Cinderella Society by Kay Cassidy

When the Prom Queen becomes your fairy godmother…

Sixteen year old outsider, Jess Parker, gets the chance of a lifetime: an invitation to join a secret society of popular girls dedicated to defeating the mean girls of the world. The Cinderella Society guides all new recruits through its top secret ultimate life makeover. It’s all part of preparing them to face down the Wickeds and win. Determined not to let the Cindys down, Jess dives in with a passion. Finally, a chance to belong and show the world what she’s made of.

… be careful what you wish for.

Jess’s transformation wins her the heart of her dream crush and a shot at uber-popularity. Until the Wickeds–led by Jess’s arch enemy–begin targeting innocent girls in their war against the Cindys, and Jess discovers the real force behind her exclusive society. It’s a high stakes battle of good Vs. evil, and the Cindys in power need Jess on special assignment. When the mission threatens to destroy her dream life come true, Jess is forced to choose between living a fairy tale and honoring the Sisterhood… and herself.

What’s a girl to do when the glass slipper fits, but she doesn’t want to wear it anymore?

Summary from Goodreads.com

Okay, I’m a sucker for any book with the word princess in the title, and The Cinderella Society certainly got my attention.  Jess Parker might be on the varsity cheerleading squad, but she’s not popular like you would expect.  She’s moved around many times, always the new girl, always a cheerleader, but never really fitting in.  Life seems to be the same in her new town, but now she’s also being targeted by Lexi, whose spot she got on the cheerleading squad.  Jess is trying to stay under the radar, yet still hoping to fit in when she receives a mysterious invite to join the Cinderella Society.

The Cinderella Society and Elizabeth Eulberg’s Lonely Heart’s Club are two groups I wish I’d had in high school or college!  The Cinderella Society is filled with girls brimming with confidence and potential.  Jess doesn’t see how she fits in with their ranks, yet is excited about the promised makeover.  While the Cinderella Society has some romance, it’s really a story about fitting in, finding yourself, and being true to yourself.  It was an empowering read.  I’m excited to see what Jess and the Cindys will be up to next.

Cover 8/10

Plot 9/10

Characters 8/10

Ending 8/10

Mom Approval 10/10 I can’t recall anything I wouldn’t want a young teen reading :)

Total 43/50, a solid 86%

Body Finder Contest Winner!

Sorry this post is two days too late.  We moved and had a lot of trouble getting our internet back up…

 

Without further ado, and with the help of the random number generator (at random.org), the winner is:

Janie Magelky!

Thanks to those who entered, and have a good day :)

Review of My Double Life by Janette Rallison

Her whole life, Alexia Garcia has been told that she looks just like pop star Kari Kingsley, and one day when Alexia’s photo filters through the Internet, she’s offered a job to be Kari’s double. This would seem like the opportunity of a lifetime, but Alexia’s mother has always warned her against celebrities.

Rebelliously, Alexia flies off to L.A. and gets immersed in a celebrity life. Not only does she have to get used to getting anything she wants, she romances the hottest lead singer on the charts, and finds out that her own father is a singing legend. Through it all, Alexia must stay true to herself, which is hard to do when you are pretending to be somebody else!

Summary from Goodreads.com

Released May 12, 2010 (Hardcover)

272 Pages

I absolutely loved My Double Life.  It was a witty foray into fame, fortune, family, and living our dreams vicariously.  Seriously, even if you haven’t wanted to run off to Hollywood to be a famous singer or actor/actress, who hasn’t wanted to date one?

Alexia has grown up all her life without a dad, or even his name.  Her mom has struggled to provide for her and her Grandma (Abuela).  So, Alexia’s grown up with second-hand everything, resenting that a little, but still loving and respecting her mother.  After a vicious student's prank (involving the posting of Alexia’s picture online) Alexia is contacted by Kari Kingsley’s manager to act as a double for her at small events.  Alexia’s mom turns it down flat, and Alexia is tempted by the money and living with the fame, but is willing to stand by her mom’s decision.  Until she realizes in a sudden burst of clarity who her father is.  She takes the job with the provision that she’ll be able to meet him once and jets off to Hollywood.

