Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, two teens—both named Will Grayson—are about to cross paths. As their worlds collide and intertwine, the Will Graysons find their lives going in new and unexpected directions, building toward romantic turns-of-heart and the epic production of history’s most fabulous high school musical.

Hilarious, poignant, and deeply insightful, John Green and David Levithan’s collaborative novel is brimming with a double helping of the heart and humor that have won both of them legions of faithful fans

Rating: 4.5 (Goodreads rating is 5)

In an epic turn of events, a book with John Green as an author has gotten something minusculey less than 5 stars! And even with the half star taken off, I absolutely loved this book. As with all John Green books, it was pure gold, just one little thing got to me. I'll talk about that later.

Now, for the first Will Grayson. He was awesome! He was smart and funny, and he always tried to be loyal to his friends, even with their differences. Now, obviously Will Grayson makes a few mistakes, all protagonists, antagonists, and characters in general do. But people do that! They make mistakes, they regret what they did, and they try to make it right. It is a cycle that goes through everyday life constantly, and yet people always act as though what Will Grayson did was so horrible. Actually, from Will Grayson's perspective, it was actually reasonable and a heat in the moment let out.

now for the second will grayson. he was poor, and a bit crude. he has different boundaries than the first will (which he calls o.w.g.) had, and therefore acted a bit more rashly and based on feeling than o.w.g. did. at the beginning of the book, he's in love with a boy named isaac over the internet. he's never seen isaac in person, but he goes down to meet him at a porn store in chicago. coincidentally, o.w.g. is there as well, but for different reasons. will grayson finds out that isaac does not in fact exist, and thereoff his adventure with tiny cooper begins.

Tiny Cooper was the main character in this book. The story was about his play, his character development, his relationship with will grayson and Will Grayson, and finding out what  he was meant to do. Tiny Cooper was adorable, although on several occasions I wanted to punch him in the face. He was big and needy and obsessed with himself. But such character development!! I loved it.

All in all, the story was a great coming of age story. (Also, one of the few books by John Green where someone didn't die/was believed to be dead) :D *whispers* thanks

xxAvalon

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris--until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend.

Rating: 5 stars

Honestly, I never really considered buying this book whenever I was lurking about the shelves in Barnes and Nobles. It just seemed so...cliche? I don't know, but I found the name a bit odd, even though the new cover (the real pretty one that's all pink with the Eiffel Tower) is really cool, I still didn't want to buy it.

Until I was watching one of John Green's vlogs, and I saw him ranting over how wonderful the book was and I couldn't help but buy it. I mean, John Green recommended it. YOU CAN'T GET A BETTER REASON TO READ IT THAN THAT!

So I read it. And I wondered how I could have been so naïve as to have not bought it before. I was just so wonderful and fluffy and cute and Etienne was British and there was drama but the good kind and I am probably going to read all of Stephanie Perkins books in the future.

And I know you all are going 'Drama? I hate drama!' and that is a lie. Because if you have any kind of spirit in you at all, drama is what you live your life on, and to go without it would leave your life empty and boring. The good kind of drama, anyway. Some kinds of drama you just want to stay away from. So don't kid yourself, don't try to be one of those girls/boys who goes through life pretending and trying to convince other people that they hate what they in fact are the cause of. I like drama in small amounts, it keeps life interesting and me on my toes. (If you actually hate drama, cause you're a pacifist or something like that, ignore this paragraph)

And Etienne *sighs* oh Etienne. He's one of those guys where his imperfections make him perfect. He was so sweet and funny and Lord help me he was British.

But...he also had a girlfriend.

 

I did not find this amusing.

Here we have the most beautiful, sweet, funny, loyal, smart, and charming guy...and he has a girlfriend. Of course he does. *cries at the beginning of the book* *continues crying until the end of the book* *cries when the book is over* *cries* But Etienne St. Clair doesn't fail us, as fangirls readers. No, St. Clair becomes the world's most envied friend, and falls in love. (With who, I will not say) So yeah, you could say I am head over heels in love with this particular fictional character.

So, now onto Anna. Of course I liked Anna, she was impossible not to like. I mean, lots of people are ranting and raving over how Anna was fawning over Etienne too often, when really, would you be any different? She's just a typical, American teenager who knows an irresistible guy when she sees one. Is that really so bad? At least she wasn't pulling a Luce from Fallen, cause that would've killed me. In my opinion, Anna was acting like any teenager would in a situation she was in. But, of course you'll rant about it cause you're upset that not every female protagonist is going to be badass.

Don't get me wrong, I love badass female protagonists, but this book would so be the wrong place for one. Just saying. And Anna wasn't even that pathetic. People are going over the top on this, as I said before, pathetic is Luce, from Fallen.

Mer was...I don't know, I don't really have much to say on Mer. Not because she lacked character or personality, but because she did nothing truly outstanding (either good or bad) that isn't a spoiler that I feel a sudden urge to talk about.

