Classic

Poe, Edgar Allan.   The Tales of Edgar Allan Poe: A Kaplan SAT Score-Raising Classic.  464 p.  2011.   978-1607148661 * * * * * (5 stars)

            The Tales of Edgar Allan Poe, A Kaplan SAT Score-Raising Classic. This is a great book for anyone that’s interested in mystery and thriller. This book is comprised of Edgar Allan Poe’s short scary stories. What’s great about it is you get to learn many words you don’t usually use on your day to day basis that might be on the SATs. It shows the story on one page and the words and the definition on the other page. I really like mystery so I really enjoy this book.

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Witchstruck by Victoria Lamb

Lamb, Victoria.  Witchstruck. 320 p. 2012. 9780373210978. * * * * (4 stars)

Meg Lytton is a servant to Elizabeth Tudor, the imprisoned half-sister toQueen Mary in the 1500s. Elizabeth has been suspected of treason and has be fried to live away from court. Meg serves her happily and would have no problem with her servitude, if there wasn't there ever present danger of being discovered as a witch. With her lady making her continue the practice for her own reasons, Meg is constantly in danger. With the dangerous witchfinder Marcus Dent, infatuated with her, Meg has to be careful. That means ignoring her growing feelings for Alejandro de Castillo, a priest in training with strange motives.

This book is just wonderful. The setting is historically fascinating and perfect for the story. The characters created for this makes every page more and more interesting. The first-person detail in the narration makes you really empathize with Meg and you become a part of the story. A fair word of warning in that given that this book was set in the 1500s, there is a lot of sexism, and if you have any amount of pride in women, it might be wise to set the book down for a moment if it becomes upsetting.

If you want a historical romance, with drama, and suspense:try this one. You get witches, royalty, and knights all in one.

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The Crucible by Arthur Miller

Miller, Arthur.  The Crucible. 143 pages.  1953.  9780142437339. * * * (3 stars).

The book The Crucible written by Arthur Miller is a classic play that brings great tragedy in 1692. In the beginning of the book, it was quite confusing because I didn’t know what was going on. After a few pages, I realized that a man name Parris saw a group of people practicing witchcraft in the middle of the woods. This was when everything started to become more intense. 

The antagonist, Abigail Williams, was one of the girls who was practicing witchcraft. She tries to hide everything by being a fraud. Abigail talked to the other girls that were also practicing witchcraft that night, and told them to keep their mouths shut or else she would murder them. The protagonist, John Proctor, is a married man who had an affair with Abigail Williams. He believes that his pride is bigger than anything else in the world. He hides the fact that he had an affair with her till the very end when the court pushed him to tell the truth. The protagonist ended up dying at the very end because Abigail accused him. The antagonist ended up with getting away and she made the court trust her. She is a fraud who deserves to die but yet, she is still alive.

The words are really difficult to understand  and the storyline was hard to tell. Since I didn’t really understand it, I watched the play for this book. Everything became more clear to me after I watched the play for 1 hour and 30 minutes.

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Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter

Showalter, Gena.  Alice in Zombieland.  404 p. 2012. 9780373210589. * * * * (4 stars)

Alice Bell grew up in some odd circumstances. Her father had rules. Be in the house before dark. No going out at night. And keep up on your training to fight the monsters. Alice always thought her father was crazy, until the night she watched her family being eaten by the very monsters she doubted existed. Then , on her first day of school, she has a vision of the most violent boy in town, Cole. Now her world is opening up to an aweful truth. The world is full of monsters and not everyone can do anything.

The book kept me on the edge of my bed every night I would pick this up.Something is always happening and practically every page is filled with the best descriptions I have read in a while. Showalter makes visualization easy with her gift for detail and perspective.

For anyone looking for some action, romance, and character development with a strong heroine: this is the book for you.

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The Starplace by Vicki Grove

Grove, Vicki.  The Starplace.  214 p. 1999. 9780698118683. * * * * (4.5 stars)

The book The Starplace written by Vicki Grove is a wonderful story set in a small city called Quiver, Oklahoma. In the beginning of the book, the main character, Frannie, a 14 year old girl going into freshman year of high school was with her friends late out at night.

