REVIEW: When Lightning Strikes (1-800-WHERE-R-YOU #1)

Title: When Lightning Strikes
Author: Meg Cabot
Series: 1-800-Where-R-You
Published: 2001
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

Jess Mastriani has never been what you'd call a typical Midwestern teenager—her extracurricular activities, instead of cheerleading or 4-H, include fist-fights with the football team and month-long stints in detention. A part of Jess would like to be the prom queen her mother has always envisioned her being, but another part is secretly counting the days until she's saved up enough money to buy her own Harley.

Then something happens that guarantees Jess will be one of the in-crowd...at least until her newfound talent ends up getting her dead.

I have loved Meg Cabot since I was in high school and I first read The Princess Diaries.  So with my love of The Princess Diaries I decided to give another shorter lived series by Meg Cabot a try, and on a personal level I have really liked it.

This first book reminds me of the writing style of The Princess Diaries, Jess Mastriani is writing the story of what had happened to her.  The events of what had caused her to be able to find missing children.  Personally this is a very quick and easy read but I did love the story telling style of Jess telling the FBI her side of what happened.  This book has been in my TBR pile not because it was written by on of my all-time favorite authors, Meg Cabot, but because I watched the TV Series that was loosely based on the books.

Now onto the review, if you are one of those people who like to take a red pen to everything you read, you may want to skip this one.  I like to think that this is supposed to be written by a 16 year-old and I have read some papers I wrote at that age, I do not understand why the teacher gave me a passing grade (and there are times I still can not seem to form a sentence correctly.)  But other than a few hard to understand sentences this is a very good book.

Jess Mastriani is writing her statement of events to the FBI that led to her being able to find missing children on the milk cartons as well as the events afterwards.  Everything from being struck by lightning because her best friend wanted to walk home, to the escape from the "closed" military facility she goes to because her brother has a problem with the press on the front lawn.  Jess has a lot going on within just this first book even some everyday teen girl problems - boys.

Loved it and can not wait to enjoy the next 4 books in the series.

REVIEW: The 100 by Kass Morgan

Title: The 100
Author: Kass Morgan
Series: The Hundred
Published: 2013
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

In the future, humans live in city-like spaceships orbiting far above Earth's toxic atmosphere. No one knows when, or even if, the long-abandoned planet will be habitable again. But faced with dwindling resources and a growing populace, government leaders know they must reclaim their homeland... before it's too late.

Now, one hundred juvenile delinquents are being sent on a high-stakes mission to recolonize Earth. After a brutal crash landing, the teens arrive on a savagely beautiful planet they've only seen from space. Confronting the dangers of this rugged new world, they struggle to form a tentative community. But they're haunted by their past and uncertain about the future. To survive, they must learn to trust - and even love - again.

MY REVIEW


So The 100 by Kass Morgan is a post-apocalyptic society where the Earth has been completely uninhabitable.  With the “Ark” Space Station they have been living on running out of air, the Council decides to send 100 juvenile delinquents down to Earth to see if it is inhabitable for the rest of the population.

Overall this book was pretty good, hard to read at times if you get so absorbed in your reading that you miss the chapter change and all of a sudden you are reading a new character (I had to start a few chapters over because of this).  The characters are great they each have an interesting back story which leads to them being in the “Detention Center”; of course this makes it hard to keep up with also since each character also has their own flashbacks in the middle of their “Scene”.  So yes hard to read but if you are paying attention to what you are reading it can be a pretty quick read.

It has all the things that every good YA has in it, No Parent Supervision and a Good Love Triangle.

The Earth in the years that no one has lived on it is pretty interesting from two headed deer to what was once a church now abandoned with trees growing through it and bodies left kneeling where they died.  Yeah the Earth has changed a lot in the years that humans have lived in space.

SPOILERS are coming, if you plan to read this book and do not want to be spoiled stop here.  If you have read it or just are not interested keep on reading.

Personally I think a society that thinks teens are an acceptable test subject needs to rethink their life choices but this society has a lot of questionable decisions they have to live with, and I get it Survival of the smartest and the most useful.  The more your occupation is useful to society the more “money” you get for food and other necessities.  But some of the things these people do to “save” as many people as possible are kind of scary.

Let’s look at the people whose lives we follow with this book alone.  What we know about them and the crimes that got them “locked up” until their 18th birthday.

Clarke’s parents were both killed for testing radiation levels of Earth on the kids that were Unregistered aboard the Station.  Now these kids already have no parents as they were killed for having them to begin with as that is a crime and then to be tested on by people of the Council (Though said person denies giving order) is just wrong.  Since Clarke had spent a lot of time in her parent’s lab bonding with one of the girls, Lilly, she was also found guilty of the same crimes as her parents and locked up.

