Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Genre: social issues
Series and Book #: none
Pages: 343
Synopsis:

When you’re on a road trip, life is all about the detours….

Amy Curry is having a terrible year. Her mother has decided to move across the country and need Amy to get their car from California to Connecticut. There’s just one small problem: Since her dad died this past spring, Amy hasn’t been able to get behind the wheel. Enter Roger, the nineteen-year-old son of an old family friend, who turns out to be unexpectedly cute…and dealing with some baggage of his own.

Meeting new people and coming to terms with her father’s death were not what Amy had planned on this trip. And traveling the Loneliest Road in America, seeing the Colorado mountains, crossing the Kansas plains, and visiting diners, dingy motels, and Graceland were definitely not on the itinerary. But as they drive, Amy finds that the people you least expected are the ones you may need the most—and that sometimes you have to get lost in order to find your way home.

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I loved this book. Despite the obvious romance (so amazing, by the way) this book is about Amy getting past her father's death and taking the blame of it off of herself. It's also about her forgiving her family for all leaving when she needed them most. She also helps Roger with his terrible break-up with his ex-girlfriend.

Amy's grief was very well written. From the beginning to the end, Morgan takes slow steps when she writes Amy's recovery. Getting over the death of a loved one is slow and Morgan makes sure that it seems that way in the book. Amy doesn't fully get over her father's death until very nearly the last page of the novel.

Since Roger wasn't the main character, I didn't feel as connected to him as I felt with Amy. His feelings were more in reserve since I couldn't hear his thoughts about Amy, the road trip, and finally meeting up with his ex. But you can tell that he cares about Amy, because whenever she talks about her dad or gets into a situation that she distinctly remembers her father in, Roger always jumps to her rescue.

Overall, I love the road trip theme of this novel. It was such a great idea! Where else do you get closer to people than in a car, traveling across the country? Amy and Roger's characters were excellent, and their stops from California to Connecticut build up to Amy and Roger's eventual romance and recovery. Each character is important and none are wasted. I can't wait to see if Morgan writes another novel!

The Cover: I love the road winding behind Amy and Roger. The script is also awesome!

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Genre: science fiction, fantasy
Series and Book #: unknown*
Pages: 352
Synopsis:

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very peculiar 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 Miss Peregrine’s 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.

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Alright, I admit it: I was afraid of this book before I got it. At first, I was like, Oh, this sounds cool. When I was at the book store, I picked it up, flipped through it, and chickened out. But then I saw a post on Beth Revis's blog that featured Miss Peregrine's, and I bought it immediately. Such a freakish, exciting, mysterious book! The vintage photography really made the book seem all the more real as well.

Jacob was a character that was sarcastic, but he had a great love for his grandpa. Even though he'd long since knew his grandpa's tales were false (or so he thought) he loved his grandfather even though his parents thought he'd slipped away mentally. When his grandfather dies, Jacob feels as if he didn't know his grandfather as well as he thought. He goes off to a small island in search of the orphanage. I thought Ransom took awhile getting to the point when Jacob finally decided to go to the island, and to find Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.

Ransom built this excellent world around the peculiars. From Miss Peregrine herself, to all the children and their abilities, including Jacob's, each peculiarity is unique and their lifestyles are equally different from our world. I found myself intrigued by the tiny details that Ransom added to make everything realistic.

Overall, so glad I had the guts to get this book. I wouldn't recommend reading it at night, though. As much as it is interesting, I did have difficulty getting the photos and the pictures of the monsters out of my head. It wasn't like a complete horror novel but it definitely had the scary factor. Ransom has made a winner, and I hope there's a sequel. I felt that the book left a door open for another novel.

The Cover: Effective. Very effective. The cover caught my attention before I even heard about it!

Demonglass (Hex Hall #2) by Rachel Hawkins

WARNING! IF YOU HAVE NOT READ HEX HALL, I HIGHLY SUGGEST YOU DO NOT READ THIS POST. THERE ARE SPOILERS!

Genre: paranormal, mystery
Series and Book #: Hex Hall #2
Pages: 359
Synopsis:

Sophie Mercer thought she was a witch. That was the whole reason she was sent to Hex Hall, a reform school for delinquent Prodigium (a.k.a. witches, shapeshifters, and faeries). But then she discovered the family secret, and the fact that her hot crush, Archer Cross, is an agent for The Eye, a group bent on wiping Prodigium off the face of the earth.

Turns out, Sophie's a demon, one of the only two in the world--the other being her father. What's worse, she has powers that threaten the lives of everyone she loves. Which is precisely why Sophie decides she must go to London for the Removal, a dangerous procedure that will either destroy her powers for good--or kill her.

