Review-Tattoo by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

FOUR FRIENDS
FOUR TATTOOS
ONE ANCIENT EVIL

Bailey Morgan isn't the type of girl who shows a lot of skin, but somehow, she ends up in a dressing room at the mall with friend Delia applying a strange temporary tattoo to the center of her lower back. Never to suffer fashion doubt, trendsetter Delia knows eactly where she wants her own tattoo: on her stomach, right where her shirt ends- can you say "midriff"? Annabelle, the quiet one, chooses the back of her neck, and tomboy Zo plasters hers on top of her foot. The tattoos will last for three days, and Delia's sure that with them, the four friends will absolutely kill at the school dance.
Unfortunately, killing is just what someone has in mind, and Bailey, Delia, Annabelle, and Zo are in for the battle of their lives. Along with her tattoo, each girl receives a gift-a supernatural power to help them in their fight. As Bailey's incresingly frightening dreams reveal the nature of their enemy, it becomes clear to the girls that its up to them to save the world. And if they can get Delia to stop using her newfound power to turn a gum wrapper into Prada pumps, they might actually stand a chance.


I was hooked from the first page. The story, the characters, and the writing, it was all just incredible. The story is very interesting and original. I love that its about Sidhe instead of the modern version of faeries. I also love the few Greek mythology references. I'm a sucker for books about Greek Mythology, Faeries, or Vampyres (in case you hadn't noticed this by now) especially if its so different from the popular versions. So of course I loved this book. The characters were great. I felt like I knew them so well I could guess what one of them would say next. Zo reminded me of this girl I know, which was hilarious cause I was like "Omg Ashley would say the same thing!". Delia was so fashion obsessed it was hilarious even when they had almost just been killed. Annabelle was (is?) a lot like me in a lot of ways. The only differences are (were?) I'm so not quiet and I'm not weirdly obsessed with charts... And Bailey is just awesome. The writing was like I said incredible. I busted out laughing so many times I couldn't have counted if I wanted to. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes kind of out there plots. I read this until 5 in the morning so I could finish it. Hence the review being posted at midnight the next day. Its a shorter book, so you can finish it fast.


I give it four heart and crossbone thingies (if anyone can come up with something better to call those you'll get a cyber cookie)



If you want to know more about the Sidhe, which are basically faeries, just a very different kind than the ones most people think of. Go here (http://www.shee-eire.com/magic&mythology/fairylore/Sidhe/page%201.htm ) It has some pretty interesting stuff.

Review- The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening and The Struggle by L. J. Smtih

"A Deadly Love Triangle

Elena: the golden girl, the leader, the one who can have any boy she wants.


Stefan: brooding and mysterious, he seems to be the only one who can resist Elena, even as he struggles to protect her from the horrors of his past.


Damon: sexy, dangerous, and driven by an urge for revenge against Stefan, the brother who betrayed him. Determined to have Elena, he'd kill to possess her."

I don't know how to explain, even in review form, the books without spoiling a lot of stuff. I've thought about, and I wrote it and then I re-wrote it. Every time it spoiled stuff. So I apologize for the review, or lack thereof.


I love these books. Not the kind I re-read more than once every year or two, but I still love them. Sometimes the characters do seem kind of, hmm what's the word? Transparent? 2-D? Well, you know what I mean. But despite that, I still devoured this book. I love the rules and powers vampires have in this series. This book isn't for everyone. If you're overly critical when reading books I don't think you'd like this, but what do I know? Go read it. Maybe you should get it from the library or a website like BookSwim, or Booksfree. (If you go to BooksFree and sign up enter my email cullenwan2b@yahoo.com . You'll get a discount and so will I. And mention my blog on BookSwim. Please and thank you.)


Tidbit: I'm going to start how adding tidbits at the end of my posts. They'll have little tidbits about my day or something. Since the first one is today its going to have more than one. I signed up on BookSwim and BookFree. Both are pretty good. I got my first package yesterday. This is going to help keep reviews going since I can't buy as many books as I used to and the libraries here suck. So some books I review might be older but a review is a review.

I dyed my hair last night. Dark dark dark brown. Big difference even though I already had sort of dark brown hair, but its awesome. It completes my goth look. Even though I've been dressing more preppy lately. Yuck. I knew I'd regret having prep friends. Haha

So have you ever heard that you're not supposed to boil water in the microwave? I haven't. In Lost It by Kristen Tracy they said something about it but I boil water in the microwave a lot and nothing ever happened so I didn't pay attention to it. But the other day I was making dark chocolate hot coco and heated the water in the microwave. I stuck my finger in it to see how hot it was and it starts bubbling. I was like "Huh. That's strange" Then I remembered the thing in Lost It. Something about when the water interacts with something organic it like explodes or something. So I add some coco mix, just a little bit so it won't explode, and it bubbles over. It doesn't look like its going to explode so I add all of it and boom. No explosion but definite bubbling over. My dad said something like "Amelia, Amelia. Casting spells in the good dishes" I'm like " What the f#@%? Dad its coco. And since when are WalMart coffee mugs the good dishes." He's says, and I quote. "Since WalMart starting making them pretty." Yes, he said pretty. *shakes head* that's my father for you.

