Unbreakable by Kami Garcia

Title: Unbreakable
Author: Kami Garcia
ISBN: 9780316210171
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Released: October 1, 2013
Series: The Legion #1
Page #: 305
Source: ARC from the publisher

Summary:
"When Kennedy Waters finds her mother dead, her world begins to unravel. She doesn't know that paranormal forces in a much darker world are the ones pulling the strings. Not until identical twins Jarad and Lukas Lockhart break into Kennedy's room and destroy a dangerous spirit sent to kill her. The brothers reveal that her mother was part of an ancient secret society responsible for protecting the world from a vengeful demon - a society whose five members were all murdered on the same night.

Now Kennedy has to take her mother's place in the Legion if she wants to uncover the truth and stay alive. Along with new Legion members Priest and Alara, the teens race to find the only weapon that might be able to destroy the demon - battling the deadly spirits he controls every step of the way.

Suspense, romance, and the paranormal meet in this chilling urban fantasy, the first book in a new series from Kami Garcia, bestselling coauthor of the Beautiful Creatures novels."
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First Lines: (Quoted from the ARC, subject to change.)

"As my bare feet sank into the wet earth, I tried not to think about the dead bodies buried beneath me. I had passed this tiny graveyard a handful of times but never at night, and always outside the boundaries of the peeling iron gates."
Page 1
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Review:

It's been a long time since I've read a book that scared me - like, made me think there were crazy shadows lurking in the darkness. And I liked it. :)

When Kennedy's mother is killed, she is left to her own devices - and she's in more trouble than she could ever imagine. Luckily, the handsome twins show up to save her life. Then they take her under their wing to become part of a secret society that tracks down spirits and uncovers mysteries. It's all very cloak and dagger. Kennedy has to figure out how she fits into this new group and whether she really belongs with them.

I basically enjoyed Beautiful Creatures, so I knew going into a book by one of those authors would be just as good. But this book ended up being way better than I expected. Once Kennedy hooks up with the Legion, I was hooked on this book. I just had to find out what was going to happen. She leaves her entire life behind to find out the reason behind her mother's death. It's so intense!

I do think the formula was a little basic. They go to one place, vanquish the spirit, find the clue for the next one... go to next place, vanquish the spirit... and so on. So it was a little comfortable when you get to the end and realize how things were going to pan out. But it was also kind of nice that way, too. Each little adventure had it's own drama, it's own personality, it's own problems. That definitely made things a little more interesting.

This really is a great book to come out right before Halloween. Would anyone ever buy someone a book for that holiday? I think they should. Because it has that perfect blend of spooky, creepy charm and mysterious, intense action. And there was one part that made me tear up. Go figure. But it was really sweet and unexpected. I think the author did a great job of keeping a reader involved in the story. 

The ending leaves you hanging like nothing else. I'm not sure I realized how much I loved this book until that point. You know it's good when you are pissed that you aren't going to find out what happened next. I will definitely be searching for the next book when it comes out.
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The Lifeguard by Deborah Blumenthal

Title: The Lifeguard
Author: Deborah Blumenthal
ISBN: 9781453247334
Publisher: Whitman, Albert & Co
Released: March 01, 2012
Series: Standalone
Page #: 268
Source: ebook from Netgalley

Summary:
"It's an unsettled summer for Sirena. Back in Texas, her family's splitting apart, but here in Rhode Island, at the cottage of her free-spirited aunt, it's a different world. There are long days at the beach and intriguing encounters with him. Pilot. He's the lifeguard with shamanic skills. He both saves her and makes her feel lost at sea. Sirena explores her obsession with Pilot and discovers his mysterious--almost magical--gifts."
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First Lines:

"Dangerous Rip Currents: Stay Out of the Water
It was close to one hundred degrees, but swimmers were heeding the signs all along the beach. As far as the eye could see, no one was in the water."
Prologue
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Review:

I really wanted to love this book. My husband is from Rhode Island and I thought I would be able to relate to the story. Unfortunately, I had a hard time getting into it. In the beginning, there was a lot of setting up for the story. It felt a little disjointed, but I assumed that's how we would be setting up for the rest of the book.

It's the story of Sirena. Her family is in total upheaval - her parents are getting a divorce and she's been sent away to spend the summer with her aunt in Rhode Island while her friends are away at camp. But she soon develops a huge crush on Pilot, the lifeguard at the beach. She spends her time trying to figure him out... and unknowingly learns about herself in the process. 

While this story is all about Sirena's relationships with the people of the town, you don't get a whole lot of interaction. Most of the story is used to talk about her past and the things that have happened to her. Or her thoughts about people. The dialogue is a bit sparse, it seems.  I understand that her time at her aunt's house was really farily lonely. And the people she did come in contact with was in passing. She seemed to be uninterested in gaining friendships - which makes sense as she's only there for the summer.

