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!

Book Review: The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

Here's the goodreads.com synopsis:

Sixteen-year-old Maya is just an ordinary teen in an ordinary town. Sure, she doesn't know much about her background - the only thing she really has to cling to is an odd paw-print birthmark on her hip - but she never really put much thought into who her parents were or how she ended up with her adopted parents in this tiny medical-research community on Vancouver Island.

Until now.

Strange things have been happening in this claustrophobic town - from the mountain lions that have been approaching Maya to her best friend's hidden talent for "feeling" out people and situations, to the sexy new bad boy who makes Maya feel . . . . different. Combine that with a few unexplained deaths and a mystery involving Maya's biological parents and it's easy to suspect that this town might have more than its share of skeletons in its closet. 

Ok, my review. I really liked this book! Usually I am not a huge fan of werewolf books, which I thought this one was, but I wanted to give it a chance since I like Kelley Armstrong's writing. I was pleasantly surprised that this isn't a werewolf book at all. It's a were-cougar book! I am much more partial to cats than dogs so it was a good twist for me. The plot is steeped in mystery and hidden information. Some things are easily guessed while others are never answered at all.






I did not like the ending. I felt like it was too much of a cliffhanger. Even if it is a series, I feel like each book should be able to stand without the others. There should be some sort of resolution. But in The Gathering, there is none. So be prepared for that. Other than feeling cheated of some sort of ending, I look forward to the next book in the series! 4/5 stars.