Wells, was Clarke’s best friend and “boyfriend” until he told his father what Clarke told him about the testing her parents were doing.  But when listening to a conversation his father was having with the Council about the mission to Earth and the timeframe on when it should happen he knows he needs to speed up the date as well as get himself on that mission and that is what he does.  I love and hate Wells, I hate him for breaking the confidence of the girl he loves but I love him because he gets himself arrested so that he can join her.

Bellamy is 1/2 of the only pair of siblings living on the space station.  Most people choose someone to be the “sibling” type but they do not have any by blood.  Besides your parents it is very unlikely that you have any blood relatives aboard the Space Station with the way the laws are.  And when said sister is going to be sent down to Earth he knows as her older brother he needs to get on that ship to protect her down on Earth.  In doing so he got the Chancellor shot but he made his way on the ship to protect the girl who he has spent most of his life protecting.

Glass is the last character we follow.  I like her character because she is not on the ground, she is our eyes and ears on the Space Station since the moment Bellamy fought his way on the ship she escaped and went to find the man she loves.  Glass is now a “free” woman on the Space Station but at what cost, the guy she loves may have moved on to another girl and she has not told him her dark secret that got her arrested to begin with.  The pregnancy that should never have happened and the fact that she said the baby’s father was his best friend, and not him to save his life.  Glass sees people going on with their lives like nothing has changed but she also sees the bad in the fact that the council seems to be limiting oxygen to the decks that could be considered “non-essential”.

Overall this book has some great scenes: a kiss between Clarke and Wells on the ground, a kiss between Clarke and Bellamy, as well as some shirtless Bellamy (this will make fans of the show happy).  And even the discovery that there are people living on the ground and they are not that friendly.   I will admit to Shipping Clarke and Bellamy already in just the first book.  I think they make a great couple already.  Then there is Clarke and Wells who I just think do not work, I mean he turned in her parents when she trusted him with the information.

If you were one of the 100 sent down to Earth what kind of skill would you bring to the Survival of yourself and fellow friends? Personally I know how to fish and hunt (not well) now I may have to find the tools or learn how to make the tools from things that are in the woods but they were sent down to Earth with some weapons and one was a bow and arrows so I think the hunting thing I could figure out.

Personally I have fallen in love with this book and can not wait for the sequal this fall.

You can Purchase this book and more with FREE World Wide Shipping to Most Countries by following this link and shopping at BookDepository.com

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Review: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Title: City of Bones

Author: Cassandra Clare

Series: The Mortal Instruments

Published: 2007

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder -- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing―not even a smear of blood―to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know... 

Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare's ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end.

I had already seen the movie and listened to the audio book of this book, but I decided I want a complete fresh take on the book and the rest of the series before the release of the final book in May.

I will admit to wanting to break my iPod when listening to the first book as the surprise twist which had I read the blurb for the next few books I would not have been so surprised, bun on some weird level I did see it coming.  I mean you do have that think that comes between the destined couple and it was a biggie.  All in all I love this story, I wish the movie had been better but hopefully the next one will be.

In this first book we really get to meet the major players in the series and I do love them.  

Clary Fray - The girl who grew up thinking she was normal with a father who died before she could really get to know him.  That is until she saw someone killed that no one else could see, opening up the doors to demon and other supernatural beings.  When her mom gets taken by the believed to be dead Valentine her only goal is to remember what her mom made her forget so that she can find the Mortal Cup and get her mom back.

Jace Wayland - Described as a danger magnet by Alec is the super hero, bad boy all rolled into one.  Being raised by the Lightwoods at the Institute, he loves to go off killing demons sometimes at both the risk of death to himself and those around him.

Though Jace and Clary are great I think it is the other characters who make the story amazing.  Alec who lives in the closet in "love" with Jace.  His sister Isabelle who is amazing with the whip.  Simon who has been in love with Clary even though his mother said she will break his heart.  And my favorite Magnus Bane the warlock who has a thing for Alec and watched Clary grow making him kind of protective of who her mother was really protecting her from.

Overall the plot line keeps you entertained and wanting more, the humor is also great for a good laugh and the plot twist at the end makes you need to put the next book on your TBR list.  I personally liked this book and can not wait to get my hands on the next book since this is as far as I got during the reading of this series the first time (I was reading during back to school shopping time and I work retail, life got in the way).  I will admit that while reading the book this time I did read some of the goodreads bad reviews, though they make some valid points I have found that not all books are for everyone.  Some people will like something that someone else will find fault in.  So yes these books are not for everyone but I have found that I do like them.  The book was readable, followed a good story line but it did have some slow moments that made me take longer to read a few parts.  The one downside I see with this book that for a first book in a series it is very long, but it does get off to a very quick start since the book starts in Pandemonium where she firsts witnesses something that no one else can see.