But once Sophie arrives, she makes a shocking discovery. Her new housemates? They're demons too. Meaning, someone is raising demons in secret, with creepy plans to use their powers, and probably not for good. Meanwhile, The Eye is set on hunting Sophie down, and they're using Archer to do it. But it's not like she has feelings for him anymore. Does she?

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An excellent sequel to Hex Hall! Sophie's back, and so are all the disasters that follow her. Starting with the demon kids that are living with her and Jenna, along with discovering who she's betrothed to, and an appearance of Archer! So much happens in only the first couple of chapters, which is something I've loved about these books. Rachel keeps the action coming.

Sophie's decision to go through the Removal was a wonderful ending to Hex Hall. But it was a bit rash in my decision, and I thought it was perfect to have her spend the summer with her father to learn more about being a demon. And her dad? Awesome! The usual characters were back--Jenna, the vampire, Archer, and Mrs. Casnoff, the headmistress of Hex Hall. But we are also shown Cal, the groundskeeper at Hex, more. He's also pretty cool.

Overall, one of the smartest, action-packed, best paranormal books I've ever read. Rachel has this way of making things not too obvious, so I didn't know who the culprit is before Sophie. She's also excellent at building romantic tension! Ugh, I couldn't decide which of the two boys--Cal or Archer--Sophie should choose! They were both too amazing. I'm anxiously awaiting Spell Bound, coming out in May of 2012.

The Cover: Jaw-dropping and dead-on accurate. The London back round, then the fiery reflection of Sophie. Awwwweeeesommmee!!!

Daily Dose (30)

Daily Dose is a weekly meme hosted by Good Golly Miss Holly where we share inspirational photos we've found on the Internet....

Hey everyone! I'm back! I had such a great time, and I read so many great books! I have so much to blog about!

A Note from your Blogger

Hi everyone! First off, sorry for the lack of posting this past week. I've been busy with other things and haven't have time to read much. And you're all probably going to be mad at me when I tell you this: I'm going on vacation this week, and I won't be blogging. Sorry! But I'll have plenty to talk about when I get back, plus there might be a contest coming, so be prepared for that!

Have a great summer everyone! Keep on reading!

Releases: Blood Ties by Mari Mancusi, The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab, and Between by Jessica Warman

Officially back in the arms of her vampire boyfriend Magnus, Sunny finds she still can't forget the gentle mortal Jayden who once saved her life. When darkness threatens to steal his humanity, Sunny must make a choice: stay true to her love, or defy him in a desperate attempt to save Jayden's soul.
Meanwhile, the Blood Coven is gearing up for a showdown with a splinter group of Slayer Inc. It's Vampires vs. Slayers in a showdown that could cost Sunny not only her heart...but also her life.

The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children.
If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company.
And there are no strangers in the town of Near.
These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life.
But when an actual stranger—a boy who seems to fade like smoke—appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.
The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. Still, he insists on helping Lexi search for them. Something tells her she can trust him.
As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi’s need to know—about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.

Elizabeth Valchar-pretty, popular, and perfect-wakes up the morning after her eighteenth birthday party on her family's yacht, where she'd been celebrating with her six closest friends. A persistent thumping noise has roused her. When she goes to investigate, what she finds will change everything she thought she knew about her life, her friends, and everything in between. As Liz begins to unravel the circumstances surrounding her birthday night, she will find that no one around her, least of all Liz herself, was perfect-or innocent. Critically acclaimed author Jessica Warman brings readers along on a roller-coaster ride of a mystery, one that is also a heartbreaking character study, a touching romance, and ultimately a hopeful tale of redemption, love, and letting go.

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Blood Ties is a novel in a continuing series that I have not read called the Blood Coven Series. I've had friends who have read the books and they say it is hilarious and that I should really read it. Which I really should.

The Near Witch is totally on my MRL (located in the tab bar underneath the cat) and it sounds insanely suspenseful and scary. I can not wait to read it!

Between sounds really interesting, with the mystery and the thumping noise, but the last couple of sentences proclaiming it to be full of "heartbreaking character study", "touching romance", and "ultimately a hopeful tale of redemption, love, and letting go" sounds completely like stories I've read before.

What do you think?

In My Mailbox (6): July

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren where we share what books we've bought, received, or borrowed over the last week or, in my case, month. I don't get enough books over the week to cover a weekly IMM but I always do one every month. Here's June's! (Some of these books I've already read, so if you click on the links they should bring you to the review)

Bought:

Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales (A Barnes & Noble Leatherbound Classic)

Hourglass by Myra McEntire

Heist Society by Ally Carter

Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter

Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Shiver by Maggie Steifvater

Library Finds:

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott

Lipstick Apology by Jennifer Jabaley

Waiting for You by Suzanne Colasanti

The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May & June by Robin Benway

My Fair Godmother by Janette Rallison

How I Found the Perfect Dress by Maryrose Wood