Review: Jekel Loves Hyde by Beth Fantaskey

Jekel loves Hyde by Beth Fantaskey

Genre: Mystery, Teen, Thriller

Format: Paperback

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Synopsis:

Jill Jekel has always obeyed her parents rules; especially the one about never opening the mysterious, old box in her father's office. But when her dad is murdered, and her college savings disappear, she's tempted to peek inside, as the contents might be the key to a lucrative chemistry scholarship.

To improve her odds, Jill enlists the help of gorgeous, brooding Tristen Hyde, who has his own dark secrets locked away. As the team of Jekel and Hyde, they recreate experiments based on the classic novel, hoping not only to win a prize, but to save Tristen's sanity. Maybe his life. But Jill's accidental taste of a formula unleashes her darkest nature and compels her to risk everything, even Tristen's love just for the thrill of being . . . bad.

Review:

Beth Fantaskey’s Debut Novel Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark side was the reason why I bought two more books she’s written. One of them being the sequel to the book I just mentioned and then this one, a unique twist to the classic tale of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

The book is centered on the descendants of Jekyll and Hyde. A teenage boy (Hyde) and girl (Jekel) both suffering the darkness that was brought forward by their ancestors. I was really intrigued by the concept of the entire book. I’ve always wondered what the children of Hyde would be like and this book just answered it. Hyde’s descendants suffer from black outs and nightmares. They also go through murderous rages.

I’m actually disappointed in the book. Don’t get me wrong; I loved the plot and the mysteries behind deaths, murders, and insanity. But everything else seemed extremely forced. Jill Jekel is insecure and believes that a gorgeous guy like Tristen Hyde would never show any interest in her. There’s nothing unusual about that. But getting into her thought process and listening to her ramblings and teenage angst was just way over the top. There’s a fine line between angst that deserves to be angst and being pathetic. Jill was being pathetic half the time. And Tristen isn’t helping with his brooding, British self and his determination to use Jill to get the formula to the concoction that made his entire family line.

As much as I want to swoon over the entire book, I just found it forced, and unrealistic. I enjoyed the whole mystery and trying to find the antidote to the Hyde’s curse. The romance in between was just too – we just met but I think I love you.

Honestly, Beth Fantaskey could have done it better. I don’t know what changed but I know she could have written it a lot better than this. Authors have their ups and downs too.

3/5 Stars

Review: Hex Hall (Hex Hall #1) by Rachel Hawkins

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Series: Hex Hall 

Genre: Teen, Paranormal Romance

Format: Paperback

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Synopsis:

Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father--an elusive European warlock--only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.

By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire student on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect.

As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.

Review:

I’m not one for witches. I think they’re extremely lame. Especially, when they have to recite lame poems that rhyme and expect something magical to happen. If they used words like Stupify or something similar to gibberish like in Harry Potter. Then maybe, I would like some witch books a lot more.

And surprisingly, Hex Hall wasn’t all that lame at all. It was teen, light and was filled with humor that entertained me to no ends. I adored the main character, I disliked the antagonists and was left on my toes as the plot thickens and thins.

Hex hall is extremely fast paced. There are no dragging details in the beginning; everything was simple, crisp and clean. That is one thing I love about Rachel Hawkin’s writing style. Then she throws in the humor. This book is hilarious; the main character Sophie has a wit of the best type of person and friend. She’s a character you can easily ease up to the moment you finish the first chapter.

What really got me into the book was the sense of mystery that lingers at this magical boarding school. There was a murder but no one knew who or what killed the poor victim. I loved how well Hawkins writes the progression between plot twist to plot twist. And even worse when I’m at the near-end of the book and she leaves us with a grueling cliffhanger.

In short, Hex Hall, has ghosts, fairies, vampires, and of course witches. It even had cults and ghosts being mischievous. Then there was romance, mystery, plot twists, action and a whole lot of humor. The book was quick, fun, and all together a wonderful read.

