Bewitching (Alex Flinn)

****

         Kendra - the witch you may or may not know from Flinn's earlier book, Beastly - is back.  This time, she's here to tell her side of the story.  Kendra has been around for a long time, using her powers to help people in need.  Even though she means well, sometimes Kendra's ideas go horribly awry (ever heard of the "Little Mermaid"?).  Despite past difficulties, Kendra was recently encouraged by an unexpected success.  Now she sees Emma, a girl with a passive-aggressive step-sister, in need of help - and Kendra thinks she qualifies for the job.  After all, Kendra has some tricks up her sleeve, and Emma seems to be worth the effort.  Of course, if things go wrong, Emma's life just might be ruined.
      
         Bewitching was a good book, but I didn't enjoy it as much as some of Alex Flinn's other stories.  It was certainly a unique take on "Cinderella".  It was more realistic than other Cinderella stories in that Emma had a mean streak and her step-sister wasn't always horrible.  I really did like seeing Kendra's background after reading Beastly, and I would definitely recommend this book for those who read it as well.  Bewitching is a good, light read if you're looking for a fresh take on several old stories.

Rating: 4/5
Completed: February 20, 2012

A Million Suns (Beth Revis)

****

Sequel to Across the Universe

         It has been three months since Amy woke up and almost died in the cargo hold of the spaceship, Godspeed.  In that time, she met a boy named Elder, stopped other "frozens" from being killed, and created a revolution on the ship.  Now, she's trying to keep her head down in a place where nearly everybody hates her.  Amy wishes she could go back to her old life - or at least wake up her parents, who are still cryogenically frozen - but she can't.  Her only hope is to figure out why Godspeed isn't approaching its final destination.  Meanwhile, Elder is leading the ship, but things aren't going half as well as he had hoped.  Amy is about to give up when she discovers a series of clues that promise to solve all of her problems.  As things on Godspeed spiral out of control, it is up to Amy to find a way off of the ship before everything collapses.

         A Million Suns was a satisfying sequel to Across the Universe.  I was a little worried that round two wouldn't be as good as round one, but luckily Beth Revis succeeded in writing another really good book.
The plot was interesting, and there were twists that I definitely did not expect.  Revis did a particularly good job of hiding the outcome - I had my guesses, but it wasn't so predictable that I could guess correctly.  The unpredictability made A Million Suns an enjoyable read for me.

Rating: 4/5
Completed: January 28, 2012

Chopsticks (Jessica Anthony and Rodrigo Corral)

****

         Chopsticks is not a novel in the usual sense.  The story is told through a collection of pictures, conversations, music, letters, and more.  I was surprised how few words were necessary to convey so much meaning; the images did most of the work.  As the reader follows the events leading up to the disappearance of teenaged piano prodigy Glory Fleming, he or she comes to understand why Glory decided to leave.

         I really liked the unique style of Chopsticks.  Though you could go through it in a matter of hours, there is enough hidden information to last much longer.  If you read this, look carefully for connections from picture to picture.  There are some clever links with interesting implied meaning.  I'm no photography expert, but I also thought that the pictures were great.  Definitely a worthwhile quick-read.

Rating: 4/5
Completed: February 17, 2012

Divergent (Veronica Roth)

*****

         In dystopian Chicago, Beatrice Prior is about to make a decision that will determine her future.  Every year, all of the sixteen-year-olds in the city must choose the faction that they wish to join.  Though most teens stick with the faction they were born into, some decide to join one of the other factions. To help decide their fate, Beatrice and her peers take an aptitude test that tells them the faction to which they are best suited.  The catch?  Beatrice's test is inconclusive, an outcome that is more dangerous than she might have guessed.  Now she has to choose her future faction on her own - and figure out how to hide the fact that she is Divergent.  

         

         This book was amazing!  I had heard great things about it, but I never guessed it would be this awesome.  It was fast-paced and full of action.  I read in all my free time and late into the night, always thinking "just one more page".  Roth gave just enough information that I could guess at what would happen next, but always added some unexpected element.  The characters were diverse and real.  I really connected to Beatrice - every time her adrenaline spiked, I could feel my heart pounding.  The whole book was fantastic and captivating.  It's a little early in the year to be saying this, but this will probably be one of the best books I read in 2012.  Divergent deserves a full five stars, and I can't wait until Insurgent is released!