This book was so amazing and seriously, just read it. If you like British boys and fluffy books, read it.

xxAvalon

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Charlie is a freshman.

And while he's not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. Shy, introspective, intelligent beyond his years yet socially awkward, he is a wallflower, caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it.

Charlie is attempting to navigate his way through uncharted territory: the world of first dates and mix tapes, family dramas and new friends; the world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. But he can't stay on the sideline forever. Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a deeply affecting coming-of-age story that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up.

Rating: 5 stars

Alright, before I begin this I just want to say I'm sorry I haven't done many reviews recently. I've been really busy and I've had a few family troubles. I'll be gone at camp just next week, but then I'll put up some more. But, on a happier note, the German CoB trailer came out and *fans self* *dies*AHHHHHHH 

 I had actually heard of the movie The Perks of Being a Wallflower before I had heard there was a book. I haven't seen the movie yet, but I plan to. The book was fresh, fluffy but serious, and so incredibly unique, I hope the movie portrays each of the characters correctly.

The book was actually written in letter form, which I wouldn't normally read, because when you write letters you don't include all of the details that you would get normally, but The Perks of Being a Wallflower did a very successful job at putting as many details as possible into each of the letters. For being in letter form, I felt like I was actually with 'Charlie' seeing everything he saw. But it was still believable, because Charlie is the sort of guy to cram and cram and cram all of his thoughts out like that, with his feelings so realistic and palpable and his voice so strong and so bold and yet so quiet to everyone but him all within being a believable personality. It was incredible.

'Charlie' isn't actually 'Charlie's' real name, because he wrote these letters to an unnamed friend, and he wished to be anonymous. Everyone else had made up names as well (by Charlie). Charlie is fifteen years old, and his best friend, Michael, died. Charlie doesn't have any more friends that are still at his school, so he is forced to enter into high school alone and hurt. Until he meets 'Nothing' Patrick, and Sam, Patrick's step sister. They soon become friends, even though Patrick and Sam are older than Charlie.

Charlie has an immediate crush on Sam, which eventually develops into love. That was actually very sad, because he couldn't help the way he felt, even when Sam had a boyfriend. Charlie's emotions were very subtle, but very strong and deep. If he loved something, he loved it with every fiber of his being, which made heart breaks so incredibly tough on him. Most people would look at him and think he was just an emotional baby, but when you see inside his head, you realize how wrong that is.

Charlie also over thinks things, wondering about and exploring anything that he doesn't know about, which was quite interesting in some parts, because Charlie is also very innocent at the beginning of the book. Charlie wants to know what everyone else thinks, and why, and about who, and when, and why they do what they do, and he wants to sympathize with them so desperately that it leaves him wondering what is going on in his own mind. He spends so much time thinking of other people, that he doesn't know what is going on in his head, or if it's wrong, or whether he's crazy, or whether he's just a freak.

He trusts easily, as well. He likes to talk to people about his problems, and he wants them to help, and he listens, truly listens and does his best to understand what they're saying. He's a great listener, and he's got a brilliant mind. It was impossible not to fall in love with him.

Sam was a pretty girl, who loved listening to people and loved people. She was sweet and was the absolute perfect match for Charlie. Unfortunately, she didn't realize this until the end of the book, and poor Charlie was all confused by then. Sam was like the mother. She made sure everyone got along, and if someone didn't she made them apologize. She was sympathetic and sweet, and she loved Charlie, even as a friend.

'Nothing' Patrick was funny. He got his nickname when people were calling him Patty, and he told them to call him Patrick or nothing. So they started calling him Nothing. Charlie called him Nothing at first, but then called him Patrick when they became friends. Patrick was gay, but he had a hard time keeping his relationship together with his 'boyfriend' who was gay, but in the closet still. Charlie helps out with that a lot, but Patrick is still hurt by the end of the book.

There was no evil plot in this story, no who-dun-it, no bad guys, just a teenage boy trying to get through school. And that was all this book needed, just a couple of wallflowers, never noticed by others, but always noticing things themselves. This book was sad, but it was truthful. It had real circumstances and realistic people who were lovable. You start reading this book, and you never want to put it down, it draws you in until you're so hooked in the story and captured by the characters you never want it to end.

SPOILER BELOW (kinda?)
One thing about this book that will never stop bugging me: At the end of the book Charlie introduced himself to a kid, saying 'I'm Charlie' or something along those lines. The kid replies saying 'I know' and then walks away. WHAT?!?! How does he know? Does everyone else know? Is Charlie more noticeable than he seems to think? Why isn't this explained? I am literally so frustrated about this now that I just can't...

Anyway, wonderful book. Everyone feel free to read it and enjoy it and love it with all your hearts. If you don't, you have major issues with the brilliance that Stephen Chbosky created.

xxAvalon

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

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 Shadowhunters 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.