4/5 Stars

Review: The DUFF by Kody Keplinger

 

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Title: The DUFF
Author: Kody Keplinger
Genre: Teen, Young Adult: Contemporary Romance
Format: Hardbound
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Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn’t think she’s the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She’s also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her “the Duff,” she throws her Coke in his face.

But things aren’t so great at home right now, and Bianca is desperate for a distraction. She ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him.

Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn’t such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she’s falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.

Somehow, I am oddly drawn by books that have female protagonists with a sharp tongue. They're haters, they complain about those around her and bottom line... She doesn't stick around people who are intolerable to her. Though these qualities can be very discouraging in real life. But in a book, the authors always make them not so bad and not so good. A combination that is almost too perfect that one can't help but keep on reading. Bianca Piper is that cynical protagonist I'm raving about.

Bianca Piper is the DUFF amongst her two best friend. The DUFF can be defined as a friend amongst a closed circle of girls who are so pretty that they over shadow this DUFF, or in full form, The Designated Ugly Fat Friend. It's a mean term but it's a term that is actually used in real life. Surprising enough, her friends are not dense air heads who only think about boys, popularity and being beautiful. Her friends Jessica and Casey are the sweetest bunch ever. This is a definite plus for me.

The book started off really quick two to three chapters and you will be hooked. I loved how fast-paced the book was, I loved it even more when it drove me off the railings here and there. Bianca is one impulsive girl and she will drive you nuts in a good way.

I've read a lot of teen books and by far, the realistic romances are my favorites. And The Duff definitely has this. Though Bianca might be using her romance with the schools playboy as a way to escape real life, I can't help but rave about that too.

I am so impressed with the authors writing style, she was 18 when she wrote this book and I adored her concept, characters and everything else that came along with the book. Only thing I would change about the book was how abruptly it ended. Maybe if that part was less predictable and more smooth, the book would have been even more amazing. Everything else about this book was absolutely addicting! I simply couldn't put it down. If I had the time and patience to read a book twice, I would do it starting with The DUFF.

Review: Beautiful Creatures (Beautiful Creatures #1) by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

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Title: Beautiful Creatures (Beautiful Creatures #1)
Author: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Genre: Young Adult: Paranormal, Teen
Format: Paperback
Buy: Amazon / The Book Depository / Barnes & Noble

There were no surprises in Gatlin County.
We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere.
At least, that's what I thought.
Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.
There was a curse.
There was a girl.
And in the end, there was a grave.

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

Beautiful Creatures is indeed an epic read that is dark, mysterious and everything like the cover. I honestly, did not expect to like this book at all and expected very little from it. From my past experiences with books that everyone's hyped up about. I always ended up indifferent to it. But this one was an exception that I actually liked, not as much as I wanted to like it. But I liked it enough to give it four stars.

Kami and Margaret wrote the book in such a way that it always seemed gloomy and dark. The atmosphere in the book gave me the creeps. A lot of it. The book had your usual new girl, who has special powers and town boy falls in love with her. Despite that basic Young Adult Paranormal structure, the authors managed to surround that with tons of originality that pretty much filled the entire book till it reached 530 pages.

Lena and Ethan were okay characters that honestly did annoy me sometimes. I even face-palmed myself once in awhile. But they were sweet together and they made me go "aww" sometimes. I was even surprised when the book was told in Ethan's perspective and not Lena's. I'm glad it was the hero this time. It made the book feel really refreshing.

When Lena moves into town, she is immediately disliked and shunned when they all find out that she is the niece of the town shut in. She is bullied not only in school by the students but also by the student's parents. I admired Ethan's tenacity for sticking up for her especially when he is putting his reputation in jeopardy.

The plot and other minor characters were so beautifully built with enough detail and a lot of dialogue to paint the perfect image in any readers mind. I'm amazed at how easily you can go through each page, not only because of the content but because of how easily to read the formatting was. It wasn't one of those books that love squishing a hell lot of paragraphs in one page. This was more breezy and simple.

