Frostbite by Richelle Mead

Back for another year at St. Vladimir's Academy, Rose and Lissa have some new challenges coming their way. The evil vampires, called Strigoi, have come together and organized themselves against all reason. They are targeting royal vampire families and performing massacres of both Moroi and their Dhampir guardians. What's especially unusual about the attacks is that all of the Moroi that were attacked were protected under wards that were seemingly broken by humans working along side the Strigoi. This changes the playing field immensely because humans aren't affected by sunlight, as the Strigoi are. And rogue vampires aren't the biggest of Rose Hathaway's problems. She has to deal with her romantic life; whether she should follow reason and date her long time best guy friend or go after her unattainable, but extremely sexy mentor. And on top of that, she keeps getting pulled into her best friend Lissa's mind, through their mental bond, at extremely, um, private times. And as the cherry on top, her estranged mother shows up at St. Vlad's after she and Rose have barely spoken to each other in oh, about five years. What's a girl to do? Will Rose be able to make it through yet another trouble-ridden school year with her reputation in tact?

Thank god for these wonderful guilty pleasure books. Sure they may not have all that much substance or challenge me mentally but boy am I able to gobble them up. It's got all of the ingredients a good guilty pleasure needs; romance, fighting, hot guys, mystery, more hot guys, and vampires. What more could someone want? Yes, Richelle Mead has done it again with the second book in the Vampire Academy series. She has incorporated all the thrills of the vampire world into a plot that any teen will enjoy. There is never a dull moment in the book; everything keeps going full speed ahead so that you never know what to expect next. And that's exactly what makes it so good. Just after you think you've figured out what's going to happen next, something new gets thrown in your face and you're knocked off of your feet, scrambling to find out all of the details of the new twist. And the author writes it all so that none of it seems unrealistic. You are led to believe that all of the things in the book could actually happen just because of the flowing writing style and the characters that you can completely relate with. It's so cool to be able to read about a girl, who could quite possibly be your best friend, as she works through obstacle after obstacle with sass, spunk, attitude, and humility. So all in all, I would highly recommend the Vampire Academy series as a completely thrilling, delicious, and suspenseful guilty pleasure that will surpass all of your expectations. :D

How To Build A House by Dana Reinhardt

Things have been pretty bad at home ever since Harper's dad and stepmom got a divorce. Jane was the only mom Harper had ever known and she and her stepsister Tess couldn't have been better friends. But then the divorce happens and all bets are off. To get away from the drama, Harper flies down to Tennessee to help rebuild the home of a family's whose house was destroyed in a huge tornado. With all the government's money going to help Katrina victims, no money has been going to help the other victims in the nation. The first thing Harper notices when she gets off the plane is that it is hot. Hot as hell. Working in that heat is one of only many changes that Harper has to get used to in order to survive the next twelve weeks. But, against all odds, she starts to make friends. Kids from all over the nation have joined to reach one common goal and they find solace, comfort, and happiness with each other. And when Teddy, the boy who Harper's building the house for, starts to take notice of her, it's going to take all of what Harper's got to make this relationship work and forget once and for all, the troubles she's left behind.

This is an example of a beautiful, poignant, and perfectly crafted book. I have absolutely nothing to gripe about and only have praise for How To Build a House. The story deals with real life issues and puts them into perspective for the readers. I was able to feel myself in all of Harper's situations and I totally understood her which is a great thing. I loved that I was able to relate to all of the characters. They each were well written with a huge attention to detail that I loved. I also liked how Harper and Teddy's relationship was believable and realistic. The chemistry they had felt totally true to how teens interact with each other and it makes you root for them throughout the whole story. I also liked how we got to see all the dynamics of a complicated family life and how through all the hardships that Harper's family faced, they were able to pull through. The imagery and descriptions in the book were beautiful, the characters had a ton of depth to them, and the plot was sweet and poignant. What more could you ask for in a book? Pretty much nothing. I would completely recommend How To Build A House. It is a truly bittersweet, touching, and well-written book that will keep you flipping the pages and rooting for the characters throught its entirety. Pick up a copy soon!
How To Build A House will be released tomorrow; Tuesday, May 27.

Generation Dead by Daniel Waters

In recent years, teenagers in America have been mysteriously coming back to life after they have died. It’s only happening in the US and it’s only happening to teens. Oakvale High School has an abnormal amount of undead or differently biotic students as it has a reputation as being a good place for those kinds of students. When Phoebe begins to have feelings for the leader of the undead, Tommy, the whole school is rocked and no one will go unaffected. Everyone from Phoebe’s undead best friend Colette, to Adam, Phoebe’s next-door neighbor who has hidden his feelings for her, to Pete Martinsburg, the guy who has a serious case of hatred for the undead, is going to be involved in what is going to go down as one of the most dramatic years in Oakvale High’s history. And not in a good way. Will the students be able to overcome their differences to unite as a student body or will discrimination and misunderstanding be the defining characteristic of the year?