Rating: 4 stars

Don't read this review if you haven't read Clockwork Angel and Clockwork Prince yet.

Alright, it's no secret that I love all of Cassandra Clare's books. She is one of my all time favorite authors, and the Mortal Instruments series and the Infernal Devices series are definitely some of my favorite books. Every personality in her books is unique and special and lovable. Even Will at his most jerky and douche bag moments was understandable. You could sympathize with his reasons if not his actions, and the same with all her characters. The villains, too. They had their reasons for doing the things they did, and you could understand that, even if you hated them.  There were no loose ends on her characters.

That aside, Tessa is back! Trying to find out what she really is, avoiding being married to a psychopathic bad guy, and torn between the mysterious and alluring Will, and Jem, her fiance, she's got a lot on her plate.

The 'infernal devices' are back and they won't stop until they have Tessa. The Magister is getting impatient as he is raising his Clockwork army, and he's got some new and horrifying tricks up his sleeve.

Basic overview:

As Tessa and the Shadowhunter's at the Institute find out about Benedict Lightwood's dealings with demons, things get really bad. Gabriel and Gideon Lightwood are forced to move into the Institute when Benedict catches 'demon pox' (much to Will's delight) and turns into a giant worm and eats his daughter's husband.

While Will is busy calling the Lightwood boys 'Lightworms' Tessa, Cecily, and Sophie are still training with them, and Jessamine is going to move back into the Institute. Consul Wayland is trying to keep the Council from electing Charlotte as the next Consul, as well as trying to get her thrown out of the Institute. And on top of fighting off demons and the Clockwork army, Tessa is trying to get ready for her wedding while ignoring her ridiculous feelings for Will, who confessed in Clockwork Prince that he was in love with her.

On top of all this, the Magister has taken all of the opium drug, which Jem needs to survive. As Jem's supply gets lower and lower, the Shadowhunter's and Tessa are working hard to find him a cure before he runs out.

While this is all well and complicated, the incredible amount of information that my brain was having trouble processing was not why I took the one star off. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved this book, as well as the rest of the series. But, I thought the ending wasn't as, well, satisfactory as I was hoping. Especially because no matter what team your on (Will or Jem) you get your way. As well as the fact that her great victory (that was not a spoiler, it had to be a victory or else The Mortal Instruments wouldn't exist) wasn't as dramatic and epic as I was hoping for.

I wasn't really decided on Team Will or Team Jem, I was on both, but I favored Will just a little bit more, he was just so sassy, and I've always loved sassy boys. Although I did love Jem for being there for her, and I'm just so torn between the two!!

I just can't--

All in all, Cassandra Clare has made yet another absolutely stunning series, with an amazing and beautiful ending, even if it didn't quite make up to my expectations. I absolutely cannot wait to see Tessa and Jem in City of Heavenly Fire (Which is coming out next year *squeals) and I'm hoping to see Will in it, although judging by the end of Clockwork Princess I don't know how that's possible.

So many intermingling series!!

xxAvalon

Cover Reveal: House of Hades by Rick Riordan

 

At the conclusion of The Mark of Athena, Annabeth and Percy tumble into a pit leading straight to the Underworld. The other five demigods have to put aside their grief and follow Percy’s instructions to find the mortal side of the Doors of Death. If they can fight their way through the Gaea’s forces, and Percy and Annabeth can survive the House of Hades, then the Seven will be able to seal the Doors both sides and prevent the giants from raising Gaea. But, Leo wonders, if the Doors are sealed, how will Percy and Annabeth be able to escape?

They have no choice. If the demigods don’t succeed, Gaea’s armies will never die. They have no time. In about a month, the Romans will march on Camp Half-Blood. The stakes are higher than ever in this adventure that dives into the depths of Tartarus.

House of Hades by Rick Riordan is the fourth installment in his new series, Heroes of Olympus starring Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Jason Grace, Piper McLean, Leo Valdez, Frank Zhang, and Hazel Levesque.

At the end of Rick Riordan's other series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Percy was (finally) with Annabeth and the next Great Prophecy had been spoken. Now, Percy's back and he's in trouble.

Gaea is rising and she has plans for Percy and the rest of the seven. From what I've gathered so far, she either wants Percy to be her pawn, or dead. Sacrificed and his blood drained on certain stones, to be more specific. Although any of the seven will do, I'm getting most of her evil controlling vibes are directed toward Percy, Jason, Frank, and Leo. And what's worse, she is the ultimate evil psycho lady. We're talking mother of Kronos. Remember what a wack-job Kronos was?