Overall, I liked Beautiful Creatures, it had dark voodoo magic, magic in general and interesting mythologies that keeps a reader captivated. Despite the length of the book, I still managed to flip through pages and that is a perfect sign of an entertaining and enjoyable book.

Review: A Breath of Eyre (Unbound #1) by Eve Marie Mont

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Title: A Breath of Eyre (Unbound #1)
Author: Eve Marie Mont
Publisher: K Teen
Genre: Young Adult: Contemporary Romance, Young Adult: Paranormal, Young Adult: Historical Romance, Teen
Format: Paperback
Buy: Amazon / The Book Depository / Barnes & Noble

In this stunning, imaginative novel, Eve Marie Mont transports her modern-day heroine into the life of Jane Eyre to create a mesmerizing story of love, longing, and finding your place in the world... Emma Townsend has always believed in stories-the ones she reads voraciously, and the ones she creates. Perhaps it's because she feels like an outsider at her exclusive prep school, or because her stepmother doesn't come close to filling the void left by her mother's death. And her only romantic prospect-apart from a crush on her English teacher-is Gray Newman, a long-time friend who just adds to Emma's confusion. But escape soon arrives in an old leather-bound copy of Jane Eyre...

Reading of Jane's isolation sparks a deep sense of kinship. Then fate takes things a leap further when a lightning storm catapults Emma right into Jane's body and her nineteenth-century world. As governess at Thornfield, Emma has a sense of belonging she's never known-and an attraction to the brooding Mr. Rochester. Now, moving between her two realities and uncovering secrets in both, Emma must decide whether her destiny lies in the pages of Jane's story, or in the unwritten chapters of her own...

Jane Eyre is my all-time favorite novel. It was the only thing that kept me company when I was in my pre-teens. It was the book I relied on. I couldn't get enough of the movie and tv adaptations that I decided to search around for retellings and re-adaptations of the novel and I found A Breath of Eyre. I was ecstatic and thrilled about my find that I bought it immediately. The moment it arrived, I started reading it and I knew I couldn't stop.

Emma Townsend is a lonely teenager who confides herself in Jane Eyre's world. And when disaster strikes in reality her whole world turns upside down and she's thrown into the fantasy that is Jane Eyre's shoes (literally). She lives out Jane's life for her. She teaches Adele, chats with Mrs. Fairfax and falls in love with her employer, Mr. Rochester. Her image of reality and fantasy slips a little the first time she makes it to Jane's world. But when she returns to reality, she wants nothing more than to escape back to the illusion of Jane's world. By illusion, I don't mean Emma is crazy and is seeing things. Each time she's in Jane's world, she's in a coma in reality. As she explores her feelings in Jane's shoes, the author changed my whole outlook of my childhood best friend Jane and my childhood crush, Mr. Rochester.

She portrayed Jane Eyre as a feminist that stupidly fell in love with a controlling monster who married his wife, Bertha for money then drove her into a state of loneliness and depression. This eventually drove her so insane and violent that he locked her up like an animal just because he didn't want to deal with her. If I think about it long enough, it may look that way if we sat in Bertha Mason's place. But honestly, what happened to the bi-polar-ness that drove every female in Bertha's family insane? Bertha Mason is self-destructive, and Rochester did what every man would do in that era: lock her up because they were afraid of a mental illness that they did not understand. I see no harm in Mont's perception of Jane Eyre, after all everyone is entitled to their own opinions. And this particular opinion can be a real eye-opener and I tip my hat to Mont for her concept twist.

The unique twist, the emotional and dark characters, the romance, the fights and interactions that were realistic, brought this book together pretty well. Despite all the copy-paste from the original Jane Eyre book, I still found myself loving this book, if not whole-heartedly but sincere enough to say that I adored the message that came with it: Appreciate and be grateful of the people who love you in reality because people in fantasies are just scripted, unreal and well... an illusion. Nothing beats reality, even if reality beats you.

