Devoured by Amanda Marrone

Devoured by Amanda Marrone

author’s website: Amanda Marrone
release date: September 22, 2009
appeals to: Young Adult
genre: Paranormal / Fairy Tale twist
length: 304 pages
overall rating: 4 stars

*the back cover*
- There’s always one bad apple. –
Megan has been haunted by the ghost of her twin sister, Remy, since the accident nine years ago. Megan doesn’t want anyone to think she’s crazy, so she keeps this little “talent” to herself. But when she meets Luke at her summer job and discovers he can see ghosts too, she’s thrilled. Finally, someone who can relate . . . and, even better, can possibly help Remy move on. Megan’s not even worried about the fact that Luke’s supercute and nice, because of course she’s totally into her boyfriend (even though he’s been spending way too much time with another girl). And she definitely didn’t mean to kiss Luke (especially since her friend has a thing for him). Messy much?

But when the visions Remy haunts Megan with get crazy violent, Megan must turn to Luke to figure out what her twin is trying to say. Because someone’s definitely in danger . . . she’s just not sure who.

*my review*
This book starts out with a prologue set 500 years ago that basically tells the story of Snow White, so I knew by page 6 that there was going to be some kind of fairy tale tie in, but I didn’t really know how it would all work out until much later in the story. This is the story of Megan, who gets a job working at the Land of Enchantment for the summer. This seemed like a Disney World kind of theme park, but with the more traditional forms of the fairy tales. (In case you are unaware, Disney versions tend to be a little lighter than the originals.)

I enjoyed the characters in the story. Nicki, the best friend, seems like a great best friend. She’s willing to be there for Megan, even when it involves hanging out with her kind-of-enemy, Ari. I thought Ari, the Land of Enchantment owner’s daughter, seemed questionable at first. She was too nice and friendly. Ari’s step-mom, Miss Patty, was intriguing. I didn’t figure her out until about half way through the book. I couldn’t tell if she was actually a wicked step mother, or just caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. And the romance twist of Ryan v. Luke was a fun plot addition too. All along, I was cheering for Luke. Ryan was weirdly protective of his best friend Samantha throughout the story.

But perhaps the most interesting character in the story is Remy, Megan’s twin sister, who is actually a ghost. When I read the back cover, I expected Remy to be the same age as Megan (because of the whole twin thing – it seems obvious right?). But Remy was killed at age seven, so the ghost is still stuck in the seven year old body and mentality. Megan seems to have trouble dealing with Remy sometimes because even though Megan has aged 10 years, Remy doesn’t seem to see that aging. Megan seems to be caught between the twin role and the big sister role, and of course, the “my sister’s a ghost” role doesn’t help the situation.

Overall, I loved the story. There is mystery, romance, a fairy tale twist, ghosts, and it all works together pretty well.

*short and snappy*
writing: characterizing - the writing matches the character who is speaking or narrating. You can read the sarcasm, sweetness, innocence, and anger in the dialogue.
plot: Twisty! The mystery is definitely enhanced by the paranormal aspects of this story, but even then, there are great twists and turns.
characters: well developed, and much of it comes from the dialogue and writing (see *writing* above)
judging by the cover: I actually like the back of the book better than the front. It shows a picture of a green apple with shimmering red “blood” dripping over it. (I can’t find a picture of it online, but this link to Amazon has a “browse inside” option that shows it.)

Stargazer by Claudia Gray

Stargazer by Claudia Gray
Spoiler warning: Because this book is part of a series, this review may contain spoilers of
earlier books. If you haven’t read the previous books, you may want to skip this review

author: Claudia Gray
release date: March 31, 2009
appeals to: Young Adult
length: 329 pages (hardcover)
overall rating: 4½ stars

