The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade

A lovable and simple book that's great to read during the summer. Alona is now a ghost after being run over by a bus. She needs help but the only person who can is Will and he refuses. Will is struggling himself. He has to somehow keep himself out a hospital but that's almost impossible while what he believes to be his father's ghost is trying to kill him. But the hardest task yet is for the both of them is to work together to put an end to their problems.

At first I couldn't tell when the climax was coming but when it came it was interesting and exciting. Throughout the entire book you could feel Alona and Will's relationship growing. The idea that the book is based off of is very interesting. There are not too many books that you will find that are like this one. It left me wanting to read the next one. I also loved how the book changed from Alona's point of view to Will's.

Alona at first wasn't one of those character's that people immediately fall in love with but she started softening up as the book went on. Will was not really ever hated but he was confusing at times though but in the end you could understand his personality. The other characters were okay but didn't get much emphasize. But the lack of emphasize brought more attention to Alona and Will which is the main part of the story.

 

 

The Diamonds by Ted Michael

An inspiring and very realistic novel. Marni is lucky enough to be part of super popular group in Bennington School. But after she makes the mistake of getting too close to Clarissa's ex-boyfriend, they quickly kick her out. The school's mock-trial system seems like a good idea until people start to get hurt. Marni now must go against her old friends and stand up for the people she once looked down upon.

The story started off slowly and steadily. But after Marni gets kicked out of the Diamonds the story picks up quickly. The overall plot is very easy to connect with. Almost everyone can understand how Marni feels after losing her friends and how she wants the world to know about how awful they really are. The ending is interesting and can be a little bit of a cliffhanger. This is one of the times that the cliffhanger adds to the story and makes you think more about what happens next.

Marni is very easy to connect with and there are many times that I felt sympathy for her. Anderson, the Diamonds and many other made big impacts on the story whether it was good or bad. The people who the Diamonds made fun of turned out to be a lot better than they were described. The fact that the Diamonds treated them so poorly before they got to now them was really an eye opener.

 



The Lifeguard by Deborah Blumenthal

A sweet and rather simple book to read. Sirena spends her summer with her aunt who lives on the beach. There she learns about the strange creatures that are living with her. But who can think about them while there's Pilot stealing her attention? Without a doubt, Pilot has something different about him.
An easy to understand book and easy to connect with. Overall, it was okay. It was hard to tell which was the main story. Was it the strange roomates or the mystery surronding Pilot? I had a hard time telling which was more important. The beginning was horribly slow. I had a hard time making myself read it. But the most exciting part was the end and if it wasn't for it, the book would have been a lot worse.
The characters were not that special. Pilot and his family were interesting to learn about but Sirena just didn't seem too important. The two main characters were kind of easy to connect with but I felt as though they could have been more interesting to the readers. Pilot's and Sirena's love story however was very sweet and fun to read about. 

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

 

Vampire Academy is the beginning for an amazing series. Rose and Lissa have been on the run for quite sometime but after being caught and brought back St. Vladamir's Academy they must adjust to the school again. Rose is being mentored by the gorgeous Dimitri, but he's a teacher. Life at school starts out rough for the two of them. After dealing with bullies, Rose and Lissa learn who is there to help them and who isn't. Lissa learns much more about herself and Rose learns more about the bond she shares with Lissa.
The beginning left me feeling a little bit lost. I had no idea what was going on but after a little while the plot started to clear up. The idea of vampires is very commonly used but something about Vampire Academy made it seem more original than the others. Overall, it was a nice and sweet blend of action and romance. However, the action seemed to be more of the main genre. I love books that tend to be more fast paced and Vampire Academy was perfect in this aspect. It wasn't too slow that it got boring yet it wasn't so fast that you couldn't tell what was happening. All in all, creative and brought a new perspective about vampires.
The characters were easy to love and look up to. Rose and Lissa were interesting and everything about them seemed to suit them. Dimitri was mature and you can tell that Rose and him are made for each other. A lot of characters were not up to the same level as the three but others whether they were evil or not were believable.

Firelight by Sophie Jordan

Sophie Jordan's Firelight is the amazing start of the trilogy. Jacinda is part of the draki community but her mother and sister don't feel like they belong because they aren't draki. After Jacinda makes a big mistake and risks the safety of the community, her mother forces them to leave the safe area. Jacinda fights to preserve her draki but what if her draki only feels alive when she's with Will? Will is the charming hunter whose family hunts her kind. How much will she sacrifice for love?

The overall plot is overused but the small details made it more original. The ending was a cliff hanger so there was no doubt that I would read the second book. The idea behind this book was well thought. The action was best in the beginning and the end while the middle of the book was mainly romance. The book is overall a great blend of various genres which make a good fit for almost everyone. Easy to follow and hard to put down read.

The characters were interesting but didn't stand out much. Tamra and her mother seemed immature. Jacinda was fairly interesting but Will was more interesting after Jacinda learned that he wasn't much like his family. Cassian was alright but didn't develop much as a character. All characters were fine but failed to make lasting impressions except Jacinda and Will.