Once she had rolled her windows down and saw a colored person, she was frightened. Almost every night whenever Frannie got home, she would look out of her window and see her neighbor Charlotte and her boyfriend Jay meet together at Charlotte's porch. They would snuggle and PDA which makes Frannie imagine herself and Robin, the batman sidekick, together. Robin is like Frannie’s imaginary boyfriend. But the affection would fade once Charlotte's dad comes out of the house and tells her to go back in. On the first day of high school at Quiver Junior, she met a colored girl named Celeste. She then realize that Celeste was the girl she saw inside the car that night. They became best friends and they would hang out all the time. Celeste was a great singer and she won first place at the singing audition for Ladies of Harmony, a group of talented singers. Frannie’s friends don’t really like Celeste as much, but Frannie loved her to death. Every now and then, they would go up to Frannie’s treehouse and they would practice singing and talk about life and happiness. They called this place the starplace because there were plenty of stars up in the roof and they always had a great time inside the treehouse.

One day, Frannie hosted a party at her house and invited everyone to come over and they had a big party. But only she and Celeste sat over in the tree house and they talked all day until the party was over. As time passed, Celeste planned to show Frannie her “haunted house”. frannie was scared but she took the risk and she went inside. Celeste talked about how back then there were miners who died because of  torture. Her grandfather was tortured to death and so that is why she is here living in the same exact house today to uncover the secret of Quiver. Back to school, this really good opponent of Frannie’s came back and planned to take her rightful place. She instead has replaced Celeste the most wonderfulest singer at the school. it was sad but they got over it soon. During  the weekend, Kelly took everyone over to her house and they went horseback riding. Frannie was really scared and bad at riding horses but she still insisted. When they were riding their horses they spotted a cave cover with barb wires and signs telling them not to enter. Since they were so curious, the entered and Frannie accidentally locks herself into one of the handcuffs. When Kelly went to go for help, Celeste stayed and kept Frannie company. She then told Frannie the reason why she is staying at Quiver and her history.

Frannie and Celeste then gets unlocked from the handcuff and they are free. At this time, Celeste's father was done with his research. This means that Celeste has to move to another school far away and never see Frannie again.

The book The Starplace deserves 4.5 star for me because I was very engaged with this book.  Every time I picked this book up and start reading, I find myself reading for 1-2 hours. When I snapped out of my reading world, I start  thinking to myself “woah… I read for so long” because I’m not the type of person who likes to read books. But now that I think of it, once you have picked up a book that you are interested in, you will want to continue reading it because you like it that much. This is the book I have been waiting for for so long! I want to read other books like this, but I couldn’t find one as similar or interesting like this one! This books brings you the feels of having an imaginary boyfriend and having future dreams of meeting that person. But as you keep reading, you find the main character becoming more mature and  growing out of her “Robin World”.

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The Hollow by Jessica Verday

Verday, Jessica.  The Hollow.  544 p. 2009. 9781416978930. * * *  (3 stars)

Abbey is dealing with the disappearance of her best friend, Kirsten, in her own way. She doesn't want to believe she is dead, but attending her funeral makes that hard. While siting in the graveyard she meets a mysterious blonde boy with a black streak in his hair and dazzling green eyes. Caspian is strange but Abbey cannot get enough of him. When she discovers her best friend had secrets, Caspian offers to help. But everything is not as it seems. What was going on with her best friend?

I really enjoyed this book. It has a good length, it is suspenseful, and you can't put it down. I loved how Abbey doesn't seem fake, she is trying to do things her own way while everyone is telling her otherwise. You can't help but start to endear her. And even become a little excited along with as she discovers more about herself and Caspian.

I gave this this book only three stars it really only revolves around one thing and doesn't make Abbey seem like she has much of a life outside of the plot. And there were some holes. Some serious holes. But over all the intensity of the story made up for any minor problem.

Anyone craving a paranormal twist a classic tale should check this book out. Mystery, suspense, and some romance all play a part in the development.

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The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade

Kade, Stacey.  The Ghost and the Goth.  281 p. 2010. 9781423121978. * * *  (3 stars)

Alona was the queen bee at her high school before her accident happened. Now she is stuck watching from the sidelines. Killian is a medium who cannot catch a break especially when the newly dead popular girl of his school joins the pestering ghosts in his life. But she is his only hope of finally getting free of the ghosts. And she wants his help in return.

I loved this. It was sweet, suspenseful, and funny. I loved how it switched perspectives between the two main characters, creating a sort of limited omniscience of the reader. A great beach read. Not overly complex but not too simple. You get build up, climax, and a nice cliffhanger that leaves you wanting more.

Only draw back that it was so short and withheld itself in some places. But it is still a great read for anyone wanting something a little short and satisfying.