*the inside flap*
Evernight Academy: an exclusive boarding school for the most beautiful, dangerous students of all – vampires. Bianca, born of two vampires, has always been told her destiny is to become one of them.
But Bianca fell in love with Lucas – a vampire hunter sworn to destroy her kind. They were torn apart when his true identity was revealed, forcing him to flee the school.
Although they may be separated, Bianca and Lucas will not give each other up. She will risk anything for the chance to see him again, even if it means coming face-to-face with the vampire hunters of Black Cross – or deceiving the powerful vampires of Evernight. Bianca’s secrets will force her to live a life of lies.
Yet Bianca isn’t the only one keeping secrets. When Evernight is attacked by an evil force that seems to target her, she discovers the truth she thought she knew is only the beginning…

*my review*
Wow! I enjoyed Evernight, but I loved Stargazer! From the minute I started reading Stargazer, I couldn’t put it down. In Evernight, you get to know Bianca and Lucas, but in this story, you really start to feel Bianca’s torn emotions – she’s in love with a member of the enemy and it is a constant struggle! Stargazer is the second book in the Evernight series (Hourglass releases in March 2010 and Afterlife is planned for March 2011), and while it may not make sense as a stand-alone novel, it is an incredible addition to the series.
In my review of Evernight, I mentioned that I wanted to know more about Balthazar, and Stargazer met that need! Balthazar, Vic, and Raquel are much more present in this novel, and as Bianca gets to know more about her friends, their characters develop beautifully. In addition to learning more about the minor characters, this book introduces a whole new twist - ghosts! (You learn about the ghosts on page 2, so this isn’t really a spoiler) Now, the Evernight series has vampires, vampire hunters, and ghosts! I’m intrigued to find out what happens in the next installment!
Note: As I mentioned after reading Evernight I am a big fan of Balthazar. So going in to this book, I expected to like his character, but as I was reading, I felt like I really got to know him better. This book shows a lot about him and his character. Now, I am an even bigger fan of Balthazar, and I must admit that I am still rooting for him!)

*short and snappy*
writing: captivating – The way that Gray writes drew me into the story and kept me hooked.
plot: twisty – Just like the first book, as soon as I thought I had the plot figured out, there was another twist.
characters: Bianca is even more detailed, but the minor characters evolve in this book.
judging by the cover: The cover is pretty and I love the title’s font, but there are no hints about content from the cover.
miscellaneous: Claudia Gray has an excerpt from the next book in the series – Hourglass – on her website (or by following this link: http://www.claudiagray.com/dload/hourglass.pdf)

Lily Dale: Discovering by Wendi Corsi Staub

Because this is the fourth in a series, this review may contain spoilers of earlier books. If you haven’t read the previous books, you may want to skip this review

author: Wendi Corsi Staub
release date: October 12, 2009 (Paper back June 7, 2010)
appeals to: Young Adult
length: 304 pages
overall rating: 4 Stars

*the inside flap*
After learning who was behind her mother’s death, Calla still doesn’t understand why it happened. Could it be related to the half sibling her mother kept secret for decades?
Unwilling to share her recent discovery with anyone, including her skeptical father, Calla must once again call on the spirit world for help in finding her missing sibling and the final clues behind her mother’s death – even if it means searching for a stranger who might not want to be found.
Will Calla’s journey lead to the closure she seeks, or will it force her to accept yet another loss and forever wonder what might have bee? The spine-tingling Lily Dale series continues as new mysteries unfold and old ones are solved.

*my review*
This book jumps in to the story right where the third book left off. However, it has been almost a year since I read the other three books in the series, so it was a little hard to remember some of the small details that would have helped. As I kept reading, those details started to come back to me, which helped my enjoyment of the book.

*short and snappy*
writing: this story is written in the present tense, which is different, but it makes you feel like you are experiencing the story with the characters.
plot: serial – because the book is part of a series, reading it as a stand alone novel will be difficult. If you’ve read the series, the plot is great because it continues the complex plot that has been presented so far.
characters: Calla (the “lead”) is well developed, but there are quite a few well developed minor characters that enter the story and add to the plot.
judging by the cover: The cover is interesting (and slightly scary), but it doesn’t tell much about the plot of the story.
miscellaneous: This is the fourth in a series. The other titles are: Awakening, Believing, and Connecting.