Review: Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side (Jessica #1) by Beth Fantaskey

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Title: Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side (Jessica #1)
Author: Beth Fantaskey
Publisher: Harcourt
Genre: Young Adult: Paranormal Romance, Teen, Young Adult: Romance
Format: Paperback
Buy: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository 

The undead can really screw up your senior year ...

Marrying a vampire definitely doesn’t fit into Jessica Packwood’s senior year “get-a-life” plan. But then a bizarre (and incredibly hot) new exchange student named Lucius Vladescu shows up, claiming that Jessica is a Romanian vampire princess by birth—and he’s her long-lost fiancé. Armed with newfound confidence and a copy of Growing Up Undead: A Teen Vampire’s Guide to Dating, Health, and Emotions, Jessica makes a dramatic transition from average American teenager to glam European vampire princess. But when a devious cheerleader sets her sights on Lucius, Jess finds herself fighting to win back her wayward prince, stop a global vampire war—and save Lucius’s soul from eternal destruction.

The first impression I got from this book was how humorous and funny it both sounded and looked. The title itself sounded way more sarcastic than serious. So I wasn't expecting a book with too much plot and depth.

When I picked up the book (finally). It was exactly what I expected until the story got deeper and the plot began to drip with more depth. Some may say that this book was just like all the usual vampire books but for me, it was Dracula with a new twist. A new twist that was captivating enough to keep a reader up all night.

Jessica's confused and distressed when she finds out that she's vampire royalty and has been betrothed to a vampire Prince since birth. You find yourself following Jessica as she walks the road of self-discovery, denial and sometimes anger. I liked Jessica, she was a great character to follow and she was easy to connect with. She had her flaws and I didn't agree to all her decisions but hey! She's not me.

Lucious Vladescu (her counterpart), on the other hand, is brooding, tall, dark, Romanian and 100% vampire. Lucious was the perfect male counterpart, he wasn't lame and annoying like the male protagonists in "certain" vampire romances that I won't mention. He was extremely dark that any reader can tell that he was coming from a harsh and violent background that tailored his good manners and demeanor. I pitied him a few times and definitely wondered what in the world was he thinking when he did certain things in the book. Tsk.

Jessica and Lucious' relationship was realistic. She didn't immediately fall for him even though she found his charm and looks irresistible. They started out hating each other, then friendship and finally, at the very end, they began to realize how strongly they felt about each other. Though I didn't appreciate what happened near the end of the book.

I enjoyed learning how vampires operate in this book. The author writes it up pretty well, even though it was used before. This version of how vampires operate work fits the story so well that I don't see why anyone would complain about it.

Overall, I loved the unique and clean writing style, the snarky and dark characters and finally, the plot that captivates a reader enough to keep them from putting the book down. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel and more of Beth Fantaskey's books (especially, Jekel loves Hyde).

Review: The Truth about Faking by Leigh Talbert Moore

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Title: The Truth About Faking
Author: Leigh T. Moore
Publisher: Smash
Genre: Young Adult: Contemporary Romance, Teen
Format: eBook for Review
Buy: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Jason just wants a date with Harley.
Harley just wants a date with Trent.
Trent's still getting over Stephanie.

When Harley and Jason decide to fake date, they uncover a school of deceptions. Trent's got a secret, but so does Jason. And the more time Harley spends secretly kissing her fake boyfriend, the further she gets from her dreams with Trent.

Worst of all, Harley's mom is getting cozy with her hot massage therapy student, and even Harley's Reverend Dad can't fake not being bothered by it. But when the masks finally come off, can everyone handle the real truth?

The Truth About Faking (TTAF as we call it on social networks) is one of those books I'll read as an eBook and then get the paperback just to show it off on my shelf and to fellow readers. It's a fluffy and a cute book for teenage girls or girls in general. I know for sure some moms would like this.