Although the story was unrealistic, the topic was a little ridiculous, and the characters were not well developed, I still found myself drawn into this book. Yes, I do have quite a few issues with the main aspects of the book, but I kind of think that the whole plot was absurd and strange enough to be interesting. And although I know that something like kids coming back to life would never happen, it made for a very good and compelling story. I really couldn’t stop reading and yet as I was devouring the book, I was cringing at the rough character development and the unexplored background stories of the main people. I wish that I could’ve gotten to know the main characters better than I did. Throughout the book I felt as if I wasn’t really connecting with the story. I didn’t know the characters enough to sympathize with them or feel what they were going through which I think was the biggest downfall of the book for me. I just wish that the author could’ve slowed down and explore the details a little more. There were also some points in the book where I was extremely confused because the characters were talking about situations or events, which were not told about in the book. It felt as if we were just kind of dumped into this story that had already been going on for a while and which we missed the beginning of. But strangely, despite all of that, I really liked Generation Dead a lot. Maybe even enough to overlook all of its shortcomings and just appreciate it for the good book that I think it is underneath it all. The plot is interesting, not predictable, and unique. It’s definitely not a topic about which I’ve read before. And I think it’s good that there are authors out there willing to branch out into new stories or situations that haven’t been written about before. And so overall, although I did find a mountain of things wrong with this book, I’m going to have to recommend it as a really engrossing read that I think anyone will enjoy, just because of the neat plot, and the writing style of the author. And I’m really hoping for a sequel, and soon, because this book left off with a huge cliffhanger. And while I’m waiting anxiously to see what happens next, I’m simultaneously hitting myself on the head saying; you shouldn’t like this book! It’s got so many things wrong with it! But, yet, I think you should read Generation Dead because it is truly a very interesting book by a new author whom I have high hopes for!

How To Be Bad by E. Lockhart, Sarah Mlynowski, and Lauren Myracle

Vicks and Jesse have the kind of friendship that others would kill for. That is, until Jesse finds out her mom has cancer. She doesn’t know how to tell Vicks and that forces a huge, uncomfortable aspect into their relationship. And when Jesse decides to plan a road trip as some quality bonding time for her and Vicks, the new girl, Mel, who’s working at the Waffle House with them, inexplicably joins in. A road trip with three girls who are all completely different doesn’t seem like such a good thing does it? While they’re on the road there are fights, laughs, break-ups, cry fests, mangoes, alligators (both dead and alive), and ducks. And what does that all add up to? A completely hilarious tale of how three girls who thought they would never be able to make it work, get to know each other on a new level that bonds them in ways none of them ever expected.

I loved this book so much. What’s interesting is that I read this right after Becoming Chloe and they both include road trips. The difference is that one trip is about going place and finding things and the other one is not so much about going places, but about the bonds that you make on the road. Truthfully, I think you need some of both so I’m glad that this book had that. While Vicks, Jesse, and Mel didn’t see such hugely impressive things as Jordy and Chloe did, I think they had the same amount of fun, because they learned about themselves and enjoyed it as they were doing it. And really, who wouldn’t want to see the world’s smallest police station, or the coral palace, or even the stuffed alligator Old Joe? I think that would be pretty sweet. The thing I liked about this book the most was that it was written in alternating points of view and that it was by three different authors. That way, each writer was able to fully get into their role and create some pretty amazing and memorable characters. I also liked that we got to see all the sides of everyone. No one was exempt from acting dumb or immature, but still, each person had her moment of shining glory also. The other thing I liked about How To Be Bad was that it was completely and utterly hilarious. It had its serious and touching moments but I think I never read more than five pages without laughing out loud. And so even though this book was about fleshing out relationships, it was also about having fun doing that. And yes, I would highly recommend How To Be Bad as one of the best, most funny, and deeply touching book you will read all summer. And if you want to find out which “bad” girl you are, go here. And my results are:

Jesse! A good girl through and through, you have strong ideals and convictions, and sometimes get frustrated when others don’t understand them. But, you’re also the one with the ideas (road trip, anyone?!), and your friends love you for that. You might not take life’s little setbacks lightly, but you know how to get things done—and still manage to have a little fun along the way. That’s right: Underneath it all, you love a good laugh just as much as the next girl!

Becoming Chloe by Catherine Ryan Hyde

Jordan is living on the streets of New York when Chloe finds him. He’s been basically kicked out of his family because of who he is and left to fend for himself. After being hurt, Chloe’s the one who nurses him back to health, forming a bond that really can never be broken. When Jordy finds out that Chloe’s fighting her own demons, he sets out to show her how beautiful the world is even throughout all of the badness that seems most prominent. They meet many people, see a ton of great sights, and learn more about themselves and the world than they had ever imagined. But what will they decide. Is the world more beautiful than it is ugly or is it the other way around? The one thing no one can doubt is that their lives will never be the same.

I don’t think this book hit me as hard as I had expected it to, but it was still a pretty amazing book. I was expecting to be blown away, but even though that might not have been the case, I was still reasonably wowed. The story itself is a great one and one that will make you rethink how you look at the world. Looking at the problems of our world verses the beauties of it from the eyes of someone who is seeing it all for the first time is really hard-hitting and it made me think; do I appreciate the beauty that is all around me? And I think that I’d have to answer that I probably don’t. You know, we are all just so busy rushing through our lives at break-neck speed that it’s rare that any of us really have time to stop and smell the flowers. I really would love if I were able to take a break from life and just go find things. Not necessarily even outside my own state. Just to be able to notice and appreciate things that I haven’t before would be enough. So as you can see, it’s the kind of book that really makes you think about things which is definitely a good thing. I also liked how the characters weren’t stereotypical at all. They were people that were battling their own problems in life, and found each other through that. It was nice to see characters out of the ordinary and who helped you expand your thinking. I also loved the whole self-discovery aspect of the book and how, in the end, the question of beauty wasn’t clear-cut. The author left it for you to decide if you thought the world was good and it was nice how a specific viewpoint wasn’t forced on you. So I would definitely recommend Becoming Chloe. Even though it wasn’t as provoking as I though it was going to be, it was still an amazing book.

A Little Weekend Trip

Just as a note, I will be traveling over Memorial Day weekend and will not have internet access. So no, I will not have disappeared, I'm just MIA for a few days. Look forward to a review or two on Monday or Tuesday! And have a great long weekend!

She's So Money by Cherry Cheva

Maya's longing for independence from her parents. Her biggest dream is to get accepted to Stanford and be able to move out to California and leave her old life behind. That plan is put in jeopardy when the health department stops by for a surprise visit while Maya is in charge of her parents' restaurant for the weekend. With a $10,000 dollar fine on her shoulders, Maya knows that she can't tell her parents. She has to figure it out on her own. And that is where the super hot, yet sketchy guy, Camden, steps in with a plan. Do the rich kids of the school's homework, but for a price. What starts out small suddenly escalates into a booming business with more than 30 clients and 7 workers. But there's always the looming threat of being found out or not being able to raise enough money in time. And when things start to heat between Camden and Maya, she knows that her life has changed a lot. Only she doesn't know whether it's for better or worse.

Although I had quite a few issues with this book, I couldn't help but feel myself reeled in. I stayed up reading it really late and even though I wasn't satisfied with all of the aspects of the book, I think it was a very good read. Now about those things that I had issues with...I think that the characters weren't developed enough and that the plot was a little too predictable. Don't get me wrong, I like me some nice, fluffy, and predictable books every now and then, but I definitely think that Cherry Cheva could've have worked to throw a few more twists into it than she did. And I also would've loved to be able to get to know the characters better. I think that that aspect of the book was rushed and not filled in very well. Also, the ending came a little too fast for my preference. It was very sudden and it just kind of ended. All that stuff probably makes this seem like a horrible book, but it really wasn't. One of the things that I liked was the unique plot. It might not have had many surprises, but it was a new and unexplored concept which was neat. I also liked how the side characters got to shine along with the main ones and we got to see the alternate sides of many of the "popular" characters in the book. And overall, I think that Cherry Cheva did a great job writing She's So Money. Even with all of the faults that I found with it, I really couldn't stop reading it. She just has the kind of writing style that leaves you wanting more and I am completely satisfied with this book and I would highly recommend it as a very fun and light read. Perfect for summer! Which, by the way, has arrived without me even noticing. I swear, I woke up last week and I was like; woah-there are only two weeks of school left! When did that happen? And since then I've been in a huge fog because of lack of sleep from studying for finals. I'm amazed that I'm having time to read at all. I probably shouldn't be reading...but oh well. Can't pull a girl away from her obsession, can you? And enough with my rambling already. :D Go read She's So Money!