Art Geeks And Prom Queens, by Alyson Noel

Being the new girl is tough—just ask sixteen-year-old Rio Jones. A New York transplant, Rio has no clue how she's going to fit in at her fancy new private school in Southern California. Plus, being late, overdressed, and named after a Duran Duran song doesn't make the first day any easier.

Then, Rio meets Kristi. Beautiful, rich, and a cheerleader, Kristi is the queen bee of Newport Beach, and she isn't friends with just anyone, so Rio is thrilled when she's invited to be part of the most exclusive, popular clique. At first, Rio is having a great time, but as she becomes more immersed in the jet set crowd, she discovers an unwritten rule that her new friends forgot to mention: don't cross Kristi...

I have read a few of Noel's books in the past (read: Immortals series) and, although they weren't some of my favorite, I still enjoyed reading them. I've also heard a lot of people say that Noel's contemporary stories are a lot better than her paranormal, so I thought I would give one a chance. I did, and here goes the review...

Right off the bat, even just reading the blurb on the back of the book, I knew that it was going to be reminiscent of Mean Girls. I enjoyed Mean Girls when I was younger, so nothing made me think I wouldn't enjoy this story. However, everything that I didn't like in Mean Girls... I didn't like in this novel.

Rio, our main girl, starts out as a slightly awkward yet stronger girl. Sure, she's unsure of herself but she doesn't give much thought to what everyone thinks of her and she doesn't have to be popular to enjoy her days at school. At least... that's what I thought. Then she begins socializing with the popular girls at school and she changes - drastically. Suddenly she's too cool to hang out with her other friends, she likes to party, she likes to experiment with alcohol and drugs... basically, she turns into a follower. A very annoying one at that. Even her dialogue changes to fit the new personality she seems to have grown into. There are things she says in this novel (A LOT of things, actually) that made me want to roll my eyes. Like this:

JC looks at Tyler, eyes narrowed, jaw clenched, hands shaking, And even though I'm totally against violence of any type, I have to admit a part of me is thinking:
Ohmygod! Are they gonna fight? Over me?
Because how cool would that be!

See? But, as the novel goes on, she gets a little better and even more tolerable. However, a small part of me couldn't help but think that Rio wasn't the only one I had problems with - I just picked on her the most because she was the protagonist. To be honest, she was a little flat. And even worse, all of the other characters seemed to be almost one-dimensional and fell flat for me as well - even predictable. The "good" characters seemed to be good, and the "bad" characters were bad - with almost no redeemable qualities whatsoever. I couldn't help but think that some of the situations the characters were in seemed a little far-fetched. I understand teens aren't saints, but it seemed as though every single character used some form of alcohol and/or drugs. It was a little much.

I bet you're probably thinking that I hate this story, right? Despite what I have said though, I did enjoy this story. Yes, there were things that I think should be different in the story.. but it doesn't mean that it's absolutely horrid for being a little outside of what I think makes a great story. There were definite redeeming qualities to the story. Alyson's writing, though a little too conversational and simple for my taste, flowed well enough and eased you through the story. The story itself, even if slightly far-fetched, is something that is relatable and has a decent message that can be taken away. There were some good supporting characters that I enjoyed, and even the revised cover caught my attention.

If you enjoy stories like Mean Girls, I'm sure that you will enjoy this novel. And you'll probably enjoy this if you're a fan of Noel's other stories as well.

Rating: ★★★✩✩
Source: Young Adult Books Central

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Title: Art Geeks and Prom Queens
Author: Alyson Noel
Series: N/A
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Format: Paperback, 240 pages
Release Date: September 27, 2011

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Lie, by Caroline Bock

Everybody knows, nobody’s talking. . . .
Seventeen-year-old Skylar Thompson is being questioned by the police. Her boyfriend, Jimmy, stands accused of brutally assaulting two young El Salvadoran immigrants from a neighboring town, and she’s the prime witness. Skylar is keeping quiet about what she’s seen, but how long can she keep it up?

But Jimmy was her savior. . . .
When her mother died, he was the only person who made her feel safe, protected from the world. But when she begins to appreciate the enormity of what has happened, especially when Carlos Cortez, one of the victims, steps up to demand justice, she starts to have second thoughts about protecting Jimmy. Jimmy’s accomplice, Sean, is facing his own moral quandary. He’s out on bail and has been offered a plea in exchange for testifying against Jimmy.

