Passion by Lauren Kate

By Francesca

After Luce makes the decision to go through the announcer and look for her past selves, all hell breaks loose. Nobody has any idea as to where in time she went, or who she’ll meet along the way. Both Miles and Shelby, along with the angels Molly, Arrianne, Gabriel, Cam and especially Daniel are now looking for her throughout the many ages of time. But they aren’t the only ones looking. Now the outcasts are after Luce as well. However, Luce is determined not to be found or to return to her own time until she can see for herself the true power of her and Daniel’s love for each other. Why have they remained together for all of these centuries? Is it only because they are destined to be together, or is it actually love? Why does she die over and over again so soon after they find each other? Is there a way for them to be together without her dying and Daniel suffering heartbreak each time? These are all questions that Luce has as she travels through time watching her and Daniel’s shared pasts, looking for something that will help Luce to figure out a way for them to finally be together. But will her endeavors help her find what she is looking for, or will she rewrite the past beyond repair?

This was an amazing book and was just as good as the first two in this series! I cannot wait to read the final book in this series when it comes out this June. This book kept me in suspense the entire time, and had some surprising twists as well. Pick it up at the library today!

Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood

By Francesca

If there is one thing that is hated more than anything in Cate’s town of Chatam, Maine; it’s witches. The year is 1900 and the town is ruled by the Brothers, and Cate and her sisters are constantly faced with the pressure of making sure that no one finds out their secret. If people were to find out that they were witches, they would be executed, or sent away to never be seen again. The only problem is that things have become so much harder for Cate and her sisters ever since her mother died. Now Cate is forced with keeping both her and her sisters safe while under the watchful eyes of the brothers. So far, they have been safe and there has been no suspicions about their secret. Then, their father is coerced into hiring a peculiar governess; meaning that now there is one more person in the house to keep their magic from. Not to mention that a prophecy is revealed that will endanger the lives of Cate and her sisters. With all of this occurring, Cate has enough on her mind; but when the new charming, handsome and totally off-limits gardener, Finn Belastra comes into the picture, Cate is more confused than ever. Not only does she have this new forbidden romance; she has all of these new obstacles that include marriage proposals, and other offers that may reveal Cate and her sisters’ secret and tear them apart… for good.

Along with having a magical quality about it, this book was very intense, and had me engaged until the very end. I’m almost certain that once I started reading this book, I only stopped once or twice before continuing on reading through to the end. I cannot wait for the sequel to come out! So, pick it up at the library today!!

North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley

By Francesca

Terra is someone who people would describe as ‘perfect’, ‘beautiful’, ‘stunning’. Even her friends are envious of her looks. Basically Terra is the person that every teenage girl wishes she looked like; until they see her scar. The scar is what is called a Port-Wine Stain, which is an angry red splotch splashed across one one of her cheeks. Although, she is constantly covering it in makeup, she is always reminded of its presence, after all, its hard to forget about something that is ruining your life. After going through almost a dozen laser treatments, Terra is convinced that she can never be fixed. All, she wants to do is to leave this town; but her father with his dominant and controlling ways is determined to not let that happen. As Terra’s dreams are crashing around her, she suddenly crosses paths with the cute Goth boy Jacob, who helps her to understand herself more clearly and to tackle the challenges in her life. Will she return to her originally laid out plans, or will she forge her own new path?

This book gave me a lot to think about, and although it had elements of a love story, there was so much more in this book that  made it a great read. It was different than a lot of the other books that  I have read, and focused more on actual real life issues. I enjoyed reading this bo

ok, and I would suggest it to other readers. Pick it up at the library today!

Torment by Lauren Kate

By Francesca

After Luce is finally re-united with her boyfriend Daniel, he has to leave her again in order to hunt down the people, well, “immortals” who are trying to kill Luce. This particular group is called the Outcasts, and are quite different from her own immortal, fallen angel boyfriend. Daniel brings Luce to Shoreline, the school for the talented offspring of angel and human. Nephilim. Here, she meets Miles and Shelby who are both nephilim.  But although it’s nice at Shoreline, nothing can fix the ache in her chest from being apart from Daniel. Pretty soon though, Luce learns that she can control the shadows that have been haunting her throughout her entire life. This new skill allows her to view moments from her past lives; but the more she views, the  more she begins to doubt the love between her and Daniel. Is he keeping things from her? Is she really meant to be with him…or was she meant to love someone else?

Torment is the second book in the Fallen series, and is a continuation from the storyline from Fallen. This book is a dangerous combination of adventure, doubt, secrets, and of course love. I enjoyed this book almost as much as the first, and the suspense in this book kept me at the edge of my seat the entire read. Pick it up at the library today!