And to make matters worse, Percy and Annabeth have fallen into Tartarus. Nico and the rest of the seven are supposed to meet them at the Doors of Death. In the mean time, Percy and Annabeth have to make it through Tartarus, together. As long as they are together.*Begins dramatic sobbing*

The thing I am most excited for in this book is actually Nico. I know, Percy and Annabeth are probably going to be going through a Hell of a lot down there in, well, Hell. But I am and always was a die-hard Nico fangirl (Not the one who turns his hair and eyes brown, because he is the son of the Lord of the Underworld, and therefore should look like such, not like a puppy)

I love Nico, I love his personality, his powers are EPIC and he's always been my favorite character in the series. And I really can't wait to see how he acts with the rest of the group. I wonder if he's going to step up and try to be a leader. I hope he doesn't, it doesn't seem like it's in his personality to. As long as he stays dark and intimidating, I will love him :D (Yeah, I'm a bit morbid)

But OMIGOSH this cover is so beautiful and it's got Percy and Annabeth in it, running from bad guys and this is just *explodes* It rivals Son of Neptune as my favorite cover in this series, and all in all, it's insanely gorgeous. (It also looks like Annabeth still's got that broken ankle)

xx Avalon

Fallen by Lauren Kate

There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce – he goes out of his way to make that very clear. But she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, Luce has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret...even if it kills her.

Dangerously exciting and darkly romantic, FALLEN is a page-turning thriller and the ultimate love story.

The description is a lie.

Rating: 2 stars (only because I must congratulate it on the fact that I actually finished it without ripping it apart)

What a dreadful book. The characters were awful, the one I did like died, the plot was sketchy and stupid, and the entire book I was just thinking "What the heck's wrong with you? And you? And you? AND YOU WHAT THE????" and that pretty much sums up this book.

First off, I just need to say:

Dear Luce:

I hate you

I don't even care about spoilers in this review, because everything was so freaking predictable.

The book starts off with Luce Price, who is a girl who lacks character. She is transferred to a school for troubled teens when she accidentally sets her boyfriend on fire. Who turns out not to be her boyfriend...wut? I don't know, it was rather unclear on her feelings towards him. At first she felt awful, and then she was going 'Well, I didn't like him that much.' She was positively infuriating, and I have no idea what was so special about her.

Except maybe the fact that she had no wit or sense of humor. At all. In fact, when someone passed her a note saying (something along the lines of): Luce...Lucifer...coincidence? Most people would reply with an evil grin and: Maybe ;) But no, she writes out a freaking paragraph about the way her mother and father met, and how her name was superior to Molly's. WTF Luce?


And her obsession with Daniel was so annoying. This book had no insta-love. It was insta-obsession, later morphed into insta-lust (when Daniel starts liking her back), NOT insta-love. There were no deep emotions going on in this book, only shallow, selfish feelings centered around whether or not Luce got her way. She was like a 17 year old with manipulative, subtle, and tear filled temper tantrums, whose parents will eventually cave and go, okay, we think you're remarkable even though you've done NOTHING to prove that you are, and give you the jack-ass hot boy who flipped you off, called you a stalker, and proceeded to screw with your emotions until he eventually caved into his DESIRE(not insta-love) and made out with you on a bridge after another jackass boy tried to force himself on you. But at least he's REALLY hot.

 No. Just no. Daniel was a jack-ass, I hated him. Which is unusual for me, I usually love the jack-ass sorts, but Daniel crossed a couple thousand lines line and there is nothing he can do in future books to make up for it.

Cam was...bipolar. First he was all nice and sweet and protective, and then he went all picking fights. I could even look over this, except for the fact none of this seemed a little bit off to Luce. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised at that point.

Penn was the one character in the book I liked, she was smart, supportive, didn't stab Luce in the back (She was like, the only one)...and she died. Of course she died, because this author has a knack for killing off everything funny and awesome in the YA genre doesn't she?

I didn't like any one of the characters, except Penn. They were all bipolar, not nearly as funny as they thought they were, and plain out jerks. (Strong words, I know)

If you dislike everything about me, my opinions, my blog, I don't care. Just don't burden yourself with the absolute patheticness in Luce's character, jack-assness in Daniel's, and just I am warning you, don't.

xxAvalon

Mini Review: Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi and What Really Happened In Peru by Cassandra Clare

Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi

Perfect for the fans of Shatter Me who are desperately awaiting the release of Unravel Me, this novella-length digital original will bridge the gap between these two novels from the perspective of the villain we all love to hate, Warner, the ruthless leader of Sector 45.

In Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me, Juliette escaped from The Reestablishment by seducing Warner—and then putting a bullet in his shoulder. But as she’ll learn in Destroy Me, Warner is not that easy to get rid of. . .

Back at the base and recovering from his near-fatal wound, Warner must do everything in his power to keep his soldiers in check and suppress any mention of a rebellion in the sector. Still as obsessed with Juliette as ever, his first priority is to find her, bring her back, and dispose of Adam and Kenji, the two traitors who helped her escape. But when Warner’s father, The Supreme Commander of The Reestablishment, arrives to correct his son’s mistakes, it’s clear that he has much different plans for Juliette. Plans Warner simply cannot allow.

