Review: The Oracle of Dating

Book: The Oracle of Dating
Author: Allison van Diepen
Pages: 256
Published: May 1st 2010 by Harlequin Teen
Source: netGalley

No one at Kayla’s school knows she’s the famous Oracle of Dating—the anonymous queen of dating advice, given through her own Web site. Kayla doesn’t even have a boyfriend. Two relationship disasters were enough to make her focus on everyone else’s love life. But then her advice backfires on her own best friend. And Kayla starts to seriously obsess about Jared Stewart—the very cute, very mysterious new guy in school. Suddenly, the teen queen of advice needs her own oracle of dating--and she knows just where to find one...

Okay, so this book really interested me from the minute I heard about it. I was in love with the idea of this book! I wasn't sure how it would go, though I thought Allison van Diepen's other book, Raven, was amazing, because these two are completely different. Luckily, though, I enjoyed this one just as much as Raven!

I liked Kayla from the first page. Her voice was so animated and lively that she really came alive for me. I could so easily identify with her character and put myself in her shoes -- because, let's be honest, pretty much every girl has experienced what she has (minus the Oracle thing, of course), and that makes her so much more connectable. Jared was intriguing and I loved his character from the start, too. He's that classic tough-looking guy who's really a big softy on the inside (well…mostly). I was captivated by Jared and Kayla's scenes -- the tension between them was amazingly shown and when they weren't being all intense-flirty, their scenes were sweet and I loved them. I was rooting from them from the very beginning!

I thought the secondary characters were a little two-dimensional. I didn't really get a sense of their characters and honestly, I thought they were forgettable. It took me a while to keep their names straight, and that doesn't happen often with me. However, the thing I really loved about this book is how genuine the characters are. It's hard to find a book where teenagers act and think and speak like teenagers, real teenagers, not super-unrealistically-mature teenagers. I loved that van Diepen was able to do that with her characters.

So, I mentioned it up there, but I thought the concept of the Oracle of Dating was so much fun. I loved reading those parts about her being the Oracle, and they kept me entertained. The parts with the Oracle, those had the potential to be overused -- the book could have consisted mainly of her website and not nearly enough of her actual life, but the author kept a perfect balance between the two.

That being said, I thought the plot moved a bit quickly at times. Some scenes seemed a bit jumpy, and there were a few parts at the end that just wrapped up a little too nicely and neatly. I was really happy with the end, honestly, but I thought some of the parts could have gone more in depth so they didn't seem so sudden and without reason.

I still really enjoyed this book and I'll definitely be looking out for the second one, which I believe is called The Oracle Rebounds (not sure if that's the final title or not, but that's the one it has now)!

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars

Cover: Really cute, simple cover! I love the font used and I think the cover really captures the attention of the average teenage girl. I've noticed that my friends really like covers like this, so I think it will make a teenager stop and look twice. Plus, it just has such a cool title!

Review: Spirit Bound

Book: Spirit Bound
Author: Richelle Mead
Pages: 489
Published: May 18th 2010 by Penguin/Razorbill
Source: Bought

Dimitri gave Rose the ultimate choice. But she chose wrong…

After a long and heartbreaking journey to Dimitri’s birthplace in Siberia, Rose Hathaway has finally returned to St. Vladimir’s—and to her best friend, Lissa. It is nearly graduation, and the girls can’t wait for their real lives beyond the Academy’s iron gates to begin. But Rose’s heart still aches for Dimitri, and he's out there, somewhere.

She failed to kill him when she had the chance. And now her worst fears are about to come true. Dimitri has tasted her blood, and she knows in her heart that he is hunting her. And if Rose won't join him, he won't rest until he's silenced her...forever.

I was majorly excited when I got this one. I could not wait to read it but I was so worried when I started because, as all us fans of Vampire Academy know, Richelle Mead does like her twists. But I was so completely stunned with Spirit Bound, and amazed by it!

Rose is still an amazingly kickass character. She's completely awesome in the way that she never lets anything stop her from getting what she wants and doing what she thinks is right, and she's probably the most admirable character I've ever encountered. I wished I could be like her! Lissa is still an amazingly sympathetic character and I loved her interactions with Rose, and honestly, their friendship is just inspiring. Even though they may fight (and let's be honest, what best friends don't?) they always get past it and they love each other, because they're like sisters.