There she works non-stop learning how to be Kari Kingsley, then working as Kari.  In the process she meets hunky teen rock-star, Grant Delray.  Grant is now one of my new book crushes.  Unlike, say, Edward Cullen, he’s a real guy (okay, he’s still fictional, and a rock-star, but he feels like a normal guy).  He might be a famous singer, but he helps a damsel in distress, he does fundraisers for sick kids, and actually cares about them, he listens to what Alexia says, and then plans the perfect first date for her.  Maybe he doesn’t actually exist out in the real world, but reading about Grant, I want him to.

The characters in My Double Life were perfect.  I wish I could know them.  Even Kari, who is a bit of a brat, you can’t help but like when seeing her through Alexia’s eyes.  Alexia herself is strong, smart, funny, and caring.  She and Kari both have tempers, but it was great watching Alexia grow as she tried to make herself a better person so she wouldn’t ruin Kari’s reputation.

Oh, I loved this book!  I’d recommend it immediately to fans of Janette Rallison’s other books, to those who love romantic comedies, or anyone looking for a fun, quick, happy read.

Cover 9/10

Characters 10/10

Plot 10/10

Ending 10/10 I could see potential for a sequel (oh please, oh please, oh please) but it can stand just as it is too.

Mom Approval Rating 10/10 No swearing, sex, or violence.  There is only the concept of Alexia being the illegitimate daughter of a celebrity.

Total 49/50  A+

Review of Mistwood by Leah Cypress

The Shifter is an immortal creature bound by an ancient spell to protect the kings of Samorna. When the realm is peaceful, she retreats to the Mistwood.

But when she is needed she always comes.

Isabel remembers nothing. Nothing before the prince rode into her forest to take her back to the castle. Nothing about who she is supposed to be, or the powers she is supposed to have.

Prince Rokan needs Isabel to be his Shifter. He needs her ability to shift to animal form, to wind, to mist. He needs her lethal speed and superhuman strength. And he needs her loyalty--because without it, she may be his greatest threat.
Isabel knows that her prince is lying to her, but she can't help wanting to protect him from the dangers and intrigues of the court . . . until a deadly truth shatters the bond between them.
Now Isabel faces a choice that threatens her loyalty, her heart . . . and everything she thought she knew.

Summary from Goodreads.com

Mistwood was an intriguing fantasy read. Isabel, is the Shifter, a mystical creature bound to protect the royal family. Beyond that, Isabel isn’t even sure what it means to be the Shifter. She can’t remember what happened the last time she was at the castle, or exactly why she left. She learns all of the myths regarding the Shifter, yet has trouble reconciling them with herself. Little by little, Isabel uncovers her memories and her past.

To me, Mistwood was two parts: court intrigue and self-discovery. I really enjoyed watching Isabel find herself, and bluff her way through encounters as if she already knew. She was strong, clever, and sometimes scary. The road to self-discovery is a gradual one, but the plot twists were worth waiting for and really "wowed" me.

My only disappointment in the story was a lack of romance. There was a hint of something for the future, but I understand that it would be hard to have Isabel fall in love when she didn’t really know herself. I think I’ve just come to expect romance in most of my YA books, so I felt let down when it wasn’t there. There does seem to be a possibility of a sequel, yet the ending was also conclusive enough that Mistwood could stand alone.

Cover 7/10

Characters 9/10

Plot 9/10

Ending 7/10

Mom Approval Factor 10/10

Overall 42/50 84% B

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox explores the contents of my mailbox on a weekly basis. Of course I only mention the really cool things, like books! I got this from The Story Siren's blog. If you would like to participate and have your own “In My Mailbox” post, you can find more information here.