Set after Shatter Me and before its forthcoming sequel, Unravel Me, Destroy Me is a novella told from the perspective of Warner, the ruthless leader of Sector 45.

Rating: 5 stars

After Julliette, Adam, and Kenji escape from Warner's compound, Warner immediately seeks revenge on Adam for stealing the girl he loves, and works to find her.

Wanting Julliette back with an incredible need, and a hatred for Adam that grows relentlessly, Warner goes on a warpath, accidentally drawing his father into the mix. Warner's father views life very differently than most people. He believes that everyone who disagrees with him should essentially burn and die. Painfully.

I think this is what Warner's father thought everytime he looked at someone who disagreed with him.

And he had the power to do it, too. All throughout this story, I was scared for Warner. Who knew what his crazy-wackjob father was going to do to him? We find out more about Warner's personal life in this book, and his feelings for Julliette are so deep and real. There's no way you can be on Team Adam after reading this, Warner is just so bold and spontaneous and new and interesting. What is Adam besides a tatted up soldier with daddy issues? He's got no abnormal personality, nothing to make him stand out like Warner does.

And when Warner finds Julliette's journal just the way he finds everything she says so important and interesting and beautiful is enough to make me die. In a good way though.

I, personally, would read Unravel Me first, just so you have a better idea what's going on in Julliette's world as Warner does all of this. (TEAM WARNER!! TEAM WARNER!! ALL THE WAY!! sorry just had to get that out there)

xxAvalon

The Bane Chronicles: What Really Happened In Peru by Cassandra Clare

Fans of The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices know that Magnus Bane is banned from Peru—and now they can find out why. One of ten adventures in The Bane Chronicles.

There are good reasons Peru is off-limits to Magnus Bane. Follow Magnus’s Peruvian escapades as he drags his fellow warlocks Ragnor Fell and Catarina Loss into trouble, learns several instruments (which he plays shockingly), dances (which he does shockingly), and disgraces his host nation by doing something unspeakable to the Nazca Lines.

This standalone e-only short story illuminates the life of the enigmatic Magnus Bane, whose alluring personality populates the pages of the #1 New York Times bestselling series, The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices series. This story in The Bane Chronicles, What Really Happened in Peru, is written by Sarah Rees Brennan and Cassandra Clare.

Rating: 5 stars

Question: How does one give a less than five star rating on anything from Magnus's point of view? I don't care if the ending wasn't satisfactory, the point is that the rest of the book makes up for it ten fold and all you other people are stupid.

Magnus was just full out sass and guano in this little series of adventures he has in Peru with his companion(s) Ragnor and Catarina. I won't tell you what, because everything I say will never be able to compare to the complete and utter awesomeness Clare has crafted that is Magnus Bane's point of view.

And that's all. The end is a bit disappointing, but I guess it suits the mystery. I loved it to pieces, though. It's not everyday you get to hear about a drunk warlock beginning his life as a cactus.

xxAvalon

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Orphan Tessa Gray, sixteen, crosses the ocean from New York to find her brother Nate in Victorian London, her only possession a clockwork angel necklace from her mother. She is ignorant of her power to transform; the Dark sisters are not. They kidnap her for the Magister, who wants to marry Tessa and claim her power.

Shadowhunters, warriors of angel blood, battle demons and keep the peace in the Downworld of vampires, warlocks and other supernaturals. Orphan teen Shadowhunters Jem, Will, and Jess rescue Tessa and agree to help save Nate. Vengeful vampire Lady Camille Belcourt and her current lover, warlock Magnus Bane provide entrée to the Magister's secret Pandemonium Club.

Rating: 4 stars

Way to go Cassandra Clare! 

One series of ripping everyone’s hearts out wasn’t enough for you, so you decided to make another one, with of course, the first one’s ancestors. (And I hear of a certain third series that will be coming out soon) As you can see in my other reviews, I have written up a few on a couple of the books from The Mortal Instruments, and I have loved them. Particularly Jace.

I don’t know if I can say the same about Will.  Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love all of the Herondale’s sass and sarcasm, and I love Will all the way up to end. This sudden change of opinion will be revealed at the end of the review, as it is, in fact, a spoiler and I shan’t want to ruin a perfectly good heartbreak for the rest of you.

I know, you’re totally grateful for that.

But if you read the Clockwork Angel and haven’t read the rest yet, you’d agree with me that Will’s little bit there while he’s talking to Tessa completely freaking ruins his character. Never mind, I’m ranting now, more on this subject later.