The guys in VA deserve a paragraph of their own, don't they? I'm completely Team Adrian, but I found myself warming towards Dimitri more in this book. I used to love Dimitri, but dude, once Adrian was introduced…Dimitri didn't stand a chance. I want Rose to be with Adrian, and despite his cocky demeanor and carefree attitude, we know how much he loves her and how much he's willing to give up for her, to do for her. Dimitri, though only really appears in the second half of the book, was…different. Obviously. I thought his and Rose's relationship seemed so true and real, yet it was marred by Rose's conflicting, growing feelings for Adrian. Despite my being a little biased cos I like Adrian more, I still thought both Adrian and Dimitri were completely swoony (yes, I am still using that word.) Oh, and how could I forget Christian? I loved the tension between him and Lissa, and there were a few times when, like Rose, I wanted to smack them and scream at them for being so completely stubborn.

Wow. Richelle Mead is a stunning writer. In all her books, she manages to weave in multiple story arcs and always keep her readers on their toes. There was never a dull moment in Spirit Bound and everything was relevant, which I loved. Everything was there for a reason. Mead has so skillfully created her characters and their stories in a way that makes the reader identify with them so easily and just fall in love with them, and I swear to you that I am not lying when I say that there were so many times when I jumped up and screamed or ranted to the people around me as I was reading. Her story twists so many times and I did not see any of those things coming, seriously, which kept me filled with tension and yet so completely thrilled with Mead. And oh my god, the ending? When I finished this book, I seriously jumped up and screamed "HOW COULD IT END THAT WAY?! CLIFFHANGER MUCH?! AND NOW I HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL DECEMBER?!"
And I have got to give creds to Mead for being able to make me react that way. It's rare, it really is, but Spirit Bound brought my inner swimfan.

Needless to say, I am in a ten billion foot deep hole of LOVE for Spirit Bound and the Vampire Academy series, and I will remain in physical pain until December, when the next book, Last Sacrifice, comes out.

Overall: 5 out of 5 freaking GOLD stars

Cover: I love this. That's all I have to say. It's gorgeous and I love it as much as I love what's inside the cover. Massive amounts of cover love here, guys.

Review: After Ever After

Book: After Ever After
Author: Jordan Sonnenblick
Pages: 260
Published: February 1st, 2010 by Scholastic
Source: Library

Jeffrey isn't a little boy with cancer anymore. He's a teen who's in remission, but life still feels fragile. The aftereffects of treatment have left Jeffrey with an inability to be a great student or to walk without limping. His parents still worry about him. His older brother, Steven, lost it and took off to Africa to be in a drumming circle and "find himself." Jeffrey has a little soul searching to do, too, which begins with his escalating anger at Steven, an old friend who is keeping something secret, and a girl who is way out of his league but who thinks he's cute.

I haven't actually heard much about this book, but I honestly don't know why! I thought this book was going to be pretty light at first, even though it's about an ex-cancer patient, but it was so much deeper than that and I ended up enjoying this book so much more than I'd expected to.

I loved the characters in this book. They did not seem like eighth grade students, which I can say, speaking from the point of view of an actual eighth grader. But I guess they did, in a way, Jeffrey and Tad. I loved how unique and absolutely hilarious their voices were, and I felt like I could understand them just like that. It took no effort whatsoever. It was so easy to identify with both of them, as well as Lindsey, and I loved that!

So, this book is pretty predictable. Most books about sickness are like that - they almost seem to have a sort of formula for the story, but in After Ever After, I really didn't think that detracted from my enjoyment of the story at all. I still sympathized with them through everything they went through, and the way it was written, from the point of view of someone who sounds just like you and me but has been through so much more, makes it so much more realistic and a little scarier. I felt like everything counted in this book and I thought that was really amazing.

I seriously do not know why more people aren't talking about this book. After Ever After is a touching book, despite its seemingly light premise, and I absolutely loved it. I highly recommend it to anyone; it sends a great message and while it does have its funny and light parts, there are some really deep, moving scenes as well.

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars

Cover: I understood this cover from the minute I saw it. I love its simplicity, and I really like how the title is on the back of the boy's shirt. The cover is one of those that makes you think about picking up the book, but there's a 50-50 chance that you will or won't.

Review: If I Stay

Book: If I Stay
Author: Gayle Forman
Pages: 199
Published: April 9th 2009
Source: Bought

In a single moment, everything changes. Seventeen-year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall riding along the snow-wet Oregon road with her family. Then, in a blink, she finds herself watching as her own damaged body is taken from the wreck...

