Goddess Boot Camp - Tera Lynn Childs

Goddess Boot Camp - Tera Lynn Childs

Pages: 264
Publisher: Dutton
Release Date: 11th June 2009

Other Titles by this Author: Oh.My.Gods. (my review)

Phoebe, who recently discovered she’s a descendent of Nike (the goddess, not the shoe), is finding out that supernatural powers come with a crazy learning curve.

A few months ago, when Phoebe’s mom married a Greek guy and moved her halfway around the world to the tiny island of Serfopoula, she had no idea that she’d soon find herself surrounded by the descendents of Greek gods, let alone that she’d learn her own heritage was more mythical that mortal. But because she still doesn’t quite have her new powers under control, something that can be dangerous since the gods are known for smoting those who use their powers recklessly, Phoebe’s been enrolled at Dynamotheos Development Camp, also known as Goddess Boot Camp, for the summer. What kind of earthly torture will Goddess Boot Camp be? Well, it can’t be any worse than Hades, can it?

This summer will be all about learning her powers, reigning them in, training for the marathon at the Pythian Games (the only athletic event bigger than the Olympics). And surviving Goddess Boot Camp with her love life and sanity intact!

Goddess Boot Camp is the hugely fun sequel to Oh.My.Gods.. I really enjoyed reading this.

Phoebe’s life gets a little more complicated in Goddess Boot Camp as she has some pretty serious things to deal with. She was desperate to learn more about her dad’s death, busy training for the Pythian Games - more important then the Olympics - and prepare for a test that will have dire consequences if she fails. And yet Goddess Boot Camp had me giggling throughout.

I really didn’t like Stella - Phoebe’s step-sister - in Oh.My.Gods., but she really began to grow on me while I was reading this. She’s actually a human being! Well, a very powerful, descendent of a goddess, human. We also learnt a lot more about Adara. I still don’t like her, though!

One of my favourite things about Goddess Boot Camp was the explanations of the twelve different powers at the beginning of each chapter and then seeing how Phoebe discovered them and then learnt to control them. It did make me realise that I need to brush up on my Greek mythology, though!

Goddess Boot Camp is the perfect antidote to a rainy November day with it’s sunny setting, loveable characters and escapist world.

Sophie

Swoon - Nina Malkin

Swoon - Nina Malkin

Pages: 421
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: 19th May 2009

Other Titles by this Author: 6X: The Uncensored Confessions, 6X: Loud, Fast and Out of Control, Orange is the New Pink, An Unlikely Cat Lady

Sin is coming…

Prepare to swoon.

Torn from her native New York City and dumped in the land of cookie-cutter preps, Candice is resigned to accept her posh, dull fate. Nothing ever happens in Swoon, Connecticut…until Dice’s perfect, privileged cousin Penelope nearly dies in a fall from an old tree and her spirit intertwines with that of a ghost. His name? Sinclair Youngblood Powers. His mission? Revenge. While Pen is oblivious to the possession, Dice is all too aware of Sin. She’s intensely drawn to him - but not at all crazy about the havoc he’s wreaking.

Determined to exorcise the demon, Dice accidentally sets Sin loose, gives him flesh, makes him formidable. Now she must destroy an even more potent - and irresistible - adversary before the whole town succumbs to Sin’s will. Only trouble is, she’s in love with him.

What do you do when the boy of your dreams is too bad to be true?

Swoon is a sexy, unique and captivating tale of the supernatural. I’ve never read anything like it.

The plot of Swoon is extremely complex and original. It draws on Jewish folklore, uses stories from 18th century life and throws them into the world of a lost American girl. At some points there was so much going on and lots of threads from different parts of Swoon that I got a little confused. I’d occasionally have to read back over a few paragraphs to figure out what was going on.

I also felt that the romance between Sin and Dice was very rushed. Dice fell deeply in love with him after very few brief meetings, it was a bit unrealistic. To be honest, I don’t really understand what she saw in him. I like a bad boy as much as the next girl, but other than his gorgeousness, he didn’t really have very many redeeming qualities. He was manipulative, slimy and pretty horrible until the last few chapters. I like my bad boys to have hidden goodness so Sin just didn’t do it for me!

But with all of the problems that I had with Swoon, I really liked the ending. Dice and Sin got closure, most of the other characters had their problems resolved and the town of Swoon had been changed forever. To me, it felt like all of the loose threads were tied up and that the ending suited the characters perfectly.

Swoon is a very strange, yet compelling, read that is definitely different from lots of supernatural fiction out there. The sensuality of Swoon, however, may make some readers uncomfortable.

Sophie

Shiver - Maggie Stiefvater

Shiver - Maggie Stiefvater

Pages: 434
Publisher: Scholastic
Release Date: 5th October 2009

Other Titles by This Author: Lament: The Faerie Queen‘s Deception, Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie

The pack circled around me, tongues and teeth and growls.

When a local boy is killed by wolves, Grace’s small town becomes a place of fear and suspicion. But Grace can’t help being fascinated by the pack, and by one yellow-eyed wolf in particular. There’s something about him - something almost human.