Party by Tom Leveen

It's saturday night in Santa Barbara and school is done for the year. Everyone is headed to the same party. Or at least it seems that way. The place is packed. The beer is flowing. Simple, right? But for 11 different people the motives are way more complicated. As each character takes a turn and tells his or her story, the eleven individuals intersect, and reconnect, collide, and combine in ways that none of them ever saw coming.

Summary from Goodreads.com

 

 

 

 

Spells by Aprilynne Pike

Six months have passed since Laurel saved the gateway to the faerie realm of Avalon. Now she must spend her summer there, honing her skills as a Fall faerie. But her human family and friends are still in mortal danger--and the gateway to Avalon is more compromised than ever.

When it comes time to protect those she loves, will she depend on David, her human boyfriend, for help? Or will she turn to Tamani, the electrifying faerie with whom her connection is undeniable?

Summary from Goodreads.com

(Sequel to Wings)

 

So, what did you get this week?

The Body Finder Giveaway!!!

Okay, this is my first giveaway. I happened to buy an extra copy of The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting-I was on vacation when my copy was shipped to me, yet I just could not wait to read it. So, you readers, are benefiting from my impulsiveness. If you haven’t read the Body Finder yet, it was amazing, so fill out the form for your chance to win.

Here’s the summary from Goodreads.com:

Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her “power” to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes the dead leave behind in the world . . . and the imprints that attach to their killers.

Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find dead birds her cat had tired of playing with. But now that a serial killer has begun terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he’s claimed haunt her daily, she realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.

Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet on her quest to find the murderer—and Violet is unnerved to find herself hoping that Jay’s intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she’s falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer . . . and becoming his prey herself.

The winner will be chosen and contacted by email on May 26th (the contest was extended from its original date of May 12th). Winners must be U.S. residents. I would like it if you were a follower of my blog, but that’s not required. Good luck!

Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken

Stars: 4 1/2  

Published: March 23, 2010 (Hardcover)

Pages: 368

Part of the 2010 Debut Author Challenge

Sydelle Mirabil is living proof that, with a single drop of rain, a life can be changed forever. Tucked away in the farthest reaches of the kingdom, her dusty village has suffered under the weight of a strangely persistent drought. That is, of course, until a wizard wanders into town and brings the rain with him.

In return for this gift, Wayland North is offered any reward he desires—and no one is more surprised than Sydelle when, without any explanation, he chooses her. Taken from her home, Sydelle hardly needs encouragement to find reasons to dislike North. He drinks too much and bathes too little, and if that isn’t enough to drive her to madness, North rarely even uses the magic he takes such pride in possessing. Yet, it’s not long before she realizes there’s something strange about the wizard, who is as fiercely protective of her as he is secretive about a curse that turns his limbs a sinister shade of black and leaves him breathless with agony. Unfortunately, there is never a chance for her to seek answers.

Along with the strangely powerful quakes and storms that trace their path across the kingdom, other wizards begin to take an inexplicable interest in her as well, resulting in a series of deadly duels. Against a backdrop of war and uncertainty, Sydelle is faced with the growing awareness that these events aren’t as random as she had believed—that no curse, not even that of Wayland North, is quite as terrible as the one she herself may carry.

Summary from Goodreads.com

Brightly Woven was one of those books that it was very hard for me to put down.  (But I have a daughter who’s nearly two, so reading it straight thru was not an option.) 

I loved the characters: Sydelle was strong and fiery, yet still female.  North was cocky, yet witty and sensitive.  I was afraid when I opened the book and saw the map in the front.  It’s not that I’m against geography, but usually where there is a map, there is a lot of traveling in the book.  Brightly Woven was a book where most of the story took place along the road, yet I felt like there was enough action and development that I did not sigh in frustration.

The magic in the story was well explored, and I enjoyed the new world that Alexandra Bracken brought us into.  The ending of the story was ambiguous enough that a sequel may be in the works, yet one is not completely necessary.  I can’t wait to see what Alexandra writes next.

For another, more in depth review, Sarah at GreenBeanTeenQueen just reviewed this as well.