But in the end of the book, all of these people seemed to take on a much more important role in her life than I previously understood. Antonio became a mentor and father figure? You only see her talking with him a handful of times. And her relationship with Pilot seems to come out of nowhere. She obsesses and obsesses and the one day he touches her face, so now they're together. It just felt really inconsistant. Oh, and it bothered me that Mark (the aunt's boyfriend) decided he was a best friend to her at the end of the story. How and when did that happen? It seemed very out of the blue.

I think my word for this book was "insincere." I just wanted more depth and more meaningful relationships with the other people in the story. Or at least, I want to be shown the building of those relationships. What you get is the beginning and the end... no real middle.

Sirena's character really had me confused most of the time. She seemed to be so naive and child-like... yet, she was turning seventeen. I got that she was crushing and dealing with sadness and all of that, but she never seemed to understand the world around her. I do appreciate that she grew toward the end - she did seem to change for the better. Maybe her relationship with Antonio facilitated that, but it did give her more dimension.

The ghost story was really what had me most interested. It was curious and vague, but it all comes together in the end. I think that was the best part of the entire book. Learning more about the town and the people living there might have helped make this story more full for me. That seemed to be where things made the most sense.

I believe this book will be good for those looking for a light romance/beach read. Otherwise, it might be a bit too incomplete for the intense reader. This is all my opinion, of course. I hope it resonated better for other people. :)

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The Haunted by Jessica Verday

Title: The Haunted (The Hollow #2)

Author: Jessica Verday

ISBN: 9781416978954

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Page #: 467

Source: From my public library

Summary:

"After months spent reclaiming her sanity and trying to forget the boy she fell in love with - the boy who must not exist, cannot exist, because she knows that he is dead - Abbey returns to Sleepy Hollow, ready to leave the ghosts of her past behind. She throws herself into her schoolwork, her perfume making, and her friendship with Ben, her cute and funny lab partner, who just might be her ticket to getting over Caspian once and for all.

But Abbey can never get over Caspian, and Caspian has no choice but to return to her side, for Caspian is a Shade, and Abbey is his destiny. They are tied not only to each other, but also to the town of Sleepy Hollow and the famous legend that binds their fates - a legend whose dark truths they are only beginning to guess..."

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First Lines:

"I was so lost when Kristen left. When she died. Then Caspian found me. I got to know him. Fell in love with him. He helped me deal with the fact that my best friend was never coming back. And when I found out that she'd been keeping so much hidden from me, he helped me try to understand.

But he had a secret too."

Page 1 (Preface)

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Review:

I reviewed the first book of this trilogy here: The Hollow

One would think I picked up this story because Halloween is coming up - a romantic ghost story and all that. But it's honestly not the case. Luckily this second book in the series added just enough intrigue to the original story that I was really caught up in the book - excited to see what was going to happen next.

The story grows a lot in this book. There are new characters, new locations, new problems... just a lot more stuff going on. But I'm going to reiterate something I said in my review of the first book: I absolutely love Abbey's hobby of creating perfumes. There's just something so... tangible. Or maybe it's another sense that the readers ends up unconsciously using. Not to mention that you can buy them on the author's website! And... now I want one. Ahem.

After reading my review of the first book, I definitely enjoyed this second one a lot more. I remember spending a lot of time during the first book wondering where the story was going to go. Whether we would figure out any of the mysteries... and you didn't until the very end. The Haunted was much more complete feeling. Granted, there are some things unfinished in the end (but that's to be expected with a third book coming!), but you feel more satisfied at the end of the story.

The new characters in this book are deliciously evil and wonderful. Well, at least it seems that way - you're still not sure in the ending. But it's nice to throw some characters that you're not sure about in there. It gives the story a whole new level of creepy and excitement.

I would absolutely recommend this series to anyone looking for a great paranormal romance. It's got all of the elements you wish for in a romance as well as giving you some mystery and wonder about what's going to happen next. Kudos to the author - I'm impressed with this one. I will definitely be getting the third book as soon as it's available (not that we have a date yet or anything).

Check out Jessica Verday's website. I think it is really cool and has lots of stuff on there about the characters and the story.

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Picture the Dead by Adele Griffin and Lisa Brown

Title: Picture the Dead
Author(s): Adele Griffin and Lisa Brown
ISBN: 97814022371326
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Page #: 258
Book borrowed from my library.

Summary:
"After losing her parents and her brother, falling in love with Will was Jennie Lovell's last opportunity for happiness. But then she lost him too...

