True Biz by Sara Novic

Ok but the fact that there's BSL and ASL and that they evolved differently... like...whaaaaa
Me knowing all about the French Revolution and Robespierre. 
Also the way that they denoted that characters were using sign language in the audiobook.
I am here for the commentary on the education system and funding. Let's go. 
400 Pages

Crush by Tracy Wolff

lol this is a May book not an April book
I like.....don't know who to ship because like....fjkldssfjkldsfjkd
when a character has potential and you see them blowing it, through no fault of their own, but just because of their personlality, even though they're well-meaning..... like....
704 Pages

Crave by Tracy Wolff

When a girl has auburn hair, brown eyes, and freckles. I'm not beautiful" I just want to shake them and yell at them.
Grace when she sees Jaxon and Lia outside talking, and they notice her snooping:

Flint (and Grace) at the snowball fight:


Flint's hat, except make it a dragon instead of a lion. 
How I imagine Jaxon randomly disappears:


Jaxon to Grace:

592 Pages

Of Curses and Kisses by Sandhya Menon

 Yeah it's a re-read because I'm going to read the second book and we all know that I love any and all Beauty and the Beast retellings.
I forgot how much I loved Grey. Like....
Also they got a new cover and I'm like...I love the cover but I have the old one and want matching sets...evil. 
400 Pages

The Hand on the Wall by Maureen Johnson

I still love Nate and his sense of humor..
David is such a little ish...somehow his dad is super relevant...for no reason whatsoever....
...I just realized that the name Alice is a combination of Albert and Iris..... Al(bert)(Ir)is.... Way more classy than Stephanie Meyer's Rennesme.

Stevie:

I'm crying. I have feelings.
"Are you trying to make me emotion" Same.
Moose.
400 Pages

The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson

Screaming meditation... What a mood.

"The best ride is Dumbo"
....I love Larry.
The whole The Great Gatsby/1984 vibe/reference.
Nate is too pure and needs to be protected.
400 Pages

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson

"I'll drink the living blood of trees" Iconic.
The librarian is doing my dream job.
"But, Stevie wondered" .... seriously?!
I love Nate.
...I'm confused.
448 Pages

Marked by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast

The House of Night series by bestselling authors P.C Cast and Kristin Cast is set in a world very much like our own, except in 16-year-old Zoey Redbird's world, vampyres have always existed. In this first book in the series, Zoey enters the House of Night, a school where, after having undergone the Change, she will train to become an adult vampire--that is, if she makes it through the Change. Not all of those who are chosen do. It's tough to begin a new life, away from her parents and friends, and on top of that, Zoey finds she is no average fledgling. She has been Marked as special by the vampyre Goddess, Nyx. But she is not the only fledgling at the House of Night with special powers. When she discovers that the leader of the Dark Daughters, the school's most elite club, is misusing her Goddess-given gifts, Zoey must look deep within herself for the courage to embrace her destiny--with a little help from her new vampyre friends.

There is a lot to like in this book.  The characters are believable, and I like the overall premise.  I especially appreciated the Native American elements throughout.  My issues lie with the writing.  For example, about half-way through, I wanted to pause to write a letter to the author just to let them know that there are other words out there besides "said".  Also, the stakes just didn't feel high enough.  The mean, popular girl is - wait for it - abusing her power.  Shocker, I know.

I did enjoy it enough to give the series another go in book two, but I'm not holding my breath.

3.5/5

306 pages

Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger

Summary: "Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is a great trial to her poor mother. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper manners--and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. So she enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality. 

But Sophronia soon realizes the school is not quite what her mother might have hoped. At Mademoiselle Geraldine's, young ladies learn to finish...everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but they also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage--in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year's education." 

If you read my review of Soulless, you may have already realized this book is by the same author.  And while I certainly enjoyed Soulless, I wasn't driven to continue that series.  When I found out that Ms. Carriger also wrote a YA series set in the same world, I decided to give it a go.  I went in wary, however, because MANY adult writers struggle to also write YA.  Not so here!  This book was a pleasant surprise.