The truth must be told. . . .
Sean must decide whether or not to turn on his friend in order to save himself. But most important, both he and Skylar need to figure out why they would follow someone like Jimmy in the first place.

I don't know what I was expecting when I first started reading LIE. Obviously, not stories of fluffy kitties and puppies frolicking together in flower-covered meadows... but, I don't think that I was expecting such an intense story, either. It was a shock to the system, to say the very least.

I think the most unique part of the story for me was the fact that it was told in so many different POV's, yet it didn't get confusing in the least. To be honest, I think because the story was about such a sensitive subject, we actually NEED a lot of these POV's to understand just how everyone reacted to this. And the most eye-opening part about this was, besides the family of the victim, a lot of people seemed to literally worship Jimmy and was able to turn a blind eye to the horrific crime that he had committed. I expected it from Skylar and Sean, but all of the grown-ups, too? I applaud the fact that the author decided to write so many POV's and she did an INCREDIBLE job at fleshing all of the characters out so well in so little time. However, to have all of the characters (especially the grown-ups) make up excuses for Jimmy is a little unbelievable.

Speaking of Skylar and Sean: Ehh. Alright, I get it... Skylar's mother died and Jimmy was all she had, blah blah blah. But the way she worshiped the ground that boy walked on and seemed to not be able to even manage to exist without him really made my nerves stand on edge. I honestly do not get the dependency on one boyfriend - especially when she clearly had a father at home that was competent and there for her. My emotions for her fell flat from the very beginning. I started to have a little respect for her closer to the end but her actions throughout the entire book seemed to trump the little bit of redemption at the end. And Sean.. well, I can't say much about him for fear of spoilers. My feelings toward him were very roller-coaster, up and down throughout the story.

One character that did not have his POV written into the book was Jimmy himself. Honestly, there was so much told about him through the other characters that his POV was not needed.. but it didn't mean that I didn't want to know exactly what was going through his mind to make him do what he did. We get enough of an idea, but it doesn't make me any less curious. Though, it might be best that he didn't have a say in this story because I don't know if I could have handled it. Lisa Marie made my skin crawl enough with her behavior, so I could only imagine how dirty I would feel after reading any thoughts from Jimmy's mind.

Even though my emotions were all over the place throughout reading the novel, it was a very good read with a powerful message. If there was one thing I would have liked to change would be the ending. It was very abrupt and left a lot to the imagination as to what could have happened. This could have been left open like this on purpose and I could understand why. After being so emotionally invested throughout the story, I would have liked to see some concrete conclusion to the story. Besides that, it was a read worthy of the time.

Overall, with the subject matter at hand, I think this will be one of those books that people either love or not like because this isn't some contemporary romance with rainbows and sunshine throughout. This is raw and very real, dealing with a sensitive subject that may be a little too much for those with a weak stomach when it comes to hate crimes. However, if you can digest it.. it's worth the read.

Rating: ★★★★✩
Source: Young Adult Books Central

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Title: Lie
Author: Caroline Bock
Series: N/A
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Format: Paperback, 224 pages
Release Date: August 30, 2011

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Miles From Ordinary, by Carol Lynch Williams

Miles From Ordinary
Carol Lynch Williams

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date: March 15, 2011
Series: N/A
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult
Pages: Paperback, 197
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4/5 (Avg 3.5/5)

Thirteen-year-old Lacey wakes to a beautiful summer morning excited to begin her new job at the library, just as her mother is supposed to start work at the grocery store. Lacey hopes that her mother's ghosts have finally been laid to rest; after all, she seems so much better these days, and they really do need the money. But as the hours tick by and memories come flooding back, a day full of hope spins terrifyingly out of control....

“No one can get inside the head and heart of a 13-year-old girl better than Carol Lynch Williams, and I mean no one," said James S. Jacobs, Professor of Children's Literature at Brigham Young University, of her breakout novel, The Chosen One. Now this award-winning YA author brings us an equally gripping story of a girl who loves her mother, but must face the truth of what life with that mother means for both of them.

I didn't know what to expect from this story. Having no prior reading experience of Carol Lynch Williams, I was intrigued with praises of her writing but still clueless. After reading Miles from Ordinary, I can say that I will be singing her praises as well.

