Bloodlines...

I actually like this more than Vampire Academy...

The first book in Richelle Mead's brand-new teen fiction series - set in the same world as Vampire Academy.

When alchemist Sydney is ordered into hiding to protect the life of Moroi princess Jill Dragomir, the last place she expects to be sent is a human private school in Palm Springs, California. But at their new school, the drama is only just beginning.

Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Bloodlines explores all the friendship, romance, battles and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive - this time in a part-vampire, part-human setting where the stakes are even higher and everyone's out for blood.

I had read the Vampire Academy series and had really liked them. In the fourth one, I think-don't quote me on this, we met Sydney Sage. An alchemist that was hired to help Rose and all that stuff. Then in the last one (again don't quote me) she helps Rose again. I loved reading about Sydney from Rose's point of view and then picking up this book and having her view point on everything that I already knew. This book also gave a deeper understanding to questions that I still had at the end of Vampire Academy. If you liked Vampire Academy then go get this from a friend, buy it, or get it from the library because you will not want to miss this.

Night Star (The Immortals #5)...

So before I totally freak out on how horrible this book is let me just say this... the cover is BEAUTIFUL!!!! Now that I have that out of the way let's get down to the good stuff.

After fighting for centuries to be together, Ever and Damen’s future hinges on one final showdown that will leave readers gasping for breath. Don’t miss this explosive new installment of the #1 bestselling series that’s enchanted millions across the world!

Haven still blames Ever for the death of her boyfriend Roman, no matter how hard Ever’s tried to convince her it was an accident. Now she’s determined to take Ever down…and destroy Damen and Jude along the way. Her first step is to tear Ever and Damen apart—and she has just the ammunition to do it.

Hidden in one of Ever’s past lives is a terrible secret about Damen—a secret that illuminates new facts about her relationship with Jude, but that’s so dark and brutal it might be enough to drive her and Damen apart once and for all. As Ever faces her greatest fears about the guy she wants to spend eternity with, she’s thrust into a deadly clash with Haven that could destroy them all.

Now it’ll take everything she’s got—and bring out powers she never knew she had—to face down her most formidable enemy. But in order to win, she must first ask herself: is her own survival worth dooming Haven to an eternity of darkness in the Shadowland? And will
learning the truth about Damen’s past hold the key to their future?

So to the right of here are the first four books in 'The Immortals' series. Now just to let you know that I did really like the first three... but then Roman happened and he gave Damen a potion so that he and Ever couldn't touch yadda, yadda, yadd. At first it was a good plot line to go on, but then it went on for the rest of the series (or at least I assume that it did because I didn't finish Nightstar and didn't start Everlasting) that Ever's destiny is to find the cure to this potion and she and Damen can finally be together! But trust me and all the other people that get tired of storylines incredibly quickly... this doesn't work. I think that Alyson Noel had a good idea, but she couldn't figure out how to solve this problem. I had to force myself through Dark Flame and then I wasn't sure if I would finish the series. Here's the verdict, I'm not.

Bleeding Violet...

Love can be a dangerous thing...

Hanna simply wants to be loved. With a head plagued by hallucinations, a medicine cabinet full of pills, and a closet stuffed with frilly, violet dresses, Hanna's tired of being the outcast, the weird girl, the freak. So she runs away to Portero, Texas in search of a new home.
But Portero is a stranger town than Hanna expects. As she tries to make a place for herself, she discovers dark secrets that would terrify any normal soul. Good thing for Hanna, she's far from normal. As this crazy girl meets an even crazier town, only two things are certain: Anything can happen and no one is safe.

So if you are following me on goodreads then you know that I didn't finish 'Bleeding Violet' by Dia Reeves. For me the story sounded good but then when I started it actually didn't click. I started it and I couldn't wait to find out what was wrong with this town and stuff like that. But then I found out and I just didn't care anymore. Yeah it had the appeal of seeing if Hanna and her mom ever bonded, if she and Wyatt's love would last. But even my most favorite things in books, the one thing that I look for in a book is a little romance, and then even that lost its appeal. The voice was kinda the same through the whole book, not starting a little slow, growing, and then a very satisfying climax/ending.

Carrier of the Mark...

So I know that I've been waiting for this book and now that its out... I don't have money to buy it. So I was on goodreads and I saw this in the margins where the ads for books and stuff is (DRUMROLE) its the first chapter of the book! CLICK HERE

I may be far behind with this post but this is news for me so here you go for all you people that care and haven't seen it yet!

Josephine Angelini...

So on goodreads.com I had commented on something that Josephine Angelini had posted about Dreamless (the second book in the Starcrossed series) and this is what it said...

