The Gray Wolfe Throne - Cinda Williams Chima

Release Date - September 20, 2011
Publisher - Hyperion
Age Group - 12 and up
Pages - 517
Series - Seven Realms 
Rating - 4.5/5

Summary - Han Alister thought he had already lost everyone he loved. But when he finds his friend Rebecca Morley near death in the Spirit Mountains, Han knows that nothing matters more than saving her. The costs of his efforts are steep, but nothing can prepare him for what he soon discovers: the beautiful, mysterious girl he knew as Rebecca is none other than Raisaana’Marianna, heir to the Queendom of the Fells. Han is hurt and betrayed. He knows he has no future with a blueblood. And, as far as he’s concerned, the princess’s family killed his own mother and sister. But if Han is to fulfill his end of an old bargain, he must do everything in his power to see Raisa crowned queen. 

Meanwhile, some people will stop at nothing to prevent Raisa from ascending. With each attempt on her life, she wonders how long it will be before her enemies succeed. Her heart tells her that the thief-turned-wizard Han Alister can be trusted. She wants to believe it—he’s saved her life more than once. But with danger coming at her from every direction, Raisa can only rely on her wits and her iron-hard will to survive—and even that might not be enough. 

The Gray Wolf Throne is an epic tale of fierce loyalty, unbearable sacrifice, and the heartless hand of fate.

Review - (This one is coming from my brother. You may or may not remember, but he also reviewed the first novel in this series. You can find that here. ) 

As I have read this series, I have come to love the characters. Cinda does an amazing job portraying the emotions and struggles, pulling in your attention, and holding it to the very end. 


This book was a great culmination of the events taking place in the queendom of Fellsmarch. As the Princess Heir, Raisa ana' Marianna deals with love and general teenage issues, she must also deal with the repercussions of her previous actions in the queendom, and events unfolding before her, on top of avoiding various attempts on her life.


The other main character, Han Alister, also must deal with struggles and hardships. Anything from his deep feelings for the princess, to the untraveled territory of political matters, keeps him in a whirlwind of uncertainty and trouble.


This book did a great job at balancing the two sides of the story, moving back and forth between the two, but never too frequently to be confusing, but never too far apart as to be a bore. As events began to unfold, the story does a great job at drawing you in, and keeping you there to the very end. From the intrigue of romance, to the suspense of assassination attempts. The book was thoroughly enjoyable. 


As this chapter in the series came to a close, the events began to slow, and became fairly predictable. Without a significant twist, or event, the ending came up a little short on satisfaction, but the remainder has the potential to make you want more. 


Cover - 5


Plot - 4


Characters - 5


Writing - 5


Ending - 3

Review: OyMG - Amy Fellner Dominy

Release Date - May 10, 2011

Publisher - Walker Books
Age Group - 12 & up
Pages - 256
Rating - 4/5

Summary - Ellie Taylor loves nothing better than a good argument. After all, she’s been arguing with her Zeydeh (that’s grandfather in Yiddish) since she could talk. So when she gets accepted to the Christian Society Speech and Performing Arts summer camp, she’s sure she can win the final tournament and a scholarship to the best speech school in the country. Unfortunately, the competition at CSSPA is hot—literally. His name is Devon and whether she likes it or not, being near him makes her sizzle. Luckily she’s up for the challenge—until she begins to suspect that the private scholarship’s benefactor has negative feelings toward Jews. Will hiding her true identity be worth a shot at her dream?

Review - Let me just start off by saying OyMG was nothing like I thought it would be. I went into it not expecting to enjoy it but I did. It made me laugh so many times! And I found myself really enjoying Ellie, the main character. Just looking at the cover I made judgements that were really wrong. I felt this novel had a really strong message.

By the end of OyMG I was very very happy with Ellie and what she finally decided. And Devon. I loved everything about this book and Im finding it hard to put into words. I think I found myself skeptical in the beginning because I myself am not really a religious person but I loved how the main point behind the story was their religion.

One thing that was slightly off to me was the fact that ellie was only 114, but the was she acted and spoke came across as much older. Say 19 or 20, which was easier for me to relate to. Amy's writing made it hard for me to imagine her as my little sister, who is 14.

Overall I thouroughly enjoyed the novek and all its characters. Especially Zeydeh!!

I would recommend this novel to anyone who is looking for a light quick read and someone with an open mind.

Cover - 4
Plot - 4
Characters - 5
Writing - 5
Ending - 5

Review: Haven - Kristi Cook

Release Date - February 22, 2011

Publisher - Simon Pulse
Age Group - 14 & up
Pages - 416
Rating - 4/5

Summary - One month into her junior year, sixteen-year-old Violet McKenna transfers to the Winterhaven School in New York’s Hudson Valley, inexplicably drawn to the boarding school with high hopes. Leaving Atlanta behind, she’s looking forward to a fresh start--a new school, and new classmates who will not know her deepest, darkest secret, the one she’s tried to hide all her life: strange, foreboding visions of the future.

But Winterhaven has secrets of its own, secrets that run far deeper than Violet’s. Everyone there--every student, every teacher--has psychic abilities, 'gifts and talents,' they like to call them. Once the initial shock of discovery wears off, Violet realizes that the school is a safe haven for people like her. Soon, Violet has a new circle of friends, a new life, and maybe even a boyfriend--Aidan Gray, perhaps the smartest, hottest guy at Winterhaven.

Only there’s more to Aidan than meets the eye--much, much more. And once she learns the horrible truth, there’s no turning back from her destiny. Their destiny. Together, Violet and Aidan must face a common enemy--if only they can do so without destroying each other first.

