Book Review: My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century by Rachel Harris [Review by Sharon]

Author:  Rachel Harris
Series: My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century
Number: 1
Number of pages: 260
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Date published: 18 September 2012
Buy on: Amazon, Amazon UK

Rating: 4 stars

"On the precipice of her sixteenth birthday, the last thing lone wolf Cat Crawford wants is an extravagant gala thrown by her bubbly stepmother and well-meaning father. So even though Cat knows the family’s trip to Florence, Italy, is a peace offering, she embraces the magical city and all it offers. But when her curiosity leads her to an unusual gypsy tent, she exits . . . right into Renaissance Firenze.

Thrust into the sixteenth century armed with only a backpack full of contraband future items, Cat joins up with her ancestors, the sweet Alessandra and protective Cipriano, and soon falls for the gorgeous aspiring artist Lorenzo. But when the much-older Niccolo starts sniffing around, Cat realizes that an unwanted birthday party is nothing compared to an unwanted suitor full of creeptastic amore. Can she find her way back to modern times before her Italian adventure turns into an Italian forever?"

Review:

I have to admit I was surprised by this one. I was so sure it will be just another easy fluffy read and instead I discovered yet another author to love. 

This story deals with issues like; speaking your mind, accepting yourself, accepting that sometimes things change. 

There is cute romance here and friendship. 

I think what I loved most was the fact that it never got dark even when it dealt with some serious subjects, It was so matter-of-factly I liked that. 

While reading the book I kept on thinking "This is the kind of book I'd like my daughters to read (when I'll have kids). It will give them a positive message and will show them that it's allright to be yourself."

It has been months since I read the book so I can't write an article any more. However, I still remember the feeling I had- and that was a fantastic one!

Unteachable by Leah Raeder (book review by Eleni)

Author: Leah Raeder
Publisher: Velvet Pony Press
Release Date: July 27th 2013
Pages: 356
Rating: 5 stars
Buy on: Amazon, Barnes and Noble

This novel contains graphic sexual content and strong language. It is intended for mature readers. 

I met him at a carnival, of all corny places. The summer I turned eighteen, in that chaos of neon lights and cheap thrills, I met a man so sweet, so beautiful, he seemed to come from another world. We had one night: intense, scary, real. Then I ran, like I always do. Because I didn’t want to be abandoned again.

But I couldn’t run far enough.

I knew him as Evan that night. When I walked into his classroom, he became Mr. Wilke.

My teacher.

I don’t know if what we’re doing is wrong. The rules say one thing; my heart says screw the rules. I can’t let him lose his job. And I can’t lose him.

In the movies, this would have a happy ending. I grow up. I love, I lose, I learn. And I move on. But this is life, and there’s no script. You make it up as you go along.

And you don’t pray for a happy ending. You pray for it to never end.

Review:

This book is beautiful..simply and amazingly beautiful. It starts with the main protagonist Maise, being in a carnival during a summer night doing nothing but wander around. Since the first sentence, we know that we have nothing to do with the classic heroine that falls easily in love, that gets excited with boys, we have a cynical, sarcastic, wild and no- fucks- given- girl that the author crafted so carefully I thought Maise was real.Apart from that, the whole plot falls under the category of contemporary and it is a cliche love story but  seriously the first two pages of the book did it for me and I couldn't stop reading until the book was finished.

The writing is so so so mesmerising and the words blend together in a way that makes you want to jump out of your bed ,chair whatever and run the world until you find real love. It's so intoxicating sometimes it hurt. While reading this book I remembered how I acted as a teenager in love , when you fear nothing and no one, you are your true self with no restraints and want nothing more that one person in your life. That's what I consider an amazing book, the ability of the author to make you relate with the characters and the story. 

We dive into a real dysfanctional family with a long gone father and a mother who does nothing more than drink all day and according to Maise *suck her clients dicks in her van for more money* , while Maise has to fend for herself on her own. Her whole personality kind of reminds me of a slut or that is until she meets Evan at the carnival and then in his...classroom. 

The forbidden love makes the whole relationship a lot more interesting and anticipating. Maise starts to change her view of the world and the people around her , Evan is just as cute and broken as her. Although, they both are in love they deal with their problems on their own, they box them up and put them in the back of their heads and those boxes are starting to make a wall so tall and crammed up until everything comes down. I loved the fact that they were understanding of each other no matter their age gap and made their mistakes as a couple and then learned and moved on after forgiving each other.