Review: Heist Society by Ally Carter

Title: Heist Society
Author: Ally Carter
Series: Heist Society Book #1
Published: Hyperion 2010

When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her on a trip to the Louvre…to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria…to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own—scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. Unfortunately, leaving “the life” for a normal life proves harder than she’d expected.
Soon, Kat's friend and former co-conspirator, Hale, appears out of nowhere to bring Kat back into the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has a good reason: a powerful mobster has been robbed of his priceless art collection and wants to retrieve it. Only a master thief could have pulled this job, and Kat's father isn't just on the suspect list, he is the list. Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat’s dad needs her help.
For Kat, there is only one solution: track down the paintings and steal them back. So what if it's a spectacularly impossible job? She's got two weeks, a teenage crew, and hopefully just enough talent to pull off the biggest heist in her family's history--and, with any luck, steal her life back along the way.

MY REVIEW

This is the second time tjat I read this book and even though I already know what is going to happen I am still immersed into the world of Kat and Hale.  The girl who wants to be a normal teenager and the boy who has been normal and wants to be a part of a family.

The internal struggle of Katarina Bishop is a big one.  Growing up in a family of thieves is something you can't fully leave but Kat planned too.  When Kat comes back to save her dad the leaving hurts in statements of "You left" from family and friends.  Then there is the struggle of not wanting to be a thief, but having to do the biggest job of her life to keep her friends and family safe.

There are some great moments that leave you wondering what happened.  Like what happened between Kat and Hale when Kat tried to steal the Monet?

 (Don't spoil me, I know that it is mentioned in book 3: Perfect Scoundrels.)  

Then there is the relationship with the son of the Interpol agent tracking her father, Nick, where is that going to lead to if anything.  Or is the love for Kat going to be Hale the boy that was home when she tried to steal the Monet?  Personally I have made my choice on which relationship I have chosen for Kat, but I am interested in which you have chosen if you had read the books of the series (just remember I am not interested in being spoiled on upcoming events just yet).

I just love this line.  It has to be my favorite in the whole book.

My Rating

Review: Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy by Ally Carter

Title: Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy
Author: Ally Carter
Publisher: Hyperion
Source: Yep I bought it for my love of Ally Carter books

Cammie Morgan is back, and it's clear that her life hasn't calmed down since the events of I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You. At first, giddy anticipation is in the air. Gallagher Academy, Cammie's elite spy school, is hosting a visit from a covert training center for boys. Soon after the boys' arrival, though, everything goes dangerously awry when a series of security breaches are discovered at the academy. Worse yet, teenage agent-in-training Cammie is being blamed for the penetration. With the school's top-secret status at risk, the Gallagher Girls have to work quickly to save their beloved school.

The Gallagher Girls are back with their second book ad it is just as boy crazy spy filled as the first.

In the first book the girls got caught sneaking out to learn about the mystery of boys, one in particular Josh.  This turns out to be eye opening for everyone involved.

So when the school brings in the Boys from Blackthrone things get interesting.  The mysterious school fro training boys that the girls had heard a rumor of but never had any proof, well the proof had caught all but one of them going to a secret meeting location and know were coming to school with them.

So the girls are back to spying on boys with a little more information than "does he like me? " in mind.  They need to know who and what these boys are that are taking over their school.

This book holds the first meeting of Zach  Goode the Blackthorn boy that holds Cammie's attention.  She does not know what it is that makes her like him, but she know that she can not trust him as he is lying about something and ever since the boys arrived there have been some strange things happening with the security.

Cammie has probably met her match with Zach and a good match it is.

Ally Carter brought the Gallagher Girls back with an amazing story that keeps you questioning if the Backthrone boys are the good guys or the bad guys.  Even if you can actually trust them.  I love Cammie and Zach and can't wait to tell you more.

Review: I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter

TITLE: I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You
Author: Ally Carter
Publisher: Disney - Hyperion 2006

Cammie Morgan is a student at the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, a fairly typical all-girls school-that is, if every school taught advanced martial arts in PE and the latest in chemical warfare in science, and students received extra credit for breaking CIA codes in computer class. The Gallagher Academy might claim to be a school for geniuses but it's really a school for spies. Even though Cammie is fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man in seven different ways, she has no idea what to do when she meets an ordinary boy who thinks she's an ordinary girl. Sure, she can tap his phone, hack into his computer, or track him through town with the skill of a real "pavement artist"-but can she maneuver a relationship with someone who can never know the truth about her?
Cammie Morgan may be an elite spy-in-training, but in her sophomore year, she's on her most dangerous mission-falling in love

MY REVIEW

We are going to start this review with a short note on title, with the length of the title I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You being so long, we are going to refer to this book as Gallagher Girls #1.  This was not my first Ally Carter book, actually Heist Society was (will be reviewed later on).  But like Heist Society this book just proves my love for Ally Cater.

