Zitface by Emily Howse Review

Hey guys! This is Lily again. :) A few weeks ago (yeah....I'm a lazy blogger) I finished this book. It's a quick read, I read in the matter of a couple of hours one afternoon, but it was still an excellent read. :)

WHAT THE BOOK WAS ABOUT: Olivia wakes up one morning with a pimple. She NEVER gets pimples. She's an actress/model. This cannot be happening to her! She's supposed to be the next Wacky Water Girl! While at the same time she's hitting things off with the new guy, J.W. She tries multiple things to cure her acne, but nothing seems to be helping. What will she do?
WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THE BOOK: It was very interesting and a good read. I always love reading books about girls about my age, so that's the main reason I liked this book.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: I can't remember.....sorry!
MY FAVORITE CHARACTER: Olivia and JW
MY LEAST FAVORITE CHARACTER: I don't know, in most books there is one person who I hate. But in this I kind of liked, or was okay, with everyone.
FAVORITE SCENE: Anything with JW. I love romance!
LEAST FAVORITE SCENE: Commercial filming, it got boring to me.
AGE I RECOMMEND: 11 and up.
RATING OUT OF FIVE: Four. It wasn't bad, it wasn't amazing.

Lily

Hey guys! This  is Lily here blogging again! I recently finished a book called Skin. I did have a different cover to my copy I borrowed from the library, but I looked it up. It's the same book. :)



WHAT THE BOOK WAS ABOUT: Donnie's sister Karen is dying to be thin. She has anorexia. But on top of that, his parents are fighting and his dad moved out "to be closer to his job." Everything is a mess in Donnie's eight grade life, his friends at school are ignoring him and all he wants to do is go back to that summer at the lake. Where everything was perfect. Except for his parents fighting. That's when it all started.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: There was a lot of swearing. And for some reason I didn't like Chris and Bean. Also, did the sister have anorexia or cancer? I got kind of confused on that part, especially the part where they were at the hospital.
MY FAVORITE SCENE: Whenever Amanda was in a scene, I liked those scenes.
MY LEAST FAVORITE SCENE: All scenes with Chris and Bean.
MY FAVORITE CHARACTER: Amanda and Karen, I guess Donnie too. But since I'm a teenage girl, I liked reading the conversations between Amanda and Karen more so then I did with Donnie and his friends.
MY LEAST FAVORITE CHARACTER: Bobby, Chris and Bean.
WHAT AGE I RECOMMEND IT FOR: Thirteen and up, maybe twelve. A character dies, there is a lot of swearing, disrespect, lying, hospitalizations, etc.
RATING OUT OF FIVE: Three. It was an okay book. I skimmed portions of it, mostly those with Chris and Bean.


Lily

Insurgent by Veronica Roth Review

Hey everyone! This is Lily blogging here!

Recently I finished Insurgent by Veronica Roth. Insurgent is the sequel to Divergent. The third book in the trilogy won't be out for another year or so. So let's get started on the review. :)


WHAT IT WAS ABOUT: I'm not going to give anything away since it is the sequel.
WHAT I LIKED: I liked how there was new characters and a new plot. I also liked how you got to see more of different factions, especially that of Candor.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: They can't leave that cliffhanger ending like that for a YEAR! Also, some parts weren't very clear and were way to confusing for me. And just like with Catching Fire and Mockingjay, it took me about 100 pages to really get into it. I will tell you one thing though, it does get better!
MY FAVORITE SCENE: The last three pages. WARNING! If you are on of those people who read the last five pages before you read the first five, DON'T! Just like with Pandemonium, it will ruin a lot of the book if not all of it.
MY LEAST FAVORITE SCENE: I'm not sure. I can't pick a specific one.
MY FAVORITE CHARACTER: Tris and Tobias obviously, and then probably Christina and Cara.
MY LEAST FAVORITE CHARACTER: Jeannie. I don't even know if that's how you spell her name, but I don't care! I hate her!
WHAT AGE I RECOMMEND IT FOR: Probably twelve and up maybe thirteen and up depending on the violence. Pretty much the same 'issues' as Divergent, some swearing and lots of violence/fighting. There is some kissing, but what YA books don't have kissing in them?
RATING OUT OF FIVE: Four and a half. It would be a five, but it took me way too long to get into it.

Lily

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver Review

Hey everyone! This is Lily blogging! :) Today I have a review for you on the book Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver. This the second book in the Delirium trilogy. The third book will come out sometime in 2013 I think.