So at the beginning of this book we have Tessa, a girl who has been abducted by two women: Miss Dark and Miss Black—known as the Dark Sisters. They demand Tessa to hold objects of dead people and transform into them (the dead people, that is, not the objects) and tell them who they were, how they died, yada, yada, ya.  Eventually they decide that Tessa is ready to marry a dude called the Magister. Who, is remarkably less cool then the name would suggest. But he wants to marry her, and she is so not cool with this. So she starts working on busting herself out. To no avail.

But this all changes when Captain Sassypants—erm, Will, that is, bursts through the door and hauls butt to get her out of there. But not without a few smart remarks, of course, we are talking about Jace’s ancestor, here.

Tessa finds out that these people are called Shadowhunter’s, and she is most likely something called a warlock. As if this weren’t enough, the Magister has her brother captive, and he still wants to marry this chick. And Tessa and the Shadowhunter’s don’t know who, exactly, the Magister is. Which would probably put a damper on everything, except she, Will, and Jem got along swimmingly. (Not with ducks, of course) Well, she and Jem got along swimmingly. Will was kind of an overenthusiastic downer the entire story. But he did it with flare. Combine that with his charming good looks, and I was sold. I was also sold to Jem as well, because he was always so sweet and understanding and there for her when Will was being a sarcastic bastard.

Which brings me to my little SPOILER fest, in which I shall rant about Will being horrid and awful and so help me it better be okay in the next book I mean he did go to Magnus's and what was that all about but that's beside the point.

You see, Will was just becoming sweet and caring and trying to save her and being all cute and emotional and then BAM!!!!!!

Yes, as with most hot characters, they're either douchebags or dead, and guess who went down complete douchebag road. That's right, folks, William fucking Herondale went and smashed my emotions. He left me alone and crying and not sure whether to favor him or Jem and I love them both but he was so mean and uncaring and then--

He freaking asked her to be friends with benefits. As if she would say yes to that. What the heck was he trying to accomplish there? Push her away so he can play lonely and heartbroken lover, then blame it on her? Is that where this is going? Would Clare really stoop that low? I hope not.

Anyway, the point is this book was absolutely amazing as well as dreadful, as most of Cassandra Clare's books are. If you love sassiness and the Mortal Instruments, read this book. It's awful good for your well-being.

xxAvalon

Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

Everything is in ruins.

A devastating plague has decimated the population, and those who are left live in fear of catching it as the city crumbles around them.

So what does Araby Worth have to live for?

Nights in the Debauchery Club, beautiful dresses, glittery makeup . . . and tantalizing ways to forget it all.

But in the depths of the club--in the depths of her own despair--Araby will find more than oblivion. She will find Will, the terribly handsome proprietor of the club, and Elliott, the wickedly smart aristocrat. Neither is what he seems. Both have secrets. Everyone does.

And Araby may find not just something to live for, but something to fight for--no matter what it costs her.

Rating: 3 stars

I am absolutely in love with this cover.

There are certain books where you love the story, love the characters and are absolutely die-hard fangirling until you read the next one, and even then it doesn't fade. This was not one of those books. It was a nice book, with nice (but stupid) characters, and a nice adaption to Edgar Allen Poe's Masque of the Red Death, but it wasn't what I was hoping for. That may be because I am a huge fan of Poe's work, and I felt a retelling of this story needed a bit more...character to it.

It just seemed that we didn't know enough about the characters. They weren't quite as developed as I had hoped they would be. They were all boring and dull and expected. The only minorly interesting one was Elliott, and even he was predictable (I know, it's a re-make so we kind of KNOW what's going to happen, but even with his dialogue and random actions that the author thinks is a twist or witty even, were fairly expected)

I don't know what else to say about this book. I liked it, and if the characters were just a bit more...more, then this could possibly be one of my favorites, or at least get a four star review.
I will be reading the second one, though.

xxAvalon

Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout

No one is like Daemon Black.

When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well... There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on.

But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.

After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different... And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.

Together we’re stronger... and they know it.

Rating: 4 stars (5 stars on Goodreads, simply because it deserves more than 4, and I feel a bit bad on giving it that many...but I have my reasons)

Okay, if you've actually gotten this far in the Lux series, it either means you love it, or you hate it and are just reading it so you can give it crappy reviews. Which is pretty douchey, but that's a different discussion for a different place.

I'm one of the people who loved this book. I love Katy, I love Daemon, I love Dee, and I suspected that I would love Dawson, as he was first introduced as one heck of a plot twist at the end of Onyx. Which I did, although he didn't play as big of a role as I thought he would. I am, however, glad that he didn't screw with Katy and Daemon's relationship, because that would of sent me over the edge.

The book starts off where Katy and Daemon are now a couple (FINALLY) and they are trying to persuade Dawson to wait before he runs off to defeat Daedalus, who has Bethany, and gets himself killed. And Daemon got all protective and brotherly and my heart shattered into a million pieces because of all the feels that took over.