Whatever I may have been thinking this book was, it was not. The story is beautifully written and so moving. It was also set in only one day's time, which was amazing to me. You'd think something like that wouldn't be able to live up to such high expectations in such a short timeline, but it far exceeds that with flashbacks of Lacey's past helping to guide you and help you understand. Did I mention it's nothing like I thought it would be?

Lacey's story goes from heart-wrenching to haunting in the span of the book. Despite everything, you can't help but feel sorry for her and wish that she could have a typical carefree, happy childhood like all the other kids her age. Nevertheless, she's a strong character with an equally strong voice. I was hesitant at first with the main character being younger, but Williams did an incredible job with her voice. Lacey's aunt was a character I also thought was completely selfish, but when the flashbacks reveal more of the story, we see more of why each of the characters are the way they are. I'm not saying I completely agree with every character's actions, though the flashbacks help to understand them better than what I had originally thought.

At the very beginning, I struggled a little to get into the story. I think maybe it was the accent of the character and the way she talked? I'm not sure. But my attention was caught very soon after and it wasn't long before I was finishing the book with white knuckles and a sore heart. This book is eerie, to say the least. It's contemporary - and a fine one at that - but I'd also put it in the psychological thriller category as well. If you like either of those, I'm positive you'll love this book.


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Born At Midnight, by C.C. Hunter

Born At Midnight
C.C. Hunter

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date: March 29, 2011
Series: Shadow Falls
Genre: Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: Paperback, 416
Source: ARC, Publisher
Rating: 4/5 (Avg 4/5)

One night Kylie Galen finds herself at the wrong party, with the wrong people, and it changes her life forever. Her mother ships her off to Shadow Falls—a camp for troubled teens, and within hours of arriving, it becomes painfully clear that her fellow campers aren’t just “troubled.” Here at Shadow Falls, vampires, werewolves, shapshifters, witches and fairies train side by side—learning to harness their powers, control their magic and live in the normal world.

Kylie’s never felt normal, but surely she doesn’t belong here with a bunch of paranormal freaks either. Or does she? They insist Kylie is one of them, and that she was brought here for a reason. As if life wasn’t complicated enough, enter Derek and Lucas. Derek’s a half-fae who’s determined to be her boyfriend, and Lucas is a smokin’ hot werewolf with whom Kylie shares a secret past. Both Derek and Lucas couldn’t be more different, but they both have a powerful hold on her heart.

Even though Kylie feels deeply uncertain about everything, one thing is becoming painfully clear—Shadow Falls is exactly where she belongs…

I think Kylie has to be one of the luckiest unlucky girls around. She gets in trouble when she's not at fault, she has parents that aren't really there for her and then she gets shipped off to a camped for troubled teens. It seems bad, right? Yet, it's probably one of the best things that could have happened to her.

From the very beginning of this novel, you can empathize with Kylie. When she's not happy with someone, you're not happy. If she's panicked, then you're in a panic. If she's happy, well... you get where I'm going with this. Kylie's character and voice is very strong in this novel and that makes the story that much easier to get into. Kylie definitely had her fair share of moments where you pitied her, but I think the friends and discoveries that she made at Shadow Falls more than makes up for everything else.

Throughout the story, I found myself wanting to be at Shadow Falls. Not only is it eerily fascinating, but the people there are equally as enthralling to me. From Miranda to Della to the camp counselors and fellow camp mates, the characters - big or small - took on lives of their own, each with their own distinctive attitudes and personalities. Aside from Kylie, I think I have to say that my second favorite character is Della. Although it seems that Della wouldn't be such a stand-out character in the beginning, she really did pop out for me. She and Miranda make the perfect friends for Kylie in their own individual ways. And their fights with one another? Classic. The love interest(s) was also a thing to be reckoned with. It looks like we might be setting up for a love triangle, which at this point could go either way. Surprisingly enough, I didn't detest it as I typically do with love triangles.

The ending actually caught me off-guard, which is encouraging and definitely welcomed. From the characters to the plot, everything in this story was wonderfully written. I love the voice that C.C. gave to her characters and I'm eagerly awaiting Born at Midnight's sequel, Taken at Dawn, to see what happens next with all of my favorite characters.


**FREE READ: St. Martin's is offering up Turned at Dark, a prequel novella (also Della's story) to Born at Midnight, as a free read on their site. Be sure to click here to check it out.

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