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

By Francesca

Brittany Ellis is the most popular girl at Fairfield High School; she’s head cheerleader, she’s rich and she is part of the exclusive group of people who reside on the north side of Chicago. Alejandro “Alex” Fuentes, is almost the perfect opposite of  Brittany. He’s a gang-member, he’s most certainly not rich, and to top it off, he lives on the south side. It is a well-known fact in society that the south siders and the north siders dont mix. When chemistry teacher Mrs. Peterson assigns seating partners for the entire year in her class, both Alex and Brittany are in disbelief. Alex thinks Brittany is a stuck up girl who just uses her daddy’s money to buy clothes; Brittany thinks Alex is just another drug user who doesn’t care about anyone else. Basically, they both have a dislike for each other and now they are stuck together from the whole year. They both expect the worst to happen from these new arrangements, but neither of them expect for something completely different to happen. Something called love. Throughout this novel, Brittany and Alex have to overcome their own secret struggles, and to figure out their relationship to each other; while simultaneously getting their classmates and families to accept their relationship. They have to be strong against the many forces threatening to keep them apart.

This book was different from your average novel about two teenagers. Aside from dealing with the struggle of figuring out their feelings for each other, they have to deal with outside problems of their own, and the burdens of “societal norms”. This was a great book and you should pick it up at the library!

This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen

By Francesca 

Remy is a no-nonsense kind of girl. She keeps her life in seemingly perfect order. She’s organized enough for both herself and her mother. And she knows exactly when the right time to break up with a guy is. She has the whole relationship cycle figured out, and as soon as things move past the original romantic rush and start to get emotional, its time to tell him goodbye and to move on to the next guy. Of all people, Remy should know best how long-term relationships turn out. Since her own dad left her,and her brother the first time, her own mother has been married four times already, and is soon to be wed a fifth time. Remy doesn’t plan on love being in any part of her future, but her heart of ice soon begins to thaw when she  meets Dexter. Remy promises herself that he will be just like all of the other guys she’s dated; So why is she finding it so hard to leave him?

In this book containing both heartbreakand comedy, Sarah Dessen portrays that sometimes love isn’t easy, and you never know who you’re going to find it with. 

This book was absolutely adorable, and it is one of my favorite books by this author, I highly suggest reading it if you enjoy love stories!! Get it at the library!!

Fallen by Lauren Kate

By Francesca

Lucinda “Luce” Price, started off as any normal teenage girl; well normal except for the presence of the shadows. After a terrible accident, involving Luce, occurs, she is sent off to the curious boarding school of Sword and Cross in Savannah, Georgia…a school loaded with delinquents and security cameras. Students there aren’t even allowed to have cell phones!  But, soon Luce meets two others, Cameron and Arriane, who she quickly becomes close friends with. Still though, things are looking pretty bleak until she encounters the stunning Daniel Grigori. He is like no one that Luce has ever seen, and she is immediately allured by his air of mystery. But, for some reason Luce feels as though he is strangely familiar. Wouldn’t she remember someone like him though? The more she tries to get close to him, the more he pulls away almost as if he’s hiding something. He continues to blatantly make his dislike for her clear until finally, Luce becomes desperate, and decides that she was going to find out what Daniel could possibly be hiding, no matter what the cost.

This is the first book of the Fallen series, and I absolutely loved this book! If you have a weakness for love stories combined with a little bit of action then this is the prefect book to read!

Pick it up at the library today!

Coffeehouse Angel by Suzanne Selfors

Reviewed by Ashley

Katrina, is a girl who lives and works in a coffeehouse with her grandmother since her parents died in a car crash. She is just an ordinary girl (at least that’s what she thought) until she meets Malcolm. Malcolm is a guy who sleeps in their alley. She noticed him one morning and decided to give him some breakfast, and Malcolm insisted on giving her a reward for her good deeds. It turned out that Malcolm is a messenger (a kind of angel). Malcolm insists that he has to give her the reward, something she most desired. The problem is, she does not know what her greatest desire is. Like the old saying, “You won’t be able to put it down” this is a fantastic book.

Find it at the library!

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin

Reviewed by Ashley

Naomi Parker has been given a blank slate. She fell down the steps at her high school, hit her head, and now she can’t remember anything from the past four years. She doesn’t remember meeting her best friend Will, she doesn’t remember why she likes her jock boyfriend Ace, she doesn’t remember her parents’ divorce and she doesn’t remember how to drive. What Naomi has is the chance to star over, to press the reset button on her life. And the things that remain the same might indicate what she should really be doing with her life and where her heart truly lies.  Gabrielle Zevin is my favorite author, her books are like no other and keep you engaged in the story till the end when you’re so sad it ended.

Get it at the library!

Saving Juliet by Suzanne Selfors

Reviewed by Ashley

This story is about a girl named Mimi. She is an actress for theatre, even though she hates it. Mimi gets these magic ashes from her aunt, and to make a long story short she and this boy Troy end up in the play Romeo and Juliet. She plays Juliet and Troy is her dreamy and cocky costar. He plays Romeo.  Even if you haven’t read Romeo and Juliet, that’s just fine, the play doesn’t exactly go its original course. This story was a light read, so pick it up if you are looking to be amused.

Get it at the library!