But as they discover more about Daedalus and more on trying to get Bethany back, Blake (that little son of a--) shows up again, begging for mercy. For the record, I hate Blake. Truly and with a passion. I understand why he as a character is necessary, but that doesn't make me hate him any less. He was the reason Katy lied to Daemon and got Adam killed in the first place, and now he comes back, asking for forgiveness and offering them help. Remember when he offered them help in Onyx? Yeah, that turned out fantastically, didn't it. And this is why I took off the one star, because despite knowing what he did, they completely disregarded the fact that Adam is DEAD because of him, Dee is shattered, and so, so much more, and just walked right back into his arms, taking the help he offered, very few to little questions asked.

(SPOILER) And when that little rat betrayed them at the end I get he's trying to save Chris and all but I am so ready to rip him apart GRRRR

Dawson was...messed up. Which was to be expected, seeing as he probably had been tortured while with Daedalus, and I predicted he was going to be quiet, with random bursts of violence when confronted with someone who was with Daedalus. I was right, which disappointed me some, because I hoping for so much more character from him. But, while quiet and a bit spazzy, he was incredibly sweet and determined to get his girlfriend back.

Katy's character has come a long ways, with little change. Yes, she is more willing to kill and slight changes in her moral standing have been apparent, but her personality is still the same, which is why I love her. She still makes time to do what she wants even with all this 'alien mojo' flying around. I gotta give her props for that, if nothing else (such as her ability to keep up in a sassy conversation with Daemon)

And Daemon...I love Daemon. He's such a smart ass all the time and I love him. I am a complete and utter fangirl when it comes to him, and the witty moments between Katy and him I was all like:

And it was true...

And their relationship I was literally fanning myself from the heat. WHERE did THAT come from? Like all this stored up passion exploded (twice hehe) in this book. :D (if you know what I mean...)

Anyway, the entire blind faith in Blake annoyed the bejeezus out of me, but other than that I still am completely and utterly in love with this series. But I can't talk about the end, because I will start screaming about what A FREAKING GODAWFUL CLIFFHANGER IT WAS!!!

Damn it Armentrout.

xxAvalon

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 13, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now.

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind

Rating: 5 stars

(First off, sorry for not being more active. I haven't done a review in like, two weeks...please don't kill me)

I am ready to do a review which I feel is long overdue. Even though I only read the book last week, I feel the need to cry my heart out over it, once again. I cried four times in this book, and let's just say, I don't cry easily. There needs to be a legitimate reason for tears to roll down my face in order for it to happen. So let me begin this tearfilled review with the fact that I absolutely love this book and hate John Green.

So we have Hazel, a girl with thyroid cancer, which spread into her lungs. She is only alive because a miracle that happened when she was younger, and now her mother forces her to socialize by making her go to these 'support' groups for other cancerous people. She hates it there, and her only semi-friend is a guy named Isaac. One day Isaac brings his friend, Augustus Waters, to the support group with him, and that's when Hazel starts to get swept up in his charismatic yet sweet personality.

I cannot get over how incredibly amazing this book was. The characters were all so incredibly individual and noticable that you couldn't help but remember them, all without being annoying. The amount of emotion and personality put into each character was both realistic, as well as stunning. I was completely awed by Green's ability to shape character's persona's.

Hazel was definitely one of my favorite protagonists of 2013. She wasn't afraid of death, or of what other people thought of her. She stood firmly in her beliefs of what she depicted was right and wrong, unwavering despite others heavy influence.

And Augustus, oh Augustus Waters just kill me now. Never have I encountered a character as enticingly odd as him. Every line he spoke was so profound  that you can't help but at least be intrigued by him. And I must say, the smoking metaphor was awesome. You know, putting the killer in your mouth but not giving it the ability to kill? I had never thought of that.

Augustus was so incredible, even his character flaws, instead of making him annoying, as most do, made him lovable and endearing. I can't even talk about him without fangirling.

I had one problem with this book though, if you could call it a problem. The ending. What the hell, Green? Are you TRYING to slaughter teenage girls hearts? Way to get me all excited and then smash my poor hopes.

I don't care what kind of genre you like reading, read this book. Worth it 110%

xxAvalon

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Mara Dyer doesn’t think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.
It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can’t remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.
There is.

She doesn’t believe that after everything she’s been through, she can fall in love.
She’s wrong.

Rating: 5 stars

The story starts off with a girl named Mara Dyer, and she just moved to Florida on account of her having PTSD, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after being the only survivor in a building collapse. Her boyfriend, her best friend, and her boyfriend's sister died. But when she moves to Florida, strange things start happening. She begins to have hallucinations and flashbacks, all of her dead boyfriend, Jude, and her boyfriend's sister, Claire.

Mara starts getting upset easily, and when she wishes death on an abusing owner of a small dog, it happens. Just as she imagined it. Can this be a coincidence? She hopes so, but her hopes drop when the same thing happens to her Spanish teacher. There's something seriously wrong with Mara Dyer, and a certain boy with a 'panty-dropping' smile who has taken a sudden interest in her isn't helping.