While they try to be careful with what they do and when there are slip ups and a dark figure obsessed with Maise documents her everyday life. Sneaking in classrooms and making out with your teachers must be a huge dose of adrenaline and recklessness and you lose track of time and place until someone sees you. 

The narrating was in past tense giving the sense that Maise was in a different place and time when she was telling the story and that had an extra bit of biterness and sadness in it, I felt like I could hear the rise and fall of her voice while she was telling me the story. It was so alive. 

The 75% of the book is fast and intimate...like really really intimate. Although, I would like a little more talking between them than raw (sometimes) masochistic sex I liked the sex scenes a lot. 

This is a book about growing up and learning from your mistakes, whether you are 18 or 33 you still make mistakes and you still learn. How a person can change her whole life in just a few months and how she sees things after she finds trust and love to the most forbidden person - her teacher.

Unteachable is the kind of book that I will read again some time soon...really soon. Hope you like it too.

Clockwork Princess by Cassadra Clare book review by Eleni

Author: Cassandra Clare
Release Date: March 19th 2013
Publisher: Walker Books Ltd
Series: The Infernal Devices
Pages: 565
Rating: 5 stars
Buy on: Amazon , Barnes and Noble

Danger and betrayal, secrets and enchantment in the breathtaking conclusion to the Infernal Devices trilogy.

Tessa Gray should be happy – aren't all brides happy? Yet as she prepares for her wedding, a net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shaodwhunters of the London Institute. 

A new demon appears, one linked by blood and secrecy to Mortmain, the man who plans to use his army of pitiless automatons, the Infernal Devices, to destroy the Shadowhunters. Mortmain needs only one last item to complete his plan. He needs Tessa. And Jem and Will, the boys who lay equal claim to Tessa's heart, will do anything to save her. 

Review:
Okay, here we go. It took me two whole days to come up with a review for this...book. This book that tore my heart in two and made me so freaking angry and made me lost it totally..is one of the greatest books I ever read on this genre.

I wont spoil anything at all but what I will say to you is that go buy, download, loan whatever this book right now and start reading. It will drive you crazy and i have to say that you will be pulling your hair with utmost despair.

The characters are all the same and the story starts from where it was left on the Clockwork Prince and then everything goes to hell literally. Tessa is about to marry Jem and the rest of the Shadowhunters try to figure out what to do with the infamous Mortmain. Suddenly, when everything is going bad Will comes up with the news that there is no yin fen for purchase anymore due to the fact that Mortmain bought everything. And the downfall starts.

I really hated the fact that Clare had to totally tear her characters apart in this book and have everyone suffer as much as possible - with the only exception of Will who suffers a lot more than the others. Tessa has found herself in a love triangle again but this time the weight goes towards Will - but wait..she is not sure. I dont know how Clare did this but Tessa gave me the impression (Again) that she was trying to convince herself that she loved Jem, although we all know that she loves Will.

I cant say how much i wanted to cry when Jem was dying and when Will talked to him about some things. How both of them love each other and how each one of them would sacrifice himself for the other. This 10 pages were the most emotional in the whole book. Clare did a good job with words again. She gave a great description of how the bond of a parabatai ends and how it really feels. It was just heartbreaking and amazing.

I want to make a huge spoiler but i cant because i told you i wont but towards the end of the book all of you will get a huge shock. I thought i would die because what happened goes beyond imagination and seriously i think that what happened is a huge slap in the face for Jem...poor, kind Jem but for that part and only i am so glad that i read the book.

In the whole book what i DID NOT LIKE AT ALL IS THE EPILOGUE. Seriously??? 15 pages for 130 years of life????Okay i have to say that some lines made me tear up and think about it after i finished the book and i have to give that to Clare -she can make you cry with just one line. But what really happened in the last 4 pages is what made me so angry. What happens is kinda weird when it comes to honor and respect and also She leaves you with the impression that there's gonna be more but i dont think it will be more. Agh!!!!

Cassandra Clare's Clockwork Princess is one of my favorite books now and i will return to it sometime in the future.

The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen Book Review by Eleni.

Author: Sarah Dessen
Publication Date: June 4th 2013
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Pages: 435
Rating: 3.5 stars
Buy at: Barnes and Noble, Amazon

Luke is the perfect boyfriend: handsome, kind, fun. He and Emaline have been together all through high school in Colby, the beach town where they both grew up. But now, in the summer before college, Emaline wonders if perfect is good enough.

