My Soul to Take - Rachel Vincent

She doesn't see dead people. She senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.

Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about her need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who'll be next.

To be honest, I didn't like this book at first. Maybe it's because I had such high hopes for it when I first started it, or maybe I was still in one of those "all books that I read are going to be horrible because I just finished reading Divergent by Veronica Roth" states of mind. For me, this book was looking pretty dull...until you get about 150 pages in. Then, I really got into the story and the characters, and, most importantly, the plot thickened.

After the first 150 pages, I just could not put this book down. The introduction of a new character (whom I absolutely love, by the way) along with some fantastic character development left me in a trance like state. The characters and their problems became more "real" to me, and a few side characters became really important to the story--which I always love. I still didn't like the whiney attitude that Kaylee has, and I also didn't like the fact that she was all, "This person told me not to, so I shouldn't....but I'm going to do it any way and then feel bad for something that I was told not to do in the first place...la-di-da-di-da." Nash still wasn't as interesting to me as he could have been. I just could not connect with him at all, but I absolutely loved Tod and Keylee's Uncle, I felt that they had the most depth of the characters, (without giving away the ending, that is.)
If you haven't read My Soul to Take, please, please do, although it may be boring at first, it does get better. I am do happy that I started the Soul Screamers reading challenge, and I cannot wait to get my hands on My Soul to Save.

Update

I am dreadfully sorry to say that I might not be able to review as many books for the next few months. I really really want to, but not only is school messing up my reading schedule, but my family is also having some troubles right now and I need to be there for them. I am going to try to get as much reading done as possible. I'll try to find a way to make it up to you guys. Right now, I'm reading the second book in the Soul Screamers series by Rachel Vincent, to go along with the Soul Screamers Reading Challenge that I am doing, and I have read The Mask of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe. I am also going to be reading The Scarlett Letter soon in my American Lit. class, and I can't wait to be able to review these two books.

The Giver - Lois Lowry

Jonas's world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear or pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the Community. When Jonas turns twelve, he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now, it is time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back.

The Giver is such a well written story about growing up and realizing that there is, and was, life before technology, and that some advances aren't necessarily good for society. I absolutely loved reading The Giver. I loved everything about this book, and there's not much that I can say about this book except that it was amazing and fantastic and that it was painfully beautiful. I felt so much emotion while reading this book, and I think that that is what Lowry wanted readers to feel while they were reading - emotion. I can't say much beyond that without giving away the book, but I will say that I can't wait to read the next book. 

The Giver gets a 5/5, and Lois Lowry is awesome. You must read this classic masterpiece. ASAP.

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It's on my wish list… [5]

Enthralled - Melissa Marr

A journey may take hundreds of miles, or it may cover the distance between duty and desire.

Sixteen of today's hottest writers of paranormal tales weave stories on a common theme of journeying. Authors such as Kelley Armstrong, Rachel Caine, and Melissa Marr return to the beloved worlds of their bestselling series, while others, like Claudia Gray, Kami Garcia, and Margaret Stohl, create new landscapes and characters. But whether they're writing about vampires, faeries, angels, or other magical beings, each author explores the strength and resilience of the human heart.

Suspenseful, funny, or romantic, the stories in "Enthralled" will leave you moved.

Sweetly - Jackson Pearce

Twelve years ago, Gretchen, her twin sister, and her brother went looking for a witch in the forest. They found something. Maybe it was a witch, maybe a monster, they aren’t sure—they were running too fast to tell. Either way, Gretchen’s twin sister was never seen again. 

Years later, after being thrown out of their house, Gretchen and Ansel find themselves in Live Oak, South Carolina, a place on the verge of becoming a ghost town. They move in with Sophia Kelly, a young and beautiful chocolatier owner who opens not only her home, but her heart to Gretchen and Ansel. 

Yet the witch isn’t gone—it’s here, lurking in the forests of Live Oak, preying on Live Oak girls every year after Sophia Kelly’s infamous chocolate festival. But Gretchen is determined to stop running from witches in the forest, and start fighting back. Alongside Samuel Reynolds, a boy as quick with a gun as he is a sarcastic remark, Gretchen digs deeper into the mystery of not only what the witch is, but how it chooses its victims. Yet the further she investigates, the more she finds herself wondering who the real monster is, and if love can be as deadly as it is beautiful.

Freaky Fridays: Breaking Dawn Part 1

Warning: I am going to spoil both the book and the movie in this review. 

