Wondrous Strange

by Lesley Livingston

Finally a book worth being excited over!

Wondrous Strange is a lovely mix of fantasy (faeries specifically), danger, battles (with descriptions not too lengthy as to bore you), humor and romance.

I particularly loved the part when Sonny yelled "Seelie witch!" To say much more would spoil the story. :)

Despite this book being part of a series, the book itself does resolve! It seems like half of the series I read are plagued by cliff-hanger endings and lack of resolution in each individual novel. If there is no resolution, then the book should not be over! Wondrous Strange, however, avoids this pitiful, for which I am glad.

A satisfying entry, while still making me eager for more!

I do believe faeries are gradually becoming one of my favorite fantasy sub-categories!

The Blue Shoe

by Roderick Townley

Once again, I'm not really sure what I want to say about this book. It was good, but not I-wanna-rave-about-it good.

The Blue Shoe is the story of Hap Barlow, an apprentice to town's cobbler. Accused of stealing, young Hap is banished to the harsh mountain of Xexnax. Hap is sad to leave his master and friend, Grel, but he is also anxious to get to the mountain as he hopes he will be able to rescue his father who was sent there a few years prior. However, once Hap arrives on the mountain, things are not at all like he'd imagined. Hap must use all his wits to survive on this mountain.

The book has a few moments in the narrative that really catch you attention due to their interesting phrasing. However, there are also a few moments where the author breaks the narrative style to address the reader. (Much like Kate DiCamillo's style - a style I don't always like.)

The story was interesting, but didn't fully realize the mystery I thought was potential in the beginning. By the end the story tried to return to that mysterious element, but by this point it felt like an afterthought.

Green

by Laura Peyton Roberts

This book was cute, and an easy read. And it was about leprechauns, which is unique.

However, it was also a little simplistic (I guess it makes sense because of the middle-reader age group), and the characters were mostly flat, under-realized. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't amazing.

In Green, Lilybet Green discovers a mysterious package on her doorstep on her 13th birthday. She opens it, and out explodes a few leprechauns. They explain (sort of) that she is to face her trials in order to become the next Keeper of the gold from the Green clan. She must pass three tests to earn this new job, and to ever be able to go home again.

Gone

by Lisa McMann

I still don't understand why this is the final book to the Dream Catcher series. The story seems far from over, and this book didn't exactly leave you feeling satisfied.

The story is interesting, but I don't think it is worthy of a book to itself. The story of Janie discovering her dad, learning about him and about her gift, and deciding what she's going to do should have been a story running parallel to something with a little more suspense. The last book was chock-full of it! Janie puts herself in great danger to nail a sexual predator at her high school. This book? Janie goes to a tiny house in the woods and to the hospital a lot. Oh, and she talks to her alcoholic mom some more. It just lacked punch.

It didn't do it for me. There needed to be more meat to this book and there wasn't, which I think adds to my feeling that this story should not be finished so soon.

Notes from the Tilt-A-Whirl

by N. D. Wilson

I like this book.

It's not really my typical genre of choice, but since it's by N. D. Wilson, and I love his writing so much, I had to read it.

Wilson's distinct style of writing is evident throughout the book, however I did find that the beginning and the end of the book were my favorite parts. They seemed to flow better and have a more evident purpose. The middle section was not bad, but it had a more "stream of consciousness" style of writing, and sometimes I forgot what was being discusses, and other times it seemed Wilson was repeating himself. However, some truly wonderful gems in corners of this book, and the deliciousness that is N. D. Wilson's voice earn this book it's 4-star rating.

Fade

by Lisa McMann

The sequel to Wake, this book is much darker than it's predecessor. In Fade Janie and Cabel start working a new case - one involving a possible sexual predator at their high school. And guess who's acting as bait?

I liked this book. It's was interesting and engrossing, however it was just a bit too creepy/disturbing for me to love it.

There were a few instances where McMann's sentence fragment style of writing or her intentional vagueness was annoying, but most of the time you don't even notice. Once you get used to it, it reads much the same way our brains think. "Vanessa's at her computer. Typing. Her blog. Running out of things to say." - It's a lot like that. And it makes the book read really fast.

A few complaints:

- I realize Janie's mom is so pitiful to suit the story and to make it easier for Janie to basically do anything, but really? She doesn't even come to the graduation?

- Lots of drugs mentioned in the case. A few more descriptions might have been beneficial. We learn that Janie has researched them, but what exactly has she learned? (There's that intentional vagueness!)

- *spoiler* Why oh why wasn't Janie bugged with a camera or a mic when she was undercover at the party? They could have gotten their evidence a LOT sooner, Janie would have been in less danger and perhaps some of the other students could have been rescued sooner as well. The one "panic button" tool they did give her was too risky. It very nearly wasn't helpful at all! Why in the world would they put her in such a dangerous situation with out extra precautions? Heck, even Drew Barrymore has better undercover tools in "Never Been Kissed" and she wasn't ever in danger! *end spoilers*

So, in summary: It's an interesting book. For mature readers. The ending is mostly satisfying despite some odd turns throughout the story. And I'm still planning on reading part three.

The Lonely Hearts Club

by Elizabeth Eulberg

I don't really remember how I first heard about this book, but it's been on my list for a few months. Last weekend I finally got my hands on a copy.

First off, I like the Beatles references. It helps if you actually know the songs. Often the songs are names, and the content of the lyrics in mentions, but not really explained, so if you don't know the lyrics, you might miss something.

It's kinda nice to read a romantic book where many characters aren't coupled up by the end. Granted, we want the main character to, but it doesn't seem so "you're life is hopeless if you don't have a boyfriend" in this book.

A few minor annoying things:

- Penny's parents refer to her using both her first and middle name often - Penny Lane. A little silly sounding.

- And the end *minorly spoilerish* - why did Ryan leave with Todd when Todd was being such a jerk? I was just sure there would eventually be a really good, noble reason even for him to have done so, but there isn't really.

- The principal of the school is a unrealistic jerk. Much of the stuff he was doing he'd never be able to get away with.

All in all though I really enjoyed this book. It's fun. It's different. It's a great alternative to all the "I have to have a boyfriend!" books lurking out there in the YA section.