Happy Birthday to Me by Brian Rowe Review

Title: Happy Birthday to Me (Birthday Trilogy #1)

Author: Brian Rowe

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Humor

Page Count: 322 pages

Publish Date: April 11, 2011

Book Type: Kindle book provided for review

Publisher: CreateSpace

ISBN: 9781461071792

ASIN: B004VF69C8

From Goodreads: Seventeen-year-old Cameron Martin has a huge problem: he’s aging a whole year of his life with each passing day! 

High school is hard enough; imagine rapidly aging from seventeen to seventy in a matter of weeks, with no logical explanation, and with prom, graduation, and the state championship basketball game all on the horizon. That’s what happens to Cameron, a popular pretty boy who's never had to face a day looking anything but perfect. 

All Cameron wants to do is go back to normal, but no one, not even the best doctors, can diagnose his condition. When he finds love with a mysterious young woman, however, he realizes his only hope for survival might be with the one person who started his condition in the first place...

My Review: This cover just really makes me want cake. Mmm.

I really liked the main character, Cameron. He was, by no means, perfect, which is what made him so likable to me. It’s always fun to read books with a male protagonist--especially ones written by a male author. Different perspectives! 

I wish some of the supporting characters had been developed a bit more, but they were fun too! Sometimes it’s hard to really get to know secondary characters when a book is in first person. I found myself becoming attached to quite a few of the characters. I’m excited to revisit them in the next book, Happy Birthday to Me Again.

Happy Birthday to Me is really a classic story, but told in a fresh way. Aging was a new tool to bring about change in the main character, which was entertaining to read. Throughout the book, the story reminded me of Beastly quite a bit and I enjoyed that. I wasn’t sure if it was going to be the same kind of deal, but I liked the similarities. 

What would you do if you started aging a year each day? It would surely be terrifying.

Thanks to Brian Rowe for this review copy!

Elixir by Hilary Duff Review

Title: Elixir

Author: Hilary Duff

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal Romance

Page Count: 336 pages, 605KB

Book Type: Kindle e-book

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing

ISBN: 9781442408537

ASIN: B003V1WTQS

Pictures from Amazon

From Goodreads: Clea Raymond has felt the glare of the spotlight her entire life. The daughter of a renowned surgeon and a prominent Washington DC politician, she has grown to be a talented photojournalist who takes refuge in a career that allows her to travel to the most exotic parts of the world. But after Clea’s father disappears while on a humanitarian mission, Clea’s photos begin to feature eerie, shadowy images of a strange and beautiful man—a man she has never seen before. 

When fate brings Clea and this man together, she is stunned by the immediate and powerful connection she feels with him. As they grow closer, they are drawn deep into the mystery behind her father’s disappearance, and they discover the centuries old truth behind their intense bond. Torn by a dangerous love triangle and haunted by a powerful secret that holds their fates, together they race against time to unravel their pasts in order to save their lives—and their futures.

My Review: I really like the cover with the flower. The flower pops up throughout the book and it was a nice tie-in. The other cover is kind of odd, but it is what shows up on Amazon’s page. I’m pretty sure when I was reading the book on my Kindle it had the flower cover though. Hm.

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. It is an interesting journey and I am looking forward to the sequel. I don’t think this could really work as a stand-alone book, so the sequel is much appreciated. I had a definite book crush on Ben. He is nerdy and pretty ideal for me. Clea’s best friend, Rayna, is also a really fun character. The photography nerd/journalism student in me was insanely jealous of Clea’s job traveling as a photographer. 

I don’t like how quickly people seem to fall in love in a lot of YA books. I know that teenagers especially have feelings that are amplified, but Clea had pretty high misgivings about a certain character and then was in love in what seemed like a 12 hour span. (I’m trying to remain spoiler free here, sorry). At times the story didn’t make sense, but I still liked it.

I am disappointed that this is yet another YA book with a love triangle. Seriously, my teenage years were not like that. Hell, my 20s aren’t even like that. Did anyone have teenage years like that? Can we have a YA book without a love triangle, please?

Overall, I would read this one if you are looking for a nice quick read. 

Side note: Whenever I pictured Clea in my head, I always imagined Hilary Duff. Did anyone else do this?

Have you read this book? Looking forward to the sequel or not?

Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann Review

Title: Cryer’s Cross

Author: Lisa McMann

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal

Page Count: 233 pages, 263 KB

Book Type: Kindle e-book

Publisher: Simon Pulse

ISBN: 9781416994815

ASIN: B004NEW0KM

Picture from Amazon

From Goodreads: The community of Cryer’s Cross, Montana (population 212) is distraught when high school freshman Tiffany disappears without a trace. Already off-balance due to her OCD, 16-year-old Kendall is freaked out seeing Tiffany’s empty desk in the one-room school house, but somehow life goes on... until Kendall's boyfriend Nico also disappears, and also without a trace. Now the town is in a panic. Alone in her depression and with her OCD at an all-time high, Kendall notices something that connects Nico and Tiffany: they both sat at the same desk. She knows it's crazy, but Kendall finds herself drawn to the desk, dreaming of Nico and wondering if maybe she, too, will disappear...and whether that would be so bad. Then she begins receiving graffiti messages on the desk from someone who can only be Nico. Can he possibly be alive somewhere? Where is he? And how can Kendall help him? The only person who believes her is Jacian, the new guy she finds irritating...and attractive. As Kendall and Jacian grow closer, Kendall digs deeper into Nico's mysterious disappearance only to stumble upon some ugly—and deadly—local history. Kendall is about to find out just how far the townspeople will go to keep their secrets buried.

My Review: "The smaller the town, the bigger the secrets." Ohh, scandalous. I like this cover. What I like even more is that it is significant to the book. Does anyone else get annoyed when covers have nothing to do with the book?

This was a very quick read. 233 pages isn’t a lot to begin with and the story was very easy to get drawn into. I didn’t find the story necessarily “scary,” but that doesn’t make this a bad paranormal book. I liked how a lot of reality was present throughout the book and that is wasn’t all paranormal. The characters build relationships and participate in activities just as any normal teenager would do.

The characters seemed very real in this story and I feel like most of the time they had normal reactions to the circumstances around them. They are unsure of themselves and are trying to figure life out. I don’t always see that in YA books.  I really liked the segments that were narrated by the “paranormal entity.” I even found them a little creepy at times, which takes a bit.

I also really appreciate the fact that this was a standalone book! It seems as if all new books are part of a series these days and it was nice to read a book and leave those characters behind.

Have you read this one yet? What is your favorite Lisa McMann book?

Gone by Michael Grant Review

Title: Gone (Gone #1)

Author: Michael Grant

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian, Sci-Fi, Fantasy

Page Count: 576 pages (575 KB)

Book Type: ebook (Kindle)

Publisher: HarperTeen

ISBN: 9780061448788

ASIN: B0029PBVKM

Picture from Amazon

From Goodreads: In the blink of an eye. Everyone disappears. GONE.

Except for the young. Teens. Middle schoolers. Toddlers. But not one single adult. No teachers, no cops, no doctors, no parents. Just as suddenly, there are no phones, no internet, no television. No way to get help. And no way to figure out what's happened.

Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents—unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers—that grow stronger by the day.

It's a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen, a fight is shaping up. Townies against rich kids. Bullies against the weak. Powerful against powerless. And time is running out: On your birthday, you disappear just like everyone else...

My Review: The cover for this one is fine. I like the blue color scheme, but it looks as if the people on the cover are older than the almost 14-year olds they are supposed to represent. Perhaps my age calculator is off. They are pretty similar to how I pictured them, though. The tagline, “This is the way the world ends” is pretty interesting and ominous!

This is a long book, but it didn’t feel quite as long as it actually was, which is a good thing. I can’t imagine what I would do if suddenly everyone over the age of 14 disappeared and then people started to develop all kinds of crazy powers. Probably about 75% of people under 14 are not mature enough to handle this. Some of the children find ways to handle this unimaginable scenario they are thrown into and I have a few favorites. Lana had to survive all by herself when everyone went “poof” and I thought that her segments were some of the more interesting ones. Edilio seemed like an all around good guy and I really started to care for him. Edilio is faithful and genuinely nice. Sam and Astrid are also among my favorites. There are a lot of characters, but as a reader, you really do get to know the majority of them. 

Just like with Lord of the Flies, there are power struggles and fights throughout the book. Some people are forced into a power position while, on the other hand, some people want to forcefully take the power positions away from others. This book has a little bit of everything: science fiction, fantasy, romance, action and so much more. I found it really nice that Gone switched points of view. A nearly 600 page book could get monotonous with a single narrator, but this one stayed fresh. I am very excited to read the rest of this series and the fourth one, Plague, was just released April 5. 

Have you read this series yet? Which is your favorite in the series?