'Starcrossed and Abandon (the two books that were really reviewed in the article) are two of my favorite modern retellings of Greek myths. Josephine you are one of my favorite authors for retellings, up there with Gail Carson Levine (Ella Enchanted) and Alex Flinn (Beastly).'

Then I friend requested her and went on my way. Well today I get on and get on goodreads and this is one of my notifications...

McKenna wrote: "Starcrossed and Abandon (the two books that were really reviewed in the article) are two of my favorite modern retellings of Greek myths. Josephine you are one of my favorite authors for retellings..."

I'm so flattered! That's some mighty good company! <3

Just made my day!!!!

Starcrossed (Starcrossed #1)...

The L.A. Times takes the words right out of my mouth with their review. They also mention a book that is by Meg Cabot called Abandon, which is also one of my favorites. As far as comparing it to Twilight and Percy Jackson, I hadn't really drawn the connections until after reading that review. I can understand the Percy Jackson and Twilight references but its such an original story and retelling that you don't really see it.

How do you defy destiny?

Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task on an island as small and sheltered as Nantucket. And it's getting harder. Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. At school she's haunted by hallucinations of three women weeping tears of blood . . . and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they're destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history.

As Helen unlocks the secrets of her ancestry, she realizes that some myths are more than just legend. But even demigod powers might not be enough to defy the forces that are both drawing her and Lucas together—and trying to tear them apart.

I love her story and then so I'm ranking her up there with Alex Flinn and Gail Carson Levine.

Wither (The Chemical Garden #1)...

Obviously, something went terribly wrong. Genetic mutations have festered, reducing human longevity to twenty-five, even less for most women. To prevent extinction, young girls are kidnapped, mated in polygamous marriages with men eager to procreate. Sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery, a recent victim of this breeding farm mentality, has vowed to break loose from its fetters; but finding allies and a safe way out is a challenge she can only hope she will survive. A dystopian fantasy series starter with wings.

You would think that in the middle where you really know the girls' routine the book would just die and you would have to force yourself through it, but its not like that! DeStefano kept the same routine interesting and new in every chapter, beautiful writing, and really interesting read!

Cloaked...

I'm not your average hero. I actually wasn't your average anything. Just a poor guy working an after-school job at a South Beach shoe repair shop to help his mom make ends meet. But a little magic changed it all.

It all started with a curse. And a frognapping. And one hot-looking princess, who asked me to lead a rescue mission.

There wasn't a fairy godmother or any of that. And even though I fell in love along the way, what happened to me is unlike any fairy tale I've ever heard. Before I knew it, I was spying with a flock of enchanted swans, talking (yes, talking!) to a fox named Todd, and nearly trampled by giants in the Everglades.

Don't believe me? I didn't believe it either. But you'll see. Because I knew it all was true, the second I got cloaked.

Alex Flinn never disappoints!!!

Cloaked is mainly a retelling of "The Princess and the Frog." But there is a special appearance by "The Elves and the Shoemaker." This is the other HUGE part of the plot. Other fairy tales that are in it...
1)"The Six Swans"
2)"The Golden Bird"
3)"The Valiant Tailor" (Disney has a version with Mickey - "The Brave Little Tailor.")
4)"The Salad" (A tale about an old woman that gives a magical cloak in exchange for his kindness.)
5)"The Fisherman and His Wife"

This story has elements from all these stories to make a beautiful, perfect story. This story is now just one of my favorite "Happily-Ever-After" stories!

Deark Vengeance (Vol. 1)...

When a gorgeous stranger seeks refuge at Kerry’s summer-share house, she knows her life is about to change. Daniel Blessing is mysterious and charismatic—and on the run from a powerful witch named Season. Kerry and her friends don’t believe in witches and spells, but Kerry can’t help believing Daniel…and falling for him.

But falling for Daniel pulls her into a feud his family has been waging for generations. A dark feud of passion, magic, and revenge. Which means all of their lives are in serious danger. Because now Season wants Kerry and her friends dead, too.

**spoiler alert** 4.5 summer was good... there was a love interest (we all know how i love those), danger, and ok i'll admit it Daniel is H-O-T!!!!

But after Daniel died... well the book kinda sucked. Kery found Mother Blessing and learned some magic... but after the fight with Season there were just more questions and no answers for previous questions.

Abandon (Abandon #1)...

New from #1 New York Times bestselling author Meg Cabot, a dark, fantastical story about this world . . . and the underworld.

Though she tries returning to the life she knew before the accident, Pierce can't help but feel at once a part of this world, and apart from it. Yet she's never alone . . . because someone is always watching her. Escape from the realm of the dead is impossible when someone there wants you back.

But now she's moved to a new town. Maybe at her new school, she can start fresh. Maybe she can stop feeling so afraid.