Rating: 5/5
Completed: January 22, 2012

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight (Jennifer E. Smith)

****

         Though it might seem suspicious, Hadley Sullivan didn't mean to miss the flight to her father's second wedding, where she will be a bridesmaid for a woman she's never met.  While she waits for the next flight to London, Hadley meets a charming British boy named Oliver.  By some twist of fate, the two end up sitting together on the flight.  Hadley and Oliver discuss everything from their favorite colors (blue and green) to their beliefs on love.  When they part ways in London, Hadley knows she has feelings for Oliver.  Unfortunately, she doesn't know if she'll ever see him again.  He never even told her his last name.

          The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight was a cute, quick read.  I was intrigued as soon as I saw the title, and I'm glad I picked it up.  I enjoyed the plot and the characters, especially Oliver and Hadley.  I even found myself laughing a little, which doesn't usually happen when I'm reading.  The book was light over all, but it wasn't so cheerful that it got boring.  Though it was pretty obvious how the book was going to end (check out the title!) I was glad that there were twists that made me question how everything would turn out.  This sweet story would be a great read if you're looking for a good plot with a positive ending.

Rating: 4/5
Completed: January 21, 2012

The Vespertine (Saundra Mitchell)

***

         Amelia van den Broek is ready for romance in the summer of 1889.  She's traveling from her home in Broken Tooth, Maine, to visit relatives and find a future husband in fashionable Baltimore.   One evening shortly after Amelia arrives, she sees a vision of her second cousin Zora dancing with a handsome young man.  When Amelia's prediction comes true, word spreads quickly.  Soon every young person in the city is calling on her in hopes of seeing the future.  Amelia and Zora relish in their newfound popularity within the social circles of Baltimore until her seemingly innocent talent turns into a  burden.  

         As she tries to understand her gift - and decide what to do with it - Amelia becomes close to Nathaniel, a mysterious man who seems to appear out of thin air whenever she needs him.  Unfortunately, he's not really a part of her social class.  But their romance is turning out to be one of the only things going well for Amelia this summer.  Her predictions have taken a dark turn - and no matter how hard she tries to prevent it, they're all coming true.  

         The Vespertine was a fairly enjoyable book.  I liked the spiritualist aspect combined with the historical fiction a lot.  It would have been great to get more details about Amelia's talent (how it works, where it came from, etc).  I also wish there had been some kind of conflict that forced Amelia to make choices or take action.  The characters in this book were somewhat under-developed, especially Amelia. She was a stereotypically weak female character from the start.  That would have been fine as long as she underwent some kind of transformation.  Unfortunately, that didn't happen.  On the other hand, this book did offer a nice picture of historical society and offer (at least for me) a somewhat unexpected happy ending.  This would be worth reading if you're looking for a supernatural storyline that's not too dark.  

Rating: 3/5

The Compound (S.A. Bodeen)

****

As far as 15-year-old Eli Yanakakis knows, the world has ended.  Having spent the past six years in the Compound, an underground mansion his billionaire father designed to protect their family from nuclear war, he can only believe something awful has happened.  What Eli knows for sure is that the door to the Compound is sealed for another nine years, shutting out most of the world - including Eli's grandmother and his twin brother, Eddy.  

         In the meantime, supplies are running low in the Compound.  Eli's tense relationship with his family is getting worse as his father implements disturbing plans for a new food source.  On top of everything else, Eli begins to suspect that some things in the Compound aren't as they seem.  A little digging reveals more secrets than he ever bargained for.  And when the pieces fall into place, Eli realizes that he was wrong: nothing in the Compound is as it seems.  

         

         There was nothing slow about The Compound.  Though I never got the explosive action that part of me was hoping for, Eli's revelations came regularly enough that I was always engaged.  I was kept on my toes by a unique plot and the suspense that only life-on-the-line stories can bring.  The basic outline of Eli's discoveries was a little predictable, but happily that didn't stop the book from being exciting.  If you're a fan of dystopian books but looking for something less mainstream, this is definitely worth a shot.

Rating: 4/5