Anyways those are the tidbits for the day.

Review-Th1rteen R3asons Why by Jay Asher

Hannah Baker committed suicide. Something made her decide to swallow hat handful of pills and Clay Jensen is about to find out what it was. Two weeks after she killed herself, he comes home from school to find a package with no return address on his doorstep. Inside are 13 cassette tapes. He listens to the first one and hears Hannah's voice. Hannah, his crush, the girl he so wanted to get to know better. She says there are thirteen reasons why she killed herself and if you received the tapes your one of them. Clay can't believe it, what did he do? He barely spoke to her and now he finds out something he did had something to do with why she decided to kill herself. On the tapes he learns so much about people he saw everyday, things he couldn't believe. How could one school hold so many secrets?

This book is amazing. I think the only reason I didn't cry my eyes out while reading it is because Hannah had already died when the book started. Jay Asher did an incredible job of writing it to where we do here her point of view of everything, through the tapes, and hear Clay's thoughts on it all at the same time, instead of alternating points of view. I love how it shows even when all the signs are there you still don't know what's going through some one's head.
I have to say though, I understand why Hannah made the tapes and why she sent them to those people. But a part of me doesn't understand whys she sent them to some of the people. They did inadvertently have something to do with her decision, but they didn't do anything wrong exactly. As opposed to the jerks (it took a lot of self control not to use a more colorful word) who did a lot to her. She does state that this was her decision and her choice,, but she wants them (the 13 people) to realize what they did. And some of them are going to blame themselves for the rest of their lives when in fact, they didn't do much.
This is a must read for everyone. I can't imagine how anyone could not like this book.

Review-Beastly by Alex Flinn

Kyle Kingsbury is gorgeous, a rich, blond hair, blue-eyed, beauty. His father is Rob Kingsbury, a news anchor. Kyle thinks he's all that and is in his school. How could he not when the hottest girl in school is his date to dance. After Kyle stands up Kendra, an ugly goth chick he asked to be his date to the dance, just so he could humiliate her, he finds out she's a witch and she turns him into a beast. She says he's beastly, he needs to learn looks aren't everything, and how to be kinder. Kyle can't believe what's happened to him and neither can his father. They go to doctors and doctors trying to "fix" him, until they realize its hopeless, no doctor can turn him back. Kendra said it takes a kiss from someone who loves him to turn him back and he only has 2 years to find her. He's already given up, I mean who could fall for a beast, let alone kiss him?
His father sends him to live in a five story house in Brooklyn with only the maid, Magda, and he raised her salary to keep her mouth shut. Kyle asks for a tutor, not that he ever cared for school but what else is there to do? His father finds a blind man to tutor Kyle. After a junkie breaks into the house, Kyle catches him and the junkie, desperate to live, offers his daughter to Kyle. Kyle accepts for two reasons. Could she be the one? Could she fall for the guy, beast, that's keeping her locked up?



I love this book. (Have you guys noticed I love most of the books I review?) Everyone knows someone like Kyle, and I bet a lot of you wish a witch would turn him/her into a beast so they would learn a lesson. It is a lot like Beauty and the Beast (obviously) without being too much alike. I love who the girl turns out to be. I'd tell you but you don't want me to ruin it now do you? Alex did a wonderful job writing Kyle and how he changes. Its so subtle though, most of the book you don't even realized how much he's changed.

Review-Book of Shadows by Cate Tiernan

Morgan is an average girl. She looks even more average next to her drop-dead gorgeous best friend, Bree. When Cal shows up at their school, everyone is intrigued. He seems to fit in so well with everyone, the stoners, the jocks, the brains. Morgan is instantly attracted to him, but hides her feelings from everyone, especially after Bree announces she's going to do whatever it takes to get him. Morgan knew she had no chance of getting Cal, but now she definitely knows she has no chance. Who would choose her over Bree?
When Cal decides to have a party to get to know people he invites juniors and seniors, but unlike the typical high school parties, Cal plans for people to just look at the stars and enjoy nature. He later tells the party goers about Wicca, his religion, and asks them to help cast a circle. Morgan and Bree are two of the few who decide to stay, but Morgan has a weird reaction when they cast the circle. Cal later says he's looking for people to help make his new coven, the reason he had the "party". After the first circle Morgan starts to realize she has some intriguing powers and starts to wonder, could she be a blood witch, a descendant of one of the seven clans? But how could she when the rest of her family are so... normal?

I loved this book. Cate did an amazing job mixing Wiccan and teen drama into a story and making it flow. The characters are all so interesting. Even the ones that are only mentioned once or twice I want to know more about. I love how Morgan has to deal with her parents, devout Catholics, when they find her books on Wicca. I don't want to spoil every good thing about the book so just go read it.