The book starts with Harley thrown in an accident where she meets a new addition to the town, Jason. He's cute and accurately described as 'hot' throughout the entire book. And when Harley gets home she's on the phone with her best friend, plotting how to get another guy from school, Trent, to ask her out. I found their plan to get Trent cute and funny. It made me think about what I would do to get a guy to ask me out. Anyways, things happen, Jason interferes and ruins Harley's chances with Trent and now Jason and Harley have to fake date to make Trent realize he wants her. I know, its a typical highschool move but it was so fun to read.

Some characters were great and fun to read about, like Jason and Ricky, while the rest were just infuriating! I didn't like Shelly (Harley's best friend) much. She is so oblivious to Harley's feelings sometimes that she doesn't realize she's hurting her. Best friends are supposed to be attentive towards each other. Well, I'm just glad she stopped being infuriating towards the end. I also didn't like that woman who hates Harley's mom and constantly finds a way to ruin everything for her, just because of a job her husband didn't get. Childish much?

I enjoyed reading about Harley, her life, her struggles, etc. Moore wrote a great character all girls can connect and relate to. I felt Harley's pain and happiness throughout the entire book and that connection just kept me reading all the way to the end.

The best part of the book is the messages that it holds. The book had many messages, all telling you things like 'not to judge without knowing the whole story', 'somethings are really not what it seems', and my favorites would be : 'If you want something, get it. There's no point in wasting time pondering the what if's'. There are many more in the story but I'll let you guys figure them out yourselves.

The Truth about Faking is a wonderful, fluffy, fun, and page-turning romance that'll make you squeal, laugh, smile, frown, cry and most of all, it'll make you turn those pages faster because it's just that good. Leigh Talbert Moore you are an awesome author! Don't stop writing! :)

Review: Keep Holding On by Susane Colasanti

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Title: Keep Holding On
Author: Susane Colasanti
Publisher: Viking
Genre: Young Adult: Contemporary Romance, Teen
Format: Hardbound
Buy: Amazon | Barnes and Noble 



A romantic and empowering book about bullying

Noelle's life is all about survival. Even her best friend doesn't know how much she gets bullied, or the ways her mom neglects her. Noelle's kept so much about her life a secret for so long that when her longtime crush Julian Porter starts paying attention to her, she's terrified. Surely it's safer to stay hidden than to risk the pain of a broken heart. But when the antagonism of her classmates takes a dramatic turn, Noelle realizes it's time to stand up for herself--and for the love that keeps her holding on.

Many books out there seem to be either telling you a story or teaching you a lesson. But this one stands out as one of the few books that tell you something meaningful and in plain words. It's telling you to "Keep Holding On".

No matter how bad you have it right now. Life is not worth giving up abruptly by your own hands. Susane Colasanti tells us a story about Noelle Wexler. A young high school student going through the toughest time being bullied every day of her life. If not by people in school but by her mother at home. The story starts out with the usual type of bullying, like name-calling, throwing food at you, laughing at you, etc - Until something bad happens to the popular girls and then they blame the loser kids by torturing them till they have nothing to lose but their lives. Things become violent, and life threatening and thats when you've got to finally stand up for yourself and let people know you are not to be trampled on any longer. This is exactly what Noelle Wexter did.

The book is uplifting, but sad with a lot of angst in it. It's an inspiring book that tells you how true friends and boyfriends act. How they won't hide you because they're embarrassed of you. Or lie for you because you're the only poor kid in school. It tells a story about domestic life of a young teenager and the single mom who neglects her child so much that her daughter is suffering from malnutrition and hunger.

Keep Holding On is the perfect read to inspire you out of a lonely, tough life that you can't live in anymore. It tells you to believe that this is just a phase in your life that you will come out of stronger than ever. It tells you to believe that you're life isn't over yet. It tells you to believe that you will be happy, you will be treated well, you will be everyone's equal and not an outsider or a loser, and finally, it tells you to believe that you will have everything you always wanted as long as you Keep Holding On.