My Fair Godmother by Janette Rallison

Genre: fantasy
Series and Book #: none
Pages: 311
Synopsis:

When you wish upon a star…if you’re Savannah Delano, you end up with a gum-chewing, cell phone-carrying, high heel-wearing, teenage fairy godmother named Chrysanthemum (Chrissy) Everstar.

After Savannah’s picture-perfect boyfriend, Hunter, dumps her to go out with her older sister, Jane, she idly wishes she could find a true prince to take her to the prom. Instead, she gets Chrissy. Only a “fair” godmother (because she’s not a very good fairy student).

Chrissy attempts to grant Savannah three wishes, which get her sent back to the Middle Ages: once as Cinderella, once as Snow White, and once to save Tristan, the surprisingly cute boy from her school who’s also found himself a victim of Chrissy’s mistaken wish-granting. From trolls to dragons to the mysterious Black Knight, Savannah and Tristan must beat the odds to make it back to modern times together.

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I love fairy tales, romances, and humor and this book had it all. Savannah was a great MC, and the people who surrounded her were great too. I don't think that we saw much of Chrissy, but what we did see really showed her character. Same with some of the other minor characters that I only caught snippets of.

The story starts with letters from Chrissy to the Honorable Master Sagewick Goldengill, about her previous godmother assignments and the extra-credit one for Jane and Savannah Delano. I loved that I got the back story before diving into the actual tale, because then I wasn't left in the dark about what happened between Jane, Savannah, and Hunter, Savannah's ex-boyfriend and Jane's newest boyfriend. And when we did go into the story, Savannah told her side of the whole thing and that brought us more into touch with her character.

The story flowed wonderfully through the wishes. Whenever Savannah came home from the Middle Ages, you could tell she was rattled, angry, and grateful for indoor plumbing. I felt that the first two wishes were rushed but they gave me just enough information to open up for the final wish. Most of the story was centered around the final wish, which was so great. Janette wrapped up the story perfectly, including all three wishes into the final wish, which was something different that I loved.

Overall, this is one of my all time faves! It was a stellar book that flowed great, wrapped up nicely, and the characters were so awesome. Janette made every character real, with their own unique personality, including the magical creatures. Janette also pulled off the Middle Ages great, giving the culture without reading too much like a history book. And it was hilarious! A perfect, wonderful novel.

The Cover: The girl looks impeccably like Chrissy, and I think it's funny that she's on the roof.

Cover Reveal: Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins

Two days ago on her blog, Rachel Hawkins, the author of Hex Hall and Demonglass, revealed the cover of the thrid book in the series, Spell Bound:

Having not read Hex Hall (but looking forward to it) I can't sing any praises to the books, but I've heard such great things about the series. I do love the cover and how close it is the previous ones, though.

The reflections and the cats are so cool. I can't wait to read this series!

Spell Bound is released May 13th, 2012

Intertwined (Intertwined #1) by Gena Showalter

Genre: paranormal
Series and Book #: Intertwined #1
Pages: 377
Synopsis:

There’s something about the new guy at Crossroads High….

Most sixteen-year-olds have friends. Aden Stone has four human souls living inside him:

One can time travel. Once can raise the dead. One can posses another human. One can tell the future.

Everyone thinks he’s crazy, which is why he’s spent his entire life shuffled between mental institutions and juvie. All of that is about to change, however. For months Aden has been having visions of a beautiful girl—a girl who carries centuries-old secrets. A girl who will either save him or destroy him.

Together they’ll enter a dark world of intrigue and danger…but not everyone will come out alive.

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At first, I thought this book was all about the four souls living inside Aden and others with really strange abilities, like Aden's friend Mary Ann. But when we meet Riley, a werewolf, and Victoria, a vampire, and they tell Aden and Mary Ann that witches, faeries, and goblins exist, I realized that it wasn't just about Aden's abilities, it was also about other paranormal creatures.

I loved the originality Gena had with her creatures, and the twists that she included in the story. Her vampires were wildly different from any I've read before and I've never read of goblins in other books. Her ghosts were also different; they weren't just transparent people. Along with Aden and Mary Ann, it created a very original paranormal novel.

Aden's interactions with the souls was so much fun. Elijah--the one who predicts the future--was milder than some of the others. Eve--the one who time travels--was a sweet, motherly person whom Aden loved like his own mother. Caleb--the one who can possess others--and Julian--the one who can raise the dead--were so funny. They made me laugh a ton. Near the end when we learn they're actual people, I thought it was so cool since Aden had been wanting to give them lives of their own for such a long time. You can tell that Aden loves them, and you get to know their personalities throughout the novel. I thought giving them personalities was better than just having them be on the side and the cause of Aden's problems.

Overall, this was a hilarious, original, fun ride with awesome romances thrown in. Aden's relationship with Victoria was spectacular and the same goes for Riley and Mary Ann's. The creatures they encounter and the suspense was awesome. I can't wait to see what happens next in Unraveled!

The Cover: I think it really sets the tone for the novel, along with having Aden on the cover. The text is awesome too.

Heist Society (Heist Society #1) by Ally Carter

Genre: adventure
Series and Book #: Heist Society #1
Pages: 287
Synopsis:

When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her to the Louvre…to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria…to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own—scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. Unfortunately, leaving “the life” for a normal life proves harder than she’d expected.

Soon, Kat’s friend and former co-conspirator, Hale, appears out of nowhere to bring her back to the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has good reason: a powerful mobster’s priceless art collection has been stolen and he wants it returned. Only a master thief could have pulled off this job, and Kat’s father isn’t just on the list, he is the list. Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat’s dad needs her help.