I finally got to see Breaking Dawn part one, and see what all of the fuss was about. While I wasn't disappointed in Breaking Dawn, I do think that some of the things should have been explained better. I don't know, maybe I'm just looking for things to pick at, but throughout all of the saga, I didn't think that everything was explained properly, and that too many important things (i.e. Carlisle's back-story intertwining with Edward's character development; Rosalie versus Bella, Bella completing the Change etc.)  were just kind of hazed over and you never really got the full effect of the characters, unless you've read the book that is.

I also think that there was something missing from the wedding. You see that Bella is having nightmares about it, but you aren't shown the Volturi and the threat that they pose to Bella and her family. I can't put my finger on it, but something about the wedding was just off. 

I liked that Edward and Bella play chess on their honeymoon, and the chess pieces look like the ones on the original cover of Breaking Dawn, however, I think that the meaning behind the chess pieces wouldn't be clear to a person who hasn't read the books which, once again, was pretty much left to the viewer to figure out. 

The acting was better in this movie, though. Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner portrayed the inner turmoil of Edward with the whole, I'm-going-to-be-a-daddy-to-the-thing-that's-killing-my-love and Jacob stepping up to the plate and becoming the pack leader while loving Bella and being forced to kill her baby. Even Kristin Stewart stepped it up a notch, which, in my opinion, is saying something. I'm not a huge fan of Stewart's acting in the first place but in this movie she was actually decent. 

The overall pacing of the plot was lacking. I mean, half of the movie was the honeymoon and the other half was Bella being pregnant and dying. I especially didn't like that the real threat to the protagonist happened after the credits. Half of the theater that I was in left before seeing some of what was going to happen next in Breaking Dawn part 2. And, I have to admit that if it wasn't for my extreme lazyness and need to stay inside the theater where it was warm and there was popcorn, I probably wouldn't have seen the final clip. 

Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me - Chelsea's Family, Friends andother Victims

"My tendency to make up stories and lie compulsively for the sake of my own amusement takes up a good portion of my day and provides me with a peace of mind not easily attainable in this economic climate."--Chelsea Handler, from Chapter 10 of Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang

It's no lie: Chelsea Handler loves to smoke out "dumbassness," the condition people suffer from that allows them to fall prey to her brand of complete and utter nonsense. Friends, family, co-workers--they've all been tricked by Chelsea into believing stories of total foolishness and into behaving like total fools. Luckily, they've lived to tell the tales and, for the very first time, write about them."

Let me start out by saying that there is a lot of mature content in many of these pages. This is NOT a young adult book and probably shouldn't be read by a person who finds immature people and pranks, well, immature. The majority of this book is about pranks and or lies gone awry and the random things that Chelsea Handler does when she is bored.
I picked up this book because I watch Chelsea Lately--Chelsea Handler's late night show on E! Entertainment. On Chelsea Lately, Chelsea and friends are always talking about the random dumb things that they do together. Being a very curious individual, I had to know more about Chelsea, and if theses things that Chelsea and friends were always talking about were, indeed, true. Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me was an entertaining book, and although some of the entries were poorly written, the stories were priceless and definitely gave me an insight into what Chelsea Handler and friends enjoy doing when they are bored. This compilation of stories was very lighthearted in an oh-crap-this-is-serious kind of way. I now know that if I am ever in the presence of Chelsea Handler, I should never leave my computer unlocked, or leave my phone unattended because bad things tend to happen when Chelsea is around various forms of communication.
Overall, this book was a 3.5/5, because while the stories were entertaining, some of them didn't flow well together but the book was entertaining enough for a 3 day read.

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It's on my wish list… [4]

Paranormalcy - Kiersten White

Weird as it is working for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, Evie’s always thought of herself as normal. Sure, her best friend is a mermaid, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she's falling for a shape-shifter, and she's the only person who can see through paranormals' glamours, but still. Normal. 

Only now paranormals are dying, and Evie's dreams are filled with haunting voices and mysterious prophecies. She soon realizes that there may be a link between her abilities and the sudden rash of deaths. Not only that, but she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures. 

So much for normal.

The Name of the Star - Maureen Johnson

The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London marks a memorable occasion. For Rory, it's the start of a new life at a London boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper in the autumn of 1888.
Soon "Rippermania" takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police now believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him. Even her roommate, who was with her at the time, didn't notice the mysterious man. So why can only Rory see him? And more urgently, why has Rory become his next target? In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, full of suspense, humor, and romance, Rory will learn the truth about the secret ghost police of London and discover her own shocking abilities.

