Book Review: Born At Midnight by C.C. Hunter

I really enjoyed this book! It is a long one and I read it in less than a day. The basic premise isn't perhaps the most original but I love a good camp story. Kylie sees ghosts. She doesn't know why until she is shipped off to Shadow Falls Camp. Kylie is pretty relatable and while I found her gushing over Trey really annoying (I was like "Get over him already, he's a loser!) when I thought back to one of my terrible boyfriends I understood her feelings a bit more. The book is full of all the supernatural creatures (vamps, werewolves, shape shifters, witches, fairies, etc.) so I definitely felt like it was everything I love in a good fantasy book. One thing that really bothered me was the eyebrow twitching. I understand that's how the supernaturals "read" each other but just imagining them doing it makes me think they would all look ridiculous. But I look forward to the second book coming out in October!

Book Review: Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff

This story makes the reader want to do something. I feel like I wanted to jump into the pages and help scrub Jolly's house clean and hug those little kids. The name of the book comes from making the best out of the circumstances life has given you. Jolly feels stuck in her surroundings and the fortuitous meeting with LaVaughn helps her see how life could be different. LaVaughn answers an ad and becomes Jolly's babysitter and friend. Jolly needs a push to make better choices and to accept help when she really needs it and LaVaughn is the perfect person to push her. This is a story that makes the reader want to do better. It makes the reader want to look out for those people in their lives that need their attention and a little guidance. I believe this is the first book in a triology and I think I'll have to revisit this series before long.

Book Review: I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder

This was a very interesting book. Interesting in a good way. It is written like poetry, and I guess I would call it more of a poem than a novel. Ava is in mourning over her boyfriend Jackson. This book is how she comes to terms with that pain and has some much needed realizations concerning the circumstances of his death. It is beautifully written, although because of the length it is hard to really get to know Ava. It is a super quick read and it kept me wanting to read more but it was a bit hard to connect to the characters. That said, I would still recommend it.

Book Review: Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter

I love the way Ally Carter writes. Heist stories always make me anxious and on edge and her books do that a little bit. But she tells you they get away with it before she tells you how it happened so it doesn't feel like your going to go crazy wanting to know what happens. Not to say they get away with everything, but that is how she wrote in Heist Society. In Uncommon Criminals, Kat is feeling invincible after the job at the Henley. She is pushing everyone who loves her away and she is not sure why. She is planning on doing jobs by herself for a long time until a woman named Constance Miller finds her and begs for her help. Kat decides she can't say no to a little old lady. Plus, she's feeling cocky. It doesn't matter that no one has ever been able to steal the Cleopatra Emerald. Kat knows she can do it. Or can she? Things don't turn out quite as expected but can Kat right her wrongs? You'll just have to read this awesome mystery to find out!

Book Review: The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney

I went into this book not really knowing what it was about. I was pleasantly surprised by the fairly original plot idea. Of course there is a love triangle, like almost every YA fantasy book these days. Donna is an outcast in her town and has only one friend. A best friend named Navin. Donna is the child of Alchemists, although her father is dead and her mother has some sort of spell on her that makes her appear insane. Donna isn't sure what happened the night of the accident that caused her hands and arms to be burned so badly they had to be fixed by magical means. But she is about to face the world she thought was gone forever. Along with meeting Xan, Donna starts to encounter evil wood elves and even the wood queen herself.

This is the first book in a trilogy and I'm excited to see what the next two books will be like! While I didn't feel a great connection with Donna, I did like Xan a lot and will keep reading to find out what happens to him. Also, there are a lot of mysteries left unsolved at the end of The Iron Witch so I'll have to keep reading to discover the answer to those.

Book Review: The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen

I really like Sarah Addison Allen. I've read almost all of her other books and I have liked every one of them! They are mostly just normal fiction but there is always a little element of magic in them that I love. She makes magic seem possible in the real world, which is my opinion it is. The Sugar Queen is about a woman named Josey who is dealing with a lot of difficult issues. She lives at home as a servant to her mother, basically, and tries to make up for being a terrible child. To cope with her mother's smothering influence on her life she hides sweets, novels, and travelling magazines inside of her closet. She is stuck in her sad life until one morning she finds a woman in her closet and her entire world starts to change.

This book is a great one and has a good message too. It is all about being who you are and not being ashamed of it. I know it made me think about how I was living my life.

Book Review: Rosebush by Michele Jaffe

I had seen this book recommended in several different places (blogs, book lists, amazon) so I checked it out from the library but I didn't have any idea what it was about. It is probably one of the most intense, mystery steeped books I've ever read. I could not have enjoyed it more. The plot is so twisty, turny that I couldn't stop reading - even when I was getting carsick on the way home from my vacation to Cali. It starts out with Jane being in the hospital and not remembering how she got there. The rest of the book is about her slowly regaining her memory and figuring out who wants her dead. It is an awesome read and I can't wait for more from Michele Jaffe!

Book Review: Witches of East End by Melissa de la Cruz

I like Melissa de la Cruz's Blue Bloods series so I thought I'd give this series a try. I think I probably like this one better! That could have to do with Ingrid's association with libraries since that is what I'm going to do with my life. The mystery is really intriguing and the plot is complex. And just when you think you've figured it out, everything changes. However, I do feel the need to give a warning that there are several sex scenes (more than seemed really necessary) but other than that I would recommend this book!