As Jennie tries to mend the pieces of her broken life, she feels an eerie presence from something otherworldly... something that won't let her leave the past beind.

Acclaimed author Adele Griffin and bestselling illustrator Lisa Brown have created a spellbinding mystery where the living cannot always be trusted, and death is not always the end."
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First Lines:

"It's dark outside, an elsewhere hour between midnight and dawn. I lie awake, frozen, waiting for a sound not yet audible. My eyes are open before I hear the wheels of the carriage at the bottom of the drive."
Page 1
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Review:

I picked up this book purely because of the author. I hadn't read any reviews - though I've seen some floating around. That means I really didn't have any context for what this book might be. Having said that, I really, really loved this book.

I wasn't anticipating a historical novel (honestly just thought it was a ghost story), but I was delighted to realize that it was. I don't think I have read any historical novels set in Civil War times. That alone made this story stand out for me. It was a perspective that I've never known much about (as a proud Southerner and all - we only studied the effects down there). It was a nice change of pace for me.

It was very interesting that this book started almost in the middle of a story. You don't get any of life before the war - it's all when one of the cousins returns and the things that happen afterward. That's not a problem, the story is so well written that you feel like you know all about the past. There are plenty of cues to what life was like and how relationships formed. Just as a side note... I had to get over the cousins marrying thing at first. I get it's a thing of the times. still. ahem.

One thing I really enjoyed about this story was how well the mystery developed. I honestly thought I had the ending figured out, but there was so much more to it than I expected. It kept me guessing and I really appreciated that. It's more history than mystery, but i definitely works as both.

I can't review this book without talking a little bit about the illustrations. Having the pictures between each of the chapters made this book flow really well. Each of the images gave a little bit of the story that was to come in the next bit. I loved how they were done and how well it enhanced the book.

I absolutely recommend this one - even possibly to middle grade students. i think anyone up through high school and beyond can enjoy this one. Check out the author's website. The illustrator has a Red Room Profile. I'll definitely keep reading their books. Absolutely.
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Lots of other reviews out there, so give them a little look-see. :) Enjoyed this one!

Possessed by Kate Cann

Title: Possessed
Author: Kate Cann
ISBN: 9780545128124
Publisher: Point/Scholastic

Summary:
"She thought it was an escape... but she might be trapped forever.
Rayne can't wait to get away - from the stifling head of summer in London, from her controlling older boyfriend, Damian, from the tiny apartment she shares with her mother and little brother. So when she finds a job at a secluded country estate, Rayne jumps at the chance to escape.

But as soon as she arrives, her retreat feels like another prison. The ancient estate is suffocating, filled with spooky relics and a strange energy that seems to surround her everywhere she goes. Rayne wants to believe it's all just her imagination, but as she spends more time in the countryy she becomes more convinced that there's something out there... something that wants her to stay... forever."
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First Lines:

"Rayne sat on the end of her narrow bed next to Jelly's cot, painting her nails. It was the end of August and the heat was vile."
Page 1
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Review:

It's very rare that I read a book and think it's truly "horror." I mean, we have this label we put on books that are dark, mysterious, or really any type of ghost story. But there seem to be very few that actually fall into the category of horror. This one absolutely qualifies.

There are parts of this story that seem built to make you shiver. They're things like hearing things that may or may not be there - dark, scary hallways or woods - thinking someone is there when there isn't. And so on. Having grown up in a semi-spooky, old house, there are some of those types of things that are a bit familiar. But all of that is just kind of obvious ... and this book has more to offer than that.

This book also has the horror of people who believe they are something they are not - or perhaps the horror is that they ARE who they say they are. That probably didn't make any sense, but the story is a bit about identity - most of the characters aren't exactly what they seem. Even the ones that seem harmless. The setting is also really magical - it's almost like places you visit on school trips, but this is much more in depth. It's cool to think about living in one of those places.

One thing that did bother me a little about the story is that the main character, Rayne, seems to have all her problems branch from her love interests. Each boy gives her some kind of heartbreak - and sometimes more. It's almost a little too much like the girl isn't able to be without a boy in her life (which, I suppose, could be a bit realistic)... which made it a little hard to identify with.

Otherwise this story is a solid ghost story and will keep readers guessing throughout. There are hints as you go along, but the ending gave me a little more to think about than I expected. This is a great story for teen girls mostly - guys may just get into the horror aspect of it. I'll definitely be recommending it on to those looking for more horror-like horror :).

Check out Kate Cann's website here. Apparently Possessed was published under other names in the UK - and it looks like there is a sequel that hasn't been published in the US (I wonder if it will be?). It looks like she has a lot more titles that I haven't ever seen - probably because I'm not in the right country. Maybe we'll get to see some of those eventually!
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