Divergent - Veronica Roth

In a future Chicago, 16-year-old Beatrice Prior must choose among five predetermined factions to define her identity for the rest of her life, a decision made more difficult when she discovers that she is an anomaly who does not fit into any one group, and that the society she lives in is not perfect after all.

All I really have to say about Divergent is, wow! I can't believe that I've waited so long to read this book!

I was dreading getting into another book, because I've been having some bad reading luck lately, and I was pleasantly surprised that Divergent got me out of my reading rut.I loved the plot, the pacing and the action. Roth is a writing genius. I was happy that I couldn't figure out what was going to happen next--I couldn't turn the pages fast enough! Not only is the plot, action, and pacing delightful, but there was just enough detail to let you know what was going on, how the characters were feeling, and you still had room for imagination. I feel that many books these days either have way too much detail, or way too little detail. Divergent definitely had the right amount. Another thing that I absolutely adored about Divergent was Four. I really liked getting to know him, and I know that after that cliffhanger of an ending, we're definitely going to see more into Four's past and I hope to know what he's feeling in the present. I really liked the fact that yes, there is some romance in this book, but it is not the main focus of the entire story. Divergent is definitely a dystopian novel through and through. Divergent is such a great story about a growing up and fighting tor what you believe in. Divergent was written beautifully, I see room for some more plot twists. Roth will not disappoint in the next book in the Divergent trilogy, Insurgent. If you haven't picked it up yet, drop everything and do so! You definitely won't regret it.

It's on my wish list… [3]

Angel - James Patterson (Maximum Ride #7)

In the seventh book in the bestselling series, evil scientists are still trying to convince Max that she needs to save the world, this time by providing the genetic link in speeding up the pace of evolution. Worse, they're trying to convince her that her perfect mate is Dylan, the newest addition to the flock. The problem is that, despite herself, Max is starting to believe it.

Fang travels the country collecting his own gang of evolved humans, but the two separate flocks must unite to defeat a frightening doomsday cult whose motto is Save the Planet: Kill the Humans. And this time, the true heroine, for once, might just be little Angel.

Die for Me -Amy Plum

My life had always been blissfully, wonderfully normal. But it only took one moment to change everything.

Suddenly, my sister, Georgia, and I were orphans. We put our lives into storage and moved to Paris to live with my grandparents. And I knew my shattered heart, my shattered life, would never feel normal again. Then I met Vincent.

Mysterious, sexy, and unnervingly charming, Vincent Delacroix appeared out of nowhere and swept me off my feet. Just like that, I was in danger of losing my heart all over again. But I was ready to let it happen.

Of course, nothing is ever that easy. Because Vincent is no normal human. He has a terrifying destiny, one that puts his life at risk every day. He also has enemies . . . immortal, murderous enemies who are determined to destroy him and all of his kind.

While I'm fighting to piece together the remnants of my life, can I risk putting my heart--as well as my life and my family's--in jeopardy for a chance at love?

Soul Screamers Reading Challenge!

Hello! I am doing the Soul Screamers Reading Challenge, hosted by [Fikt]Shun. I am entering this challenge because I know nothing about Rachel Vincent's Soul Screamers series and, based on the covers and the goodreads reviews that I've seen, they look absolutely astounding! All i know about the series is that this girl named Kaylee knows when people are about to die. Which sounds a.) creepy and b.) intriguing. I can't wait to get my hands on this book! Sadly, I have to wait for my public library to get it first, but after that, there is some serious reading for me ahead.

She doesn't see dead people. She senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.

Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about her need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who'll be next. (Goodreads)

The official plan for this series is to read (or re-read) all of the books in the Soul Screamers series by the U.S. release date of Before I Wake, book six in the series.

My Soul to Take January 15-February 14, 2012

My Soul to Save February 15-March 14, 2012

My Soul to Keep March 15-April 14-2012

My Soul to Steal April 15-May14, 2012

If I Die May 15-June 14, 2012

If you would like to know more information about this challenge click [here]

Rachel Vincent's Goodreads page [here] 

March&apos;s Schedule

So far, this is what I have scheduled for the month of March, 2012.

To read (In no particular order):
My Soul to Take - Rachel Vincent
Juliet Immortal - Stacey Jay
The Messenger - Lois Lowry


To Review:
Divergent (Divergent #1) - Veronica Roth
Lies that Chelsea Handler Told Me - Friends, Family and other Victims
The Giver (The Giver #1) - Lois Lowry
Reviews are posted every Wednesday. Books are listed in chronological order.

Freaky Fridays:
Soul Screamers Reading Challenge
Breaking Dawn Part 1 (Movie)
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (Movie)