For Kat there is only one solution: track down the paintings and steal them back. So what if it’s a spectacularly impossible job? She’s got two weeks, a teenage crew, and hopefully, just enough talent to pull off the biggest heist in her family’s (very crooked) history—and with any luck, steal her life back along the way.

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I've read Ally Carter's Gallagher Girl Series (except for the more recent novel Only the Good Spy Young) and I loved those. This was another stunning debut from Ally. I love a great con, as I mentioned in my review of White Cat by Holly Black, and this definitely lived up to my standards.

Kat was a great MC. You understood the way she resisted Hale when he came to ask her for help with the con that she really wanted to leave "the life" when she joined Colgan School. But I loved the joy she felt when she was involved in the con and I loved the people who helped her along the way. Hale, her best friend; Gabrielle, her perfect cousin; the Bagshaw brothers, two very mischievous boys; and Simon, a completely nervous wreck. I loved the way Ally brought everything together and explained everyone. But sometimes I was really confused about what she was talking about. It seemed to me that she was sharing a inside joke with the novel and I wasn't a part of it.

The heist was amazing. Ally explained the mastermind behind it and she told us every detail about what was happening when it was happened. She also added just enough twists to keep you interested until the end, where she added just a twinge of mystery to keep you excited for the next novel.

Overall, I can't wait to read the sequel! I loved the con and the people in Kat's life. Ally is such a great author in creating an exciting world, both legal and not. I loved her Gallagher Girl series and I am hooked on Heist Society. The detail in every chapter, the suspense leading to the heist, and the characters in the story were all perfectly executed. Once I get my hands on Uncommon Criminals, Heist Society's sequel, I am going to pick it up with no hesitation. This was such a great novel.

The Cover: I love the missing painting in Kat's other lens and her crooked smile. It's a great fit for this novel.

Release: Love Story by Jennifer Echols

Title: Love Story

Author: Jennifer Echols

She's writing about him. He's writing about her. And everybody is reading between the lines.

For Erin Blackwell, majoring in creative writing at the New York City college of her dreams is more than a chance to fulfill her ambitions—it’s her ticket away from the tragic memories that shadow her family’s racehorse farm in Kentucky. But when she refuses to major in business and take over the farm herself someday, her grandmother gives Erin’s college tuition and promised inheritance to their maddeningly handsome stable boy, Hunter Allen. Now Erin has to win an internship and work late nights at a local coffee shop to make her own dreams a reality. She should despise Hunter . . . so why does he sneak into her thoughts as the hero of her latest writing assignment?

Then, on the day she’s sharing that assignment with her class, Hunter walks in. He’s joining her class. And after he reads about himself in her story, her private fantasies about him must be painfully clear. She only hopes to persuade him not to reveal her secret to everyone else. But Hunter devises his own creative revenge, writing sexy stories that drive the whole class wild with curiosity and fill Erin’s heart with longing. Now she’s not just imagining what might have been. She’s writing a whole new ending for her romance with Hunter . . . except this story could come true.

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I haven't read anything by Jennifer yet, but I've heard she's amazing at writing love stories and I do love a good romance, so I can't wait to read this debut and her previous novels Forget You and Going Too Far. Another great novel of 2011!

Daily Dose (28)

Daily Dose is a weekly meme hosted by Good Golly Miss Holly where bloggers feature moving pictures that they've found on the Web lately.

Desires of the Dead (Body Finder #2) by Kimberly Derting

Genre: paranormal mystery
Series and Book #: Body Finder #2
Pages: 355
Synopsis:

The missing dead call to Violet. They want to be found.

Violet can sense the echoes of those who’ve been murdered—and the matching imprint that clings to their killers. Only those closest to her know what she is capable of, but when she discovers the body of a young boy she also draws the attention of the FBI, threatening her entire way of life.

As Violet works to keep her morbid ability a secret, she unwittingly becomes the object of a dangerous obsession. Normally she’d turn to her best friend Jay, except now that they are officially a couple, the rules of their relationship seem to have changed. And with Jay spending more and more time with his new friend Mike, Violet is left with too much time on her hands as she wonders where things went wrong. But when she fills the void by digging into Mike’s tragic family history, she stumbles upon a dark truth that could put everyone in danger.

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I read The Body Finder back in May, and I didn't enjoy it. I had said that I may read the sequel, and when I happened upon it in the library, I decided, Whatever, I might as well give it a chance. And I'm somewhat glad that I did.

I still have problems with the sequel. I felt as if Kimberly enunciated words way more than she needed to, and I was tired of there being so much force behind the simplest words. And despite what the summary says, the story wasn't really about the little boy Violet found or the FBIs awareness of Violet's ability. It was about a person who was silently threatening Violet, trying to scare her, and that was the mystery. But it was a great mystery. Kimberly dropped hints suggesting who was threatening Violet, but she added the tiniest details that had you questioning who it really was. Once she told you who it had been, there was still a lingering mystery that held Violet's interest, and I was so intrigued by the story.

Unlike my concerns in The Body Finder, I don't think that Violet and Jay's relationship covered the mystery. I felt that the book was more about the threats than their relationship. There was still the subplot of Jay and Violet's love life, but I didn't think it was completely taking over the story.

Overall, much better than The Body Finder. I felt as if Kimberly had more mystery instead of romance. My favorite character was Chelsea, Violet's friend. I also thought that the new kids Mike and Megan were a brilliant add to the novel. I'm excited for The Last Echo, the next installment in the Body Finder series.

The Cover: Not as great as the first. I think the pink defeated the darkness that I think the book really is about. But I love the flower. It again reminds me of the echoes of the dead.