Me on Flash Reviews (1)

Last night I was all torn on what book to review that I read recently. Mostly because there's weren't any I totally loved. I really need to review Ally Condie's Matched because I really enjoyed it and thought it was interesting and can't wait for books 2 and 3 (this November and next November).

These are some quick reviews of books I've read in the past week or so, mostly because they averaged about 3 out of 5 stars for me, which is still good. 2's and 1's are garbage. 3's are good. 4's are really good/great. 5's are awesome. Most of these books were a 3 for me. :)

So, these are reviews of books I read in the past week and a half, all YA, some I bought on giant discount ($4 for a $17 book) and some borrowed from the library downtown.

Sucks to be Me: The All-True Confessions of Mina Hamilton, Teen Vampire by Kimberly Pauley: Funny. I liked how personal it was, the journal aspect. Mina's confusion and anger at the beginning and then her struggles and secret-keeping throughout the book were believable. So funny, too. This is a vampire YA book that's not gory and bloody but very funny, like a teen comedy movie. Hey, it probably would make a good teen comedy movie. Can someone get on this?? ;)

Secret Society by Tom Dolby: A blog reader/follower asked if I could review this, so this might be a little longer. This book was on my list for a little while. Secret society with secret meetings and rituals and stuff? Sure, why not? Then I finally found this book and cringed at some of the reviews I saw online. I liked it, but not totally loved it. It was very secret society in New York City involving teens and their rich parents and all their money and power and entitled opinions. I liked Phoebe the most, she was new and artsy and not mega rich or jaded or snooty. The twists were interesting, the end wasn't one of those 'I saw this coming a mile away' ends (not to me). I thought it was good. :)

The Frenzy by Francesca Lia Block: A werewolf YA first person teen girl so confused at what she's become book. It was a different take on werewolves, but I just thought it was okay. I'm not sure what bothered me or what didn't pull me in. I don't want to be mean, but this was why it was a good library borrow. I didn't hate it. I thought it was okay.

Dust City by Robert Paul Weston: An interesting plot premise. Henry, a werewolf/wolf, is living in a halfway house type place cause his dad is the wolf that killed Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother. It's not a cutesy fairy tale book, more like a vaguely fairy tale-related book about this guy doing some weird and dangerous stuff in a dingy town book for teen guys kind of book. Try this book out on teen guys. They might like it.

Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus: This book has been on my list for months and the library finally got it on the shelves. The summary drew me in, then turned into a book I didn't quite expect. I thought it would be more about Phe and her sister and secret ghost messages and less the paranormal-ish abilities of some of the townspeople and the instantly drawn to Phe cute guy. I think I'll reread this book one day.

If any of these quick blurby reviews make you want to read any of these books, visit your local library. If you really enjoy the book, then consider buying it. :)