Enter Theo, a super-ambitious outsider, a New Yorker assisting on a documentary film about a reclusive local artist. Theo's sophisticated, exciting, and, best of all, he thinks Emaline is much too smart for Colby.

Emaline's mostly-absentee father, too, thinks Emaline should have a bigger life, and he's convinced that an Ivy League education is the only route to realizing her potential. Emaline is attracted to the bright future that Theo and her father promise. But she also clings to the deep roots of her loving mother, stepfather, and sisters. Can she ignore the pull of the happily familiar world of Colby?

Emaline wants the moon and more, but how can she balance where she comes from with where she's going?

Review:

     The book for me was a piece of art. Although I am not familiar with Dessen's novels I have to say that she did a great job when it comes to character development and realism.  All the characters have human traits and no one is perfect there is so much diversity that I believe anyone can relate himself to one. Not lot of authors have the ability to do that. 
      There is the girl that cares about all, the b*** who is also sentimental deep down, the overly attached - overly worrying mother and of course the awesome but douche boyfriend and the cool friends and sister. I found all the characters funny and clever (except a certain person who in the end turned 160 around) thus the book has a good sense of humor and i like funny books.
      What I didn't really like was the story. I saw the whole book but I continued reading because I went through a same phase when i was leaving for college a couple of years ago. I liked that Dessen showed how a departure of one person can change not only his life but others too. How everyone is start seeing this person and how they try to figure out how to treat him. As an adult or as a child? Through my experience this is the worst thing that can happen to a parent - the kid wants freedom the parent refuses to see that due to fear of what might change.
   The writing was really really good and I felt like i was walking around Colby and i liked that a lot!!!
I am sure the book will appeal to anyone that is ready to leave for college and also likes summer readings.

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green Book Review

Author: John Green
Release Date: January 10th 2012
Publisher: Dutton Books
Pages: 316
Rating: 5 stars

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.







Review:

    Okay let me get this straight. this is the best novel I have ever read.period. I have never ever experienced feelings of happiness and sadness at such excess. ever. 

     While reading this book I felt myself laughing at the amazing humor and at the same time feeling depressed. it wasn't an emotional roller coaster...it was a roller coaster with two speeds. happy and sad and that was pretty much it. 

     I suddenly found myself sobbing tp the point my husband woke up asking me what was wrong and to the point I mumbled don't you ever die on me while trying to catch my breath. Cried while reading a book before? Never happened and I think it wont ever happen again.

     The whole theme of the book had to do with cancer and how people find a way to love and to forgive and appreciate life and family and friends. How through a disease a person can change so much and how love can be found...and lost. The book also concentrates on the side characters that also play an important role in the book and to the main characters. Enough with the analyzation just go read the book and get your minds blown away.
      I fucking totally recommend this awesome book.

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick book review

Author: Huntley Fitzpatrick
Release Date: June 14th 2013
Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers
Pages: 394
Rating: 5 stars

"One thing my mother never knew, and would disapprove of most of all, was that I watched the Garretts. All the time."

The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, messy, affectionate. And every day from her rooftop perch, Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs up next to her and changes everything.

As the two fall fiercely for each other, stumbling through the awkwardness and awesomeness of first love, Jase's family embraces Samantha - even as she keeps him a secret from her own. Then something unthinkable happens, and the bottom drops out of Samantha's world. She's suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?

A transporting debut about family, friendship, first romance, and how to be true to one person you love without betraying another.

Review:

This is none of my favorite books!!!
NO SPOILERS

The Plot:
it was amazing to finally read a love story that it takes its time, deals with real life problems and moms and slowly bloom into an unconditional love! it was amazing. the author gave time to the main characters to develop their relationship and eventually take it to the next level. it seemed so natural and i wanted to read more and more and more. 

The Characters:
Fully developed and each one had to deal with its own demons. The author gives you a clear view of each one and you immediately know if you gonna like them or not. e.x. Sam;s mom is a total bitch and you know that from page one as the book moves on you find more reasons to hate her and in the end you hate her even more for what she did.

The Language:
The language that is being used in the book is appropriate you dont find yourself reading the same words over and over again to the point you want to tear the book in half. the use of metaphores is great and beautiful.


Overall:
its a great summer reading book and i would totally recommend it.