Wicked Lovely

Marr, Melissa. Wicked Lovely. New York City: HarperCollins Publishers, 2007. 328 pages. (Fantasy)

Aislinn knows a secret not many people know: out world is largely inhabited by faeries. The only reason she knows this, much as she wish it weren’t true, is because she has the Sight. The Sight allows her to see the Faeries around her, even without their glamours, when they would otherwise be invisible to humans. As fascinating as this may seem, she is miserable with the Sight. Her grandmother, living in constant fear of the faeries, is always threatening to take away her freedom if Aislinn breaks any of the rules:

#3: Don’t stare at the Faeries
#2: Don’t speak to them
#1: Don’t ever attract their attention

Certain rules have always kept Aislinn safe from the faeries, but as two begin to stalk her, those rules seem to crumble, and she is left completely vulnerable to their sheer power. The male knows too much about her, and suddenly everything is in danger: her best friend, her freedom, even her mortality.

This book was truly and uniquely magical! The author did a fantastic job of describing most of the character’s looks, personalities, and actions. The only character I didn’t have a mental picture of was, ironically, the main character, Aislinn. There were some descriptions of her, physically, but they were not in enough detail to make much of a difference. This book was original and creative, and I recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy. Five stars!

Reviewed By: DancingPenguin96

Paper Towns

Green, John. Paper Towns. New York City: Penguin Group, 2008. 305 pages. (General Fiction / Mystery)

Quentin Jacobsen lives a small life in Florida with his parents and his friends, Radar and Ben. His routine days happily blend into each other until one night. While in his room, Margo Roth Spiegelman, a school legend, climbs into his room, and for one night, into his life. Together they embark on a journey of revenge. After spending the whole night out, they return, and Quentin in left wondering what their new relationship will be like at school. With high hope, he arrives at school to find disappointment. Margo isn’t there. And the next day, the same. With everyone looking for her, the cops, his classmates, and her parents Quentin finds a trail of clues. Clues which he is sure are for him. With nothing to lose, he follows.

What a great book! I loved it because it was original, insightful, and creative. The material John Green wrote about letting everybody be who they are, because they will never be perfect and they will never be you, really made me think. I loved the characters in this book, they were interesting and different, and most of all, they were real. I feel like this story is only giving me a glimpse of a true story, that’s how real the characters are. This is a great read for anyone who likes a highly intuitive, romance, and adventure book!

Reviewed By: DancingPenguin96

The Goose Girl

Hale, Shannon. The Goose Girl. New York City: Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books, 2003, 2005. 383 pages. (Fantasy)

Anidori- Kiladra Talianna is Crown Princess of Kildenree. On the day of her father’s memorial service, her mother, queen of Kildenree, announces that Ani’s brother is now Crown Prince of Kildenree. Confused and angry, Ani confronts her mother only to receive an unbelievable answer. Her mother has arranged for her marriage to a prince in a neighboring country, Bayern, to keep peace between the nations. Betrayed and ashamed, she agrees and, with a large guard, she sets off towards Bayern. On their trip, all is not as it has always seemed at the castle and Ani is forced to run for her life, leaving behind friends and enemies. Arriving in Bayern, she is forced to take a job tending to the King’s geese, as nobody knows who she is. As the winter months drag on, Ani finds herself realizing a sense of belonging she never felt in her own home. But nothing seems to go right for Ani as the enemy is hot on her tail. So, grabbing every witness she can, she heads to confront the king and her enemy.

Shannon Hale has done it again! This masterpiece is just one of the four books making up The Books of Bayern. This book was filled with secrets and was so gripping, it actually had me rooting for Ani and analyzing her decisions instead of just reading along. I love all of the characters, Ani especially. Instead of being a shallow, unreal character, she evolved into someone complex and real, so real that it almost seems as if she is really out there somewhere. It is a wonderful fantasy that can be placed with the best of them.

Reviewed By: DancingPenguin96

The Everafter

Huntley, Any. The Everafter. New York City: HarperCollins Publishers, 2009. 144 pages. (Afterlife / Fiction)

Maddy Stanton is dead, yet her existence remains. In a place she calls Is. All around her float objects she lost in her life, and with them she can travel back to the moment she lost them. As she rediscovers more and more of her life, she realizes she can change some things just with her willpower, but she struggles with some remaining questions: Who are the spirits she senses around her? Why can’t she remember her life? And, most importantly: How did she die???

I loved this book! It had such a unique and original plot that it was irresistible. It is interesting to see, as the book goes on, how the main character, Maddy, changes in her thoughts, values, and goals. One aspect I really liked was that the author set certain boundaries and rules throughout the book and stuck to them, so it made it seem more orderly, instead of random. I really liked how this book had a suspenseful side, but not in a creepy thriller way. The mystery of Maddy’s death was hanging there throughout the whole book, and the ending was shocking, and completely unexpected! I love this book, as it is completely unlike any other book I have ever read.

Reviewed By: DancingPenguin96

Eli the Good

House, Silas. Eli the Good. Somerville: Candlewick Press, 2009. 295 pages. (General Fiction)

In the summer of 1976, Eli Book was 10 years old. He lived with his beautiful mother, his war-traumatized father, his rebellious older sister, and his trees. With his best friend Edie right next door, this was going to be a great summer. The first sign was his beloved Aunt Nell coming to stay with them for the summer. A former war protester, she and his father, a Vietnam veteran, often had clashing beliefs. Day after hot day passed, and Eli fell into a happy routine of swimming, reading, sitting with trees, dancing with his mother, and listening to records. Though the summer seemed perfect, it was gilded. Eli’s beloved aunt was fighting something that could take her down once and for all, his father was fighting the after affects of the Vietnam War, his mother and his sister were constantly bickering, and his best friend was having family problems. As the summer rolled along, Eli discovered how magical is to be a child, and the complications of growing up.

What a thought provoking book! I really loved this story because it grabbed a hold of me and pulled me into this small town. It seemed very realistic because, although many things were going on, it didn’t have one big adventure. It had many important, but little things going on, and sometimes, life just went on as normal. It seems like it didn’t really have a normal story plot with the rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution, and if I was asked what the climax was in this story I wouldn’t know what to say. The plot seemed more like how life would really be in a summer in a small town. All of the aspects of the book came together to make me wonder if this was based on a true story, that’s how real it seemed. I think this book would be a great one to read in class because it talks about many important issues and about growing up. I loved this book and I would give it a 5+ star rating!

Reviewed By: DancingPeguin96