WHAT THE BOOK WAS ABOUT: I'm not really going to say since that might spoil the first book and the novella, so all I'm going to say is that it's the third book in the trilogy.
WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THE BOOK: I liked how there was two separate stories going on at the same time, and at the end, they kind of ended up in the same spot. The author also did a very good of job keeping me engaged in the story. I started it a Wednesday at noon, and finished it by the next Thursday around 2.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE ABOUT THE BOOK: I didn't like the way the story was told at the beginning, but then I liked it. Also I didn't like how the author didn't explain that much what organization Julian belonged to. I mean I understood the organization, it just would of been nice to know more about there goals for the country and stuff.
MY FAVORITE CHARACTER: Lena. And Raven. And Blue. And Julian. They were all such amazing characters!
MY LEAST FAVORITE CHARACTER: The people in the sewer, I just didn't get them at all. I mean towards the end I did, but still they were weird. And the people in the Wilds, the boy, oh what was his name? I don't remember, I read the book a month ago and am just getting around to doing this post now. I don't remember the boys name, but the one main boy who isn't Julian or Alex.
MY FAVORITE SCENE: When Julian and Lena come clean about each other and who Lena really is, either that or when Raven tells the story of how Blue died. Also the ending, like the VERY LAST SENTENCE of the book! If you are one of those people that read the last page or two to see if the ending is good, DO NOT READ THE ENDING OF THIS ONE!! It will spoil THE ENTIRE BOOK.
MY LEAST FAVORITE SCENE: When (a certain person) died. I'm not going to give it away though. As a joke I was joking my family that Lauren Oliver (the author of this book) and Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games author) are like long lost cousins or something. They both write a lot about people dying, I mean obviously Suzanne Collins does more, but still. I thought it was funny.
WHAT AGE I RECOMMEND THE BOOK FOR: Probably 12 and up. MAYBE thirteen and up. There is quite a bit of fighting and some characters die, but it's not bloody or anything, no where near like The Hunger Games. Lena kisses a boy a few times and for survival (warmth) they sleep in the same bed together. There is one brief scene where Lena takes one sip of alcohol, but no more then that I can remember. Overall I think a 12 (maybe 13) year old could definitely handle it.
RATING: Five out of five stars!

That's all for now!

Lily

Sunrise By: Karen Kingsbury Review

Poppy here! I recently read a book called: Sunrise by: Karen Kingsbury. And I will tell you about it.

WHAT THE BOOK WAS ABOUT:   Dayne and Katy are planning their wedding and revelling in the relative obscurity living in Bloomington offers, even as they seek to hide the plans for their big day from the paparazzi. The realisation Dayne will still be required to film romantic scenes in his movies with other actresses places pressure on their relationship until Dayne comes up with a solution which has the power to either strengthen their relationship or destroy it.

WHAT I LIKED: I just love Karen Kingsbury as a writer! She just write so welly. (If thats a word...) So basically I loved it.

FAVORITE CHARACTER: Katy Hart.

LEAST FAVORITE CHARACTER: Hmmm......... I don't know. Maybe, one of Cody's friends that drink...... I don't really know I guess.

RATING: 5!

Yeah. So I'm reading the book and I'm like. 'C'mon! I just the whole series that came after this series?!'

Poppy

A Time To Heal By: Linda Goodnight

Ivy here! I have recently red a book called A Time To Heal By: Linda Goodnight.

WHAT IT IS ABOUT: Kat Thatcher left her Oklahoma hometowm years ago over one sad accident. Why she came to the city and became a workaholic only she will know. But one person knows why she left, Seth Washinton knows. Seth is more handsome then she remembers and way to available. He wants to talk about the past, the past he was involved with. Kat won't have of it, no way is she going to talk about it, but Seth insists. Kat starts falling for her high school heartthob again but is she going to hide her heart from love?
WHAT I LIKED: I liked that she faced her fears and came for the summer to live with her sister.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: There was vandlism and the kids who did it that were "good" kids.
FAVORITE CHARACTER: I would have to say Kat, she was trying to run from her career when people just kept pushing people her way to help. She kept doing her job even though she didn't want to.
LEAST FAVORITE CHARACTER: Seth's daughter, Alicia. She was really mean to Kat.
FAVORITE SCENE: When Kat save Alicia's life.
LEAST FAVORITE SCENE: There was this dog and her attacked Kat's, niece's cat and it was kind of sad.
AGE I WOULD RECCOMEND: 11 and up.
RATING: 5 out of 5 stars.

Thank you for reading!

Ivy

War Horse By: Michael Morpurgo

Ivy has review for you! War Horse by Michael Morpurgo. For those of you have seen the movie but havent red the book or vis versa, the book isn't the same as the movie. It has many simular parts but isn't word for word.

WHAT IS IT ABOUT: It is 1914, the start of World War I. Joey, a farm horse is sold to the army and put on the Western War Front. As Joey is sent off he misses his Albert, the farmers son, he was forced to leave behind. The beautiful red-bay horse is trained to charge the enemy, drag heavy artillery, and carry woulded soliders off the battle feild. Amongst the gun sounds, and while pulling carts through cold mud, Joey wonders if the war will ever end and will he every see his Albert again.
WHAT I LIKED: I liked that most of the people in the book were nice to the horses.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: Even though I know it is based on a true story, I hate that alll those horses and men had to die.
FAVORITE CHARACTER: All the horses. They did so much, from pulling carts, carrying the men, and so much more, they stayed strong.
LEAST FAVORITE CHARACTER: I don't know. Because it was a war and all. There wasn't really a side or person a disliked.
FAVORITE SCENE: (SPOILER ALERT) That Joey and Albert were reunited.
LEAST FAVORITE SCENE: There was one horse that was friends with Joey, the scene where he died.
AGE I WOULD RECCOMEND: I think like 13. Just because of the fighting and the horse dying.
RATING: 5 out of 5 stars.