I am having a hard time trying to find out what about this book I don't like. It's very difficult, because the book was just that freaking awesome. It was quite distressing, actually. I was hoping to hate it, I had read so many awful reviews on it. And yet, the world of books has never ceased to surprise me.

Let's begin this review with Noah Shaw, because this genuinely confused me. Everyone says he was such a jack-ass...but he actually was quite nice to Mara. When he found out about her drawings he could've been a complete douche bag and humiliated in front of everyone, just like they all wanted him too. It would've helped his reputation incredibly. But no, he stands up for her, in front of the entire school, gives quite the suggestion that they were doing something more than dating, then takes the notebook back, humiliates the other girl, and asks if Mara is okay. If that is people's idea of cruel and being jack-ass-y (?) , then I'm out. I'll take my opinions elsewhere.

Although seriously, if you want to read a story about a douchebag, then read Obsidian by Jennifer Armentrout. DAEMON was a douchebag, not Noah. Sure Noah may have teased her a bit, but he never said anything deliberately cruel or hurtful to her. That just bugged me so much, because that was the MAIN problem people had with this book, and I just didn't get it.

Enough on that, or I'll be ranting on forever. The plot was fantastic, and (maybe spoiler??) I love how at the end they still don't know what they are. It keeps you interested in the story, and it leaves room for a really fantastic sequel. At the end of the book, there is nothing definite in Mara's life, and that might frustrate some of you, but I love that about it. It shows her inner turmoil over Noah, her 'power', her social life, and her sanity. I was never sure of whether she actually had a power, whether someone else was just messing with her, or whether she was just insane. And (SPOILER) when I found out Noah had a power too I was just all like

What just happened?

And I loved Mara and Noah's relationship. It was cute and fun and dark and serious all at once, but despite all this you could see how much Noah cared for Mara. He wanted to help her so much, despite all the times she pushed him away.

There is a beautiful amount of potential for this series, and I hope Hodkin doesn't mess that up. But based on the way it's going so far, I doubt that she will.

Great book, all in all, although I do wish a few things were explained more clearly (things I can't tell you or they'd be spoilers) And I'd recommend this to anyone who likes mystery, drama, romance, and a bit of humor.

xxAvalon

Speechless by Hannah Harrington

Until now. Because the last secret she shared turned her into a social outcast—and nearly got someone killed.

Now Chelsea has taken a vow of silence—to learn to keep her mouth shut, and to stop hurting anyone else. And if she thinks keeping secrets is hard, not speaking up when she's ignored, ridiculed and even attacked is worse.

But there's strength in silence, and in the new friends who are, shockingly, coming her way—people she never noticed before; a boy she might even fall for. If only her new friends can forgive what she's done. If only she can forgive herself

Rating: 4 stars

This was the first non-fantasy YA romance I've read in a long, long time. And I enjoyed it. It had an air about it, it was all cute and fluffy. I don't think it was supposed to be, but I thought it was.

The main character, Chelsea, can't keep a secret for the life of her. This character flaw has given her a friendship with the most popular girl in school, a high social ranking, hence all the party invites. One day Chelsea is at a party, when she gets drunk and is looking for an open bathroom to throw up in. She knows there's one in the master bedroom of the house, but when she goes in there she sees two guys making out on the bed. She recognizes one as Noah Beckett. Noah wasn't really a popular kid, but she definitely did not know was gay.

So what does she do? She, being drunk, tells everyone about it. Two guys, Warner and Joey, both drunk, find this disgusting and they go after Noah, and end up beating the crap out of him. He ends up in the hospital with a coma. But no one knows who beat him up except Chelsea and her friend...who tells her not to say anything. Well, that's impossible, and probably would be for anyone, if you knew who committed a serious crime.

So Warner and Joey get arrested, and her friend hates her for telling the cops that they did it. So her friend has completely shut her off and she is now a social outcast. Hurt, guilty, and alone, Chelsea takes a vow of silence. Which brings the main theme of the story, Chelsea and her vow of silence.

I liked Chelsea, it was really obvious she felt horrible for telling anyone, and her resolve to take the vow was really strong. I respected her for that. And she had everyone's best interests at heart, even when her friend was being a complete jerk.

Sam and Asha were awesome, especially Asha. She was so...out there and weird, the perfect side kick to any book. Sam was a cute love interest, and I never really thought of Brendan as one in the first place. And Sam was so at ease with Chelsea and her vow and what she did, I just couldn't help but love him. Plus he can cook, keep up with a witty conversation, and kinda sorta draw. 

All in all, this book was cute. Everything was okay in the end, and the plot was well paced. No insta-love, praise the Lord, and all the characters were all super-lovable, except the bad ones, of course. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone.

xxAvalon