Review -  Haven was a really good debut novel for Mrs. Cook. It had everything you could want in a paranormal romance. Of course it had its paranormal facter, as the description tells you, a school full of kids with psychic gifts, and it had its romance. And along with that came mystery and the main character finally finding herself and people she feels she belongs with. That was probably my favorite aspect about the novel. Violet, the main character, finally having what she wanted and needed.

I really enjoyed all aspects of this novel. In the middle I found myself a little bored but I cannot pinpoint why. I enjoyed all of the characters and the plot. It always kept me guessing and at the end it threw me a curve ball I never saw coming.

I can say that I had no complaints about Kristi's writing. I actually enjoyed it a lot. One thing I didnt like was the cover. Its pretty but I didnt feel it tied in with the book too well.

I would recommend this to any paranormal lover. It is now pretty close to the top of my favorite list.

Cover - 4
Plot - 4
Characters - 4
Writing - 4
Ending - 4

Review: Darkness Becomes Her - Kelly Keaton

Release Date - February 22, 2011
Publisher - Simon Pulse
Age Group - 14 & Up
Pages - 288
Rating - 4/5

Summary -
Ari can’t help feeling lost and alone. With teal eyes and freakish silver hair that can’t be changed or destroyed, Ari has always stood out. And after growing up in foster care, she longs for some understanding of where she came from and who she is.Her search for answers uncovers just one message from her long dead mother: Run. Ari can sense that someone, or something, is getting closer than they should. But it’s impossible to protect herself when she doesn’t know what she’s running from or why she is being pursued.
She knows only one thing: she must return to her birthplace of New 2, the lush rebuilt city of New Orleans. Upon arriving, she discovers that New 2 is very…different. Here, Ari is seemingly normal. But every creature she encounters, no matter how deadly or horrifying, is afraid of her.
Ari won’t stop until she knows why. But some truths are too haunting, too terrifying, to ever be revealed.

Review -  When I first pulled this off my shelf I was so excited to start it because of all the hype I had been hearing. I have to say the book definitely lived up to the hype. It had just about everything that I enjoy in a novel.

I like the cover, it has kind of a gothic feel to it, which goes well with the book, but I didn't quite find a connection with the cover and the book which could just be me. Although I still like it and after seeing the hardback cover in the store it is quite gorgeous.

The plot, I LOVED the plot. Everything about it. Darkness Becomes Her had a lot of Greek mythology intertwined in it. I have always been interested in Greek mythology but I don;t know much about it. When I started reading I had no idea that the story was gonna take the twisted path that it did. Twisted meaning the ups and downs and turns, not crazy twisted.

And the characters. I liked all of the characters. Ari was definitely my favorite. I loved her attitude. There were many times she was unsure and then she turned it all around with here "you can stick it" attitude.

I loved Ms. Keatons writing. She put enough details into it without overdoing it. My biggest thing I look for in an authors writing is if they can give me a picture without overloading and she did it! There was some profanity that could offend some, although it didnt bother me.

And she did a great job ending this novel. The ending made me gasp and left me wanting to know more. I had to know what was gonna happen next and I cant wait to read the next novel in this series.

This is a novel that I would reccomend to anyone who loved paranoral, mystery, romance and Greek mythology.

Cover - 3
Plot - 5
Characters - 5
Writing - 5
Ending - 5

Review: Mad Love - Suzanne Selfors

Release Date - January 4, 2011

Publisher - Walker Books for Young Readers

Age Group - Young Adult

Hardcover - 336 pages

Rating - 4/5

When you're the daughter of the bestselling Queen of Romance, life should be pretty good. But 16-year-old Alice Amorous has been living a lie ever since her mother was secretly hospitalized for mental illness. After putting on a brave front for months, time is running out. The next book is overdue, and the Queen can't write it. Alice needs a story for her mother—and she needs one fast.
That's when she meets Errol, a strange boy who claims to be Cupid, who insists that Alice write about the greatest love story in history: his tragic relationship with Psyche. As Alice begins to hear Errol's voice in her head and see things she can't explain, she must face the truth—that she's either inherited her mother's madness, or Errol is for real.

Review - Let me just start off by saying I have not read any of Suzanne's other novels, although I have wanted to. And now after finishing Mad Love, I can say I really want to read her others.

Im usually not into the chick-lit kind of book but something about this one had me hooked! When I started I thought I wasnt going to like it and it was pretty slow. But do not let that fool you. This nocel gets SO much better!

So your introduced to Alice, daughter of "The Queen of Romance" novels.  But her life isnt perdect, in fact it is far from perfect. Her mother is mentally ill and she is left to take care of things at home. One of those cases is being, going to her mothers book signing. The event that changes everything for Alice.

Enter, Errol, aka Cupid. He wants his story to be wrote and he wants Alice to do it , but she is refusing. Errol takes Alice on a life changing adventure. But along the way it is not only her life that is being changed.

Along the way Alice has to deal with pain in the butt Realm, who wants to prove herself but goes about it in the wrong manner.

I love this book and everything about it. The plot was AMAZING! It made me laugh, it made my heart ache, it made me wanna cry. The characters, at times I  loved them all, at others I wanted to slap a few into reality! Ms. Selfors' writing kept me hooked until the very end. I didnt want to put it down! For ANYTHING! And the ending was very well written to wrap everything up. It was everything that I wanted it to be.

I think I can say Suzanne Selfors is now one of my favorite authors and I would and will recommend this novel to many people!

Amazing, enthralling, and a MUST - READ!!

Cover - 4 stars

Plot - 5 stars

Characters - 5 stars

Writing - 5 stars

Ending - 5 stars

 Other places to find Suzanne

Website