I loved this book! I saw the movie as well and was so excited to read the book! I would strongly urge you to read the book.

Ivy

Finding Her Way Home By: Linda Goodnight

Hi, it's Ivy. New review: Finding Her Way Home, A novel by Linda Goodnight.

WHAT WAS THE BOOK ABOUT: Cheyenne Rhodes,  an ex-cop needs a new place to start over, she has choosen a little town called Redemption, Oklahoma. She has come her to hide from her past not make friends. Single dad, Trace Bowman won't let Cheyenne hide from him. He knows she has a special way with his daughter Zoey. Cheyenne is a little overwelmed in Redemtion, and Trace must show her that she needs to stay.
WHAT I LIKED: I liked that Cheyene was a cop and she helped one person being abused.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: During the whole book one person was being abused and I don't really know if the abused person and her husband needed to be in the book. I guess it caused drama, but it didn't really fit in for where the book took place.
FAVORITE CHARACTER: My favorite was probably Zoey. SPOILER ALERT, Zoey is blind.
LEAST FAVORITE CHARACTER: The abusive husband.
FAVORITE SCENE: I liked the scene when Cheyenne was teaching Zoey how to play the piano.
LEAST FAVORITE SCENE: There was this big scene where the abusive guy comes and hurts his wife, and Cheyenne.
AGE I WOULD RECCOMEND: Just because of the abuse I would say, 13.
RATING: I would say like 4 1/2 stars our of 5.

I loved this book!!
Ivy

The Lawman's Christmas Wish By: Linda Goodnight

Hi Everyone! I, Ivy have a review for you, Linda Goodnight's novel The Lawman's Christmas Wish.

WHAT IS IT ABOUT:  Widow, Amy James, has lots of men looking after her in the small town of Treasure Creek, Alaska. When she's in grocery stores she can hardley walk without a marrige proposal. The proposals aren't for love, but the treasure her great-great-grandfather left her. But the town sherrif, Reed Truscott is the only one who promised her late husband that he would look after Amy and her two young boys. Reed, makes her feel safe and he is very handsome. But his honorable marriage proposal is about obligation—not love. Unless he can convince her that his Christmas wish is to join her family forever.
WHAT I LIKED: I liked that even though the awarkward proposal from Reed, that Amy and him are still friends.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: I didn't like two men who were after the treasure and threaten Amy's kids.
FAVORITE CHARATER: Amy, she showed that even without a man she can support herself and her two boys, that she didn't need to depend on a man. (Which only happened in the first half of the book)
LEAST FAVORITE CHARACTER: The robber guys.
FAVORITE SCENE: I liked when they were decorating the park for a Christmas tree celebration.
LEAST FAVORITE SCENE: SPOILER ALERT: The two guys that kidnapped her sons and her.
AGE I WOULD RECCOMEND: Like 11 or 12.
RATING: 5 out of 5 stars!

Ivy

Hana by Lauren Oliver Review

Hi guys! This is Lily posting. :) Today I have a review for you on the novella to Delirium by Lauren Oliver. It's called Hana. This book is pretty much Delirium but from Hana's POV, sort of like the unpublished Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer is like Twilight but from Edward's POV. To see my review of Delirium by Lauren Oliver, click here. I could find this book avabile on Amazon for my Kindle, so I just got that. I'm not sure if it's available in a paperback or hardcover copy.

WHAT THE BOOK WAS ABOUT: It's pretty much Delirium but from Hana's POV. It starts off in the middle of Delirium though, not at the beginning.
WHAT I LIKED ABOUT IT: I liked how it was told from Hana's POV and you got to see and learn more about Hana.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: I didn't like how some of the events in that (also happened in Delirium) we're not included or were very minimal. Also it was very short, the estimated pages is only 63. I would of loved to read more from Hana's POV.
MY FAVORITE CHARACTER: In this one, Hana.
MY LEAST FAVORITE CHARACTER: Whatever her matches name is, I can't remember his name.
MY FAVORITE SCENE: When Hana meets Alex and Lena in the stock room at the Stop N Save.
MY LEAST FAVORITE SCENE: The golfing scene, I thought that scene was boring.
WHAT AGE I WOULD RECOMMEND IT FOR: Twelve and up, maybe thirteen and up. There is lots of kissing and hand holding (one brief sentence that talks about more then that, but nothing actually happens), there might be some alcohol drinking (I can't remember for sure) and characters sneak out past curfew plenty of times.
RATING OUT OF FIVE: Five! I loved this book just as much as I loved Delirium.


Thanks for reading and I HIGHLY recommend the entire trilogy, the second book in the series I will review tomorrow. :)

Lily