The characters are whole and have unique voices.  I enjoyed the overall formal-but-silly feel of the book and found the central mystery a great story arc.  The real stand out qualities of this novel lie with Sophronia, the school, and its teachers.  There is a very Harry Potter feel to the whole thing.  It is intriguing to watch young girls learn how to manipulate others and gather intelligence using only those things available to women of the Victorian Age - handkerchiefs, fans, sewing scissors, etc.

Overall, I enjoyed this very much and have already started book two. :)

4/5

336 pages 

Marked by P.C. Cast

Marked by P.C. Cast
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Every time I think I'm tired of YA vampires, I end up reading a new vampire story that I enjoy, so clearly, this category of paranormal fiction contains a lot of room for variety.  This book was recommended to me by Nicole, but I have to confess, I've intended to read it since I taught middle school and just never got around to it.

I enjoyed this world and the unique fashion in which the vampirism works. There's also enough about the world that I still don't understand that makes me want to read onward. This is definitely a boarding school vampire book, though the characters are quite different from say, Vampire Academy (which is amazing and a must read series).

The love interesting is adorable but pretty boring. He's a bit like a dog that follows you around and appears for attention at all the right moments. The difference is that dogs have a lot of personality, and beyond being cute, this guy really doesn't have much going for him.

I'm okay with that, because the story really isn't about him, and he plays only a minor role. The story is a lot more about Zoey and her interesting new friendships and how they push back against the villain of the story, whom I suspect is not the true villain of the series.

I like the goddess influence, as well as the American Indian themes that waft throughout this story. That was a good change of pace. I think I'll definitely give the second book a try to see how this series moves forward. I'm not desperately racing out to get my hands on the next book, but I suspect I'll enjoy it when I finally read it.

Anyway, long story short, in the realm of YA vampire stories, this definitely isn't a must read, but it's absolutely a good supplemental read for someone who really gets a kick out of the unique mythology behind each different fictional vampire world.

Book 112 read in 2018

Pages: 306

And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard

And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Nope. This is just not for me on so many different levels. This book would have been a DNF (Did Not Finish) if it hadn't been so short, and if I hadn't been listening on the airplane to try to pass time.

I just have these 6 quick things to say, then I wish you the best of luck, if you decide to read anyway. I hope you fare better than I did.

1. Pronunciation matters. And this story has a mispronounced word that is repeated (intentionally) so often it makes me want to peel my skin off. With a spoon.

2. It lacks real depth. Very heavy topics are handled in a flip manner that takes away from the intensity of the events, in a very uncomfortable and indifferent sort of way.

3. The characters are all bland and shallow and don't grow or develop into something deeper or more interesting.

4. Plot: snooze-fest

5. I love poetry, particularly Emily Dickinson, so this should have been an ideal book for me. But nope. The poetry tie in feels so at odds with the story, world, and characters...like everything is disjointed in the most uncomfortable and awkward sort of way. Somehow, this story made poetry annoying and boring, when the truth of the matter is that I absolutely love poetry, both reading and writing it, which should have made me the perfect reader for this book. But again. Nope.

6. You know how the adults on the Peanuts talk? Wa-waaah-wa-wahh-wah-wa. That's what almost every chapter felt like to me. A few pretty sentences just doesn't fix a story that lacks real depth and emotion.

I don't recommend this to anyone. Instead, I'd point people at better stories over the same complex topics (school shootings, suicide, abortion, etc.). And now that I just wrote that and read it back, I've realized this book shouldn't have tried to tackle so many big issues in so few pages.  It didn't handle any of them well or thoroughly.

Pages: 240

Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider

Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Concept: A group of teenagers are sent to a sanatorium/boarding school to try to overcome a mutated strain of tuberculosis that cannot be treated. This move is to both help them grow well and keep them isolated from the rest of the population.

Shortly after failing breakfast and learning there is nothing he could do to ever fail a real class, Lane gets caught up with a rebel group of sick teens and falls for Sadie, despite the fact that neither may ever leave the sanatorium.

I adored this book from start to finish, so I read it in one sitting.

Pages: 336