Recommend A...Book With a Character Who Plays a Sport

This week's Recommend A is for a book with a character who plays a sport! I haven't actually read any (I think), so I chose a book that features training and just awesome self defense type stuff. So, I picked...

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

St. Vladimir’s Academy isn’t just any boarding school—it’s a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They’ve been on the run, but now they’re being dragged back to St. Vladimir’s—the very place where they’re most in danger...

Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy’s ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi—the world’s fiercest and most dangerous vampires—make Lissa one of them forever.

Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard Review

Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard

Published HarperTeen 2012

Genre: Young Adult Steampunk

Format: Hardback from the library

Other Books in this series: A Darkness Strange and Lovely, Strange and Ever After

Buy This Book: Amazon - Barnes & Noble

The year is 1876, and there’s something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia…

Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about. Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she’s just read in the newspaper—

The Dead are rising in Philadelphia.

And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor…from her brother.

Whoever is controlling the Dead army has taken her brother as well. If Eleanor is going to find him, she’ll have to venture into the lab of the notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces. But as Eleanor spends more time with the Spirit-Hunters, including their maddeningly stubborn yet handsome inventor, Daniel, the situation becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her very life may hang in the balance.

I had very high hopes for this book. It had an amazing summary with some unique points and a gorgeous cover! I went in hoping for big things, and that is exactly what I got. This book is fun and action packed all the way through. What may seem like a crazy premise is executed beautifully and makes the entire reading experience interesting. 

Eleanor was a great leading lady. She lives at a time when women are not considered important, but she stands up for herself as an independent woman. Eleanor also has a lot of sass, but it isn't used to cover up anything or in case of bad dialogue. Her decisions are all logical and good. Sure, she does have many problems, but they are all relatable. Eleanor is a very interesting character and I cannot wait to see her develop. I loved her relationship with all the Spirit-Hunters, especially Daniel. 

The action, with all the zombies, had to be a central part of the book. There actually are not that many fight scenes, but they are described beautifully. The historical aspects are thrown throughout that really tie everything together. There is very obvious plot twist towards the end of the book, but the way everything falls into place is interesting. 

The book is perfectly paced and there really are not any boring parts. Overall, I can just not wait to pick up the second book in this series! I have big hopes for the next two books! 

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs Review

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Published Quirk Books 2011

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Format: Kindle ebook from the library

Other Books in this Series: Hollow City

Buy This Book: Amazon - Barnes & Noble

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs.

It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

I originally picked this book up a couple of years ago and I quickly put it down after the first chapter or so. Looking back on it, I have no idea why I did that. This book was amazing! 

I think the reason most people read this book is because of the interesting photography concept. Throughout the book are weird pictures that the author collected throughout the years and are intertwined into the story. I liked the way characters are shown and it really helps bring the creepy element into the book. It's also something I never have read before which makes it extremely unique. This is definitely the strongest part of the book as well. 

The only problem that I had with the book came with the characters. There are many at this house, which makes sense, but it does hurt that they are all introduced at once. However, the main character, Jacob, really stuck with me. I really liked his relationship with Emma and the minor characters that I did come to love I really enjoyed reading about. 

The action and plot was also well paced. There are eleven chapters in the book which is considerably a smaller number compared to page count. It was still a very well paced book. It was constantly exciting and it moved at a good pace. The end felt a little rushed to me. The story however was well thought out and I am very excited to pick up the second book!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it is definitely a unique book that I would suggest to fans of paranormal or fantasy books!  

Waiting On Wednesday: The Heiresses

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly post hosted by Breaking the Spine that focuses on a new release! For this week, I picked:

The Heiresses by Sara Shepard: The series follows one of the most prestigious and wealthy families on the Upper East Side who have built their entire fortune on the business of diamonds.

Due to a clause the grandfather placed in his will, only his granddaughters are set to inherit his massive fortune…these are the heiresses. After the death of their cousin, the remaining heiresses try to figure out if the family curse is real or not, and if not, who killed their cousin, and more importantly, which one of them is next on the hit list?

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Popular Authors I've Never Read

This week's Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by the Broke and the Bookish, is top ten popular authors I've never read! I based 'popularity' from this Goodreads list as well as other sources of what I consider popular. Let's just get started.

1. Nicholas Sparks - author of The Notebook
2. Neil Gaiman - author of American Gods
3. Meg Cabot - author of The Princess Diaries
4. Jane Austen - author of Pride and Prejudice
5. JRR Tolkien - author of The Hobbit
6. Markus Zusak - author of The Book Thief
7. Melissa de la Cruz - author of Blue Bloods
8. Laurie Halse Anderson - author of Speak
9. Ellen Hopkins - author of Crank
10. Maureen Johnson - author of 13 Little Blue Envelopes

What popular authors have you never read? After making this list, I see I really need to expand the authors I read from!

The Classics Book Club: March Pick

March's pick for the Classics book club is...

Villette by Charlotte Bronte!

Summary: 

"Villette! Villette! Have you read it?" exclaimed George Eliot when Charlotte Brontë's final novel appeared in 1853. "It is a still more wonderful book than Jane Eyre. There is something almost preternatural in its power."

Arguably Brontë's most refined and deeply felt work, Villette draws on her profound loneliness following the deaths of her three siblings. Lucy Snowe, the narrator of Villette,flees from an unhappy past in England to begin a new life as a teacher at a French boarding school in the great cosmopolitan capital of Villette. Soon Lucy's struggle for independence is overshadowed by both her friendship with a worldly English doctor and her feelings for an autocratic schoolmaster. Brontë's strikingly modern heroine must decide if there is any man in her society with whom she can live and still be free.

Make sure to join us on the Goodreads Group for the discussion!

Recommend A...Underrated Book

Today's Recommend A, hosted by Vy's Blog, is for an underrated book which was suggested by YA Booklover and Let's Evaluate. For this, I chose:

Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza

Mila was never meant to learn the truth about her identity. She was a girl living with her mother in a small Minnesota town. She was supposed to forget her past—that she was built in a secret computer science lab and programmed to do things real people would never do.

Now she has no choice but to run—from the dangerous operatives who want her terminated because she knows too much and from a mysterious group that wants to capture her alive and unlock her advanced technology. However, what Mila’s becoming is beyond anyone’s imagination, including her own, and it just might save her life.

This book is a newer release and so it is still underreviewed, but it really deserves some attention!