Only she can't. Because even here, he finds her. That's how desperately he wants her back. She knows he's no guardian angel, and his dark world isn't exactly heaven, yet she can't stay away . . . especially since he always appears when she least expects it, but exactly when she needs him most.

But if she lets herself fall any further, she may just find herself back in the one place she most fears: the Underworld.
LOVED IT!!! Meg Cabot is the best!!!!!! I loved the myth of Persephone and Hades before but now I love it even more!!!! If you love Meg Cabot this book won't disappoint!!

Dreaming Anastasia (Dreaming Anastasia #1)...

What really happened to Anastasia Romanov?

Anastasia Romanov thought she would never feel more alone than when the gunfire started and her family began to fall around her. Surely the bullets would come for her next. But they didn't. Instead, two gnarled old hands reached for her. When she wakes up she discovers that she is in the ancient hut of the witch Baba Yaga, and that some things are worse than being dead.

In modern-day Chicago, Anne doesn't know much about Russian history. She is more concerned about getting into a good college—until the dreams start. She is somewhere else. She is someone else. And she is sharing a small room with a very old woman. The vivid dreams startle her, but not until a handsome stranger offers to explain them does she realize her life is going to change forever. She is the only one who can save Anastasia. But, Anastasia is having her own dreams...

I thought that it was refreshing to read a book on Anastasia that was totally fiction! I loved the switching viewpoints between Anne, Ethan, and occasionally Anastasia in the forest. It was a new idea and I loved it! Super excited for the second to come into the library.

Ink Exchange (Wicked Lovely #1)...

To 17-year-old Leslie, the tattoo is a thing of indescribable beauty, a captivating mark that she must make her own. But this subtle web of eyes and wings brings with it a transformation that no sweet young girl would ever imagine or welcome. Like its predecessor, this stand-alone sequel to Wicked Lovely plunges its youthful heroine into a faery world of almost constant peril. A tantalizing urban fantasy that won't let go.

SOOO much better than Wicked Lovely. It was easier to get into and wasn't as confusing or dull. I liked having the perspective of a mortal.

Bright Young Things (Bright Young Thing #1)...

The year is 1929. New York is ruled by the Bright Young Things: flappers and socialites seeking thrills and chasing dreams in the anything-goes era of the Roaring Twenties.

Letty Larkspur and Cordelia Grey escaped their small Midwestern town for New York's glittering metropolis. All Letty wants is to see her name in lights, but she quickly discovers Manhattan is filled with pretty girls who will do anything to be a star...

Cordelia is searching for the father she's never known, a man as infamous for his wild parties as he is for his shadowy schemes. Overnight, she enters a world more thrilling and glamorous than she ever could have imagined—and more dangerous. It's a life anyone would kill for...and someone will.

The only person Cordelia can trust is Astrid Donal, a flapper who seems to have it all: money, looks, and the love of Cordelia's brother, Charlie. But Astrid's perfect veneer hides a score of family secrets.

Across the vast lawns of Long Island, in the illicit speakeasies of Manhattan, and on the blindingly lit stages of Broadway, the three girls' fortunes will rise and fall—together and apart. From the New York Times bestselling author of The Luxe comes an epic new series set in the dizzying last summer of the Jazz Age.
Anna Godberson has done it again! A must read for those who loved the Luxe series!! If you loved Elizabeth, Diana, Penelope, and Lena then you'll LOVE Astrid, Cordelia, and Letty.

Tuck Everlasting...

Ten-year-old Winifred Foster's accidental encounter with the uncommon Tuck family, their hidden spring, and their extraordinary secret transforms her life and leads her to make a noteworthy decision.

Really fast read. I think that the movie is better than the book, and I try not to compare books to movies if I've seen the movie first, and coming from me, that's saying something.

Clockwork Angel (Infernal Devices #1)...

Magic is dangerous--but love is more dangerous still.

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.

Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by--and torn between--two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length...everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.
This book was soooo addicting i couldn't stop reading it. there were parts that i wanted to jump in and slap them across the face but it was amazing!!!!!!!!!!

Two Girls of Gettysburg...

Lizzie and Rosanna are cousins. But when the Civil War breaks out, fifteen-year-old Lizzie finds herself committed to the cause of the Union, while Rosanna is swept up in the passions of the old south—and in her love for a young Confederate officer. Torn in their alliances, yet as devoted as sisters, each girl finds herself grappling with the senseless brutality of war, and the sacrifices that must be made in order to survive. It will take one of the war’s bloodiest battles—fought on the farmlands of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania—to bring them together again. Unflinching in its portrayal of war, and inspiring in its depiction of two resilient young women, this is a historical novel of exceptional depth and reach.

I LOVE Lisa Klein and this book was not an exception. I love the Civil War, so reading this book was really fascinating. If you love historical fiction go get this book!