The Dark and Hallow Places

Grade B-

Synopsis-

There are many things that Annah would like to forget: the look on her sister's face before Annah left her behind in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, her first glimpse of the Horde as they swarmed the Dark City, the sear of the barbed wire that would scar her for life. But most of all, Annah would like to forget the morning Elias left her for the Recruiters.

Annah's world stopped that day, and she's been waiting for Elias to come home ever since. Somehow, without him, her life doesn't feel much different than the dead that roam the wasted city around her. Until she meets Catcher, and everything feels alive again.
But Catcher has his own secrets. Dark, terrifying truths that link him to a past Annah has longed to forget, and to a future too deadly to consider. And now it's up to Annah: can she continue to live in a world covered in the blood of the living? Or is death the only escape from the Return's destruction?

My Review;

This was a good book but for me it wasn't as good as the first two. The ending where they got off the island came way to easily, I don't think anyone can build what they built without practice and some things going wrong. It just doesn't seem like something that could happen so easily but honestly what do I know about what it is they built ( I won't ruin the surprise by saying what they build). I didn't love the relationship between Annah and her sister, it just seemed to easy and after their past it just didn't feel real. I do love Annah's relationship with Catcher, I don't know if it's because it really is a good romance or because the rest of the book is so depressing that you cling to anything good happening in the story. The part of the book that bugged me the most is when Catcher saved Annah from the cage and then he had to kill the guy to save her life and later she lectures him for it, but there was nothing else he could do. It just really bugged me, she had a point about not becoming bad like the recruiters but when somebody saves your life don't chew them out for it.
I'm not sure but it seems that the author left it open for another book, if she writes another one I would read it but the first 2 books in the series were better than this one. One thing that will make this book more enjoyable too is to make sure you remember the details of the first 2 books. I thought I remembered them until I started reading this one and it kept talking about things that happened in the first and second book and I couldn't really remember what had happened. 

The Lipstick Laws

This was a fun short read, although the writing was a little young for me. Brittney is a very very mean popular girl. April becomes friends with Brittney and her gang of girl friends and ends up signing the ridiculous lipstick laws. The lipstick laws are a list of rules all of the girls must follow to remain in the group, including how they talk, dress, act and date. April breaks one of the lipstick laws and gets kicked out of the group and that gives her the idea to form the lipstick lawbreakers. April finds other girls who have been kicked out of Brittney's group and they begin to devise a way to take Brittney down once and for all.
In a lot of the reviews I read everyone talked about how much they liked the character April. I didn't I honestly think she was as shallow about looks and boys as Brittney was the only difference was she didn't have as much opportunity to  be as mean to as many people because she didn't have as many friends. April does come around a little in the very end but seriously if I had a daughter who was so shallow and mean and judgmental as April I would be very disappointed. At least Brittney had a reason to be such a jerk considering her terrible past. April on the other hand had a good life and a great family her only problem was small boobs.
I really did enjoy the writing in this book it was easy to get into and I didn't ever loose interest while reading. I also love the slang the author uses it really gave the feel that the story was about teenage girls.
I would recommend this book to tween and younger teen girls or anyone who likes books set in a high school setting.


Grade B+

Book Cover Grade A+
I love the cover it definitely grabs your attention.

A blue so dark

Title; A Blue So Dark

Author; Holly Schindler

Page count; 266

Why I read it; Pretty cover, Good reviews on goodreads.com

Grade; A

Synopsis;

Fifteen-year-old Aura Ambrose has been hiding a secret. Her mother, a talented artist and art teacher, is slowly being consumed by schizophrenia, and Aura has been her sole caretaker ever since Aura's dad left them. Convinced that "creative" equals crazy, Aura shuns her own artistic talent. But as her mother sinks deeper into the darkness of mental illness, the hunger for a creative outlet draws Aura toward the depths of her imagination. Just as desperation threatens to swallow her whole, Aura discovers that art, love, and family are profoundly linked—and together may offer an escape from her fears.

Praise for A Blue So Dark:

"A truly real, emotional, and honest read."—Catherine Ryan Hyde, author of Pay it Forward

"A Blue So Dark is a raw, compelling and eloquent portrayal of art and madness, and the freeing, healing gift of creativity. Schindler's voice is brilliant and true."—Carrie Jones, New York Times bestselling author ofNeed and Captivate

"Schindler's lyrical debut explores the nightmare of mental illness in a voice that is sharp and funny and all her own. This is as real as teen fiction gets. A must-read."—Crissa-Jean Chappell, author of Total Constant Order

My Review;

This books sucks you right in! It's so well written that sometimes you feel like you are the one with a mentally ill mother struggling to make the right decisions. The characters were all so realistic, you hated them and loved them just like real people. Sometimes I got so mad at Aura's best friend Janny, some of the things she said were just so mean but in the end you realize that she was dealing with her own crap and was just doing the best she could. I hated Aura's dad, he left because Grace's illness was too much for him to handle but for some reason he thinks a pre teen girl can do it all by herself. He even gives her a pile full of journals every year for her birthday for Aura to keep track of her mothers moods to try to catch any mental break downs before they happen, like that is any kind of job for a child let and the worst birthday present ever! The only bad thing about this book was it made me so sad! The ending though is just the way a book should end, nothing is perfect but things get better. I am going to look into other books written by Holly Schindler because she sure can write! 

The cover is beautiful and the title is just perfect.

Dirty Little Secrets

Title: Dirty Little Secrets

Author: c.j. omololu

Genre: YA Fiction

Page count: 212

Why I read it: Was looking through books on

goodreads.com and this one sounded good.

Grade: A

Synopsis:

Everyone has secrets. Some are just bigger and dirtier than others.

For sixteen years, Lucy has kept her mother's hoarding a secret. She's had to -- nobody would understand the stacks of newspapers and mounds of garbage so high they touch the ceiling and the rotting smell that she's always worried would follow her out the house. After years of keeping people at a distance, she finally has a best friend and maybe even a boyfriend if she can play it right. As long as she can make them think she's normal.

When Lucy arrives home from a sleepover to find her mother dead under a stack of National Geographics, she starts to dial 911 in a panic, but pauses before she can connect. She barely notices the filth and trash anymore, but she knows the paramedics will. First the fire trucks, and then news cameras that will surely follow. No longer will they be remembered as the nice oncology nurse with the lovely children -- they'll turn into that garbage-hoarding freak family on Collier Avenue.

With a normal life finally within reach, Lucy has only minutes to make a critical decision. How far will she go to keep the family secrets safe?

My review: This book was written so well! It was realistic and written like a real teenager would talk and think. I felt so strongly for Lucy, I just wanted to jump into the book and help her and make everything all better. The only bad thing I would say about this book is that it ended :) I would love it if there were a second book, I would love to read about what happens to her next. This book made me excited and sad and mad and frustrated and hopeful it was just a really good book! I would love to read more books by this author someday.