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore Review

Title: I Am Number Four

Author: Pittacus Lore

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fantasy

Page Count: 448 pages/467 KB

Book Type: Kindle ebook

Publisher: HarperCollins

ISBN: 9780061969559

ASIN: B003SE75ZS

Picture from Amazon

From Goodreads: In the beginning they were a group of nine. Nine aliens who left their home planet of Lorien when it fell under attack by the evil Mogadorian. Nine aliens who scattered on Earth. Nine aliens who look like ordinary teenagers living ordinary lives, but who have extraordinary, paranormal skills. Nine aliens who might be sitting next to you now. 

The Nine had to separate and go into hiding. The Mogadorian caught Number One in Malaysia, Number Two in England, and Number Three in Kenya. All of them were killed. John Smith, of Paradise, Ohio, is Number Four. He knows that he is next. 

I AM NUMBER FOUR is the thrilling launch of a series about an exceptional group of teens as they struggle to outrun their past, discover their future—and live a normal life on Earth. 

I AM NUMBER FOUR. 

I AM NEXT.

My Review: The cover for this one is pretty cool. The orange and yellow are really attention getting. I like how it has the tagline, “THREE ARE DEAD.” above the title. It was what really caught my attention first. Then I saw all of the movie trailers and knew I had to check this book out. I haven’t seen the movie yet, but I am sure I will at some point.

Sometimes this book felt predictable and at other times I had no idea what was going on/what was going to happen. The not knowing what was going on part wasn’t necessarily a good thing because at times it left me confused and the plot seemed random. The dog was adorable, but I had him figured out from the start. There were some interesting things with bullies and them not being who you thought at first. It was nice how everyone had some redeeming qualities.

I am eager to see the movie because, honestly, it seems like a story that would work better on the screen than on the pages. Six was my favorite character, so perhaps I will like the next book more?

Now to go on a little rant. I am not too pleased with James Frey’s little fiction factory he has going on. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, you can freshen up here. I really just feel bad for the authors. I’m sure I would have been suckered into a less than satisfactory deal if I desperately wanted to get published and had student loans looming over my head. It seems so silly to me that the authors cannot get credit for their work. If Frey wants to be an agent, then that is fine. I just don’t understand why he would feel the need to take recognition away from these authors. It just kind of sucks for them and makes me feel a bit guilty that I read this book.  

Have any of you seen the movie? Do you prefer the movie or the book? What are your thoughts on James Frey? Let me know in the comments!

Shaken by JA Konrath Review

Title: Shaken (Jack Daniels Mystery #7)

Author: J.A. Konrath

Genre: Mystery, Crime

Page Count: 304 Pages/675 KB

Book Type: Kindle

Publisher: AmazonEncore

ISBN: 0781035597213

AISN: B003M69XAM

Picture from Amazon

Warning, spoilers from the previous...

From Goodreads: Chicago cop Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels has chased, and caught, dozens of dangerous criminals over the course of her career. But she's about to meet her match.

When Jack wakes up in a storage locker, bound and gagged, she knows with chilling certainty who her abductor is.

He's called "Mr. K." More than two hundred homicides have been attributed to him. His victims have died in the most horrible ways imaginable. He's the essence of evil. Some think he's just an urban legend. But he's real. Jack has tangled with him twice in the past, and both times he managed to slip away.

Now Jack will finally have a chance to confront the maniac she's been hunting for over twenty-five years. Unfortunately, it won't be on her terms. In less than two hours, Mr. K is going to do to Jack what he's done to countless others. And Jack is going to learn that sometimes the good guys don't win...

My Review: I always like the covers of these books. All of the covers and titles reference drinks to go along with the main character, Jacqueline “Jack” Daniels. It’s funny that this series was one of the ones that got me to read again. I read the first one and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone both in a few days while on vacation. They really couldn’t be any more different.

You can find my review for the 5th Jack Daniels book, Fuzzy Navel, here. In the Kindle version of Shaken, you can either read the book in chronological order or the order in which Konrath wrote it which uses flashbacks. I chose to read this the way Konrath intended.

I really liked getting the chance to go back in time and see the start of Jack’s partnership with Herb. They have one of the best camaraderies in the book world. I love how we can see how this developed over the years. 

This one seemed to be a bit more serious than the previous ones since Jack was kidnapped. I usually prefer the comic relief of Herb and Harry, which did exist, but wasn’t as highlighted in Shaken. This one was an emotional roller coaster. They question the origins of good and evil throughout the novel and it really makes you think. Jack questions what exactly evil is, if evil even exists at all.   

The good thing about all of the flashbacks in this one is that I really think this could work as a standalone novel as well as part of the series. Although it isn’t my favorite of the series, I would say that first time readers could still give it a shot! 

Are you willing to give this series a chance?