Then she meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away…

A chilling love story that will have you hooked from the very first page.

I absolutely loved Shiver. It’s lyrical, beautifully written and drew me in from the very first page.

The relationship between Sam and Grace was sweet and believable. It moved at apace that fit with the restraints that were put on the story by Sam’s nature. The lyrical way that Maggie Stiefvater writes pulled me into the story and I connected with Sam and Grace instantly and Mercy Falls was also described so vividly that I could picture exactly where Sam and Grace were standing.

As those of you who read my blog regularly will know; I love books written in split narrative. Grace is a strong and likeable character and I loved reading how Sam’s view of her compared to her own. And Sam, well, what to say about him? I love him? He’s gorgeous? He’s perfect for Grace? I really liked how Maggie Stiefvater gave him such depth; there was more to him than just being a werewolf.

I don’ know that many different versions werewolf lore, but I think that Shiver’s lore is particularly clever. Being a supernatural creature usually enhances and extends life in YA fiction, but not in the case of the wolves of Mercy Falls. The control of temperature and the differences between wolf Sam and human Sam made Shiver truly individual.

I loved reading Shiver, even when it made me cry, and I can’t wait to find out what happens to Grace and Sam in Linger.

Sophie

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How to Be Bad - E. Lockhart, Sarah Mlynowski and Lauren Myracle

How to Be Bad - E. Lockhart, Sarah Mlynowski and Lauren Myracle

Pages: 321
Publisher: Harper Teen
Release Date: 1st May 2009

Vicks is the wild child whose boyfriend has gone suspiciously quiet since he left for college; Mel is the newcomer desperate to be liked; and Jesse will do anything to avoid a life-altering secret. Each one has her own reason for wanting to get out of their nowheresville town, even just for the weekend. So they climb in Jesse’s mom’s “borrowed” station wagon and head south.

Hearts will be broken, friendships will be tested, and a ridiculously hot stranger could change the course of everything.

How to Be Bad is a fun story about family, friends and an ancient stuffed alligator.

The three-way split narration told the stories of three very different girls. Vicks is bright and spunky, Jesse is very religious and a little uptight and Mel is quiet and eager to be liked. All three added different dimensions to the story with their opposing characters and backgrounds. The only one of the girls I didn’t like was Jesse. She was far too religious and preachy for me to gel to her.

With the three girls written by three distinctly different authors, every teenage girl will be able to identify with bits of all three of them. So many teenage dilemmas were faced by Vicks, Jesse and Mel. Serious illness, the need to fit in and be liked, sibling rivalry and long-distance relationships are just a few of them.

I love books about road trips. Everything about them appeals to me, from singing along to the radio to the utter freedom of it to the wacky stops you make along the way. I’d love to do one myself, New York to LA preferably! Maybe one day…

While not one of my favourites, How to Be Bad is an easy, enjoyable read from three brilliant authors.

Sophie

Crazy Beautiful - Lauren Baratz-Logsted

Crazy Beautiful - Lauren Baratz-Logsted

Pages: 193
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Release Date: 7th September 2009

Other Titles by this Author: The Sisters Eight series, Angels Choice, Secrets of My Suburban Life etc.

I would give a lot to see that smile again, directed at me. It may not be much, but I would give everything I’ve got.

In an explosion of his own making, Lucius blew his arms off. Now he has hooks. He chose hooks because they were cheaper. He chose hooks because he wouldn’t outgrow them so quickly. He chose hooks so that everyone would know he was different, so he would scare even himself.

Then he meets Aurora. The hooks don’t scare her. They don’t keep her away. In fact, they don’t make any difference at all to her.

But to Lucius, they mean everything. They remind him of the beast he is inside. Perhaps Aurora is his Beauty, destined to set his soul free from his suffering.

Or maybe she’s just a girl who needs love just like he does.

A modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast, Lauren Baratz-Logsted’s Crazy Beautiful strips away the original tale to get to it’s essence, revealing the truth about forgiveness, redemption, and the power of love.

Crazy Beautiful is a brilliant retelling of one of my favourite fairytales.

Aurora and Lucius were younger than I expected them to be. They were only fifteen whereas I assumed that they would be seventeen or eighteen. This gave Crazy Beautiful an innocence that lots of YA doesn’t have. It was a short, sweet story of first love perfect for younger teens.

When I began Crazy Beautiful I thought that Aurora was too perfect; beautiful, clever, kind and patient. And she was all of those things, but as more was revealed about her, I began to like her regardless. Lucius was by far my favourite character, though. He was just so interesting! His closed-off nature only intensified the mystery and intrigue surrounding him. But Lucius and Aurora together were the perfect fit; they complemented each other beautifully.

Other than the obvious, there weren’t many blatant similarities to Beauty and the Beast. the only ones that I can think of are Jessup, Crazy Beautiful’s version of Gaston, and the names Aurora Belle and Lucius Wolfe.

Crazy Beautiful is a quick, but beautifully written, book and I look forward to reading more of Lauren Baratz-Logsted’s books in the future.

Sophie