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Stalk me (Keatyn Chronicles book 1)
Stalk me (Keatyn Chronicles book 1)
Jillian Dodd | 2014 | Romance, Young Adult (YA)
9
9.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Could not stop reading and have even read a second time.
The first book in the Keatyn Chronicles is excellent.

To be honest it took me a little while to get into the book as at the beginning Keatyn came across as shallow and superficial, flitting from one guy to the next and only caring about being popular. However Jillian Dodd made sure to balance this with other scenes so that we were able to get to know Keatyn and realise she is just like and teen girl, trying to fit and and find her identity. And I was hooked!!

Although predominantly a romance Stalk Me also has action and suspense. As Keatyn is stalked by someone and we wait to find out who and what they will do next.

The characters are all very relatable as each person has their own clear personality and flaws. This makes it easy to get to know them, however you will go from loving to hating a character in a few pages as they do something stupid.

The book is written as a diary. This works really well as it gives an unfiltered view into Keatyn’s thoughts and life. I became very invested in the story and could not stop reading.

I would absolutely recommend this book if you enjoy teen/ young adult books. It is one of the very few books/ series that I have ever re read.
  
On Fire: a Teen Wolf Novel
On Fire: a Teen Wolf Novel
Nancy Holder | 2012 | Paranormal, Science Fiction/Fantasy
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Favorite TV show (1 more)
Great side story
A lot of typos (0 more)
Nancy Holder is known in the literary world for her novel adaptations of TV shows, such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Smallville, which has made her the go-to author for popular teen shows. With her ability to mesh together a story with what is going on within the TV show, I'm not surprised that she was picked to adapt MTV's 'Teen Wolf' into a novel. Having only read this book by her, On Fire: a Teen Wolf Novel, is definitely a successful must-read for fans of the show.

Do you need to have watched the show to understand what is going on in the novel? Yes, because the book does backtrack, but unless you've watched at least season one, you will have no idea what is going on. But if you have watched the first season, On Fire will fill in the small gaps that was left out of the TV show's story without losing the characteristics of our favorite cast members.

This is a 'young adult' book, so you can expect the usual tropes like teen drama and romance - - - if you can get past that, the story can be enjoyable. The main characters are different enough to keep interest going, there are werewolves, and some men with guns. But I do have to say that I felt Allison's character was flat and boring in 'On Fire.'

The story gets underway when the main character, Scott, finds out that his girlfriend's best friend's boyfriend, Jackson, has gone missing. Scott and his girlfriend, Allison, decide to go look for him at the last place his phone's GPS blinked at, but Scott is using this just as an excuse to hang out with his girlfriend because Jackson is a sworn enemy of his. As I have said, if you haven't at least watched season one of MTV's Teen Wolf, you'll be pretty lost in the beginning of the story because there are no introductions to these characters, since it seems Holder was writing this specifically for fans of the TV show (I am a huge fan of the series, and highly recommend it to people who love mythical creatures, such as werewolves and banshees).

On the other side of the story, viewers of the show get to see Derek Hale and Kate Argent's backstory, which Derek is a werewolf and Kate is a werewolf hunter, the two had a quick romance, but it turned out to be a lie on Kate's side. This side of the story will make fans of the show happy because the series only gave hints towards the fake romance between the two characters, while Holder shows us exactly what happened. From Derek meeting Kate when he is only 17-years-old, and she older, to her burning the Hale household to the ground with most of Derek's family inside of it--- because she hunts werewolves, of course.

Meanwhile, both Derek and Scott have been having nightmares about an Alpha wolf, that seems to either want both of them dead or to join his pack. Worse of all, Scott and Derek both end up at the forest preserve that the dreams took place in, which both feel another wolf presence while being there. Since they both sense this, they start to wonder if Jackson's disappearance is a trap set by the Alpha.

During all of this, Jackson's girlfriend, Lydia, and his best friend Danny, are also searching for Jackson or any clue as to why he suddenly disappeared, which this has nothing to do with what actually happens to Jackson in the TV series. I think the best parts of this book are the scenes without Scott and Allison, who spend the majority of the time trying to make-out while doing a half-ass job searching for the lost friend. As I said before, if you can get past the teen romance, the story is actually really good. Especially my favorite character, Stiles, who had the best description in the entire book: "Life in his[Stiles] head was accompanied by the soundtrack of a small, eternal, dull ache, but word was that would go away after a few decades."

If you have watched the show, you'll be glad to know that this book isn't just an adaptation of season two--- this one has a different story in it that wasn't in the show. Without giving too much away, we get a different glimpse of Jackson's personality and problems he has dealt with much of his life. The book isn't a necessary read for fans, but it gives us a little bit more of the Teen Wolf world to read about, such as introductions of new characters (like a high school girl named Cassie), who never made it to the TV series. While reading this book, it can tempt readers to go back or even start watching the MTV series. I warn you, though, once you start watching, you won't be able to stop. Binge fest anyone?

There were a few inconsistencies, and a whole lot of typos--- whoever the editor was, was apparently not paying attention, but the story is good and the characters are unique. I recommend this to people who have watched the series, and to those who love mythical creatures. But I do wholeheartedly recommend you watch season one before attempting to read this novel, otherwise, you will be lost!

For more paranormal and fantasy book reviews, check out my blog at GoreAndTea.com
  
I received a free copy of this book via Clean Teen Publishing Elite Reviewers which I am a member of. I made no guarantee of a favorable review and the opinions are my own.

When I read the synopsis I knew I just had to read it. This book contains magic, romance and drama and it is about light versus dark {good versus evil} and though at times I found myself enjoying it, I found myself to be somewhat disappointed as well. Jessica is trying to locate/discover more information about her biological parents but by the end of the book we still don't really know anything. Now this could be what the author intended so I do plan on reading the next book. My other issue was that I found the characters to be good, the world building seemed somewhat lacking. I am giving this book three stars and I'm hoping that there will be more explanations in the second book.
  
Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles, #1)
Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles, #1)
Kami Garcia | 2009 | Fiction & Poetry, Paranormal, Romance
4
7.4 (34 Ratings)
Book Rating
I had heard so much about Beautiful Creatures since it came out, but I really wish I'd skipped this one. It's just another gothic teen romance, authors jumping on the bandwagon that Stephenie Meyer made of the dark scary character and big entrancing eyes and inhuman beauty and absurd chemistry. Nothing happened in the first few chapters, the descriptions were repetitive and strange, the characters were stereotypical, and the dialogue was boring.

The only good thing I had to say was that the small town they described in the book really did sound like a small town (and I can say that because I live in one).

Oh, and the reader of the audiobook was good.

Other than that, honestly, it was just Twilight except Edward Cullen was a girl.

Content/Recommendation: I didn't read enough to be able to say, though honestly if you're going to read a 500-page novel, read Crime and Punishment or The Count of Monte Cristo.
  
The Summer I Turned Pretty (Summer, #1)
The Summer I Turned Pretty (Summer, #1)
Jenny Han | 2009 | Young Adult (YA)
9
8.7 (7 Ratings)
Book Rating
Sweet Summer Love Story
I was a little bit unsure of this book, because of the name. I was afraid it was going to be one of those stereotypical books where the girl gets skinny/ discovers make up/ something happens that suddenly makes her pretty, and all the boys notice her. I was pleasantly suprised that it was a lot more than that. Yes it is stated that Belly was prettier than in the past, but all the boys in the story had reasons to like her that went beyond looks. At 16 Belly is starting to act more like an adult, and that plays a large role in drawing the boys attention.
This book also did a great job showing that the characters had more going on than just a teen romance. I read this in a day, and would highly suggest it to anyone looking for a fun new read.