In Gallagher Girls #1 we meet Cammie Morgan the Chameleon.  Most other girls would not want to be known for skills of disappearing, but at the Gallagher Academy that is a good thing.
W are also introduced to Rebecca "Bex" Baxter the first Gallagher Girl not born in the US.  Bex is known as Duchess while on missions for class which has a lot to do with her being from the UK.  If I had to choose a favorite character, it would be Bex, she is confident in her ability as a a spy.

The third friend and roommate we meet is Elizabeth "Liz" Sutton who is known to Cammie for "Oopsie Daisy".  Liz is more the lab girl type with her tendency to be clumsy but she is the smartest of all the girls at Gallagher Academy.

Last we meet the new student Macey McHenry the daughter of Senator James McHenry.  Macey is on her last chance of prep school, as the only student to have really spent any time with the opposite sex she is the go to girl on all things Josh.

This book is a great "first boyfriend" story.  Most girls don't marry the first boy they kiss but when you are 15 you want to find the perfect boy.  When Josh notices her on a class assignment the girls make him the assignment.  Using their skills from school the girls learn what they can about Josh from family to friends and using the knowledge of Macey to decipher what the found out.

I love this book, the characters are great the plot keeps you coming back to see what happens and you can't help but wish for a happily ending for the characters.

My Rating

Review: Model Spy by Shannon Greenland

Title: Model Spy (The Specialists #1)
Author:  Shannon Greenland
Source:  Nook Book

Teen genius Kelly James is in a lot of hot water. A whiz with computers, she agreed to help her college RA, David, uncover some top-secret information. After all, she doesn't have many friends and David has always been nice to her. It doesn't hurt that he's supercute and irresistible, too. All she has to do is hack into the government's main computer system. But a few hours later, her whole life changes. She is caught and taken in for questioning, only this isn't your run-of-the-mill arrest. Rather than serve a juvenile detention sentence, she accepts the option to change her name and enlist in a secret government spy agency that trains teen agents to go undercover. As if that wasn't overwhelming enough, she discovers that David works for this agency as well! And before she even begins to understand what is going on, she's sent on her first mission as an undercover model. And who better to partner with than David himself!

Purchase
Amazon.com

MY REVIEW: 

I am going to start this review by saying that this book had been on my paperback swap wish list for over one year, and now that it is available as an eBook I could not be happier, and I was not disappointed in the book.

Kelly James is in trouble with the law, when she gets taken in by The Specialists, all because of a boy.  The first guy who had ever had in interest in the freaky genius   So when he asked her to find information on his dad in the government file she did try to find the information.  Now to stay out of jail Thomas Liba "TL" the leader of The Specialists program offers her the chance to disappear and become Kelly Spree.  Accepting the terms with no where else to go, no living family, Kelly joins "The Specialists".

Upon arriving at her new home and being introduced to her now "family", she finds that David had set her up to get in trouble, and he is also a member of The Specialists, and she was his first assignment.  Now known as the resident Genius Girl, GiGi is on her own first assignment with David.  The sparks are flying, at least on her side, it seems that David has no interest in her as more than what could be assumed a "little sister."

The there is the mystery of the whole book, where is David's dad really since he is not dead like the rest of The Specialist's parents are, he was just raised by TL and grew up learning everything of The Specialist program.  So when they have a lock on where David's dad is possibly being held, they need GiGi's hacking skills since the government files she was hacking into were designed by David's dad.  Will they find David's dad in time or will they lose their chance forever?

Now I will admit I am really looking forward to getting my hands on copies of Down to the Wire, Native Tongue and Fight to the Finish (I already have The Winning Element) and seeing how the relationship between GiGi and David plays out but I am also looking forward to getting to know GiGi's new family/friends.

Greenland did a good job of giving a diversity to the group that makes up The Specialists and  making them alike in the little way that the only family they have is this one they are building together.  Kelly (GiGi) is a computer genius with an IQ of over 190, Molly (Bruiser) who is a Martial Arts Specialists who was running an underground fighting ring, Darren (Parrot) is an linguistics expert who can speak 16 different languages, Joe (Mystic) who is clairvoyant and sees objects beyond natural vision (I can not wait to see what he can do later on), Priscilla (Beaker) who can mix chemicals together, and Frankie (Wirenut) who is good with alarm and security systems.  These characters look like they will be great on their own as well as a team and the times you see them all interacting is great.

I really enjoyed this book, though I know there are plenty of spy teen books out there now, this is one that I wanted to read, maybe it was the pink cover or maybe it was that no matter how hard I looked I could not find a copy.

MY RATING: A