A sophisticated, layered, and heartachingly beautiful story about the power of family and friends, the choices we all make—and the ultimate choice Mia commands.

In a word…unforgettable. Hopeful. Honest. [I realize that that's three words, but…but…okay, fine, it's three words.] I loved this book way more than I expected to!

Mia was an inspiring character to read about. She experienced this tragedy, this horrible terrible thing that happened to her family, and yet she still managed to think clearly and honestly. She never lied to herself, or if she did she'd admit that she was lying, and I loved that about her. She was faced with a tough decision, and she didn't know which was the right choice to make, and yet in the end, I think she did choose the right path, even if she wasn't so sure herself. She was an extremely lucky girl, both in family and in friends. Her best friend, Kim, was a character that I loved seeing because she believed in her friend more than even she believed in herself, and I think that any friend who does that for you is a truer friend than any of us have any right to hope for. Adam was…well, he's basically the perfect boyfriend. I found myself jealous of Mia a couple times! He was so amazing to Mia, even when she wasn't conscious [well, sorta, but being a spirit-ish thing doesn't really count as being conscious] and there were so many times when I wanted to cry during his heartfelt hospital scenes. He'd do anything for Mia, and you know it.

This isn't an action book. It's not an adventure book. It's not a mystery. It's not a fantasy. This is a book about letting go, making hard choices, and ultimately deciding who you are and where you want to be, and who you want to be there with. It's about letting go and about family, love, and friendship. This is such a powerful book, one of the most powerful I've ever read, and when I finished it I closed it and stared at the cover for like, ten minutes. No joke.

Gayle Forman is a talented author. She knows how to write in a way that pulls at your heartstrings and challenges your beliefs and all the decisions you've made. All the characters and the events in this book clicked, and the writing was just a cherry on top of a huge, massive cake. Yeah -- I compared this book to cake. Now you know how much I loved it.

Cover: It took me a little while to understand why the cover was the way that it was, but once I did, I completely understood the significance of the tree and the bird. Very eye-catching and solid.

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars

Review: The Unwritten Rule

Book: The Unwritten Rule
Author: Elizabeth Scott
Published: March 16, 2010

Everyone knows the unwritten rule. You don't like your best friend's boyfriend.
Sarah has had a crush on Ryan for years. He's easy to talk to, supersmart, and totally gets her.Lately it even seems like he's paying extra attention to her. Everything would be perfect except for two things: Ryan is Brianna's boyfriend, and Brianna is Sarah's best friend. Sarah forces herself to avoid Ryan and tries to convince herself not to like him. She feels so guilty for wanting him, and the last thing she wants is to hurt her best friend. But when she's thrown together with Ryan one night, something happens. It's wonderful...and awful. Sarah is torn apart by guilt, but what she feels is nothing short of addiction, and she can't stop herself from wanting more...

General Overview: I love Elizabeth Scott! She's such a talented writer, and her books, to me, are very realistic and she is unafraid to tell the truth, no matter how ugly.

Characters: Wow. Scott really brought these characters to life. I could identify with Sarah, and I thought Ryan seemed sweet (if not a little short on words). Honestly, I wish Sarah had been a little more gutsy, and Ryan too. If only they'd just stood up for themselves from the beginning, they wouldn't have all the drama they found themselves faced with. And oh my god, I hated Brianna with a fiery passion. She annoyed me so.so.so.much. But it takes a talented writer to create a character that a reader can both hate and sympathize with, and that's exactly what happened to me with Brianna.

Plot: The plot wasn't the best part of the novel for me. It seemed a little repetitive at times. Sarah and Ryan's relationship seemed to move in some sort of cycle, until they finally found it in themselves to get together. Don't get me wrong, I didn't not like the plot; I just thought that it could've been tweaked a little from that typical sort of story and could've kept me guessing a bit more than it actually did. The ending, however, very much took me by surprise. I thought that it was sad, yes, but sometimes things in life really do end that way, and even though Sarah didn't think so, I think she did get a happy ending -- she just didn't see it that way.

Writing: Scott's writing is absorbing and neat. I loved how she didn't shy away from the uglier side of people and relationships, but instead embraced it completely and brought it to full attention. I hate it when, in books, the author sugarcoats the less appealing aspects. Elizabeth Scott, however, is most definitely not one of those writers.

Cover: I like it! I think it's cute, and it suits the book perfectly. I've noticed a sort of pattern in Scott's books' covers -- you never see the models' faces, and I think that fits for the type of book she writes.

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars