The Clique by Lisi Harrison

Disclaimer: I get all my books from the library.    

Today's novel is The Clique by Lisi Harrison.

This book is definitely MG, and a total surprise for me. I was sitting in a junior high English class with nothing to do because I'd already finished my other book. So I went to the teacher's book shelf and chose a short one that I thought I could finish in the time left.

I don't know what I expected, but this short novel about 12-year-old girls trying to fit in with each other was refreshingly fun. Claire, a typical middle class girl, moves into a posh neighborhood where the other girls her age carry around credit cards and spend $600 on a dress. Yikes!

Thus begins a very severe battle to fit in. Claire wants to fit in, just like most girls, so I think teenage girls will be able to connect with the characters quite well. At least Claire. The other characters are so out of my league that I could hardly fathom their lives, though for this reason it was quite interesting when the book got behind their eyes and into their POV.

There were a few moments where I thought Claire switched her personality too drastically, but overall she remained true to herself. A very hard position to be in. There are several books in this series, apparently. They are quick reads and I would enjoy picking them up and reading them. I wouldn't buy these for myself, but a preteen girl would enjoy them a lot.

I'd give this book a C+.

A = Buy this book NOW
B = Buy this when you can
C = Check it out from the library
D = Don't bother reading it
F = Burn it

LA Candy by Lauren Conrad

Disclaimer: I get all my books from the library.   

Today's book is LA Candy by Lauren Conrad.

This book had a lot of potential. The subject matter is extremely interesting; it's a novel based on Conrad's actual experiences moving out to LA and getting involved in a reality show. Since most of us have no behind-the-scenes experience with reality shows, this is fascinating. I really wanted to into this aspect of the book.

But there were a few problems that kept me from really getting into it. The main characters Scarlett and Jane, were very disagreeable. Not so much Jane in the beginning, though she did come across as kind of mousy. I just don't much like people with no backbone. I didn't find anything likable about Scarlett except her loyalty to Jane.

Jane, however, turned out to be somewhat of a disappointment. I suppose it's typical that one moves to LA (or some other place) where everyone has a different moral standard than your own, so you decide to try it out. But I can't relate to people who switch moral codes just because everyone else is doing something it. Do we only act/believe a certain way because those around us do? I hope there is more substance to us than that.

Also, I thought the writing felt very amateur-ish. Just because someone was on a reality show doesn't make them qualified to write a novel. The POVs switched a lot more than necessary, IMHO.

Overall, the book was interesting but not great. I'd give this book a C.

A = Buy this book NOW
B = Buy this when you can
C = Check it out from the library
D = Don't bother reading it
F = Burn it

Liar by Justine Larbalestier

Disclaimer: I get all my books from the library.  

Today's book is Liar by Justine Larbalestier.

I really wanted to like this book. I read another book of hers, How to Ditch Your Fairy, and thought it was cute and humorous. This one, Liar, looked like it would be more thriller, suspense, with a lot of anxiety.

The MC, Micah, is a chronic liar, so you know right off that everything you're reading is subject to the unreliable narrator. But instead of being a book where you could infer things and figure it out, it went from being a thriller to being bizarre.

Without giving away any spoilers, there's a point where Micah announces something paranormal and supernatural as if it were a fact. From that moment on, the book lost all meaning to me. It was like listening to someone tell me their dream. Uh-huh, uh-huh, cool. Just a dream. A little weird, but nothing to be remembered.

 One time in an English class we had to read "The Yellow Wallpaper," a short story about a demented woman, only in the beginning she doesn't know she is. As a reader, you believe her until her dementia begins to be apparent. When the story ends, it's fascinating to analyze because you can see how the 'facts' she told the reader were delusions in her mind. It makes sense.

Which is more than I can say for this book. I finished it and felt like I'd wasted my time. I had no idea what happened. No idea what was real and what wasn't, and not in a good way. It didn't leave me thinking and pondering, it left me frustrated for reading it when I could've been reading something else.

My opinion: skip it. I give this book a D.

A = Buy this book NOW
B = Buy this when you can
C = Check it out from the library
D = Don't bother reading it
F = Burn it

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Disclaimer: I get all my books from the library. 


Today's book is Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garci and Margaret Stohl.

I really wanted to like this book. It's got all the makings for a great book: Nice and thick, romance, paranormal, historical fiction.

Yet it fell short for me. The story is told from the POV of a boy. It felt like the authors were really trying to be masculine, but somehow he came across as a little too femmy for me. A little too compassionate, anxious, open with his feelings. Kind of like the way girls want boys to be.

Lena, on the other hand, felt like an enigma. She didn't show her feelings. She seemed empty and vague, and other than her looks, I'm not really sure what it was that made him like her. She wasn't very likeable. So I had a hard time believing in the romance.

And then the book dragged on and on and on. The beginning was exciting, and the ending was tense. Almost everything in the middle just felt like a useless scavenger hunt, killing time until we could finally get to the conclusion. I wanted to get to the ending, so I finally started skipping. Not a good sign.

Don't take my word for it, though. Find out for yourself. I give this book a C.

A = Buy this book NOW
B = Buy this when you can
C = Check it out from the library
D = Don't bother reading it
F = Burn it

The Candy Shop War by Brandon Mull

Today's book is The Candy Shop War by Brandon Mull.

Disclaimer: No Disclaimer. I actually bought this book.

I read and thoroughly enjoyed all of the Fablehaven books. So, while waiting for the fifth one to come out (which I hear is in a few weeks), I decided to invest in Mull's other book.

This book is middle grade fiction, just like his other series. However, this books feels more MG. It still had the supernatural elements, the fast-paced action. But there's something missing. Some element of tension that I wanted and didn't find.

The story revolves around four children who  become secret agents for a candy-maker. This candy gives them magical powers while they are eating it, and it's also delicious. Yum. But then they realize they might be helping the wrong side. A bunch of chaos and mild, magical violence ensues while the children try to set things straight.

Mull is an excellent writer. There are no plot holes and the story is fun. Not quite as gripping as Fablehaven, but still very enjoyable. I highly recommend for the younger readers.

I'm going to have to give it a B.

A = Buy this book NOW
B = Buy this when you can
C = Check it out from the library
D = Don't bother reading it
F = Burn it

P.S. I recently joined The Hop. Hop on board if you review books and want your blog to get more attention, or if you are looking for books to review. 

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

Disclaimer: I get all my books from the library.

Today's book, The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, is not a new release. It was a book I often heard of in English classes, but I had never taken the time to read it.

Until now. You've probably all read this book, but it is fascinating. It follows the lives of several first-generation Chinese-American girls and their mothers. Each chapter is told from a different POV. While the book does have a happy ending, it is also hauntingly sad and painfully real.

Each of the daughters tries to find a new way of life, rejecting the traditional Chinese of their mothers and seeking to be fully American. They are not successful, however, and discover that in rejecting their mothers' ways of life, they've also rejected the wisdom and knowledge that come with age and experience. The girls experience heartache and failure as adults, struggling with self-identity.

Tan also gives a realistic view into the depraved lives each mother lived in China before making her way to the United States. The stories are horrifying and sad, especially when the loss of children is involved.

Overall, this book is definitely a classic. It has withstood the test of time. I'm going to have to give it a B.

A = Buy this book NOW
B = Buy this when you can
C = Check it out from the library
D = Don't bother reading it
F = Burn it

The Fatal Child by John Dickinson

Disclaimer: I get all my books from the library.  

Today's book is The Fatal Child by John Dickinson.

This book is the third in a trilogy, but it is also very much a stand-alone. I didn't read the other books. I felt no need to. I'm not sure how much information or history is pulled from them, but this book was quite clear.

It's medieval fantasy, though I couldn't tell if it was based on Earth or a fictional place. I found it in the library in the YA section, but I would consider this book adult.

I most liked Melissa, a main character in the book. She's a peasant girl whose parents are brutally murdered by knights. The king takes pity on her and she becomes the princess's maid. She is also in love with the king, and she stands by quietly while the princess marries him and then betrays him.

Though the story is only told from the princess, Atti,'s POV a few times, the book is about her. And this is probably why I didn't like it. There is nothing to like about Atti. Everyone loves her because she is beautiful, but she herself says she is poison. And she is. She destroys everything she touches.

The book was very brutal and uninspiring, though full of historical fascinations. It was interesting, though it took about halfway for it to grab me. And in the end I felt disappointed.

I give this book a D+.

A = Buy this book NOW
B = Buy this when you can
C = Check it out from the library
D = Don't bother reading it
F = Burn it